In every successful community, there are people who work hard and volunteer harder. These are the movers and shakers who work their day jobs, and then go on to serve on boards or committees, secure grants, mentor our youth, or quietly place flags where our war heroes have been laid to rest. They build on our shared foundation and continue to enhance our community. Several more will publish randomly. Send us the names of the faces you'd like to see here.

NEVA MARCONERI – Neva was born and raised in Mancelona. She purchased the Dairy Queen when she was 18 years old and operated it, later as Dairy Delite, until her retirement 57 years later, in 2020. She resides in Mancelona and winters in Florida. Neva served in numerous capacities with the Chamber of Commerce and was a founding member of the Mancelona Downtown Development Authority. She treated kids’ parade participants and baseball teams to free ice cream cones and sponsored the White Pine Stampede, Bass Festival, and Easter Egg hunt. As an employer, Neva often hired High School kids. “If you have time to lean, you have time to clean.” She was a hard person to work for. This kept the kids structured and taught them good work ethics, responsibility and skills to prepare them for every day life. Neva encouraged shopping local and supporting hometown businesses. She was very vocal and an outstanding advocate for Mancelona. The community continues to benefit today from her leadership and generosity.     /2023