Area residents might see an interesting sight on the side of the road Friday.

MUSKEGON, MI – Area residents might see an interesting sight
on the side of the road Friday.

Blissfield native Neil Sauter will pass through the county
on stilts on April 26 as part of a statewide trek to raise money and awareness
for United Cerebral Palsy for Michigan, an East Lansing-based advocacy agency.

His trip will start with a 6:30 a.m. appearance at the Bob
Evans located at 1620 Apple Ave., he said. Afterward, he’ll drive over to Hackley
Public Library, 316 W. Webster Ave., to begin his walk, which is scheduled to
end at Agnew, Mich., according to the campaign’s website.

“I’ll be going down business 31 for a bit,” Sauter said,
although he generally plans his routes at the last minute. Friday’s schedule also
includes a visit to the Four Pointes Center for Successful Aging, 1501 S.
Beacon Blvd. in Grand Haven, he said.

Sauter completed a
similar trip in 2008, which netted $85,000 after he traveled 830 miles.

Like the last trip, Sauter will visit
with schools, church groups and other community organizations to raise
money and to talk about his trip and about cerebral palsy.

But the trip this time will be a little shorter. It began on
April 12 in Ann Arbor and will be about 400 miles, he said.

The walking will occur mostly on weekends, since he takes
care of his son as a stay-at-home dad during the week. The trips will take place
on six consecutive weekends.

Sauter said he has a mild form of cerebral palsy, a
non-contagious, non-progressive disorder which affects a person’s ability to
move and maintain balance or posture.

He began the stilt walking campaign as a way to “pay it
forward” after he received a scholarship to attend Grand Valley State University
because of his cerebral palsy, he said.

The walks can be exhausting, he said.

“It’s very tiring because they’re heavy,” he said about the
stilts, which weigh about three or four pounds.

The stilts are strapped to his
legs, which rub and can cause blisters. Sauter typically travels about 22 miles by foot on the
three-foot stilts, even if the weather is unpleasant, he said.

“I have had really bad weather for the first weekends,” he
said. “I’ve had to walk through some spots where the road has been really
flooded or muddy.”

The wind, however, has been his biggest issue, weather-wise,
he said. He wears long pants to cover his stilts and when the wind blows, they
catch the wind “like a sail.”

But despite those difficulties, the trips have given him
time to think and reflect about life, he said. He also enjoys meeting people
and sharing his story while raising funds for the organization.

Muskegon residents can donate to the cause by visiting www.walkfornolimits.org or by
stopping by the Apple Avenue Bob Evans location from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday
with
a special flier. Those interested can also give money to Sauter if they see
him while he is walking, he said.

For more information about the walk, visit www.walkfornolimits.org.

– Email Lisha Arino
at larino@mlive.com, and follow her on Facebook, Twitter or Google+.

Like many brides-to-be, 23-year-old Kaitlyn Hecksel from Muskegon looked to forward to her big day. But Life had other plans.

FRUITPORT TOWNSHIP, MI – Like many brides-to-be, 23-year-old
Kaitlyn Hecksel from Muskegon looked to forward to her big day.

Much of the planning had already been set – the invitations
had been sent out, her bridal party had been selected and she had found the
perfect dress.

But life had other plans and Hecksel adjusted accordingly.

Instead of saying “I do” in front of 200 guests at a
ceremony in May, she planned a smaller wedding that took place on April 7 at the
Leila and Cyrus Poppen Hospice Residence, located at 2065 E. Mount Garfield Road in Fruitport Township.

The reason: her grandmother, Alice Lakatos.

“She was a very supportive and very loving person and very
selfless,” Hecksel said, explaining why she moved up her wedding date. “And in
return, I wanted to be selfless for her.”

In late March, Lakatos was diagnosed with stage-four
pancreatic cancer. She had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and diabetes “a while
ago,” Hecksel said, but despite her health issues, her grandmother was hard-working
and selfless, with “a passion for life” and “an awesome sense of humor.”

She was the type of grandmother to show up at all her grandchildren’s events – “She has always been there for everything,” Hecksel said. But the cancer, which had spread throughout her body, threatened to take her
away before the wedding.

Doctors told her family that Lakatos might not live long
enough to attend the originally planned ceremony, which was scheduled for May 11.

They were right.

Lakatos passed away the morning of April 17, only 10 days after Hecksel married her husband, Michael.

Hecksel said she was grateful to have her grandmother at her
wedding and to have her serve as a witness on her marriage license. Having her
there made the day even more special, she said.

“Words can’t describe it, because it’s something that I’m
never going to forget,” Hecksel said.

The wedding was attended by about 30 people, including Lakatos’
husband and all of her children and grandchildren. Lakatos, she said, seemed
happy to be at the wedding.

“She was glowing,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen
her smile so big.”

After the ceremony, Hecksel, who had worn a short white dress
for the ceremony, stopped by her grandmother’s room.

She and her husband had decided to go through with the
ceremony and reception they had planned for May, and Hecksel wanted to show Lakatos
her wedding gown.

“She cried,” Hecksel said. “She told me that I looked beautiful.”

– Email Lisha Arino
at larino@mlive.com, and follow her on Facebook, Twitter or Google+.

The Muskegon Museum of Art will host a poetry reading and awards ceremony for its first Art Talk Regional Ekphrastic Poetry Competition at the museum for the winners on Thursday, April 25, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

MUSKEGON, MI — Whether painting a picture or writing a story, imagination and creativity often play a role in creating powerful work of art.

Back in January, 67 writers across West Michigan did just that: They used their imagination and creative minds for the Art Talk competition, where they were required to write original poems inspired by one of 10 selected art pieces from the Muskegon Museum of Art’s permanent collection.

Courtesy photo

 

The competition kicked off with a writing salon at the museum, 296 W. Webster Ave., in January. Competitors had the opportunity to see the selected pieces of art work to write their poems. A panel of judges then selected three winners and five honorable mentions.

The Muskegon Museum of Art will host a poetry reading and awards ceremony for its first Art Talk Regional Ekphrastic Poetry Competition at the museum for the winners on Thursday, April 25, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Ekphrasis is “a literary description of or commentary on a visual work of art,” according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

Awards and readings of the winning poems will begin at 6 p.m. in the auditorium at the museum. Musical entertainment will run at 5:30 to 6 p.m. by GVSU performance music majors Ashley Stanley on flute and Adam Brennan on the clarinet.

RELATED: Muskegon Museum of Art to host a regional poetry competition starting this month

“We were very pleased with the turnout and would like to make this an annual competition,” said Cathy Mott, one of the organizers of Art Talk. “We never knew what to expect, but judging by the number of entries and the quality of poetry, it looks like writers from West Michigan have spoken. This competition was a great success.”

The winners will receive monetary awards, gift certificates and a one-year membership to the museum.

This was the first Art Talk competition hosted by the museum. Officials hope to make it an annual event if there is enough interest from the community.

Art Talk was organized by Mott and a committee of area writers. Admission to the event is open to the public and free. Light refreshments will also be served.

Terry and Denise make their own chips for this recipe. For the chips, Terry suggests using wontons, cut in half and then diagonally, fried to a light brown in a stove-top frying pan. I would suggest heating the pan briefly with a little olive oil before placing the wontons in the pan.

Commissioner Terry Sabo posted this picture on his Facebook page. The nachos caught my eye. He kindly shared the recipe.
Courtesy

 

Muskegon County Commissioner Terry Sabo, a Muskegon Heights firefighter, and his wife, Denise Sabo, are like any other two-income family with children  trying to keep the wheels turning and still make time for each other.

Terry said the couple has “dedicated ourselves” to finding something to do together.

It turns out their “together time” works to our benefit because they drum up fabulous recipes like Italian Nachos in their kitchen.

Nachos that will undoubtedly make you more popular among your foodie friends. Nachos that will require you to wear pants with elastic waistbands when eating them because you won’t be able to stop at just a “few.” Nachos that looked so delicious that when Terry posted them on his Facebook page, I had to contact him Monday for the recipe.

Here’s what Terry had to say:

“We started to use Sunday afternoon as our ‘experimental cooking time.’ It was decided that this was going to be a time for us to try making something that normally we wouldn’t try or just didn’t have the time to try. During the week, we decide what it is that we are going to make. It could be something we tried at a restaurant before or just something that sounds good,” he said.

“This past week we decided to try Italian Nachos. We discovered them in Chicago a while back and thought we would give it a try in our kitchen.”

Terry and Denise make their own chips for this recipe. For the chips, Terry suggests using wontons, cut in half and then diagonally, fried to a light brown in a stove-top frying pan. I would suggest heating the pan briefly with a little olive oil before placing the wontons in the pan.

Terry Sabo is a Muskegon Heights Fire Department firefighter and Muskegon County Commissioner with a knack for cooking.
MLive File Photo

 

Here’s what you need for the toppings.

Ingredients:

1. Browned Italian sausage

2. Romana, Provolone, Asiago, and Mozzarella cheeses, or shredded Italian cheese mix.

3. Pepperoni, diced white onions and green onions

4. Sliced pepperoncini peppers

5. Pizza sauce

6. Wontons

Directions: Preheat broiler.

1. Fry the wontons and arrangement on a pizza pan and cover with Italian sausage.

2. Add cheese, then onions, pepperonis, pepperoncini peppers.

3. Broil nachos until cheese melts.

4. Pour pizza sauce into bowl and use as dipping sauce.

Terry said the nachos took about 45 minutes “from start to finish” to prepare.

“It was like eating nachos that tasted like eating a pizza,” he said.

The only thing I think I would have added to the nachos is black olives and a few diced tomatoes because I can’t get enough of them.

Enjoy! Thanks for sharing, Terry!

Email: hpeters@mlive.com and check out The Spunky Kitchen Facebook page for more meal ideas, wine reviews and fun foodie posts.

Partners Jeff Jacobson, Eric Hoffman and Mark Gongalski are moving ahead on their downtown microbrewery in Muskegon. Unruly Brewing Co. is expected to be Muskegon County’s first operating microbrew.

MUSKEGON, MI – Unruly Brewing Co. is beginning to take shape in the Russell Block Market in downtown Muskegon and owners hope to be open sometime in June.

This is a digitally enhanced photo showing how the interior of the Unruly Brewing Co. in downtown Muskegon should look.
Unruly Brewing Co.

 

Equipment is being installed in the lower level of the historic building undergoing renovation at 360 W. Western Ave., co-owner Jeff Jacobson told the Muskegon Rotary Club. Hopes are for a June opening of the downtown craft-beer microbrewery, but the business will be open for sure by Muskegon Bike Time in July, he said.

“We are making progress and moving along in bringing craft beer to Muskegon,” said Jacobson, a Muskegon business attorney for Parmenter O’Toole. “We think this brewery will be a downtown destination and help bring tourism and many more businesses downtown.”

Unruly isn’t expected to be the only downtown Muskegon microbrewery but it should be the community’s first. Also in the planning stage is the Pigeon Hill Brewing Co., which has selected space in the Noble Building at 500 W. Western Ave. to launch later this year.

Rumors continue to float around town about a third and possibly a fourth Muskegon-area microbrewery wanting to establish a location, but no formal announcement has been made. Meanwhile, earlier this year the Fetch Brewing Co. announced plans for downtown Whitehall.

Plans for Unruly have been sent to federal and state licensing officials and approvals are already being granted, Jacobson said. His partners are local construction contractor Mark Gongalski and Eric Hoffman, a West Michigan steel salesman who will be the brewmaster.

The Unruly tap room will have 75 seats and be able to hold 150 customers.

As weather improves, the brewery will create space for many more in an outside beer garden on west side of the Russell Block Market building. The market space will allow for occasional musical artists to perform in the tap room or on the patio, Jacobson said.

The microbrewery is working on a deal with a local deli to provide sandwiches for sale in the tap room and the owners are seeking a Michigan wine maker to sell its product in in the market. The coffee outlet Drip Drop Drink will also be an initial tenant in the Russell Block Market, where the West Michigan Symphony Orchestra will have its offices, practice facilities and small performance studios in the building’s second level.

Unruly Brewing Co. will have three-and-a-half barrel brewing system, which will allow 100 gallons of beer to be produced in an eight-hour period. Typical craft beers will then be fermented for two weeks before being able to be served, Jacobson said.

The microbrewery will have six standard beers from 1890, a light “pre-prohibition cream ale,” to the darker, heavier Revel Rouser, an Indian pale ale, which Jacobson said is for “hop heads.” Unruly will also have other seasonal specialty beers on tap, including potentially “community” beers from local home brewers who will be given a chance to brew on the company’s equipment, he said.

As a microbrewery, only Unruly products will be sold in the tap room. The brewery will sell its product in half-gallon “growlers” to go along with larger kegs that can be used at parties or sold to local restaurants and pubs.

There are no plans to immediately bottle the Unruly product for outside sales but that could come as the business develops, Jacobson said. The microbrewery also will look to produce hard cider products in the future, he added.

Jacobson welcomes Pigeon Hill Brewing Co. and any other breweries downtown. As a craft beer fan, he said he and his wife will travel to other communities and the more brewery outlets the better.

“More breweries will bring more people downtown,” he told Rotarians.

Email: dalexan1@mlive.com

Facebook: Dave Alexander

This week is Barbershop Harmony Week in Muskegon, according to a proclamation signed by Mayor Steve Gawron last month.

MUSKEGON,
MI – This week is Barbershop Harmony Week in Muskegon, according to a
proclamation signed by Mayor Steve Gawron last month.

Members of the Muskegon Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. This week has been proclaimed “Barbershop Harmony Week” by Mayor Stephen Gawron.
Courtesy

 

The
proclamation is meant to recognize the local chapter of the Barbershop Harmony
Society for its “civic service and enrichment of our cultural life through the
fostering of traditional values in entertainment and community endeavors,”
according to a press release.

The
local chapter began in 1940, two years after the larger, international society
started on April 11 in Tulsa, Okla. The Barbershop Harmony Society will
celebrate its 75th anniversary this year.

Members
of the group said there were honored to be recognized by the city.

“We’re
thrilled. We thought this was a wonderful thing for the city to do,” said
George Doyle, the vice president of marketing and public relations for the
group.

The all-male,
four-part, a capella group chorus currently has about 36 members, who range in
age from 15 to 90 years old, he said.

They
perform about 20 times a year at various venues, including parades, memorial
services and nursing homes and senior centers, Doyle said. The group also runs
a “singing Valentine” fundraiser each year in February and competes in district
conventions.

In
addition, the local chapter also helps area students raise money to attend
music competitions and coaching sessions, Doyle said.

To
celebrate the organization’s anniversary, the local chapter is planning a few
impromptu performances at various downtown Muskegon locales, where they will
sing about three songs, said Tom Porritt, the group’s vice-president of music
and performance.

The
group will sing at Hennessey’s Irish Pub and Restaurant, 885 Jefferson St.,
sometime after 7 p.m., he said. Other tentative locations include the Muskegon
Harbor Holiday Inn, and weather-permitting, the Olthoff Street Stage.

Information
about the performances and about the group in general can be found on its Facebook page which can be located by
searching for “Muskegon Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society,” Porritt
said.

– Email Lisha Arino at larino@mlive.com, and follow her on Facebook and Twitter (@lishaarino).

The Muskegon Railroad Historical Society will host its Model Train and Toy Show on Sunday, April 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

MUSKEGON, MI — Another Spring Model Train and Toy Show is just around the corner for toy enthusiasts.

Model trains will be on display from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 7, at the Muskegon Railroad Historical Society’s show in the Golden Token Hall in Muskegon.
MLive.com file photo

 

The Muskegon Railroad Historical Society will host its Model Train and Toy Show on Sunday, April 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This spring’s show will be held at a new location — the Golden Token Hall at 1300 E. Laketon Ave in Muskegon.

There will be numerous vendors and model train exhibits.

“We are expecting between 300 and 400 people,” said Tim Suckow, publicity director for the Muskegon Railroad Historical Society. “We are also having 60 different tables of vendors and several model train exhibits.”

Suckow also said the displays will not be limited to trains only. There will also be different kinds of toys like airplanes and other vehicle toys.

Entrance is $4 and children under 13 years of age can enjoy free admission. There will be onsite concessions, free parking and operating model train layouts at the show.

For more information, visit the Muskegon Railroad Historical Society’s website.

Women in high heels and spring-colored dresses, men in their suits and children dressed in formal attire — plus the special hats — filled up many of the seats at Forest Park Covenant Church in Norton Shores and Queen Esther Baptist Church in Muskegon Heights on Sunday, March 31.

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI — Many of the parishioners at two churches in Norton Shores and Muskegon Heights mixed in a little fashion as part of their worship on Easter Sunday.

Women in high heels and spring-colored dresses, men in their suits and children dressed in formal attire — plus the special hats — filled up many of the seats at Forest Park Covenant Church in Norton Shores and Queen Esther Baptist Church in Muskegon Heights on Sunday, March 31.

While most pointed out that Easter and church are about praise and worship, they contended that dressing up in nice clothes is a special way to celebrate the holiday.

“Jesus is raised from the dead. That thought makes me happy,” said Lois Havermans, a Muskegon woman who opted for a blue dress for Easter. “I like to celebrate in different ways and dressing up is one of them.”

Havermans, who’s been attending the Forest Park Covenant Church for 10 years, said Easter sets a nice tone and gives the opportunity to dress up the kids as well.

“I’ve seen some beautiful dresses, it’s really fun to see them like that,” Havermans said.

She was quick to add that individuals come dressed up or in jeans and everyone’s an individual and accepted as such at the church.

“Every church service is important and we want people to come regardless of how they are dressed,” said Scott Fongers, who has been attending Forest Park for 12 years. “When you’re coming for Easter, the least I can do is come in my best.”

“Easter is not about what you’re wearing to come here, it’s more about the fact that you’re here,” said Leon Conklin, who wore a suit for Sunday’s service at the Norton Shores church. “It’s about your way of respecting Jesus.”

Liz Truax said it’s been a part of her family’s tradition to dress nice for church every Sunday.

“When I was growing up, we always wanted to look our best when we came to the church especially on Christmas and Easter,” Truax said as she fed her 15-month-old son Connor, who was also dressed up nice. “People go get something new and that’s just to show respect.”

At Queen Esther Baptist Church in Muskegon Heights, about 200 parishioners gathered for the 11:30 a.m. Sunday service. Women in fashionable hats did not go unnoticed.

“Most of the time I don’t dress up, but for Easter I do,” said Lenia Grimmett. “It brings out the girlie girl in me.”

“It’s not the way we dress to come to the Lord,” said Genat Bee who’s been attending the Queen Esther Baptist Church most of her life. “He said come as you are. This isn’t just for today, I dress up every Sunday. It lifts your spirit and gives you a sense of belonging.”

Most of the parishioners said that Easter is a time to celebrate Christ, with dressing up being just another festive part of the occasion.

“You can come here in blue jeans, but I feel good about myself when I dress up,” said Jerome Woodfork, who attended the service at Queen Esther.

“Coming to the Lord’s house, He’s blessed me to be able to dress,” said Ann Craig. “And I’m thankful for it. He’s good to me. God is good.”

Isis Lockhart, a mother of three, said for this year’s Easter her mother bought Lockhart’s children their Easter outfits.

“I like how you can look pretty,” said Lockhart’s 9-year-old daughter A’Nyah Greer.

“Grandma did good,” Amaria Greer, A’Nyah’s 8-year-old sister, said as she burst into laughter.