July 18 • 2019 27 jn FAMILIAR AMENITIES Today, returning tourists are accustomed to things unique to this particular north- ern Michigan town. A longtime favorite includes watching the drawbridge on the north end of the downtown open every half hour so that larger boats can travel between Lake Charlevoix on the east side and Lake Michigan on the west side. Visitors also looked forward to seeing the Dexter Bus, a 43-foot boat consis- tently parked for the summer at the Charlevoix City Marina. This year marks the first time in 44 years the boat won’ t be there. Its owners, Michael and Margo Goldman of West Bloomfield, sold it last year when it became too difficult for Margo to get on and off the vessel. Other regulars, including Berman of West Bloomfield and Carol Hooberman of Franklin, have never missed a sum- mer there. “I’ ve been up to Charlevoix 65 years in a row. I think it’ s paradise on Earth. It’ s is just an amazing place, ” said Berman, who has more postcards in his collection than the town’ s historical society. The oldest dates back to 1896. Berman’ s father, Jimmy, started vis- iting the area in the early 1940s with his father. He fell in love with the city and eventually built a house there. That home is still owned by members of the Berman family (there are five brothers). Berman himself bought a home there 21 years ago, and one of his brothers owns one as well. In 1943, the same year Hooberman was born, her parents, along with an aunt and uncle, had a house on Dixon Street. She recalls spending many of her childhood summer days at one of the local beaches while evening activities consisted of shuffleboard, biking or catching a movie at the one local theater in town. Although Hooberman’ s family sold the house in 1964, she continued the tradition of heading Up North in the summer. For many years, she and her husband, Paul, along with with their children, spent a week or more at either the Lodge or the Weathervane, two long- standing hotels on Bridge Street. The Lodge was sold and renovated, and it is expected to open in coming months as the Hotel Earl. In 1986, the Hoobermans purchased a condo a few blocks down the street from her childhood home. Now their Charlevoix summers include visits from the grandchildren with trips to the beach, taffy store and walks up and down Bridge Street. Hooberman said her parents, like so many other families, chose to buy a house in Charlevoix because her older brothers suffered from hay fever and the cleaner northern air made it easier for them to breathe during the summer when homes were not air conditioned. Alan Hayman, first cousin to Hooberman, said his parents went north for the summer to avoid exposing them to polio when there wasn’ t a vaccine for the debilitating disease and because of his brother’ s hay fever. “My parents literally picked me up on the last day of school in June and went right Up North. We came home in September, the day before school started. The thinking was, ‘ You got your kids out of Detroit in the summer months when the incidence of polio seemed to be higher. ’ If they could, parents took their kids away from the more densely popu- lated areas to avoid polio, ” said Hayman, a West Bloomfield resident who would later continue the tradition of vacation- ing there with his own family. NOSTALGIA AND NATURAL BEAUTY It’ s not completely clear why Charlevoix became such a favorite place to visit or own property except to say that its nat- ural beauty, relaxed pace and the desire to create or continue family traditions appeal to many. “Everything here feels like it did when I was a child, ” reminisced Glenn Wachler. “There has always been a little downtown area with a bridge. There is still the same number of traffic lights in town (two), and the bell on the bridge makes the same sound as it did when I was 5. I don’ t feel any older living here because so much about Charlevoix hasn’ t changed except now I’ m the dad and not the kid. ” Brian Freund, also a Charlevoix transplant from West Bloomfield, added: “There aren’ t many places that are more beautiful than what you see JENNIFER LOVY continued on page 28 FA FAMI MILI LIAR AR AME MENI NITI TIES Brian and Emily Freund, owners of That French Place restaurant BETH EL SHABBAT IN CHARLEVOIX + CHABAD PROGRAMMING Temple Beth El’ s Shabbat in Charlevoix will begin at 6:15 Friday, Aug. 16, with a “nosh and schmooze.” Services start at 7 p.m. A Havdalah service takes place the following evening at 7 p.m. Both free events will be at the park in downtown Charlevoix. New this year is a kid’ s fun zone. To register, email Lindsay at lfoxwagner@tbeonline.org or call (248) 851-1100. Chabad of Charlevoix will be planning progams as well; contact Chabad at (248) 489-6376 or email mendel@chabadcharlevoix.com. Round Lake seen from Edgewater Inn. JENNIFER LOVY