A BIG thank you to everyone who sponsored, donated, volunteered, attended, and helped make our 16th Annual Gateway Affair such a tremendous success this past Saturday! ❤️

What a wonderful evening! From the amazing dinner and fantastic silent auction to the great music and, most importantly, the wonderful company, it was a night filled with laughter, friendship, and a true sense of community. We are so grateful to everyone who helped make the evening special.

A special thank you to Representative Kunse for joining us and taking the time to provide our guests with updates on upcoming state business and issues affecting our communities. We truly appreciate you being part of the evening and sharing your time and insight with everyone in attendance.

Most importantly, the funds raised through the Gateway Affair will help Friends of Clare County Parks and Recreation continue supporting wonderful parks, recreation, and community projects throughout Clare County.

Your generosity helps make projects like these possible:

• Helping complete the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail gap, creating better connections for walkers, runners, cyclists, and outdoor enthusiasts.
• Supporting the construction of trailhead restrooms at the Clare Union Railroad Depot.
• Helping fund pickleball courts at Garfield Township Park in Lake, providing another great opportunity for recreation and community gathering.
• Supporting park improvement projects completed by Eagle Scouts, giving young people an opportunity to make a lasting difference in their communities.
• Sponsoring the Clare Summer Music Concert Series and other Clare County recreation events and programs that bring people together throughout the year.

Every sponsorship, donation, ticket purchase, volunteer hour, and contribution helped make this event possible — and every dollar raised will help us continue investing in the parks, trails, recreation opportunities, and community programs that make Clare County such a special place to live, work, and visit.

We especially want to thank our generous sponsors and donors, our hardworking volunteers, everyone who contributed items to the silent auction, our wonderful entertainment and event partners, Representative Kunse, and everyone who came out to celebrate with us.

We couldn’t do it without you!

Thank you for believing in the importance of parks and recreation and for helping us continue to make a difference in Clare County. We are already looking forward to next year’s Gateway Affair! 🌳🚲🎶💚

Thank you for helping us give back to the community we love!