SWM Spark-June 2023

Expert Advice

Health Food

Q: What type of produce does Sawall’s carry?

Counseling

Q: Why would I set a boundary in my relationship?

Healthcare

Q: What Are the Signs of Hearing Loss?

Mark Sawall Owner

A: Sawall’s has always carried local and certified organic produce.  Its the very best quality that can be found.  We receive produce orders almost every day!  We also carry as much local produce that we can find seasonally.  We are always looking for quality produce from local farmers.  Come in soon and enjoy the areas largest selection of fresh CERTIFIED ORGANIC PRODUCE!!

Mon-Sat. 8am-9pm, Sun. 10am-6pm

Sawall Health Foods

• 2965 Oakland Dr. at Whites Rd. • 343-3619 • www.sawallhf.com

Oakwood Plaza

Funeral Services

Q: I am so thankful for the hospice care my husband received before he died. How can I express my gratitude to the person who provided his care?

Dana L. Naumann MSW Bereavement Care Coordinator

A: Langeland Family Funeral Home sponsors a Hospice Caregiver Award. Anyone who provides exceptional care as a professional or volunteer as a hospice worker is eligible to be nominated. Monthly, Langelands selects a Hospice Caregiver Award recipient. Those individuals are also eligible to be chosen as the Hospice Caregiver of the Year. All the Hospice Caregiver Award recipients are displayed on the Langeland website. Nominations are received at the Langeland Chapels or on the website. Langelands is very pleased to honor these individuals.

Langeland Family Funeral Homes

“Quiet dignity with compassion” has meant so much for many people... for many years.

4 locations to serve you 269-343-1508 • www.langelands.com

Kim Powers, Owner, Licensed Professional Counselor

A: Boundary setting creates a framework for how you can simultaneously love others and love yourself in a healthy way while communicating your wants and needs, without compromising yourself. Without safety and parameters, the relationship may become dysfunctional, leading to bitterness and resentment, even abuse. Boundaries can enhance the quality of a relationship, end a toxic relationship, or create better balance and improve the dynamics, helping you to honor yourself and your worth.

Heart Soul Mind Strength LLC

Faith. Acceptance. Empowerment. Purpose. Www.HeartSoulMindStrengthLLC.com

510-827-1305

Transitions

Diana Duncan Director of Sales and Marketing

Q: How much time should I allow for an appointment with a senior living community Sales Counselor?

A: Allowing up to 90 minutes for a personized appointment will give you a great start in understanding what options work best for your health age and finances as well as timing your move.

Friendship Village

“Where Connections Matter”

1400 North Drake, Kalamazoo 269-381-0560

www.friendshipvillagemi.com

Kim Kragt, CCC-A, MA

A. If you have trouble understanding conversations or hear ringing or strange sounds in your ears, you may have hearing loss. Other signs to watch for include turning up the TV or radio to high volume and not being able to understand people when talking over the phone.

When hearing loss is ignored, it may lead to social isolation, depression, difficulty with communication and mental decline. Hearing loss has also been linked to a higher risk of dementia. If you’ve noticed a change in your hearing, talk to your primary doctor right away to be referred for a hearing test at a Bronson Constance Brown Hearing Center near you.

Bronson Constance Brown Hearing Center

bronsonhealth.com/hearing

(269) 343-2601

Roofing

Justin Reynolds Manager

Q: I had my roof replaced 12 years ago with a 30 year shingle. It already needs to be replaced. What happened? Roofs used to last 20-25 years.

A: Asphalt is the main waterproofing ingredient in shingles giving strength and longevity. Due to improvements in the ability to refine a barrel of crude oil, less asphalt is available for roofing and road projects. And what is left for roofing lacks the quality that we received 20-25 years ago.

We have found that by blending polymers with the asphalt, we can make shingles tougher and more durable. Our shingles will last 25-30 years. For a free roof inspection, please give us a call at 269 342-0153 or visit us at worryfreeroof.com.

Sherriff-Goslin Roofing Co.

Since 1906

342-0153 800-950-1906

Member Home Builders Association of Greater Kalamazoo

Collecting Stamps

When I was checking out at Walgreens the other day, I was asked to type in my phone number for their rewards program. Meijer has MPerks and Speedway has their Speedy Rewards program, which loudly (annoyingly) informs me how many points I will receive if I buy two, 2-litre bottles of Pepsi and a hot dog. Over the years, I also had punch cards in my wallet for coffee cake at Mackenzie’s Bakery and neckties at Gilmores.

This reminds me of one of the original reward programs and former past-time of collecting trading stamps, which were given out at grocery stores. You simply filled up the stamp books and redeemed them for merchandise at fulfillment stores.

S & H Green Stamps were the most popular, but others were on the scene, including: Gold Bond, Top Value, Blue Chip and A & P’s Plaid Stamps.

S & H started in 1896 and continued through the 1980s. In their heyday, they claimed to print more stamps than the U.S. Postal Service-$900 million per year.

A book had 32-36 pages, with customers receiving a stamp

INDEX JUNE 2023

for each 10 cent purchase, which took approximately $120 in groceries to fill a book. The colorful catalogs indicated the number of books you needed to fill to earn the coveted items.

The catalogs were chocked full of household items, sporting goods and toys. In the Diamond Thrift catalog from about 1970, a small Sony 7 inch, black and white TV would take 48 books or approximately $5,760 in grocery purchases! What a deal! The Diamond Thrift Stamps were used at Harding’s and redeemed at the D. T. Sales Company at 1310 Portage St. in Washington Square.

The rewards programs that originated in the good ole’ days were much more time intensive than the immediate rewards programs of today, however, in my humble opinion, the anticipation that the trading stamps generated made it much more fun!

Steve Ellis, SPARK Publisher steve@swmspark.com

Editor and Publisher: Steve Ellis

Graphic & Page Development: CRE8 Design, Kalamazoo

Content/Photography: Lauren Ellis

Writers and Contributors Include: Area Agency on Aging, Steve Ellis, Lee Dean, Laura Kurella, Richard Martinovich Dave Person, Kalamazoo Nature Center, Kalamazoo Public Library, Kalamazoo Valley Museum, Portage Public Library, Senior Services of Southwest Michigan, YMCA

SPARK accepts advertising to defray the cost of production and distribution, and appreciates the support of its advertisers. The publication does not specifically endorse advertisers or their products or services. Spark is a publication of Ellis Strategies, LLC. No part of this publication may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

The Vicksburg Old Car Festival.

Photo by Steve Ellis

Autographs and memories

Lee A. Dean screendoor@sbcglobal.net

As a contrarian, I don’t fit snugly into modern culture, especially the part that obsesses over celebrities. Contrarians don’t engage in idolatry, but even we curmudgeonly types don’t mind a souvenir or two.

Most people treasure meeting famous people to get just a few moments of their time. We want the pleasure of meeting them and get greater enjoyment in telling stories about the encounter.

There’s something else many people want from a celebrity: an autograph.

My autograph collection, if you can call it that, has only a handful of signatures obtained in person, and very few from household names.

I have stood in line to get someone’s autograph exactly twice. During my first trip to Wrigley Field to see my beloved Cubbies, ace pitcher Ferguson Jenkins was seated at a table signing autographs. My place in the line got closer and closer – now only four people ahead of me. Soon I would be face to face with Fergie.

At that point, he got up, waved to us all and left. I still remember the sight of number 31 walking away. That experience cured my desire to stand in a long line to have somebody sign their name for me.

Instead, I get autographs for other people. During my days as a sportswriter, I got to cover a few Detroit Tigers winter caravans. My Grandpa Hartwell was an avid Tigers fan and I was able to get autographs from many of the players. They were all accommodating, even the supposedly grouchy types like Jack Morris and Kirk Gibson.

During one of those Tigers caravans I was deputized by longtime South Haven baseball coach Dale Patterson to get as many autographs as possible on an old denim jacket. This jacket was covered with signatures, including from huge names such as Mickey Mantle. Working journalists get to meet more famous people than the average person. When we do, certain rules come into play. There is to be no fawning or any hint of admiration. I learned that lesson the hard way during my first year in the business.

A candidate for governor came calling. We met in the newsroom, and the publisher’s door was open. During the

interview, this candidate pledged to cut taxes, but he also said he would build more prisons and hire hundreds of new police officers.

After the candidate left, my publisher emerged from his office to conduct a very short and pointed interview with me. “Why didn’t you ask him how he could cut taxes and yet spend all that extra money on prisons and cops? You needed to ask him where he would get the money!”

The publisher was right. Lesson learned. My questions for politicians got quite a bit more aggressive, without being rude.

Of all the politicians I have interviewed, my favorite was the late Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone. He was a little pepper pot of a man with unruly dark hair (think Gene Wilder) and a vise grip handshake built from growing up on a dairy farm and competing as a collegiate wrestler. He was enthusiastic and authentic – 100% genuine. Our gang of jaded journalists couldn’t help but like him. We all mourned deeply when he was killed in an airplane crash.

What happens when one famous person meets another from a different line of work? I witnessed just such a collision of stars while roaming the sidelines of Soldier Field during a preseason Chicago Bears game. The game was played while the Western Open golf tournament was being played.

I noticed a commotion a few yards away and beheld the sight of famed golfer Greg Norman. What a bonus: there stood the famous Great White Shark himself surrounded by equally famous Bears players. Quarterback Jim McMahon and running back Matt Suhey were particularly awed at the sight of the Shark.

Almost all the Bears were impressed, with one very large exception. William “the Refrigerator” Parry stood by himself, oblivious to all the fuss.

“Hey Fridge, come over here and meet Greg Norman!” implored Suhey. Parry didn’t move.

“Hey Fridge! C’mon, man! Greg Norman wants to meet you,” Suhey pleaded.

“Man, I don’t do no golf,” was Perry’s curt reply. But the big guy relented and waddled over to shake hands and partake in his own unique brush with fame. My favorite autograph story is another example of getting a signature for someone else. My best buddy Bob knew I was going to see Red Green and wanted his autograph – on a piece of duct tape, of course. The woman in line ahead of me had the same idea and asked Red to sign it to “Faith.”

When it was my turn, I told Red, “And she has two sisters named Hope and Charity.” Red chuckled and said, “Not bad…not bad at all.”

all about seeing the smiles” – Ellie Easley

By Jim Coppinger, Milestone Senior Services Volunteer

Eleanor Easley, better known as Ellie, is a lifelong Kalamazooan. She thought every ounce of her compassion and caring was poured out for the care of her ailing husband over the last thirteen years of their almost forty-eight years of marriage. Her resources were taxed to their limits even more with the loss of their son during those last few years.

But Ellie soon realized her compassion and the desire to help others wasn’t drained away—she discovered within, a boundless pool from which to draw and share with others.

In 2014, shortly after her husband’s passing, and having spent all of her time and energies on his care, she thought: “I’m here; what can I do?”

She contacted Milestone about volunteer opportunities. Ellie began as a receptionist for Milestone and MMAP (Medicare Medicaid Assistance Program). MMAP assists people in finding insurance coverage for medicine and medical needs. She also served with the “Grandparents” school program to work with children and families. Ellie also began volunteering at Borgess Hospital ten years ago—where she continues to provide assistance to patients and families and a host of duties supporting the emergency department.

Ellie vividly recalls, in the midst of a worship service in Ohio, being called by God into the minis-

try. At 68, Ellie graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Religion and two years later, with a master’s degree from seminary.

She was ordained in 2006 and is currently a pastor of a Battle Creek church. She shares that role with her new husband of five years who is a pastor.

Ellie is also a Police Chaplin for the Battle Creek Police Department. She says her chaplain duties include ministering to the needs of police officers, staff, and their families. These first-responders witness situations virtually impossible to shake. As a police chaplain, she rides with officers as they interact with crime, drug, abuse, and disaster victims. She also performs funeral services for fallen officers.

Ellie is an active volunteer for other ministryrelated organizations including the United Com-

munity Ministerial Alliance (where she assists with bookkeeping and accounting) and with the Calhoun County Faith-Based Coalition.

In 2015, Ellie was recognized for her work when she was awarded the Community Volunteer of the Year Award. It was a touching and proud moment—especially for her daughter and son who attended the event.

Ellie’s advice to anyone wondering what they might contribute toward helping others, is to just make one call to Milestone and ask for a list of volunteer services that are needed. There isn’t a person without something to offer.

Ellie says she receives an incredible amount of satisfaction each day when she sees someone in need simply look up and smile. That’s all anyone needs in return.

Milestone Senior Services (previously known as Senior Services of Southwest Michigan) is an AmeriCorps Seniors grantee. AmeriCorps Seniors empowers people age 55 and older to serve their communities. RSVP helps people find a volunteer opportunity that fits their passion. There are currently opportunities in Kalamazoo County and a few in Calhoun County. Volunteers are needed with Meals on Wheels, Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes, Telephone Reassurance for Seniors, Milestone Home Repair, and more. Regular, flexible schedules available. Contact RSVP at 269-3820515 or apply to volunteer at www.milestoneseniorservices.org.

“It’s

Father’s Day Filets!

by Laura Kurella

Laura’s Teres Tenderloin Tower

Yield: 2 servings

SAUCE

1 head roasted garlic

1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon unrefined mineral sea salt

1/2 tablespoon avocado oil

2 (8-ounce) tenderloin filets, 1 1/2 inches

thick

RUB

1 tablespoon avocado oil

1 teaspoon unrefined mineral sea salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper, coarsely ground SKILLET DRIPPINGS

1 tablespoon avocado oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1/2 teaspoon preferred sweetener

1 cup beef broth

Squeeze each head of roasted garlic to expel the cloves into a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of melted butter, salt and 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the garlic, mash with a fork then set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place steak in a plastic bag in one layer. Liberally season with salt and pepper, to taste, then drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and set at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Place a heavy skillet over high heat. Add steak and sear for 3 minutes per side, then pour all but 2 tablespoons of the garlic-infused oil/butter sauce over steak. Loosely tent pan with foil and place in oven.

Cook until desired doneness then remove steak from pan to a warm plate, still covered with foil, and let rest for 8 minutes. Meanwhile, into the used skillet, add sherry, sugar, beef broth, Worcester, remaining 2 tablespoons butter and roasted garlic. Cook over high heat, blending well, until it boils. Reduce to a simmer and cook until reduced by half. To plate, lay a bed of greens down on a plate then drizzle with sauce. In the center of the plate, place a fresh slice of tomato drizzled with some garlic sauce, then top with a fresh slice of red onion and drizzle with more garlic sauce. Cut steak (horizontally) into three pieces, if desired, and top onion with a piece of steak then drizzle with garlic sauce. Repeat the assembly method two more times to create a tower that features a trifecta of flavor!

Finish plate with a sprinkling of Feta or Bleu cheese crumbles, if desired, and serve with extra sauce.

Laura Kurella is an award-winning food columnist, recipe developer, and home cook who loves life in Michigan. She welcomes your comments at laurakurella@yahoo.com.

WARRIORSWednesday

Motivation

What gets you out of bed in the morning? We each have our own answers, and volunteering for Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC) brings up a lot of my favorites. There are plenty of reasons the Wednesday Warriors show up to volunteer at one of SWMLC’s preserves each week. There are the obvious reasons: restoring natural habitats, getting outdoors. And then there are some bonus motives . . .

We all know we need to exercise regularly, and three hours of stooping to clip oriental bittersweet, hauling cut brush, or even hiking through a marsh to get to our work location gives us a good cardio workout, though I don’t think our donut break counts as bicep curls.

We also get a lift from being part of this wonderful, quirky, nature-loving community and as we get to know one another, the nicknames start to stick: Chainsaw Chuck, Celebrations Director. Sure, we work, but we also chat about other interests like pottery, birds, photography, and heirloom tomatoes. The info geeks among us love to pull out their phones to identify mystery plants with an

app, make multilayer maps, find their way back to the parking lot.

Life-long learners, we master the difference between loamy sand and sandy loam, between native rose and multiflora rose (“hairy armpits”). We rejoice when the lupines pop up after we clear out the invasives. We learn how each turtle shell is unique, allowing us to confer individual names (ask about Lucky sometime).

For me, it’s all of these. I get out of the house, take deep breaths of fresh air, laugh about our raggedy clothes, and come home tired and satisfied. Plus, after retirement pointed out my need for structure, I now know what day is Wednesday.

If this pushes any of your buttons, come out any Wednesday your schedule permits. There is also a spin-off group on Mondays. Just email SWMLC at conserveland@swmlc. org and ask to get on the email list. Or check their website www.swmlc.org for details on each week’s workdays. Hope to see you there!

Kristi Chapman, volunteer, Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy

Movie Reviews

Triangle of Sadness

The top prize winner at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness occupies the disturbing thematic intersection of HBO’s The White Lotus and Gilligan’s Island Östlund, best known for his satirical and black comedies Force Majeure (2014) and The Square (2017), provides a tale told in three acts, all heavily devoted to the ridiculousness of modern superficiality and transactional relationships. In the first act we are introduced to the dysfunctional romance of professional models Yaya (Charlbi Dean) and Carl (Harris Dickinson) as they sort out the role of gender in their relationship over the bill at a fancy restaurant. In act two, they board a luxury yacht they are promoting via social media through shenanigans such as snapping photos while excitedly holding a fork full of pasta but never actually eating it. Here, the cast expands to include wealthy arms dealers, a Russian Oligarch and his entourage, and the ship’s crew who painfully endure the company and requests of their guests in the hopes of making an impression worthy of an ostentatious tip. The captain of the yacht (Woody Harrelson) drinks in seclusion in his cabin, emerging only to directly nudge the voyage towards disaster. In the third act, the desert island survivors of the inevitable catastrophe nervously discover that power dynamics in tense survival situations change swiftly and tend to favor individuals with real world skills. Triangle of Sadness is heavyhanded, gratuitously absurd, and generally hilarious. – Submitted by Patrick Jouppi

The Whale

Director Darren Aronofsky’s movies frequently focus on characters facing challenging circumstances, often resolved with the bleakest of outcomes. His awardwinning 2022 film The Whale appears

occasionally flip the bleakness with unexpected compassion. A reclusive online teacher (Brendan Fraser in a Best Actor performance) lives alone, no longer venturing outside his claustrophobic indoor surroundings (reflective of the story’s stage origin). Morbidly obese, he doesn’t show himself to his students or outsiders. A family friend (Hong Chau) cares for him, despite frustration with his refusal to reverse his worsening physical state. As past traumatic events are revealed, it’s clear his condition is a sort of self-punishment; he suffers guilt and remorse for abandonment of his wife and daughter (Sadie Sink), now a teenager he hasn’t seen in years. He welcomes her reappearance in his life, despite her expressions of cruelty honed by long-built resentment. Her estrangement from her father leads to actions affecting him, and others in his orbit, in unexpected ways. If one can navigate its harshest moments, and there are many (though the constant sense of dread that’s an Aronofsky hallmark isn’t so palpable here), exploring The Whale is worth the journey. – Submitted by Karl Knack

After Hours

After Hours (1985) is a terrific film about how one man’s seemingly benign night out on the town devolves quickly into a Kafkaesque series of nightmarish scenarios which prevent Paul, our tale’s mild mannered office worker (Griffin Dunne), from getting back home safely. Martin Scorsese’s underappreciated black comedy is a classic of hilariously arranged situations that continuously ensnare Paul and keep him from simply returning to his uptown apartment. Bizarre characters and absurd circumstances, one after another, thwart Paul’s wild night in SoHo, an evening originally planned as a blind date with a mysterious woman (Rosanna Arquette). Brilliant cameos by actors John Heard, Teri Gar and Linda Fiorentino round out Scorsese’s love letter to the comical weirdness of New York City nights. –Submitted by Ryan Gage

Dancing “Over the Water” at Allendale

by Keith Howard, Kalamazoo Public Library

The resort on the southeast side of Gull Lake known as “The Allendale” was a popular vacation and recreational spot during the decades around the turn of the 20th century. With its large lakeside hotel and “over the water” dance hall, Allendale became one of the area’s most well-known summertime resorts.

The origins of Allendale date from the mid-1870s, when George Harmon Wilson founded “Camp St. Louis,” said to be the first public summer resort on Gull Lake. Campgrounds and cottages were available for summertime rental, and a pair of dancehalls hosted dancing parties nearly every night. By 1900 an electric interurban rail line connected Kalamazoo and Battle Creek with Gull Lake, making the lakeside resorts just a 20-minute train ride away. That’s when Dee Allen of Kalamazoo and Lauren N. Downs of Battle Creek piloted an effort to refurbish the old camp and rebrand it as “Allendale.”

In addition to a new two-story, sixty-room hotel, the focal point of the resort would be its “over the water” dance hall, which featured electric lights, large windows, and an excellent dance floor. Dances at Allendale soon became a summertime tradition. Electric cars made hourly runs to and from the lake, with the last interurban car leaving for Kalamazoo at midnight.

After the First World War, Michigan theater magnate W.S. Butterfield assumed ownership of Allendale.

The hotel was closed after 1914, but the dance hall remained a strong attraction well into the Roaring Twenties when early jazz orchestras and “hot” bands kept the dance floor filled until the wee hours.

After the 1923 season, the Allendale dance hall itself was closed. Frank Holmes, proprietor of the nearby Gull Lake Hotel, purchased the Allendale dance pavilion and moved it to his hotel at the LaBelle resort near Yorkville. Workmen used a team of mules and log rollers to tow the intact structure across the frozen lake to its new home.

In 1928, Butterfield subdivided the former resort into a residential plat called Allendale Park. The roadway, now East Gull Lake Drive, was relocated to the rear of the property away from the lakeshore to give homeowners maximum lakefront exposure.

Meanwhile, the former Allendale dance hall saw new life in its home across the way at the LaBelle resort. The dance hall there remained popular throughout the 1920s and 30s, and especially during the big band years around the Second World War when it was refurbished and renamed the LaBelle Ballroom.

When the time came to remove the structure, Kenneth Dewey and his family stepped in and saved it from the wrecking ball. In 1950, Dewey dismantled the old dance hall and moved it to their farm north of the lake, where it was rebuilt to replace a dairy barn that had burned. The distinctive building, built from the bones of the old Allendale dance hall, still stands on West Hickory Road near the Gilmore Car Museum.

Today, the former Allendale area is a quiet lakefront residential district. Aside from the stories and a few old picture postcards, little else remains of the once popular lakeside resort.

More at kpl.gov

CLASSIC CARS LINE THE STREETS AT THE VICKSBURG OLD CAR FESTIVAL

By Dave Person david.r.person@gmail.com

What’s more fun than sharing good times with friends, both old and new?

That’s Virgil “Skip” Knowles’ philosophy, and he’s been adhering to it nearly every June since the early ‘80s when he and others staged the first Vicksburg Old Car Festival.

That year it rained, but it still featured 76 old cars and a concert by a local favorite, Jack Fryling, with a turnout of about 80 umbrella-toting attendees.

“We considered it a success,” says Knowles, 74, who has headed up the car show for 42 years, with the only exception being 2020, the year Covid shut down fun get-togethers worldwide.

The car show’s second year saw 250 old-car entries, and in recent years the numbers have hovered around 1,000, with one year featuring 1,200 to 1,300 cars.

“It’s all downtown, cars on both sides of the street,” Knowles says.

He says organizers don’t know exact numbers because although most car owners register for the event in advance, others put their cars on display without registering them, which is fine with Knowles and

other volunteers.

“It’s about having fun; it’s not about making money,” Knowles says. “It’s just about having a good, fun family day in a small town.”

The festival is held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the second Saturday in June, which this year falls on the 10th, but it also includes a Friday evening Cruise Night and ‘50s Drive-in on the 9th. That tradition began about five years after the car show debuted,

‘It’s a fun night and it’s good for the businesses downtown,” Knowles says. “It’s as big as the car festivals used to be 30 some years ago.”

“It’s really turned out to be a mid-size car show on its own,” says Knowles’ son Ryan, whom he is grooming to succeed him as the car festival’s head honcho, of the weekend kick-off event.

“He’s my digital guy,” Knowles says of his son. “He brings a different slant to it, and a different generation.”

Knowles says the car show — which has its own Facebook page, Vicksburg Old Car Festival — came about when he and other young business owners started thinking of ways to draw people to Vicksburg. Knowles, an insurance salesman who had moved to Vicksburg from Kalamazoo to take over ownership of the Munn Agency from longtime businessman Mercer Munn, suggested a car show.

Knowles was, and continues to be, an old-car buff himself with his personal collection numbering

PHOTO BY DEREK KETCHUM

about 18 cars, many of them Buicks, which are his favorites.

Knowles says many of the old cars at the annual festival are driven in from West and Southeast Michigan and Northern Indiana.

“It’s one of the biggest car shows in West Michigan,” he says.

The festival is and always has been a Knowles family affair, starting at 3:30 a.m. on the day of the festival with family members and others blocking off city streets to make way for cars to be displayed.

“Both my boys, since they’ve been little, they’ve been part of it,” Knowles says, “and my grandkids are (now) up at 3:30 in the morning helping us.”

Knowles wife, Carol, runs the registration tent.

When Ryan was born, Knowles brought him home from the hospital in his 1962 Buick Electra. Ryan, 40, now owns that car and brought his daughter home from the hospital in it. He expects her to continue the tradition someday.

The festival includes an auto-parts swap meet,

steam- and gas-engine show and an antique traveltrailer display.

For people who don’t claim an interest in old cars, or want to take in more activities, festival day features many more things to do in Vicksburg, such as a pancake breakfast put on by the fire department, a craft show, flea market and book sale.

Knowles, who is president of the Vicksburg school board, also gets the school community involved in the festival.

“A lot of my school administrators come down on Saturday morning and park cars,” he says.

signs on roads leading into town and is planning to resurrect that tradition this year if time allows.

Knowles has many great memories of individual car shows, from visits by Irv Gordon, a Long Island schoolteacher known for having driven his 1966 Volvo more than three million miles into the Guinness Book of World Records, to Elvis impersonators commemorating a news story that made national headlines about a reported sighting of Elvis Presley in the checkout lanes of the Vicksburg Felpausch store in 1987 — 10 years after his death.

This year Larry Gordon, an antique auto buff from Florida and no relation, apparently, to Irv, will be at the old car festival with his restored 1929 Pierce Arrow Club Brougham sedan. In past years he has brought a restored milk truck and an unrestored 1919 Packard.

“We have a stage set up and have our high school jazz band play,” he adds.

Knowles used to put up exact-replica Burma-Shave

Knowles says he knows the reason the Old Car Festival has been such a success — everyone has recollections about the automobiles in their lives.

“It’s memories, and it brings back good feelings and it relates to fun and family times we had,” he says.

72nd Annual Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Fair

Bronson Park - Friday, June 2 • Noon to 8 p.m. and Saturday, June 3 • 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Fair is the second longest-running arts fair in the country. And, it is happening in Kalamazoo’s Bronson Park. Over 100 fine artists travel from across Michigan and the country for the twoday unique shopping experience, bringing works in jewelry, photography, sculpture, painting, ceramics, glass, fiber, leather, wood, and more.

Visitors can enjoy shopping, music, a beer garden, food trucks, and family activities all weekend long. Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Fair is fun for the whole family and open to everyone without registration. As a special treat, the KIA galleries will be open for FREE admission on Friday and Saturday. Explore the following pages to find a Bronson Park map, artist list, and more as you prepare for this once-a-year extravaganza.

HEALTHYLIVING:

Happy Father’s Day

To all the men out there who have played any kind of role in the nurturing, support, and over-all well-being of a child or youth – salute to you! So many men in our community step toward serving as a positive role model to our youth every single day. To the dads, to the grandfathers, uncles, adult cousins, family friends, neighbors – the idea of “it takes a village” becomes reality when you give a child the love, encouragement, advice, support, and space to feel safe and ultimately to thrive.

Each June we celebrate Father’s Day, but did you know Father’s Day started at a YMCA?

HERE’S A COOL STORY! Father’s Day was founded by Sonora Louis Smart Dodd, the daughter of a single father who served in the Civil War. Her father was widowed when his wife (Mrs. Dodd’s mother) died in childbirth with their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by him-

self on a rural farm in eastern Washington State. It was after Mrs. Dodd became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent.

On Mother’s Day in 1909, Smart Dodd heard a sermon honoring mothers and wondered why there was no similar tribute for dads. With the support of ministers and the YMCA in Spokane, Smart Dodd launched the first Father’s Day celebration at the Spokane YMCA on June 19, 1910. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father’s Day. Finally, in 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father’s Day and President Nixon signed Father’s Day into law in 1972.

WE KNOW that children with close relationships with their dads and other adult male role models have more self-confidence and exhibit less depression, perform better academically and engage in significantly less drug and alcohol use.

This Father’s Day, let us look about ourselves and recognize the influence fathers and adult male role models have in children’s lives! Thank you to each and every one of you for all that you do.

Pass this on to a male role model that you have seen in action. And for those who are no longer with us on this Earth, may their memory and the impact they had on serving humanity be eternal!

Vicky Kettner is the Association Director of Marketing, Community Relations, and Member Engagement for the YMCA of Greater Kalamazoo.

Book Reviews

Book Reviews by the Portage District Library staff

The Bodyguard

Katherine Center

Spending time in Texas with Jack and Hannah is time well spent. While Hannah is a special protection agent and Jack is a wealthy and famous movie star, they share some similarities, including loss, grief, and guilt. Ever the professional, Hannah, who had just gotten dumped by her smarmy boyfriend, focuses on the job of protecting Jack while also trying to protect her heart. A good mix of funny with romance, The Bodyguard is an excellent quick, feel-good read.

The Mitford Affair

Marie Benedict Benedict focuses on three of the six Mitford children in The Mitford Affair. Nancy, a novelist and the oldest of the siblings whose concern for the family’s political leanings she expresses through her writing; Diana, a true beauty whose love for the fascist movement leads to the destruction of her marriage to the Guinness heir yet facilitates

an ambivalent relationship with the founder of the British Union of Fascists; and Unity, one of the youngest of the sisters who through her all-consuming Nazi obsession becomes one of Hitler’s closest companions until war is declared and tragedy ultimately strikes. An alluring, insightful, compelling novel by Benedict that highlights her incredible knowledge and research into these fascinating historical figures whose complex lives, relationships, and political alliances are often unknown, overlooked, or perhaps just long forgotten.

The Half Moon

Mary Beth Keane

Quietly told and atmospheric, The Half Moon is the heart-wrenching story of a struggling business, infertility, and a failing marriage. Malcolm has always dreamed of owning a bar and stretches himself financially to take ownership of the Half Moon bar. Optimistically, he sees potential and risks everything to hold onto his dream. His wife, Jess, enjoys a successful law career, but her loneliness in the marriage and her infertility causes personal distress. As Malcolm and Jess approach midlife, their individual unhappiness causes their marriage to fracture.

All these titles are available at the Portage District Library. For more information about programs and services available at PDL, go to www.portagelibrary.info

Creative Magnets

By Richard Martinovich

“Everybody is trying to identify who they are!” notes Bruce Johnson, owner of Creative Magnets in Kalamazoo.

Creative Magnets provides a fun, inexpensive way to showcase what you are passionate about! Creative Magnets offers a variety of magnets, stickers and embroidered hats that help you promote a positive message.

Bruce Johnson was a founder of Kalama zoo’s premier running store, and is now enjoying his latest venture, helping people communicate their passions. Creative Magnets will also custom-make magnets for special events, and the holidays. “We sold 3,000 magnets of country flags during the soccer World Cup!” says Bruce. Today, many runners are apt to broadcast what they’ve been up to with a “13.1” or a “26.2” – marathon -- magnet on their vehicle! Cycling magnets are popular, too, and you can show your love for cycling with a Creative Magnets “Bike Kalamazoo.”

Putting a sticker on your car has long been a favorite way to get a message across. Bumper stickers took hold of our imagination in

1946 when Forest Gill found a surplus of self-adhesive paper left over from the war!

A sticker plastered on a bumper has often defined the national sentiment of the times.

In the 1960’s, it was a peace sign; “Have a Nice Day” with a yellow smiley face in the 1970’s. Later, an omnipresent bumper sticker reminded us that things don’t always go as planned, “$%#@ Happens.” Some bumper one-liners can make you think, “Eat well, stay fit, die anyway” or snicker, like one on an old pickup – “Maybe the hokey pokey is what it’s all about.” Paul Harvey regularly included a “bumper snicker” in his broadcasts!

Creative Magnets are very reasonably priced, and can be put on a fridge, cabinet or any metallic surface -- and they are easy to remove. The magnets are high-quality, durable and stay intact through the tough Michigan winters. Check the Creative Magnets website for their selection, and contact information!

www.creative-magnets.com

Portage Parks and Recreation JUNE EVENTS

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES: Motortown

Thursday, June 8, 7:00pm

Overlander Bandshell, 7810 Shaver Rd, Portage FREE

Make memories with your friends and family at the Summer Concert Series. On the second Thursday of each month, they will feature a different genre of music that is fun for all ages. Bring a chair or blanket with you for lawn seating and leave yourself a little room for getting your groove on! Admission is FREE to the Summer Concert Series, thanks to their series sponsor, Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo. Direct from Detroit, world-class vocalists and musicians from the ranks of The Miracles, The Temptations, and more have joined forces. The show is jampacked with impeccable harmonies, dazzling choreography, and those timeless Motown grooves that everyone knows and loves. You can choose to dance, sing along, or just sit back (if you can) and watch the show as they perform all of the greatest hits from the likes of the Four Tops, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder.

Ramona Beach Bonfire

Sunday, June 11, 8:00pm

Ramona Park and Beach, 8600 Sprinkle Rd, Portage FREE

Take a break from your hectic summer schedule to relax and enjoy the warm summer night air, live music, and a bonfire at Ramona Park Beach. Gather with friends and family for this summer tradition under the stars. S’more making supplies will be provided.

Friday at the Flats

Friday, June 23, 4:30-8:30pm

Celery Flats, 7335 Garden Lane, Portage FREE

Friday at the Flats returns to the Celery Flats Pavilion on the fourth Friday of every month, May through September, for dinner and experience a range of food trucks and live, local musicians. Seating is limited, but lawn space is plentiful, so bring a blanket or chair. Connect with your family and friends at Celery Flats through food, live music, and fun.

Movies in the Park: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Friday, June 23, 9:00pm Celery Flats Historical Area, 7335 Garden Lane, Portage FREE

Wind down with your family in the park, under the

stars, for this FREE family entertainment event at the Celery Flats Historical Area. The movies begin around 9 PM or shortly after, depending on the sunset that evening. Bring a blanket or chair for lawn seating. Don’t forget to stop by Friday at the Flats event before the movie (4:30 - 8:30 PM) for a bite to eat from local food trucks or bring your own snacks for the movie.

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES: Jeffrey Cavataio

Thursday, June 29, 7:00pm

Celery Flats, 7335 Garden Lane, Portage FREE

Make memories with your friends and family at the Summer Concert Series. On the second Thursday of each month, they will feature a different genre of music that is fun for all ages. Bring a chair or blanket with you for lawn seating and leave yourself a little room for getting your groove on! Admission is FREE to the Summer Concert Series, thanks to our series sponsor, Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo. Back by popular demand, Jeffrey Cavataio is a classy modern-day crooner with an upbeat pop twist. Captivating his audiences with heartfelt original songs and soulful renditions, such as Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.” With his style, Cavataio has invited vocal comparisons to Dean Martin, Josh Groban, Michael Bublé, Neil Diamond, and Barry Manilow, known for their emotionally expressive tenor to baritone voices.

For more events and activities, go to portagemi.gov

Making KNC More Accessible for All

By Tom Springer, Kalamazoo Nature Center

While nature offers its beauty and wonders to all, it still needs a little help from humans to ensure that everyone can enjoy the show. That’s why the Kalamazoo Nature Center has started a new push to improve accessibility on its 1,500-acre property. “We want to remove barriers that prevent people from enjoying our Visitor Center, trails and programs,” said Nathan Smallwood, KNC president and CEO. “The changes we foresee will be large and small. For instance, ensuring that drinking fountains and paper towel dispensers are at the right height. Or smoothing out bumps on a trail and building newer and better ramps. To do that we’re seeking support to increase accessibility across our grounds and facilities.”

To guide the process, KNC turned to local experts: the Southwest Michigan Disability Network in Kalamazoo. Their staff toured the trails, grounds and facilities and produced a 36-page report of their findings. With the report as its guide, KNC has begun to analyze recommendations and prioritize which upgrades to pursue. Here are areas where they look to achieve quick wins:

Power Assist Doors: With doors that open with the push of a button, KNC will benefit people

of all ages and abilities. These include guests with wheelchairs and walkers, parents with baby strollers, teenagers on crutches. The new doors will be installed at the upper and lower-level entrances.

Trail Signs: While KNC has 15 miles of trails, the existing signs lack information such as tread width, trail surface and change in elevation. The new signs will include these crucial details and more for guests with limited mobility.

Trail Improvements: Not all KNC trails can be fully accessible, due to terrain limitations. However, the current goal is to make at least two trails fully accessible. The Habitat Haven trail, which leads from the Visitor Center, and the Monica A. Evans Arboretum trail are both good candidates. They would need resurfacing, new ramps and railings along with trimming branches or limbs that hang less than 80 inches above a trail. Otherwise, they create an unseen hazard for people with limited vision.

“These changes follow what’s known as universal design standards,” Smallwood said. “In practice, this means when you make a trail smoother for wheelchairs it improves walkability for everyone else. Whether it’s toddlers, parents with strollers or

elderly hikers, everyone benefits. This makes the old obstacles irrelevant. As the Disability Network reminds us, ‘disability doesn’t exist until someone encounters a barrier.’”

To support KNC’s accessibility improvement efforts, visit https://naturecenter.org/support/ donate/.

Tom Springer is vice president of development at the Kalamazoo Nature Center

Tales road FROM THE ~ winston-salem, north carolina ~

By Steve Ellis

Over the years, I have visited almost every state, but never made it to North Carolina.

This changed in March, when Jackie and I flew to Winston-Salem, to visit my son, Sam, and his girlfriend, Becca, who moved there last summer for work.

The origin of the town of Salem dates back to 1753, when the Moravian Church selected a settlement site in the area. For many years only members of the church were permitted to live in the settlement. This practice ended by the time of the Civil War. Many of the original buildings in the settlement have been restored or rebuilt and are now part of Old Salem Museums & Gardens.

In 1849, the Salem Congregation sold land north of Salem to the newly formed Forsyth County for a county seat. The new town was named Winston for a local hero of the Revolutionary War, Joseph Winston.

In the 1880s, the US Post Office began referring to the two towns as Winston-Salem.

The Reynolds family, namesake of the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, played a large role in the history and public life of Winston-Salem. By the 1940s, 60% of Winston-Salem workers were employed by either Reynolds or in the Hanes textile factories. The Reynolds company imported so much French cigarette paper and Turkish tobacco for Camel cigarettes that Winston-Salem was designated by the United States federal government as an official port of entry for the United States, despite the city being 200 miles inland. Winston-Salem was the eighth-largest port of entry in the United States by 1916. The city became known as “Camel City.”

In 1917, the Reynolds company bought 84 acres of property in Winston-Salem and built 180 houses that it sold at cost to workers that formed a development called “Reynoldstown.” By the time R.J Reynolds died in 1918, his company owned 121 buildings in Winston-Salem.

In 1920, with a population of 48,395, Winston-Salem was the largest city in North Carolina.

In 1929, the Reynolds Building headquarters was completed and the 314 feet skyscraper was the tallest building in the United States south of Baltimore, Maryland. The building is well known for being the predecessor and prototype for the much larger Empire State Building that was built in 1931 in New York City.

While in Winston-Salem we found plenty to see and do. We began by exploring Old Salem, only a few blocks from my son’s apartment. The most famous landmark in Old Salem is the tin Coffee Pot that was built in 1858 as an advertisement for a local tin shop. The massive tin coffee pot was an overnight

sensation for locals and visitors alike. At just over 7 feet tall, the giant kettle can hold up to 740 gallons, or about 11,840 cups of brew.

Winkler Bakery located in Old Salem is the oldest continually operating bakery in America. In 1799, the Moravian Church built a bakery with a living area for the baker and his family. In 1807, a Swissborn baker named Christian Winkler bought the

bakery. Brother Winkler, his wife Elizabeth, and their six children would live and work in this house for the rest of their lives. Winkler descendants resided and worked in the bakery for generations afterward.

Winkler Bakery’s oven is still heated with wood, as it was nearly 200 years ago. Period costumed workers are ready to greet you at the door with freshly baked samples of the sweet and buttery Moravian sugar cake, rosemary bread, and cookies. We tried the sugar cake, which is like an elephant ear, but even more delicious.

Back in Winston-Salem, The Coal Pit at the Innovation Quarter, once housed the coal that fueled the factories and warehouses of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. This massive structure in the center of town is now home to food and drink hotspots Cugino Forno Pizzeria, Incendiary Brewing Company and Black Mountain Chocolate and has helped revitalize Winston-Salem’s downtown area. During our first night in town, we sampled a hazy IPA at Incendiary Brewing Co and enjoyed a wonderful wood-fired pizza at Cugino Forno, while sitting in their large outdoor courtyard that allows dogs.

The 1917 Reynolda House, was once the RJ Reynolds mansion surrounded by 100 plus acres of woods and gardens. The historic house is now a museum and many of the old surrounding buildings have been converted into upscale boutiques. We hiked a few miles on the gorgeous trails winding through the woods around the mansion.

One of the businesses on the grounds is Dough-Jo’s Donuts and Coffee where each donut is made to order fresh while you wait and served warm!

Downtown is full of great breweries and we checked out a few. Wise Man Brewing Company offered green beer with festive bluegrass music played by the Jesse Fox Band playing on the St. Patrick’s Day evening we were there.

We dinned one evening at Mozelle’s Fresh Southern Bistro, a great upscale restaurant specializing in southern faire. I ordered the meatloaf with creamy grits and green beans - it was delicious.

Joyner’s is an interesting bar located in a refurbished 1890’s grocery store, designed with a Prohibition Era “speakeasy” atmosphere.

One rainy morning, we hiked around Rocky Creek at Salem Lake, with my son Sam, and his dog Winnie. Salem Lake is a medium sized lake surrounded by a packed dirt trail for biking and walking.

Young Cardinal Cafe and Co. is a great choice for breakfast. The short line out the door went fast and was well worth the wait.

Nearby is one of the best bookstores I have been to in quite awhile, Bookmarks Bookstore. It is tucked down an alley with walls adorned with dozens of sketches of authors who have done readings at the store.

Winston-Salem is a lively historic area that has much to offer. You may want to plan a long weekend, as we felt like we barely scratched the surface on our weekend trip.

Mark Twain Comes to Kalamazoo!

Mark Twain came to Kalamazoo on a wintery night December 16, 1871. He had just performed in Lansing on December 14 and Grand Rapids on December 15. There were rumors of Twain taking a stagecoach along the old deteriorating Plank Road from Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo and complaining of the rough ride but the train between the two cities was completed in 1870 and it’s more likely he would have taken the train.

Twain spoke at the Union Hall which was on the second floor of a building on Portage St just south of what is now E. Michigan. Union Hall operated from 1866-1881 and later became the Opera House.

Twains talk drew a sharply divided reaction in the local newspapers. The Kalamazoo Telegraph hated the performance, while the Gazette claimed Sam “enchanted” and “convulsed” the audience. Here is an excerpt from the review included in The Kalamazoo Telegraph:

“Union hall was crowded, the body of the house, galleries and aisles all filled Saturday evening by an audience gathered from neighboring towns as well as Kalamazoo to listen to Samuel L. Clemens’ (better known as Mark Twain) lecture on Artemas Ward.* No lecturer that has visited Kalamazoo, unless Gough* be excepted, ever drew together a larger or more cultivated audience and no lecturer we regret to say, ever more completely disappoint-

ed his hearers. The substitute for a lecture which Mr. Clemens placed upon his audience was an insult to their intelligence and capacity. We have no ill will toward Mark Twain. On the contrary, we attended the lecture very friendly disposed, having read his writings with pleasure and regard his Innocents Abroad as containing more real than any book ever published in America. But we are compelled to pronounce his performance Saturday evening an imposition on both the Young Men’s Library Association and the audience who listened to it. This is not Twain’s first season on the lecture platform. Heretofore he has demonstrated his ability to give constructive and entertaining lectures, but in resorting to such a makeshift as we heard Saturday night, he is guilty of obtaining money from the Society and the public under false pretenses. Capable of furnishing a good lecture, Mr. Clemons had no right to impose upon his heaters any such desultory trash as they were subjected to. They had a right to hear something they were coming out to hear, and if he is too lazy or unmindful to do justice to himself or an audience he ought not to lecture at all.

He should have given the lecture he contracted to deliver or something equally good, in his stay and not put us off with a rambling, disconnected talk about a hackneyed subject, sans information, sans souse. It is the duty of the press to expose such impositions, and if other journals remain silent, we shall not. “

*Charles Farrar Browne (1834-1867) was an American humor writer, better known under his pen name, Artemus Ward. The fictional Ward was, as a character, an illiterate rube with “Yankee common sense” which Browne also played in public

performances. He is considered to be America’s first stand-up comedian and was a favorite of Abraham Lincoln.

When Browne performed in Virginia City, Nevada, he met Mark Twain and the two became friends. In his correspondence with Twain, Legend has it that, following a stage performance there, Browne and Twain, were trekking on a (drunken) rooftop tour of Virginia City until a town constable threatened to blast them with a shotgun loaded with rock salt.

*John Bartholomew Gough (1817-1886) was an English lecturer and temperance reformer. Originally born in Kent, England, he immigrated to the United States with his family at the age of 12. He was a drunkard as a young man, but reformed himself after attending a temperance meeting in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1842. He then began a career as a temperance lecturer, traveling throughout America, Canada and the British Isles. He was one of the most famous public speakers of the late 19th century.

Steve Ellis