By Sue Moore
Several people in the Schoolcraft community have stepped up to take over the 4th of July events. This will ensure this long running celebration will continue in the Village, according to Village Manager Cheri Lutz. Toni Rafferty was one of the first to commit to help and was quickly appointed president of the organization that the village is hoping to continue.
She has been joined by Jon Krum, who will stay on as treasurer; Lori King, secretary; trustees Barbara Schubert, Amy DeVries, Becky Williams and Ally West. The paperwork for this organization had to be filed with the state of Michigan by October 1 or the event wouldn’t have happened in 2020.
Rafferty was given Deb Reynolds’ check list of the many things she would need to do to organize the parade. This is the biggest event of the day besides the fireworks display that brings people to the village. “I’m excited and a bit nervous to be given this responsibility,” Rafferty said. “I guess it’s a vote of confidence to be elected president right away but I’ll need a good chunk of people helping to get the job done along with good coaching from Deb.”
Not a Schoolcraft native, Rafferty came from Brighton and was working at Lowes when she met her husband James, a long-time Schoolcraft resident. She has become a fixture in the community, volunteering with Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts where her children, Jozie, 13, and Drew, 11, participate. She is on the board of the Friday Pack group and her children help deliver the packages to each school for the weekends. “My husband doesn’t know about this yet and will probably say the ‘last thing you need is one more something to do,’ but he is my biggest cheerleader while always helping in the background,” Rafferty said.