Welcome - The Munising Beacon

Two friends, one barn, years of tradition

by jchampagne | December 25, 2025 | Community, News | 0 Comments

By Samantha Meyer Beacon Correspondent For more than two decades, Earth Mama Wreath Co. has turned materials from Alger County woods into holiday art. What began as a way for two friends, Mary Jo O’Halloran-Torongo and Julie Begovac, to make extra Christmas money grew...

Ackermans continue long family tradition

by jchampagne | December 24, 2025 | Community, News | 0 Comments

By Jennifer Champagne Managing Editor For Joe Ackerman of Alger County, Christmas lights are more than a seasonal display. They are the continuation of a family tradition that has been growing — literally and figuratively — for more than 16 years. Ackerman, a two-time...

Celebrating centenarians

by jchampagne | December 19, 2025 | Community, Local History, News | 0 Comments

Photo courtsey of Bill Savage By Jennifer Champagne Managing Editor ‘He doesn’t let anything stop him’ When 100-year-old Ed Gage was asked if he wanted a subscription to The Munising Beacon, he didn’t miss a beat. “Do I get it free for being a hundred?” he asked.How...

Calendar spotlights seniors

by jchampagne | December 16, 2025 | Community, Culture & Arts, News | 0 Comments

By Nicole Gearhart Beacon Correspondent The Alger County Commission on Aging has released the 2026 Exceptional Seniors Calendar, now available for purchase at Putvin Drug Store’s pharmacy counter or at the ACCOA office, located at 1604 Sand Point Road in Munising. ...

Bennett remembers time in U.S. Army Reserves

by jchampagne | December 13, 2025 | Community, Local History, News | 0 Comments

By Nicole Gearhart Beacon Correspondent Retired Colonel Normajean Bennett, 93, of Grand Marais says she is enjoying the peacefulness of being back in the Upper Peninsula after a busy life split between the U.S. Army Reserves and teaching college courses. “It’s so nice...

Breaking News: Side-by-side fire contained on Chestnut Street; resident heard explosion

by jchampagne | December 11, 2025 | Breaking News, News | 0 Comments

By Jennifer Champagne Managing Editor Munising Fire Department crews responded Wednesday evening to a report of a fire in the 200 block of Chestnut Street. Firefighters arrived to find a side-by-side on fire next to a garage. The vehicle was extinguished, and the...

Ringing in the season

by jchampagne | December 8, 2025 | Community, Culture & Arts, News | 0 Comments

By Brad Gischia Beacon Correspondent It’s time to start checking off your holiday list, especially now that Thanksgiving is behind us and the green and red behemoth of Christmas looms. During the hustle and bustle of shopping, meals, parties and end-of-the-year...

Fill the Fire Trucks: Departments gear up for food drive

by jchampagne | December 2, 2025 | Community, News | 0 Comments

By Nicole Gearhart Beacon Correspondent Local fire departments will again join forces on Saturday, Dec. 6, for the annual Fill the Fire Trucks food drive, held from noon to 2 p.m. within the city of Munising and in nearby communities. Chief Ryan Anderson of the...

U.P. Voice competition returns for its fifth year, kicking things off with a fresh round of finalists who are ready to light up Gallery Coffee Co.

by jchampagne | December 1, 2025 | Community, Culture & Arts, News | 0 Comments

By Jennifer Champagne Managing Editor Twenty singers. Five judges. One packed downtown coffeehouse. The fifth annual U.P. Voice Singing Competition returns to Gallery Coffee Co. on Thursday, Dec. 4, bringing one of the most energetic crowds of the holiday season — and...

Dugas inducted into VA Hall of Heroes: Honoring a life of valor

by jchampagne | November 28, 2025 | Local History, News | 0 Comments

By Melissa Wentarmini Associate Editor At the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center’s Veterans Day Hall of Heroes ceremony, the spotlight shone on a veteran whose story is woven into the fabric of Alger County. Michael Dugas of Munising — awarded two Bronze Stars for...