The Lenawee Voice — November/December 2023

Welcome to your new, locally owned community newspaper! » PAGE 2 Newly re-elected mayor talks about priorities for the next two years » PAGE 4

Croswell goes ‘under the sea’ with live production of Disney’s ‘Little Mermaid’ » PAGE 9

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Courage to care

De’Angelo Boone speaks during the presentation of the Norma Dell Courage to Care award on Nov. 14 at Goodwill Industries of Southeast Michigan.

De’Angelo Boone is recipient of annual award for working to alleviate homelessness

Cathy Chesher is pictured in front of the Adrian District Library children’s department stained glass mural, which was one of the first projects she managed after becoming youth services librarian in 1996. ERIK GABLE / LENAWEE VOICE

Starting a new chapter Cathy Chesher is retiring after 27 years as Adrian’s youth services librarian

The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN — De’Angelo Boone is the recipient of the Lenawee County Continuum of Care’s Norma Dell Courage to Care award.

The honor — named for Norma Dell, an Adrian Dominican Sister who was the first executive director of the Lenawee Emergency and Affordable Housing Corp., now Housing Help of Lenawee — is given each year to someone who has done notable work in alleviating homelessness.

See BOONE, page 17

By Erik Gable The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN — Cathy Chesher didn’t start out intending to be a children’s librarian.

But now, as she prepares for retirement after 27 years as youth services librarian for Adrian, she says it’ll be hard to give it up.

“I love this job,” she said. “It’s not going to be easy to leave.”

A native of Illinois, Chesher majored

City buys land on Church Street to create more parking spaces » PAGE 5

in elementary education at Illinois State University. While completing her student teaching requirement, she met a fellow student who had worked in a public library.

“That somehow just triggered something in me,” she said.

She recalls thinking: “The library is my favorite part of the school. I love books, I love reading, I love libraries — maybe I should be a librarian.”

But the road to her eventual career was still not a direct one. For one thing,

Your guide to holiday concerts, craft fairs, light shows and more » PAGES 10 & 11

while at Illinois State she met her husband, Steve. Together they moved back to his hometown of Adrian and started a family. She did go into library work — first as a volunteer in Adrian starting in 1982, then as a part-time clerk, then as a paraprofessional in the Michener Elementary School library, then back to the Adrian library as the youth services assistant — but it wasn’t until later that she decided to go back to school and

See CHESHER, page 17

A look inside downtown Adrian’s new family-owned grocery store » PAGE 13

Visit Michigan’s Oldest Theater! croswell.org

November 17-December 3

December 16 & 17

January 27 - February 4

2 | INTRODUCTION

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 THE LENAWEE VOICE

Welcome to your new community newspaper!

The paper you’re holding right now is the first edition of The Lenawee Voice, a brand-new news and information source for the greater Adrian area.

This publication has its roots in a series of meetings earlier this year, when a group of concerned citizens got together at the Adrian District Library to discuss the future of local news in our community. Unfortunately, across the country, local news in towns like Adrian is dependent on the whims of corporate owners who have never set foot in the communities affected by their decisions. As hedge funds motivated only by short-term profit take over more and more papers, once-robust community newsrooms get hollowed out and reduced to a shell of what they once were, and the hardworking journalists who remain in those newsrooms find themselves trying to do their jobs with fewer and fewer resources.

It’s a vicious spiral, and the people in charge have to know it. Whatever else they may be, newspaper-chain executives aren’t stupid. They understand that when they lay off reporters and shrink page counts, the result will be non-renewed subscriptions and fewer advertisers. But they also know that each round of cuts will be followed by a short grace period before the resulting drop in revenue, so they can just keep repeating the cycle, wringing every last penny out of the newspapers they own while gradually strangling them to death.

This is our answer to that problem.

Started by a handful of the community members who attended those meetings at the library earlier this year, The Lenawee Voice is part of a growing nationwide trend of locally owned,

community-driven startups emerging to fill the gaps left by slash-and-burn corporate giants. Many are online-only, but you might be surprised to learn how many are in print as well, and that’s the path we’ve chosen.

This will be our sole issue in 2023, then we’ll publish again at the beginning of January — and our plan is to publish monthly starting in March.

Of course, when news items are more time sensitive, we’ll post them online at lenaweevoice.com. Our print edition will be mailed free of charge to all 17,000 addresses in the 49221 zip code, with hopes to expand in the future.

What can you expect from The Lenawee Voice? n Stories focused on our core goals.

These goals include: promoting civic engagement and volunteerism; increasing citizen involvement in government; strengthening local businesses and institutions; and helping people feel more connected to their community. n Most of the sections you’d expect to find in any community newspaper — though we’ve chosen some particular areas to emphasize. The sections in this first edition are a good sample of what we plan to offer you every month.

Our Business pages will highlight the locally owned establishments that are the backbone of our economy. We’ll have a strong focus on Arts & Living stories because, although there’s nothing wrong with heading to Ann Arbor or Toledo for entertainment, we don’t want people to feel they have to leave Lenawee County to find things to do. And in recognition of Lenawee County’s agricultural nature —

about 80% of our acreage is farmland — our Land & Water section will deal with agriculture, natural resources and the environment. n Forward-looking stories intended to empower citizens. A monthly print schedule is both a handicap and an opportunity. If we attend an Adrian City Commission meeting and write about what happened, we can post the story online almost immediately, but by the time the printed paper arrives in your mailbox the news could be three weeks old. Whenever possible, we will try to look forward ­— talking less about decisions that just got made and more about decisions that will be made in the coming weeks. We’ll emphasize information about how you can contribute to the civic process and make your voice heard.

Every community has a handful of dedicated citizens who are in the habit of visiting government websites, reading meeting agendas, and showing up at meetings to give their input. But their numbers are few. We hope to get more people involved in civic affairs.

What won’t you see from us? n A lot of breaking news, at least at first. This is a citizen-driven effort, staffed by a mixture of volunteers and freelancers. That means, for instance, we won’t be able to send somebody to the site of every police and fire call as it happens. We’ll focus instead on providing you with a broader view of the issues that matter to our community. n A lot of state and national news — or much of anything at all from outside Lenawee County. We’re not trying to be

provincial here, but let’s be honest: You don’t need us to waste paper printing stories that you can easily find in a dozen places online. We’ll be relentlessly local in our focus. While we don’t plan to ignore statewide topics, we’ll emphasize thoughtful coverage of larger issues that affect our community rather than horse-race journalism or the tit-for-tat of predictable partisan talking points. n A lot of sports coverage. This was a harder choice, because high school sports have long been a staple of local newspapers and are a big part of the community — but once again, we’re a largely volunteer-run operation. We’ll try to recognize the achievements of student athletes in our area, but play-by-play game coverage just isn’t in the cards right now. (Maybe down the road!)

We won’t be comprehensive; no one can. We encourage you to get your local news from as many outlets as possible, and we ask for your patience as we learn and grow.

While we hope to cover topics of interest to everyone in Lenawee County, our initial focus will be our county seat of Adrian and those areas not currently served by their own locally owned community paper.

We hope you’ll support the 19 local businesses and organizations that advertised in our debut issue — and please tell them you saw them in The Lenawee Voice!

If you’re interested in advertising, please email Deborah J. Comstock at publisher@lenaweevoice.com. You can also email news tips and suggestions for features you’d like to see in the paper to news@lenaweevoice.com.

Thank you for reading!

THE LENAWEE VOICE

LOCAL NEWS | 3

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

LOCAL NEWS IN BRIEF Lenawee County awarded grant to help prevent school violence News tips and press releases can be emailed to news@lenaweevoice.com. To meet our print deadline, news about upcoming events should be sent by the 15th of the month before the event.

WLEN raises more than $47,000 for local veterans

ADRIAN — Radio station WLEN 103.9 collected $47,401.49 to support local veterans in its annual Thank a Vet fundraiser on Nov. 10.

The family-owned station, which also operates Q95 Country and 96.5 The Cave, has been running the fundraiser for veterans in need since 2006. Money raised through the annual event is distributed through Housing Help of Lenawee.

Police have suspect and are seeking charges in ‘swatting’ case ADRIAN — A suspect has now been identified and charges are being sought after a false report of a shooting on the Adrian College campus, Adrian police chief Vince Emrick said.

Dispatchers received the report around 6:15 p.m. Oct. 19. The Adrian Police Department, Campus Safety, and several other agencies responded and searched the location where the shooting was alleged to have occurred, and determined the report was false.

Adrian police said the call came from another state and appears to have been part of an attempt at revenge for a breakup. It is being considered a “swatting” incident.

Swatting refers to making a false report in hopes of triggering a law enforcement response.

Police car purchase and equipment sale OK’d ADRIAN — The Adrian City Commission on Nov. 6 approved the purchase of a Ford Explorer police interceptor for $47,919. It is the first of two planned patrol vehicle replacements in the city’s 2023-24 fiscal year; the Adrian Police Department is currently on a waiting list to be able to get the second one.

The commission also approved selling a 2005 Vactor, or vacuum truck, to M&K Jetting & Television of Jackson, which was the highest bidder. The sale price is $75,000.

Three named to DDA board ADRIAN — The Adrian City Commission on Nov. 6 appointed three new members to the Main Street Downtown Development Authority board: Jacob Cooper, Kristina Henning and Kandace Karll.

IS PUBLISHED BY

LENAWEE INDEPENDENT MEDIA LLC 2525 OGDEN HIGHWAY ADRIAN, MI 49221 DEBORAH J. COMSTOCK, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER 517-263-3530 publisher@lenaweevoice.com Printed at the Tecumseh Herald

By Deborah J. Comstock The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN — The Lenawee County Office of Emergency Management is the recipient of a $385,000 three-year grant to prevent violence in schools.

The grant is from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Program.

This program is designed to recognize changes in student behavior, intervene early and prevent violent acts from happening in schools.

The grant allows each school the opportunity to develop and implement a Behavioral Assessment Team, which is an evidence-based strategy to help identify concerning or threatening behaviors. The funding will provide training for those teams and for school resource officers.

The goal is to identify and stop school violence before it manifests.

Craig Tanis, Lenawee County Emergency Management Coordinator, said that in local schools, “a few cases have occurred where intent to carry out violent actions was identified.” These actions were prevented because of people following the “see something, say something” principle, he said.

All schools in Lenawee County have agreed to participate, Tanis said.

Changes on Winter Street?

The city is looking at a list of ideas that include separated bike lanes and trying to redirect truck traffic away from Winter Street

By Erik Gable The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN — The Adrian City Commission is looking at changes to the Winter Street area between Maple and Church streets downtown.

The goals include making the area more friendly to pedestrians and cyclists and supporting the private efforts that are underway to build housing on the site of the former Daily Telegram, Access Shoppers Guide, and Eagles Club buildings.

Bob Doyle, a landscape architect and principal of SmithGroup, which is consulting on the Riverfront project, presented some ideas at a study session before the Adrian City Commission’s Nov. 6 meeting. Two goals, he said, are to improve connectivity by tying downtown to the Kiwanis Trail and to extend the pedestrian-oriented character of downtown all the way to the river in the hopes of acting as a catalyst for private development.

Doyle presented three main ideas: n Creating a downtown bike loop. “What we’re seeing in many communities is that when you improve connectivity for bicyclists and encourage them to visit your downtown, it helps spur economic development,” he said. n Making streetscape improvements along Winter Street.

These would include wider sidewalks, lighting, and landscaping, all aimed at making the area safer and more welcoming to pedestrians. n Changing the streetscape of Main and Front streets to encourage trucks to follow M-52. Coming into downtown, M-52 — which is Main Street through most of Adrian — is diverted up Front Street and then follows Broad Street for three blocks through downtown before returning to Main Street via Church Street. Doyle added that the radius of the intersection of Front and Winter streets could be tightened to encourage drivers to slow down.

Doyle suggested that some bike lanes be physically separated from lanes of traffic, like some of the bike lanes in Ann Arbor. A topographic survey would guide which streets end

Winter Street between Maple and Church is the site of proposed streetscape changes being considered by the Adrian City Commission.

Get involved

To fill out a city survey about the proposed streetscape changes, scan the above code with your phone, or go to adriancity.com and click on “Winter Street Intermodal Enhancements Survey,” or go to tinyurl.com/winterstsurvey. up having separated bike lanes.

“What we have seen in our work throughout Michigan and actually throughout the Midwest is that when you separate a bike lane from potential conflicts with traffic, the ridership increases significantly because it’s going to appeal to a broader range of riders,” he said.

“You increase the perception of safety, you increase the range of people who will use it, and it actually makes the drivers more comfortable too because they’re not worried about having a bicyclist vary from their lane.”

Doyle said the plans follow the philosophy known in transportation policy as Complete Streets.

“When we talk about a Complete Street, we’re talking about all of the people who use the street, including pedestrians, vehicles, service vehicles, bike riders and walkers,” he said, “and we’re looking at a whole range of different improvements, making sure we have parking where appropriate, bike lanes where appropriate, bus stops where they’re appropriate, and nice wide sidewalks that support commerce and outdoor dining and retailing.”

The plans would require doing away with on-street parking on Winter Street, where there are currently 15 spaces.

City administrator Greg Elliott said the city could turn Yew Park, on the east side of Winter, into a parking lot to get some spaces back.

“As long as you don’t have to pay for it, people prefer to park in a parking lot,” Elliott said.

Doyle said that if the city commission approves, SmithGroup will prepare an application for funds from the state’s Transportation Alternatives Program.

That program typically pays between 60% and 70% of project costs. The application would be submitted in February, with funding decisions announced in July. If the city receives the grant, construction could take place in Summer 2025.

Elliott said the city would use part of the $15 million state budget earmark it received in 2022 for the match.

See WINTER STREET, page 16

4 | LOCAL NEWS

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 THE LENAWEE VOICE

Housing tops the agenda for newly re-elected mayor

By Erik Gable The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN — As Adrian approaches its bicentennial in 2025, newly re-elected Mayor Angela Sword Heath says one of the biggest tasks facing the city is continuing to improve quality of life for residents.

And when she looks at how to do that, at the top of the list is housing.

Adrian has a housing problem, Heath said in a recent interview — or, more precisely, three problems. There isn’t enough of it, it’s often substandard, and it costs too much.

“We need more housing and we need more quality housing,” she said, adding that it’s a problem she’s heard about from many other Michigan mayors as well.

Heath said many of the city’s rental properties aren’t in good shape.

“I personally have seen conditions in some of these apartments and houses that nobody should have to live in,” she Angela Sword Heath, pictured outside Adrian City Hall, was elected Nov. 7 to her said.

And at the same time, people have third term as Adrian mayor. trouble finding an affordable place to live.

“People are paying more for rent than “We can’t dictate what people can I pay for the mortgage on my house,” she charge for rent,” Heath said. said. “That’s not OK.” But indirectly, she said, the city can work Heath is beginning her to help more housing third two-year term as mayget built by streamlining or. During the just-concludthe permitting process ed commission term, she and making it less busaid, the city hired a second reaucratic for developcode enforcement officer ers, and by lending its to focus on rentals. The city support to efforts like had fallen way behind on the Downtown Adrian — Mayor Angela Sword Heath Riverfront project. More rental inspections, she said, and since hiring the new enhousing supply, and forcement officer has been catching up. thus more competition for tenants, could She said she’s seen improvements in help drive prices down. that time, but there’s still more to be done.

As other priorities for the next two As for cost, it’s hard for the city to ex- years, Heath listed addressing commerercise much direct control. Rent control cial blight and continuing to improve is illegal in Michigan and has been since downtown in an effort to make sure 1988, according to a recent report by the Adrian is a place that more people want nonprofit news service Bridge Michigan. to move to or stay in.

“People are paying more for rent than I pay for the mortgage on my house.

That’s not OK.”

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HOW LENAWEE COUNTY VOTED Following are the totals in the Nov. 7 local elections, according to the Lenawee County Clerk’s Office election website. Winners are in bold. Totals are unofficial until certified by the Board of Canvassers.

ADRIAN MAYOR Angie Sword Heath: 1,311 Allen V. Heldt: 972 ADRIAN CITY COMMISSION (THREE SEATS) Mary Roberts: 1,324 Robert Behnke: 1,286 Matthew Schwartz: 1,137 Brad Watson: 962 Joaquin Ramos: 736 Thomas R. Faulhaber: 634 Turnout in Adrian: 15% MORENCI MAYOR Tracy Schell: 213 Jeffrey M. Lampson: 168 MORENCI CITY COUNCIL, FULL TERM (THREE SEATS) Theresa Stiver: 261 Diane Molitierno: 237 Jerome Bussell: 194 MORENCI CITY COUNCIL, PARTIAL TERM (ONE SEAT) Kori M. Christle: 212 Gary Pfund: 166 Turnout in Morenci: 21% HUDSON CITY COUNCIL (TWO SEATS) Carl Sword: 120 Sherry Kirkland: 111

HUDSON CITY COUNCIL, PARTIAL TERM (ONE SEAT) There were no candidates on the ballot, so the election was determined by write-in candidates.

Teresa Frantz was elected with 20 write-in votes, according to the Hudson City Clerk's office.

Turnout in Hudson: 10% TECUMSEH CITY COUNCIL (THREE SEATS) Vicki Riddle: 1,378 Gary Naugle: 1,304 Austin See: 1,266 Bill Swift: 751 TECUMSEH PROPOSAL TO AUTHORIZE CHARTER REVISION Yes: 1,206 No: 585 TECUMSEH CHARTER REVISION COMMISSION (NINE SEATS) Robert E. Hauessler: 1,136 Jeanne G. Knight: 1,134 Adrienne Voelker: 1,075 403 write-in votes were cast.

Turnout in Tecumseh city: 27% TECUMSEH SCHOOLS MILLAGE RENEWAL Yes: 2,621 No: 921 Turnout in Tecumseh school district: 23% SAND CREEK SCHOOLS BOND ISSUE Yes: 273 No: 663 Turnout in Sand Creek school district: 31%

THE LENAWEE VOICE

LOCAL NEWS | 5

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

City buys land along Church Street to expand downtown parking

By Erik Gable The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN — The city of Adrian is purchasing a small plot of land on the north side of Church Street with the goal of creating more parking spaces downtown.

The parcel’s address is 147 E. Church St. It is a small rectangle of land, about onefifth of an acre, just west of the downtown roundabout. It is bounded by Church Street on the south, the city’s current Church Street parking lot on the west, the First Presbyterian Church parking lot on the north, and a small grassy parcel on the east.

The Adrian City Commission on Nov. 6 voted unanimously to purchase the land for $40,000 from Shayona Real Estate LLC of Plymouth.

City administrator Greg Elliott said the parcel will be turned into a parking lot, and it will also open up access to the small city-owned parcel on the northwest side of the roundabout, allowing that land to be used for parking as well.

Parks and engineering director Matt Tomaszewski said between the newly acquired parcel and the land it will provide access to, the city will be able to add roughly 30 public parking spaces to downtown. The total cost is estimated at $210,000, including the price of the land.

The cost will be paid out of the city’s parking fund, which Tomaszewski said currently has a balance of about $1 million.

The money in that fund comes from three sources — a downtown Tax Increment Financing district, a special assessment on all downtown property owners, and the city’s general fund — with each putting in $60,000 a year.

Commissioners approved the purchase without additional comment; however, they did hear from city resident Ken Tokarz, who spoke against the purchase and said that downtown parking lots should be paid for out of the Downtown Development Authority budget.

Tomaszewski said although the project’s exact time frame is not certain, he hopes it can be completed by next fall.

Bill Van Valkenburg makes an adjustment to a Christmas display at Anderson-Marry Funeral Home in Adrian, where he has set up 42 trees for the holiday season. ERIK GABLE/LENAWEE VOICE

The master of decorating Bill Van Valkenburg’s Christmas trees at Anderson-Marry Funeral Home bring light to those experiencing grief

By Deborah J. Comstock The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN — Christmas trees of every theme imaginable fill the halls of Anderson-Marry Funeral Home, thanks to Bill Van Valkenburg.

This master of decorating is in his seventh year of setting up and taking down specialty trees for the Anderson-Marry family of funeral homes. He has completed 42 trees at the funeral home’s Adrian location, and a total of 60 trees across all six locations. He also decorates trees for some area churches, bringing his total to about 70 festive firs.

There is the Pez tree dedicated to his son, who was born on Christmas Day and died at the early age of 35. On this tree, there are at least 200 Pez dispensers that his son collected throughout his life. Then there is the dinosaur tree, the farm tree, the veterans’ tree, the Victorian tree, the Disney tree, the doll tree, the Candyland tree and the fire truck tree, just to name a few.

Van Valkenburg lost his wife in April, after 45 years together, so he dedicated the Vintage tree to her with her favorite yellow roses, white daisies and Boyds Bears. The veterans’ tree displays at least 70 names of veterans who served in all branches of the military.

In his profession as a pastor, Bill Van Valkenburg has presided over many funerals. In his work at Anderson-Marry Funeral Home, he brings beauty to hard times by decorating an extensive display of Christmas trees. He’s pictured here at the antique pump organ at the funeral home, which still works and which Van Valkenburg can play.

Van Valkenburg has been a pastor for 52 years. He spent 30 years as pastor to the Seneca Church, and then took the sole ministry of the Canandaigua church three years ago. He presides over funerals whenever needed and has for the past 18 years. He also plays a mean pump organ, and spontaneously sat down and played an entire Christmas carol to demonstrate his skill.

So how do you land a gig like this? He started working for Anderson Funeral Home founder Mike Anderson and then

current owner Brian Marry. He told it like this: “The boss said go down to the basement and bring up a box of decorations, and let’s see what you can do.” He did just that, and has been decorating trees for them ever since.

This expansive tree display can be seen by the public during an open house on Sunday, Dec. 3, from 2-5 p.m. at Anderson-Marry Funeral Home, 3050 W. Beecher Road, Adrian. The open house is being held to benefit Associated Charities of Lenawee County.

6 | LOCAL NEWS

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 THE LENAWEE VOICE

Desire to help kids drives Jamar Bonney Kelly Castleberry speaks during a town hall on homelessness on Nov. 2.

Homelessness in Lenawee County discussed at town hall meeting The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN — About 50 people filled a lecture room at Adrian College’s Valade Hall on Nov. 2 for a town hall about homelessness sponsored by the Share the Warmth shelter.

Kelly Castleberry, former executive director of Share the Warmth, shared some facts about homelessness. Nationwide, she said, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates there are about 582,000 people experiencing homelessness. Of those: n 72% are individuals and 28% are people in families. n 22% are chronically homeless. n 6% are veterans. n 5% are unaccompanied youth.

Castleberry said there is one category of homelessness that has actually fallen recently, and that’s homelessness among veterans. She attributed success at reducing the homelessness rate among veterans to a strong federal policy focus on that particular group.

Castleberry asked attendees to consider what things related to homelessness have high or low levels of awareness among the general public.

Things with high levels of public awareness include the sight of people walking the street or high-profile crimes that get lots of attention and spread the idea that homeless people are dangerous, when in fact crimes like the ones that get attention are “few and far between,” she said. Things with low levels of awareness include what people experiencing homelessness deal with on a daily basis, such as being harassed or having their possessions stolen, Castleberry said.

A Share the Warmth guest in attendance said another thing people don’t seem to be aware of is “that we’re human just like everybody else.”

Some additional facts shared by Castleberry were: n Many unhoused people in the U.S. have jobs, including about 40% of Share the Warmth guests. n Homelessness is also a health issue. Castleberry asked the audience to consider what happens when a person doesn’t have access to the kind of regular hygiene that prevents infections or a place to keep medicines, or when a trip to the hospital is always followed by a long and potentially dangerous walk back to town along M-52. n Many communities criminalize homelessness in various ways. n Unhoused people die 10 years younger than the population as a whole. n LGBTQIA+ youth are uniquely vulnerable.

Participants in the town hall also discussed some of the factors exacerbating homelessness, including mental health issues (which can cause homelessness or be caused by it) and the high cost of housing relative to the wages paid by entry-level jobs.

Adrian man is recipient of NAACP’s 2023 Community Service Award

By Erik Gable The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN — Jamar Bonney wants kids in the Adrian community to know that somebody cares.

It’s a passion driven both by his own experiences and by a deep sense of faith.

“God saved my life and I felt like I had to give something back to the youth, to give them something to look forward to,” said Bonney, who was recently presented with the Lenawee NAACP’s 2023 Community Service Award.

Not all that many years ago, Bonney said, “I was in a dark spot in life, wanting to give up.”

But going back to church and getting baptized helped him turn a corner.

Now, having experienced feeling hopeless drives him to serve the youth of Adrian, both professionally and as a volunteer.

For the past several years, Bonney has run a free event for kids every Easter at Parish Park, at the corner of Erie and Tecumseh streets. It’s called the PG Community Day — the PG stands for Praise God — and Bonney recalls that “we really just started out of pocket, just scraping together what I could afford.”

That first year, kids enjoyed hot dogs and an Easter egg hunt. Michigan International Speedway donated a box of plastic eggs and they were hidden throughout the park with dollar bills inside.

“It’s grown every year, honestly,” Bonney said. “Every year has been better.”

At last year’s event, kids ranged in age from about 6 to 14, though there isn’t a hard limit on who can take part.

“We don’t want to turn down anybody,” he said.

This year Bonney is hoping to secure some bicycles to give away at the event. He’s also working on plans for a Summer Bash after the end of school.

Bonney’s resume is also filled with service-oriented jobs, including positions at the Adrian Senior Center and Communities in Schools, and as a graduation coach in the Adrian and Hudson school districts. He now works for Genacross Lutheran Services, which operates a residential facility in Adrian for kids who are wards of the state. He describes his goal as “trying to show them that their trauma is not a crutch and that they can do anything if they put their mind to it.”

The job is a challenging one. “You

Jamar Bonney’s community involvement includes organizing a free event for kids every Easter at Parish Park. Bonney was recently honored for community service by the Lenawee NAACP. have to learn how to be patient, you have to learn how to be firm,” he said.

Bonney said he’d love to see more people get involved in showing kids in the community that they are cared about.

“There’s a lot of youth out there with no direction or guidance,” he said.

ADRIAN STUDENTS HONOR VETERANS

The Adrian High School marching band and flag corps took part in Adrian’s Veterans Day parade on Nov. 11.

LENAWEE VOICE

THE LENAWEE VOICE

LOCAL NEWS | 7

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

Dover Township man’s Civil War uniform donated to Lenawee County museum

By Erik Gable The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN — A piece of Lenawee County history has come home, thanks to a gift from an Oregon couple.

A few years ago, Lenawee County Historical Society vice president Bob Wessel received a phone call from David and Joyce Hunsaker of Baker City, Oregon.

They had a Civil War officer’s uniform that had belonged to Ludlum C. Drake, a farmer from Dover Township just south- Ludlum C. Drake west of Adrian, and they were trying to find it a permanent home.

It was clear that the Hunsakers respected the uniform’s historical importance and wanted to make sure it would be cared for.

“They wanted to make sure we weren’t some fly-by-night little operation,” Wessel said.

But as the Hunsakers got to know the staff of the Lenawee County Historical Museum, they were reassured that the uniform would be in good hands, and they arranged a road trip to Adrian for this fall. They came to Adrian on Sept. 30 and Drake’s uniform took its place in the museum’s collection.

The Hunsakers had previously traveled to Idaho to have the uniform appraised by the PBS series “Antiques Roadshow.” In an episode of the show that aired April 17, they learned that it was valued at between $10,000 and $12,000.

“They could have sold it and gotten thousands of dollars,” historical society president Bruce Neal said. But instead they felt it was time for the artifact to “come home.”

Drake was in his early 20s when he enlisted in the Union Army in 1862. He served as a private until he mustered out in 1864. But he returned to service later that year, training to be an officer. He was placed over a regiment of the United States Colored Troops, which were units made up primarily of Black soldiers. In the segregated military of the time, units of the U.S. Colored Troops were required to have white officers.

The unit that Drake served with saw combat at the Siege of Petersburg and Richmond and was present when Confederate forces surrendered at Appomattox Court House in 1865.

David and Joyce Hunsaker of Baker City, Oregon, traveled to Adrian in September to deliver the Civil War uniform of Dover Township resident Ludlum C. Drake to the Lenawee County Historical Museum. LENAWEE COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM

Bruce Neal, president of the Lenawee County Historical Society, shows the uniform of Civil War officer Drake Ludlum, displayed at the museum along with his sword, sash, belt, and medals from two Civil War veterans’ associations. ERIK GABLE/LENAWEE VOICE The courage displayed by soldiers in the U.S. Colored Troops helped in the fight for civil rights in the postwar era, and Wessel said the historical significance of those regiments is part of what gives the uniform its high value.

The uniform — which came to the museum along with Drake’s sash, sword, belt, and two medals from his postwar membership in Civil War veterans’ associations — is in unusually good condition, Wessel added.

How Drake’s uniform ended up with the Hunsakers is a story in and of itself.

One of Drake’s neighbors had nine children, and when his wife died, Drake

adopted one of his sons. This adopted son ended up inheriting Drake’s Civil War items. He had a son and a grandson, and that grandson ended up becoming a good friend of the Hunsakers. He had no heirs, so he gave the relics to the Hunsakers, knowing that they would take good care of them.

Ludlum died in 1924 and is buried in Hagaman Cemetery, on Lyons Highway just north of Horton Road near Sand Creek.

The Lenawee County Historical Museum is at 110 E. Church St., Adrian. Hours are Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. More information is available at lenaweehistoricalsociety.org.

Siena Heights aims to ease shortage of health care workers ADRIAN — Siena Heights University recently announced a partnership with Henry Ford Health, a Detroitbased health system, designed to address the critical worker shortage in Michigan’s health care sector.

Under the collaboration, Henry Ford Health full-time employees can use a $1,000 tuition benefit to enroll in any one of 20 online healthcare certificate programs offered at SHU. Full-time employees can apply a $3,000 benefit toward undergraduate or graduate degrees through the university's online educational platform, SHU Global. Part-time employees are eligible for tuition benefits as well.

In Michigan, the health care industry continues to grapple with 27,000 job vacancies within its hospitals, according to a news release from Siena Heights.

The school offers seven technician certificates as well as a Medical Assistant program, and SHU Global offers a 16-month accelerated program for Registered Nurses who want to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

In 2022, The American College of Healthcare Executives emphasized the importance of “longer-term creative solutions” that health care systems can adopt to attract and retain their workforce. Offering employees opportunities for career growth, sometimes called “upskilling,” is one strategy they identified.

“We’re very excited to partner with Henry Ford Health,” Siena Heights president Douglas B. Palmer stated.

“Our goal from the beginning with launching the Workforce Development program was to help shape the future of the health care workforce.

This partnership absolutely helps us work toward that mission.”

Hospitals employ 208,000 people in Michigan, making them collectively one of the state’s largest employers.

Siena Heights University, a Catholic school founded in the liberal arts tradition, is based in Adrian but also has seven degree completion centers in other Michigan cities as well as online programs.

Hickman Hospital receives ‘A’ grade from patient safety watchdog group ADRIAN TWP. — ProMedica Charles and Virginia Hickman Hospital earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from the Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit watchdog that sets standards for excellence in patient care.

Leapfrog assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on more than 30 performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

“We are honored to receive an ‘A’ grade recognition from the Leapfrog Group for a fourth consecutive survey season. This is a remarkable achievement that reflects our

unwavering commitment to excellence and our ability to consistently provide the highest quality of care to our community,” said Dr. Julie Yaroch, president of ProMedica Hickman Hospital.

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is based on hospitals’ prevention of the type of medical errors, infections and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day nationally.

The group’s ratings are peerreviewed, fully transparent and free for the public to access. Grades are updated twice annually in the fall and spring.

The Leapfrog Group also advocates for public access to quality and safety data from all U.S. hospitals.

Get details

ProMedica Hickman Hospital, pictured on Nov. 12, received an “A” grade in patient safety from the Leapfrog Group, a national group that evaluates hospitals on their prevention of medical errors, infections and injuries.

To view details of ProMedica Hickman Hospital’s patient safety grade or search for other hospitals, scan the above code or go to hospitalsafetygrade.org.

8

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 THE LENAWEE VOICE

LAND & WATER Local governments lose ability to block solar and wind projects LANSING — Farmers who want to use their land for utility-scale solar power generation will have an easier time doing it, and local governments will have a harder time stopping them, once Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signs a bill that was passed earlier this month by the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate.

The bill will let state regulators override local officials when it comes to allowing large-scale solar and wind projects.

According to Grist, a nonprofit news service that covers environmental issues, Michigan has become a hot spot for debates over whether large-scale so-

IN BRIEF Funding available for conservation in Lake Erie Basin LANSING — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, in partnership with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, has grants available for farmers and other landowners to implement conservation practices in the western Lake Erie Basin.

Participants will receive funding to improve soil health, reduce phosphorus and sediment loading, and prevent harmful algal blooms that have become an increasing problem in Lake Erie.

“Every new conservation practice implemented can help make a difference in protecting our water quality for future generation and minimize future harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie,” said MDARD Director Tim Boring.

The South Branch of the River Raisin is one of several focus areas for Michigan’s funding, although all agricultural lands within Michigan’s portion of the Western Lake Erie Basin are eligible to apply. Eligible practices include but are not limited to nutrient management, waste storage structures, drainage water management, and more.

Applications for the current funding cycle are due Dec. 15 and more information is available at www. mi.nrcs.usda.gov.

lar and wind projects should be allowed on farmland, and if so, how restricted they should be. Before the bill’s passage, more than two dozen local governments in Michigan had blocked or delayed solar and wind developments. One of the most recent was Lenawee County’s Palmyra Township, where a referendum to restrict utility-scale solar operations passed by a 437-146 vote in May. “Michigan has the most restrictive measures when it comes to siting solar on agricultural land,” Matthew Eisenson, who authored a report on local restriction of solar and wind projects, told Grist.

Dueling yard signs along U.S. 223 were seen before last May’s Palmyra Township vote on a proposal to limit solar power in the township. ERIK GABLE/LENAWEE VOICE “There’s a lot of apples to oranges, but I think Michigan just has the most activity on this issue of anywhere.”

The Legislature also passed a bill requiring utilities in Michigan to deliver 100% clean energy by 2040.

The increasing need for cover crops on farmland

By Deborah J. Comstock The Lenawee Voice

Soil, air and water are no longer commodities we can count on looking to the future. Soil, air and water qualities have declined as populations across the planet have increased.

Agriculture is one of the essential stewards of the things we need to sustain life not just in America, but in nations across the world.

The dust bowl of the 1930s is reminiscent of this fact. After the great depression, farming was a vital occupation not just to feed our country, but the world over. As farmers tilled, planted and harvested crops year after year, the soil became depleted. Lack of nitrogen and deep rooted plants loosened soils so that they could be blown in wind storms, which

is exactly what happened, and devastated the central part of the country. Crop rotations and cover crops were not considered necessary, because we had voluminous layers of top soil.

At that time, however, lack of rain and high winds reduced this precious top soil, a problem that continues to this day.

Cover crops are nurse crops in that they increase the survival of the main crop. They are usually grown over the winter and also prevent soil erosion, a top contributor to top soil depletion. Cover crops are planted with the intention never to harvest, but to grow, decompose and provide “green manure” to the soil. Harvest plants take nutrients out of the soil every harvest. These nutrients need to be replaced to maintain high quality soils that reap full production.

So why are cover crops necessary, and what do they do for the soil? In essence, they provide: n Soil quality management: Cover crops provide organic matter, which improves soil structure, water and nutrient holding, and buffering capacities. n Water and weed management: Cover crop root growth results in the formation of soil pores which not only enhances soil microfauna but also provides pathways for water to filter through. And, during the cover crop growth period, most germinating weed seeds can be prevented from completing their life cycle and reproducing. n Disease and pest management: In the same way that cover crops prevent weeds, they also break disease cycles and reduce populations of bacterial and fungal diseases. Pest control is achieved by develop-

ing “trap crops” which attract harmful pests by attracting them to a more favorable habitat. They are often grown alongside the food crop. Trap crops can be treated with pesticides, thereby reducing the need on food crops. n Biodiversity and wildlife: While fields lay dormant over the winter months, covering them with cover crops sustains wildlife through the cold, when food stuffs are negligible. Radish cover crops sustain deer over the season, and clover cover crops provide avian wildlife with sustenance during migration and breeding seasons.

For the soil and environmental benefits they provide, every farm should plant cover crops on harvested land over the winter.

Deborah J. Comstock is editor and publisher of The Lenawee Voice and operates a farm east of Adrian.

A brief history of Lenawee County’s conservation district

By Gerry Donaldson

Lenawee Conservation District

The Dust Bowl era of the late 1920s and early 1930s was characterized by dust storms that blew soil from the Great Plains as far as 1,500 miles.

Instances were documented of dust clouds up to 300 miles out into the Atlantic Ocean. Along their paths, the dust storms literally buried houses and communities. Those storms led to the formation of the National Soil Conservation Service, a federal agency within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1935.

Tasked with stopping this soil destruction and resulting pollution of air and water,

local soil conservation districts were established in counties throughout the U.S. In 1946, the Lenawee Conservation District was established as an independent county-level resource assisting residents, producers, and communities to help resolve natural resource concerns. The District is self-funded, serving the public with revenue obtained through an annual tree and shrub fundraiser sale, grants, and county appropriations.

Lenawee Conservation District works with a variety of other local, state, and federal agencies and organizations to accomplish greater results in conservation and protection of our local natural resources.

Early programs included tree planting to minimize soil wind erosion, creating sod waterways in fields to minimize loss of soils due to rain events and snow melt, and encouraging cover crops to reduce loss of soil in winter.

Some of the current programs offered by the Lenawee Conservation District include: n Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP), a proactive program that helps farms of all sizes and types prevent or minimize agricultural pollution risks. n Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which supports farm production and environmental quality as compatible goals through

the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offering financial and technical assistance through this voluntary program. n Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), which was created to provide financial and technical assistance for eligible farmers to conserve and enhance soil, water, air, and other natural resources on their farmland and private forests. n Forestry Assistance Program (FAP), which provides education and one-on-one technical help with local forest health issues for private landowners and communities.

Gerry Donaldson is a Lenawee Conservation District board member. More information is available at lenaweeconservationdistrict.org.

THE LENAWEE VOICE

9

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

ARTS & LIVING

Information about upcoming events can be emailed to news@lenaweevoice.com.

To meet our print deadline, announcements should be sent by the 15th of the month before the event.

CROSWELL GOES ‘UNDER THE SEA’ Live stage version of Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ runs through Dec. 3 with a cast from around the region ADRIAN — The Croswell Opera House is going “under the sea” with the stage version of Disney’s classic film “The Little Mermaid,” which opened Nov. 17 and continues weekends through Dec. 3.

Based on a story by Hans Christian Andersen, the story of a mermaid named Ariel who longs to experience life on land was released in 1989. An entire generation of children grew up watching the movie — among them Sarah Nowak of Tecumseh, who directed and choreographed the Croswell’s production.

“The show has always had a special place in my heart for nostalgic purposes,” Nowak said.

Fans of the movie who are hoping to see all their favorite characters and moments won’t be disappointed, Nowak said. But she said the stage musical adds some touches of its own.

“All of the characters from the original are still in the stage version,” she said, “and a lot of the moments that many of us grew up with from the cartoon.”

But the stage musical adds some extra dimension to the story.

“There’s more heart, a lot more development of characters,” Nowak said.

In Ariel, she said, “you see more than just this ditzy, dreamy teenage girl. You see someone who’s smart, who has thoughts and emotions that you can easily connect to.” Love interest Prince Eric is more well-rounded too, with the musical delving into the conflict between his royal obligations and his desire for a carefree life on the water.

Ariel is played by Emma Skaggs of Perrysburg, Ohio, who was previously seen as Carole King in the Croswell’s production of “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.”

“Emma’s amazing,” Nowak said.

“She really draws you in, as an audience member, to care about Ariel and hang on every word she’s saying and singing.”

Xavier Sarabia of Adrian plays Prince Eric, and Brian Jones of Maumee, Ohio, plays Ariel’s father, King Triton.

Ariel’s friends include Zachary Flack of Allen Park as Sebastian the crab, Ella Flumignan of Onsted as Flounder the fish, and Jonah Hiatt of Palmyra as Scuttle the seagull. Ariel’s sisters are played by Alexandra June of Adrian, Lila Brighton of Onsted, Rachel Ogger of Jackson, Emily Smith of Temperance, Kayla Garlick of Sylvania, Ohio, and Amber Wilkes of Toledo.

The antagonists of the story are Anjewel Lenoir of Adrian as Ursula; Madelyn Bowman of Adrian and Cooper Adams of Manitou Beach as Flotsam and Jetsam; and Jeff King of Temperance as Louis, the chef who wants to cook Sebastian for dinner. John Lamb of Ann Arbor is Prince Eric’s palace advisor, Grimsby,

Pictured in “The Little Mermaid” are, top row from left: Emma Skaggs as Ariel and Ella Flumignan as Flounder; Xavier Sarabia as Prince Eric; Anjewel Lenoir as Ursula; and Zachary Flack as Sebastian. Above, Emma Skaggs as Ariel. LAD STRAYER/CROSWELL OPERA HOUSE and Steven Owsley of Jackson is the pilot of Eric’s boat.

In the ensemble are Trent Aneed, Haylie Blohm, Kylie Bushman, Christopher Harlan and Aiden Ketola, all of Adrian; Bella McQuigg of Dundee; Joanna Bacarella of Monroe; Carsyn Benzing and Oden Berthelsen of Tecumseh; Jerold King and Chris Smith of Temperance; Reed Schwieterman of Maumee, Ohio; and Katie Spieles of Wauseon, Ohio.

The assistant director and choreographer is Emily Flack, the vocal director is Wynne Marsh, and the orchestra is conducted by Ray Novak. Scenic design is

by Marty Flake and costumes are by Pam Krage.

Performances for the final two weekends are: n Friday, Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m. n Saturday, Nov. 25 at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. n Sunday, Nov. 26 at 2:30 p.m. n Thursday, Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m. n Saturday, Dec. 2 at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. n Sunday, Dec. 3 at 2:30 p.m.

There is no show on Friday, Dec. 1, to accommodate other downtown activities.

Tickets range from $22 to $44 for adults, $15 to $25 for students.

Brian Jones as King Triton confronts Anjewel Lenoir as Ursula in a scene from “The Little Mermaid” at the Croswell Opera House. ASHLEE SAYLES/CROSWELL OPERA HOUSE

The Croswell Opera House is at 129 E. Maumee St., Adrian.

More information is available at croswell.org or by calling 517-264-7469.

10 | ARTS & LIVING

IN BRIEF ‘Dear Edwina Jr.’ to be presented at Siena Heights ADRIAN — The Siena Heights University Child Drama Program will present “Dear Edwina Jr.,” a musical for young audiences, on the first weekend in December.

Performances will be on the Haller Stage in SHU’s Spencer Performing Arts Center on: n Friday, Dec. 1 at 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. n Saturday, Dec. 2 at 6:30 p.m. n Sunday, Dec. 3 at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets are $12 for general admission and $8 for students, seniors, and SHU students, faculty and staff.

“Dear Edwina” is a musical with a show-within-a-show format, featuring a quirky 13-year-old named Edwina Spoonapple who dishes out advice to the neighborhood kids in the form of musical shows that she produces out of her garage. Edwina and her friends learn about life skills like setting the table, trying new foods, healthy spending habits, and making new friends.

The director is senior BFA candidate Sierra Tennyson.

‘Jukebox Holiday’ brings Summer 2023 cast members back to Croswell stage ADRIAN — Cast members from this summer’s Croswell Opera House productions of “Jersey Boys” and “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” will return to the stage for a concert in December.

Titled “Jukebox Holiday,” the concert features a mix of ’60s and ’70s hits — from groups like the Drifters, the Four Seasons and more — combined with some favorite holiday tunes.

Performances are: n Saturday, Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m. n Sunday, Dec. 17 at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets are $32 for adults and $25 for students and may be ordered at croswell.org.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 THE LENAWEE VOICE

Symphony’s holiday concert a true community affair

By Erik Gable The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN — It’s both a community event and a family one: the Adrian Symphony Orchestra’s annual Christmas concert, “Ho-Ho-Holidays,” which will take place Dec. 9 at Adrian College’s Dawson Auditorium.

ASO music director Bruce Anthony Kiesling said the symphony pulls in a variety of soloists and local choral groups for the concert.

“Every year we try to involve lots of choirs and soloists as well as our great orchestra musicians,” he said.

This year’s concert will feature the Clinton Honors Youth Chorus, who will perform “My Christmas Tree” from the movie “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” and the Adrian High School Balladiers.

The soloists will be Jonathon LaBelle from Siena Heights University and LaVonte Heard, a singer and educator who was part of last year’s concert.

“He was here last year and sang ‘O Holy Night,’ and he brought the house down,” Kiesling said.

The 65-piece orchestra will be under the baton of guest conductor Steven Jarvi, music director of the Dearborn Symphony and principal pops conductor of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra.

The musicians will perform a mix of older classical pieces and newer tunes, including selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite and music from the

The Clinton Honors Youth Chorus performs with the Adrian Symphony Orchestra during last year’s holiday concert. DEANNA STRAND/ADRIAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA film “The Polar Express.”

“It’s a little bit of everything,” Kiesling said.

The audience will also be invited to sing along for part of the concert.

“It’s really everybody’s favorite part,” Kiesling said. “You get to sing some of your favorites with a big orchestra.”

The ASO always makes sure to keep the holiday concert under 90 minutes, with no intermission.

“We want families to be able to come and bring young children,” Kiesling said.

The concert is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, in Dawson Auditorium on the campus of Adrian College. Tickets range from $23 to $37, with discounted rates of $23 to $35 for seniors and $12 to $19 for students. For more information, call 517264-3121 or go to adriansymphony.org.

Soloist LaVonte Heard, pictured at the Adrian Symphony’s 2022 holiday concert, will be returning to perform with the ASO this season.

A mesmerizing tour of Lenawee’s Christmas light displays The holiday season is that magical time of the year when communities come alive with twinkling lights, festive decor, and the joyous spirit of Christmas. If you’re seeking the perfect way to immerse yourself in this enchantment, Lenawee County offers several remarkable destinations that will leave you spellbound. — Story and photos provided by Visit Lenawee

Area choral groups plan Christmas performances Choral performances for the holiday season include: Lenawee Community Chorus — Sunday, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. in Herrick Chapel on the Adrian College campus. Herrick Chapel is most easily accessed from Charles Street. Tickets are $15 for adults, free for students.

Chiaroscuro Men’s Chorus — Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m. in Holy Rosary Chapel on the campus of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 E. Siena Heights Dr. There are no tickets, but donations will be accepted.

Toledo Choral Society — Handel’s “Messiah,” Sunday, Dec. 3 at 3 p.m. at Gesu Catholic Church, 2049 Parkside Blvd., Toledo. Tickets are $35. The choral society will also present free holiday concerts on Dec. 10, 16 and 17 at locations around Toledo. Details at toledochoralsociety.org. Dave Guldin of Adrian and Carol DeGrof of Blissfield are members.

To let us know about an upcoming event, please email news@lenaweevoice.com.

Nite Lites Drive-Thru Christmas Lights Show November 17 – January 7 Nite Lites, located at Michigan International Speedway, is the largest Christmas light display in Michigan. As you drive through the visually stunning displays, you’ll be transported to a world filled with animated characters, holiday scenes, and breathtaking formations.

The experience is over five miles long and even includes a synchronized light show set to your favorite holiday tunes on an AM station. The display is updated every year and features over a million light bulbs. Admission is $35 per car, or you can experience it aboard the Nite Lites Express train.

Heritage Park Christmas Lights Display December 1–31 Located in Adrian, Heritage Park is a charming destination where you can immerse yourself in the magic of the season. You can expect to see those classic Christmas characters and bright displays along the driving route. Best of all, the display is free and open from dusk until 10 p.m. during the month of December. Heritage Park is also the perfect spot to capture stunning holiday photos and create cherished memories with loved ones.

Comstock Christmas Riverwalk December 1–31 Prepare to be captivated by the Comstock Christmas Riverwalk in Downtown Adrian. Along the picturesque River Raisin, you’ll discover a stunning display of over 500 trees reflecting and shimmering on the water’s surface.

Each tree tells its own story with unique decorations and beautification, all sponsored by organizations, businesses, and residents in the city.

In 2019, the Comstock Christmas Riverwalk even beat Hallmark’s world record for most lit Christmas trees!

Fair Fantasy Lights Drive-Thru December 15–17 The Lenawee County Fair and Event Grounds shine brightest during the holiday season, playing host to a mesmerizing Christmas light display, the Fair Fantasy Lights.

The fairgrounds showcase whimsical illuminated scenes, including Santa’s workshop, snowmen, reindeer, and even a live nativity display. This interactive display brings Santa, Mrs. Claus, and the Grinch to life as they will interact with each car. Cost is only $5 per vehicle and participants get to vote on their favorite display.

Visit Lenawee is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of tourism in the region. Learn more at visitlenawee.com.

THE LENAWEE VOICE

ARTS & LIVING | 11

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

Adrian Center for the Arts Holiday Market to feature more than 30 artists ADRIAN — People looking for a unique holiday gift can visit the Adrian Center for the Arts’ annual Holiday Market, which opens on Saturday, Dec. 2.

The market will include more than 30 artists who work in a variety of media: painting, drawing, ceramics, glass, sculpture, fiber arts, mixed media and more.

Items will be available at a wide range of prices. All will be handmade by Lenawee County artists.

On Dec. 2, the market will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. After that, the hours will be Monday through Friday from noon to 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

The Adrian Center for the Arts is at 1375 N. Main St., on the campus of Planewave Instruments. For more information, go to adriancenterforthearts.org.

City plans downtown market The city of Adrian is planning a holiday market in the former tailor’s shop at 142 N. Main St. It is scheduled to be open Fridays from 5-8 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., from Nov. 24 to Dec. 23.

Local artisans will be selling handmade products including wool stockings and gloves, clothing, pottery, jewelry and soap.

Building owner Rex Crist is donating the use of the space, with the city paying only for the utilities used, said Jay Marks, executive director of Adrian Main Street.

The location will also be the headquarters for downtown’s Small Business Saturday activities on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and for the downtown open house on Dec. 1 and 2.

Commemorative ornaments to mark the 10th anniversary of the Comstock Christmas Riverwalk will also be sold there. Proceeds will help pay for the annual Riverwalk light display, which gets most of its revenue from tree sales and sponsorships.

For more information, search for Downtown Adrian on Facebook or call 517-264-4816.

Fantasy Lights Craft Show The Lenawee County Fair and Event Grounds plans to add a craft show this year to its annual Fair Fantasy Lights Drive-Thru.

The craft fair will take place in the Merchant Building at the fairgrounds, 602 N. Dean St. Vendors must apply by Nov. 30.

Lenawee arts organizations to share $135,407 in state grants for 2024 ADRIAN — Seven Lenawee County organizations will share a total of $135,407 in grants from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council during the state’s 2024 fiscal year, which began last month and runs through September 2024.

MACC is an arm of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. Its purpose is to ensure that Michigan communities thrive from the civic, economic, and educational benefits of arts and culture.

The following grants are part of MACC’s 2024 funding plan. All recipients are required to put up a 1-to-1 match with funding from other sources. MACC funds both general operating costs and specific capital projects such as building renovations and equipment purchases. n Adrian Center for the Arts: $11,250 for general operating support. n Adrian Symphony Orchestra: $13,500 for general operating support and $2,635 for capital improvements. n Lenawee Community Foundation: $10,800 in support of the 2024 Artalicious Fine Arts Fair. n Croswell Opera House: $18,000 for general operating support and $9,924 for capital improvements. n River Raisin Ragtime Revue: $9,900 in general operating support.

Holiday shows light up the season in Tecumseh TECUMSEH — The Tecumseh Center for the Arts has a variety of holiday shows coming up in December: “Christmas Far and Near” — Tecumseh Pops Orchestra and Community Chorus. Sunday, Dec. 3 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 to $12.

“Scenes from The Nutcracker” — illuminaTe Dance and Arts Center.

Friday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20.

Three Men and a Tenor’s “Ha Ha Holidays” — Saturday, Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $28 to $33.

“Sounds of the Season” — TCA Big Band and VocalAires. Sunday, Dec. 10, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10.

“Unveiling the Heart of Christmas” — MST Dance Center. Saturday, Dec. 16, at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Tickets are $15.

“The Sugar Plum Soiree” — Encore Dance Studio, Sunday, Dec. 17, at 2 and 6 p.m. Tickets are $14 to $18.

The TCA is at 400 N. Maumee St., Tecumseh. Tickets and more information at thetca.org.

n Sam Beauford Woodshop: $16,500 in general operating support and $24,898 for capital improvements.

n City of Tecumseh: $18,000 in support of the Tecumseh Center for the Arts’ national touring season.

The dates are: Friday, Dec. 15 from 6-9 p.m. n Saturday, Dec. 16 from 2-8 p.m. n Sunday, Dec. 17 from 2-8 p.m.

For more information, call 517-2633007 or go to lenfair.com. n

‘A Ragtime Christmas’ to feature many favorite holiday tunes ADRIAN — The River Raisin Ragtime Revue will present “A Ragtime Christmas” on Sunday, Dec. 10, at 4 p.m. at the Julianne & George Argyros Performing Arts Center, Adrian High School, 785 Riverside Ave. Ryan Cupp will lead the ensemble in a concert of holiday selections, such as “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” and “We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” performed in the ragtime style.

Tickets are $20, or $10 for youth 18 and under, and may be purchased at the door or at ragtimeband.org.

ART INSPIRING ART

12 | ARTS & LIVING A group of Adrian elementary school students experienced the intersection between visual arts and music in a recent collaboration between the Adrian Center for the Arts and Adrian Symphony Orchestra.

The ASO played “Vitality,” a new piece by Ann Arbor composer Gala Flagello, at its Nov. 12 concert. The piece was composed in 2022, and Flagello was inspired by a quote from dancer and choreographer Martha Graham: “There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening,

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 THE LENAWEE VOICE

that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.”

Each year, the ASO programs at least one new piece by a living composer, an opportunity made possible by people who donate to the symphony’s New Music Society.

Earlier in the year, 18 students from Prairie Elementary School listened to

Flagello’s piece and, with the help of ACA instructors Taina Mantey and Michele Pisano Spence, created 3D mixed-media works of art inspired by it. The students have been taking classes at the ACA as part of a collaboration with Adrian Public Schools to provide art enrichment for fourth and fifth graders.

The pieces were displayed in the lobby of Adrian College’s Dawson Auditorium at the Nov. 12 concert.

Pictured here are a few of the students who took part in an art project inspired by “Vitality,” a new work performed by the Adrian Symphony Orchestra at its Nov. 12 concert. From left to right are Ashlyn Strouss; Adrian Center for the Arts instructor Taina Mantey; composer Gala Flagello; instructor Michele Pisano Spence; Arleigh Brooks; and Olivia Bosquez.

THE LENAWEE VOICE

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

BUSINESS Fresh, local food is focus of new family-owned downtown grocery

Jay and Gwynne Marks are pictured inside their store, the Marks Trading Company, at 220 N. Main St. The store opened in 2022 and has been gradually expanding into a full-service grocery store with a focus on local and regional food. ERIK GABLE/LENAWEE VOICE

By Erik Gable The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN — The story of Adrian’s newest grocery store begins with an ingredient list.

Jay and Gwynne Marks were making dinner with their kids one night in 2016 when the idea that would one day turn into the Marks Trading Company struck.

“Our oldest daughter was looking at the back of a seasoning packet for taco meat and couldn’t pronounce the words,” Jay said.

That moment led first to a small cottage business mixing and packaging sustainably grown spices to sell at farmers markets, then to selling products in a few grocery stores, and then to the couple starting a full-service grocery store of their own at 220 N. Main St. in downtown Adrian.

But let’s go back to the beginning.

That packet of taco seasoning and its list of multisyllabic additives and preservatives sparked an idea. At the time, Gwynne worked for the Farm Service

Co-owner Jay Marks grinds fresh peanut butter at the Marks Trading Company in Adrian.

Agency and Jay was a senior technical adviser for Apple — though he previously had spent about 20 years in the restaurant business. But in their spare

time, they started researching sustainably grown herbs and spices and mixing their own blends to sell.

“The first thing that we did was attend the Sand Creek craft show, and we started out with 20 spice blends,” Jay said.

“It’s kind of cliched,” he added, “but at lunchtime we started the concept on the back of a beverage napkin.”

It was a venture that, truthfully, neither of them really believed would go far.

“Secretly, neither of us thought it was going to last more than six months, but we didn’t tell the other person,” Jay said.

But they kept going, and one at a time, things started to happen. They won a $1,000 grant through the Square One pitch contest sponsored by Lenawee Now, and they were part of the Launch Lenawee business incubator’s first graduating class. The Launch Lenawee experience, Jay said, provided networking opportunities and “the 50,000-foot view of the business.”

See GROCERY, page 15

14 | BUSINESS

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 THE LENAWEE VOICE

Vacuum repair has been local couple’s trade for nearly four decades

Michaels craft store expected to open in July 2024 MADISON TWP. — Michaels, a chain of arts and crafts stores that operates about 1,300 locations across the U.S. and Canada, plans to open an Adrian location next summer.

Rebecca Talley, external communications specialist for the company, said the store is scheduled to open in mid-July in Crossroads Plaza, 1416 S. Main St. The store will be hiring for “dozens of temporary, full- and part-time roles over the course of the year,” she said.

Other businesses in the plaza include Staples and Big Lots, and it is the former location of the Adrian Kmart, which closed in 2017.

By Deborah J. Comstock The Lenawee Voice

The sign at the entrance to Crossroads Plaza, pictured in early November, advertises the Michaels store that is scheduled to open in July. LENAWEE VOICE

CAREER FAIR AT SPRINGBROOK

ADRIAN — Some may think of their vacuum cleaner as something that, once it breaks, just has to be taken out to the curb.

Not so, say Linda and Jim Tate, who have been selling and servicing vacuums at the Vac Shoppe in Adrian for nearly 40 years.

“As long as we can get parts, we can usually fix the vacuums that come through our door,” Linda said.

Linda Tate has a history of service to Lenawee County residents for vacuum repair. She started as a bookkeeper at Tri State Industrial in 1971, which sold only Kirby vacuum cleaners. Then in 1985, Tri State was closing, and Linda had the chance to either buy it, or find another job. She bought it, and the assets included a workbench, all of the company files, two Kirby vacuum cleaners and $300 worth of parts. Linda Tate was in the vacuum repair business.

She rented buildings for the repair service, and in 1987, as rents kept escalating, she was forced to find new rental space. She moved to a location where Tim Hortons now resides in Adrian, and spent 4 1/2 years there selling only Kirby vacuums.

Since Kirby vacuums could not be sold in stores (only door to door sales), she switched to Royal and then to Dirt Devil.

Eventually the owner was going to sell the building she rented, so she moved again.

Springbrook Middle School recently held a career fair for seventh-grade students. About a dozen businesses and organizations took part. Pictured here are sessions with Gerod Sturgis of Legacy Barber School (above) and Craig Phillips of Redwood Tree Service (left).

ADRIAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Linda Tate at a workbench.

Jim and Linda Tate are pictured in their store, the Vac Shoppe, which they have operated since the 1980s.

DEBORAH J. COMSTOCK / LENAWEE VOICE

This time, she moved to a location at Beecher and Madison, and the building was in such disrepair, she had to wear a snowmobile suit to work during winter months. The Tates decided they were done with renting.

At this point, they calculated that it would be cheaper to build their own building than to continue to rent. That is exactly what they did, and have now been in their new building at 2470 W. Beecher Road for 15 years, servicing all makes and models of vacuums.

So why go to a professional vacuum shop when you can buy vacuums anywhere?

“Big retailers carry brands that sell cheaper vacuums,” Linda said. “When the vac breaks, you just have to buy another one, because you cannot get parts for these cheaper vacuums. So, it makes sense to buy a better vacuum with longer service records where parts are available.”

They have their share of stories to tell about unique customers who have come to their shop for service. “When you are in business this long, you have some exotic customers.” However, though Jim is 85 and Linda is 79, they do not intend to retire anytime soon.

The real estate market is always good ... because life is always changing

By Tom Darling

Heart O’The Hills Realty

People ask me all the time: “How’s the market?” Between the news on TV, radio and the internet, it can be confusing as to what is really happening in the real estate market.

As a sociologist, I have always enjoyed studying real estate and the trends and market conditions. As a broker, my answer to people is always the same ... the market is good.

Why? Because people’s life situations are always changing. People get a job transfer and need to move.

People get a new job in another town.

People get older and want to move closer to their children. People get married and buy a house. People get

divorced and sell a house. People get older and sell a house to buy a condo.

(Condo sales are excellent right now.

Why? Well, us baby boomers are now getting into our 70s and want to scale down a bit.) People die and the estate sells the home. Commercial buildings are always selling. Vacant land is always selling.

People ask, “Do interest rates affect the market?” Yes and no. I remember when a 30-year fixed rate was around 12% and buyers were very happy to get that rate.

I remember when rates fell to 8% and buyers were ecstatic!

Mortgage rates do affect this business; however, not as much as people think.

Typically, about 15% of sales are cash sales. The average 30-year fixed rate over the last 30 years has been about 7-8%.

Yes, rates fluctuate and it does affect how much home buyers can afford; however, the market is affected more by the law of supply and demand.

When the supply is high, demand is usually low. When supply is low, demand is usually high. The past three years have shown that the inventory of homes for sale has been low, and the demand has been pretty high. In a nutshell, there are more buyers than homes to sell them, hence prices are very solid and steady.

We have seen homes selling for far more than their listed price, with escalation clauses in purchase agreements guaranteeing a buyer will pay more than another offer a seller might receive up to a certain amount.

Since about 2010, the Fed has put many safeguards into the mortgage

industry which control what lenders can and cannot do. These federal laws and controls have kept the housing industry very steady for the past 10-plus years. It is always a good time to buy.

Prices have steadily increased since I have been in this business. I first got licensed in 1986. I remember when a cottage on Sand Lake in the Irish Hills was $35,000 to $40,000. Today, that same cottage is either about $350,000 to $400,000, or has been torn down and rebuilt and is now $900,000 or more. Change is always happening.

Real estate is always selling and buyers are closing on homes every day. So, my answer is always the same — the market is good.

Tom Darling is the owner of Heart O’ The Hills Realty.

THE LENAWEE VOICE

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

IN MEMORY We regret that space does not allow us to print detailed obituaries. These listings are intended as a guide to the obituaries that may be found on local funeral homes’ websites. To view complete information, please refer to this key: [AM] Anderson-Marry Funeral Home, andersonfuneralservices.com [PM] Purse Martinez Funeral Home, pursemartinez.com [W] Wagley Funeral Homes, wagleyfuneralhomes.com

experience in fine dining, guest loyalty, restaurant management, event planning, and resource management. She is a longtime resident of Lenawee County.

“It has been an honor to be part of this story and I want our members and guests to know nothing is going to change with this transition,” said Wanke. “We are going to continue to bring people from around the country to Adrian to experience the Chaloner’s atmosphere, and we will keep investing in Downtown Adrian and Lenawee County’s success.”

Wanke will be the second Laura to own and operate the establishment.

Laura Chaloner, who helped her father Charles establish and operate the business from 1893-1940, was one of Adrian’s first and most highly-respected and well-known businesswomen.

“Laura will ensure members and guests continue to have the same relaxing and enjoyable experience,” said former Adrian Steel president David Pilmore. “Our vision was never to own the business long term, so this is an ideal time to transition the ownership to someone who loves the operation as much as we do.”

Raleigh “Buck” Bolling Jr., 77, died on Nov. 1. He was retired from the Washington Metro Transit Police and enjoyed classic cars and hunting. He was a member of Adrian Street Cruisers and the NRA. [AM] Michael Stanley Smith, 67, of Tecumseh died on Nov. 1. He was an Adrian High School graduate and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, serving in the Phillipines. [PM] Beulah E. “Lizzy” Barron, 95, of Morenci died on Nov. 2. She was a member of Medina Federated Church and one of Morenci’s first elementary school mentors. She enjoyed bowling, bingo, garage sales, and cooking. [AM] Cheryl Dawn Cowgill, 76, of Morenci died on Nov. 3. A lifelong Morenci resident, she was a licensed practical nurse and served under the practice of several local doctors. She was a skilled seamstress who enjoyed crafting and tending to her many plants. [AM] Mildred A. Kime, 98, of Lyons, Ohio, died on Nov. 3. A native of Morenci, she was retired from Morenci Rubber.

She was a member of Lyons Christian Church. She enjoyed working word puzzles, sewing, and crocheting. [AM] Anise Matilda Bailey, 73, died on Nov. 5. She began her career as a nurse, then later worked in medical sales. She was a member of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Roswell, Georgia. She was laid to rest in Oakwood Cemetery, Adrian. [AM] Kathryn Marie Schwyn, 103, formerly of Blissfield, died on Nov. 6 in Anchorage, Alaska. She grew up and lived most of her life in Blissfield, and had been a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Riga. She began her career as a teacher. In 1957 the family purchased Schwyn Chevrolet, where she worked until retirement. [W] Judith Ann “Judy” Long, 84, of Deerfield died on Nov. 9. She was a member of Light of Christ Parish (St. Alphonsus Church). She enjoyed golf, baking, and trips to the casino. [AM]

Albert “Pete” Borton, 83, of Hudson, died on Nov. 10. He was a Hudson High School graduate and worked as a corrections officer in Jackson, retiring as shift sergeant. He farmed in the Hudson area for almost 60 years. [AM] James B. “Jim” Hazen Jr., 97, died on Nov. 10 in Rockford. He was a World War II veteran and an Adrian community leader with the American Legion, Lenawee Country Club, Rotary Club, Lenawee YMCA, and Adrian Chamber of Commerce. He retired from Kewaunee Scientific Equipment Company and was an avid woodworker. [W] Kathryn Sue Baker, 65, of Onsted died on Nov. 11. She worked with McBride Homes as a resident caretaker.

She was a woman of faith who enjoyed playing the Nintendo Switch, coloring, watching TV, and volunteering with the Special Olympics. [AM] Wayne F. Wilcox, 82, of Tecumseh died on Nov. 11. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving abroad in France.

He was retired from the Ford Motor Company, Saline plant, where he worked for 34 years and remained active in the UAW after retirement. [PM] John Litteral, 85, of Fayette, Ohio, died on Nov. 12. He worked at Faraday in Tecumseh for 20 years as a supervisor and truck driver. He enjoyed woodworking, fishing, and hunting. [AM] Sandra Sue Papenhagen, 75, of Blissfield died on Nov. 13. Her hobbies included shopping, dining out, and watching her favorite shows, “Judge Judy” and “The Incredible Dr. Pol.” She loved vacationing with family and watching her grandchildren pursue their passions. [AM] Betty J. (Gramling) Holland, 87, died on Nov. 14 in Tecumseh. She had worked at a local deli and was known to many as the “cornbread lady.” [PM]

for urban and suburban census tracts, 10 miles for rural ones). That grant paid for a lot of the store’s equipment and has been helping to reduce the up-front burden of stocking up on inventory.

Their North Main Street store opened in August 2022 with limited inventory and has been expanding a piece at a time.

The store’s emphasis is on staying fresh and local.

“We try to source as much locally and regionally as we can, not just for our meat and produce but all of our products,” Jay said.

They’ll only stock a national brand if that’s the only way they can get a certain type of product.

The suppliers are many. Fresh meat and produce come from Mohr Farm in Adrian, Needle-Lane Farms in Tipton, and S&S Family Fresh Produce in Milan. One cooler includes foods from Salsa Bliss and the Hathaway House kitchen in Blissfield.

They also carry Blissfield-based Nourish Juicery & Kitchen’s line of vegan and gluten-free soups, salads, and heat-and-eat meals. Many more products come from Walnut Creek, an Amish-owned supplier in Ohio.

On the dry goods shelves are Great Lakes Potato Chips from Traverse City and 313 Urban Chips from Detroit — one

of the store’s biggest sellers. Tecumsehbased Harvest Chocolate is another supplier.

“Part of what we’re trying to do with many of the food-based businesses is we want to be kind of an incubator for them,” Jay said. That means providing them with a retail space that has a lower entry barrier than trying to get their products into grocery store chains.

Shoppers can also find canned goods, salad dressings, pasta and sauces, many of them under the Marks Trading Company’s own label. They stock snacks like popcorn and nuts, about 40 kinds of tea, and a bulk foods wall that includes pasta, cereal and granola. And, of course, there are still displays of the spice blends that started it all.

In choosing products, they emphasize quality over quantity. “We won’t have 10 different kinds of green beans; we’ll have one kind of green bean,” Jay said. “But the focus is to have the best quality that we can.”

One novel offering can be found along the back wall of the store, where customers can grind their own peanut butter.

There’s also a machine where people can mill their own oats, which Jay said yields “probably the creamiest oatmeal you will ever taste.”

The next additions will be dairy products from Toft Dairy in Sandusky, Ohio, and bread and other baked goods from Grand River Bakery in Manchester.

There are a few misconceptions people often have when they step into a store like Marks Trading Company, which doesn’t really look like a traditional supermarket. One, Gwynne said, is that they’re a health food store. They’re not; you can find candy and other less-than-healthy indulgences if that’s what you’re looking for. They’re also not all-organic.

And then there’s price. At its size, the store can’t get its prices as low as the biggest supermarkets. But the Markses know that they’ll be of more service to the community if they aren’t just a highpriced specialty store. In fact, although they emphasize quality, they don’t consider themselves a specialty store at all, and one of their goals is to keep prices competitive enough that people can afford to shop there.

“The goal,” Jay said, “is that you come in and you can get everything you need for a meal.”

This composite image shows Laura Chaloner in 1896 and Laura Wanke in 2023.

New owner for one of Michigan’s oldest stores and an Adrian landmark Courtesy of Lenawee Now

ADRIAN — One of Michigan’s oldest operating retail stores, Chaloner & Co. and Chaloner’s Cigar House, is under new ownership. Between 2017 and 2019, Adrian Steel Company restored the historic Chaloner & Co. business, founded in 1874, and has now sold the venture to general manager Laura Wanke.

“We wanted to help with the revitalization of downtown Adrian,” said Scott Westfall, a member of the Adrian Steel team.

“Since the reopening in 2019, Chaloner & Co. has created a nostalgic return for longtime Adrian residents. Meanwhile, the upstairs has become a destination as the premier cigar lounge in Michigan. Laura has been with us from the beginning, and we cannot think of a better person to carry forward the legacy of Chaloner’s that began almost 150 years ago.”

Wanke, who has over 20 years of experience in the hospitality business and previously owned and operated the Mélange restaurant in downtown Ann Arbor, is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University’s Hotel and Restaurant Management program. She has extensive

Grocery from page 13 Then one day in 2019, they were at a farmers market and learned that the southeast Michigan grocery store chain Busch’s was looking for products like theirs.

“By October we were in our first two stores,” Jay said.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced them to adapt, pivoting to online orders and offering porch deliveries. The following year, as life started returning to normal, the Adrian Meijer started stocking their products.

But how do you get from packaged spice blends and other dry goods to an entire grocery store? The answer includes the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a nationwide campaign to improve access to healthy food.

In 2022, the Marks Trading Company was awarded a $200,000 grant from the USDA’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative.

The program is intended to help grocers start operating in food deserts, which USDA defines as areas where a significant number of residents are low-income and any store selling healthy and affordable foods is relatively far away (1 mile

These are the notices for November that were available as of Nov. 15.

The Marks Trading Company is at 220 N. Main St., Adrian.

Store hours are Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

More information is at themarkstradingcompany.com.

16

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 THE LENAWEE VOICE

RUNNING TO THE TOP

The Adrian High School boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams have a tradition that anytime they make the state finals, they celebrate by visiting the Lenawee County Courthouse and running to the top. Pictured here on Nov. 2 are, in the front row from left: Braylon Petty, Jackson Nyack, Anastee Davis, Alli Pagel, Silas Skeels. Middle row: Sophy Skeels, Ayda Skeels, Lydia Fusik, Nancy Gordon, Carlee Bakewell, Eddy Hedrick, Coach Jay Roback.

Back row: Moises Salazar, Tory Lauver, Matt Canales, Landin Fisher, Chase Nyack, Tyler Condon, Teagyn Blevins, Carter Fenner, Coach Tom MacNaughton. This was the fifth consecutive year that the boys have qualified for the state meet and the consecutive year for the girls. The boys finished seventh at the Division 2 State Meet and the girls finished 14th. There are 150 Division 2 schools in Michigan. The meet took place Nov. 4 at Michigan International Speedway. PHOTO FROM THE LENAWEE COUNTY 60-SECOND UPDATE NEWSLETTER

Winter Street from page 3 Mayor Angela Sword Heath told the Lenawee Voice in a recent interview that she likes the idea of more bike paths, and was concerned about taking away Winter Street’s on-street parking until the idea of using Yew Park was raised.

However, she said a concern was raised at the Nov. 8 Downtown Development Authority meeting about whether the changes would make it harder to access downtown from the east side, and she

shares that concern.

“It is very difficult to get into downtown from that Broad and Front street area,” she said.

Heath said she wants people to feel that they can get to downtown from the east side, and that safely crossing the streets in that area is already a concern.

A survey has been posted on the city website asking residents to weigh in on the proposed Winter Street changes. It can be accessed by going to adriancity.com, scrolling to “News and Announcements,” and clicking on “Winter Street Intermodal Enhancements Survey.”

Winter plants make great gifts Winter at Barrett’s means a chance to enjoy winter-blooming plants like amaryllis, Christmas cactus, and poinsettia. Every year around mid-November, we begin to receive shipments of traditional holiday plants that we have sourced from growers who specialize in their production. Each plant has a different appearance and needs, but all are considered easy to care for and provide vibrant color for maximum holiday enjoyment. Here are a few notes on commonlygifted winter plants: n Amaryllis comes in the form of a wax-covered bulb about the size of an onion. It requires no watering — the bulb will grow 2–3 tall stems and about 4 large, sturdy blooms. n Christmas cactus, from the genus Schlumbergera, is a charming succulent that produces a dense quantity of silky, magenta or coral flowers that rebloom every year in early November. n Did you know that the cheerful red poinsettia grows naturally as a shrub in southern Mexico? Called cuetlaxochitl in Nahuatl, this plant is known for its richly-colored, velvety bracts and full appearance.

As it is a tropical plant, poinsettias are sensitive to drafts and changes in temperature — with care, it can be kept alive through a dormant period and come back the next year.

THE LENAWEE VOICE

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

Chesher from page 1

Ed Larkins, right, introduces De’Angelo Boone at the Norma Dell Courage to Care Award presentation.

Boone from page 1 Boone’s community service work, however, encompasses a wide variety of needs.

He currently is a parent navigator for the Align Center for Workforce Development, working on ways to help people get access to quality, affordable child care. He helped found the All About Adrian Resident Coalition while in a previous role at Habitat for Humanity of Lenawee County. And he’s the founder and pastor of the Adrian church of City of Refuge Ministries International.

Ed Larkins, executive director of the Family Medical Center of Michigan, introduced Boone at an open house on Nov. 14, calling him “a godsend to this community and a godsend to many other communities.”

Boone said he is grateful for the opportunities he’s had to be of service and to live in a caring community.

“I am grateful to be in a community that is concerned about the well-being of others,” he said.

He added that “I was raised in a marginalized, disenfranchised community and it was the investment of someone else that has made me who I am.”

One of his projects has been developing a smartphone app to make accessing City of Refuge Ministries’ food pantry easier for people in need.

He started working on the app in January 2020, and the church’s food pantry opened in March of that year. The app was originally supposed to be rolled out in June, but the schedule was moved up due to overwhelming need during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Boone said his goal with the app was to make it user-friendly and something older people would be comfortable with.

Those in need of the services provided by City of Refuge Ministries’ meal assistance program can use the app to place an order, which they can then pick up or — because many do not have a car or have other obstacles that prevent them from getting to the food pantry’s Tecumseh location — have delivered.

A team of three volunteers makes deliveries on the second and fourth Saturday of every month. Boone said they typically deliver to about 80 people.

Overall, the app has about 1,000 users.

It can be accessed under the name “City of Refuge Ministries Intl” on Android devices or “City of Refuge Ministries App” on Apple devices.

The app is still in beta testing, but Boone said he hopes it will ultimately be available for other food pantries to use.

Speaking at the Nov. 14 award presentation, Boone said that improving quality of life in a community is “a collective effort,” and commended anyone who takes the time to help even one person.

“Assisting one person at a time is how we change a community, how we change a nation,” he said.

earn her master’s degree in library science.

Her children, Michael and Amanda, were still young at the time. On top of that, she was working full time at the Lenawee County Courthouse.

“Going back to school seemed daunting,” she said.

“But I didn’t want to get to 50 years old and have regrets.”

For 3 ½ years she commuted to the University of Michigan … while continuing to work at the courthouse and raising her children.

“It was a long 3 ½ years,” she said. She counts herself lucky to have had Steve to pick up the slack.

At that time, the children’s department still wasn’t on her mind.

“I wanted to be a reference librarian,” she said. “I did not think I was cut out to be a children’s librarian.”

But then she got connected to the human resources manager at the Toledo Lucas County Public Library system, who knew Chesher had experience working with kids and offered her a job in the youth services department at the Maumee branch. “I’ll try it,” she decided.

“And that was over 30 years ago.”

In March 1996, she returned to the Adrian library, this time as the youth services librarian. And that’s where she stayed.

One of her first tasks was managing the project to install the stained glass mural that lines the front of the library children’s department. The panels depict characters from beloved children’s stories — the Cat in the Hat, Curious George, Peter Rabbit, Little Red Riding Hood, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Laura Ingalls and her family. There’s also a local connection: one of the panels shows Prince Tom, a show dog from Adrian who was immortalized in a children’s book by Jean Fritz. The stained glass installation was the brainchild of longtime library director Jule Fosbender, and the panels were made by local artist Jean Lash.

A lot has changed in the last 27 years.

One thing, of course, is technology.

“When I came here, we still had the card catalog,” Chesher said. Now there are iPads loaded with educational apps in

POLICE REPORTS Following are the reports for November that were available as of Nov. 15.

ADDISON TWP. Nov. 1: Larceny, 4700 block of Haven Road.

Nov. 8: Simple assault, 2600 block of Noble Road.

ADRIAN CITY Nov. 1: Use of the internet for harassment or threats, 1100 block of Glendale Avenue. Larceny from a building, 800 block of East Maumee Street.

Nov. 2: Simple assault, 200 block of Division Street. Simple assault, 100 block of East Beecher Street. Drug possession, 600 block of Springbrook Avenue. Use of the internet for harassment or threats, 800 block of Loveland Road.

Nov. 3: Simple assault, 700 block of North Broad Street. Fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, 1200 block of East Siena Heights Drive.

Nov. 4: Property damage and fraud by illegal use of a credit card, 600 block of James Street. Retail fraud, 1300 block of South Main Street. Aggravated assault, 700 block of Bristol Street.

Nov. 5: Vehicle theft, 500 block of College Avenue. Larceny from a vehicle, 200 block of East U.S. 223.

Nov. 6: Disorderly conduct and aggravated assault, 700 block of North Main Street. Larceny from a vehicle, 1300 block of Williams Street.

Cathy Chesher reads to children during a summer outdoor storytime behind the Adrian District Library. Chesher is retiring in December after 27 years as youth services librarian for Adrian. PHOTO COURTESY OF CATHY CHESHER the children’s department. There’s also a lot more competition for people’s time — children and adults both.

There’s a lot more emphasis now on incorporating STEM into programming (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). However, Chesher said, it was always there — it just wasn’t called that yet.

Librarians have long capitalized on whatever’s popular with kids to get them engaged in the library. In the ’90s, the big thing was R.L. Stine’s “Goosebumps” series. Today, graphic novels are hugely popular and the library has a graphic novel discussion group for tweens.

Teen programming, Chesher said, is something that “has exploded since I first started.” In 1996, the children’s department went up to eighth grade; there was no separate space for teens. The library’s teen corner was created with the help of a grant from the Lenawee Youth Council.

“Teens need their own space and their own collection,” Chesher said. “It’s a unique time in their lives, and kids that age need their own space.”

One of Chesher’s favorite activities is Reading Is Fundamental, a program that has been sponsored by the Kappa Kappa Epsilon service sorority for more than 40 years. Each year, every fourth grader in Adrian Public Schools gets three free books that they can pick out themselves.

Chesher visits the classrooms once, volunteers from KKE visit once, and then the children take a field trip to the library.

It’s a program that is “just as relevant today as it was then,” she said.

Nov. 7: Larceny from a building, 300 block of Merrick Street. Fraud, 1200 block of East Siena Heights Drive. Property damage, 1200 block of South Main Street.

Nov. 8: Simple assault, 600 block of West Beecher Street. Fraud, 500 block of State Street. Larceny from a vehicle, 1300 block of West Maumee Street.

Property damage, 400 block of May Drive. Property damage, 1500 block of West Maumee Street.

Nov. 9: Larceny from a building, 300 block of East Maumee Street. Fraud, 100 block of Chandler Street. Larceny from a vehicle, 1300 block of West Maple Avenue.

Nov. 10: Disorderly conduct, 700 block of Caton Avenue. Retail fraud, 200 block of East U.S. 223. Drug possession, 1600 block of West Maumee Street.

Nov. 11: Simple assault, 1200 block of West Michigan Avenue. Simple assault, 100 block of East U.S. 223. Simple assault, 200 block of East U.S. 223.

Simple assault, 500 block of College Avenue.

Nov. 12: Simple assault, 800 block of East Maumee Street.

Nov. 13: Property damage, 200 block of East U.S. 223.

Nov. 14: Aggravated assault, 400 block of South Winter Street. Use of the internet for harassment or threats, 4300 block of West Maumee. Operating while intoxicated, Michigan and State streets.

ADRIAN TOWNSHIP Nov. 2: Larceny from yard, 2700 block of Bent Oak Highway.

Nov. 5: Simple assault, 5600 block of North Adrian Hwy. Larceny from a vehicle, 3500 block of Jade Drive.

“I would get kids years later and they’d go ‘I know you, you’re the lady that gave me the free books’,” she said.

Storytime is another favorite part of the job — and now, Chesher said, she’s starting to get the children of people she read stories to when they were kids.

Chesher can remember being new on the job, hearing people share their memories of longtime children’s library Julia Cruikshank, and thinking how cool it was that she was remembered so fondly years later. Now she’s in the same position. Not long ago her husband was trying on a suit at the mall in Toledo when an employee came up to her and asked “Do you work at the library in Adrian?”

That employee remembered her from childhood.

“You don’t always know what impact you have on people,” she said.

Chesher’s last day on the job will be Dec. 15. Her husband retired in 2020 from the Adrian Parks and Forestry Department, so they plan to take advantage of the freedom to travel and visit their grandchildren in Chicago and California.

“And I’m going to try pickleball,” she said with a laugh, “because isn’t that what retired people do?”

Plenty of things have changed in 27 years, but one thing has not.

“Kids are kids are kids,” Chesher said.

“They’re still kids.”

An open house to honor Cathy Chesher on her retirement from the Adrian District Library will take place on Thursday, Dec. 14, from 6-8 p.m. at the library.

BLISSFIELD TOWNSHIP Nov. 11: Property damage, 3900 block of Bleasner Highway.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP Nov. 4: Vehicle theft, Matthews Highway and Staib Road.

FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP Nov. 2: Theft of gasoline from a service station, 9500 block of Pentecost Highway.

Nov. 7: Simple assault, 12900 block of Tipton Highway.

Nov. 13: Fraud, 12900 block of Tipton Highway.

MADISON TOWNSHIP Nov. 5: Vehicle theft, 2600 block of Sharon Drive.

Nov. 6: Larceny from a vehicle, 1500 block of Woodview Drive. Larceny from a vehicle, Sand Creek Highway and Beecher Road.

Nov. 9: Disorderly conduct, 3400 block of Treat Highway.

Nov. 11: Operating while intoxicated, 4900 block of Treat Highway.

Property damage, 3100 block of South Winter Street.

MEDINA TOWNSHIP Nov. 7: Larceny, Bothwell Highway and Lime Creek Road.

PALMYRA TOWNSHIP Nov. 7: Simple assault, 3400 block of Carleton Road. Property damage and larceny from a vehicle, 3500 block of Ogden Highway.

Nov. 14: Simple assault, 8600 block of East U.S. 223.

RAISIN TOWNSHIP Nov. 4: Larceny from a vehicle, 2300 block of Occidental Highway.

Nov. 12: Use of the internet for harassment or threats, 4300 block of Green Highway.

RIGA TOWNSHIP Nov. 11: Operating while intoxicated, Rodesiler Highway and Ottawa Lake Road.

ROLLIN TOWNSHIP Nov. 13: Sex offense against a child, 16800 block of Rome Road.

ROME TOWNSHIP Nov. 5: Operating while intoxicated, U.S. 223 and Brooks Highway.

Nov. 6: Larceny from a building, 10800 block of Plank Road.

TECUMSEH CITY Nov. 4: Property damage, 1000 block of East Chicago Blvd.

Nov. 6: Identity theft, 400 block of South Pearl Street. Larceny from a vehicle, 200 block of North Occidental Road.

Nov. 7: Identity theft, 800 block of West Chicago Blvd.

Nov. 13: Simple assault, 200 block of Industrial Drive.

TECUMSEH TOWNSHIP Nov. 11: Simple assault, 3700 block of Kaiser Road.

WOODSTOCK TOWNSHIP Nov. 12: Simple assault, 14500 block of West U.S. 223.

18

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 THE LENAWEE VOICE

PERSPECTIVES

Letters to the Editor should be 250 words or fewer and may be emailed to letters@lenaweevoice.com.

EDITORIALS

Shop local this season Let’s face it, shopping for the holidays has never been easier than it is now, when you can order just about anything you want online and have it shipped straight to your door.

But there is something to be said for taking part in community festivities and heading to some locally owned shops to purchase your quality gifts.

Downtown Adrian is full of specialty shops for unique gift giving. That includes gifts for both old and young, with ideas that include specialty coffee mugs, unique toys, dreamcatchers, aromatic candles, essential oils, fiber goods, interesting foods, and much more. Expand your browsing to other Lenawee County communities and you’ll find even more. If you spend an afternoon poking into our area’s array of independent businesses, you’re sure to find something that catches your eye.

You’ve probably read columns like this before. Sometimes these exhortations to “shop local” make it sound like a civic obligation or a chore. And, to be sure, there is a civic aspect to this: Anytime you shop at a locally owned store, your money stays in the community, strengthens our economy, and helps provide local jobs.

But that’s not the only reason to do it.

It’s true, you can find pretty much anything you’re looking for with a simple Google search. But the beauty of shopping in person — and shopping in small, independent businesses that curate their collections by hand — lies in finding what you weren’t looking for. Embrace the serendipity of walking into a downtown shop not knowing exactly what you’ll find, and you may just discover the perfect gift.

A good place to start is downtown Adrian’s Holiday Open House, which runs from Thursday, Nov. 30 to Saturday, Dec. 2. Why not take a few hours, explore your community’s locally owned shops, and see what you find?

Thank you, election workers This debut issue of The Lenawee Voice includes the results of local elections in Lenawee County, so we would be remiss if we didn’t thank all of the election workers who make the smooth functioning of democracy possible.

While we’re doing that, we would also like to register our appreciation for a newly passed bill that protects elections in Michigan by creating expanded criminal penalties for intimidating election workers or preventing them from doing their jobs.

A recent survey by the Brennan Center for Justice found that 30% of local election officials in the country reported being personally harassed or threatened because of their job. That’s unacceptable.

Of course, harassing or threatening anyone is already illegal, but an attack on election workers is also an attack on our entire way of life. If we want a functioning democracy, we need to have their backs.

LOCAL VIEWS

It’s time for Michigan to join the list of states that allow death with dignity We belong to a remarkable species, Homo sapiens, which literally means “wise man.” With this wisdom comes some knowledge that, as far as we know, is not available to any other animal. We know that we are mortal. We know that it is inevitable that we are going to die. This wisdom has also made it possible for scientists to discover cures to illnesses and for us to have the knowledge to live a healthy lifestyle. So, we have extended our life expectancy considerably, from 47 years in 1900 to 68 years in 1950 and to just over 76 years today. Thanks to medical science, we can be on life support almost indefinitely. But do we want to be?

Just as death is inevitable, so are other things that accompany aging.

For instance, as we age, we are more likely to experience conditions such as osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, heart disease, chronic kidney disease, or dementia.

In fact, about 85% of older adults in the United States have at least one common chronic illness. And, in most cases, death does not come suddenly but rather as a long process of progressive functional decline.

Quality of life has not kept up with our extended longevity. As Robert S. Gable, emeritus professor of psychology at the Claremont Graduate University, asked, “What value is there in existing if the ability to do what you most value becomes unavailable? It is, indeed, possible to live too long.” I heartily agree. I do not want to live too long. Neither do

HANK CETOLA

I want to go through a long process of progressive functional decline. I do not want to be on life support if there is very little chance that I will once again be able to do the things that I most value.

I would much prefer that my life ends before that point.

To be clear, medical aid in dying is not euthanasia, in which someone other than the individual decides that a terminally ill person should die. Neither is it physician-assisted suicide, because it is not suicide. A person is not choosing to die, but choosing how to die. Unfortunately, I would have to leave Michigan and travel to either Switzerland or Vermont, jurisdictions that allow medical aid in dying to non-citizens.

Why is that my only choice?

As with many other issues, politicians and religion stand in our way.

As of the latest Gallup poll (2018), 72% of Americans say doctors should be able to help terminally ill patients die.

But if we break down the numbers, 89% of liberals find it acceptable, as do 73% of independents, but only 54% of conservatives. Only 37% of those who attend church weekly approve, but 69% percent of those who attend church nearly weekly or monthly and 86% of those who attend church seldom or never also approve.

Now, please don’t get me wrong.

I firmly believe that you have a right to your political and religious beliefs.

But you and I do not have the right to force our beliefs on others. If you do not want to have a doctor help you to end your life of suffering, don’t do it. But please, do not prevent me from doing it.

Morally, I understand that many people believe that the beginning and end of life should be left to divine intervention. However, some moral philoso-

phers argue that although it is wrong to compel people to die, it is just as wrong to compel people to live under conditions they find intolerable.

I believe that people who oppose medical aid in dying have a mistaken idea about what “life” is. To me, life is the ability to enjoy nature. The ability to enjoy interacting with family, friends, and even strangers. The ability to enjoy doing things I have always done, even if it is in a limited capacity. The ability to learn new things and have new experiences. It is also to be free of unbearable suffering. To me, life is not being unconscious and on life support. Why is it the humane thing to do to put down a suffering pet but not a suffering human?

But we do not have just to accept the status quo. I belong to an advocacy group, Compassion & Choices. Their mission states, “Compassion & Choices improves care, expands options, and empowers everyone to chart their endof-life journey. We envision a society that affirms life and accepts the inevitability of death, embraces expanded options for compassionate dying, and empowers everyone to choose endof-life care that reflects their values, priorities, and beliefs.” Compassion & Choices founder Barbara Coombs Lee co-authored Oregon’s landmark Death with Dignity Act, which went into effect in 1997. They were also involved in authorizing medical aid in dying in Washington (2008), Montana (2009), Vermont (2013), California (2015), Colorado (2016), Washington, D.C. (2017), Hawai’i (2018), New Jersey (2019), Maine (2019), and New Mexico (2021).

They can help in Michigan, too. I urge you to join.

Hank Cetola lives in Adrian.

THE LENAWEE VOICE

LOCAL NEWS | 19

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

Local author delves into the life of her grandmother, Maine’s celebrated ‘Lupine Lady’

By Erik Gable The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN — In 1982, a children’s author named Barbara Rooney published a picture book. It was about an old woman named Miss Rumphius who, after traveling the world, retired to a house by the sea and devoted herself to spreading lupine seeds wherever she went — following a childhood admonition from her grandfather that “you must do something to make the world more beautiful.”

Miss Rumphius was based on a real person: Hilda Hamlin, an immigrant from England who really did have a cottage by the sea and really did sow the blue-purple flowers all over coastal Maine.

But there was much more to Hilda’s life — as her granddaughter, Jennifer Hamlin Church, discovered through over a thousand letters and dozens of diaries.

Church, a Petersburg resident who is retired as associate vice president for advancement at Siena Heights University, has documented the lives of Hilda Hamlin and her uncle, Harry Norman Gardiner, in a new book, “Harry and Hilda: Letters Home.”

The book chronicles 130 years of history on both sides of the Atlantic, through the eyes of two immigrants who arrived in America 30 years apart.

Harry Gardiner set sail for the United States in 1874.

“He came to America because he was searching for a place where a poor boy who was willing to work could get an education,” Church said.

He had written to the Congregationalist author and social reformer Henry Ward Beecher, who recommended enrolling Amherst College. Harry put himself through school by working a variety of odd jobs — teaching Sunday school, doing laundry, lighting the fire in professors’ offices every morning — and graduated with honors, eventually becoming a professor at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and a founder of the American Philosophical Association.

His niece, Hilda Blanche Edwards, immigrated 30 years after he did.

“She came to America in 1904 because she was a difficult child, and her mother, Harry’s sister, was at her wits’ end with the oldest of her soon-to-be eight children,” Church said.

Most of the book is spent on Hilda’s life: her travels, her friends, the many influential writers, artists and thinkers with whom she crossed paths. It has been a 10-year voyage of discovery for Church,

Hilda Hamlin at her cottage in Maine.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JENNIFER HAMLIN CHURCH

Jennifer Hamlin Church holds a copy of her book, “Harry & Hilda: Letters Home,” during an interview at The Buzz in downtown Adrian. ERIK GABLE/LENAWEE VOICE reading thousands of pages of correspondence and private thoughts, taking meticulous notes and piecing together the lives of both her grandmother and a great-granduncle she never knew.

“I always found her fascinating,” Church recalled of the woman who spoke with an English accent her entire life, despite having come to America at 15.

“She’d lived this exotic life. She lived in New York in the 1920s, moved to Paris and lived there in the 1920s, knew all these famous people.”

Hilda was exacting, at times excessively critical — “Jennifer, retreat thy waistline!”

Church recalls hearing when she was young if her grandmother didn’t think she looked slim enough. She was a strict grammarian who would not hesitate to correct you if you made the mistake of using the wrong word. When she visited England, everything in America was better; at home in America the reverse was true.

She was also a born artist, with an eye for color and detail and a knack for finding the beauty in everything. Even a piece of driftwood that she picked up along the Maine coast could become an offbeat piece of art. “She could take bits of nothing and make it gorgeous or make it funny,” Church recalled. She would bring interesting gifts when she visited her grandchildren — nothing she bought in a store, but always something unique, perhaps an exotic item that one of her many well-traveled friends had brought her from overseas. And she appreciated a good story.

“I loved her,” Church said. “Not everyone was as fond.”

“She was just different. She wasn’t like everyone else’s grandmother.”

Hilda’s habit of collecting interesting people goes back to the long trip over the ocean that brought her to America. Not long after tearfully saying goodbye to her father at Liverpool, she was befriended by a family who turned out to be relatives of the great actor Joseph Jefferson. His grandchildren whom Hilda met on the ship would go on to become famous in their own right, including Eleanor Farjeon, a celebrated children’s author and poet who wrote the hymn “Morning Has Broken.”

“It’s just an example of the kind of Forrest Gump life that both Harry and Hilda lived,” Church said of that chance meeting.

A divorced woman at a time when divorce was rare, Hilda was strongly independent. She would visit family and enjoy their company, but she was always glad to get back to her own home and her own life. Her letters and diaries read like a “who’s who” of the literary and artistic world, dotted with friends like the sculptor Alexander Calder and the influential food writer Clementine Paddleford.

“Doing research with letters and diaries is both thrilling and deadly boring,” Church said.

There is a lot to slog through — but, she said, “if you’re careful and if you’re lucky, you do solve mysteries.”

One such mystery was the identity of Hilda’s midlife romance, who she never mentioned by name but who turned out to be the writer and painter Victor O. Freeburg.

Hilda was well into adulthood when she began the habit that would bring her to fame. She had learned to love flowers as a child in England, and during the

Great Depression, she wrote to her brothers asking them to send her some seeds.

She spread them around the cottage on Christmas Cove that she had inherited from her uncle, she scattered them by the roadside, she even tossed them into other people’s gardens. She did this for many years without receiving much notice, but in 1971 she was profiled in an issue of Yankee magazine, and summertime found her deluged with visitors who wanted to meet the “Lupine Lady.” There were so many that, exasperated, she took to calling them her “Damn Yankees.”

With the publication of “Miss Rumphius,” her reputation only grew. On her 100th birthday, a reporter visited her in the nursing home and asked how she decided where to sow her lupine seeds.

She couldn’t remember at first, then she smiled and said: “I used to throw them in the gardens of people who didn’t have any.”

Hilda lived several more years after the book’s publication and died in 1989, two weeks before her 101st birthday.

“After her death, more and more she was remembered for that one thing — that she was the real-life Lupine Lady,” Church said.

“The point of my book is that she was so much more than that, and that she had been a fascinating and accomplished person.”

“Harry & Hilda: Letters Home — The Sparkling Life of the Lupine Lady and the Professor Who Made it Possible” can be ordered on lulu.com.

20

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 THE LENAWEE VOICE

Anderson-Marry Funeral Home 3050 West Beecher Road, Adrian

invites you to

an open house to benefit

Associated Charities of Lenawee County Sunday, December 3 from 2-5 pm

Bring unwrapped toys, nonperishable food items, or monetary donations for Associated Charities!

517-265-3312 • andersonfuneralservices.com