Independence Day brings Fireworks over the Bay!

It's that time of year again! The Fourth of July is tomorrow and you know what that means... FIREWORKS! Team Elmer's once again has donated a crane, loader, and sand to the preparation of the fireworks display that will take place on the Fourth of July, as well as the Cherry Festival Finale on July 12th.

In order for all those around Grand Traverse Bay to enjoy the pyrotechnic display, steps must be taken to prepare for the big night. First, a barge is unloaded from a truck with Team Elmer's 110 ton crane and placed in the Grand Traverse Bay. The larger fireworks are then loaded into a dumpster, which is filled in with sand to hold them in place. The dumpster is then loaded onto the barge, along with the rest of the smaller fireworks.

Donating the equipment necessary to put on the highly anticipated fireworks display allows more of the budget to go towards the fireworks themselves, giving the viewers a better bang for their buck!

Looking for more to do at the National Cherry Festival than enjoy an amazing fireworks display? Click here for a complete event schedule.

Sleeping Bear Dunes Heritage Trail: Segment II

Two years ago, Team Elmer’s broke ground on one of the highest profile projects in our history, a 27-mile, non-motorized trail designed to wind along the widely renowned Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The project, which was funded in part by both the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Authority, was always going to be a massive undertaking. A marathon-length, paved trail that would allow bikers, joggers, hikers, and other non-motorized adventurers a spot to explore this beautiful environment in leisure, away from both sand and road.

However, the sprawling nature of the project required that it be broken up into multiple segments and spread out over the course of a decade. This past April, Team Elmer’s began work on segment two, extending the current trail from four miles in length to 9.5, and pushing the project past 35 percent completion.

Reaching the one-third benchmark was a team effort. The biggest concern was to preserve as much of the natural beauty as possible, dodging any unnecessary environmental disruption. Team Elmer’s completed and subcontracted the clearing of 5.5 miles of trail space, laying down hot mix asphalt, adding curbs, concrete ramps, landscaping flourishes and even install signs to help direct traffic. To make matters more challenging, we were working in a limited disturbance area and timeframe, as well as working around motorized traffic.

Start to finish, the project schedule was eleven weeks. Thanks to one of the coldest winters in recent Northern Michigan memory there was still three feet of snow on the ground on the specified start date. Four weeks later, the snow had finally melted enough for us to get to work.

Rising to the challenge, Team Elmer’s put their problem solving abilities to the test. Team Elmer’s leaped into action, working overtime, increasing the size of our crews, and sending more of our equipment up to Empire than we had initially intended. The extra hard work paid off: on June 6, right on schedule, we were able to open the second segment of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail to the public.

The hope, of course, is that future generations will enjoy the pristine beauty of the trail and winters won’t bring as much snow and cold. Between now and 2016, there are two additional segments scheduled for bid, adding eight more miles onto the trail. The 2015 segment will connect Glen Arbor to Port Oneida, while 2016 work will span from Port Oneida to Bohemian Road.

Ultimately, the trail is set to run from the northern end of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore down to Manning Road, which is located south of Empire. The 27 miles of trail in between those two points will give cyclists and other travelers ample access to popular lakeside attractions – such as Glen Arbor, Glen Haven, and the Dune Climb itself – as well as to amenities such as campgrounds. And all within the safe confines of the trail away from motorized vehicles.

Interested in following construction on the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail? Visit the trail’s official website by  clicking here.  Want to see more picutres? Click here to see a short slideshow of the trail construction in action.