LCB Big Band performs June 26 at Concert in the Park
Songs from the “Great American Songbook” will float on the summer breeze when the Lansing Concert Band ‘Big Band’ performs June 26 as part of the St. Johns Concert in the Park summer music series. The program begins at 7 p.m. at the William E. Tennant Performance Shell in the St. Johns City Park. There is no admission charge.
The concert features jazz standards and music made popular by Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show Orchestra. The Lansing Concert Band ‘Big Band’ was formed in 1993 by members of the Lansing Concert Band who wanted a performance opportunity to play those songs.
Tom Fredericks, a member of the trumpet section, is among the band members who have a passion for ‘big band’ music, just like Margaret Gallighugh who is a member of the saxophone section. She wanted a new music performance experience to complement her classical music training and her private music teaching.
This year’s LCB Band Big Band performance features two very talented Lansing-area vocalists. Kelly Sandula-Gruner is the female vocalist. She is a cantor at St. John Church and Student Center in East Lansing, as well as a member of the LCB french horn section. Dan Templin is the male vocalist. Dan is a jazz pianist, choir member at the First United Methodist Church and singer in the “Take Note” barbershop quartet. Kelly and Dan perform with the Singers on the Grand and in productions of the “Starlight Dinner Theater.
All of the LCB Big Band members have a passion for excellence and having great fun in performing these exciting and romantic ‘big band’ instrumental and vocal arrangements. The LCB Big Band has performed for concerts, fund-raising events and for dinner dance events for WKAR TV and radio volunteers.
The LCB Big Band was founded by and is directed by Jim Kasprzak, lead trumpet and Principal Trumpet in the Lansing Concert Band. For more information visit https://www.lansingconcertband.org/index.php
Concert in the Park is sponsored by the Clinton County Arts Council and the City of St. Johns with support from the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts. Concerts are held each Wednesday evening; rain or shine. The St. Johns Lions and Lioness Club staff a concession stand offering light refreshments.
For detailed information on the Concert in the Park series visit the CCAC web site, http://www.clintoncountyarts.org/ and check out the St. Johns City Park Performance Shell page on Facebook.
St. Johns Soapbox Derby, more than a race to many
In 1963 a small committee lead by Bernard Feldpausch brought a new event to St Johns Michigan. It was called Soapbox Derby, and it had two specific goals in mind. The first was to bring families together for the construction of a racecar that would be powered by gravity alone. The second was to bring the community together on a race day, when these cars could compete against each other to win a chance to race in a national competition in Akron. This event originally ran for thirteen consecutive years until it ended in 1976.
The race was brought back to St Johns on Father’s Day 2019, through the inspiration of Dan Matson. It was run on Clinton Avenue, the same track last used forty-three years earlier. Over two hundred racers competed in the thirteen years it was originally held, and many were on hand for the revival of the event. With wonderful memories of times gone by, they watched as a new generation of racers enjoyed the thrill of hearing the crowd cheer as they raced down the two-block path.
The restoration of the Soapbox Derby had particular meaning for the Bernard Feldpausch family. Daughter Jean Munger, was overwhelmed by the event as she watched her grandson compete in a car designed in memory of Bernard. “I can’t say enough about how proud I am of the Soapbox Derby Committee, and all that they’ve done to put on this event.” She said, “I thought of my Dad often as the race progressed throughout the day. He would have been pleased with what went on.”
The current Soapbox Derby committee met just two days after the event to begin planning for next years race. They are hoping to add more cars to the field, and create a more pleasurable experience for the spectators at next year’s race. The work goes on.
Complete Soap Box Derby Awards
with an album by Maralyn Fink
Stock class
1st Gus Kaiser
2nd Jacob Harr
3rd Jameson Halsey
4th Jayden Mardigian
5th Keegan Hamilton
6th Dylan Phillips
7th Bridger Haviland
8th Griffin Roberts
Superstock class
1st Cy Honeycutt
2nd Chase Vincent
3rd Emily Clapsadle
4th Myles Gruber
5th Macy Kowatch
6th Hudson Smith
7th Jason Hanses
8th Owen Denovich
Super Stock Champion Cy Honeycutt and the Stock Champ, Gus Kaiser, are going to Akron for the Championship race in July.
Aviation Exploration comes to the IQhub
The IQhub is excited to announce a new guest exhibit, Aviation Exploration has begun.
Beginning on June 17, visitors can climb in a real plane cockpit, read the stories of local aviation history, and see the models and displays.
The IQhub is featuring a variety of planes, models, and exhibits thanks to donations from Yankee Air Museum, Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Museum, Saginaw Valley Air Museum, Michigan Heroes Museum, and several community members.
The IQhub is a learning center for agricultural history, innovation, and exploration. It features 23 exhibits telling the story of agriculture in America, from the time of the Pilgrims to modern day production practices.
“We’re so excited about the aviation exhibit. It’s been really fun putting it all together, and I’m looking forward to showing it to our visitors. I love the seeing all the different planes hanging in the museum,” said Emily Crambell, IQhub Education and Outreach Manager. “I also think pretending to fly in the cockpit is going to be a real hit for all ages!”
This family fun is open weekdays 9-4:30. The IQhub is housed inside of AgroLiquid headquarters at 1130 South Dewitt Rd, St Johns. The IQhub is a non-profit organization that operates on donations and grants, so there is no admission fee. Info: iqhubag.org, 989.227.3847.
Chronic Pain PATH workshop coming up
“Chronic Pain PATH (Personal Action Toward Health) is a 6-week workshop designed for people with chronic pain. In this interactive workshop, people are taught effective tools to better self-manage their condition and its impact on their life.
Managing chronic pain is more than taking medications. We address a variety of topics including fatigue management, dealing with difficult emotions, and pacing and planning. Includes the Moving Easy Program: safe exercises to improve strength, flexibility, and endurance. Caregivers and significant others are also welcome to sign up and attend as active participants. The workshop is free of charge courtesy of Michigan State Medical Society. Pre-registration is required.”
The Chronic Pain PATH workshop will be held at Clinton County Medical Center, 1005 S. US 127
St. Johns on Wednesdays, July 17 – August 21, 2019 from 2:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Register at the Tri-County Office on Aging at 517-887-1465. Priority is given to those 50+ but all are welcome to call. Funding provided by Michigan State Medical Society.
Ovid preschool teacher receives award
Discovery Toys, a trusted learning through play brand for over 4 decades, has selected Emily McCall with Natural Learners Preschool in Ovid, MI as a runner up for the North American Preschool Educator of the Year Award.
The award program recognizes those preschool teachers who effectively employ techniques to develop the traits that today’s young minds will need to become the lead contributors in tomorrow’s world. These traits include divergent thinking, creativity, inquisitiveness, initiative, resiliency, social confidence, empathy, and diplomacy.
Discovery Toys CEO Jerry Salerno shares the company’s objectives for the award. “We want to bring attention and recognition to the countless preschool teachers across the US and Canada who resist the pressure to pump academic content into the minds of children at such a young age, and instead use play-based learning methods to develop executive-functioning skills and creative thinking. These are the skills that young children need to be successful learners and eventually successful workers.”
Emily McCall has been a preschool teacher for 15 years. Her nominator shares examples of how Ms. McCall continually steps outside the box in her teaching approach. An outdoor mud kitchen has real pots, pans, and a salvaged sink. The woods next to the old farmhouse housing the preschool feature a fallen tree teeter totter and puddles to “catch” fish (decomposing leaves). She has been teaching about honeybees complete with a real hive and colony. Inside, snack is done family style to teach community, responsibility, manners and other table skills.
The nominator also expressed how Ms. McCall goes above and beyond to enrich the school experience for all. Her preschoolers are encouraged to spend a few minutes planning out part of each day and then later share what they learned along the way. She keeps her Facebook business page updated with detailed photos and videos of the children engaged in activities, explaining the learning that is occurring.
One particular testimony from the nominator reveals the creative and extraordinary impact Ms. McCall has had on the countless young lives she touches. “Ms. Emily puts her heart into her in-home preschool by allowing the children to fully immerse themselves in the learning process, even if it means getting messy or using materials in a nontraditional way. She herself sets an example by doing these things too!”