The inaugural Blessing of the Boats is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, June 14 at Dockside Torch Lake.
All boats, from power boats to fishing boats to sailboats to kayaks, are welcome to the site, at the conflux of Torch and Clam lakes.
The blessing ceremony will be officiated by Pastor David Ramage of Church in the Hills in Bellaire with a performance by the Charlevoix-based Green Sky Hill Indian United Methodist Church Women’s Drum Group.
The purpose of the event is safety, mindfulness, thankfulness, respectfulness and beauty. It will begin with an opening statement followed by music/hymns by the Church in the Hills Praise Band, followed by the blessing of the water, a prayer and blessing of the boating season, and, finally, the blessing of the boats.
The event is scheduled for approximately 20 minutes.