When you hear the term “Opening Day”, you might imagine a fresh cut infield and the smack of a bat hitting a leather-covered ball.
When we hear “Opening Day”, we are immediately overwhelmed with the feeling of coming home. The boats wake up from their long winter hibernation, and the faces that we have missed for the past six months appear at the dock.
Cast members return every summer without hesitation. It’s like we never missed a beat. The ticket office comes to life and the dock starts to bustle with luggage carts. We welcome the first guests with smiles and hugs and high fives, because these are our friends that ride with us every day to commute back and forth to their jobs on the Island. Our family is back.
The first trip over to the Island is a brisk one. April on the Straits of Mackinac still holds on to the last moments of winter. The tulips are just starting to sprout the tips of their green leaves. Soon the dock will be bursting with colors. The flags are flying atop the Gateway in Mackinaw City and through the Avenue of Flags in St. Ignace. This sight inspires pride in us, and excitement in our guests.
“It’s like the first time. Every time.”
You may have noticed this slogan on some of our billboards. It refers to the anticipation that you feel as you pull up to the dock and watch Miss Margy, or Wyandot, or The Hope pull into the harbor. That feeling in your stomach that says, “Something good is about to happen!” Do you remember your first ride to the Island? Can you feel it now? That is what we feel every April as “Opening Day” approaches.
We have spent the winter preparing. We are ready and awaiting your arrival. See you soon!