Teen Activity Center
by Maralyn Fink
I decided to check out the Teen Activity Center located at the Pilgrim United Methodist Church in St Johns. The center is sponsored by the church and was started in 2001 by Stuart Hazle. It is open every Saturday night from 6:30pm to 8:30pm from October through May.
The idea for this was to have a place for teens to gather and recreate in a safe environment. The age group is 6th to 12th grades, and every one is welcome. Today the center is run by Bill and Erin McElroy. The center is run by volunteers from the church.
The average number of kids per week is usually 30 and come from Ovid, Fowler, Laingsburg, Bath, Dewitt and St Johns.
The games offered are Basketball, Foosball, Pool Table, Ping Pong Table and the famous Dodge Ball. There is also a concession stand where you can purchase Pizza, Candy and Pop for 1.00 cover charge.
On the last night in May they have a big event that includes Inflatable’s, Laser Tag, Obstacle Course and Trampolines. Also on that night is free food and admission and last around 4-5 hours.
I spoke to Zachary Sample who told me he had been coming since the 6th grade and now is in the 9th grade. The best thing is that it enables him to get out of the house so he doesn’t have to do chores. He comes every other week, and the games are fun.
I also spoke to Dre who says he has been coming since 6th grade and is also in 9th grade now. Dre likes to play dodge ball and get out of the house also. He likes coming here to reduce his energy and meet his friends here. He tries to come every week. This is a fun place for everybody to come when they get in Middle School.
So give it a try and see what the fun is all about. The Church is located at 2965 W. Parks, on the corner of Parks and Dewitt Rd.
Thank you to Erin and Bill for the information on this story, and keep up the good work that you do.
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Church sponsoring book discussions
The First Congregational Church is sponsoring small group book discussions each week beginning on January 24. The subject is Max Lucado’s Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine.
All are welcome to get a copy at the First Congregational church in downtown St. Johns or online.
Groups repeat Sundays at 9 a.m., Mondays at 7 p.m. and Thursdays at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church in St. Johns, 100 Maple St.
Call 989-224-2636 or email first.congregational.church.sj@gmail.com with questions.
2016 Field Crops Webinar Series scheduled – Monday evenings
The 2016 Field Crops Webinar Series will be scheduled for Monday evenings from February 22 through March 28.
Participants will receive field crop production and pest management highlights to prepare for the 2016 growing season.
Field crop producers and agribusiness professionals who are unable to attend Michigan State University Extension’s traditional winter programs have no need to worry. On Monday evenings from February 22 through March 28, 2016, MSU Extension will offer the 2016 Field Crops Webinar Series, addressing key production points for the coming growing season in a condensed virtual format. These live webinar programs will run from 7-8 p.m. EST and can be viewed independently online over a high-speed Internet connection.
Pre-registration is required for all participants at $15 for the full series of six webinars or $5 per individual webinar session. Please visit events.anr.msu.edu/event.cfm?folder=FieldCropsWebinarSeries2016 .
One MDARD Pesticide Recertification Credit will be available through each event for application to the Private Core, Commercial Core or Field Crops categories.
· Feb. 22: Overcoming Weed Management Challenges in 2016 – Christy Sprague, MSU
· Feb. 29: Field Crop Disease Management Update – Martin Chilvers, MSU
· March 7: Forage Improvement on a Budget – Kim Cassida, MSU
· March 14: Nutrient Management Research in Field Crops – Kurt Steinke, MSU
· March 21: Evaluating Insecticide Seed Treatments – Chris DiFonzo, MSU
· March 28: Cover Crop Termination Strategies – Mike Plumer, Conservation Ag Consultant
MSU Extension’s 2016 Field Crops Webinar Series represents a unique opportunity to access the expertise of MSU’s field crop specialists from the comfort of your own home or office. To register for one or more webinar program in the series, visit the 2016 Field Crops Webinar Series Event page at msue.msu.edu. Once registered, participants will receive an email containing a link to connect to the webinars.
For additional information or assistance, contact me at 989-734-2168 or dedecke5@msu.edu. Call 989-734-2168 by Feb. 15 to request accommodations for persons with disabilities. Requests received after this date will be fulfilled when possible.
This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit . To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).
Valentine Tea at Lowe UMC – Saturday, February 13
The Heartland District United Methodist Women are hosting a Valentine Tea on Saturday, February 13th from 1:15 pm to 3:30 pm at Lowe UMC, located at 5485 W. Lowe Rd. outside of St. Johns.
The cost is $3.00 at the door. Light refreshments will be provided, and Chelsea Hart will provide entertainment.
Reservations are not necessary.
Bring Your Valentine – February 13
Bring Your Valentine to the Sons of the American Legion 20th Annual Spaghetti Dinner.
February 13, 2016
From 5:00pm To 7:30pm
$8.00 Per Person
All You Can Eat
110 E Walker St., St. Johns, MI
Leonard hosts February office hours
State Rep. Tom Leonard today invited residents to join him for office hours scheduled during February.
Rep. Leonard, R-DeWitt, said office hours will place on Friday, February 12 at the following locations:
· In St. Johns at the Big Boy, 1408 S. U.S. 27, from 8 to 9:30 a.m.; and
· In Ithaca at the Hearthstone Oven Bakery and Café, 126 S. Pine River St., from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
No appointment is necessary. Those unable to attend may contact Rep. Leonard by calling 517-373-1778 or toll free at 877-859-8086, via email at TomLeonard@house.mi.gov or through his website at www.RepLeonard.com.
Local Students make Dean’s List at Michigan Tech
Michigan Technological University has released the Dean’s List for the 2015 fall semester. Of the 7,100 students enrolled for the Fall Semester, 1,541 achieved Dean’s List status.
To qualify for the Dean’s List a student must take 12 or more grade point credits and achieve a semester grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 or better. Asterisks indicate those earning straight-A averages of 4.0.
Bath: Russell Lipe, Wildlife Ecology & Mgmt, Bath High School
DeWitt: Nia Becker, Forestry, Dewitt High School
Brandon Hill, Surveying Engineering, Dewitt High School
Haley Swanson*, Mechanical Engineering, Dewitt High School
Eagle: Harley Colburn, Civil Engineering, Grand Ledge High School
Esther Gilliland, Biomedical Engineering, Grand Ledge High School
Saint Johns: Antonio DiCicco, Computer Network & System Admn, Saint Johns High School
Westphalia: Derrick Smith, Computer Science, Pewamo Westphalia High School