Winners of the 2017 horseshoe pitching contest were Bob Gettys, on the left in a blue shirt, and his partner, Bryan Wolthuis, wearing a white shirt. Wolthuis is the son-in-law of three-time winner Scott “Stubby” Haynes. Bob and Bryan beat Stubby and Scott Plankenhorn in the finals to take home the trophy. Both were first-time winners. Horseshoe competition is good for bragging rights all year long, according to chairperson Brett Grossman.
“I have been told that at 80 pitchers for the Vicksburg B & B horseshoe tournament, it’s the largest organized event of its kind in the state,” Grossman said. ”What’s remarkable is that last year we had 75 men and five women sign up in advance and all 80 of them were there for an 11 a.m. start on Saturday morning.”
“For the cornhole competition we had 92 participants for the second year in a row. We hope to have a full slate of 100 this year,” he said. That contest kicks off at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 27.
Vicksburg District Library’s staff includes from left to right: Lisa Stafford, Eric Hansen, and Adrianne Schinkai.
Change in the library world are not glacial. To prove it, the Vicksburg District Library is announcing big staff changes that took place in June.
Eric Hansen will fill the role of director left by the retiring John Sheridan. Hansen is a 2010 graduate of the University of Michigan School of Information. Before switching career tracks, he graduated from Western Michigan University’s (WMU) College of Arts and Sciences and taught courses in English composition, public speaking and creative writing at several colleges. He has worked for the University of Michigan Libraries, Grand Rapids Public Library and the Special Collections and University Archives at Grand Valley State University.
He is expecting to offer internet access to the piles of yearbooks in the library collection from the late 1930s to 1989 as they get scanned into the library database. The library also has decades of scrapbooks and items in storage that people drop off to offer online so a member can access from home.
Hansen and his wife, Margaret, have been married for 13 years. They have a seven-year-old son, Oscar, who will enter second grade this fall. They enjoy completing 5K runs such as the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and the yearly Thanksgiving Gobble Wobble to raise money for the West Michigan Kids’ Food Basket program.
Hansen explains, “The role of the library has to include serving as a community center. Our library has programs to connect adults and senior citizens, junior high and high school youth, and children from pre-school to elementary age. It’s also a great place to discover new movies, music, and books to discuss with friends.”
Adrianne Schinkai will replace Hansen as Head of Circulation and Reference. Schinkai is a graduate of Wayne State University and WMU. She comes from a background of providing services and programs to a variety of ages in both academic and public libraries. Her prior experience includes working at the Lansing Community College library, Wayne Public Library, Madonna University Library and WMU’s Waldo Library.
Of her new position at the Vicksburg Library, she said, “I have always felt that the public library is an incredible resource for a city or town, no matter how big or small. My mission is to show Vicksburg and its surrounding communities what resources we can provide for them besides just books. Libraries are changing mediums nowadays and can do so many wonderful things. That’s why I love being a librarian!”
Schinkai lives with her husband and daughter and a variety of pets. She lovingly refers to her home as “The Zoo.” During her spare time, she enjoys traveling, reading, cooking and baking and crocheting. She is a die-hard fan of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and her favorite book this year is Circe by Madeline Miller. Schinkai also enjoys writing fiction and participating in National Novel Writing Month.
Lisa Stafford is Vicksburg District Library’s new clerk. Stafford has been a Vicksburg resident for six years and lives with her husband Nick, their two children, Zoe and Caleb, and two kitties. She enjoys growing fresh vegetables in her garden, trying new recipes, exercising at the gym, spending time with family, and reading with a nice cup of tea. She said, “Going to the library was always a big part of my life as a child. I am very excited to serve my community as a member of the library staff.”
Members of the Thespian Society dance and sing as they perform in Cabaret. Photo by Melissa Sparks.
By Sue Moore
Friends and family is the musical theme of a lively show by a group of Vicksburg High School drama and musical performers in “It’s a Cabaret: Friends and Family Night”. It will take place at the Community Pavilion on July 11, opening at 6:30 p.m. with the show at 7 p.m.
“The public will love this fast-paced dinner-theatre type of show,” said Melissa Sparks, theater director for Vicksburg Community Schools. It includes dinner as well as the show, with tickets $10 and available that night. Walk-ins are welcome, she said.
Singers and dancers, from the high school’s International Thespian Society, Troupe 8147 will perform musical theater songs. In addition, Vicksburg theater alumni will perform and announce scenes and songs from next year’s lineup for school theater productions, Sparks said. “It provides the audience a chance to see what our alums are doing now.
And our current students get an opportunity to see how these songs and scenes could be performed. The current Thespian students sing musical theater songs from other shows, all under the theme of friends and family,” Sparks commented.
Since there are no drama classes at Vicksburg High School, Sparks wanted an opportunity for more educational enrichment for her theater students outside of school time. “This was the best solution,” she said. “Since our inception, these students have had master class workshops with Broadway stars, recording artists, world-class musical directors, and Vicksburg theater alumni. We’ve taken trips for additional enrichment, including to Chicago.”
They just returned from a trip to the Stratford Festival in Canada, where they attended performances and workshops with their exceptional performing artists. “For ‘It’s a Cabaret’, we rehearse during the summer and this is our summer fundraiser.” However, during the school year the Thespian Society meets for other purposes: fundraising, service projects, education and outreach.
This troupe also provides service to Vicksburg Theatre and the Vicksburg Arts Community. It organizes props and costume storage, creates and provides fundraising for the theater program and assists in various performances at the Performing Arts Center, including mentoring the 4-8th grade fall musical. Membership invitations are extended based on hard work in the program and earning points. The troupe was formed in 2012 by Sparks as an honor society for high school and middle school theater students. There are over 2.3 million high school students in the International Thespian Society.
Seating at the pavilion will be on picnic tables and people are welcome to bring their own chairs if that would be more comfortable for the 1 1/2-hour show, Sparks said. The food is made and provided by members of the local International Thespian Society. This summer’s show will be barbecue style, with pulled pork, hot dogs, cold salads, fruit, dessert, lemonade and iced tea. The fundraising is for Vicksburg Community Schools’ theater program.
By Sue Moore
