MARJDI HISTORIC IDLEWILD TOUR
Saturday, June 6, 10 am – 4 pm
Led by Chris Kingdom-Grier
Yates Township Supervisor and life-long Idlewild resident and historian
A Journey juxtaposing two shocking realities in history -Jim Crow and Idlewild, a flourishing Black resort in northern Michigan. This half-day long tour includes two museum exhibits, lunch, a guest panel of Idlewild natives, and a car tour of historic Idlewild. Participants will be immersed in what the American mainstream portrayed and how Black residents thrived nevertheless.
9:45--10:45 am--Meet at Manistee First Congregational Church parking lot, 4th and Maple St. and car pool to Idlewild, meeting at Yates Township Hall, 6437 Nelson Rd., Idlewild, MI 49642.
11:00am -12:00pm-- Welcome and intro to Idlewild with “Welcome to Idlewild-The Black Eden” video. A special museum exhibit focusing on The Jim Crow Era, “Abhorrent Artifacts”, from the Kingdom- Grier collection, which gives insight into one of the nation’s most heinous periods. This exhibit is in comparison to the Idlewild exhibit at lunch, which focuses on the flourishing of Blacks during that same time. Finally a welcome packet which includes a walking/riding map of historic Idlewild, things to do in historic Idlewild sheet; fact sheet on historic Idlewild, & an antique Idlewild Souvenir postcard
12:15-1:15pm --Lunch with Idlewild Resident panelist Betty Foote, Former Supervisor of Yates Township, Idlewild History collector and daughter of Former Supervisor who documented a large portion of Idlewild History, Idlewild Archivist Assistant, Widow of Phil Giles {Flamingo Club Owner} and Paradise Club Cashier.
1:30- 3:00pm-- Tour of Idlewild historic sites. Stop & Tour Tabernacle AME Church and hear the story of Idlewild’s oldest church. Head to Lindsey Lounge on Paradise Lake (Former Wilson’s Grocery Store) and hear the story of Joe & Freda Lindsey and their contributions to Idlewild as year round champions.
3:00-4:00 pm—Return to Manistee
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