ESCANABA — Eight volunteers were recognized Thursday by the Escanaba Downtown Development Authority for their efforts to make Escanaba a better place.

The Escanaba City Council meeting Thursday night had a presentation honoring Kurt Strassler, Sue Parker, Felicity Feathers, Paul and Kathy Harvey, Kate Oman, Monte Morrison and Kevin Chown.

“Volunteers are crucial in providing community events and activities,” said Craig Woerpel, executive director of the Escanaba DDA. “All of those recognized tonight have spent countless hours working on different projects in our city. Escanaba is a great place to live because of them.”

Kurt Strassler works with the stage crew on city music festivals and events. He received training on the setup of the portable stage used at the concerts. The training requires that he attend early and stay late to set up and take down the stage during events.

Sue Parker is chair of the DDA and owner of Nyman Jewelers. She has taken an active role on several committees including the Escanaba LogJam Music Festival and the upcoming Ludington Street Cruise car show. She was instrumental in starting the first ArtWalk in October and serves on the DDA Marketing and Business Partners Committees.

Felicity Feathers is a vendor at the Escanaba Farmers Market who worked to make the Harvest Fest at the Marketplace in October a success, coming up with new ideas and activities. She also provided homemade cookies for the hot chocolate events at the Christmas tree lighting and Christmas Parade.

Paul and Kathy Harvey start early working on the Escanaba Christmas Parade. Kathy coordinates the Prince and Princess chosen for the parade and makes sure they have a special session with Santa Claus. Paul helps determine float winners. This year, he was instrumental in getting Jon Liss at Northern Machining and Repair to reconfigure their large reindeer and sleigh for Santa and Mrs. Claus.

The Bonifas Arts Center partners with the Escanaba DDA on several projects, including Art Week, the Escanaba LogJam Music Festival, the youth art program Art @ the Marketplace and the new ArtWalk. Kate Oman is a big supporter of the projects and has worked to make sure they are a success.

Monte Morrison and Kevin Chown started to gain attention as they took on the task of restoring the historic street markers throughout Escanaba. They recognized the uniqueness of the cement poles that mark the streets and spent the summer volunteering to restore them.

Also recognized at the city council meeting were Enbridge, DTE Foundation and Highline for their sponsorship of the Escanaba LogJam Music Festival. Woerpel said their participation helped to make the event happen.

The presentations were made as Woerpel outlined the activities of the DDA during the past year.