The dream of riding one’s bike the full length of the Lake Michigan shoreline from downtown New Buffalo to Chicago’s Calumet Park is one giant step closer to becoming a very real opportunity. An ambitious project dubbed The Marquette Greenway would create a regional, non-motorized greenway spanning the full 58 mile coastline of the southern shore of Lake Michigan between those two points and it got a sizable boost this week thanks to an outstanding Giveback Dinner last week at the Bentwood Tavern in the Marina Grand Resort at New Buffalo.
The Marquette Greenway Giveback Dinner on December 14 at the Bentwood Tavern actually raised $9,685 towards the initial target of $25,000 to fund pre-development work on the newest hike and bike trail in Harbor Country — the Marquette Greenway. The dinner was attended by more than 175 enthusiastic supporters.
An on-site raffle was well-supported by the local community as well, delivering exciting prizes that had been donated by generous residents including a Classic Beach Cruiser Bike from JV Peacock of OutPost Sports. In fact, Marge Spears rolled that prize home after dinner. A children’s Fat Tire Bike, donated by the Choose Chad Team at Coldwell Banker, was taken home by Grace Rappe.
Additional raffle prizes were donated by these generous businesses:
- Bike Stop
- Dancing Feet Yoga
- Equilibrium Fitness
- Indian Summer Boutique
- MI Massage Studio
- New Buffalo Inn & Spa
- Ryan Casey
- Sakari Nail Salon
- The Wellness Center
That event as well as outreach materials were organized by Diane Pyshos, Heather Gradowksi and Caroline Ramsay with Katie Maroney managing the raffle items. Additional thanks have been issued to Robert Kemper for the incredible venue and to Arnie Feinberg’s vision as one of the founders of Friends of Harbor Country Trails.
Residents throughout the region have longed for an uninterrupted trail connecting Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, which would also provide access to a wide variety of destinations along the lakefront. Today, 28 miles of the Marquette Greenway have either been built or funded. The Pokaon Fund project team is working to fund 3.8 miles for the Michigan portion of the trail, from the Indiana state line to downtown New Buffalo, with a 2018 goal of raising another $200,000 to leverage state and federal grants.
Interested fans can join the effort right now, by making a donation online at harborcountrytrails.org or by mailing a donation to: Friends of Harbor Country Trails, PO Box 371, New Buffalo, MI 49117.
