TOP SCORES FOR COMET MARCHING BAND… This fall the Coloma Comet Marching Band earned their 14th consecutive 1st Division Rating at MSBOA District 6 Marching Band Festival, and the band placed 1st in Class C at the Hastings Marching Band Invitational. They also earned an additional award for Best Music in Class C. The theme of the show this fall was “Love in the ‘80s,” which featured the following tunes: You Give Love a Bad Name, Freeway of Love, Love Shack, and Groovy Kind of Love. The 87-member band is directed by Cheryl Thomas and assisted by Christopher Keech.

Gene & Sandy Keirnan celebrate 50 years

Gene and Sandy Keirnan of Coloma were married in Muskegon, Michigan on October 6, 1968. They have resided in Coloma for the past 47 years. Sandy grew up in Muskegon and Gene grew up in Ganges and Berrien Springs. They met in Holland, Michigan on a blind date in May 1968. Gene worked in the printing business since college in 1964. He retired in May 2013 from IPC Print Service in St. Joseph.

blessed with six grandchildren and two great-grandsons. Their daughters helped them celebrate 50 years together at Coach’s Bar and Grill in Stevensville on October 13. A Caribbean cruise is scheduled for February 2019.

Hartford’s Holiday Bazaar is back again!

By Jon Bisnett Southwest Michigan’s oldest continuously operating Holiday Marketplace is ready to open its door this Saturday in Hartford! For 47 years the Bazaar stood as a major fundraising venture for the Hartford United Methodist Church Women’s Group. From concept to completion, the ladies of the HUMC developed the event creating the template for the day, much of which is still the same some five decades later. From all the mailings to taping the show floor and cooking up those magical sloppy joes and home-baked pies, the gals from HUMC built the November tradition to stand as a sure sign of the coming holiday season. In 2015 the ladies of the HUMC, faced with the challenge of a declining membership, passed the torch to the Hartford Public Schools Foundation for Quality Education to preserve the grand tradition. The savvy marketing team of the Hartford Foundation went to work immediately seeking additional new vendors while also adding their own flair to the event. “We didn’t have any intention of making any radical changes,” says Foundation spokesperson and Floor Manager Becky Traver, “We’d like to think we simply enhanced the show by leveraging a relationship with A&A Sports Photography to offer Photos with Santa. Kids can visit with Santa at no charge. Additionally, we connected with our High School National Honor Society for a crew of top students who help vendors tote their wares in and out and also work in our Holiday Café. Most of the event remains the same. Some vendors are brand new, while many have been coming for well over 20 years. I’m excited to have the addition of two Amish bakers this year and hope to see more involvement from the locally expanding Amish community next year.” “We did make one major change two years ago,” says VP of Projects Jon Bisnett, “in that we made the decision to move to the second week of November, avoiding a conflict with a large similar event in Berrien County. The move was a happy accident, landing on Veterans Day weekend. The Holiday Café provides a Free Breakfast to All Veterans honoring their service.” The Holiday Café features a wide selection of breakfast and lunch items and the secret recipe Sloppy Joe will be back on the menu again this year! Dine in or take out is available. Talented crafters and specialty vendors, great food, and a visit with Santa… it all happens at the 51st Annual Hartford Holiday Bazaar open this Saturday morning, November 10, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Hartford Middle School.

UNDERCOVER OFFICER… Hartford Police Chief Tressa Beltran was deep undercover at the Hartford Fire Department’s inaugural Halloween Event. Over 125 trick or treaters stopped by for games, candy, donuts and cider. Chief Robbie Harting was thrilled with the community response and was taking notes on how to make next Halloween’s experience even better. A team of firefighters and auxiliary members rolled out to run the first-time event, underwritten by Hartford Harding’s Market.

An Indoor Flea Market /Rummage Sale is being held this Friday & Saturday, in the gym of St. Joseph Catholic School on Lucinda Lane in Watervliet. Sale hours are Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be all sorts of great buys and a lunch option as well, so grab friends, shop and have lunch too. This event also includes a raffle for a brand-new full warranty Whirlpool 32 Cu. Ft. Stainless Steel French Door Refrigerator with ice maker and water in the door, and freezer on the bottom. This refrigerator retails well over $2,000. Raffle tickets are $5 each and can be bought at the door.

Thanksgiving dinner planned at Coloma American Legion on Nov. 16 The American Legion Coloma Post 362 is offering a “Cook’s Nite Out” Thanksgiving Dinner on Friday, November 16, 2018 from 5 to 8 p.m. The menu for the dinner is ham, sweet potatoes, and mashed potatoes with gravy, salad, carrots, deviled eggs, dessert and coffee. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $10; and at the door the evening of the dinner, for $12. American Legion Post 362 is located at the corner of Red Arrow Highway and Sassafras Street.

Pancake Breakfast and Bake Sale Twelve Corners Community Church is holding a Pancake Breakfast and Bake Sale on Saturday, Nov. 17 starting at 9 a.m. Menu for breakfast includes pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, biscuits & gravy, fruit, jellies with beverages of coffee, orange juice and water. Proceeds from this event will go to their Building Fund. Twelve Corners Community Church is located at 3902 Hicks Avenue in Benton Harbor near the corner of Benton Center Road and Red Arrow Highway.

Local churches hold Food Drive for HOPE Resources On Saturday, Nov. 17 New Hope Community Church of Watervliet and New Life Christian Center of Coloma are conducting a Food Drive at Harding’s Market in Coloma. The drive will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Items collected will go to HOPE Resources Food Pantry operated from the Coloma United Methodist Church.

Comet’s annual bazaar Nov. 18 The Coloma Athletic Boosters will hold their 5th Annual Comet’s Holiday Bazaar on Sunday, November 18, 2018. The hours of this event are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Holiday Bazaar is in the Coloma Intermediate Gym located at 274 S. West St. in Coloma.