Rover enjoying summer, finding answers about Amish vendors, octagonal building and dirty sidewalks

Summer has come and Rover is enjoying the warmth, but he wouldn’t mind if there were a few days of rain sprinkled in.

Rover also has been enjoying his fair share of pup cups from local ice cream shops in the area. Good thing he can go and walk around the various downtowns to shop and walk the various walkways and trails the area has to offer.

Speaking of walkways, Rover answered a question this week about the sidewalks in Cadillac City Park. The reader who offered the question has a love of puns and that is something that Rover also appreciates. In addition to that question, Rover also dug up answers about the Cadillac Farmers Market and the octagonal building.

Remember, if you have a question, you would like the newshound to sniff out an answer to email it to news@cadillacnews.com, submit it via the Cadillac News website or call (231) 775-6564. There also is an Ask Rover Facebook page that is getting rolled out where previous Ask Rover questions and answers are posted. You can submit questions there as well.

Q: Why are there no Amish vendors at the Cadillac Farmers Market?

A: Rover reached out to Mary Galvanek who is the market manager for the Cadillac Farmers Market. She told Rover The Amish baker that was a regular is no longer there because her sister married an Amish man from out-of-state. As a result, the entire family moved out of state with the sister.

Galvanek also said the Amish farmer that was a regular last year at the market has opted to put up more roadside stands and is taking his surplus to a produce auction. While those vendors will not be back, Galvanek said several Amish vendors will be part of the market during the season, including Pretty Pedal Floral.

“It all depends on how the growing season goes or if they have changes in their life,” she said. “We definitely welcome all Amish vendors.”

Q: The octagonal building at the fairgrounds appears to be deteriorating rapidly. What and when are the next steps to be taken on the preservation of this unique structure?

A: Veterans Serving Veterans Park organizer Roger Bandeen said a lot of work has been done inside and outside of the structure. He also said the structure has already deteriorated and it is not deteriorating more at this point. Bandeen said it has not been in good shape for quite some time.

As for the next steps, Bandeen said the moving of the structure will be a focus during the next two months.

He said the plan is to get all eight sides down and move them to the park. As for the roof, he said that was never salvageable. Once there is money and support from the community, the work to start constructing the structure at the park will begin.

“We have until Dec. 31 to have it taken to the park. There is plenty of time to get that taken care of,” Bandeen said.

After years of discussing the issue of what to do with the historic octagonal building, Wexford County let the public know that demolition was a real option in May 2020. At the time and in light of the county’s finances, the county didn’t have the money to fix it. While there have been numerous people in the community who had come together to make the historic structure a viable building, they were unable to come up with the money needed.

In June 2020, Crystal Lake Johnson spoke during public comment about the structure. She said there are interested parties who could have the capability to dismantle the Octagonal Building, take it off the Wexford County Fairgrounds and reassemble it in a different location as a museum and historical landmark.

That interested party was the Veterans Serving Veterans organization.

If a person would like to donate money to the Octagonal Building or any project the Veterans Serving Veterans organization is undertaking, they can go to vetsservingvets.org and click on the Support Us link on the home page of the website.

Q: Does the city of Cadillac have a plan to power wash the sidewalks in the city park due to the fowl poop?

A: Cadillac Department of Public Works Operations Manager Ken Payne said his crews have no plans to power wash the sidewalks in and around the City Park but he did say crews were going to be starting the weekly sweeping of the sidewalks with a power broom.

A power broom is a device used to clean up compacted dirt along roads and sidewalks, move pebbles and sand from grassy turf and even remove water and light snow from hard flat surfaces.