Encore November 2016

Four-legged farm hands

November 2016

Training police to listen

Meet Jim VandenBerg

Hip-Hop in Kalamazoo

Southwest Michigan’s Magazine

The Right Retreat Get away from it all close to home

Norm Hahn died in 2005.

Today his gifts are helping youth be successful in school, become self-sufficient and contribute to their community.

Norm was a generous, hard-working man who loved Kalamazoo.

He always encouraged people to be their best. His legacy is an Unrestricted Fund that addresses our community’s current needs, one of which is to help youth develop the skills they need to graduate from high school prepared for what comes next, whether that’s going to college, learning a trade or starting a career. Local nonprofits like Eastside Youth Strong, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kalamazoo and YMCA of Greater Kalamazoo strive to do just that. Unrestricted gifts — like Norm’s — are especially powerful because they become part of a permanent endowment and benefit Kalamazoo County forever. We can help you show your love for Kalamazoo and leave a legacy too. Call us at 269.381.4416 or visit us online at www.kalfound.org to learn how.

2 | Encore OCTOBER 2015

$8.5 billion* and change.

More often than not, change is driven by dissatisfaction. It can be as trivial as wanting a different hairstyle or as profound as wanting a different career. Tom DeMeester, however, was not seeking change. He had a great head of hair and a rewarding position with a large, prestigious wealth management firm. And yet, there he was, at the advice of trusted friends, speaking to us at length about the importance of reputation, technology and performance. Then leaning in as we, in turn, spoke about integrity, competence, and a culture that puts clients’ interests above all else.

Right then and there, Tom felt a pang of unease. His employer’s solid reputation notwithstanding, it was publicly traded and legally obligated to maximize profits for its shareholders.

At privately held Greenleaf Trust, client interests came first.

The distinction was key, and Tom soon after agreed to lead our new office in Grand Rapids. With the help of former colleague, John Grzybek (director of our new Family Office), Tom and the Greenleaf Trust team will provide clients with a truly integrated, multigenerational wealth management solution. That’s change for the better, driven by exceptionally high levels of client satisfaction. Today might be a good time for you, too, to make a change. All it takes is a call.

Financial Security from Generation to Generation

*Assets under advisement

211

south

rose

4 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

street

kalamazoo,

mi

49007

269.388.9800

CONTENTS

November

2016

FEATURES The Right Retreat

24

Horses, of Course

18

SW Michigan abounds with varying venues to get away from it all

Why small farmers are going back to four-legged help

DEPARTMENTS 7 Contributors

8 10 14

Up Front

First Things — What’s happening in SW Michigan Learning to Listen — Training gives police officers tools to help those with mental illness

Good Works

Dire Diaper Need — Diaper banks aim to provide the barest necessity

46 Back Story

Meet Jim VandenBerg — When things get bumpy, this car dealer just rolls with it

ARTS 30 Sparking a Blaze

Local hip-hop artists promote music to the world 34 The Velvelettes

This hometown Motown band is still garnering

acclaim

37 Events of Note 43 Poetry On the cover: The Stone Chapel at GilChrist, a retreat center of the Fetzer Institute, offers a unique and cozy meditation spot.

Photo by Brian Powers.

w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 5

Meyer & Allwardt CPA

Expert Services For Small Businesses

Training police to listen

Four-legged farm hands

Meet Jim VandenBerg

Hip-Hop in Kalamazoo

PC November 2016

Southwest Michigan’s Magazine

The Right Retreat

With 40 years of combined experience.

Get away from it all close to home

Small Business Accounting & Taxes Personal Income Tax Services QuickBooks Pro Advisors New Business Set-up

Meyer & Allwardt

4341 S. Westnedge Ave., Suite 1205 Kalamazoo MI 49008 (269) 343-9700

CPA

PC

Ralph Meyer, CPA & Mindy Allwardt, CPA

Trusted since 1942, Constance Brown Hearing Centers,

Meyer & Allwardt

where personalized service andPCtechnology meet CPA

PC

Editor

marie lee

Kalamazoo 1634 Gull Rd. Suite 201 269.343.2601

Meyer & Allwardt CPA

Publisher

encore publications, inc.

Portage 4855 W. Centre Ave. 269.372.2709 www.cbrown.org

Designer

alexis stubelt

Copy Editor

margaret deritter

Contributing Writers

tom chmielewski, andrew domino, marie lee, charles d. thomas, emily townsend, robert m. weir

Photographers

brian k. powers, melissa zeithammel

Advertising Sales

Built for a lifetime of relaxation…

celeste statler tiffany andrus krieg lee

Distribution

mark thompson

Office Coordinator/Proofreader hope smith

All pools built locally

by Vlietstra Bros.

4266 Ravine Rd. Kalamazoo, MI 49006 www.vlietstrabros.com

Encore Magazine is published 12 times yearly. Copyright 2016, Encore Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Editorial, circulation and advertising correspondence should be sent to:

www.encorekalamazoo.com 117 W. Cedar St. Suite A, Kalamazoo, MI 49007 Telephone: (269) 383-4433 Fax: (269) 383-9767 Email: Publisher@encorekalamazoo.com

269-349-7779

Winter Hours: Mon. – Fri. 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Sat. and other times by appointment

6 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

The staff at Encore welcomes written comment from readers, and articles and poems for submission with no obligation to print or return them. To learn more about us or to comment, you may visit www.encorekalamazoo. com. Encore subscription rates: one year $36, two years $70. Current single issue and newsstand $4, $10 by mail.

Back issues $6, $12 by mail. Advertising rates on request.

Closing date for space is 28 days prior to publication date.

Final date for print-ready copy is 21 days prior to publication date.

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by those interviewed and published here do not reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Encore Magazine or the official policies, owners or employees of Encore Publications.

encore Contributors

Tom Chmielewski

Tom is a longtime journalist who has written for newspapers (including the Kalamazoo Gazette), magazines and the Web. As a freelancer, he has written on subjects from the arts to the sciences and pretty much anything else. His science articles have appeared on The Atlantic magazine’s website, and he writes regularly about science and science fiction at martiansands.com.

Tom is currently working on his second novel.

Andrew Domino

Andrew hit upon the idea of writing about the local hip-hop scene after seeing an advertisement for Dezert Eez while shopping for CDs at a local record store. He learned that the Internet has made it easy for even parttime musicians to get noticed and supported by nationally known acts. You can see more of his writing at dominowriting.com.

Charles D. Thomas

Charles, a psychologist and freelance writer, has written an op-ed column for the Three Rivers Commercial-News for the past seven years. In this issue he writes about the Crisis Intervention Training program, which gives police officers tools for dealing with people with mental illness. He has gained firsthand experience with the program as a volunteer who acts in its role-playing scenarios. He’s currently working on a mystery novel about the mental health system. You can read more of his work at charlesdthomas.com.

Emily Townsend

Emily was researching classic Kalamazoo bands online recently when she discovered the Velvelettes, an all-girl pop group that was part of the original Motown label. In an instance of fact being stranger than fiction, a day later, the Encore office phone rang and Velvelette Bertha Barbee-McNeal was on the line. Emily interviewed her and another Velvelettes member and loved the stories she heard, from their first moments of stardom to their recent induction into the R&B Hall of Fame. On a more serious note, Emily also writes this month about the need for diapers among low-income families in the Kalamazoo area.

You can read more of her writing at soundandscrawl.com.

Robert M. Weir

When an editor suggested an article about retreat centers in Southwest Michigan, Robert immediately quipped, “You mean people don’t need to go to Nepal?” Robert quickly and easily found a dozen retreat centers, all close to home and relatively inexpensive. Then, he says, came the enjoyment of researching many of these places — in person, of course — and experiencing firsthand that they very well fulfill their intended purposes. Find more of Robert’s writing at www.robertmweir.com.

by NAYLOR LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT

Enjoy the Holidays Picture Perfect Displays • Hassle-free Service (269) 375-0084 • naylorlandscape.com w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 7

up front encore

First Things Something Handmade

Weavers and fiber artists hold sale Everything from hand-spun yarn to clothing,

hats and home dĂŠcor items, including table linens, rugs and wall hangings, can be found at the Weavers and Fiber Artists Sale.

The event is set for Nov. 17-19 at the Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 2900 Lake St. All items in the sale are handcrafted by members of the Weavers Guild of Kalamazoo, which is hosting the event.

Sale hours are 5-8 p.m. Nov. 17, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

Nov. 18 and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 19. Weaving and spinning demonstrations will be offered throughout each day, and admission is free.

For more information about the show, visit weaversguildofkalamazoo.org.

Something Good

Support adults with autism You can pitch in to support vocational programs for adults with autism and

developmental disabilities while enjoying delicious locally sourced food and drink at Pitchfork to Plate Nov. 12.

The event, scheduled for 5-8:30 p.m. at the Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan, 601 W. Maple St., will include appetizers and desserts created by local chefs as well as wood-fired pizza, Boatyard Brewing beer and a chance to win raffle and door prizes. Tickets are $45.

Pitchfork to Plate is a fundraiser for AACORN Farm, a nonprofit that provides adults with autism vocational opportunities in a farm setting. Participants can learn to grow food, take care of farm animals and maintain a farm.

For tickets to the event or more information, visit aacornfarm.org.

8 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

encore up front

Something Musical

Concert highlights acoustic acts Catch a diverse collection of local acoustic performers playing everything from bluegrass and Celtic to folk and classical music at the K’zoo Folklife Organization’s annual Loaves and Fishes Benefit Concert.

The concert is scheduled for 6-9 p.m. Nov. 19 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 504 S. Westnedge Ave. Performing will be Bride of Fleckenstein, Megan Dooley, Double Strung, the Guitar Parlor Ensemble, the Schlitz Creek Bluegrass Band and Whiskey Before Breakfast.

The event will raise funds and food donations for Loaves and Fishes, a local organization that helps to feed those in need. Admission is by cash donation or a gift of non-perishable food items.

For more information, visit kzoofolklife.org.

Something Dramatic Identity politics on stage

Could Farmers Alley Theatre’s presentation of Disgraced be any more timely?

The Pulitzer-winning play, running locally Nov. 4-13, focuses on a dinner party involving four friends who are white, black, Jewish and Muslim. The party quickly turns into a powder keg of identity politics. The play tackles Islamophobia and prejudice in a post-9/11 world, and the local production conveniently (and, perhaps, strategically) coincides with the nation’s current presidential election.

The show will be staged at Western Michigan University’s Little Theatre, 798 Oakland Drive, at 8 p.m. Nov. 4, 5, 11 and 12; 2 p.m. Nov. 6; and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10. Tickets are $28 to $30.

For more information, visit farmersalleytheatre.com or call 343-2727.

DeMENT AND MARQUARDT, PLC A law firm focusing on estate planning, estate settlement, and the transfer of wealth.

the Globe Building Charles S. Ofstein • William B. Millard • Michael D. Holmes, Michele C. Marquardt • Daniel L. DeMent • Whitney A. Kemerling

211 East Water Street, Suite 401 Kalamazoo, MI 49007 269.343.2106 w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 9

up front encore

Learning to Listen

Training gives officers tools to help those with mental illness by

Charles D. Thomas

T

he situation playing out is bad. A man has gone to his wife’s workplace to confront her about his belief she is having an affair. He’s locked himself in a room with her and is screaming insults as her co-workers listen in terror and one calls 911. When the police arrive, they hear the man threaten his wife’s life through the locked metal door.

On most days this would be a dangerous crisis, but today it is only a simulation. The police officers are real, but their guns are plastic and the man and woman involved are actors. The role playing is part of Crisis Intervention Team training, a five-day course designed to teach officers to “de-escalate a crisis situation to a point of stabilization,” says CIT coordinator and former Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety detective Steve Ouding. The training is run by Kalamazoo Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and law enforcement agencies in Kalamazoo County.

For the 38 officers in this session, CIT training starts not with dramatic role playing, but with three days of classroom instruction. In the classroom, officers are taught about the varieties of mental illness by a team of local mental health professionals and hear from those in recovery from mental illness about what it’s like to suffer from a behavioral health disorder. Often the loved ones of those in recovery will speak to the trainees about their unique struggles. The officers are also taught active-listening skills used by mental health counselors that can help calm those in crisis.

It’s a powerful and eye-opening few days for the officers because these are skills not often taught in police academy training, Ouding says.

The last two days of the training put officers’ newfound skills and knowledge to work through An officer in CIT training listens as Dave Ray acts out the role of a schizophrenic man loitering near an apartment complex to do “surveillance.”

10 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

Melissa Zeithammel

encore Up Front

Top: Sgt. Ward Lawrence from the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Department debriefs training program participants following a crisis simulation. Bottom: An officer talks to Becky Gorton, who is acting as a woman who has lost her job and is considering setting herself on fire.

role playing of crisis situations. Community Mental Health staff members act as individuals in crisis while officers new to the training are supervised by veteran officers who’ve been through the training and have used the skills in the real world.

KDPS Sgt. Andres Wells is one of those supervisors. Wells was a trainee in the first Kalamazoo County CIT class in 2008 and says he has seen the training skills work on the streets. Wells says that, when used correctly, CIT skills can help police “avoid officer injuries and avoid civilian injuries” simultaneously.

The CIT program was introduced locally in 2008 by Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley. Kalamazoo Township Chief of Police Tim Bourgeois, who was part of the initial planning group that developed the Kalamazoo County CIT program, says Hadley had experienced the program when he worked in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and was

impressed with the program’s success in reducing the need for police to use physical interventions and helping to divert those with mental illness from jail into treatment programs. The Kalamazoo County program has provided training to more than 230 officers as well as two judges, a prosecutor and a few probation officers.

Ouding said CIT helps in “opening lines of communication between the subject and the officer to hopefully develop a rapport” and avoid the use of force when at all possible.

Bourgeois says he’s witnessed CIT’s impact in his own department and the other local police forces in the area.

“We don’t see this as a program,” Bourgeois says. “We see it as an integral part of how we provide service as we police the community.”

Kalamazoo County’s CIT program has become a model for other counties around the state that are developing similar w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 11

Clockwise from top left: Charles Thomas, the author of the article and a longtime CIT volunteer, acts as a property owner who has called the police because a woman is living in a tent on his property without permission; Rosie Corliss, a member of The Recovery Institute, role-plays a woman with dementia who has been stopped by police for a moving violation; and a police officer talks with Lindsey O’Neil, who is acting as a woman who has returned to drinking after a long period of sobriety and seems suicidal.

programs, including Oakland and Livingston counties, says Bourgeois. Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley attended a CIT training in Kalamazoo in 2014. “Kalamazoo has a great reputation on a state level for innovation in mental health services,” Bourgeois says.

While using active-listening skills may not help officers to resolve every crisis situation, Ouding believes these skills can make a difference in many situations. He says sometimes it’s simple things that have the biggest impact. “'Please' and 'thank you' go a long way,” he notes.

The officers aren’t the only ones learning.

Robert Butkiewicz, supervisor of corrections programs at Community Mental Health, says the training also helps CMH staff understand the unique pressures police officers face.

“CMH staff volunteer to act as the actors in the role plays, and I think that helps our

12 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

people better understand what police officers have to deal with when they are dealing with crisis calls,” Butkiewicz says.

“While some mental health people want to believe that you can always talk things out, that’s not always possible.”

CIT is a part of Community Mental Health’s larger initiative to develop closer ties between police officers and mental health workers in Kalamazoo County, Butkiewicz says. He stresses that the goal of teaching police officers listening skills is not to

Melissa Zeithammel

turn them into social workers but to give them activelistening skills that can be “a complement to other verbal skills that officers already have. It’s just another tool in their toolkit.”

Bourgeois agrees, saying that the “building of relationships between mental health professionals and police officers” is a powerful outcome of the training.

That’s evident as the role-playing scenario plays out.

Using active-listening skills they’ve learned during the training, the two officers talk for quite a while to the man who has threatened his wife’s life. One officer is able to form a personal connection with the distressed man by sharing his own struggles with depression. As he’s been instructed to do, the actor playing the man rewards the officer’s effective listening by opening the door to let the officer in. The man is taken into custody, and no one is harmed.

It’s an ideal ending to this fictional scenario, but it’s also exactly the kind of ending that the CIT program is aiming to make possible in the real world. At a time when police officers often make national news for using force, having the tools that CIT provides might just be the difference between a violent arrest and a voluntary ride to the mental health clinic.

When that happens, everyone wins — the police, civilians and the community.

Looking for a new view?

Prime Locations • Flexible Terms • Competitive Rates Will Renovate to Suit • Suites to Accommodate Your Needs

Gilmore Real Estate Contact Chris Shook for more information: 269.381.3490 x102 cshook@jgfdn.org w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 13

Good works encore

Dire Diaper Need

Diaper banks aim to provide the barest necessity by

Emily Townsend

I

n Kalamazoo County, more than one in three families struggle to provide diapers for their children, and the problem is about more than hygiene. Not having clean diapers can lead to myriad bigger problems, from diaper rash and staph infections to a mother’s postpartum depression to a child’s learning delay, according to a 2010 study by the National Diaper Bank Network and the diaper brand Huggies.

Infants use about 240 diapers per month, and a year’s supply of disposable diapers costs $936 per child. Meanwhile the two most supportive governmental programs for impoverished families — SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that offers Bridge

14 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

* Editor's Note: “They” is a nonbinary gender identifier, a popular pronoun for transgender individuals, and throughout the article refers to Gardner.

Cards for food purchases) and WIC (the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) — do not provide money for hygiene products like diapers and wipes.

As a result, two local organizations are working to make diapers available for low-income families in the greater Kalamazoo area. A new diaper bank at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and a diaper drive through the Elizabeth Upjohn Community Healing Center have so far collected 84,000 diapers to give to local families.

The St. Luke’s Diaper Bank was born out of the moment on Mother’s Day 2015 when Jax Lee Gardner read an article about the problems that arise from a parent’s inability to buy enough diapers.

“When a parent feels like they can’t adequately care for their child, they are more likely to distance themselves from their child out of feelings of guilt or shame,” explains Gardner. “We know that these early bonding experiences have an effect on a person their whole life.”

At the time, Gardner was working in the history and social science departments at Kalamazoo College. As a certified birth doula, an anti-racism activist and the parent of two young

sons, they* wanted to do something. In the summer of 2015, Gardner was chosen for a staff fellowship through the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership to research infant mortality and wellness in Kalamazoo and create change.

“I did some publishing around anti-racist doula care, and then I decided to run a community-wide diaper drive,” says Gardner, who is the Arcus Center manager.

“There was no (diaper) bank per se at that point. It was just a drive, and I saw it as an opportunity for education and advocacy and to generate some ideas around whether a diaper bank would be welcome and sustainable in the community.”

St. Luke’s was chosen as a home for the drive because Gardner’s wife, Renee Lee Gardner, is the church’s faith formation minister and their family attends the church.

That first diaper drive collected more than 26,000 diapers in one month. This year’s drive, which occurred from Sept. 11 to Oct. 11, collected 25,000 diapers.

“I basically led that first diaper drive, and I kind of didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” Gardner says. “It was awesome.

It was a lot of work. Diapers are pretty large to move, so I was constantly collecting the diapers and moving them and trying to keep

Courtesy

encore Good works

them organized. I think the biggest payoff was the distribution day, when we actually took the diapers out of storage and brought them to the recipient agencies,” which included YWCA Kalamazoo and Goodwill, for its Life Guides program that assists families as they try to escape poverty.

With a pending grant from the United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region, the St. Luke’s Diaper Bank will be able to buy diapers for the upcoming year and offer two weeks’ worth of diapers twice a month to anyone in need through the YWCA, starting in December.

Sally Reames, executive director at the Elizabeth Upjohn Community Healing Center, also became aware of the dire diaper problem in the Kalamazoo area in 2013 shortly after the

At a volunteer delivery day in 2015, volunteers like Gretta Terrentine, right, carry loads of diapers from storage in the church basement to be delivered to recipient partners like the YWCA.

center started its Parents as Teachers (PAT) program. The program sends educators into parents’ homes to work on early childhood development skills (May 2016 Encore).

When Reames asked the PAT educators what they needed to be effective, they replied that they needed diapers.

“Parents don’t have to let us in,” Reames says. “It’s a voluntary program. Our staff needs to have something with them that says, ‘I come in peace.’ It’s really great when they have a gift like a book (or) a pack of diapers and wipes to say that we are there to help and support them.”

The same year that Reames became aware of the dire need for diapers, she found $999 in the center’s budget to buy them. The center’s

w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 15

Disciplined.

Experienced.

Thoughtful.

What wealth management should be.

Michael Brundage & Michelle Eldridge, CFA,CPWA® Wealth Management Partners

Setting a clear path forward.

259 East Michigan Ave., Suite 105 • Kalamazoo 269.381.1700 • www.clearridgewm.com

Your Complete R esource Cabinetry • Countertops • Doors • Trim Windows • Mouldings • Lumber • Decks • Stairs

Our professional designers have 46 years of combined experience Family owned for over 55 years 7811 Ravine Rd. • Kalamazoo • (269) 343-3343 Only 5 minutes from US 131 and D Ave. www.woodworkspecialties.com

DIAPERS NEEDED! Kalamazoo Stripping & Derusting’s

3RD ANNUAL DIAPER DERBY to collect diapers, pullups and wipes for the Elizabeth Upjohn Community Healing Center

Low-income families in our community struggle to provide these basic necessities for their children and no government assistance programs offer help with diapers and wipes.

Our goal: 50,000 disposable diapers!

Drop off your donations at Kalamazoo Stripping and Derusting Company 3921 East Centre Portage, Michigan 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday–Friday until Dec. 19 269-323-1340 Monetary donations also accepted, make your tax-deductable check payable to Community Healing Center, nonprofit #38-1961500 16 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

diaper program got a boost in 2015 when Kath Paul, owner of Kalamazoo Stripping & Derusting Co., saw Reames on television discussing local low-income families’ need for diapers. Paul “picked up the phone and left a message for Reames: The Kalamazoo Stripper was bringing diapers" (July 2016 Encore). She and her team collected 30,790 diapers that year. She is hoping to collect 50,000 this holiday season.

The Healing Center now provides diaper storage space for PAT educators and other partner organizations such as the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency and the YWCA. However, Reames says anyone in need who shows up would not be turned away. “We don’t really have any specific requirements. It is more based on need,” she says. “If you need ’em, we got ’em.”

Gardner says that diaper need is “purely a financial resource issue. It’s not an education issue. It’s not about parents who are not changing their babies’ diapers out of ignorance.

This is about parents with scarce resources stretching the diaper timeline out. These are not bad parents. These are resilient parents.”

Most child care centers, even free and subsidized facilities, require parents to provide at least a day’s supply of disposable diapers, Gardner says. Many parents cannot go to work or school if they are unable to leave their babies at child care. In Michigan, 65 percent of mothers in the workforce have infants, according to the National Diaper Bank Network.

Courtesy Jax Lee Gardner, left, and Kellie Swikowski, unload diapers at the 2015 Diaper Drive delivery day.

“As a parent of young children, I will say that I know what it feels like when it’s midnight and you have a child that’s

in a soiled diaper and you need to change them and you have no diapers left,” Gardner says. “I have come to that moment and am fortunate to have resources to get into my car… use my (credit) card to buy diapers at the 24-hour store, and come home and change my kid.” Gardner also notes that they have a co-parent who can stay with their other child.

“There’s a lot of privilege in that narrative, right?” they continue. “I can’t imagine if I didn’t have a dollar to my name and I didn’t have transportation and I didn’t have a coparent to watch my other sleeping kid.”

The St. Luke’s Diaper Bank is a part of the Kalamazoo Infant Mortality Community Action Initiative (KIMCAI), an organization run out of the YWCA, with 50 partners addressing the high percentage of black infant deaths in the city.

“Although infant death is not directly related to diaper hygiene, it can have an impact on the health of the baby,” says Grace Lubwama, executive director of YWCA Kalamazoo. “Having access to diapers reduces the stress of families, especially families that

are struggling to access other resources that include both health care and basic needs.”

The work of the Healing Center and the St. Luke’s Diaper Bank shows just how limited the government response to diaper need is. On the federal level, legislation was introduced in 2015 to make federal grant funds available to states to create diaper-distribution methods through a program called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. The proposed law — the Hygiene Assistance for Families of Infants and Toddlers Act of 2015 — was introduced in the House of Representatives but has yet to make it out of committee.

In the meantime, informal and formal diaper banks across the country are trying to meet this huge need. Gardner believes that there is no such thing as too many donated diapers.

“I don’t see why we couldn’t have the Kalamazoo Diaper Promise,” Gardner says, alluding to the Kalamazoo Promise, the program that provides college tuition for graduates of Kalamazoo Public Schools.

“What if we had a thriving enough diaper bank that families (in need) in Kalamazoo didn’t have to buy diapers?”

Lewis Reed & Allen P. C. attorneys

(left to right): Robert C. Engels, James M. Marquardt, Stephen M. Denenfeld, Vernon Bennett III, Ronald W. Ryan, Sheralee S. Hurwitz, Gregory G. St. Arnauld, Jennifer J. Wu, Michael B. Ortega, Michael A. Dombos, David A. Lewis, William A. Redmond, Thomas C. Richardson, Owen D. Ramey, Michael A. Shields, Richard W. Reed

| kalamazoo | michigan | 49007-3947 | fax: 269.349.3831 | postmaster@lewisreedallen.com www.lewisreedallen.com

136 east michigan avenue suite 800 phone: 269.388.7600

w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 17

HORSES, OF COURSE

18 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

Small farmers are going back to four-legged help story by

tom chmielewski

F

Brian Powers

or John Reuter, who’s been a regular vendor at the Kalamazoo Farmers’ Market for years, the reasons he farms with draft horses are simple.

“I’ve a number of reasons,” he says. “I like them better than tractors. Tractors are more efficient, but I like the horses. I have wet soil, and horses don’t get stuck.”

Reuter has more reasons, some practical, some political, but what other reasons do you need? Reuter’s simple reasons were enough for him to start working his 60-acre farm near Paw Paw with draft horses in 1988, growing broccoli, tomatoes, squash and other vegetables; herbs and greens for the market; and hay for his horses. Unlike sleek riding horses, draft horses are tall, burly animals weighing about 1,500 pounds, bred for strength and stamina rather than speed or agility.

w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 19

In the 1980s, the number of farmers in the U.S. using draft animals was few. The number is still small, but there’s an increasing interest among well-established and new farmers in using draft horses, mules and oxen to work the soil and harvest crops. And while practical reasons such as not getting stuck in wet soil are still an important consideration, so are more recent market forces.

Animal power The locavore movement among consumers, stores and restaurants to increase the amount of locally grown food in our diets has benefitted many small farms, and small farms are best suited to make the switch back to using draft animals, according to Reuter and others interviewed for this story.

Increased demand for crops that are grown Previous spread and this page: Students in a class taught at Tillers International last April are instructed in the basics of using draft horses to pull a plow and do field work.

20 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

organically, or naturally without chemical fertilizers, gives farms worked by draft livestock a unique advantage. Besides tilling the soil, the animals provide the fertilizer, increasing the self-sustainability of the farm, another market selling point.

“More and more people are returning to animal power,” says Dick Roosenberg, the executive director at Tillers International in Scotts, a training ground for the use of draft animals and sustainable farming. The reasons some farmers are attracted to draft stock “include the romance of it, but it’s also deeper ecological issues,” Roosenberg says, especially the ability to maintain a natural nutrient cycle on the farm and greatly limit the use of petroleum for growing crops. Draft animals even help farm their own fuel — hay.

Limiting the use of petroleum is the political reason Reuter doesn’t own tractors on his farm. “One of the nice things about the horses, I’m not part of the Iraq war. I don’t

need that oil,” or at least not much of it, he says. Reuter still needs gas when he uses his old pickup truck to bring his vegetables to market, and he admits there are jobs on the farm that require him to bring in a tractor.

“I hire tractor work because tractors can do things that horses can’t. Horses can do things that tractors can’t. You have to make a decision. I couldn’t afford both.”

He also admits that horses are slower. “The horses are more trouble. If I had both, I’d use the tractor. It’s easier to jump on the tractor, but tractors are expensive.” On small farms like Reuter’s, draft animals can provide a cost advantage over tractors.

While horses require day-to-day care and rigging their harnesses takes more time than hopping on a tractor, there is a routine to working with the animals that Reuter appreciates — it’s part of the romance that Roosenberg talks about. And on cold days, horses can be easier to start than tractors.

From tanks to tractors Draft animals were common on American farms through World War II. When the war ended, though, the United States suddenly had excess industrial capacity, so the government started encouraging farmers to replace their draft teams with tractors. Soon the horses, mules and oxen that had pulled the plow through centuries began to disappear in this country. Meanwhile, because of the tractor’s

ability to till more land in a day than a draft team, farms began to expand, with the larger ones squeezing out many small farms.

Only the Amish and Mennonites kept the heritage and bloodlines of draft horses alive, mostly in Pennsylvania and northern Indiana.

Although the numbers of the tall, extremely muscular horses diminished in the post-war years, those numbers began to rebound as breeders and others used these horses in pulling contests and horse shows or to pull wagons and sleighs for entertainment and marketing purposes (think Budweiser).

Blake Griffin plows with draft horses on his farm in Bellevue, north of Battle Creek. He started out using them to work his farm 27 years ago and then began showing them on and off for 15 years, he explained during an interview at a Michigan Draft Horse Breeders Association picnic in Ionia in June.

Brian Powers

“I can use the horses year round,” Reuter says. “I don’t plow or cultivate in the winter, but I haul firewood, and we go through water sometimes” when snow melts.

It’s all part of a pattern and lifestyle that Reuter has embraced to earn a living for nearly 30 years. “No regrets. There are days, but no long-term regrets.”

w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 21

Mules are cautious, not stubborn

Tom Chmielewski

“I always liked draft animals,” says Jerry Snow, who works a small farm he grew up on in Onondaga, between Jackson and Lansing, “but my dad wouldn’t let us have any, ever.” The elder Snow had a particular dislike for horses.

Above: Jane and Blake Griffin with one of their Percheron award-winning draft horses they’ve used on their farm and shown at national and international competitions.

Right: Anna Dirkse, farm and internship coordinator, and Richard "Dick" Roosenberg, executive director at Tillers International training center in Scotts, teach courses on farming with draft animals.

Organize Your Home!

Tom Chmielewski

“We have showed as high up as the world show,” Griffin says. In 2014 at the World Percheron Congress, held that year in Springfield, Massachusetts, “our horse stood second” in its class for Percheron stallions, he says. But when Griffin retires next year from a job driving a fuel truck for D&L Fuel of Charlotte, he plans to go back to working his 58 acres full time with his horses.

Griffin, who has 16 draft horses, says he hopes to do a lot of farming after he retires, growing oats, corn and other produce. “It’s something that you’ve got to relax with and enjoy, making hay, hauling manure.

I plan to do the full farming.”

“My granddad and his brother were mustang trainers. They’d buy mustangs in the West, unload them in Eaton Rapids, and run them about 10 miles down the road to the farm.” The job for Snow’s father, who at the time was still a kid, was to sit on the back of a hay wagon holding the horses’ lead as they went down the road. Often one or more of the horses broke free, causing the boy grief and sometimes pain.

He hated horses so much so that he vowed never to have any horses on his farm. But when he died, his son bought a draft team to work the land.

“God, my mother chewed my ass,” Snow says. But her attitude didn’t last. “It didn’t take her long to forget. Soon she’s right out there on a wagon, telling me what to do.”

Snow currently has four mules that he uses on 10 acres where he grows hay. “I used to use tractors, but on a small farm you can get away with using livestock and mules. I just love working with mules.

They’re my friends. I trust these guys more.”

He insists that mules’ reputation for stubbornness is a misunderstanding. “They’re more cautious,” he says. “That’s why

Fall is the perfect time to organize and refresh your home. From a garage re-do to a custom laundry room, we will make staying organized a breeze.

Contact Bette Today

hallsclosets.com 269.382.5182 free design consultations 22 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

hallsclosets@gmail.com

AUTHORIZED DEALER

people call them stubborn. You can ride a horse off a cliff, but a mule will throw you off a cliff.”

As Snow explains it, a mule isn’t going to proceed down an uncertain path without looking things over. “You ain’t going to make one do anything until he figures it out,” which makes a mule a safer animal to use on the farm, he says. “You’ve got to trust them, and they’ve got to trust you.”

Passing the reins While there’s a strong ecological and economic interest in using draft animals for small, self-sustainable farms, there aren’t very many farmers experienced in handling the animals who can show newcomers how it’s done.

When students attend classes at Tillers, “they can learn to operate the team in a few days,” Roosenberg says, but “that’s not to say they’re a master farmer. A master farmer is a lifetime pursuit.” To truly handle a draft team safely and effectively, be it horses, mules or oxen, farmers new to driving livestock “have to have a mentor somewhere,” Roosenberg says. “That’s one of the difficult things right now. They may have to go 50 miles to see a mentor to see why their horse is acting up today.”

In addition to having to learn how to guide a team of trained draft horses, which can be intimidating because of their size, farmers have to figure out how to make money using them.

“It’s not simply like going back to 1914,” Roosenberg says. “If somebody is just going to be a corn farmer, they’re not going to make money” depending on a draft team. It just won’t work for a single crop with low value.

For that situation, the economics demand a larger farm and a tractor’s efficiency. For draft animals to pay off, farmers “have to figure out some high-value product to produce, like the vegetable gardens and things like that, which are important options.

You just simply can’t go back to what your grandfather did. You have to market to people who want their food to be from a farm that’s animal-powered.”

Lauren Burns of Kalamazoo understands Roosenberg’s point. She also understands animals and plans to farm with them someday. An intern at Tillers, she graduated (continued on page 42)

BUSINESS COVERAGE Commercial Property Commercial General Liability Workers Compensation Business Automobile Commercial Umbrella

PERSONAL COVERAGE Homeowners Automobile Umbrella Liability Life Insurance Annuities

Ayres-Rice Insurance 452 N. Grand P.O. Box 699 Schoolcraft, MI 49087 269.679.4918 • 800.261.4918 theayres-group.com Constantine

Harbor Springs

Schoolcraft

Sturgis

Vicksburg

HISTORICALLY LOW

RATES

*

APPLY TODAY

REAL PEOPLE REAL MORTGAGES MERCANTILE BANK MORTGAGE SERVICES There are plenty of mortgage options out there, but chances are there is only one that is just right for you. Let a Mercantile Bank mortgage lender help you find the perfect mortgage for your life and your future. No gimmicks and no games, just solid mortgage options with competitive rates designed around your needs.

Visit MercBank.com/Mortgage to find a local Mercantile lender and to see our current loan specials.

* All loans subject to credit and collateral approval.

w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 23

The

Right

Retreat You don’t have to go far to get away from it all

24 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

story by

robert m. weir

I

n the busyness of life, we often thirst for a place of quietude where we can reconnect, reflect and redirect our inner selves. It’s not an uncommon desire, and if you are seeking a solitary place to create, read, seek a closer bond with nature or are on a spiritual quest, you can find just what you need in Southwest Michigan.

Our corner of Michigan abounds with retreat centers, many within 60 miles of Kalamazoo, that offer opportunities to reflect on our lives, recharge our inner batteries, enhance our skills, feel better about ourselves or foster stronger relationships. And each of these centers offers something different. Some are religiously and spiritually oriented; some are secular. Some cater to individuals; some to groups and communities. Some accommodations are rustic; some are modern. All, in some way, feature meadows, inland lakes and forests. The costs vary from self-determined donations to reasonably priced fees.

If you are looking for a retreat, seek no more. Here is a snapshot of several area retreat centers that are diverse in intention and purpose: meditative solitude, youth and corporate/team activities, respite from social activism, and eclecticism amid healing energy.

Courtesy

The placid waters of Pretty Lake offer a peaceful backdrop for retreat-goers who come to Pretty Lake Camp for team building and customized retreat experiences.

w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 25

GilChrist: Community and Solitude

up front encore

Located eight miles northwest of Three Rivers on 67 acres of rolling hills and woods is GilChrist, the public retreat center of the Fetzer Institute.

“We offer a relationship between community and solitude where people experience both in a reflective manner,” says Kirstin Vander Giessen-Reitsma, head caretaker at GilChrist.

The heart of GilChrist is WindHill, the main gathering house for meal sharing, meditation and group activities. Built in the shape of a Scottish cross with a cathedral-like interior and large windows, WindHill provides the comfort of being indoors while looking out on GilChrist’s acres of moraine-carved terrain, suggesting, says Vander Giessen-Reitsma, “that we pay attention to the relationship between the inner and the outer.”

While WindHill, like a celestial star, is the centerpiece of GilChrist, its eight cabins are satellites that provide individual retreatants with a sense of security and solitude.

GilChrist was inspired by Rob and Molly Lehman, who, in the 1990s, were, respectively, president of the Fetzer Institute and director of holistic health at Western Michigan University. To balance the demands of their jobs, they often engaged in contemplative services at St. Gregory’s Abbey, a monastery in rural Three Rivers.

Deciding they wanted to live near St. Gregory’s, the Lehmans purchased adjacent property and built a cabin for themselves in 1991. Four years later, the couple formed a nonprofit and built WindHill and the cabins. At the turn of the millennium, with the stipulation that GilChrist will always be open to the public, the Lehmans gave the property to the Fetzer Institute as a venue for programs in a serene environment.

The Stone Chapel, which sits at the convergence of the meadow and a woods, is a special meditation place at the center.

Molly Lehman patterned this small edifice after a stone chapel at a monastery in the

Pretty Lake Camp: A Life-Changing Place increase cooperative performance through challenging interactions in a natural environment.

The Adventure Centre includes three elevated ropes courses in the trees and serves 3,500 to 5,000 people a year, including collegiate athletes and groups from corporations, financial institutions, nonprofits and schools.

With its 250 acres of land on the shoreline of 105-acre Pretty Lake, located just west of Kalamazoo, Pretty Lake Camp has been a free summer camp for area youth who face significant challenges at home, in school and in their community, but its idyllic setting and facilities make it a great retreat center when camp is not in session.

Annually, more than 800 youngsters attend Pretty Lake for one week of summer vacation they otherwise wouldn’t experience. “Through world wars and depressions, we’ve been here, removing barriers and showing opportunities for kids who need it most,” says Paulie Cohen, Pretty Lake’s group sales and marketing director. “We’ve never missed a summer, because people in Kalamazoo have always prioritized keeping this program available for our youth.”

Donations are just one income stream that helps fund Pretty Lake. The camp is also supported by its Adventure Centre and customized retreat experiences that offer team-building exercises for groups that want to 26 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

Pretty Lake Camp’s property includes a farm with fruit trees, vegetable gardens and animals. The food grown there is used to make campers’ meals, with surpluses donated to campers’ families and Kalamazoo’s social service agencies for the homeless.

The farm also serves as a team-building training ground. For example, a team of engineers from Pfizer built an Iron Chef outdoor cooking area where teams coordinate preparation of a wilderness meal, with some teams building fires while others forage.

Circle Pines: A Social Cooperative Jamboree music and art festival in June, and apple cider pressing in autumn. There’s also a Spanish immersion camp for people who speak or want to speak Spanish that enables cross-cultural understanding. The People’s Institute, which conducts anti-racism training programs across the country, holds an annual retreat presenting social issues for older teens and

Italian Alps. Built by hand and mostly by women, the Stone Chapel conveys a strong feminine character. “The chapel is a story of stories,” Molly explains. “Each person who put a stone in place felt something deeply about life and family.”

Other GilChrist features include gardens that represent each of the major world religions, a labyrinth, walking trails, an organic garden, wooden lounge chairs strategically placed for meditation under open skies, and a placid pony and goat. WindHill and one of the cabins are wheelchair accessible.

Where: 56265 Day Road, eight miles northwest of Three Rivers Cost: $45 per person ($60 per family) per night, with discounts for extended stays More info: fetzer.org/retreat-facilities/ gilchrist/overview; (269) 244-1130

The camp’s cabins, lodges and yurts can sleep 172 people year round. Another 60 can stay in an unheated lodge in the summer, and 150 on rustic tenting campsites.

Indoor facilities, include electronically equipped conference rooms and a gymnasium with a basketball/volleyball court and ropes hung from the ceiling for indoor team-building exercises.

The commercial kitchen staff can serve 200 guests at a time. Guitars hang on the wall for anyone to play.

While coming to Pretty Lake for an individual retreat is possible, not many people do. “Mostly we cater to kids and affiliated teams or groups,” says Cohen.

“This is a life-changing place,” he adds.

“Folks develop a sincere relationship with nature and a broader picture of life, and the stories they tell about the shifts they experience are substantial.”

Where: 9123 Q Ave., Mattawan Cost: Varies according to the program, camp or event More info: prettylakecamp.org; (269) 375-1950

“Circle Pines is a place where like-minded people can come together to relax, make stronger human connections and find inner peace and happiness,” says Mike Evans, marketing fund developer for Circle Pines Center, located eight miles north of Delton.

The Circle Pines property, which consists of 300 acres bordering 20,000 acres of state land, “was founded for the common human and has a history in the folk school and cooperative movements of the 1930s,” says Evans.

“We’ve maintained that tradition, and people who come here today might be working in social activism or just want to enjoy time together, playing games, tending the garden, whatever they might choose,” he says.

Circle Pines boasts a private lake and 12 miles of trails that meander through wildliferich, glacier-carved terrain of forest and meadows. People sleep in communal cabins, some of which have been artistically painted by previous guests. Traditional folk dances or other community activities are held in a rustic, open-sided pavilion.

Not surprisingly, the center’s main gathering point is its dining hall, located in an old farmhouse. Announcements are made during the meal, but there is no whistling or shouting to gain attention. Rather, the person who wants to speak simply raises one hand. As others see the raised hand, they raise theirs and stop conversing until silence is attained.

Circle Pines hosts annual weekend events that are open to the public: maple syrup making in springtime, the Buttermilk

adults. In addition, Circle Pines offers three sessions of children’s summer camp focused on social justice, peace and environmental stewardship. Young people ages 7 to 17 and mostly from Midwestern cities attend.

Circle Pines Director Tom VanHammen says this camp is “out of the ordinary.”

“Many come from progressive families and are pretty well educated in social issues, but they gain by being with kids and staff who are of a similar mindset, and they support each other when they go back into the rest of the world,” VanHammen says.

Families can also rent the property for reunions or weddings, and individuals can come to the center to meditate and help work with its bees in exchange for room and board.

For both youths and adults, VanHammen says, Circle Pines is a place “to get away from the real world, relax in a natural setting and be with people who share similar worldviews.”

Where: 8650 Mullen Road, Delton Cost: Varies according to the program, camp or event More info: circlepinescenter.org; (269) 623-5555 w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 27

Ronora: Earth and Family Energy

“People say they feel Mother Earth here,” says Deej Leggitt, co-owner of Ronora Lodge and Retreat Center, located two miles north of Watervliet. “I like to say that people get an experience here; the ones who get it really get it.”

Ronora clientele are varied: Orthodox religious families, Catholic priests and congregants, Wiccans, Tibetan monks, Russian and South American shamans, Reiki and yoga practitioners, social workers, university teachers, Montessori teachers and students, people in halfway programs and Alcoholics Anonymous, families having reunions, couples getting married or with romance in mind.

“People come here for celebrations; community, family, tribal connections; and because of the healing energy,” says Deej.

Ronora began its life in the 1930s as Camp Watervliet, a summer horse camp for wealthy girls from South and Central America.

The few extremely docile horses there today are not ridden but petted by those in calming therapy programs, painted on by children with their fingers or hands as a means of communicating with the animals, or utilized in team-building exercises.

When Deej, her husband, Hunter Liggett, and business partner Jim Gehring bought the property in 1988, Deej renamed the camp Ronora after her fraternal Shawnee grandmother. The rustic meditation house is named Grace in the Woods to honor Deej’s maternal Shawnee grandmother.

Ronora consists of 400 acres with natural features including woodlands, meadows, walking trails, indigenous vegetation, wildlife, and a spring-fed lake for swimming and paddling. There are also two tennis courts, a basketball court and six firepits.

28 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

Up to 100 people can sleep in the center’s six cottages, which can each accommodate from four to 24 people. One of these is Trilogy House, a massive wooden structure brought piece by piece from Chicago in 1936. It features a great room with a stone fireplace.

One of Ronora’s more popular units is Grandma’s House with its unusual interior design, quaint ambience and large solarium porch perfect for meetings, dining and conversation.

Each cottage features an ample kitchen; Chadwick Dining Hall is the main gathering place for meals and plenary activities, with traditional, vegetarian and vegan meals featuring natural or organic ingredients.

Throughout, Ronora exudes the sensation of family. “People say they come through the gate and feel like they’re here to visit their favorite grandmother,” says Deej.

Where: 9325 Dwight Boyer Road, Watervliet Cost: Varies according to the housing unit and meal plan More info: ronoralodge.com; (269) 463-6315

Other Retreat Options The Hermitage is a retreat center in the Christian tradition for those seeking solitude on their spiritual journey.

Amenities include a chapel, a main lodge with a prayer room and dining room, small apartments in a renovated barn, rustic cabins, a library, walking trails, a triple-spiral labyrinth, prayer gardens, open spaces and community meals.

Where: 11321 Dutch Settlement Road, Three Rivers Cost: Donations accepted based on ability to pay More info: hermitagecommunity.org; (269) 244-8696 St. Gregory’s Abbey is a Benedictine monastery with some rooms for guests.

Affiliated with the Episcopal Church, it provides laypersons with an opportunity to experience traditional monastic Christian worship.

Amenities include access to the monastery church and library, plus a quiet, rural setting with no Internet or cell phone signals.

Where: 56500 Abbey Road, Three Rivers Cost: Donations accepted More info: saintgregorysthreerivers.org; (269) 244-5893 Apple Farm Community provides a rural setting for adults seeking reflection, rest and solitude.

Its activities include readings of Shakespeare and contemplative authors and poets, art shows, films, music and weeks of silence. Amenities include private guest apartments that encourage quiet retreat, writing and inner work.

Where: 12291 Hoffman Road, Three Rivers Cost: Contributions accepted based on ability to pay More info: applefarmcommunity.org; (269) 244-5993 Earth Song Peace Sound Chamber is a cozy, hand-constructed structure of natural materials in which people chant prayers for inner and world peace.

Programs include a monthly Sunday service, drumming circles, fire ceremonies and shamanic journey meditations. A single cabin in the woods is also available for overnight retreats for individuals and couples.

Where: 10867 Dutch Settlement Road, Three Rivers Cost: Cabin rental is $50 for one night or $45 per night for multiple nights; donations are accepted for group activities More info: earthsongpeace.com Transformations Retreat and Spirituality Center provides lodging and programs for those seeking to ground their lives in a deeper reality, meaning and purpose.

Associated with the Catholic women’s Congregation of St. Joseph, amenities include guest rooms and buffet food service.

Where: 3427 Gull Road, Kalamazoo Cost: Varies More info: transformationscenter.org; (269) 381-6290

Drafty uncomfortable rooms? Icicles?

Questionable windows? Old furnace?

TEST – CORRECT & SAVE with Your ad goes here

Correct the weak spots that are stealing your comfort and money Encore readers call today for 50% off a comprehnsive energy audit (Reg. $450)

(269) 383-7862 • thebetterworldbuilders.com

BRING COMFORT HOME—FOR LESS. *

Get rebates up to $3,500* from Consumers Energy for Home Performance with ENERGY STAR®Program improvements. * Funds are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. This offer is valid for Consumers Energy residential customers only. Not valid for new home construction. No cash value. Limit one redemption per Consumers Energy account.

Bethel Park is a retreat center and church camp for Christian groups of all ages and ethnicities. Affiliated with the German District Assembly of God, it is located in a quiet setting with open fields and trees.

Amenities include lodging, meals, meeting rooms and a sports field.

Where: 9973 S. Church St., Bridgman Cost: All-inclusive packages begin at $70 per person per day More info: bpretreat.com; (269) 465-6669

Learn more at ConsumersEnergy.com/myhome

Arborist Services of Kalamazoo, LLC A sister company of

Mothers Trust is an ashram, educational institute and mission center for monastics affiliated with the lineage of Sri CE_HPwES_Co-op_Ad_Program_Guidelines_V13_FINAL.indd Ramakrishna and Sri Sarada Devi. Its large retreat house is available for small groups of religious leaders and for individuals of all spiritual paths.

Where: 6676 122nd Ave., Fennville Cost: Retreat House lodging is $35 per person for one night, $50 for two nights More info: motherstrust.org; (616) 566-4318.

9

Evaluation, Care and Planting of Trees and Shrubs Kalamazoo, MI ● 269.381.5412 ● ArboristServicesKzoo.com

w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 29

ARTS encore

Sparking a ‘Blaze’

Kalamazoo hip-hop artists promote music to the world by

Andrew Domino

30 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

ENCORE Arts

K

alamazoo may not have the same name recognition as Compton, California, or the Bronx, New York, but rappers here have the same goals as artists from those bastions of hip-hop.

“Our beats are able to reach people outside of Kalamazoo. That’s the power of the Internet — it helps us get our names out,” says Billy Parr, 28, of Kalamazoo. He and his business partner, Matt Rankin, 27, own and operate Synergy Productions, a Kalamazoo music production company, and Pro Circle, a record label for local hip-hop musicians.

Although some music scholars might disagree, for many people hip-hop and rap are the same kind of music — rhymes spoken over instrumental sounds often taken from previously recorded songs. The majority of hip-hop artists are African-American, though a few famous ones are white, like the members of Beastie Boys and Michigan’s own Eminem. Race and culture are as important as the beats themselves in hiphop, says Skitzo (real name: Trevon Hobson), a Kalamazoo musician who performed on tour around the U.S. this past summer. Last month he returned to Kalamazoo as a special guest performer with rapper TECH N9NE for a show at the State Theatre.

“Poverty, classism — these are worldwide problems,” Skitzo says. “I want people to understand where I’m coming from.”

Brian Powers

Hidden hip-hop Kalamazoo and its performing venues host a variety of musical styles, from classical performances to indie rock bands and blues musicians. While hip-hop musicians do perform in Kalamazoo, specifically at Bell’s Eccentric Cafe and the State Theatre, Kalamazoo isn’t known for its vivid rap music scene.

“It’s a college town. People trying to make music are only here for four or five years,” Rankin says.

From left, hip-hop band Dezert Eez members O’Nill, Nivek and 5-Star have been recording and performing together for 15 years. w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 31

ARTS encore Shannon DeVries, talent and production manager at Kalamazoo’s State Theatre, says Kalamazoo is considered a small market in terms of concert promotion. (The big markets in the state are Detroit and Grand Rapids.)

That makes it less appealing to musicians looking for places to play where they can sell a lot of concert tickets, albums and merchandise like T-shirts.

Also, there hasn’t been as much of a call for hip-hop acts from local audiences, says DeVries, though she’s trying to change that.

“For a long time, classic rock was what we were bringing to Kalamazoo, but we’re taking the initiative to reach out to other genres of music,” she says. “It’s important that we give local talent a place to perform.”

Mike Williams, aka 5-Star, from the Kalamazoo-based group Dezert Eez, says his group has played in Southwest Michigan but is more often headed to bigger cities like Detroit, Chicago and Indianapolis, where he says there’s a larger audience for hip-hop.

The group has been together for 15 years.

Williams and his two partners, Nivek (Kevin Williams) and O’Nill (Ron Mosley), started performing together as students at Western Michigan University before being discovered

by New York City-based hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan.

“(Wu-Tang Clan) has been super-influential to us,” Willams says. “They opened us up to their fan base.”

Building an online presence He says Dezert Eez has used public relations companies in the past to promote its albums, with the focus on online publicity through such hip-hop-centric websites as Hot New Hip Hop (hotnewhiphop.com). But Dezert Eez albums can be found in Kalamazoo record stores like Green Light Music, too. Online

Above, Billy Parr, left, and Matt Rankin own and operate music production company Synergy Productions in Kalamazoo, which produces music by hip-hop artists.

Right: Kalamazoo rapper Skitzo performed with TECH N9NE at the State Theatre in October.

publicity and a history of listening to rap is what brings an audience to hip-hop shows, Williams says.

“When we are on tour in a university town, 75 percent of the audience is from the university,” he says. “A lot of people are searching for good hip-hop.”

Meet Your Home Lending Team Are you making a move this fall? Use your hometown team to make your next home purchase or refinance a smooth move.

Member FDIC

32 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

3275 W. Centre Avenue Portage (269) 323-0833 www.northpointe.com

ENCORE Arts Parr and Rankin also rely on the Internet to promote their music.

Synergy Productions “samples” songs. Using existing recordings from other musicians, they take a small selection of notes from different songs and blend them together into something new. That background sound is offered to rappers, who add their own vocals to make a complete song.

Dezert Eez, Synergy Productions and Skitzo can all be found on Soundcloud (soundcloud.com), where listeners can hear entire songs by the artists for free. Williams says the Internet has made listening to music so cheap that Dezert Eez isn’t counting on songs to pay their production costs.

“We’re big into the merch (merchandise) game,” he says. “We give away songs with T-shirts and wristbands. The music you can file share so easily. We have to do something else.”

Skitzo is a full-time musician, but the others have jobs outside the hip-hop realm: Williams is a mortgage consultant; Rankin works at a bank; Parr works in insurance.

Music and the message Even a casual fan can identify two major subjects of most hiphop music: the “gangsta” lifestyle of flashy clothes and violence, and “conscious” hip-hop, with lyrics about social and political issues like racism and crime. Rankin says he’s heard songs from both ends of that spectrum and everywhere in between, though he prefers songs that are more concerned with his own experiences.

“We want to put out the positive message about the grind of being in the music business,” he says. “But everyone has a different story, a different life, something we can learn from.”

Skitzo says he’s a little discouraged by some of the young musicians he has met who are more interested in image than effort.

“There’s a lot that is influenced by drug rap culture,” he says.

“There’s not a lot of teamwork that makes the dream work.”

He says writing lyrics and taking part in “blaze battles” — performances at which rappers trade rhymes, making fun of one another, and the winner is the one with the best sound and the best insults — is part of building a career as a hip-hop artist. But promoting the music and a positive message, on stage and online, is the route to success, he says.

“Anybody can rap — Dr. Seuss is a rapper; you just need to rhyme,” he says. “Rap is the city. Hip-hop is the world.”

Photo: Chad "Shifty" Novak of Fallin Starr Photography and Faygoluvers.net

w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 33

ARTS encore

Velvet and Velcro

Friendships have stuck for smooth-voiced ‘sisters’ Emily Townsend

A

n all-girl pop group joined together for a small singing competition at Western Michigan University in 1961 and ended up being signed to a Motown contract. Today that group is the only Motown band still performing with its original members.

On Aug. 21, the Kalamazoo-based Velvelettes were inducted into the newly formed Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, in Dearborn, along with Smokey Robinson, the Supremes, Fats Domino and Jimi Hendrix.

The band has enjoyed a recent wave of lifetime achievement awards, but Bertha Barbee-McNeal, longtime Kalamazoo resident and one of the foursome’s vocalists, believes this R&B Hall of Fame honor is something out of the ordinary.

“Our kids think of us as just mom, so, for my daughter to get excited about this award,

34 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

that’s really something,” she says. “They’ve seen us perform so many times, but this time it dawns on them …” “... that we might be living legends,” bandmate Caldin Gill-Street chimes in. These old friends — sisters, as they say — often finish each other's sentences, fact-checking one another on stories about Marvin Gaye or what dress band members were wearing on a certain night.

The group was founded in 1961 by BarbeeMcNeal (then Bertha Barbee) and Mildred Gill (now Mildred Gill Arbor), students at WMU. Initially it had five members.

Mildred recruited her younger sister Carolyn Gill (also known as Cal or Caldin), who was among the first black ninth-graders attending a newly integrated Loy Norrix High School, and her sister’s friend Betty Kelley, a junior in high school.

Bertha recruited her cousin Norma Barbee (now Barbee-Fairhurst), a freshman at Flint Junior College.

Courtesy

by

Top: Clockwise from back left are Velvelettes Caldin Gill-Street, Norma Barbee-Fairhurst, Bertha Barbee-McNeal and Mildred Gill Arbor at their induction into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in August. Bottom: The Velvelettes perform at a WKLZ Saturday Hi-Fi program in 1961.

ENCORE Arts

Gill-Street was chosen as the group's lead singer.

Kelley officially left the group to join Martha and the Vandellas in 1964, after she sang on that band’s hit "Dancing in the Street."

The Velvelettes had success with hits like "Needle in a Haystack" and "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin’,” both in 1964, but they had a shorter stint in the limelight than contemporaries such as The Supremes, Mary Wells and Gladys Knight & the Pips — a result of the cruel fate of the pop charts and the fact that by 1971 all of the members had left the band to start families.

However, traces of the Velvelettes are all around Kalamazoo, from local artist James C. Palmore’s photorealistic mural of the band members (depicting them with painted diamonds and the signature baby’s breath they all wore in their hair) outside the offices of the Black Arts & Cultural Center in the Epic Center to a binder full of news clippings in Barbee-McNeal’s basement to the memories of Barbee-McNeal’s music students at Milwood Middle School, where she taught for more than four decades.

Occasionally she would tell them stories about recording with a then-12-year-old Stevie Wonder, performing at sock hops (also known as record hops) around Detroit, or about the treacherous weather the band encountered while touring the country with the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars or about commuting weekends between WMU and Hitsville U.S.A. (the nickname for Motown’s first headquarters, on West Grand Boulevard in Detroit).

The young women, who were told they had “voices like velvet,” kept their feet planted in separate worlds — among the up-and-coming

Top: Velvelettes Caldin Gill-Street, Betty Kelley and Bertha Barbee-McNeal pose with Dick Clark (second from left) on the 1964 Dick Clark Caravan of Stars tour.

Bottom: The Velvelettes in a dorm room at Western Michigan University in the early 1960s.

celebrities who would change American pop music forever and in the routines, schoolwork, jobs and families of normal life.

“Mary Wells, when she performed with us, she made a comment that made us feel good, commending us for getting our education.

Many of the folks at Motown did not go on (to higher degrees) after high school. Mary called

us ‘the college kids.’ We always were either in school or had a full-time job or raising children,” says Gill Arbor, who raised her three kids as a single mother, worked full time, and went to school part time to earn a nursing degree. She has worked as a registered nurse since.

Even when the four thought their days as a band were over, they talked to each other every week, according to Barbee-McNeal. Then they surprised everyone, including themselves, by reigniting the band in 1984 at the Concerned Black Women’s Conference in Kalamazoo. Since then, the group has traveled through Michigan and to Europe and the East and West coasts on weekends and during vacation to perform the old classics.

All four original members are in their 70s, and with this longevity comes nostalgia and grief about fellow musicians who have died.

“It’s heartbreaking,” says Gill-Street. “I would sometimes see those (TV) specials where they would sell six or seven CDs in a collection from a certain era. One time there was one from Motown, and so many of the artists are deceased now. It really made my heart feel heavy. I was sitting there with my glass of wine bawling my eyes out.”

This is the fourth year of inductions for the R&B Hall of Fame, the brainchild of Lamont Robinson, a former Harlem Globetrotter. For Robinson, the annual induction ceremonies have been a way to build excitement for his real goal: a permanent R&B Hall of Fame building in Detroit that would house 30,000 square feet of interactive exhibits and his collection of vintage memorabilia, which has been appraised at more than $1 million.

Part of Motown history is that Gill-Street was married briefly to Richard Street of The

w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 35

How Beads Help Kids with Canc er

Taking on Taiko Drum ming

Fresh on the farm: Donut Dep ot

Meet Yolonda Lave

nder

October 2015 Southwes

t Michigan’ s Magazine

BONNIE JO CAMPBEL L has tried – and failed – to give up wri ting

Never Miss A Month!!

Have Southwest Michigan’s favorite magazine delivered to your home or office!

Subscribe online at encorekalamazoo.com or call 269-383-4433.

Your legacy and your wealth are about more than money.

They empower and protect the people and causes you love.

The cover of the Velvelettes' 1987 album, Needle in a Haystack vinyl single, recorded after the band began performing again in 1984.

Temptations, and they had one son, Richard Jr. Both met with professional success on the pop charts, and Gill-Street also experienced success working at the Ford Motor Co. The couple moved to Bel Aire, California, where they would casually bump into the talented and famous at the grocery store and bank.

Gill-Street recalls that time with affection, but she ultimately left the marriage, returning to Michigan and moving closer to her Velvelette sisters. That return home, she says, brought her more happiness.

All four of the Velvelettes are single now.

Single life as mothers and grandmothers suits them, as they each find support in one another. “When anything happens, we support each other,” says Barbee-McNeal. “Cal sang at my mother’s funeral. Two of the ladies had surgery, and we supported each other through that. We’re family. That’s what we are.”

With grown children and fewer responsibilities, the Velvelettes have recently been able to perform in more exotic locales.

They perform a semi-annual show in London and in San Sebastian, Spain, and they will help promote the upcoming Motown the Musical show at Miller Auditorium in May. To read more about the Velvelettes, check out a digitized version of the story “Kalamazoo’s Velvelettes,” from the October 2000 edition of Encore, at encorekalamazoo.com.

251 N. Rose St., Suite 200 Kalamazoo (269) 385-0001 www. jeffkrossfinancial.com Securities and Advisory Services Offered Through Commonwealth Financial Network Member FINRA/SIPC, A Registered Investment Adviser

36 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

PERFORMING ARTS THEATER Plays Foreigner — A classic comedy of mistaken identity and cultural confusion, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3–5, 2 p.m.

Nov. 6, Williams Theatre, WMU, 387-6222.

Ramona Quimby — Civic Youth Theatre production about a girl’s passage through third grade and her family relationships, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 4 & 11, 1 & 4 p.m. Nov. 5 & 12, 2 p.m. Nov. 6, 9:30 a.m. & noon Nov. 9 & 10, Parish Theatre, 426 S. Park St., 343-1313.

Disgraced — Farmers Alley Theatre presents the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about Islamophobia, prejudice and self-reflection, 8 p.m. Nov. 4–5, 11–12; 2 p.m. Nov. 6 & 13; 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10, Little Theatre, 798 Oakland Drive, 343-2727.

Musicals The Rocky Horror Picture Show — A musical horror comedy about an engaged couple’s encounter with the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank N. Furter, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3, 8 p.m. Nov. 4–5, 2 p.m. Nov. 6, Balch Theatre, Kalamazoo College, 337-7333.

Showboat — Classic 1927 musical about racial prejudice and tragic, enduring love, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 11–12, 17–19; 2 p.m. Nov. 13 & 20, Shaw Theatre, WMU, 387-6222.

Rent: 20th Anniversary Tour — Tony Awardwinning rock musical about the lives of seven artists following their dreams, 8 p.m. Nov. 11 & 12, 2 p.m. Nov. 12, 1 p.m. Nov. 13, Miller Auditorium, WMU, 387-2300.

Dreamgirls — Face Off Theatre Company presents the story of three black singers entering the competitive world of show business, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17–19, 3 p.m. Nov. 20, Lake Center Bible Church, 995 Romence Road, Portage, 359-0908.

A Christmas Carol — Dickens’ holiday classic, 28 performances Nov. 18–Dec. 28, New Vic Theatre, 134 E. Vine St., 381-3328 or thenewvictheatre.org.

The Mainstays — Kalamazoo funk and soul band's album release concert, 9 p.m. Nov. 5, Bell's Eccentric Café, 382-2332.

A Christmas Story: The Musical — 1940s story about Ralphie, his family and his Christmas dream, 7:30 p.m. Fri. & Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., Nov. 25–Dec. 11, Civic Auditorium, 329 S. Park St., 343-1313.

Kansas: Leftoverture Tour — The classic rock band celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Leftoverture album release, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6, State Theatre, 345-6500.

Other

Live Music at Arcadia Ales — The Sam Pilnick Project, modern acoustic jazz collective, Nov. 9; Curtis Lee Putman, country and blues singer, Nov. 23; both shows 7–9 p.m., Arcadia Ales Kalamazoo, 701 E. Michigan Ave., 276-0458.

Super Happy Funtime Burlesque — Live band and burlesque troupe, 9 p.m. Nov. 12, Bell's Eccentric Café, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., 382-2332.

Thunder from Down Under — Australian men show off their chiseled bodies, with dance routines and humor, 8 p.m. Nov. 19, State Theatre, 404 S. Burdick St., 345-6500.

Film Viewing & Discussion: Brown Sugar — Sponsored by the Black Arts & Cultural Center, 5:30–8:30 p.m. Nov. 29, Public Media Network, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 300, 349-1035.

Sesame Street Live: Make a New Friend — Join the Sesame Street characters as they explore friendship and cultural similarities, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 29 & 30, Wings Event Center, 3600 Vanrick Drive, 345-1125.

MUSIC Bands & Solo Artists Kansas Bible Company — Psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll band with brass, 8 p.m. Nov. 2, Bell's Eccentric Café, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., 382-2332.

Kane Brown: Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now Tour — Country singer/songwriter, 8 p.m. Nov. 3, State Theatre, 404 S. Burdick St., 345-6500.

Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad — Jam reggae band, 9 p.m. Nov. 3, Bell's Eccentric Café, 382-2332.

Bob Milne —Ragtime/boogie-woogie, classical and pop pianist, 7–9 p.m. Nov. 4, First United Methodist Church, 212 S. Park St., 381-6340.

Rusted Root — Acoustic, rock and world band, 9 p.m. Nov. 4, Bell's Eccentric Café, 382-2332.

The Robert Cray Band — Five-time Grammy Award-winning blues guitarist and singer, 8 p.m.

Nov. 10, State Theatre, 345-6500.

Horseshoes & Hand Grenades — Bluegrass and folk band, 9 p.m. Nov. 10, Bell's Eccentric Café, 382-2332.

Howie Day — Pop rock, indie rock singer/ songwriter, 9 p.m. Nov. 11, Bell's Eccentric Café, 382-2332.

The Brian Setzer Orchestra's 13th Annual Christmas Rocks! Tour — Three-time Grammy Award-winning guitarist and vocalist with his 19-piece orchestra, 8 p.m. Nov. 16, State Theatre, 345-6500.

Carter Lezman — Acoustic folk and pop, 7–10 p.m.

Nov. 18, Arcadia Ales Kalamazoo, 276-0458.

Cornmeal — Roots and bluegrass jam band, 9 p.m.

Nov. 18, Bell's Eccentric Café, 382-2332.

Laith Al Saadi — Blues, country, gospel and roots rock, 8 p.m. Nov. 19, Bell's Eccentric Café, 382-2332.

FlyLiteGemini with Joe Chamberlin — Folk, rock and blues, 5–7 p.m. Nov. 20, Arcadia Ales Kalamazoo, 276-0458.

Strfkr — Indie rock bank, 9 p.m. Nov. 21, Bell's Eccentric Café, 382-2332.

Greensky Bluegrass — Kalamazoo-based bluegrass/rock band, 8 p.m. Nov. 25 & 26, State Theatre, 345-6500.

Legal Experience In Your Corner. ®

■ Riparian rights, boundary disputes, quiet title actions, deed restrictions, adverse possession.

■ Land use and zoning matters, environmental issues, easements, road ends and access issues.

■

Kalamazoo ■ Grand Rapids ■ Detroit ■ Novi ■ Grand Haven ■ Lansing ■ Ann Arbor ■ Hastings

Contact Eric Guerin at ejguerin@varnumlaw.com w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 37

The New Mastersounds — British jazz fusion and funk band, 9 p.m. Nov. 27, Bell's Eccentric Café, 382-2332.

Orchestra, Chamber, Jazz, Vocal & More Michigan Festival of Sacred Music — Music of diverse religious traditions, times and venues vary, through Nov. 2, 382-2910.

KSO Burdick-Thorne String Quartet — Performing works by Haydn, Shostakovich and Beethoven, 7 p.m. Nov. 1, First Presbyterian Church, 321 W. South St., 349-7759.

Western Winds — Bullock Performance Institute concert, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 2, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, 387-4667.

Gold Company Sneak Preview — 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3, 8 p.m. Nov. 4–5, 2 p.m. Nov. 6, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, 387-4667.

Organist Gail Archer — International concert organist and recording artist, 7 p.m. Nov. 4, St. Augustine Cathedral, 542 W. Michigan Ave., 345-5147.

Marc-André Hamelin — The Gilmore presents the pianist and composer, 8 p.m. Nov. 5, Chenery Auditorium, 714 S. Westnedge Ave., 337-0440.

Ray Charles, Motown & Beyond — Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra presents Ellis Hall and Motown classics, 8 p.m. Nov. 5, Miller Auditorium, WMU, 387-2300.

Bronco Marching Band Concert — 3 p.m. Nov. 6, Miller Auditorium, WMU, 387-2300.

Mezzo-soprano Marisa Martins and Pianist Mac McClure — Guest artist recital, 3 p.m. Nov. 6, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, 387-4667.

Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra: Symphonic Evolution — Symphonies by Mozart, Beethoven and Randall Thompson, 4 p.m. Nov. 6, Chenery Auditorium, 337-0440.

Electroacoustic Surround Sound Concert — Part of the New Sounds Festival, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, 387-4667.

Collegium Musicum — Vocal and instrumental ensemble performing music from the medieval, Renaissance and baroque eras, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, 387-4667.

Pianist Alan Chow — Guest artist recital, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, 387-4667.

Baritone Carl Ratner and Pianist Lori Sims — Faculty recital, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, 387-4667.

Birds on a Wire — Part of the New Sounds Festival, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, 387-4667.

Big Band Swing Tribute: University Jazz Orchestra and University Jazz Lab Band — 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, 387-4667.

Emmanuel Ceysson — The harpist performs with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, 8 p.m. Nov. 18, Chenery Auditorium, 337-0440.

K’zoo Folklife Organization’s Loaves and Fishes Benefit Concert — Bluegrass, classical, country, Celtic and folk music, 6–10 p.m. Nov. 19, Trinity Lutheran Church, 504 S. Westnedge Ave., 209-0371.

University Symphonic Band and University Concert Band — 3 p.m. Nov. 20, Miller Auditorium, WMU, 387-4667.

Western Horn Choir — 7:30 p.m. Nov. 22, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, 387-4667.

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas — Holiday music with multimedia effects, 8 p.m. Nov. 26, Miller Auditorium, WMU, 387-2300.

Trumpeter Mary Bowden — Guest artist recital, 5 p.m. Nov. 28, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, 387-4667.

Christmas in Kalamazoo 2016 — Kalamazoo Ringers, Kalamazoo Brass and Kalamazoo Male Chorus concert, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 29, Centerpoint Church, 2345 N. 10th St., 998-6623.

MercyMe — Christian vocal group sings holiday hits, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30, Miller Auditorium, WMU, 387-2300.

DANCE Special Collaboration: A Terry Riley Celebration — The KSO Burdick-Thorne String Quartet and Wellspring/Cori Terry & Dancers present Riley's compositions, 8 p.m. Nov. 10–12, 2 p.m. Nov. 13, Wellspring Theatre, Epic Center, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 204, 342-4354.

Hansel and Gretel — Ballet Arts Ensemble performance, 2 p.m. Nov. 12 & 13, Chenery Auditorium, 714 S. Westnedge Ave., 337-0440.

VISUAL ARTS Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 314 S. Park St., 349-7775 Exhibits Reaching into Infinity: Chul Hyun Ahn — Sculptures by the Korean artist, through Nov. 6.

Scaled Up: Sculpture by Marcia Wood — Works by the Kalamazoo sculptor, through Dec. 31.

Wadada Language musician composed March 5.

Leo Smith: Ankhrasmation, The Scores, 1967–2015 — The jazz and artist exhibits musical scores of color, line and shape, through

Poetry of Content: Five Contemporary Representational Artists — Works of representational imagery by five painters, Nov. 5– Feb. 19.

Luminescence: From Salvage to Seascape — Sayaka Ganz’s sculptures created from repurposed objects, Nov. 19–March 19.

S P O N S O R E D B Y W E B E R S P E C I A LT I E S C O M PA N Y

2017

hospice care of southwest michigan

Kontras Quartet with WMU Faculty — Bullock Performance Institute concert, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, 387-4667.

More than 13 cute therapy dogs in one calendar! support

compassionate hospice care, free grief support and services (like pet therapy) for adults and children in our community.

Sold at Pet Supplies Plus (Westnedge & Gull Rd.) and Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan locations, or call 269.345.0273. On sale Nov. 1 — Dec. 31.

hospice hospiceswmi.org

ONLY $10 — MAKES A GREAT GIFT! 38 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

therapy dogs

Events ARTbreak — A weekly program about art, artists and exhibitions: How Art Made the World: Persuasion, video, Nov. 1; Craft in America: Service, video, Nov. 8; Poetry of Content, talk by artist Tim Lowly, Nov. 15; Footnotes to a Painting, talk and demonstration by Don Marek, Nov. 22; Tales of Winter: The Art of Snow and Ice, documentary, Nov. 29; all sessions begin at noon, KIA Auditorium.

The Garden Center at A sister company of Arborist Services of Kalamazoo, LLC

Sunday Public Tours — Tour exhibitions with a docent: Chul Hyun Ahn, Nov. 6; Marcia Wood, Nov. 13; Sculpture at the KIA, Nov. 20; Sayaka Ganz, Nov. 27; all sessions begin at 2 p.m.

Unreeled: Films at the KIA: Filmmaker Dhera Strauss — The award-winning documentary filmmaker and retired Kalamazoo College faculty member presents excerpts from her many films, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 10.

Book Discussion: The Marriage of Opposites — Discussion of the book by Alice Hoffman, 2 p.m. Nov. 16, Meader Fine Arts Library, 585-9291.

Get the Picture: Sculptures that Move: George Rickey and Harry Bertoia — An in-depth discussion with Curator of Education Michelle Stempien, noon Nov. 17.

Art School Writing Students’ Performance — Work inspired by the Poetry of Content exhibition, written and read by Kirk Newman Art School creative writing students, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 17.

Richmond Center for Visual Arts Western Michigan University, 387-2436 Annual Faculty Exhibition — Nov. 10–Dec. 8, Monroe-Brown Gallery.

Prints from the Permanent Collection — Nov. 10– Dec. 8, Netzorg and Kerr Gallery.

Other Venues Art Hop — Art at various Kalamazoo locations, 5–8 p.m. Nov. 5, 342-5059.

LIBRARY & LITERARY EVENTS Kalamazoo Public Library Creating Confident Caregivers — Learn information and strategies to help caregivers, 2–4 p.m. Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29, Oshtemo Branch, 7265 W. Main St., 373-5141; registration required.

Day of the Dead Celebration — Music, food, face painting and dancing, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 1, Alma Powell Branch, 1000 W. Paterson Ave., 553-7960.

First Saturday @ KPL — Stories, activities and door prizes, 2–3:30 p.m. Nov. 5, Central Library, 315 S. Rose St., 342-9837.

The Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee — 6–9 p.m.

Nov. 9, Bernhard Center, WMU, 553-7885.

Creating a Culture of Reading Literacy Event — Crafts, food, a literacy obstacle course and opportunities to meet neighbors, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 14, Eastwood Branch, 1112 Gayle Ave., 553-7810.

Korean Farm-to-Table — Nabe Bowerman, farm manager of Bonamego Farms, demonstrates how to prepare a Korean Thanksgiving meal with available produce, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 16, Washington Square Branch, 1244 Portage St., 553-7970.

Bird Feed ● Fertilizer ● Salt ● Local Home Delivery 1003 Staples Ave ● Kalamazoo, MI ● 269.381.0596 ● FarmNGarden.com

Celebrate the Christmas season with this holiday classic Patti Herm School of Dance

Presents

THE NUTCRACKER Guest Dancers from WMU Department of Dance

Saturday, Dec 3rd Sunday, Dec 4th

•

•

7pm

2pm

Otsego High School Auditorium 550 Washington St., Otsego

Reserve your tickets at

Patti Herm School of Dance 719 E. Allegan St., Otsego

Call 269.694.4565 or 269.694.5721 $15 adults, $12 child & seniors www.pattiherm.com w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 39

Meet the Author: Naomi Shihab Nye — The poet voices her experience as an Arab-American, 6:30–8 p.m. Nov. 17, Central Library, 342-9837.

International Mystery Book Group — Travel the world through books and try to solve a monthly mystery, 7 p.m. Nov. 10.

Animals and Nature Discussion Group: Animals and Human Society — Discussion of the book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari, 7 p.m. Nov. 30, Boardroom, Central Library, 342-9837.

What Are We Feeding Our Best Friends? — Discussion and review of pet food nutrition, 7 p.m.

Nov. 10; registration required.

Parchment Community Library 401 S. Riverview Drive, 343-7747

A Salute to Veterans: Big Band Event — 1940s dance hall featuring the Gull Lake Jazz Orchestra, 7–9 p.m. Nov. 11.

Parchment Book Club — Discussion of The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein, 7 p.m. Nov. 7.

Top Shelf Reads: The Golem and the Jinni — Discussion of the novel by Helene Wecher, 7 p.m.

Nov. 14.

Easy Dessert Creations for the Holidays — Dessert First owner Meka Phillips creates simple confections, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 9; registration required.

Open for Discussion: Life from Scratch — Food blogger Sasha Martin's memoir about food, family and forgiveness, 10:30 a.m.–noon Nov. 15.

African-American Quilters — 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Nov. 12.

PDL Writers Workshop: Benefits of Blogging — Author Dan Salerno explores blogging and how to be successful at it, 6–8 p.m. Nov. 15.

Second Sundays Live — Retro Pop Shuffle, featuring doo-wop, soul and jazz, 2 p.m. Nov. 13.

Genre Gyration Book Club — Discussion of Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel, 7 p.m.

Nov. 16.

Front Page: Donuts and Discussion — A current events panel discussion with local media, educators, politicians and special guests, 10:30 a.m.–noon Nov. 19.

Portage District Library 300 Library Lane, 329-4544 Science Fiction and Fantasy Discussion: Zombies — Discussion of types of zombies and how to survive a zombie apocalypse, 7 p.m. Nov. 7.

Must Be 21+: Game, Doodle, Color — 7–8:30 p.m.

Nov. 28.

Other Venues Gwen Frostic Reading Series — Novelist, poet, playwright and scholar Ana Castillo, 8 p.m. Nov. 2, WMU Center for the Humanities, 3512 Knauss Hall, 387-2572.

November Book Group — Discussion of Bettyville,

by George Hodgman, 7 p.m. Nov. 10, Richland Community Library, 8951 Park St., Richland, 629-9085.

Poets in Print Readings — Rochelle Hurt and Sarah Rose Nordgren, 7 p.m. Nov. 12, Kalamazoo Book

❄❅❆❇❊❉❊❋

Arts Center, 326 W. Kalamazoo Ave., Ste. 103A, 373-4938.

Antiques Appraisal — Tony Lorentz appraises antiques for owners, 7–8:30 p.m. Nov. 17, Richland Community Library, 629-9085.

MUSEUMS Gilmore Car Museum 6865 Hickory Road, Hickory Corners, 671-5089 The Golden Age of the Sports Car — Exhibition featuring sports cars of the 1940s–1960s, through April 30.

Paint Night at the Museum — Experts from Happy Our Art studio give step-by-step instructions to create a painting, 6–9 p.m. Nov. 11.

Kalamazoo Valley Museum 230 N. Rose St., 373-7990 Sustainable Shelter: Dwelling Within the Forces of Nature — An exhibit investigating ways that humans extract, use and discard energy, water and other natural resources, through Jan. 8.

Let's Dance — An exhibit about dance bands, dance halls and clothing in Kalamazoo from the 1920s to 1980s, through Jan. 16.

Thunderbolt & Lightfoot and Olivia Mainville and the Aquatic Troupe — A Kalamazoo indie folk duo and a Grand Rapids-based singer/songwriter and her band perform during Art Hop, 6 p.m. Nov. 4.

Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here — Music from the classic rock album, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 4, Planetarium.

Winter MArket / noveMber–April

Second Sundays 10am – 2pm KALAMAZOO

Farmers Market

100-Mile Market

November 13 • December 11 • January 8 February 12 • March 12 • April 9

Portage Market Portage Senior Center 320 Library Lane

Alternative currencies accepted:

269.359.6727 • pfcmarkets.com 40 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

N M

Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon — The rock group's album set to visuals, 8 p.m. Nov. 4, 4 p.m.

Nov. 5, Planetarium.

A Sense of Place: The Past, Present, and Future of Southwest Michigan’s Characteristic Natural Communities — Tyler Bassett, from the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, discusses features of the natural landscape and what is being done to maintain and restore it, 1:30 p.m. Nov. 13.

NATURE Kalamazoo Nature Center 7000 N. Westnedge Ave., 381-1574 Michigan Discovery Hike — Explore the KNC trails and learn how the landscape has changed, 2 p.m.

Nov. 6.

An Dro & Friends —Harp, strings, flutes, keyboard, accordion and percussion, accompanied by photos of Michigan’s natural places, 3–5 p.m. Nov. 6, Cooper’s Glen Auditorium.

Turkey Trot — Hike and search for turkey activity, 2 p.m. Nov. 13.

Autumn Prairie Hike — Visit the Emma Pitcher Tallgrass Prairie and identify native plants, 2 p.m.

Nov. 20.

Woodland Exploration — Search for out-of-theordinary things in the woods, 2 p.m. Nov. 27.

Kellogg Bird Sanctuary 12685 East C Ave., Augusta, 671-2510 Fall Migration Celebration — Identify the waterfowl at Wintergreen Lake and participate in activities along the trail, 1–4 p.m. Nov. 6.

Birds and Coffee Walk — A morning bird walk and discussion over coffee, 9–10:30 a.m. Nov. 9.

Owl Prowl — Nighttime walk to listen and call for owls, 6–7:30 p.m. Nov. 11.

Pierce Cedar Creek Institute 701 W. Cloverdale Road, Hastings, 721-4190 Birds of Prey — View some of Michigan’s raptors, 6:30–8 p.m. Nov. 4.

Holiday Gift Show and Lunch — 11 a.m.–noon, 12:15–1:15 p.m. & 1:30–2:30 p.m. lunch seating, Nov. 13.

Kalamazoo Numismatic Club Fall Coin Show — Buy, sell and trade coins, paper money and memorabilia, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Nov. 5, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, Room A, 381-8669.

Kalamazoo Russian Festival — Russian foods, music, dancers and children’s activities, 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Nov. 5, Fetzer Center, WMU, 679-4878.

Kalamazoo Craft Beer Festival 2016 — Beer tasting, specialty tappings, food and beer pairing classes and keg curling, 1–6 p.m. Nov. 5, Wings Event Center, 3600 Vanrick Drive, 345-1125.

West Michigan Harvest Cluster AKC Dog Show — Conformation, obedience and rally trials, 9 a.m.– 4 p.m. Nov. 11 & 12, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Nov. 12 & 13, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 616-706-2314.

Kalamazoo Holiday Parade — Marching bands, holiday-themed floats and giant balloons, 11 a.m.

Nov. 12, downtown Kalamazoo, 288-2830.

Pitchfork to Plate — Food, drinks, raffle and prizes, raises funds for AACORN Farm, 5–8:30 p.m. Nov. 12, Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan, 601 W. Maple St., aacornfarm.org.

NOVEMBER FIRST-RUNS OPENING NOVEMBER 4 Benedict Cumberbatch in DOCTOR STRANGE OPENING NOVEMBER 11 Amy Adams in ARRIVAL OPENING NOVEMBER 18 FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM OPENING NOVEMBER 23 Disney’s MOANA

Kalamazoo Indoor Flea & Antique Market — New and used items, antiques and handcrafted items, 8 a.m.–2 p.m. Nov. 15–16, 22–23 & 29–30, Kalamazoo County Expo Center North, 383-8761.

NOVEMBER SPECIALTY

Holiday Art Sale — Fine-quality art by the Kalamazoo Valley Potters and Art Etc., 5–8 p.m. Nov. 17, 9 a.m.–8 p.m. Nov. 18, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Nov. 19, Kalamazoo County Expo Center South, 873-0537.

NOVEMBER 1 Gene Kelly in SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN

Weavers and Fiber Artists Sale — Handwoven items, hand-spun yarn, gifts and ornaments, 5–8 p.m. Nov. 17, 9 a.m.–8 p.m. Nov. 18, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

Nov. 19, Kalamazoo County Expo Center North, 383-8778.

Kick-off Classic: Synchronized Skating — Skating competition of over 135 teams, 3–11:15 p.m. Nov. 18, 6 a.m.–10 p.m. Nov. 19, 6 a.m.–3 p.m.

Nov. 20, Wings Event Center, 345-1125.

Food Truck Rally — Food trucks, booths, music and networking, 10:30 p.m.–1 a.m. Nov. 18, Water Street, between Rose and Church streets, 388-2830.

NOVEMBER 2 Cary Grant in SUSPICION NOVEMBER 4, 5, & 6 Julie Andrews in SING-A-LONG-A SOUND OF MUSIC NOVEMBER 9 Kurt Russell in THE THING

Other Venues

Holiday Expo & Craft Show — Michigan vendors and crafters, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Nov. 19, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 616-706-2314.

Audubon Society of Kalamazoo — Ric Pedler and Charlie Dewitt speak on “Birding Southeast Texas Hot Spots,” 7:30 p.m. Nov. 28, People’s Church, 1758 N. 10th St., 375-7210.

Kalamazoo Reptile & Exotic Pet Expo — Buy, sell or trade reptiles, amphibians and small mammals, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Nov. 19, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, Room A, 779-9851.

MISCELLANEOUS

Holiday Walk and Market — Tour the decorated W.K. Kellogg Manor House and buy handcrafted gifts, noon–5 p.m. Nov. 25, 3700 E. Gull Lake Drive, Hickory Corners, 671-2400.

NOVEMBER 21 Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in FIGHT CLUB

Tree Lighting Ceremony — Lighting of Kalamazoo’s Christmas trees, 5–8 p.m. Nov. 25, Bronson Park, kzooparks.org.

Visit drafthouse.com/kalamazoo for showtimes and tickets

Kalamazoo Farmers’ Market — 7 a.m.–2 p.m.

Tues., Thurs. & Sat., through Nov. 19, 1204 Bank St., 359-6727.

The Great Pumpkin Soiree — A tasting and competition involving pumpkin delicacies prepared by area chefs and restaurants, raises funds for Kalamazoo in Bloom, 6:30–8:30 p.m. Nov. 2, Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites, 100 W. Michigan Ave., 548-6232.

Christmas Boutique Arts & Crafts Show — Artisans and crafters from throughout the Midwest, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Nov. 5, Kalamazoo County Expo Center South, 2900 Lake St., 327-5373.

Kalamazoo Antique Toy Show — Antique, vintage and collectible toys, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Nov. 26, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 262-246-7171.

NOVEMBER 14 Marilyn Monroe in GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES NOVEMBER 17 & 20 Kenneth Branagh in THE ENTERTAINER

DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE PLEASE CHECK

DRAFTHOUSE.COM/KALAMAZOO FOR UPDATES

w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 41

Horses, of Course (continued from page 23) from Western Michigan University with a biology major. She was a zookeeper at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo and Battle Creek’s Binder Park Zoo, working predominantly with hoof stock, such as giraffes and zebras. She also worked with domestic hoof stock at Binder Park Zoo. “We had two donkeys that I totally fell in love with.”

Those donkeys are partly why she’s interning at Tillers. She learned how to drive giant draft horses but prefers donkeys and mules. “I’m 5-foot-4 so mules are more my size.”

Burns echoes Snow’s judgment that mules are safer. “Horses are sort of flighty by nature,” she says. “Mules, rather than run away, have a tendency to assess the situation, think about it. Instead of being jumpy, they’re more calm.”

While she understands the animals, Burns and her husband realize they still have more to learn about farming with them. They have a “five-year plan” to travel the U.S. and work on farms so they can learn what they’ll face when they strike out on their own. Burns

said their plan culminates with returning to western Michigan and buying land somewhere between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids.

“I want to start with about 40 acres, something manageable for the two of us,” she says. “I’d like to get in with the local breweries that are doing farm-to-tabletype stuff and have a small meat farm with pasture rotation.”

It’s a plan, and not one that dates from 1914. Or, maybe, that is how they used to do it back then.

BC

ANNUAL TREE LIGHTING and FESTIVAL OF TREES OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Reservations required, as the event sells out annually

Saturday, November 26, 2016

5:00 - 7:45: Non-Profit Tree Auction

Beacon Club memberships make great wedding or holiday gifts!

6:00 - 8:00: Carolers (WMU Broncords) during dinner Dusk - outdoor tree lighting

The

10-Choice Special Event Menu

BeaconClub 5830 Portage Rd., Kalamazoo, Michigan 49002 (269) 343-9000 • www.TheBeaconClub.com

Because everyone deserves a great workplace

Innovative Human Resources Consulting, Training, and Recruiting 229 E. Michigan Ave, Suite 345 Kalamazoo 269.459.6060 www.HRMInnovations.com 42 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

ENCORE Poetry

December 1-3 Friday, Dec. 2 4-8 pm Saturday, Dec. 3 9 am-3 pm MEMBER NIGHT: Thursday, Dec. 1 5:30-8:30 pm

Jay Seeley, Bird of the Blue Sun, 1965-66, woodcut, courtesy of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts

When everything starts over there will be a blue sun and you and I will sway like the flowerings on the floor of the sea.

There will be a new bird and night will warm our thoughts with twin moons, will spread and scent the ground. And you and I will find mercy painted on every stone. Rain will sing its long song and you and I. And you and I. — Marion Boyer Boyer, who lives in Mattawan, has had three poetry collections published. Her most recent, Composing the Rain, won Grayson Books’ 2014 chapbook competition. This poem was written in response to a woodcut called Bird of the Blue Sun, by Jay Seeley, in the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts collection.

Presenting Sponsor:

Co-sponsors:

Works shown are representational and may not be available for purchase. Artists shown: Susan Badger, Chad Bagge, Jerry Harty, Tamara Hirzel, Gretchen Huggett, and Linda Kekic.

w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 43

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS Alamo Drafthouse Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Arborist Services of Kalamazoo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 The Ayres Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 The Beacon Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Better World Builders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Bravo! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Bronson Health Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Christmas Décor by Naylor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Clear Ridge Wealth Management . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Constance Brown Hearing Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Dave’s Glass Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 DeMent and Marquardt, PLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Encore Magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Food Dance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Four Roses Café . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

The FREE Portage Printing 2017 Calendar.

A Holiday Tradition Since 1986.

FarmNGarden Garden Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Gilmore Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Great Lakes Shipping Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Greenleaf Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

☎

1116 W Centre Avenue 323-9333 PortagePrinting.com

While supplies last.

One per visit, please.

Halls, Closets & More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan . . . . . . . . . 38 HRM Innovations, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Kalamazoo Community Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Kalamazoo Stripping & Derusting Co. . . . . . . . . 16 Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

KEEPCALM AND

LISTEN TO

CLASSICAL

MUSIC LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR

WMUK

102.1

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Lewis, Reed & Allen, PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Maple Hill Auto Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Mercantile Bank of Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Meyer & Allwardt, PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Naylor Landscape Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Northpointe Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Patti Herm School of Dance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 People’s Food Co-op of Kalamazoo . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Portage Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Precision Printer Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Principle Food & Drink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Jeff K. Ross Financial Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Saffron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

WMUK IS NPR FROM WMU

Varnum Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Vlietstra Bros. Pools & Spas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Wild Ginger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 WMUK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Woodwork Specialties Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

44 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

BACK STORY (continued from page 46)

Why did you want to be a doctor?

When I was in kindergarten, I contracted bacterial meningitis, was in a coma, and ended up living in the hospital for a long time and I really admired doctors. This was in 1964-65, and at that time it was not considered survivable, but I made it.

As a result, there were a lot of repercussions from the meningitis.

I spent a lot of time rehabbing. The right side of my brain was so swollen it affected the left side of my body. I was born left-handed, so I had to learn to do everything right-handed.

Also, I developed dyslexia and problems with my vision as well as having to take speech classes to learn to talk again. I used to have to leave my classroom and go to special classes for speech and reading and pretty much became the odd kid out at school.

But, you know, you just work through it.

What do you think gave you that kind of grit?

My dad died when I was 9, and I learned to appreciate every day and know that you aren’t promised anything. You work hard and adapt. I watched my mom, who was a nurse, become a single working mother, raising three kids in the 1960s. For awhile, we were on ADC (Aid to Dependent Children). But she put all three of us, with the help of our church, through Hope College. She’s a pretty cool lady.

How did you become a car dealer?

When I got out of college, a buddy talked me into trying car sales. I became a district manager for Great Lakes Mazda, covering Michigan and Ohio, and did that for several years. But I really wanted to get back to retail, so my wife and I started looking at buying a dealership in Ohio.

Then my bosses found out I was looking. They called me to meet them at the airport, and usually a call like that is not good. I looked at my wife that day and said, “This is probably it.” I had all the stuff in my car — my computer and files — to give back at termination.

At the airport, my boss, his boss and the chairman of the company got off the plane, and I thought, “They’re bringing in the chairman? What did I do?” They said, “We found out you were looking for a dealership and leaving the company. Well, we’d like to partner up with you.”

They wanted to buy a store in Kalamazoo that sold Chrysler, Volvo and Hyundai. They had the resources, and I had day-to-day operations. That was in 1995, and they are still my partners today. I’ve worked for them or with them for 34 years.

Your dealership has changed a lot since then.

We had to reinvent ourselves after ’09 and the bankruptcy of General Motors —780 Chrysler dealers were eliminated, and we were one of them. At the time, Chrysler parts and services were 60 to 70 percent of our back-end business. We had to lay off employees, and it just tore us apart. Those were pretty dark days.

But we buckled up and started rebuilding ourselves as an import dealership — not by choice but by situation. And it’s been great.

What are you passionate about?

Kids. Helping kids that have to get through everything they have to go through. I think I checked every block of what kids might have to go through so I understand. I support Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes because they help families who don’t have a whole lot. I lived through that and I know what that is. Most of my meals were macaroni and cheese and pancakes. We thought that was cool, not knowing it meant we were down to limited food.

I also love animals and am the president of the SPCA board. Our company also works to support The Arc Community Advocates. My wife’s brother is mentally and physically impaired and he came to live in Kalamazoo after her parents died and now works in our car wash.

What was your first car?

A 1969 Chevy Nova. Bought it for $500. It didn’t have two fenders on it. I rebuilt it and did the body work.

What’s your dream car?

I have a 1967 VW bus that I’m refurbishing. It’s the ultimate ’60s hippie machine, with a surfboarder decal in the back window and peace sign hanging from the mirror. We’ve repainted it blue, gray and white, and we’re putting in a new interior with pop-up TVs and wraparound lounge seating. It’ll have a throwback look but modern technology. Think I’ll have to grow a ponytail, though.

eyeing your neighbor’s yard? (our work tends to get noticed)

Design, Installation and Maintenance of Exceptional Lawns and Landscapes.

(269) 375-0084 • naylorlandscape.com w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 45

BACK STORY encore

Jim VandenBerg Owner, Maple Hill Auto Group

J

im VandenBerg is the master of Plan B. From overcoming a deadly illness that he contracted while in kindergarten to losing his father at age 9 to weathering turbulent times in the car business, VandenBerg knows a little something about adapting. The owner of Maple Hill Auto Group and father of two, who was born and raised in Kalamazoo, says it’s less about being malleable and more about learning.

“There’s a learning experience in everything we do,” he says, “and we have a responsibility to help and teach others who come along.

We have to work each day as hard as we can because you never know what will happen.”

Were you into cars growing up?

Actually, I thought I was going to be a doctor. I went to Hope College for pre-med, which had a stringent reduction program because they guarantee placement in the end. The class started with 400 and ended up with nine. I didn’t make it.

In my junior year I needed a new major. My cousin did ground sonic testing for the oil exploration industry and said it was a great business, so I majored in geology.

The year I got my degree the oil embargo (imposed against the U.S. by OPEC) went into place and 6,000 geologists were laid off, so I stayed an extra semester and picked up a business degree. (continued on page 45)

Brian Powers

At home Jim VandenBerg is surrounded by women, clockwise from top left: Ella Bellenberg and Rafaela Strussmann, exchange students from Germany and Brazil, respectively; daughters Abby and Paige, and his wife Monie.

46 | Encore NOVEMBER 2016

Dd Dining

Destinations fusion. japanese. chinese.

the

HOLiDAYs just got easier

Fresh, Local, Sustainable Ingredients Great Selection of Michigan Craft Beers on Tap

Come experience all of our wild flavors

Hand Cut Steaks – Fresh Seafood Exquisite Desserts by Our In-House Pastry Chef

PRivAtE PARtiEs Catering • events restaurant • Market 401 E. Michigan Ave 269.382.1888 • fooddance.net

NEW AMERICAN CLASSIC

639 Romence Rd, Portage 269.459.8502 269.459.8503

fresh flavors , time tested technique

www.wildgingerkzoo.com

Principle Food & Drink 230 S Kalamazoo Mall Kalamazoo MI 49007 (269) 743-6563

663 10th Street Plainwell 269-685-1077 www.fourrosescafe.com

info@principlekzoo.com www.principlekzoo.com Open 7 days

Quiet, Comfortable, Affordable

F i n e

D i n i n g

I n d i a n

C u i s i n e

RESTAURANT & TAVERN

Choice Aged Steaks

Holiday Parties Also rehearsal dinners, office parties, meetings and presentations.

Fresh Fish Slow Roasted Prime Rib Dinner from 5:00 p.m. daily Reservations Appreciated 375-3650

Bring your imagination alive with the sensuous aroma of Indian cuisine.

Conveniently located at 4525 West KL Ave, east of Drake Road 5402 Portage Road, Kalamazoo Phone: 269.344.7700

Visit our website at www.greatlakesshippingco.com w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 47

Come see our brand new, customer-focused facility.

• • • • •

New Showroom New Customer Lounge New Child Play Area Eco-Friendly Upgrades Fast, Free Wi-Fi

• • • • •

New Service Drive More Service Bays New Parts/Accessories Area State-of-the-Art Car Wash Snacks and Refreshments

All models with optional EyeSight.

Subaru. An investment you can rely on.

Subaru. The Best Resale Value of all brands for 2016 according to Kelly Blue Book. The Top Mainstream Brand for resale value for 2016 according to ALG. All models with EyeSight earn a 2016 IIHS Top Safety Pick Award. And the Most Trusted Brand for 2016 according to Kelly Blue Book.

5622 W Main St. Kalamazoo, MI 49009 www.maplehillsubaru.com 269/342-6600