The MML Review March-April 2022

Northern Field Report

BENZONIA pop. 551

FREE Ice Skate Check Out at Benzonia’s Public Library By Liz Foley

“ More people were calling the office about skates than appointments. ” DR. LISA MUSGRAVE There’s always a way, she thought. She began to ask around. “A lot of people heard what I was thinking about, saying they had a pair in the garage, could they bring them in? More people were calling the office about skates than appointments.” Local Dentist Sees a Need Beulah dentist Dr. Lisa Musgrave realized one thing was missing to make their local rink truly welcoming and accessible to all. “It started with two or three patients in a row one day, having the same conversation,” said Musgrave. Since her own three children loved skating at the rink, she naturally imagined all the local kids enjoyed it too. “That first little kid looked up with those eyes and said, ‘I’d love to go but I don’t have skates.’ So, I said, ‘Maybe you can get used ones.’ And there’s Mom behind them shaking her head, saying ‘their feet grow so fast, skates are so expensive, we just do other winter sports.’ After the second or third time having that conversation that same day, it hit me. We grow up in paradise here. For a child to grow up here and not have access to that, it breaks my heart.”

T

he key to building community wealth lies at the heart of every community if you just know where to look. In Benzie County, it’s a heart made of ice.

For more years than anyone can remember, the Village of Benzonia’s free outdoor ice rink has been a beloved local winter institution for adults and children alike. Although the rink has changed locations and caretakers over the years, generations of Benzonians have forged lifelong community connections on its ice. Socially connected communities are more likely to thrive. But public gathering spaces can’t fully do their job unless they are built on a foundation of equity and inclusion.

38 THE REVIEW

MARCH / APRIL 2022