Out and About Blog by Norm Stutesman

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.

Here is the solution to what the words in last week’s column have in common. Besides having at least two double letters, if you take the first letter of the word, place it at the end of the word, and spell the word in reverse, it will be the same word. Thank you for playing along.

Gray’s Community Band is known throughout the area for providing free performances several times during the year. The band is made up of individuals who perform just for the love of music and the enjoyment they receive by playing instruments that they have owned most of their lives. There is no age limit, and the only prerequisite is that you …

A friend of mine submits a Letter to the Editor at least once a month. He isn’t upset about anything in particular and rarely complains. He is, however, a very committed and dedicated person to at least two things. One of these is the Lions Club and the other is the donation of blood. He submits his Letter to the …

Summertime and festivals go hand-in-hand here in St. Joe County. We start out with Water Festival here in Three Rivers, Covered Bridge Days in Centreville, Riverfest in Mendon and we sort of wrap up summer with HarmonyFest back here in Three Rivers. It’s sort of the “Last Hurrah” before school starts and, for those of you who remember, the last …

Where has the summer gone? It’s almost the middle of August, and next month at this time, the kids will have been back in school for a little over a week. In three months, we’ll be finishing our Christmas shopping. Before you fall into deep depression, remember that we still have some great events to anticipate: the St. Joe County …

A week from today is a big day in St. Joseph County. August 5 is a day when, once again, you have the opportunity to exercise your right to vote. Voting citizens in this county do not have a very good reputation for exercising this right. Actually, it’s pretty shameful. Case in point: Wal-Mart opened their doors in Three Rivers …

As I write about what’s going on in the Three Rivers area, I hope you readers realize just how many activities and events are FREE. In this age of high gas prices, you really have to look hard for anything that’s really a bargain, let alone free. Every summer the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra puts on a concert in Scidmore Park. …

One of the advantages of living in Three Rivers is the number of public parks that are available for all to enjoy. They range in size from a small park, with maybe a bench to sit on, to a large park like Scidmore, complete with a playground, picnic areas, popcorn stand, and even a petting zoo. On any given evening, …

Before I forget, I mentioned last week that I would provide more information on the Summer Full of Art at the Carnegie Center for the Arts. I also mentioned that if you were interested in Session I, you must register by July 7 and that was yesterday. I will therefore still list the classes available, but they will be for …