Greetings TARTans,
Whew! Is it because the sun's out late that we feel this incessant need to fill up all those hours? Nah, I think it's just because we're Michiganders and we know how to make the most of every season. And we sure know how to celebrate this summer. The farmers markets are bursting with fresh produce, the water is warm, the sun is shining, and the woods are cool. You can bike around town and catch the breeze off the water or head out to the forest and enjoy the shade. Events of all shapes and sizes - from Traverse Symphony Orchestra concerts, to Norte Slow Rolls and a Caboose open house - give us all kinds of reasons to get outside and explore. As August stares us down, know there's plenty of time to make the most of another beautiful month of summer. So take to the trails and soak up all the season has to offer! Ding! Ding!
Julie Clark, Chief Executive Officer |
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 ACT Construction Continues
The Acme gap will soon be no more. Team Elmer’s has made significant progress with the Acme Connector Trail in recent weeks. Several key trail elements have been completed including a majority of the earthwork, boardwalk foundations, and bridge abutments. If construction continues as planned, the Acme Creek bridge will be delivered and set in place, final grading completed, and then begin paving over the next month. We’re optimistic that we'll be walking and rolling on the new trail come September. More about the project here. |
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 It's a Match!
We're up to $2,100 on our summer matching challenge! There's still time — if we can raise $5,000 by July 31, the generous folks at LariCom Acres will double that gift, meaning $10,000 goes to the trails. If the trails play a role in your daily life, this may be the opportunity for you. Thank you to everyone who has donated this past weekend to support communities connected by trails. There's still time to get us to our mark. Check out your giving options here. |
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 More Good Things to Come
A friendly reminder that while the Boardman Lake Loop Trail is open for use (and is seeing over 1,500 visits per day, but who's counting) contractors are still out there putting on the finishing touches. So please excuse the occasional construction cone, barricade, or intermittent closure and know that there are more good things to come. The icing on the cake will be worth the brief interruption. |
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SPECIAL THANKS
Shout out to United Way of Northwest Michigan for supporting the Recycle-A-Bicycle program through their Community Impact program. United Way works to create better opportunities for neighbors by helping build stronger communities. We are so grateful for their support of RAB, and for the good work they do throughout our region. Thank you United Way!
Thanks to our friends at Frontier Computer Corp. for adopting a dog station on the east side of Hull Park along the Boardman Lake Loop Trail. Their team members have been keeping this area stocked and tidy so we can continue to share the trail with our canine friends.
The many faces of TART! We've said it before, and we'll say it again, TART volunteers are the heart and soul of our organization. Many thanks to all the helping hands and smiling faces that make events like Tour de TART so fun, safe, and successful!
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SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT
Did you know that Tour de TART is our biggest fundraising event of the year? The event is made possible by the support of many community partners and sponsors. The 2022 Tour de TART was presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network and supported by platinum sponsors: The Simonton-Walsh-Hanosek-Mangum Wealth Management Group and Hagerty Insurance; Gold Sponsors Insight Optometry, Grand Traverse Pie Company, Inc and C&M Insurance Services and David Clark and Phyllis Kirk.
VI Grill and Fiddleheads along with Grand Traverse Pie Co, Milk & Honey, Northwoods Soda, Cherry Republic, Great Lakes Potato Chips, Go Go Squeeze, Wunsch Cherry Farms, Pure Water Works, North Peak Brewing and Shady Lane Cellars kept our riders fueled and hydrated throughout the evening. Our friends at Brick Wheels provided one heck of a luau. Platinum Sound kept the party going with great tunes all night long. And Star Truck Rentals along with Morse Moving and Storage helped us transport hundreds of bikes safely back to Traverse City.
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Leelanau Trail Open House - Saturday, July 30
Celebrate with us at the caboose off Carter Road this Saturday. TARTans will be on hand to hand out refreshments, talk LT improvement projects, and celebrate the folks who make it all possible - trail users, community partners, volunteers and donors like you!
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Boardman Lake Loop Ribbon Cutting - Friday, August 19
Save the date and mark your calendars, folks, because we've got some celebrating to do! It's gonna be a weekend full of fun. Stay tuned for more details to come!
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Dune Dash - Saturday, August 20
Join us for the 9th Annual Dune Dash 4-mile run/walk on the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. The race course showcases the trail located in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Don’t miss your chance to experience one of the most beautiful scenic runs in Michigan. More here.
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TART TRIVIA
Fill in the blank. It takes a village to_____.
Do you recognize these friendly faces? These intrepid folks were part of the Acme Parks & Trails Committee that helped make the Acme Connector Trail possible. They are part of a long and strong history of Acme community members working hard to bring trails to the Township. Trails can take years (oof, even decades) to complete. This photo captures what we at TART know well - that everyone has a part to play in making community connections happen. We're so excited to welcome the new connector this fall and are so grateful to the community members, past and present, that made it possible. And as part of the Nakwema Trailway we're thrilled to be working on more connections to come!
Answer: Build trails! 😉
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