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Event

Bite of Beaver Island, 2005

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

TypeEvent
Date2005-10-01
WithinBeaver Island
ErasModern era
On this page
Event
Date
2005-10-01
Kind
Celebration
Where
Holy Cross Parish Hall
Carried out by
Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce
Followed by
Bite of Beaver Island, 2006
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
celebrationcommunitytourismeconomy
Within
Beaver Island

Summary

The fourth “Bite of Beaver Island” was held Saturday, October 1, 2005, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Holy Cross Hall, paired with the third annual Island Boodle 5K run/walk that morning. This was the first year of a Chamber-run poster contest for the event, and the food festival itself drew “well over 300” people, including a large group of Irish visitors from Chicago and Arranmore.123

Program

The July announcement explicitly frames 2005 as the Bite’s “4th occurrence” and introduces a poster contest, the first of its kind: entries had to read “Bite of Beaver Island, October 1, 2005, Holy Cross Hall 1-5pm,” judged by the Chamber board with a $100 prize.1 The September preview lays out the full day: the Island Boodle 5K at 10:00 a.m. along the Paradise Bay harbor, medals and t-shirts distributed at the Shamrock; the food festival 1:00-5:00 p.m. at the Parish Hall, with the prior year’s sellouts named as rack of lamb, grilled shrimp, escargot, and a variety of desserts; a Youth-Consortium-run autumn crafts table and cider press for children; an apple pie contest judged and auctioned by John Fiegen, proceeds to the baker’s chosen charity; a collective Merchant Open House across nine downtown shops; and an evening of live music at the Shamrock plus Irish music and dancing at Holy Cross Hall.2

The October recap describes the Hall so full that tables and chairs were set up on the lawn, a truck-hood radio broadcasting the UM/MSU football game outside, and over three hours of piano/guitar music from Rich Scripps.3 It lists that day’s food as spinach calzones, whitefish cakes, Swedish pancakes, jalapeño poppers, bourbon steak tips, quail, chicken-cheese kabobs, white chili, whitefish chowder, Chinese braised pork, black bean and corn wonton cups, gorgonzola spread, whitefish paté, buffalo wings, deviled eggs, spinach egg rolls, ham-wrapped vegetables, creole soup, mini wet burritos, and sloppy joes, with cookies, fudge, candy, and cakes for dessert, alongside the 24 pies entered in the Apple Pie Contest: Betty Scoggin placed first, netting $36 for the Sports Boosters, and Kathy Ruis placed second, raising $26 for the Beaver Island Historical Society.3 Organizer Sally Fogg’s post-event thank-you names her committee: Mike and Gail Weede, Jean Carpenter, Kathy Speck, Liz Lanier, Elaine West, Sarah Oswinski, Michelle LaFreniere, and Dana Hodgson.4

The Boodle 5K

The same October recap reports results for the third annual Island Boodle 5K that preceded the food festival. The men’s overall winner is named in the source only as “Adam” — his surname is lost to a page break in the printed issue — who finished in 21 minutes 30 seconds, followed by Matt Hohn (25:02), Bryan Timsak (25:48), and, in the 60-and-over group, Rich Priehs (27:05). Linda Frysinger, running in the 50-59 bracket, was the top woman runner (26:46), followed by Cyndi Ledra (28:32, 40-49) and Jenna Battle (29:01, under 15), with Ruth Igoe close behind (31:03). Among the walkers, Ed and Willie Welter won their category, while powerwalker Tina Morgan finished first overall among walkers but was reported complaining she had not beaten her own time from the year before. Organizers Mike and Gail Weede addressed the crowd afterward in the Parish Hall; registration fees of $20 to $25 produced close to $2,500 for the Sports Boosters after expenses, and, during the medal and door-prize presentation, the Hall broke into a rendition of “Happy Birthday” when Tova Koppenrud’s name was called and it emerged to be her birthday.3

Community and economic context

The event drew “well over 300” attendees, described as including “a large Irish crowd from Chicago and Arranmore” — an explicit link, at this early date, between the Beaver Island Bite of Beaver and the island’s Irish-heritage visitor network.3 A visiting group’s own December 2005 thank-you letter separately recalls dropping in on the Bite during an island bus tour, corroborating its appeal to outside visitors.5

Evidence limits

Six Beacon issues (July, August, September, October, November, December 2005) and one Charlevoix Courier bound-volume mention this year’s event; the Courier citation is a short phrase re-verified from raw one-word-per-line ProQuest OCR. The October recap’s report of the Boodle 5K’s men’s overall winner gives only his first name, “Adam”; the surname appears to have been lost where the printed column breaks around an inserted photograph, and no other held source supplies it.

Open questions

  • What was the surname of “Adam,” the Boodle 5K’s overall men’s winner in 2005?

See also

Footnotes

  1. “The Bite of Beaver Island Poster Contest,” Beaver Beacon, July 2005. ↩ ↩2

  2. “Island expects another fun Bite of Beaver & Boodle,” Beaver Beacon, September 2005. ↩ ↩2

  3. Beaver Beacon, October 2005. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  4. “A Successful Bite of Beaver Island,” Beaver Beacon, November 2005. ↩

  5. Beaver Beacon, December 2005. ↩

Sources

  1. "The Bite of Beaver Island Poster Contest," Beaver Beacon, July 2005.
    Announces the first-ever Bite of Beaver Island poster contest, explicitly calling 2005 "the Bite's 4th occurrence." Poster must read "Bite of Beaver Island / October 1, 2005 / Holy Cross Hall 1-5pm / Beaver Island Chamber logo." Entries due September 9, judged September 12 by Chamber board members, $100 award to the winner, announced at the event. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2005-07_Beaver-Beacon
  2. The held forty-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 · 2005-07_Beaver-Beacon
  3. "Island expects another fun Bite of Beaver & Boodle," Beaver Beacon, September 2005.
    Full program: 3rd Annual Island Boodle 5K Run/Walk along Paradise Bay harbor, Saturday October 1 at 10:00 a.m., medals and t-shirts given out at the Shamrock; Bite of Beaver food festival 1:00-5:00 p.m. at Parish Hall, professional/amateur chefs selling small portions; last year's sellouts named as rack of lamb, grilled shrimp, escargot, and desserts; Youth Consortium autumn crafts and cider-press demonstration; apple pie contest with prizes from Montaage and Whimsy, auctioned by John Fiegen with proceeds to the baker's chosen Island charity; a collective Merchant Open House (Beaver Boatique, Cole's Island Gallery, Montaage, Seven Sisters, Whimsy, Eastwind Spa, Shipwreck Shirts, Livingstone Studio, Toy Museum); evening live music at the Shamrock and Irish music/dancing at Holy Cross Hall. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2005-09_Beaver-Beacon
  4. The held forty-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 · 2005-09_Beaver-Beacon
  5. "A Successful Bite of Beaver Island," Beaver Beacon, November 2005.
    Organizer Sally Fogg's thank-you letter names her committee: Mike and Gail Weede, Jean Carpenter, Kathy Speck, Liz Lanier, Elaine West, Sarah Oswinski, Michelle LaFreniere, and Dana Hodgson. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2005-11_Beaver-Beacon
  6. The held thirty-six-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 · 2005-11_Beaver-Beacon
  7. Beaver Beacon, October 2005 ("The Chamber really outdid itself this year").
    Recap: "well over 300 people attended including a large Irish crowd from Chicago and Arranmore." The Parish Hall was so packed tables and chairs were set up on the lawn; a radio broadcast the UM/MSU football game outside. Rich Scripps played piano/guitar for over three hours. The same recap gives Boodle 5K results (winner given only as "Adam," 21:30, surname lost to a page break, followed by Matt Hohn, Bryan Timsak, and 60+ finisher Rich Priehs; women's leader Linda Frysinger, followed by Cyndi Ledra, Jenna Battle, and Ruth Igoe; walkers Ed and Willie Welter and powerwalker Tina Morgan), reports $20-$25 registration fees netted close to $2,500 for the Sports Boosters, and lists the full menu of dishes served plus the Apple Pie Contest result: 24 pies entered, Betty Scoggin first ($36 for Sports Boosters) and Kathy Ruis second ($26 for the Beaver Island Historical Society). No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2005-10_Beaver-Beacon
  8. The held forty-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 · 2005-10_Beaver-Beacon
  9. Letter from an Irish visitor group, Beaver Beacon, December 2005.
    A visiting group's thank-you letter recalls dropping in on "your wonderful Bite of Beaver" during an island bus tour, corroborating the event and its community character from an outside visitor's perspective. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2005-12_Beaver-Beacon
  10. The held forty-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 · 2005-12_Beaver-Beacon
  11. Confirms a "fourth annual" Bite of Beaver Island Food Festival dated October 1, 2005. Raw ProQuest microform OCR, one word per line.
    charlevoix · issues · charlevoixcourie2005unse · charlevoixcourie2005unse_djvu
  12. The Chamber’s contemporaneous reply confirms the October 1 date and publishes the 10:00 a.m. Boodle, 1:00–5:00 p.m. Bite, apple-pie contest, and evening music details. It also records the planned Irish dance demonstration as community promotion; the Beacon remains the stronger source for attendance and outcomes.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 00 · t000450
  13. A community organizer solicited donated crayons for low-cost children’s activities at the October 1 Bite of Beaver Island. This documents grassroots preparation for the event, not the activity’s completion or attendance.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 00 · t000431

Added 3 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Bite of Beaver Island, 2005”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/bite-of-beaver-2005/, accessed [date], citing "The Bite of Beaver Island Poster Contest," Beaver Beacon, July 2005. (and 12 further sources listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-03. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

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