Harbor Springs area's 'Stars' honored for community contributions
HARBOR SPRINGS — Instead of sitting in the night sky on Tuesday, the Harbor Springs stars made their way into the Holy Childhood Church Community Hall to celebrate the Harbor Stars Community Awards Dinner.
The dinner, now in its 27th year, celebrates different community members and businesses to highlight the work they have done for Harbor Springs.
The Harbor Springs Area Chamber of Commerce asked newsletter subscribers to vote in the awards. A total of 315 people responded.
Earning the night's top honor was Jan McDonald, who was named Citizen of the Year.
A retired Harbor Springs Public Schools teacher, McDonald continues to volunteer with the schools, as well as in events like Festival of the Book. She also volunteers with the Harbor Springs Area Historical Society, Methodist Church, Garden Club and more.
John Cupps Jr., Bill Mulder and Gregg Garver were all runners-up for the award.
Andy Bultman of The Rocking Horse Toy Company received the President's Award.
He has served as an active member of the community for 43 years through his business, and has also served on the Chamber of Commerce Board, as well the Downtown Development Authority Board.
Stafford's Pier/Pointer Boat, The Highlands and First Community Bank were the runners-up.
The Spencer Family of Pond Hill Farm was awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year award.
The farm has had recent expansions to include spaces for dining and music along with adding new special events and continued updates to trails.
Runners-up were Anita Cousino of 119 Studio, Wendy Nellett of Harbor Shores Cleaning Company, and Perry Farm Village.
Chelsea Simms, owner of Running Water, won the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.
She opened a wellness studio last year, named after the sailboat she and her husband own. The space includes running, rowing and strength classes for all skill levels.
Runners-up included Greg Bennett of Cornerstone CPA Solutions and Jena Offield of Little Juice.
President of the Harbor Springs Garden Club Nancy Zuker was given the Beautification & Architectural Award on Tuesday night.
The volunteer group of gardeners help contribute to the area's gardens. They maintain the flower beds downtown, including cleaning, planting, weeding and more. They also ready the gardens for winter.
The runners-up were the Harbor Springs boardwalk, Cottage Company of Harbor Springs and Harbor Springs Market and Cellar.
Mary Jane Kiogima was awarded the Volunteer of the Year.
Kiogima, a long-time school crossing guard, helps out in the schools promoting the Odawa language and selling tickets at sporting events. She also volunteers with Northwest Community Mediation and is a boat watcher at Ford Park.
Scott Reiss, Nancy Zuker and Marianne Moffatt were the runners-up for the award.
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The Marty Van De Car Community Ambassador title was given to Amy Gillard, executive director of the Harbor Springs Festival of the Book.
Authors travel from throughout the country to share their books with the more than 1,300 festivalgoers. Presenters have visited more than 150 classrooms in six local elementary, middle and high schools.
Cora Smith Waite of Little Traverse Tileworks, the Harbor Springs Baseball Association, and Tonya Fagen of Comfort Keepers were the runners-up.
— Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KarlyGrahamJRN.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Harbor Springs awards dinner honors community's 'Stars'
