Out and About – Week of March 31st

If you haven’t already heard, the Three Rivers Lions Club has selected Jerry Wright as this year’s recipient of their annual Citizen of the Year. In honor of long-time Three Rivers advocate and Lions Club member Bruce Snook, the name of the award has been changed to “The Three Rivers Lions Club Bruce C. Snook Award”. The banquet to honor Jerry Wright will be held Tuesday, April 22, at Belle Epoque, located on Railroad Drive, in Three Rivers. The festivities will begin at 6 PM with a social time and dinner will be served at 6:30. Tickets are now on sale for $20. per person, and may be purchased at Ridgeway Floral, on West Michigan Avenue, in Three Rivers. There are a limited amount of tickets available, so you’ll want to purchase your tickets as soon as you can. They will be available through April 15. Tickets will NOT be available at the door.

I was sad to hear of the upcoming resignation of Three Rivers Fire Chief Dan Tomlinson. I first met the Chief over five years ago. I asked him if there were any way that I could volunteer with the fire department without actually being a firefighter. The result turned out to be a two-or three-year period when I worked as an auxiliary, non-emergency, van driver for Station Two. On occasion, I would transport wheelchair-bound patients to doctor’s appointments, etc. I was issued a uniform and was made to feel a real part of the TR Fire Department. I participated in parades, helped out at their annual pancake breakfast, and was accepted as one of the guys. The wheelchair van is gone now, as is the need for me to help out that much. I stop by the station from time to time to see the firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics, and the Chief. I have always been made to feel welcome. Everyone at the station is always glad to see me. I’m sure the spirit that exists there is partially due to Chief Dan’s spirit. He is not only liked by the firefighters, but he is loved and respected by every one of them.

I’m not sure what brought him to make this decision to resign, but, along with everyone else, I will respect that decision. Three Rivers will be losing a dedicated and loyal employee, and that is too bad. I thank him for everything he did for me and for everything that he did for the Three Rivers Fire Department. Above all, I thank him for his friendship. I feel confident that this will never end.

This past Friday evening, we attended the Three Rivers High School production of Avenue Q, the High School Edition. We were totally impressed with the performance. The puppeteering was out of this world, and the energy displayed by the students could not be contained. Kudos to the cast, crew, band, and everyone else that had anything to do with this production. A special hug goes out to director Marcy Bennett. Once again your talents as a director became evident. Hopefully, this will not be the last production that TRHS allows to be displayed. There’s too much talent out there, and it would be a shame if it weren’t allowed to be displayed. Not just my opinion.

Being retired and on a fixed income, I’m always looking for a way to save as much money as possible. I can’t remember when I haven’t been paying for some form of insurance. Life insurance is something that I’ll never benefit from, because my family will get those benefits. I have enough to probably pay for my cremation. Car insurance is mandatory, except for those people who don’t want to have it. These are the same individuals who drive on a suspended license, or no driver’s license at all. Insurance is pretty much like taxes, in that we will pay for it. In order to stay insured, while at the same time save some money, here are a couple of things you might consider doing:

Raise your deductible.

Buy all of your insurance from the same company.

For your home, install an alarm system, dead bolt locks, or other security devices.

Remind your agent that you haven’t had a claim in quite a few years.

I am happy with my insurance program, but I still check in with my agent to see if they might provide me with a better rate. If you have a great agent, they will never forget that you are the one providing them with a living.

See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman

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