BYC - Belleville Yacht Club

07/05/2026

Congratulations to the Humbarger family for winning the Epic golf cart at yesterday's BYC Celebration of America fireworks show!

07/03/2026

REMINDER! Fireworks soundtrack!
For those going on the boat to watch the BYC fireworks on July 4th, I will be hosting a Zoom meeting that will have the fireworks soundtrack live. The whole show is planned to the music, so it definitely adds to the show. Crank up the volume and enjoy!

07/01/2026

EXTRA THINGS I KNOW
By Rosemary K. Otzman

On Dec. 3, 1994, there was a double rainbow over Belleville Lake as about a dozen people gathered to create the Belleville-Area Independent newspaper. Each supporter put in $1,000 and we went out and bought the necessities to get it going.

Designer Chesley Odom, who also saw the double-rainbow, created the design for our masthead. Over the past few years, we’ve been asked if the paper is gay because of the rainbow. I tell them we had the rainbow before gay got it.

At the beginning, I was the only one who knew how to make a newspaper, so I got to be editor and stayed the editor for more than 30 years until I got tired. I retired officially at the end of the day on Tuesday, June 30. Over the years we published this local paper for the tri-community every Thursday without fail since our first edition on Jan. 5, 1995. It grew from 5,000 issues each week, to 7,000 where it has remained.

The paper carries local advertising, obituaries, local events, and reports on what our local municipalities, schools, and the district library are doing.

Especially important are stories that affect your pocketbook. In the early days, before social media, we had large papers with lots of room for stories on interesting people.

We even had a travel writer who traveled all over the world and lived on E. Huron River Drive. We had a column on pets and another that was about a variety of subjects and was very charming.

I had written the “Extra Things I Know” column for almost ten years at the Richmond Review and then took a break when I worked as an editor at the Longmont Daily Times Call in Colorado. When we started the Independent, I resumed writing the column each week.

After more than 30 more years of writing the weekly column, this is my final column. This time, for good. I am really going home to sit on my couch and rest. I figure I’ve been a journalist for 70 years, starting as a fourth-grader when I created my first little newspaper. I got my sister to sell it for a penny apiece.

Good-bye.

And, thank you for reading our local paper.

The new editor, Sarah Rigg, will introduce herself in next week’s edition. She is sure to do a great job.

Graphic by Kathy Wood

06/29/2026

For those going on the boat to watch the BYC fireworks on July 4th, I will be hosting a Zoom meeting that will have the fireworks soundtrack live. The whole show is planned to the music, so it definitely adds to the show. Enjoy!

06/23/2026

We are hanging the next batch of BHS senior banners tomorrow and could really use some help.
Meet at the parking lot behind the old hardware store on Main St. at 12:30 tomorrow (Wed) if you would be so kind.
If you have a 6- or 8-foot ladder, that would be helpful.
It's not tough work and us usually done in 90 minutes.

Families are welcome! Especially families of BHS seniors!

06/15/2026

Don't forget to get your Epic Cart raffle tickets at the car show tonight to support the Belleville Lake Fireworks!

The 2026 Belleville Lake BYC Fireworks for America's 250th birthday will be bigger and better than ever!
The Belleville Yacht Club has always footed the bill for this incredible community show and our trained and certified professionals from Michigan Fireworks Club have volunteered countless hours to make this show happen each year but the price of fireworks has more than tripled in the last few years!
At next Monday's Car Show and Farmer's Market, Next Level Carts, LLC will be set up with a display cart and will be selling raffle tickets to support the 2026 Belleville Lake Fireworks.
The tickets are $20 each and the winner will drive away in a fully loaded Epic E40FX Cart. As an owner of one of these bad boys, trust me when I say these low-speed vehicles are INCREDIBLE!
https://www.nxtlevelcarts.com/models
Come on down to the Car Show on Monday, grab a ticket, and help support the 2026 4th of July Fireworks over Belleville Lake

06/10/2026

Come join our fun team!

06/09/2026

2 great firework shows over the lake again this year! Friday and Saturday!

06/03/2026

The 2026 Belleville Lake BYC Fireworks for America's 250th birthday will be bigger and better than ever!
The BYC - Belleville Yacht Club has always footed the bill for this incredible community show and our trained and certified professionals from Michigan Fireworks Club have volunteered countless hours to make this show happen each year but the price of fireworks has more than tripled in the last few years!

At next Monday's Car Show and Farmer's Market, Next Level Carts, LLC will be set up with a display cart and will be selling raffle tickets to support the 2026 Belleville Lake Fireworks.

The tickets are $20 each and the winner will drive away in a fully loaded Epic E40FX Cart. As an owner of one of these bad boys, trust me when I say these low-speed vehicles are INCREDIBLE!
https://www.nxtlevelcarts.com/models

Come on down to the Car Show on Monday, grab a ticket, and help support the 2026 4th of July Fireworks over Belleville Lake.

05/16/2026