The Mill at Vicksburg is once again sponsoring our live entertainment tent with the Vicksburg High School Jazz Band performing from 10 a.m. to noon and then Uncle Charlie’s Band will be playing the best of the ‘90s from Noon-3 p.m.
Come visit the Clark Park Arts and Craft Show, the Library Book Sale and don’t forget the Pancake Breakfast at the Fire Station.
The Continentals, a Kalamazoo area baseball team will be playing ball on the north side of the sports field next to the Vicksburg Administration Building.
If you would like to help direct cars for a couple of hours on Saturday morning and watch the cars as they drive in, please call Skip at (269) 720-4144.
Barbara (Sult) and John (Johnny) Hoffman recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary at the home of their daughter, Heather, where they were joined by their children and grandchildren. Barbara and John were married on April 18, 1964. John graduated from Colon High School and Barbara graduated from Vicksburg High School. John worked at GM until retirement and Barbara was the owner of Silver Linings Day Care in Vicksburg. They are both members of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Three Rivers. The Hoffman’s family includes children David (Barbara) Hoffman, Teresa (Brian) Johnson, and Heather (Henry) Kite, and grandchildren Corey, Arminda and Lydia Johnson, Courtney and Casey Hoffman, and Tess and Sawyer Kite.
R.S. Deeren, author of “Enough to Lose: Stories”, designated a 2024 Michigan Notable Book, will visit the Vicksburg District Library on June 20 at 6 p.m. for a reading, conversation, and book signing. The Michigan Notable Books (MNB) program is “designed to promote the reading of Michigan authors and stories by annually selecting 20 titles that best reflect the diverse ethnic, historical, literary, and cultural experiences in the state.” This year, 13 MNB authors will visit 50 sites across Michigan.
“Enough to Lose: Stories” is a collection of short stories about working-class life in the rural Thumb region of Michigan. The book is available for checkout at the library and for purchase at Gilbert and Ivy. Books will also be available for purchase and signing at the event.
Vicksburg District Library’s Annual Book Sale
This year the Vicksburg District Library’s Annual Book Sale takes place on Friday, June 7, and Saturday, June 8, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and on Monday, June 10, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
People come to the book sale for the bargains. Most hardcovers are priced at 50 cents and paperbacks at 25 cents. New books are $2 or $3 for hardcovers and 75 cents for paperbacks. Collectible books are marked based on their value. On the final day of the sale shoppers can fill a bag with books for only $2. The book sale brings in a significant amount of money for the library. That money is set aside for the children’s summer reading program.
In addition to the usual selection of books, collectible books, DVDs, CDs, puzzles, and other items, this year there will be a large number of Civil War books in very good condition.
Summer Reading Program
The library’s Summer Reading Program begins on June 3. Anyone between the ages of zero and 18 is invited to pick up a reading tracker and an event calendar with a schedule of this summer’s fun events. Trackers must be turned in by July 30 for awards and drawings.
May 10, 2024 marked the ribbon cutting and opening of Vicksburg Makers Market, housed in the historic Reuben Smalley Building at 202 South Main Street in Vicksburg. During the event, Julie Merrill, proprietor, and Audrey Seilheimer, director and curator, visited with customers, answering questions and explaining the market’s setup.
The historic building, which Merrill has renovated and owned for over 20 years, offers a unique atmosphere and space for individual booths, each owned and operated independently.
Artist and vendor Jennie Holmes is confident in the business model. “This is something our village was missing.” The market currently hosts 28 makers, small businesses, and collectors. Seilheimer says that “new people email or stop by daily wanting to join as a vendor, so we have a waitlist.” This is encouraging, and Seilheimer is excited to be able to showcase creative work and encourage small business. “About half the vendors are from Vicksburg,” says Seilheimer. “The rest are from surrounding communities like Mattawan, Lawton, Climax and Three Rivers.” Each booth offers customized products, things like “Rosy Cheeked Vicksburg Gal” soap from goats’ milk, custom candles, and hand stitched quilted market tote bags designed by Vicksburg resident Katelyn Clarey. These are just a few of the unique items visitors will see at the market.
Merrill and Seilheimer have big plans for this space. In addition to the regular booths, the market will have visiting makers, artisans on display, and exhibits for shoppers to explore each month. The space also offers a “Makers Table” and catering counter for community members who want to host a workshop in the market for a small fee. Behind the market is the “Secret Garden,” a private courtyard designed by Merrill. This outdoor space will also be for rent for small gatherings and private parties.
At this time, the business will be open on weekends and during downtown events.
Weeks & Brumbaugh 5 and 10 Cent Store, 1950. Photo courtesy of the Vicksburg Historical Society.
By Maggie Snyder for Vicksburg Historical Society]
Not much is known – for sure – about 106 South Main. We first thought John Long built this one as well as 108 and 110, but now we have our doubts. Though it doesn’t look like it today, the building was originally of frame construction. It was separated from 108 by an open staircase on the south side for access to the second floor. The first map of the downtown area in our archives shows a building at that spot in 1872. However, the 1884 Sanborn Fire Map indicates it being veneered in brick, though the open staircase was still there. Did John Long own the building and update it to blend better with his other two structures? Who knows? We now wonder if L. L. Smith, a real estate agent and developer of the village’s Smith Addition, was the actual builder. Does it matter? No. The building shows attributes of 1870’s design, and it IS an important part of our downtown for all the memories contained within its walls.
Several businesses occupied 106 in the early days, mostly drug stores, grocery stores and clothing stores. But one that appeared on the scene in 1933 and lasted until 1981 is still a pleasant childhood memory for me, and probably many others.
Homer Brumbaugh began Brumbaugh’s 5 & 10 Cent Store in 1930 at 107 South Main, but moved across the street to 106 in 1933. Brumbaugh was joined by his son-in-law, Tom Weeks, when Weeks returned from World War II in 1946, and Weeks & Brumbaugh was born. We suspect this was when the open staircase was enclosed and blended into the façade of 108. After its 1981 closing, Seth Geim kept it going as the Vicksburg Variety Store until1983. Around 1985 the Dinzik family’s Malt Shop moved in and lasted a couple years. John Hill and Dick Masse then expanded Hill’s Drug Store into 106 and it remained part of Hill’s until purchased by Paper City LLC in 2017.
But back to my memories: Weeks & Brumbaugh’s was truly a magical place for a child. Row upon row of brightly colored goods lined the walls and filled the aisles. Clothing, dishes and housewares, pictures, school supplies, books, lamps, knickknacks, fabrics…and TOYS! Miles and miles, so it seemed, of shelves full of toys of every imaginable kind. Balls, coloring books, little purses, trucks and cars, stuffed animals – it was almost more than a little girl could bear. And it was ALWAYS full of people, a treat to a rather isolated country child. And then there was the candy counter. Right up by the door where you couldn’t miss it. The smell itself was wonderful, but the sight was beyond description. It held every imaginable kind of candy in bulk, as well as a vast selection of candy bars and gum. I was not allowed to buy candy but did notice that few adults, including my parents, got out of the store without at least a quarter’s worth of something in a little brown paper bag
When I was thought old enough to be trusted with a little money, I was given an allowance of a nickel a week. I grabbed my prize and headed straight to Weeks & Brumbaugh’s. However, my parents were a little behind the times and didn’t realize you couldn’t buy much for a nickel in the 1950s except candy, so I was given an Immediate raise. In the following weeks when we made our Friday trip to town a quarter rode in my little purse for seven miles, then went directly into the Weeks & Brumbaugh cash register after Homer or Irma Brumbaugh or Tom or Mary Weeks had allowed me ample time to seriously consider my weekly purchase.
Years pass and things change and now Dollar General probably gets its share of kid’s allowances. But I’m grateful Paper City is giving this fine old building another chance to make more memories.
Todd Glenn purchased Jaspare’s Pizza from Gaspare and Bina Scavone, hardworking Italian immigrants, for whom he worked in his high school years. Both Gaspare and Bina have since passed, but many of their traditions remain, Glenn says, “We still do all the prep work, making fresh dough, grating cheese, slicing fresh vegetables, and preparing the sauces each day.”
Today Jaspare’s in Vicksburg employs 25 people. An average day sees more than 200 takeout orders prepared. In the early days, Glenn provided a few smaller tables in the shop and 90% of the business was takeout and delivery. In 2016 the business acquired a space next-door. It was used as a dine-in room. A bar was added with acquisition of a liquor license in 2018.
Today, according to Glenn, “Dine in and takeout are divided nearly 50-50.” Glenn remains connected to other Jaspare’s in the region through franchising. “All the other franchises are individually owned and operated, but you’ll find the same sauces and freshness commitment at all of them.”
Recent changes have required Glenn to make changes and adjustments. The massive infrastructure improvements downtown were a challenge, first with the downtown under construction, then the pandemic, and most recently with the well-attended events that regularly fill the downtown streets.
Glenn took advantage of Vicksburg’s façade grant program to add a roll-up door to the dine-in/bar side of the business. According to Glenn, “It’s been great on nice days to make the dine-in experience more enjoyable. During events, it makes the traffic flow easier for patrons taking advantage of Vicksburg’s social district, and during peak sports seasons it extends the experience into our beautiful downtown.”
Jaspare’s has also added big screen televisions and screens to better serve the many Michigan sports fans wanting to see the Lions, Tigers, Red Wings, Pistons and to cheer on collegiate teams. During the University of Michigan’s recent national championship game, all the patrons signed a University of Michigan flag that proudly hangs in a prominent spot on the wall.
The recent uptick in business has forced some changes. According to Glenn, “The priority is always dine in customers, take-out orders, and deliveries. The combination of increased business and difficulty in finding and maintaining employees has forced us to limit deliveries to the village only, but the increased dining space has more of our customers joining us in person.”
While Glenn stays busy with his franchise responsibilities and adjusting to constantly challenging business and industry changes, day-to-day operations fall to general manager Derek Crouch. Crouch bounces between the take-out operation, dine-in customers and tending bar seamlessly while Brad Dunlap manages the prep work and the kitchen. Crouch tends a well-stocked bar ready for regulars and the ever-increasing tastes of the many attendees that visit the village during events. Glenn says, “Event nights in Vicksburg are a real boon to all the downtown businesses. It’s like adding an additional day’s revenue to the week.”
Another tradition that started with the Scavone family still thrives at Jaspare’s. “We stay involved in our community,” says Glenn. “We support our high school teams, we sponsor youth sports, Generous Hands, and local churches through donations and gift cards.” Glenn’s family is also keeping the tradition alive with sons Wyatt and Brody working in the restaurant, and wife Manal doing all the book work.
Asked about the future of Jaspare’s Glenn says, “We’re currently thinking through our use of space within the current footprint ,and additional franchising to add locations is certainly a possibility.” To learn more or to place an order visit https://vicksburg.jasparespizza.com or call (269) 649-3975.
