The Friday Night Fish Fry
by Maralyn Fink
Friday night I attended the Knights of Columbus fish fry at the Columbian Hall. I needed to see about the rave of fish fries.
When I was a child I had plenty of fish to eat and enjoyed them; but as of now, I do not eat them like I did back in the day.
The K of C has been doing these fries for 25 years, usually starting in March and do them for six weeks. They appreciate the support of every one. Everyone loves the fish but; love the camaraderie, getting out of the house and seeing friends and neighbors.
There are 40 volunteers and 2 shifts every week by the K of C members.
The menu includes fish, baked potato, steak fries, green beans, mac and cheese, coleslaw, applesauce – not to mention the homemade cakes.
The average meals served each time number 600 meals including take-out. The price is $9.00 for all you can eat, and the early bird special between 4 and 4:30pm gets you 50 cents off the price.
All funds go back into the community to support charities and youth activities.
SJMS to present The Lion King, Jr. – April 21-23
For the first time St. John Middle School will be putting its show on the high school stage.
The African Savannah will come to life on stage with Simba, Rafiki and an unforgettable cast of characters as they journey from Pride Rock to the jungle and back again in this inspiring, coming-of-age tale.
In anticipation of high demand for tickets, we have also added a fourth performance.
Performance times are as follows:
Friday, April 21, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 22, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 22, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 23, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased online at sjdrama.ludustickets.com.
Habitat to dedicate new house – Saturday, April 8
Habitat for Humanity of Clinton County invites you to join them for their house dedication in DeWitt. From beginning to end this house will become home to a buyer in need.
Join them to see the work the volunteers have built as our first house in DeWitt on Saturday, April 8th at 10am.
The address is 15745 Mayfield Dr. Lansing, 48906, Just off State Road and old 27.
This is your opportunity to celebrate with Habitat the dedication of all of the volunteers and donors as they prepare to sell this house to a military veteran in need of housing.
Logo Contest for St. Johns Mint Festival T-Shirts
In preparation for the 33rd Annual St. Johns Mint Festival, the Clinton County Chamber of Commerce and Mint Festival Steering Committee are sponsoring a logo contest. They are looking for two designs-one for a Souvenir T-Shirt and the other for a Volunteer T-Shirt. A $50 Chamber Buck Gift Certificate will be awarded to each winning logo. Dhirts are sold throughout the festival.
The committee invites all artists and creative people of all ages to submit logo designs. The theme for the 2017 St. Johns Mint Festival is “Western Stampede”. The following guidelines should be kept in mind while designing a logo:
1. For the Souvenir T-shirt they are looking for a sophisticated design that will appeal to the shirt collector, while at the same time represent “mint” and the festival celebration. They are looking for a design that can be printed on a green (light or dark) t-shirt.
2. For the Volunteer T-shirt, they are looking for something fun that may or may not incorporate their mascot Minty. Because they want volunteers to stand out in a crowd, they would like something that will look great on a bright neon colored t-shirt.
All logo designs must be submitted to the Clinton County Chamber of Commerce at PO Box 61, St. Johns 48879 by Friday, April 21, 2017. For a complete list of rules and the application to submit with your entry, please call the Chamber at 989-224-7248 or print them off at www.clintoncountychamber.org/mint.
Spray park receives grants
Summer will be here before you know it, and good things are happening at the spray park.
In December the Parks Department was awarded $96,700 through a Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund grant to renovate the bath house.
Then Commissioner Eric Hufnagel called our attention to the Laura Jane Musser Fund grant. The Parks Department was again successful with this application, gaining an additional $18,462 to complete improvements not covered by the DNR grant. These funds will be used to provide family restrooms/changing rooms within the bathhouse, a much-needed addition to the spray park.
Please be patient; renovations will likely be complete for the 2018 spray park season.
Local woman elected to NorthStar Board of Directors
Dana Sue Kirk of St. Johns, Michigan was recently appointed to the NorthStar Board of Directors as an at-large director by the NorthStar Board of Directors. NorthStar’s Board of Directors is comprised of 12 member-owners each representing a geographic region within NorthStar’s service area, as well as two directors at-large who are appointed by the board.
“A successful business depends on its people,” said Mark Adam, NorthStar General Manager. “Our Board of Directors along with the Advisory and Resolutions Committee set the standard of excellence to direct and strategize for NorthStar’s long-term success. Having a vested interest in the Cooperative and helping to lead future efforts are an honor and responsibility that these producers take to heart.”
In addition to serving on NorthStar’s Board of Directors since 2006, Kirk serves on NorthStar’s Political Action Committee and previously served on the NorthStar Finance and Review Committee Recently retired from GreenStone Farm Credit Services, Kirk has various experiences with commercial dairies in eastern and central Michigan. In her role at GreenStone, Kirk managed million dollar accounts and assisted fellow financial service offices with dairy account expansion.
As a member of the NorthStar Board of Directors, Kirk works alongside 13 other directors to establish policies, and direct the cooperative toward its overall objectives to meet the member-owners’ needs. The 13 additional members on the NorthStar Board of Directors include: Jason Benthem of McBain, MI; Paul Trierweiler of Westphalia, MI; Brad Crandall of Battle Creek, MI; Jeff Horning of Manchester, MI; Mark Ziel of Port Austin, MI; Andy Wolf of Oconto Falls; Lyle Ott of Brillion, WI; Dick Piechowski of Waupaca, WI; Dan Mielke of Colby, WI; Lee Jensen of Elk Mound, WI; Don Hoffelt of Bruce, WI; Ken Carnahan of Butler, IN; and Steve Maier of Jim Falls, WI.
NorthStar Cooperative, Inc. is a stock based cooperative, owned by dairy and beef producers in Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin. Originally formed in 1944 as an artificial insemination cooperative, NorthStar Cooperative, Inc. is now comprised of sales and service for Select Sires, Ag Products and Technologies, DHI Services, as well as Antel BioSystems, a research group dedicated to developing and implementing innovative diagnostic solutions for the animal industry. Based in Lansing, Michigan, NorthStar provides sales and service to producers, veterinarians and industry members across the United States. For more information, visit www.northstarcooperative.com.
Jones surviving spouse bill signed by governor
Gov. Rick Snyder has signed legislation sponsored by Sen. Rick Jones that alleviates the responsibility of funeral directors from having to make a legal decision about whether a spouse is truly a surviving spouse.
“The purpose of this new law was to address a growing situation that funeral directors were dealing with in Michigan: determining if someone is a surviving spouse,” said Jones, R- Grand Ledge. “It is becoming more common in our society for married couples to separate and not legally get divorced. In these cases, the spouses move on with their lives and oftentimes move in with a significant other. The problem arises when that person dies. Who has the right to make the funeral arrangements?”
Senate Bill 39, now Public Act 20 of 2017, relieves funeral directors from having to make a decision determining a surviving spouse if there is a conflict and allow for an appeal process in probate courts to determine the issue.
In Michigan, the list of who can make funeral arrangements for a decedent includes, in order: a designated individual; a surviving spouse; and the decedent’s children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents and siblings.
“If there is a disagreement now on who is the surviving spouse and who has the authority to make decisions on right to disposition, those people can appeal in probate court,” Jones said. “This was a decision that funeral directors should never have been forced to make, and now it will go to a family court judge who is best trained for these emotional legal disputes.”