Out and About Blog by Norm Stutesman

If you had placed a wager as to whether or not I’d mention the Water Festival this week, and said that I wouldn’t even mention the parade, you would have lost the bet. Water Festival is probably the biggest event of the year for those living in Wildcat country. It used to be called “Water Carnival”, but because of all …

With the passing of Memorial Day, we are officially into summer. Although summer doesn’t officially begin until June 22, the gentlemen may now wear their white shoes and the ladies may wear whatever they usually wear, without fear of embarrassment. Please don’t accuse me of slamming the ladies, but I really am not aware of what the style is for …

About a month ago, I made a couple of changes in my column. I decided to make the column a bit more personal. I did this by sharing some of my experiences, with hopes that some readers might have experienced some of the same. Every so often, I throw in a few trivial things that might be helpful hints or …

Backyard BBQ chefs will be happy to hear about a new attraction to this year’s Water Festival. It’s a Backyard BBQ Competition. All backyard chefs are invited to compete in this event on Friday, June 14, from 2 until 9 PM. Century Bank and Trust has agreed to sponsor this first-time ever competition. The entry fee is $55, which covers …

We are all mortal, which means that we are all terminal and our days on earth are limited. I will, on occasion, mention the passing of friends in this column. I don’t do this to be morbid, but I do it because these individuals meant a lot to me, and I’m sure they meant a lot to many readers. Dan …

We have experienced eighty degree temperatures, I’ve mowed our lawn, the tree outside my office window is in full bloom, and my Gator is my main mode of transportation around town, so it must be springtime in Michigan. This is probably my favorite season of the year, because the days of high humidity haven’t arrived yet. It won’t be long …

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been fortunate to travel throughout our state of Michigan. On many of the major highways, we’ve noticed full trash bags placed along the shoulders. They are full because there are still too many travelers who feel that the highways are their own private dumping grounds for litter. There are laws against littering, and …

Growing up in Three Rivers during the fifties, I remember going with my parents to the Civic Theater in Kalamazoo. We’d have a stylish dinner at Schensul’s Cafeteria and then take in a play. I don’t recall the names of any of the plays, but I do remember the event as being very special. Three Rivers had two movie theaters …

A little over two weeks ago, we celebrated Easter. We thought we’d try something a little different and have Easter dinner with relatives at Gun Lake Casino, south of Grand Rapids. I was surprised to find out that the casino was open on such a holy day, but it was, and from what I gathered, a bunch of people had …

In April, 2006, this column appeared for the first time in this newspaper. This means that I’ve written this column for seven years. That amounts to around 364 columns. I’ve done my best to keep the column simple. I don’t write about politics or express my religious beliefs. I’ll leave that to those who spend eight hours a day on …