Update: Chief Kyle Knight moving on
Friday morning the City of St. Johns learned that Chief Kyle Knight will be resigning from the St. Johns Police Department and taking a new position as the police chief in Harbor Springs, MI.
As many of you know, Chief Knight has been deeply involved in our community in many different ways; and we’re saddened that he is leaving our community. The community is also excited for Chief Knight because he is moving closer to his family in northwest lower Michigan.
Please congratulate Chief Knight on his new opportunity and thank him for all of his years of dedicated service to St. Johns and Clinton County.
Enjoy a fun-filled day on May 13
If you can’t find something interesting to do on Saturday, you just aren’t trying.
If action is your thing, consider entering the Heart of the Trail 5K race. Run/Walk through the streets of beautiful downtown St. Johns. Then continue through different neighborhoods and along the new scenic Rails to Trails. Certified course maps provided by Spicers Group will be available to participants.
Custom designed T-shirts are guaranteed to pre-registrants and post registrants while supplies last.
Register Here:
https://runsignup.com/Race/Events/MI/SaintJohns/HeartoftheTrail5k
For more information contact Dan Redman at 989-224-8944 Ext. 233
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If you’re hungry, check out the Eat Healthy Eat Local Festival at Oh Mi Organics at 115 E. Walker St. where 30 local farms, healthy food producers and wellness professionals will be on hand to offer their wares and educate people wanting to live a healthier lifestyle.
Custom Embroidery of St. Johns has donated festival t-shirts which will be given away for donations. The money collected will be put into a grant to be used to open a health food store or farm-to-table restaurant in downtown St. Johns.
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Meanwhile lunch will be served at the Clinton County Senior Center just down the street. They will be serving BBQ Pork Sandwiches, Nachos and Hotdogs. They will also be hosting a Bake Sale throughout the day.
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Of course don’t forget that the 15th Annual Chamber Springtime Community Festival and Touch a Truck will be held at the CC RESA Building, across from McDonalds and Burger King on S. Business US-27, and will run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Craft vendors will be on hand, and kids of all ages will enjoy the Touch-a-Truck where there will be fire trucks, ambulances, police cars and a race car. Kids can make free crafts throughout the day inside the RESA Building.
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And on your way, you could drive around town and admire the Spring Clean-up collection set out at the curb of most residences. But be sure to come early because those big old Granger trucks will be out early clearing away the debris.
Celebrate Our Armed Forces – Sunday, May 21
Visit both museums in St. Johns on Sunday afternoon, May 21, 2017, (the last day of Armed Forces Week) to celebrate and honor the men and women from this area who have risked their lives to keep us free. Paine-Gillam-Scott Museum (PGS) will be open 1 – 4 pm and Clinton Northern Railway Museum (CNR) will be open 1 – 3 pm. There will be displays and activities for all ages that afternoon.
The Paine-Gillam-Scott Museum, just west of the Courthouse, plans to have their front porch decorated for the event, along with special displays inside. Those include uniforms from different branches of the armed forces and from different wars and conflicts; military guns and medals including the Purple Heart, Victory Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross; and early photos of local military units plus more recent photographs of those who have served our country.
The Railway Museum at the St. Johns Depot will feature Dick Root with one of his World War II vehicles in the parking lot. Inside the Depot will be Dennis Scott signing and selling his book: A Journey in the Vietnam War through Letters Home, and Keith Mino talking about his recent trip to Iwo Jima with fellow Marines. There will be additional opportunities to interact with past and hopefully current members of the armed forces.
A special highlight of the day will be a kazoo parade down the Rail-Trail from the Depot to the Veteran’s Memorial at 2:00 pm. This will be lead by Charles Shore, top high school trumpeter; kazoos will be given to up to 50 children ages 4 and above to play along with Charles, thanks to a donation from the Kiwanis Club of St. Johns. At the Veteran’s Memorial Al Nelson will talk about the significance of that beautiful area.
Weather permitting, there will be games on the Depot lawn for children, and quieter activities for them inside the depot.
Clinton Northern Railway Museum is a branch of Clinton County Arts Council, which receives a portion of its operating money from a grant from the Michigan Council of Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Hubbapalooza returns for its 6th year in July
Hubbapalooza returns for its 6th year, taking over downtown Hubbardston.
The event kicks off Friday night July 14th with The Hope Floats LED balloon launch and culminates with a live outdoor concert on Saturday night, July 15th with many local acts performing. Last year 2016 Hope Floats set off over 750 balloons in memory of lost ones.
Returning this year is The Color Run, Redneck Olympics, and a Co-ed Softball tournament as well.
Mark your calendars and stay tuned to Hands on Hubbardston for more details. Fun for all ages and supports two great causes including RAVE and The Hope Lodge of Grand Rapids.
Organizers hold events all throughout the year. Just recently they had Dueling Pianos at the American Legion.
Hands on Hubbardston is a 501c3 nonprofit organization made up of compassionate people who raise money and awareness in the fight against cancer. They also make financial contributions to other Michigan-based organizations. https://www.facebook.com/HandsonHubbardston/
Museum opens with transportation exhibit
The Clinton County Historical Society Museum opens May 17.
This year’s featured exhibit “Horses, Bonnets and Devil Wagons” will focus on anything relating to travel and transportation in Clinton County from settlement days up to about 1940. There will be very early Michigan highway and railroad maps on display. See a fascinating photo collection of early Clinton County gas stations, hotels and many other transportation related artifacts. A revamped Lansing-St. Johns Interurban Railway exhibit will also be shown.
The museum complex consists of the Paine-Gillam House, Swegles General Store and the Carriage House, all located directly west of the Courthouse at 106 Maple Street, St. Johns.
For questions or information on group tours, please call 989-224-2894 or 989-292-9096. E-mail
pgsmuseum@hotmail.com.
Friends of the Maple River to meet – May 17
The Friends of the Maple River (FOMR) will have their Bi-Monthly meeting at the pavilion at Motz Park on Wednesday May 17th. The meeting will start at 6:00 PM. Motz Park is located approximately 3.5 miles north of highway M-21on Dewitt Road northwest of St. Johns.
The FOMR was not able to host a farm tour as part of the May meeting because this May is a busy time for the farms that offer tours.The Farm tour will be re-scheduled to a date in June.
Kelcie Sweeney from the Clinton Conservation District will present a summary of the District’s findings from an E. coli monitoring project on the Maple River. In general, E. coli, including that associated with humans, seems to be present throughout the watershed and river system.
A representative from the Clinton Lakes Pheasant and Wildlife Cooperative will provide a brief update of their efforts including the tentative results of the Pheasant crowing survey that estimates how many pheasants there are in in/near the cooperative area. As a follow up to this presentation, there will be a short hike to view the prairie grasslands recently planted in the park. Please wear appropriate attire for the hike.
A business meeting will follow the presentations to take care of routine FOMR business matters. There will also be a discussion about the extent of the annual spring river cleanup project that was hampered due to high water conditions.There will be a discussion of the scheduled quiet waters float in June on the Maple River and to finalize the arrangements for the June Farm Tour.
As always, check our website at friendsofthemapleriver.org and on Facebook at Friends of The Maple River.
LAFCU, Lugnuts expand Community Champions program
Nominations are open for the LAFCU Community Champions program, which has been expanded this year to honor police, fire and medical first responders as well as current and veteran members of the military at Lansing Lugnuts games this summer.
“The LAFCU Community Champions program is back for its fourth season with the opportunity to recognize those who help us every day locally – our first responders,” said Kelli Ellsworth Etchison, LAFCU senior vice president of marketing. “Our partnership with the Lansing Lugnuts offers the ideal location for community recognition of those who selflessly serve or have served our country far away and at home.”
Community Champions receive four free tickets to a Lansing Lugnuts LAFCU Fireworks Spectacular, the opportunity to throw the first pitch and in-game recognition on the ballfield’s videoboard.
Selection of LAFCU Community Champions honorees will be made throughout the summer prior to individual LAFCU Fireworks Spectaculars. Nominations will continue to be accepted through August 18.
“Including our own local first responders as Community Champions makes perfect sense,” said Nick Grueser, Lugnuts general manager. “Our military members protect us on the battlefield, and our first responders protect and care for us right here at home. They are all deserving of our gratitude and recognition.”
Nominations of deserving Community Champions should include their employing organization or branch of service; rank, rank at time of discharge or position held; awards and other recognition received; and community work.
Submit the information via email at
LAFCUcommunitychampion@gmail.com or mail it to LAFCU Community Champions. P.O. Box 26188, Lansing, MI 48909. For more information, contact Ashley Loudan, Lugnuts community partnerships manager, at 517.827.2480 or
aloudan@lansinglugnuts.com.