Ralph David Wolfe, 92 passed away on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 at Sanctuary of St. Mary’s. Ralph was born July 5, 1921 in Nelson Township, the son of Ezra and Margaret (Otterbacher) Wolfe. He was a second generation farmer, faithful servant to his Lord and Savior, and dedicated husband and father. He retired 20 years ago and moved with his wife to their home on the Muskegon River. He enjoyed spending time with his wife of 67 years, Virginia (Conroy); large family, fishing, and working in the yard. Surviving along with his wife are 6 children, Jackie Carr, Tim (Sue) Wolfe, Pete Wolfe, John (Cindy) Wolfe, Dave (Heather) Wolfe, and Jane Taylor; several grandchildren; great grandchildren; nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Mary Lou Wolfe; parents; sisters, Marie Wolfe, Dorothy (Harvey) Dahl; brother, Paul (Marcella) Wolfe; brother-in-law, Roger (Shirley) Conroy; father and mother-in-law, Edson (Sigrid) Conroy. The family will receive friends Wednesday, April 30 from 5-8pm at the Bliss-Witters & Pike Funeral Home, Cedar Springs where a Rosary will be prayed at 7:00 pm. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Thursday 10:00 am at St. John Paul II Catholic Church, Cedar Springs. Interment Resurrection Cemetery, Grand Rapids. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Area Agency on Aging, Grand Rapids or St. John Paul II.

Arrangements by Bliss-Witters & Pike Funeral Home, Cedar Springs

Karen Stuthard

Mrs. Karen Adelle “Stingray” Stuthard of Cedar Springs, age 52, passed away on Thursday, April 24, 2014. She was born to Larry and Inez (née Richards) English on May 24, 1961 and had been a long-time resident of the Cedar Springs area. Karen loved many things in life, however, none as much as taking care of her grandsons. She loved spending long days outdoors, whether it be tending to her flower gardens or cruising on her motorcycle. Karen is survived by her beloved husband of thirty-four years, Raymond; loving children Rebecca (Michael) Harroun and Kristin Stuthard; grandsons James and Alexander Harroun; father Larry English; sister Colleen (Dennis) White; step-brother Gerard (Nancy) Bogner; and step-sister Nora (Steve) Sokolowski. She was preceded in death by her mother Inez; step-father Ivan Bogner; and step-brother Allen Bogner. There will be a time of visitation from 7:00 until 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 at Pederson Funeral Home,127 N. Monroe Street NE, Rockford, MI 49341. The funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, 2014 at Pederson Funeral Home; with visitation one hour prior to service. Those wishing to offer expressions of sympathy are encouraged to make a memorial contribution to Children’s Miracle Network, 205 West 700 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101, or Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan, 648 Monroe NW, Suite 104, Grand Rapids, MI 49503.

Pederson Funeral Home

www.pedersonfuneralhome.com

Cedar Springs Public Schools Fine Arts night was part of Community Night this year. Post photo by J. Reed.

Community Night, put on by the Cedar Springs Community Action Network, was back this year after being canceled due to severe weather last year. Residents, businesses, school groups, and other non-profits came together last Thursday, at Cedar Springs High School, for the 27th annual Community Night.

Area businesses and non-profit groups rented tables to showcase their business or group to residents. And this year there was a new twist—Cedar Springs Public School students were able to showcase their talent to a broader audience with the

Businesses and non-profit groups showed the community what they have to offer at the annual Community Night last week. Post photo by J. Reed.

addition of fine arts night. There was student music, drama and art from students of various ages.

It was a great night to see what’s available in Cedar Springs and the kind of talent our students have!

We’ve been waiting a loooong time for spring—and it seems to have finally arrived. With spring comes fresh blooms, and we were glad today to see this crocus photo from Doyle Barnes Jr., of Courtland Township. Thanks so much for sending this photo to brighten our day!

We would love to see your flowers and wildflowers, too—email photos with some information to news@cedarspringspost.com. Put the word “flowers” in the subject line.

By Judy Reed

The FFA club at Cedar Springs High School and several farmers in the area worked together to create a completely new project for the students to learn about agriculture—they tapped maple trees and boiled it down into maple syrup to sell.

According to teacher Larry Reyburn, who leads the FFA, Dave Dunavan and Steve Schmidt approached him about the project, and about six students signed on for it.  Dunavan owns property next to Cedar Springs Middle School on 16 Mile, so he tapped several of his trees, and others there on the school property.

“We had about 125-150 taps in,” said Dunavan.

The students hauled the buckets of sap away and another farmer, Rick Sevey, boiled it down into maple syrup for them.

“They caught on quick,” said Dunavan. “It was a learning process and everyone had a good time. “ He said the busiest time for the sap occurred during spring break, but several of the students showed up anyway.

Reyburn said they ended up with about 10 gallons of syrup to sell to raise money for the group. They sold some at community night, and have been selling it at school. The cost is $12 per pint.

If anyone is interested in buying some to help support the FFA, they can call Larry Reyburn at the high school at 696-1200.

It’s not too late to participate in the annual Cedar Creek Cleanup/Earth Day Celebration in Cedar Springs.

The 7th Annual Celebration will be held on Saturday, April 26, from10:00 a.m. until noon. The city will give away commemorative t-shirts to the first 50 participants who register for this event. Meet at the Fire Barn at W. Maple and Main on Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. to receive their clean-up assignments and shirts. Pizza will be available at noon for all participants.

An e-waste collection trailer, staffed by Cedar Springs Rotarians, will also be available behind City Hall from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., for anyone wishing to dispose of electronic waste, including computers and old televisions.

The City of Cedar Springs Police Department will conduct an auction of surplus items, including 15 bicycles, beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Registration forms are available on the City of Cedar Springs website at http://www.cityofcedarsprings.org. Pre-registration is not mandatory to participate in the cleanup. However, it will allow them to assign clean-up locations ahead of time as well as purchase trash bags and pizza.

Please call 696-1330 with any questions.

The Argall family—April, Randy and Ethen—went to Cozumel, Mexico on a Disney cruise for Ethen’s 7^th birthday. Ethen was born with dysphagia (a swallowing disorder) and his goal was to eat by mouth. If he achieved the goal, he would go on the Disney cruise. And he did it! Great job, Ethen!

The family said it was in the 70s and 80s and sunny every day. They stopped at Costa Maya, Grand Cayman Island, and Castaway Cay Island.

“If you have the chance to take a family trip, this was great,” said April. “There were a lot of family things to do off and on the ship. And it was the number one cruise ship to be on in 2014.”

Thanks for taking us with you on your Disney cruise!

Are you going on vacation? Take the Post with you and snap some photos. Then send them to us with some info to news@cedarspringspost.com or mail them to Post travels, PO Box 370, Cedar Springs, MI 49319. We will be looking for yours!

This bird was photographed by Betty VanderWal and sent to Ranger Steve.

This bird was photographed by Jennifer August in Solon Township.

Jennifer August, of Solon Township, sent us this photo of an American Robin, with feathers that look like they are missing some pigment. We sent the photo on to Ranger Steve Mueller, our wildlife and botanical expert, and he told us that it is a partially albino (or pied) robin.

He said he also received pictures this week of the same type of bird (or possibly the same bird) from Betty VanderWal.

And the condition is not as rare as you might think. “My ornithology instructor, Harold Mahan at Central Michigan University wrote an ornithology textbook with George J. Wallace from Michigan State University. They commented that partial albinism is common and is most frequently reported in robins, crows, sparrows, and red-winged blackbirds,” he explained.

Albinos have white feathers lacking pigment and reflect all the light making them appear white.

“Complete albinism is a genetic disorder that often results in death at a young age in affected individuals,” wrote Steve. “They often experience other physical problems.”

He said that the partial albinism is referred to as the pied state and may be patchy, forming a mosaic like is pictured in the photos. “Such individuals may live well without the serious health effects that happen in complete albinos,” noted Steve. “A pied robin returned to a banding station in Pennsylvania for eight years.”

He added that they have several mounted specimens of partially albino house sparrows at Howard Christensen Nature Center, 16190 Red Pine Dr NW, Kent City, and he encourages readers to go visit and take a look at them. Visit http://lilysfrogpad.com to learn more about the Nature Center’s open hours.

All clothing accepted, seven days a week

Volunteers from Cedar Springs R1TS 3 sort and hang up clothing donations for North Kent Community Services’ clients. (L to R: Zach Welch, Kevin Bradley, John Sabin)

Cleaning out your closets this spring? Donate your unwanted clothing to North Kent Community Services. It will all be put to good use, even those items with you might think are not wearable.

All clean clothing is accepted, even winter clothing, or items with bleach stains or tears. “The usable clothing is distributed to our clients in northern Kent County. We always have plenty of nice clothing for them,” explains Claire Guisfredi, NKCS Executive Director.

“In addition, we sell the stained and unusable clothes as rags or donate it to the West Michigan Archery Center for their targets. We also sell a very small quantity (two pallet boxes) a week to a resale shop; this is generally off-season clothing that we can’t store here. We use the proceeds to buy items we need, especially meat and cheese. This is a win-win for the donor, our clients and NKCS,” continued Guisfredi.

The donation area is kept clean and staffed every day. “In the past, we’ve struggled with NKCS being used as a dumping ground,” she explained. “To deter theft and to protect the items from being ruined from rain, the donation area is now being manned seven days a week so our wonderful supporters will feel confident in bringing their unwanted treasures to us.”

Please visit the NKCS website at www.nkcs.org for a complete list of acceptable items. NKCS is open Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Weekend hours vary. Drop off items at the south side of the building. Tax receipts are available.

It’s possible that some people in the Cedar Springs/Sand Lake/Sparta area may be selected to participate in a national survey on the health of people in Michigan.

The National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers of Disease Control, is conducting the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the most comprehensive survey of the health and nutritional status of the U.S. population. It is coming to Kent County from April 28 through June 12. Data will be collected through household interviews and standardized testing in their mobile units. About 443 people will be asked to participate.

“NHANES serves as the nation’s ‘health check-up,’ going into communities to collect health information throughout the country,” said CDC Director Thomas Frieden. “The survey is a unique resource for health information, and without it we would lack important knowledge about major health conditions.”

No medical care is provided directly in the mobile examination center, but a report on physical findings is given to each participant along with an explanation from survey medical staff. The various tests and procedures performed depend on the age and gender of the participant. All information collected in the survey is kept strictly confidential and privacy is protected by public law.

What will you get for participating?

* All participants receive a free and confidential health and nutrition evaluation.

* Individuals who agree to participate will receive compensation for their time and travel expenses of up to $125.

* Your participation can help develop and evolve national health programs and policies.

*If you are selected, you will help make a difference in our nation’s health!

Cedar Creek will benefit this summer from restoration activities funded through a federal grant by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

According to Nichol DeMol, with Trout Unlimited, Cedar Creek, which is a tributary of the Rogue River running through downtown Cedar Springs and emptying into the Rogue River near 12 Mile and Friske Road, is important to the overall health of the Rogue River. This tributary is a significant source of cold groundwater to the river. This groundwater provides stable coldwater rearing for juvenile trout and summer shelter for adult trout when the Rogue River gets warm.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recognized the importance of this stream, and has awarded Trout Unlimited over $27,000 for restoration activities as part of the Rogue River Home Rivers Initiative project.  This funding is provided through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the National Fish Habitat Partnership-Great Lakes Basin Fish Habitat Partnership.

In collaboration with the City of Cedar Springs and private landowners, Trout Unlimited will plant trees and other native plants on stream banks, provide localized cattle access, fence out cattle along a portion of the creek, and construct in stream habitat structures. 

The on-the-ground restoration is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2014. Volunteers will be needed to assist with this work. If you would like to volunteer or want to know more about the Rogue River Home Rivers Initiative project please contact Nichol De Mol at 231-557-6362 or ndemol@tu.org.

Lawrence Talbot Allen

An Edmore man is facing charges after he allegedly pointed a gun at a couple during a road rage incident.

According to the Montcalm County Sheriff’s Office, a Stanton couple was traveling east on Stanton Road, near Grow Road, in Sidney Township, about 5:37 p.m. on Sunday, April 20, when they decided to pull over to allow a tailgater to pass. However, when they pulled over, the driver of the tailgating vehicle, Lawrence Talbot Allen, 46, of Edmore, stopped and exited his vehicle with a tire iron. The couple reportedly continued eastbound towards Stanton, and the man continued to follow, then passed the couple, and immediately pulled to the shoulder of the road and parked. As the Stanton couple passed, the man pointed a long gun at them.

The man was later found in Stanton and taken into custody without incident. Police reported that he possessed a pellet gun and was also illegally transporting marijuana.
He was lodged in the Montcalm County jail, and arraigned Tuesday on a charge of Felonious Assault with a dangerous weapon, a felony; additional charges may be pending. He is being held on a $2,000.00 cash or surety bond.

The Stanton man and woman were not injured in the incident. Anyone who may have witnessed the incident is asked to contact the Montcalm County Sheriff’s Office at 989-831-7590.