Saturday in Traverse City

by: jcherry

Mon Jul 14, 2008 at 14:04:22 PM EDT

Senator Carl Levin was the morning's keynote speaker.  He pumped the crowd up, and talked about the dramatic moment in the United States Senate last week when Senator Ted Kennedy returned to the Senate floor to cast the deciding vote to bring an end to the filibuster on the Medicaid appropriation.  Democrats have struggled the past two years to muster the 60 votes to break filibusters on critical issues that advance the Democratic Agenda.  For the most part, they have regularly fallen short, but not this time.  With Ted Kennedy present, they broke the filibuster and went on to pass the Medicaid appropriation with a comfortable majority.  This all shows you how legislators often hide behind procedural votes; but when you can't hide any longer and the light of day shines strong, justice can prevail.

I also ran into Greg McMasters, a local media personality, who introduced me to a new attraction in the Grand Traverse Bay Area.  The Grand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve Council has mapped out 19 separate sites of shipwrecks.  They recently received, with the Governor's assistance, designation as an underwater preserve.  The preserve status will allow the Council to protect the sites so they will continue to be available to the public for research and educational purposes.

At about 11:00 am the parade launched off under fair skies and with a huge crowd lining the parade route through the downtown.  I was near the front of the parade right behind the Grand Traverse Pipe and Drum Corp.  Being of Scots-Irish descent, it is always a treat to follow the pipes and this was no exception.  For the spectators, the parade must have been fun to watch.  I know that a number of high school bands from across the state participated in the National Cherry Festival.  There were so many units that after I finished, Pam and I had lunch and when we came out of the restaurant, the parade was still in progress.

The National Cherry Festival is symbolic of the magnetic effect that the Great Lakes have.  Thousands of individuals from all over Michigan and the Nation traveled over the highways, through the air, and across the water to come to Traverse City to participate in this great event.  The community rolled out the carpet of hospitality and created a special weekend on the shores of Grand Traverse Bay.  It all helps to support industries based on recreation, hospitality, and culture.  It represents a face of Michigan that we all take great pride in.  Without healthy Lakes, that magnetic magic would begin to wane.  It is one of the reasons that we struggle to clean up watersheds in Berrien County and remediate toxic hot spots in Muskegon.

I had a wonderful time traveling to coastal cities in Michigan last week and meeting people who are enthusiastic about restoring our lakes.  I look forward to continuing my tour of the Great Lakes later this month and into August, when I'll be traveling to Bay City, Southeastern Michigan (including Macomb County, Detroit and the Downriver area), the UP, and the northeastern Lower Peninsula.  I'll continue to update you on my travels, and hope to hear from you as well. For continuing updates, follow my Twitter feed at http://www.twitter.com/johncherry.