Karl's Kolumn

OUR CONDOLENCES… to the Ott family! The community is shaken by the loss of one of our youth. Thank you to the Tri-City area and Watervliet Public Schools for rallying around the family and the students during the loss of their classmate Chayse. Nothing can prepare you for the loss of a loved one and especially a child. Parents hug your children and take the time to make this a teaching moment so hopefully no one ever has to face this again.

MASS MAILING… If you are reading the Tri-City Record for the first time, it may be because you have received a FREE copy! We here at the TCR call it a “Mass Mailing,” and thanks to our advertisers we are able to send every household a free copy and hopefully you will enjoy it as much as our regular subscribers do weekly.

This issue is 20 pages and is filled with businesses that like us are trying to keep the economy in southwest Michigan booming. The 14k households will be able to read all our normal weekly content including meeting reports and school news and sporting events along with some special features honoring Breast Cancer Awareness month and fire prevention tips going into fall and winter.

Please see Page 7 for a special subscription promotion for any new subscribers. Clip out the promo and mail it in or stop by and you will get your new subscription at a discounted rate. Or, mention it when you call the Record office at 269-463-6397 to begin your subscription.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR… last week Amy got a letter to the editor from a TCR subscriber explaining how much they love our paper. This reader wanted to know if we could share more from our past columnists.

The Coloma, Hartford, and Watervliet library staffs prepare the Rolling Back the Years for publication in every issue of the Tri-City Record. Occasionally, readers drop by with newspaper clippings to share. Those are tacked on where they are appropriate.

The Tri-City area has an awesome tool available at Coloma Public Library; any website visitor can search all the newspaper archives of the Watervliet Record, Tri-City Record and Coloma Courier for any topic or columnist you wish. In addition, the Hartford Public Library has Hartford Day Spring issues in archives on their website.

So, if we don’t satisfy your reading pleasure in our limited number of pages each week, there are ways to do that on your own.

FALL FESTIVAL EVENTS… The Fall Festival in downtown Watervliet is this weekend Saturday and Sunday. See the promotion pages in this week’s TCR highlighting special events: Haunted Scavenger Hunt; Live Music; Haunted Hay Ride; Pumpkin Rolling Contest; Craft Vendors at Oasis Park; Caramel Apples and Cider; Kids Games and Activities; Haunted Bus plus more.

Also, visit the three Grand Openings of new businesses; Amy’s Kitchen, Tim’s Birdies and Bullseyes, and Tried & True Antiques. Fall Fest starts at 7:00 p.m. Plan to park away from Church Street as no cars will be allowed in that area during the festival.