Fire at Chicago Water Grill in Jonesville Michigan

I was watching football on a pleasant mid-November afternoon when a friend called to inform me that the Chicago Water Grill was on fire.  This is easily the finest restaurant in the county and may be the best place to eat within 50 miles. I immediately ran downtown hoping it was not true. My heart sank as I rounded the corner to see what was sure to be a horrendous disaster.  Seeing the escalating flames and counting the numerous fire departments on the scene, I immediately knew that there would be no happy ending.

Hundreds of people had assembled across the street and watched with shock and sorrow as the cornerstone of downtown Jonesville and its neighbor, May’s Furniture Store, were destroyed before our eyes.  Luckily, both businesses are not open on Sundays, so there were no injuries to patrons or workers.  Many downtown businesses have apartments upstairs, but these just had storage areas on the second floor, so there were no tenants in harm’s way.

An excavation vehicle arrived and tore down the backside of both businesses to contain the fire as a crowd watched. Jonesville Hardware Store is the immediate neighbor and appears to have escaped severe damage.  The fire fighting ended by 10 p.m.  Many crews packed up and went home while the local volunteers remained on the scene to be sure there would be no flare-ups during the night.

The Chicago Water Grill has always been a great partner to my business, the Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville, Michigan.  My best wishes go out to the owners and employees of this top-notch business.

Lewis Emery Treasure Hunt in Hillsdale Michigan

I was a Lewis Emery Treasure Hunt virgin until Saturday night. We assembled a team of five and eagerly awaited the start of the search for clues that would make us zig zag across the county to the final destination. 94 teams met at the Hillsdale County Fairgrounds at dusk on a misty cool night for the traditional Saturday before Halloween event that was being run for the 76th time.

First, 2 easy clues were found on the fairgrounds. Then came the clues that required a drive. We read and figured and strained our brains on a cryptic message for about an hour when we decided we were already stumped. We elected to follow the next vehicle that moved. Unfortunately for us, the car we were following had a different starting clue than we had, so we were already disqualified for not deciphering our own clue.

Oh, well, we just wanted to have fun without too much frustration. We found the next two clues with relative ease before making the backwards clue much harder than it should have been. I swear we drove down every dirt road in the whole county–twice!  before getting the clue in the can.  Of course, we didn’t have a can opener and resorted to an alternate means to open the container that once could have contained pork and beans. Running the can over to try to pop the lid was a bad idea. It only made it even more difficult to open. We ruined a scissors making a hole in the can, but managed to remove the paper inside in relatively good condition.

The rest of the clues were a breeze for our team. We finished the quest at around 1:45 a.m. and would have been 9th if we hadn’t gotten stumped on an early cypher.  The organizers said we would travel 165 miles if we made no mistakes–we drove 210 miles!

We were frustrated for a good deal of the beginning of the night, but had a blast and acquired some satisfaction upon reaching the final destination and enjoying a pulled pork sandwich and hot chocolate with the other finishers.

My head hit my pillow at 3:10 a.m. and I had to awaken to make breakfast at the Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville Michigan for a houseful of hungry guests. If the B&B gods are good to me, I will be able to play again next year.

Pro Football Hall of Fame

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is located in Canton Ohio–just 3 1/2 hours from my house. My buddy, Jeff, has been trying to get me to go for some time. The days I was available never matched the days he could go, until this week.

Late arrivals on Wednesday were what I expected for my business, the Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville, Michigan. That allowed me to play hookie for the day. A seven hour round trip and a half day looking at football memorabilia was on tap. We arrived early afternoon and stayed until closing and had a good time.

I was there to see the stars from the Green Bay Packers. Jeff was interested in the Pittsburgh Steelers. The legends from these two teams occupy a lot of space at the Hall of Fame.  With only about 250 players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, there is definitely an elite group of players represented here.

An afternoon of enjoying displays and watching highlight films culminated with interactive stuff like throwing a football into a target and taking a head-to-head trivia challenge.  Next time I will bring a football to toss around on the Pro Turf practice field just outside the hall.

Life is good in Jonesville.

Curb Your Enthusiasm Features Gang from Seinfeld

I am a recent subscriber to HBO and a recent fan of “Curb Your Enthusiasm”. After watching just one episode, I was hooked. Larry David is the central character. Larry David is famous for having introduced the “Seinfeld” television show. Larry is actually Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza in one person. The same phobias, insecurities, and inappropriate comments from the Seinfeld program continue through Larry’s character in Curb Your Enthusiasm.

The program is filmed like a documentary or a reality TV show. Through behind-the-scenes programs, I have learned that most of the show is unscripted. There is an idea and a couple of lines that need to be inserted into the conversation. Everything else is ad-lib.

Apparently, the premise is that Larry wants to get the Seinfeld gang back together. Because this is filmed like a reality show, Larry talks to Jerry, and Jason Alexander, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Michael Richards about doing a Seinfeld episode that explains what has happened to the characters in the 11 years since the show went off the air. As viewers of “Curb”, we will see the  stuff–writing of the script, read-throughs, rehearsals, and portions of a reunion show–but there will not really be a reunion show.

This is going to be a very amusing non-reunion “reunion” show that is going to last for 6-7 episodes of this season’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” show. I’ll be watching from my couch at the Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville, Michigan.  Join me if you don’t have cable. I can’t wait.

 

S.W.A.T. Team for a Day

Our local service group, the Exchange Club of Hillsdale County, had a guest speaker who was a member of the SWAT team. He came to talk about his experience as a member of the regional Special Weapons and Tactics unit. He spoke about hostage situations, robberies, suicides, and VIP protection.

They use a lot of high tech equipment for video surveilance in certain situations that include the use of  robots, snakes, and balls. He demonstrated a self righting ball that is tossed into a conflict area. It is weighted on one side and almost always comes to rest in an upright position. Then a remote controlled video camera can be operated from a distance to spy on the subject.

The officer also brought weapons and safety equipment. I got to be the guinea pig to suit up as a team member. It started with a bullet resistant vest to protect my upper torso and vital organs–it was HEAVY. An estimated 50-60 pounds of armor was draped over my shoulders and cinched up to fit snugly. A 5 pound helmet was added to protect my head.

Then I was given a 50-60 pound shield to carry. A neck harness was used to help support the weight. The shield has a small window and a user controlled spotlight. Missing from the outfit were the bullet resistant chaps to protect the legs, special boots, gloves, and face shield. With a total combined weight of around 150 pounds for all of the equipment, these officers must be in pretty good shape to be able to work while carrying this protection for up to 12 hours at a time.  After about 10 minutes, I was ready to lose the shield.

A new respect was given to these police officers who are trained to handle hostile situations. Every attempt is made to provide the SWAT team with protection and equipment to give them an advantage in any confrontation. The intense technology and training make me happy that these guys are on our side.

Life is good in Jonesville.

 

Mike Venturini

Kevin Skinner Wins Las Vegas Contract on America’s Got Talent 2009 Finale

Based solely on his last performance, I didn’t think Kevin Skinner had a chance to win the million dollar Las Vegas contract on America’s Got Talent. He picked the wrong song and sang it badly–and the judges agreed. However, he has a great story and had sung flawlessly in previous performances. Apparently, Americans are forgiving and awarded him the grand prize regardless of his last performance. Good for you Kevin, but stick with what you do best when you get to Vegas.

America’s Got Talent Finale 9/14/09

The final show of America’s Got Talent tonight pitted 10 acts against each other with a million dollar Las Vegas contract at stake.

I don’t know who the judges were listening to, but the Voices of Glory were only in synch on their harmonies, yet the judges liked them a lot. The lead singer was flat on her solos–which was almost the entire song. To tell them they might win the million dollars was kind, but not honest. They were not very good.

Nobody moves like Hairo Torres.  An emotional performance tonight, instead of a fun routine, will probably keep him from the grand prize. My favorite contestant in the top 10 may not win, but out of all of the finalists, he’s the one with the most unique and original talent. We will see him in the future. He has charisma and movements likening him to Jackie Chan. Hairo is a young man with a huge future in dance and choreography.

Lawrence Beamen could not have chosen a better song to suit his voice. He needs to gain personality, he already has the talent.

Barbara Padilla has an outstanding operatic voice. I do not like opera, but I could listen to her sing all night. That is the mark that makes her special and could get her the Las Vegas contract.

The Fab Five were fabulous. The girls had a great circus themed routine and may be the best non-singing act. There is a definite chemistry between these five dancers who also happen to be sisters. They have great choreography and are extremely fun to watch.

The Texas Tenors are very handsome men who can sing very well. I was very entertained and appreciated the performance, but I’m not sure I could listen to an entire night of them.

Drew Stevyns is a handsome young man with a nice voice who plays guitar. He was good, not great.

Grandma Lee went spicey and racey and used her own material to make the crowd laugh. She’s unique and she’s funny, but not quite good enough to win it all.

Kevin Skinner didn’t hit any of the notes of the song he chose, and being backed by a rock band was not a good idea. The judges said it didn’t matter. I disagree, it mattered a lot. He has no chance.

Recycled Percussion was my least favorite group coming into tonight’s show, but they brought their best stuff to their final performance. They did the right thing by choosing “Wipeout” as their final performance. It was hot, but an entire evening of what they do would be more obnoxious than entertaining.

My favorites were Lawrence Beamen, The Fab Five, and Barbara Padilla. I think the women will dominate and place number 1 and 2.

Girls Gone Wild Comes through Jonesville Michigan

My buddy Jeff called and told me to get my butt downtown right away and to bring my camera because he saw the Girls Gone Wild Bus heading for Jonesville. I raced downtown with camera in hand and got there in plenty of time to set up to witness the vehicle drive through town. When stuff happens in this small town, I like to be a part of it.  Life is good in Jonesville.

America’s Got Talent Wednesday 7/08/2009

Keg, the Lone Ranger of Rock was a constantly kicking one man rock ‘n roll band who did not impress anybody. Silvia Brizio was super hot but couldn’t sing or dance her way past the judges. Madmat the Indistructable Man walked barefoot up a ladder of swords then was sent to the exit. The Shanghai Pearl started off in a pink gorilla suit, then stripped–and got sent home.

Disfigured Kari Callin has an amazing voice and is going to Las Vegas. Simon Chaban wow-ed everyone when he combined fire with acrobatics. Handsome Keith Johnson impressed the crowd while singing and playing guitar. Pixie Mystere was a group of super talented young tumblers wearing the cutest costumes. Reality, the song and dance group, performed the wrong song pretty well but were not appreciated at all and were sent packing.

Destined 2 Be dance crew was a unique urban precision dance act that will go to Las Vegas. Rashida Jolley sang and played harp and used her instrument for percussion as she impressed the judges and the audience. Anthony and Matt surprised the crowd when one sang and played guitar while the other used his tap shoes for percussion rhythym to the song. Louis Bar and Laura Cantu tangoed their way to the next round. The Kalinins were a father and son strength acrobats who are going to Vegas. Christopher and Laura Camp literally whipped their way through the competition.

Last year’s singing piano playing contestant, Mia Boostrom, thought she had improved her singing talent enough to get further in the competition this year–she was right. She’s going to Vegas again.

The show ended with host Nick Cannon’s wife, Maraiah Carey in her new music video.

My favorite act of the night was Anthony and Matt. They took two seperate talents, combined them, and created something unique that was applauded by the audience.  It is easy to judge from my couch at the Munro House while watching talent on the big screen and I’ll be doing it all season long.

America’s Got Talent Tuesday 7/07/2009

This episode’s bad performers included a middle age rapper, a flute playing balancing act, an opera singer, a bendable man, and cute girls who sing bad and don’t know it.

Going to Vegas are Tallon Noble Latz–the 9 year old blues guitar player; the ballroom dancers; Tony Ferrante, the 74 year old Disco Free Style Dancer (split decision); Arthur Gulkarov, the Glam Dancer; Nathan Burton, the transporting Magician; the African High Flyer, Acrobats; Kelly Glover, the former American Idol contestant; the Platt Brothers variety act; and the Spiritual Harmonizers a capella group.

The judges went gaga over the harmonizers–I thought they were good, but a weak performance. I preferred Nathan Burton who transported a girl from a chair onto some scaffolding in less than an instant. That trick was amazing.

I will continue to enjoy watching my favorite show of the Summer from the couch in front of the big screen at the Munro House in Jonesville.