By Sue Moore
I write this while I am dog tired from pumping out lots of news items about great people in Vicksburg and Schoolcraft. By tomorrow when the deadlines have passed, it will feel good, having given birth one more time to the monthly South County News. It will all be worth it.
This small-town newspaper marks the end of its sixth year of publication and is launching into year seven with the June edition. Most prognosticators would have predicted an early demise for a hard-copy local paper that focuses only on local news. But here we are, planning to keep it sustained through many more years.
The recipients of this free newspaper have donated generously to keep it going over the six years and for that the staff is totally grateful. What is really important to us is the ability to document the activities of our communities with people stories, government reporting and a business roundup. This will live on long after I’ve given up the job and we are able to recruit new writers and editors.
Until then, we appreciate your confidence in the staff who all work from their homes to lower the overhead costs while bringing the news to you with each monthly publication.
More New Businesses in Vicksburg
It’s been a banner year for start-ups in the village with three new stores featured in this June edition. Next month we will report on the new restaurant, Michelle’s, which opened in May in the R&R Weddings and Events center building, and Apple Knockers’ new digs on Sunset Lake.
Clay Target Team Records
This is the season for honoring student achievements in many different avenues. One such is the Michigan HS Clay Target League All State team members from Vicksburg. They are Jeffrey Hoagg*, Owen Moberley*, Andrew Pratt, Glen Rhyner, Trevor Young*, Eliot Pierce, Jackson Bowles, Lucas Cannizzaro and Caleb Kosak. These athletes are in the top 100 out of 1,520 athletes on 72 teams competing in the state of Michigan. Athletes had to compete in all five competition weeks and average 21.7 targets hit or higher during those weeks. The asterisks mark returning All State athletes from 2018. Congratulations!
Village Clean-up Efforts
When it finally stops raining, it will be easier to notice all the work done by volunteers to do clean-up work around the villages in April and May. In Vicksburg, the Lions Club spearheads the clean-up of the Sunset Lake park and the Historic Village grounds. They get help from Rotary Club volunteers, Boy Scouts and Victorian Garden Club members with weeding, leaf raking, downed branches and other eyesores that can easily be removed. ChapNaz Church members held a day of service to clean up around the village. Suellen Lane and Julie Merrill planted flowers in Oswalt Park. The two villages’ trash pick-up is also a blessing for residents to get rid of the winter’s pile of detritus.
Traditions
The making of traditions in small towns is important for pride in ourselves and our community. Such are the Memorial Day observances in Fulton, Schoolcraft and Vicksburg. These brought a tear to my eye for what can only be looked at as the true meaning of remembrance. The Old Car Festival, the 4th of July festivities in Schoolcraft, the Lions Club B & B, the Rotary Club Showcase and the Christmas celebrations in both communities give meaning to living in a small town. It takes loads of volunteers to pull these off successfully, but somehow it gets done every year. Thanks to all who make this happen. It’s all about our quality of life in what Mercer Munn used say was the “Center of the Universe.”