For the love of Cedar

By Linda Beaty
Sun contributor

Summer is finally here, bringing numerous recreational activities to all of Leelanau’s small towns and villages. One of Cedar’s most popular events is the four day Polka Fest, a celebration of the little community’s Polish heritage that draws thousands together under the big tent on the tennis courts each July to listen to music, eat Polish food, and dance the night away. This year, the event will be held July 3-6. And if you were lucky enough to take advantage of the free polka lessons offered at the Solon Township Hall on June 29, you’ll be especially ready to join in the fun!

The woman behind the free dance lessons (not to mention the kid’s sidewalk chalk art and face painting activities that are also a part of the festival) is Beverly Jane (“BJ”) Christensen of Cedar, a feisty woman with piercing blue eyes. In 2001, Christensen founded the Cedar Area Community Foundation, an organization that offers free, fun activities for all ages year round, from service events like outdoor clean ups and CPR classes to self-improvement activities such as walking groups and aerobics. Also on the calendar are kayak trips down the Victoria River, ice cream socials, crafting events and holiday parties—as well as the Polka Fest fun.

Christensen’s motivation in starting the Community Foundation was partly because of her love of the community where she was born and raised. She grew up with her sister on a 200-acre cattle farm in Cedar’s rolling hills, where the family grew wheat, oats, corn and hay feed crops as well as a cherry orchard. From an early age, she learned the value of small town community life—the quality she still admires about Cedar today. “I like the camaraderie, people looking out for each other, caring about each other, and helping out when they can,” said Christensen. “There’s a family atmosphere here; you feel like a valued person within the community.”

Christensen also developed a strong work ethic living on a farm, something that serves her well in her management of the Cedar Area Community Foundation. “When you’re on the farm, there’s always work to do,” she said. “Dad didn’t believe in using pesticides or herbicides, so we were always picking and pulling something.”

For a time, Christensen left Cedar; after completing high school, she earned a business degree at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, and eventually settled on the outskirts of the Grand Rapids area to teach middle school science and math and raise a family. But a bout with invasive breast cancer at age 39 changed everything. “I gave myself two years to live,” she recalled. “So I set out to complete my bucket list.”

This list, explained Christensen, was drafted as an assignment in Marjorie Barrett’s English class when she was a senior at Glen Lake School. She had already completed many of the goals, including traveling; she’d toured 14 countries and taught herself both Spanish and French prior to setting out on her travels. The one thing she hadn’t done? “Learning to fly,” she laughed.

So off she went to take flying lessons at a local airport in Greenville, taking a leave of absence from 20 years of teaching. The mission took her from Greenville to Florida for a flight safety program and then back home to Northwestern Michigan College’s aviation program. In the end, she flew an eight-passenger Learjet for a multi-national company. “I met my goal,” said Christensen. “I not only learned how to fly an airplane, but I leaned how to fly a jet.”

Mission accomplished, Christensen decided that it was time to stop flying and settle down in Cedar permanently. She and her husband live on 13 acres of the old family farm; sister Judy living nearby on another section. Her days are crammed with community activities; in addition to the Cedar Area Community Foundation, she serves on local chapters of several other organizations, including the League of Women Voters, and is also very involved in church activities. She’s up early in the morning and working until 10:30 p.m. most nights, at an age when many people start slowing down. But there’s a reason behind all that. “That’s the secret to life,” she claimed. “Having a purpose, giving back, the whole idea of paying it forward. I’ve been so blessed with extra time.”