Freshwater Reporter is a free community paper offering fresh, engaging storytelling that is regularly upbeat and personable.

We print 3,500-5,000 copies of each FREE edition of the Freshwater Reporter and deliver them to 150+ places throughout Manistee and Mason counties and select places in neighboring counties, such as Benzie, Lake and Wexford. Like what you’re reading? Please consider making a donation: http://tinyurl.com/2wfrwud6 . Your donation is NOT tax deductible, but we appreciate your support of community storytelling and local journalism.

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Freshwater Reporter
- Remembering PFC Erby H. Roper
  LEFT: Erby Roper’s grave in the Henri-Chapell American Cemetery and Memorial in Belgium. Note the pennies on the cross. Designated Visitor Bryan Knapen of Belgian placed the three pennies for Roger Roper, Erby’s brother; Janet Bott Hueston, my cousin and daughter of my Aunt Rolene and her second husband; and me. TOP RIGHT: Erby H. […]
- Spring awakens in Benzonia
  Photos by Botony Newton-Knudson. By Botony Newton-Knudson The ice has faded. Winter’s grip, once unyielding over this quiet village, finally loosened beneath the returning sun. Snowbanks shrank like weary giants; their forms dissolved into streams that wove through Benzonia’s thawing streets. The skeletal trees, long stripped bare by the cold, bristled with the first whispers […]
- $1.75M SMART trail project moves forward in Manistee County
  Kyle Storey, of the Manistee County Planning Department, shares information about the proposed SMARTrails system during the 2019 Copemish Heritage Festival. File photo by Mark Videan. From a press announcement MANISTEE COUNTY, Mich. – After years of planning and coordination led by the nonprofit Friends of SMART (Scenic Manistee Area Recreational Trails), the Thompsonville-Copemish trail […]
- Elberta Turtlefest activities planned
  Turtlefest collage of photographs submitted by Elberta resident and Turtlefest organizer Emily Votruba. Edited press announcement Editor’s note: As I deliver newspapers, I’ve learned to watch for turtles and have braked for turtles and people helping turtles cross the road. Turtlefest reminds us to slow down and enjoy the many sights (and sounds) of nature […]
- Onekama thrift shop to open for season
  New siding is one of the upgrades to the Onekama Guild Thrift Shop. The shop underwent a “facelift” over the winter. Courtesy photo. Edited from a news release ONEKAMA – Volunteers of the Onekama Guild Thrift Shop invite the public to the shop’s 2025 grand opening on Thursday, May 22, beginning at 10 a.m., at […]
- ‘My Idlewild’ celebrates high notes of an exciting era
  A scene from the musical, “My Idlewild,” which took place on and off the stage in the Ramsdell Theatre in Manistee. Story and photos by Stewart A. McFerran “My Idlewild: A Live Historical Musical Revue,” performed Saturday evening at the Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts in Manistee, is a thoroughly entertaining look back at […]