Family is a big part of who we are at The Chippewa Hotel and that came to light in a big way on October 20th at the Pink Pony. We honored Tim “Doc” Dockery, our dear friend and Mackinac Island business owner of over 30 years, who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. It was an incredibly moving night and it was very encouraging to see how many people came to support him. All of the proceeds from the night were donated, including people who won the raffles, to help Doc in his fight against cancer. And thank you to our friends at Starline who transported any guests at no charge who were coming to support Doc at this event. We all have so much to be thankful for and in the spirit of family, if you’d like to help by donating to help Doc pay his medical bills, here’s a link where you can donate– https://www.gofundme.com/gd5ptbe8. I heard someone say, in giving, you receive.
How true, especially now.
It’s that time of year when the seasons change, and people are holding on to their Summer and Fall memories. Now, the reality has hit that the Holiday season is fast approaching. The Holidays are a wonderful time of year and the stores start decorating with festive displays and music filling the air, but one of my favorite Holidays seems to get glossed over. Thanksgiving. In our mad rush to move from the fun of Halloween to the magic of the Christmas and New Year’s, Thanksgiving has unfortunately taken a back seat to the madness of football, Black Friday and shopping madness.
Thanksgiving is loaded with history and its origin began in 1621 with the first settlers to America. Mackinac Island is also rich with history and as I reflect on our wonderful 2015 season at the Chippewa Hotel, we have so much to be thankful for. First, we’re thankful for all of you, our guests, who stayed with us this season. Whether it was your first time, or one of your many return visits to Mackinac. To us, we consider you part of our family — thank you.
We’re thankful for our wonderful family of people who work at The Chippewa, Pink Pony and our sister hotel, The Lilac Tree Suites & Spa. Everyone works very hard to make sure that everything is perfect for you, whether it’s the rooms, the service, transportation of your luggage, the wonderful food, drinks and music. Many on our team, live in Jamaica and leave their families from May until October to make sure your experience here is wonderful. We’re thankful for them, their dedication and they are family.
We’re thankful for the great family of people at Starline, Shepler’s and the Arnold boat lines who work tirelessly to get our guests to and from the Island safely everyday. We’re very thankful for the Mackinac Island Police and Fire Departments who make sure everyone on the Island is safe and they always do a great job!
reflect, there is so much to be thankful for. We live in a great free country, the sun comes up everyday, we have shelter and food on the table and we all have a magical place to go where we celebrate family in big ways. That place is Mackinac Island. A place that reminds us that life is good. As I think of our Mackinac family near and far which includes all of you who spend precious time with us, one of my favorite quotes comes to mind. “One of the best gifts you can give someone, is the gift of thanking them for being a part of your life.”
So, from our family to yours, we hope you and your families have a very Happy Thanksgiving and we thank you for being a part of our lives. We’re all the better for it.
Happy Thanksgiving!
George Piliouras for The Chippewa Hotel
