Karl's Kolumn

TCR MASS MAILING… Wow, this week is so full of stories about the Tri-City area, thank you to the whole Tri-City Record crew for making this happen again for the whole community. This special edition will go out to all postal addresses in the Watervliet, Coloma and Hartford area.

Thank you to our advertisers for always supporting the newspaper and helping us bring the “Welcome to Summer” issue to all the readers. Some of the features and special events advertised this week include highlighting local Tri-City area campgrounds, festivals, a feature story on America250 and so much more!

GRADUATES… this Friday will be the last of the Tri-City area 2026 Commencement exercises. Congratulations to the Class of 2026 and may the future be bright for everyone! This time of year also brings times of celebration. With that being said, please be safe.

JUNE 1ST… is right around the corner and you know what that means? It’s strawberry time and the Hartford Strawberry Festival planning is well underway. This annual event will not disappoint festival goers. Look for the full schedule this week on Page 14.

WELCOME BACK… to the Thursday night concerts in Oasis Park starting this week. The Watervliet DDA along with the help of Chana Kniebes with the North Berrien Community Development has done a great job of keeping Oasis Park full every Thursday from now on until Labor Day. If you are interested in being a vendor reach out to City Hall and I’m sure they can help you out.

FIRST DAY FISHING… of the summer of 2026 happened last week. Bob and I ventured out to Paw Paw Lake on Thursday morning like we have done for the last 30 years or so. Catch and release rules apply.

HEADING TO CAPAC… this Saturday morning for a Time Capsule Celebration. Anne and I along with Billy and Amy are heading over to the Capac Community Historical Society for the opening.

In 1976, I was a new hire at the Capac Journal and one of my first projects was participating in a Time Capsule Celebration. The Capac Journal also allowed me to publish a time capsule special edition that was included in their newspaper. The celebration included a parade and burial of the time capsule.

Earlier this year Roxann Mills, the curator at the museum reached out to me to invite Anne and I to be guests at the celebration this weekend. While the original plan for the time capsule was to be opened in 100 years, but because of the significance of 250th Birthday of America, they decided to open it 50 years early. I am looking forward to the reminder of the treasures hidden in that vessel for the last half a century.