Warriors get lost, Hawks reaches milestone

With heavy hearts, members of the community of Hawks, who raised money for Special Olympics athletes, handed over a check for $8,542 Saturday to the Wertz Warriors. It marked a milestone for Hawks, and the many people who have raised money over the years, as the $100,000 mark was eclipsed. ?It warms the people?s hearts who do it, as much as the ones that are doing it for those kids,? said Carl Altman, owner of the Night Hawk Inn, the Presque Isle County destination for the Warriors for the last 18 years.

THE ONLY thing that could dampen the spirits of the people anxiously awaiting the arrival of the snowmobilers was the devastating news of the destruction of space shuttle Columbia. The Warriors, who were running two hours late, learned what happened when they arrived in Hawks.

Bob Meyers, a rider for 13 years, said the Warriors were traveling from Petoskey, which is different than in past years, and they weren?t familiar with the trail system.

?We got lost a couple of times,? said Meyers. ?We turned around and there weren?t any places to get gas. I had a couple of guys run out of gas.? The Warriors had more than one reason to be excited about getting to Hawks. They always enjoy the many homemade breakfast treats that are prepared every year. Cindy Hartwick of Rogers City, who participates in the summer Special Olympics, was there to pose for pictures and accept the check from the Warriors.

THIS WAS the first year the auction, which raises most of the money, was conducted on a Thursday and not Friday, as has been the case in past years. ?We had a good night, even though we had it on Thursday this year,? said Altman. ?We still had a standing-room-only-crowd. We?ll try and do the same thing next year.? Altman said the one day break between the auction and the arrival of the Warriors is much needed. ?It gives us a little more time, instead of having it Friday night, then early Saturday morning they?re here, and everybody?s tired,? said Altman.

The numbers were down slightly from last year, but Altman attributes it to the slow economy and the fact that there weren?t a lot of bigger items. Altman said the items that attract the most bids have always been hand-craft, such as Jeff Prell?s boat-shaped bookcase. Kathy Claus was cited as the person who bid on, and purchased, the most items. She took home afghans, binoculars, a knife, and a skateboard. Claus said she starts saving for the auction after Christmas.

THE EVENT in Hawks brings together many in the community who believe Special Olympics

is a worthy cause. ?I?ve been involved in getting the breakfast organized for quite a few years,? said Katie Wagner. ?It?s a lot of fun doing it and I have good cooperation from the community.? ?It goes for a good cause. I love working for it,? said Lillian Wirgau, auction coordinator. ?You can?t do it unless you have a lot of help. I think it?s pretty nice for a little town like this, and we have a lot of swell people who really work for it ?One person can?t do it. My husband (Gordon) helped me a lot this year.? Laura Altman said what inspires her is ?the enthusiasm and the spirit that gets behind this thing.?

In the raffle, Justin Schalk of Rogers City won the top prize which was an inline 50 caliber muzzleloader. Carol Schaedig of Alpena won a hand-held leaf blower. Etta Bunch of Macomb Township won four rounds of golf with a cart at Thunder Bay Resort of Hillman.