by Justin Gibson | May 12, 2018 | Community, Vicksburg
By Sue Moore
Hungry for some fresh asparagus, rhubarb, maybe salad greens? It’s been seven and a half months since the Vicksburg Farmers’ Market closed for the season. It will be back in business each Friday of the week, beginning May 18 and going until the end of September, according to co-market manager Carol Meyer-Niedzwiecki.
It will be several weeks into operation before strawberries and other ripe fruits and vegetables become available at the market, she noted. For now, there will be beef, pork, lamb, eggs, honey, maple syrup, butter, cheese, gelato, bread, cookies, soaps and natural skin creams, just to name a few items available.
The market sits in the heart of the Vicksburg Historic Village alongside N. Richardson Street and will be open from 2 to 6 p.m. with food truck vendors providing delicious take-home meals or prepared food just to eat at the market.
Music offered by the Kalamazoo Folk Life Society will kick things off the first week and for most weeks after that. Their special brand of entertainment helps to energize all those folks looking to purchase fresh and wholesome fruits and vegetables. Their appearances each week are underwritten by the Main Street Pub and arranged by June Kucks, Vicksburg’s resident musician from the Society.
Over 35 vendors have signed up for the 2018 market with some old faithfuls and some new, largely unknown vendors. The market is embarking on its ninth year in Vicksburg and fourth year in the specially built community pavilion. It has a new split rail fence built around the east and south side by the Vicksburg Lions Club to further indicate parking places for customers, including handicap spaces.
The first Friday of the month from June through September will include a “Makers” group of vendors who sell crafts and homemade items. “The plan is to offer food demos on these first Fridays, much like we did with Creekside Grille and Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s culinary institute in 2017,” Meyer-Niedzwiecki said.
The market board is composed of local volunteers who help to grow the market each year. They are Bret Green, president; Kay Anderson, secretary; Kim Klein, treasurer; trustees John Kern, Joe Oswalt, Bob Smith, Rob Peterson, Kurt Wiley and Sheila Buitenhuis. The website is vicksburgfarmersmarket.com.
by Justin Gibson | May 12, 2018 | Community, Vicksburg
Donna Simonton displays her tomato crop from her Community Garden plot.
By Carol Meyer-Niedzwiecki
The flowers are in bloom brightening up the winter doldrums with splashes of color. Dreams of fresh veggies and herbs float through gardeners’ heads as they pore over seed catalogs and review the garden bounty from last season. April is all about clearing out the unwanted, digging in what was left behind to add to the richness of the soil running through gardeners’ fingers and rakes.
The Vicksburg Garden Network is inviting new gardeners to join them for the exercise, fresh air, good times with fellow gardeners learning new tricks and getting inspired. Plots are now available in the Heritage Garden, located in the Vicksburg Historic Village, and the Pantry Garden, located next to the Leja Business park.
Anyone with an interest in eating as local as it gets, munching a salad grown with your own hands, cooking with herbs guaranteed to spice up many a dish? For info on getting involved, call Carol (269) 568-0580. What could be better than a free plot and quality time spent with others in the great outdoors right here in the village of Vicksburg?
by Justin Gibson | May 12, 2018 | Community, Vicksburg
By Sue Moore
The 31st running of the 5K Hearty Hustle takes place on Saturday, May 12 at Vicksburg High School with a new twist for all registrants. Called the Vicksburg Community School Challenge, it allows each runner to select one of the five Vicksburg schools in the district as their favorite, giving each school a chance to win a $500 prize for the most runners entered.
The high school, middle school, Sunset, Tobey, and Indian Lake are of different size. The winning school will be determined by the number of registrations compared to the school’s student population. It’s the year of encouraging students, their parents, grandparents and friends to be a part of the fun and family feeling that the Hearty Hustle has been known for, according to the organizing team.
The run/walk was started in 1987 by Bronson Hospital in Vicksburg as a way to encourage the community to get out, get running and stay healthy. Danna Downing chaired it for the hospital and Tonya Nash chaired it for community education. They became the spark plugs as the run progressed through the years and became successful, with up to 400 participants when the weather cooperated. With the retirements of Downing and Nash, the Vicksburg Community Schools Foundation (VCSF) agreed to administer the race with members of the board planning and staging it for the last several years.
All the other fun features of the race will still be in effect with the starting gate set for 9 a.m. at the high school. Runners will be traversing the village of Vicksburg streets and ending up at the high school stadium. Mike Roy, Vicksburg’s athletic director, has been the race announcer for over 15 years, bellowing out the runner’s name and number as they enter the home stretch in the stadium. Water, food and congratulations will greet each person at the finish line with prizes awarded to the top four first place overall winners, four masters’ winners, 28 divisional winners and raffle prizes. A Baby Bolt is scheduled for 10 a.m. in the middle of the stadium field for children four and under, just to give them a feel for learning to run.
Race sponsors include Bronson Hospital and the Tina Hayward family. At the $250 donation level are L & L Driving School, Vicksburg Lions Club, Greenstone farm Credit Services, Lysters Roofing, Edward Jones Investment; Ozland Enterprises, Kalsee Credit Union, Grossman Law Office, Ronningen Research, Paper City Development and Frederick Construction.
Registration can take place online at https://runsignup.com/Race/MI/Vicksburg/VicksburgHeartyHustle. The cost is $20 for each runner and $15 for students under 18 or seniors until May 10. For further information, contact Beth O’Rouke at 269-321-1006.
by Justin Gibson | May 12, 2018 | Community, Vicksburg
The Vicksburg Area Chamber of Commerce is presenting its first Job Fair May 19 to provide an opportunity for area residents to explore new career opportunities.
The event at the Vicksburg High School gym will begin at 10 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. Businesses and vendors participating in the job fair so far include small companies such as Vicksburg Family Home Care, Angels Crossing and Creekside Grille. Larger corporations in attendance include Summit Polymers and Kaiser Aluminum.
This event is free to job seekers wishing to discover employment opportunities. It offers opportunities for local businesses and Chamber members to showcase their offerings. Spaces for vendors are still available. Contact June Downing at june.downing@mccallumaccounting.com, or Mandy Miller at (269)271-3437 for more information or to register for the event.
by Justin Gibson | May 12, 2018 | Vicksburg
John Sheridan checks on a book at the Vicksburg District Library.
By Eric Hansen
When John Sheridan first came to Vicksburg, he was struck by how friendly the people can be. In December 2012, he came to interview with the Library Board for a position as its new director.
Before the long drive back to Birch Run he decided to walk around the town. He discovered one of the defining characteristics of Vicksburg’s citizens: They did not know John, but they greeted him with warmth and friendliness.
Sheridan explained that the library, “is becoming more of a community center. We still provide books, audiobooks, DVDs, and other resources.” This emphasis on community is important for the success of the library because patrons rely on their smartphone and home internet access for research more than in the past.
“However, libraries are still an ideal place to find books and do research because the staff has years of daily experience helping with information searches. Library employees are uniquely qualified to help the community find information that is well-researched, peer-reviewed and trustworthy. Staff are also well-informed about the newest books and movies that are available,” he explained.
As Sheridan nears retirement he is thinking back on years of pleasant memories and successful hard work completed with the library. When he began, there were two or three programs that met perhaps five times a week. Now the library often hosts 10 to 15 meetings in a given week. These include community-building programs such as story times and play groups for small children, book groups and film showings for adults and youth, an active creative writing group, the Brown Bag Lunch program and an inter-community Library Hop with 19 participating southwest Michigan libraries.
In Sheridan’s time with the library, he has made a priority of improving its services and infrastructure. When he began, he could see that the building needed attention. He has led the library through replacing the roof, remodeling the interior with new paint and carpeting, revising the DVD shelving system to make it easier for patrons and staff to use and replacing the aging phone system. He has seen to it that the computer systems are updated and solicited donations to completely replace the heating and cooling system.
Community engagement is the reason why Sheridan and the library have been so successful. Citizens in Vicksburg have shown a great willingness to participate in programs like the library’s English literacy tutoring program through the Kalamazoo Literacy Council. Other patrons assist through the Ladies’ Library Auxiliary. Patrons also donate hundreds of books every year for an annual book sale, and many patrons donate money when paying for photocopies.
Sheridan has also created plans for a massive upload of historical newspapers from 1880 to 1950, Vicksburg High’s yearbooks from 1950 to 1989, and the library’s collection of obituaries. Library staff expect to complete uploading these items during 2018 and 2019.
“The impact of these changes is important for the comfort and security of patrons and staff,” he said. Sheridan has created lists of projected changes to continue after his June retirement. These plans include improving the existing elevator system and purchasing a new internet server and electronic building sign to announce events.
Office Manager Linda Adams summarized Sheridan’s impact on the library, characterizing him as a “manager who does not micromanage,” and said, “We have been fortunate to have this luxury. We have been allowed to be creative and we have been entrusted to perform tasks set before us so that we can take the initiative and do our best.”
Vicksburg community members are invited to enjoy refreshments at Sheridan’s retirement open house on June 29th from 2 to 4 p.m. at the library.
by Justin Gibson | May 12, 2018 | Community, Vicksburg
Eagle Scouts at their Honor Count ceremony, left to right: Brendon Thomas, Tyler Sands, State Representative Dave Maturen, State Senator Margaret O’Brien, Connor Seifert, Jason Thomas.
By Sue Moore
Boy Scout Troop 253 rolled out the colors for an Eagle Scout ceremony to honor four boys in their troop who have recently attained the rank of Eagle Scout. The troop, sponsored by Lakeland Reformed Church, honored Brandon and Jason Thomas, Tyler Sands and Connor Seifert on April 21.
The Thomas brothers and Sands finished their requirements earlier but waited for Seifert to catch up with them before scheduling the ceremony. “These guys have been patient with me. What we started together 12 years ago, we wanted to finish together,” Seifert said. “It lets the younger scouts see what they can be doing and try to achieve when they see us become Eagle Scouts.”
All four honorees are seniors at Vicksburg High School and active in school events. Brandon and Jason Thomas are in the band, playing trumpet and alto sax, respectively. They are on the Clay Shooting team along with Sands and more than 60 other participants. Seifert has played basketball, lacrosse and tennis while finishing in the top 10 percent of his graduating class.
Jason Thomas chose the parking lot at Pavilion Township hall needing improvement for his Eagle Scout project. He worked with Supervisor Patrick White to bring in new gravel, all of which was donated. Clay Rhodes and his dad helped level the gravel with their Bobcat, thus beautifying the site and making it more accessible for township residents. Thomas intends to go into environmental sustainability at Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC).
Brandon Thomas planted 1,200 seedlings at the Gourdneck State Game area in Portage. The planting included blue spruce, white pine and ferns. He worked with his dad, Todd Thomas, whom he credits with being his mentor. He was also a leader as cubmaster in the early years of scouting for the Thomas twins. Brandon’s plans are to enroll in general education courses at KVCC until he decides what his future might be.
Tyler Sands built rabbit shelters at the Gourdneck State Game area. He was assisted by Mark Mills and Sarah Topp with marking trees to be cut down. Then Sands brought in 50 volunteers to stack the brush in various spots for the rabbit shelters. That also helps to maintain the grass lands in the game area and allows new trees to grow, Sands said. He took a Education for Employment course in wildlife management through Kalamazoo RESA while in high school.
Connor Seifert scripted and made two autism videos for his Eagle Scout project. His plans are to attend Western Michigan University in the fall and study engineering or aviation.
