1970-03-25; Clare Sentinel

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CITY LIBRARY
4TH &. KCEWAN
48617
XX
Fifteen Cents
12 Pages
Wednesday, March 25, 1970
enttnel
Our 92 Year New Series
Vol, 78   No, 29
Coleman Bans
Senior Play
By Tom Gannon
Several weeks ago this
paper published a release
announcing the production
of "Splender In The
Grass'' as the Senior
Class Play at Coleman
High School.
Last Friday, by means
of a letter to the editor,
we learned that the production had been cancelled.
According to Thomas
Qrr, Coleman High principal, the play, based on
an Academy Award winning screenplay by William Inge, was cancelled
because it was too controversial. Some parents
did not want their children to act in the play,
he said.
Orr stated that the administration, which had
earlier approved the play,
learned of the controversy when five parents
refused to sign permission slips for students
scheduled to be in the
production. Signing of
permission slips is customary procedure when
Coleman students participate in extracurricular
activities.
The matter was discussed by the Coleman
Board of Education which
left the decision on whether or not to cancel the
play to the high school
administration. Principal Orr then issued the
directive to call off the
play. He told the Sentinel that it "is not the
purpose of the school to
cause controversy over
issues in the home."
James Spencer, president of the Coleman Senior Class and play cast
member, said that it
"never crossed our mind
that the play would cause
controversy."
He said the play was
chosen after a committee
of seniors spent last summer and part of the fall
screening possible
scripts for the spring
production. When
fl Splendor In The Grass"
was selected it was submitted to the director,
principal, and school
board, all of whom approved it, according to
Spencer.
Following approval by
school officials, advertising posters were made
publicity releases sent
out, and parts cast. When
news of the cancellation
came on March 5, Spencer said, all the leads had
been cast with parental
approval, and rehearsals
were about to begin.
The exact nature of
the controversy surrounding the play is not
definite. Spencer believes that some parents
were misled by the title
of the play, causing rumors of "smut" to circulate. To his knowledge
only one of the protesting
parents actually read the
play.
"Splendor     In        The
Grass",   set  in  a small
town in Kansas in the late
1920's, deals with the romantic torments of several high school seniors.
The     "important    message,"   that Spencer says
in  his  letter  to   the  editor the Coleman community should hear, has more
to   do   with   the   conflict
between generations than
the   sexual  goings-on  of
east Kansas high schoolers in the 1920's.
At any rate, there will
be no Senior Class, play
in Coleman on May 1 and
2. The Seniors have decided to fine a substitute for "Splendor In
.The Grass."
RED CROSS gets a check for S250fromthe Clare Hospital Auxiliary. From left,
Mrs. Doris Myers, secretary of the Clare Chapter of the American Red Cross receives the gift from Mrs. Mary Jean Roth of Harrison, treasurer of the Auxiliary.
Looking on are Mrs. Joyce Weitzel, Auxiliary president, and Mrs. Ann Green,
secretary and also Clare Gray Lady. The Auxiliary is a community service
group which operates a hospital cart, supplying patients with sundries and handmade items. Another means of raising money is the annual benefit dance that will
be held April 4 this year at the Doherty Hotel.
Clare Churches List
Holy Week Services
Special services for Holy
Week and Easter Sunday are
announced by many of the Clare
Churches with an invitation to
members and friends to join
them for any or all of the services.
Time did not permit us to
contact all of the churches but
we are appreciative of those who
brought their announcements to
us.
CONGREGATIONAL
The Good Friday services
will be held in the Clare Congregational United Church of
Christ beginning at 1:30 p.m.
All-Conference Team Chosen
The US-10 League has announced its selection of the
All - Conference Basketball
Team for the 1969-1970 season.
The three teams from Clare
County (Clare, Coleman and
Farwell), each placed at least
one man among the top ten
picks. The All - Conference
team is picked at a meeting of
all coaches of the US-10.
Chosen sixth among the top
ten was Marty Schlafley, junior
and high-scoring forward for
the Pioneers. Schlafley is 6-2
and averaged 17 points per game
while bringing down an average
of 11 rebounds.
Given All-Conference honorable mention were Dan Manee
and Chris Busche. Manee, a
center, contributed an average
of 11 points and 15 rebounds
per game. Busche, a forward
ended the season with a 10-
point average.
Also making the first team
from Clare County was Far-
well's Gary Paesens, a 6-2
senior who hit 23 points per
game. Coleman's Jim Ranck
placed in the top five with a
15-point aveage.
County players receiving
honorable mention were Jack
Adams and Lavern Halstead
of Farwell and Chuck Dedloff
and Randy Aultman of Coleman.
planned by the Clare Ministerial Association. Rev. William
Raleigh of the Clare Church of
the Nazarene will give the message, with other area ministers
assisting in the worship
service.
At the Congregational Church
Maundy Thursday will be observed at-7:30 p.m. with the
Lord's Sujjger and Reception q£..
new 'members in the church.
On Easter Sunday, there will be
two worship services, 9:30 and
10:45 a.m. Rev. Gilbert E. Miller is the pastor.
METHODIST
Holy Week services began
at the United Methodist Church
on Palm Sunday with baptism
of infants and small children
and reception of adult members
at the early service.
Maundy Thursday will be observed with communion at 7:30
p.m. Members will join in the
union Good Friday Services at
the Congregational Church.
Easter Sunday will begin with
a Sunrise Service at 6:30 a.m.
sponsored by the Senior U.M.
Y.F. This is for all age groups
who want an early morning worship experience. Breakfast for
the U.M.T.F. members will follow in the Green Room.
There will be two worship
services again this Sunday, at
8:30 and 11:00 a.m. with the
sermon topic "This is the Victory," by Rev. Donald Winegar.
For mose unable to attend services the radio broadcast over
WCRM  at  11:30  is  for  you.
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FAVORITE BOOKS— A new feature at the Garfield Memorial Library is a poster board display
of drawings by elementary school children.- The current display is by Mrs. Smith's fourth
grade students who drew pictures of the library books they liked best. Another bulletin board
contains vegetable prints by other members of Mrs. smith's class. Librarian Mrs. Richard
Stoeker said that a different class from the elementary school will exhibit their drawings each
month. Sentinel Photo
PRINCE OF PEACE
LUTHERAN
Holy week services will begin
for the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church members on Wednesday evening, March 25, with
a communion service in observance of Maundy Thursday at
7:30 p.m.
Easter Morning will be   a
*reakfasf at 8-45 with worship
service at 10 a.m. Rev. C. Smith
willbe the speaker.
FIRST BAPTIST
CHURCH
Rev. Donald Herweyer of the
First Baptist Church invites
members and friends to attend
the special services each night
this week, with Rev. Philip
Anthony of the Loomis Park
Baptist Church of Jackson as
the speaker.
On Friday evening, the Easter Cantata "No Greater Love"
will be presented at 7 p.m.
with the young people to have
a meeting afterwards.
Regular services will be
conducted on Easter Sunday,
and a new goal to break the
record attendance in Sunday
School is hoped for this week.
Rev. Anthony will speak at the
evening hour.
During the holy week there
is special services being broadcast over WCRM each night
6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. Tune
in for these to hear the gospel
in song and meditation.
Continued on Page 8
Planners Meet
This Thursday
The Clare County Planning Commission will
hold its regular monthly
meeting this Thursday,
March 26 at 7:30 p.m.
in  the  Clare  City Hall.
Business will include
the drawing up of a new
contract for land use
planning. Payments for
the planning will be spelled out.
EBS Management Consultants, Inc. of Chicago
with whom the county contracted for a comprehensive water, sewer, and
land use survey, recently
merged with another
company and changed its
name to Envirnetic Research.
George Justus, who
represented EBS at the
last meeting will continue
to assist in the planning
for Clare County.
Envirnetic will be conducting two coordinated
surveys for the county.
One will be a study of
existing water sources
and housing developments
to determine what, if any
sewage system is best
suited to the county's
needs. This study is
scheduled for completion
in the next twelve months.
The land use study will
cover all the resources
of the county, such as
timber, water, and soil.
A projection of the economic growth potential
will be made.
As part of the surveys
a complete set of base
maps of the county will
be made. Every township
and municipality in Clare
County will be mapped.
Current use of every parcel in the county will be
determined.
The Planners urge that
residents attend the Commission meetings to learn
first-hand about these
comprehensive . studies
that will determine the
course of development for
Clare County.
Library Denies
Surplus Charge
A special meeting of the Garfield Memorial Library Board
was held Monday night to clear
up possible misunderstanding
of comments regarding finances
made at last week's session of
the Clare City Commission and
published in the Clare Sentinel.
At the Commission meeting,
Mayor Willard Koch, who also
serves on the library board,
stated that the library was operating with a budget balance
of $18,628.34 as of March 1,
1970.
Figuring average operational
costs of $2*000 per month, he
said the library would have
a surplus of some $10,000 at
the end of the fiscal year on
June 20. He further stated
that no branch of the city government needed this kind of
surplus and suggested that next
year's commission might look
into the matter of how much
money the library really needed
to operate.
A more complete picture of
the library's finances was given at Monday night's meeting
of the library board.
Board President Mrs. Robert Pinaire agreed that the
library spent between $1,900 and
$2,100 (for an average of $2,000)
per month in operational costs.
This comes toa total of $24,000.
Last year the library received some $12,500 in tax
money from the city -- enough
to support the facility for approximately six months of the
year.    The library also received over $12,000 in penal
revenue from the state to make
up  the  difference for      the
year.
Together the two sources
provide not much in excess of
the necessary $24,000 per
annum. Also, the money from
the penal fines is not meant
to be spent for other than capital expenditures, such as
buying equipment, books, and
expanding facilities. It is not
supposed to be used for paying
operational costs, such as salaries or utilities.
Given these facts,   Koch's
use of the term "surplus" was
challenged at Monday's meeting.
Members of the borad explained that, when the fiscal
year ends on June 30, the library'is faced with meeting three
months of expenses before re-
ceivin g tax money for the next
fiscal year. This is because
it usually takes at least three
months for tax revenue to reach
a point where the library can
receive its allotment.
If the library were to close
the fiscal year with no money
in its budget, it was explained
money would have to be borrowed in order to keep the
place going during the summer months. Borrowing money
would mean added expense for
the taxpayer.
In addition, the library has
to keep on hand money to pay
GOP Cancels Dinner
Clare County Republicans will have to make
up their own conclusions
about the "Nixon Way."
Congressman James
Harvey from Saginaw was
scheduled to speak on this
topic at the annual Lincoln
Day Dinner last Thursday, until the event was
cancelled late Monday
night.
Forrest Meek, local
Republican party official
sai d plans for the annual
fund raising dinner were
cancelled three days before it was to have taken
place because not enough
tickets were sold. By
Monday of last week, only
50 of the $10 per head
tickets had been bought.
In contrast, last year's
dinner, featuring Gov.
William Milliken, drew
some 240 persons.
Meek attributed the
difficulties this year to
a lack of time for getting
the event organized. Original speakers considered for the dinner were
Robert Griffin or Mark
Hatfield. When it was
learned that Harvey was
a likely candidate to oppose Democratic Senator
Phil Hart, the original
plans 'were scrapped and
the Saginaw representative was sought as a speaker.
By the time Harvey
confirmed his agreement
to appear at the Clare
banquet, however, local
Republicans had only 2-
1/2 weeks to make preparations and sell tickets.
Lagging of ticket sales
and a desire to put on a
well-planned affair motivated the concellation,
according to Meek.
Meek promised that the
Republicans would be
holding another event to
raise funds for the current election year campaigns.
for books and other supplies
that must be ordered several
months ahead of time. Books
that are ordered in one fiscal year may Trive in the
next. Rather than allocate
money for purchases in anticipation of tax revenue to come,
the board has made a practice
of keeping sufficient funds on
hand for any authorized purchases.
In dollars and cents, the
library will have some $10,000
on hand at the end of the current fiscal year. At least
$6,000 of this will be spent,
however, before next year's
tax money comes in. Another
$750 has been authorized for
a new rear door to the building. Two stacks have been
ordered at $600 each to increase book space. Additional allocations may have to be
made before the 1970-71 fiscal
year revenue arrives.
In effect, the library has
been acting on a September-
October fiscal year in order
to keep in the black. Librarian Joan Stoeker calls this
"provident management" —
Monday night Willard Koch repeated his contention that it
was a surplus. Any money on
the books at the end of the "fiscal year, he said, had to be
called a surplus, He added
that a branch of the city government cannot be run like a
business or a household, where
money could be stored away
for future expenses.
Mrs. Stoeker stated that whatever the money left on the
books on June 30 was called,
it was not city tax money.
"We are out of tax money,"
she said,
Part of the confusion arises
from the fact that the budget
balance is always given without distinguishing between tax
money from Clare and revenue from the penal fines
fund. Since penal money can
only be used for capital expenditure, a statement of how
much is in the library budget
at any given point does not
provide an accurate picture of
funds actually available for
operations.
After the April 6 election,
the library will receive its
finances in a different way than
in the past. Five years ago,
the voters of Clare authorized 1 mill per year directly
to the library for. operations
and maintenance.
This year, the voters will be
asked to approve "up to ImiU"
for the library for each of the
next five years. How much the
library actually receives will
now be left up to th e City
Commission.
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SNOW FELL last Friday wMch happened to be the first day of spring. With temperatures getting up into the 50's on several occasions recently, last week's snowfall came as a surprise.
At least one amatuer meteorologist, however,' predicts by the ring around the moon that a-
nother big storm is coming the first week of April. Sentinel photo