A huge thank you to all who attended "Celebration of the Great Lakes" at the State Theatre during Tall Ships Bay City. Over 250 were packed into the venue to listen to Dan Hall's amazing songs and hear Ric Mixter talk about maritime history. Event organizers have already asked to make this an annual celebration and Ric and Dan are eager to take the show around the lakes. Michigan non-profits qualify for funding through the state's Humanity program! Call 989-498-4550 for more information.
Ric's new book is now available in paperback! "The Wheelsmen" chronicles several local history events including the worst storms (1913 and 1940), A horrible collision near the Mackinac Bridge, and the mysterious sinking of the Coast Guard cutter Escanaba. Click here for more information on the book or click here to purchase. You can experience "The Wheelsmen" with Ric's unique lectures scheduled all around the lakes.
Ric Mixter would like to thank the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History for honoring him with the 2009 Award for Historic Interpretation! The committee noted "over the past 17 years, you have used your skills as a television reporter and multimedia producer to create many documentaries on Great Lakes shipwrecks. What has set those documentaries apart is your uncanny ability to locate shipwreck survivors and weave their stories, along with historical images and underwater video of shipwreck sites, into the documentaries."
Ric accepted the award and was the keynote speaker at the group's 25th Anniversary celebration in Bay City, Michigan.
Ric is also honored to be selected as a touring historian for the Michigan Arts and Humanities Council. Grants are available for schools and non-profits to be able to experience Ric's lectures firsthand. For more information on the state grants, please click here. There are dozens of lecture topics- just click on RIC MIXTER on the left side of your screen and follow the links.
Cement Boat is available for sale! This 60 minute video shares a routine trip aboard the steamer Alpena. The program highlights how they make cement and load it into the freighter. You'll meet key sailors on board and learn how they got their jobs. You'll also see incredible footage at the Soo Locks, Duluth Lift-Bridge and archive movies of a cement boat in a storm. Features footage of the Alpena, Townshend, EM Ford, Crapo and JB Ford.
Bombs Away: Good Bye Guardians of the Great Lakes. This 60 minute video is a departure from my maritime topics, but it's a facinating look at four Michigan air bases; Selfridge, Sawyer, Kincheloe and Wurtsmith. 90 years are chronicled, from biplanes to B-52 Bombers. The Tuskegee Airmen even trained at two of our fields, located at Mount Clemens and Oscoda. This DVD has a lot of extra features, including my ride with the Thunderbirds in an F-16. I was honored to fly with the last B-52 bombers from Sawyer and Wurtsmith, and BOMBS AWAY shares much of that footage.
Deep Six: Titanics of the Great Lakeswas recently updated as promised. I just couldn't have a DVD without the extras you've come to expect from a 'Lake Fury' production! I've added never-before-seen footage of the Bradley in drydock, some photos from the first divers on the Morrell, and a behind the scenes photo montage of how we made this incredible documentary!
The Edmund Fitzgerald Investigations was also retooled, adding over a half hour of new content, mostly highlighting the unique construction of this famous freighter. Included are interviews with shipyard workers, former crew and a Coast Guard investigator who was on the CURV III investigation. All new for 2008, the 50th Anniversary of the launch of the Fitz! --Media Access Click Here.
If you are a retailer looking for order information on our DVD documentaries.. click here!
Keep in touch.. you'll find a link by clicking on RIC MIXTER. Hope to see you at the dive shows!
Ric Mixter would like to thank the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History for honoring him with the 2009 Award for Historic Interpretation! The committee noted "over the past 17 years, you have used your skills as a television reporter and multimedia producer to create many documentaries on Great Lakes shipwrecks. What has set those documentaries apart is your uncanny ability to locate shipwreck survivors and weave their stories, along with historical images and underwater video of shipwreck sites, into the documentaries."
Deep Six: Titanics of the Great Lakes 
