A lot can be bought for $2,000.
But for David and Sherry Kyle, that amount of money bought two cookies Saturday from Cops and Doughnuts in Clare as part of its fundraiser for the Clare Depot Restoration Project.
“I’ve supported the project all along,” said Kyle, from Clare. “It’s getting toward the end and it’s time to finish it. It’s nice to see the thing come back to life.”
From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., $7,219 was raised toward a goal of $32,000, according to Greg Rynearson, co-owner of Cops and Doughnuts.
“We still need donations to come in; I know we’ve still got more coming in this week,” he said.
Donations can also be made toward the project even after the fundraiser, according to Rynearson.
The restoration project, also in partnership with the Mid Michigan Community Action Agency, has been going on for at least the last 10 years, said Diane Lyon, Clare City Clerk.
Since the project began, approximately $550,000 has been raised, according to Rynearson.
“The main level is what we need to finish,” Lyon said. “The flooring has to be completed before we can occupy. The bathroom fixtures have to be installed upstairs. The original Wains coating was taken off and the old paint will be removed. We have an elevator installed and the alarm is installed but we need to do a test run.”
If all the necessary funds are raised this spring, restoration can begin and it plans to be open this summer.
Once completed, the Clare County Arts Council will be using the basement, and the Clare Area Chamber of Commerce and county visitor’s bureau and a train museum will be put on the first floor, according to Lyon.
“When the portion of the rail trail is completed, it will act as a trailhead,” she said. “We want it to be a hub for the community.”
Patrons could choose to buy a $2 cookie with a design that looks like a railroad crossing sign, made by Cops and Doughnuts pastry chef Angela Schlafley.
The cookies worth $500 featured a daffodil design, while the $1,000 cookies featured a 3-D train made of frosting.
A $500 cookie was purchased by Maury Irvin, from Beaverton.
“It’s just another show of commitment we have to the community,” Irvin said. “The depot’s a tourist attraction. I know it’s been here a long time. To be able to have a place where maybe a passenger rail can work again, would be great.”
In 1895, the depot was built by the Ann Arbor and Pere Marquette railroad companies, according to the website for the restoration project.
To be closer to the center of downtown Clare, it was moved 1800 feet in April 2014 across from Clare Castle Senior Center on Fourth Street. Mid Michigan Community Action contributed a portion of the land on which the depot now stands.