1/26/01 - How about an easy, little quiz? Seven people met with Joyce Mocco Raboin at her home near Daggett for a high school class reunion planning session Thursday night. All but one (the wife of one class member) were born and raised in this area. Three of the seven got lost between Stephenson and Daggett. How long ago do you think they graduated from SHS?

If you guessed 50 years, you're right! But once WE all got together, planning the celebration was easy. Elaine Miller Haban has done an excellent job through the years (and nine previous reunions) keeping records, updating addresses, remembering details, paying bills and calmly seeing that its all well organized. Harold Schlenvogt made a couple of phone calls and lined up a photographer and a musician before the meeting was half over. Ed Fries is the computer whiz and will print up mailing labels and design the informational letter to go out to classmates towards the end of February. (The reunion is planned for September 1st at the VFW Hall in Menominee.) Bea DeLaurelle Gerue will help coordinate plans for the meal and table settings and Janice Winter Poisson has probably already started work on special mementos for each of the graduates. Joyce has agreed to host the next committee meeting (now that we all can find her house!) and will help work on the portion of the program to remember the 23 class members who have died.

The SHS Class of l951 was the first to have over 100 graduates. Those who were a part of the class but did not graduate with them are also included in the reunions, and many have participated in the past. Now we just have to be sure that everyone shows up at the VFW Hall instead of, oh...maybe the American Legion building. It's easy to get the two confused. Right?

1/24/01 - Workers at our St. Vincent de Paul Center at the Catholic Church in Stephenson tell me they have had quite a few requests for ice skates. If you have some sitting in your garage or basement that aren't being used you can drop them off at St. Vincents on Wed. from 9 am to 6 pm or on Sat. between 9 am and noon. You could make some kids real happy.

1/22/01 - Barns, Barns, Celebrate Barns! You'll be seeing and hearing that theme a lot in coming months. Nina Desjarlais and Eunice Svinicki from the MSU Extension Office in Stephenson barnstormed the idea (most people 'brainstorm' ideas but these people are a little different) of putting together a grant proposal for a project to increase art experiences, show value for artistic talents, and promote understanding of local rural history for Menominee County students. Their request was approved by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs for a total of $10,000. There was a lot of involvement from others in the community to plan the program outlined in the grant request - teachers like Mike Brown (band), Julee Nordin (Art), and Barbara Seitz (English),the Granskogs who are Farm Bureau and Historical Society members, John Henes of the Menominee Arts Council and others with interests in art, education, young people, families and history.

A central piece of a series of projects will be the creation of a large mural on the outside of a vintage barn in the area. Renick Stevenson, an artist who has worked on many similar projects in the past 20 years, will be in charge of the barn mural. He attended a meeting at the Extension Office last week to explain how he works with the youth, and the community, to design and paint murals that usually wind up involving people from age 4 to 80 or more.

Also planned are opportunities for youngsters to complete writing projects based on interviews with parents and grandparents, some "mini-barn projects" for elementary age students, a pottery camp, and a special celebration following the completion of the barn mural. Activities will start in February and run through most of the summer.

1/21/01 - Our volunteer firemen were called to a fire at the Jack Bayerl residence at N8102 Highway 577 (that's near Camp Shakey) Thursday night. There was considerable damage to the home from the combination of fire, water and smoke. The trucks were out from 11:30 pm to about 3 in the morning.

1/18/01 - You wouldn't think snowmen would worry about keeping in shape, but have you seen the one by Tom Wangerin's driveway? It's definitely got a 'bottom-heavy' problem and needs help. I have a feeling it's decided to try meditation and wants Mother Nature to get the message, "Enough snow already...bring a little more sunshine so I can get rid of some of this weight."

1/17/01- The joints were rockin' -literally- at the Stephenson Township Hall at 4:30 this afternoon. I mean knee joints, hip joints, neck joints, elbow joints, ankle joints, etc. It was the second meeting of the 'low-impact' aerobics group, aimed at the older, out-of-shape crowd. That in itself seemed to be a challenge. The 13 or 14 women who showed up weren't all that old, and if they were out of shape it may have slowed them down at times but they kept moving for the whole hour, with only about a 10-second drink-of-water break. There were times when you could feel the floor moving. Once I was sure I was hearing body joints creaking. It turned out to be an enthusiastic participant in the second row snapping her fingers in time to the music.

1/17/01 - January is School Board Appreciation Month, among other things, and Stephenson Board Members found a gift-wrapped package at each of their seats as they gathered for their Monday night meeting. Most of their business had to do with the coming and going of school personnel. A teenage boy, expelled for involvement in a bomb threat last fall was reinstated. He and his parents were wearing happy faces as they left after hearing the board's decision. The resignation of secretary Judy Bright was accepted. High School Principal Paul Weismantel will also be leaving, with plans to retire at the end of the school year.

Wally Majkrzak was also present, representing the Sharks football program and it's coaches Jason and Kevin Parrett. They are all working on finding a regulation size field for their practices and games next season. He was told that many of the questions regarding costs and availability of the facilities at the school's new sports complex are still being discussed. He was advised to provide a written list of questions and was invited to attend the next meeting of the committee involved.

The major portion of the meeting involved a presentation by Richard Allen of the Michigan Association of School Boards Superintendent Search Services. He outlined a 13-week program they provide to help a board set goals, do publicity, set up interviews and select a candidate to replace Superintendent Charlie Kalhoefer,who will be retiring at the end of the school year. The board made no decision to use the service, which would cost $5,000 plus expenses. Allen noted they have helped several other schools in the U.P., that he felt there were "a lot of good things going in Stephenson" and there should be no problem attracting 20 or more candidates who would be interested in the position.

1/15/01 - January Horoscope: I put this off as long as I could, but with many of you sticking to your 2001 resolutions I think you need to know: 1) More diets begin in dressing rooms than in doctors' offices, and 2) The amount of sugar in a 12-oz. can of regular soda is 9 teaspoons. The amount of time you would have to walk to burn that off is 53 minutes at a rate of 3 miles an hour. So keep shopping and trying on lots of snazzy clothes... and switch to diet sodas. If it doesn't work, lie about your birthday and say you were born in February 'cause I know you'll like that horoscope much better. I'll try and get it on by midnight February lst.

1/13/01 - I expected a line of New Year's resolution keepers waiting to get in the Stephenson Township Hall Thursday night when I stopped to check out the Aerobics Exercise Class sponsored by the M&M YMCA and taught by Stephensonian Debbie Grinsteiner. Inside, there was room for a few more people so it's probably not too late to still get involved. Debbie teaches five classes a week in Menominee and is a certified aerobics instructor. The Stephenson classes are on Monday and Thursday night for the young and ambitious crowd and on Wednesdays for 'no-impact' classes for older or out-of-shape people ( there is no hopping or jumping, just gentle stretching and toning, most of which can be done sitting down, if necessary). It's almost worth going just to listen to the music, even if you don't move very fast. Thursday night there was big band music and semi-classical stuff like Flight of the Bumblebee, Moonlight Sonata and American in Paris, all done with a jazzed up beat meant to keep you moving.

1/12/01 - Cold weather brings its problems, but so does the January thaw we are now enjoying. Barb Houle is worried about some newly planted tulips in a warm spot on the warm side of the house. They apparently think this is spring and are up a couple of inches, unaware that February is yet to come and could be deadly.

1/11/01- Stephanie Bruno and Judy Pomeroy are making a list. No, it's not for next Christmas. They are scheduled to attend a Fair Convention downstate January 18 through 21 where they will have a chance to network with people from other counties and gather lots of information on ways to organize and improve attendance and participation at the annual County Fair. Fair Board members offered many suggestions of questions to ask at their Monday night meeting. Plans for a "Barn Project" and a Pottery Camp, to be funded by a grant from the Rural Arts and Culture Program, were also discussed.

1/10/01 - A little Christmas leftover...local grandmas and grandpas got some pre-Christmas smiles from area elementary school children like 4th grader Ashley, seven year old Alison who is in the 2nd grade and five year old Jessica. The kids made a bunch of Christmas cards by coloring a picture on the front and then adding their own personalized message and signature on the inside . Kris Harris delivered the cards to the Senior Center and Roubals Nursing Home where they were distributed to people who probably haven't seen such works of art in quite a few years.

1/6/01 - "I don't think you'll have a problem with this council as far as cooperation." That was Floyd Wangerin's response to a presentation by Jason Parrett and Kevin Parrett, coaches of the Stephenson Sharks football team made up of 7th and 8th graders., at the Thursday night Stephenson City Council Meeting. They were asking for help in finding space for a full-size football field, possibly in Erickson Park. Jason, who has been involved with the team for seven years said he is working on getting details of plans and "numerous ideas" down on paper with a goal of expanding the program to include 4th, 5th and 6th graders. He and Kevin emphasized that interest and participation continues to grow and they don't want to have to turn anyone down. There are currently about 60 students involved, with operating costs covered by donations, fund raisers and a $2 entrance fee at games. The council agreed to do what they could to help, with Councilman Dale Parrett, who is in charge of parks, volunteering to start working on the project.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please take a minute to write H. Barb Upton.