Don’t miss Independence Day at the Park
On Monday, July 4th the community will gather at the St. Johns City Park.
Music will begin at 7:00 p.m. with The Kathy Ford Band at the Performance Shell.
Chuckie D’s Food Truck and the Hot Dogs and Lemonade Food Truck will be on hand to keep you going.
The Fireworks will begin as soon as it gets dark enough, usually around 10 p.m. Get there early to get a good seat. Meanwhile enjoy the spray park as well.
Thank you to all of the sponsors for making the Fireworks show possible. And thank you in advance to the St. Johns Redwing Marching Band who have volunteered for clean up our beautiful City Park.
Jeff Richards soloing on upcoming July 6 Concert
Are you looking for something to do on the evening of July 6? We have just the event for you.
The Lansing Concert Band will be presenting a wonderful outdoor concert that night. The program will be filled with marches, patriotic numbers, and other favorites including selections from West Side Story.
But that’s not all. Highlighting the evening’s program will be St. Johns own Jeff Richards who will be performing the popular Warsaw Piano Concerto on this wonderful upcoming Concert in the Park program.
“We are bringing in a grand piano for this special concert,” explains Bill Tennant, series coordinator. “It’s great to have Jeff back performing on the Shell Stage. The band and Jeff last performed together in 2017 to a large enthusiastic audience in our City Park. The whole evening on July 6 will be special as this great band has a wonderful program planned for this, the fourth concert in our summer series.”
This highly entertaining concert will take place on Wednesday evening, July 6 starting at 7:00 in the William E. Tennant Performance Shell in the beautiful St. Johns City Park.
The Lansing Concert Band is a community band with a rich history, now celebrating more than 75 years in the mid-Michigan area. Today the all-volunteer adult concert band is a first-class performing ensemble, appearing in many concerts, festivals and civic functions throughout the year. The band is the official band of the City of Lansing and is under the direction of Dr. Samuel McIlhagga, who recently was granted emeritus status as professor of music at Albion College.
Jeff Richards is a St Johns High School graduate. After a career as an accompanist in Chicago, he has come back to St Johns and is the music director at St. Joseph Parish. He is also the accompanist for the Mint City Singers, the Laingsburg Community Singers, and was recently appointed as the accompanist for Lansing’s Steiner Chorale. While in Chicago, Jeff was involved in a variety of musical activities including directing musicals for Royal Caribbean International, and was one of the audition pianists for the Rockettes.
The Warsaw Concerto that Jeff will be performing is a short work for piano and orchestra by Richard Addinsell, written for the 1941 British film “Dangerous Moonlight,” which is about the Polish struggle against the 1939 invasion by Nazi Germany. The concerto represents both the struggle for Warsaw and the romance of the leading characters in the film. It became very popular in Britain during World War II.
The concert is sponsored by the Clinton County Arts Council (CCAC) and the City of St. Johns. It is open to the public free of charge but donations are gratefully accepted.
All concerts are presented rain or shine. The Lion’s Club food trailer will be available this year. Social distancing and safety precautions are strongly encouraged. The CCAC receives funding from the Michigan Arts & Cultural Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Renovation work begins on St. Joseph Catholic Church
The familiar St. Joseph Church interior is getting a complete makeover beginning this week. The project is expected to take the better part of a year to complete. Meanwhile regular services will be held in the nearby Wilson Center. The Parish offices and meeting rooms will be accessible through the two north entrances. A day chapel will be located in the school off the northwest parking lot.
A Renovation Committee consisting of Father Mike Williams , the deacons, parish staff, and parishioners have been meeting periodically for four years planning a much-needed facelift to the church worship space. With the guidance of an architect experienced in church design and with the approval of the Diocesan Committee for Liturgical Design and Bishop Boyea, they are now ready to begin renovations.
The committee was guided by the following goals:
– Consistent design throughout with emphasis on visually incorporating the north addition with the older worship space
– Emphasize elements of beauty and devotion already present
– Enhance the welcoming nature of both the worship space and the main entry
– Provide additional areas for devotions and reflections
For more photos and a complete FAQ see the Features page.
Briggs District Library awarded grant from Community Foundation
On June 15 the Community Foundation awarded Impact Grants to 10 local organizations including the Briggs District Library. The grant will go toward the new community meeting room portion of the upcoming renovation project.
The library moved to its current location 23 years ago. The building was previously a home decorating/carpet business, and it came with a large amount of attached warehouse space. The warehouse was not needed for the public at the time, but the intention was always to move into that space when the need arose.
The library has maintained its facility over the last two decades, but very few updates or modifications have been made. The community’s needs, how the space is used and library services themselves have, however, changed. The current facility needs to be adapted to reflect current and future use patterns, to accommodate changing demographics and to be able to better serve the public.
Over the last few years the library staff has been meeting with an architect to discuss patron and staff needs, community use of the building and the results of a patron survey. The highlights of the project include:
– A new 60-person community meeting room/program space
– A new designated Children’s Area in the current warehouse space
– Moving the main entrance to the east so it will be more accessible
– Updating the Circulation Desk
More information on donor opportunities can be found on the website.
Mural update
Here is an update on the First Responders mural on the east end of the fire hall as of June 28.
How many golfers does it take to change a light bulb?
Fore!!!
Who doesn’t love to golf?
The St Johns Area Chamber is now registering teams for the August 24 Mint City Golf Classic. If you would like to enter complete the form and return as soon as possible.
There are some sponsorship opportunities, and we will be in contact with past sponsors in the upcoming days.
For more information see the flyer.