20 FASCINATING
PEOPLE Every year, Northern Express reporters scour the North to find 20 average folks dedicating themselves to a not-so-average existence — people who parlay their passions into something bigger than themselves. Here, our picks for the unsung but undoubtedly fascinating people that reporters Al Parker, Lynda Wheatley, Craig Manning, Geri Dietze, Ross Boissoneau, and Jillian Manning found for 2022:
Paxton Robinson
The Mountain Biker Most eight-year-olds spend Saturday mornings sleeping in or watching cartoons. On November 4 last year, though, eightyear-old Paxton Robinson whiled away his Saturday doing something else entirely different: riding a prestigious 30-mile bike race through the wooded trails of northern Michigan. Robinson is a third-grade student at Traverse City’s Cherry Knoll Elementary. He is also, as of November, the youngest person ever to finish the full 30-mile Iceman Cometh Challenge bike race. With a top prize of $6,000 for the male and female victors, the Iceman is a big deal, typically drawing 5,000 competitors from throughout the
United States. Robinson’s 3:32:44 time enshrines him in the event’s history, There’s some family history at play here too. Two eight-year-old cyclists crossed the Iceman finish line on November 4: Robinson and fellow local biking enthusiast Asher Schwartz, who is several months older. (Schwartz finished in 2:54:32.) In becoming the two youngest cyclists ever to finish the epic point-to-point course, the pair broke the records held by none other than their respective older brothers. Indeed, Crosley Robinson and August Schwartz first rode the Iceman several years ago, when they were 10 and 9 respectively. They reigned as the Iceman’s two youngest finishers until last fall, when their younger brothers edged them out.
Carol Greenaway The Ballerina
Al Laaksonen The Captain
Eighty-three-year-old Al Laaksonen fell in love with a princess. Not one of those Disney heroines, but a 65-foot charter boat, The Princess of Ludington. “It was love at first sight,” says Laaksonen, who was a charter boat captain for 37 years. When he purchased The Princess in Wisconsin in 2020, his plan was to offer sightseeing tours of Lake Michigan out of Ludington. He ran 50 tours for more than 1,000 passengers in the short time the Princess was in Ludington. But after a year, docking space for the 48-yearold Princess became an issue. Luckily, officials from Manistee came knocking.
They heard about the situation and urged Laaksonen to move north a bit. “The most meaningful accomplishment, to me, was the outpouring of genuine support from the community of Manistee,” says Laaksonen. “The multitude of people walking the river boardwalk who stopped to express their gratitude that we brought the Princess to Manistee was impressive.” Now he offers several types of cruises. “I’m proud to reveal that we entertained close to 4,000 visitors our first season in Manistee,” says Laaksonen. “We provided 18 private cruises for weddings, celebration of life activities, anniversaries, office parties, corporate celebrations, political gatherings, and family reunions.”
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Ballerina, teacher, and choreographer Carol Greenaway has performed all over the country, but for years, she’s called Frankfort home. The Detroit native began dancing at age three, and by the time she was eight, she was already securing leading roles. “I danced Clara in The Nutcracker with the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo,” Greenaway says. “My teacher sent me to the audition, and I won.” That was the start of a long career with the Ballet Russe de MonteCarlo, which operated in the U.S. from 1937 to 1968. Greenaway continued to dance with the company throughout high school, but only on the weekends and “if they were on this side of the Mississippi River,” as she didn’t want to miss a day of school. After college, she joined the company full time, and says some of her favorite parts were in productions of Swan Lake and Coppélia. Greenaway left the ballet in the mid-fifties and, thanks to a family connection, made her way to Frankfort. The shift to small town life wasn’t easy, but Greenaway began to teach and build the local dance community. Notably, she has worked with fellow choreographer Ingrid Bond and the Ramsdell Threatre in Manistee for renowned productions of The Nutcracker featuring the ballet’s original choreography. Although Greenaway is now retired, and jokes that at age 90 “I don’t move too fast,” NoMi ballerinas will be dancing her steps for years to come.
