DON ROBERTS, LEADING THE WAY TO BORGESS RUN CAMP ~ PAGE 14
Expert Advice
Auto Repair
Funeral Services
Q: Do I need a
new battery? A: A marginal or bad battery can affect many parts of your car. Besides the obvious problem of your car not starting there are Bob Smith many other issues with an old Technician battery. A weak battery taxes your car’s alternator, starter and computer systems and may cause these important components to not last as long as they normally would. With today’s complicated electronic systems, your car’s battery needs to be in good working order, holding a good charge and proper voltage, to keep your car running smoothly. Our experts at Otto Kihm have been doing fullservice preventative maintenance and auto repairs since 1937. We have the knowledge to service and repair even the most challenging auto problems on all makes and models of domestic and import vehicles. Stop in or give us a call today, to let us test your battery or take a look at other parts of your vehicle to make sure you are ready for winter!
Otto Kihm Auto & Tire Service 425 East Vine St (269) 345-6153 ottokihm.com
Since 1906 342-0153 800-950-1906 Member Home Builders Association of Greater Kalamazoo
Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) 5-Star Quality Rating System?
A: Yes. On Monday,
A:
May 22, Langeland Family Funeral Home Westside Chapel, 3926 S. 9th St. will offer a breakfast starting at 8:30am, followed by a bus tour to Ft. Custer National Cemetery in Augusta. The tour will depart from Langeland at 9:30. Any U.S. Veteran, their spouse or family member is welcome to join us. Seating is limited so please call 269488-8132 for reservations by May 8.
Langeland Family Funeral Homes
Q: What is the Center for
The 5-Star Quality RatShannon Schaab ing Scale was created to help consumers, their families, and Admission & Marketing Coordinator caregivers compare different nursing homes more easily. The Nursing Home Compare website features for each skilled care facility an overall star rating, and a separate rating for three different categories; health inspections, staffing and quality measures. No rating system can address all the important considerations that go into a decision about which skilled facility may be best for a particular person. Nursing Home Compare should be used in conjunction with other sources of information (including a visit) and can identify areas about which you may want to ask additional questions.
Friendship Village Rehabilitation Center
“Quiet dignity with compassion” has meant so much for many people... for many years.
6 locations to serve you 269-343-1508 • www.langelands.com
1400 North Drake, Kalamazoo (269) 381-0515 www.friendshipvillagemi.com
Finances
Health Food Q: What type
Q: Do I need an attorney to prepare my will?
Q: Q: I hear that Sherriff Goslin Roofing uses their own unique shingle. Can you tell me more about this shingle?
Sherriff-Goslin Roofing Co.
Q: Does Langelands do anything special for Veterans? K. Lynn McFarlen Family Services Consultant
Roofing
A: The Art Loc shingle is SherriffJustin Reynolds Goslin’s original patented shingle. Manager It can be used as a re-roofing shingle over another layer of existing shingles, or as a primary shingle over roof sheathing. It assures a smooth, windproof and watertight job. The Art Loc shingle provides a unique appearance and lends character with distinction to any home. Today’s Art Loc shingle has been modified to include an ingredient known as an SBS (Styrene-ButadieneStyrene) polymer, which is used to alter the properties of asphalt, making the asphalt tougher and more flexible. This polymer dramatically slows down the aging process of the asphalt, providing superior waterproofing, low temperature flexibility, impact resistance, high wind endurance and extended life expectancy. Call us at (269) 342-0153 or visit us at worryfreeroof. com today to learn more.
Transitions
of produce does Sawalls carry?
A: Legally, no. Practically speaking, yes. A will that you draft yourself, or even a preprinted will form, will be legally effective if you are of legal age in your state (i.e., 18), are mentally competent, and execute the will properly. This means the will must be acknowledged and signed by you in front of witnesses. In addition, the witnesses should not be anyone who will benefit under your will.
Douglas Drenth
A: Sawalls has always Linda Sawall
carried Certified Organic produce. It’s the very best quality that can be found and we receive orders almost every day! We also carry as much local produce that we can find seasonally. We are always looking for quality produce from local farmers! Come in soon and enjoy areas largest selection of fresh CERTIFIED ORGANIC PRODUCE! CELEBRATING OUR 81ST YEAR!
Owner
Drenth Financial Services
Mon.-Sat. 8-9, Sun. 10-6
5659 W. Michigan, Kalamazoo 269-978-0250 • ddrenth@fscadvisor.com
Sawall Health Food
Securities offered through FSC Securities Corporation, member FINRA/SIPC. Insurance services offered through Drenth Financial Services and is not affiliated with FSC. HFG Financial Group is not affiliated with FSC or registered as a broker-dealer or a registered investment advisor. Individual situations will vary. Please contact a professional for specific advice. Entities listed here do not offer mortgage services. Prepared by Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc. Copyright 2013.
Oakwood Plaza • 2965 Oakland Dr. at Whites Rd. • 343-3619 • www.sawallhf.com
APRIL 2017
SPARK
3
I love weekends!!
month, we have eaten at the Cooper Café, Nina’s Cafe, The Crew, Michelle’s, Crows Nest, Studio Grill, Theo and Stacy’s, Café Meli and the new Club Car Grille.
Weekends are a perfect time to take a break from work and enjoy all the great things this area has to offer.
Most weekends are ripe for festivals, events and activities. Recently we’ve attended the Home Expo and the Vintage Market
On a typical Friday night, we head downtown Kalamazoo to relax and get the weekend started. Whether you’re in the mood for spirits, a great meal, shopping, sports or enjoying the arts – it’s all within reach. The biggest challenge is narrowing down the choices. Saturday morning is breakfast out (and usually Sunday also) and there are so many great choices in the area. In the last
FROM THE
EDITOR at the Kalamazoo County Expo Center, the St Patrick’s Day Parade, the Coopers Glen Music Festival and the Kalamazoo Valley Fretboard Festival.
ON THE COVER:
The perfect Saturday night includes dinner and then home for a movie or a good book. We have recently enjoyed the Old Dog Tavern, North 11, One Well Brewing, the Old Mill Brewpub, Rustica, Fandango Tapas Bistro and Bravo. All provided delicious food and friendly service. We love our old favorites, but also find new favorites by venturing out and trying something new. Steve Ellis, SPARK Publisher steve@swmspark.com
Photo by Mindy Wood
Don Roberts putting some miles in during Borgess Run Camp training.
All current and past issues can be read at swmspark.com
INDEX
APRIL 2017
Lee Dean: What’s so funny? ................................... 4 Spark Recipe: Kudos for Strudels ............................. 6 Volunteers: Dave & Helene Wright .......................... 7 Spark book reviews ...................................................... 8 Nature: Attract migrating and resident birds ........ 9 Healthy Living: Nutrition, for a better you ............ 10 History: Rose Street Market/ Kalamazoo Masonic Temple ................................. 11 10 ways to manage stress and be a healthy caregiver............................................. 12 Business Profile: Star World Amusement................ 13
Like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/swmspark
Cover Story: Running for the health of it .............. 14 Artist Profile: Colleen Woolpert ............................... 16 History: A.M. Todd ....................................................... 17 Spark movie reviews .................................................. 18 The Rhodes Pathfinder .............................................. 19 Amazing Tales.............................................................. 20 Looking Back ............................................................... 21 Sage Advice................................................................ 22 Kalamazoo Bicycle Club .......................................... 23 Joyce Snow and Chris Oosterbaan ...................... 23 Tales from the Road: Charleston ........................... 24 Michigan Pickers......................................................... 25 Spark community calendar..................................... 26
Editor and Publisher: Steve Ellis Graphic Design: CRE8 Design, Kalamazoo, MI Creativity/Photography: Lauren Ellis Writers and Contributors Include: Area Agency on Aging, Steve Ellis, Lee Dean, Laura Kurella, Dave Person, Zoe Folsom, Kalamazoo Nature Center, Kalamazoo Public Library, Kalamazoo Valley Museum, Portage Public Library, Senior Services of Southwest Michigan , YMCA SPARK accepts advertising to defray the cost of production and distribution, and appreciates the support of its advertisers. The publication does not specifically endorse advertisers or their products or services. Spark is a publication of Ellis Strategies, LLC. No part of this publication may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission from the publisher.
To advertise in upcoming SPARK publications, contact: Steve Ellis, 269.720.8157, steve@swmspark.com
SPARK
4
APRIL 2017
What’s so funny? Depends on who you ask Lee A. Dean screendoor@sbcglobal.net Few elements of human behavior are more individual and unique than a person’s sense of humor. Two people can be watching a TV show. One can be roaring with laughter while the other one stares blankly and mutters, “I don’t get it.” As someone who makes a part of his living as a humor writer, comedy is a subject of great interest both academically and financially. I’ve always been fascinated with humorists and their work in writing, in standup comedy, on television and on the big screen. Making people laugh on purpose is hard work for the reason mentioned above. You never know what types of humor your audience favors. I appreciate humor to an extreme degree and it spills over into all facets of life, such as home decor. As a bachelor, I accessorized the top of my toilet tank with a can of Shinola and some fake plastic dog poop. As an added touch, and in tribute to “A Christmas Story,” I found a bar of red Lifebuoy soap, the same kind that was plunked into little Ralphie’s mouth when his mom caught him using the queen mother of all swear words. The key phrase in the preceding paragraph is “as a bachelor.” When my wife, the Viking Goddess, arrived on the scene, the shoe polish, fake feces and soap all mysteriously disappeared. I concluded, in a spasm of self-deception, that her action was due to her having no sense of humor rather than to my having no sense of taste. My own “not funny” list includes 98 percent of the
most popular television comedy shows of the last 20 years. Take Charlie Sheen … please. Neither am I a fan of “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” because people falling from roofs, stepping on rakes, hitting each other in delicate body parts with golf clubs and the like is not funny to me. The same goes for prank phone calls, practical jokes or any humor done at the expense of another person. The best humor for me involves skillful wordplay and wit. I’m especially fond of comedy that twists a familiar theme or phrase. That was the genius of “The Far Side” comics by Gary Larson. Example: A dog reclines on a psychiatrist’s couch and is describing his problem. “It’s the mailman, Doc,” the dog complains. “He scares me.” It’s a subtle gag and it requires a bit of thought, but it cracks me up. Self-deprecating humor is another winning genre, best exemplified by the late, great Rodney Dangerfield, the man who got no respect. My favorite Rodney line is an example of the comedic one-two, with the set-up immediately followed by the punch line. “I come from a stupid family,” said Rodney. “In the Civil War, my greatuncle fought for the West.” Bada boom, bada bing! Great humor can make you laugh and think at the same time. George Carlin at his best could deliver this particular double-whammy. “Why do they lock gas station bathrooms?” he asked. “Are they afraid someone will clean them?” Of all the elements of comedy and across all genres, one essential skill is required to make sure the humor hits its target — exquisite timing. You can set the premise up perfectly but if you are too slow or too hasty with the punch line (or forget it altogether), the house
you’ve spent time carefully building comes crashing down. Humor also requires the appropriate setting, as I discovered the hard way. On one occasion, my timing was absolutely perfect, but the joke was told in the wrong place. The scene: a Cornerstone University course where the instructor routinely asked for prayer requests before each class. A few people shared their needs and then I spoke up. “I have a confession to make,” I said, putting on a penitent and somber expression. “I’m having a torrid love affair with a married woman.” The instructor’s face flushed into an abnormal shade of crimson. A couple of my female classmates gasped in horror. One of my best friends in the class, a 6-foot-5 former star basketball player, started to get out of his seat. I judged this to be the perfect time to deliver my punch line: “Thank God the affair is with my wife.” The instructor gave me the stink eye, wanting to heave me from the room. The ladies heaved a sigh of relief. Not a living thing in the room laughed — not even the dust mites. Much to my relief, my large, athletic friend sat back down. He later told me that my errant attempt at comedy nearly contained a literal punch line. “You know what I was thinking when I was getting out of my seat?” he asked. “I was thinking I was gonna KILL you!” And that may be the most important comedy rule of all: the object is to knock your audience dead, not to get yourself killed. What’s your favorite kind of humor? I always appreciate hearing from you. Drop me a line at screendoor@ sbcglobal.net and let me in on the joke.
SPARK
APRIL 2017
6
Kudos for Strudels A delicate delight that has been around for centuries, there is no other pastry that appears to be more delicate in structure than a strudel. by Laura Kurella
Here now is a sweet way to indulge in a simply-made strudel. For those of you interested in embarking on making an extraordinary, “Old Country,” from scratch strudel, look online for my blog titled, “Phyllo from the Old Country.” ENJOY!
Sweet ‘n’ Easy Cheese Strudel 1/3 cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1 large egg white, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese 1/2 cup raisins, optional
1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil 1 tablespoon butter, melted 8 sheets phyllo dough, (14 x18 inches), thawed 2 tablespoons fine dry breadcrumbs Powdered sugar, for dusting, optional
Preheat oven to 365 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, egg white, vanilla and lemon zest then, using a fork, stir gently until well combined. Switching to a large rubber spatula, gently fold in ricotta, mixing just until combined. Sprinkle in raisins, if using, then set aside. In a small bowl, combine oil and butter then pair with a pastry brush and set aside. Unroll thawed phyllo dough sheets onto a clean, dry rolling surface then cover the dough with a sheet of wax paper that is then covered by a slightly damp tea/dish towel to prevent it from drying out. Working quickly, lay one sheet of dough on the prepared baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon of the oil/butter mixture over the sheet then sprinkle it with a 1/2 teaspoon of the breadcrumbs. Repeat this process quickly, 6 more times, being sure to align each sheet over the previous one. Lay the 7th sheet of dough on top then sprinkle it with just the remaining breadcrumbs. Reserve remaining oil/butter mixture. Gently spoon cheese filling in a long, 12-by-2-inch mound along the long edge of the dough, leaving a 3-inch border between the mound and the short edges of the dough. Fold up, loosely, along the long edge, jellyroll style, to roll up strudel. Turn strudel so that it is seam-side down on the baking sheet, then fold/tuck in and open ends beneath the roll. Brush strudel with remaining oil mixture then, using a sharp knife, cut four short (1-inch) diagonal slashes along the top of strudel for steam. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on pan for 5 minutes then carefully transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool. Just before serving, dust strudel with powdered sugar, if desired, and slice with a serrated knife. Approximate servings per recipe: 8. Nutrition per serving: Calories 244; Fat 6g; Sodium 175 mg; Potassium 154 mg; Carbohydrates 42g; Fiber 2g; Sugars 21g; Protein 7g. For more on this and other cooking subjects, look for Laura on Facebook at LAURA KURELLA COOKS! Contact Laura at: laurakurella@yahoo.com. Check out Laura’s cookbooks, her new children’s book and more great recipes at Laurakurella.com
APRIL 2017
7
SPARK
Retired Couple Finds Purpose Volunteering By Bill Krasean, Senior Services RSVP Advisory Council Volunteer The decision to volunteer came naturally to Dave and Helene Wright of Union City when they retired a few years back. Not only did they both want to give some of their newly acquired spare time to helping others, but their daughter, Tracie Wheeler, was the perfect role model. Tracie is director of RSVP – Your Invitation to Volunteer, a national service program of Senior Services of Southwest Michigan that connects older adult volunteers with area organizations. She heads RSVP’s activities in both Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, where she grew up. Dave retired in 2010 from Meijer, where he had a number of positions. After retirement he became the first person to volunteer for Senior Services’ Meals on Wheels program in Battle Creek. And when Helene retired as a registered nurse at Bronson Battle Creek in 2012, she joined with her husband. Twice a week the two load their car with meals and drive a prescribed route, delivering meals to people who might not otherwise enjoy a hot dinner or cold lunch without their volunteer efforts and many other volunteers. Dave drives and Helene “hops,” taking the meals to seniors. The route typically takes two hours, although many days it takes longer.
“Some days the people feel the need to talk,” Helene said, “They want social interaction, so I stay a while and talk. Some days Dave comes in too and other days he has been known to honk the horn, a reminder that others need meals too.” Both worked long hours before they retired and, other than Dave’s coaching duties when their kids were in school, neither had the time to volunteer. As a nurse, Helene’s job was basically helping people, a portion of the job she liked best. “Sometimes I do miss that part of the job, and the people I worked with,” she said. Both say that when they retired they lost a sense of purpose, a sense that has been filled by delivering meals on a regular basis. “Meals on Wheels and church activities do help fill our time,” Helene said. More volunteers are needed with Meals on Wheels, Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes, Kalamazoo Literacy Council, Volunteers 4 Seniors for medical rides and grocery shopping help, Mentor Academic Success tutor and mentor program, Medicare Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP), Senior Services Home Repair, VA Medical Center and more. Regular, flexible, short-term schedules available, contact RSVP at 269-382-0515 or www.seniorservices1.org.
SPARK
APRIL 2017
8
Book Reviews Book Reviews by the Portage District Library staff
Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi The Collapsing Empire is a breath of fresh air that is a perfect mix of hard sci-fi, humor, and drama. It’s the potato chip of books in that once you’ve popped the cover, you can’t stop reading. The setting is a star-spanning collective of all different kinds of space habitats ranging from huge stations to small settlements. The habitats depend on each other for survival and are linked together by the ‘Flow’, a sort of wormhole network. Starships can enter the Flow in one system and exit into another after a certain amount of flight time. Unfortunately, the Flow is collapsing on itself creating a potentially extinction level event for the Emperor and other ruling houses. The characters of this story are well thought out and drive the book forward. Scalzi manages to take political intrigue, civil war, astrophysics, and religion, cram them together into a baseball, and knock it out of the literary park.
Cooking for Picasso: a Novel by Camille Aubray If you are a fan of Peter Mayle, an aficionada of JoJo Moyes, or adored The School of Essential Ingredients, you are in for a treat. Cooking for Picasso, set in the present day as well as 1936—a hidden period in the life of the great artist-traces the story of Ondine, who, as a teen, ends up being Picasso’s personal chef when he is living incognito in the village of Juan-les-Pins. Picasso is at a crossroads in his art, Ondine is on the verge of discovering what she wants from her life, and both end up inspiring each other. Fast forward 80 years, and Celine, her granddaughter, a Hollywood makeup artist, is
researching her grandmother’s life in hopes of understanding and saving her mother, Julie. The cuisine and scenery of the South of France and the mise-en-scene of 21st century filmmaking are well depicted. It’s a spicy Bouillabaise of a book.
Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick More than 200 years have passed since our nation’s founding, and Benedict Arnold still remains the treacherous villain of United States history. What would drive a dire patriot who sacrificed his personal wealth and the near loss of a leg to becoming the Judas of the American Revolution? This is the question Philbrick skillfully answers as he explains Arnold’s bruised ego, financial difficulties, and eventually his determined wife who seductively presented sedition. This is a continuation of the history begun in Philbrick’s Bunker Hill. After being severely wounded and suffering an excruciatingly painful yearlong recovery that left one leg two inches shorter than the other, Arnold became haunted by thoughts of defecting: if the Americans wouldn’t respect him and pay him what he was worth, maybe the British would. If Arnold could orchestrate a crippling blow that crushed America’s defenses and allowed Britain to reclaim the colonies, he’d be set for life. But how to do it without being discovered first? Philbrick skillfully recounts Arnold’s voyage into treason providing numerous perspectives gleaned from personal correspondence, diaries, etc., to present a history that reads like a thriller. He concludes that Arnold’s deceit, ironically, was the keystone that united the nation.
.....................................................................................................................................
All these titles are available at the Portage District Library. For more information about programs and services available at PDL, go to www.portagelibrary.info
APRIL 2017
SPARK
9
Attract migrating and resident birds Barry, Calhoun, Kalamazoo Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area Spring is on the way and it’s time to start thinking about getting your yard and garden ready! Migrating birds like Redwing Blackbirds and Turkey Vultures are already back from their winter refuges, but many spring migrants, including Warblers and Thrushes, are making their way north. Whether you live in the city or the country, you can create gardens that are beautiful and provide great habitat for our birds! Follow these simple steps to support our birds: 1. Plant native plants! Native plants are adapted to Michigan weather conditions and require less fussing once established. Native plants are also host to a multitude of insects and caterpillars that are the main food source for our birds and their chicks during the breeding season. Bluebirds and thrushes love berries so consider planting fruiting shrubs. Some great choices are viburnum, elderberry, or June-berry shrubs. They all have beautiful fall foliage in addition to their lovely berries. The Michigan Native Plant Producers Association provides a list of local native plant nurseries and Kalamazoo is fortunate to have a couple of home grown options! Try Hid-
den Savanna Nursery in Oshtemo or Native Connections in Three Rivers for great native plants and seeds. The Kalamazoo Wild Ones is an organization dedicated to native plants and they are a great source of knowledge as well. 2. Avoid pesticides whenever possible. A little insect damage on your plants might not be such a bad thing! Some warblers travel from South and Central America, and are in need of high protein food sources like insects and caterpillars when they stop over in your yard. Some pesticides can be long lasting in the soil, and can be concentrated in insects which are eaten by birds. If it’s absolutely necessary to use herbicide, make sure to read the label and consider choosing the pesticide that will have
the shortest activity time in the soil. Insider tip: any herbicide product with “Extended Control” or other claims may remain in the soil for up to 1 year. Read labels carefully and decide if that destroying that pesky dandelion is really worth it. 3. If you want to dig deeper into bird friendly gardens, please check with the Conservation Stewardship department of the Kalamazoo Nature Center, Michigan Audubon, or Cornell University for more suggestions. Spring is the best time to listen and look carefully for birds migrating through Michigan from the tropics all the way up to the Arctic. It is awe-inspiring to consider the incredible journeys that are underway. You can play a part in creating healthy stop-over habitat for migrating birds as well as those who stay with us all year long. Enjoy the spring wildflowers and great birding programs at the Kalamazoo Nature Center! Visit NatureCenter.org for details.
SPARK
HEALTHY LIVING : Nutrition, for a better you. By the Chef Marshall O’Brien Group, brought to you by the YMCA of Greater Kalamazoo Tip: Stave off the blues by loading up on foods that elevate your mood, fight depression, prevent seasonal affective disorder and add color to the darker, colder days.
Fill your plate with a rainbow of mood-boosting foods to elevate your spirits and bring a blast of color late winter’s palette. The foods you eat have a powerful impact on your mood. When you eat colorful, nutritionally uplifting foods, you can beat the blues right at your dining room table.
Eat a Rainbow “A burst of color on your plate enlivens your senses and takes you on a culinary vacation to warmer climes. The color of a food reflects which nutrients it contains, so eating an array of colorful fruits and vegetables ensures you are getting the full spectrum of nutrients and antioxidants to keep you energized and buoyant. Incorporate these colorful mood-boosters in your meals: • Pomegranates • Citrus • Winter squash • Tropical fruits, like mango and pineapple
APRIL 2017
10
• Kale • Frozen berries • Purple cabbage
Get Enough Vitamin D Vitamin D plays a powerful role in regulating mood and staving off seasonal affective disorder (also known as winter depression.) Your best source of vitamin D is the sun, but during Michigan winters the sun is too low in the sky and you are too covered up to get adequate vitamin D. To keep your spirits lifted through spring, consider taking a vitamin D3 supplement between October and May, and be sure to consume adequate vitamin D-rich foods, including: • Fatty fish “salmon, tuna, mackerel •Fortified milk and yogurt
•Eggs •Mushrooms
Emphasize Omega-3s
•Halibut •Flaxseed •Chia seed •Walnuts
Boost Your Mood with B Vitamins Vitamins B6, B12 and folate all play important roles in moderating mood, and low levels are associated with depression. In one study, as little as one cup of cooked, folate-rich spinach per day helped relieve minor depression. Consume a diet full of these vitamin B-rich foods to keep your mood lifted and feel your best:
•Poultry •Meat •Eggs •Dairy •Whole Grains
Spice Up Your Spirits Beyond just seasoning your food, spices can also enhance your mood. In recent studies, saffron and curcumin, a compound abundant in turmeric, had significant antidepressant effects in individuals with major depressive disorder. Flavor your food with these powerful mood-boosters: •Saffron
Omega-3 fatty acids are powerful mood-boosters that can help relieve symptoms of depression, as well as improve heart health and combat inflammation. As an added bonus during the dry winter months, omega-3s also help keep your hair, skin and nails from becoming dry and brittle. Eat 2 to 3 servings of cold water fish per week to keep your mood elevated through the winter. Foods high in omega-3s include: • Salmon •Herring •Anchovies •Sardines •Mackerel
•Beans •Nuts •Vegetables - especially dark green vegetables •Fruit •Fish
•Turmeric
Indulge in Dark Chocolate Here’s one to celebrate! Cocoa is rich in polyphenols that improve mood and protect against depression. Choose dark chocolate with at least 70 percent cocoa content and 10 grams of sugar or less “the higher the cocoa content of the chocolate, the greater the moodboosting power. Substitute one and a half ounces of dark chocolate a day for a treat you would normally have eaten so you don’t increase your caloric intake. You will love the way you feel! The Chef Marshall O’Brien Group is a dedicated assembly of professionals based in Minneapolis, Minnesota committed to the goal of using nutrition to help children and families to lead happier, healthier lives. You can learn more about the group and their newly published Smart Nutrition Workbook at www.ChefMarshallOBrien.com *The YMCA recommends that you check with your doctor or health care provider before beginning an exercise program.
APRIL 2017
SPARK
11
Rose Street Market/ Kalamazoo Masonic Temple door of the Masonic Temple In 1972, the Masons built a new home on Parkview and sold the Rose Street building. Local realtor Steven Early bought it and announced plans to develop it into a mixed-use retail and office space.
When the Masonic lodges of Kalamazoo relocated their temple just one block north of the previous site at the corner of Michigan (then Main) Street and Rose Street, the new building’s construction delayed the opening of a city-sponsored farmers’ market on the opposite side of Rose Street. Seventytwo years later, the Masonic Temple was converted into the Rose Street Market.
Many folks on the popular Vanished Kalamazoo Facebook site fondly recall dance marathons and rock concerts at the building in the mid-1970’s. Bands such as Motion, Evergreen (an all-girl band) and the Brownsville station played there.
Masonic orders had been very active in Kalamazoo almost from the time Michigan became a state. The first recorded meeting was held in March 1848, and Kalamazoo received a charter from the Michigan Grand Lodge in January 1849. Meetings were held in various buildings over the next few decades, but by 1894, the Kalamazoo Masonic lodges and their affiliates were headquartered in their own large brick building at the corner of Main Street at Rose. More than two dozen Masonic organizations used the building and they decided they needed more space. They acquired the block one street north for a new temple. The cornerstone was laid in 1913, but construction wasn’t completed until 1915, according to a history of Masonry in Kalamazoo. The structure is different from most buildings of the time. Exterior walls are three feet thick, according to the city fire department’s records. The floors are concrete 18-inches thick and instead of re-bar, they are reinforced with railroad track rails, according to Roy Ballet, a long-time Mason familiar with the building’s history. The center of the building was a series of auditoriums, called amphitheaters, each two-stories tall. The second floors of each held balconies. The first-floor amphitheater seated 450 people; the third- and fifth-floor amphitheaters each had 219 seats. On each of the six floors, the amphitheaters
In 1975 he sold it to Kalamazoo County. That set off a 10-year battle between the County Board – which wanted to demolish it to build a parking lot – and citizens interested in preserving the structure. The County Board had secured a $4 million federal Economic Development Administration grant to construct a new county building on Kalamazoo and Rose Streets. In June 1985, as the demolition crew prepared to swing a wrecking ball, Rodger Parzyk dashed in from Grand Rapids with a restraining order from U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Gibson. A week later, the County Board accepted an offer from an Oregon developer, Emile Mortier, to buy the building. were surrounded by rooms for daily use: offices, small meeting rooms, store rooms, a library, a club room with pool tables, a ladies’ lounge, sitting rooms, a large kitchen, and a lunch room. The basement had a 500-seat dining hall and its own kitchen. The Masons did not isolate themselves from the larger Kalamazoo community. Mr. Ballet said that in the 1950s and early 1960s, a bowling alley just north of the temple was used for Kalamazoo Central High School physical education. The alley’s only access was through the front
Mortier successfully converted it into Rose Street Market in 1987. PlazaCorp, a Kalamazoo development company, bought the building in 2015. In March 2017 PlazaCorp bought the County Building and announced plans to develop the entire block – without demolishing the Masonic Temple. Lynn Stevens & Sharon Ferraro facebook@hiddenkalamazootour Hidden Kalamazoo: June 17 & 18, 2017
SPARK
12
10 ways to manage stress and be a healthy caregiver Caregiving can be overwhelming, especially if you’re caring for someone with dementia, a general term used to describe symptoms like memory loss or a decline in other thinking skills that are severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, eventually becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. Because of this, Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers often end up helping with activities such as bathing or toileting, and are also more likely to face emotional struggles and challenging behaviors in their loved one. Unsurprisingly, nearly half of Alzheimer’s caregivers say that caregiving is highly stressful, and more than one-third say their health has gotten worse due to care responsibilities. In Michigan alone, Alzheimer’s caregivers had over $300 million in
higher health care costs last year, according to the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2017 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report. If you’re caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia, it’s crucial for you to make your health a priority. Follow these tips to help reduce stress and take care of yourself, which will help you become a better caregiver. 1. Find time for yourself. Consider respite care so you can spend time doing something you enjoy. 2. Know what resources are available. Adult day programs, in-home assistance and meal delivery are some of the services that can help. Visit www.communityresourcefinder.org or set up a care consultation with the Alzheimer’s Association to find local resources near you. 3. Become an educated caregiver. As the disease progresses, it may become necessary to adopt
APRIL 2017
new caregiving skills and strategies. Find free online or in-person trainings, or read a number of helpful articles at www.alz.org. 4. Get help and find support. Seek comfort and guidance through local support groups, the Alzheimer’s Association’s free 24/7 Helpline (800.272.3900) and ALZConnected® (www. alzconnected.org) online social networking community. 5. Make legal and financial plans. Putting plans in place after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis is important. This step allows the person with the disease to participate in decision-making and offers guidance to caregivers. 6. Manage your level of stress. Try to find relaxation techniques that work for you. If stress becomes overwhelming, seek help from a doctor or counselor. 7. Take care of yourself. Try to eat well, exercise and get plenty of rest. 8. Know you’re doing your best. Remember that the care you provide makes a difference and that you are doing the best you can. 9. Accept changes as they occur. The needs of people with Alzheimer’s change over time. For care beyond what you can provide, utilize community resources. 10. Visit your doctor regularly. Take time to get checkups. Pay attention to exhaustion, sleeplessness or changes in appetite or behavior. Ignoring symptoms can cause your health to decline. To learn more about managing caregiver stress or to get help in caring for a loved one with memory loss, contact the Alzheimer’s Association at 800.272.3900 or visit alz.org/care.
APRIL 2017
SPARK
13
Star World Amusement Star World Amusement emerged out of Star World, the great South Westnedge “pinball palace” that was a mainstay in the area for many years. I stopped in the store and was given a tour by Mona Croyle, who has worked there since 1993. She told me that pinball machines have seen a big resurgence in the last few years and many homes as well as local restaurants and breweries are adding classic pinball machines and game systems. The store sells pool tables (new and used) shuffleboard tables, ping-pong tables, foosball tables, dartboards, air hockey, juke boxes, as well as pinball machines and arcade games. One of the new digital models holds 60 different games.
Mona gave a great tour and even let me peak into their back warehouse, which is packed with hundreds of old machines of all shapes and sizes, waiting to be refurbished.
All used machines are looked over closely by their service department and come with a 30-day guarantee.
Star World Amusement’s commercial side, provides arcade games, pinball machines and billiard tables for restaurants, bars, bowling alleys and movie theatres around the state.
They carry a large part selection, sell pool supplies and can do service but it is best to call in advance to see how busy they are.
Stop into Star World Amusement today, and let them help you liven up your game room!
412 Harrison St., Downtown Kalamazoo • 1-800-766-8802 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm Evenings/Weekends by Appointment • Starworldamusement.com
Constance Brown Hearing Centers has a team of audiologists to help you “My favorite part of being an audiologist is helping to connect people to their world again. Since hearing loss comes on gradually it is easy to let it slide and it’s really amazing how it can change a person. Bringing people back to their families and helping them reconnect to the world is so rewarding.”
Samantha King Au.D., CCC-A Audiologist
Call us to schedule your hearing evaluation
Kalamazoo 1634 Gull Rd. Suite 201 269.343.2601
Portage 4855 W. Centre Ave. 269.372.2709
www.cbrown.org
SPARK
APRIL 2017
14
“Our goal is to change individual lives,” says Blaine Lam, director of the Run Camp, which is now in its 16th year. That translates into healthier and happier people, and often that happiness is because of the people they share their time with. “We have another couple who met at Run Camp who will be getting married the day before this year’s race,” Lam says. “That’s at least our third marriage of people who have met at Run Camp.” Roberts, whose teams each year are composed of new runners or people getting back into running, says what draws people to Run Camp “is the experience really, the support, the good vibes, the positivity.”
RUNNING FOR THE HEALTH OF IT By Dave Person david.r.person@gmail.com
The runners on Don Roberts’ team at Borgess Run Camp won’t be disap-
pointed if they bring up the rear at the Borgess Run for the Health of It 5-kilometer run in May. Like those who will be setting a faster
pace in that run or the longer 10-kilometer, half-marathon or marathon runs, the goals of the runners in Roberts’ group have more to do with improving their lives than improving their times.
Not many of them would be considered a stereotypical distance runner dressed in tight-fitting running gear that reveals minimal levels of body fat, he points out. “You don’t have to be a more traditional runner-type person,” Roberts says. “I was a walker and am still a walker,” he says. And many of his team members are fine with that. As a group, they might run for two minutes, then walk for one, and then repeat that pattern until they have achieved their distance goal. “I’m a combination (walk and run) guy at this point,” says the jovial, bearded, 61-year-old Roberts, who is an attorney in his professional life. “My speed walk-
APRIL 2017
ing is probably faster than my running.” Since his team is pretty much entry level, Roberts usually only sees them for one year before they are off to join teams that are faster or training for a longer distance, or decide to follow his lead and become a team leader themselves. That’s not always the case, however. “This year I’ve got a couple that were in my group last year,” he says.
SPARK
15
week Run Camp, hundreds of runners and potential runners gather together — with the newer participants taking part in a field test to determine their group assignments. By that time, some of them have already met Roberts. When he first arrives he looks over the sea of participants — this year there are 1,050 of them — and spots the ones who look like they are wondering why they are there, then he talks to them, encourages them and
much to the delight of her fellow team members. Her attitude has changed dramatically this year from when she joined Run Camp in 2016, Roberts has observed. “She seems to have a smile on her face more now than she did last year,” he says. Holding Run Camp in winter is a good motivator for participants to get out and exercise, Roberts says. If the weather is too bad, no one is required to run, and sometimes there are alternative events held inside. “You make your own decision,” he says of the option open to runners.
Sometimes runners change teams mid-camp if another team better meets their needs. But one of Roberts’ runners who proved to be much faster than the others declined that opportunity. “He liked the people he was with,” he says. Roberts, the managing attorney for a four-county area of the Legal Aid Bureau of Southwestern Michigan, has been participating in Run Camp for about a half-dozen years and has been a team leader since his second year, a reflection on his ability to motivate others. His job, he says, is “just to be encouraging and motivating in a gentle way.” He leads the team in warm-ups designed to keep them from getting hurt, and answers any questions they might have. His goal is “making sure they’re getting out of it what they want.” Run Camp participants meet as a group on Saturdays and then in teams for midweek runs leading up to the Run for the Health of It distance events, which this year will be on May 7. Each January, on the first day of the 13-
tries to make them comfortable. “Most people are there because they want to be there,” Roberts says. That isn’t always the case, however. One woman who signed up last year at the urging of friends didn’t appear to be enjoying herself one bit. “I was pretty sure she wasn’t a happy camper,” he says. Once she started setting and meeting goals, however, she began to lighten up. “I did a mile,” she exclaimed one day,
While most of Roberts’ team isn’t concerned with how fast they go, they do have goals for how far they will go. “I think most of them (set a goal to) just make the distance without stopping,” he says, noting that the best parts of the race are the joy of starting and the thrill of finishing. Once they’ve adapted to the culture and have taken in “the positive energy you get from the first day on,” Roberts finds, most people are inclined to return the next year, often in a new role. “The folks who come back, the folks who become team leaders, that’s the cool part,” he says.
SPARK
APRIL 2017
16
Colleen Woolpert
A Twin With A Vision Colleen Woolpert, a WMU grad who only recently found her way back to Kalamazoo to work and teach at WMU, KVCC, and the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, is a contemporary artist in all abstractions of the word; she’s multidisciplinary, richly conceptual, and challenging the expectations and assumptions of her viewers. Through her hefty excursion into the limits of sight and perception, she starts a conversation that reaches into the depths of what it is to be human. Woolpert’s fascination with visual perception started when, at age 11, she discovered her twin sister (with whom she had assumed she had everything in common) was incapable of depth perception. This shocking discovery led to a now decades-long curiosity with sight and what that means for human beings. She studied photography at WMU, but acquired the skills necessary for her recent multilayered instillation work from the Master of Fine Art program at Syracuse University. Video, performance, moving and still images, and fabricated
objects utilizing electronics, woodwork, and metal work all find themselves utilized in her work. Most recently, she created an immersive experience in her project Persistence of Vision, which confronted her work with blind individuals through a variety of work, ranging from video to her own interactive creation, the Twinscope Viewer. The Twinscope is a handmade, patented object used to view old stereographs, a method for 3D picture viewing popular in the latter 19th century. She uses the Twinscope for public exhibition and demonstration, to allow others to see little-discussed photographic technology through a new lens. As with all her work, she aims to incite in her audience a sense of wonder, discovery, and self-examination. Through her honest examination of the phenomena of sight, Woolpert truly hits at what it is to perceive, which translates even to her slightly older work in still imagery and performance. See more of her work at www.colleenwoolpert.com By Zoe Folsom
(K]HU[HNL *SLHUPUN *\Z[VT /VTL )\ZPULZZ *SLHUPUN :LY]PJLZ
15
%
0UP[PHS OFF =PZP[
Give yourself or someone you love the gift of time and relaxation. Let our highly trained team take care of your cleaning needs. Call today for a quote!
We are locally owned & operated and have been servicing the area for the past 23 years as a home health care company. Like us on Facebook for Promotions & Special Offers!
Call 324-1180 today for a FREE quote!
APRIL 2017
A.M. TODD: Mint King, Collector, World Traveler... Archaeologist? A.M. Todd was a businessman in Kalamazoo during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and many people still know him for his production and refinement of mint oil. He also traveled the world buying and collecting exotic items, and he helped get an official museum opened in Kalamazoo in 1927 by donating items from his collection. But is there another side to him that we don’t know? This question was posed to the Museum in January 2015 by Professor Margaret Cool Root from the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology in Ann Arbor. In doing research for an upcoming exhibit about donors whose objects helped form the collection of the Kelsey Museum, Root came across a painting titled The Archaeologist by Jules Monge. The painting portrays an old archaeologist pondering his specimens. This painting is part of the permanent collection at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum and was bequeathed to the Museum after Todd’s death in 1931. Root began to wonder who the man in the painting was. Could it be A.M. Todd? At first glance, the man in the portrait does not look like the Todd we see in photos and portraits. Todd always appeared with his hair neat and trimmed, and “his mustache had to be perfect before he set out of the door,” according to his granddaughter, Suzanne Todd Shepherd, in a 1999 interview. Unlike the Todd we know, the man in the portrait has a long, unkempt beard and mustache. However, the urns, vases, and Egyptian artifacts laid out on the archaeologist’s table are startlingly similar to the types of objects that Todd collected.
17
SPARK
French artist Jules Monge painted The Archaeologist in 1923, and Todd purchased the painting at the Paris Salon Exhibition that same year, where it earned a gold medal. This painting is particularly unusual because Monge usually painted military scenes. Why the change? Could it be that Todd had the painting commissioned himself? Did Todd see the painting, and it resonated with him? Also, the title that is painted at the top right corner of the painting, Archéologie, translates to Archaeology in English, not The Archaeologist. Was the title lost in translation, or did Todd just refer to it incorrectly, and the name stuck? According to an article from the Kalamazoo Gazette in 1923, Todd bought the painting and shipped it back to Kalamazoo along with twenty-six cases of art relics weighing over 30,000 pounds. While many of the cases of pictures, rare books, and porcelains were sent to Kalamazoo, some of them went to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where many of Todd’s antiquities from previous trips to Europe had been on display as early as 1906. As Museum staff dug deeper into records and newspaper articles, one more very interesting thing popped out. In the 1999 interview with Todd’s granddaughter, she mentioned that her grandfather used to talk to her about archaeological digs that he went on in Greece. At this time, we have not been able to find any records or mention of Todd participating in any digs. Could he have done this on his first overseas trip as a young man before he moved to Kalamazoo? Our investigations lead us to conclude that even if The Archaeologist isn’t Todd, he probably identified with the man in the painting. Todd truly was a scientist, not only in studying chemistry at Northwestern University but, as Professor Root points out, also in the developing and refining of his mint products. We’ll continue to research this painting and A.M. Todd; perhaps one day, we will be able to solve the mystery of The Archaeologist. museON. Reprinted with permission from the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. The museum is operated by Kalamazoo Valley Community College and is governed by its Board of Trustees. For more information about the museum visit www.kalamazoomuseum.org.
SPARK
APRIL 2017
18
Movie Reviews Aparajito With all due respect for the many great coming of age films that have been made over the past sixty or so years, I feel that Satyajit Ray’s Apu Trilogy is the finest, most touching portrait of a young person’s journey toward adulthood. When the first installment (Pather Panchali) concludes, we see Apu coming to terms with the ephemeral, heartbreaking nature of life as tragedy descends upon his poor, struggling family. In Aparajito, Apu and his mother and father have relocated to the city of Varanasi. His mother lovingly maintains their Spartan apartment while Apu’s wellmeaning father, a priest, performs religious sermons near the lip of the Ganges. The tween-age Apu, unanchored to formal schooling, spends his days running through the narrow passageways of the city, engaging in youthful mischief with other boys of his class. Apu’s luck begins to change while attending a rural village school where he earns a scholarship to study in Calcutta. Though Apu is tentative to leave his devoted mother who fears for his safety while harboring feelings of abandonment, his drive to transform his humble origins sees him boldly embracing the big city possibilities and educational opportunities he would never have if he were to remain in the small village. Like in Ray’s first film, a work emptied of sentimentality yet striking in its visual bravura, Apu once more must negotiate the joy and sorrow associated with the circularity of life, both its opportunities as well as its misfortunes with hard won mettle.—Ryan Gage
The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Imagine if you were given the opportunity to erase painful memories from your mind. Would you take it? That is exactly what Joel’s ex-girlfriend Clementine decides to do—a fact Joel realizes when he runs into her, and she has absolutely no idea who he is. Devastated, he decides to do the same. He goes to a strange little company and arranges to have all traces of his relationship with Clementine—essentially two years of his life-- removed from his mind. But as he is forced to revisit each experience he has shared with her, he rediscovers the love that connected them in the first place. But is it too late? This film is simply not to
be missed. Director Michel Gondry creates impactful visual effects using only lights, mirrors, and misdirection; rejecting cheap CGI for the timeless tools of great show masters since the beginning of time. Even as the scenery shifts through seamless sleight of hand, the film stays anchored by its well-developed characters and timeless love story.—Milan Harden
Cameraperson One of the most highly regarded nonfiction films released last year was Camerperson, Kirsten Johnson’s handsomely constructed docu-memoir that episodically depicts the essence of her career as a cinematographer. She has lovingly cobbled together outtakes of the films that she’s collaborated on over the past twenty years, to create something entirely new, a collage about the truths that bind the relationships between subjects and their image-makers. The rich tapestry of subjects and settings presented include a fiery young boxer’s postmatch disappointment, an interview of a survivor of the mass rapes committed during the Bosnian civil war, a loving portrait of Johnson’s mother suffering from Alzheimer’s, a quick shot of Jacques Derrida (the father of Deconstruction) cracking jokes, a newborn baby in Nigeria desperately fighting for his life, silent shots of infamous prisons and places of torture, and the heartbreaking interview with a blinded Afghani boy. The footage is often very scenic, shot with an eye for the lyrical, despite the suffering and trauma associated with many of the individuals being interviewed. Johnson is forcing the audience to do the heaving lifting here by keeping them off balance, suggesting but not telling. For the more cerebral moviegoer, Cameraperson is about the framing of images, the editing of reality and the power of narratives to shape our understanding of a particular subject. Much of this feels like a meditation on the creative process, which for Johnson, is at the core of her life’s work, thus her usage of the word memoir to describe the film. And that’s only a surface level reading of the film. There is so much more within this unique film if you are willing to consider the meanings and ethics that inform her choices as a capturer of truth.—Ryan Gage Reviews by KPL Staff Milan Harden and Ryan Gage. These great titles are available from the Kalamazoo Public Library.
APRIL 2017
SPARK
19
THE RHODES PATHFINDER The inner cylinder is removed from its case where you set the direction and distance bands for your route up to 250 miles. Information on distances would be in the Official AAA Automobile Blue Book. A bell attracts your attention when to turn right or left and is equipped with a handy light for night driving. Your Rhodes Pathfinder Key Book shows the turns and mileage symbols of which to set up to 1500 separate routes.
By Cynthia Jeffrey Exciting treasures can be revealed right in the city where you live. The journey to find the history of a truly remarkable inventor was here in my hometown, Kalamazoo, MI. Curiosity led me to Jay B. Rhodes who is a huge part of our local history that certainly should be shared. Jay B. Rhodes, born in 1865 in Oshtemo, MI, was well known across the country for his oil bottles that were patented in 1922. An old fruit canning jar with a vented spout made for dispensing oil into a car engine. He and his wife Flora, were listed in the directory as having a service station on the corner of Douglas Ave. & North St. next to his residence. With tremendous demand, his motor oil cans sold rapidly across the country and abroad. The first carriers for the bottles were made of wood and later were made of heavy steel wire welded and heavily coated with block tin. These bottles and carriers are well sought after by collectors today.
At age 26, Jay B. Rhodes was beginning his career inventing and devising ways to aid the motorist. His occupation was listed as, “Inventor & Travel Agent”. He built his own self- propelled steam wagon, being the first to drive a horseless carriage on the streets of Kalamazoo in 1891. The Kalamazoo Gazette headline read, “JAY B RHODES, KALAMAZOO INVENTOR STARTLED LOCAL PEOPLE WHEN HE DROVE HIS SNORTING STEAM ROAD WAGON”. In his interview with the Gazette he said, “Do you know, that thing was likely to blow up any minute? But, of course no one knew it but me, he chuckled.” His steam car is one of, if not the earliest cars driven in Michigan. With his early interest in travel and improving roads,
the young inventor advanced his career and acquired patents for a road grader, and a road sprinkling system. Other patents included various fishing lures with his company “The Kalamazoo Fishing Tackle Co.”, “The Rhodes Razor & Stropper”, and a dump car used in building the Panama Canal. More than 230 patents earned him titles such as “Patent King” and the “Edison of Kalamazoo. The most impressive of his inventions that was ahead of its time and may be the only invention of its kind until the modern day GPS, was The Rhodes Pathfinder. Patented October 10, 1911 this ingenious invention, along with the Key To The Rhodes Auto Guide, gave the driver mileage, direction and accuracy to the route the motorist was taking to complete his journey without worry of getting lost or asking for directions along the way. Prior to 1910, road maps and road signs were very scarce. Advertising could be found in newspapers and magazines of the new device. The Detroit Free Press stating, “Mechanical Road Guide-Wonderful Invention That Promises Comfort And Pleasure To Auto Tourists-May Come To Occupy A Permanent Position In The Motor World”. The Kalamazoo Gazette stated,, “Pathfinder Makes Perfect Score Run In Trial Trip To Grand Rapids- Works Fine The Pathfinder was made from an attractive polished brass cryptex-like cylinder that was 8 inches long- 2 inches in diameter and equipped with an odometer. Attached to the dash or steering wheel column the Pathfinder was connected to the front wheel the same way as a speedometer.
However, by the time Jay B. Rhodes perfected it, improved roads and highway signage made it less likely a driver would get lost. Jay B. Rhodes commented at the time in a Kalamazoo Gazette interview, “I was just too late with it.” My research led me to Jay Follis and Richard Bowman at the Gilmore Car Museum who surprised me by bringing out The Pathfinder, an official 1910 AAA Blue Book and The Rhodes Pathfinder Key Book. Jay, Richard, my husband Mark and I sat at the table as Jay unwrapped the cloth that held the piece demonstrating the mechanisms and sound of the bell. It was as if the beautiful rare piece came back to life for that short moment. It was exciting to see its incredible craftsmanship and unique design. Jay B Rhode’s legacy will long be remembered and shared with generations to come. The JB Rhodes Exhibit at The Gilmore Car Museum, which is located in The Steam Barn is scheduled through November 30, 2017. Special acknowledgements and gratitude to David Lyon-Author, Jay Follis-Marketing Director at Gilmore Car Museum, Richard Bowman-Library Services at Gilmore Car Museum.
SPARK
APRIL 2017
20
STRANGE EATING HABITS Boy, Unable to Chew, Lives on Liquids 20 Years Philadelphia-Douglas Baker, 20, never has bitten into a juicy steak or a sweet apple. He is known as “The boy who will never chew.” Since and infant, Douglas’ diet has been only liquids. He has lived on milk, orange juice, tea, coffee and corn starch-but physicians hope to correct the strange malady, Douglas is only 5 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs only 99 pounds, but his health has been fair.
August 2, 1935
Wife Eats Guests’ Chickens; Slays Her Greenwood, S.C.-John Cox.40, a farmer was held here on a charge of murdering his 28-year old wife because she ate too much of the fried chicken set before guests.
June 16, 1931
Eats’ Evidence In Court Room Flight Attempt Battle Creek-J.V. Martineau, 38, a defendant in an $85 promissory note case started by C. W. Smith, Jackson, swallowed the evidence against him during an escape attempt Tuesday. He hurriedly shoved it into his mouth and started towards the office door chewing vigorously.
April 22, 1936
New Yorkers Eat Millions of Ducks New York -New York City, the world’s best duck market, annually consumes around 12,000,000 pounds of ducklings, according to figures compiled by the state department of agriculture. About 100 ranches on Long Island supply most of the ducklings.
May 29, 1935
APRIL 2017
Top: Van Avery’s Cut Rate Drug Stores. Van Avery had locations at 712 N Burdick & North at Westnedge. Center: The Lucky 5 restaurant in the 1940’s, was located seven miles north of Kalamazoo on Douglas Ave (Us 131 at the time). There were 7 rental cabins behind the restaurant. Bottom: Elba Collison in his Collisons’ Grocery store at 630 N. Burdick in the late 1930’s.
21
SPARK
SPARK
22
APRIL 2017
Celebrating Centenarians Have you ever thought about the possibility of living to the age of 100 or more? Research tells us that the number of centenarians in the US is expected to increase from 72,000 to nearly 1 million by 2050. Research is also finding that while genetics play a part, lifestyle has great influence on how we age. According to Lynn Peters Adler, J.D., author of “Celebrate 100: Centenarian Secrets to Success in Business and Life” one in 26 baby boomers is expected to live to 100. One out of three babies born in 2016 will likely see 100 birthdays (The Guardian). Therefore, you may want to start thinking about living to 100 and beyond! The Kalamazoo County Celebrates Elderhood initiative has identified 67 centenarians living in Kalamazoo County, and through a partnership with the Public Media Network, has interviewed close to a dozen. We wanted to create an opportu-
nity for others to learn from the wisdom and experiences these individuals were willing to share. Today’s centenarian has lived a lot of life and endured much, including two world wars, the Great Depression, Watergate and the evolution of the automobile and the computer! So many things that we take for granted today. One local centenarian, Mrs. Maxine Horton tells us that although it may not be the best change, certainly, the biggest change she sees today is the pace of the world; “everything happens faster.” During her interview, she also shared some wisdom and advice: “Love and respect your family and incorporate faith into your life.” We will honor Mrs. Horton and other centenarians on April 21st at the Kalamazoo Country Club. If you know of a centenarian, no matter what their abilities are, please contact Brien at 373-5239.
Judy Sivak, MSW Director, Area Agency on Aging IIIA, 3299 Gull Rd., Kalamazoo, Phone: 269-373-5173 (Info & Assistance Line) www.Kalcounty.com/aaa
More information about the Centenarian Luncheon and other Kalamazoo County Celebrates Elderhood activities can be found online at: www.kalcounty.com/ aaa/celebrate_elderhood.htm. By Anne Zemlick, R.N., Chair, Celebrate Elderhood Recognition & Awards Committee. Kalamazoo County Celebrates Elderhood is an initiative designed to bring attention to the issues of aging, challenging misconceptions and showcasing how this stage of the lifecycle enriches individuals, families and the whole community.
APRIL 2017
Kalamazoo Bicycle Club launches 2017 riding season With the advent of daylight savings time, The Kalamazoo Bicycle Club is ready to ride! Rides start at at 5:30pm (check their web site for specific dates) and are usually short to avoid riding after dark. Throughout the year there are group rides scheduled every weekday evening. New rides are being added to the calendar by groups within the club and affiliated bike shops in the city. Participation has grown tremendously with club membership and the popularity of cycling. The club is increasing the number of ride leaders to accommodate beginners and senior participants who prefer a more leisurely riding pace. There are also several specialty rides being developed for those who might want to pursue longer distance and tours as well as country roads. The club would like to remind cyclists that adding daylight to the evening hours extends darkness in the morning. Those who start commuting to work, or students riding to school, should be careful to wear light colored or reflective clothing. Headlights and rear reflectors are not just a good idea, they are required by law. Always obey traffic laws, ride designated bike routes or paths whenever possible and try to avoid riding on sidewalks. According to the Michigan State Police, 5 times more injury accidents occur to cyclists riding on sidewalks than those riding on streets. The club would like to remind drivers that ordinances have been adopted in both Kalamazoo and Portage requiring 5 feet of clearance when passing nonmotorized users on shared facilities. The club maintains an active relationship with the county road commission and provides feedback to help maintain and develop safe road conditions for both motorists and cyclists. Each year the club holds a Bike Camp to educate new and returning cyclists, and promote safer cycling. The club also holds the annual KalTour, a scenic and well supported tour of the country side surrounding Kalamazoo. Information about membership, scheduled group rides and the club’s community activities can be found at http://www.kalamazoobicycleclub.org/
SPARK
23
Native Kalamazooans, Joyce Snow and Chris Oosterbaan have been close friends since they met as teenagers. Former Soap Box Derby Queens (1956, 1957), these two have always found humor in the experiences they’ve shared through the years. At college they both majored in English Literature, Joyce at Northwestern University, and Chris at Denison University. In 2012 they published Laugh Lines and Other Wrinkles, a volume of lighthearted poetry about life and aging. Finding they had more to say, they wrote and published their second book, Cruising Through the Years. To order a copy of their books, call 269-629-9553 or email them at candjlines@gmail.com
ME & SOCIAL MEDIA Snapchat, Instagram, Hashtag, Twitter Perhaps I will stay in tune And make the Social Media Leap When the cow jumps over the moon J.S.
HURRY, SCURRY Grab the dust rag and the broom! Tidy every single room! Make sure the junk gets stowed away! The cleaning lady comes today! C.O.
APRIL 2017
SPARK
24
Tales
FROM THE
road
~ charleston ~ The history of Charleston is one of the longest and most diverse of any community in the United States, spanning hundreds of years beginning with the first settlement in 1670. Charleston was the leading city in the South from the colonial era up through the Civil War. The city became wealthy through the export of rice, and later, cotton. It was the base for many wealthy merchants and landowners. The devastation of the Civil War caused the city to lose its regional dominance. However, it continues to remain the center of the South Carolina economy. Jackie and I found a place to stay through Airbnb, for about $100 per day and booked a flight to Charleston in mid-February. We stayed in a great 1930’s bungalow with a lady named Michele (who bore a striking resemblance to Bonnie Raitt) about 15 minutes from downtown on James Island. Everything in Charleston seems to be an island-sections of land surrounded by rivers and bridges. Our first night in town, we walked over to the Poorhouse for dinner, which backed up to our Airbnb. The big rambling space had a wonderful indoor restaurant and an outdoor area with typical bar food and an outdoor stage that had a popular local band playing. We heard about their weekly Sunday Farmer’s Market and returned to enjoy the music, vendors and fun! We were excited to get into the city and headed there first thing in the morning. We parked on E. Battery Street and walked along the shore, marveling at the gorgeous multi-colored mansions. The tip of the city ends up at White Point Garden-a park full of Civil War, statues fountains and mossy oak trees. The multitude of homes in this part of town are a few hundred years old- many were built in the 17’00s. They are all in immaculate shape and have picturesque gardens, iron gates and statuaries in the back yards. We had breakfast at the Broken Egg Café, a wonderful restaurant that was recommended in the Wall Street Journal. It was located near the famous Charleston City Market (a two block long brick structure full of hundreds of folks selling their wares). The restaurant was very busy and everything on the menu (including breakfast) had a hot and on the spicy flavor. We walked several miles through the neighborhoods and past gorgeous old storefronts and restaurants.. Charleston is known for its great food and many restaurants offer cozy outdoor café seating. Taking a carriage tour is the best
way to see the area and learn the local history . A few unique restaurants that we loved included Taco Boy, in a converted old icehouse. It offers indoor and outdoor seating with a very colorful and eclectic atmosphere. We ate tasty tacos in the fun outdoor patio area. Another favorite was Fuel, a converted old gas station that works perfectly in Charleston. We sat outdoors under vine covered trellises amongest old gas pumps and other cool memorabilia. Great Caribbean and Southern food. We stopped into the Rutledge Cab Company, a popular restaurant owned by actor Bill Murray who lives nearby. The waitress told us that Murray likes to come in on Monday, which is hamburger night. A block away is the Citadel, which is well worth a visit. It is unlike any campus we have ever seen with its massive buildings and parade grounds. Plantation tours are plentiful; we toured the McLeod Plantation that is now a county park. The mansion and grounds are gorgeous. There are a handful of slave cabins on the property that have not changed much in a 150 years or more. We visited Folly Beach, a popular resort town with a huge pier and miles of beach along the Atlantic Ocean. There is a popular restaurant called The
Lost Dog and couple dozen funky stores and bars in town. A word of caution-during the busy season, you could be stuck in traffic for quite awhile waiting to get to this popular destination. We spent out final night walking along King Street. This area was once home to dozens of locally owned stores in large brick buildings. It is in a transition phase and these great old buildings are being snapped up and converted into fancy bars, restaurants and trendy stores. If you like history, classic architecture, food and warm weather, you will love Charleston!
APRIL 2017
This collector not just mailing it in! Jim Smith has always loved history. He recalls traveling to the Upper Peninsula with his family and while the other kids were looking for the closest ice cream store, he was on the lookout for interesting town names. He would ask his dad to stop at the post office and mail himself a post card that would be postmarked from towns such as Watersmeet or Paradise. This childhood interest continues today and Jim collects postmarks from towns that no longer have post offices. There are a handful that he showed me from old towns along the Kal Haven Trail including Berlamont and Kibbe. Jim also collects postmarks from Naval ships. Many ships had their own post offices with sailors sending and receiving mail on a regular basis. Jim has a few thousand of these as well as ship envelopes and stationary that was sold in the ship stores. He also has post-
25
SPARK
MICHIGAN
PICKERS marks from Naval submarines such as the Nautilus, that completed the first submerged transit under the North Pole in 1958. His collection also includes Michigan “patriotic covers� from the Civil War. These are envelopes with brightly colored flags and images with Michigan addresses. Some include letters, which are the most valuable. When I asked Jim what he enjoys most about collecting, he mentioned the thrill of reading a book about a particular battle or ship, and knowing that he has an actual piece of history from that ship or event. He is a long time member of the Kalamazoo Stamp Club, which meets the third Tuesday of every month from 5-8pm at the Parchment Public Library. Jim can be reached at 269 375-6188. The Kazoopex Spring Stamp Show, will be held at the Kalamazoo Expo Center on Sat, April 22 from 10am-5pm and on Sunday, April 23 from 10am-3:30pm. Admission is FREE!
SPARK
APRIL 2017
26
COMMUNITY CALENDAR SPECIAL EVENTS 2017 Lecture Series-Gilmore Car Museum Sundays, 3pm 4:30pm, $5 All Ears Theatre 4/1, 4/15, & 4/29, 6-7pm First Baptist Church 315 W. Michigan Ave. Kalamazoo FREE And Still We Rise: Race, Culture, and Visual Conversations: 4/1-30 9am Kalamazoo Valley Museum FREE Art Hop April 7,Downtown Kalamazoo FREE Audubon Society Presents Bringing Conservation to Cities: Lessons from Building the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge April 24, 7:30pm, People’s Church, Kalamazoo. Cameron Carpenter, 4/1, 8pm Miller Aud 387-2300 Classics Uncorked 4/14, 7pm KIA $30 Close to You: The Music of the Carpenters, 4/21, 8om Kalamazoo State Theatre Earth Day Celebration, 4/22, 9am-5pm, Kalamazoo Nature Center FREE Entrepreneurs EXPO at Girl Scouts Building. 601 W Maple St., Kalamazoo, 4/ 21, 5pm- 9pm Gilmore Rising Tars: Sara Daneshpour 4/2, 4-6om Wellspring Theatre Kalamazoo $6 students, $25 GA Greenathon Earth Day Festival 4/15, 11am-3pm Celery Flats FREE Kalamazoo County Association Of Retired School Personnel Meeting Tues., 4/4 , 11am , WMU Fetzer Center. Kalamazoo Dance Monthly Ballroom Dance 4/15 at The Point Community Center, Kalamazoo KBAC Edible Book Festival 4/7, 4-8pm Kalamazoo Book Arts Center FREE PATH (Personal Action Toward Health), Through April 11, 1-3:30pm, Comstock Township Library Sarkozy Burch Concerts, 4/30 11am Sarkozy Bakery FREE Second Sundays Live: Hired Hands Free. 2:00 p.m. April 9 Parchment Comm. Library Tasting on the Town 4/21, 6-9pm Fetzer Center $75 The Golden Age of the Sports Car Through April at Gilmore Car Museum The Wiz 4/7-4/22, Gilmore Theatre Kalamazoo $20 Seniors Portage Winter Market 4/9 (Sun) 10am - 2pm 320 Library Lane, Portage, FREE Walking Tour of downtown Kalamazoo Breweries Saturdays 12-4:30pm $29 350-4598 Western Michigan Universities 28th International Festival 4/2, 4-8pm Bernhard Center WMU FREE What Does the 911 Surcharge Mean to Citizens? April 17,1:15-2:45 p.m., Kalamazoo County Advocates for Senior Issues-Speaker Sheriff Richard Fuller. Senior Services, 918 Jasper Street, Kalamazoo. FREE Antique Bottle & Glass Show 4/8 Kal County Expo Center $3 Kalamazoo Indoor Flea Market, Tue & Wed, 8am-2pm , Sat. 8-3pm Kal County Expo Center FREE Why Writers Write -A presentation and reading by author, journalist, and world traveler Kathleen Stocking. 7 p.m. Thursday, April 20 Richland Comm Library Tai Chi Training, April 6, 13, 20 & 27, 10:45-11:30am, Vicksburg District Library Kalamazoo Numismatic Club Annual Spring Coin Show 4/1, 9-3pm Kal County Expo Center FREE Kalamazoo Record & CD Show 4/30 11-4om Kal. County Expo Center FREE KazooPex Stamp & Cover Show 4/22-23, 10am-3:30 Kal. County Expo Center FREE SW Michigan Postcard Club Show & Sale 4/8 Kal County Expo Center $2 Model Railroad Swap Meet 4/1 10-3pm Kal County Expo Center $3 Healthy Eating on a Budget Kelly Zajac from People’s Food Co-op 6:30 p.m. April 4 Limit 30. $5 at reg. Parchment Comm Library Teas from Around the World Polly Kragt, owner of Chocolatea, 6:30 p.m. April 26 Limit 30. $5 at reg. Parchment Comm Library Honor Your Elders Saving Their Stories, Learn how to preserve photographs, capture oral histories and write memoirs. 2:00 p.m. April 30 Free. Parchment Comm Library Music Appreciation with Michael Sunday, April 2nd, 7:30pm in the Kiva-Friendship Village My Brain is Strong and Healthy with Suzanne Gernaat Monday, April 3rd, 2pm in the Kiva Sentimental Journey Radio Show Friday April 7th, 2pm in the Kiva Music Appreciation with Michael Sunday, April 9th, 7:30pm in the Kiva Cat Canyon Vocal Concert Monday, April 10th, 2pm in the Kiva Music Appreciation with Michael Sunday, April 16th, 7:30pm in the Kiva Kyle Productions Competitive Baton and Dance Friday, April 21st, 2pm in the Kiva KSO Jr Symphony Ensembles Friday, April 21st, 7:15pm in the Kiva Music Appreciation with Michael Sunday, April 23rd @ 7:30 in the Kiva Maria Bessmetlava Violin and Piano Concert Tuesday, April 25th, 3pm the Kiva The Civic Theater Presents “The Dining Room” Wednesday, April 26th , 7:15pm in the Kiva Gene Hahn Violin Solo Concert Friday, April 28th, 2pm in the Kiva Music Appreciation with Michael Sunday, April 30th, 7:30 pm in the Kiva
YMCA OF GREATER KALAMAZOO 1001 W. Maple St. 269-345-9622 AOA Silver Splash Monthly Social Wed. April 19, 3-4pm, potluck Blood Pressure Clinic Wed. April 5, 11-1pm/ April 19, 11-1pm FREE “Y” Book Club Luncheon, Fri. April 21, 1:30-3pm, potluck, open to everyone, Hidden Figures, by Margot Lee Shetterly Basic Step & Sculpt Tues./Thurs. 1:30-2:30 Basic to Intermediate Yoga Thur. 6-7pm Basic Yoga Tues. 10-11am , 6:30-7:30pm, Wed. 6-7pm Butterfly Exhibit and Japanese Garden Fri. April 21, 10-4 $38 Oakland Dr. & I-94 Park & Ride Energizing Hatha Flow M 9:30-10:45am Enhance Fitness Mon./Wed. /Fri. 1:30-2:30pm Intermediate Yoga Wed. 7:30-9pm SilverSneakers Circuit M/W 11-12pm Enhance Fitness M/F 1:30-2:30pm Moving for Better Balance T/TH 10-11am Pilates T/TH 9-9:50am Wed./Fri. 10-10:50am Silver Body Blast Fri. 10-11am SilverSneakers Yoga, Thur. 1-1:45pm. Members free/ $32 Community. SilverSneakers Splash, M/W/TH 2p-3p. Members free/ $62 Community, 2 times a week, $54 Community. SilverSneakers Circuit, M/W 11a-12p, Members free/$49 Community Sunrise Yoga Sat. 7:30-830am Yin Yoga Sun. 2-3pm
YMCA OF GREATER KALAMAZOO Portage Branch 2900 West Centre Ave. 269-324-9622 Blood Pressure Clinics, Ist Monday and 2nd Tuesday of each month 9:45-11:45am YogaStretch, Fri 11:05am-11:50am, Members Free, $47 Community-7 weeks Silver Sneakers Classic Mondays 12p-1p Free to Members/ $47 Community 7 weeks Silver Sneakers Classic Wednesday and Fridays 10a-12p Free to members/ $72 Community 7 weeks. Muscular Strength and Range of Movement, Monday 1p2p, Members Free, Community $30, Wednesday/Friday 10am-11am Members Free/ $60 Community
COMSTOCK COMMUNITY CENTER 269-345-8556 Bell Ringer’s Choir: Mondays, 10am-12pm. Taught by Phil Neice. All skill levels. Call Phil in advance 269-343-6067. FREE Bingo: Every Thursday at 1pm. Bring a $1.00 value item in a paper sack. FREE Borgess Healthy Steps: Tuesday & Thursday, 8-9am. This class is held at Borgess Health & Fitness Center. Cost $20/year. Call (269) 552-2348 to register. Bridge: 2nd & 4th Wednesday of each month, 1pm. This is a group of experienced players. 324-2404 to sign up to play. 50 cents to play. Ceramics: Tuesday’s, 1-3pm. Walk-ins welcome. $5 weekly and includes all supplies. Conversation Cafe: Every Tues, Wed, Thur. 11:30am -1pm. Enjoy a home cooked meal. Call by noon the day before to order. Cost is $6 and includes beverage. Exercise: Tuesdays & Thursdays 10-11am Low impact exercises and all levels welcome. Cost is $3 per class. Foot Care Clinic: 2nd & 4th Mon. of the Month. Please call 3458556 to make an appt. Cost is $28 per visit. Knitting and Crocheting: Every Mon and Wed, 1-3pm FREE Line Dance: Wednesdays at 9-10:30am. Cost is $3. Massage: Mondays – Thursdays by appt. only. Cost is $20 for 1/2 hour and $40 for hour. M&T appt 744-0450/W&TH appt. 377-9571 My Brain is Strong & Healthy: 3rd Monday of month, 1-2pm. Learn about your brain, memory and discuss a different topic each month. Walk-in. $5 Potluck: 3rd Monday of each month 12-1. Bring a dish to pass and your own tableware. FREE Qigong: Thursday’s, 9-9:45am. Gentle movements for flexibility and coordination. $5. Spanish: Monday’s & Wednesday’s, 9-11am. Call for info. FREE. Stay Independent-Prevent Memory Loss: 3rd Monday of each month, 1-2pm. Each month the topic is different issues faced from memory loss. Cost is $5. Tai Chi, Mondays at 5:30pm-6:15pm $5 Texas Hold ‘em Poker: Tuesdays at 12:30 pm. FREE Therapeutic Swim Class: Comstock Community Center Water Class‚ meets every Tues. and Thurs. from 10-11am. (269) 5522358. Cost is $40 for 8 week class. TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly): Tuesdays 5pm-7pm. 3830312. Membership is $32 annually. Yoga: Friday’s, 10-11am. $5.
Special Events Bullet Journaling: 2 week class, April 20 & 27. Learn how to
put your thoughts, ideas, lists in order to make your life less chaotic. Register by April 14. $40 Cha Cha: April 13, 7-8pm. Learn how to Cha Cha. This is a 4 week class. Register now. $40/couple, $20 single. Dyngus Day Dance: April 17, 1-3pm. Enjoy polka music after a great Polish meal. Live music and snacks. Register by April 10th. $5 Dyngus Day Lunch: April 17, 11:30am-1pm. Join us in celebrating this Polish holiday with polish food. Register by April 10 at noon. $10 Easter Egg Hunt: April 15, 1-3pm. We will have a hunt, bean game, and bunny cake for all kids age 12 and under. Register by April 1. FREE Easter Lunch: April 13, 11:30am-1pm. Join us for a great lunch with prizes and goodies. Call to reserve your meal by April 10th at noon. $7. Rope Bowl Project: April 21, 10am-12pm. Using rope you will make a bowl that has many uses. Register by April 17th. $15 Walking Group: Thursday’s April 13 to May 18, starting at 11am. We will walk at your own pace down the Comstock bike trail. Meet at the Center. Leader is from the Parks & Rec Dept. FREE
ECUMENICAL SENIOR CENTER 702 N. Burdick Street 381-9750 Monday - Exercise, Free Blood pressure 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bible Study 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday – Craft (knitting) Ceramic Class Instructor: Tina Krum Cost $4.00 per class Trip to Beauty School – 3rd Tuesdays of each month Wednesday– Bible Study 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Medicine Check 12:30 p.m. - Book Reading Thursday – Scrapbooking 10:00, Spanish Class, (six week class) and Community Prayer Circle @ 2p.m. Friday – Computer classes @10:00, Bingo @ 10:30 a.m. Lunch 12:00; 1:30 p.m. - Wii Bowling, games, and movies. Grocery Bingo- 2nd Friday in each month Monthly Birthday Celebration Bible Study Monday- 1 -2 p.m., Wed. 10:30 -11:30 a.m.
PLAINWELL AREA COMMUNITY CENTER Euchre-Tuesdays 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. singles or couples. Tai Chi Mondays 3-4 pm $ Mid Lake Chorus Tuesdays 7-9pm Southwest Michigan Seek and Search “Metal Detecting” Club Every 3rd Tuesday, 7-9pm VFW 1st Monday of month 7-9pm Taekwondo Thursdays 5:30-7:30pm $ Weight Watchers Wed 5-7pm FA in RA Thursdays 7-9pm
PORTAGE SENIOR CENTER 269-329-4555 AARP Smart Driver Course, Thurs., April 27, 9am – 4pm, $15 AARP members/$20 non-member AARP. Register at PSC. A Matter of Balance Class, Wed., April 5 – May 24, 1:30 – 3:30pm, Materials Fee $15. Register at 329-4555. Bits of Business, Mini Senior Expo, Thurs., April 20, 9 – 11am. Big Screen Movie: Mon, April 10, 1:15 p.m. “Moondance Alexander” View the movie for free; popcorn 50 cents. Blood Pressure Clinic, 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., 2nd Thur Body Rebound, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m., Mon, Wed, & Fri all month. Non-aerobic exercise class. 8-weeks: $42/$52 non-mem. Register at PSC. Bronson Health Program at PSC, Tues., April 25, 6:30pm, What’s Causing the Pain in My Hand, Wrists or Elbows? Register at Bronson 269-341-7723. Chair Volleyball Drop-in Play: 1:00 – 2:30 pm., Tues The PSC offers free, drop-in play. PSC Members only. Community Service Van (CSV) Program Transportation, 8:30 – 1:00 p.m., Mon - Fri. Trans. available for PSC programs or PSC lunch. Call 329-4555 for appt Computer Tutoring: 10:00 a.m.-12:00 noon, Mondays, 12:00– 2:00 p.m. Wednesdays. Reg at PSC, members only. Fee $10/ hr. Dining Out Club-Dinner, Mon. April 3, 5pm, Applebee’s, 6675 S. Westnedge, Portage. Hosted by Hal & Shirley Ray. Advance reg PSC 329-4555 by prev bus day is required. Selfpay. Dining Out Club - Breakfast, Tues. April 11, 8:30 a.m., East Egg, 6907 Sears Drive, Portage, Hosted by Hal & Shirley Ray. Advance reservation at PSC 329-4555 by prev bus day is required. Self-pay. Dining Out Club – Lunch, 11:30 AM, Thursday, April 20, Red Lobster, 6535 S. Westnedge, Portage. Your hosts: Hal & Shirley Ray. Advance reservation at PSC 329-4555 by previous business day is required. Self-pay. Easter Lunch, Thurs, April 13, 11:30am, Lunch Reservation: $5 members/$7 non-members. Register at PSC. Enhance Fitness, 8:10 – 9:10 a.m., Mon, Wed, and Fri. Improve fitness, muscle strength, & balance. 8-week: $42/$52 non-member, Register at the PSC. Garden Talks for 2017 at PSC, March 14 and 28 at 6:30 PM and March 21 at 7:00 PM. Register with Schram’s at 327-5347. Grocery Bingo, Mon., April 3, 1:15 PM, Free to members/$5
non-members. Register at PSC. Healthy Brain Club 1-2pm 2nd Thurs. Instr. Suzanne Gernaat. $7/$9 non-member per session. A discussion/ activity group Hearing Screenings, Tuesday, April 18, 9:00 – 11:00 AM. Call 329-4555 to schedule an appointment (required). Heritage Dinner Series, 3rd Tues., 5:00 – 6:30 PM, $10 meal includes, main entrée, sides, dessert and beverage. Register at the Reception Desk. Laptop Intro to Office, 10:00 – noon, Wed. 7 weeks. Instructor Royce Bland teaches a class designed for those with basic working knowledge who would like to learn how to utilize Microsoft Office $24/Members only. Loaves & Fishes Bag Recycling – Bring your plastic & paper bags to the Center the first week of the month. Lunch with Langelands, Tue, April 18, 11:30am, $3 lunch reservation. Topic: Welcome Home: The Vietnam War Era and National Memorial.. Register at PSC. Medicare Medicaid Assistance Program, 2nd Monday, 1:00 – 4:00, register for 30 minute appt. Call 329-4555. Portage Rotary, Noon on Wed. PSC Trip Office, open for res (324-9239), Mon – Fri, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Qigong, Wed., 9:20 – 10:05am, 7 weeks, Fee: $42 members/$52 non-members. Instructor: Ed Kehoe. Register at PSC. Recycled Card Project, 10:30 a.m. – noon, Tues. (1st,3rd, 4th) New PSC participants welcome, members only. Make new greeting cards from used cards. Reminiscence Writing, 10:30 a.m. Wed Write & share your writing. Instructor: Wilma Kahn, MFA, DA. 7 wks, Fee: $32/$42 non-member, register at PSC. Silver Sneakers Splash, 11:00 – 12 noon. Tues and Thurs. Aquatics based exercise held at YMCA Portage, designed to build strength, increase range of movement. Pay at YMCA Portage, $68/7 wks. PSC or “Y” Members only. T’ai Ji, 8:30 – 9:30 a.m., Tues. Instructor, Ed Kehoe, 7-weeks. Fee: $42/$52 non-member. Reg. at the PSC. Volunteer Van Drivers – positions avail. one day a week, 8:30 am – 1 pm, Mon - Fri. Contact PSC Volunteer Coordinator. Walkers with Walkers, 9:30 a.m. Crossroads Mall, Tues. and Thurs. PSC Members only. Walking - Daily, 8:30 a.m., Mon – Sat at Crossroads Mall, Food Court entrance. Wii Bowling, 9:45 – 11:30 a.m. Tues. Have fun with this video game bowling league without spending $$ at an alley. PSC Members only. Yoga, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m., Mon. 8 weeks. Christine Peckels, Location: St. Catherine’s of Siena – Stanley Center. $72/82 Non-members. Zumba, 9:20 – 10:20 AM, Fridays. Instructor, Helene Thompson, 8 weeks, $24 Member/$34 Non-Members. Register at PSC.
SENIOR SERVICES OF SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN 269-382-0515 Lunch M-F at 11:45am. Reservations must be made by noon, one day in advance. 382-0515. Medicare Medicaid Assistance Program: Mon.-Fri., call 1-800803-7174 for appt. Massage: Relieve stress and promote relaxation with State Licensed graduate of Health Enrichment Center; therapist Eugenia Muller, bringing 21 years of experience. Mon. 9:00am4:00pm-30 minutes for $20 call 269-808-2040 to schedule your apt. “Swinging with Susan” Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program, M & W, ALL fitness levels. 10:00am-11:00am. Susan Iervolina. $35/7wks (14 classes) TOPS for Seniors. Mon. Lose weight with support and encouragement ($3 per month) 12:00-1:30pm Ballroom Dance. Mon. (basic and intermediate) $25/8 weeks. 3:15-4:45pm Chair Yoga: Improve your flexibility, focus, strength and balance. Tues. 9:30-10:30am Min. $5 donation Art Painting. Tue. 10am-12pm, Bring your own supplies and enjoy the fellowship. No fee. Helping Hands. Tue., (April 11 & 25) Knit/crochet items to distribute to community agencies. 1-4pm Grief Support: Counselor available for support. Wed. 10:30 am11:30 am. Call 269-382-0515 for dates Visually Impaired Group. Support for the visually impaired. Wed. April 19 10:30-12:00 Call 269-382-0515 Senior Foot Clinic, Wed. & Fri. 9am-4pm ($28, & bring bath towel). 269-671-5427 for appt. Grief Support: Counselor available for support. Weds. 10:30 am-11:30 am. Call 269-382-0515 for dates Tai Chi w/instructor Ed Kehoe. $5/week, 1:30pm-2:30pm Intermediate/Advanced Ballroom Dance. W 3:15-4:45pm Don and Ann Douglass instruct advanced steps of this popular dance style. $25/8 weeks Bridge-Experienced Players TH 12:30-4:00pm Line Dance Fri 10:00-11:00am. Susan Iervolina leads this advanced class. $35/7weeks.
RICHLAND AREA COMMUNITY CENTER 629-9430 www.richlandareacc.org Book Discussion Group: 3rd Thur., 9:30am , April book, House Rules by Jodi Picoult
APRIL 2017 Bridge: Mon., 12:30-3:30pm Crescendo Academy of Music “Music Together” Tues., 5:306:15 pm Drop-In Coffee Hour: Tues./Thur., 9:30-10:30am Euchre: Wed., 12:30-3:30pm Fit Club Thurs., 5:30-6:30pm Foot Clinic: Bi-monthly, 4th Tues, call for appt., Kathleen Barnum, 671.5427 GLA Rotary: Thur., 7:30-8:30am Hand & Foot (cards): Wed., 1-3:30pm Knitting for Charity 4th Sun. 2-5pm Ping Pong: Wed. 3-5 pm Senior Ballroom Dance: April 23, 2-5pm $5 Senior Dining Coupons: Tues./Wed. 9am-5pm Square Dance: April 15, 7-10om $5 “Swingin’ with Susan” Exercise (sponsored by Laurels of Galesburg): Tue/Thur, 10:30-11:30am, $3 per class Tai Chi, Beginning: Mon., 6 pm, $5 Tai Chi, Intermediate: Wed., 4:30-5:30pm, $10 Yoga-Intermediate Hatha Vinyasa: Tue.,Thur 9-10 am, (Sliding Fee—Age 49 & Under, $10/age 50-59, $8/Age 60-69, $6/ Age 70 & Above, $3. Buy 10 Classes, get the 11th FREE.) Yoga-Hatha Vinyasa-Evening: Tues., 6-7 pm, $10/session Yoga-Gentle w/Cathy Tucci: Tue./Thur., 10:15-11:15am, (sliding fee-age 49 & under, $10/age50-59, $8/age 60-69, $6/ Age 70/above, $3. Buy 10 classes, get 11th free.) Weight Watchers: Thur, 5--6pm. 269.629.9430 Yoga: Mon. 10:30-11:30 pm, $12 per session Yoga & Poetry (6 wks): Wd, April 12-May 17, $90 Yoga-Hatha Vinyasa-Evening: Tues., 6-7 pm, $10/class Weight Watchers: Thurs., 5-6 pm How to Use Your Smart Phone/Tablet Tutoring (FREE 1/2 hour sessions): April 14 & 21, 9-11 am, call 629.9430 to RSVP 2017 Plant Yourself! Fundraiser: Thurs., April 27, 6:00-8:30 pm, River Street Flowerland, $45
SOUTH COUNTY COMMUNITY SERVICES Certified Veterans Service Officer – Every Thurs from 9am – 1pm. Walk in only. We also offer foot care and a free legal service each month, but interested individuals should call the SCCS office at 649-2901 for an appt.
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY SENIOR CENTERSTHREE RIVERS & STURGIS Open Art Studio, Bridge Club, Lunch & Learns, Trips, Events, Rental Space, Health Clinics, Arthritis Exercise, Balance Exercise, Bingo, Bunco, Breakfast Clubs, Massage, Hair Cuts, Computer Classes, wifi, Wii. Call COA for dates and times at 269-279-8083.
SPARK
27 Amish Brownbag May 24 Aladdin, the musical Jun 28 Camping at Yogi’s June 8-10 Indiana Cave Tours, July 13-14, 2017 International trips: Cuba (Apr), Switzerland by Rail (Sept) Noah’s Ark & Museum in KY, May 16-17, 2017 Motorcoach trips: NYC (Apr) Amishland, PA (May), Niagara w/Toronto (Jun), Canadian Island w/Montreal & Quebec City (Aug), Biltmore Holiday (Dec), More: Arizona Spring Training (Mar), Cape Cod & Islands (Sept) CA Pacific Coastal cruise (Oct)
KALAMAZOO COUNTY MEAL SITES Nutritious hot lunches are served by Senior Services Inc. to people 60 and older at Kalamazoo County meal sites. To reserve a lunch, call the Nutrition Center at 269-382-0515 by 1 p.m. the day before you plan to visit. A cost-sharing donation is suggested for each lunch. Here are the meal sites, their addresses and the days they are open: Coover Center, 918 Jasper St., 11:45 a.m. Mon-Wed. Crossroads Village, 6600 Constitution Blvd., 11:30 a.m. M-Fri. Dillon Hall, 3299 Gull Rd, 11:30 a.m. Mon-Fri Ecumenical Senior Ctr, 702 N. Burdick St., 11:45 a.m. Mon-Fri. Evergreen Community Room, Evergreen North Complex, 5700 Vintage Lane, noon Mon-Fri. Northwind Place Apts, 1004 Douglas Ave., noon Mon-Fri. Portage Senior Center, 320 Library Lane, 11:45 a.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Spring Manor Friendship Center, Spring Manor Apts, 610 Mall Drive, Portage, noon, Mon-Fri. Spring Valley Crossing, 2535 Mount Olivet Road, Parchment, noon Mondays-Fridays. Washington Square Friendship Center, Washington Square Apartments, 710 Collins St., noon. Mon-Fri.
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY MEAL SITES The St. Joseph County Commission on Aging helps coordinate lunches for people age 60 and older at three meal sites and 18 participating restaurants. Call 800-641-9899 or 269-279-8083 for information on how to make reservations, which are required 24 hours in advance. A minimum cost sharing contribution can be shared at meal sites and $3.75 suggested donation for restaurant vouchers is requested for each lunch. Meal sites, their location and the days they are open are: Kline’s Resort Meal Site: Fridays Noon – 1:00p.m. Sturgis Enrichment Center: 306 N. Franks Ave Mon-Fri Three Rivers Senior Center: 103 S. Douglas Ave., M-F
PLAN YOUR TRIP Portage Senior Center 269-324-9239 Spring Open House Trip Preview, Monday, April 17, 2:00 – 6:00 pm, Portage Senior Center, Come and hear about our upcoming trips and signup as well and take advantage of various early bird specials! Local Treasures, April 11, Kalamazoo Area, Enjoy visits to: the Gilmore Car Museum; a sculptor’s studio; a historic house on W. South Street; Old World Distributors and finish with a visit to an ice cream parlor! Bountiful Beautiful Bargains, April 22, Ft. Wayne IN, Discover bargains galore (up to 70% off) at the 2017 Vera Bradley Sale! Visit the Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Museum. Great intergenerational opportunity! NEW Trips: King and I at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago, June 14; Cubs vs. White Sox at Wrigley Field, July 25; Grand Hotel Summer Experience on Mackinac Island, August 27 – September 1 2017/2018 International Trips include: Peru: Ancient Land of Mysteries (with Collette); Tanzania Private Safari (with Monograms); Panama Canal (with Princess Cruises); and From the Outback to the Glaciers (with Collette).
Richland Area Community Center 269-629-9430 Thunder Over Louisville: April 21-23, 2017 - Ed & Ted’s Excellent Adventures - $599 pp. dbl. occ. The Kentucky Derby: May 4-7, 2017 - Ed & Ted’s Excellent Adventures - $1,799 pp. dbl. occ. A New England Summer: June 10-20, 2017 - Ed & Ted’s Excellent Adventures - $1,999 pp. dbl. occ. A Mystery Trip: July 24-27 Ed & Ted’s Excellent Adventures $799 pp Twilight on the Mississippi: August 6-10, 2017 - Ed & Ted’s Excellent Adventures - $1,049 pp. dbl. occ. New York City: September 5-10, 2017 - Ed & Ted’s Excellent Adventures - $1,499 pp. dbl. occ.
WMU Osher Lifelong Learning Institute 800-887-4971 Dayton, Ohio….Who New, April 6/7 Opera Grand Rapids: The Barber of Seville, May 10 Dutch Cultural Heritage Day: A Spring Visit to Holland, May 16 Grand Rapids: Past and Future June 14
Comstock Community Center 345-8556 Escapology: April 5, 4:30-8pm. $33/$37 and meal cost is on your own Vera Bradley Shopping: April 20, 9am-5pm. $63/$70
New Residents Welcome! Crosstown Parkway Senior Apartments
- Immediate Occupancy! - 1 bedroom apartments for 62 years and up. - Gas, electric, heat, air conditioning, water and sewer included. - Recently renovated kitchen and bath. - Rent based on 30% of income. - Medical alert bracelet in each unit.
- Small pets welcome with deposit. - “Care One” on-site. - Professional, courteous staff. - Free community room for parties. - Weekly resident activities. - Weekly grocery trips.
RENT BASED ON INCOME 550 50 W. W Crosstown C Pk Pkwy. K Kalamazoo l 344 344-3968 3968 Professionally Managed by Medallion Management, Inc. TTY 711