Surrounded by the most important people in her life, Whitney Pedersen stood in a room at The Barn Restaurant in Fenton, holding her one-year-old son tightly, watching and waiting. It was March 1, and months of anticipation were coming to an end for the Holly resident, who applied last fall to be the soundperson for Team USA at the 2020 Show Ski World Championships in Yarrawonga, Australia. Essentially, it is the Olympics of show water skiing, a sport the 27-year-old Pedersen has been involved in nearly her entire life. She has directed Silver Lake Ski Club shows for a decade.
The 60s and 70s were a tide of change for our nation. The chaos of the 60s reached a crescendo in 1970 when the Ohio National Guard opened fire at students of Kent State University as they protested the Vietnam war, killing four. At this point, support for the war began to rapidly erode. Public sentiment began to turn against the government and President Nixon. If anyone remained on the fence after the shooting, the release of the Pentagon Papers in 1971 made the decision easy. Despite this, in 1972 Richard Nixon trounced George McGovern in a landslide victory to retain the Presidency. His victory would not last long, as reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of The Washington Post were already beginning to uncover the Watergate Scandal. In 1973, Vice President, Spiro Agnew resigned facing charges of tax evasion and the Supreme Court came to a landmark decision in Roe vs. Wade that would resonate into present day. A year later, Nixon resigned in the face of Watergate. A year later in 1975, the United States pulled out of the Vietnam War.
Spencer Ruegsegger and Kristie Bearse love Flint. They have lived and worked Downtown, and have spent many nights enjoying the entertainment and nightlife there, but felt the scene was missing something. “We love everything about Flint, but found ourselves doing the same thing at every single place Downtown,” says Ruegsegger. “Whenever we wanted to do something different, we always ended up traveling a bit. We felt it was time to bring something unique to Flint.” After putting their heads together and visiting some out-of-town night spots, Ruegsegger settled on an idea. “I’ve been in the bar and nightlife industry for a long time. I’ve always wanted my own place and knew that whatever I did, it had to start in Flint. During our travels, Kristie and I visited a couple arcade bars and thought the business concept would be a great way to differentiate ourselves here,” he says.
“Finally, it’s here,” states Matt Cooper, Chef and Instructor of Culinary Arts at Mott Community College. “It’s amazing and I can’t wait to get to work and show students everything it has to offer.” The new Mott Culinary Arts Institute is now open in Downtown Flint and everyone is excited. The state-of-the-art facility features everything a student will see in the world of culinary arts. The Institute has a test kitchen, a baking kitchen, an advanced pastry kitchen, a meat-cutting lab, a dry meat room, an oak-lined wine cellar and multiple instruction rooms. Each room is chock-full of the best technology available. “We have the best there is to offer,” adds Cooper. “We have cameras throughout the rooms that I can control during classes. I can zoom in on my hands to show a particular technique or to show what a student is working on. The blinds in the classroom windows will lower automatically when we want to show something on the monitor. The designers thought of everything.” It’s all extremely futuristic and perfect for teaching students everything they need to know and getting them experience working with all of the equipment that they will see when they graduate the program and settle into their careers.
The Flint Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was chartered in 1918 by the National NAACP Board of Directors and since then, has been a positive force for the advancement of civil rights in our county. Past presidents of the organization include: Dr. Jesse Leonidas Leach (who went on to head the State Branch), Henry Gipson (publisher of “The Bronze Reporter”), Harold Hayden, Edgar Holt and John Harvey. A pioneer in the advancement of Civil Rights, C. Frederick Robinson, was one of its many esteemed members. The branch positively affected race relations in Flint and beyond since its inception and continues to do so today. It has sent representatives to march in Selma, AL, organized protests to secure open housing and Civil Rights for minorities in Flint, and has sent representatives throughout the U.S. in the push to vote after the Civil Rights act of 1957.
When Marissa Pierce joined the Flint Institute of Arts (FIA) as the public and community relations co-ordinator a few years ago, the organization was searching for a new and better way to include the younger generation of art enthusiasts. “FIA was seeking to create an organization in the museum that would reach out to our young members to get them more engaged,” explains Pierce. “Additionally, we get a lot of people to come to the museum and see our exhibitions, but we really wanted those people to become invested in the FIA and experience it in a different, more in-depth way.” The Contemporaries is an answer that fulfills both requirements.
Flint native, Arlene Curns, remembers when gasoline was 10 cents a gallon and ice was delivered to homes by a horse-drawn cart. At 14 years old, she earned 35 cents an hour at her very first job as an usherette at the Palace Theater. Her husband, Jack, was a car salesman at Applegate Chevrolet, and her fondest memory is of her mother rolling out dough for homemade noodles to stretch a meal during The Great Depression. You can read about this and much more in Arlene’s recently released book “Homemade Noodles & Cars,” which is a story about her family, from the life of her grandparents to present day. Arlene sat down to chat about her book with My City Magazine at the Flushing home of her daughter, Barbara.
It’s summer … time for fresh air, sunshine, biking, hiking and s’mores by the campfire. It’s time to relax by the lake, listen to the birds and just breathe. It’s time for the great outdoors! Michigan has the best trails, lakes and streams in the country and you can find perfect examples in and around Genesee County. So, throw on the hiking boots, break out the tent and enjoy as My City Magazine takes you
The mission of Hurley Medical Center is “Clinical Excellence. Service to People.” The facility’s expert physicians often go above and beyond to help patients, their families and the community. It was recently announced that two Hurley doctors are being honored for providing families extra care and support.
