Out and About Blog by Norm Stutesman

This Saturday and Sunday, November 29 and 30, Three Rivers will celebrate “Christmas Around Town”. Many of the downtown merchants will be open both days in observance of this annual event. Santa Claus will make an appearance, along with some of his reindeer. In support of this event, the St. Joseph County Transportation Authority (CTA) will offer free rides throughout …

It’s hard to believe or realize, but Thanksgiving is a week from Thursday. It seems that the St. Joe County Fair was just several weeks ago, and now the smell of roast turkey and freshly baked pumpkin pie will soon be in the air. Here’s a scary thought: Shopping for Christmas begins a week from Friday. I wonder how this …

From now until the end of the year, we will be either celebrating a holiday or preparing for one. It’s a time for parties and family gatherings, a time for shopping for gifts and for presenting those gifts that you’ve shopped long and hard for. Homemade gifts are less expensive, but they do require some imagination. Ellen Brunner is a …

If you’re reading this and it’s before 8 P.M. on November 4, and you still haven’t done your civic duty and voted, then I strongly advise you to visit your polling place and cast your vote. If you are thinking that your vote won’t make a difference, you are very wrong. If you decide not to vote, you have no …

A week from today is voting day, November 4. That means that a week from tomorrow you won’t be subjected to the endless ideas, issues and promises that have been flooding the airwaves for the past many months. The issues will more than likely be forgotten and unfortunately, many of the promises will never be kept. The one promise that …

You can tell that fall has definitely arrived, and hopefully, will be here for more than just a couple of weeks. Last weekend was the color tour, and I’m pretty sure the colors are at their peak. At least the ones in our yard and driveway. I’ve found that, if you want the wind to pick up, all you have …

This Saturday, October 18, is Sweetest Day. Yes, it’s another “Hallmark Day”, but why not have another day when you can let that special someone know just how much she/he means to you? It’s not too late to pick up a nice card or order some flowers. Some of you were smart enough to order roses through the Three Rivers …

There’s a saying that’s quite well known. “It’s either feast or famine”. I’m in my third year of putting together this weekly column. There are times when I must really dig to come up with things to include in “Out and About”, and then there are times when I wish I could use more space than is normally available. This …

I was amazed at how many readers thanked me for mentioning the fact that the downtown sidewalks can be a danger zone because of the bicyclists and skateboarders who insist on using the sidewalks as their private “straightaway”. Perhaps one of our city commissioners will bring up this issue at the next City Commission meeting. I’m sure it would be …

The St. Joseph County Grange Fair is now in the history books. Weather was perfect, except for opening day. If anyone reading this had anything to do with making the fair happen, I applaud you for a job well done. Centreville may now return to the quiet village that we’ve all come to love and appreciate.