Harvest on the Ridge Apple Festival is a celebration of the bounty and variety of products that are available fresh from the fields, orchards, and businesses in this great state that we call home!  Join the Harvest on the Ridge Tours on Saturday, September 17, 2011 and have a real experience of  farming “The Ridge” in Apple Country!

Michigan is second only to California for the US states in diversity of its agriculture.  Michigan is a leading grower of fruit in the US including blueberries, cherries, apples, grapes, and peaches.  On September 17, visit downtown Sparta and these great places on “The Ridge” to kick off the Harvest season with your family and celebrate the best of what our area has to offer! The Sparta Harvest on the Ridge Apple Festival offers something for everyone including music, kids activities, family activities, 5K walk/run, sidewalk sales, Michigan Beer & Wine tasting, arts & crafts show, Antique Tractor Show, William Tell Archery Competition, and more!

Details about each market below! 

Riveridge Packing Shed  10:30 am

7777 Venture Ave Nw, Sparta – South of Sparta on M-37 & 9 Mile

See the new technology of Apple Packaging with a packing line that completely manages the quality of each apple as it cleans, sanitizes, weighs, checks the apple for color,  defects, and even individual sweetness levels! The expanded facility ships all over the world. Free half hour tour through the packing shed.  www.riveridgeproduce.com

Schwallier’s Country Basket 11:30 am & 2 pm

1185 9 Mile Rd. NW Sparta, MI 49345

Tour a family owned business dating back to 1989 and can be found in the heart of the apple capital, “Peach Ridge” of Sparta, Michigan.  Fall activities  include pick your own Apples, slide, cow train rides, wagon ride, shelled corn play area and more.   www.schwalliers.com

Ed Dunneback & Girls Farm Market 8-5 pm

3025 6 Mile Road, Grand Rapids, MI

Experience picking your own apples at the U Pick Gala’s, Honey Crisp & more at this family farm since 1925!  Check out the interactive “Trivia” 5 acre Corn maze featuring questions about sports, entertainment, history & more!  Test your trivia knowledge to make the correct turn in the maze! $6.00 for adults & 12 & under $5.00; Family Four Pass for $20.00.  

www.dunnebackfarm.com

Jacobsen’s Greenhouse   4 pm

271 North State Street, Sparta, MI 49345

Tour the 8,000 sq. ft. of greenhouse and learn about the roof vent system & landscaping tips to prepare your gardens for the winter.  See the mums in production for Fall and learn pruning tips on mums in your yard.  Hundreds of poinsettia’s will be on display in a just “pinched” stage, see what they look like prior to display in a store.  Question and answers after the free tour.  www.jacobsensfloral.com

Fruit Ridge Hay Rides

Open from 12-9 pm for family fun down on the farm.  Featured activities include horse drawn hayrides through the woods and orchard, pony rides, donuts, cider and our  ‘Down on the Farm’ corn maze adventure, with 3 interactive games and a maze look-out bridge…fun for all ages.  www.fruitridgehayrides.com

 “Wanted,”Sparta Rugby coach, football coach and community leader, Greg Peak, announced at a recent Concert in the Park as a 1960’s era green couch rolled around the bandshell, “Old Runners.  Fast Couches.”  The crowd giggled and cheered as they looked on to see Rotary President Tom Dupont lying on the couch being pushed around on wheels and four team mates.  The J. Couch Race, Peak commented, is a unique and fun family fundraiser for the Lymphoma Society and local families affected by Lymphoma.  The race is scheduled as part of the Harvest on the Ridge Festival on September 17.  “The J. Couch Race will delight spectators with fast, funny, & uniquely created couches— all on wheels— as their five person teams race downtown Sparta on North Union Street,” Greg added to the crowd.

Peak was inspired by a friend, John Couch, who was recently diagnosed with Lymphoma to start a fundraiser for the Lymphoma Society.  The event came to a surprise to John.  “I had no idea what he was doing”, Couch said.  “One day, Greg called me up and asked, ‘Hey, can I use your name?’.  Greg is a pretty trustworthy guy, so my immediate response was ‘sure’.”  At that point Peak started explaining to Couch the details and inspiration behind for the J. Couch Race in honor of John Couch himself.  “He was talking 100 miles a minute and finally I simply said, ‘Greg, go ahead, I trust you.” 

With the go-ahead, Peak began pulling other community leaders and building excitement.  What started as a brainstorm by Greg Peak has turned into an event the community is rallying around.  Teams are already signing up to build their couches and talking about their creative costumes they are going to create for the 150 yard race.  Fundraising will include donations and support from businesses and families in addition to the crowd participants purchasing a vote for the People’s Choice and Best Decorated couches.  A traveling Trophy will be awarded to the “fastest” Couch Team.  Registration forms are located at www.spartachamber.com. 

Downtown Art Revue!

This new exhibit features 14 unique pieces of art placed at locations of close proximity for walking through downtown Sparta or enjoying a short car cruise. The artwork was developed by local and Michigan artists from a conceptual design competition. Each artist submitted a concept that best depicts Sparta, which may be through its rich agricultural history, unique community characteristics, or community involvement. The exhibit started in June 2011 and will run through September 2011. Take your time to explore the Art in Sparta!  

Art Revue 2011 Brochures  (PDF)  

The art pieces will be auctioned by Silent Auction through the Sparta DDA Office.  To put in a bid to showcase your favorite art piece downtown, please contact the DDA office at 616-887-2454.  Auction will open August 1 and end in September.  More details can be found here later this summer on the auction.  

Join us on FACEBOOK as we update artists concepts, photos, and discussions about this project!

 Recently, some Sparta high school actors have let their star power shine on video.  Several students played prominent roles in a promotional video for Baker College, while other current and former Spartans helped promote the Wood TV 8 Show Maranda Where You Live by lending their smiling faces and positive voices to a commercial.  This past July Bria Volkhardt, Colleen Klein, Briana Cordes, Carri Cordes, Danny Eggerding, Jen Crane, Jill Klein, and Nolan Bronkema spent ten hours filming on the campus of Sparta High School to finish the project for Baker, which the school uses for informational and recruitment purposes.  The video ends with Bria Volkhardt uttering the catchphrase, ” I choose Baker College.”  Taylor Ostman and Jake Siegel had the NBC spotlight shine on them when the local affiliate, TV 8, aired their commercial showcasing Maranda’s latest project.  “It was a fun experience and I’m on TV,” Seigel said.

For more information about volunteering at a food truck or about sponsoring part of a food truck, please contact Sparta Rotary President Tom DuPont at 616-887-3113.

Mr. Doug Kleyn, a Sparta American History, English 12, and World Perspectives teacher, went to four high schools. He moved to Michigan from Canada when he was 17-years-old, at the end of his senior year. He graduated from Wheaton College, finished a master’s degree at GVSU, and he also attended Kingston University in London, England, where he studied International Politics. He likes to encourage others to pursue their ambitions – it’s his number one joy as a teacher. In his spare time he likes to do a lot of running, biking, skateboarding with his children, playing ice hockey, tennis, and reading about politics, ideas, and history. “Please consider the incredible advantage that you have to be in this country, in this school, with these resources. There are one billion people in the world today who would go through great hardship to trade places with you. Consider the amazing good fortune that you have to be in this place at this time, and use that encouragement and energy to accomplish great things,” Kleyn said.

Musician Loren Matulis has been a part of Sparta’s band since 5^th grade.

She is a member in solo & ensemble, solo & quartet, and jazz band. Her week consists of practice for 1 ½ hours, five days per week. Her inspiration came from her mom playing the clarinet. Along with being an active musician, Loren is the captain of the soccer team, the head of the dance committee in Student Council, a member of National Honor Society, and the president of Interact. Next year Lauren will be heading to Calvin College where she will continue to play the clarinet. “I’m sad I won’t have a whole year with Ms. Mroczek, and all the people and experiences of learning to play and how to march,” she said.

“I am not sure any of us knew how much time it would take to sift through the hundreds of old newspapers, photos and files” that the STHC has collected over the years, says Jayne Paasch, “but we soon realized it would be a labor of love.”  All of the volunteers have roots Sparta, however, “I don’t think any of us knew in detail the history of our community. We learned so much about this great community and those who worked to create it.”

By breaking the book up into time periods, subjects, and activities that would soon become chapters, the researchers interviewed people who had a story to tell.  “We learned that Sparta is filled with people who have wonderful memories to share or who were able to add texture and detail to stories that we found in old newspapers or identify people in old photographs. Jayne Paasch adds, “It was a joy to talk with them.”

Possibly the most difficult part of the project was to choose which of the thousands of photographs property of the STHC.  Arcadia Publishing has strict standards about the quality of the picture and therefore eliminated the use of many aging photographs. With the help of technology, Jeff VanSyckle was able to salvage many pictures that otherwise would not have qualified.

Pictured here is the family research team that worked to create “Sparta Township” due to hit bookstores in March. Left to right: (Top) Jeff VanSyckle, Jenifer VanSyckle, Kathryn Paasch, (Bottom) JoAnne VanerWerff, Jayne Paasch.

Editing any type of document can be daunting, but the family team worked diligently, often late into the night with hopes of creating a history of Sparta in photographs.  One of the hardships was the discrepancies in sources of historic information the group researched.  “It was so important to us that we tell the story as accurately as possible and without error. We soon learned that each source had a story to tell. Old newspapers, old yearbooks and letters sometimes told the story differently. We did our best with the information we had and made peace with ourselves and our history.”

Six months later, and a published story about Sparta Township will be hitting the book shelves in March.  However, Paasch is quick to add, “Not the definitive story of our town, but a story told from the perspective of people who have lived, worked and grown up here.”  With the help of her family as her research team and the Sparta Township Historic Commission, the dream of Kathryn Paasch has come true.  “Sparta Township” by Kathryn Paasch will be released March 14, 2011.  Kathryn Paasch stated that all proceeds will benefit the Sparta Township Historic Commission.  Visit www.spartahistory.org to see the upcoming dates and times of the book signing events.

1949

With Harry S. Truman as President of the United States, the Sparta division of the Muskegon Piston Ring Company is looking to donate $25,000 to the Sparta Community Foundation for the purpose of building a community building.  Building Committee chairperson, C. Laurence Johnson is working with Glenn Bradford, Roger Williams, John Feichtenbiner, Paul McFall, and Wm. A. Rogers on obtaining proposals for the new building.  The Building Committing will have a lot to consider to add to the building including large dining room, stage, foyer, and kitchen.  Sparta Rotary Club will be spearheading the fundraising efforts with the cooperation from other local clubs. 

Plans are being discussed that include the building costing approximately $75,000.  However after research of other community buildings and years of discussions, the decision is found that a building that expensive will not be practical. 

1955

The committee continues to consult with various architects and contractors, and in 1955, submits a plan costing between $30,000 and $35,000.  The committee members include Guy Curtis, Mrs. Joe Brooks, Mrs. Walter Ebers, Floyd Buege, and Robert Lee.  Private funds will most likely be raised from local businesses such as Extensole and private contributors.  If funds can be raised, construction may begin as early as the fall of 1955 by Gust Construction. 

Question have come up for the community for the policy and regulation of using the community building.  What will be the rental fee? Is the primary question on everyone’s mind.  Nominal charges will be expected to cover the cost of heat, light, and other expenses.  The maintenance and upkeep will be provided by rentals and the community foundation funds. 

Building will most likely be used by community groups such as the Ladies Literacy Club, Garden Club, Rotary Club, Senior Neighbors, Senior Meals Programs, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Brownies, Girls Scouts, as well as benefit dances, receptions, and family reunions. 

Last weeks edition of the Sentinel Leader, the February 22, 1956 edition, mentioned the fund drive has gone “over the top”.  Work on the building is well along.  They are planning an open house on Tuesday, May 15^th and are expecting a crowd of over 300 community members.  Comments that people have made who have had a chance to see the building include, “The Terrazzo floor is beautiful and the room is attractively decorated.”  Finally, the new Civic Center is ready for use.

1965

The building is coming in handy for the kindergartners this year, according to the Sentinel leader edition printed on 10/13/1965.  Due to the overcrowding of kids at Central Elementary, Kindergarten classes will begin meeting at the Sparta Civic Center.

1984

An addition to the Sparta Civic Center on the West side of the building is proposed for the Sparta Cooperative Pre-School.  Financing for the addition may be donated by the Sparta American Post 107 in exchange for lifetime lease of meeting rooms on the north side.

2007

Plans are underway to utilize Community Block Grant Money to add new handicap accessible restroom facilities to the Sparta Civic Center.  Funding for the building is sought solely on donations, rentals, and grant money as the Sparta Community Foundation was no longer allowed to own property once it joined with the Grand Rapids Foundation. 

Today

The Sparta Civic Center runs with the dedication of volunteer board members including Gary Moody, Deb Simons, Terry Hartman, Jane Bosserd, Greta Heugel, Rachel Shangle, and George Brown.  With all the renovations over the past few years including the bathroom addition, renovated kitchen and new equipment, window replacement and facade improvements, the Sparta Civic Center is looking better than ever! 

Unfortunately Community Block Grant Money is no longer available to the Civic Center either.  Current and future construction and maintenance projects must all be funded by community donations and rental fees.  The Civic Center is striving to keep rentals at their low price to cover the cost of utilities and maintenance for the building -$125 for week days, and $400 for a weekend day.  Currently, however, this community Civic Center that was built by our community forefathers is in need of donations to stay open to the community groups that currently utilize the building such as the Sparta Little League, Faith’s Walk, Sparta Chamber of Commerce, American Legion, Sparta Town & Country Days, and Lions Club to name a few.  Donations this year would cover the maintenance and repair of the parking lot, heating repairs, and roof repairs.  If you are interested in sending in a donation to the non-profit organization, the Sparta Civic Center to keep our community building available to community groups, please send donations to the Sparta Civic Center PO Box 403 Sparta, MI 49345.  Thank you for keeping our community building alive! 

The building is currently managed and cleaned by volunteers in the community, Terry & Diane Hartman.  If you are interested in renting the building please contact Terry or Diane Hartman at (616) 887-1224.  Support our community building by hosting a meeting, reunion, or shower at the hall!

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