Audio Companion - Sparkle in the Park 2015

With a mobile phone or tablet, you can hear a companion audio presentation while viewing Sparkle in the Park.  

The audio presentation is hosted by Aporee.org, which presents soundscapes from around the world.  

This miniature soundscape, created by the Three Pines Gander especially for Sparkle in the Park, is available for free through the "Miniatures for Mobiles" (MFM) app.  

For best, results, set up the app before you arrive at Sparkle in the Park.  Or pull into a parking lot and do it safely from there.  Make sure you're connected to the internet via WiFi or data connection. The complete process takes about 5 minutes.  

1. Download the free Miniatures for Mobiles app. 

Download from this page, or search for "aporee miniatures" from your device's app store.

Three versions to choose from:

Current Android version (for v. 4.0 and higher)

Google Play Store:  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.aporee.mfm

or directly from the web:  http://aporee.org/mfm/dist/mfm.apk

Basic Android version (for v. lower than 4.0)

Google Play Store:  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aporee.radio&hl=en

Basic iOs (iPhone) version

iTunes Store:  https://itunes.apple.com/de/app/radio-aporee/id640921893?mt=8

2.  Open the MFM app on your device, by clicking the icon.

3.  Find "Sparkle in the Park" in the list, and click on it.

4.  Click on the main Synch button (to set it up, before you click Play).
This will allow you to synchronize the set of sound and map files to your device.  (Afterwards, you can leave your WiFi connection and turn off your Data, and it will still work!)

5.  First, download the sound files.  From the main Synchronize menu, click Sync Files.  You'll see a list of files in red.  Click Sync - when it's done, the file names will turn green!  When done, click on the Back button (this will take you back to the main Synchronize menu).

6.  Next, download the map.  From the main Synchronize menu, click Synch Map.  


This will let you watch your progress as you move through Sparkle in the Park.

You'll see a street map - click Sync.  When done, click on the Back button (to go back to main Synchronize page).  Click Back once more (to go back to the main Sparkle in the Park page).

7.  Click Play!  

Travel through Sparkle in the Park and listen (make sure the volume is up).  Enjoy!

Note:  Make sure the red crosshairs symbol shows, after you click Play.  If not, make sure your device's "Location" setting is on. If the crosshairs don't appear, restart the app (don't worry, you won't have to Synch the files again).

Tips:

As you move through Sparkle in the Park, different people from Bear Lake and Manistee County will tell stories.  The red dots on the map show you where the stories are located. 

If you move too fast, one speaker might interrupt another speaker.  That's okay.  Just slow down or stop (traffic permitting) or walk through on foot.  Stop in order to hear the whole story.  Or continue on to hear the next one.  If you return to an unfinished story, it will continue where it left off.  Go through again to repeat the stories.   

Those without mobile devices can also enjoy the Christmas stories.

From a laptop or desktop computer, visit the following website:  http://aporee.org/mfm/web/

Find "Sparkle in the Park," click on it, and then click "Play."  Click on each red dot to hear a story! 

Sparkle in the Park opens Sat., Nov. 28 at 5pm with warm food and beverages, and a visit from Mr. & Mrs. Claus from 6:30-8pm. Sparkle in the Park continues through Dec. 31 from 5-10pm. 
Event flyer is here:  http://www.bearlakepromoters.org/uploads/3/9/4/6/39464839/sparkle_flyer.pdf  

Mice, Men, Magic & Metallurgy

It was supposed to be a day of unveiling.  After almost a year of design work and fabrication, Robert Ramirez planned to debut his metal sculpture at tonight's Celebrate Kaleva festivities (6pm, at the Sculpture Walkway, on Walta St. across from the Kaleva Tavern; in case of rain, visit the Kaleva Roadside Village Park, on 9 Mile Rd., near Puisto St.).

The evening program will go on - it includes music, a ceremony recognizing two prominent citizens, readings from the Kalevala (Kaleva's namesake epic poem) and a 75-year re-dedication of the 1940s' murals.

But the sculpture has been delayed at the shipyard, so to speak, intentionally held back because of unexpected challenges facing Ramirez.  He was commissioned last fall to replicate the ship of Väinämöinen, the Kalevala's ancient shaman-bard.  The ship is the scene of a battle between rival forces over possession of the Sampo, a mysterious, mechanical cornucopia that churns out whatever its holder desires.

Unfortunately, Ramirez doesn't have the benefit of his own Sampo.  His medium - recycled coat hangers - involves the laborious preparation and assembly of materials using no tools but a pair of wire cutters. When finished, his ship sculpture will span about 9 feet in length, each wire hanger straightened by hand before any other work takes place.  

Ramirez has been building similar structures for 25 years, largely within the time allowed by his work in the landscape and irrigation business.  He noticed the popularity of grapevine wreaths while working in Traverse City and decided to try his hand at it.  For the sake of durability, he used the 16-gauge steel wire typically used in coat hangers as an internal frame.  Eventually, admirers of his work signaled their interest in seeing what he could do with the metal alone.

Years later, with his work on display in 30 states and several countries, Ramirez has tackled almost every form imaginable:  firefighter helmets, helicopters and cartoon characters.  "Some of them are small enough that you can carry them around in your hand," he says.  He works at the other end of the spectrum, too.  One of his largest pieces was for the Traverse City Cherry Festival, which wanted a basket for its Cherry Queen festivities.  "It was 7 feet tall and took 8 men to lift it," says Ramirez.

This year, as he moved from the design phase to construction phase, he encountered a sea change in raw material availability.  Suddenly his free wire hangers were hard to come by.  "When I first started, uniform companies would reuse them a few times, then they let me have them," says Ramirez.  "I used to go to dry cleaners', too, but now they all recycle them, rather than give them away.  I went from paying nothing for them to paying 28 cents per hanger."

This enormous cost increase has greatly delayed his work. The hangers from which Ramirez is constructing his 9-foot ship now must be ordered by 500-lot cases, and he expects the final product to contain about 3,000 of them.  To make matters worse, this sudden addition to his materials budget came just as Ramirez and his wife were trying to cope with recent job losses and foreclosure proceedings.

The project itself has posed its own novel challenges.  Ramirez's traditional strategy uses an interior frame hidden by the external sculpture.  For the first time, this project has included a level of authenticity that allows the viewer to peer through the war ship without seeing an obvious support structure.  "It has a deck on top with a hull, but to stay realistic with this one, I had to make sure there was nothing in the middle," says Ramirez.  "It's so different than anything I've ever made."  After two prototypes twisted into figure-eights under their own weight, Ramirez finally solved the problem, but these design concerns - not to mention the re-bending of a lot of coat hangers - have taken more time than expected.

The mythical Sampo in the Kalevala story is an object of value because of its magic manufacturing ability.  Grain, salt and gold pour out of it without a drop of sweat expended by its holder.  Much of the Kalevala's story revolves around the jealousy triggered by this wonder, as well as the blacksmith Ilmarinen, who built the magical item.  His first efforts produced only tchotchkes, but the Four Winds helped him stoke his furnace to the higher temperatures needed to produce the Sampo.  Ramirez, however, will have to carry on without any mystical forces beyond the gift that creates his work, and his last box of hangers.  As the normal September winds pick up in strength, he plans to complete the sculpture. A new date for a dedication ceremony will be established soon.

Physician Ellen Herring Retires

(Image:  Crystal Lake Health Center)

One of Bear Lake's familiar faces won't be seen in the exam room any longer.  Ellen Herring, Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) has just retired.  Yesterday was her last day.  Herring worked for Crystal Lake Clinic for 20 years, with the last decade spent full-time at the Bear Lake location.

Herring and her husband plan to visit family members throughout Michigan in the coming months.  Afterwards, they expect to travel to other states and winter at Merritt Island, Florida.  They will continue to maintain a home in Honor, near Rush Lake.

"I have been very happy taking care of all the wonderful patients in Bear Lake and the surrounding area," said Herring.  "We love Benzie and Manistee counties and will be out and about doing touristy things, such as art fairs, community plays, music in the parks, farm markets and everything else we can attend in the area."

Some patients were surprised to learn of the news.  Crystal Lake Clinic administration did not send out letters to her patients before her retirement.  A call to the main office in Benzonia was answered today by an unidentified receptionist.  It was not immediately clear how or when patients would be reassigned to another doctor, or how prescriptions would be issued in the meantime.  Questions on these topics were referred to office staff, away for the Memorial Day holiday but expected to return on Tuesday.    

Plan B submitted (Proposal 1)

We received this correspondence and offer it here, in its entirety.

Our previous coverage and list of resources, regarding Proposal 1 of 2015, can be found here.  -Eds.

TO THE EDITOR

Alternative to Proposition 1

Our Michigan legislators were elected to try to solve the State’s infrastructure and operational problems.  Instead, with Proposition 1, they have insidiously passed this duty onto the Michigan citizens.  By doing it this way, they have taken no responsibility for the outcome.  The word, to describe this type of action and failure to do what they were elected for, is cowardice.

We have been told that, if Proposition 1 fails to pass, there is no Plan B!  However, I have such a plan and I hope that serious consideration would be given to it by the citizens and the legislature.

Landfill Surcharge

I propose that a surcharge be added to every cubic yard of waste that is put into Michigan landfills.  According to the Michigan DEQ website, 2014 Landfill Report 47,043,458 cubic yards of waste were put into our landfills.  Of that amount 7,677,835 came from Canada and 2,971,300 from other States.  If, for example, a $1 surcharge were assessed to every cubic yard of waste, then over $47 million per year would be obtained for fixing our roads, public education system, etc.  Over 10 years this amounts to 47 billion dollars.  I strongly believe that this amount would be more than enough to solve all these problems without having to increase the Sales Tax or for that matter any other tax.

There are additional benefits to this land fill surcharge; (1) the incentive for Canada and other States to bring their trash to Michigan would be greatly reduced, if not eliminated (also heavy truck traffic on our roads would be reduced), (2)  there will be enough  money generated for the creation of a much-needed, state-wide, recycling program.

Glenn T. Lottie

Manistee County

Maple Fest at Marilla Museum & Pioneer Place

This is the sort of place that oozes history like sugar sap.  You truly have to go there and explore the dense museum in the basement of the community center, and to wander through the barns and houses.  We invite you to do so.

The Marilla Museum & Pioneer Place is at 9991 Marilla Rd., within Manistee County.

Google map here:

Website here:  http://www.hsmichigan.org/marilla/

Proposal 1 presentation (League of Women Voters, Kathy Ling)

Updated 4/19/15

This online presentation was produced in association with the League of Women Voters--Manistee County.  Special thanks to Nancy Behring.





One-page primer (mentioned in presentation):

Specific links regarding Proposal 1 of 2015 (mentioned in presentation):

Estimate of funding for local road commissions (MI Dept. of Transportation)
http://michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_BallotProposalDistLocals_481857_7.pdf

Detroit Free Press article (Paul Egan, March 2, 2015)
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/03/02/michigan-roads-proposal-1-sales-tax/24283535/

Other specifc links:
Ballotpedia.org's analysis of Prop. 1, including links to legislative text (i.e. the 10 bills that would go into effect, if passed)
http://ballotpedia.org/Michigan_Sales_Tax_Increase_for_Transportation_Amendment,_Proposal_1_%28May_2015%29

General links (mentioned in presentation):

Voter registration - https://vote.michigan.gov/mvic

Voting location - http://www.michigan.gov/vote

LWVMI - http://www.lwvmi.org

LWV - http://www.vote411.org

MI House Fiscal Agency - http://www.house.mi.gov/hfa

MI Senate Fiscal Agency - http://www.senate.michigan.gov/sfa

Citizens Research Council - http://crcmich.org


Originally published 4/16/15

Our live broadcast from Manistee High School went fairly well.  It was our first attempt from a remote location. 

A partial recording of the broadcast, as heard online, can be heard right away, here:

http://mixlr.com/three-pines-gander/showreel/lwv-prop-1-presentation-april-15-2015/

A complete recording, along with the LWV's explanatory graphics, will be available on this website by this weekend.

The Return of Perfection

The recent series of cold snaps has triggered a run on electric space heaters, but their usefulness often ends during power failures.  After years of research and restoration, Jim Addington of Bear Lake has a solution--no generator required.

Addington has refurbished a number of Perfection Stoves, which combine the reliability of kerosene heaters with attractive design.  The technology is over 100 years old, but the aesthetics evolved well into the 1960s.  

The Perfection Stove Company began its life as a small enterprise in Cleveland, Ohio in 1888.  It hit its stride about 12 years later, when the company founders won the backing of John D. Rockefeller.  As the founder and owner of Standard Oil, Rockerfeller was interested in expanding the demand for kerosene, one of the products generated by his petroleum empire. 

Marketing explains at least half of the Perfection Stove's success.  When Standard Oil trucks came around for home kerosene delivery, Perfection Stoves dangled from the side of the trucks, ready for sale.  The Perfection product line developed in tandem with a growing population.  By the 1920s, over 8 million Perfection room heaters and kitchen appliances were used in American homes.  

Although the stove eventually fell out of fashion, it caught the eye of Jim Addington, who has a background in cultural preservation.  He found them both practical and charming--and discovered that many stoves still existed.  After researching their origins, he took up the task of cleaning, repainting and polishing.  Careful scouring of old barns and online merchants eventually led to his reassembly of Art Deco and even Victorian design models.  

Addington recommends their small size and portability for basement duty, to keep pipes from freezing.  While they were once a staple item in the family parlor, Addington says upscale accommodations aren't necessary.  "You can move it from the living room to the bedroom.  It helps thaw out old bones and encourage them towards movement."  A bulit-in handle allows the lightweight unit to be carried.   

Modern homes might be Perfection's greatest hurdle.  "These were used in many homes very safely for decades," said Addington.  "But many homes today are so tightly sealed up, that inadequate ventilation could pose a problem."  Addington even has a cure for that problem.  He's created a lighting component that permits the stove to simulate the warm glow of the heater.  "Some people even hold their hand over it.  They're fooled by the light." 

For older homes that breathe, in garages and other ventilated spaces, the antique stoves don't lose any significance from the new cosmetic addition--the decorative light can simply be lifted out, the burner inserted and the stove is ready to be lit for heating. 

Jim Addington's renewed Perfection Stoves are available for purchase at Niizh Makwa Traders on Lake Street/US-31, Bear Lake, (231) 864-1213.

Bear Lake, Kaleva Librarians Retire

Marcella Guinan

Today is the last day of work for two Manistee County librarians.

Marcella Guinan completes 25 years with the Keddie-Norconk Memorial Library in Bear Lake.  She began with the library before the current building was constructed.  She started in 1989, when the library was housed in the building at US-31 and Virginia St., which currently houses the Rolling Thunder military veterans service office.  

Carolyn Tennant is also retiring.  She's been the branch manager at the Kaleva branch for the last 14 years.