A series of blood drives will soon be held in our area, and the American Red Cross is encouraging anyone who is eligible to donate.

Blood drives will be held at the Manton United Methodist Church from 11:45am until 5:30pm on July 23 and at St. Ann’s Catholic church in Cadillac from 1pm until 6:45pm on August 9 and from 11:15am until 5pm on August 10.

The American Red Cross said while they’ve had great response to recent blood drives, there’s always a need for additional blood.

“The summer is a difficult time for blood collections and we depend on our generous donors to help us maintain a healthy blood supply,” said Sharon Jaksa, CEO for the Great Lakes Region of the American Red Cross.

According to the Red Cross, there’s always a need for blood during the summer, though potential donors sometimes prioritize other activities over blood donation. The organization said that taking the time to make an appointment to donate blood could save life.

For more information on upcoming blood drives or the American Red Cross as a whole, you can log on to RedCrossBlood.org.

Movies… And swimming. These two activities may not be the first thing you’d think about mixing, but one local group is doing just that at an upcoming event.

The Cadillac Area YMCA will hold what they’re calling a “Flick-N-Float” on Friday, July 30 at 7pm. The event takes place at the organization’s Community Center near Baker College in Cadillac, and is open to all YMCA members.

During the “Flick-N-Float,” the YMCA will screen Pixar’s “Finding Nemo” in the pool room of the community center; the audience is encouraged to bring their favorite float to lounge on in the pool while watching the film. There will also be room for deck chairs for anyone who prefers to stay dry while watching the film.

The cost to attend is $5 per family, but reservations are required. To make a reservation or for more information, you can contact the YMCA at 231-775-3369. 

An annual festival in Scottville will take place tomorrow — being held a day earlier than normal in order to accommodate a local car show.

The annual Scottville Sumer Fest Chicken BBQ and Rubber Ducky race will take place on Saturday July 10. Most years, the festival takes place on a Sunday, but the event was moved this year so it would take place at the same time as the car show.

The Chicken BBQ will be held in the West Parking lot on State Street (near the Optimist Band shell) and will run from 11:30am until 2:00pm. The event will be followed by the Rubber Ducky Race at Riverside Park.

The Chicken BBQ will feature the Knabenmusik der Stadt St. Gallen band from Switzerland; the band is performing as part of an exchange program through Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. The program allows host communities welcome the foreign bands for weekends throughout the summer. In addition to featuring live music, the Chicken BBQ will include free face painting and bounce houses for kids.
Rubber Ducks are already being sold for $5 a piece. Each ticket has the opportunity to win $500.00 for first place with prizes being offered through 11th place. Ducks can be purchased at the Ludington & Scottville Area Chamber of Commerce, City of Scottville, Scottville Main Street, Nichols Drug, and Cox’s Sales and Services or at the BBQ the day of the event.

For more information on the Scottville Summer Fest, contact the Ludington and Scottville Chamber of Commerce at 231.845.0324.
 

A local library group is planning to participate in an annual festival by holding a used book sale.

The Cadillac-Wexford Public Library’s “Friends of the Library” group will hold their annual Used Book Sale during the Cadillac Festival of the Arts. The sale will run from 10am until 2pm on Saturday, July 17; dozens of books will be available.

Prices start at fifty cents per book, with genres like travel, biography and children’s books available. For more information on the used book sale or other library events, you can visit CadillacLibrary.org.

An annual look into Cadillac’s history will be held this weekend.

The Wexford County Historical Society will hold their annual Historical Home and Garden Tour on July 10. The event runs from 10am until 4pm. Numerous houses in Cadillac’s historic district will be showcased in the tour; tickets cost $10 and are available at the Wexford County Historical Society Museum, Chemical Bank in Cadillac, Toy Town, Brink’s Custom Framing, and at any building featured in the tour.

For more information about the event, call 231-775-1717 or visit WexfordCountyHistory.org. A complete list of sites included in the tour is below.

• Bill & Sue Allen (House) – 213 Holbrook Street
• Thomas & Heather Goodman (House) – 501 E. Division Street
• Rod & Amy Gibbs (Garden) – 750 E. Division Street
• Greg & Wendy Moore (House and Garden) – 403 E. Cass Street
• Brad & Ruth Center (House and Garden) – 438 E. Harris Street
• Michael & Linnea (Garden) – 505 E. Chapin Street
• Leonard & Barbara Kuchinski (Garden) – 435 Evart Street
• Cobbs & Mitchell Building (Building) – 100 E. Chapin Street
• BPO Elks Club (Building – 122 S. Mitchell Street

The Old Town Playhouse in Traverse City will soon hold auditions for their latest performance.

Auditions for the musical “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” will be held Monday, July 12 and Tuesday, July 13 at 7pm at the Old Town Playhouse. The play has parts for 4 women and 5 men, with scripts available at the Old Town Playhouse Business Office.

For more information about the auditions, the play, or the Old Town Playhouse as a whole, you can call 231-947-2210 or visit www.oldtownplayhouse.com.