GETTING CLOSE IS REQUIRED—Firefighters were advised not to put out a burning propane fire unless they can turn off the source of the fuel. Here they prepare to hand close the valve on a home unit.

The public is safer from the threat of a propane disaster, thanks to training offered by the Michigan Propane Gas Association (MPGA).

Cannon, Courtland and Oakfield Township firefighters practiced defeating propane fires on Monday, June 15.

“This may be the only propane training any of them ever receive,” said Derek Dalling, spokesperson for the MPGA.

Firefighters followed classroom-style training with hands-on practice turning off the fuel source of burning propane tanks. They used a hose technique that allows a firefighter to get close to the huge blaze and reach through the wall of protective water.

“No other fire burns like propane,” said Dalling. Michigan uses more propane than any other state in the country. Grill fires are the most common type of propane emergency to which firefighters respond. Tanks should only be filled to 85 percent because propane expands in heat. Fires can also be caused by homemade fixes of damaged hoses.

WALL OF WATER—Firefighters practiced this formation, which allows the center person to reach through a protective wall of water into the flames. If this technique is not done correctly, propane and flame escape under the water and burns around rescue workers’ legs and lower bodies. Firefighters practiced putting out home propane units, meter fires and grill propane fires.

Although firefighters have to  literally reach into the fire to stop the flow of fuel, they also face frostbite due to the temperature of the escaping fuel.

The fire practice was interrupted when a call came in about a fire with flames showing. The first responders quickly realized someone had called in their practice as an out-of-control  fire.

Jane Carlson, 63, of Casnovia, died at this crash at M-37 and Sparta Avenue after her vehicle rolled several times. Pictured are rescue workers on the scene and Aeromed approaching.

Alpine Avenue was closed Saturday, June 13, while rescue workers responded to a fatal accident at M-37 and Sparta Avenue.

Jane Carlson, 63, Carl Carson, 64, and a 12-year-old child, all of Casnovia, were passengers in a 2006 Ford van.The van was driven by Todd Carlson, 40, and was traveling southbound on M-37.

A 2004 Ford Explorer driving by Linda Liscombe, 66, of Sparta, entered M-37 southbound off Sparta Avenue. The Explorer struck the Carlson vehicle, which ran off the roadway into the median before rolling several times.

Jane Carlson, who was in a rear seat of the van, was ejected and was pronounced dead at the scene.  The other occupants of the vehicle were treated for injuries and were transported to Spectrum Hospital Downtown.

Michael Young

This year marks 14 years that Michael F. Young has presided as City Manager for the City of Rockford. He is officially the longest serving City Manager of our City.

The Rockford City Council recently evaluated Young on ten (10) criteria based on a five (5) point scale. The combined average ranking as determined by the evaluation instrument was a 4.45. This equates to a 94 percent overall performance rating.

Young received particularly high marks in the area of presentation and preparation of oral and written reports and the overall fiscal health of the City including the tax rate and fund equity.

Other areas receiving high marks include budget development, grant writing and initiative to provide new and approved methods of service to the residents of Rockford. As a result of the excellent evaluation, Young was granted a contract extension through the 2012-13 fiscal year.

Mayor Janiece Rogers stated, “Council is very pleased with Michael’s performance and his evaluation reflects this.” Rogers further stated that, “Council relies on Michael to guide the City in the right direction and with this tough economy, he has done just that.”

The RCC would like to sincerely thank the Start of Summer Celebration committee for all their hard work and their continuing commitment to this event:  Polly VonEschen – SOS Chair; Gay McDonald – Entertainment Chair; Rene Bravata – Parade Chair; Linda Southwick – Craft Chair, Ruth – Clean Up Chair, Candy Lancioni – Children’s Tent Chair, Trisha Schmidt, Dr. Mike Shibler, John & Mike Scheidel, Michael Young, Chief Dave Jones, Chief Mike Reus, Jody Greco, JD Decker, Jeannie Gregory, and Dianna VanAntwerp.

A special thank you to City of Rockford, Rockford DPW, Rockford Police Department, Rockford Fire Department, Rockford Ambulance, Rockford Education Foundation, Scheidel Electric, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Aunt Candy’s Toy Company, ASP team from RUMC, Bob Wells, and the Kent County Sheriff Department!  Once again their contribution of time and talents was a major factor in creating a safe and very successful SOS celebration.

Thank you to Byrne Electrical Specialists Inc, Meijer Inc, Independent Bank Rockford, Wynalda Litho Inc, D & W Fresh Market, and Best Buy on Alpine for sponsoring the fantastic fireworks display!

As always our hometown newspapers, the Rockford Independent and the Rockford Squire always provide excellent coverage of the events and we are very thankful for their support!

THANKS ROCKFORD!

HOMEMADE LIKE THE OLD DAYS—Tracie and Delanie Riebschleger show off some of the good, homemade treats offered at The Sweet Tooth.

One of Rockford’s newest businesses may well be one of its oldest. The Sweet Tooth, run by Tracie Riebschleger with the help of her family, is born of a family business started by Greek immigrants in 1906.

The Koinis family began selling popcorn, hot peanuts-and cigarettes-from wagons shortly after they arrived in America, and members of the family have been doing it ever since (except for the cigarettes).

Tracie was drawn to the fascinating vending wagons when she was a child of three or four. The family across the street owned them, and when she saw the wagons coming in after a festival or carnival, she asked her mother if she could cross the street and get a closer look. Her mother always told her no.

She was allowed to play with the boy who lived there, though. They would catch bees together. Eventually Tracie’s family moved away. Years later, when both were working a summer job at a harness racing downs, she began to date the guy who worked the wagon and whose family owned the concessions there. She didn’t make the conection until he took her to his house-across the street from her old home.

Now Tracie is working the family trade, selling carmel popcorn and apples made in the shop at 53 E. Bridge by the original Koinis recipe. It’s not even written down. The neighbor she ended up marrying is local businessman Ron Riebschleger, and he holds the family recipe. Much of the equipment in the store is also handed down and dates to the 40s and 50s. For those who love old-fashioned, authentic treats, this store will be tops.

The Sweet Tooth offers a wide variety of popcorns, a Chicago-style that is better, some say, than the stuff you buy in Chicago. The cheese popcorn is also made completely by scratch. There is fountain pop, and Tracie’s favorite, shaved ice. With 26 varieties and two in sugar free, there are plenty of flavors to choose from. Kids like the Tiger’s Blood because of the deep color. Also popular is Crazy Eight, a mix of eight flavors that should not taste good together but do.

Remember Fizzies? You put the tablets in a glass or bottle of water and have carbonated, flavored water. They sell those at The Sweet Tooth. Other “retro” candies are available as well as gift baskets. Coming soon are balloons that you can stuff with any number of items, from lottery tickets to cash to Teddy bears.

IN THE FAMILY—The Koinis family popcorn wagon. After coming to America from Greece, the Koinis family went into business for themselves in 1906. Family have operated the businesses continuously since and most recently opned doors May 30 as The Sweet Tooth at 53 E. Bridge in downtown Rockford.

Don’t forget the wagon. The vintage 1976 trailer can be rented out for parties of any occassion. You won’t have to work the equipment, it will come stocked with the good stuff, caramel corn or apples, taffy, cotton candy and sno cones, depending on your appetite.

“This is really helping the kids develop a good work ethic,” Tracie said. “That’s one of the reasons I decided to do it.” In addition to Ron’s recipes and hard work, children Zak, 13, Brett, 11, and Delanie can be found putting in hours at the shop. In addition to the family crew, The Sweet Tooth also hired a dozen youngsters for summer work.

“People may joke about the family working a candy wagon, but it put three boys through college,” Tracie said, referring to Ron and his two brothers. “It put them through college, and then one though architecture school, one through law school, and one through dental school.”

The Sweet Tooth is open Monday through Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 6 p.m.

Valley View Elementary students wrapped up the year with a beautification project made possible by donations of supplies by Rockford Ace Hardware. According to organizer Katy Nelson, fifth-graders there worked hard putting in eight bags of cedar mulch, eight bags of peat moss, six bags of topsoil, one crab apple tree, two lilac bushes, two spirea bushes, 10 perennials, and two flats of snapdragons. The school also purchased flats of annuals for the project. Visitors to the school will see a plaque thanking Rockford Ace Hardware from the class of 2016.

Laura Featherston

Have a safe, enjoyable summer vacation!

by LAURA FEATHERSTON
Trustee, Board of Education

I can’t even believe it. As I write this, there are only five days of school left. It is such a trite thing to say, but it seems like just last week we had our welcome back assembly for the staff, the first day after Labor Day was fast approaching and I was rushing to Meijer to get school supplies.

Last weekend, I was trying to find an open weekend on the summer calendar to get together with out-of-town friends. While I am excited for all the great things our family has planned, I was stressed out that there were only a few weekends that weren’t booked with graduation parties, camping trips and other “events.” So now I’ve made a conscious effort not to plan out every free moment and to leave some time for impromptu fun. Last-minute trips to the lake, bike rides and hikes on the trails, and just hanging out at home lead to just as great of memories as the planned out, “space reserved” and “tickets bought” events that fill the calendar.

I hope everyone in the Rockford Public Schools community has a great summer. Students and families, enjoy the great weather and spending time together without the worries of schoolwork and a rigid schedule. Staff, I hope you get some well-deserved rest and relaxation, and I look forward to seeing you next fall. Construction crews who will be busy making significant changes to all the sites around the district, well, I don’t want you to relax, so keep up the good work! And to the 2009 graduates, I wish you all success in whatever path you are headed.

September 8 will be here quickly, and many of us will be back into the school routine before that. So make it a great break, and no matter how you spend it, be safe and capture lots of memories.

by PASTOR DICK RILEY
Rockford United Methodist Church

Well-known preacher, Charles Spurgeon, once told of a time when he was riding in the country and came upon a farm. As he looked at the barn, he noticed that it had a weather vane on which the arrow had these words inscribed: “God is love.”

Spurgeon approached the farmer and asked, “What do you mean by that? Do you think that God’s love is changeable-that it turns and changes about just as that arrow turns in the winds?”

“Oh, no,” said the farmer. “What I mean by that weather vane is that whichever way the wind blows, God is still love.”

Like it or not, we all live in a world of change. Every day, something new is being invented, discovered or tried. Every day, life comes at us with some new opportunities, some new challenges or some new problems. As the old Indian proverb states, “No one can stick their foot in the same river twice.” Why? Because the river is always moving-always changing. So is life. Sometimes the changes are good, and other times they bring trouble and worry. But can you imagine how dull life would be if there were never any changes?

But with all the changes that are going on around us, as well as within us, how good it is to know that there is something-Someone-who is constant, upon whom we can always depend, and who will never change. That Someone is Jesus Christ, of whom the author of Hebrews wrote, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever!”

Do you need an unchanging constant in your life? Worship this week at the church of your choice, and begin to develop that deep, personal relationship with Him who will never change-Jesus Christ, the author and giver of Life Everlasting!

Roger Allen, publisher.

Starting summer in style

The Start of Summer parade was a lot of fun and I didn’t have to walk. My daughter Beth, who now manages the Squire, provided me with a lawn chair on the trailer. In exchange, I had to wear a flowered shirt and a funny hat. Children of staff members ran around throwing candy while I sat and waved at the crowd. Life is good. I keep discovering new fringe benefits of old age. I did notice, however, that there was a lot more interest in the candy than in me sitting and waving.

Paying for health

Turn on the TV or radio and you hear talk about universal health care. Actually, we already have it. It’s the “fee for service plan.” Most of us can get medical care, even if it means going to an emergency room for a condition that may be short of an actual emergency. What we are talking about now is “health insurance.”

There are always problems when you deal with OPM (Other Peoples Money). If there is a way to abuse the system, somebody will do it. “If I don’t have to pay directly, I want the best and money is no object.” That kind of thinking can put a huge strain on any system. If we have universal health insurance, somebody is going to have to regulate usage. Sometimes we aren’t going to like it, but the present system in this country is out of control. All other developed countries in the western world have some kind of  universal health insurance, and their health statistics and cost of care compare favorably with ours.

Amazing

A guy sees a sign in front of a house: “Talking Dog for Sale.” He rings the bell and the owner tells him the dog is in the back yard. The guy goes into the back yard and sees a mutt sitting there.

“You talk?” he asks.

“Sure do,” the dog replies.

“So, what’s your story?”

The dog looks up and says, “Well, I discovered my gift of talking pretty young and I wanted to help the government so I told the CIA about my gift. In no time they had me going from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running.

“Jetting around really tired me out. I knew I wasn’t getting any younger and I wanted to settle down. So I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security work, mostly wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings there and was awarded a bunch of medals.

“Had a wife, a mess of puppies, and now I’m
just retired.”

The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog.

The owner says, “Ten dollars.”

The guy says, “This dog is amazing. Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?”

“Because he’s a liar. He didn’t do any of that stuff.”

            Roger Allen

            Edith Post

21st    John DeVogel

            Jim McDonald

            Jim McIntyre

            Chi Chi Rogers

            Julie Springsteen

22nd Rachael Laage

            Margaret Traxler

            Meryl Streep

23rd   Steve Fusee

            Dorothy Tiff

            Ray Truman

24th  Martha Jean Kleinhans

26th   Cecilia Hallmark

(NOTE: Italicized names denote celebrities.)