When it comes to outdoor recreation, Mancelona and the nearby area has something for you. Groomed snowmobile trails, cross-country and downhill skiing, snowmobile race events, morel mushroom hunting, hunting, walking trails, biking, golf, swimming, boating, and biking. Spend a day visiting our natural areas and scenic overlooks, or fishing with Grandpa at Mancelona Village's Johnson's Pond, south end of Danforth Street. 
Twenty-eight years ago, on April 23, 1995, Mancelona's gas explosion rocked our small community. Out of the ashes and many setbacks, the community pushed forward with determination to not only survive, but to rebuild stronger.
Here is a look back at some of the photos and articles from that day. (This article published 4/21/2023)
The April 23, 1995 natural gas explosion had many residents counting their blessings. No one was seriously injured, and there was no loss of life. The emergency personnel couldn't have done more. The owners of Johnson's Furniture Store, Wayne and Kathie Johnson, were comforted by the support they received within the community.
This editorial column appeared in an April, 1995 issue of the Traverse City Record-Eagle following the natural gas explosion. On a Sunday afternoon, Alden Lumber Company didn't ask where to send the bill. Instead, they sent employees after hours to deliver hundreds of sheets of OSB board to the downtown district, where volunteers put on hard-hats, rolled up their sleeves, and began securing businesses that were left vulnerable when their storefronts were blown open. Shattered glass filled the roadway and sidewalks. Fire district auxiliary members made soup, brewed coffee and delivered sandwiches to the hundred or more workers, law enforcement officers and firefighters who remained on scene cleaning up and keeping watch on the fire, which smoldered for days. Antrim County's emergency service mobile unit, then directed by Bill Drollinger, remained on scene for days, while they offered any support that was needed. The Mancelona community came together for one another, counting their blessings, and slowly moved forward.
The Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad arrived at Mancelona in 1872. The government had granted the Railroad Company every odd numbered section of land for six miles on each side of its right-of-way to help defray the expense of opening the wilderness.