Memorial Day Parade coming up Wednesday
Flags will be flying on Clinton Avenue for the traditional Memorial Day Parade on Wednesday, May 30. Parade participants will step off at 6 p.m. The parade will be followed by the usual exercises at Mt. Rest Cemetery.
City of St. Johns to hold Ribbon Cuttings
The public is invited to the ribbon cutting ceremonies for the Veterans Memorial Bathhouse Building and The Rotary Park Trailside Restroom Facility on Friday, June 1st.
The first ribbon cutting will begin at 9:30 am for the Veterans Memorial Bathhouse Building, located in the Main City Park next to the St. Johns Community Spray Park.
Improvements to the bathhouse include: three universally accessible family bathrooms, new windows and doors, new roof, sidewalks, soffit lighting, security camera and storage room. Funding for the Veterans Memorial Bathhouse project came from the City of St. Johns, Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund grant, the Laura Jane Musser Fund and a donation from the St. Johns Kiwanis Club.
The second ribbon cutting for the Rotary Park Trailside Restroom Facility will take place at 10:30 am. The Rotary Park Trailside Restroom Facility is located east of the Train Depot, at 205 E. Railroad Street.
The Rotary Park Trailside facility includes two universally accessible unisex bathrooms, benches, picnic tables, wayfinding sign, sidewalks, LED lighting, security cameras and renovated parking lot. Funding for the Rotary Park Trailside Restroom Building came from the City and the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant administered through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The City of St. Johns would like to thank all the organizations and businesses that were part of the projects. They appreciate all of the work that was put into these projects.
Clinton County Veterans Memorial receives donations
Pictured with Dennis Scott is Cole Bartlett, former Builders Club member, and Dillon Bartlett, current Builders Club member, who assisted Dennis with the replacement of all the flags at the Memorial on Armed Forces Day.
The Clinton County Veterans Memorial, located in downtown St. Johns, recently received generous donations from the St. Johns Middle School Builders Club and the St Johns Kiwanis Club. The money is to be used for the purchase of replacement flags at the Memorial. The Memorial Committee sincerely appreciates these donations and all the work volunteers do to help maintain the Memorial.
Museum to feature special display on June 3
On Sunday, June 3, a .50 caliber machine gun owned by Dick Root will be on display at the Paine-Gillam-Scott House Museum. Machine guns of this caliber were being tested near the end of WWI, and were used extensively in WWII and beyond.
Also on exhibit in the museum is the front page of The Clinton Republican Newspaper describing how St. Johns residents celebrated the end of World War I, November 14, 1918. Did you know that the chimes and bells of local churches rang out in the early morning hours? The article has many interesting stories of the activities that followed. Plan to visit the museum and see all the artifacts from WWI that are featured in the exhibit.
The Paine-Gillam-Scott House, Swegles General Store and the Carriage House are open Wednesdays 2:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. and Sundays, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. They are closed on holiday weekends. The address is 106 Maple St., St. Johns, MI on the West side of the Courthouse.
For further information or group tours, please call 989-292-9096 or email pgsmuseum@hotmail.com.
Railroad Museum to host special presentation
You are invited to attend a special presentation on Sunday, May 27, at 2:00 PM. The Railroad Museum in St. Johns is hosting a retired ATF agent who participated in the first tragic incident with the Branch Davidians at Waco, Texas in February 1993.
Agent Rob White will give a presentation, along with photos and information from the ATF perspective. All who are interested are welcome to attend at the St. Johns Depot, 107 E. Railroad Street. There is no charge.
The Railroad Museum will be operating as normal from 1:00 – 2:00 that day with the Depot tours, the model train operating in the East Room of the Depot, and the tours of the historic rail cars on the tracks. Starting at 2:00 PM, tours of the Depot won’t be available until after the presentation.
Since the Railroad Museum is a branch of the Clinton County Arts Council, this activity is supported in part by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts. For further information, call Jenny McCampbell, 989-224-6134.
Retiring teachers recognized
Last Monday night the St. Johns Board of Education recognized this year’s retirees. We thank them for their years of dedication to the students and families of St. Johns Public Schools.
Front Row (L to R): Jill Loznak, Renee Lewis, Cindy Irish, Rita Dambrun; Back Row (L to R): Marcia Schauer, Pat Steinhoff-Lokey, Julie Kochensparger, Ann Den Herder; Not Pictured: Sally Stone, Patricia Karek
Plein Air Event winners named
The Clinton County Arts Council would like to announce the winners of the first annual St. Johns Plein Air Event held on May 12th. There were 14 participating artists from Michigan. Artists traveled from Stanton, Saginaw, Alma, Adrian, Canton and several within Clinton County. The artists stationed themselves throughout our downtown area during the week; capturing the beauty of our historical town.
Their work was then judged on Saturday, May 12th by Ruth Nihart, Heather Hanover and Jason Butler. This was a huge task that did not come easy. Heather says, “I was delighted and overwhelmed by the quality of the art. It was hard to choose which one was my favorite.”
After careful consideration, Best Of Show was awarded to Cornelis vanSponsen, who was able to characterize the downtown image with such vibrant detail.
Second Place was honored to Tom Tomasek for his beautiful, pastel portrait of the Divine Mercy Parish located on East Walker Street.
Martha Elchert received Third Place for her watercolor painting of the “Gazebo”.
All artwork captured by all fourteen artists is currently on display and available to purchase in the Art Gallery, 215 N Clinton Avenue, until June 1st. Many pieces have already sold to local business owners but remain on display for the exhibit. The Clinton County Arts Council would like to thank all the artists and their dedication to capturing St. Johns’ beauty through their eyes.