This photo shows Roger Allen walking the Avenue of Flags at Elmwood Cemetery in 2003. Photo by L. Allen.

Memorial Day is a day to remember and honor those that gave their lives while defending our country. It’s also a day to remember all those that have served and are now deceased. Inside this issue are the names of veterans buried in area cemeteries, and we honor them with this issue of The Cedar Springs Post, click here to download. If you know of a veteran’s name that is missing from the list, please let us know and we’ll add them for next year.

There will be several memorial activities and ceremonies taking place this weekend that residents are encouraged to take part in:

The Cedar Springs Historical Society will hold its 17^th annual Memorial Cemetery Walk on Sunday, May 28, at 2 p.m. to honor veterans of all wars. This year’s veterans will be Samuel Andrus, Civil War; Burton Smith, Spanish/American War; Leon Marsh, World War I; Neal Mackey, World War II; James Remington, Korean War; John Gardell, Vietnam War. Biographical and historical information will be presented at each gravesite. The Glen Hill Post of the American Legion honor guard will assist at the presentation. We will leave from the museum in Morley Park at 1:30 pm and return there for refreshments. In case of severe weather warnings we will cancel the event. In case of rain we will do the presentation in the museum.

The American Legion Glen Hill Post #287 in Cedar Springs will hold their annual Memorial Day program on Monday, May 29. They will be at Elmwood Cemetery at 9 a.m., Solon Cemetery at 10 a.m., East Nelson Cemetery at 10:45 a.m., and Veterans Memorial Park, (corner of Main and Oak in Cedar Springs) at 11:30 a.m. In case of bad weather, services will be held only in the American Legion Hall at 9 a.m. Lt/Col. Tom Noreen will be the speaker.

The Algoma Township Historical Society will hold Memorial Day services on Monday, May 29, at 1:00 p.m. at Algoma Township Memorial Park, located on the south end of the Algoma township cemetery on Grange Ave., south of 13 Mile Rd.) The service this year will honor Algoma Township’s WWI veterans, in memory of the 100-year anniversary. There will be music, readings, 21-gun salute and taps. Following the ceremony, refreshments will be served by the Algoma Township Historical Society.

The Sand Lake/Cedar Springs Tri-Corner Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #7912 will have ceremonies on Monday, May 29. They will be at the VFW Post in Sand Lake at 10:30 a.m. and at Pierson Cemetery at 11 a.m. Rain or shine. The Tri County Band will also be at Pierson Cemetery.

The Sparta Township Historical Commission will hold their Memorial Day Service on Monday, May 29, at 10:30 a.m. at Lamoreaux Memorial Park, 150 Park St, in Sparta. The speaker will be Dwight Anderson, Sparta High School Class of 1970 and former SHS principal. The Sparta High School Band will perform under the direction of Jim Walsh. The Kent County Sheriff Color Guard will also be in attendance. There will be a dedication of the John Paul “Sharkey” Badgerow Memorial Bench. Immediately following the ceremony, the Michigan Memorial Wall will be displayed for the balance of the day.

The Cedar Springs Historical Society held a candle light tour of the museum after the Christmas tree lighting on December 6. The Queen’s court was among the visitors who enjoyed the photo-op set up by volunteers. The sleigh and backdrop will remain up until Christmas and everyone is welcome to come in and take family photos. The Museum is open Wednesdays 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and by special request. D White has offered to open for families who cannot come in on Wednesday. Call 696-3738 or 616 835-0809.

Pictured left is the 2014 Cedar Springs Museum float.

Sharon Jett, of the The Cedar Springs Historical Society, is giving a big thumbs up for all the volunteers that helped on Red Flannel Day, and is excited about all the people that visited the Cedar Springs Museum in Morley Park.

“Many hours were spent to get it (the float) just right to match the Red Flannel Theme this year,” said Jett. “Over 800 flowers were made and attached to the float. All work and material was furnished by the museum volunteers. We are so proud to be a part of our home town of Cedar Springs.”

The museum was open all Red Flannel Day, and Jett said they had between two and three hundred visitors going through and showing much interest.

The museum welcomes visitors every Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and for many special programs. Arrangements to open any other day, except Sunday, can be made by calling 616-835-0809.

Rex VanHorn, Jr. will be on hand at the Cedar Springs Historical Museum on Red Flannel Day, Saturday, October 5, to demonstrate his woodworking skills. He will be making buckets, barrels, kitchenware, brooms and other wood products using only vintage hand and foot-powered tools (nothing electric).  Please stop by to see him.

While you are there, take a look at the antique tractors and running farm equipment that will be on display again in Morley Park. Older farm trucks, miscellaneous farm equipment, implements and other items will be on display. The FFA will also have a food both set up there.

The Youz Guyz band was one of three at the Founders Day concert last Saturday.

Residents braved the cold for the first ever Founders Day weekend in Cedar Springs, last Friday, Saturday and  Sunday, and Cedar Springs Area Chamber President Shawn Kiphart wants to make it an annual event.

“The whole weekend went great,” said Kiphart. “We thank the hundreds of people that came out. They braved the cold for the good food and drink we had, and I look forward to next year,” he added.

Algoma Christian’s play, “Cinderstein,” which the Chamber promoted as part of the weekend, was a sell out both Friday and Saturday at the Kent. The Cedar Springs Historical Museum was open Saturday and Sunday for tours, and offered Pioneer Crafts for the kids. However, so many kids went on Saturday for the crafts that they ran out on Sunday. The Dance Extravaganza at The Kent Theatre was also a hit.

Landon Prater, 7, of Cedar Springs, shows off the horse and covered wagon he made at the Cedar Springs Historical Museum Saturday.

Later in the afternoon Saturday there was music from area bands at the heated concert tent on Ash Street, along with pulled pork prepared by local grillers and several beverages, including specialty beer and hard cider. A power outage at the tent at the beginning of the concert delayed the opening act, but once the power came back on, the audience had a rollicking good time.

A storytelling time at the flowing well on Monday was moved inside to Perry’s Place due to harsh weather conditions. Storytellers included Post Editor Judy Reed; Sue Harrison, co-author of The Cedar Springs Story; Library Director Donna Clark; and Mayor Bob Truesdale.

Dancers from Dancing Plus were part of the lineup at the Dance Extravaganza at the Kent Theatre Saturday.

Kiphart said there are some minor changes he would like to make for next year, such as moving it to the weekend after St. Patrick’s Day, and possibly doing the storytelling inside somewhere, like the museum.

The Founder’s Day weekend was to celebrate when Cedar Springs was officially recognized as a village, on March 18, 1871.

Rylie Bjorkman, 9 (left) and Kendyl Bjorkman, 7 (center), of Solon Township, show off the Pioneer dolls they made with Sharon Jett (right) at the Cedar Springs Historical Museum Saturday.

By Judy Reed

It was a long time coming but worth the wait. The Cedar Springs Historical Museum in Morley Park officially held an open house Saturday to show off the new addition and many artifacts they were never able to show before. What they have is a treasure trove of Cedar Springs history that you won’t find anywhere else.
“We still have a lot to add, and we’ll keep polishing it,” said Museum Director Sharon Jett.
The museum has made many of the exhibits hands-on and included cards about the exhibits that patrons can take with them. One of the more striking exhibits is that of an Indian wigwam, which is still under construction. It features many tools used by the Indians. Another is the exhibit dedicated to the railroad, including a large photo of one of our old railroad depots. Other exhibits in the new addition include a livery stable, millinery and dressmaker shop, a general store, a doctor’s office, lumbering exhibit, and Clipper newspaper exhibit. There are many photos of Main Street from the 1880s. Coming soon to that area will also be a jail cell, with some of the bars from the original jail cell in Cedar Springs.
As you walk in the door of the museum, there is an exhibit dedicated to our firefighters, including an old engine from the late 1800s. Other exhibits in the front portion include a military exhibit, old-fashioned kitchen, living room, and a barn. The boards on the barn floor are 14-inches wide, and made from the tree that was cut down in Morley Park to make room for the new addition.
The genealogy area has grown and includes a desk from the old Rockford railroad station. There are many references for those researching family history.
Historical Society President Fred Gunnell was pleased with the way the open house went. “We had a nice turnout, and the boy scouts did a great job,” he said, referring to the lunches they served.
The museum is usually open on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jett said that they will also be open on Veteran’s Day, November 11, and will have special military books, uniforms, and other paraphernalia out. A Chinook helicopter will be landing here in Cedar Springs for the occasion. Watch the Post for more details!

This Ford flatbed truck won best of show at the Cedar Springs Historical Museum car show last Saturday. Post photo by J. Reed.

The Cedar Springs Historical Museum held their annual car show at Morley Park in Cedar Springs last Saturday, July 30, and brought in some much-needed funds for programs and operations.

About 100 cars entered the show, and this year the show chose a top 20 instead of choosing winners by category. Best of show was Sam McComber, with his yellow flatbed truck.

This restored 1930 mail truck was a hit with people at the show. Post photo by J. Reed.

The restored 1930 mail truck was a big hit, and many people went inside the trailer to see a mini-museum of mail items, including a bike a mail person would’ve ridden. The mail truck and trailer was brought by Mike Schragg of Marshall, Michigan.

The Keystone Kops also made an appearance with their antique fire truck.

The Mark Wellman family manned a food wagon for the event, and Pat and Roseanne Patin were DJs.

According to Sharon Jett, the museum made almost $3,000 from the fundraiser. “This money helps support the museum and other programs we have so that we don’t always have to charge families,” Jett explained.

She said that aside from the entry fee, they were very grateful to member D. White, who got many people and businesses to help sponsor the car show. “We are very grateful for his efforts. Without his fantastic effort we would not have had such a good event,” explained Jett.

Coming up next—the museum has set a tentative date of Saturday, September 17, for the grand opening of the new addition. They are working on the details of fun-filled day. Watch the Post for more information as it becomes available.

Next one is Thursday, January 20 at Algoma Twp. hall

Is the winter weather making you feel trapped in your home? You now have a reason to get out and socialize with your neighbors. Senior Citizen/Retirees are getting together on the third Thursday of every month for a luncheon through the organization of the Cedar Springs Area Parks and Recreation Department. These luncheons begin in the fall and rotate each month to one of the partner orgnaizations of the department. The department features partnerships with Algoma, Courtland, Nelson and Solon townships, the City of Cedar Springs and the Cedar Springs Public School District.
The January luncheon will take place at the Algoma Township hall on Thursday, January 20, at 11:30 a.m. The cost is only $5 per person and includes a catered lunch and guest speaker. The guest speaker for January is David Huang. David is a Sand Lake resident who has competed in Art Prize 2009 and 2010. In the 2010 year he was featured in the entrance to the Grand Rapids Public Museum and received enough votes to put him in the top 25 of all the pieces.
If you are interested in registering for this program, reservations can be made by calling the Cedar Springs Area Parks and Recreation Department at 616-696-7320. Reservations must be received by the end of the day Monday, January 17.  For any other questions, please call the department or email director@csaparksandrec.com.