Vol2019:03 - February 1, 2019

Calendar 3 Sports 9 Out & About 2 Obituaries 4 Houses of Worship 3 Business Directory 6 Opinion 12

Since 2014Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to

test a man’s character, give him power. ~ Abraham Lincoln

A destination design center for Kalkaska

By Tina Norris FieldsKALKASKA - It can be hard to put a dream into words. Having a clear vision of the future plans one is trying to put in motion doesn’t mean it will be easy to explain that vision to others. But, there is such an effort going on right now, on US 131 just north of Kalkaska, as Homeland Building Products undergoes a beautiful renovation.When it is finished, the store itself will be a showcase for the building products that are available for the customer. Dave and Karen Findley are creating an atmosphere of colle-gial collaboration with vendors, suppliers, and specialists to bring to life their vision of a “des-tination design center” for Kalkaska.Homeland is not going to be the Kalkaska version of Menard’s. Its offerings will not nec-essarily have the lowest prices, although the prices will be competitive. In the balancing act of price versus quality, Homeland will come down on the side of quality. Of course, if people consider how much it actu-ally costs them in time and transportation to travel to Traverse City to make purchases, they will see a great benefit to taking their design projects to Homeland, right here in Kalkaska. Homeland provides a local option for custom-ers, a place to find everything needed to build or remodel a home, from the ground up. One key to the success of this vision is to hire very good people, and build collaborative part-nerships with professional specialists. There is a full-time kitchen and bath specialist on staff, with more than 20 years’ experience and strong creative design capabilities.Another key is to have a clear mission state-ment. Here is the mission statement from Homeland Building Products:

Homeland Building Products strives for “Win-Win” solutions with one another, our customers, community and vendors using Integrity, Compassion and Excellence as action tools for collectively working to improve our performance in all our rela-tionships.

Community mem-bers who are in any way associated with the Kalkaska High School will recog-nize the underlying philosophy in this statement. Karen and Dave want to work with the community and the schools, pro-jecting these same qualities that are vital to human interactions.How does an enter-prise like Homeland Building Products overcome the prob-lem of people not really knowing the business is here, or the tendency of people to hop in the car and drive to Traverse City when they need something? One part of that solution is to be involved in community projects. Dur-ing a recent interview, this reporter learned that Homeland is one of the sponsors for the big new scoreboard at the football field. They are doing that because they believe in the schools. One of their long-term plans is to sponsor a build proj-ect, recruit customers to help get kids involved for a building they can auction or raffle off and have the proceeds go right back to the schools. In the interview this reporter was privileged to have with Homeland, the theme of quality came

up over and over again. It is a guiding factor in their decision making. An example of that is their policy of purchasing higher quality lumber, so that there is not much waste. Waste is a cost, and the prudent buyer will take that into consideration. This reporter asked what Home-land’s management especially want’s the world to know. The answer was: “Our goal is to be a quality business that people know they’re going to find qual-ity when they come here.” They are striving to build a “destina-tion design center for Kalkaska

and surrounding areas to give people a local option. Come see their neighbors and friends, share a bag of popcorn, have a coffee. We have people here who like coming to work, who like the people they work with. And we just want to set Kalkaska on fire again, you know, give it a boost.”

Employees and vendors are actually helping with the remodel. Everything being used in the renovation, except the new sign, is something that is available in the store. The new walkways in the floor will be showcasing the different flooring treatments available. The Shou Sugi ban Japanese technique for preserving wood by charring it is offered and examples of it are included in the renovation. The remodel itself, thus becomes a showcase for the materials and projects available to the customer.Homeland is always looking for quality people to hire.

Getting ready to welcome in the excited show guests. Standing from L to R: Karen Findley, Cathy Sosenko, David Findley

Questions & Answers! L to R: Gemeral Manager Ralph Lobaito, Karen Findley, Kevin Siler, David Findley Setting up the new display at the Home Builders Show

VoiceThe good news in Kalkaska County & the surrounding area

FREE!Northwest Michigan

Since 1921 Buick - Chevrolet

302 W Mile Rd, Kalkaska 231-258-9178

2Northwest MI VoiceVol2019:03 - February 1, 2019

Editor’s note: This space is free to community organizations to promote events which are of benefit to the residents in and around Kalkaska County.Email your information to tina.fieldsmedia@gmail.com or debbieomi@hotmail.comPlease include date and time of the event, a contact number or email address. Do not include prices.

Out & About

SENIOR & COMMUNITY MEALSSenior Lunch (Kalkaska COA), Senion Center, 303 S Coral St, no res-ervation required, contact 231-258-5030 When: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, 11:30 am for salad bar, lunch at noon Senior Lunch, Mancelona Senior Center, 122 E State St, RSVP to Donna at 231-587-9131 When: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri noonSenior Lunch, Central Lake Govern-mental Building, 1622 N M-88, Central Lake, contact Sharon at 231-350-8217 or 231-544-6687 for reservations When: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, 12:00pmSenior Breakfast, (Kalkaska COA) Senior Center, 303 S Coral St, no reservation required, contact 231 258-5030 When: Mon, 8 to 9 amCommunity Meal, Mancelona United Methodist Church, 117 W Hinman, Mancelona, canceled if Mancelona schools are closed due to inclement weather, contact 231-587-8461 When: Tue, except holidays, 5 to 6 pmSenior Lunch (Kalkaska COA), Bear Lake Township Hall, 198 E. Bear Lake Rd, RSVP between 8:30 and 9 am to Iola at 941-270-1549 When: Tue, Thu, 12 - 12:30 pm Senior Lunch (Kalkaska COA), South Boardman Senior Cen-ter, 4859 Pine St SW, RSVP to Shirley by 9:30 am at 231-369-2700 When: Tue, Thu, 12:30 - 1 pmSenior Lunch (Kalkaska COA) Clear-water Township Hall, 5440 River St NW, Rapid City, RSVP by 8:30 am to Connie at 231-564-2794 When: Wed, 12 - 12:30 pmCommunity Meal, Kalkaska United Methodist Church, 2525 Beebe Rd, canceled if Kalkaska schools are closed due to inclement weather, dona-tions accepted, contact 231-258-2820 When: Wed, except holidays, 5 - 6 pm Senior Lunch (Grand Traverse COA) Fife Lake Library, 77 Lakecrest Ln, must RSVP by Monday prior, 231-879-4101 When: 1st & 3rd Wed, 12 noon (coffee hour at 11 am),

Easy Meals Fundraiser for Ameri-can Legion, Dale H Wheeler American Legion Post 219, 10283 M-113, Fife Lake, takeout available, contact 231-879-4475 When: Thu, 5 - 7 pmSenior Breakfast, (Kalkaska COA) Senior Center, 303 S Coral St, no reservation required, Build-Your-Own-Omelet, contact 231-258-5030 When: Fri, 8 to 9 amPasties & Pot Pies For Sale, Coldsprings Excelsior Township Area (CETA) Hall, 6615 County Rd 612, (to confirm dates and availability, call 231-258-9912) When: Fri , 1 - 3 pmFood Pantry & Potluck Lunch, Torch Lake Assembly of God, 9456 Valley Rd NW, Rapid City, donations accepted, contact Christine at 231-331-6246 When: Fri 11 am-2 pm except holidaysAll-You-Can-Eat Fish Fry, Dale H. Wheeler American Legion Post 219, 10283 M-113, Fife Lake, contact 231-879-4475 When: 1st Fri , 4:30 - 7:30 pm Al-You-Can-Eat Breakfast, Kalkaska Eagles, 15854 M-72 West, contact 989-348-8393 When: 1st Sat, 9-11 am.VFW & Central LakeAmVets Monthly Breakfast, 1805 S Main St, Central Lake, serving pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, sausage gravy & biscuits, hash-browns, toast, and beerages, contact 231-544-6455 When: 1st Sun, 9 am to 12 pmPancake Breakfast Buffet, Dale H. Wheeler American Legion Post 219, 10283 M-113, Fife Lake, WW II veterans eat free, proceeds benefit veterans and community programs, contact 231-879-4475 When: 2nd Sun , 8 am - noon

BINGO, CARDS & BOARD GAMESEuchre, CETA Hall, 6615 CR-612 NE, contact 231-587-9475 When: Mon 7 pmMah-Jong, Helena Township Community Center, 8751 Helena Rd, Alden, all levels of skill welcome, contact 231-331-4318 When: Tue 1 - 4 pm (starts Jan 8)Euchre, (Kalkaska COA), Senior Center, 303 S Coral St, contact 231-258-5030 When: 1st & 3rd Tue, 1 pmCards & Board Games, (Kalkaska COA), Senior Center, 303S Coral St, contact 231 258-5030 When: 2nd & 4th Tue, 1 pmNovice Mentored Duplicate Bridge, Helena Township Commu-nity Center, 8751 Helena Rd, Alden. Contact Lou at 248-770-6152 Whwn: Wed, 12:30 to 3:30 pm, excet the first Wed of each monthJackpot Bingo, (Kalkaska COA), Senior Center, 303 S Coral St, fundraiser for the Senior Center, contact 231-258-5030 When: Wed, doors open at 4 pm, warm ups start at 5 pm, regular games 6 pm

Bunco, Kalkaska VFW Post 8684, 408 Hyde St, bring a dish/snack to pass, contact 231-258-9757 When: Wed 6:30 pmPinochle , CETA Hall, 6615 CR-612 NE, contact 231-587-1255 When: Wed 6:30 pmEuchre, Fife Lake Library, 77 Lake-crest Lane, contact 231-879-4101 When: 1st & 3rd Wed, 11 amEucchre, CETA Hall, 6615 CR-612 NE, contact 231-587-9475 When: Thu 7 pmEuchre, Kalkaska VFW Post 8684, 408 Hyde St, contact 231-258-9757 When: Fri 7 pmJackpot Bingo, Dale H. Wheeler Ameri-can Legion Post 219, 10283 M-113, Fife Lake, must be 18+, contact 231-879-4475 When: 3rd Sun, doors open at 2 pm, games begin at 3 pm

CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIESLapsit Story Time, Central Lake District Library, 7900 Maple St, sto-ries, songs, activities, snacks, and FUN, contact 231-544-2517 When: Mon, 10:30 - 11:30 amBoy/Cub Scouts, Kalkaska United Methodist Church, 2525 Beebe Rd, boys kindergarten and older, first meet-ing of the new year is September 10, contact Terri at 231 384-0417 When: Mon, 6:30 pm Story Time, Mancelona Township Library, 202 State St, Mancelona, designed for children ages 3-7, but children of all ages are welcome. Contact 231-587-9451 When: Tue, 3:30 pmCooking with Jesus, Mancelona Free Methodist Church, 10725 Darragh Rd (County Rd 571), Mancelona, for ages 4 through mid-dle school, contact 231 587-4968 When: Tue, 6:30 to 7:30 pmLego-Rama, Kalkaska County Library, 247 S. Cedar St, open to ages 5 and up, build anything you can imagine, contact 231 258-941 When: 4th Tue, 3:30 pmWigglers Story Time, Kingsley Branch Library, 213 S. Brownson, Kingsley, open for ages 0-5 years, books, music, crafts, and movement, contact 231 263-5484 When: Tues & Wed, 10:30-11:30 amStory Hour, Bellaire Public Library, 111 S Bridge St, Bellaire, open to chil-dren ages 0-5 and their caretakers, stories, crafts, snacks, contact 231 533-8814When: Wed, 11 am.WASP- Wednesday After School Pro-gram, Kalkaska Church of Christ, 1725 W. Kalkaska Rd, open to children in kindergarten through 3rd grade, home-work time with help, snacks, games, Bible lessons, and more, contact 231 258-9441 When: Wed, afterschool to 4:30 pm (parents arrange for transportation)AWANA, Calvary Baptist Church, 815 W. Dresden St, ages kindergarten through 6th grade. Contact Jodi 231 384-0498 When: Wed 6:30 to 8:00 pm (Sept 12 through April)

5toOne Playgroup, Mance-lona Early Childhood Building, 203 Grove St, ages 0-6 yrs, con-t ac t Kr i s t in 231-587-9021 When: 1st & 3rd Wed, 10 to 1130 am5toOne Playgroup, Birch Street Elementary Gym, 309 N. Birch St, ages 0-6 yrs, contact 231 258-8629 When: 2nd Wed, 9:00 to 10:15 amPJs Story Time, Kalkaska County Library, 247 S. Cedar St, bring your little ones, ages infants to 7, for games, bed-time stories, snacks, and more, pajamas, slippers and stuffed animals are highly recommended, Contact 231 268-9411 When: 2nd Wed, 5:30 pm5toOne Playgroup, Rapid City Elementary Gym, 5258 River St, Rapid City, contact 231 331-6121 When: 4th Wed, 9:00 to 10:15 amOCTANE, Kalkaska Church of Christ, 1725 W. Kalkaska Rd, open to children in 4th and 5th grades, homework time with help, snacks, games, Bible les-sons, and more, contact 231 258-9441 When: Thu, afterschool to 4:30 pm (parents arrange for transportation)Spanish Club, Kalkaska County Library, 247 S. Cedar St, for children kinder-garten through 5th grade, stories read in Spanish, music, games, culture les-sons, and more, contact 231 258-9411 When: 2nd & 4th Tue, 3:30 to 4:30 pmInfant & Toddler Storytime, Kalkaska County Library, 247 S. Cedar St, story, music, play and more for infants and toddlers. 1st and 3rd Fri-days are playgroup time, also, until 12:00 pm. Contact 231 258-9411 When: Fridays, 10:30 amTot Time, Fife Lake Public Library, 77 Lakecrest Lane, story time, games, activities, contact 231-879-4101 When: Fri, 10:30 - 11:30 amCentral Lake Community Playgroup, First Congregation Church, 8066 W. State St, fun activities and lunch pro-vided. Contact Kate 231 631-2392 When: Fri, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm

HEALTH & FITNESSTrigger Boxing Class, Kaliseum, 1900 Fairgrounds Rd, contact 231-258-5913 When: Mon, Thu, 10 am, 6:15 pm, Tue, 6:15 pmTrigger Boxing Open Gym, Kaliseum, 1900 Fairgrounds Rd, contact 231-258-5913 When: Mon, Tue, Thu, 3:30-6 pm, Sat, 11 am - 6 pmPickle Ball, Kaliseum, 1900 Fair-grounds Rd, contact 231-258-5913 When: Mon - Fri, 8 am - 12 noon; Mon, Wed, 5:30-7:30 pm; Sat, 10 am- 12 noonRoller Skating, Kaliseum, 1900 Fair-grounds Rd, contact 231 258-5913 When: Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, noon - 5:30 pm, Tue, 3- 6 pm, Sat, 12:00 to 7:30 pmYoga, Helena Township Commu-nity Center Voting Room, 8751 Helena Rd, Alden, contact 231-331-4318 When: Mon, Wed, Fri, 8:30 - 9:30 amWalk with Ease, Kalkaska COA/Senior Center, 303 S. Coral St, two 6-week ses-sion beginning January 21, self- directed program also available, walking in the Senior Center, limited to 20 participants in each session, limited number of guidebooks and pedometers available to participants, must register, contact 231 258-5030 When: Mon, Wed, Fri, 10:00 am or 1:15 pm

Aerobic Exercise with Weights, (Kalkaska COA), Senior Center 303 S Coral St, contact 231-258-5030 When: Mon, Fri, 10:30 - 11:30 amTOPS #2304 Meeting, Kalkaska United Methodist Church, 2525 Beebe Rd, Kalkaska, contact 231-384-2154 When: Tue, 10 amChair Exercises, Mancelona Senior Center, 122 E State St, Mance-lona, contact 231-587-9131 When: Tue, 10 amFitness Over Fifty, Fife Lake Library, 77 Lakecrest Lane contact 231-879-4101 When: Tue, Thu, 11 amSenior Chair Yoga, South Boardman Senior Ceenter, 5503 Boarman Rd contact 231-369-2700 When: Tue, Thu, 11 amYoga, Kaliseum, 1900 Fairgrounds Rd, contact 231-258-5913 When: Tue, 6 pmLive Well Kalkaska Substance Free Coalition, Kalkaska High School Library, 109 N. Birch St, contact Lisa 231 929-7070 or Suzanne 231 714-7332 When: 2nd Tue, 3:30 to 4:30 pmDiabetics Support Group, Dr. Wil-liam W. Kitti Educatoin Center, 419 S Coral St, contact Katie 231-258-3091 When: 2nd Wed, 6 - 7 pm

See OUT & ABOUT on page 5

3Northwest MI VoiceVol2019:03 - Februaty 1, 2019

Community CalendarPublic Meetings

Be sure to like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/NorthwestMIVoice

New postings all the time!Find us on the web at

www.northwestmivoice.com

GOVERNMENT MEETINGSTownships:Bear Lake Township,

Bear Lake Twp Hall, 198 E Bear Lake Rd NE, Kalkaska, 231-258-4871 When: 2nd Tue, 7 pm

Blue Lake Township, Blue Lake Twp Hall, 10599 Twin Lake Rd, Mancelona, 231-587-8354 When: 1st Wed, 7 pm

Boardman Township, Boardman Twp Hall/Fire Dept, 4855 Pine St, South Boardman, 231-369-3336 When: 3rd Wed, 7 pm

Clearwater Township, Clearwater Twp Community Center, 5407 River St, Rapid City, 231-331-6249 When: 3rd Wed, 7:00 pm

Coldsprings Township, Coldsprings Twp Hall, 6515 County Road 571 NE, Mancelona, 231-587-8633 When: 2nd Mon, 7 pm

Excelsior Township, Excelsior Twp Hall, 987 County Road 571 NE, Kalkaska, 231-258-6108 When: 1st Mon, 7 pm

Garfield Township, Garfield Twp Hall, 0466 W Sharon Rd, Fife Lake, 231-369-2483 When: 2nd Thur, 7 pm

Kalkaska Township , Kalkaska Twp Hall / Fire Department, 209 Laurel St, 231-258-9305 When: 1st Tue, 7 pm

Oliver Township, Oliver Twp Hall, 5272 Kniss Rd SE, 231-258-5348 When: 2nd Tue, 7 pm

Orange Township, Orange Twp Hall, 28 Boardman Rd SE, South Boardman, 231-369-3457 When: 2nd Mon, 7 pm

Rapid River Township, Rapid River Twp Hall, 101 Phelps Rd, Kalkaska, 231-258-2943 When: 2nd Tue, 7 pm

Springfield Township, Springfield Twp Hall, 5253 Ingersoll Rd SW, Fife Lake, 231-879-4541 When: 2nd Tue, 7 pm

School Boards:Kalkaska Public Schools,

Board of Education room, 315 S Coral St Kalkaska , 231-258-9100 When: 2nd Mon, 7 pm

Forest Area Community Schools Band Room, Forest Area High School, 7661 Shippy Rd SW, Fife Lake 231-369-4191 When: 2nd Mon, 6:so pm

Mancelona Public Schools Media Center, Mancelona Middle School, 1122 St Johns Ave, Mancelona 231-587-9764 When: 2nd Tue, 4:30 pm

=+=+=+=+=

Village of Kalkaska: Village Offices, 200 Hyde St, Kalkaska, 231-258-9191Village Council- When: 2nd Mon, 6 pmDDA- When: 1st Tue, 5:00 pmKalkaska County: Kalkaska County BOC Chambers, Administration Building, 605 N Birch St, 231-258-3349Board of Commissioners- When: 3nd Wed, 6 pm (except November, Monday the 12th)Standing Committees- When: 2nd Wed, times below (except November, on the 7th)

Judiciary & Public Health- 9 amHealth & Welfare- 10 amPublic Works- 11 amPersonnel/Interview- 1 pmBudget & Finance- 2 pm (also meets the Tue before, 5 pm)County Affairs/ IT & Computer- 3 pm

FEBRUARY 2019 February 2- (RESCHEDULED FROM

JANUARY) 7th Annual Card-board Classic & Carly’s Hill Snow Fun Day, Springfield Recreation Area, corner of Lund & Creigh-ton Rds, Fife Lake,11:00 am to 3:00 pm, sledding including a supervised toddler hill, cardboard sled contests, lunch and warm beverages, bon fire, and warming pavilion, contact Tammie at 231-384-0406

February 2- February 7- Home Owner-ship Program Info Session, Fife Lake Public Library, 77 Lakecrest Ln, Fife Lake, 11:00 am, hosted by Habitat for Humanity-Grand Traverse Region, find out what the process is for this program, space is limited, RSVP required by contacting Kathleen at kenglish@habitatgtr.org or calling 231 941-4663, ext 121, adults only, please

February 7- BIGG Genealogy Group, Bellaire Public Library, 111 S Bridge St, Bellaire, 10:30 am, “My First 60 Years on the Dewey Farm by Clam Lake in Bellaire” as told y Ilda M. Dewey Sleder (1905-1995), contact 231 533-8814

February 5 - 5toOne Playgroup, Kalkaska County Library, 247 S Cedar St, Kalkaska, 10-11:30 am.

February 7- Valentine Papercrafts, Hel-ena Township Community Center, 8751 Helena Rd, Alden, 1:00 to 3:00 pm, $12 fee includes supplies for four cards and four treat hold-ers (treats not included), additional items $1 each, RSVP to Beth by February 4 at beth_scraps1960@sbcglobal.net, contact 231-331-4318

February 7- Home Ownership Program Info Session, Kalkaska County Library, 247 S. Cedar St, 6:00 to 7:00 pm hosted by Habitat for Humanity-Grand Traverse Region, find out what the process is for this program, space is limited, RSVP required by contacting Kathleen at kenglish@habitatgtr.org or calling 231 941-4663, ext 121, adults only, please

February 7- Potluck Diner & Off the Wall Movie Night, Helena Town-ship Community Center, 8751 Helena Rd, Alden, potluck dinner at 6:00 pm, movie at 7:00 pm, for movie details and to sign up for the potluck, contact 231-331-4318

February 8- Literacy Event, Birch Street Elementary, 309 N Birch St, 8:15 to 10:15 am, breakfast avail-able in the cafeteria and activities in the gym, everyone will get a free book, sponsored by 5toOne

February 9- 8th Annual Fancy Nancy Valentine Party, Kingsley Branch Library, 213 S. Brownson, King-sley, 12:30 to 2:30 pm, for ages 4-10, refreshments, stories, games, and a fancy parade, must register, contact 231 263-5484

February 9- 16th Annual Winter Carnival, Rapid City Elementary School, 5258 River Street, 1:00 to 4:00 pm, Sponsored by the Rapid City PTO, free admission, dona-tions accepted, everyone welcome, outdoor obstacle course, cold cash hill, face painting, fun crafts, bake sale, and more, contact 231 331-6121

February 9- Annual Valentine’s Dance & Party, Kalkaska United Method-ist Church, 2525 Beebe Rd, 5:00 to 8:00 pm, mother/son, father/daughter dance, dinner provided, Valentine making, cookie decorat-ing, games, contact 231 258-2820

February 9- Square and Round Dance, Kalkaska COA/Senior Center, 303 S. Coral St, 7:00 to 10:00 pm, free admission but donations for the band are accepted, always someone there willing to teach and partner, bring a snack to share, contact 231 258-5030

February 9- Moonlight Skate, Kaliseum Recreation Complex. 1900 Fairgrounds Rd, 7:00 pm, music, laser lights, fog machine, Kaliseum Kafe open, kids-$5, adults-$7, $2 skate rental, contact 231 258-5913

February 9 & 11- The Power of the Swap: a Free Community Clothing Exchange, Central Lake Commu-nity Food Pantry, 1040 N M-88, Central Lake, Sat: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, Mon: 5:00 to 7:00 pm, bring gently used clothing items you no longer need and take what you can use, contact Sara 757 418-4108

February 14- Annual Eve Club Cookie Sale, Kalkaska County Library, 247 S. Cedar St, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, proceeds to benefit the Eve Club, contact 231 624-1680

3 WAYS WE CAN HELP YOU:

COMMERCIAL MORTGAGES

DONE LOCAL

(231) 879-4154

JWOLF@FORESTAREA.COM

FORESTAREA.COM

JUSTIN WOLF, VP OF LENDINGCONTACT US

Federally insured by NCUA.

FEBRUARY Calendar continues on page 7

4Northwest MI VoiceVol2019:03 - February 1, 2019

ObituariesHarold F. Smith

Died Jan 19, 2019

Harold F. Smith, 95, of Fife Lake, MI and Zephyr Hills, FL, passed away January 19, 2019, at the Heri-tage Park Health and Rehabilitation Cen-ter in Dade City, FL. A long-time resident of Fife Lake, he was happy to spend his winters golfing in Florida.Harold proudly served his coun-try in the Army during WWII. He served in the Pacific Theater in places like New Guinea, Philip-pines, and Guam. After he returned from the war, Harold married Mir-iam McLaughlin in Grand Rapids, May 29, 1948. Later they moved north to Smithville on M-66 where they lived until 1963. The family then moved into the house that Harold built in Fife Lake and lived there until Miriam passed away in 2003. In northern Michigan, Harold pursued his love of the outdoors, becoming an avid fly fisherman, hunter and golfer. He was a proud member of American Legion Post 219 in Fife Lake and he participated in as many activi-ties as possible.

Harold is survived by his children, Michael (fiancé Linda) of Ellenwood, GA, John (Julie) of Fife Lake, Bill (Lorri) of Tra-verse City, Janet (Ken) Hall of Interlochen, 11 Grandchildren, 12 Great Grandchildren

and his sister Nancy Hall of Mel-bourne, FL. He is also survived by his companion of 14 years, Kathy Perrin.Harold was preceded in death by his wife, Miriam, his daughter Carol, daughter in-law Debbie, and his siblings Dorothy Smith, Mary Hammond, Wayne Smith, Marvin Smith and Winnie Cavanaugh.A graveside service for Harold is being planned for some time in the spring. In lieu of flowers, gifts in Harold’s honor may be given to the American Legion Post 219, 10283 M-186, Fife Lake, MI 49633 or the American Cancer Society.The family is being served by the Wolfe-O’Neill Funeral Home, our family serving yours.

Marjorie Lois LittleDied Jan 19, 2019

Marjorie Lois (Schrade) Little, 84, passed away on January 19, 2019 in Kalkaska Michigan. She was born to the late Paul and Clara (Sal-chow) Schrade in Detroit; she was also preceded in death by one grandson. Mar-gie had a zest for life and truly loved people more than anything. After meeting her, others usually remembered her mostly for the generosity of her time, her quick smile and upbeat attitude. She was married to Roy Little for 25 years. She was employed briefly as a medical assistant in Michigan; at J C Penney’s and later at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Ohio, but her most important job was as a Mother and caretaker. She volunteered as a Cub Scout leader, Sunday School teacher and superintendent. She was also involved in a camping club, garden club and in square dancing while raising her 5 chil-dren in Ohio. Margie played piano for many years, with two favor-ites: Greensleeves, and Morning Has Broken by Cat Stevens. She was a talented amateur photogra-pher with her Nikon camera. She moved to California, where she took up belly dancing, and cared for her aging parents until their passing. After traveling and visit-ing family all over the country, she desired to return to her Michigan roots. For the past 14 years, she has resided in Kalkaska, Michigan, at an Adult Home which has been heaven sent and one of her biggest blessings. She gave much love

back to their won-derful community by assisting other residents, vol-unteering at the local church, hos-pital and senior center. Always being health conscious, she

exercised and volunteered at the local gym and has participated in the annual Mackinac Bridge walk in recent years. Margie was passionate about everything she did and made an impact in many people’s lives. She will always be loved and remembered by her children, family and friends. Mar-jorie is survived by her children, Tom (Nancy) Little, James (Sue) Little, Diane (Michael) Norris, Kathy (Dale) Findley, and Les-lie Little (Lance Rodgers), one brother Paul Jr. (Linda) Schrade, and 10 grandchildren. The family is forever grateful to the Heart-land Hospice and to the staff of Walnut Street AFC Home. Memo-rial contributions are requested, in lieu of flowers, to be made to Walnut Street AFC, 417 S Walnut Street, P O Box 750, Kalkaska, MI 49646. Visitation was Saturday, January 26, 2019 from 3:00–4:00 PM at the People’s Church, 216 S. Cherry Street, Kalkaska, Michi-gan followed by a funeral service at 4:00 PM. Dr. Steven C. Packer officiated. Burial will be at Oak Grove Memorial Park in Lexing-ton, Ohio, with a service in their mausoleum on Saturday, February 2, at 12:00 Noon. Arrangements have been entrusted to Kalkaska Funeral Home.

Ida Mae FenderFeb 2, 1949 – Jan 24, 2019

Ida May Fender, 69, of South Boardman passed away on Janu-ary 24, 2019. She was born to the late Robert and Lorene (Snedeger) Bosner on February 2, 1949 in Tra-verse City. She had a love for God, children and friends. Ida enjoyed making cards for her friends and family. She would often include jokes she found to match the people she was sending them to. She taught junior church for over 49 years and was lovingly known as Aunt Ida. She will be greatly missed by everyone who knew her. Her husband is very thank-ful to everyone who has helped the past couple of months. Your

prayers, kindness and love have meant a great deal to both Uncle Mike and Aunt Ida. Ida is survived by her husband of over 48 years Mikel, daughter Marilee (David) Dukes, grandchildren Lewis and Mark, and brother Robert Bosner. Ida was preceded in death by her parents and brother David Bosner. A Memorial service will be held for Ida on February 23, 2019 at Victory Baptist Church in South Boardman at 10:00 am. A burial will follow at Garfield Township Cemetery in the spring. Arrange-ments have been entrusted to the Kalkaska Funeral Home and Cre-mation Services.

Thomas M. HenryNov 16, 1968 – Jan 24, 3019

Thomas Michael Henry, 50, of Frederic, passed away Thursday, January 24, 2019 in Kalkaska. He was born November 16, 1968 in Lansing to Kenneth Henry and Jane Jore. He graduated from Alpena High School and became a talented carpenter for more than 30 years. He was a horseshoe champion, an avid sportsman and excellent hunter. He had a big heart and would help family and friends whenever he could. He will be greatly missed by many. He is survived by his loving wife of over seven years, Barb (Mertes)

Henry, sisters, Anita McCarry and Donna (Jerry) Lipski and chil-

dren, Mike (Tiffany) Johnson, Nicole (Ben) Tracey, Kirsten Tur-ske, and Jordan Henry as well as, many nieces, nephews and 13 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Dennis Henry. A memorial service for Tom will be held

at the VFW in Alpena, 2900 Can-non Street at 3:00 PM on February 9, 2019. Arrangements have been entrusted to Kalkaska Funeral Home and Cremation Services.

5Northwest MI VoiceVol2019:03 - Februaty 1, 2019

Northwest MI VOICE

Fields Media, PO Box 28, Rapid City, MI 49676Editor in Chief Tina Norris Fields

231-322-2787 or 231-645-0244 tina.fieldsmedia@gmail.com

Free-Lance Sports Writers: Greg Gielczyk & John RaffelFree-Lance Feature Writer: Judy Kammeraad

Out & About and Calendar: Debbie Ball-Odeh

debbieomi@hotmail.com

locally owned, managed, and staffed

Local Houses of Worship

KalkaskaCalvary Baptist Church

815 W Dresden St, Kalkaska Sunday morning: 9:30 am - ABF Fellowship 9:45 am - Sunday School & Adult Bible Fellowship 10:45 am - Morning Worship

Kalkaska Church of Christ 1725 W Kalkaska Rd, Kalkaska Sunday morning 11:00 am - Worship Service

Kalkaska Church of the Nazarene 1367 W Kalkaska Rd, Kalkaska Sunday morning: 9:45 am - Sunday School all ages 10:45 am - Worship Service

Kalkaska Peoples Church 216 S Cherry St, Kalkaska Sunday morning: 10:00 am - Bible Study 11:00 am - Worship Service

Kalkaska United Methodist Church 2525 Beebe Rd, Kalkaska Sunday morning: 10:00 am - Worship Service 10:15 am - Sunday School

Many Rivers Church 2305 N 131, Kalkaska Sunday morning: 10:00 am - Worship Service Wednesday evening: 7:00 pm - Youth Worship Service

St Mary of the Woods Roman Catholic Church 438 Co Rd 612, Kalkaska Saturday afternoon: 4:00 pm - Mass Sunday morning: 11:00 am - Worship Service

St Paul Lutheran Church 2470 Beebe Rd, Kalkaska Sunday morning: 10:00 am - Worship Service

Rapid CityRapid City Church of Christ

7964 Rapid City Rd, Rapid City Sunday morning: 10:30 am - Worship Service

Torch Lake Assembly of God 9456 Valley Rd, Rapid City Sunday morning: 10:00 am - Worship Service

AldenAlden United Methodist Church

9015 Helena Rd, Alden Sunday morning: 9:00 am - Worship Service 10:30 am - ACE (Adult Christian Education) Tuesday morning: 10:00 am - Ladies’ Prayer Group

Boardman TownshipEast Boardman UMC

2080 Boardman Rd,S Boardman Sunday morning: 9:00 am - Sunday School 10:00 am - Worship Service

Local Houses of WorshipThe Northwest Michigan Voice is delivered to these fine enterprises every other week, and

may be picked up there for free:Alden

Alden BarAlden State Bank

Alden District LibraryHiggin’s StoreNifty Things

Torch Conservation CenterVista RidgeWarm Fuzzy

BellaireBellaire Public Library

Central LakeBachmann’s Store

BP StationCentral Lake District Library

Village Market

Fife LakeBeacon & Bridge

Fife Lake Public LibraryFife Lake Resort & Party Store

Forest Area Federal Credit UnionLoon’s Nest

True Value HardwareVillage Market

KalkaskaAdvanced Office Supply

All Seasons Hotel & ResortB&B Express

B.C. PizzaBig Boy

Family FareForest Area Federal Credit Union North

G’s PizzeriaHomeland Lumber

K.A.I.R.KalGas Propane

KaliseumKalkaska Animal Hospital

Kalkaska Commission on Aging

Kalkaska County BuildingKalkaska County Library

Kalkaska Memorial HospitalKalkaska Village Offices

Marathon StationMcLean’s Hardware

NorthlandPick Kwik

Trout Town Tavern & EateryUp North Grill

KingsleyKinglseyBranch Traverse Area

District Library

MancelonaBo Jangles

Do It Best HardwareIron Skillet

Mancelona Family PracticeMancelona Food PantryMancelona Lighthouse

Mancelona Public LibraryNAPA Auto Parts

RootedShirley’s Cafe

True Value Hardware

Rapid CityAbsolute Shear Shack

BP StationClearwater Township Hall

Cone CorralTorch Chiropractic Wellness Center

Torch Lake Veterinary ClinicTorch RivieraVillage Market

South BoardmanYankee Boy

WilliamsburgSwanny’s Shell Station

It is also delivered to several of the local churches and schools (during the school year) ,

as well as to select senior living facilities.

Distribution List

Bootcamp Class, Kaliseum, 1900 Fairgrounds Rd, contact 231-258-5913 When: Wed, 6-6:45 pmTurbo Kick Class, Kaliseum, 1900 Fairground Rd, contact 231-258-5913 When: Wed, 7-8 pmYoga, Kalkaska Memorial Health Center, 419 S Coral St, Cardiac Rehab area in lower level, con-tact Marianne 231-258-7525 When: Tue, 4:30-5:30 pmYoga, Fife Lake Library, 77 Lakecrest Lane, contact 231 879-4101 When: Thu, 6 pm

Senior Chair Yoga, (Kalkaska COA), Senior Center, 303 S Coral St, contact 231-258-5030 When: Thu, 10 am.Yoga, Fife Lake Library, 77 Lake-crest Lane contact 231-879-4101 When: Fri, 9 amKids’ Yoga, Fife Lake Library, 77 Lakecrest Lane, ages 5+, must be accom-panied by an adult, contact 231 879-4101 When: 2nd Sun, 3:00 to 3:45 pm

ORGANIZATION MEETINGSAlcoholics Anonymous Meet-ings (AA), Kalkaska United Methodist Church, 2525 Beebe Rd When: Sun 6 pm, Mon-Sat 12 pm; Wed 12 pm Open meeting, 6 pm women only meetingKalkaska Rotary, William Kitti Education Building (Stone House), 419 S. Coral St, Kalkaska, contact 231-715-1148 When: Mon, 12 pmKalkaska Democrats, BC Pizza, 104 N Cedar St, contact Danielle 23-384-0944 When: 1st Mon, 6 pmKalkaska County Agricultural Fair, All Seasons Resort Conference Room, 760 S Cedar St, all are wel-come, new members and volunteers are being sought, contact 231-714-4616 When: 1st Mon, 7:00 pmKalkaska VFW Land-O-Lakes Post 8684, VFW Post 408 Hyde St, Quartermaster: Jim Richardson When: 2nd Mon, 6 pm

Kingsley Friends of the Library, Kingsley Branch Library, 213 S Brown-son, Kingsly, contact 231-263-5484 When: 3rd Mon, 5 - 6 pmKalkaska Genealogy Society Meet-ing, Kalkaska County Library, 247 S Cedar St, contact 231-258-9411 When: 3rd Mon, 7 pm AA, Al-Anon, Alateen Meeting, (Kalkaska COA), Senior Center, 303 S Coral St, contact Linda 231-384-3227 When: Tue, 8 pmKalkaska Kiwanis Meeting, Kalkaska Memorial Health Center (conference room across from cafeteria) 419 S. Coral St. When: Tue, 12 pmFriends of the Kalkaska County Library, Kalkaska County Library 247 S. Cedar St, downstairs When: 4th Tue, 4 pm Kalkaska Republicans, Kaliseum, 1900 Fairgrounds Rd (upper level meeting room) When: 4th Tue, 7 pm

OUT & ABOUT continued from page 2

See OUT & ABOUT on page 7

6Northwest MI VoiceVol2019:03 - February 1, 2019

Business Directory

Tall Pines Computer Training

Helping grown-ups to get along with their computers

For tech help, call: 231-322-2787

Munson healthcare news

9395 VALLEY ROAD, RAPID CITY 231-331-4228

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK BREAKFAST EVERY SATRUDAY & SUNDAY CARRY OUT AVAILABLE

Partnership Promotes Tasty Fruits, Vegetables for Kids

Munson Healthcare, Great Lakes Children’s Museum team up for nutrition seriesCalvin Carrot or Penelope Pear could be the star in the next adventure flowing out of a young person’s imagination at the Great Lakes Children’s Museum.The museum and Munson Health-care are partnering in a new nutrition series aimed at helping youngsters understand the impor-tance of making good choices when it comes to snacks and meals.“We know that one-in-three chil-dren in the U.S. are overweight or obese,” said Tara Rybicki, R.D., coordinator of Community Health for Munson Healthcare. “We see this new program as a fun way to teach young children and their parents about nutrition and how to incorporate more fruits and veg-etables into their diet.”The partnership involves four classes, one per quarter in 2019, targeted to preschool and ele-mentary-aged children. The class will involve a hands-on education activity, healthy snack, and take-home materials to help families begin “choosing well.”The first class will be from 10:30 a.m. – noon on Wednesday, Jan. 23 at the museum.

Among the activities is an oppor-tunity for the youngster to create a storyline involving fruit and veg-etable characters. Participants also are taught about the importance of eating different colored fruits and vegetables, as well as lead-ing an active life by tracking their

“move-it minutes.”Museum Development Director Lisa Pointe said the class would be included with the $7 admission fee to the museum, or free for Museum members. Children under 1 year old are free.

“We see this collaboration with Munson Healthcare as something that fits well with our community mission to promote learning,” Pointe said. “Understanding early in life how important our food choices are can have lasting benefits for the child and our com-munity.”More information on Munson Healthcare wellness programs can be found at munsonhealthcare.org/choose-to-be-well.The Great Lakes Children’s Museum is located at 13240 S. West Bay Shore Drive in Traverse City. More information can be found at greatlakeskids.org.

7Northwest MI VoiceVol2019:03 - Februaty 1, 2019

Last Tuesday Book Club, Bellaire Pub-lic Library, 111 S Bridge St, Bellaire When: last Tue, 1:30 pmFriends of the Fife Lake Public Library, Fife Lake Public Library, 77 Lakecrest Lane, Fife Lake, con-tact Chris Seeley at 231-879-3221 When: 2nd Wed., 11 amPage Turners Book Club, Bellaire Public Library, 111 S Bridge St, Bellaire When: nd Wed, 6 pmChain of Lakes Genealogy Club, Central Lake Library, 7900 Maple St, contact 231 544-2517 When: 3rd Wed, 6:00 pmSouth Boardman American Legion #463 and Auxiliary Meeting, South Boardman Legion Hall, 5487 Boardman Rd (at the tank), South Boardman, contact 231-369-2944 When: 1st Thu, 7 pmKnights of Columbus, St Joseph the Worker Council #7419, St Mary of the Woods Catholic Church, 438 County Rd 612 NE, Kalkaska, contact Dave at 231-587-4328 When: 1st Thu, 7 pm

BIGG (Genealogy Group), Bellaire Public Library, 111 S. Bridge St, Bellaire, When: 1st Thu, 10:30 amFriends of the Alden District Library, Helena Township Community Center, 8752 Helena Rd, Alden, contact 231 331-4318 When: 3rd Thu, 10:00 amKalkaska American Legion Rob-ert E Beebe Post 0480, (Kalkaska COA) Senior Center, 303 S Coral St, Commander: Raymond Todd. When: 3rd Thu, 6 pmAlcoholics Anonymous Meet-ing (AA), St Paul Lutheran Church, 2470 Beebe Rd, Open Meeting When: Thur, 8 pmAlden Men’s Club, Alden United Methodist Church fellowship hall, 9015 Helena Rd, Alden. Come see what we are all ahout, “Helping others in need,” contact 603-540-3581 or visit the club onlineatww.aldenmensclub.org. When: last Saturday of the month (usually 4th Saturday), 8 am for break-fast and business meeting, except July & November, no meeting in December

MISCELLANEOUSSmall Crafts Group, (Kalkaska COA), Sebuir Center, 303 S Coral St, all are welcome to bring their handheld crafts, such as crocheting, needlepoint, knitting, etc.,contact 231-258-5030 When: Mon, 9 to 11 amTech Help Tuesdays at the Library, Kalkaska County Library, 247 S Cedar St, bring in your cell pone, tablet, or laptop and have your tech questions answered. contact 248-9411 When: Tue, 10 am - noonCentral Lake Love of Laundry, The Wash Basket, 2735 N Main St, Central Lake, free monthly laun-dry (up to three loads) for Central Lake families, soap provided, snacks, children’s activities, parenting discus-sions, fun, contact 877 866-3714 When: 2nd Tue, 8:30 to11:00 amYarn Yarn Sisterhood Knitting Group- Bellaire Public Library, 111 S Bridge St, Bellaire, bring your cur-rent project, contact 231 533-8814 When: 1st & 3rd Tues, 4:00 pmKalkaska Baby Pantry, Kalkaska Church of Christ, 1725 W Kalkaska Rd, Clothing, diapers, wipes available (donations of such are accepted), serving children to size 4T, contact 231-258-9441 When: 2nd & 4th Tue, 9:30am - 1 pm.Fife Lake Public LibraryBook Club, Fife Lake Library, 77 Lakecrest Lane, Fife Lake, contact 231-879-4101 When: 3rd Tue, 7-8 pmThe Last Tuesday Book Group- Bel-laire Public Library, 111 S Bridge St, Bellaire, contact 231 533-8814 When: last Tue, 1:30 pmGrief Support Group, (Kalkaska COA), Senior Center, 303 S Coral St, all ages are welcome, contact 231 258-5030 When: Wed, 10:30 amBasketry Classes, Helena Township Community Center, 8751 Helena Rd, Alden, presented by Dorothy Walter, join anytime, contact 231-331-6583 When: Wed, 1 - 4 pm (starts Jan 9)Tech-Knowledge for Seniors, (Kalkaska COA) Senior Center, 303 S Coral St, general tech classes specifi-cally for seniors, contact 231-258-5030 When: 2nd Wed, 1 pmThe Page Turners Book Club- Bellaire Public Library, 111 S Bridge St, Bel-laire, contact 231 533-8814 When: 2nd Wed, 6:00 pm

Fife Lake Library Book Club Take 2, Fife Lake Public Library, 77 Lakecrest Lane, Fife Lake, contact 231 879-4101 When: 4th Wed, 5:00 pmMindfulness Book Club, Bellaire Pub-lic Library, 111 S Bridge St, Bellaire When: last Wed, 4 pmLine Dancing Class, Kalkaska Senior Center/COA, 303 S. Coral St, all skill levels welcome. There is no charge. Contact Janet at 231-587-9779 When: Thu 2:30 - 4 pmKasky Kwilters, (Kalkaska COA) Senior Center, 303 S Coral St, Everyone welcome When: 1st Thu, 6:30 pmAntrim County Baby Pantry, St. Anthony’s Church, 209 Jeffer-son Ave, Mancelona, providing food, clothing, diapers, and other items for children from birth until their 6th birthday (donations accepted) When: 2nd & 4th Thu, 11:30 am to 4:00 pm . Kalkaska Library Book Club, Kalkaska County Library, 247 S Cedar St, contact 231-258-9411 When: 3rd Thu, 12 to 1 pm, except DecemberMakerspace:Silhouette Cricut Cameo Class, Kalkaska County Library, 247 S. Cedar St, contact 231 258-9411 When: 3rd Thu, 3:30 to 5:00 pmQuality Thyme Garden Club, Kalkaska COA, Senior Center, 303 S Coral St, President Louise Hinds, contact 231-564-0748 When: 3rd Thu, 7 pmBeans & Books- Bellaire Public Library, 111 S Bridge St, Bellaire, enjoy a free cup of coffee and a good book, contact 231 533-8814 When: Fris, 10:00 amCoffee & Conversatoin with KPS Superintendent. Kalkaska Public Schools Central Office, 315 Coral St, Board of Education Room, contact 231-258-9109. When: 1st Fri, 8 - 9 am (through May, 2019)Grief Support Group, Kalkaska Memorial Health Center, 419 S Coral St, Conference Room When: 1st Fri, 11 am

OUT & ABOUT continued from page 5ORGANIZATION MEETINGS

Help Wanted Commission Sales Rep

to sell advertising for the Northwest Michigan Voice.

Immediate openings. email: tina.fieldsmedia@gmail.com,

or call: 231-322-2787 or 231-645-0244

February 14- Books ‘n’ Brie Book Club, Helena Township Com-munity Center, 8751 Helena Rd, Alden, 3:30 pm, “The Clay Girl” by Heather Tucker, contact 231-331-4318

February 14- Dungeons & Dragons, Kingsley Branch Library, 213 S. Brownson, Kingsley, 4:00 to 6:00 pm, suited for the 13-17 year old crowd, playing the 5th edition, bring your own pieces or our dragon master has everything needed, contact 231 263-5484

February 15- Guided Full Moon Hike, Log Lake Park & Campground, 2475 E Log Lake Rd, 6:00 to 8:00 pm, sponsored by the Kalkaska Conservation District, meet at the pavilion, bring snowshoes if enough snow to use, if not, this will be a regular hike, some snowshoes may be available to borrow, register by contacting 231 258-3307

February 16- Benefit Spaghetti Dinner, Dale H. Wheeler American Legion Post 219, 10283 M-113, Fife Lake, 12:00 to 7:00 pm, to benefit a Fife Lake firefighter and his family who lost their home to a fire, also includes a benefit raffle, silent auction, fire department meet & greet

February 21- Got LEGO?, Kingsley Branch Library, 213 S. Brown-son, Kingsley, 4:00 to 5:30 pm, bring your own or use ours, light refreshments provided, contact 231 263-5484

February 23- Simply Delicious with Chef Tom, Kingsley Branch Library, 213 S. Brownson, King-sley, 10:00 am, preparing Shrimp Ceviche, cooking instruction, tech-niques, and tips, and a taste test, contact 231 263-5484

February 23, Annual Luau, CETA Hall, 6615 County Rd 612 NE, 1:00 to 4:00 pm, hosted by Kalkaska County Democrats, Hawaiian attire suggested, bring a white elephant gift, donation for KAIR Food Pantry, and a dish to pass, contact Danielle 231 384-0946

February 23- 2019 Wine & Spirits Auction, VFW Hall, 408 Hyde St, sponsored by the KHS Senior Parent Association as a fundraiser for the Class of 2019 All-Night Graduation Celebration, 4:00 pm, free hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, auc-tion of a variety of basket filled with libations and other goodies, must RSVP as seating is limited, Barb at 231 384-3152

February 23- Father/Daughter Dance-Under the Sea, Mancelona High School, 9300 West Limits Rd, Mancelona, 6:00 to 8:00 pm, Mancelona young ladies, in grades 4-8 are welcome to attend with their father/father figure, hosted by Communities in Schools, for ticket information, contact 231 587-5044

February 23- Square and Round Dance, Kalkaska COA/Senior Center, 303 S. Coral St, 7:00 to 10:00 pm, free admission but donations for the band are accepted, always someone there willing to teach and partner, bring a snack to share, contact 231 258-5030

February 23 & 24- Annual Kalkaska Winterfest, Kalkaska County Fair-grounds, 1905 Fairgrounds Rd, sled dog racing, weight pulling, and more, kalkaskawinterfest.org

February 23 & 24- Winterfest Craft Show, Kalkaska County Civic Center, 1905 Fairgrounds Rd, con-tact Shirley at lhirley@yahoo.com

February 24- How to be Prepared, Hel-ena Township Community Center, 8751 Helena Rd, Alden, 2:00 pm, Mike Thompson, Emergency Manager for Kalkaska and Craw-ford Counties will discuss the need for and the how tos of being pre-pared in the event of a catastrophic incident, contact 231-331-4318

February 26- Bellaire Friends of the Library Movie Night, Bellaire Public Library, 111 S Bridge St, Bellaire, 6:30 pm, “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”, Traverse City Film Festival movie about a defiant fos-ter care kid who gets a fresh start in the New Zealand countryside, contact 231 533-8814

February 27- Senior Book Club, Kingsley Branch Library, 213 S. Brownson, Kingsley, 2:00 pm, “When They Call You a Terrorist” by Patrisse Khan-Cullors, contact 231 263-5484

February 28- Dungeons & Dragons, Kingsley Branch Library, 213 S. Brownson, Kingsley, 4:00 to 6:00 pm, suited for the 13-17 year old crowd, playing the 5th edition, bring your own pieces or our dragon master has everything needed, contact 231 263-5484

FEBRUARY Calendar continued from page 3

8Northwest MI VoiceVol2019:03 - February 1, 2019

Community

Sudoku Puzzle February 1, 2019

Solution on page 11

DEAL ME INBy Mark Pilarski (reprinted with permission of the author)

Slot Personnel Will Be Your Happy GuideDear Mark: Maybe it’s a frivo-lous question you have already answered, but which quarter slot machines typically offer the highest returns? Ron G.No problem here, Ron, about you being fussy over such details. For all I know Persnickety is your middle name.Where you will find quarter slot machines that have the highest payback is at casinos that advertise a guaranteed return of 98-99 per-cent return on “selected machines.”Granted, Ron, “selected machines” can be few and far between on the casino floor, and these high pay-back slots are usually only found where the casino competition is fervent. When you do find a casino advertising liberal paybacks, you’ll then need to ask someone in slot personnel which machines those are.Oh, and just in case you find some generous machines with decent paybacks, the higher payout rate only applies if you don’t con-tinue to bet your winning credits. Unfortunately, that’s not the way most people play. They recycle (churn) their money back through the machines. Casino operators have long realized the advantage they have between an advertised payout and the coinage they even-tually reap by comparing credits won versus credits paid out.When credits won are gener-ally replayed, and replayed and replayed again, this results mathe-matically in a much greater chance of eventually lowering that liberal payback considerably. Sure, the casino may advertise a 98 percent return, but after the churn takes place, you’ll generally go home lighter in the wallet.Other slots to look for when you can’t find machines that advertise such-n-such paybacks are those that do not offer bonus rounds, brand-name affiliations and pro-gressive jackpots. For example, Red White and Blue and Double Diamonds are examples of stand-

alone machines that would fall into this group.Dear Mark: Could you tell me the percentage against the player of the “Dragon Bonus” wager in Mini Baccarat? John A.Dragon Bonus is an optional side wager for Mini Baccarat that pays odds according to the point spread between the Players and Bankers totals.Players have two ways to win. When their selected hand (banker or player) for the Dragon Bonus bet is a natural winner, or, when their selected hand wins by four or more points.Like most side bets to be had, the house edge is usually inferior to what is offered by the custom-ary wagers on the game. Dragon Bonus on Mini Baccarat is no exception.With stakes that are relatively low when you play on a mini-baccarat table, and a house advantage of either 1.17% when betting the Bank hand or 1.36% with a Player hand wager, I would recommend your skipping the Dragon Bonus wager altogether since you are already sitting on two of the best bets the casino has to offer. No need to dilute an already good deal. But since you asked, the Player Dragon Bonus has a house edge of 2.65%, and surprisingly, even though Bac-carat is a Banker advantage game, the Banker Dragon Bonus house edge is 9.37%.

= = = = Gambling Wisdom of the Week: “Poker pros should be a little less contemptuous of the amateur players, who they like to refer to as ‘fish,’ or ‘donkeys.’ Most of these so-called ‘fish’ and ‘donkeys’ probably hold down respectable jobs that contribute to society, unlike what the pros do for a living.” - VP Pappy

VASA Call for volunteersTraverse City, Ml: The North American Vasa will be celebrating it’s 43rd anniversary on Feb. 9-10. Volun-teer Coordinator, Kelley Peterson, indicated that a few more volunteers are needed to help stage the ten planned ski races and two fatbike races over the weekend. There are both indoor and outdoor assignments including trail guides, aid station crew members, pre• race setup, serv-ing food and the clothing bag drop.If you would like to be a part of this action-packed, fun-filled celebration please sign in to the volunteer tab on the Vasawebsite(www.Vasa.org) or contact Kel-ley Peterson at either: kepeterson@chartermi.net or (231)360-0361

9Northwest MI VoiceVol2019:03 - Februaty 1, 2019

Voicethe good news

LOCAL SPORTS Space for ad

Coverage of teams from local area schools

Sports

Kalkaska boys win three straightBy John RaffelKALKASKA — Kalkaska boys’ basketball team has won three games with the latest being a 49-36 victory over East Jordan.In their previous two games, the Blazers beat Elk Rapids 88-81 and Grayling 45-36.The win over East Jordan put the Blazers at 6-5 overall and 3-4 in the Lake Michigan League. East Jordan is 7-6 overall and 2-5 in the league.For the Blazers against East Jordan, Ben Fitch had 18 points and rebounds and Jon Bell had seven points and 12 rebounds“The East Jordan game was one of those pain-ful games to watch,” Kalkaska coach Corey

Heier said. “Nothing came easy and we had to work for every bucket. I was proud of the boys for grinding out a win on the road.”Against Elk Rapids, Seth Riddle had 35 points and 12 rebounds. Bell had 16 points and nine rebounds and AJ Castaneda had nine points and four assists.“The Elk Rapids game was entertaining to say the least,” Heier said. “I thought we did a great job handling the pressure and executed well.”A game with Pine River on Monday was snowed out. Kalkaska is home on Friday against Traverse City St. Francis and home with Boyne City on Feb. 5.

Kalkaska girls improve record to 5-5By John RaffelKALKASKA — Kalkaska’s girls’ basketball team evened its record to 5-5 with a 45-39 road win against East Jordan on Friday.Margaret Stosio had 22 points and Kayla Cava-naugh had 11 points against East Jordan. “We kept it together in the end and played smart,” Blazer coach Kassi Burkham said. “Our defense is really coming along and our team is working together.”The Blazers lost to Elk Rapids 45-29 earlier in the week.

Cavanaugh had 11 points. “We played well, had great defense, and kept their star to nine points,” Burkam said. “Our shots just did not fall like we wanted them to.”The Blazers also had wins over Grayling, 54-31 on Jan. 18 and 49-35 over Harbor Springs on Jan. 15.Coming up is a home game on Feb. 1 with Traverse Ciy St. Francis and road games on Feb. 4 at Petoskey, on Feb. 5 at Boyne City, on Feb. 8 at Charlevoix and on Feb. 12 at Harbor Springs.

Stags beat Glen Lake in battle of league unbeatensBy Greg GielczykMAPLE CITY -- Maybe it wasn’t always a thing of beauty, but no one who wasn’t at the game is going to know that. All they’re going to see is the final score, and that’s all that mat-ters in the long run.Especially to the Kingsley girls’ basketball team, which remained entrenched in the top spot in the Northwest Conference after sur-viving a scare against Glen Lake for a rugged 47-39 victory on Thursday, Jan. 17 in Maple City.“We struggled with our poise at times, didn’t always make the right decisions and turned the ball over more times than we’d like,” Kingsley coach Matt Schelich said.“Our defense was solid, though, and that’s going to keep us in games. We threw some different pressures at them and it was just effective enough to permit us to get some easy looks. I think it wore Glen Lake down as well.”Both teams came into the contest undefeated in conference play, and knowing that a loss would send one of them taking a step down a rung on the ladder.That team turned out to be Glen Lake which opened an eight-point lead on the Stags early

in the second quarter, 15-7 and seemed to be on the cusp of taking control.Glen Lake’s inability to cash in at the free throw line combined with Kingsley’s intensive defensive pressure helped the Stags recover and start nipping away at the deficit.Seeing several offensive opportunities lost thanks to turnovers created by the Stags’ defense and going an atrocious 0 for 10 at the charity stripe, the Lakers saw their lead gradu-ally shrink as Kingsley went on an impressive 15-2 run to close out the first half and take an eight-point lead at the break.“In a game like this, when somebody gets up by two or three buckets it really feels huge,” Schelich said. “We couldn’t seem to miss the other night against Manton. That’s basketball sometimes.“The biggest thing tonight was we set the tone defensively again. Our offensive game just wasn’t as sharp as it was against Manton. You have those type of games. It’s just if you can get past it and win. We did. That’s all that counts.”Brittany Bowman, a junior, scored 13 points to lead the Stags, while senior Stacie King added 11 while senior Marie Pierson, junior Aaliyah

Eno and junior Austyn DeWeese each contrib-uted six points.

* * *Kingsley 66, Manton 44

KINGSLEY -- In a non-conference matchup with Manton on Jan. 14, the Stags rolled to a 66-44 victory thanks in large part to a big early explosion by Bowman.Bowman scored 15 points in the first half in helping the Stags take control. She finished the game with 19 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out six assists in a monster perfor-mance.The Stags put distance between themselves and the Rangers with a 15-6 advantage in the sec-ond quarter which permitted them to surge out to a 16-point lead, 37-21 at the half.Capable of scoring from anywhere on the floor, Kingsley buried the Rangers in the third quar-ter with an 18-5 run that essentially put the game comfortably out of reach.Kingsley, which had its game Friday, Jan. 25 postponed because of the weather, improved to 9-1 overall and is 6-0 in the conference. Glen Lake went to 8-2 in all games and 5-1 in the Northwest.

10Northwest MI VoiceVol2019:03 - February 1, 2019

Sports

Bay Reps beat Trojans, 4-0 in Veterans CupBy Greg GielczykTRAVERSE CITY -- Beyond the Bay Reps’ 4-0 victory over Traverse City Central, the highlight of the game Saturday, Jan. 26 was what occurred prior to the non-conference contest in the Veterans Cup at Howe Arena in Traverse City.Organizers of the Honors Flight, which flies veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the vari-ous monuments, spoke to members of both teams, explaining the sacrifices that veterans have made to keep our freedoms safe.Former naval veteran and astronaut Jerry Linenger, and a resident of Traverse City, did a warm up with both teams that went about 45 minutes long and talked about the Navy Seals and about being an astronaut.As far as the game went, the Bay Reps scored two late goals in the first period and notched two more in the second to improve their record to 13-4 overall for the season.“It was a good, hard fought game between the two teams,” Bay Reps’ coach Mike Mateucci said. “There was a huge crowd there, a packed house. It was a really good experience for the kids to play in front of that many people.“Honestly, it’s a fun game because the kids know each other. There’s a lot of emotions involved in the game, but it was a lot of fun. I

thought we did well. We were missing one of our key players who was out of town attending a funeral, and we also had a player get injured in practice.“Being down two players isn’t ideal this time of year, but I think the kids all rallied around that and we played hard together. It was a good effort by us, and a hard fought game for Central also.”Kaleb Miller scored what proved to be the only goal the Bay Reps would need at the 15:19 mark of the first period with an assist from Thomas Hardy with the two teams at even strength.Cam Altonen made it 2-0 for the Reps when he found the back of the net 16:25 into the game with an even strength goal after taking a feeder from Hayden Thomas.The next two goals for the Reps were unassisted and even strength as well. Chris Denewith notched the first one just over five minutes into the second period, and Jackson Ellis finished the scoring two minutes later.Reps goalie Kam Lannen faced seven shots in the first period and nine in the second before limiting the Trojans to just two in the third for a total of 18 saves in the game.“I think we’re in a pretty good place right now,” Mateucci said. “We have the month of Febru-

ary to finish up. We want to be at our best for the playoffs. We’re making strides to becoming a pretty good team.“So, if we can maintain this and stay healthy, plus have fun along the way, too, we’ll be okay.”

* * *Bay Reps 6, Cadillac 2

Breaking a 1-1 tie with two goals in the sec-ond period, the Bay Reps went on to skate past Cadillac for a 6-2 non-conference win on the road Monday, Jan. 21.The Bay Reps spotted the Vikings a 1-0 lead with 11:47 left in the opening period, but then dominated the rest of the way in improving their record to 12-4 overall.Jake Stevenson led the Bay Reps with two goals and a pair of assists for four points. Logan Kerry also put in two goals and added one assist for three points. Jackson Ellis also had a single goal.Kaleb Miller contributed two assists while Will Fournier and Chris Denewith provided a helper each. Judd Lawson picked up the win in goal for the Bay Reps.Cadillac, which fell to 4-9 for the season, had a goal apiece from Brendan Phillips and Zakk Izzard while Bryan Farley, Jack Schmittdiel and Gavin Foster each had an assist.

Kalkaska wrestlers stay busyBy John RaffelKALKASKA — Kalkaska’s wresting team competed in the Northern Michigan champi-onship on Saturday.Ethan Hicks (112) and Justin Harlan (140) both competed in the championship round. Hicks was pinned in 30 seconds in the Round 2 cham-pionship bracket to Hunter Solis of Gladstone. Harlan pinned Jesse Allen in the championship round.Kalkaska participated in the Ironman Invi-tational on Jan 19. The Blazers lost 43-27 to Lake City.

For Kalkaska, winners were David Morgan (125), Dustin McCool (145), Tomorr Cullhaj (160), Gavin Hernandez (285) and Ethan Hicks (112).Kalkaska lost to Manton 39-27.Winners for Kalkaska were Devon Beck (135), Harlan (145), Dustin McCool (145), Brandon Chaulk (152), and David Morgan (125).Kalkaska will participate in team and individ-ual district action next week.

Ironmen pick up two wins, improve to 10-4By Greg GielczykMANCELONA -- Mancelona’s boys’ basket-ball won its second straight game after losing two in a row with a tight 67-64 victory over Johannesburg-Lewiston at home Thursday, Jan. 24.The Ironmen bumped their record up to 10-4 overall and 7-3 in the Ski Valley Conference, putting them in second place behind league leading Pellston, which is 13-1 and 9-1, respec-tively.“We led the whole game. Just took care of the ball at the end and finished,” Ironmen coach Brian Sheridan said. “It was nice.”A strong first half was the difference for the Ironmen, as the Cardinals’ offense kept the out-come in doubt all the way. Mancelona led by three, 17-14 at the end of the first quarter and outscored the Cardinals (8-5, 6-3 SVC) by a 21-18 margin in the second to stretch their lead out to six points, 38-32 at the half.Johannesburg outscored the Ironmen, 19-17 in the third quarter to trim the Ironmen’s lead down to four points, 55-51 going into the fourth

period. The Cardinals had a 13-12 edge in the final stanza, but Mancelona hung on.Matt Boyer and Jayden Alfred each scored 20 points to lead the Ironmen, while John Ancel had a season-high 16 points. Boyer is aver-aging around 19 points a game and Alfred is scoring at a 16-point clip.“We match up really well with them (the Car-dinals),” Sheridan said. “We kind of play the same game style, up and down the floor. We scored a lot of points in transition.“It was back and forth. We just had a little more firepower. I have young guards, and they’re growing up this season because we’ve played in so many close games. I’m proud of those guys. They’re getting better every day.”

* * *Mancelona 57, Gaylord St. Mary 52, OT

A late shot brought Mancelona back from the brink to tie the game and force overtime. The Ironmen prevailed, 9-4 in the extra four min-utes to snare a 57-52 Ski Valley Conference win over Gaylord St. Mary.

The Ironmen started well, finishing the first quarter with a 16-13 lead. But their offense went in the deep freeze over the next two quar-ters, allowing the Snowbirds to surge ahead.Gaylord outscored the Ironmen, 11-8 in the second quarter to tie the game, 24-24 at the half. St. Mary continued its roll, using an 11-4 advantage in the third period to 35-28 lead into the final frame. The Ironmen clawed back, outscoring the Snowbirds, 20-13 in the fourth quarter for a 44-44 tie at the end of regulation.“Justin Ackler, my freshman guard, did an awesome job handling the ball at the end of the game,” Sheridan said. “Gaylord St. Mary has probably the best guards in the league.“They controlled the tempo. We like to run up and down the court in transition, and they just slowed the game way down for us. It made it tough for us to find any rhythm offensively.”Boyer led the Ironmen with 20 points, followed by Alfred with 18 points and 14 rebounds.

11Northwest MI VoiceVol2019:03 - Februaty 1, 2019

Sudoku Puzzle Solution February 1, 2019

Puzzle on page 8

Sports

Warriors end skid with big win over Central LakeBy Greg GielczykCENTRAL LAKE -- Forest Area’s boys’ bas-ketball team dealt Central Lake’s hopes of climbing into the Ski Valley Conference race a mortal blow last Friday with a convincing 67-53 victory over the Trojans.The Trojans had just ended a three-game los-ing streak by cooling off a red-hot Mancelona squad the week before, while the Warriors were languishing in a six-game losing streak.Maybe the Warriors aren’t apt to be battling for the conference championship this season, but they certainty put a crimp in the Trojans’ notions of getting back in the title picture.Forest Area improved to 2-9 overall and 2-6 in the conference, well out of striking range of league leading Pellston at 11-1 and 7-1, respec-tively. Central Lake slipped to 6-4 and 4-4 in the league, and has a long road ahead to catch up with second place Johannesburg-Lewiston (8-4, 6-2 SVC).Chase Ingersoll led the charge for Forest Area with a career-high 44 points. He also hauled down seven rebounds. Lane Lindsey accounted for eight points and tied Ingersoll atop the rebounding charts with seven boards.Eric Burke and Hunter Perkins were both instrumental in slowing down the Trojans’ offense, and made it difficult for Central Lake to mount any kind of inside threat.For a while it looked like the Trojans just might continue their upward trend as they took a 17-11 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Warriors bounced back with a 21-10 sec-ond quarter and went into the half leading by a 32-27 margin.

Central Lake had a 17-14 edge in the third quar-ter, cutting the Warriors’ lead to just two points, 46-44 going into the fourth. But the Warriors pulled away in the last stanza, outscoring the Trojans, 21-6 to win comfortably.

* * *Brethren 76, Forest Area 40

Forest Area’s losing streak reached six straight games Wednesday, Jan. 16 when the Warriors traveled to Brethren for a non-conference game and were handed a 76-40 defeat.Chase Ingersoll and Hunter Perkins accounted for the bulk of Forest Area’s scoring. Ingersoll led with 20 points and he also grabbed five rebounds. Perkins added 10 points and had six rebounds.The Warriors trailed by seven, 19-12 at the end of the first quarter. But it was in the second when they saw the rug pulled out from under them as the Bobcats exploded for a 21-11 scor-ing advantage that left Forest Area trailing, 40-23 at the half.But, it only got worse in the third quarter. The Warriors were outscored, 19-7 in that period and went into the fourth period with a whop-ping 59-30 deficit. Brethren outscored Forest Area, 17-10 in the final period.

* * *Pine River 74, Forest Area 53

The Warriors extended their losing streak to five straight games with a 74-53 non-confer-ence loss at home on Monday, Jan. 14 to see their record dip to 1-6 overall.“Pine River is a big school, big kids. They have a pretty solid post that kind of ate us up,”

McCarthy said. “Ingersoll had a pretty night shooting the ball, hitting right around 30 per-cent from the 3-point line.“Our post, Hunter Perkins had his hands full with the Pine River’s big man. He’s probably 6-5, 6-6. He’s a big boy. But Hunter played smart ball, started sneaking out to the 3-point line. “We’re just trying to go from playing hesitant basketball to playing with instinct and keeping building our skills. We’re still a young team, and we’re hanging in there in some of our games.”McCarthy added that the Warriors are going to try to close the gap going forward, and figure out some things internally. There’s still a lot of season left to play before the districts.Perkins and Ingersoll each scored 22 points to lead the Warriors.The Warriors stumbled out of the gate and trailed by 12 points, 20-8 at the end of the first quarter. Forest Area couldn’t get its offense in gear in the second quarter, either.In fact the Warriors scored two fewer points in being outscored 11-6 and saw their deficit grew to 31-17 at halftime. It was a long, uphill climb from there but the Warriors showed a game effort in the second half.Forest Area outpointed the Bucks, 22-21 in a wild third quarter. But the Warriors still trailed by 13 points, 52-39 going into the fourth period. Pine River had a 20-19 edge in the final stanza.

Warriors end five-game losing streak with win at AlbaBy Greg GielczykALBA -- Everything came together for the Forest Area girls’ basketball team - offense, defense and rebounding - and the result was a win that put the brakes on the Warriors’ five-game losing streak.Forest Area sped out to a substantial first half lead, and then maintained its advantage throughout the second half in rolling to an easy 68-30 non-conference win in Alba on Monday, Jan. 21.This time the Warriors got off to a fast start and never let the Wildcats back in the game in picking up just their second win of the season. Forest Area is 2-6 overall and just 1-6 in the Ski Valley Conference.“Well, it certainly helps when you have a full

bench,” Warriors’ coach Abbie McCarthy said. “We were rotating four people in, and we were staying fresh. Alba was throwing up shots that were falling, so props to them.“But, we switched up the defense. We were playing man the whole team, then we switched to zone. They were hitting some threes, so we put the man back in. That stopped them.“In the beginning we were fastbreaking really well, and then I told them we needed to work our offense, four or five passes. Our plays were working well. We were executing, we were rebounding. It all kind of fell together.”After taking a 14-8 lead at the end of the first quarter, Forest Area pulled even further way from the Wildcats with a 26-6 second quarter and built a whopping 40-14 lead at the half.

Scoring was much closer in the second half, but the Warriors stayed comfortably ahead throughout. They outscored the Wildcats, 11-7 in the third period and went into the fourth quarter with a 51-21 cushion.Mckenize Szymchack led the Warriors with 27 points and 13 rebounds. Brenna Kniss con-tributed 16 points and ripped down 10 boards. Lauren Lange dished out six assists to go with eight rebounds.

* * *Inland Lakes 60, Forest Area 48

Forest Area got off to a good start, outscoring Inland Lakes by four points in the first quarter. But the Warriors couldn’t maintain the momen-

- SAVE THE DATE- The Kalkaska High School Class of 1969 is planning

their 50th Reunion for August 24, 2019 at Twin Birch Golf Course.

They are currently seeking contact info of classmates. Please text or call Gay Barber Rowell at 231 886-5770.

WARRIORS continues on page 13

12Northwest MI VoiceVol2019:03 - February 1, 2019

I Was Just ThinkingWould we be better citizens if we studied government?

Reflecting on the birthdays of two of our great presidents, Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and George Washington (Feb-ruary 22), started me thinking about our form of government – you know “of the people, by the people, for the people” – and what that form of government requires of the citizen.Government “of the people,” means that the people are the supreme authority and that the people delegate some of that authority to those they elect to govern. Government “for the people,” means that government is there to serve and protect the people.But, what does government “by the people” mean? Bottom line, it means people participating in their govern-ment, especially at the local level. At the local level, citizens are likely to know the people they have elected to carry out the duties of government. At the local level, citizens are more likely to be heard when they voice their concerns. At the local level, citizens can truly observe the behaviors of their elected officials, and evaluate the character revealed by those behaviors. At the local level, the ballot box is strong – or can be, if the citizens actually make use of it.It won’t come as any surprise to my readers, I’m sure, that turnout for our local elections is considerably less than the majority of citizens registered to vote. Why? What are the duties of the citi-zen in the American form of government? Reading through the Constitution, one does not find obligations imposed on the citizen. One finds, rather, the obligations imposed on the government – the duties and responsibilities of the three branches of government, the boundaries to their areas of purview, and the limits to their powers. By taking note of the guarantees provided in the Constitution, one can reason out what the duties must be of the citizen. For instance, the final para-graph of Section 2 of Article III says:

“The Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeach-ment; shall be by Jury; and such Trial shall be held in the State where the said Crimes shall have been commit-ted; but when not committed within any State, the Trial shall be at such Place or Places as the Congress may by Law have directed.”

If a trial is guaranteed by the Constitution, and such trial

shall be by a jury, it follows that citizens have a duty to serve as jurors when so called upon. And, indeed, the U.S. Code, Title 28, Chapter 121 addresses the matter of Juries and Trial by Juries. Section 1861, Declara-tion of policy, says:

“It is the policy of the United States that all litigants in Federal courts entitled to trial by jury shall have the right to grand and petit juries selected at random from a fair cross section of the commu-nity in the district or division wherein the court convenes. It is further the policy of the United States that all citizens shall have the opportunity to be considered for service on grand and petit juries in the district courts of the United States, and shall have an obli-gation to serve as jurors when summoned for that purpose.”

Further on, in Section 1864, penalties are laid out for failure to comply with a jury summons. So, by law we citizens do have a duty to serve as jurors when called upon. By fulfilling our duty to jury service, we help to guarantee our own right to a trial by jury, should we ever be indicted – and we do know that it does happen that sometimes an innocent person is indicted and brought to trial. Just being innocent does not guarantee never being charged.Why do some of us resent being called for jury duty? Why do some of us fail to vote? Is it possibly because we do not spend much time learning how to be competent citizens, knowledgeable about our form of government, as we make our way through the years of pri-mary and secondary education? For those school systems that do offer a Civics course in High School or Middle School – kudos to you. But, is it enough? Ought we, as a free society, desiring to remain free, con-sider what is truly required to educate ourselves to be compe-tent and participating citizens? If we brought into our edu-cational system, an ongoing study of America’s republican form of government, in grade-appropriate incremental stages, wouldn’t we be better-pre-pared citizens who would do a better job of living up to the passionately expressed desire of President Abraham Lincoln that “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”?

Tina Norris Fields Editor

Opinion and ReflectionEditor’s note: Op-Ed pieces and Letters to the Editor are wel-come. Discussion of ideas and issues is one of our fundamental rights and duties, as well as being essential to the advancement of all people. The main requirement for acceptance is that they maintain civil discourse.Articles or letters that engage in ranting or ad hominem attacks will not be published. An extra long article or letter may be edited for the sake of space.Email your article or letter to tina.fieldsmedia@gmail.com, or send it via the USPS to Editor, Northwest Michigan Voice, PO Box 28, Rapid City, MI 49676

Be sure to like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/NorthwestMIVoice

New postings all the time!

Calling all young writers

The Northwest Michigan Voice is inviting you to submit items for publication. Prose, poetry, book reviews, movie critiques, essays on topics that interest you, creative writing or practical ‘how to’ advice. Here is your opportunity to exercise your talent and sharpen your skills, with an audience ready to receive and enjoy your work. This is intended to showcase the work of students in our schools, so the anticipated upper age limit is 21.The Young Writers’ Corner will be launching soon. Send your submissions to: Northwest Michigan Voice c/o Fields Media LLC PO Box 28 Rapid City, MI 49676

The BellThe bell set

One hundred years On the farm house roof.

Grandfather It called from the fields, Father, too, when it rang.

It called me As a young boy,

To come from the fields.

Bad times came, Dark, dark sickness,

No hands to till fields.

It hung still, No need to chime,

The fields were empty

I left home, It went with me As my legacy.

It rang then For our children,

In tune with laughter

As they came Running in from

Neighborhood playgrounds.

Children leave, Grandchildren, too,

Leave the bell behind.

Silent now, Gathering dust. It will toll again.

~ By an anonymous Michigan Farm Boy

13Northwest MI VoiceVol2019:03 - Februaty 1, 2019

tum and were outscored in each of the next three quarters in losing the Ski Valley Conference game, 60-48 on Thursday, Jan. 17.Inland Lakes erased that early def-icit, outscoring the Warriors, 19-12 in the second period and moved out to a 30-27 lead at the half.The script didn’t change any in the second half, either, as the Bulldogs outscored the Warriors, 16-10 and further extended their advantage to a nine-point margin, 46-37 going into the fourth period. Inland Lakes outscored the Warriors, 14-11 in the final frame.Lauren Lange scored 17 points to lead the Warriors. She also picked off six steals on defense. Mckenzie Szymchack contributed 13 points and Bree Kniss added 12 points.The loss was the Warriors’ fifth in a row and dropped their record to 1-6 overall and 1-5 in the confer-ence. Pellston had a worse record in the conference.

* * *Mancelona 49, Forest Area 47

McCarthy was concerned the War-riors might show a little rust after being off for almost a month when they finally returned to the court for a game with a conference game against Mancelona on Tuesday, Jan. 15 in Mancelona.She was right, as the Warriors looked like they hadn’t picked up a basketball during the layoff over

Christmas and New Year’s, turn-ing the ball over a ton and missing a lot of shots when they did main-tain possession.But for all of that Forest Area was able to stay close to the Ironmen through the first quarter and even had the lead, 15-14 at the horn. Mancelona regrouped, however, and outscored the Warriors, 15-10 in the second quarter for a 29-25 halftime lead.Despite their problems the War-riors hung with the Ironmen throughout the second half, out-scoring the Ironmen, 14-10 in the third period to knot the score, 39-39 going into the fourth. But the Warriors were edged, 10-8 in the final period.“We were extremely timid and we just didn’t know where we were on the court,” McCarthy said. “They looked like they forgot how to play basketball. We missed 21 free throws.“Just lots of turnovers and we were timid on the press break. At one point in the third quarter they were up us by like about 10 and then we inched back. We missed four free throws at the end.”McKenzie Szymchack led the Warriors in scoring with 14 points and Emily Norkowski added 10.

WARRIORS continued from page 11

Invasive Species Agency surveying for new Hemlock tree threatWHAT: Hemlock Woolly Adelgid survey conducted by CAKE CISMA field techniciansWHEN: December 2018 - April, 2019WHERE: Charlevoix, Antrim, Kalkaska, and Emmet CountiesBELLAIRE - Ask any Michigander how they would describe northwest lower Michigan, and you will likely hear stories of dense north woods, beautiful lakes and rivers, remote fishing spots, and the love that we all have for our unique natu-ral treasure. Today, a new invasive pest threatens the hemlock forests of northern Michigan as it appears to be making its way northward along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Hemlocks are shade-tolerant, long-living trees that provide critical food, habitat, shelter, and winter cover for bird and mammal species. Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) is a tiny insect that is already affecting hemlock trees in southwest Michigan. It sucks nutrients out of hemlock needles and shoots,

weakening the tree and often causing the tree to die in 4-10 years. Hemlock deforestation in the northeastern US has already affected wildlife populations, led to increased erosion, and raised water temperatures. Thanks to a grant administered by The Nature Conservancy, several invasive species organizations including the Charlevoix-Antrim-Kalkaska-Emmet Counties Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CAKE CISMA), are surveying hemlocks this winter. Their goal is to determine how far north HWA has spread from its foothold in southwest Michigan so that steps can be taken to prevent its further spread. Research-ers believe that HWA is being transported up the Lake Michigan coastline by humans and migrat-ing birds. Because they border the lake and have dense hemlock populations, Antrim, Charlevoix, Kalkaska, and Emmet counties are a top survey priority for CAKE CISMA.

CAKE CISMA’s field crew is hard at work sur-veying public lands in these counties, but they need YOUR help as well. Private properties with hemlocks are an important part of this survey. With landowner permission and at no cost to the landowner, CAKE CISMA can survey private property hemlocks through The Nature Conser-vancy grant funding. Please contact CAKE at 231-533-8363 ext. 5 or cakeisst@gmail.com for more information about HWA, for questions about the project, or to inquire about a property survey.

Forest Area Federal Credit Union Opens Fifth BranchGrand Opening Celebration To Take Place 3/21

LAKE CITY, Mich. - Forest Area Federal Credit Union (FAFCU) opened the doors of its fifth location on Monday, Jan. 21 in Lake City. A grand opening celebration is set to take place at the new Lake City branch on Thursday, March 21 from 5:30 - 7:30 PM. Staff, friends, and fam-ily will be gathering for a ribbon-cutting cutting ceremony presented by the Lake City Chamber of Commerce. The public and local businesses are encouraged to attend. Attendees can enjoy food, drinks, prizes, and giveaways.“We can’t wait to bring the community together and celebrate a milestone for Forest Area FCU

at our grand opening. We hope to be accompa-nied by warm weather this spring.“ Said Alex Lutke, CFO.The new state-of-the-art branch located at 101 N. Main St. Lake City, features a full-service drive-thru and ATM and four teller booths.“Lake City is a special place and we looking forward to growing with this great community.” Said Sheri Paschall, Branch Manager.The new Lake City branch drive-thru is now open 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM Monday through Friday, and 9 AM - 1 PM Saturday. The lobby

hours are 9 AM – 4:30 PM Monday through Thursday, 9 AM - 5:30 PM Friday, 9 AM - 1 PM Saturday.For more information about Forest Area Federal Credit Union’s new location or grand opening, call Allison Roberts, Marketing and Communi-cations Specialist, at (231) 879-4154, or visit ForestArea.com.

14Northwest MI VoiceVol2019:03 - February 1, 2019

Walk Slowly With PurposeForget the Bucket List

By Dominic FortunaCARIBBEAN SEA - For the last ten years of my life I’ve been a lot of places in this beautiful world; I’ve seen and experienced a lot of sights and moments. Tomorrow I will be in Honduras, yesterday I was in Haiti. None of it compares to just being with family and friends. I can be in the middle of the straits of Gibraltar, on the blu-est of seas on the warmest of days, staring at the coast of North Africa to my right and the south of Spain to my left and yet still feel empty, something is missing. What’s missing is that someone I love or care for is not there with me. I would much rather be driving around in the front seat of an old pickup truck at 5:30 in the morning, traveling the snow covered roads of Northern Michigan with a close friend. Plow-ing the scattered driveways and back roads, and listening to all the battles my close companion is having in his daily life. Opening my heart to my buddy and truly feeling that unconditional love and camaraderie. This is what life is to me.Last Summer I spent a Sunday afternoon in Rome touring the ancient relics and archi-tecture, visiting the Vatican with all its holy symbols and history, yet still feeling empty and

discontented. My mind, instead drifted back to a Sunday morning with my little boy, wander-ing off before daylight on a brisk June morning, heading off to our favorite fishing hole. The look of joy on my son’s face, the confidence in his voice, knowing his father was truly lov-ing him and our time together. This beats any ancient marble cathedral or time-worn fountain. I’ve awakened to gentle mornings in the fjords of Norway, gazing up at mountainous cliffs and waterfalls, sights that would truly take your breath away and I still felt lonely. Those fjords and their majestic presence just didn’t compare to a morning breakfast with someone I love and care for. I would’ve traded a morning in Nor-way for a sunrise walk with my crippled father in the twilight of his life, heading to our hunting

spots in silence. Our hearts overflowing with compassion and respect for each other. This down home real life stuff beats any precon-ceived desire to fill some bucket list of events. All the things we want to do, or better known as that “bucket list.” It’s all really a charade our minds play on us. My mind comes up with all kinds of suppressed desires, only to find out that it is not the answer to a fulfilling life. In the attempt to get those experiences of life, life itself is happening. When being busy and trying to get something more out of life, it’s easy to miss the slice of heaven on earth right before our eyes, right here in our tiny little home town. Once I traveled to New York City for an audi-tion. It wasn’t a big deal, I’d done it before, and in my mind were mixed feelings. If I landed the part I’d have some good employment for the next year, but I’d be pulled away from my family and friends in Northern Michigan. I rep-resented myself well, but the part was not mine to be had, not this time at least. In a kind of silly way, I was happy. I’d landed great roles before and experienced that exhilarating feeling of being chosen to play the part. Signing the contract and getting that healthy pay is a great feeling. But so is going back home and know-ing I was gonna be greeted by my wife and kids and all the trials and tribulations that are really blessings in disguise. As I left the studio where the audition was held, I saw the guy who got the part. I congratulated him and truly felt good that he was chosen, it was his turn and that was fine with me. I knew what was waiting for me at home. I thought maybe if he knew what I knew, he might realize I was the lucky one. I believe what makes a place so magical is the family and friends we hold dear, surrounding us with examples of how to live a life with purpose, wherever you live. I know and have known many “old timers” here in Northern Michigan who have brought me such joy and taught me what it’s like to walk slowly and with purpose. I have an old friend who always sends me a card of condolences or congratulations when-ever some life altering event has come forth in my life. I’m sure to receive a card from her, and this has happened for forty years. I never even knew she was paying attention, but that’s just the point: part of living is paying attention to what and who is right in front of me, not some far off adventure, alone and empty. One of my all-time favorite pastimes is a good cup of coffee and sweets in the morning, wherever I am in the world, that’s always in my morning plan. Some of the best morning treats of coffee cake or cinnamon rolls have been gifts from family and friends, here in hometown Michigan. These treats beat any croissant or Dan-ish I’ve eaten in some French city on the Riviera or quaint pastilles shop in Lisbon. Do you know why?Because they were made with love and kindness by the hands of people who get it, the people that know that life is happen-ing right here, right now on this cold crisp February day. Not off on some snorkeling trip in the Bahamas just so I can send back pictures to my family and friends, who would’ve made the experience more fulfilling. Those are my people, the people who remind me that a day in my ice shanty with my childhood

buddy beats and day in a glass bottom boat on the Caribbean - alone.So here’s to the office gal who thinks she’s stuck for another season in the frigid cold of Northern

Michigan, and don’t forget the guy who feels like he’s missing out because he’s never left that factory job in his home town. Forget the bucket list! You are not the one who’s “stuck.” The ones who are “stuck” are the ones search-ing the world trying to fulfill some emptiness inside. You are the fortunate ones, the people who hold the key to a purposeful life in your grasp. Don’t feel like you’re missing out just because one of your friends posted on Face-book some picture of herself snorkeling with strangers and dressed like a mermaid in some far off bucket list location. Trust me, you’re not missing out.So please remember that in every drop off at school, every shovel full of snow to help clear a neighbor’s walkway, and every breath of love and compassion that surrounds you, there is life happening. It’s your life, and it’s here in Small Town, America that Hollywood writes movies about. Everyone somewhere deep inside is try-ing to fill their bucket with what’s right there in front of you, here in your beautiful hometown Michigan.

Editor’s noe: We are happy to wel-come Dominic Fortuna back as a periodic contributor to the Northwest Michigan Voice.His inspirational columns will appear under the heading “Walk Slowly With Purpose,” a motto that has deep per-sonal meaning for Dominic, and that offers wisdom for us all.We hope you enjoy Dominic’s first offering: “Forget the Bucket List.”

Fishing with Luciano Fortuna.

photo by Dominic Fortuna

Geirangerfjord of Norway

photo by Dominic Fortuna

15Northwest MI VoiceVol2019:03 - Februaty 1, 2019

Blessings in a Backpack bless KPS studentsKALKASKA - Blessings in a Backpack is an assistance program funded through the Father Fred Foundation in Traverse City. This program offers students in of need food assistance in the form of canned goods, dry cereals, snacks, and fruit, all of which require little to no prepara-tion for them to eat over the weekend to ensure they are not going hungry. This nationwide program services over 88,000 students in over 950 schools across 46 states and Washington D.C. Father Fred is able to provide assistance to three counties and 21 schools. They maintain a yearly budget of $60,000 for just the Blessings in a Backpack program. This year their weekly budget has been set at $1,700 per week. It costs only $100 to feed one child on the weekends for the entire 38 week school year. Beginning in 2016 Father Fred has been bring-ing bags of non-perishable food for Kalkaska Public Schools students in need. The program

was initiated by then Student Success Advi-sor John Arnold at Birch Street Elementary and serviced around 30 students from just that building. Since then, the program has been passed down to Elementary Physical Education

teacher, Deanna Hixson, and has spread to ser-vice over 85 students across the district. Student food is placed in their lockers in a dis-creet and caring manner every Friday. Many students will stop by the office with a reminder that it is Friday and to not forget to put their food bag in their locker. This program has made a huge impact on our students and our community. We are truly blessed to have the Father Fred Foundation and all of their volun-teers supporting our students and community. With this in mind, the Father Fred Frostbite Food Drive is beginning. If you would like to assist the Father Fred Foundation in provid-ing our children and our community with this wonderful blessing you may make a monetary donation to your school office or you may drop off food donations to the Father Fred Frostbite Food Drive at Team Bob’s or Fox Motors loca-tions in Traverse City. Deanna Hixson delivering blessings to student lockers.

Blaine and Conner’s 8th Grade Community Project from last year continues with a second shipment of athletic equipment

Conner & Blaine received another shipment of athletic equipment from the grant they received last year while working on their 8th grade com-munity project. Even though they have moved onto become high school students, they are still following this grant until the end. They have the possibility of receiving four more shipments of equipment over the next year! They will continue to follow this grant and try to get as much equipment as they can for our schools! This last shipment included D-Man Pro Train-ers for our basketball programs, Soccer nets in various sizes for our soccer programs and PE departments, Coaches Boards for our football program, along with exercise sliders, training cables and twenty five pound slam balls for the weight room that both the High School and the Middle School students will be able to utilize.

Regulation change affects smelt fishingIf you’re fishing for smelt this year, make sure you know about a legislative change, signed at the end of 2018, that alters how anglers can target smelt in Michigan.The previous state statute let people use any number of hooks attached to a single line, while fishing for smelt, alewife or other bait fish in the Great Lakes or recognized smelt waters. Now, anglers fishing for those species can use no more than three lines per person, with no more than six hooks or lures on all

lines. All hooks attached to an artificial bait or “night crawler harness” are counted as one hook (note: for crappie/perch rigs and umbrella rigs, each hook is counted as part of the total six allowed). This means anglers may use up to six hooks on one line or spread the six hooks out over up to three lines.For more information on fishing regulations, see the current Michigan Fishing Guide, available at fishing license vendors and online at michigan.gov/fishingguide. Ques-

tions? Contact Christian LeSage, 517-284-5830 or Elyse Walter, 517-284-5839.

KCC Football partyKCC’s Football Party is

Sunday, February 3rd from 6-10pm! Sign up in the Lobby to bring your best hot

wings and chili, and get a chance to win one of three grand prizes.

Kids 17 & under contest for best dessert. Lots of games and activities for all ages

during the 1st half. Dodgeball during halftime.

16Northwest MI VoiceVol2019:03 - February 1, 2019

Of Interest

Left:Mike Moran with the 3-D printer. Above: the new plastic gear ready for use.

Since 1921 Buick - Chevrolet

302 W Mile Rd, Kalkaska 231-258-9178

Sales: Monday 8 am - 8 pm Tues-Fri 8 am - 6 pm

Sat 9 am - 3 pm Sun CLOSED

Service & Parts: Mon - Fri 7:30 am - 5:30 pm

Sat & Sun CLOSED

B.I.G.G. Bellaire Interest Genealogy Group

Thursday, February 7, 2018 10:30 a.m. to Noon

Bellaire Public Library

Our BIGG member, Sue Maltby Ring, will share family historical stories told by:

Ilda Dewey Sleder 1905-1995,

assisted by Dorothy Dewey Mercer

"My Memories, My Family" happenings on the Dewey

Farm at Clam Lake.

Come join our BIGG meetings every first Thursday of each month*. All public is cordially invited to attend.

We wish to thank the Friends of the Bellaire Library for providing the ANCESTRY. COM LIBRARY EDITION available FREE during library hours

for all residents & visitors in our community to use independently.

March 7, 2019: New to Ancestry Research? Let’s Get Started!

A 3-D adventureLibrary Board Trustee Mike Moran recently found an opportunity to take advantage of the Kalkaska County Library’s makerspace and 3D printer. “I’ve been aware of 3D print-ing for some time,” Moran said, “but never knew how it was actually done.” Mr. Moran is a retired chemical engineer, who has some background in mechanical drawing and com-puters, so the idea of using the 3D printer to solve a certain problem came naturally.“I’ve had an electric pencil sharpener on my desk for years now, but a few weeks ago, it suddenly quit working. Being an inveterate tinkerer, I took it apart to see what was wrong, and discovered that a plastic gear inside had broken in two. Everything else worked, the motor was fine, and I didn’t want to be the kind of guy who just throws something away and buys another. I knew gluing the pieces together probably wouldn’t work, and then it hit me: ‘ … a small, intricate plastic part … wonder if we could 3D print one?’”Technology & Outreach Librarian Sarah Genereaux-Maddox and Director John Rob-erts pointed him in the right direction to start learning about how designs for 3D print-ing projects are done, using the TinkerCAD cloud-based software. “This part was a little tricky,” Moran concedes. “But I had used a graphics-design program in the past, and this was somewhat similar. Having an understand-

ing of the principles of mechanical drawing helped, too, although it has been many years since I tried to use drafting techniques to visualize something.” Of course, precise measurements of the part to be created were critical. “I had to re-learn the rather spe-cialized skill of reading measurements on a Vernier Caliper (a tool capable of measuring dimensions down to 1/1000 of an inch) from a YouTube video,” he stated.Moran taught himself how to create an exact-sized, three-dimensional digital representation of the gear needed for his pencil sharpener, and

when it was ready, sent the design to Sarah at KCL via e-mail. She took the design, fed it into the 3-D printer in the Library’s mak-erspace, and out came the prototype, printed using a hard, durable thermoplastic polymer called PLA. With a minimum of smoothing and shaping, the gear was re-installed in the pencil sharp-ener, and functions satisfactorily. “I hope that other residents will come in and check out the Library’s makerspace, and think about things they could make to solve everyday problems like this,” Moran said. “I feel really good about fixing my pencil sharpener, but even more at having learned a new skill and understanding of how one of these new tech-nologies works!”