Beagle

Hi, I’m this week’s Pet of the Week. I am a tri-color beagle about 1-2 years old. I’m not a big guy and I’m very sweet and loving. I walk nicely on a leash and like people. I know how to sit and am friendly with the resident cat at Animal Control. I also am friendly with other dogs. I weigh about 25 lbs. I am available to adopt right now. My Docket # 11413, at the St. Joseph County Animal Control Shelter located at 652 E. Main St., Centreville, MI. Animal Control is open Monday – Friday, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Their phone number is 269-467-6475. Up-Cycled Pets needs reliable foster homes so some pets can leave the shelter and learn more about living in a safe home before adoption. Go to www.upcycledpets.com for more information about how to help this group. Please visit the Animal Rescue Fund website at www.arfund.org to see more adoptable pets. NOTE: Now through August, Animal Control is open until 7:00 pm on Wednesdays for adoptions. Come and see us all.

Out and About – Week of May 20th

Backyard BBQ chefs will be happy to hear about a new attraction to this year’s Water Festival. It’s a Backyard BBQ Competition. All backyard chefs are invited to compete in this event on Friday, June 14, from 2 until 9 PM. Century Bank and Trust has agreed to sponsor this first-time ever competition. The entry fee is $55, which covers fees, awards, prize money, and three racks of ribs used for the competition. The entry deadline is 5 PM on June 1. The first twenty contestants to contact and secure their deposit will be accepted into the competition. To register, contact Jay Vazquez at 269-615-7781.

Next weekend is Memorial Day weekend. Many of you will be traveling, so please do so defensively and be safe. Those staying home in Three Rivers should make sure to take in the Memorial Day parade. The parade normally isn’t very long, but it is memorable and is great to watch. The fire trucks and ambulances will have their lights flashing, but they will not blast their sirens, because the parade is a silent and solemn tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Thanksgiving is a day when we pause to give thanks for the things we have. Memorial Day is a day when we pause to give thanks to the people who fought for the things we have.

If you stand along the parade route to watch the parade, please do two things: stand when the colors pass by and then follow the parade to the cemetery for the ceremony. You’ll still have time to feast on the hamburgers and hot dogs from your charcoal grill, and to enjoy the company of your family and friends. Too many have given their lives so that you can enjoy yours. They deserve an hour of your time to be remembered.

Congratulations again to Carol Boulette, who was chosen as this year’s Citizen of the Year by the Three Rivers Lions Club. A banquet was held in her honor last Tuesday evening at Belle Epoque in Three Rivers. About seventy guests were present to hear Lion George Cole and Mary Kay Todd pay tribute to Carol, who has served the community of Three Rivers. At age 96, she has no plans to retire, because there are still a lot of things that need to be done for those in need. Carol’s next task is to be a part of this year’s Water Festival Parade. When she was told about riding in a Corvette during the parade, she was curious to know if she would be able to keep the car. After all, she still does drive herself around town. Congratulations, Carol! The Three Rivers Lions thank you for all you have done.

Hopefully you will read this early enough so that you can participate in the blood drive being held today, Tuesday, May 21, at Three Rivers Health, 701 South Health Parkway, Three Rivers. The hours for donating blood are from 2 till 6:45 PM. The donation of much needed blood is an act that will definitely give you that warm, fuzzy feeling.

If you have a few minutes, stop by the Three Rivers Commission on Aging, 103 South Douglas Avenue. While there, take in the art exhibit created by the home-schooled students of St. Joseph County. It’s another example of the talent that abounds right here in your neighborhood.

If you mail items such as books, film, printed music, CDs and DVDs, you might want to check with the postal clerk before you send these items parcel post. Media mail is available for these items at a lower cost. An example would be sending a one-pound item from Maryland to New Mexico which would cost $5.60 via parcel post. Sending the same item via media mail would cost only $2.47. Pennies add up.

Here are a few more items that might be related to items from Murphy’s Law:

Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

When you go into court, you are putting yourself in the hands of twelve people who weren’t smart enough to get out of jury duty.

The things that come to those who wait may be the things left by those who got there first.

See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman

Mystery

Hi, my name is Mystery and I am a male tiger about 1 year old. I have medium long fur and pretty, tufted ears. I am very sweet and loving and also litter trained. Please come and see me. I like attention and petting. I am available to adopt right now so please come and see me. My Docket # is 11397, at the St. Joseph County Animal Control Shelter located at 652 E. Main St., Centreville, MI. Animal Control is open Monday – Friday, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Their phone number is 269-467-6475. Up-Cycled Pets needs reliable foster homes so some pets can leave the shelter and learn more about living in a safe home before adoption. Go to www.upcycledpets.com for more information about how to help this group. Please visit the Animal Rescue Fund website at www.arfund.org to see more adoptable pets.

Mystery

Hi, my name is Mystery and I am a male tiger about 1 year old. I have medium long fur and pretty, tufted ears. I am very sweet and loving and also litter trained. Please come and see me. I like attention and petting. I am available to adopt right now so please come and see me. My Docket # is 11397, at the St. Joseph County Animal Control Shelter located at 652 E. Main St., Centreville, MI. Animal Control is open Monday – Friday, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Their phone number is 269-467-6475. Up-Cycled Pets needs reliable foster homes so some pets can leave the shelter and learn more about living in a safe home before adoption. Go to www.upcycledpets.com for more information about how to help this group. Please visit the Animal Rescue Fund website at www.arfund.org to see more adoptable pets.

Backyard BBQ Competition

Organizers of the 2013 Three Rivers Water Festival are promoting a new addition to the annual event.

A backyard barbecue competition, sponsored by Kackies Que and Century Bank and Trust, will take place 2 to 9 p.m. June 14 in the Community Tent area at the back of Scidmore Park.

An entry fee of $55 will include fees, awards, prize money and three racks of ribs to be used for the competition. Participants must attend a meeting with the Health Department prior to the day of the competition; they will review rules and regulations for the event. The entry fee is due by 5 p.m. June 1.

Interested potential participants may call 615-7781. The event is limited to 20 participants.

Out and About – Week of May 13th

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

Dan White was killed in an accident a week or so ago. Dan owned Main Street Cafe in historic downtown Three Rivers, and you could usually see him working the grill, or even doing the dishes. His favorite thing was to mingle and talk with the patrons that frequented his establishment. He didn’t have much time to do this, because the restaurant was a popular place to go for good food, good service, or just meet with friends for that early morning cup of coffee. If he’d notice our arrival, he’d always call out “NORM!!” Dan, Darlene, Crystal, and the rest of the staff always made us feel welcome.

Dan was community minded. Whenever I’d stop in to see if he wanted to take out an ad in our Lions Christmas paper, or make a donation to Lions, he’d always oblige us. During HarmonyFest or the Water Festival Car Show, you could count on Dan to have his table out there, so he could make hot dogs available to the attendees.

If you read his obituary, you’d know that he was a teacher and wrestling coach in White Pigeon. He also worked with Santa Claus in Santa’s restaurant.

If there’s a heaven, and if I’m lucky enough to someday pass through those pearly gates, I’m pretty sure Dan will be there. I’ll know for sure, if I hear a voice call out, “NORM!!”. Thank you, Dan, for all that you did for me and the community of Three Rivers.

This past May 3 and 4, the Three Rivers Lions held their White Cane Days. This is an annual project that takes place in late April or early May, and it’s one of my favorite projects. The Lions station themselves outside of Wal-Mart, Walgreens, and Harding’s. My wife and I usually pick Harding’s to seek donations, because it’s close to home, and it’s busy enough to keep us alert and awake. We enjoy doing this, because we enjoy people watching, and White Cane gives us the opportunity to do just that. I’ve had my attitude adjusted a bit as a result of dealing with the public. An example would be the young gentleman who pulled into the parking lot with his radio blasting, accompanied by the constant whoomp, whoomp from his speakers. My judgment of him changed when he dropped about five dollars in change into my White Cane bucket. First impressions can be wrong, and it seems that those individuals who least can afford it donate the most, and those who can afford to donate never make eye contact. On behalf of the Three Rivers Lions Club, I’d like to thank everyone who donated to White Cane. Because of you, others less fortunate will receive proper eye care.

I apologize for not mentioning this earlier, but when Mike the mailman mentioned it, it was too late for me to add it to the appropriate column. This last Saturday was the day when your mail carrier would accept non-perishable food items for the food bank. No need to worry, because you may take your donation to the Emergency Care Network location on Railroad Drive, south of Lowry’s Books. I’m pretty sure that every mail carrier left cards notifying everyone about this annual event. Kudos to the mail carriers for doing another good deed. Good thing we have Saturday mail delivery.

We shop for groceries once a week. My wife has a clipboard with items listed that we usually buy. We grocery shop at Hardings and Meijer, and she has the items listed by aisle, which works great for us. Food shoppers spend about 50% more than they planned because of impulse buys, according to researchers. Restricting yourself to one weekly trip instead of three could save you hundreds of dollars a year. She also has at least two of every item in our cupboard. When we use one, she adds it to her grocery list. That way, we never run out. We also try to eat before we go shopping. This also cuts down on impulse shopping. Someday I’d like to figure out where those hundreds of dollars we save by shopping this way have gone.

See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman

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