Community leaders to be honored at Annual Awards Gala

Find out who wins our awards for leadership, entrepreneurship, volunteerism and more - at the Boyne Chamber's "Toast to the Town" Annual Awards Gala on January 18th (Details and registration). Our members and newsletter are picking the winners. More than 300 people have responded to our survey and voted for the best of Boyne. As one survey respondent commented: "It was difficult to vote with so many dedicated nominees." Here  are the nominees in six categories:
> Sally Roselli Business Leadership Award
 Lynda Christensen of Lynda's Real Estate
 Michelle Cortright of Harbor House Publishers
 Jane MacKenzie of Northern Homes
 Jeff Wellman of North Harbor Real Estate
> Entrepreneur of the Year
 Gildas Berrou of Boyne City Bakery
 Mike Castiglione of Stiggs Brewery & Kitchen
 Jeff and John Thompson of Shaggy's Copper Country Skis
> Young Entrepreneur of the Year
 Erika Blackwell of Center of Attention Photography
 Anna Burkhart of Forgotten Treasures
 Michael Cortright of North Country Cycle Sport
 Emerson Meyer of the Waffle Cabin
> Heritage Award
 Michelle Cortright of Harbor House Publishers
 Ralph Gillett of Ralph Gillett CPA
 Bob Mathers of Bob Mathers Ford
> Community Pride Award
 Boyne City Rocks
 Boyne City Varsity Football
 Eta Nu
 Kiwanis Club of Boyne City
> Volunteer of the Year
 Bob Alger of Boyne Thunder Committee
 Kecia Freed of the Boyne Heritage Center
 Becky Harris of the Boyne City Farmers Market
 Patricia May of Challenge Mountain & Boyne City Food Pantry

'Fat and Flurrious' fat tire bike race planned for Jan. 20 at Avalanche

Plans are in the works for an Avalanche Fat Bike Race to be held in Boyne City on Saturday, January 20th. An online Facebook contest came up with "Fat and Flurrious" as the race name. The event is being organized by North Country Cycle Sport owner Mike Cortright and also involves Stiggs Brewery and Kitchen, which will be  celebrating its first anniversary that day. The start and finish is behind North Country Cycle Sport and in front of Stiggs Brewery on Park Street in downtown Boyne City. After the race, Stiggs will host a race awards party that will also celebrate the brewery's anniversary. 
The fat bike race course is 6 or 10 miles (Sport and Open Class) on the professionally-designed and built singletrack trails at Avalanche Mountain, which is a 300-acre city park at the south end of town. "This will be the most challenging Fat Tire Bike Race in the Lower Peninsula," Cortright says. 
Proceeds from the race will benefit the Top Of Michigan Mountain Bike Association, the group that spearheaded a major expansion of trails at Avalanche over the past couple of years. Watch a video of the race course through the snow - http://bit.ly/flurriousbike.
> REGISTRATION and more details are online at www.fatandflurrious.com. 

It's a spectacular view from the top of Avalanche Mountain.