Some goings on in the Near North
Clue, the show that was to be performed in the Spring of 2020 before the cancellation era hit will make its long awaited debut at the Grant FineArts Center stage this Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2:30pm “It's a dark and stormy night, and you've been invited to a very unusual dinner party. Each of the guests has an alias, the butler offers a variety of weapons, and the host is, well . . . dead. So whodunnit? Join the iconic oddballs known as Scarlet, Plum, White, Green, Peacock, and Mustard as they race to find the murderer in Boddy Manor before the body count stacks up.” Based on the cult classic film and the popular board game, Clue is a madcap comedy that will keep you guessing until the final twist. Tickets: $15 Adults, $10 Students (through HS) and Seniors (60+) Tickets available online or at the door. Additional performances at the Dogwood Center for the Performing Arts March 25 & 26. Speaking of the Dogwood you can get your Irish on Saturday when the Barley Saints arrive to play the Black Box. The Barley Saints are a five-piece Celtic rock band from the Muskegon area of West Michigan. They specialize in a mix of Irish pub tunes, up-tempo Irish folk songs, and fast-paced traditional dance tunes, supported by driving rock beats. Here’s the shout out they gave fans on their fb page: ”Not gonna lie, Barley-buds, this show is kind of a big deal! We're actually fairly humbled to be invited to perform at a venue of this caliber. Please join us at this amazing, stylish, elegant facility for a show unlike any other we've played before!Can't wait to see you there!” Tickets are $15, doors open at 7pm. Go to dogwoodcenter.com Live @ the Library brings The Legacy & Memory of Emmett Till Tuesday, March 15th at 6:30 p.m.The story of Emmett Till was silenced for over 50 years after his brutal murder on August 28, 1955. Discover the untold history of the injustice that followed fourteen-year-old Emmett’s trip to buy candy at Bryant’s Grocery in Money, Mississippi, where he whistled at the white store clerk. In this presentation, retired Portage Public School history teacher Jim Herm will share his research into the post-Civil War South, the legacy of Emmett Till, and the start of the Civil Rights movement. Over the past several years, he visited many of the recently opened historical sites in the south and they will be discussed in his presentation. Located in the Community Room. Free.
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Moths, ComicCon & Django By Ken DeLaat What’s In A Name? Remember the devastation to foliage that occurred last Spring, causing our area to curse the very reference to anything related to the gyspy moths? Well, those expletives need to be altered if one is to correctly name the nasty little defoliators. “The Entomological Society of America today announced a new common name for the Lymantria dispar moth. The invasive moth most familiar in its voracious, leaf-eating caterpillar stage will now be known as “spongy moth.” Gypsy Moth, the former name, was removed from the ESA Common Names of Insects and Related Organisms List in July 2021 because it contained a derogatory term for Romani people. The move is part of the society’s Better Common Names Project. “When an invasive species carries the name of a nation or culture, it’s easy to unintentionally associate that culture with the pest’s harmful effects,” said Joanne Foreman, invasive species communications coordinator with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “We anticipate additional common name changes for other invasive species to reduce these negative connotations.” Got it. And by the way, being a proud descendant of Netherlands-based people… What might be the plans for renaming Dutch Elm Disease? What's that? The tree is Dutch and not the disease? Never mind. More Moth Material Speaking of gyp.. oops…I mean spongy moths let’s not forget about the upcoming seminar “New Name, Familiar Pest” (9 a.m. Thursday, April 14), focusing on the unusual history of the ravenous little moth in the United States and here in Michigan, and what you can do to reduce some of the unpleasant impacts of an outbreak. An expert panel will share tips to help stressed trees recover from leaf loss and options to help reduce the nuisance effects around the home. MuskeCon Coming. Are You Going? My closest connections to a ComicCon are what I’ve gleaned from episodes of the Big Bang Theory. Admittedly though, the idea seems intriguing. There’s an annual one in Muskegon called, appropriately, MuskeCon. Billed as the 4th annual Comic & Toy Convention, it will take place at the Delta by Marriott in Downtown Muskegon and promises Toys, Comics, Art, Handmade Goods, Cosplay Galore, Panels, and Demos. Tickets are $5, 12 and under are free. I’m thinking about going but my scheduling tends to be in constant flux. If any regular attendees out there or even a first timer is interested in doing a story for us with a few photos let us know. I’d be interested in seeing how many people dress as The Flash (old BBT episode) Django Rules!
If like me you happen to be a fan of the Django Reinhardt style of jazz guitar you may want to slide over to Montague this Thursday night to see Djangophonique a quartet of musicians featuring guitarist Andrew Brown. They’re playing at The Book Nook, a truly fine book store that serves up tasty food to accompany their beer and wine selections. 7-9pm. Downtown Montague. Details: https://www.thebooknookjavashop.com/ By Kristie Bulger "I've met many thinkers and many cats, but the wisdom of cats is infinitely superior." - Hippolyte Taine This is the time of year when people start to think about the warmer days ahead and all the fun activities they have planned. For most of the good folks who are involved in animal rescue, this time of year is the beginning of dread because they all know what’s coming. Kitten season. Last year at NCAS, kitten season lasted until fall. It was unprecedented. The staff has had a moment to recover but it hasn't been long enough. When I was deciding what to write for Near North Now I kept circling back to kitten season. I told myself it’s too early. But then I thought about how far behind the vets are in their appointment scheduling. I don’t think it’s ever too early to start talking about spay/neutering our pets. Especially our cats. Every spring when the shelter is being overrun with cats/kittens it never fails that someone will complain about having to pay an adoption fee. After all, they say, there are lots of “free” kittens available. So a few years ago, I contacted 3 different veterinary services here in the Newaygo County area. I got their prices for all the same medical care that Newaygo Shelter provides for the cats before adoption. Though I’m sure the vet costs have gone up considerably, the shelter’s adoption fees have not. When I put the costs side by side it quickly became clear that the $65 adoption fee at the shelter is a heck of a deal. Cats deserve, but don’t always receive, the same veterinary care as dogs. For an adoption fee of only $65, there is absolutely no reason for cats to be medically neglected. I’ve shared this graphic a few times and inevitably someone will say the bottom portion isn’t true. They say no cat could produce so many kittens. Well, that might be true because, unfortunately, most outside or feral cats don’t live 9 years. But even though exponential growth is difficult to understand, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. Fifteen years ago, our shelter implemented spay/neuter as a mandatory part of the adoption fee. Because of this requirement, the shelter takes in only a third of dogs as before. But the same situation doesn’t apply to the cats in our county because the shelter is spaying so few of them. "Free kittens" are not getting spayed at the same rate as dogs. There is, indeed, a very high cost for “free”…and it’s the cats who pay the price.
Here’s a link to our FB page "Friends of Newaygo County Shelter” where you can see all our available animals: https://www.facebook.com/groups/979050632140887 The adoption fee for dogs is $90. This fee includes spay/neuter, deworming, heartworm test, rabies & DHLPP shots, flea & tick treatment and license. The adoption fee for cats is $65 This fee includes spay/neuter, rabies vaccine, feline distemper combo vaccine, FIV/FELV testing, deworming and flea/tick treatment. Newaygo County Animal Shelter 78 N. Webster White Cloud, MI 49349 231-689-1867 Monday - Friday 11-1 Appointments welcome and available upon request |
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