2012 Irons Flea Roast Schedule

The 38th annual Flea Roast/Ox Market will officially kick off with the Grand Parade on Thursday June 21, 2012 at 3pm. The parade will start at Irons Union Church and make its way east through town until it reaches its final destination, The Flea Roast.

 Thursday

3:00 pm Opening Parade

4:00 pm Opening Ceremonies – Door Prizes

4:30pm Ox Market Opens

4:30pm T. J. Schmidt & Company Amusement Rides Open = Kid’s Day -Reduced Prices – free hot dog with wristband

4:30pm Souvenir Booth Opens

4:30pm I.A.T.A. Ticket Booth Opens

4:30pm I.A.T.A. Raffle Booth Opens # M64962

4:30pm I.A.T.A. Food Tent Opens “Home Of The Famous Flea Burger”

4:30pm Beer Tent Opens

5:00pm-8:00pm Live music by Irons in the Fire in the Pavillion

6:00pm Casino Tent opens License #M64962

6:00pm Co-Ed Ole’ Timers Softball (40+) Teams forming @ 6pm, game starts @ 6:30. Bring your mitt and join us. Free
drink token for all of those who play.

7:00pm Kids Penny Scrambler (Free)

8:00pm Bike Raffle (1) Boys (1) Girls Age 12 & Under

8:30pm-12:00am Larry Bialik & The Rambling Band in the Pavillion (Country Music)

10:00pm I.A.T.A. Food Tent Closes

10:00pm Souvenir Booth Closes

12:00pm Midnight Park Closes

Friday

12:00pm Ox Market Opens

12:00pm I.A.T.A. Raffle Booth Opens # M64962

12:00pm Ticket Booth Opens

12:00pm Souvenir Booth Opens

12:00pm I.A.T.A. Food Tent Opens Home of the Famous Flea Burger

12:00pm T. J. Schmidt & Company Amusement Rides Open – - – Special Deal

12:00pm Beer Tent Opens

6:00pm Casino Tent opens License # M64962

6:00pm Till 8:00pm DJ in the Pavillion

8:00pm till 12:30am Live Music by ONAGER Band www.onagerband.com (Variety/Dance/Classic Rock)

7:00pm Kids Penny Scramble ( Free ! )

10:00pm I.A.T.A. Famous Flea Burger Tent Closes

10:00pm I.A.T.A. Souvenir Booth Closes

12:30 AM Park Closes

Saturday

8:30 a.m. Soft Ball Tournament Begins

9:00 am Registration Begins For Horseshoe Tournament (Bring Your Shoes)

9:00 am Beach Volly Ball Tournament

10:00 am Ox Market Opens

10:00am Horse Shoe Tournament Begins

10:00 am Raffle Booth Opens # M64962

10:00 am I.A.T.A. Food Tent Opens – Home of the Famous Flea Burger

10:00 am Souvenir Booth Opens

10:00 am Ticket Booth Opens

10:00 am Home Depot Kids Work Shop

10:00 am Beer Tent Opens

11:00 am T. J. Schmidt & Company Amusement Rides Open

11:00 am Kids Hula Hoop Contest

12:00 pm Kids Three Legged Race

12:00 pm Free Kids Penny Scramble

2:00 pm Arm Wrestling Contest Begins

2:00 pm Kids Watermelon Eating Contest Begins

3:00 pm Kids Egg Toss Begin

4:00 pm 4-Play Band in the pavillion www.myspace.com/weare4play ( Country Music)

4:00 pm Casino Tent Opens ..License #M64962

4:00 pm Dogman Arrival

6:00pm Dogman Performance – WTCM’s Steve Good, the singer songwriter of “The Legend of the Dogman” will be on hand selling the CD/DVD/T-shirts/Posters that make this area so famous.

6:30 pm Free Kids Penny Scramble

8:30-12:30am OTC Band .. in the pavillion www.otcband.com (Variety Music)

10:00 pm I.A.T.A. Food Tent Closes

10:00 pm Souvenir Booth Closes

10:30pm All-exit Gates Will Be Closed During The Fireworks Display – No Entry: No Exit

11:30pm OTC BAND Resumes after the Fireworks conclude

1:00 am Park Closes

Sunday

9:00 am Gospel Breakfast Hosted By Irons Union Church

9:00 am Softball Tournament Continues

10:00 am Ox Market Opens

10:00 am Raffle Booth Opens License #M64962

10:00 am Souvenir Booth Opens

12:00 pm I.A.T.A. Food Tent Opens Home of the World Famous Flea Burger

12:00 pm T. J. Schmidt & Company Amusement Rides Open

12:00 pm Ticket Booth Opens

12:00 pm Beer Tent Opens

12:00pm – 4:00pm The Shotman Band performs in the pavillion (Variety / Classic Rock)

12:30 pm Free Kids Penny Scramble

12:30 pm Kids Water Balloon Toss

12:30 pm Kids Bubble Gum Contest

2:00 pm Kids Sack Race

3:00 pm Super Raffle Drawing

4:00 pm Kids Penny Scramble

4:00 pm Kids Pie Eating Contest

4:00 pm I.A.T.A. Food Tent Closes

Relocating the Martin Johnson Home to Irons, Michigan

The home of Martin Johnson himself was moved to the site in Irons from Martin Johnson Point back in the early 1980s to preserve something from the camp. Inside the structure, in the main living space, is a glass case with various objects, and different artifacts, including the original sign from the Camp Store. There is also a table on which certain documents are for sale: a history of the area (no doubt by Anne Louise Chase), postcards dating back to the early part of the century, a local area cookbook; and the green covered Martin Johnson autobiography.

Off to the right was Johnson’s room, containing a bed covered by an army blanket and also two plaques: one seems to be the plaque from the CMJ Dining Hall, the other is the plaque removed from the grave stone, kept in the house. The grave stone is still where it was, now behind a private home. Without a plaque, though, it just looks like a big boulder.

In the kitchen, there are all sorts of artifacts that have been donated. In the kitchen cupboard, under the stairs, they have retained the original grouting of the walls to show the construction as it had been done by Johnson himself. Upstairs, in the studio, there are several of his paintings. The wonderful roof window had to be replaced with a modern window structure. Yet, the floor in the studio is the original flooring, and the light from the new skylight, although not the same as on the point, makes this a very luminous room.

There is a green camp jacket hanging on a hook upstairs, and there is a camp Canoe Paddle. When the camp was closed, the property itself was wide open to the public, i.e. to anyone who wanted to go traipsing through the villages and cabins, buildings.

As I have detailed in another post, the four cabins on Four Winds Island have been preserved by the current owner who wants everything left as it once had been. Along the side of one cabin was a sign that indicated that the Ward Hills Ski Area was twenty miles in some direction. The camp had earlier purchased that property to be used fo winter activities.

Next time you are in Irons, Michigan, you might want to stop by and view the original house of Martin Johnson. It is a unique piece of history from the Big Bass Lake area.

It is disturbing learning that Martin Johnson’s house has been dislodged from the property on Big Bass Lake that he loved so much but also comforting to know that Irons, Michigan, thought enough of his legacy to allow his house to come to their town. Now it has become a tourist attraction and rightly so. I cannot imagine how former campers can even stand to look at their former camp site as it has been altered beyond belief.

Yet now all his paintings are on display for the public to see. And CMJ campers still have a place to call home that may have a new location but the same old feel that it always had. Johnson’s gravesite still exists at the old camp which can be found elsewhere on BBL and Beyond. Check the Camp Martin Johnson category for more.

The Irons Cafe

The Irons Café is located just inside Irons,Michigan, and some of the best breakfast food that will ever pass through your mouth.  The bacon is tender and the pancakes divine and their oatmeal hard to beat.  Once, with a few of the Salesian Boys Club kids, we visited their establishment while waiting for St. Bernard’s to let out  Several parents insisted their kids attend Mass and that was one long Mass, far longer than they ever had at Columbus, Ohio. 

To pass the time, I treated the three boys I had with me to lunch and the sandwich selection was good.  The hamburgers and fries were great according to the boys and who better than to taste test those two foods.  The service was excellent and friendly. 

A few years later I again visited the Irons Café when I was by myself at our property onBigBassLakeand most remember a bowl of potato soup that I had there.  It was the best bowl of potato soup that I had ever had or will have.  The people of Irons can bear that out plus the myriad of tourists that pass through this café’s door each and every summer.  A lot of people that attend Irons Union Church are from the southernUnited Statesvisiting the area and I’m sure many of them frequent the Irons Café after services.

Food can taste good nearly anywhere but the thing that sets the Irons Café apart from others are their friendly service and great prices.  If in the area, give them a try as you won’t be disappointed!

Jackie’s in Irons

I remember the Irons Cafe and The Oak Grove Bar and Grill in Irons, Michigan, but this must be some fairly new place.  From the look of its sign, it seems to have some pretty fun things to do there besides eat.  I’ve heard that is has both music and dancing on the weekends and some great atmosphere.

You can get everything from steak to snack foods at Jackie’s.  Does anyone know who owns this restaurant?  Is it still open?  As for the Irons Cafe, they used to serve the best potato soup around.  And, are there any other eating establishments in Irons?

What in the World is a Flea Roast? by Gus

When I first heard of Flea Burgers I thought Gaines Burgers had come out with a new flavor for my cocker spaniel.  Only my dog wants to get rid of his fleas so I can’t see him turning around and then consuming them all over again!  What in the heck is a flea roast?  When I googled this term I found that Irons, Michigan, has one of the oldest of these oddities.  Since I live in Grand Haven, Michigan, last year I took the time to go to this Irons to find out for myself.

Irons is a tiny hamlet in Lake County, Michigan, yet for this flea roast it nearly grows to twenty times its size.  A parade kicks things off yet this town is less than four blocks long on the main stretch so it ended in a park called Skinner.  It was then that I found out that a flea roast has nothing at all to do with those tiny bugs but instead is what I might term a grand old ho-down!  Some might even call it a county fair or even a carnival except that there’s more to do here than just take in concessions and rides.

Before the doings were over there were country western singing and a beer tent plus fireworks.  You know, I don’t think that I ever saw a drunk flea nor would I want to see one.  I pitched a tent in the Manistee National Forest at a place called Driftwood Valley and spent the entire three days in Irons and had the time of my life.  I plan on going in 2012 too even though I never did find out just exactly what a flea roast was?  I wonder how they’d taste on a grill?

Status: What Has Happened to the Camp Martin Johnson Heritage Museum in Irons?

Last November, the Camp Martin Johnson Heritage Museum in Irons, Michigan, earned their tax-exempt status but when I recently tried to locate its previous Internet location it seemingly has disappeared.  The museum now resides in Heritage Park in Irons and I would like to know its present status?

Ever since the camp ceased operations in the late 1970′s it has been besieged with various problems.  Just after it was sold looters descended on the camp property on Big Bass Lake stealing what they could.  That the camp was sold in the first place was the true beginning of its downward plunge.  The visions of Martin Johnson for his beloved land was now in ruins.  He wanted children to enjoy his land and now only rich home owners do from the Heritage Bay Development Company.

Once Martin Johnson’s house was moved to Irons it established some hours for touring the facility.  Another downside is that the gravesite remains at Big Bass Lake unmarked.  It should be moved to the site of the house in Irons where it can be properly maintained. 

Yet, now, with the Internet site gone, what has become of the Museum idea?  Last year I spoke with Tom Curtin Sr., who had developed that website, but this morning I learned that he passed away last June.  Now with the driving force behind that museum no longer with us, what will become of its fate?  I also found a website asking for donations to maintain the museum but none was forthcoming.

However, where the vision of Martin Johnson really lives is in the hearts and minds of the campers and staff that went there as children.  Yet even that will one day run its course.  But, here, at Big Bass Lake and Beyond, the vision of Martin Johnson will remain both in the category (on sidebar) of Camp Martin Johnson but also on the man himself found in a page at the top of our website. 

As for the status of the museum itself, if you know anything about what is happening there, leave us a comment.

A Diversion to Beartrack

On our camping trips to our property, some names of places seemed to evoke some fear in the boys.  The Haunted House on Haunted Island or The Bloody Antler Trail carried fear within their very names.  Take the Haunted Island, for example.  That entity the boys could see from our wooded beachfront the moment they arrived as it literally stared them in the face as they set up the tents.  One of our many side trips was to Beartrack which was a camping area along the Little Manistee River.

Since it was located in the heart of the Manistee National Forest the boys equated that area with bears by its very name itself.  On this particular trip with the Salesian Boys Club, it had rained nearly every day.  Yet the fearful name Beartrack was about to dissolve away as the boys instead shed their shoes and socks and had the time of their life in a splash war.

The boys instantly became aware of how cold that river was as it neary matched Lak Michigan in temperature.  Thy also noticed how swift the river ran even though they were in shallow water.  Getting their feet out of their hot shoes and socks must have felt great as they hit the icy water.  Before they knew it, they were all swimming and having a great time.  The name, “Beartrack”, now meant a place of fun over that of a name to be frightened over.

What they had learned that day was not to be fearful in a name itself as no bears were to be found that day.  Well, at least they had not seen any bears.  Hmmm?

Old Union Church in Irons

This is the old Irons Union Church which has an open fellowship with no denominational ties. My Aunt Barb and Uncle Willie used to count this church as their summer home while visiting at our property each year. They both loved the preaching there.

As for the new Irons Union Community Church, I do know that it is located directly in Irons. There is a Roman Catholic Church also in Irons and a fairly new church next to the Big Bass Lake baseball field.

Anyone know anything more about Irons Union Church? If so, leave us a comment or two.

Irons in My Father’s Day

Now-a-days it takes about 10-15 minutes to drive from our former property on Big Bass Lake to irons in an automobile.  However, when my dad was a young man, it took nearly all day to cover that distance in a horse drawn wagon.  And the road wasn’t paved as it is today.  It was a sandy road full of ruts and made driving it with a wagon very tedious.

Irons must have been like a Grand Rapids to my father’s family in his day.  Now it is rather small with a few churches and bars plus a couple of restaurants.  It’s kind of hard to believe that it took so long to cover a distance of under ten miles even with a horse drawn wagon.  It most likely was the roads that made travel so slow.

Grandfather Noreika, no doubt, did the driving wth family in tow within the wagon.  I can visualize my grandmother sitting right next to him.  I’ve often wondered what the conveersation was like during tose trips to Irons and back.  Also what kind of supplies they returned to the farm with?  It’s hard to imagine the Irons my father once knew as a young boy. 

If anyone that reads this site grew up in Irons, Michigan, drop us a comment and let us know what the pre 1940 days were like.

Camp Martin Johnson Heritage Museum Needs Your Help

I received this letter from Ed Hawks today and am posting it on BBL and Beyond so please give it your full attention.

June 1, 2011

 

To:                   All Camp Martin Johnson Alumni

From:              Tom Curtin, Jr.
                        President
                        Martin Johnson Heritage Museum

             My involvement with Camp Martin Johnson (CMJ) began in 1951 when my father (Tom Curtin Sr.) became camp director.  That fortunate turn of events allowed me to spend the first six years of my life at Bi gBas sLake, giving me a somewhat unique perspective on CMJ.  Dad was eventually transferred and in the 1960′s I returned and spent the next few years as a camper, Counselor In Training (CIT), and Assistant Trip Director, completing my CMJ experience.   

            The developers who purchased Camp from the Hyde Park YMCA felt that Martin Johnson’s house was a liability to their plans and needed to be torn down.  A group of seven women who lived on or around Big Bass Lake stepped up and raised the money necessary to have the house moved to Skinner Park in Irons,Michigan in 1989.  It was placed on a forest plot planted in the 1930′s by the Civil Conservation Corp (CCC). The house was donated to the Irons Area Tourist Association (IATA) and opened to the public as a museum.  The Museum was operated by a separate Board of Directors known then as the Heritage Park Council who completed the initial renovation. 

            I joined the Board of Directors when I retired and moved back full time toLake County,Michigan, and was elected President a year later.  Since then we have worked to improve the Museum exhibits and most importantly to incorporate as a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization.  The name of the now separate organization is the Martin Johnson Heritage Museum (MJHM).  Over the last 2 years I have worked to negotiate the transfer of the deed for the house to our organization.  During the summer of 2010, MJHM took ownership of the Martin Johnson house along with the 2 ½ acres of property where it stands.

            Although CMJ as a place no longer exists, the home of the man who made CMJ possible still stands as a touchstone to our own personal version of Camelot.  It is open for all to wander through and remember what Camp meant to us then and still means to us today.  A number of artifacts from Camp and Martin Johnson’s life have been acquired and are on display. 

            We have accomplished much since the house was saved from the wrecking ball, but there is still much more to be done.  We are actively tracking down more paintings and photographs by Martin Johnson to add to the collection that is currently housed in the Museum.  We are also working to obtain the original stockades that formed the entrance to Camp and are trying to locate one of the CMJ cabins that we could move to the site.  A number of photographs, including some from the “old CMJ website” are on display in the Museum, but additional pictures depicting camp life and other CMJ memorabilia would be appreciated.  The attached mini photographic summary of the Museum will give you an idea of what has been accomplished and is on display to date.  

Currently there are no utilities run to either of the structures.  Electrical service and heat in the buildings would allow us to better serve the public.  Several of Johnson’s paintings need conservation.  And, there is always continuing maintenance to be done, insurance to pay, etc.  We have many items identified on our short and long term plans.

            The Museum needs your help to continue to grow and expand.  One of our long term goals is to raise funds for an endowment to ensure that the Museum continues in perpetuity.  I feel it is important that our grandchildren and great grandchildren are given the opportunity to visit the Museum, not only to get a sense of how we became who we are, but to also gain a historical perspective of a man who was a true pioneer in Northern Michigan. 

            TheMartin Johnson Heritage Museum is funded solely by membership dues, donations and grants.  I would hope that you would consider becoming a member and possibly send along an additional donation.  It is only with your help that can we continue to preserve this last tangible piece of Camp Martin Johnson.

MEMBERSHIP LEVELS 

“CAMPER” One Year Membership Single – $30.00
“COUNSELOR” One Year Membership Family – $50.00
“PROGRAM DIRECTOR” One Year Membership Sponsor – $100.00
“CAMP DIRECTOR” Life Membership – $500.00

And, most important – come and visit us!   Museum hours currently are Saturday afternoons from Noon to 3:00 p.m. in July and August, or by appointment by calling me at (231) 745-8505.

|            Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have, either by phone at (231) 745-8505, E-mail at lumberjacklodge@msn.com, or US Mail atP.O. Box 363,Baldwin,MI 49304.  

 Sincerely,

        Tom Curtin

Tom Curtin, Jr.
President
Martin Johnson Heritage Museum

Irons Festival

I haven’t mentioned much about Irons, Michigan, on this website thus far. My dad used to tell that in his day it took almost a half day to reach Irons by wagon. From our farm today it takes about ten minutes. I once attended a festival in Irons in mid July that featured a lot of “doings” including a parade. The Manistee Marching band was practicing along the Manistee National Forest and the twosome looked so out of place. The town inself is less than four or five blocks long with no stoplights whatsoever at least in 1992.

Yet the parade was an impressive one for so small a town with the band and sirens and even a float or two.

The big doings were at the park where you can see a lot of that activity in the picture above. In addition the town has a couple of restuarants and two churches. I once knew the sitting priest at the Catholic church who allowed me to play their organ on occassion.

For a small town, they became a big one for this week’s festival. It was similar to how Ludington swells to four times its size on the fourth of July.

Oak Grove Bar and Grill

The Oak Grove Bar and Grill is located in Irons, Michigan, and they serve a darn good cheeseburger there. In fact, you’d think you were eating in some high toney fast food restaurant in any big city. My Aunt Beth once took us there for lunch and I was taken aback by the currency that is taped to the ceiling in that restaurant.

There you can find dollar bills a plenty which gives this eatery something special about it. Their french fries were also very good. In winter time you can find a lot of snow mobiles pulled up in front and I believe they do good business in the summer too. As I recall there is also a family diner in Irons on the other side of town. Yes, there are choices even in Irons.

If you’re ever in this quaint little town stop in to the Oak Grove and take in their unique atmosphere.