CLOSE-UP

MICHIGAN VACATION

Charlevoix Summer

Summer residents describe the scenic town
where even doing nothing is "beautiful"

,SUSAN WEINGARDEN

Special to The Jewish News

"Dexter Bus" stops in
C harlevoix. To find it,
Charlevoix.
look for the park in the
center of town. Take the
park steps and walk
down to the Round Lake Yacht Basin
at the water's edge. Turn right, and
follow the sidewalk to boat well 18.
Docked there all summer, the 36-foot
Chris Craft cruiser is home to the
Michael and Margo Goldman clan,
just one of the many Jewish families
to whom summer means Charlevoix.
Nestled between Lake Michigan
and Lake Charlevoix, the small city
of Charlevoix swells with summer
visitors, including many who were
smitten after only a weekend. Some
stay in rooming houses or motels,
others rent homes for part or-all of the
summer. Those who make a firm com-
mitment buy a home or ,
condominium.
Known for its charm and small-

town ambience, Charlevoix is also -a
source of nostalgia for many people
who spent their childhood there and
now return with their children and
grandchildren. In fact, there is a
special cult of people who couldn't en-
vision a summer without spending
time in Charlevoix.
What is it exactly that keeps
drawing them back?
"There is just something special
about Charlevoix," says Shirley
Sucher Cohen Wayburn. "The Sucher
family was one of the first Jewish

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FRIDAY, JULY 31, 1987

families that owned a home in
Charlevoix. I first went 56 years ago
to visit my aunt and uncle. The
Jewish population has grown con-
siderably. People go for a weekend
and like it so much they end up ren-
ting, then buying their own place."
That is exactly what Wayburn did
before buying her home in Boulder
Park. "I love Charlevoix, even the air
is different. There are no pressures,
it's relaxing and wonderful."
Family togetherness is an impor-
tant part of the attraction to
Charlevoix. Wayburn's four children
spent much of their childhood in
Charlevoix and three now own homes
of their own. "It's wonderful being all
together," Wayburn says. "Something
keeps drawing us all back."
Wayburn'§ two daughters also live
in Boulder Park, an area just west of
the city overlooking Lake Michigan.
Many of the homes, built with large
boulders, were designed in the 1920s
by Charlevoix realtor Earl Young.
"We built our house 18 years ago:'
says Elaine Yaker. "Boulder Park is
sort of self-contained and has afford-
ed us with a wonderful sense of a real
community. Many of our neighbors
here are also neighbors -in Hun-
tington Woods. It really feels like
home. It's the right place for our fami-
ly!'
While Wayburn is gardening or
marketing to prepare for all her com-
pany, her daughter may be golfing,
walking or riding her bike. "In the
evening we stroll on Bridge Street,
have an ice cream and meet
everyone," Wayburn says. "But the
weekends are getting so congested
you can't get down the street."
Of course, one of the biggest at-
- tractions to Charlevoix is its beauty.
"It is one of the most beautiful places
in the world;' says Jeff Wachler, who
has been returning for 55 years. "I
went with my family when I was five
years old. We stayed in rooming
houses and rented cottages before my
parents bought a home in Boulder
Park in 1946. All of my cousins went
and we knew everyone in town. I have
so many fond memories."
Wachler and his wife Eileene
bought their La Croft condominium
on Lake Michigan 11 years ago. He

The Wayburn-Cohen house in Boulder Park.

barely has time to fit in all his ac-
tivities. "I fish, jog, golf, bike ride and
go out to eat." -
"Charlevoix is still a great fami-
ly place. We have four sons and they
all come with their families. One of
our sons just bought a lot here. That
is four generations of Charlevoix
Wachlers."
Wachler says the original attrac-
tion to Charlevoix for his family was
the pollen-free air. "My uncle started
going for his hay fever. Remember,
there was no air-conditioning and the
air in Charlevoix was cleaner and
cooler than the air in Detroit?'
The Charlevoix air is originally
what attracted most of the summer
visitors. "My family went because of
their hay fever," said Jane Berry
Solomon, a Charlevoix person for 47
years. "I've gone since I was two and
I've never missed a summer. I love it
— there is - no place nicer.
Like so many other loyal
Charleimix fans, Solomon enjoys a
lifetime of Charlevoix memories. "We
used to ride the horses from Hooker's
Riding Stables across the bridge into

town. The concerts in the park were
a big event, as were the shuffleboard
tournaments?'
Solomon's brother, Milton Berry,
bought his home in Charlevoix in
1969. "My wife, Vivian, also went
with her family. I have wonderful
memories of my Dad and Mom and
our family being together. I wanted to
instill the same feelings in my
children. Being together in
Charlevoix gives us all strength as a
family?'
When asked what they do there,
both Solomon and Berry give the
same answer. "Nothing. That's why
we like it."
It was through the Berrys and the
Suchers that Henry Obron was first
introduced to Charlevoix. "People
found out about Charlevoix because
each person brought someone else;'
Obron explains. "It also appealed to
the Jewish people because it wasn't
too big and everyone felt at home. In
the old days, before the big hotels
were torn down, Jewish mothers us-
ed to try and arrange marriages for
their daughters:'