Sand Lake 4th of July ST - The Cedar Springs Post · Cedar Springs, MI FREE but priceless Vol. XXXI No. 25 Thursday, June 21, 2018 Serving Northern Kent County and parts of Newaygo

The 149th Fourth of July Celebration in Sand Lake starts next week with the theme Celebrating the De-cades. This long-running event celebrating our coun-try’s independence is a fun tradition for families in the Sand Lake, Cedar Springs, and surrounding areas.

The event starts next Thursday evening, June 28, with a fireman’s parade of lights at dusk. On Friday, June 29, the carnival opens

at 1 p.m., and the fun con-tinues with a variety of ac-tivities daily through July 4. Highlights of that day include a grand parade and one of the best fireworks shows around. For a com-plete schedule of events, please turn to page ??.

Grand Marshals for this year are Scott and Robyn Britton. They have lived in Nelson Township for the majority of their lives, and both are graduates of Ce-

dar Springs High School, and have known each other since their freshman year. They have been married almost 29 years, and have raised three children, all whom have graduated from Tri County High School. Their oldest daughter, Han-nah, just graduated from St. Mary’s Notre Dame; son Jesse just finished his third year at Ferris State Univer-sity; and their youngest son,

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Serving Northern Kent County and parts of Newaygo and Montcalm CountiesServing Northern Kent County and parts of Newaygo and Montcalm CountiesVol. XXXI No. 25 Thursday, June 21, 2018SHOWCASING CEDAR SPRINGS & Reaching around the world ~ www.cedarspringspost.com

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MARSHALS - continues on page 15

Cedar Springs chooses new superintendentBy Judy Reed

The Cedar Springs Board of Education voted 7-0 Monday evening, June 18, to extend an offer to Scott Smith to be their new superintendent.

Smith currently serves as an assistant superintendent at Hudsonville Public Schools.

The offer came after a rigor-ous day of Smith meeting with eight different focus groups, dinner with the board, and then a second round interview with the board at 7 p.m. The news was given to Smith by board president Heidi Reed shortly after 9 p.m. via speakerphone, ac-companied by loud applause from the approximately 50 staff and community members present for the interview.

“It is an incredible honor to receive an invitation to join the Cedar Springs team as its Superintendent of Schools,” said Smith. “This opportunity has been on my radar for nearly ten years. Cedar Springs has a rich history as a student-centered and teacher-centered school district nestled within a strong, support-ive community. I can’t wait to get started doing this exciting work!”

Community members and staff gave feedback to the board about Smith after the focus groups and after both the first and second round interviews. Several board members noted that the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

“We had tremendous feedback from staff, students, parents and community members during the process,” remarked Reed. “Scott had overwhelming support and was clearly a great fit for the candidate profile. He is very well prepared to be our next Superintendent and we look forward to having he and his wife Sarah become part of our community. The unanimous decision to offer the job to Mr. Smith is the result of several months of work by the board with support and input from staff, students, parents and community members. We are all excited to get started with Scott on the important work of moving our district forward.”

Contract negotiations will start immediately between the dis-trict and Smith, with the board voting that Reed and the lawyers for Cedar Springs lead that effort.

The board opted to forego a site visit, with several members explaining that they had already received a lot of input from members of the Hudsonville community and district. Reed not-ed that some of the people they had heard from were people that they would talk to during a site visit. Three of the board members—Traci Slager, Matt Shoffner, and Shannon Vander-hyde—all mentioned being open to the possibility of a site visit to add an extra layer of thoroughness to the search process, but were completely ready to move forward without it if the others were also ready to move forward.

Before the vote, board members mentioned some of the things they liked about Smith, and all agreed that he was a perfect fit to the profile that they had developed with the help of search consultant Gary Rider and the results of the community survey.

Smith has served as Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources for the Hudsonville Public Schools for seven years. Prior to this work he served as the Middle School Principal for Hamilton Community Schools for six years, and as a Middle School Science teacher for Holland Public Schools for three years. Mr. Smith holds a Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership from Grand Valley State University, and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Earth Science both from Western Michigan University. He currently lives in Hamilton but noted that he will be looking to sell his home and find something in the area.

Cedar Springs is one of seven districts in Kent County who will have new superintendents for this next school year. The others are Caledonia, Comstock Park, East Grand Rapids, Spar-ta, Thornapple Kellog, and Wyoming.

Sand Lake Fourth of July celebration starts next weekScott and Robyn Britton chosen as Grand Marshals

The Britton family. Scott and Robyn Britton are serving as Grand Marshals for this year’s Fourth of July celebration in Sand Lake. Courtesy photo.

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Business

Bloomin summer

page 10

RIGHT: Trevor Marshall (left) and Matthew Maxwell (right) constructed plant stands for residents at Green Acres recently. BELOW: The two boys with Men of Honor leader Randy Badge. Courtesy photos.

Students build plant stands for elderly

Container gardening is gaining in popularity, and one group of people who really benefits from it are the el-derly. Bending and kneeling are hard on everyone, but older people tend to lose that mobility as they age. Two students here in Cedar Springs have done something to help seniors enjoy the art of gardening, even if they can’t

STANDS - continues on page 15

Scott Smith

Grant awarded for hands-on environmental education programStudents will experience it at Plainsong Farm

The Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds (LGROW), in collaboration with Plainsong Farm, Trout Unlimited and the Kent Con-servation District, has re-ceived a $38,000 grant from the Wege Foundation for a pilot program that exposes middle-school students to sustainable agriculture and land/water conservation. The two-year curriculum will provide practical, im-mersive farm-based envi-ronmental education for middle-school students in the Rogue River watershed. Students from Sparta Mid-

Kellogg Company announced last week that it is vol-untarily recalling 15.3 oz. and 23 oz. packages of Kel-logg’s ® Honey Smacks ® cereal (with code dates listed below) because these products have the potential pres-ence of Salmonella. No other Kellogg products are im-pacted by this recall.

Kellogg launched an investigation with the third-party manufacturer who produces Honey Smacks immediately after being contacted by the Food & Drug Administra-tion (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) re-garding reported illnesses.

According to the CDC, use or consumption of products contaminated with Salmo-nella may result in serious illness. It can also produce serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and

Cereal recalled due to Salmonella

The Cedar Springs Post Page 2 Thursday, June 21, 2018

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RECALLED - continues on page 15

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The Post travels to Fiji

Samantha and Emilee Pastoor, of Courtland Town-ship, recently took the Post with them on a trip to the Fiji Islands. Samantha gave the trip to Emilee as a gradu-ation present, after she grad-uated recently with highest honors from Cedar Springs

High School. While in Fiji, the girls spent 12 days on two different islands. They went snorkeling, scuba div-ing, hiking, and even sky-diving.

That sounds like a great trip! Thanks so much for taking us with you!

Are you going on vaca-tion? Take the Post with you and snap some photos. Then send them to us with some info to [email protected] or mail them to Post travels, PO Box 370, Cedar Springs, MI 49319. We will be looking for yours!

dle School and East Rock-ford Middle School will participate in the program.

This project connects to the Wege Foundation’s

long-standing commitment to environmental sustain-ability by cultivating a new generation of watershed

PROGRAM - continues on page 15

Raking mulch on the Plainsong farm. Courtesy photo.

Planting crops at the Plainsong farm. Courtesy photo.

Friend of the Court Opens the Responsible Parent Program Center

36 E. Maple, P.O. Box 370, Cedar Springs, Michigan 49319,phone: 616-696-3655 • fax 616-696-9010

published weekly, USPO third-class POSTal permit #81. Publisher: ....................................Lois AllenEditor/Reporter: ........................ Judy ReedColumnist: ...................Ranger Steve MuellerComposition:................... Belinda SandersonAdvertising Consultants: ............. Lois Allen,............................... Melissa Kleyn, Marybeth FordOffice Manager: ..................... Mary Randall

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Church Connection ............... pages 4-5

Voices & Views ............................page 5

Arts & Entertainment .................page 6

Outdoors ......................................page 7

Sand Lake 4th of July ........... pages 8-9

Bloomin Summer ......................page 10

Business & Finance ................... page 11

Legals .........................................page 12

Business Professionals ..............page 13

Classifieds...................................page 14

CTA Honor Roll ........................page 16

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Free credit freezes available to consumers

LANSING- Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette is reminding Michigan residents that effective June 17th, 2018, free credit freezes became available to all Michigan residents, according to a new state law.

“Following multiple security breaches that have ex-posed personal information of millions of Michigainians, I worked with the legislature to make sure that after a breach, it would not cost those exposed their hard-earned dollars when they weren’t at fault,” said Schuette. “I applaud our legislature for taking the important step to protect Michigan residents, and I encourage those who have been impacted and those who want to limit who has access to their credit reports to take advantage of our new zero-cost credit freeze law.”

A credit freeze is a temporary block on third parties’ abil-ity to access a consumer’s credit report. Credit reporting agencies can no longer charge fees associated with freezing a consumer’s credit report. The benefit of freezing a credit report is that no one can sign up for a new financial service using your stolen information.

Protecting Michigan Consumers During the Equifax Se-curity Breach

Schuette joined with more than 40 other states and the District of Columbia in an investigation of credit giant Equifax in September 2017. The investigation remains open.

If you are uncertain as to whether your credit was breached, Schuette encourages Michigan residents to go to www.equifaxsecurity2017.com to see if your information has been impacted.

Michigan traffic fatalities decreased three percent in 2017

Responsible Parent Program Center office. Courtesy photo.

The Kent County Friend of the Court (FOC) is pleased to announce the opening of the Responsible Parent Program (RPP) Center, located on the second floor at 82 Ionia Ave-nue NW, Grand Rapids.

This new center makes it easier for participants in the program to meet with their case manager, see updated job postings, and apply for jobs on-line.

Launched in 2016, RPP has established partnerships with over 30 agencies and employers to assist those who are having difficulties paying their court-ordered child support. Once in the program, a FOC case manager will meet with the participant to identify any barriers the person may be facing, make appropriate referrals for job placements and searches, determine whether a case qualifies for a support review to ensure the current order is based on ability to pay, and provide information about parenting time issues and services.

The goal of the RPP is to place 75% of those who com-plete the program into jobs. The RPP started in 2016 with ten partner agencies and employers and has grown to 34 current partners. In its first two years, 53% of those accept-ed into the program reported employment following their initial appointment with the case manager; 41% met their court-ordered obligation and 67.5% made some payment. “These are cases where little to no payment was being made. Our primary goal is to make sure the children of Kent County are receiving court-ordered support,” said Friend of the Court Director Dan Fojtik. “We are here to help anyone who is sincerely interested in improving their financial po-sition and getting their FOC case back on track.”

To qualify for the program, a participant must have a FOC case, no gainful employment, be able to work, have no pend-ing child support related felony warrant, and be interested in participating. Enforcement actions such as show-cause hearings, bench warrants, and license suspensions will be deferred while the participant is in the program. The RPP Center has three designated computer terminals where pay-ers can search for jobs, and the Center holds drop-in times

when no appointment is needed on Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons.

Anyone who is interested in this special 90-day program may contact the FOC for more information at (616) 632-6888. Case managers are also available to meet in person without an appointment at Michigan Works, Urban Family Ministries, Strong Fathers, Hispanic Center, and Guiding Light Mission; call (616) 632-6825 for days and times.

Although Michigan traffic deaths remained above 1,000 for the second consecutive year there was a 3 percent decrease in fatalities during 2017, according to just-released data from the Michigan State Police Criminal Justice Information Center. The 1,028 fatalities in 2017 marked a small decline from 1,064 fatalities in 2016. Injuries also decreased slightly but crashes and serious injuries were up:

· Injuries: 79,724 in 2016 to 78,394 in 2017, down 2 percent.

· Crashes: 312,172 in 2016 to 314,921 in 2017, up 1 percent.

· Serious injuries: 5,634 in 2016 to 6,084 in 2017, up 8 percent.

The percentage of alcohol-involved fatalities increased 32 percent from 271 in 2016 to 359 in 2017. This rise reflects,

in part, better reporting methods and data collection. “Attention must be paid when we see nearly half of all traffic crash fatalities involving alcohol or drugs,” said Michael L. Prince, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP). “This noteworthy change is causing great concern, and effective safety strategies to address this issue require a comprehensive approach in coordination with our local, county, state and federal partners. The OHSP will continue to allocate resources in the form of federal funding to improve our capabilities in the detection, apprehension, prosecution and treatment of impaired drivers. “Clearly, our most basic safety countermeasures, focused on increasing seat belt use and reducing impaired driving, remain just as important now as they have ever been,” he added.

Michigan Traffic Crashes 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013

Crashes 314,921 312,172Injuries 78,394 79,724 74,157 71,378 71,031

Fatalities 1,028 1,064 963 876 951In other areas:

· Bicyclist fatalities decreased from 38 in 2016 to 21 in 2017, down 45 percent.

· Teen fatalities decreased from 94 in 2016 to 64 in 2017, down 32 percent

· Commercial motor vehicle-involved fatalities decreased from 120 in 2016 to 95 in 2017, down 21 percent.

· Motorcyclist fatalities decreased from 141 in 2016 to 137 in 2017, down 3 percent.

· Pedestrian fatalities decreased from 165 in 2016 to 158 in 2017, down 4 percent.

· Deer-involved fatalities increased from 14 in 2016 to 17 in 2017, up 21 percent.

More detailed 2017 crash information will be posted to Michigantrafficcrashfacts.org in the coming months. Statewide crash information can be found at Michigan.gov/crash.

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come absorbed in the fight and soon they were oblivious to the fact that there was a lion prowling around just watching for an opportunity to attack.

This is the very picture that God paints for us in His Word. He tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour! This spoke to me as a strong warning for the Church. In the church, when we fight one another, we become distracted and vulnerable to attack. The more people that get distracted by getting involved in various disputes, the less effective we become for God’s Kingdom in ministry.

I see it on a more personal level with individual families. If Satan, the enemy of our soul, can keep God’s children distracted by fighting each other, we won’t be fighting him. He will be able to just prance in and devour our young, weak and vulnerable. Then we wonder, how did this hap-pen?

Life here on earth involves many battles in which God promises you victory through Jesus Christ. There are al-ways going to be challenges, difficulties and problems to solve. Still there are times when they intensify, and we seem to be coming under major attack. Martin Luther King said that the ultimate measure of a person is not where we stand when things are going great, but where we stand in moments of challenge, moments of great crisis and contro-versy.

There are many verses in Proverbs as well as throughout the Bible that contrast the “wise and the foolish.” A few things I’ve learned (and I’m still learning)

* Avoid unnecessary quarrelling—don’t sweat the small

stuff or the disputable matters. * Seek wise counsel; not just anyone who will listen.

Don’t involve others in your disagreement. Gossip is an-other ugly distraction.

* Trust that God can bring good out of evil. Turn it over to Him and follow His lead.

* Strengthen one another. Pray for each other.Let’s be vigilant as God instructs us. Focus on what unites

instead of what divides.We need unity in the family of believers, united in Christ

for battle against the real enemy. Less fighting each other and more fighting the real enemy. That’s where we truly belong!

Directory

The Cedar Springs Post Page 4 Thursday, June 21, 2018

Bliss-Witters & PikeBliss-Witters & Pike Funeral Home is family owned and operated by Kevin and Janet Pike. Our barrier free chapel is located one-half mile south of downtown on Northland Drive. We are available to serve you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

13603 Northland DriveCedar Springs, MI 49319(616) 696-1410

Kevin Pike - Manager, Janet Pike Assistant

Sunday School 9:30am Sunday Morning Worship 10:45am Sunday Evening Worship 6pmAwana Wednesdays 6:30pm

(Sept. - March)Adult Bible Study Wednesdays 7:00pm

233 S. Main Street • 616-696-1630 • www.csfbc.com

H I L L C R E S T Community Church of GodTO KNOW CHRIST AND MAKE HIM KNOWN

5994 18 Mile Rd, Cedar Springs, MI 49319 616-696-9333 Senior Pastor Kristi J. Rhodes

Worship: Sunday 10:00 am Nursery & Children’s Church during message*Youth - Sunday 11:30 am-12:30 pm *Tuesday - Celebrate Recovery 6:30-8:30 pm*Wednesday - Kidzone & Grief Share 6-7:30 pm *Thursday - Open Prayer 6-7:30 pm

Sunday Worship 9:45 AMChristian Education Hour 11:15 AM

Family Bible Hour 6:00 PM

Word of Life Clubs: Wed. 6:30 PM

Adult Bible Study and PrayerWednesdays 6:30 PM

12786 Algoma AveCedar Springswww.MBC-Cedar.com 696-3560

Mary Queen of Apostles ChurchRoman Catholic Faith CommunityOne W. Maple, Sand Lake | 636-5671

Mass Times: Saturdays at 5:30 pm • Sundays at 7:30 am & 9:30 am Sacrament of Reconciliation: Mondays at 6:00 pm

Father Lam T. Le | [email protected]

Church

The only preparation for

tomorrow is the right use

of today

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Suffi-cient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Matthew 6:34

From God’s Little Instruction Book- Honor Books

PILGRIM BIBLE CHURCH & ACADEMYWest Pine Street • 696-1021• Rev. Mike Shiery

Sunday School 9:45WoRShIP 10:45 aM and 6:00 P.M.

MIdWeek SeRvIce • WedneSday 7:00 P.M.

Services at Cedarfield Community Center3592 17 Mile Rd. NE (Next to Meijer)

Phone: 696-9120 Web: www.pioneercrc.org

Sunday Services: 10AM, 6PM

Pioneer Christian Reformed Church

Rockford Springs Community Church5815 14-Mile Rd. (3 miles east of 131) • 696-3656

Sunday WorShip 9:30am • 5:00pm

Pastor David Vander Meer

w w w . r o c k f o r d s p r i n g s . o r g

SAND LAKEUNITED METHODIST CHURCH

65 W. Maple St. • Sand Lake • 616-636-5673Rev. Darryl Miller • Worship Service 9:30 am HaLL RentaL $75.00 (no alcohol) ~

Call Barb Gould 616-636-5615

Service Time: 10 am Solon CenterWesleyan Churchsoloncenterwesleyanchurch.org

Pastor Doug DiBellPastor Tom Holloway, Music/Youth15671 Algoma Ave., Cedar Springs Just N. of 19 Mile Rd. 616-696-3229

Worship 11 a.m.22 Mile Road

M-46

US-131Algoma Ave.

Solon Center Wesleyan Church

Cedar Springs

N. to Sand Lake

S. to G.R.

19 Mile Road

Pastor Doug DiBell &

org

Summer Worship - 10AMJune-AugustSenior Pastor Tom Holloway

Senior Pastor, Rev. Chadrick BrownSolon Center Wesleyan Church

15671 Algoma Ave., Cedar Springs Just N. of 19 Mile Rd.

www.scwchurch.org 616-696-3229

St. John Paul II ParishA Welcoming Catholic Church

3110 17 Mile Road | Cedar Springs, MI | 696-3904Saturday Vigil Mass: 4:00pm • Sunday Mass: 8:30am, 10:30am & 5:00pmSacrament of Reconciliation Saturdays at 3:00 pm & Sundays at 4:00 pmjp2-mqa.org | Father Lam T. Le | [email protected]

www.cedarspringschristianchurch.org

Cedar Springs Christian ChurchSundayS: 10:30 a.M.MondayS:

open prayer 7-8 pM

pastor ryan Black: SerMonS onlinenon-denominational

340 W. pine St.on CTA property*

Cedar Springs616.696.1180*NOT affiliated with

Creative Technologies Academy (CTA)

Cedar Springs United Methodist Church

140 S. Main St., PO Box K, Cedar Springs616-696-1140 • www.cedarspringsumc.org

Email: [email protected] Bill Johnson

Sunday Worship Service: 10:15 a.m. • Coffee Fellowship: 11:15 a.m.Supervised Nursery Care Provided

Wednesdays: Food & Faith: 6:00pm dinner, 6:20-7:00pm Christian Education

Cedar Springs United Methodist Church 140 S. Main St., PO Box K , Cedar Springs

616-696-1140 www.cedarspringsumc.org Email: [email protected]

Pastor Jane Duffey

Sunday Worship Service: 10:15 a.m. Coffee Fellowship: 11:15 a.m. Supervised Nursery Care Provided

Wednesdays: Food & Faith: 6:00pm dinner, 6:20-7:00pm Christian Education

East Nelson Church “Where You are Loved” 9024—18 Mile Rd. NE Cedar Springs MI 49319 616-696-0661

Pastor Inge Whittemore Like us on Facebook www.eastnelsonumc.org

Sunday 9:30 am Worship Service Sunday KidZone 9:45 am Ages 4 to 12 Thursday KidzKlub 6 pm Ages 4 to 12

East Nelson Church “Where You are Loved” 9024—18 Mile Rd. NE Cedar Springs MI 49319 616-696-0661

Pastor Inge Whittemore Like us on Facebook www.eastnelsonumc.org

Sunday 9:30 am Worship Service Sunday KidZone 9:45 am Ages 4 to 12 Thursday KidzKlub 6 pm Ages 4 to 12

Church Connectionspiritual notes • announcements • memoriesspiritual notes • announcements • memories

ChurCh of the fuLL GospeL(since 1946) Non-Denominational • pentecostal Grace

180 E. Lake St. Sand Lake (1 block E. of Traffic Light)Sunday School .....10am / Sunday Morning .....11am

Sunday Night ..... 6pm pastor Gary Giddings (616) 799-0331

Do you know that Saturday is the Sabbath?To learn more about the Sabbath and the truth of the bible visit

The Church of GodFellowship Group of Michigan

Pastor Bruce Chapman616.636.9209 www.cogfgomi.org

Courtland-oakfield united Methodist ChurCh 10295 Myers Lake Ave.-1.5 Miles South of 14 Mile Rd.

sunday Worship: 11 aMenhanced fitness: 10 a.m. M/W/f

866-4298 coumc.weebly.com

Pastor: Rev. Kim DeLong

Pastor Kristi RhodesHILLCREST COMMUNITY

CHURCH5994 18 Mile Rd. Cedar Springs, MI 49319

CONFLICT: THE GREAT DISTRACTION

One thing everyone will come face to face with at some point in their life (some more than others), is conflict. Sad-ly enough, it has the power to destroy relationships, friend-ships and even entire families. Just imagine the devastation it causes churches, which only distracts from the very pur-pose for their existence.

While watching a National Geographic episode on ani-mal communities in the wild, it reminded me of the safari we were on in Africa a couple years ago. There were very large herds of antelope and other various animals. Normal-ly they are very alert to predators. However, as two of the antelope began to fight, others in the herd seemed to be-

From the Pulpit

is online @ cedarspringspost.com

Church Connection

The Cedar Springs Post Thursday, June 21, 2018 Page 5

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ngagementEEEEEirthBBBBBnniversaryAAAAAeddingWWWWWemorialMMMMMbituaryOOOOOhankyou!TTTTTnnouncementAAAAA

WANDA REYBURNDeath leaves a heartache no one can heal. Love leaves a memory no one can steal. Please join us for a celebration of a life well lived. A memorial service will be held in memory of our beloved Mother, Wanda Reyburn, at the Hessel-Cheslek Funeral Home in Sparta, Michigan, on July 14th, 2018, at 11 a.m. followed by a lunch at the Sparta Community Center at 12:30 p.m.

GINA CRAMERJanuary 21, 1932 – June 18, 1998

Twenty years ago I lost my best friend, my mom. Nothing has felt right since that day. I miss you so much, Mom, sometimes the pain is just too much.

I love you, Mom.

Your loving daughter, Robin

ngagementEEEEEirthBBBBBnniversaryAAAAAeddingWWWWWemorialMMMMMbituaryOOOOOhankyou!TTTTTnnouncementAAAAA

Apply online, call or visit us

VOICES/VIEWSPolitics: We need itBy Lee H. Hamilton

Every so often, I jot down a list of the things that discourage me about our country. There’s the widespread disregard for our core values of tolerance and mutual respect, for instance. Our declining national optimism. Our relaxed attitude toward fixing our elec-tion machinery, overseeing financial institu-tions, and making sure that our key demo-cratic institutions and processes are working effectively. There’s wage stagnation, income inequality, a high poverty rate, failing infra-structure, inadequate health-care coverage, a dysfunctional Congress...You get the idea.

This is not really a list of failings. It’s a to-do list. And it pretty much begs the question, if we’re not to throw up our hands and give in, how do we make progress on it? Well, I’ll tell you: politics.

I suppose most Americans will disagree. How can we depend on people - politicians - whom many hold in utter disregard? And what can we expect from political institutions like legislatures, Congress, the bureaucracy, the political parties, and a rickety electoral system that are widely viewed with suspicion? The answer, I think, has to be that we should do all we can to encourage and support them to fix these problems, because they’re all we’ve got.

American politics can be an inefficient, noisy, messy ride. But be careful before you condemn it and its practitioners, because al-ternatives like a chaotic anarchy or the brutal efficiency of a dictatorship are far worse.

In other words, if we’re going to attack the problems that concern us, we need politics: otherwise, our government would grind to a halt. We would be without a means of rem-edying our collective problems. The institu-tions of politics - the rule of law, elections, city councils, legislatures, Congress - are the way we make operational a government of, by, and for the people. They are how we work together.

At its heart, politics is about searching for a remedy to a problem, and building support behind that remedy. It’s the way we try to keep citizens satisfied and strive to meet their hopes, demands and dreams. At its best, pol-itics and political involvement are how we give citizens a feeling of community and an understanding that we’re all in this together.

It’s our vehicle for expressing shared val-ues and for reconciling the tensions, diversity and differences among us that are bound to arise as we tackle these enormously difficult challenges.

This is not to say that our system is even close to perfect. The list of things we need to fix - from the influence of money on elec-tions and political decision-making to an elections machinery that is crying out for at-tention and reform - is long. But we need to

strike a balance.As a citizen you have to be critical of

your system and ask yourself how to im-prove it and support reforms that would make it better. Yet I worry that our disdain for politicians and the howling criticism aimed at our democratic institutions in re-cent years has so undermined confidence in the system that people have lost their trust in their fellow citizens, their elected repre-sentatives, and their institutions - in other words, in the very people, organizations, and core values that can get us out of this mess. If you ask people what they most cherish about our political system, most will say it’s the idea of opportunity. For all its fits and starts, its horse-trading and negotiating and raw give and take, politics is also how we try to provide equal rights, civil liberties, and a fair shot at opportunity for all. Sure, we fall

short of the ideal. But in a representative de-mocracy, it’s the mechanism we possess to try to create a more perfect union.

The plain truth is, it doesn’t do much good just to talk about the ideals or shared values of America. You also have to try to realize them on the ground, to pull them out of the complicated - and often self-contradicto-ry - mass of popular longings and opinions and translate them into policy and law. For better or worse, politics is how we do this. Lee Hamilton is a Senior Advisor for the In-diana University Center on Representative Government; a Distinguished Scholar, IU School of Global and International Studies; and a Professor of Practice, IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years.

The JugglerA state trooper pulled a car over and asked the driver

why he was speeding.“I’m a magician and juggler on my way to do a show

for sick kids,” he explained, “and I don’t want to be late.”

The trooper told the driver he was fascinated by jug-gling and said if the driver would do a little juggling for him, he wouldn’t give him a ticket.

“I sent my equipment ahead and don’t have anything to juggle,” said the man.

“I have some flares in my trunk,” said the trooper. “Do you think you could juggle them?”

“Sure,” said the man. So the trooper got 5 flares, lit them and handed them

to him. While the man was juggling, a car pulled in behind the

patrol car and sat there for a minute. Then a man (who was obviously drunk) got out, staggered over to the pa-trol car, opened the rear door and got in.

The trooper observed him and went over to the patrol car, opened the door and asked him what he thought he was doing.

“You might as well take my butt to jail,” said the drunk, “’cause there ain’t no way I can pass that test!”

Praise the Lord at Cowboy ChurchJune 24: 2nd Chance will be having Cowboy Church on Sunday, June 24th at 6 pm. It will be at 2nd Chance School at 810 – 17 Mile Rd. Cedar Springs (corner of 17 Mile and Olin Lakes Rd). Music and ministry will be shared by the group, Stroll Over Heaven, who will share their message through their musical talents. Invite your family and friends. Cowboy Church will be every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month. Each service will have different people sharing God’s word and music. Cowboy Church will introduce you to 2nd Chance and its vision. The school is in the building stage, which when completed, will teach troubled teens through God and the horse. If you have questions, call 616-293-2150. See you there! #25b

TOPS weight loss support groupApr. 17: Take off pounds sensibly (TOPS), a non-profit weight loss support group for men and women, meets every Tuesday at the Resurrection Lutheran Church in Sand Lake. Your first visit is free so come check out what TOPS can do to help you reach your weigh loss goals! Weigh-ins

8:15-9am, meeting starts at 9:15am. In case of inclement weather, meetings are cancelled if Tri-County or Cedar Springs schools are closed. Call Martha at 696-1039 for more information. #15

Kooombah Rain Sticks at KDLJune 28: Koo-oom-bah means creativity in Swahili! Join us and get creative using your imagination and a few craft supplies to create your own rain stick! For ages 6 and older. Thursday, June 28th at 6:30 pm at Spencer Township KDL Branch, 14960 Meddler Ave., Gowen. #25

KDL Red, White & Blue Book SaleJune 30, July 2, 3: The Nelson Township/Sand Lake KDL Branch is hosting a book sale on Saturday, June 30 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday, July 2, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and Tuesday, July 3, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Great deals on books, magazines, movies, music and more. Located in the Library program room. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library. #25,26p

The Cedar Springs Post Page 6 Thursday, June 21, 2018

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KENT THEATREDIGITAL Movies at the

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SHOWTIMES:FRIDAY: 6:00PMSATURDAY: 3:00PM • 6:00PM SUNDAY: 3:00PM • 6:00PM

Living beyond myselfLocal author shares out-of-body experience

Cedar Springs, resident Roger P. Beukema Jr. has lived quite a life. Now, with his new book, Living Beyond Myself: An Out-of-Body Testimony, he is sharing his story. The book was released May 18, 2018, and is avail-able for purchase from www.fivecountpub.com, as well as on Amazon.com and in the Amazon Kindle store and through the Barnes and No-ble Nook. Locally, the book is available at Perry’s Place and Sue’s Country Kitchen.

Roger was born with con-genital heart disease back in 1956, when the science of fixing heart issues was in its infancy. Throughout his early life, he was in and out of the hospital constantly. It took 4 years before science was advanced enough to fi-

nally diagnose his problem. He was in the care of a team at Blodgett Hospital (now part of Spectrum), but the experimental surgery per-formed there in 1963 ulti-mately did not fix his ailing heart.

After searching endlessly, his mother, Tilia Beukema, was able to find a team in Chicago willing to take on his case. In yet another ex-perimental surgery in ear-ly 1967, this time it was a success. Not without issue, though. During the surgery, Roger went into cardiac ar-rest. It was at this time, he says, his whole life changed. “Who I am now is not who I was. I am a new version Roger Beukema, with a new soul and new outlook on life.”

Along with his heart is-sues, Roger has also suf-fered from many other maladies, including mul-tiple accidents as a child and Multiple Sclerosis.

Despite such an in-credible journey, he has mostly kept his story secret. That is, until now. “My father’s dy-ing wish was for me to share my story,” Roger says. “I am happy that I have now been able to do this.”

With the help of many, including Ritchard Bentley and Five Count Publishing, Roger’s dream of putting his story together is finally a re-ality.

“I know Roger’s been working on this project for years,” Ritch says. Roger, in fact, has spent over a dozen

years on the book. “I’m happy we have been able to help him finish the book. I believe Living Beyond Myself has a very powerful message that will resonate with every-one.”

For more information on Living Beyond Myself or to order a copy, please visit www.fivecountpub.com/liv-ingbeyondmyself.

The Cedar Springs Post Thursday, June 21, 2018 Page 7

LIFE CYCLE - on page 13

OUTDOORS

CAMP  SCOTTIEDAY CAMP

Monday-Friday Sessions June 11- August 10

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Camp Scottie 8181 Newcosta Avenue Howard City, MI 49329

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Ad_camp-scottie.indd 1 5/31/18 8:21 PM

THERE’S NO PLACELIKE OUR FAIR

83rd Annual Montcalm Co.

montcalmcountyfairgrounds.comMontcalm County Fairgrounds8784 W. Peck Rd. • Greenville

4-H FairJune 24-30

SUNDAY, JUNE 24 @ 5PMUnique Motor Sports Twisted Trailer Races

MONDAY, JUNE 25 @ 7PMAntique Tractor Pull

TUESDAY, JUNE 26 @ 7PMPoorman Pullers Mini Modified Tractor Pull

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27 @ 6:30PMPro-Am at the Horse Arena

THURSDAY, JUNE 28 @ 3PMLivestock Auction

FRIDAY, JUNE 29 @ 7PMWest Michigan Pullers Truck & Tractor Pulls

SATURDAY, JUNE 30 @ 7PMUnique Motor Sports

Demolition Derby

FRIDAY, JUNE 29 • 10AM-2PM

Take a Picture with Sparty from 10-10:45am

GrandstandEvents

Kids Day Activities

“Touch A Tractor”Smoke House

Dunk TankMock Crash Scene

Photo boothAnimal

DemonstrationsSheep Herding

MI Child ID Program (finger printing)

GIVEAWAYS, PRIZES & MUCH MORE!

Farmer TomJUNE 28 • 12PM & 2PMJUNE 29 • 10:30AM, 12PM & 1:30PMJUNE 30 • 1PM, 3PM & 5PMFarmer Tom’s show is entertaining

with funny songs and stories.He also teaches about farm culture,

farm animals, history with his interactive songs and stories.

Find 4-H Show Schedules

Online!252304

Ranger Steve’s Nature NicheBy Ranger Steve Mueller

Arrowhead Spiketail Life Cycle

Flying rapidly close to the surface of shallow water in Little Cedar Creek headwaters, an Arrowhead Spiketail dragonfly guards a territory. Males fly back and forth over a section of stream protecting areas where water flows over a muck bottom. A female lays her eggs in the muck where water is shallow enough for her to reach her long abdo-men into the soft bottom. She needs seeping springs that feed streams in forested habitat.

The Arrowhead Spiketail has not been collected exten-sively in Michigan. It lives in eastern North America. The Michigan Odonata Sur-vey documents distribution

ButterflyRon Parker, of Courtland Township, recently sent

us photos of his pretty peonies, and this beautiful butterfly.

“The Swallowtail butterfly is the most perfect but-terfly I have seen; usually their wings have already started to be beaten up by living their short lives,” he wrote.

Thank you so much, Ron, for sharing your wild life and wild flower photography with us!

If you have wild life or wild flower photos you’d like to send us, please email them to [email protected]. We will run them as space allows.

Black buffalo state record broken by angler on Grand River

Brandonn Kramer poses with his state record black buffalo, taken while bowfishing on the Grand River in Ottawa County this past May. Courtesy photo.

The Department of Natural Resources confirmed the catch of a new state record black buffalo on June 12. The fish, a member of the sucker family, was caught by Brandonn Kramer of Muskegon, Michigan at 11:30 p.m. on Friday, May 25 on the Grand River in Ottawa Coun-ty. Assistance was provided by Kramer’s friend and fish-ing cohort, Shawn Grawbarger also of Muskegon. The fish weighed 46.54 pounds and measured 39.75 inches. Kramer was bowfishing when he landed the record fish. The record was verified by Jay Wesley, a DNR fisheries manager for Lake Michigan. The previous state record black buffalo was caught by Sage Colegrove, of Mus-kegon, on the Grand Riv-er in Ottawa County on April 12, 2015. That fish weighed 44.54 pounds and measured 38.5 inches. State records in Michigan are recognized by weight only. To qualify for a state record, fish must exceed the current listed state record weight and identification must be verified by a DNR fisheries biologist. For more information, vis-it Michigan.gov/masteran-gler.

BUYERS OF STANDING TIMBERElder’s Forest Products, Inc.

10367 Northland DriveRockford, MI 49341

616.866.9317www.StandingTimberBuyer.com

We Sell• Sawdust • Fence Boards

• Pre-sawed Lumber

Sand Lake 4th of July CelebrationJUNE 28 THRU JULY 4TH

Page 8 Thursday, June 21, 2018The Cedar Springs Post

15% OffGrey Louis Philippe Queen Bed

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71 N. Main St. | Cedar Springs, MI 49319

2018 SAND LAKE CARNIVAL EVENTS

THURSDAY, JUNE 28TH FIREMEN'S PARADE OF LIGHTS at dusk - line up at 8:30pm

FRIDAY, JUNE 29TH CARNIVAL OPENS AT 1PM .......................................................Salisbury Park

SATURDAY, JUNE 30THCarnival opens at 1pm .................................................................Salisbury ParkLibrary Book Sale 10am to 5pm ............. Nelson Twp/Sand Lake LibraryWM Pullers Tractor and Truck Pulls 5pm to 7:30 gates open at 3pm ..............................................................Water TowerMusic: Whiskey Bizzness 7:30pm to 11pm .................. Lake Street Stage

SUNDAY, JULY 1STCarnival opens 1pm ......................................................................Salisbury ParkCar and Antique tractor show 9:00 am to 2 pm .........corner of 4th St. &

Lake St.Mini Tractor pull 3pm .....................................................................Water TowerHymn Sing at 6pm ................................................................... Lake Street Stage Gospel Band 7 pm to 10pm ................................................ Lake Street Stage Museum open noon to 2pm ............................................Sand Lake Museum

MONDAY, JULY 2NDKIDDIES DAY "Celebrating the Decades"Carnival opens 3pm ......................................................................Salisbury ParkBike decorating 10am –noon ................... Nelson Twp/Sand Lake LibraryKIDDIES DAY PARADE registration 12-12:30 .............................corner of 6th St. & Lake St. Parade at12:45 .......................................................................Lake StreetKiddies day games 1:30 to 4pm ............................................................VFW HallBike drawing 4pm ..................................................................... Lake Street Stage

FOOD AND MERCHANDISE VENDORS WILL BE LOCATED ALONG LAKE STREET THROUGHOUT THE CELEBRATION

Sand Lake 4th of July CelebrationJUNE 28 THRU JULY 4TH

Thursday, June 21, 2018 Page 9The Cedar Springs Post

STICKS STONESGarden Center & Landscape Supplies • Restaurant & Gift Shop

N

Summer Hours: MONDAY-SATURDAY 10 AM - 9 PM • SUNDAY 12 PM - 6 PM21723 W. Cannonsville Rd. • Pierson, MI 49339 616.636.8677

Expires July 7, 2018. Coupon must be present at time of purchase.

$1 OffNSTICKS STONES coupon

Any Meal Basket

Burgers • Hot Dogs • Wraps • Panini SandwichesWe Sell:

We offer: Call aheads for TO-GO ORDERS We serve Hudsonville

hand dip and soft serve ice cream

Monuments and Markers of Granite or Bronze

Thomas Cheslek manager-owner www.hesselcheslekfuneralhome.com

88 easT division sTreeTsparTa, Mi 49345-1394

phone 616.887.1761 Fax 616.887.2870

Independently Family Owned and Operated for Over 35 years

88 East Division Street | Sparta, MI 49345-1394Phone 616.887.1761 | Fax 616-887.2870

www.hesselcheslek.com

Independently Family Owned and Operated for over 50

Contact Rockford Ambulance at 616-866-0724or www.rockfordambulance.com

for information on our Rockford Ambulance Care Plan

8450 Shaner AveRockford, MI 49341

YOUR COMMUNITY NONPROFIT PARAMEDIC AMBULANCE SERVICE

Contact Rockford Ambulance at

616-866-0724or www.rockfordambulance.com

for more information

CPR and First Aid ClassesClass Registration (616) 863-8434

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Sparta 616.887.1479Lowell 616.897.7902

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Website: stoutgroup.netPhone: (616) 696-3300Address: 4330 17 Mile Rd NE Cedar Springs, MI 49319

FOOD AND MERCHANDISE VENDORS WILL BE LOCATED ALONG LAKE STREET THROUGHOUT THE CELEBRATION

Die Cast racing at 2pm ...........................................................................VFW HallLibrary Book Sale 10am to 5pm .............. Nelson Twp/Sand Lake LibraryGreased pig contest registration 6pm ....................................Water TowerGreased pig contest 7:30pm .........................................................Water Tower

TUESDAY, JULY 3RDCarnival opens at 3pm .................................................................Salisbury ParkLibrary Book Sale 10am to 5pm .............. Nelson Twp/Sand Lake LibraryBingo VFW noon to 9pm ........................................................................VFW HallSand Lake Rodeo 7pm ...................................................................Water TowerBand Moonshot Classic Rock 7:30 to 11pm .................. Lake Street Stage

WEDNESDAY, JULY 4THCarnival opens at noon ................................................................Salisbury ParkParade registration 11am .................................... corner of Oak St. & 7th St.GRAND PARADE 1:30 ..................................................................Lake StreetBingo VFW 2pm to 9pm ........................................................................VFW HallMuseum open 2pm to 4pm .............................................Sand Lake MuseumDemo derby gates open 3 racing starts at 6pm ....................Water TowerMusic: Rhythm Wardens country & classic rock 7-10:30pm......................

Lake Street StageFIREWORKS 10:30pm

OTHER EVENTS THROUGH THE SUMMERMovies in the park .................................................................Salisbury ParkJune 16 - LETTER RABBITJuly 14 - SHERLOCK GNOMESAUGUST 18 - A WRINKLE IN TIMESEPTEMBER 15 - MOANA

COMMUNITY PICNIC AUGUST 5 12:30 TO 3:30

TOWN WIDE YARD SALE AUGUST 3-4 CALL 636-6000 for a place in the park.

Organic prevention and management of powdery mildew on plantsBy Melinda Myers

Page 10 Thursday, June 21, 2018The Cedar Springs Post

PROJECT - continues on page 13

FIND US ON

People, Selection, Price

Visit us at

www.watsonrockford.com 616-884-5899

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4700 14 mile rd ne Rockford, MI 49341M-F 9-6SAT 9-4

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Your hometown floor-covering storefor 33 years

Rockford Floor Covering, Inc.Visit us at 10704 Northland Drive 616-866-2748

Your local floor-covering storefor 36 years

SUMMERBloomin’DIY dream: 4 cedar project ideas for your home or cottage

Powdery mildew occurs when the fungal organism and susceptible plants are present and the environmental conditions are right for the disease to occur.

Photo credit: Melinda Myers, LLC

Spots and patches of white or gray talcum powder-like substance on your plant means powdery mildew infected your plant. This is one of the most widespread fungal dis-eases and attacks a wide range of plants. You may see mil-dew on a variety of trees, shrubs, flowers, vegetables and lawn grasses. Don’t despair—you can reduce the risk of this disease with proper plant selection, maintenance and if needed organic intervention.

Powdery mildew is most common during hot dry weath-er. Wet foliage does not increase the risk of this disease, but high humidity does. You’ll typically see more mildew problems in crowded plantings, damp and shady locations as well as areas with poor air circulation.

Powdery mildew, like other diseases, occurs when the fungal organism and susceptible plants are present together and the environmental conditions are right for the disease

to occur. Remove one of these factors and you eliminate the disease. You can’t change the weather but there are some things you can do to reduce the risk of powdery mildew.

Avoid purchasing mildew susceptible plants. Instead se-lect disease resistant varieties whenever possible. Fortu-nately, many new varieties of phlox, bee balm, lilacs and other mildew-resistant plants are now available at your fa-vorite garden center.

Further decrease the risk by growing plants at the recom-mended spacing in the preferred amount of sunlight. Giv-ing plants room to reach full size ensures they will receive sufficient sunlight and air circulation, thus reducing the risk of this and other diseases. Your plants will be healthier and better looking when they have space to show off their beau-ty.

Thin susceptible varieties of perennial plantings like phlox and bee balm in spring as new growth emerges. Re-moving one fourth of the stems increases light penetration and airflow reducing the risk of powdery mildew. Grow vine crops like cucumbers and squash on trellises and fenc-es to accomplish the same results. Support large fruits of squash and melons with cloth slings anchored to the trellis.

Avoid excessive nitrogen fertilization that encourages lush succulent growth that is more susceptible to this and other diseases and many insect problems. Consider using low nitrogen slow release fertilizers that promote slow

steady growth above and below ground.If mildew continues to be a problem and is impacting the

health and beauty of your plants, you may decide to inter-vene. Lightweight horticultural oils trap the fungal spores on the plant preventing it from spreading. Select OMRI certified products like Summit® Year-Round® Spray Oil (SummitResponsibleSolutions.com) that are approved for organic gardeners.

Always read and follow label directions of all chemicals, organic or synthetic, before applying to any plant. Thor-ough coverage of the upper and lower leaf surfaces and stems will improve your success rate.

Check plant tags, purchase wisely and adjust plant main-tenance to reduce powdery mildew problems in your land-scape. A bit of prevention and proper care go a long way to reducing the time spent maintaining healthy, productive and beautiful gardens and landscapes.

Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio segments. Myers is a columnist and contributing edi-tor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned by Summit for her expertise to write this article. Myers’s web site is http://www.melindamyers.com/www.melindamyers.com.

(BPT) - Americans love their do-it-yourself home improvement projects, and the warmer months can be an ex-cellent time to brush up on your con-struction skills and complete a wood-working project to grace your home or cottage.

Do-it-yourself fans in the U.S. are expected to spend some $43.7 billion toward home improvements this year, marking a 45 percent increase since 2012. And when it comes to selecting a strong yet versatile wood for those projects, many will opt for Western Red Cedar, an aromatic wood that grows in the Pacific Northwest.

The unique characteristics of the durable yet lightweight species make it resistant to rot, decay, shrinkage and insects even as it weathers over time into a stunning silver patina. The knotty species comes in several surface textures, dimensions and price points, and do-it-yourselfers report it handles like a dream because it lays flat and accepts a wide range of finishes. Further, it’s a sound environmental choice because it comes from sustain-

ably managed forests.Looking for a useful and enjoyable woodworking project

that will wow your friends and family this season? Con-sider one of the following gems you could construct using Western Red Cedar.

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Thursday, June 21, 2018 Page 11The Cedar Springs Post

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BUSINESS & FINANCE$ $

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

Seth Donnan Financial Advisor

4027 17 Mile Rd Cedar Springs, MI 49319 616-696-9370

www.edwardjones.comMember SIPC

Questions to Ask Your Financial AdvisorYou should always be able to ask as

many questions as you’d like when work-ing with your financial advisor. So, before you have your annual review, think careful-ly about what you’d like to ask. Here are a few suggestions:

• Are my goals still realistic? When you first began working with your financial ad-visor, you may well have articulated a num-ber of financial goals. For example, you might have said that you wanted to pay for most of your children’s college educations, or that you wanted to retire at a certain age, or that you wanted to travel for two months each year during your retirement. In fact, you could have many different goals for which you’re saving and investing. When you meet with your financial advisor, you’ll certainly want to ask if you’re still on track toward meeting these goals. If you are, you can continue with the financial strategies you’ve been following; but if you aren’t, you may need to adjust them.

• Am I taking on too much – or too lit-tle – risk? The financial markets always fluctuate, and these movements will affect the value of your investment portfolio. If you watch the markets closely every day and track their impact on your investments, you may find yourself fretting considerably over your investments’ value and wonder-ing if you are taking on too much invest-ment risk for your comfort level. Converse-ly, if you think that during an extended period of market gains your own portfolio appears to be lagging, you might feel that you should be investing more aggressively, which entails greater risk. In any case, it’s

important that you know your own risk tol-erance and use it as a guideline for making investment choices – so it’s definitely an issue to discuss with your financial advisor.

• How will changes in my life affect my investment strategy? Your life is not static. Over time, you may experience any num-ber of major events, such as marriage, chil-dren, new jobs and so on. When you meet with your financial advisor, you will want to discuss these types of changes, because they can affect your long-term goals and, consequently, your investment decisions.

• How are external forces affecting my investment portfolio? Generally speaking, you will want to create an investment strat-egy that’s based on your goals, risk toler-ance and time horizon. And, as mentioned above, you may need to adjust your strategy based on changes in your life. But should you also make changes based on outside forces, such as interest rate movements, political events, new legislation or news af-fecting industries in which you have invest-ed substantially? Try not to make long-term investment decisions based on short-term news. Yet, talk with your financial advisor to make sure your investment portfolio is not out of alignment with relevant external factors.

By making these and other inquiries, you can help yourself stay informed on your overall investment picture and what moves, if any, you should make to keep ad-vancing toward your goals. A financial ad-visor is there to provide you with valuable expertise – so take full advantage of it.

ASK SCORESCORE, Counselors to America’s Small Business

Set realistic goals for your web site

Simple ways to earn extra money without owning a car

The advantages of having a business website have been well documented. For some customers, your site is the first place they will gain awareness of your compa-ny. From there, the opportunities appear endless.

An effective website is one that is meet-ing both your business’s needs and the informational needs of visitors to the site. Assuming that you already have estab-lished a Web site, how do you think it’s doing on both fronts? Clearly, an unpro-ductive Web site will be a waste of your money and your visitors’ time.

Here are some factors for objectively evaluating your site-to see it not only through the lens of your business goals but also through the eyes of a prospective customer. It should:

• be current. Making regular changes to the home page is vital to sustain the interest of regular visitors.

• be located easily using the major search engines. ·

• have working hyperlinks to oth-er relevant sites, such as a trade or professional association whose members are potential purchasers.

• be easy to navigate. The files and graphics should be small enough that most visitors can download them quickly. Links within the site should make it easy for a visitor to get back to your home page.

• offer customers and prospects rele-

vant information-that is, material that will help them understand your products and services and their po-tential value to them.

• be a secure site, if you are conduct-ing e-commerce on it.

• personalize or customize informa-tion for different segments of your market.

• use cookies or other features to capture information about your site visitors and their buying hab-its without costing them significant time.

• offer customers an easy way to contact you with questions or feed-back without their having to leave the site. (And you should be able to respond promptly.)

To sum up, you want your Web site to work for your visitors if your larger goal is to maximize your business potential. So every now and then, step back and become the person you’d like to visit your site.

To learn more about the many dimen-sions of marketing on the World Wide Web, contact SCORE. SCORE counselors donate their time to consult with and men-tor entrepreneurs providing free and con-fidential business counseling to America’s small business owners. Call the Grand Rapids SCORE chapte r a t1-616/771-0305, or find an online counselor at www.scoregrandrapids.org.

(BPT) - Whether you’re new to a city and are getting on your feet, or you don’t want the commitment of a longtime lease or loan, there are count-less ways to put some dough in your pocket without the need to purchase a car. Working with a flexible sched-ule doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to be tied to traditional car own-ership. Here are five simple ways to make money on your own time.

Pet sitterIf you love animals, consider offer-

ing your services to people in your area. Depending on your schedule, you could become a dog walker or pet sitter, where you visit the animal during the day while the owner is at work. Another option is pet boarding out of your home. This can be par-ticularly great for dogs. Kennels are expensive, and many dog owners will consider qualified and trustworthy home boarding options as an alterna-tive to kennels when they are out of town. Advertise and build up your own clientele or use a site like Rover.com to network.

DriverWant to try out ridesharing but don’t own a car? Or may-

be you don’t want the commitment of a longtime lease or loan? Car ownership and contracts can be expensive, but you can curb or even eliminate the cost and earn money by participating in the Lyft Express Drive. The program provides affordable access to rental cars through partners like Hertz and Flexdrive. Drivers have access to a Lyft-ex-clusive starting weekly rental rate of $209 per week (plus taxes and fees). However, this cost can drop with Express Drive Rental Rewards, a program designed to make each rental more affordable. If a renter gives a certain number of Lyft rides each week, some or all of the rental costs can be covered by Lyft’s Rental Rewards bonus. Learn more at www.lyft.com/expressdrive.

Tutor/coachWhat skills do you have that others could benefit from?

Do you speak another language? Have a degree in math-ematics? Play an instrument? Did you go to college on a gymnastics scholarship? Whatever your specialty, your skills could be in high demand. Many parents pay top dol-lar for their kids to get private tutoring or coaching lessons. Create a resume that stresses your specialty and begin ad-vertising on neighborhood websites and other local places. Once you start successfully tutoring one or two students, create a referral program to encourage word-of-mouth rec-ommendations and grow your business.

FreelanceThe gig economy refers to the labor market of short-term

or freelance workers, and it’s growing quickly in the United States. Some people find so much success with freelancing that they quit their full-time work and do contracts as

their schedule allows. You may not be ready to do that, but you can make extra money using your professional skills for short-term telecommuting gigs. Upwork and Indeed.com are just two websites where you can find short-term employment that fits into your spare time. You could also con-sider advertising your skills on your own by creating a professional port-folio online and reaching out to po-tential clients.

House cleaner/handymanEveryone loves a clean house, but

not everyone loves to clean. If you enjoy getting down and dirty in order to make rooms shine, consider house-cleaning as your side gig. Wheth-er you’re sprucing up a kitchen or tackling a pile of laundry, this can be incredibly lucrative and easy to flex around your schedule. If your skills are more with a hammer or screw-driver, you might consider becoming

a part-time handyman. As America’s baby boomer genera-tion ages, the need for help around the house like this will grow. Start building your clientele list now.

Page 12 Thursday, June 21, 2018The Cedar Springs Post

LEGAL NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICECity of Cedar SpringsThe City Council has approved ordinance 2081

an amendment to Chapter 10, Article III, Sec 10-43 to Section 10-67.- Property Maintenance

Code Of The City Code Of Ordinances

This ordinance updates the International Prop-erty Maintenance Code to the 2018 edition.

Ordinance 208 is effective March 21, 2018. Complete copies of the ordinances are available

in the office of the City Clerk

Dated: June 21, 2018 Rebecca Newland

Summary Of The Regular Meeting Of The

Cedar Springs City CouncilThursday, June 14, 2018

7:00 P.M.Cedar Springs City Hall

66 S. Main St.Cedar Springs, Michigan

The Meeting Was Called To Order At 7:00 P.M. By Mayor Hall. The Pledge Of Allegiance Was Recited. Seven Councilmembers Were Present. Two People Addressed The Council During The Public Comments. There Were No Scheduled Public Hearings; The Agenda And The Consent Agenda Were Approved With The Following Changes: 6G Motion To Approve Cedar Springs Community Summer Celebration July 20-22 At Second Reading, To Remove “Delinquent Mis-cellaneous Receivable’s And“ From Item 6E, Remove Item 8F KDL, And Add Item 8F Pocket Park. Action Taken: Parks And Recreation Con-cert In The Park, Budget Amendments For The 2017-2018 Budget, Quote For West MI Street Sweeping , Fire Department RFQ, Acceptance Of Sculpture, Discussions Were Held On: 2018 Premises Identification Policy Until More Infor-mation Is Brought To The City Council, 4 Day Work Week Review, Mobile Food Vending Units Ordinance, And Pocket Park. The Meeting Was Adjourned At 8:55 P.M. A Complete Copy Of The Minutes Is Available In The Office Of The City Clerk And Will Be Posted On The City’s Website Upon Approval.

Dated: June 21, 2018 Rebecca NewlandCity Clerk

616.696.1330

MICHIGAN NOTICE OF ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that on June 6, 2018, the Township Board of the Township of Courtland adopted Ordinance No. 2018-01Z. The following is a summary of this Ordinance.

Ordinance No. 2018-01Z. This Ordinance amends the Zoning Ordinance of the Township of Courtland, to rezone the following described lands located at about 10860 Northland Dr. NE Rockford, MI 49341 from the R-R Rural Residential District to the R-1 Single Family Residential District: Parcel ID #41-07-18-351-006, 2.5 acres

The West 330 feet of the North 1/2 of the South 1/2 of the Southwest fractional 1/4 of the Southwest fractional 1/4, Section 18, Town 9 North, Range 10 West.

This Ordinance shall take effect seven (7) days following this publication.

A complete copy of this Ordinance may be purchased or inspected at the Courtland Township office, 7450 14 Mile Road, Rockford, Michigan 49341, during regular business hours.

Dated: June 21, 2018 TOWNSHIP OF COURTLAND

Sandra Frandsen, Township Clerk

TOWNSHIP OF COURTLAND

COUNTY OF KENT, MICHIGAN

TOWNSHIP OF COURTLAND

COUNTY OF KENT, MICHIGAN

Courtland Township Regular Board Meeting

June 6, 2018Synopsis of Minutes

Present: Andersen, Brown, Frandsen, Krygier, McConnon, Mojzuk and McIntyre. Absent: none.

Approved: Consent Agenda/all monthly reports received. Approval of minutes May 2, 2018 Regular Board Meeting. Approved: Treasurer’s report/ Approval of bills for payment- General, Sewer, & Fire Funds. Approved: Rezoning of AFC Golden Life Ordinance 2018-01Z. Approved: Special Land Use- AFC Golden Life Resolution 2018-15. Approved: Fall Clean-up proposal from Plummer’s Disposal Service. Approved: Grand Valley Metro Council Resolution 2018-14. Approved: Lease and Maintenance Agreement with Big Brower Lake Association.

Next meeting: July 3, 2018 @ 7 PM. Complete minutes available at the Twp. Hall,

7450 14 Mile Rd., during regular office hours and on the website @ www.courtlandtwp.org.

Dated: June 21, 2018 Sandy Frandsen, Clerk/Mike Krygier, Supervisor

Township of NelsonCounty of Kent,

Michigan Summary of

Nelson Township Special Board Meeting

2 Maple StreetSand Lake, MI 49343

Nelson Township/Sand Lake HallMonday, June 18, 2018

7:00 PM

Present: Britton, Hoffman, Austin, Mahoney. Absent: Armstrong

Board actionApproved minor road construction 18 Mile (Myers Lake to Shaner); tree removal, drainage improvements for Becker and Whipple Road; Appointed Tom Noreen to the Zoning Board of Appeals alternate.

Unfinished Business - None

Complete copies of the minutes are available at the Township Hall during regular business hours Monday – Thursday 9 AM to 3 PM.

Dated: June 21, 2018 Laura HoffmanNelson Township Clerk

PUBLIC NOTICEVILLAGE OF SAND LAKE

KENT COUNTY, MITHE 2017 ANNUAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY

REPORT IS AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW BEGINNING JUNE 1, 2018, AT THESAND LAKE MUNICIPAL BUILDING,

2 MAPLE ST., SAND LAKE, MON. – THURS., BETWEEN THE HOURS OF

9:30 A.M. – 2:30 P.M.

Dated: June 21, 2018

PUBLIC NOTICEVILLAGE OF SAND LAKE

COUNTY OF KENTPUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

An Ordinance 2018-02 Obstruction of Government Operations for the Village of Sand Lake, Michigan

The Village of Sand Lake will hold a public hearing to discuss Ordinance 2018-02 Obstruction of Government Operations of the Village of Sand Lake. The Village Council of the Village of Sand Lake will hold a Public Hearing with Public Comment at 8:00pm on Monday June 25, 2018 at the Sand Lake Municipal Building located ta 2 Maple st. Sand Lake, Mi 49343.

Written comments will be collected at 2 maple st. Sand Lake, Mi 49343 until the time of the meeting and read during the meeting.

This notice is posted in compliance with PA267 of 1976 as amended (Open Meetings Act), MCLA 41.72a(2)(3) and the Americans with Disabilities (ADA). Section H of the Open Meeting Act.

Dated June 21, 2018 Kent Boersema Clerk

Thursday, June 21, 2018 Page 13The Cedar Springs Post

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new spacious dining area to enjoy a backyard cookout, a round of ice-cold drinks, or a birthday celebration. Since the bench and table designs match, you can build the bench-es first to prepare you for the larger project.

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evidence with specimens in the University of Michigan re-search museum. Interestingly, no specimens are vouchered to document its presence for our area of the state.

I have only noticed it when hiking in Porcupine Moun-tains State Park and at Ody Brook Nature Sanctuary.

It is a beautiful dragonfly with a black abdomen and bright yellow arrowhead spots on the top of the abdomen.

Many species of dragonflies appear in abundance during summer. A walk through a field will provide a glimpse at fast-moving young adults. Many remain on the wing mak-ing it difficult to recognize identification details. They are busy removing flying insects. Thank them for making your walk more pleasant by eating insects that might eat part of you. Some dragonflies eat their weight in mosquitos in one hour.

Young adults are often found far from water. When sex-ually ready to mate, they head to a species-specific wa-ter type of lake, pond, river, bog, swamp, stream, or seep where young develop. Each species experiences a similar development with variations that help it thrive in its spe-cialized nature niche.

The mating process for dragonflies is unique. Insects have three body parts–head, thorax, and abdomen. The male transfers sperm from the end of his abdomen to a pocket near the attachment of his abdomen and thorax. Us-ing claspers at the end of his abdomen, the male grabs the female by the head. When the female is held firmly by the head, she bends her abdomen in a loop to where the sperm packet is stored. A penis in the pocket on the male scoops out any sperm packets or pushes them aside to ensure his sperm sires offspring. Some dragonflies stay attached while females lay eggs and some release them but fly nearby to keep other males away. I do not know spiketail methods for protecting females from being mated by other males. Does he stay attached or fly nearby?

Life cycle...continued from page 7

Female dragonflies lay eggs in appropriate habitat. Some species skim the water surface dropping eggs that sink to the bottom. Others lay eggs in vegetation that drop into wa-ter when hatched. Some lay eggs on land that will be carried into water during flooding. Each species has different egg laying techniques.

When the egg hatches, a small naiad begins its life feed-ing on other stream life. Some crawl on the stream bottom while others remain stationary and buried in bottom sedi-ments waiting for food to drift to them. They are predators eating aquatic organisms. If found, the dragonfly becomes prey for fish and other organisms.

To survive, they are camouflaged and remain hidden. Their gills are tucked inside their rear end so they suck ox-ygen rich water in their butt to pass over the gills. On the underside of the head is the deadly flat feeding structure that unfolds with great speed. At its end are pinchers that grab prey and the flap folds to bring the prey to chewing mouth parts where the food is dismembered and swallowed. Some naiad larvae develop into adults in one year while other spe-cies take many years.

Dragonflies have three developmental stages; egg, naiad, and adult. They have incomplete metamorphosis as opposed to complete like butterflies that have egg, caterpillar, pupa, and adult. The naiad sheds its exoskeleton many times as it grows and finally when developed enough, it will climb from the water on vegetation where it emerges from its final naiad skeleton. It squeezes from the exoskeleton by arching backward from the shell-like covering. Its adult legs grasp the plant to hold tightly while it pumps fluid into expanding wings. When wings dry, it begins flight, feeds, and mates to complete the life cycle that begins a new generation of dragonflies.

Natural history questions or topic suggestions can be di-rected to Ranger Steve (Mueller) at [email protected] - Ody Brook Nature Sanctuary, 13010 Northland Dr. Cedar Springs, MI 49319 or call 616-696-1753.

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The Cedar Springs Post Page 14 Thursday, June 21, 2018

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