Angeline Boulley, author of “Firekeeper’s Daughter” and “Warrior Girl Unearthed,” will speak Monday, October 23 at the Vicksburg Performing Arts Center.
Pre-registration is required but there is no cost for the 6 p.m. event.
“Firekeeper’s Daughter” quickly became a #1 New York Times bestseller. It’s been selected as the Great Michigan Read for 2023 and has won the Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature, the Printz Award, the William C. Morris Award for YA debut literature, and was also an American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book.
“The ability to host a prominent author like Angeline Boulley is the result of a strong community partnership with the Vicksburg District Library and local independent bookstore, Gilbert and Ivy,” said Syd Bastos, interim executive director of the Vicksburg Cultural Arts Center. “We see her books as the perfect complement to the Center’s Destinations Series which is focusing this year on indigenous nations.”
Boulley, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, is a storyteller who writes about her Ojibwe community in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She is a former director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education. Angeline lives in southwest Michigan, but her home will always be on Sugar Island.
Seats may be reserved by registering at: the Vicksburg District Library, 215 S. Michigan St.; (269) 649-1648; Gilbert and Ivy, 111 West Prairie St. (269) 475-5747; or online at https://tinyurl.com/ABauthorvisit.
Copies of both “Firekeeper’s Daughter” and “Warrior Girl Unearthed” will be available for purchase and signing during the event. Advanced copies can be reserved during the registration process or at Gilbert and Ivy located at 111 West Prairie Street in Vicksburg, Michigan.
The event is presented to the community by: Gilbert and Ivy, The Vicksburg Cultural Arts Center and Vicksburg District Library. This project is funded in part by Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
In “The Firekeeper’s Daughter,” Daunis Fontaine, a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, has never quite fit in—both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When her family is struck by tragedy, Daunis puts her dreams on hold to care for her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother’s hockey team.
Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug.
Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. But the search for truth is more complicated than Daunis imagined, exposing secrets and old scars. At the same time, she grows concerned with an investigation that seems more focused on punishing the offenders than protecting the victims.
Now, as the deceptions—and deaths—keep growing, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go for her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.
Vicksburg Hardware, Steve Schimp and John DeBault.
For the past 35 years Vicksburg’s downtown hardware store has been run by Steve and Brenda Schimp. That era is coming to a close with the sale of the building to Paper City Development and the business to John and Melani Debault.
John, the son of John and Deb Debault, owners of Rise N Dine across Main Street, has worked in the restaurant for years and knows the downtown area and many residents.
Steve Schimp has been the man at the hardware store counters and in the aisle. Brenda tended to the financial side of things. The business has seen ups and downs and a number of changes during their tenure. The store was changed from a True Value store to a Do It Best store. They faced difficult times when the paper mill closed. They faced the Covid pandemic and rebounded with improvements and continued growth of the community.
“The paper mill was our number one customer before it ceased operations,” Steve said. “The closing forced a lot of customers to relocate to find new employment as well. Those were difficult times.”
“We thought Covid would be devastating, but the pandemic proved to be very fruitful for us. We adapted quickly by taking orders over the phone and delivering the goods to the curb to help keep people safer through those uncertain times.
“The Village of Vicksburg has continued to make great investments in our downtown and around the entire village, which has seen new business move in and new families as well. Steve said, “we have benefitted from these improvements and additions, making our last three years our best years.”
“We have focused on customer service and our small-town atmosphere in providing an experience that can be hard to provide in a massive building and a huge parking lot,” according to Steve, “and we’ve worked hard to make sure that personal service continues to be available here.” Flexibility is also credited with being a longstanding part of the community. “We used to sell a lot of small appliances, toasters and such,” Steve said, “but people now look for those elsewhere. New technology has made do-it-yourself projects easier, and we’ve stepped up in the areas of plumbing and electrical. We carry a wide variety of things from tools to garden supplies, and we have things like flags and signs that customers refer to as “fun things.”
Steve said he’ll miss the customers and the detective work involved in trying to help resolve issues with the proper parts and supplies. But he said he and Brenda are ready for the next phase of their lives. He sees travel in their future before slowing down and perhaps looking for different ways to stay involved in the community. “Brenda and I will never be able to express our gratitude and appreciation for all the support we’ve had over the past 35 years,” Steve said with a sigh.
And while the change is substantial, John and Melani Debault will make every effort to continue things as they are. “It’s not broken so don’t change it.”
John and Melani will share the responsibilities as the Schimps did, with John being on the floor and Melani handling the financial side of the business. John said they will have to remain vigilant and flexible as trends change to make sure that what the customer wants is what they find on the shelves.
The sale of the business was conducted through Paper City Development LLC. It purchased the buildings and business from the Schimps, and the same day sold the business to the DeBaults. Paper City will retain the building.
The Schimps had approached Paper City and its owner, Vicksburg native Chris Moore, in 2021 about buying the business.
“Chris and his team are doing an outstanding job restoring downtown’s old buildings, and he understands the importance of having an amenity such as a hardware store downtown, so I’m happy to pass the torch to them,” said Steve Schimp.
The sale of the building comes just over a year after the village’s Vicksburg Historic District was named to the National Register of Historic Places list. The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office informed the Village of Vicksburg in August last year that its historic district’s 130+ buildings were officially placed on the National Register. The Register is the official list of the nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Each listing provides a formal recognition of a property’s historical, architectural, or archaeological significance to its community and collective history of the state.
Moore, owner of the under-development mixed-use Mill at Vicksburg, as well as downtown Vicksburg’s Mackenzies Bakery, wasn’t looking to acquire the business or building, but he jumped at the chance to pursue the opportunity after being approached by Schimp. Moore has a passion for not only celebrating the Village’s recent designation on the National Register of Historic Places but ensuring that downtown has a vibrant business district.
“I’m not looking to own a hardware store, but I am looking to ensure Vicksburg Hardware continues in Vicksburg,” said Chris Moore. “Preserving these beautiful buildings in the Vicksburg Historic District that have gracefully looked over downtown since the late 1880s is especially important to me. I’m of the opinion that people enjoy visiting and living in beautiful old buildings in places such as our historic downtown. I’m delighted that Steve trusted me and the team by approaching us with the opportunity to purchase the buildings and business and I couldn’t be happier to have the DeBaults as the new store owners.”
South County Homebrew Supply, a brewing supply store located on the first floor of the 116 S. Main building, is not affected by this deal—although Paper City will become its landlord. South County Homebrew Supply is owned and operated by Dane Bosel, who also owns the local brewery Distant Whistle, which neighbors the property.
Bosel also expressed appreciation in keeping the buildings under local ownership.
“I’m glad these buildings will stay in local hands, and I remain confident that Chris and the Paper City team will do great things to the buildings,” said Dane Bosel.
Paper City doesn’t intend to engage in substantial renovation efforts of the property in the immediate future, but they do intend to make significant financial investments for interior and exterior repairs to help ensure the building will stand for many generations. That approach is like what they’ve done with past building acquisitions. Over the past few years Paper City has invested $225,000 toward stabilizing the 106, 108 and 110 S. Main buildings by replacing the roofs and spent substantial amounts to renovate the buildings at 101 and 103 E Prairie Street.
Kalamazoo County State Bank has honored its president and CEO, D. Scott Hines, for his 20th anniversary at the bank, which is observing its 115th anniversary.
“It’s hard to believe that I have been in banking for 36 years,” said Hines. “It seems like a short time ago, but now 20 years have passed since talking with then-CEO Jim MacPhee about a possible move to KCSB.“
Hines had worked for 16 years at First National Bank of Three Rivers, working up to senior vice president and chief financial officer. “Jim and I discussed working for KCSB, and shortly after, I started my new career at KCSB in August of 2003. I soon realized that the move to KCSB was the right job move for me.”
Hines was promoted to bank president in 2015 and also to CEO in 2016. “It’s been a fun and challenging 7½ years as KCSB president and CEO,” said Hines. “Since taking over as president and CEO, the bank has grown by about 35% with assets holding steady around $125 million. We came through the COVID pandemic in good shape, and we are now working our way through this inflationary period in which we have seen the quickest interest rate increases in over 40 years. Banking has been a wonderful career for me. It is satisfying to help so many people meet their financial goals, whether that be business owners or consumer customers.”
Hines has a master’s of business administration in finance from Western Michigan University and a bachelor of science in business administration from Olivet Nazarene University, Illinois.
Hines serves on the board of the Schoolcraft Downtown Development Authority, is a past long-time member of Rotary and Jaycees and past board member and treasurer of his church. Scott and his wife, Laurie, have two daughters. They live in Three Rivers.
Due to changes in fundraising trends, United Way of South Central Michigan is no longer supporting community fundraising for United Way in Vicksburg, Gull Lake, Comstock or Galesburg-Augusta. As a result, the local Vicksburg United Way committee recently made its final distribution to the following organizations which submitted a grant request for funds raised in 2022: Vicksburg High School’s Bulldog Fueling Stations for VHS athletes; Friends of Vicksburg Youth for re-development of Camp Char Le Maude on Barton Lake; Generous Hands for Backpack Bonanza; and The Vicksburg Cultural Arts Center to support its local nature camp and the upcoming Indigenous Nations children’s workshops.
United Way has re-organized itself with the goal of gaining greater impact. The organization expects to have a single more efficient and effective administration, tap into new funding at the federal, state and local levels, and strengthen the organization’s expertise. Rebranded as United Way of South Central Michigan, it now includes Calhoun, Clinton, Eaton, Ingham, Jackson and Kalamazoo counties. The focus of United Way continues to support education, financial stability, health, and families who have difficulty meeting basic needs. South County Community Services is South County’s only basic needs provider and receives significant funding from United Way. United Way funds the 2-1-1 link for those in need and also provided $3 million in disaster relief during the pandemic.
South County residents are encouraged to participate in maintaining this essential safety net by donating at their workplace. If you are a South County resident who does not have access to workplace giving this year and you want to continue supporting United Way, contact Karen Townsend at k.townsend@UWSCMI.org.
This piece is called Tangled, created by Emma, Addison, MacKenzie, and Jordan.
By Amy Schmidt, board member, Vicksburg Fine Arts Boosters
With the new school year starting, the Vicksburg Fine Arts Boosters (VFAB) are disbursing funds to support programs and gearing up for another fun year of activities.
The Take a Seat for the Arts fundraiser from the end of last school year was a great success for its inaugural event. The fundraiser engaged AP Art students and community supporters to create one-of-a-kind chairs and stools to auction off during the Celebration of the Arts at Vicksburg High School in April. Thanks to all who supported this event, VFAB is able to give $500 each to Anna Lacey’s Art program, Jake Biernacki’s Art program, Dustin Morris’s Choir program, and Tony Lindeman’s Photography program.
If you have children in any Vicksburg schools’ Fine Arts Program or are a community member interested in supporting these programs, please consider joining one of our meetings on the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at Main Street Pub. You can also reach out with an email to VicksburgFAB@gmail.com.
We are so lucky to live in a community that encourages and supports the arts for our kids!
Kalamazoo County State Bank has elevated Vicksburg Branch Manager Makenzie Cail to an officer of the bank.
Bank President and CEO Scott Hines said Cail “embodies what we expect of a bank officer which includes a keen understanding of our customers’ needs, our products and services and the culture of our bank. She excels in leadership, communication skills and community service. These qualities are essential as we continue to grow our local community bank.”
Cail was promoted to Vicksburg branch manager in 2021. She joined the bank in 2017 as a part-time teller while still in school. Later that year, she began her full-time career as a personal banker where her skill for understanding her customers’ needs along with the services available to help fulfill those needs quickly became apparent. Cail was honored as employee of the year in 2018.
Graduating from Schoolcraft High School, Cail attended Kalamazoo Valley Community College for general studies. She participates in the bank’s Volunteer Committee and generously gives her time volunteering in community activities such as organizing drives and galvanizing staff to help with volunteer events in Vicksburg.
