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Celebrating Independence Day in the 1870s By Judy Reed What would it have been like to celebrate Independence Day in Cedar Springs back in the late 1860s or early 1870s? Times were tough. The Civil War was over, and the town was growing by leaps and bounds. According to the Cedar Springs Story, by Sue Harrison and Donna DeJonge, in 1869 there were 11 dry goods and groceries, five hotels, seven doctors, three meat markets, four sawmills, five shingle mills, a wooden bowl factory, two lumber yards, two wagon and blacksmith shops, two shoe shops, a harness shop, a millinery, a gun shop, jewelry shop, bakery, barbershop, dentist, butcher, two cabinet shops, and two saloons—one for ice cream and eating, and one for billiards and bowling. The number of sawmills grew, attracting a rough crowd, and by the early 1870s there were 11 places serving alcohol and 14 places to play billiards, and the town realized they needed a jail by 1872 because of all the drunken men lining the sidewalks. Click here to read more... Solon fire expo By Judy Reed  Solon Township residents had a chance to come out and meet their local fire department Saturday, June 28, at the fire department’s “Safety expo and Community day.” About 40 kids and parents turned out to meet firefighters and medical responders, take a tour of the fire station, see the fire trucks, and get demonstrations on using the fire hoses and vehicle extrication equipment. Click here to read more... Corn and Crop Report By Judy Reed “Knee-high by the fourth of July” is an old measurement that always meant corn was developing well. In the last few years, however, corn can be as much as three or four feet tall by July 4. Last year it was about 3-1/2 feet tall in the cornfield we measured, and this year it was only about 2 feet in a field in Spencer Township. Click here to read more...  House damaged by fire By Judy Reed The first days of summer were filled with merriment in the village of Lakeview, during the town’s three day Summerfest last weekend. Garage sales, bake sales and Amish goods could be found around every corner of the community Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The Lakeview Community Wellness Center hosted bike tours and a 5K run, walk and ride on Saturday morning. The Lakeview Lions’ chicken barbeque was held in Lakeside Park for residents and visitors to fill up for the festivities. Free children’s carnival games, face painting, inflatable jumpers, kid tractor pulls and more filled a parking lot for two hours Saturday afternoon, giving families plenty of quality fun leading up to the Summerfest Parade, which rolled down Lincoln Avenue at 2 p.m. The parade stretched for approximately 45 minutes and was filled with floats from local businesses, queens and courts from Trufant and Stanton, fire trucks, classic cars, Lakeview High School’s marching band, and plenty of political candidates passing out endorsements from both Republican and Democrat parties. The evening closed with music from the Flat River Band and fireworks at dusk. Student attends energy event in D.C. Sierra Walstad, a student at Creative Technologies Academy, joined almost 1,500 other students from across the country to participate in the national Rural Electric Cooperative Youth Tour, June 14-19, in Washington, D.C. Sierra and five other students represented Great Lakes Energy at the annual event, which gives students a chance to learn first-hand about electric co-ops, politics, community service, and today’s pressing issues. This year’s theme was “Commitment to Community.” Click here to read more... Police taser woman who resisted arrest Cedar Springs Police used a taser on a woman after she resisted arrest last week. According to Cedar Springs Police Chief Roger Parent, Officers Mandy Lozon and Mike Stahl responded to a domestic call in the 400 block of S. Seventh Street on Thursday, June 26, at 11:30 p.m. Click here to read more... Teen killed in moped accident A 2008 Rockford High School graduate died early Wednesday morning, when the moped he was driving was hit by a car. According to the Kent County Sheriff Department, Jay David Gephart, 18, of Rockford, was on his 1979 Puch moped traveling eastbound through the intersection of Courtland and Wolverine Blvd. just after midnight, when he failed to yield the right of way to a vehicle traveling northbound on Wolverine. Gephart was hit in the intersection by a Ford Taurus driven by Kevin Samuel Hatch, 51, of Rockford, and was thrown from his moped. Click here to read more... Solon Center Wesleyan Church celebrates 125th anniversary Several people walk through the doors of Solon Center Wesleyan Church (SCWC), just west of Cedar Springs. They’re carrying a box that will be filled with food items—from a bag of apples to a frozen Salisbury steak meal. The price paid for the groceries is only half of the retail. The program is called Angel Food Ministries, a non-denominational organization dedicated to providing grocery relief and financial support to communities. SCWC got involved with the ministry in 2007. To date they have served an average of 65 families a month and 28 people come out to volunteer.  “I am blessed every time I am there to help. Knowing that this is God’s plan in helping feed the hungry or those who just can’t go out and spend $60 to $70 on groceries,” said Deanna Baird, SCWC Angel Food Ministry Coordinator. Click here to read more... City to hold farmer’s market and yard sales The city of Cedar Springs is promoting both a farmer’s market and community wide garage sales in conjunction with the upcoming “Summer Fun Weekend” August 1 and 2. The farmer’s market will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 2, at the corner of Main and Ash Streets. There is no charge for the space to sell perishable items (i.e. fruits, vegetables, flowers, eggs, honey, baked goods, etc.) but vendors must pre-register in order to receive a space. Flea market items will not be allowed. Vendors wishing to set up a booth must call Cedar Springs City Hall at 696.1330 x 104 no later than July 25, 2008. The community-wide garage sales will be both Friday and Saturday, August 1 and 2. Community members wishing to participate should submit their addresses with a brief description (25 characters or less) to rpajak@wingsisp.com. A map of the garage sales will be published for those that are registered prior to July 22. For more information, call Cedar Springs City Hall at 696-1330. The “Summer Fun Weekend” is being co-sponsored by the American Legion and the Red Flannel Festival. back to top Cedar Springs, The Red Flannel Town   © The Cedar Springs Post Newspaper 2007-2008 • Cedar Springs, MI

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