CONGRATULATIONS, Happy Campers!
Sometime last week the Happy Campers crossed the finish line and are now merrily hanging out in Holden Beach, NC a full three weeks early! (Aunt Vicky is actually
literally hanging out there...) Each member of the Happy Campers was incredibly consistent week after week, and their efforts have paid off: they have won the first-ever Neeley Family virtual race! I will have a special prize for each of them at the Family Reunion.
The rest of teams are making great progress! Who will come in 2nd? Now that there are no mileage limits it's any team's race!
Here is where are teams stand:
This week, I will start with the Gimps: Eleanor took full advantage of elimination of milage limits and logged an incredibe 39 miles! (GREAT job, Eleanor!!) Her team is now 15 miles past Jamestown, ND (home, you may remember, of the
largest buffalo statue in the world). They are currently in
Urbana, ND, apparently named after its "sister city" Urbana, Illinois. It seems that today, the North Dakota Urbana is considered a
ghost town consisting only of three houses/farms, an abandoned school, and a grain elevator. It is said to have a population of "7" although I am not sure if my source meant 7 people or 7 ghosts...Either way, if I were the Gimps, I would move on quickly.
A few miles up the road, the Triforce Ninjas are currently in
Ashby, Minnesota,whose motto is, "
You'll like Ashby." Ashby is on the eastern fringe of the Red River Valley, which was carved out by ancient glaciers. As a result, it is nested in gently rolling hills and [special note to JoAnna and Uncle Keith] many good fishing lakes, the most prominent of which is
Pelican Lake directly south of the city. And good news, Ninjas: the "
Asbhy Appreciation Days" are being held this weekend (complete with a 5K run/walk) if you want to stick around.
The Water Bugs, who are right on the heels of the Sharks (or would be, if Sharks had heels...) are in
Bronson, Michigan. Bronson, a small town of about 2,500 people, was named after the first settler in the area, Jabez B. Bronson, who moved there from Ohio in 1828. Today, the City of Bronson has a diversified population including many of German, Polish and Hispanic descent. The surrounding area apparently also has a large number Amish. It's sister city is
Moryn, Poland and Bronson is having a Polish festival later this month.
This week, the Sharks find themselves in
Detroit, Michigan. There are so many things I could write about Detroit: its historic significance; the church cannery I spent many hours at as a youth (and where I vowed to forever avoid canned chili); it's tragic economic and population decline; politics & scandals; it's many notable residents; the automobile industry; Motown; things to do there; gangs, drugs, and crime; it's sad sports teams; the crazy airport--but in the interest of time, I have decided to just copy and paste the first paragraph from its
Wikipedia page: "Detroit is the largest city in the state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in Midwestern United States. It was founded on July 24, 1701, by the Frenchman Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac. Its name originates from the French word détroit (for strait) in reference to its location on the river connecting the Great Lakes."
I would also like to refer you to this kinda cool 4-minute YouTube Video entitled
"Detroit City". The quotation at the very beginning is hard to make out, but I believe it is from a poem by Jackson Solo:
There's gold
in the hills
of California.
But, my son,
there's God
in the alleys of Detroit.
And finally, back to my top story: the Happy Campers have arrived in
Holden Beach, NC. Holden Beach is a seaside town in Brunswick County, North Carolina and one of my favorite places. It is named for the Holden family, whose connections to the island go back to before the American Revolution.
Since (I think) all of us will be spending some time there this summer, I thought you may be interested in a rough history of the Holden Beach:
- 1756: The island is purchaced by Benjamin Holden. (At the time it was between his plantation and the ocean.) Benjamin and his sons use the island for fishing and cattle grazing.
- Early 1920s. John Holden, a great-grandson of Benjamin, runs a commercial fishery on the island and builds a hotel.
- 1924: John surveys a section of the island which he calls "Holden Beach Resort." It becomes the first subdivision of beach property in Brunswick County.
- 1925: John builds a bridge from the mainland to the island.
- late 1920s/early 1930s Bridge is destroyed when the Intracostal Waterway undergoes contruction. John lobbies state of North Carolina for a public ferry.
- 1934: Public ferry begins opperating (John did not live to see this.)
- 1936: Intracostal Waterway is completed
- mid 1930s: Luther S. Holden, John's son, opperates the old hotel that his father built and starts development of the property nearby. (He becomes a permanent resident of the island in 1946).
- 1940s: John F. Holden (Luther.s son) and his wife Johnsie M. Holden begin developing Holden Beach as a resort community. John and Johnsie starting building homes to rent to vacationers and to sell. (In the early 1940s one could buy an oceanfront house with the land for about $600.)
- October 15, 1954: Hurricane Hazel hits the island and causes a lot of damage. At the time, the island has has about 300 homes and a turnbridge. The rebuilding is slow.
- February 14, 1969: the island becomes an incorporated town.
- May 13, 1986: the Town of Holden Beach dedicates a new high-rise steel and concrete bridge, allowing better access to the more than 1900 homes on the island.
As an interesting side note, according to
Wikipedia, John and Johnsie's two sons, Lyn and J. Alan, currently both live in Holden Beach making them the 7th generation of Holdens to live there. (And Alan's son and his family apparently also live on the island). I can't wait to be there myself! (Both virtually and physically.)
