Howe open house says thanks May 2
Howe’s Greenhouse and Flower Shoppe would like to invite you to an open house on Sunday, May 2 from noon until 4 p.m. They are located at 8160 S. Old 27 in DeWitt.
Stop by to enjoy the beauty that has come from the ashes as they thank the community for your support in helping them renovate and rebuild after the fire.
There will be raffle prizes with light snacks and beverages provided.
Legion holding Swiss Steak fundraiser dinner April 24
On Saturday, April 24, 2021 American Legion Post 153, 110 E. Walker St. in St. Johns will host a Swiss Steak dinner from 4:30 – 7:00 p.m. or until is gone.
The menu includes Swiss Steak, au gratin potatoes, vegetable, salad, roll, and dessert for $10.00 (dine in or take out). A beverage is not included.
Open to the public; you do not need to be a Legion Family member to attend the dinner.
A 50/50 raffle drawing is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Proceeds from beverages benefit the Lounge. Proceeds from the meal benefit the ALA 8th District Leadership Development Fund.
Masks are required for entry; social distancing practices will be in place.
Register now for sand volleyball
Registration is open for women’s sand volleyball. Teams must register and pay online prior to April 30 to receive the discounted rate. Player registration will be in May.
Alert: All programs are currently suspended for two weeks: Apr 10 – Apr 25
The City of St. Johns volleyball leagues will begin the week of June 7, 2021. All games will be played at the Main City Park sand volleyball court on Wednesday nights.
The City of St. Johns Women’s Sand Volleyball league on Wednesday evenings will play matches at 6:10, 7:00, 7:50 and 8:40 p.m.
Women’s League: Min. 4 teams per division Max. 8 total teams between the two divisions
LAFCU reading event celebrates butterflies, bees April 28
LAFCU’s April reading event for kids celebrates two of spring’s winged wonders: butterflies and bees.
In partnership with East Lansing Public Library, the Michigan credit union will present LAFCU Listen & Learn Butterflies & Bees, Wednesday, April 28, 7 p.m. The free, virtual event is designed to encourage children up to age 12 to read through fun, interesting and informative ways.
The featured story is “Teachers Smell Like Butterflies,” which will be read by its author, Elaine Hardy, of East Lansing. Viewers will get a close-up look at butterflies at MSU’s Michigan 4-H Children’s Garden, and Don Snoeyink with Thornapple Woodlands, a Grand Rapids beekeeping business, will explore a real beehive.
“LAFCU is committed to helping the communities we serve to thrive,” said Kelli Ellsworth Etchison, LAFCU chief marketing officer and chief diversity officer. “Because strong reading skills are essential to life success, the focus of the LAFCU Listen & Learn Program is on making reading fun and enjoyable.”
The April event also features a song sung by students in Carin McEvoy’s in-person, second-grade class at East Lansing’s Donley Elementary School, and students at Abbott Nursery School, East Lansing, will share their butterfly artwork. Three $20 eGift cards for a bookstore will be awarded.
Registrants are eligible for an optional butterfly craft kit provided by East Lansing Public Library. The kits include a coloring page and materials and directions to make a yarn butterfly. Kits will be available for pick up outside the main library entrance beginning 10 a.m., Monday, April 26, while supplies last. The library is located at 950 Abbot Road, East Lansing.
Registration is at www.LAFCU.com/read. Using a provided web link, registrants can view the event on computers, tablets, smartphones and smart TVs. No additional software is required.
The LAFCU Listen & Learn Program also offers ongoing virtual readings of children’s books by phone and YouTube videos. Volunteer readers can register at
More information about the LAFCU Listen & Learn Program is at www.LAFCU.com/read.
LEAP Awards $20,000 for Public Art
The Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) announced its continued investment in public art and artist entrepreneurship Wednesday, April 19, 2021, by awarding $20,000 for public art through its Public Art for Communities (PAFC) grant program. LEAP looks forward to boosting the Lansing region’s sense of place with support from PNC Foundation by contributing to two new permanent public art installations that will help the region compete for business and, especially, talent going forward.
“LEAP has emphasized for years the importance of placemaking in economic development,” said Bob Trezise, president and CEO of LEAP. “Now, as we begin to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic safely, we must sharpen our focus on our sense of place. We know mid-size markets like the Lansing region are increasingly desirable in the vastly different economy shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. Enjoyable, engaging, attractive, and memorable places are essential for increasing and maintaining our competitiveness. Talent can work from anywhere nowadays, and we want that talent to choose Lansing for their home.”
LEAP received a record-high number of applications for the PAFC grant program in 2021, indicating the region’s robust culture surrounding placemaking and public art.
“It’s encouraging in this uncertain time to see so many communities taking steps to elevate and diversify our region’s cultural appeal,” said Dillon Rush, LEAP’s tri-county development and placemaking manager. “We are deeply thankful for our Placemaking Committee members, who made difficult choices in narrowing down so many deserving applicants to just two awardees. We, of course, wish there was enough money to fund all of the proposals.”
In 2021 the PAFC program will facilitate new permanent art installations in Delhi Township and Meridian Township, which understand the need to deploy rigorous talent attraction efforts. Delhi Township will add a gateway sculpture to its award-winning “Realize Cedar” business district at the corner of Cedar Street and Keller Road Meridian Township will add a signature sculpture at the heart of its new and active Marketplace on the Green farmers market on Central Park Dr. by the Meridian Mall.
Rush added, “Over the past year, we worked to connect hundreds of struggling small businesses, which are deeply integral to the unique fabric of our community, with millions of relief dollars. We’re excited to continue this work by supporting artist-entrepreneurs and small businesses to enhance our public spaces through PAFC grants.”
Since 2012, the PAFC grant program has invested $270,000 in growing a collection of strategically placed, permanent, public art across Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties. The program has funded more than 35 individual pieces furnished by artist-entrepreneurs showcasing a diversity of mediums from murals, alley walks, creative bike racks, sculptures and more. These pieces enhance community image and elevate critical areas in need of further economic development through intentional placement.
In 2015 LEAP began working with the PNC Foundation, a strong advocate of regional placemaking. The PNC Foundation’s annual $10,000 contribution has helped expand the program and the number of pieces funded each year.
“PNC’s ongoing support of LEAP’s public art grant program reflects our Main Street values and commitment to the communities where we conduct business,” said Timothy Salisbury, PNC regional president for Mid-Michigan. “This program is an example of what can be accomplished through strong public-private partnerships. It’s particularly important to support local business people as our communities face the many challenges presented by the pandemic.”
Both awarded communities will launch a public Request for Proposal to seek submission ideas with the goal to complete the installations in fall 2021.
Spring Collection Event is April 24
The Spring Collection for Clinton County residents will be held on Saturday, April 24, 2021 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. An appointment is required to attend. Registration will begin the week of March 22, 2021
This event will take place in St. Johns and is open to all Clinton County residents.
Acceptable items include household hazardous waste such as unwanted medications, farm and landscaping chemicals, motor oil and antifreeze, cleaners, yard chemicals, oil based paints and aerosols and household computer equipment and electronics. Most items are accepted free of charge, but nominal fees do apply including $10 a piece for televisions and computer monitors, cash or check only on the day of the event.
More information can be found on the website www.clinton-county.org/196/Waste-Management or by calling the office (989) 224-5186. Feel free to send questions through email to recycle@clinton-county.org.