y p p a H s y a d i l o H
BELLEVUE COMMUNITY NEWS VOLUME 36, NUMBER 9 DECEMBER, 2014
December message From mayor riehl
Now that it’s December it already feels like winter is officially here even though that doesn’t take place until the 21st. We have not had our first measurable snow fall yet this winter, but it is likely to be just around the corner. With that in mind let me take a few moments to remind vehicle owners to use off street parking area during snow events and move vehicles out of the right of way to allow the Public Services crew room to plow the street as safely as possible. Shop Bellevue!!! The Christmas Walk was held on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving and was well attend both days. Thanks to Public Services crew and the many volunteers from the Bellevue Neighborhood Association and Bellevue Renaissance that is making Fairfield Avenue look so festive this year. Please support our local independent businesses this holiday season. They have great options for the holiday gifts and places to grab a bite to eat. When you support local businesses you build a stronger Bellevue. Hats off again to the Bellevue Neighborhood Association for all their time and hard work invested this season to make our entire town
look festive for the holidays. Many volunteer hours went into making this happen. Each year they have been working to add new areas of the city to the list to decorate. Great job!!! Last month I mentioned two of our three outgoing council members. This month I would like to thank our third council member Bill Helton for his service to our community. Bill has served well in his duties as a council member; always asking the right questions and making sound decisions. We wish him well in his future and he has asked to continue to service Bellevue in any way we may need him. Thank you Bill for your valuable time and efforts. As I write this letter the Marianne Theater has come back to life. Not as a movie theater, but to play a role in a movie. The cast and crew from the production of “The Blunderer” were in town filming at our historic and iconic Marianne. Once again Bellevue is in the spotlight and we are shining well to all the cast and crew who are working in town. They all had positive things to say about our community and how friendly our citizens are. The task force for the future of the theater has had its first
meeting and the foundation of our work has been laid. They are off to a great start with a lot of hard work ahead for the members. Thanks to all who our serving on it. As we enter into the month of December I would like to take time to wish you and your family a joyous and festive holiday season. As we all gather together as families please take time to check on the elderly in your neighborhood during the cold winter months to make sure they are safe and warm. Don’t forget about our 4-legged friends during these winter months. Remember to bring them indoors during those very cold temperature days this winter. And, always take time to clean up after them while walking around town .Remember to always carry a bag with you or visit one of the many bag stations posted around Bellevue. Once again don’t hesitate to call the city staff if you are planning any projects around the house that may require proper permits, COA’s and inspections that may pertain. We are always ready to help at 859-431-8888. Enjoy the rest of the 2014 and have a safe and happy New Years celebration.
Donators needed. Bellevue high-school is looking for donations for operation W.A.R.M. We are collecting the following:
socks (new, please) • sweaters • scarves • jackets • mittens • hats We are collecting these slightly used items for people who might not be able to afford them. This winter is supposed to be even worse than last year, so please help us find a way to help people stay warm. If you’re looking to donate, you can drop things off at Bellevue high school, or if you know a student, you can send it in to school with them. There will be a tree in the front lobby where donations will be placed.
chicago’s christmas tree ships
by Jo Anne Warren, Master Gardener, Tree Hugger “The loss of no vessel on the Great Lakes aroused more sympathy than that of the Rouse Simmons, known as the Christmas Tree Ship.”—Sturgeon Bay Advocate, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, August 26, 1927 Fifteen years after the famous Christmas tree ship went down in a storm on Lake Michigan, November it is still news in Sturgeon Bay. The story begins in the late 18th C. with the large number of German immigrants in Chicago who had brought their carefully packed, treasured Christmas ornaments in their modest suitcases, so they could bring Christmas to their new homes. Catering to this market were sailing ship captains capable of bringing huge loads of cut trees from what was the nearest source—upper Michigan—300 miles along the north-south Lake Michigan, renowned for its
dangerous storms. In 1912, Captain Herman Schuenemann, known as “Captain Santa,” left Thompson, Michigan, near Manistique, in his ship “The Rouse Simmons,” a 3-masted schooner, fully loaded with 5,500 trees, bound for Navy Pier in Chicago, a week-long trip. The ship went down with all 17 hands the next day in a windy snowstorm, one of four that day. Capt. Schuenemann (1865-1912) was a good sailor, with a soft heart, who sailed a ship built in 1868 in Milwaukee. He gave away hundreds of trees to those too poor to buy. He sold the trees right off the ship. He went down in his 25th year—a good sailor. In 2000 the tradition has been revived by the U.S. Coast Guard, bringing the cutter “Mackinaw” into Navy Pier loaded with trees—1200 free ones this year—Dec. 4.
trees cont’D on 2 see