Uniquely Ada
October, November
and December 2013
Newsletter of the Ada Historical Society and the Averill Historical Museum of Ada
www.AdaHistoricalSociety.org
616.676.9346
[email protected]
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Hello again. Well it's been a very busy, and I would like to think,
successful summer. Music on the Lawn, our summer concert season on
Tuesday nights behind the Museum, was great again this year. I would
like to say THANK YOU again to each of the groups, as well as the
volunteers, who helped to make this happen. I hope that you had a chance
to attend. If you have any comments, or suggestions for next year's
concerts please let us know.
The Averill Historical
Museum of Ada
is open for tours Friday and
Saturday from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
and other times by
appointment.
I don't think our grounds at the museum have ever looked better! I hope
that you have had a chance to enjoy them. Again, a big THANK YOU to
Carol and Dave Penninga.
This summer there has been a lot of talk about the Village and the possible
changes that could take place in its future. One of the benefits of this is
that it has given us a chance to pause and contemplate the Village's past as
well as those things that a Village represents versus that of a town or a
city. What does it mean to be a Village centered community?
To all of you who have
been involved by lending
a
helping
hand,
participating in some of
our programs, through
your contributions, or
just by coming to visit,
learn and share with us,
we
THANK
YOU.
SOCIETY OFFICERS
Bernard VeldkampPresident
Kristen WildesVice President
Sandra Sefton – Secretary
Marie Vierson—Treasurer
BOARD MEMBERS
A thought: Today is
tomorrow's history in the
making.
Betty Jo Crosby
Marilyn DeGood
Ken Dixon
Frank Hoover
Kevin Moran
Al Mracna
Lydia Vierson
Bernie
1914 postcard touting the virtues of the
Village – and its rivers!
See Next
Page For
Upcoming
Events!
Uniquely Ada
THE GYPSIES COME TO ADA
Years ago, the Gypsies would come to Ada from time to time,
usually in the summer. I don’t know where they came from
or where they went when they left Ada. They didn’t stay very
long. At first they came with horse drawn wagons, which
they lived in. Later they had automobiles.
Several people mentioned the Gypsies in their oral histories.
Following is the way these people remembered them.
FLOYD CHAFFEE remembered the Gypsies coming every
summer during the 1920s. He said the Gypsies traveled in
caravans through the country in great big touring cars and
they had all of their belongings with them. The cars would be
full of little kids, blankets, and everything else. The Gypsies
were pretty light fingered, and would steal chickens, or anything that they could get. His mother kept the doors locked
when they were in the area. One day when Floyd was in Bill
Furner’s grocery store, the Gypsies came and some of them
distracted Bill while others were seeing what they could
swipe.
BLANCE MACNAUGHTON CORYELL lived on Ada Dr.
about ¾ of a mile west of Ada. As a child she remembered
the Gypsies camping on their property under a big tree. There
would be 2 or 3 families camping together with 2 wagons and
everything they needed was in the wagons. They would beg
at their door and would steal anything they could get their
hands on. The family was afraid of them.
ELINOR WASHBURN STASKAS remembered seeing the
colorful wagons with pots and pans hanging on the sides and
hearing the music they made as they banged against one
another. They had tired old horses pulling the carts and they
had long-tailed dogs running alongside. The Gypsies wore
bright colorful clothing tied at the waist with a bright colored
sash and a brilliant head cover.
VELMA SISSON STEVENS remembered that if they could
get in the house, they would swipe anything they could get.
The Gypsies had dresses with big pockets. Nobody dressed
like they did. They came in the summertime.
NORMAN WRIDE remembered how the store keepers would
lock their doors when the Gypsies came to town to keep them
out. When they got in the stores, one or two of them would
distract the store keeper while the other Gypsies would help
themselves to the merchandise.
By Marian Wride Bolhuis
UPCOMING EVENTS
Saturday, Oct. 19 – Fall Door Decoration Class
2:00 pm in the barn. Bring the beautiful
fall colors home with you! Master Gardener
Carol Penninga will demonstrate techniques and
help you create a natural masterpiece to adorn
your front door. Plant materials will be provided.
If you wish to incorporate a particular color
ribbon, please bring it along. Class is free to
members, $5 for non-members. Please preregister. Spaces are limited, so register early!
Thursday, Nov. 7 – Veteran’s Day Lecture
7:00 pm at the Ada Township Assembly Hall. Marine Vietnam
veteran John Voshel will speak about his war-time experiences in
Vietnam, particularly his involvement with Operation Rolling Thunder.
The event is open to all and free of charge.
Tuesday, Nov. 19 – Decorate the Museum
1:00 pm at the museum. We could use a helping hand getting
into the holiday spirit. Volunteers will gather to break out the boxes and
the Christmas carols to get the museum dressed for the holidays. Please
come and share any new decorating ideas for our old house!
Wreath Sale – begins Nov. 22
Please stop by our annual wreath sale
fundraiser! We will have Douglas Fir and
Fraser Fir wreaths with handmade bows.
See enclosed order form for sizes, prices,
and sale hours.
Old World Santa & Mrs. Claus at the Museum
Friday, Dec. 6 – Tinsel, Treats, and Trolley
5:45 – 9:00 pm in the village. Join us for a fun-filled way to
kick-off the holiday season in Ada! This annual event begins with a
bridge lighting ceremony at 5:45 p.m. at the covered bridge, followed by
caroling and trolley rides with stops at area businesses from 6 p.m. until 9
p.m. For more info, check out Ada Business Association’s website at
www.adabusinessassociation.com.
Saturday, Dec. 7 – Cookie Decorating and Santa Parade
10:00-1:00 pm in the barn, parade at 11:00 am. Santa Claus is
coming to town! Grab a seat along the parade route and enjoy a winter
wonderland parade. The Society will do its part to welcome ol’ Saint
Nick with cookie decorating for kids of all ages and hot chocolate in the
barn.
Uniquely Ada
ABUNDANT BLESSINGS
VOLUNTEERS
We were fortunate this summer to benefit from
some very talented volunteers. The Historical
Society would specifically like to recognize the
efforts of Emily Riippa and Carol and Dave
Penninga.
Emily is a student at the University of Michigan
in Museum Studies. As an intern, she was a
wonderful asset to us this summer. She helped
out in many facets, from collections to
programming to administrative duties. Her
enthusiasm and genuine interest will be missed!
Emily Riippa (left)
and Carol Penninga
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY:
DOCENTS NEEDED
Do you enjoy telling stories about the "old days" in Ada? Are you interested
in learning a few old Ada stories to tell? Have we got a deal for you!
The Museum is in need of docents to help with scheduled tour groups.
Docents are usually teamed up with another individual. Tours can be in
mornings, afternoons or early evenings and are always scheduled ahead of
time with plenty of notice. Group size and age group varies. We will be
offering a training session on October 22, 2013 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at
the Museum.
If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity,
please contact Sandy Sefton at 616-682-5780.
TRI-RIVER HISTORICAL MUSEUM NETWORK
Again this year, Carol and Dave Penninga have
spent countless hours transforming our gardens
and grounds. Hopefully you have taken the
opportunity to visit and see their beautiful
handiwork in all its abundance.
In July we had a catered lunch and program. Dana Macklin brought some of
his crystal dishes and told us about them. David Lorenz from Pure Michigan
came and gave us a presentation on the Pure Michigan campaign, which was
very interesting.
Now we are working on the Spring Into the Past brochure for 2014.
On Our Wish List:
Slide to Digital Image Converter
MUSIC ON THE LAWN
The Society has a number of old-format
photographic slides that we would like to
convert to digital images. That change
would enable us to preserve, explore and
display some long forgotten Ada photos.
Thank you to all the musicians and visitors who
helped make Music On the Lawn our best
concert series yet! We offer a special thanks to
Vanessa Marsiglia for scheduling the line-up.
More than 2,000 concert-goers enjoyed the
thirteen concerts. That’s an average of about
160 listeners at each event.
Tuesdays in the summer belong to Ada – from
the wonderful Farmers’ Market during the day
to Music On the Lawn in the evening. We wish
to extend a BIG thank you to the township for
their annual support of this community event.
One example of a converter
Many small-scale styles of desktop
converters are available on the market.
Please call or e-mail if you might be
willing to make this technological dream a
reality for us.
Ada Historical Society Membership Form
Name __________________________________________________________________
Address_________________________________________________________________
City ______________________________ State ___________ Zip_________________
Phone ___________________________ E-mail _________________________________
Volunteers are the heart and soul of the Society! Please circle any areas that interest you:
Programs/Events
Docent
Collections
Lecturing
Gardening
Research
Children’s Events
Membership Level
Personal Membership
_____ Individual - $10
_____ Student (under 18) - $5
_____ Friend - $25
_____ Senior (60 & above) - $5
_____ Family - $15
Education
Special Projects
Fundraising
Other __________
Business Membership
_____ Corporate - $100
_____ Business - $50
_____ Non-profit - $10
Additional tax-deductible gift ________
_____ I have items I would like to donate to
the museum’s collections
Ada Historical Society
Averill Historical Museum of Ada
7144 Headley St.
PO Box 741
Ada, MI 49301
Society meetings are held on
the second Saturday of the month at 10:30 am
at the Averill Historical Museum of Ada
[email protected]
616.676.9346
www.AdaHistoricalSociety.org
If you would like
to help preserve
Ada history,
please fill out this
form and return
along with a check
to the address
below.