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Celebration Cinema asks Gaines Township for liquor license upgrade
Greg Chandler • October 19, 2020
The company that operates the Celebration Cinema South theater multiplex is asking Gaines Charter Township officials to allow theatergoers to bring wine by the glass with them into the theater to watch movies.
Representatives from Studio C, formerly known as Loeks Theatres Inc., made the request to the township board Monday night, saying the theater on Kalamazoo Avenue near M-6 has lost business to other theaters in the chain, including the new Studio Park theater in downtown Grand Rapids, that allow guests to bring alcohol into the theater with them.
The theater's current liquor license, issued in 2018, only allows patrons to have alcohol on the mezzanine level, where it has its banquet spaces. Kristin Kent, Studio C's vice president of food and beverage, says the license is too restrictive.
While Studio C reopened most of its other Celebration Cinemas Oct. 9 after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer lifted an executive order that had shut down movie theaters across most of the state since March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the South location remains closed, Kent said.
“As a leadership team, we determined to not open our South location at this time because of the fact that it does not have a lot of the upgrades and amenities of our other locations,” Kent said.
Kent pointed to Celebration Cinema's locations in Lansing and Benton Harbor, where she says expanded bar and food offerings helped drive up company revenues to the point where they could undertake renovations to the theaters, including the installation of recliners, to enhance the moviegoing experience for its guests.
“That's what we're looking to do with South – add that additional revenue stream for us to renovate,” she said.
Studio C began offering alcohol at the Celebration Cinema Lansing theater in 2017, then began offering a full bar last year, while its Benton Harbor location began offering alcohol and an expanded menu in 2018.
The Benton Harbor location generated food and beverage revenues of $6.61 per patron last year, compared to $5.34 per patron for Celebration Cinema South, the lowest of any of Studio C's theaters, according to company documents.
Kent told the board that Studio C takes the necessary precautions to make sure patrons don't have too much to drink.
Servers go through training on how to serve alcohol responsibly, and there are limits on how many drinks a guest may have, Kent said.
“We do have a limit on the amount of drinks a guest can take into the theater with them at one time,” she said. “All the alcohol drinks are served in clear cups so they are easily recognizable, compared to all of our other beverages that come into the theater.
“We have ushers that go through all the theaters and double-check to make sure things are going OK and that there's no issues. If there's any question of somebody who should not be drinking or intoxicated, they are removed from the theater right away.”
Kent also pointed out there are differences between a movie theater setting and other large venues, such as sporting arenas, where someone can get up for a few minutes to get a drink and then return to their seat.
“If you walk out of the movie theater and you're gone for five minutes, you're going to miss a huge part of the storyline,” she said. “You might not know what the movie is.
“A majority of our guests do consume one beverage before (the show) or take one beverage in with them. Once they're in the theater, they're in the theater (to stay).
“We don't see any issues with people being over-served or consuming too much inside the theater.”
The Celebration Cinema South location generated $392 in alcohol sales last year, while the Lansing location had sales of more than $111,000 and the Benton Harbor location nearly $117,800.
Meanwhile, the theatre paid about $1,400 in local and state licensing fees for the year, Kent said.
“Right now, the revenues from alcohol don't even justify the fees that we pay to the state and to Gaines Township,” she said.
The township's Liquor Control Committee will review Studio C's request.
“They will be developing a recommendation to bring back to this board,” Township Supervisor Rob DeWard said.
A recommendation is expected to come back to the board by its first meeting in November.
The youngest member of the Middleville Village Council has been named the village’s new president. Amanda Fisk, who was elected as a trustee to the council in November 2018, was appointed to the president’s office by her colleagues Tuesday night. She succeeds the late Charlie Pullen, who died Nov. 20, 2020, of complications from COVID-19. Pullen had been the village’s president since 2009. Fisk, 35, was one of three candidates who were considered for the president’s position, along with trustees Mike Cramer and Kevin Smith. President Pro Tempore Sherry Ronning took a straw poll of council members to see who they would support. Fisk and Cramer each supported themselves. The remaining council members – Ronning, Smith, Mike Lytle and Ed Schellinger – all supported Fisk. A formal motion followed, with Fisk being unanimously supported. “I support you in whatever help you need. I look forward to your leadership,” Ronning said. Fisk has several major goals she would like to see accomplished this year, most notably approval of an ordinance that would legalize marijuana-based businesses in the village. “Seeing that through was part of the reason I ran for council in the first place. I'm excited to see that nearing its end,” Fisk wrote in a text message following the meeting. Fisk also said she sees adjusting and reviewing the village’s contract with the Barry County Sheriff’s Department as a top priority. In addition, she supports continued park development, including improvements to the riverbank parks, Calvin Hill Park and the Paul Henry Thornapple Trail. “I embraced hiking this year as a way to get out of the house amid shutdowns and quarantines, so embracing and expanding on our distinction as a North Country Trail Town is something I'd be interested in exploring,” Fisk wrote. Fisk serves as Middleville’s representative on the Thornapple Area Parks and Recreation Commission. Finally, Fisk wants to increase contact with residents and business owners in the community. “The village is lacking a little in social media presence, and I think sometimes we struggle to reach members of our community in a way that works for them,” she wrote. “I definitely want to work with staff, council, and other boards and commissions to get the message out about what we're doing and how they can be involved.” Fisk was the top vote-getter among four candidates in the 2018 trustee election, capturing 762 votes. Last year, she announced that she was running for Barry County clerk as a Democrat but later withdrew her candidacy due to work and family circumstances. Fisk is a 2003 graduate of Thornapple Kellogg High School. She holds an associate’s degree in sociology and psychology from Lansing Community College, a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Michigan State University and a master’s in public administration from Walden University.
The lead was so large that the Fighting Scots could start their celebration a day early. Certain South Lyon, Freeland and Thornapple Kellogg would be unable to catch the Caledonia High School equestrian team with one event to go on Sunday, Oct. 18, the Fighting Scots had fun with a team Halloween party Saturday after the first four days of riding at the Michigan Interscholastic Horsemanship Association State Championships in Midland. Taryn Kooiker, one of the seven ladies who was a senior captain for the Fighting Scots this fall, and freshman Griffin Wolverton, the only guy in the high school program, came dressed as each other. “Griffin really pulled off the Teryn outfit,” said Caledonia head coach Kellie Scheidel. Not only did they have each others' outfits down, but their personalities as well. Scheidel said for her it was just one more example of the outstanding team atmosphere and camaraderie among her riders as they worked to make that one step up from being the Division A 2019 Reserve Champions to the Division A 2020 State Champions at the Midland County Fairgrounds. The Fighting Scots finished the weekend with 417 points, 105 more than the 2020 Reserve Champions from Freeland who finished in second place with a total of 312 points. The victory caps off a perfect run through the season for the Scots who also won District and Regional Championships. The Scots also won MIHA State Championships in 2015 and 2002. This is Scheidel's second season leading the program. Caledonia was the only team to score in all 17 classes in Midland, and put up the top point totals of the finals in Saddle Seat Fitting and Showing, Saddle Seat Pattern, Saddle Seat Bareback, the Flag Race, the Stakes Race Timed Event and tied Thornapple Kellogg for the most points in the Two-Person Relay. Thornapple Kellogg was third at the state championship, just 24 points behind the Reserve Champions from Freeland, with a total of 288 points. The Trojans were the top scoring team in Saddle Seat Equitation and the Cloverleaf Race as well. Behind the top three teams, South Lyon was fourth with 244 points followed by Ogemaw Heights 214, Rockford 193, Milford 114, Milan 66, Chippewa Hills 22 and Alpena 0. The Two-Person Relay was the only event left on Sunday at the championships, which were extended a couple days to help with social distancing. “It was a long one, but it was definitely worth it,” Scheidel said. “We competed Wednesday through Sunday, so it is longer than our usual shows.” Being that it started on Wednesday it left a little less time for riders and horses to recover from the regional round of the state tournament, and to perfect the state finals patterns in each class. “I kept telling the kids from day one you guys are state championship worthy, just keep your head in the game and don't get defeated if something goes wrong. Brush it off,” Scheidel said. Caledonia had one senior graduate after the 2019 runner-up finish at the state championship meet. All but four riders returned to the arena for the Scots this fall, and Scheidel said everyone got to contribute to the state championship performance. Kookier, Hailey Chu, Remington Steenwyk, Carlee Gibson, Madeline Peterson, Marcia Ball, and Lauren Kane were the Scots' seven senior captains this season. “We have seven seniors,” coach Scheidel said. “It is very sad. It is going to be very sad to see them all go. With the seven seniors it is such an experienced group of kids. They had been to state three years prior and they kind of know how it goes. Everyone exceeded my expectations.” The team also included riders Kendra Lloyd, Mia Stiver, Anna Eliassen, Mia Nelson, Griffin Wolverton and Kylie Greenlee and team groom Emma Hayden. Scheidel's coaching staff also included assistants Hannah Cox, Zach Scheidel, Laura Darby, Kim Fredrick and Karah Lloyd.
Last year, Lydia Cole, then a Thornapple-Kellogg junior, was the star of the Delton Kellogg/Thornapple Kellogg/Hastings varsity girls swim team's annual Cancer Awareness Meet. Cole had been diagnosed with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors at the end of her sophomore year. She'd continued to swim the 2019-20 season while undergoing chemotherapy treatments, and her team dedicated the Cancer Awareness Meet to supporting Cole and her family, using the slogan “Team Lydia.” Cole — who was interviewed prior to the 2019 Cancer Awareness Meet — said cancer scared her less than it had. Swimming with her team and staying busy kept cancer from being the focus of her life. She had found a sense of normalcy and felt confident she could beat cancer. “The diagnosis isn't the tough part. It is the rest of it, going through scans and now knowing what the outcome is going to be and when the outcome isn't so great having to deal with it. I feel like I have handled it a lot better than I expected. It doesn't scare me that much anymore, because I know that I can beat it,” Cole said. Cole, 16, died just a few months later in January. Thursday, the DK/TK/Hastings girls again donned their pink swim caps — still adorned with “#teamLydia” — as they hosted the Wayland girls swim team for the 2020 Cancer Awareness Meet. They wrote Cole's name — along with the names of others who have fought or continue to fight cancer — in thick pink marker on their backs, shoulders, arms and legs. In keeping with tradition, swimmers on both teams wore pink caps and tied pink ribbons on their suits. Pink balloons and ribbons decorated the pool area, along with pink signs that read “Two teams, one hope.” DK/TK/Hastings Coach Carl Schoessel started the Cancer Awareness Meet after his wife, Loretta Schoessel, began losing her battle with breast cancer; she died in 2011. Since then, Schoessel and his team raise money for the American Cancer Society at the meet and, over the years, have donated several thousand dollars to the society. Last year's proceedings were given to Cole's family to help cover the cost of her treatments; this year they were donated to the Lydia Cole Scholarship Fund, in addition to the Cancer Awareness Society. Loretta Schoessel's name, along with Cole's, was written on each of the DK/TK/Hastings athletes. It was a big night for DK/TK/Hastings swim team's season, too. They went into the meet undefeated with a 4-0 record in the OK Rainbow Tier II conference, while the Wayland team was 3-1 in conference duals. Schoessel kicked off the meet by recognizing Cole's family and noted this event would not be like previous Cancer Awareness meets. “Due to COVID, many of the things we've done at this meet in past years won't be able to be done tonight,” Schoessel said, referring to a bake sale, raffle and chuck-a-duck fundraiser – where spectators through rubber ducks from the balcony into a life ring in the pool. Without these traditional modes of fundraising, the team has raised money by asking family members, friends and others for donations. Additionally, spectators could donate by putting money in buckets labeled either for the Lydia Cole Scholarship Fund or Cancer Awareness Society, depending on what they wanted their donation to support. While the total funds raised from Thursday's meet have yet to be counted, Schoessel said Friday they might have raised a few thousand dollars. “From what I've been told and what I saw, it looks like we're going to easily get a couple thousand dollars,” Schoessel said. The meet began with a flurry of activity as athletes paced the poolside cheering passionately for teammates, their voices echoing off the tiled room, through the crowd, and up into the rafters. The swimmers approached the pool, ready to complete their events. They paused only to dedicate races to those who've been impacted by cancer, reading their names aloud before the event began. “Before each event, the names of the people we want to honor and remember will be announced,” Schoessel said. The 100-yard breast stroke event was dedicated to Cole; it was her favorite event. The meet ended with even more intensity than it started, as the Wayland girls beat the DK/TK/Hastings swimmers by only 1 point, with a score to 93-92. Before the meet, DK/TK/Hastings was in first place in its conference; now, the team is tied with Wayland for first place. “We knew it was going to be very close going in. In fact, I had told the girls it could come down to a one-point lead,” Schoessel said. “There's no hard feelings because we really value this meet.” “We would have loved to have won.” The final words of Coach Schoessel's speech, which began the meet, ring true for the DK/TK/Hastings girls as they look to come back from Thursday's defeat. “Finally, the motto of our meet: Support the fighters, admire the survivors, honor the taken,” Schoessel said, “and never, ever give up hope.”
Two write-in candidates have filed to run for the Middleville Village Council, while another write-in has filed for a seat on the Caledonia Village Council. Robert Bishop and Kevin Smith turned in their names as write-in candidates for the Middleville council by Friday's 4 p.m. deadline, while Cheryl King-Miller put her name into the ring for a council seat in Caledonia. Robert Bishop, 40, is a longtime area resident who graduated from Thornapple Kellogg High School in 1998. “I've been hemming and hawing about it for years,” Bishop said. “I saw there were two candidates for three positions, so I decided to throw my hat in.” Bishop's professional background is in engineering and information technology. He studied computer programming at Grand Rapids Community College and holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Grand Valley State University. Bishop has been cubmaster of Cub Scout Pack 3065 in Middleville for the past three years, and spent nine years as an assistant scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 105 in Middleville, where he received his Eagle Scout award in 1998. Kevin Smith, 51, is community manager and co-owner of Mix Coworking Studio, a collaborative and creative work space in downtown Middleville that serves startup firms, entrepreneurs and remote workers. He also owns 165 Properties, a local real estate management company. He is the former head of information technology at Acrisure, an insurance broker in the Grand Rapids area. Smith has lived in Middleville for 13 years. “I love living here and I think the population of Middleville has drastically changed since I started living here,” he said. Smith recently proposed a series of traffic-calming measures out of concern for speeding in the downtown area. Smith has a bachelor's degree in computer information systems from Western Michigan University. He and his wife, Renee, have four children, three of whom attend Thornapple Kellogg High School. A total of three seats are up for grabs on the Middleville council Nov. 3. Incumbents Sherry Ronning and Mike Lytle are running for re-election, while Phil VanNoord decided not to seek another term on the council. Village President Charlie Pullen is running unopposed. Cheryl King-Miller, 41, has lived in the Glen Valley neighborhood in Caledonia for the past three years. She is a former teacher in the Chicago area and has been a substitute teacher at Emmons Lake Elementary School. She currently homeschools her two daughters, ages 12 and 10. “I thought we needed some representation from our neighborhood on the council,” King-Miller said. “I knew one of the people from the neighborhood is leaving [the council, referring to incumbent Trustee Eric Van Gessel.] and the other one is running for president [referring to Trustee Jennifer Lindsey, who is running against current President Todd Grinage].” King-Miller earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Western Michigan University and a master's in language literacy from Nova Southeastern (Florida) University. She was once president of a local parent-teacher organization in Holt, a suburb of Lansing. Only two candidate names are on the Caledonia village ballot for three available council seats. Incumbent trustees Daniel Erskine and Karen Hahn seeking re-election.
