CHILI TIME - Tawas City resident April Williams, right, takes a cup of chili cooked by Kim Bertsch of Dragon House Studios and served by Bo Chmura. - Photo by Jason Ogden

Tawases were packed for 58th annual Perchville USA
by Jason Ogden

EAST TAWAS - The 58th annual Perchville USA Festival was packed Saturday with spectators stretching to the far end of the East Tawas State Dock to watch the popular polar bear swim.

But with the arrival of frigid winter temperatures, which dipped down to eight degrees - with wind-chill temperatures well below zero on Sunday - Perchville USA looked like a ghost town.
Saturday’s weather was more hospitable and people came out in droves to witness a Tawas tradition.

Although the swim was cancelled on Sunday due to the weather, 188 participants took the plunge into a freezing Tawas Bay.

COLD BATH - Erin Anthony of Traverse City, left, and Brian Hazley of Monroe were only two of the 188 individuals who braved the cold water of Tawas Bay Saturday. - Photo by Jason Ogden

Last year, only 104 people went for a swim.

Brian Hazley, a Monroe resident, was one of the brave 188. He said it was a last minute decision to swim.

“My boys came up here and stuff just got crazy,” he said.

Hazley’s jumping partner, Traverse City resident Erin Anthony, had a more precise reason.

ROYALTY - Ginger and Don Penman, the 2008 Perchville queen and king, preside over the Perchville parade. - Photo by Jason Ogden

“It was peer pressure,” she said.

According to Madison Heights resident Chris Kreitsch, who participated in the swim with some friends, the worst part wasn’t jumping into the near-freezing waters of Tawas Bay.

“The worst part is standing in the snow, waiting your turn,” said Kreitsch on his first time in the water. “This will help me grow more hair.”

For others, the jump wasn’t a new experience at all, but one which is savored every year.

PERCHVILLE PERCH - Alan Seiferlein of East Tawas got the biggest perch and first place in that species during the Perchville fishing contest with a 12-inch whopper. - Photo by Jason Ogden

“It was peer pressure,” she said.

According to Madison Heights resident Chris Kreitsch, who participated in the swim with some friends, the worst part wasn’t jumping into the near-freezing waters of Tawas Bay.

“The worst part is standing in the snow, waiting your turn,” said Kreitsch on his first time in the water. “This will help me grow more hair.”

For others, the jump wasn’t a new experience at all, but one which is savored every year.

This was the case for Bay City resident John Babiarz.

Saturday marked Babiarz’s 15th time participating in the polar bear swim.

“It just wakes you up a little bit every year,” he said of the frosty swim. “It reminds you that you’re alive.”

Babiarz said he originally started the tradition with friends, and added the feeling of plunging into the water is like getting hit with lightning.

Watching swimmers do laps in Tawas Bay wasn’t the only thing going on in the Tawases for Perchville. There were events scheduled all over town during the three-day event.

One of those was the “Chilly” Cook-off, a cooking contest between businesses in the area.

This year’s winning chili came from Klenow’s Market, located on Newman Street.

East Tawas store Brew Krew took second and The Village Chocolatier, which took first last year, took third.

There were 18 businesses from both East Tawas and Tawas City participating in the contest.

Winners were selected by popular vote of festival-goers.

According to Tawas City resident April Williams, who is a student at Central Michigan University, the Chilly Cook-off is one of the events which keeps her coming back year after year.

Other festival-goers stepped into the Family Theater on Newman Street for a free viewing of Our Town, which shows archival footage of the town before 1940.

Tawas residents Fran and Maureen Mathy, who have lived in the area for 40 years, watched the movie and noted the change the towns have gone through over the decades.

“The storefronts are very different,” Fran Mathy said.

Maureen Mathy said although the movie is good, it is better if someone is there who knows the history of the town and narrates the movie.

East Tawas resident Clair Nash got to see himself in the movie and his 1941 high school basketball team.

“It was something to see all the other players,” he said.

Nash said that year the team was somewhat successful.

“We won the local match, but when we went downstate, we got our butts beat,” he joked.

Down by the ice, members of the International Weight Pull Association (IWPA) tested their dogs against a weighted sled.

Kalkaska dog owner Donna Libbey had her 22-pound Jack Russell/basenji dog named Gingersnap pulling at the event.

The dogs are harnessed to a sled and, as weight is gradually added, the dogs are coaxed to pull them.

“It is similar to a horse pull or a tractor pull,” said Libbey.

Libbey said she got into the sport after a death occurred in the family.

“I found myself needing something to do,” she said.

After the pull, she praised Gingersnap and rewarded the dog with a favorite treat, a McDonald’s cheeseburger.

This year’s Perchville fish board was packed with entries for the fishing contest.

According to organizer Dan Kammer, there were 20 entries into the contest this year.

As a reward for all the first place winners, based on species caught, their winning fish would be turned into a wall-mount by taxidermist Kirk Thatcher of Shooter’s Taxidermy of Sand Lake.

This year’s winners were Alan Seiferlein of East Tawas with his 12-inch perch, Jeff DuVall of East Tawas took first with his 28-inch walleye and Harry Haglund of East Tawas caught the largest Northern pike at 28 inches.

In the children’s competition, Whittemore youth Gregory Blust took first place with his 9-inch perch. He also won first in the children’s competition with a 26-inch pike.

A drawing was held for an Icegator high speed ice auger, which was donated by that company, to anyone who entered the contest. Winning that auger was Blust’s father, Mike Blust.

According to Tawas Area Chamber of Commerce Manager Laura Loeffler, this year’s event was very well attended.

“Judging from the amount of buttons we had left,” she said, “we sold right around 5,000.”

She estimated that there were as many as 10,000 people in town over the weekend because of the event.

Loeffler was very pleased with the turnout.

So were the Perchville King and Queen, Don and Ginger Penman of Tawas City.

“It is kind of nice to see all of your friends here,” Ginger Penman said.

Don Penman, who had in previous years volunteered a lot of his time for the event, said it was nice to simply enjoy the festival and attend all the events.

“In past years, we couldn’t do that,” he said.

Other contests and happenings during Perchville included: