The innovative thinking that made the city of Algonac great during its boat-building days still shows up in the hearts and minds of community leaders today.
It shows in the neighborly spirit that has made Algonac a hospitality port for the regal tall ships that sail in each year. It shows in the construction of the Veterans Monument and the First Responders Monument. It also shows in the statues of boating giants, Chris Smith and Gar Wood, constructed in 2010.
Aptly called the Legends of Algonac, the work of the project to highlight those behind the famed Chris-Craft Boats is still not yet finished. The plaques that will be installed along the base of the statues have taken more than a year to be completed. According to community leader Pete Beauregard, the plaques are expected to be completed this spring. In the meantime, the larger-than-life statues at Algonac City Park go un-named.
"We are into the second generation of people who have grown up after the Chris-Craft days," said Beauregard, also co-chair of the Legends of Algonac. "Now, when they look at the statues, it's the same as when we're looking at a soldier in the Civil War. They don't know who they are."
The four plaques that will be fastened on each side of the platform will tell the story of the days of the Chris-Craft boat building days, when the two men rose to fame as innovators of the wood pleasure boats and vessels that would break all records for speed.
Artist Sergei Mitrofanov went to work on the bronze plaques after the dedication of the statues two summers ago. Mitrofanov used the same artistic genius he poured into the two boating icons for the plaques. The molds have been made and the plaques are at the foundry. Mitrofanov said the work will be finished by the end of March, but they won't be installed until sometime in May.
"We are waiting for warm temperatures and then they'll do the installation," he said.
Beauregard said it was after a long series of back and forth messages, tweaking the wording and images on the plaques until they were just right, that the panels were completed.
"I like the wording," he said. "It says what there is to say."
Two of the plaques have images of the famous Miss America X racer and Gar Wood and the other has a Chris Craft with Chris Smith riding in one of his pleasure boats. Former Chris-Craft executive and Legends Chair Herb Pocklington, along with Beauregard, have brought the first part of the Legends project almost to fruition. A Legends of Algonac Hall of Fame is somewhere in Algonac's future, where many of the artifacts from the Algonac/Clay Museum and items donated by the descendants of Smith and Wood will be displayed.
The Algonac-Clay Historical Society keeps all of the remnants of Smith and Wood safe within the walls of the museum on Pointe Tremble Road near Smith Street. The group also takes care of three antique boats, including the record breaking Miss America X.
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