T
om majerek: the man, the myth, the legend
Tom Majerek (left) is proud of booking the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band for last summer's Niles Bluegrass Festival. Photo submitted by Tom Majerek
How a bookstore owner took a small-town music scene under his wing By AARON MUELLER aaron.mueller@leaderpub.com
I
t's easy to pick Tom Majerek out of the crowd during concerts at the Niles Riverfront Park Amphitheater, and not just because of the blindingly bright Hawaiian shirt and the Panama Jack hat he sports. He's the one wearing the endless grin from the very first note until the moment the stage is torn down. It's obvious that Majerek, who books all the bands and artists that come to the Niles Bluegrass Festival, Riverfest and the Summer Concert Series, loves his volunteer job. The owner of Majerek's Gift Shop and Majerek's Readers World in downtown Niles has brought in hundreds of bands in the 15 years he has been organizing entertainment in the area. This year Majerek booked some of the biggest acts the city has seen in a while, including Grammy Award-winning artist Peter Rowan, Cadillac Sky, Jypsi and Ali Baba's Tahini, featuring Niles native Jake Cinninger of Umphrey's McGee. It was also the first year the bluegrass festival featured carnival rides. But for Majerek, it's been a long process developing a music scene in Niles. Daydreaming When Majerek lived in Arizona in the early 1990s, his heart and mind were still very much in his hometown. "I got the Niles Daily Star delivered by mail," he said. "That's when they were doing a campaign to raise money for the amphitheater. So I would daydream about when I returned to Niles how there would be this cool concert venue that I
could have concerts at." In 1994, after returning to Niles, Majerek went to Riverfest and was a little disappointed. "I noticed they had a DJ and karaoke and maybe 20 people in front of the stage," he said. "I knew it could be better." The following year when Majerek was approached to donate money toward Riverfest, he agreed to sponsor a band if he could make the hire. That sparked his love for concert organizing and he's been in charge of entertainment for Riverfest ever since. His success booking for Riverfest led to him taking a stab at bringing "a younger, hipper concert scene" to Niles on Sunday nights during the summer. Majerek quickly developed a full contact list of bands in the area and began scheduling music three nights a week during the summer.
"rocker," Majerek says bluegrass is "the perfect live medium." He also tries to avoid featuring only pure bluegrass acts. "The type of music I like the most is a crossbreed of styles — like bluegrass and
Niles bluegrass is born Inspired by his success with booking bands for several years and trips to the Osceola Bluegrass Festival and MerleFest in North Carolina, Majerek took his most ambitious step in 2002 when he began the Niles Bluegrass Festival. Although he still consider himself a
rock 'n' roll," Majerek said. The eclectic slate of artists each year, he says, makes the festival truly unique. that, and the Niles Bluegrass Festival has always been free — and will remain that way, Majerek said. "There are some people in Michiana who can afford to go to Chicago for the
big events and concerts," he said. "But for most people, having a picnic lunch on the hill and getting to see good music is as good as it gets." The festival has grown every year to the point that in 2010 the four-day festival featured more than 20 local and nationally recognized acts.
“There are some people in Michiana who can afford to go to Chicago for the big events and concerts. But for most people, having a picnic lunch on the hill and getting to see good music is as good as it gets.” — Tom Majerek business owner, concert promoter
Keep them coming back It's 1 a.m. and the musicians of Cadillac Sky are unwinding in their hotel room after their show at the Niles Bluegrass Festival. But they realized their night was far from over when Majerek arrived at their door. "We kidnapped two of them and took them on a tour of Notre Dame," he said. "They got to see 'Touchdown Jesus' and the grotto and they thought it was really cool. I wanted to make the trip memorable so when they get the call that Niles wants you back, they're like 'Oh, yeah. We had
fun in Niles.'" But a lot of times, Majerek doesn't even need to make that call to invite artists back; they call back themselves. "We pay so little for the acts, but they keeping calling and emailing back that they want to come back," he said. "It's because of the cool vibe we have."
Majerek also does little things to make sure the musicians are taken care of while in Niles, like delivering pizza to their hotels or allowing them to stay at his home. Bringing in nationally-known bands like Cadillac Sky has put Niles on the music map. "In the last 10 years, we've made a name for Niles music," he said. "They know they can come to Niles three nights a week during the summer and get good, quality music." After the Ali Baba's Tahini show in August, fans of the band from outside the area approached Majerek. "They were amazed at how cool the scene was that night," Majerek said. All about the people So what possesses Majerek to invest countless hours into organizing concerts and festivals for free? "The most rewarding part of this is the people," he said. "Being able to have a relationship with the artists that's different from being a fan." Majerek gushes when he talks about meeting Peter Rowan, Stevie Coyle of the Waybacks and Tommy James. But just as important are the relationships he's developed with concert-goers. "A lot of the bands I discover come from the fans themselves," Majerek said. Majerek also loves to see people outside enjoying the community. "It gives us a reason to use that park," he said. "People just want to sit back and watch the world go by and watch the river go by. They always seem to come out when the concerts are going on." Looks like Majerek's daydream has come true.
Band on the Scene Niles’ Sixth Generation was once a big fish in a little pond. Paul Davies (note the Hofner bass like Paul McCartney’s), Ron Hamrick, Fred Bachman, Dave Walenga, Joe Davies, Fred Hulce and John Dale. Reuniting in July after 40 years apart, Sixth Generation wants to become exclusively a 1960s cover band. They are nominated in the 2011 class of the Michigan Legends online Hall of Fame. Niles’ Tommy James and the Shondells were inducted in 2006, the second year. Photo submitted
By JOHN EBY Leader Publications
S
ixth Generation rode the garage band wave in the wake of the British Invasion and national prominence achieved by Niles’ Tommy James and the Shondells. Recorded May 18, 1967, in Chicago, the Fred Bachman/Ron Hamrick original tune gave Sixth Generation its only No. 1 — at least at The Spin-It Record Shop. Dave Walenga produced the bestsellers for Sept. 9, 1967, on which Sixth Generation led some pretty good company: 2.) "Come Back When You Grow Up" by Dowagiac visitor Bobby Vee; 3.) "The Letter" by the Box Tops; 4.) "Ode to Billie Joe" by Bobbie Gentry; 5.) "Never My Love" by The Association; 6.) "Funky Broadway" by Wilson Pickett; 7.) "Light My Fire" by The Doors; 8.) "Brown-Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison; 9.) "ZIP Code" by The Five Americans; and 10.) "Reflections" by The Supremes. College years found Sixth Generation a quartet: Fred Hulce (Michigan State) on organ and vocals, John Dale (Grand Valley State), Paul Davies (Ferris State) and Dave Walenga (Ferris State). Every weekend, the group played local high schools, colleges and dances across Michiana. “We consider ourselves lucky to have grown up in an era where garage bands were able to spring up and thrive in local and regional venues," Walenga, drummer, said. "Now there are so few bands like that. There’s a real loss of music being produced out of small venues. It’s a shame times can’t be like that now. Our first dance was at the Niles Y(MCA). We played eight songs over and over for three hours and everybody was happy." Walenga even worked at The Spin-It Record Shop after James and owns the “Hanky Panky” 45 on the Snap label. Sixth Generation became the “house band” at Skyliner at Five-Mile Corner north of Dowagiac and broke up the same year as The Beatles, 1970, after a December dance at Buchanan American Legion. They knew it was to be their last appearance, but made no farewell from the stage. They just drove off in different directions. Unlike The Fab Four, who never reunited, and many other bands enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, “We’ve got one thing going for us” as they plot their Facebook-fueled 2011 comeback. “We’re all alive.” Another thing going for Sixth Generation, a big fish in a small pond, is that catchy single, “This is the Time." While primarily a cover band, “This is the Time” got them play on the big 89, Chicago’s WLS, and exposure to larger-than-life jocks who spun songs on the Silver Dollar Survey. The duo has now written “That was the Time.” They and other band members are writing new songs. Not only do they have loads more life experience on which to draw, they need slow songs. They didn’t do ballads back when. The same year James, then Tommy Jackson, graduated from Niles High School, 1965, Walenga, Larry Townsend, who still lives in Niles, Bob Lowery and Paul Davies, formed The Vampires, playing their first gig July 4. Their eight-song repertoire included “Kansas City,” which The Beatles covered; Roger Miller’s “King of the Road;" and Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman.” What started as a “garage band” in Niles gained wider prominence with bookings to play all over southwestern Michigan, northern Indiana and even in Illinois. Headlining with such notable groups as The Kingsmen ("Louie, Louie"); the Buckinghams ("Kind of a Drag," "Susan," "Hey Baby"); The Box Tops ("The Letter"); Ides of March ("Vehicle"); Mitch Ryder and
the Detroit Wheels ("Devil with a Blue Dress"); and the Electric Prunes ("Too Much to Dream Last Night") became a regular event. “We had a tremendous following in the Dowagiac area,” where “we will be trying to book a dance” this fall for six of the original members and one of their brothers, said Walenga, a former railroad employee who now sells swimming pools in Baltimore. “We had a following in Marcellus and Cassopolis, too," he said. “We’ve really thought long and hard about it,” Walenga said of their aim to play 60s pop music exclusively. “We’re going to be a cover band again and Dowagiac is critical for us.” Adding to their sense of anticipatory excitement is that they have been nominated for Michigan Rock and Roll Legends, an online Hall of Fame where voting begins March 1 and runs until June. This is Sixth Generation’s first year on the list. Forty-eight artists have been inducted in six years. The first class in 2005 included Alice Cooper, Aretha Franklin, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band, Rare Earth, Bill Haley and his Comets, Del Shannon, The Four Tops, Grand Funk Railroad, Jackie Wilson, Martha and the Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, The Temptations and Wilson Pickett. James and the Shondells were inducted with the second class in 2006, along with Question Mark and the Mysterians, Bob Seger System, Madonna, Ted Nugent and the MC5. A lengthy list of 2011 nominees includes Sonny Bono, Marshall Crenshaw, Iggy Pop, Suzi Quatro and Diana Ross along with Sixth Generation. Inducted in 2010 were The Kingtones, Hank Ballard and The Moonlighters, The Funk Brothers, The Rationals, SRC and Holland-Dozier-Holland. “We played a lot of places and opened for some of the top acts,” Walenga recalled. Back in the 60s the band played venues ranging from the Buchanan American Legion, the YMCA and The White Rabbit in Niles to Shadowland Ballroom in St. Joseph and Blossomland in Benton Harbor. After four lads from Liverpool brought Beatlemania screaming to these shores on the Ed Sullivan show of Feb. 9, 1964, it seemed mandatory for every teenage boy to start a band. “It was so simple back then,” Walenga said, recalling that they were motivated less by fame and fortune than finding the “friends you wanted to make music with. We all grew together.” By “simple,” Walenga means lack of distractions compared to his era of three black-and-white television channels — “with the Indian staring back” (test pattern) late at night or wee hours of the weekend — and AM radio tucked under his pillow to either listen to his Chicago White Sox or rock and roll that could
After 40 years, it’s ready to swim again.
be tuned in from Kansas City or Nashville. Kids bought music in stores on black records — platters — categorized by revolutions per minute, or RPM, on a turntable — 45, 33 1/3, 78. Curtis TV on Pennsylvania Avenue in Dowagiac carried records and WLS surveys. “Superjock” Larry Lujack sauntering down Front Street spread like Muhammad Ali did coming out of Caruso’s with a shake downtown in 1998. Where James’ legendary story is about “Hanky Panky” belatedly hitting in Pittsburgh after a DJ discovered it in a cutout bin, Walenga has his own amazing variation. They used to spin records during breaks, so each musician initialed his contribution to the stack. While rummaging through discount discs in Maryland, Walenga ran across the very same copy of "Hanky Panky" still bearing his initials that he owned in Michigan — and had to cough up $5 to be reunited with the treasure. After the Vampires, Paul and Dave stayed together and, with the addition of John Dale from Buchanan
and Bachman and Hamrick from Niles, Sixth Generation formed in the summer of 1966. They even featured a saxophone player in 1966-67, Dale Chadderdon. The reason behind their new name was simple: There were six of them playing music of their generation. When they played a junior high dance, their audience had never heard live music and they were still honing their sound, so it was “perfect,” he said. Paul played bass, Dave was on drums and both did vocals. Fred was lead singer. Ron played organ and did backup vocals, and John was on guitar. In 1967, as the group’s popularity increased, it was regularly booked for Saturday night dances at the Skyliner, which at that time was regarded as the most popular dance venue in southwest Michigan. Marie Needham of Decatur, a co-owner of the Skyliner, realized the group’s potential and became Sixth Generation’s manager; the group then became the “house band” at The Skyliner. Later, Needham negotiated their first recording. “This is the Time” was recorded at Sound Studios in Chicago and released by GMA Records in August. The group also cut “Glitter and Gold” by The Turtles, but it was never released as a single. “This is the Time” became not only an instant hit on the charts in Niles and other parts of the Midwest, it was played daily on WLS by Bernie Allen, Dex Card and other top DJs of that time and other top area rock 'n' roll stations in Indiana and Michigan. Card and other WLS and WCFL personalities also personally appeared with the Sixth Generation at Skyliner. “One of those guys was a pilot” and flew to Municipal Airport for dances. Their roll proved shortlived, but unlike bands VH-1 reunited, it wasn’t hard feelings that kept them apart for decades. Unfortunately, with the priority of college educations, changes in the group’s roster were necessary. Fans encouraged them to reunite. Fans live not only around Michiana, but as far away as Missouri, where a group of Holland followers settled after college.
See BAND, Page 3
Band: ‘We’ve never not been serious about music’ Continued from Page 2
They played clubs from Holland on the west side of the state to Ann Arbor on the east. Davies’ daughter, Amanda Lingerfelt, started a Facebook page for the band. People soon began contacting them. The band also has its own website, www.thesixthgeneration.com. “I blame Amanda every day,” Walenga laughed, “for the little stir she created with Facebook, but a plan started to come together.” It was heartening to come together after 40 years and find magic still there. “We sounded pretty good,” Hamrick was quoted about their recent jams. “It was magical when we got together.” Walenga noted that while the guys have all gone on to other careers, their enduring love of music still binds them. “We’ve never not been serious about music,” he said. “When we got together (in October, and again over Thanksgiving), we worked hard for four hours. It’s like learning to walk again, but our skill levels have multiplied.” So, though their comeback is recreational and fun, at the same time, “We’re very serious about it,” Walenga said. Like countless men who came of age in the 60s, they had their musical heroes, from The Beatles to homegrown hero James. Walenga lists Santana and the Tower of Power as later influences. He saw Rod Stewart and Faces at the University of Notre Dame, so suspects Rolling Stone Ron Wood might have been in the mix, just as Brian Wilson might have still been touring with his brothers in the Beach Boys, but passage of time blurs such details. Although he wasn’t a member of the band back then, Paul’s brother, Joe Davies, recalled James teaching him the D chord on the guitar. “Craig Villaneuve, one of the original Shondells, his brother Todd was a friend of mine and I was monkeying around with his guitar. Tommy sat down and taught me the D chord.” Every 60s group worked some angle to stand apart from the pack — Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs in their turbans, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap in Civil War uniforms, Paul Revere and the Raiders in Revolutionary War attire, the Dave Clark Five were like The Beatles with a sax player and The Shon-
Sixth Generation plays at The Skyliner in Dowagiac. Photo submitted
dells accented green sharkskin suits with gold Beatles boots. Sixth Generation also sported sharkskin suits and Beatles boots, but Walenga remembers going to a store in Gary, Ind. where the The Jackson Five was reputed to buy their matching stage togs. The drummer also remembers matching blue velour shirts which made them look like “waiters on the Love Boat.” One promotional photo was taken at Island Park. Only the Davies brothers still live in Niles. The others reside from the east coast in Maryland, Virginia and Florida to elsewhere in Michigan.
They’ve had a variety of careers, from teaching, construction to law and heading up an international company. Most of the musicians still have family here and continue to visit. Forty Decembers after disbanding, when the old friends confided their dormant desire to one another, they realized “we’ve been waiting for this phone call for 40 years,” Walenga said. “I feel bad for kids today that they don’t have these outlets.” Walenga happens to have a friend who works at the Holiday Inn Express in Niles from periodically visiting his hometown.
Pay Attention to Our Parks
He put in a plug for getting on the motel marquee when the reunited Sixth Generation makes its triumphant return, hoping to play this summer at the Riverfront Amphitheater, though their official comeback concert will be July 16 at Buchanan American Legion, where they left off. “We want to play old-fashioned dances and have a great time,” he said, assuring his friend her rooms would be safe from being trashed by a rock band, though he jokingly offered to have the staff do it and they would pay for the damage because “by 1:30 we’ve been asleep for two hours.”
nationwide initiative promotes summer rec
Niles’ 2011 Summer Parks Program • The park program is open to area children entering the first grade through entering the sixth grade. • Program hours will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. • Lunch will be provided free of charge each day, sponsored by the Niles Salvation Army, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Niles Public Parks and Recreation Board. Lunch will be served, provided your child is at the park at the time of the morning head count. • Children must be picked up promptly at 3:00 p.m. or sooner if the park closes early. The park program may be cancelled due to inclement weather and
it is the parent's responsibility to arrange for pick up of a child at the park if the park is closed for the day. Parents should monitor weather forecasts regularly. • While it is not required to attend programs every day, it is recommended that attendance be on a regular basis to get the greatest benefit from the program. • Children are not allowed to leave the park during the program hours unless accompanied by a parent or in the case of an emergency. Children who do leave without a parent will not be allowed to return for the remainder of the day. Repeated violations of this rule could result in removal from the program.
• Fighting, rough play, swearing or name calling will not be tolerated and could result in removal from the program. • Children must respect the park staff and city property at all times. • Tree climbing is prohibited. • Playground equipment is to be used safely and correctly at all times. • All children must wear and keep their shoes on at all times. • Written permission slips will be distributed prior to any field trip activity. Some of the events may require money if your child wishes to participate.
• Bikes ridden to the park must have their own lock. The City of Niles and the park staff are not responsible for any property brought by children to the park. • The park director, supervisors and counselors, at any given time, have the right to send your child home for violating any of the above rules and regulations. • Additional questions regarding the program may be directed to the City of Niles, Department of Public Works, at (269) 683-4700. Source: City of Niles Department of Public Works
By JESSICA SIEFF Leader Publications
A
See PARKS, Page 6
• Seasonal Sites Available • Great Fishing • Boat Rental + Launch 269-646-3336
www.campcranberrylake.com
Magician Lake, Dowagiac, Michigan Cynthia P. Muller
305-282-9256 Fax: 305-220-5031
(269) 782-7908 Sliver Creek Plaza Dowagiac Additional locations in Coloma, Benton Harbor, South Haven, and Watervliet.
AB090073
new initiative on behalf of the National Parks and Recreation Association (NPRA) is taking aim at the general American public in an effort to engage and educate citizens about the value and importance of public parks and recreation communities across the nation. The hundreds of thousands of public park and recreation services just like those available to the residents of Niles, "provide essential services for millions of Americans," says the NPRA. It's something city officials in Niles have recognized for years. For more than three decades, the city has funded and provided a summer parks program for parents and children within the community at a number of Niles' public park areas. This year, the program will be held exclusively at the newly renovated Plym Park. According to Neil Coulston, director of public works, the program was originally developed by the parks and recreation board. "Over the past several years the department of public works has set up and overseen the program each year," Coulston said. "My assistant Joe Ray and I put the program together each spring but once we have a director hired he/she sets up daily activities, schedules the field trips and supervises the counselors. "Each year I prepare a three-page flyer that is delivered to Niles Community Schools just prior to summer break and then the schools distribute them," he said. "The program is offered to children entering first grade through children entering sixth grade." Through the "America's Backyard" initiative, the NPRA hopes to encourage funding to support the organization and its programs. “'America’s Backyard' is about empowering and educating people of all backgrounds, interests and professions to support parks and recreation in the U.S.,” NRPA CEO Barbara Tulipane said. “Ultimately, 'America’s Backyard' will further expand and strengthen the park and recreation movement— in local communities, on Capitol Hill and in the national public eye.” Niles' summer program costs an estimated $16,000, Coulston said.
Hilda E. Reiter
269-424-5231 Fax: 269-424-5817
Unearthing the ‘hidden treasure’ Museum at SMC Director Steve Arseneau wants public to see its potential By JOHN EBY Leader Publications
O
ne thing Director Steve Arseneau would like to change about The Museum at Southwestern Michigan College is its reputation as a “hidden treasure.” “Something we worked on last year” that holds promise for the future was a summer old-time baseball game like the House of David played, which can be expanded into a children’s workshop. “That’s got a lot of potential,” he said. “I hope to do a membersonly event because we haven’t done anything the past few years as we renovated exhibits. We used to do one a year when Ann Thompson was here. One year we did a behind-the-scenes tour. When Ann left, I was curator and I became director.” His staff of three includes parttime exhibit designer Tom Caskey, part-time educator Jennifer Quail and Jo Silvia, who coordinates 25 to 30 volunteers, such as retired Sister Lakes teacher Phyllis Petersen. Lecture series programs take place in the fall and spring. “I’ve tried to really upgrade the level of our speakers,” he said, often featuring professionals from other area museums. "Sometimes I think of the topic, then go find someone to present it,” or an idea might be suggested by an advisory committee member. Arseneau himself ended the fall series Dec. 1 with a program on Beckwith Theatre, “The One That Got Away.” Another program the Wisconsin native gave centered on his collection of presidential memorabilia and political buttons. Arseneau, who formerly lived in downtown Dowagiac in an apartment overlooking the Beckwith site, often heard, “They never should have torn that down” in the mid-1960s. Today it is the site of Beckwith Park summer concerts, its sandstone medallions on a pylon outside SMC’s Dale A. Lyons Building. The museum hosts a "brownbag" lunch series in the summer. Twenty to 30 people regularly attend to watch documentaries. “It’s some of the same people as the lecture series, depending on what we’re doing,” said Arseneau, who is collaborating with his wife, Christina, on a coffee table book for Dogwood Fine Arts Festival’s 20th anniversary. The spring series starting in February will feature Ruth An-
Museum at SMC Director Steve Arseneau is pictured outside the replica of Dowagiac’s Beckwith Memorial Building, which housed a variety of things besides stage entertainment, which ceased in 1928. Band leader John Philip Sousa appeared there. The museum has two of its stained glass windows. The memorial to Round Oak stove founder Philo Beckwith, torn down in the mid-1960s, is today Beckwith Park, home of the summer concert series. Photo by John Eby
drews on the Kentucky slave raid mural she helped create in Cassopolis with the minority coalition. Quail in March will focus on Cassopolis aviator Leigh Wade and the first around-the-world flight. Presenter Rick Sheffer will turn his attention from oil to electricity in April. Several recent presentations, such as Denton Kime’s “Grunt’s Perspective” on Vietnam Sept. 1, 2010, overflowed the museum’s Upton room and moved to a larger room across from the Lyons Building auditorium. Arseneau plans an exhibit on Eleanor Colby in 2011. A soldier she drew on a Dowagiac wall during World War II didn’t reveal itself for more than 30 years. In some ways, the GI Colby created Aug. 3, 1945, remains less of an enigma in the 21st century than the Ladies Home Journal illustrator herself. The 1888 Dowagiac graduate died Sept. 8, 1958 at age 88 — perhaps in the same Italianate home facing Dance of Creation in Farr Park as she was born. There is some evidence Colby was born in 1870 and the structure on West Division Street that housed Dr.
James Wierman’s medical practice was not built until 1875, according to a dated piece of butternut trim found inside. “It’s a great group of people,” Arseneau said. “The collection is divided into sections,” such as World War II, Capt. Iven Carl Kincheloe (who will be inducted into the national aviation hall of fame in July) newspapers, photographs, Dowagiac yearbooks. Every item has a number assigned to it and is recorded in the database and scanned if it’s paper.” Operation of the museum is guided by an advisory committee which consists of a community cross-section interested in history. It meets every other month. A newsletter appears twice a year. While some volunteers serve on the advisory committee, such as Al Palmer of Wayne Township, they are separate groups of people. She enhanced her talks by sketching with colored crayons, doing paper cuttings and using paper dolls she dressed while relating anecdotes. The Colby home was featured on Historic Dowagiac Association’s home tour in the 1980s. Solid doors between the parlor and living room Colby altered to
replace wood with glass and one of her intricate paper cuttings within, strung with delicate gray strands of her mother’s hair. Others fondly recalled hollyhocks painted on what was then a screened-in porch. Annual report SMC Board of Trustees heard an annual update from Arseneau during its Dec. 14 meeting. In addition to many acquired historical artifacts, the 2009-10 year saw the opening of the museum’s last renovated local history gallery. “Because this was the first year to see how visitors react to all the new exhibits and to provide the least disruption for visitors after three years of renovations, staff did minimal work modifying the permanent exhibits,” Arseneau said. “Instead, staff installed smallscaled exhibits that fit within the broad themes of each of the museum’s four, all-history galleries," he said. The primary focus of each gallery includes the early history of the college district to early manufacturing in the area; the Round Oak Stove Works; recreation in the college district; and local individuals who have made
history, Arseneau said. Museum highlights include serving more than 5,000 people through museum visits, outreach programs, events and lectures, said Arseneau. The museum accepted about 400 donations into its collection, he added. Some of those acquisitions include the original 1899 desk from the Cass courthouse of that era; Silver Creek Township ledger books with records dating from the 1860s to 1900s; and the purchase of artifacts at the RitterKingsbury auction, where more than 2,000 documents were acquired, Arseneau said. The Ritter and Kingsbury families owned First National Bank in Cassopolis and were influential business people throughout Cass County. “The museum staff and volunteers have worked hard to catalogue 100 percent of the collection as well as 99 percent of the museum’s photographs have been digitized,” Arseneau said. “We are also in the process of digitizing the museum’s document collection.” About 50 percent of the museum’s attendance came as a result of programs offered by its staff, Arseneau said.
In 2009, the museum hired Jennifer Quail as its educator and, through museum tours and inclassroom educational programs, museum staff served more than 1,000 area school students. In addition, museum staff has seen an increase in the number of attendees at the evening museum lecture series and summer brown bag lunches, Arseneau said. “Much of what goes on with the museum is accomplished through the assistance of 25 to 30 dedicated volunteers,” Arseneau said. “The museum would not operate as smoothly and efficiently without these volunteers who contributed more than 2,000 hours of service last year," he said. Located on the college’s Dowagiac campus, Museum at Southwestern Michigan College is open Tuesday through Saturday with free admission. “The Museum at SMC continues to be an irreplaceable community asset,” said Dr. Fred Mathews, chairman of the board of trustees. “The museum staff has done an outstanding job of acquiring, preserving and displaying the local history of our service area as well as educating our local school students about the history of this area.”
It was their year
Chieftain players douse Coach Bernard Thomas after their 1990 state football championship win. File photo
Former Chieftains reflect on that magical 1990 season By SCOTT NOVAK Leader Publications
T
he fall of 1990 was a magical one for the community of Dowagiac. Coming into the football season the Chieftains had high expectations. Dowagiac had reached the state playoffs the previous season with a strong junior class, but were eliminated early on by rival Three Rivers. Headed by a class of seniors, several of which went on to play college football at various levels, Dowagiac was ready to take on all the challenges it faced. After a week one lopsided win, the Chieftains were sidetracked by their archrival Lakeshore, in the second week of the season. The loss to the Lancers made each and every week that followed a playoff game because even with just one loss, no one knew if the team would qualify for the post-season. Week after week Dowagiac rolled up impressive victories en route to a spot in the playoffs and then an amazing run through the post-season to the newly created Class BB state championship. The Chieftains knocked off opponent after opponent on its way to the Pontiac Silverdome where it would face and destroy Oxford 35-14 for the school’s first official state football championship. It’s been 20 years since Dowagiac claimed the championship on Thanksgiving weekend just north of Detroit, but the memories are still vivid for many of its players. Mike Behnke, a teacher at Dowagiac Union High School and varsity softball coach, was the center on the championship team. He recalls, like many of his teammates, how the entire community seemed to have showed up at the Silverdome to cheer on its champions. "One of my fondest memories was how the whole town came together and rallied around the team," he said. "Not just the current residents, but alumni and others that had moved on somewhere else, but came back to support the town and the team. For those few weeks there weren’t any cliques or divisions. It was like the whole town was one big family who wanted to let their team know they were behind them. "Nothing proved that more than when we came out of that tunnel of the Silverdome to start the game and looked up at our sideline and saw all those people cheering us on. I don’t know what the population of Dowagiac was then, but there were more people in those stands than there were people that lived in Dowagiac. I loved that and I think that is kind of missing these days in Dowagiac," he added. Behnke also cannot believe it has been 20 years since that day. "When you are young 20 years seems like such a long time, but I can’t believe how fast it goes," he said. "This is my 15th year teaching and for the last two or three years I haven’t had a student that was born yet when we won state." Behnke returned to his alma mater and coached JV and varsity football for 12 years and has been the varsity softball coach for the past six seasons. He is married to wife Stay and lives in Dowagiac with their three children, Zech,
Tyler and Bree. Andy Kruger was a record-setting kicker and wide receiver for the Chieftains on the title team. He, like Behnke, is now a teacher in the Dowagiac system. Kruger remembers that it was no accident that Dowagiac got to the finals and won the state title. The team had talent, was smart and had the right work ethic. "I remember how much we worked at practice and how long we practiced for the playoffs and nobody complained. We just went to work," he recalled. "It was pretty amazing how our second and third teams were better than other teams’ first stringers. I liked that we got the job done with 32 players. Most went both ways. My favorite game was putting a whipping on Cheboygan at Houseman Field (Grand Rapids) our first time on Astro Turf and it was a beautiful sunny day. I will never forget how many Dowagiac fans came to the championship game and cheered us on to victory." Kruger recently ran into a teammate, who mentioned it had been 20 years. "I couldn’t believe it," he said. Kruger is in his 12th year of teach health and conditioning at Dowagiac Union High School. He has been married now nine years and has two daughters. Greg Younger went on to star at Hillsdale College and set several records as the Chargers’ quarterback. He initially went into coaching at Hillsdale before leaving to become an accountant. He would do some coaching at Lakeshore High School as an assistant before becoming Dowagiac’s athletic director until 2009 when he moved over to Lakeshore to become its athletic director and assistant principal. He remembers fondly the way the team was a unit. "We all got along well and hung out together," he said. "We all came over to my house on Fridays after school and hung out together before the games. We had a lot of fun at practice as we worked hard and often times we stayed after practice to work on different skills and to just hang out together." He, as his teammates, cannot believe that 20 years has flown by. He noted that something about that season comes up nearly every day in his interaction with people. Younger married high school sweetheart Jeanna (Burling), who was a standout athlete at Dowagiac and Hillsdale as well. The couple has two young children Mahri and Meghan. Twenty years after leading Dowagiac to its football state title, Coach Bernard Thomas returned to the sidelines as the head man. After coaching the Chieftains to more than 130 victories in his career, Thomas stepped away from coaching for a few years in the mid-1990s, but returned as an assistant coach for Niles. He coached the defensive line for the Vikings until 2009. He re-
tired from teaching in 2010 and shortly after was approached to coach his alma mater in Cassopolis. "If the timing hadn’t been right, I would not be coaching right now," Thomas said of his decision to return to the position of head coach. "Our winning a state championship 20 years earlier had nothing to do with it, but I used that as motivation on more than one occasion." Thomas remembers everything about the state title run like it was yesterday. He recalls the great weather the team played in all throughout the playoffs. "I remember the Cheboygan game," he
said. "I had doubts and concerns about that game, but we totally dominated them. I was a sun-shiny day, which I guess was an omen. I can remember the dome (Pontiac Silverdome) itself. But what I really remember is the reception we got when we got back home." Thomas said that a police escort picked up the team around Decatur and led the team into the city. "The closer we got to Dowagiac the more people there were along the side of the road," he recalled. "But when we got to the high school, I never had seen that gym so full of people. That’s what stands
out in my mind." The all-time winningest coach in Dowagiac football history still cannot believe it has been 20 years. "I am reminded of the Bob Seger song ‘Like a Rock.’ The song goes ’20 years, where’ve they gone? Twenty years, where’d they go?’ It seems like those years have just flew by." Thomas said that he, his coaching staff and his players took in the moment and relished it because they understood the importance of it.
See CHIEFTAINS, Page 6
Checkmate
Parks: ‘Our nation’s public parks and recreation areas are Club more than just fun and games the roots of local communities’
By JESSICA SIEFF Leader Publications
A
t the Niles District Library, an age-old game is developing a new local audience and showing its academic benefits as chess serves as a vehicle for young adults and players of all ages to engage in the game, learn various aspects of critical thinking and apply those skills to their every day lives. More than 10 years ago, Martin Klubeck brought the idea of holding a chess club at the Niles District Library to library officials. Ever since, just as players have done around the world for centuries, men and women, boys and girls of all ages have been sitting down to a board of regal pieces — opponents in a game of mind and skill. Klubeck, who says the club offers kids a way to learn vital skills through competition which could improve their academics, has been playing chess since childhood. "My father taught me when I was 8 years old," he said. Klubeck competed at home against a very worthy opponent: his brother. "I didn't like losing," he said. He practiced his game, built up his ability to play the game and now, he says, his brother "is turning 52. And one of his goals … is to beat me. "When I grew up I played in Brooklyn on stone chess tables in a park," Klubeck said. "And one of my favorite opponents was a Russian. He was probably about 60 years old, 65, but he didn't speak any english, just a nice guy, played chess. It gives you that opportunity to play people. There are people of all walks of life, of all profession or intelligence ... it's a universal game." At the library, those taking part in the chess club meet on Saturdays during the school year at 10 a.m. All ages are welcome, though the original focus is on children and young adults, giving them a lesson in competition of the game and helping them build the skills they need in school and in life. An old game for a new generation "One of our basic rules is we want them to learn how to keep score," Klubeck said. "Because one it's a good way to get better at chess but it also solidifies the benefits you get from learning to play chess."
Those benefits, he said, includes helping with math scores, cognition, problem solving and analyzation. It helps players realize "there's other choices," Klubeck said. "I don't have to do what my peers want to do, I don't have to bend to peer pressure ... there's always another choice and they know there's good choices and bad choices and realize that through learning chess. "When we teach, we stress that they understand how to solve problems, a lot of its problem solving," he said. "We try to do that without moving the pieces so they have to use their brain even more; they have to visualize it and see it." Recently the club decided to split its participants up into two teams in order to encourage camaraderie and to give players a chance to help each other. "Now they can play a great game and then find someone on their team and sit down and play a game with them," Klubeck said. "It's created an atmosphere where it's not chess competition. The more advanced players are trying to help the weaker players on their team and of course, we try to make the teams as equal as possible." At the library, participation in the chess club varies. "We'll have some times we have so many people we're pulling tables from other rooms and we'll have some times where we're lucky to fill three," Klubeck said. With the academic benefits that come from the game, Klubeck said he'd love to see area schools embrace the idea of having a chess club. "I know in the bigger cities they do (have chess clubs)," he said. "They have them, they use
them. It's part of the curriculum. (It's) one of the ways to give (students) a way to compete but their grades go up. The SAT scores are better; the ACT scores are better. "The high schools, the middle schools … they could all have chess teams," he said. "It doesn't matter if you're boy or girl; you play equal, so it's on equal ground. It has a lot of benefits and if you ask me, one of the things that they could do around here to improve the school systems, a simple thing is to have chess teams in the schools. They'll start finding the kids do better in school." Klubeck said Cedar Lane Alternative High School was considering incorporating a chess team into its offerings at the school. For all of the benefits to reap from the board and its pieces, chess is still a game and it's still a matter of skill and of surpassing one's opponent. "You play almost any table top game, it's luck," Klubeck said. "There's a definite luck factor involved. There's no luck in chess. They have Olympic competition for chess because there's no luck in chess … In chess, there's billions of combinations, it teaches you how to understand principles, play by principles. It helps you focus and concentrate, helps you to be still." A centuries-old game with plenty of games still to be played.
Niles District Library Chess Club Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon during the school year Remaining meeting times for year: March 5 and 19; April 2 and 16; May 7 and 21
Participants of all ages have been coming to the Niles District Library more than 10 years to take part in the centuries-old game of chess. Though the game may have age-old principles, it is teaching those principles to a new generation of players and proving to have academic benefits. Photo submitted
Chieftains: ‘I got every memory out of it’ Continued from Page 5
"We enjoyed the moment because we knew it may not happen again in our lifetime," Thomas said. "I got every memory out of that I could get. I didn’t take anything for granted and neither did the other coaches and the players. We knew this could be the opportunity of a lifetime." Thomas said he has seen a lot of his former players over the years. He noted that most of them came to parent-teacher conferences because he had their children in class at the Dowagiac Middle School. "I don’t know if there is a team that we didn’t mention it," he said. "We didn’t spend hours at a time on it, but the topic did come up a time or two." Thomas used the experiences from his coaching days in Dowagiac, and in particular the championship run in 1990 and the 1996 season in which the Chieftains reached the state semifinals, to motivate his 2010 Cassopolis football team. "They (the Ranger football
Andy Kruger kicks off during the state championship game of 1990. Kruger is now a teacher in Dowagiac. File photo
team) knew my reputation," Thomas pointed out. "They knew I had won a state championship right down the street. I often used those experiences to motivate those kids. I didn’t try to compare them t o t h a t t e a m , b u t I can’t tell you how many times I talked to them about what it takes to not only get into the playoffs, but to compete for championships. I used that as an example of what can happen if
you go out and you execute." Dowagiac’s football program is still chasing another magical season. The Chieftains have reached the playoffs numerous times since that season, but as of yet, has not been able to recapture the magic that they experienced 20 years ago. As another famous song goes … "We may never pass this way again."
Continued from Page 3
The reach of public parks and recreation in America • 105,000: Estimated number of public parks in the U.S., serving more than 300 million people • 12,000: Approximate number of local and state public park and recreation agencies in the U.S. • $730 billion: Amount that parks, beaches and other recreation facilities generate each year for America’s economy, according to an Outdoor Industries Association study on “Active Outdoor Recreation” • 6.5 million: Number of jobs supported by parks, beaches and other recreation facilities, according to the Outdoor Industries Association • 1.1 million: Estimated number of children who receive healthy meals each year from park and recreation agencies Source: National Parks and Recreation Association "The parks and recreation budget covers the cost of the arts and crafts materials, sports equipment, transportation, etc.," he said. "There are some minor costs for field trips that are the responsibility of the participants. When we travel beyond walking distances we use the services of Brandywine school buses, which is paid for from our budget. Field trips have been taken to Wonderland Cinema, YMCA to swim, Galaxy roller skating, Potawatomi Zoo, the Niles District Library," among others. Those taking part in the program receive a snack in the morning and lunch at no cost, Coulston added. "The service is paid for by the United States Department of Agriculture and the snacks and meals are prepared and delivered to the park by The Salvation Army here in Niles," he said. Still, like many programs in communities across the country, Niles' summer parks program had to be scaled back due to budget cuts. "Over the past several years the program was run at Eastside, Clevenger and Southside Parks but this year it was only offered at Plym Park,” Coulston said. "With funds allocated to run the program at just one park, we chose Plym Park due to the close walking distance to the YMCA and Wonder-
land and because we completed major improvements to Plym in 2009," he said. "Plym offers tennis, softball, basketball and soccer facilities plus features a new play structure." Coulston added that attendance at Plym following the program changes remained strong with more than 100 kids estimated in attendance on most days. Though no additional changes are planned for the program for 2011, what the future holds for a program that may have been innovative back when it first began is something public parks supporters can only hope will be increasing in popularity. "I think the program is great for kids that may have nothing to do in the summer time," Coulston said. "It's great for parents and great for kids." It seems as though the NRPA couldn't agree more. “Our nation’s public parks and recreation areas are the roots of local communities,” Tulipane said of the "America's Backyard" initiative. “They are our green space, our trails, our ball fields, our playgrounds, our gardens, our beaches, our waterways, our imaginations and our cultural heritage. They are our legacy.”