 "Tamarac Tom" taking a break after finishing a workout in preparation for the TTT- Photo by Kari Bade Annual run to add new 1.5 mile fun walk
FREMONT, Mich., Oct. 31, 2022 – Corewell Health™ Gerber Hospital, formerly Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial, will hold the annual Tamarac Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov. 24 at Tamarac Center for Health and Wellness. The Tamarac Turkey Trot features a new 1.5 mile Fun Walk, the popular 5K run/walk and a 10K for those hoping to burn a few more calories before Thanksgiving festivities begin. According to Tamarac manager Amanda Irwin, the annual Tamarac Turkey Trot brings together runners and walkers of all ages and abilities. “The Tamarac Turkey Trot is a fun, active way for everyone to start their Thanksgiving morning and a great way to kick off the holiday season. It has become a tradition for many, and we are excited to welcome all the returning and new participants this year,” said Irwin. “We added a shorter distance event this year with the 1.5 mile walk, for those who would like to be active but are not runners or don’t want the longer 5K. It’s a great way to take a short break the morning of Thanksgiving and get in some heart-healthy exercise.” All races start and end at Tamarac, located at 1401 W. Main St., Fremont. Dogs and strollers are welcome! For more information and to register, please visit https://tamaracwellness.org/turkeytrot.
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Jingle Mingle Jump Starts The Season The Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce invites the public to the Jingle Mingle Arts & Crafts Fair on Saturday, November 12th from 9 am to 3 pm at the Fremont Middle School at 500 Woodrow Street. Organizers say that attendees will find many unique handmade gifts and crafts. A few of the vendors that have already registered are hand painted holiday ornaments, illustrated children’s books, handcrafted jewelry, soy candles, leather earrings, ceramics, handmade soaps and lotions, aprons, bread, chocolates, peanut brittle, wood craft Christmas décor, mittens, quilted items, knitted bags, tumblers, wool hats, resin art, quilted items, local honey and Michigan themed shirts and jewelry are just a few of the booths that you will find at the show. Handmade holiday cards will be for sale too. Organizers look to find unique handmade craft items to offer our shoppers for their holiday gift giving. Fresh baked goodies, candies, peanut brittle, tamales, dips and spices, jams and jellies will be offered for purchase. Everyone’s favorites are back – the homemade butter cakes and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church’s cheeseballs will be at the show too! Pam’s Pantry with her dips to help make all your party treats taste fantastic will also have her usual corner so stop by! Coffee by Jon is Back! The Original Jane Lee’s Glazed popcorn will also be back. Visitors at the Jingle Mingle are invited to have lunch while you are shopping. We will offer four different food vendors with a variety of food for everyone to enjoy. Two Hot Tamales, Couyon’s Cajun Café, We Love Nutrition, Ridge Catering: Camp Newaygo with soup in bread bowls, and local Boy Scouts selling pizza by the slice. The Fremont Middle School is located at 500 Woodrow Street, Fremont. Easy directions to get there from Main Street are turn south on Gerber Avenue, which is the corner where Pizza Hut is located, follow Gerber south and it will turn into Woodrow and Fremont Middle School will be located on the south side of the street. There are a few vendor booth spaces left, if you are interested in participating this year contact the Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce for more information! Call (231) 924-0770, email us at [email protected] or stop by our office at 7 E. Main Street, downtown Fremont. Come start your holiday shopping early at the 2022 Jingle Mingle Arts & Crafts Fair! We look forward to seeing you there!   Photo courtesy of Mich. DNR Just in time for Halloween, it’s Bat Week! Whether it’s building bat habitat, learning more about different bat species, bat-watching in the late hours of dusk or other ways to brush up on bats, this international celebration (Oct. 24-31 each year) is the perfect time to spotlight this important species. Michigan is home to nine species of bats, all of which are insectivores – meaning they eat exclusively insects. During the evening hours, these flying mammals consume many insect pests including mosquitoes, beetles, moths and flies. Unfortunately, many bat species are facing challenges. The DNR, along with numerous partners, works to conserve bats and bat habitat because many species are in decline due to habitat loss, diminished food supply and disease. White-nose syndrome is a deadly disease that affects North American bats primarily during their winter hibernation and has devastated many bat species. Infected bats prematurely awaken from hibernation, rapidly deplete their fat reserves and do not survive the winter. Bats with this disease often exhibit unusual behavior, like flying during daylight hours or gathering outside of hibernacula (mines and caves) in cold weather. Here are a few things you can do to help bats:
Learn more about bats and ways you can take action during Bat Week – and all year long – at BatWeek.org. Find more information on Michigan's bat species and ways to help at Michigan.gov/Bats. Questions? Contact the DNR Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453.   Previous hikes with Carmen Marie have included Loda Lake and Coolbaugh Natural Area A guided hike of the Robinson Lake ecosystem area will take place on Sunday, October 30 from 4pm – 6pm. It will begin at the North Country Trail at Echo Drive, and follow the newer section of the trail heading south. Parking is available at Alley Lake on Echo Drive, west of White Cloud and west of Centerline Road. This is a family friendly event along wooded and open paths. Costumes that are easy to hike in are encouraged! Carmen Marie from The Sunhart Center of Ecology & Design will lead this spooky, 3rd edition of the Guided Hike & Gathering Series. It will follow a delicate and rare coastal plain marsh and meander through woods where ecology and plants will be identified along the way. “This hike will have a lot to be scared of: unnerving water levels, frightening fire suppression and sinister invasive species!” informed Carmen Marie. “I invite all of you creatures of the night to learn and share about our role in protecting this unique, fluctuating landscape.” “Feel free to bring otherworldly seeds, chilling conversation, forbidden knowledge, beastly business cards or ghoulish goodies to share,” continues Carmen. “Long pants, water bottles, and questions or comments about this beautiful ecosystem are recommended also. We will have an opportunity to share information about each other and our interests in learning about and protecting our local environment. Please join us!” Carmen Marie Alfaro is the owner of the Sunhart Center of Ecology and Design, a new local L3C business. An L3C (Low-Profit Limited Liability Company) is an entity for entrepreneurs who value purpose. “The Sunhart Center is a social-mission driven business focused on stewarding our Lands for the next 7 Generations,” states Carmen. “I consult on sustainability-focused landscaping design services including permaculture design and installation, integrated food-forest creation and management, native wildflower prairie and wetlands installation, and organic agriculture.” Carmen is also the new Director of the Newaygo County Environmental Coalition, whose mission is to support the beauty and sustainability of Newaygo County through information, education and advocacy. Carpooling is encouraged as parking at Alley Lake Park is limited. This is a free event, although donations accepted to support future guided hikes. Contact [email protected] or (231) 450-4590 for more information. You can also follow on Facebook @Sunhart Center of Ecology and Design and @Newaygo County Environmental Coalition.  Nancy Grabill directing the RC3's first ever spring concert in 2019. Nancy will be directing her first Christmas concert this year. Christmas Choir looking for recruits
One of the coolest events of the Christmas season in the Near North is the concert put on by the River Country Community Choir. It generally comes a bit after the various Christmas strolls held in some of our towns so there has already been a bit of bumping along of the holiday spirit. In 2019 the choir took to the stage for the 31st year performing a memorable musical montage fitting for the season. Then the Pandemic halted the streak at 31 with concerts for ‘20 and ‘21 shelved. Now the Concert is poised to make a most welcome return as the Choir will once again take to the stage to provide some serious holiday spirit to a grateful community. Rehearsals will begin in November to prepare for the December 11 concert. These will be held each Tuesday evening from November 1st to December 6th from 6:30pm- 8:30pm at Family of God Church located at 90 Quarterline St. in downtown Newaygo. The Choir welcomes any adult of high school age or older to participate in this group effort so if you feel like giving the pipes a bit of work while getting to be part of a good time group effort. There are no tryouts, all are welcome. For more information about the choir and/or becoming a member, contact [email protected].  NCCA-Artsplace Fall Community Photography Contest Winners
The NCCA-Artsplace Fall Community Photography Contest is a free annual contest for all ages and all levels of skill. The 2022 contest winners were selected by Bonnie Snodgrass. The first place award was given to Sarah Ames for her photograph “Twisted”. Second place was awarded to Lori Rivera for the entry “Twice as Nice” and Deborah Chrystal was awarded third place for “White Birch in Autumn”. Honorable Mention awards were given to Ruby K. Lavin for "Out to Pasture" and Olivia Dorgan for "Tears of Fall". All entries will be on display through November 5 in the corridor gallery at NCCA-Artsplace, 13 East Main Street in downtown Fremont.  Don’t miss Grand Rapids Ballet School Junior Company’s Spooktacular at the Dogwood Center on Sunday, October 23 at 3:00 p.m.! With witches, mummies, tricks, and treats – a hauntingly good time awaits at this special Halloween ballet with choreography by Junior Company Artistic Director Attila Mosolygo. The ballet's story begins on Halloween night, and a young girl’s only wish is to trick or treat with her older sister and her friends and starts the storyline of the performance. When they refuse to let the youngest tag along, she embarks on a mischievous plan to get their candy. Follow the adventures in their neighborhood with appearances by skeletons, Martians, Frankenstein, and even the Addams Family! This is creepy-crawly fun for the whole family. We invite you to join in the spooky fun by coming in costume, too! Tickets are $17.50 for adults, $10 for children 18 and under and are available through the Dogwood Center Box Office, NCCA-Artsplace in downtown Fremont, or on-line at www.dogwoodcenter.com or click here. For information, phone 231.924.8885. The Dogwood Center is located one mile east of downtown Fremont.  The Vienna Boys Choir will perform on the Dogwood Center Main Stage on Thursday, October 20 at 7:30 p.m. The illustrious group of child musicians has been delighting music lovers across the globe for six centuries with their purity of tone, distinctive charm, and diverse repertoire. The Vienna Boys Choir, a centuries-old entity turned popular touring act, will grace the Dogwood’s main stage and perform medieval to contemporary to experimental music. Leading the group, Oliver Stech became choirmaster of the Vienna Boys Choir in 2011. He has led the choir in numerous concerts and on tours of Europe, Asia, South America, and the USA. Oliver is responsible for the boys' repertoire; he conducts choir and solo rehearsals and prepares the boys for the sung services in Vienna’s Imperial Chapel. When the choristers take the stage, it will be obvious to the audience that the boys are not simply singing the notes; they are truly absorbing the music and displaying their understanding of the composers and the compositions. One thing you can guarantee from the Vienna Boys Choir: they give value for your ticket! The Vienna Boys Choir is based in Vienna, Austria. Boys that sing in the renowned group are between the ages of 10 and 14. Tickets are $17.50 for adults, and $10 for youth 18 and under. Tickets are available online at www.dogwoodcenter.com, at the Dogwood Box Office, or at NCCA-Artsplace in downtown Fremont or click here. The Dogwood Center Box Office is open Tuesday - Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. For information, phone 231.924.8885. The Dogwood Center is located one mile east of downtown Fremont.   Newaygo Marching Band takes to the field, preparing to perform  In formation, while the on-field judge makes notes near the props Story and Photos by Tara Hefferan As competitors in the Michigan Competing Band Association (MCBA), Newaygo Marching Band knows hard work and long days. The band is at the high school before 8:00 AM on this Saturday, October 8, to rehearse ahead of their performance at Rudness Field in Belding later in the day. The morning consists of fine-tuning movements and music for their 2022 show, Take Shape. Under Director Branden Listh and Assistant Director Megan Funk, the Newaygo Band Program nurtures a community focused on giving its best. To do so requires an army of volunteers, parents and former band members, who help to load trailers, prepare lunches and dinners, and move equipment and props. In the case of marching band, it takes a village to raise a performance. The village is in full operation by late morning, as the focus shifts from rehearsal to logistical preparation. The band arrives at the Belding Band Invitational at 3:00 PM, and the students begin warm-ups. The musicians wear traditional black, gray, and white uniforms, with military-inspired shako caps topped with white ornamental plumes. The color guard sports black suits with bright neon designs that reflect the Take Shape theme. Newaygo Marching Band looks professional and ready to compete, but they first must move all their equipment from the loading area to the performance field. This is not an easy feat, as the route is an active road with its share of hills. With a police escort, the village hand-pushes wheeled pallets of microphones and other sound equipment, large instruments like drums and xylophones, and props first down, then back up the hills.  Taking cues from the drum major At the pit gate entrance, the band discusses final details until they are given the okay to move toward the field. There, the band waits with backs turned to the field to avoid watching the band currently performing. As that band exits, Newaygo is cleared to enter the field. The pace is furious, as students, staff, and volunteers move quickly to set up the props, plug in electrical equipment, position microphones, and complete seemingly another hundred necessary tasks. Then, it is showtime, as the announcer introduces Newaygo Marching Band, noting that Newaygo has twice won State Championship titles, in 2010 and 2012. The announcer then presents Drum Major Alexandria Bruwer, who salutes the crowd, then removes the shako to symbolize the start of the performance. The band performs three musical selections: “The Canyon” by Philip Glass, “First Circle” by Pat Metheny, and “Take Shape” by Tom Weidner. Newaygo’s forty-four band members are electric, with beautiful movement, crisp marching, and graceful formations. While watching the show, the crowd is attentive and mostly quiet, except for spontaneous applause to recognize shifts in music, and exceptional movement and sound. Mr. Listh says, “Our 3rd movement really brings the music together and wraps up our show very well. It has elements that we have not done in the past, and we are very excited to get it on the field for our audience. During this movement where we have our entire battery section taking off their drums and playing on floor toms to create a new texture of music for the listener.” Indeed, the audience shows its appreciation with thunderous applause. Then, the show is over, and everyone moves quickly to disassemble props, gather equipment, and leave the field.
In marching competitions, bands are penalized for not entering and exiting the field in the allotted time frame. Mr. Listh says, “We have only 3 minutes and 15 seconds to set up and warm-up. At that time there's an announcement introducing our band. If we do not play within 30 seconds of the start of the announcement we get penalized for every 3 seconds after the start of the announcement. During our show, we have to have 6 minutes on the field, and if we are short of that time, we again will be penalized for every 3 seconds we are short of that 6-minute performance time. We have a total of 14 minutes on the field, so whatever is left over after our performance is complete is how much time we have left to vacate the field.” Newaygo is well prepared today, completing its set up and take down well within the allowed time, which makes Mr. Listh proud. This rigid control of time shapes distinctive periods in the performance cycle: pre-show, during show, and post-show. Pre- and post-show, the energy is frenetic and focused on mundane details of performance management and production. No one wants to be penalized for being too slow to set up or tear down the performance space. But, during the show, the energy is magical, transporting the crowd in a shared experience of music and pageantry that only marching band performances can create.
 Color guard in action At the same time, though, this is a competition, and seven adjudicators score performances using a 100-point scale. Mr. Listh describes the scoring: “Competitions are scored based on three captions. Music (How well the band plays), Visual (How well the band marches), and General Effect (How well did the show portray its meaning to the audience). Music and Visual get a total score out of 30 each and General Effect gets a total score out of 40. For a total of 100 points. There are two judges that judge each caption, one is on the field and the other is in the press box.” Scores are presented after all bands in each flight have performed. The award ceremony itself is visually striking, as representatives from each school form a long line facing the crowd. The varied marching band uniforms and color guard fashions are set side by side, and then the announcer reveals overall placement. Six bands have performed in Flight IV today, though host Belding gave an exhibition performance only, so will not be ranked in the competition. The final rankings are: 5th place: Durand, with a score of 68.65 4th place: Tri-County, with a score of 73.5 3rd place: Newaygo, with a score of 74.9 2nd place: Comstock Park, with a score of 76.2 1st place: Kent City, with a score of 80.5 and Music, Visual, and General Effect Caption Awards  Drum Major Alexandria Bruwer accepts the 3rd Place trophy on behalf of Newaygo Marching Band Commenting on Newaygo’s score, Mr. Listh says “Today's score was great for the kids. It really showed how well they improved from the previous competition, from a 63.7 [last week] to a 74.9 [today]. That is a huge jump, and the kids know they improved.” Mr. Listh continues, “We would just like to thank everyone for coming out to our performances during football games and competitions. It is really great looking up in the stands and hearing the audience cheer the students on for their hard work. Thank you!” Following the awards ceremony, the students and staff board the buses to return to Newaygo, where they will unload the trailers, put away uniforms and instruments, and reflect on the performance. Their day ends past 8:00 PM, twelve hours after it first began. Hard work. Long days. This is the heart of Newaygo Marching Band, which gives both its student participants and the wider community the gift of good music. So, thank you Newaygo Marching Band. You make Newaygo proud. Newaygo Marching Band competes again next Saturday, October 15 at 6:10 PM at the Sparta Invitational at Sparta High School.  Posing with the award  The “other” march, from performance field to loading area  What's Going On This Weekend & Five Ways to Find Fall Fun
Newaygo Until last week’s tour of the Heritage Museum we didn’t know Newaygo’s Farmers Market had moved inside for the next couple months or so. What an outstanding idea to extend the season of one of our favorite summertime weekly stops. 2-5pm and check out the gift shop while you’re there. Cool stuff. Open Mike Night is back in Newaygo. Flying Bear Books is hosting weekly sessions on Fridays from 6-9pm. And hey, rumor has it local songstress Sandi Bernard is going to reprise her role as facilitator of the event which means we’ll get to hear her croon a few tunes in between. White Cloud It’s the second weekend of Anne of Avonlea at Stage Door Players theater in White Cloud. Week 2 is always a great time to see the play with the cast having a couple of shows under their belt. Friday and Saturday at 7pm Grant Nelson’s Market Fall Festival. Hay rides, a pumpkin patch, games and prizes for kids, face painting (for kids too we assume) and…well you get the picture . Saturday 10am-4pm Longer Drive Made in Michigan Marketplace Wildflower Schoolhouse 11am-3pm Meet local artisans and shop for goods you won't find in stores at the Made-In-Michigan Marketplace coming to Wildflower Schoolhouse in Trufant, MI. 11am to 3pm on Saturday 239 First St,Trufant, Got a weekend event coming up? Let us know. |
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