VOLUNTEER EFFORT - Many hands make a big job easier. Volunteers (above) from Mustard Seed Ministries tear off a leaking roof for a young mother of two. Because of the number and enthusiasm of the eight to ten people who worked over two days to complete the job, work was done in about eight hours. TEARFUL THANKS - Christine (right) hugs Mustard Seed Ministries founder and Rockford resident Dave Winters after he and other volunteers completed much-needed repairs to her Courtland Township home Saturday, June 28. Repairs included completely removing and replacing a roof which had been leaking for years.

There are many enjoyable ways to spend a perfect Saturday morning in Michigan. Ripping off a 30-year-old roof and repairing leaking plumbing for a family in need was the choice of a handful of volunteers on Saturday, June 28.

“This roof was my mountain,” said homeowner Christine, young mother of two who received desperately needed repairs to her home free of charge by volunteers from Mustard Seed Ministries.

Christine worried about the damage two winters of a leaking roof was causing her home and the potential illness for her family, including a 10-year-old daughter and an infant. Her home also had a bathroom which was unusable because of leaking plumbing and other problems that she could not afford to have fixed.

Mustard Seed Ministries is a nonprofit organization founded by Rockford resident Dave Winters. Winters and other volunteers spend their spare time doing what they can to help others who are struggling with home repairs. Winters started his efforts after Hurricane Katrina and has since continued that work as well as helping people in Rockford and throughout Michigan. Winters said helping others is a blessing in itself and has strengthened the faith of those who have become involved.

“There isn’t anyone who has become active in this ministry who hasn’t had their lives changed by it,” Winters said. “It isn’t about how many sheets of drywall you put up. It’s about bringing hope into people’s lives.”

Winters said the ministry began with the incredible need in Louisiana after the hurricane and continues with that as the main mission. He chose Mustard Seed Ministries from a Bible passage that he believes is profoundly true and proven repeatedly by the experiences he and other volunteers have seen first-hand.

“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to the mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing is impossible to you,” quoted Keith DeKlein, board vice president of the ministry. “It’s a proven fact through all of this,” DeKlein said of the group’s efforts.

DeKlein’s participation in the organization began with a visit to the WWW YMCA. Winters was working out on a treadmill, contemplating his visit to Louisiana, where he planned to build a house for volunteers to stay while helping those who lost their homes in the hurricane. He was thinking how desperately he needed an electrician to wire the home when he discovered the guy on the next treadmill was a professional electrician. “A week later he was on the road to wire the house,” said Winters.

Such serendipitous arrangements are part of the magic Winters has felt since founding his ministry. He said the willingness - and coincidence - of finding and recruiting volunteers is what buoys the belief of those who volunteer. “So many people are on the verge of losing their faith before they became involved. We are so fulfilled by this,” he said.

“In this economy, in Michigan, it’s amazing how many people, how many businesses, are still willing to step forward and offer help,” Winters said.

For Christine’s home, Dave Vander Kodde of Vander Kodde Construction provided roofing expertise, Patriot Waste Service donated the dumpster, Home Repair donated a door, White Creek Lumber provided supplies at cost, and individual volunteers gave up their Friday evening and half a lovely Saturday to work on a hot roof and in a stranger’s home for free - but not for nothing.

“It’s selfish, too. We are fulfilled when we help others,” said Winters. “We all struggle at times. It’s good to help someone and bring hope into their lives.” He added that there is always something to do for others.

“This project is one of hundreds,” Winters said. “People step forward. Businesses step forward. Even the nonprofit’s website is a gift.”

“We were talking about it. We were praying about it. Then someone heard we needed a website and volunteered to create one for us,” DeKlein said.

The website, mustardseedmins.com, offers background, contacts, and the ministry’s mission statement: To glorify God through providing services in education, construction and spiritual guidance to those in need.

“It takes people to do a project, skilled professionals who can guide us in the work,” DeKlein said. He gave the example of his own introduction to Mustard Seed Ministries. Volunteering to do the wiring on the home in Louisiana, he brought one apprentice and two helpers, including a trainer at the WWW YMCA who heard about their plans. With these four people, they finished the wiring on the 2,600-square-foot house in three days.

Christine’s roof is another example. “I’m not a roofer,” said DeKlein, but he is a hard worker who, with the other volunteers directed by a roofing expert, were able to complete the work in half the time they had estimated.

Winters said people do what they can to help in an effort like this. “We had food here that someone brought last night and today,” he said. “Not everyone can get up on the roof to help, but they can do something. They bring a box of donuts, help out how they can.”

“You don’t have to leave the state or the country to do ministry work,” DeKlein added. “You don’t have to look hard to find someone worse off than you. You can help your neighbor. There is great need right here in West Michigan.”

Between the roof, plumbing and other interior repairs, the work probably would have cost Christine $5,000 to $7,000 - money that would be hard for most young families to come up with. Christine said she couldn’t have.

“That roof has been my mountain. I didn’t know what to do. I’ve been worrying about the water damage and mold and about the kids getting sick from it.” She said she is grateful that her daughter will probably remember this gift to the family when she grows up.

“I’m signed up now,” Christine said of the ministry. The next time volunteers hit the road to repair a roof or provide other desperately needed work for a struggling family, she will be working along side them, doing what she can to help someone else and bring hope.

“I’m very grateful. It’s pretty emotional,” she added. “I’m going to go in the house in a little bit and have a good cry, cry it out.”

Last year’s Adoption Day Extravaganza offered plenty of pet-related fun and information. This year’s event will offer even more booths and activities.

Fun for the whole family and lots of love on a leash will be found Saturday, July 19 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in downtown Rockford. Rockford Animal Hospital is holding their sixth annual Adoption Day Extravaganza at Garden Club Park and promises plenty of pet-related fun and information.

According to organizer Mary Brooks, vet technician at Rockford Animal Hospital, the event is an educational opportunity for the community and a fundraiser for a variety of animal rescue groups. It began at the hospital, but became too large for that location and moved to the park on the Rogue River two years ago. This year, with more booths and activities than ever before, even that site will be filled.

“We keep it a fair-like atmosphere,” Brooks said, with The Corner Bar selling hot dogs, as well as raffles of great prizes including iPod shuffles, a Nintendo Wii, a golf membership, gifts, baskets and packages from local merchants such as Wolverine World Wide, Great Northern Trading Company, Custard by the Dam, and more. All proceeds from the hot dog sales and raffle will go to the adoption organizations attending the event. Frisbee dog shows by Pawsitive Vybe - nationally winning professionals in competition - will take place throughout the event and are always a big hit. Farm Animals on the Go will be in attendance with a petting zoo.

Visitors to the free event can expect to learn a lot about cat and dog rescue groups and pet care. Brooks said participating rescue groups include the Humane Society of Kent County, Lake Haven, G.R.A.C.E. Greyhound Rescue, Midwest Boston Terrier rescue, Great Pyrenees rescue, Bellowood, Focus on Ferals, along with cat-only rescues, Crash’s Landing and Reuben’s Room. Many of these groups will have animals available for adopting the same day.

There will be educational information, discount microchipping, Rockford Animal Hospital’s veterinarian Dr. Carol Good will have her own booth to answer pet-related questions, animal-product vendors will be on hand to discuss nutrition and behavior questions and many more exhibitors will have booths. Rockford Kennels and Grooming - which operates at the same location as Rockford Animal Hospital, 9937 Northland Drive - will offer free nail trims for dogs, a $10 value!

“This is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to our clients and the community and to raise awareness for the rescue groups,” said Brooks. “There are so many animals available for adoption.” Brooks said rescue groups, almost always at capacity, are currently swamped with pets people have relinquished for one reason or another. “There are lifestyle issues, the economy... foreclosures have had a big impact on the number of animals in shelters.”

Brooks said she had always purchased her pets from breeders. It wasn’t until she adopted her first rescue dog through Bellowood, a rescue organization based in Cedar Springs, that she learned about the many animals waiting for permanent homes.

Though the rescues only bring a few of the animals in their care and guests may not find their perfect pet at the event, they have many more available at their permanent locations. Guests will have many opportunities to find out more about the rescues and the people who work with animals every day.

Raffle tickets are only $1 each or six for $5, and can be purchased at the Adoption Day Extravaganza or beforehand at Rockford Animal Hospital. For more information, call (616) 866-9589 or visit www.rockfordanimalhospital.com.

This year’s Chase Picnic Pops concert series includes “Classical Fireworks,” Mariachi Cobre, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and “ABBA - The Hits.”

Each summer, thousands of West Michigan residents make the grassy slopes of Cannonsburg Ski Area their destination to share relaxed evenings with family and friends and enjoy the exceptional sound of the Grand Rapids Symphony.

Free parking, pre-concert entertainment, a family fun area and helpful Symphony volunteers add to West Michigan’s premier outdoor concert experience. The family fun area includes face painting, crafts and an instrument petting zoo. Audience members may bring their own picnics, or purchase grilled items and soft drinks at Cannonsburg.

Alcohol is allowed on the grounds, but is not available for purchase. Gates open at 5:30 each night. Chase remains the title sponsor of the concert series since it began in the summer of 1995.

Classical favorites headlined the “Classical Fireworks” concert program on July 10-11, topped off with a spectacular fireworks display.

Associate Conductor John Varineau says that he enjoys conducting concerts outdoors at Cannonsburg. “I enjoy the atmosphere which is both festive and relaxing. Everyone comes because they know they’re going to have a good time. To me, it feels like the Symphony has one big family up on the hill.”

There’s nothing like the energy that comes from mariachi music and some of the best mariachi on the planet comes from Mariachi Cobre. Picnic Pops audiences will enjoy this band, with its pulsating rhythms and vibrant harmonies, on July 17-18. A crowd favorite for more than 25 years at Disney’s EPCOT Center, the group features a dozen amazing musicians singing and performing on violins, guitars and trumpets.

“People love mariachi music,” said Randy Carrillo, the group’s founder. “With the instrumentation including brass, violins and guitars, along with the singing, it makes you want to jump and kick up your heels. This music has a way of lifting the soul and tapping into emotions.”

The band made its debut with the Grand Rapids Symphony in 2005 during its Fox Motors Pops Series in DeVos Performance Hall, and the members look forward to performing on the Cannonsburg stage. Mariachi Cobre performs regularly in many outdoor locations including the Hollywood Bowl, Ravinia and Tanglewood. Pre-concert entertainment will be Mind’s Eye, featuring original jazz.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band will have listeners’ feet tapping and hands clapping with the joyful sound of Dixieland jazz on July 24-25. The group is named after the venerable music venue, Preservation Hall, located in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter. Preservation Hall Jazz Band has appeared in the country’s most prestigious venues including Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.

“We’ll bring the sound of New Orleans to Grand Rapids,” says Ben Jaffe, the son of one of the band’s founders. “It puts people in a celebratory mood and makes them want to get up and dance,” he says. “We’ll also perform some music that will make people reflect, because this music is like that. It’s there to help in good times and gets us through the tough times.”

Concertgoers will hear tunes such as “Just a Closer Walk,” “Bourbon Street Parade” and “When the Saints Go Marching In.” Organized in 1963, many of the Preservation Hall Jazz members performed with the pioneers who invented jazz, including Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong. Pre-concert entertainment will be Potato Moon with a variety of music including country, blues, swing, rock and roll, and folk.

It’s the ultimate tribute to one of the greatest pop groups of all time - “ABBA - The Hits” comes to the Cannonsburg stage July 31 and August 1. With performers from Sweden, this ensemble sounds and looks like the original ABBA and has been seen and praised by thousands. Audience members will take a musical trip from the mid ‘70s to the mid ‘80s with ABBA’s smash hits, including “Waterloo,” “SOS,” “Mamma Mia,” “Dancing Queen,” “Knowing Me Knowing You,” “Fernando” and many more.

“This is as close as you can come to seeing the original group,” says Toby Ludwig, the show’s producer. “It’s high energy. Even their costumes are very authentic.”

The ABBA International Fan Club said, “‘ABBA - The Hits’ is basically the best show out there.”

Pre-concert entertainment will be the Indie-pop group, The Icicles.

Individual lawn seats are $14 ($12 for students 16 and older/seniors 62 and older; $5 children ages 2-15) for each of the first three concert programs, and $22 ($20 for student/senior, $8 child) for the “ABBA - The Hits” special event. Children aged 2 and under are allowed in for free on the lawn. Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more. Other prices are: $32 for general admission chairs in the reserved area; $49 for reserved individual seats at VIP tables; and $392 for a VIP reserved table for eight.

A FlexPass 6-Pack at $75 for adults, and $63 for seniors, is a package of six lawn tickets, which can be used in any combination, for any combination of the following concerts: “Classical Fireworks,” Mariachi Cobre and Preservation Hall Jazz Band. A FlexPass can save customers 10 percent over buying tickets individually.

FlexPasses, table and chair seating, and group tickets can only be purchased through the Symphony office at (616) 454-9451, ext. 4, or in person at the office, 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100. Grand Rapids. Individual lawn tickets are available by calling Ticketmaster at (616) 456-3333, at ticketmaster.com, or at the door the night of the concert.

Last year’s mystery caterpillar turned out to be this year’s mystery moth! Thanks goes to all our readers who called in to identify last week’s mystery moth as a crecopia moth. According to one caller, that moth is the adult version of this very bizarre bug we featured about a year ago. Then readers also called and e-mailed to let us know what it was. Here is the caterpillar picture from a year ago. Perhaps it ended up as the same moth we pictured last week... you never know.

Last year, Melissa Leitch of Rockford shared this information: The caterpillars are a greenish color and covered with blue and yellow knobs called tubercles. There are also four red tubercles on two segments near the head. They dine on various deciduous tree leaves (their favorite is the silver maple) until they reach a length of about four inches, at which time they build themselves a silk cocoon that they will spend the winter in. In the spring they emerge from the cocoon as the largest (and one of the most beautiful) moths in North America, with a wing span of four to six inches!

According to Kyle Naumann (right), Alyssa Polehill (left) makes an amazing blueberry muffin. The two are vending blueberries at Krupka’s Blueberry Plantation’s booth at the Rockford Farm Market.

This year, locally grown blueberries arrived at the Rockford Farm Market Saturday, July 5. At the same time, local big-box supermarkets were featuring New Jersey blueberries. Playing off the Select Michigan initiative, why would anybody purchase out- of-state blueberries when the very best-tasting local blueberries, ripened close to home, are available weekly at the Rockford Farm Market?

Is there anyone that doesn’t like blueberries? Not only do they taste great, they are also one of the 50 identified antioxidant “Super Foods.”

Krupka’s Blueberry Plantation of Fennville believes their Michigan berries are consistently the finest available. This being their seventh year at the Rockford Farm Market, Krupka’s is one of the original vendors. Krupka’s Blueberry Plantation, owned and operated by Connie and Harold Krupka, was the first blueberry operation in Michigan, dating back to the late ‘60s. Today, Krupka’s Blueberries Inc., farming 375 acres two miles from Saugatuck, is one of the largest independent packers in the area, processing and packaging up to four million pounds of blueberries a season - WOW! Commercially, they supply blueberries to Jamba Juice (a California-based Smoothie franchise), Dunkin’ Donuts, Yoplait, and the Palazzolo Company gourmet gelatos and sorbettos, among others.

Krupka’s commercial blueberries are picked by machine, but the blueberries sold at the plantation’s farm market store and the Rockford Farm Market are hand-picked for superior consistency.

Rockford resident Kyle Naumann, a 2005 Rockford High School graduate, operates the Krupka Blueberry Plantation stand at the Rockford Farm Market because he’s “connected.” Kyle is the grandson of Connie and Harold Krupka. He is about to enter his senior year at Grand Valley State University, majoring in mathematics. He works summers in Fennville at his grandparents’ blueberry operation. Saturday mornings, while blueberries are available, Kyle and oftentimes his “blueberry princess” Alyssa Polehill can be found at the Rockford Farm Market vending berries till sold out (usually about 11:00 a.m.). “It’s an easy sell,” says Kyle. “Everybody wants and loves freshly picked Michigan blueberries.”

Krupka’s blueberry stall can usually be found trailside at the northwest end of the Rockford Farm Market. Look for the Krupka Blueberry Plantation sign on the blue card tables.

Remember to select only Michigan blueberries. They’re good for you, our growers, and our local economy.

Helping Rockford High School students continue their education can be as simple as a game of golf. For 20 years the Rockford Masonic Lodge has held a golf outing with funds going to Rockford High School students. To date, the service organization has given over $45,000 to students from proceeds of the annual Barney Hunt Memorial Golf Outing. This year’s outing will be held Saturday, July 19, at Scott Lake Country Club, 911 Hayes NE, Comstock Park. The outing is named for Barney Hunt, a former Michigan State Police Trooper.

“We have always given scholarships to Rockford High School seniors, and would like to see more Rockford people participate in the golf outing,” said organizer Chuck Weldon.

Weldon said the day begins with a four-person scramble at 1 p.m. The cost for the outing is $70 per person and includes 18 holes of golf, cart, prizes and events for men and women participating. The day includes a steak dinner, an optional skins game for $10, as well as prizes awarded throughout the day, including hole in one on all par-three holes, closest to the pin, longest drive, drive closest to the line, and many other opportunities to enjoy. A Mulligan can be purchased for $10 to be used anywhere on the course.

Weldon describes the Masonic Lodge as a fraternal organization similar to others in the Rockford area. The group meets for fellowship and dinners and donates $1,000 scholarships with proceeds from events such as this annual golf outing. The group has also been a long-time supporter of the North Kent Service Center as well as a sponsor of other community projects throughout the year. For more information on the golf outing, call Chuck Weldon at (616) 363-1160 or Scott Lake Country Club at (616) 784-1355.

Attendees network during the Chamber After Hours at Frenz Coffee House.

Chamber After Hours events are hosted by individual RCC members at their place of business usually after regular business hours, hence the name. Loosely scheduled during the early evening (typically 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.), those attending stroll in and out much like an open house.

The central focus of a Chamber After Hours event is the host and more primarily the business he/she represents. Encouraged and always present is the opportunity for attendees to network by “freely exchanging ideas and sharing experiences as a means of support for one another and to the entire Rockford business community as a whole,” says Brenda Davis, executive director of RCC. “Indeed,” adds Davis, “in the more informal setting of Chamber After Hours, networking has become a huge success.”

Rich Zeck - who, along with his wife Michele, owns and operates Frenz Coffee House located in the Promenade building, a few doors south of Reds on the River - hosted the recent July Chamber After Hours. After welcoming all in attendance, Zeck gave a brief overview of his business and practices that have resulted in a satisfied and ever-growing and repeat customer following. In announcing Frenz’s fast approaching second-year anniversary in Rockford, Zeck said, “Frenz prides itself in offering an old-fashioned community gathering house

atmosphere where conversation reigns and people feel at home while enjoying a good cup of coffee and wholesome light menu options.” Zeck added, “Frenz wholeheartedly embraces Rockford and its business community, especially local artists who adorn the walls of our store with their creations that also are for sale.”

While networking, the 60+ attendees at the event were treated, compliments of Frenz, to several regular menu items that included turkey or ham on whole wheat, spinach, and tomato wraps; cold strawberry gazpacho and hot tomato bisque soups; plus coffee and various desserts. Throughout the evening local musician Susan Bartholomew, while playing a flute, provided background music. All in attendance enjoyed themselves and many expressed their pleasure at being afforded the opportunity to discover Frenz at its (sometimes elusive) riverside location.

The next Chamber After Hours is scheduled for September 8, to be hosted by Genesis Salon & Day Spa. Time and details to be announced.

During his nine-week program, Treadwell completed a variety of training which included practical instruction of Army customs, combat skills, first aid, map reading, survival, and a heavy emphasis on physical training and the learning and understanding of the Seven Core Values of loyalty, teamwork, duty, respect, honor, integrity and personal courage. He also had the honor and privilege of serving as the squad leader and sleep bay leader.

Since his graduation, he has moved to Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Aberdeen, Maryland, where he is in school, training for his position in the field of diesel generator maintenance.

A precinct polling place may be located in any building except a union facility. Every effort is made to find locations which are barrier-free. Schools were traditionally used by many communities as polling locations, but this changed when schools became concerned about security. Parking facilities are also of concern as a clerk selects a polling location. After all of these factors are considered, a line must be drawn and, therefore, some voters may live closer to their polling location than their neighbor.

Why does my polling location have lines on Election Day?

Lines indicate many things. Sometimes, many of the voters in a precinct are of an age which does not qualify for an absent voter (AV) ballot. AV ballots are available to voters age 60 and older or voters who will be out of the community on Election Day. Many voters go to the polls early in the morning - perhaps on their way to work - and the line forms. Often, during the day, there are no lines in polling locations until the late afternoon or early evening. Voters stop on their way home from work, and the line forms again. Most polling locations use at least two master voter lists on which each voter’s name is printed. Each name must be verified by an election inspector. However, sometimes, no matter how well the process is planned, there just may be many voters at the polls at one time.

What can I do to help my line move along?

This is such a good question. First, make sure you are a registered voter in your community. A voter may go to www.michigan.gov/vote to check their voter registration, their precinct location, and to review a sample ballot. It is a one-stop information center for voters in the state of Michigan. If you prefer, you can call your local clerk to confirm your information. Sample ballots are also available at your clerk’s office. Voters should have their photo identification ready to show to the inspectors. This requirement began in November 2007.