- Date
- 1957-08-11
- Kind
- Celebration
- Where
- Holy Cross Parish Hall
- Followed by
- Beaver Island Homecoming parade and dance, 1958
- Eras
- Modern era
- Concepts
- celebrationcommunityheritagereligion
- Within
- Beaver Island
Summary
The 1957 Beaver Island Homecoming was held Sunday, August 11 — “the second Sunday in August,” per the Beacon’s own rule that summer. The dinner was served in Holy Cross Hall; 503 dinners were counted, and the parade, chaired by summer resident Joe Grossel (mayor of Harper Woods, Michigan), awarded first prize to a Beaver Lodge float, second to Doc Luton’s Medical Center float, and third to the Allen family’s crowded old car. The July issue notes, with some local pride, that the Chicago Tribune had asked for facts and figures to feature the event in a future issue.
Program
Dinner. Held at Holy Cross Hall; 503 dinners served, matching the “Big Dinner” advertised in August. No source states who cooked it.
Parade. Chairman Joe Grossel of Harper Woods, credited “along with his committee.” First prize: Beaver Lodge’s double-trailer float depicting “kitchen capers and the room service of the Lodge.” Second: Doc Luton’s Medical Center float, “new mothers and new babies.” Third: the Allen family’s old 1926-model car packed with fourteen people under the sign “Cheaper by the dozen.”
Dance. Mrs. Bob Powell of Geneseo, Illinois — who had brought a Hammond electric organ to the island by trailer that summer — played for the Homecoming Dinner in Holy Cross Hall, having already played a BICA dance benefit earlier in the season.
Outside attention. The Chicago Tribune’s features editor requested facts and figures for a future feature on the Homecoming; no such article is held here, so it is recorded as a request, not a publication.
Evidence limits
These are three consecutive monthly newsletter items (July, August, September
1957) of the Beaver Island Civic Association’s own newsletter, not an
independent outcome report. No source this year names the sponsoring
organization for the Homecoming itself — unlike 1955–1956 and 1963, where the
Civic Association signs the announcement, or 1959–1960, where Holy Cross Parish
is named directly, the 1957 notices are unsigned. carried_out_by is left
empty rather than assumed. No financial total is given for 1957, unlike 1967,
1968 and 1972.
Open questions
- Was the Chicago Tribune feature on the Homecoming ever published? No copy or reference to one appears later here.
- Which body organized the 1957 Homecoming? The Beacon’s masthead is the Civic Association’s own newsletter, but no notice this year signs the event to any organization, unlike adjacent years.
See also
Sources
- Reports that the Chicago Tribune "will feature the BEAVER ISLAND HOMECOMING in a future issue," and that its features editor requested facts and figures, adding "Homecoming Day is always the second Sunday in August." No Tribune article is held in this corpus, and the note does not establish that one was ever printed. Read in the in-repo data/ tree. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1957-07_Beaver-Beacon
- The held three-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1957-07_Beaver-Beacon
- Three separate items fix the date and program: a BIHS note that a miniature golf course will be ready "by the Homecoming Sunday"; a BITCO telephone note that the company hopes to switch on service "on Homecoming Day Aug. 11th"; and a notice reading "HOMEcoming SUNDAY...is coming August 11th with the Big Dinner, Parade and Dance. Chairman of the Parade Committee is Mayor Joe Grossel of Harper Woods, Mich." A separate item says Mrs. Bob Powell "will play again during the Homecoming Dinner in Holy Cross Hall," naming the dinner venue. Read in the in-repo data/ tree. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1957-08_Beaver-Beacon
- The held four-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1957-08_Beaver-Beacon
- Reports "HOMEcoming SUNDAY was a great affair with 503 dinners served and Beaver Lodge taking first prize in the parade with a double trailer showing the kitchen capers and the room service of the Lodge. Doc Luton took second with his Medical Center float of new mothers and new babies. Third went to the always-original Allens with their 14 packed into an old '26 model auto bearing the sign, 'Cheaper by the dozen.' Parade chairman Joe Grossel who is also mayor of Happer [sic] Woods did a fine job along with his committee." Read in the in-repo data/ tree. Gives dinner count and parade results only; no financial figure is given for the day as a whole. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1957-09_Beaver-Beacon
- The held four-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1957-09_Beaver-Beacon
- Records that Grossel, three-times mayor of Harper Woods, "was in charge of the Homecoming Parade for a few years in the late 1950's, donating trophies for prizes," corroborating twenty-two years later that his parade chairmanship spanned more than one year. Read in the in-repo data/ tree. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1979-05_Beaver-Beacon
- The held ten-page May issue PDF is paired with the canonical OCR source and confirms the retrospective Grossel reference.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1979-05_Beaver-Beacon
Added 3 August 2026 · revised 4 August 2026. Recent changes
Cite this article
Beaver Island Archive, “Beaver Island Homecoming draws 503 dinners, 1957”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/beaver-island-homecoming-1957/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, July 1957, "Chicago Tribune...will feature the Beaver Island Homecoming." (and 7 further sources listed on the page).
Last revised 2026-08-04. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.
BibTeX for “Beaver Island Homecoming draws 503 dinners, 1957”RIS for “Beaver Island Homecoming draws 503 dinners, 1957”