While some towns form downtown development boards and pay for expensive studies to find ways to attract business and visitors, the town of Pickford (pop. 1835) has found prosperity through volunteerism and a desire to make their town a better place to live.
Less than 10 years ago this town was like several small towns in the Upper Peninsula, struggling to survive as the population shifted more to the larger cities at about the same time the big box stores arrived.
And then something happened. Young people, in particular, started to see Pickford for what it is: a nice place to raise a family. They could see potential in this small town, which already boasted a good school system, low crime rate, a number of churches, and other small town amenities.
Sheila Bergdoll, market master for the
Pickford Farmer's Market, returned to Pickford in 2007 after being away for several years. She loves the area and now devotes much of her time volunteering on different projects in town. She says the influx of young people, as well as young folks who want to stay in Pickford, has been the impetus for positive change. Retirees, like Bergdoll, have worked alongside younger residents to make things happen.
In the last five years, Pickford residents have worked diligently to add a library, an arts learning center, farmer's market, clothing boutique, and a couple of restaurants. Two more businesses are slated to open, according to township supervisor Jim Hill. They did all this with a handful of grants, several volunteers, and a whole lot of fundraising, says Hill.
Melanie Greenfield, mother of two boys, wanted to see more for children to do when her family first moved here from Sault Ste. Marie a few years ago. An energetic mom and business woman, Greenfield has been the spark that has ignited a lot of volunteer activities in Pickford, most notably the
Friends of the Library, which got a library built, a farmer's market established, and hosts a very successful Fall Festival, which Greenfield described as a "scene out of a Norman Rockwell painting."
Pickford also has managed to maintain a nostalgic charm with old storefronts, a feed mill operating in a red barn just behind Main Street, and other events like Pickford "Hay Days," which celebrates the hay produced by local farmers and sold to markets as far away as Texas.
The town kind of brings to mind Lake Wobegon, the fictional town in Garrison Keillor's ramblings. It doesn't sit on the edge of a prairie, but rather, on the edge of the wind- swept hayfields that surround the town. Canadian immigrants, of English, Scottish and Irish heritage, originally settled in the area and farmed in the clay valley along the Munuscong River watershed.
Retired educator and school administrator Jay Leach, who has lived here all his life, says it's the people who have really made the difference to the economic viability of the community.
"Everything is done by volunteers and people getting together to make it a better place to live," says Leach.
He pointed to a number of projects where money was raised with capital campaigns and the work was done by volunteers. They include renovations to an old building which now houses a library, installing lights along a running track at the high school, and extensive work to establish a township park--replete with modern bathroom facilities, a baseball diamond, hockey rink, and extensive playground equipment for the little ones.
He also says a quality school system like Pickford's has been a good draw. People have noticed what they're doing in the
Pickford schools and are sending their children there from other school districts, which provides more funding for the school and a spin-off for the community. The school itself has pitched in on this revival, according to Pickford residents, by providing support for projects and space in the school for activities such as the new arts learning center.
Pickford doesn't offer a lot of jobs for young people. However, as Leach explains, it is a bedroom community to Kincheloe, Sault Ste. Marie, and Cedarville. These towns are each less than 30 miles away and provide employment for most of the citizens of Pickford, along with the farming that still goes on in the area.
Many small U.P. towns struggle to compete against the lure of the larger cities, like Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie and Escanaba, with their big box stores and greater choices for dining and shopping. Pickford is no exception. However, they have also managed to give people pretty much all they need and more, by offering fresh produce (in season), a library to read and access information, and stores to buy everything from lumber to quality shoes and boots.
Pickford may not offer the bright lights and excitement of the big cities, but it offers a way of life that people in this small town are willing to work for.
Neil Moran is a freelance writer/copywriter living in Sault Ste. Marie.