Off The Water - June 13-19, 2014

Fading fast

Center of the World

Celebrate solstice in style............... p.3

Week of June 13-19, 2014

FREE

Fruit Belt sources depleting............ p.8

Off The Water | The place to be entertained.

Volume 6, Number 24

Toast the Coast Wine Festival at Weko Beach... p. 6

www.offthewater.com

Page 2 • Week of June 13-19, 2014

Off The Water, Michiana

ON DISPLAY

Hop into art, culture at annual event

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By JILL McCAUGHAN jill.mccaughan @leaderpub.com

ENTON HARBOR — If art is your thing — any kind of art — then the Benton Harbor Arts District will be the place for you to celebrate the summer solstice this year.

“It’s a long party,” said Dixie Inocencio, who serves as secretary on the New Territory Arts Association board of directors. “Last year, our solstice Art Hop was phenomenally successful.”

This year, the Arts District will definitely be hopping on June 20, with activities starting at 6 and lasting until 9 p.m., and most of the events will be free.

As usual, a number of art galleries in the area will be hosting open houses, welcoming visitors in to view the artwork on display, and many will be offering hors d’oeuvres, wine and other beverages.

Restaurants in the area will also be open to serve Art Hop event-goers.

At the ARS Gallery, visitors can view “Oil, Water & Glass,” which includes paintings by Susan Henshaw and glass sculptures by Water Street Glassworks’ Jerry Catania.

Brad Bigford will be showing pieces from his collection, “Stolen Masterpieces,” at the Terrazzo Gallery. Working with layers of painted wood, Bigford creates reproductions of famous masterpieces by such artists as Dali, Duchamp and Botticelli.

The Oak Room will present “The Nathan and Peyton Show,” which will feature paintings and sculptures by Nathan Margoni and Peyton Brown.

Other businesses in the Arts District will also be participating with their own events, including art exhibits and special sales.

The OutCenter will be showcasing the artwork of Thomas Allen with an exhibit entitled “Summer Camp with Thomas Allen​ .” Known for stylish photographs that have been inspired by pulp fiction novels and paperbacks, Allen’s work has appeared in a number of national magazines.

The 3 Pillars Music Store will host an open house with light bites and beverages.

There, event-goers will find musical instruments and accessories as well as

“pre-loved” albums, 45s and CDs. Instrument repairs will also be available.

Cycle-Re-Cycle will be participating with a special Arts District sidewalk display of childrens’ bicycles that they will set up in front of Water Street GelatoWorks.

Featuring art and unusual, rare and antique books, Wall Street Antiques will be offering special treats for Art Hop visitors, and 6 Degrees Resale Store will be providing complimentary wine and chocolate as well as a 16 percent off “Art Hop Sale.”

For those who are interested in listening to live music, there will be several different options to choose from that evening.

Thayer, Inc. will have an art exhibit featuring Kat Kinsgley and the Brunson Hill Art House accompanied by the live music of Ed Skjordal, as well as appetizers, wine and lemonade.

The Citadel Dance Center will host an open house with live performances by faculty and students, with wine and hors d’oeuvres being served.

Finally, the big addition to this year’s Summer Art Hop will be a Cabaret Concert with Paul Mow and Aiden Ankli at the Livery.

“I think it’s going to be spectacular,” Inocencio said. “Paul Mow is a Coloma native who studied opera in New York and has won several awards. He has now returned and is teaching at the Citadel. He is also the director of theatrical productions at Southwestern Michigan College.

He and his student, Aiden Ankli, will be performing together.”

Mow and Ankli will be accompanied

by Eric Oliphant on drums, Dustin Lowe on guitar and Brent Decker on piano.

Doors open at 7:30, and the concert begins at 8 p.m. Tickets for the show are $15.

There will also be an opportunity for the public to join in a collective project entitled “Two by Two: A Community Glass Project.” Interested visitors can design and create their own 2-by-2-inch glass tile at Water Street Glassworks.

Those will then be included in an installation in the Arts Park in the Arts District.

For more information about the various events taking place during the Art Hop, visit the New Territory Arts Association Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ newterritoryarts.

Submitted photo/JOSHUA NOWICKI

Visitors to Benton Harbor’s Art Hop can stroll through the Arts District from gallery to gallery and stop by Water Street GelatoWorks for a cool treat.

Off The Water, Michiana

TOURIST FOR A DAY

Week of June 13-19, 2014 • Page 3

Discover the local destinations right in your own backyard

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Submitted photo

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The Center of the World Wood Shop specializes in creating custom, handcrafted cabinetry and furniture that can transform a space.

Visit the 'Center of the World'

By JILL McCAUGHAN jill.mccaughan @leaderpub.com

H

ARBERT—If there is any “magical” place to be at the solstice, it’s probably at the center of the world, and fortunately for all of us, Hosea Tirrel, mid-19th century sage and shopkeeper, discovered that center to be located in none other than Harbor Country—in New Troy, to be exact.

Having chosen New Troy as the original home for their woodworking shop, Terry and Lorraine Hanover decided to name their shop “The Center of the World” as well.

And, although the Center of the World Wood Shop has since moved from New Troy to Harbert, it’s still a great place to celebrate the solstice, especially since the Hanovers will be hosting their 11th Annual Woodworkers with the Blues event there on June 21.

“Life in Harbor Country really slowed down this past winter,” Lorraine said.

“But for some area artisans, the winter blues spurred new creative work, and as summer begins, they’re eager to share the results.”

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., guests are invited to come to the shop at 13400 Red

Arrow Highway and view the fruits of their labors while enjoying a variety of free woodworking demonstrations, live music and a hot lunch.

Participating woodworkers include John Galligan, who creates wine accessories; Floyd Gumpf and Terry Hanover, who create furniture; Harold Harris, who creates gourd vessels and lamps; Barbara Hoenle, who creates wooden jewelry; Larry Jensen, who creates sculpture; Steve Livengood, who creates primitive and rustic furniture; Jim Lothary, who creates wildlife carv-

ings; Phil Myer, who creates lamps and furniture; Robert Schroeder, who creates jewelry boxes and furniture; James Stawowy, who creates treasure boxes; and Ralph Lindholm, who does wood turning.

Wood turning and wood carving demonstrations will be taking place at 12 and 2 p.m. David Krumrie will also be doing a sawmill demonstration during the course of the day.

Live music will be provided at 1 and 3 p.m. by Trois Canard, an Indiana trio that performs “the top tunes of the past 500 years.” Band members

Marti Pizzini and Suzanne Keldsen of Chesterton, and Dot Pakan of Valaparaiso have been making music together for 20 years with such instruments as a dulcimer, a hurdy-gurdy, an accordion, an autoharp, a fiddle and a guitar.

They will also be playing some of their songs on historic Marxochime instruments, which were manufactured at the Marxochime Colony in New Troy from 1947 to 1972.

A hot lunch and refreshments will be provided by the Friends of New Troy, and proceeds from food sales will benefit the New

Troy Community Center.

More information about the Center of the World Woodshop can be found at www.centeroftheworld.net,

and those with questions about the 11th Annual Woodworkers with the Blues event can call the shop at (269) 469-5687.

Off The Water | The place to be entertained.

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Page 4 • Week of June 13-19, 2014

Celebrate Independence Day under the stars

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T. JOSEPH, Mich. — The Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra will present its two annual Independence Day beach concerts starting on at 8:30 p.m. July 3 at Lions Pavilion Park in New Buffalo, followed by a performance at Shadowland Pavilion in St. Joseph at 9 p.m. on July 4.

SMSO’s Independence Day concerts are among the most attended summer events in southwest Michigan, with many people arriving early to stake out a seat on the lawn.

Each concert will conclude with a huge finale, complete with a breathtaking fireworks display to accompany the Symphony.

The July 3rd New Buffalo concert is free to the public, while tickets to the July 4th St. Joseph concert start at $15. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Carry-ins are welcome at the July 4 concert, however alcohol is not allowed.

All coolers and carry-ins will be checked at the gate.

Concertgoers can also enjoy the offerings from the on-site local vendor, Classic Catering. Beer and wine will be provided

by BUD Distributing.

“It’s always a pleasure to celebrate America’s birthday as part of our annual concert series on the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan,” said Music Director Robin Fountain. “This year’s special theme is mobility as an expression of American freedom, from the horse and buggy to the exploration of the stars.”

The symphony performances promise to be spectacular with a great selection of American classics and patriotic tunes.

All are welcome to worship with us.

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Tickets July 3: The orchestra appreciates the Pokagon Fund for making the New Buffalo concert free to the public.

July 4: Tickets include: Lawn Seating: $15 for adults and children Attendees bring their own chairs or blankets.

Reserved Seating: $25 Picnic tables: $300, and includes ten tickets and two VIP parking passes Beach Pass: $50 and include four adult tickets that can be used in any combination, and can be purchased throughout the summer Please note: Tickets purchased the day of the concert are subject to a $5 price increase.

Shadowland Pavilion Parking Fees: • $6 Berrien County residents / $8 non-residents / $35 Annual Pass • No alcohol allowed.

(Beer, wine and food will be sold.)

• No reserved seating (other than reserved table) • Please bring a blanket or lawn chair!

Off The Water, Michiana

South Bend Civic Theatre presents ‘The Producers’

F

rom the zany imagination of comedy legend Mel Brooks comes “The Producers,” the blockbuster musical that won a record 12 Tony Awards.

Downtrodden producer Max Bialystock and his meek accountant Leo Bloom come up with a foolproof scheme: produce the worst show in history and make off with the investors’ millions.

What could go wrong?

Everything of course! A wild and fantastic romp that is side-splittingly funny and a valentine to Broadway.

“The Producers” features a book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan with music and lyrics by Mel Brooks.

David Case, director and music director Roy Bronkema lead a cast featuring Ted Mainer as Max Bialystock and Nick Mezak as Leo Bloom, with Brandon Armentrout, Olivia Becht, Sarah Beudert, Emily Case, Silas Chester, Pierre Cooks, Kathryn Denny, Katie Fry,

Daniel Grey, Will Heckaman, Laura Heft, Christa Hill, Allison Jones, Katie Jung-Zimmerman, Jacob Kramer, Sean Leyes, Evan McSorley, Hilary Murrmann, Alexandria Sadowski, Nicholas Salay, Sara Schmidtke, David Stefenc, Mark Torma, Patrick Trimboli, and Libby Unruh.

Sponsors for “The Producers” are Villing and Company, Alfred and Martha Choitz, the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County, and Matthew Kahn, Merrill Lynch.

“The Producers” performs in the Wilson Theatre at South Bend Civic Theatre July 11 to Aug. 3, 2014. Performance times are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $21 Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and $18 Wednesdays and Thursdays. To purchase tickets call the SBCT Box Office (574) 234-1112 or go to sbct.org.

New Mason Jar Cafe serves vegan food right I was fortunate enough to get to spend a gorgeous day in St. Joe last week bumming around town with my mom, catching up.

A must on our agenda was a meal at the new Mason Jar Cafe. I’d heard from several area health foodies that the restaurant had great vegan Leader photos/JILL McCAUGHAN options and I know The Mason Jar Café specializes in creating dishes the owners from the for folks with all kinds of special dietary needs. local food scene.

The hype proved worthy. The restaurant, to keep all allergen ingredi- was house made, as was located in the 210 Water ents separate in the kitchen. everything from lemonade Street building, is the per- Having a kitchen manager to salad dressings. fect addition to the Benton who understands the imporI highly recommend Harbor Arts District. It has tance of those dietary needs is making your way to The an open kitchen concept key to happy diners of all Mason Jar as soon as posand a minimalist cafe feel. sensitivities. sible. It’s a great brunch The patio is huge and quite Chef Abel’s local, from spot, and the only place in pleasant. scratch details are evident in town I know of where you The best part of the Mason innovative dishes like glu- can get a vegan breakfast Jar is it’s creative, conscious ten-free Zucchini pancakes, served until 3 p.m. menu. You’ll truly find some- French lentils, and more.

Kat Barry, a St. Joseph, thing for everyone here Breads are from bakeries in Michigan native, is owner including vegan, gluten free Kalamazoo, and we were of Kat’s Hot Cakes vegan paleo and locavore. Owner served the first plate of local catering, and co author of and chef Abel Martinez said strawberries at the end of "The New Chicago Diner that he’s really trying to use as our meal. I could taste that Cookbook: Meat Free many local ingredients as the ranchero sauce on my Recipes from America’s possible and is working hard vegan Huevos Rancheros Veggie Diner." She also

COLUMNIST

Kat Barry Kat's Hot Talk

develops recipes for eHow. com, where you can find over 30 of her vegan instructional cooking videos. She is also a certified yoga instructor. Kat currently resides in Chicago, and in her free time she enjoys practicing yoga, sampling local spirits, listening to live music, and getting outdoors. Follow @katshotcakes on twitter.

Kat can be reached via email at: kat@katshotcakes.com.

Off The Water, Michiana

Summertime is wine time If you could be a super hero, mythical character or fictional leader, who would you choose?

Superman? A Mutant Ninja Turtle? Or maybe Jean ValJean?

I’d be the Pied Piper! No, not the Middle Ages Pied Piper of Germany, who allegedly led children away from villages. Nor would I be the Pied Piper of 16th Century Germany who might have led rats from infested Dorfs (small villages)!

I’d be the Pied Piper of Provence, France, and lead you to dry, French Rosé wine.

One of the many great things about dry Rosé is that it can be made from different grapes and it’s produced all around the world. You can enjoy Cabernet, Malbec, Chambourcin and Sangiovese Rosé.

Oregon’s Rosé of Pinot Noir and Provence Rosé tops them all for my palate.

Every summer, for the past several years, I’ve written about Southern France’s famous salmon-pink wine. It excites me every May and delights me in June and July.

And it’s good news to report how other U.S. wine drinkers are in agreement.

Provence Rosé wine sales continue to explode. French Provence Rosé exports went up an astounding 40 percent last year in volume and

value. Astounding just too big a word or too much hyperbole for you? Measure the word’s use against the 2012 statistical report from the Provence Wine Council which reported a 41 percent increase two years ago and 62 percent jump in 2011.

“Exports of Provence Rosé to the United States show no signs of slowing down, and neither does consumer demand for rosé from Provence, the gold standard,” said Julie Peterson, in press materials, of the CIVP/ Provence Wine Council’s U.S. trade office. “With these increased volumes flowing into the country, American consumers are also finding a wider variety of flavor profiles from producers across Provence.”

Besides the delightful mineralty, fruit, and freshness of dry Provence Rosé, Rosé is great for the price.

Really good bottles can be found at $10-$20. As a matter of fact, Nielsen Research reports the average price per bottle is just $16.38.

Wine Travel One of the best ways to learn more about wine and have a great vacation is travel to the great wine regions of the world. It’s been a real blessing to visit Napa/ Sonoma, Italy’s Tuscany, Oregon’s Willamette Valley,

COLUMNIST

Howard Hewitt Grape Sense Bordeaux, Chablis, and the Languedoc in France, along with California’s Central Coast in recent years.

I’m plugging two trips here so readers can follow along. I’ll be leading my first private Grape Sense wine tour June 9-13 in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. After a very short weekend, I’ll be in Italy for two weeks June 17-27. The Italy trip is for my work but I’ll be eating and drinking Italian and I’m sure to publish a few blog posts.

Follow both trips on the Grape Sense wine blog: www.howardhewitt.net Howard W. Hewitt, Crawfordsville, Indiana, writes about value wine every other week for more than 20 Midwestern newspapers. Contact: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Week of June 13-19, 2014 • Page 5

Page 6 • Week of June 13-19, 2014

Off The Water, Michiana

FOCUS

Toast the coast at Weko BeachE

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Southwest Michigan Tourist Council, the event is organized and produced by Traffic PR & Marketing.

With an eye to safety, sponsoring organizations have teamed up to provide complimentary shuttle bus transportation to and from the festival and nearby hotels.

That schedule can be found on the ‘ Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ LakeMichiganShoreWineFestival.

“The wine festival provides transportation services for 10 to 12 different hotels,” said Millicent Huminsky, executive director of the Southwest Michigan Tourist Council. “They will pick up and take people to and from the festival so there are no issues with drunk driving.”

Hoping that the festival will bring more visitors into the area, the Southwestern Michigan Tourist Council has been sponsoring the event for more than five years now.

“The Tourist Council sponsors it because we’re looking for ways to get people to spend a weekend here and not just a day,” Huminsky said. “It’s our hope that they will experience more of southwest Michigan on Sunday before they leave.”

Weko Beach is located off of I-94 at Exit 16. To get there, drive on Red Arrow Hwy. to the stoplight in Bridgman, and then travel west on Lake St. More information is available at www.lakemichiganwinefest.com.

“It’s a great time,” Huminsky said.

“You’re on Lake Michigan, there are five bands playing, and there are great food vendors. It’s really an awesome time.”

By JILL McCAUGHAN jill.mccaughan @leaderpub.com

RIDGMAN— From 1 to 10 p.m. on June 21, Bridgman’s Weko Beach will be transformed into a winelover’s paradise with “Toast the Coast,” the Ninth Annual Lake Michigan Shore Wine Festival.

“There’s not a much better setting for a festival in the state of Michigan than Weko Beach,” said Chris Moersch, director of brewing operations at Round Barn Winery, Distillery and Brewery. “It’s just a beautiful location. It’s really the only place where people can go to sample wines from all of the wineries in the area in one place.”

Moersch originally came up with the idea for the wine festival about 10 years ago.

“At the time, I was the president of the Lake Michigan Wine Trail. Our growing region is called the ‘Lake Michigan Shore.’ It’s a federally recognized growing region, like the Napa Valley or Sonoma,” Moersch explained. “So, it made sense to call our festival that and to celebrate it on the Lake Michigan shore.”

After approaching several communities along the lake, organizers settled on the town of Bridgman, which was very receptive to the idea.

Popular from the start, the festival has grown in the number of visitors each year, with organizers expecting between 4,000 and 4,500 people to attend the festival this year.

“We were very surprised at how big it was the first year, and it has probably doubled in size since the inception,” Moersch said. “It’s now one of the largest wine festivals in the state.”

Part of that has to do with the growth of the wine industry in southwestern Michigan.

“The first year, we had 10 or 11 wineries, and now we’re up to 15 wineries,” Moersch said.

At the festival, wine can be purchased by the taste or by the glass using tickets which cost $1 each. Tastes are 1 ticket each, while glasses range in price from 5 to 7 tickets. Admission to the festival is $15 and includes a souvenir wine glass, but discount tickets can be purchased in advance at the Harding’s Friendly Market in Bridgman for $10 each. Admission for children 12 and under is free.

Recognizing that there are different preferences, beer will also be available, and a number of food vendors will be pro-

viding event-goers with the opportunity to get a bite to eat.

Along with wine, beer and food, the festival will provide entertainment by way of five bands beginning at 1 p.m. Top Secret Band will open the show, followed

by Slim Gypsy Baggage at 2:45 p.m. At 4:15 p.m., Duke Tumatoe will be play-

ing, followed by Lady Sunshine & the X Band at 6:15 p.m. The headliners, PS Dump Your Boyfriend, will take the stage at 8:15 p.m.

A collaboration between the Greater Bridgman Area Chamber of Commerce and Growth Alliance, Lake Michigan Shore Wine Country, and title sponsor

Off The Water, Michiana

Week of June 13-19, 2014 • Page 7

SPOTLIGHT

Enjoy the solstice with brews, tunes

By JILL McCAUGHAN jill.mccaughan @leaderpub.com

S

T. JOSEPH—This year, with the help of the Liquor Locker’s Charlie Stempion, the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra is putting a new twist on an old favorite.

From 4 to 10 p.m. on June 21, their summer fundraising concert will include 16 microbreweries serving up 64 different beers at the Shadowland Pavilion at Silver Beach.

“We’ve done concerts on this date for a couple of years, but this is the first year we’ve made it into a microbrew event,” said Sue Kellogg, executive director of the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra.

“Charlie Stempion, owner of the Liquor Locker approached us, wanting to do a microbrew event, and since he knew the beer end of it and we knew the music end of it, it was a perfect match.”

Participating breweries

include • Arcadia Brewing Co. • Bell’s Brewery • Founders Brewing Co. • Goose Island Beer Co. • Greenbush Brewing Co. • Lagunitas Brewing Co. • The Livery • Mountain Town Brewing Company • New Holland Brewing • Perrin Brewing Co. • Right Brain Brewery • Round Barn Brewery • Saugatuck Brewing Co. • Tapistry Brewing Co. “All of the local favorites will be there, as well as a few great breweries from Illinois,” Kellogg said.

Tickets for the fundraiser in support of the symphony are $10 in advance and $15 on the day of the event. Tastings will be taking place from 5 to 9 p.m., and the cost

“We’re also going to have Tabor Hill Wines, and Bud Distributing has also graciously donated some non-alcoholic drinks, so we’ll have everyone covered. Two ciders will also be there— Vander Mill Ciders and Virtue Cider,” Kellogg said.

It is an all-ages event, and concert-goers are encouraged to bring their own blankets and lawn chairs.

Food vendors, including Players, Roosters, Coach’s, Cravings Lake House and the Hot Dog Man, will also be on the premises, serving up crowd-pleasing favorites.

Entertainment for the afternoon and evening will begin at 4:30 p.m.

Submitted photo when Nashville recording The Southwest Michigan Symphony Orches- artist Justine Blazer opens tra’s Summer Solstice Music and Microbrews the show. She will be festival will feature the music of three acts: playing her own special Justine Blazer (above), The Hot Sauce Com- blend of modern-day country and rock and roll mittee and Libido Funk Circus. with a little bit of soul added into the mix. for drink tickets, available mug will cost between 4 Known for playing at the event, will be $1 and 5 tickets each.

1990s hip hop blended each. Each tasting will cost 2 to 3 tickets, while a

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2014 Miss Apple Festival and Jr. Miss Apple Festival September 13, 2014

An Entry fee of $15 for all contestants who return their application on or before June 15th, 2014 and $20 for all contestants who return their application after June 15th, 2014. Fee must be turned in with entry form on or by the July 6th Meeting. There will be no exceptions (cash only please). An informational meeting will be held Sunday July 6th, 2014 All Jr. Miss Entrants must be at least 13 years old, but no older than 15 years old by the contest date. All Miss Entrants must be 16 years old, but no older than 19 by the contest date. A copy of your birth certificate will be required.

All entrants must be residents of Niles Four Flags Area; Niles, Niles Township, Berrien Springs, Buchanan, Howard Township, or Brandywine OR attends one of the following school districts: Niles Community Schools, Edwardsburg Public Schools, Buchanan Community Schools, Berrien Springs Public Schools or Brandywine Public Schools.

Applications available at www.fourflagsapplefestival.org Call 269.683.8870 for questions or more information

with guitars and club beats, The Hot Sauce Committee will follow Blazer at 6:15 p.m.

Finally, well-known local favorites, Libido Funk Circus will take the stage at 8 p.m.

“It’s gone off well in the past when we only featured one band, and we’re hoping to grow it with the additional bands and the microbrews,” Kellogg said.

Kellogg is looking forward to the event, which will be the first one to take place in the newlyrenovated Shadowland Pavilion.

“We hope this will be the first of many such events,” Kellogg said.

“We’d like to make this an annual kick-off to summer.”

Tickets and more information about the Summer Solstice Music and Microbrews event can be obtained on the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra’s webpage at www.smso.org or by calling (269) 982-4030.

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Page 8 • Week of June 13-19, 2014

Off The Water, Michiana

CUISINE SCENE

Fruit Belt fading fast

By JILL McCAUGHAN jill.mccaughan @leaderpub.com

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ERRIEN COUNTY— Abraham Lincoln once said, “The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living from a small piece of land."

Living in Berrien County, particularly in the summer, one might think

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that the future Lincoln spoke of is now. Alongside any country road, one can find a farm stand offering some variety of fruit or vegetable, and every town seems to have a farmers market that sets up at least once a week. It makes one think that we truly do live in the “Great Fruit Belt.”

“It’s pretty well known that we’re second in crop diversity only to California,”

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said Lee LaVanway, president, CEO and market master of the Benton Harbor Fruit Exchange. “As a temperate zone, we’re probably number one.”

As such, residents and tourists should be able to find a cornucopia of Michigan produce in every supermarket in the region, but taking a trip to any of the local groceries will show you that, in 2014, such is not the case. Rather, finding produce advertised as “Michigan grown” is pretty rare—even during the peaks of the various harvest seasons.

“The volumes that we’re producing of this vast diversity now are so minuscule that they don’t make a great impact,” LaVanway said. “For example, in 1954, over 150,000 16-quart crates of strawberries were delivered in a single day to the Benton Harbor Fruit Market, which is a phenomenal amount. Today, the amount for the entire season won’t be 1,000, so we’ve lost more than 99 percent of our strawberry industry. We just don’t grow them anymore.”

In fact, Berrien County—once “the genesis of the Great Fruit Belt” as LaVanway called it—is nowhere near the self-sufficiency that Lincoln described, and we rely heavily on the outside world to feed us.

“We have a $500 million gap between what we consume and what we produce in this county,” explained Mark Moreno, associate professor of architecture at Andrews University and founding director of the New Berrien Food Foundation. “We’re spending $680 million, and we’re producing less than $100 million.”

Chicken production and consumption in Berrien County provide a perfect example of the problem.

“We eat 2.7 million chickens in Berrien County,” LaVanway said, citi n g

Leader photos/AMBROSIA NELDON

Over 70 different varieties of produce are currently grown in Berrien County, but the amount of produce coming out of the county is miniscule compared to what it once was. data collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Census Bureau. “The problem is that we only grew about 1,500 of them. So, they’re not our chickens.

It’s a huge shortfall between what we’re consuming and what we’re producing, and that’s true across the board—for every single food item.”

Beyond the productionconsumption gap, Berrien County is also blighted by the existence of “food deserts” in Galien, Watervliet and Benton Harbor, and Eau Claire will soon join that list when their local Harding’s grocery store closes its doors.

According to the USDA, “food deserts” are “urban neighborhoods and rural towns without ready access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food. Instead of supermarkets and grocery stores, these communities may have no food access or are served only by fast food restaurants and convenience stores

that offer few healthy, affordable food options.”

“It’s kind of sinful that, in the Fruit Belt, we will have four food deserts,” Moreno said.

Thus, instead of the robust agricultural legacy that Berrien County once had, we are now faced with food insecurity—relying on food that travels an average of 1,500 miles from farm to table. That could take up to a month in some cases.

That may not seem like a big deal as long as the food is not rotten when it gets to your dinner table.

However, as LaVanway noted, produce begins losing its nutritional value as soon as it is harvested, and then there is the amount of fuel required by routinely transporting food such long distances.

That is why Moreno, coming from a background in New Urbanism, and LaVanway have joined forces with other concerned stakeholders, including local farmers and

consumers, to form the New Berrien Food Foundation.

Their vision is that “Berrien County will be known for making local food a high community priority, restoring the strongest possible relationship between local farmers, fellow citizens and the agricultural land on which we live.”

To achieve that vision, Moreno, LaVanway and other supporters of the movement have prioritized three core goals.

“We want to make sure that we have local food in local schools, we want to have programs within the schools to educate kids and get them more involved in local foods, and we want to eliminate local food deserts in the county,” Moreno explained.

Together, they are working on plans to create and fund a processing facility large enough to provide a sense of security for farmers in the region. That facility would work on a principle of transparency, allowing consumers not only to see how the food is processed, but to know where it was grown and by whom, and the date it was harvested. Local markets would then sell the foods throughout the county. Those facilities could become integral parts of the growing agritourism trend in the region.

“The legacy of the Great Fruit Belt was that it could feed millions of people beyond its borders, and that’s all been reversed,” Moreno said. “So, we’re trying to create a new legacy for the Great Fruit Belt— that it can feed its own local people again and continue to feed others as well.”

If you are interested in learning more about the New Berrien Food Foundation or in joining them as they pursue their vision for self-sustenance in Berrien County , Moreno can be reached at mmoreno@andrews.edu, and LaVanway can be reached at llavanway@gmail. com.

Off The Water, Michiana

General Notices 106 VENDORS WELCOME

Inviting Farmers, Crafters, Small Businesses, & Independent Consultants to join our Shop Local initiative!

Mention this ad for a BOGO FREE Vendor Space Special!

Call Brook @269-927-4467 today for details.

WRONGLY DENIED SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS?

I can help. (269)473-2370

Help Wanted

300

Kenneth Smith, Inc. Truck Drivers Pulling Dump Trailers Wanted

DRIVERS NEEDED:

Class A CDL and Dump trailer exp. preferred. Tristate area, Home nights and weekends, Fuel Savings Sharing Program, Safety Bonus, Health Benefits.

Apply in person 2596 Detroit Road (M-60) in Niles, MI or call 269-684-5960 to request application www.kennethsmithinc.com

WANT A JOB?

20 Open Positions $8.50/Hour Buchanan, MI Call Now!!!

(269) 408-1980

stjosephmi.expresspros.com

Allen Extruders is hiring for a MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN. See our larger ad in today's paper.

DRIVER WANTED

Class A CDL Driver Needed.

Home weekends, some week nights. No tarps.

40+ k / year. 2 years experience. 574.295.1905

DRIVER/SERVICE TECH

Joy's Johns Hiring Duties include delivery, pickup and cleaning of portable restrooms. Must have 1 year straight truck experience, chauffeur license, current D.O.T. physical, clean driving record. Able to read a map with knowledge of Michiana area.

Reliable transportation and able to work flexible hours a must. Apply at 1325 Airport Rd. Niles, MI

MARKETING EXPERT

Leader Publications seeks a proven media seller.

Applicants should be able to develop advertising plansutilizing multiple platforms.

Qualifications preferred include: Advertising or other sales experience; excellent verbal and written communication skills; computer skills; and a drive for success. Valid driver’s license required.

Leader offers: competitive compensation, benefits.

E-mail cover letter, resume and references to mike.caldwell@leaderpub.com

MAINTENANCE PERSON

Seeking a dependable, mechanically inclined person to repair and maintain restaurant equipment and to perform general maintenance. Must have a valid drivers license.

Apply in person at: William F Alford Co Inc 2112 Industrial Dr. Niles, MI 49120 Or forward your resume to:

jessepickens @wmfalfordco.com

NOW HIRING REALTORS

Call today 269-683-4507 Coldwell Banker R. E. Specialists 1400 Chicago Rd Niles, MI 49120

TRUCK DRIVER TRAINEES

NEEDED NOW AT US XPRESS Earn $800/wk Local CDL Training NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED! Be trained & based locally!

1-800-882-7364

Tri-pac is hiring for a PRODUCTION LINE WORKER. See the larger ad in today's paper.

PRODUCTION LINE WORKERS WANTED Production Line experience preferred, attention to detail & an eye for quality, understand production needs & goals, knowledge of liquid filling lines, general production with room for advancement into leadership positions. Drug test will be required prior to employment with the company. Come put your experience to use in a small yet growing company, your talents & desire to develop can help you grow with in our organization. If you have aerosol filling experience there is a unlimited growth ability for you, from set up to troubleshooting lines we want to talk to you.

Contact Tri-Pac 17336 M-60 East, Vandalia, MI 49095 Or send a resume to sales@tri-pac.us

Elderly Care 307 KARE SERVICES

Compassionate Home Care Services (269)684-1984 (574)292-2900 email:KKaidanRay@aol.com www.KAREService.com

LET ME TAKE CARE OF YOU

Experienced single lady would love to take care of an elderly lady or man who is in NEED of help with House Cleaning and Cooking (St. Joseph area). Willing to exchange room, board, and small pay for my services.

I'm loving, faithful to the Lord, and willing to give you my best!

Call Dee at 269-635-2173

Instruction & Training

309

Week of June 13-19, 2014 • Page 9

Apartments 2 BEDROOM

412

HOMES FOR SALE IN DECATUR

A GREAT HOME FOR LESS

Antiques 600 ALLEGAN ANTIQUE MARKET

Integrity Real Estate Professionals would love the opportunity to serve you. Call any of our agents for professional service you expect and deserve.

Cassopolis 269-684-5030 STONE LAKE MANOR Integrity Real Estate 3 Bed, 2 bath homes ready Senior Apartments.

2 Professionals to be moved into. Lease months free on select units.

Options at starting at $621 Spacious, two bedroom per month (includes lot rent, located on beautiful Stone insurance, water, trash) Call Lake, Intercom entry SPACIOUS 3 269-423-7024 or visit building, elevator, emerBEDROOM www.phelpscommunity.com gency pull cords. Seniors 62 to view pictures years or older. Rent starts at $631.00 (based on income).

Mobile Homes 506 Please call Toni at 269-445SPRING SAVINGS ON 3333 or stop by today at 145 Stone Lake St. for more AFFORDABLE HOMES information. EHO. TDD 1•Preowned 2&3 bed homes 800-649-3777 American •New 3 bed, 2 bath homes Preferred 1-800-968-1792 for $34,500 •Many standard features Ready to move in, 1118 •Modular homes available South St., Niles. Hardwood Colonial Acres RIVER OAK APTS floors, oak cabinetry and (269)663-2424 1729 Oak St., Niles partially finished basement (269)687-8340 are just a few of the extras Buildings For 2 Bedrooms this house offers. Large 513 Heat, Water, Hot Water & kitchen includes all ap- Sale Trash All Paid pliances. The sliding glass www.coreleases.com door open to the beautiful Recently Foreclosed, Special Financing deck and completely fenced in back yard.

The Available, Any Credit, Houses for Sale 500 oversize 2 car attached Any Income garage gives additional BERRIEN CENTER Commercial Bldg, storage or work area.

1700SqFt, located at, 111 Mudroom with bathroom off S. Rowland St., the backyard and garage.

Cassopolis,$27,500.

Visit The partially finished www.roselandco.com\9T2, basement gives even more Drive by then call living space with separate (866)487-5738 entrance from the garage.

Country setting yet close to General Mershopping. So much po595 chandise tential with this home!

Farm House Coldwell Banker, RWG Original Woodwork NOW OPEN Patty Lauten NILES FLEA MARKET 5 Bedrooms (574)340-4271 Wed.-Sat. 10a-5p Huge Outbuilding Sun. 12p-5p (269)663-8800 Motivated Seller 111 E. Main St Call or Text Chris Moore A few Vendor spots still (269)362-5665 available. For more info Manufactured Freedom Realty 502 call 574-323-4187 (269)687-8484 Homes Apartments Available $565/month (269)684-4500 tanglewood-niles.com

P.D.K. Firearm Instruction Concealed Pistol License Classes. Next Class Sat. June 21st, 8a-5p. Contact Paul: 269-462-2584 or Kelly:269-783-6570 pdkfirearms.com

WHETHER BUYING OR SELLING

Sunday, June 29 8am to 4pm 400 Exhibitors Rain or Shine Located at the Fairgrounds, right in Allegan, Michigan $4.00 Admission. No Pets

Single mom looking for a home or a 1st time buyer?

Call Mike at (269)470-2995 CAREER OPPORTUNITY MAINTENANCE TECHNICAN

Allen Extruders, a custom extruder of thermoplastic sheet, emphasizing Quality, Flexibility and Customer Focused Service, is in search of a Maintenance Technican that is willing to grow, learn and profit with us, in a 24 hour per day, 7 day per week environment. We offer competitive wages, shift premium, and a comprehensive benefit plan that includes; Health, Dental, Vision, Disability and Life Insurance, 401k (with company match), Pension Plan, Profit Sharing, Educational Assistance and more.

Seeking highly motivated individuals with good verbal and written communication, math, interpersonal and teamwork skills. Ideal candidates should have a good work history of 5 years or more of manufacturing maintenance experience. Must have demonstrated experience in troubleshooting Electrical issues as well as mechanical apptitude.

Please send a detailed resume in confidence to:

ALLEN EXTRUDERS, LLC. Attn: Human Resources 1305 Lincoln Ave., Holland, MI 49423 Fax: (616) 394-3830 • E-mail: hr_careers@allenx.com (no telephone inquiries please)

2 bd/1 bth, Newer appliances, New flooring throughout, Qualifies for $199 base lot rent For 24 months!

Riverside Estates Call 269-695-3119

CALL CLAssifieds

PICKERS PARADISE ANTIQUE MALL

Huge Selection Of Treasures 2809 U.S. 33-M51 South, Niles (269)683-6644 10:00am - 5:00pm Daily

Call Classifieds

683-4804 or 888-725-0108

Page 10 • Week of June 13-19, 2014

E-CIG EXPERTS Cemetery Lots 617 YOUR Vaporizers & e-hookah Over 50 liquid flavors.

2 PLOTS & 2 VAULTS in Mission Hills Memorial Gardens in Niles, $1,900 negotiable, will pay transfer fees! (219)393-1977

CEMETERY LOT

JDS HOME IMPROVEMENT

Off The Water, Michiana

C & C CONCRETE

Flat work of all kinds, sidewalks, Repairs, Replacement, New stamping, US 31 Tobacco Small Jobs welcome. concrete patching, patios, 50552 US 31 N, South Bend Licensed/Insured. Call John driveways and pole barns.

(269)445-7005 (574) 271-0333 No job too small. Free Estimates.

Insured MK Sports-Recre(269)228-1163 657

Niles, Mission Hills Me- ation morial Gardens. Deed to Beautiful Psalms, Lot/Vault POOL SUPPLIES FOR & Setting, Bronze marker.

SALE $2900. Savings of $690. In ground pool supplies, Asking Call Robbie (317) 16x32 Raypac Heater, sand 435-2017 filter, cleaner, solar cover and reel, some chemicals, Consignment 625 reasonable offers conTurn your Closet into sidered. (269) 699-7320

CASH

CONSTRUCTION

Pole barn & other garages specialist. Roofing Siding, Framing and more. Over 25 years experience. Licensed.

Contact Michael N. Knepple (269)476-9777

Recycling Service

743

CA$H 4 JUNKERS

643

FOR SALE

HOME SERVICES & REPAIRS LLC

MR. MAINTENANCE FREE ESTIMATES

Insured.

(269)684-6290

or

Paving Service 739 (269)470-4097.

HOPPER EXCAVATING MICHIANA MASONRY "Have Gravel Will Travel" & CONSTRUCTION Driveway, stone, slag, re-

Yamaha Clavenova ComAll kinds of Project & Rebination organ and piano. pairs. 30+ years exp.

Asking $500. 61 Key, key- Plumbing, Elect., Drywall etc. cycled concrete, asphalt, top board, voice & style Asking 269-782-7919 soil, sand & fill. (269)782$75. Call 269-684-4635 269-357-4853 1744/(269)783-1744

Family owned since 1984.

Lifetime Warranty Shingles Flat Roofs & Gutter Covers.

Call (269)684-7199

POLE BARNS & GARAGES

BY NIEBOER

Quality Built (269)684-6673

POND LINERS

EPDM Rubber, Any size Lowest Prices, FREE Delivery, Huge Inventory, TRM Enterprises, South Bend.

(574)246-1922 (574) 329-9294

Siding & Windows, Miscellaneous 666 Roofing, Kids' clothing: Light Hauling & Spring Turn that Junker in your yard FOR SALE newborn to teen, Clean-Ups, No Inside or to cash in your hand 5 clear glass display shelves Outside job too big or small.

Baby gear & furniture, 801 Carberry Rd, Niles 54" tall, 18" wide, 19" deep.

Low affordable rates.

Maternitywear 269-687-5865 8 units 65" tall, 17" wide, 13 (269)591-1403 Accepting Spring & 3/4" deep. $10 each unit.

Summer wear Misc. Services 747 Unique custom built wrought Plumbing Service 706 Call for appointment. iron desk with 3 matching A 2 Z SALVAGE & Who kNew Consignment chairs & small table $95.

JUNK REMOVAL 269-782-9800 Set of 4 vintage wood chairs We do all the Loading, We are open Mon. - Sat. with maroon vinyl cushions Hauling & Clean up 10am-5pm, Commercial/Residential/ $45/set. Set Warwick china, so you can replace the Industrial 53 pcs. Set Noritake china winter clothes your kids •Rental Clean Outs 1930's "Gramatan Pattern" are outgrowing •Storage Units, Decks Sewer Rodding• 87 pcs. (269)684-4469 •Property Cleanup Drain Cleaning• Good Things to •Construction Debris 636 Garage-Yard Internal Inspection•Farms/Barns Eat 669 Locating• •Concrete/Asphalt Sales Sewer Replacement-Repair Removal FREEZER BEEF Demolition Service Licensed, Bonded, Insured.

INDOOR YARD SALE non GMO's, no hormones, Available (269)228-0496 New things in every week vacuumed pack. (269)3627 days a week at the old 0993 (269)213-1746 Lawn Service 721 Martin's Auction House Like us on Facebook Things to Do 637 6525 M-139 (Old US31) GARDENING WITH www.facebook/ Berrien Springs, MI CASS DISTRICT A2zrecycling.com INTEGRITY, LLC 10:00am-5:00pm LIBRARY •Lawn maintenance, BRADY CONCRETE EVERY http://cass.lib.mi.us •Full Landscaping Service Specializing in Flat work of all Thursday, Friday & Saturday type, seawalls, stamped con(269)445-3400 • Spring Clean Ups crete & Bobcat Service. Free Check out our clean beds, preen, mulch, Wanted to Buy 672 trim shrubs, edging, create estimates. Insured. Fast, deonline services: pendable service. (269)445BUYING Freegal, Learn4Life, and new beds & much more 3349 or (269)591-0100 repairable scrap and unmore! Call for more info.

Call Ellen (269)759-1012 wanted vehicles, top dollar CASPER MASONRY TRACTOR PULL paid. Call or text for a free Landscaping Brick/ Block/Stone. Custom 724 SPONSORED BY quote today. Free towing. & Insurance work. Insured & PEMBERTON HARTFORD TRACTOR CLUB Kevin (817)437-0450 Bonded. (574)298-3520 June 13th & 14th at Cass LANDSCAPING COMPLETE County Fair Grounds WANTED TO BUY Spring Clean up, Mowing, Fri. 13th- Antiques, Stock & CONCRETE Fertilization, Shrub TrimAQUARIUM Open Test & Tune 12-2, From start to finish. ming, all Yard Maint.

100-150 gallon. Ask for Ed Pull at 3pm.

Stamped, flat & dirt work. needed, Residential and (269)695-5818 Sat. 14th- Farm Stock, Test Insured (269)663-8091 Commercial. Licensed and & Tune 9a-12, Pull at 12.

WE WILL BUY Insured.

CONCRETE SERVICES Admission $5.00ea. your junk car. We haul for Call 574-876-1127 Driveways, Patios, Side$10.00 per hook free. Paying up to $1500 walks, and Room Additions.

Food will be served on the 725 15 years experience. Call Jay cash. Please call anytime Tree Service grounds by local 4H Club.

269-687-8098 C & S MARSH 269-635-4393.

For more info. Contact TREE SERVICE GLEN'S HAULING & Steve Vassar 269-208Home Improvebrush, stump removal, 700 Trees, 3446 or Ken Maxwell 269GARDEN TILLING high lift work, insured. ment 580-1254 (269)362-4331 or 683-1065 (269)683-8389. leave msg.

Cell (269)340-4233 #1 GUTTERS Household MerTopsoil•Stone•Etc. do seamless gutters. DAN'S TREE SERVICE 642 We Free estimates, call Excellent Cleanup, Insured.

GLEN'S HAULING & chandise (269)782-0401 Free Estimates. Visa/MC. GARDEN TILLING FOR SALE (574)361-9747 FRYMAN'S SEAMLESS (269)683-8389.

We buy, repair & clean up GUTTERS & SIDING Cell (269)340-4233 THE CUTTING EDGE used appliances, refriTopsoil•Stone•Etc. FRYMAN’S ROOFING gerators, washers, dryers, PRO TREE CARE Your home exterior experts. gas & electric ranges.

JOE'S DUMP TRUCK Complete Tree Service Geiger Refrigeration Service Quality guaranteed! Locally Sand, Gravel, Top Soil, R/C SAME DAY ESTIMATES Owned for 50 years. (269)782841 Carberry Rd. Niles Insured, Competitive Rates. Concrete & Asphalt, Bush 5008 (David & Terri Fryman) (269)687-8639 9am-5pm Hogging, Land Clearing.

269-687-4972 HOME REPAIRS & (269)635-1143.

HUGE SALE AT Pool Service 727 joelowery1@gmail.com BILL'S USED APPLIANCES REMODELING joesdumptruck.webs.com Hours: Mon-Fri. 10a-5pm Over 30 years of experience, SWIMMING POOL "Integrity - Teach it by example" Sat. 10a-3pm tile work, kitchens, bathLINERS & REPAIRS Closed Sunday rooms, decks & porches, Any size, great prices, all KLIMEK 2559 S. 11th St. Niles windows & doors, window equipment, 35 years experENTERPRISES (269) 340-5952 wrapping, siding, fascia & ience. Robertson’s Sales & Electrical Contracting, No Job soffit. Call Randy (269)782- Service, Niles. Call (269)684- Too Big or Small. Free Quotes.

2669 Merchandise for 3139 (269)208-9838 Affordable Pricing, Licensed &

Sale

MIDWEST ROOFING

Motorcycles & 915 ATV’’s 2003 YAMAHA

TT-R 90, $600 or best offer, runs good, looks good.

(269)782-3139

McDaniel's Harley-Davidson

Stop in to check out the Dyna Low Rider & Sportster SuperLow 1200T. 1910 Lincolnway East, South Bend (574) 289-6650 or shop www.mcdanielsharleydavidson.com

WEAVER CONCRETE

And masonry, driveways, 945 porches, patios, tear Autos for Sale out/replace, all repairs, 2009 HYUNDAI brick, block, stone, fireELANTRA places. Will fix wet base$1000.00 down ments big or small, inside $300.00 monthly and out. All concrete flat61,000 Miles work $2.25 sq. ft. Land0% INTREST CHARGE scaping. Fast dependable NO Credit Checks service. Quality work. Aaron Call Scarletts 269-461-4197 (269)655-4158

2009 KIA SPECTRA

Painting Service

754

J.M. HUNT ENTERPRISES, LLC Painting & Drywall. Insured.

Free Estimates.

Family Owned & Operated for Over 50 years. 269-683-4442.

Cleaning Service

757

RICK'S POWER WASHING RVs, homes, decks, farm equip. & boat docks. Small commercial jobs. Serving Cass., Dow. & Niles. Free Estimates, Senior Discounts.

Will beat any competitors estimates.

Satisfaction Guaranteed.

Call 269-470-9507 or 269470-9498

Insurance 758 LOWER YOUR INSURANCE RATES! Home - Auto - Health - Life We do the shopping for you!

TCU Insurance Agency Call Deb Asmus today (269) 683-6700 x5901

Boats, Motors 900 16' 2000 BAYLINER CAPRI

with trailer, 90HP Mercury outboard motor, low hours, stored inside during winter, equipped with fish finder and snap on cover, $8,000.

(269)362-2279

BOAT FOR SALE

1999 Hurricane Sun Deck 2100 Deckboat & Shore Station Boatlift for Sale on Birch Lake in Vandalia Michigan. Selling the boat, trailer, boat cover & boatlift w/canopy as a package is my preference, however, I could sell just the boat, boat cover and trailer. The asking price for the package with the boatlift and canopy is $13,000. The price for the boat, boat cover and trailer only is $9800.

CONTACT GARY ESHLEMAN @ 317-752-2184 or

All your Masonry needs!

Chimney Cleaning. Insured & Bonded. Senior discounts .

(269)362-1566 garye@onesourcefinancial.info

50,000 miles!!VERY LOW $900.00 down $300.00 monthly No Credit Checks 0% INTREST CHARGE Call Scarletts 269-461-4197

2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA

$1000.00 down $300.00 monthly Low Miles 41K NO CREDIT CHECKS 0% INTREST Charge Call Scarletts 269-461-4197

FOR SALE

93 Ford Ranger Reg. Cab 4x2, 4 Cyl., 5 Spd., great runner, low mileage, and good mpg, $1,895.00 '96 GMC Sonoma Reg. Cab 4x2, 4.3 liter V-6, Auto., A/C, Cruise, Tilt, very clean, good transportation $3,495.00 '96 GMC Topkick with 20' Box Bed, $3,995.00 '93 GMC Topkick with 24' box bed, $3,995.00 2000 Feightliner, passes DOT, good tires, but now has no engine or trans. $3,000.00 2000 GMC Yukon Denali, luxury, fully loaded with heated seats etc. low mileage, $6,995.00 Please call 269-462-9260 or 269-262-6448

Off The Water, Michiana

June 14

South Bend will offer another Parent’s Without Partners Dance from 7:30 p.m. to midnight at ZB Falcoln’s Hall, at the corner of Western and SHeridan in South Bend.

Admission is $7. For more information, call (574) 256-9326.

i Learn the history of the oldest church in southwestern Michigan. visit the nearby cemetery and see the graves of the people that established much of southwestern Michigan, Smith’s Chapel, is a State and National Historic Site Chapel is now used as a wedding, family gathering and funeral location. The open house runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 29858 Redfield Rd., Niles, Michigan.

Round Barn Winery will host its annual Wine and Wags event from 2 to 6 p.m. For those who want to adopt a new dog, there will be plenty of fourlegged friends on site looking for a home. Half of the day’s proceeds collected at the gate will benefit Animal Aid of Southwest Michigan, Humane Society of Southwest Michigan, Paws of Hope and Save-a-Stray.

i The South Bend Civic Theatre is looking for interested community members to attend a special planning meeting on Saturday June 14 in the Wilson Theatre to plan the Haunted House. The meeting will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and lunch will be provided. The company is seeking people with skills in makeup, props, costumes, acting, story-telling/ script-writing, fundraising and more. RSVP for the meeting by contacting Tracie at 574-234-1112

Week of June 13-19, 2014 • Page 11

WHAT'S HAPPENING?

or by email tracie@sbct. a short walk from this day located at 2300 Benton Machu Picchu, Peru. org. use area.

Rd. in Benton Harbor.

Save the date and visit www.fernwoodbotanical. org. for further details.

June 14-15 June 16 June 19-20

The Twin City Players (TCP) will hold auditions for a Second Stage production. Auditions for the August production of My Big Gay Italian Wedding

by Anthony Wilkinson will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 14, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 15.

Participants will be asked to participate in readings from the script. A prepared monologue and a short a cappella musical number are recommended, but not required.

June 15

R&B recording artist Lyfe Jennings returns to the Morris Performing Arts Center, South Bend, Ind. at 7:30 p.m. The show also includes comedians Luenell, Honest John, Pierre, and is hosted by Gino J. Tickets are $45 and $100 and are on sale at 2 p.m. April 26 by phone at 574-235-9190 or 800-537-6415, or online at morriscenter.org.

Studio artist Kristin Hosbein will teach a fourweek class beginning Monday, June 16, from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the Box Factory for the Arts, 1101 Broad St., St. Joseph, MI. The class for both beginning and experienced artists will focus on realistic art in oil or acrylics.

Artists will take home one or more completed paintings by the end of the four weeks. The cost of for the entire session is $95 per person. A drop-in option is available at $25 per week. To register by credit card, call the Box office at 269-983-3688.

June 17

i

On Tuesday, June 17, the Heritage Museum and Cultural Center will hold its Annual Meeting. Attendees will enjoy a reception, dinner, and wine. Priscilla U. Byrns will present a program highlighting the organization’s history. All are welcome to attend the Annual Meeting. The cost is $24 ($20 for Heritage Museum members), and includes a reception, dinner, and wine. Proceeds will help support exhibits and operations at the Heritage Museum.

He isn’t a talking horse, but Clifford the amazing Morgan horse from Drummond Island, Michigan, can do just about everything else. See for yourself as Clifford will be June 18 center stage at Fernwood Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve from 1 to 3 p.m.

The Berrien County Republican Women’s Club will host a 7:30 a.m.

“Candidate’s Breakfast” at Pebblewood RestauMichigan’s longest run- rant in Bridgman. All ning wine festival, the Republican candidates 30th Annual Lemon at the County level and Creek Father’s Day Fes- above who have contesttival and Corvette Show ed races in the primary will return from 12 to 6 have been invited. Each p.m. Tickets for individu- will be given a maximum als over 21 are $10 at the of four minutes to speak. gate. Those under 21 are The breakfast buffet is free with adult supervi- $15 payable at the door. sion. Activities for chil- Reservations are needdren and adults will be ed and can be made by offered. calling (269) 982-9939.

Everyone interested in learning more about the candidates is invited to attend.

Warren Dunes will host a June 19 garlic mustard work day.

Those interested should meet at the picnic area on the west side of the road Learn about the snakes as you travel towards the of Sarett at 3 p.m. Admismain campground at 1 sion is $3 for adults. The p.m. The work site is just Sarett Nature Center is

i

The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department will host a two-day kids’ camp is filled with fun activities including fire safety, bike safety, first aid, cyber safety as well as police, fire and ambulance demonstrations. Cost is $30 per youth for 4th and 5th graders. Snacks, lunch and a T-shirt will be provided. Registration is due

by June 14.

June 20

The Brit Floyd Discovery world tour, “The world’s greatest Pink Floyd show,” will perform at the Morris Performing Arts Center at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25, $30, $35 and $40 and are on sale Friday, May 2, at the Morris Box Office, by phone at (574) 235-9190 or 800537-6415, or online at www.MorrisCenter.org.

June 20-22

The 2014 Four Winds Invitational will be held at Blackthorn Golf Club in South Bend, Ind..

Proceeds from the invitational will be donated to Memorial Children’s Hospital. Visit www.fourwindsinvitational.com for more info.

South Pacific: In Concert performs one weekend only, June 20-22 at the Bendix Theater at Century Center, 100 S. St. Joseph St. in South Bend.

Tickets are $25. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. To purchase tickets or for more information please call the SBCT Box Office at (574) 234-1112 or online at sbct.org.

June 21

Fernwood’s Annual Garden Party. Enjoy music and dinner, live and silent auctions, and dancing.

The silent auction will offer one-of-a-kind planted containers, and among the quality live auction items is a trip for two to

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The Michiana Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants will have their annual student conference at the Waterford Estates Lodge, 52890 SR 933 North, South Bend, Ind. from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $35 for students and $50 for Professionals. The fee includes: all conference materials, breakfast, lunch, and six educational sessions. Please remit payment by check made payable to IMA Michiana Chapter and mail to Brenda Engel, 1500 Echo Valley Drive, Niles, MI 49120. For more Information about the conference please contact: Brenda Engel, IMA Michiana Chapter Conference Coordinator (269) 8456691 E-mail: bbengel1@ comcast.net.

LEGEND

Alcohol

Art

Business

Movies

Community

Theatre

Crafts

Music

Religious

Food

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Information

Tourist

Nature

Holiday

Parting Shots

Family

$

The ninth Annual Lake Michigan Shore Wine Festival will be from 1 to 10 p.m. at Weko Beach, I-94 Exit 16, Bridgman.

Admission is $15 per person (includes a souvenir wine tasting glass) and free for children 12 years and under. Wine tasting tickets are $1 (visitors will need 5-7 tickets per glass). Advance admission tickets are available for $10 at Harding’s Friendly Market in Bridgman or at www.ticketweb. com. Get all the details at (269) 925-6301 or on the festival’s Facebook page.

$

Submit calendar events to Jill McCaughan, feature writer, by email at jill.mccaughan@ leaderpub.com or offthewater@leaderpub. com or visit the Leader Publications office at 217 N. Fourth Street, Niles.

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Shopping

Sports

Camping

Summer

mer camp from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $150 for members and $170 for non-members.

Campers will learn the basics of fishing and enjoy the great outdoors while learning about fish habitats, marine biology and anatomy. This week will conclude with “fish telling June 21- 22 stories” and a fish fry on Friday for the campers.

The Museum will provide life jackets for campers.

The 47th Leeper Park Art ALL campers will wear Fair will be June 21-22 a life jacket at all times on the grounds of Luther when near the water.

Park, near the St. Joseph River in downtown South June 24 Bend. We will feature 120 artists from all over the coutnry. Food vendors will be available both Southwest Michigan days and light jazz will be Chapter 572 of the Napresented throughout the tional Association of Refair. For more informa- tired Federal Employees tion, call (574) 272-8598 will hold its monthly meetor visit www.leeperpark- ing at the Super Buffet, fair.org.

Benton Harbor (next to June 23-27 Big Lots). Current and retired federal employees, spouses and friends are welcome. For more info, Curious Kids Museum call Jean Rowe (269) will host a “Hooked on 782-2769 or email jeanFishing” week of sum- rowe70@comcast.net

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Page 12 • Week of June 13-19, 2014

Off The Water, Michiana

GET OUT!

Happy birthday, Sarret!

By JILL McCAUGHAN jill.mccaughan @leaderpub.com

B

ENTON HARBOR— Celebrating its 50th birthday on the weekend of June 21-22, Sarret Nature Center is opening up its doors to the public and offering a long list of activities and events, most of which are free.

“Our 50-year weekend is just to say ‘thank you’ to all the members, supporters and friends who have given so much over the years,” said Diane Braybrook, who took over as the director of the nature center at the first of the year. “Entry is free for everyone that weekend. That way, everyone can come and participate.”

In half a century, Sarret has grown from its original 160 acres to more than 1,000 acres in size.

“We’re still going strong.

Were planning the next 50 years,” said Braybrook, who has been with Sarret for more than 30 years herself.

Events will start at 10 a.m. and run through 5 p.m. on Saturday, and Sunday’s schedule of events runs from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m., but the nature center will remain open until 5 p.m. that day.

All weekend long, activities such as cockroach races, face painting, geocaching bingo, trail bingo and turtle races will be taking place.

There will also be someone making balloon animals and a carnivorous plant expert on site. Guests will be treated to birthday cake, and commemorative T-shirts will be on sale as well.

S a t u r d a y ’s scheduled activities begin with harpist Meg Rodgers playing in the butterfly house, and admission to that attraction will be free for members throughout the weekend.

Then, several tours via wagon and golf cart, as well as guided walks, are scheduled to take place throughout the day.

At both 2:30 and 4 p.m., a special program, “Hunters of the Sky” will be presented, at which visitors will have the opportunity to see live raptors, or birds of prey, up close. That program has a cost of $3 associated with it, and pre-registration is required.

At 4:30 and 6:30 p.m., preregistered guests can partake of a summer picnic which includes fried chicken, pulled pork, macaroni and cheese, green beans, bev-

Our 50-year weekend is just to say ‘thank you’ to all the members, supporters and friends who have given so much over the years.

– Diane Braybrook

Celebrating

50 Years

erages and rolls—all for $12 per person. A concert by Kennedy’s Kitchen will follow the picnic at 7 p.m. at a cost of $10 per person.

Sunday’s activities kick off bright and early with a kayaking trip on the Paw Paw River at 8 a.m. for experienced adult paddlers. The cost for participating in that trip will be $15, and preregistration is required.

More guided walks will take place on the grounds of Sarret at 9 and 11 a.m. on Sunday morning, and various fun activities will continue throughout the day.

Once the birthday party is over, construction on a new outdoor learning center will begin.

“It’s a nature playground that will be easily accessible. There’ll be logs that kids can crawl in and climb on and lots of hands-on learning activities. There’ll be a tree house too. It’ll be aimed at kids ages 3 to

Submitted photos

Sarret Nature Center has been providing a variety of ways for visitors to get out and enjoy nature year-round for 50 years.

8,” Braybrook said. “I have all kinds of ideas for future activities as well.”

Of course, a full schedule of summer classes will also be offered at Sarret, and information on those can be found at www. sarret.com. Registration materials and more information about the 50th anniversary weekend can be found there as well. Those with questions can also call (269) 927-4832, and the nature center is located at 2300 N. Benton Center Rd. in Benton Harbor.

“Come out and help us celebrate and enjoy your nature center,” Braybrook said. “We want to celebrate everyone’s contributions to the nature center on this special weekend.”