Concert in the Park 2019 season begins June 12
The 16th annual St. Johns Concert in the Park summer music series is set and ready to go with another great lineup in 2019. Concerts are held every Wednesday evening, June 12 through Aug. 28, at the William E. Tennant Performance Shell in the St. Johns City Park. The music begins at 7 p.m., rain or shine.
“St. Johns is definitely the place to be on Wednesday evenings in the summer,” says Bill Tennant, concert coordinator. “We have outstanding performers lined up again this year for our mid-Michigan audiences. The quality of performers along with the great variety of music makes this one of the best series in the state of Michigan.”
This year’s 12-date concert schedule includes five popular groups back from last year, four returning groups that have performed before and three new groups. “With seven different groups this year, it provides a refreshing mix of sounds,” says Keith Mino, emcee. “It’s great to introduce new groups to our series each year, but equally fun to bring back some of the groups from previous years – revisit their music and see how they’ve progressed.”
New this year is a trio of performers: The Mountain Town Brass, the Dave Bennett Quartet, and Ross Mead and North Country – an elite brass band, a unique jazz/rock group, and a wonderful country band.
The Mountain Town Brass is an amazing brass band performing in the British band tradition. The group is made up of some of the best virtuoso brass players in the state coming from the greater Detroit area, Grand Rapids, Mt. Pleasant, Lansing and Petoskey.
Ross Mead and North Country is a modern country band headquartered in Fenton. The band consists of seasoned musicians with over a century of combined experience. Presenting rock, soul and twang in equal measure, the band features front-man vocalist and acoustic guitarist Ross Mead.
The Dave Bennett Quartet enthralls audiences with toe-tapping music from the Swing era, country, rockabilly and pop. Dave’s music will include a sweeping variety of musical styles, everything from Benny Goodman to Jerry Lee Lewis, with even some Elvis, the Beatles, Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel in the groups playlist. Dave has performed in over 50 performing arts centers throughout the world including Carnegie Hall.
A quintet of the series’ most popular groups return from last year including The Sea Cruisers (July 10); Matt King and his tribute to Elvis (August 28); Toppermost and their tribute to the Beatles (August 7); Capitol City Chordsmen (July 17) and the popular Saline Fiddlers (August 14).
Four additional groups are returning to the shell after varying years of absence from the series. The Louie Longoria Band opens the season June 12; the Lansing Concert Big Band performs June 26; the popular Lansing based Root Doctor plays July 3; and Jeff Dietrich’s Miranda & the M80s play July 31 featuring the music of Queen and the ’80s.
“Bring a chair, a blanket and head to the beautiful St. Johns City Park to partake of a wonderful feast that will fill your musical palette with many delights throughout the summer,” Tennant says.
The St. Johns Lions Club will have food available with all the proceeds going back into the community. There is no admission charge; donations are greatly appreciated to help pay for the series that is sponsored by the City of St. Johns and Clinton County Arts Council. Info at http://www.clintoncountyarts.org/.
Local Police Chief lifts long time ban on street racing for one day
Thirty two area young people have been granted permission to race down North Clinton Avenue in St. johns on Father’s Day, June 16 for the rebirth of the Soap Box Derby after a forty three year lapse of the annual race.
Pure Pro Wrestling debuts in St. John’s to raise money for local Veterans
On Saturday June 8, 2019 Pure Pro Wrestling (PPW) will host an action packed pro wrestling spectacular at the VFW Post 4113 in St. John’s, Michigan. This event will benefit the local post which has been serving the areas veterans of foreign wars for several years. Fans can expect to see plenty of clotheslines, suplexes, sleepers, and slams as the heroes and villains of the squared circle compete in this family friendly WWE styled event.
PPW is Michigan’s largest and only touring professional wrestling company. PPW produces over 50 events per year in cities all across Michigan, all of which benefit a charity, school, or community fair and festivals. PPW raises thousands of dollars for community based organizations each year. Over the companies 15 year history, PPW has produced hundreds of fundraiser events for veterans’ based organizations like the St. Johns VFW.
The event at the St. John’s VFW will be a special night in PPW as its newest brand Battle Tested will launch its inaugural campaign. Battle Tested will feature an unparalleled brand of high octane pro wrestling featuring veterans of armed forces who are trained pro wrestlers. The wrestlers competing at the event will all be service veterans competing against each other or against Pure Pro Wrestling Champions.
Fans in attendance can expect to see some of the nations best pro wrestlers competing for a chance to win the Michigan State Heavyweight Championship. On June 8th at the VFW in St. John’s fans will see US Army Veteran Aaron Orion, USMC Veteran Tommy Vendetta, Navy Veteran Kip Rude, & US Army Veterans Luis Casanova and Garrisaon Creed. Orion, Vendetta, Casanova, and Creed will be competing in a four man tournament called the Ruck of Champions. In this single elimination tournament, the survivor out of the four troops will challenge Gideon Malice in the final round for the Michigan State Heavyweight Championship. The title has been held by the 6’4 245 pound Malice for nearly two years, a record in Michigan professional wrestling.
At 6 p.m. the arena doors open for VIP guests. VIP ticket holders receive the best seat in the house, poster, raffle ticket, an in-ring meet and greet w/ Gideon Malice and the Heroes and Villains of PPW, and access to a special VIP Eyes Only match at 6:30pm! At 7pm doors open for general admission leading up to the bell time of 7:30 p.m.
This event is open to all families; civilians and armed forces members both past and present are encouraged to attend in full dress. Advance tickets start at just $15 for Gernal Seats. The VIP Ringside tickets are available for as little as $20. Tickets may be purchased in advance online at www.pureprowrestling.net or at the door. Seating is limited; fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance. Fans can also find more info or inquire about tickets on PPW’s by following us on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook w/ the handle @ppwpower.
The VFW Post 4113 is located at 2497 Old U.S. 27, St Johns, MI 48879 Handicap parking and seating is available. Alcohol will be served for those 21 and Up. Concessions are available at the event. This is a non- smoking event. Handicap seating is available.
Clinton County creates recycling search tool
Clinton County residents have access to a range of services to recycle, compost, reuse or properly dispose of any household generated waste item from every day materials to specialty waste streams.
To that end the Clinton County Department of Waste Management has introduced a new search tool called the Waste Wizard.
The tool can be found at clinton-county.org/WasteWizard. It provides a searchable version of the Garbage Guide and lists recycling and disposal options for many items.
Foodborne illness is no picnic
It seems as though Mother Nature is finally going to bless us with sunshine and warmer temperatures, just in time for graduation open houses, picnics, family reunions and backyard barbeques. These ideal weather conditions help make these events more enjoyable, but there is one downside- bacteria can rapidly multiply in the hot summer sun, which can put quite a damper on an otherwise good time.
Foodborne bacteria can cause illness within as little as 20 minutes or up to three days of eating contaminated food. Symptoms can include: vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain-and flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, and body ache.
This scenario can definitely put a damper on an otherwise enjoyable time, so safe food handling when eating outdoors is critical.
The first step to safe food handling is to clean: Wash hands with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food, and after using the bathroom, handling pets or changing diapers. Always rinse raw fruits and vegetables under running water, and avoid cross-contamination by cleaning counters, cutting boards, utensils and dishes with hot soapy water after preparing each item.
The second step is to separate: Separate raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs from other foods. Use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry and seafood. Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs unless the plate has been washed in hot, soapy water. When packing a cooler, wrap uncooked meats and poultry separately, and put them on the bottom to prevent raw juices from dripping onto other foods. A separate cooler for storing raw food is ideal.
The third step is to kill harmful bacteria by cooking food to the right temperature: Visual cues, like color, are not a guarantee that food is safe. Don’t guess! Use a metal stemmed thermometer to check when meat and poultry are safe to eat. Foods are safe to eat when internal temperatures are 145oF for chops, roasts and steak; 165oF for
Poultry; and 160oF for ground meat.
The fourth step is to keep cold food cold. Perishable foods normally kept in the refrigerator must be kept in a cooler with freezer packs or ice to keep the temperature at or near 40o F. Also put leftovers back in the refrigerator or cooler as soon as you are done eating. The simple rule is: When in doubt, throw it out!
Summer Programs set to begin June 17
The City of St. Johns is excited to offer over 15 summer recreational programs for area youth. Presented by the City Recreational Department, various programs are available to children in grades K-5th, and camps begin June 17.
Most afternoon programs will include a trip to Sleepy Hollow State Park, where students will be fishing, geocaching, and participating in archery depending on the program chosen. Your child will have fun learning about the deep blue sea and taking a trip to the high school pool in Under the Sea Camp, dig for dinos in Dino Camp, hunt for treasure and plunder in Pirate Camp, sleuth for clues to become a Jr. Detective, or choose to work on the FUNdamentals of gymnastics, football, basketball, tennis, volleyball, soccer camps, and much more. See the Recreation Department website for a complete list. The deadline to register for these programs is the Thursday before the camp is scheduled to start. Once classes reach maximum size, they will be closed for registration, so register early.
Due to necessary maintenance at the high school pool, information for swimming lessons, classes, and open swim will be posted at a later date. Please check the Recreation Department website for updates and availability.
For a full listing of recreation programs with descriptions, dates, prices, and swim levels, please visit the city website at http://cityofstjohnsmi.com/Departments/ParksandRecreation/YouthPrograms. If you are interested in signing up for any of the programs, registration forms can be printed off our website for convenience or picked up in the City Offices. Online registration will not be offered for these programs. Any questions can be answered by calling the Recreation Department at 224-8944 ext. 227 or 228 or by emailing MHeard@ci.saint-johns.mi.us.