Save the Catwalk group gets anonymous $50,000 donation

ALGOMA – A $50,000 grant from an anonymous donor was the biggest surprise at Saturday’s Oktoberfest fundraiser for the Save the Catwalk group at the Algoma Boat Club.

Committee treasurer Jacqueline Toepfer read a thank-you letter that will be sent to the donor through the GiveClear Foundation, then presented a symbolic check to committee co-chairs Tom Levy and Dennis Andre in front of a full house at the club.

With about $60,000 already raised through grassroots efforts — including nearly $10,000 in gross proceeds from the Oktoberfest event and ticket sales leading up to it — nearly $110,000 has already been raised toward a Phase 2 goal of refurbishing the catwalk’s steel at Olson Fabrication.

The final bill for that work is unknown; the $170,000 estimate was based off of a similar but larger project at Grand Haven, Michigan. There’s also an unknown but substantial cost of returning the catwalk to the north pier and having Roen Construction put it back up, possibly in 2027.

“Gifts like this one, combined with the incredible support we have received from the community, are the reason the catwalk will return,” Toepfer said.

Jeff Dier of Forestville Builders recently added a cat climbing a ladder on a lighthouse display outside Kinn’s Sport Fishing near the city marina on Steele Street. Local artisan Chris Steinhagen assisted on the project. Each rung marks another $40,000 toward the campaign’s goal of raising $400,000 for current and future needs.

For more information, visit savethecatwalk.com.