photo by Perry Hopkins

photo by Perry Hopkins

Last weekend, May 20-21, there were strange goings on at Morley Park, as hobbits, orcs, elves, and other unusual people could be seen strolling throughout the Park, and all manner of entertainment graced the grounds, from sword play, to belly dancing, to musical minstrels. That’s because last weekend was “Fellowship of the Springs,” the 2017 Cedar Springs Renaissance Faire, put on by the Cedar Springs Area Chamber of Commerce.

“Without having a gate entrance we do not have an accurate number of attendees, but it is estimated over 400 attended between the two days,” said Chamber President Perry Hopkins. “Rain doesn’t stop a Renaissance Faire. It may have chased away a few patrons, but the faire still went on.”

E-Leesa Gypsy Enchantress and Steel Lotus Dance Troupe entertained everyone on the Gypsy Stage; Darkmore Colony of Larpcraft shared their battle skills on the hill by the north entrance to the park with their Larpcraft swords shields, and talent; Kingdom of Shiabruck took the flat ground and entertained with metal swords and their fenced in arena for patrons to dual with foam swords. The Wind Rose Minstrel, Bell Brook and Cantro, Joe Kid and Sheila Burke performed their musical talents in multiple areas of the park giving patrons entertainment as the shopped at vendor booths such as Belly Dance Costumes USA, Paracord Fashions, The Knotted Cloak, and Perry’s Place llc for herbs, teas, and more… Mother Earth Mehndi was set up doing Henna Art for passer byers.

A Royal Dinner (catered by The Grilling Company) with live entertainment was held on Saturday evening for those who wish to attend. Cast Co-Director Scott Schroeder emceed the Royal Dinner with a special toast from Cedar Springs Mayor Pro-tem Pamela Conley. Queen Victoria (Mandy Stephenson) and other cast walked the grounds mingling and entertaining people all weekend.

“We (the event committee) were happy to see more local people at this year’s Cedar Springs Renaissance Faire and more of them came in costume,” said Hopkins. “There was much positive feedback about us switching the date to May verses having the fair in June like previous years.”

He also said that because they didn’t have a parade this year, the vendors were able to do some shopping at local businesses before the festivities began. Many of them are eager to return.

“You know your fair went well when some of the new attendees comment about what they want to do for next year,” said Hopkins.

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CS Renaissance Faire

May 20-21: 2017 Cedar Springs Renaissance Faire “Fellowship of the Springs” hosted by the Cedar Springs Area Chamber of Commerce will be held in Morley Park, Cedar Springs, on Saturday, May 20^th from 12-8 pm, with a royal dinner and entertainment from 6-8 pm; and Sunday, May 21^st from 12-6 pm. Vendors and live entertainment all afternoon both days (music, dancers, performers, and cosplay cast). #19,20b

Sing to the Lord

May 21: 2^nd Chance will be having a gospel hymn sing on Sunday, May 21^st at 6 pm. It will be at 2^nd Chance School at 810 – 17 Mile Rd. Cedar Springs (corner of 17 Mile and Olin Lakes Rd). Music will be provided by Deb and Larry Eadie and the message shared by Ron Parson. Invite your family and friends. The Sing to the Lord hymn sings will be every 1^st and 3^rd Sunday of the month. It will also introduce you to 2nd Chance and its vision. The school is in the building stage, which when completed, will teach troubled teens through God and the horse. If you have questions, call 616-293-2150. See you there! #20b

Spruce up Salisbury Park

May 21: The newly formed Community Engagement Committee is having their first event on Sunday, May 21^st at 1 pm. The whole community is invited to Salisbury Park in Sand Lake to help clean out the horseshoe pits, power-wash the playground equipment, repair the gazebo, etc. Lemonade and cookies will be served. For more information you can contact Dave or Jan Dewey at 616-636-5982. #20

UMC Guitar Boot Camp 

May 22: Basic training for guitar will be taught at the Cedar Springs United Methodist Church. Registration will be held Monday, May 22^nd  at 7:00 PM. Students must be registered on this date.  To register enter at the South door Located on Church Street; class size is limited to 12 students. Registration fee is $60. A parent or guardian is required to sign. Guitar and all supplies are furnished these may be kept at the completion of the class. Classes will be Monday evenings for 12 weeks starting June 2nd. #19,20b

Auditions Canceled

May 22: The Cedar Springs Community Players regret to announce auditions for their next production, the classic tale of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” has been canceled. Production will be delayed until 2018. Any questions? Please use the following link  http://bit.ly/2ms32gX and leave your comment or question. #20

Cedar Springs Youth Football SIGN-UPS

May 23: Flag: 4-7years olds / Rocket: 3rd-6^th grades / Middle: 7th-8^th grades. Burger King: 5/23, 6/10, 6/20: 6pm-8pm. Shaner Ball Field: 5/18, 6/06, 6/14 6pm-8pm. Skinner Field: Tues & Thurs 7/11-7/27 5:30pm-7:30pm. Contact: April Victorson (616)890-5869 csyflsecretary@gmail.com. #19-26b

Honeybees: Pollinators, Stinging Insects and Honey Makers

May 25: Come learn about honeybees and their amazing abilities with Donald Rewa, seasoned beekeeper of 20 years. Followed by a Q&A. Thursday, May 25^th at 6:30 pm, Spencer Township’s KDL Branch, 14960 Meddler Ave., Gowen. #20

Memorial Cemetery Walk

May 28: The Cedar Springs Historical Society is holding its 17^th annual Memorial Cemetery walk on Sunday, May 28^th at 2 pm to honor veterans of all wars. This years’ 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. #20,21b

CS Varsity Wrestling Fundraiser

May 31: The Cedar Springs Varsity Wrestling Team is striving to be their BEST this year! Support the team and purchase a tube of WHITENING Toothpaste by May 31^st!The team would like to attend The University of Iowa Competition Camp this summer, June 26-30th. This program will help increase their skills, performance and make way for a successful upcoming season! Visit the fundraiser Facebook event “Cedar Springs Varsity Wrestling Whitening Paste Fundraiser” and share on your social media platforms. COST: $20 per tube, plus shipping. 100% of all proceeds will be donated to the wrestling team. Visit www.havewhiteteeth.com to order some today or email fundraising host Kim Shuck, at kimberlyshuck@hotmail.com with any questions. #20,21p

Red Flannel Queen Pageant Time

June 3: Attention all young ladies living in or attending school in the Cedar Springs School Public School District who will be in the 11th grade in the 2017-2018 school year (including homeschooled, or private school attendees that live within the Cedar Springs Public School District boundaries): There will be a mandatory meeting for any young lady who would like to participate in the 2017 Red Flannel Pageant and her parent (at least one). The meeting will be Saturday, June 3^rd at 10 am at the Springs Church (135 N. Grant St, Cedar Springs, Michigan). There will be a makeup meeting for anyone not able to attend the first meeting on Sunday, June 4^th at 2 pm at the Springs Church. Informational packets can be picked up before the meetings in the main offices at Cedar Springs High School and Creative Technologies Academy starting Tuesday May 16th. For more information, contact pageant director Kaleigh Goehler at redflannelpageant@gmail.com. #20-22b

Irish Bowling Fun Day

June 3: Join Howard Christensen Nature Center, 16160 Red Pine Rd., Kent City, as we partner with the Sparta Celtic Festival for a day of Road Bowling on our trails. An exciting family fun experience that includes a pig roast, music and beverages! Saturday, June 3^rd all day. Register online or call the office, www.HowardChristensen.org, 616-675-3158. The entirety of the HCNC property will be closed on this day to accommodate the event taking place on all the trails. Please plan accordingly, or simply join the Irish fun. #20

Alpha Family Center LifeWalk

June 17: Alpha Family Center will hold its 22^nd Annual LifeWalk on Saturday, June 17^th at 10 am Morley Park in Cedar Springs. There will also be a 5K LifeRun at 8:30 am and a Kids FunRun at 9:15 am. There is a coloring and short essay contest too. The deadline to enter is Wednesday, June 7^th. For a pledge form or entry forms for contests stop by Alpha at 6 N. First St. in Cedar Springs or call 616-696-2616 for more information. You may also visit Alpha’s Facebook page to print off forms. #20,21b

This man dressed as Elrond the Elf at last year’s CS Renaissance Faire would be a perfect fit for this year’s theme, “Fellowship of the Springs.” Post photo by J. Reed.

Fellowship of the Springs May 20-21

The Cedar Springs Chamber of Commerce will turn Morley Park into Middle Earth next weekend, when they kick off their spring and summer events with the annual Cedar Springs Renaissance Faire, May 20-21. This year’s theme is “Fellowship of the Springs.”

“Fellowship of the Springs serves as a double meaning,” explained Chamber President Perry Hopkins. “Many of our faire’s fans are J.R.R. Tolkien fans. Since many of the Renaissance Community call Morley Park Morleyshire (for the Cedar Springs Renaissance Faire), it is only fitting we choose a theme that Tolkien fans can relate to. The theme also ties into all the new excitement around Cedar Springs (new library, new businesses, new future potentials for the community, etc.)”

Hopkins said this year’s Renaissance Faire would be the biggest one yet. “We will have double the encampments from previous years, a wider variety of vendors, bigger entertainment, along with the annual Royal Dinner catered by the Grilling Company.”

The Faire will run 12-8 p.m. on Saturday, with the Royal Dinner from 6-8 p.m.; and then reopen from 12-6 p.m. Sunday. It is a free family event.

New to this year’s attractions will be the Kingdom of Shiabrook. Returning entertainers and encampments will include Darkmor Colony of Larp Craft, Robyn the Bard, E-Leesa Gypsy Enchantress, Steal Lotus Dance Troupe, Bell Book and Catro Hopkins said that the cast for this year’s faire will have a few more local people included.

The Cedar Springs Area Chamber of Commerce (CSACoC) started hosting an annual Start of Summer Celebration in June of 2014 with a Renaissance theme, then later renamed it the Cedar Springs Renaissance Faire.

Keith Caldwell CLM

Cedar Springs United Methodist Church

140 S. Main St. | Cedar Springs

In early summer a Renaissance Faire comes to Morley Park for the weekend and people love to dress up like Robin Hood, King Arthur, wizards, gypsies and fairies. Many stories and legends are told and at times they are stretched a little to make them bigger than life. But are they really bigger than life? If we looked at the true story would it be greater than we could possibly imagine? The story of one man has been stretched to great grandeur, however his true story is a fantastic one of great faith, courage and loyalty. He was born at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, in Scotland, around the year 387. His early life was good, he was the son of Calphurnius, a prominent Roman military officer sent to rule Gaul (Briton), his mother was Conchessa, a woman of faith, and her father was part of the clergy.

His life changed abruptly when he was 16. It was then he was kidnapped by a raiding party and became a slave. As a slave he served as a shepherd for a pagan chief until he escaped six years later. During a time when many would lose faith his faith grew. He relates in his “Confessio” that during his captivity, while tending the flocks he prayed many times in the day. “The love of God and His fear increased in me more and more, and the faith grew in me, and the spirit was roused, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers, and in the night nearly the same, so that whilst in the woods and on the mountain, even before the dawn, I was roused to prayer and felt no hurt from it, whether there was snow or ice or rain.” For six years he served as a slave, when he escaped and returned home he later saw a vision and was compelled to take Christ to those that had enslaved him. Can we imagine what the world would be like if we took Christ to everyone, even our enemies? Do we dare think what the world might be like if we prayed a hundred times each day and each night for Christ to bring peace and love to the world? Then he asked, “Let it begin with me.”

This man, St. Patrick received the summons to his reward on 17 March, 493 (Some sources say 460 or 461) As we celebrate his day can we do it by making it a day of Prayer, Love and Faith as he would have? As he wrote of his faith:

Christ with me, Christ before me,

Christ behind me, Christ within me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ at my right, Christ at my left,

Christ in the fort,

Christ in the chariot seat,

Christ in the poop [deck],

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

I bind to myself today

The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity, 

I believe the Trinity in the Unity

The Creator of the Universe.  (From St Patrick’s Confessio)

Photo by Fred Western of Universal Photographic Services.

The Cedar Springs Area Chamber of Commerce would like to have more local talent involved in this year’s Renaissance Faire, so they are inviting those who would like to participate to audition for a role. Cast auditions for the 2017 Cedar Springs Renaissance Faire “Fellowship of the Springs” will be held on Saturday, February 25, at 5:30 p.m. “We welcome any and all family-friendly creativity for our event. J.R.R. Tolkien fans will love this year’s faire, especially those who read the books,” said Chamber president Perry Hopkins.
Cast Auditions will be held in the Kin of Hope Natural Health Dance & Fitness Studio, which is on the second floor above Perry’s Place llc for herbs, teas, and more… If you have a disability and cannot climb stairs please let them know and they will make special arrangements for you.

These guys did some sword fighting at last year’s Renaissance Faire.

June 10-12

The Cedar Springs Area Chamber of Commerce will once again turn Morley Park into something out of the Middle Ages when they host the 2016 Cedar Springs Renaissance Faire, June 10-12.

The fun starts Friday night, with PiYo in the park at 6 p.m., and you can meet and greet the actors performing this year. At dusk, they will show a movie in the park. This year’s movie is the 1951 version of Alice in Wonderland to go with the 2016 Cedar Springs Renaissance Faire theme “Alice in Morleyshire.” This is a family classic so bring out the entire family. The Kent Theatre will be giving out free popcorn to the first 50 people just before the movie (which starts about dark). They will have other concessions and drinks for sale too.

The fun continues on Saturday with all day entertainment from noon to 8 p.m. and a Royal Dinner from 6-8 p.m. (Visit the Cedar Springs Renaissance Faire page on Facebook for more info on the Royal Dinner.) Sunday continues the fun, with all day entertainment from noon to 6 p.m.

There will also be vendor booths set up throughout the weekend selling wooden and steel swords, armor, natural remedies, essential oils, hats, masks, books, fairy items and more.

Returning entertainers for this year include Darkmore Colony of Larpcraft, E-leesa Gypsy Enchantress, Steal Lotus Dance Troupe, The Late Mountebank & Wonder Elixir of Life Company, Bell Book and Canto, Robin the Bard and new performances by The Fae of Norsey Woods.

Hopkins said they have over 20 vendor booths selling anything from steel swords, crafted armor, natural remedies, essential oils, hats, masks, wooden swords, hand crafted items, books, fairy items, dresses, and more.

Either come as you are, or dress up and join the fun! Hope to see you there!

You may have thought you were in a time warp if you ventured out to Morley Park last weekend, or happened to get ice cream at KC Kones and Coneys last Saturday and saw people dressed like they were from medieval times. That’s because the Cedar Springs Area Chamber of Commerce hosted its second annual Renaissance Faire last weekend, and over 300 people attended the event.

“We have many people who said they can’t wait for next year’s faire,” said Chamber President Perry Hopkins. “Some of the people that travel the Renaissance circuit said it was very impressive for a second year faire.”

He said that the cast loved being part of the Ice Cream with Queen Victoria at KC Kones and Coneys.

Hopkins estimated they had approximately 175 people wandering around the park on Friday, and they counted 35 people who stayed to watch the Disney animated movie Robin Hood.

Post photo by J. Reed

“Saturday, with the weather being better than the other two days, we had at one time about 325 people in the park,” said Hopkins. “Some people came back all three days of the event. With people coming and going and no admission it is hard to get a total number of attendees, so we can only go with how many were there when we did a head count.” About 15-20 vendors and entertainers took advantage of the opportunity to camp in the park.

The Cedar Springs Area Chamber of Commerce and Cedar Springs Renaissance Faire Committee are grateful to all who volunteered their time and contributions to make it an awesome event.

Post photo by J. Reed

June 12-14

The Cedar Springs Area Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for their first summer celebration event this weekend—the 2^nd annual Renaissance Faire.

The fun will start Friday night at 6 p.m. at Morley Park with an outdoor Celtic dance class, and grilled brats and hotdogs catered by the Cedar Springs Lions Club. At 6:30 there will be a meet and greet with Renaissance Faire Queen Victoria and cast (bring your camera for photos). At about 9:30 p.m., or as soon as it’s dark, there will be a showing in the park of Disney’s “Robin Hood,” with 100 bags of popcorn donated by the Kent Theatre. Bring the family for fun, food and excitement!

Saturday there will be sidewalk sales all along Main Street from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; ice cream with Queen Victoria and cast at 11 a.m. at KC’s Kones and Coneys; a petting zoo from noon to 4 p.m.; live entertainment, dunk booth, vendor and food booths from noon to 8 p.m.; and a royal dinner and entertainment from 6-8 p.m. at Morley Park. And even more fun on Sunday!

Dress up is optional but a big part of the fun! See more details in the ad on page 2.

Have you ever pretended to be a Pirate? Or wanted to? How about a member of royalty, such as a king, queen, prince, princess or knight? Or maybe a gypsy, fairy, hobbit or elf is more up your alley. Whatever your style, the Cedar Springs Chamber of Commerce is giving you a chance to come out and be a kid again and have some fun at their 2^nd annual Renaissance Faire, June 12-14.

“It’s going to be an awesome event,” said Chamber President Perry Hopkins. “We have three times as many vendors as last year (over 30) and four times the entertainment.”

The fun will start Friday June 12, at 6 p.m. at Morley Park with an outdoor Celtic dance class, and grilled brats and hotdogs catered by the Cedar Springs Lions Club. At 6:30 there will be a meet and greet with Renaissance Faire Queen Victoria and cast (bring your camera for photos). At about 9:30 p.m., or as soon as it’s dark, there will be a showing in the park of Disney’s “Robin Hood,” with 100 bags of popcorn donated by the Kent Theatre. Bring the family for fun, food and excitement!

Saturday there will be sidewalk sales all along Main Street from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; ice cream with Queen Victoria and cast at 11 a.m. at KC’s Kones and Coneys; a petting zoo from noon to 4 p.m.; live entertainment, dunk booth, vendor and food booths from noon to 8 p.m.; and a royal dinner and entertainment from 6-8 p.m. at Morley Park.

On Sunday there will be meditation in the park at 10 a.m.; live entertainment, dunk tank, and food and vendor booths from noon to 6 p.m.; and catering.

For more information, see ad in next week’s paper, and check out their facebook event page https://www.facebook.com/events/1406694329586519/.