'Jobbie Nooner' Party Is Friday

ST. CLAIR SHORES, MI — Known as the “MardiGras of the Midwest,” Jobbie Nooner returns to Gull Island in Lake St. Clair on Friday. The party starts at about 11 a.m. on the island, which sits on the far eastern edge of the lake near Clay Township.

According to the website jobbiecrew.com, it’s Jobbie Nooner’s 43rd anniversary. The site claims that Lee O’Dell and Lee Wagner started the event in 1974 on Strawberry Island in Lake St. Clair, about two miles from the current location.

Whatever its origins, law enforcement officials expect about 5,000 boats to show up for the all day party. Officials from numerous jurisdictions are coordinating to make the often rowdy event safe.

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But in recent years, law enforcement officials have said arrests have been on the decline, and most involve assaults and an intoxicated skipper or two. The number of incidents requiring a police response, such as fights or drownings, is down. Despite its reputation, the Nooner has been relatively tame the last couple of years.

Partygoers drop anchor around Gull Island, which is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers but falls under the municipal jurisdiction of St. Clair County’s Clay Township. Law enforcement duties are shared by a number of agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, St. Clair County Sheriff’s Marine Patrol, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Clay Township police, New Baltimore Police Marine Patrol and the Macomb County Sheriff’s Marine Patrol.

For more, go to the Macomb Daily.

File photo