IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (WZMQ) – In the wake of a tragic fire that left the Michaud family without a home, the Maxx Entertainment Center in Iron Mountain is taking proactive steps to help the affected family. The venue has announced a benefit event scheduled for Saturday, February 3rd, starting at 4 PM Central Time.
Maxx Entertainment Center plans to host a craft fair during the event, with a dedicated table to collect donations for the family. The highlight of the evening will be a surprise live band starting at 6 PM, accompanied by a raffle and various prizes. Notably, 100 percent of the donations collected from collection table, raffles, and prize drawings will go directly to support the family. In a generous gesture, the Maxx is also committing to donate 10 percent of liquor sales for that entire day.
According to the venue owner, who experienced a similar tragedy a couple of years ago, this initiative is a way of giving back to the community that supported them during their own challenging time: “We had a fire at our old house a couple of years ago, and the community came together. This is just our way of giving back.
“We had a fire at our old house a couple of years ago, and it was a total loss, so the community came together when we had that, so this is just our way of giving back. We have this awesome facility and plenty of room, and we have things scheduled, but we didn’t have things scheduled for the whole day so we just wrote out a chunk in the middle, and we’re going to give them about a 5-hour dedicated session and then, we also have a craft show next weekend. During the craft fair, we’re going to let them put a table up and offer people the ability to donate,“ stated Fraser.
Additionally, a silent auction will be held, featuring high-dollar-value items donated by companies. Those interested in contributing to the silent auction can contact the Maxx Entertainment Center directly.
“During the day we have our craft show here, our flea market, we’re going to have donations available and then, after that, we’ll have all the raffle and prizes available. There are a couple of high value things that companies have donated and there will be some type of silent auction going on also with the high dollar items,” mentioned Fraser.
Meanwhile, the Southern UP SUP Cornhole League, founded by Jeremy Short, is also stepping up to assist the Michaud family. The league will be donating 20% of its entry fees from a tournament scheduled for Thursday night. Not only will they be collecting donations during the tournament, but 100% of the donations received will go directly to the affected family.
Fraser emphasized the community spirit within the league: “The coolest thing about the SUP cornhole league here at the Maxx is that it’s random mixed doubles every week. You never know who you’re gonna be paired with,” he said, adding, “Cornhole starts every Thursday at 6:30 practice is open at 5:30, and it’s so much fun. The southern U.P. cornhole league and teams, they’re the ones who help put this on so we want to thank them too for being great donators and every time there’s somebody who is in trouble or family that’s in need, the cornhole people are always willing to come in and do a benefit or a raffle.”
The tournament has a $15 entry fee, and anyone can join. Entrants will be placed on a random doubles team, with cash prizes for the top teams.
“So, as far as items go, if people are trying to donate to the family, they said a gift card for even Home Depot for $10 would be better than some item that they might not use. They’ve had such an outpouring already. There are a bunch of clothes, coats and shoes,” stated Fraser. He added that, remarkably, Slumblerland furniture donated beds so that the children had beds to sleep in right away.
“I know the house was insured, but it’s going to take like a year for it to get rebuilt. They’re not going to get paid out, so they can’t just go move into a new house in their policy in order to get their full reimbursement. They have to rebuild on the same site, so they’re going to be without a house for almost a year and the good news is her sister’s husband moved in with them, so there is a house available that they are renting for right now so they’re not completely displaced,” he informed.
As the community unites to support the family, the family’s resilience and the community’s generosity shine through as they navigate the challenging journey ahead.
To donate directly to the Michaud Family’s GoFundme, visit:
The Maxx Entertainment Center posts all of their upcoming event details on their social media. To visit the venue’s website, visit:
The Southern U.P. SUP Cornhole league can be found on Facebook.
