An Outpouring of Angst Over the Loss of an Icon
By Ken DeLaat Ok, for the 4 or 5 people in the county who didn’t read, comment, share, critique, and/or emoji (like, sad, wow ,mad, care etc.) regarding the article we ran on the departure of Family Fare (aka Not Bill’s)… The store is closing. We ran a headline with the question ‘One Too Many?’ referencing the oft discussed debate as to whether the area could support the four grocery stores on the west end of Fremont. But other than the timing, the addition of Aldi’s had little to do with the decision to end the 50 year run of the store. As many have opined in reference to our article for whatever reasons the doors were destined to be closed long before Aldi’s brought their bring-a-quarter brand to town. We have appreciated the number of comments that can be found at the end of our story and hope folks will take time to read them. https://www.nearnorthnow.com/news/one-too-many-family-fare-to-close Those and the many found on local social media make one thing clear. Bill’s, as it once was, is missed. There are many reasons of course. Many have been longtime customers who found the store to be user friendly in an uber-local way. Its size and layout promoted an inclusionary culture that reflected in the friendly relationships between staff and customers. Bill’s wasn’t just a store, Bill’s was a neighbor. And it isn’t just Bill's. As Gary Deuling said in the comment section following our story “Just another part of hometown service gone forever.” He mentioned other icons of Fremont’s past that have long since departed and echoed a chorus heard throughout many small towns across the country of how everything seems to be changing. Change is tough. Most people resist it. Change can be scary and sad to be sure but it also can bring new opportunities and add to the quality of life for a community. As our friend and occasional N3 contributor Lola Harmon-Ramsey commented on our fb post after also lamenting the loss of what Bill’s once was, “Our town is growing and we can celebrate that. The hospital and other amenities Fremont offers brings people from neighboring communities and will continue to do so. I know we will all be interested in seeing what this very busy and very important corner turns into!” Few will celebrate the loss of the many amenities Bill’s brought to their cadre of committed consumers and to feel sadness over the expiration of their unique brand of customer service is certainly warranted. But as the Greek Philosopher Heraclitus is quoted as saying, “Change is the only constant in life.” Even in small towns. “You can't stop the future You can't rewind the past The only way to learn the secret ...is to press play.” -Jay Asher, Thirteen Reasons Why
0 Comments
 State Senator Rick Outman “I was in the House of Representatives when Right to Work passed, and on that day, we sent a message to Michigan workers and Michigan businesses that we were focused on growth and economic prosperity, and that they had our support,” said Outman, R-Six Lakes. “The passage of Right to Work put an ‘open for business’ sign in the window of this state and the Democrats are now turning that sign around to read ‘closed’ and shutting the lights off. “It is not a coincidence that our state’s economy has flourished since Right to Work was signed into law. Median household income is up, employee benefits have outpaced inflation, and manufacturing in Michigan has grown well beyond states without Right to Work protections. Today, the Democratic majority voted in favor of their union supporters and told the rest of the state’s workers they are a secondary priority. “In addition to voting to repeal Right to Work, Senate Democrats also voted to reinstate the state’s previous prevailing wage law, which has been shown to inflate construction costs on government projects. “One of our most important obligations as lawmakers is the responsible use of taxpayer dollars. The cost of a construction project being increased by 10 to 15% based solely on the fact that public employees work in the building is both senseless and wasteful. Prevailing wage unnecessarily inflates costs and takes funding away from schools and higher education institutions, and most importantly: Michigan taxpayers. “I think time will show the efforts passed by the Senate today as the mistakes that they are.” -Rick Outman, State Senator, 33rd District  Lindsay Isenhart delivers instruction to the PITA participants on their latest project By Ken DeLaat A decade ago a partnership between the Newaygo County Juvenile Court and the NCCA Artsplace created a new program. With funding from the Fremont Area Community Foundation the initiative paired youth who were involved in the juvenile justice system with creative, hands-on art activities guided by an artist with a bit of a personal investment in the initiative. It was called PITA or Positive Impact Through the Arts. NCCA Artsplace Program Coordinator Lindsay Isenhart: “PITA was a wonderful idea that jingled around in our heads for a while. Then finally the right grant opportunity came up that fit it. When I was a young teenager I grew up in kind of a rough family life and I could have gone two directions with my angst and insecurities and all that teenage stress and change that goes on. I could have gotten in a whole lot of trouble. I could have poured that into running around, drinking and hanging with friends that were less than desirable and instead, I met the Jansmas.” Ray Jansma was a local artist whose works can be found throughout the area and beyondnand Phyliis, his wife, was a musician who taught many young people in the Fremont area. Years ago they held art sessions at the studio on their Ramshorn Drive property. “I was asked to come over and model for a drawing group and I fell in love with all these people around me doing art. They weren’t judgy, they were just people making amazing art. Some of them were good, some were kind of meh but they were all getting together on Tuesdays and making art. “I started going there on Tuesdays. First I was modeling, then I was making art, then I started spending time in the studio. I was surrounded by these generous people who gave of their time and talent and got me plugged into a positive outlet for my energy. I found people who were accepting in a safe and creative environment and art was my outlet. “Anyway, I thought ‘you know what? It worked for me so let’s throw it out there to other kids’. "We were talking about where to find the kids and kicked around getting referrals from the high schools or running an after school program and Marianne said ‘I know where to find the kids,’ " Turns out Executive Director Marianne Boerigter had already spoken to Newaygo County Juvenile Services Director Laura Watkins and the program was put together working with young people who were involved with Juvenile Court. I recently had the opportunity to visit one of the sessions where 7 of the art students were embarking on their latest project. One young lady spoke with a broad smile describing a ceramic piece she had created. I asked another student how he felt about attending the class. “ I like it. I find it pretty fun. When I was first told I had to do this class I wasn’t really looking forward to it because I just wanted to go home but I find it interesting to be doing all sorts of different projects.”
Soon the group began in earnest and Lindsay explained the latest endeavor allowing for the inevitable questions. She touched base with each student, talking about the current project and occasionally hearing about something that might have happened in school or at home since their last meeting. Director Watkins sat outside of the room in the hallway having provided rides for some of the kids. “This is the type of program where our kids can come away having had a positive experience,” she stated. “We’ve had no problems with them while they’re here. They really enjoy the art work and often they show their parents with pride what they’ve done. A couple have brought their work to court to show (Probate) Judge Dykman during their hearing and one even gave her the project they created. “Lindsay does a great job. Once they begin they feel real comfortable here and it’s such a positive place for them. We have kids who have had a lot of personal trauma and we’ve seen so much isolation and depression, especially since COVID. She is good at making them feel comfortable and providing a safe and positive outlet to help rebuild self esteem.” The creative collaboration that gave birth to PITA is a prime example of what can happen when a need is combined with an intervention which receives an assist from a funding source. The result is the type of initiative that not only provides a positive immediate outcome but also plants positive seeds that can come to fruition down the road. Director Marianne Boerigter: “The program not only provides the kids with great art experiences...it is more than that. It is a chance to be themselves and express themselves in a constructive way. It is positive socialization with kids their own age as well as with the adult instructors and the court staff. It is a place for them to be engaged with others in a safe and inclusive way. The NCCA-Artsplace is pleased to be able to provide positive experiences as the kids work through changing their personal actions and decisions for the better. “A lot of the kids had been through the system before,” added Isenhart.” Some of them have been through the system again and again but I didn’t care how they got there or what their circumstances were. I cared that when they came to class with me it was a safe space and that they’re going to learn something cool in a positive way to express themselves. Whether it was their jam or not, whether they liked what we learned that day didn’t matter. They gave it a try. Some of these kids have connected to community theater, some have connected to graphic design jobs, some have gone on in other successful roles and some broke my heart but they had a positive experience. They’ve come back and said ‘I remember being in the group and I remember what we made and how amazing it was,’”  New skills help develop creative outlets From the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention For at-risk and justice-involved youths, the arts can provide an outlet for addressing emotional and/or problem behaviors through opportunities to learn new skills, develop new talents, and express thoughts and ideas in creative and therapeutic ways. Similarly, for youths dealing with trauma or victimization (including exposure to violence), the arts can help them to cope with painful experiences by fostering resiliency . Creating art can strengthen a youth’s problem-solving skills, autonomy, sense of purpose, and social competence. Moreover, art can help encourage positive emotions and strength, allowing youths to view themselves as survivors and not as victims.  A safe space. NCCA Artsplace. This, That & The Other: Weather Shifts, A Softball Memory, Tunes On Tap & Butterflies Beckon2/20/2023  By Ken DeLaat 1. Here’s what I love about this patch of peninsular paradise we reside in. The picture above was taken on Saturday February 11th when a veritable armada of ice boats were cruising around in front of N3 World Headquarters & Winter Sowing Systems. My Lifetime Spousal Companion Lil took these shots. Directly below was taken 4 days later capturing a group of early arrivals enjoying the open water across the lake. How do you not love a place that does its best to keep us entertained with such meandering meteorological movement.  2. As I was posting the recent article in N3 about Tamarac’s newest fitness instructor Mckenze TerVeer it brought back memories of covering softball for the T-I back when she was striking out opponents and crushing the ball for the Packers. I had been making the rounds of local fields and had yet to take in the Fremont team. As per usual I settled in along the fence on the third base side a few steps beyond the base, camera in hand. Packer Coach Wendy St. Pierre eyed my position and strolled over with a bit of advice. “When McKenze (Supernaw) gets up you might want to move back some. If she gets in front of a ball it's going to get down here pretty quick.” The sincerity in her voice gave me caution and I paced off several more steps toward the outfield. It proved to be good advice as she indeed got in front of a pitch and sent an absolute screamer into the area I had just vacated that led me to leap for my safety as it ricocheted off the fence and zipped past me at an alarming rate. I looked over to the Coach’s box in time to see Ms. St. Pierre deliver a nod and a grin. 3. It looks to be a good week for music lovers hereabouts. We understand the Riverstop Cafe in downtown Newaygo has been bringing in live music on Thursdays, across the street on Friday, Flying Bear Books is home to Open Mike NIght and on Saturday Another Round will be at the Dogwood, delighting aficionados of a capella excellence. https://www.nearnorthnow.com/features-and-fun/a-capella-excellence 4. And are you ready for some butterflies? They are on their way to Meijer Gardens for the exquisite exhibit that provides an annual respite from winter along with a dollop of hope that spring is definitely destined to arrive. But these aren’t all your everyday monarchs and swallowtails my friends. We’re talking about beauties from tropical regions that never see ice boats, so if you want to get a glimpse at a blue common morpho or a zebra mosaic head for Meijer Gardens next month. If you know of someone (or are someone) who has never gone before, take them (or you) for the first time and watch the wonder that is likely to unfold. It starts March 1st and if you want to expedite your entry, get your tickets ahead of time online. MeijerGardens.org/tickets That’s it. Read up a bit on virtue signaling, be kind to each other and, as always, eschew obfuscation.  Blue Morpho- Photo courtesy of Meijer Gardens  Initiative at Grant Schools getting national attention
To The Editor: Margaret Mead is famously quoted as saying “ Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Four people from Grant, Teresa Fetterly, Jamie Presler, Mary Suplinskas, and Kevin Akin are those people. They recognized that social media had become a huge problem for the young people in their school and that the students needed guidance on how to use it. All the different negative things from bullying, pornography, and all forms of human trafficking were exploding as everyone became connected to the internet without restraints. These people started looking for answers in order to protect our children. With a lot of hard work they found other people concerned with the issue and established the Newaygo County Human Trafficking Task Force last Spring. The group meets monthly and involves representatives from area schools, law enforcement the courts, and human service agencies. In a short time they have become true leaders at a national level by helping to gett these issues known and finding ways to address them. Their efforts are now starting to result in some real progress and we all need to recognize and applaud this effort. Dale Twing Mr. Twing serves on the NC RESA Board and is an member of the NC Human Trafficking Task Force.  Annabel Livermore's House of the Prophet (2004-2005) Somewhere on Angling Road. Newaygo County. Story by Donna Iverson February is a tough month for flower lovers, as few options are available. Of course, there are houseplants like African violets that bloom in winter. And seed catalogs arrive with photos of new offerings and old favorites. Then there are the local art museums where you can hunt down flower paintings. Most recently, I discovered flower paintings of Newaygo county born artist, Annabel Livermore. A native of West Michigan, Livermore’s flower paintings depict the fauna and flora in parks like Branstrom Park in Fremont, the road north from Newaygo to White Cloud, and Pickerel Lake. Her paintings have been described as dreamlike, otherworldly depictions of the natural world. And now for a plot twist. Annabel Livermore was born James Robert Magee in 1946 in Fremont. He attended Fremont schools and graduated from Albion College. After college, he hiked through West Africa then earned a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania (1971) Since then, he has lived most of his life in El Paso, Texas. He is both a sculptor and poet. In 1976, he suffered severe depression and his doctor suggested he take up painting. He chose watercolors and oils as his medium. During a trip back to Newaygo County, he began painting the flowers of his boyhood environment. It was about this time that Annabel Livermore was born. “With an emotional swelling in her transgender breast, Annabel came into being,” Magee is quoted as saying in a book, titled Remembering Newaygo County, the Symbolist Paintings of Annabel Livermore.” The book, published in 2010, accompanied an exhibit at the museum sponsored by the Fremont Area Community Foundation. Magee continues to paint as Livermore and calls her his “close companion.” Livermore is a pain-staking artist, often taking years to complete a work. Today, she paints from memories of the West Michigan landscape. Livermore’s paintings are presently in storage at the Muskegon Museum of Art. The museum is in the process of building an addition and may choose once again to exhibit this West Michigan local artist’s watercolors. For more pictures of Livermore’s art, visit http://www.kirkhopperfineart.com/livermore.html.  The deadline for high school seniors to apply for scholarships from Fremont Area Community Foundation is March 1. Each year, the Community Foundation awards hundreds of scholarships to Newaygo County students seeking to continue their educations. In 2022, the Community Foundation awarded more than $644,000 in scholarships. These scholarships are all created by generous donors and are tailored to address a wide variety of experiences and circumstances, from planned fields of study to community involvement and extracurricular activities. In addition to scholarships for students planning to attend college or university, the Community Foundation has multiple scholarships created specifically to support students interested in apprenticeships, trade school, certification programs, or other job training programs. Scholarships are available for students pursuing careers in HVAC, building trades, machining, automotive services, and much more. To apply for scholarships, students complete just one general application online. They are then automatically matched for review for any eligible scholarships. For more information or to apply, visit facommunityfoundation.org/scholarships. Applications must be submitted no later than March 1.  Photo by Charles Chandler The White River Watershed Collaborative championed an effective year of conservation in the watershed. This burgeoning collaborative of nonprofit organizations, state and federal agencies, municipalities, and community leaders continued to work together to collect baseline data, initiate strategic restoration efforts, and educate and engage the watershed’s community. Here are some highlights from the past year:
It was a busy and productive 2022 and momentum continues to grow in the White River watershed. The Collaborative is looking forward to a fruitful 2023 working with its members and stewards throughout the watershed. For more details on what the group has been up to, visit https://swmtu.org/conservation/white-river/2022-white-river-watershed-collaborative-highlights The work of the White River Watershed Collaborative is funded in part by a grant from Fremont Area Community Foundation.  By Tim McGrath I wonder once in a while if I spend too much time just staring. Not a creepy, stalker kind of staring; but a hey, isn’t that cool? kind of thing when I see something interesting. I’ve found myself at it from kitchen windows, front steps, car windows, backyards, ball games, desolate stretches of beaches; pretty much everywhere. As a teacher, it wasn’t unusual when one of my kids would come up and stand next to me, look at me staring out the window, look out the window, look back at me, shrug their shoulders and walk off. “Mr. McGrath’s staring out the window again,” was something I heard with some regularity. Of course, remembering my role as the teacher, I’d explain I had just spotted a rabbit, hawk, or … something interesting and, then go off on some story related to what I’d just seen. The kids always seemed to appreciate this new bit of information. Or maybe they were just happy with a break in the routine. Whatever it was, I’ve got this thing for observing extraordinary things happening in the ordinary places all around us. One of my favorite places as a child was on the front steps of my growing up house. In summer, it was wonderful to sit on the front concrete steps that were still warm from the day’s heat, and watch the sun start to set; the sky turning from pinky-orange to deep indigo. Then to hear and see the Nighthawk diving and swooping over the school across the street catching bugs for his last bit of supper before it got too dark. Mom used to look at me when I’d be staring out a window, and in that exasperated tone of hers say, “Those windows could use some washing, not staring out of. Let’s get busy.” Or, “What in the world are you looking at? There’s nothing out there but the front yard! Don’t you have anything better to do than staring out the window? If you can’t find something useful to do, I’ll find something for you.” I suppose it is kind of an odd habit; but guessing it’s probably better than, say, driving around with my mouth hanging open, collecting bellybutton lint, or watching hours of C-Span. At least I’m looking at interesting things. So, here it is, the beginning of a new year, and once again, here I am with forearms propped up on top of the bottom window pane in the dining room just looking out on the picture that unfolds fresh each day. It really is a lovely scene. From where I’m stationed, I look out on a mixed hardwood forest of ancient red and white oak gnarled by long decades of exposure to the elements. Silent sentinels that will most likely be standing long after I’m gone. One white oak in particular has been home to generations of barred owls, which we’ve affectionately dubbed “the owl tree”. On occasion, we can spot an owlish face glaring at us from the hole bored in its trunk. There’s the ancient, dilapidated bluebird nesting box that’s attracted many families of bluebirds, and also its fair share of tufted titmice, deer mice, and even a flying squirrel. There’s stands of beech and poplar, with the occasional hickory scattered in the mix. Interspersed are towering white pines, and there’s a sparkling creek that runs through the middle of the whole thing. Today the gin-colored water is low, snow and ice crusting its banks. There are places where the ice stretches out over the water, and I can see the water gurgling along underneath the crystalline shelf. It flows along, much as it has done for eons, unfazed by events happening in the world. I have to admit, I have a thing for staring out this window. I caught myself at it again the other day. I was in the kitchen doing something, when outside the window by the sink, there was a flurry of activity. Not just a flurry, but a cacophony of chaos. I’d just filled the bird feeder, and the chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, and woodpeckers were swarming it. As I stood there, I noticed none of them crashed into one another. It was well-orchestrated pandemonium. How‘d they do it? That’s also when I watched one teeny little chickadee sitting on the top, waiting. What was interesting is how he/she was sitting. Obviously cold, it fluffed out its feathers thus trapping the warm air around its diminutive little body. A teensy husk of fluffiness. Amazing. That’s not all, of course. Each of those species by the feeder has their own incredible ways of being. Reminds me that the world outside all our kitchen windows is astounding in so many ways. And that doesn’t take into account the fascinating planet we live on with all its beauty and mysteries, many yet to be discovered. What about the all the breathtaking things that lie beyond our little blue ball whizzing through the galaxy? I get a kick out of looking at photos of the Milky Way with an arrow pointing to where Earth is with a big “You are here!” showing us our place in the vastness of the cosmos. It’s like a postcard you would send to someone back home when on vacation in Las Vegas. Did you know that a gram of fertile soil can contain up to one billion bacteria, some of which haven’t been named yet? I learned that long ago in seventh grade science class. We were charged with staking out a one square yard of earth at our houses and be meticulous in observing and recording all the things we observed living in that space. What we thought was just our backyards of grass, dandelions, abandoned plastic army men who’d been cruelly dispatched with a fusillade of Black Cat firecrackers, dog turds, and other muck; in reality, turned out to be this incredible world of microorganisms, fungi, bacteria, and insects. Ever heard of nematodes? Me neither, at least not until then. Some are harmful, and can cause disease and damage to the roots of plants but some are also beneficial. They work together with bacteria to paralyze, kill and eat other harmful parasites. Who would’ve thought these battles were happening right under our noses? So interesting to think of these living things working in harmony to create a thriving and sustainable world almost invisible to us clueless Homo sapiens clumping along. Even as seventh graders, we were astounded by the intricacy of it. It’s a whole world that most of us don’t pay much attention to, yet without it, life on earth wouldn’t function. Amazing, right? So many things in the natural world are truly astonishing. How in the world do Monarch butterflies find their way back and forth from North America to southwest Mexico each year? Their brains are the size of a head of a pin, for heaven’s sake. Or hummingbirds? Had a hummingbird feeder in front of that kitchen window of ours, and without fail, sometime mid-May there would be a male ruby throated hummingbird hovering in front of the window waiting for me to put the feeder out. Was it the same one each year? Who knows, but the fact it was waiting for me to get with program and get that feeder out made me wonder. I also just found out that the night of this past September 1st there were 557 million birds migrating all around the country. Wisconsin alone had over 48 million migrating that night. They caught all this on weather radar which appears as massive moving clouds on their screens. I’m not much of a birder, but have always wondered how migratory birds know what to do. How in the world do they know not only where to go, but how to find their way there? Scientists studying these things have said they use earth’s magnetic field as a sort of birdy radar - birdar. It’s also believed they combine this with the positions of the sun and moon to help them navigate. What’s got me scratching my head, though, is why do those birds that are the long-distance migrators – the ones that travel from North America to Central or South America – why do they bother coming back north in the spring? Wouldn’t it just be easier to stay right there in the tropics? Another one of those mysteries that have bird experts hypothesizing about the how and why of the whole operation. It’s been interesting to see how in the last few years there’s been an uptick in people learning to keep honeybees. Growing up in a family of blueberry farmers, I had ample opportunity to see how these fascinating little insects live and survive. Each spring we brought in several large truckloads of hives to pollinate the blossoms. Without them, our crop would have been meager, at best. I had the opportunity to learn that there’s a very regimented hierarchy of roles that exist in the hive, without which the hive would collapse. But none is more important than the queen. She lives for about one-two years, and in that time, she can lay anywhere from 1,500 - 3,000 eggs per day. That’s more than her body weight each day. But heaven help her if she stops producing. Some of the other worker bees will surround her, and create a mass of bees known as a murderball. They actually suffocate her, or cause her to overheat; then it's curtains for the old gal. Out the front door she goes, then on to the next queen. These guys aren’t fooling around. It’s awe inspiring to realize that these little insects are responsible for allowing us to have the incredible variety of foods we eat. And they’re just a small part in this giant system of interconnected things. When you think about it, our natural world contains an almost infinite number of amazing things from plants to animals, insects, and the unseen world of microorganisms. That doesn’t even take into account the physical forces that unify the entire universe: gravitational force, weak nuclear force, electromagnetic force, and strong nuclear force: the entire world of particle physics. Mostly incomprehensible, yet absolutely essential to keep everything working together. The natural world isn’t the only thing that’s incredible. We humans are fascinating in our own right. The complexities of our bodies and minds, the way we learn, how we grasp languages, music, art, our creativity, our emotions, how we organize into social groups are simply mind blowing when you consider it. The ways entire civilizations rise, thrive and fall is remarkable. I’ve often wondered how the ancient Egyptians and Mayans engineered and built the pyramids only using what we’d call very rudimentary technology. And those structures, still standing, leave us scratching our heads, wondering, how’d they do that? When we’re not cooking up ways to destroy each other and the world around us, there’s a significant number of pretty amazing things that we humans have created and accomplished, in addition to all the ancient architecture those that came long before us imagined. Here’s a few inventions I’ve come across that have, arguably, changed the world, mostly for the better: The wheel; the printing press; vaccines (in spite of what some might think); electricity; light bulb; internal combustion engine; automobile; airplane; telephone; radio; television; the internet; the computer. It’s hard to imagine what life would be like without, say, electricity. Or for us denizens of the twenty first century, the computer and internet. Makes me wonder what comes next. So, as I leap into this new year, I think I’ll keep on staring, keep on wondering, keep on looking out on all the amazing things right there in front of me. “To be more childlike, you don’t have to give up being an adult. The fully integrated person is capable of being both an adult and a child simultaneously. Recapture the childlike feelings of wide-eyed excitement, spontaneous appreciation, cutting loose, and being full of awe and wonder at this magnificent universe.” – Wayne Dyer, author  Speaker Series offers opportunity to listen...and maybe even learn
By Ken DeLaat After the holidays many return to the gym of their choice, right? It’s a way of helping the body get a bit of healthy movement going again. I admit to a bit of a pullback from what is probably an already inconsistent exercise regimen during times like the holidays when I can find ample excuses to forego working out. “Wow, I need to go to the gym but it’s not like those cookies are going to eat themselves, right?” or ‘I could probably get there this afternoon but I noticed Die Hard is on at 3 and you know how I love Christmas movies.” Thus, once we begin venturing into January my attendance sees an upswing and I strive to get back to my semi-regular routine (can a routine be semi-regular?) and reacquaint myself with the various machines as well as the pool and walking track at Tamarac. I also reacquaint myself with the initial days of post exercise soreness created as punishment for my procrastination. If you think about it there’s also the post holiday mind to consider and for that we have some good news. We are on the very cusp of a series of intellectual workouts that will provide intervention for any post holiday emotional ennui or even just the lingering malaise an ongoing spate of sunless weather can produce. The January Series gets under way tomorrow. If you are acquainted with attending this mid winter classic at the Dogwood you likely have already marked off the dates of your selected speakers on your phone calendar. If you’re a novice and after years of saying you were going to go but didn't you are committed to going this year for pinky swear certain? Congrats and well done. You won’t regret the time spent and will likely become a regular. The Dogwood has hosted these for years and it remains one of those things that helps in getting many of us who tend to eschew snowmobiling and ice fishing through the winter. This series begins Monday with an intriguing look at the way our bodies interact with the world around us as Dr. Sara Hendren challenges listeners to explore preconceived notions about why things are designed as they are and how the world could be more accommodating to all people. And this is what I love about the Speaker Series. It challenges those who attend to listen to ideas that may not have occurred to them and hopefully process their reaction in a healthy, non judgemental manner. Because believe me, we could all use a little more polishing when it comes to listening skills. Most people are either learners or knowers . Knowers tend to be a bit handicapped when it comes to listening. In an era when opinions pass for knowledge there are few things more refreshing than to hear credible people speak on a subject they have a deep sense of connection to. On Tuesday Monica Guzman steps to the mike. She is the author of I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times. Great title. Ms. Guzman is a senior fellow with Braver Angels, the cross-partisan grassroots organization working to help depolarize our wonderful country. Some may recall there was a Braver Angels workshop held in Newaygo this past fall. https://www.nearnorthnow.com/the-pulse/like-an-olive-branch I would challenge those who reside entrenched in the camps of the right or left leaning to attend this one. While recognizing how some may dismiss any attempt at the possibility of common ground (generally the knowers), those who have yet to relinquish the concept of open-mindedness might find this one fruitful. And those are just the first two. There are 13 more running through Friday the 27th of January which means after the series we have gotten through a good third of winter and it’s time to begin going through the seed catalogs in earnest. So get yourself to the Dogwood this week. Here’s the skinny: The January Series lectures will be video streamed live at the Dogwood Center, 4734 S. Campus Court, Fremont, from 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, January 9 - 27. The lectures are free and open to the public. The Black Box will be available for seating and attendees may bring their lunch. View the speaker schedule at www.dogwoodcenter.com and pick out which ones you will be attending! N3 Note: We would like to hear from you as to your opinion on one or any of the series you might attend. Send your review, comments, feedback, whatever, to info@nearnorthnow.com and type in 'January Series' in the subject and we will post your views on any of the ideas you hear expressed over the next 3 weeks. |
Letter to the Editor PolicyNear North Now welcomes original letters from readers on current topics of general interest. Simply fill out the form below. Letters submissions are limited to 300 words. Archives
March 2023
Categories |
RSS Feed