In the 5th Annual Central Michigan Life Readers’ Choice Awards,
students said lack of sleep was their number one reason for skipping
class.

“Sometimes my bed is just too comfortable to get up, or my roommate
forgets to set the alarm,” said St. Clair freshman Trevor Walker.

Even some students who have not skipped a class yet — like Oxford
junior Ryan Marsh — admit that if they did, it would probably have
something to do with being tired.

“I haven’t skipped yet, but if I did it would probably be to sleep
in,” Marsh said.

Students also said being hung-over or still drunk from the previous
night was a common reason not to attend class in the morning. This is
especially true for Friday classes.

Students also voted that simply not wanting to go to class — or
having something better to do — as another common reason for skipping
class. Sometimes an opportunity comes up that seems to be more
interesting than going to class, said Battle Creek sophomore Michael D.
Brewer.

“I was walking when I saw my friend and said, ‘hey, you want to skip
class and go play ping pong?’” Brewer said. “We ended up playing for
about two hours.”

Owosso freshman Taryn Reha said doing something other than going to
class is not always a spur of the moment decision.

“If Jessica Simpson was going to be on TV, I wouldn’t go to class,”
Reha said.

The TV schedule is a common factor in students’ decisions whether or
not to attend class.

“Monday Night Football,” Pleasant Lake sophomore Nathanael Haack
said. “If there are sports on TV, you don’t go to class.”

Students also credited hobbies or free time interests as reasons for
skipping class.

Many students would rather miss class than show up without all the
homework finished. Students also said work for one class prevented them
from going to another, whether it is needing to study for a test or
work on a project.

“One day I stayed late and organized the choir dresses,” said
Muskegon junior Bonnie Barnhard.

Many students said certain classes are pointless to go to because
the notes are straight out of the book or the lectures are online.

Like Gladwin freshman Levi Morse, some students simply want to take
advantage of the nice weather and enjoy the afternoon outside instead
of in a classroom.

“I’m having a great time,” Morse said. “We’re hanging out and
singing songs from the 60s and I just don’t feel like going to class.”

The Bird Bar & Grill is the area’s best kept secret bar, as
voted by almost 350 members of the Mount Pleasant and CMU communities.

The downtown bar, located at 223 S. Mission St., is reaching new
levels of recognition in the 5th Annual Central Michigan Life Readers’
Choice Awards.

Voters also said the Bird has the best happy hour, best Saturday
night and is the best place to meet people.

Owner Lois Breidenstein said the bar is happy to be awarded these
acknowledgments.

“I think it’s a great compliment and honor,” Breidenstein said.
“It’s just as important as our customers.”

Students are interested in the bar because of its cheap strong
drinks, she said. Thursday night happy hour specials are $.90 for a
single and $1.80 for doubles.

The Bird sells peanuts by the basket, allowing patrons to crack open
the shells and throw them on the ground.

In addition to cheap drinks, the Bird also has two pool tables and
two dart machine boards toward the back of the bar, and both games are
great ways that the students have chances to meet new people.

Breidenstein also said the size and friendly atmosphere gives the
Bird an edge in competition over other bars.

“It’s smaller and we go out of our way to make our customers feel
important,” she said.

Leslie senior Jessica Greer and Armada senior Stacy Soley heard
about The Bird through word of mouth.

“People talked about the drinks and the coolness,” Soley said.

Greer said the Bird’s unique size appeals to her.

“It’s not as crowded,” Greer said comparing the popular
establishment to other local bars.

Joseph T. Barberi received 63 votes from Mount Pleasant residents
and students, faculty and staff from CMU during the 5th Annual Central
Michigan Life Readers’ Choice Awards survey.

Barberi said he contributes his success to his staff and the fact
his law firm does a varied type of legal service.

“I really believe the award is received on behalf of the whole law
firm, starting with my receptionist to my paralegal,” Barberi said.
“I’m really proud of it in the sense of every member of my staff.”

Readers submitted their votes during April of last year. Attorney
Gordon M. Bloem had the second most votes with a total of 35 and
attorney Daniel R. O’Neil had 18 votes which put him in third place.

Barberi said his clients come from both the Mount Pleasant and
campus communities.

“For students, I would say that the majority of cases are criminal
and personal injury,” said Barberi, who also gets calls from parents of
CMU students when their child has had problems with other students on
campus.

The criminal cases Barberi said he sees often with students are
alcohol related issues along with personal injury.

He also handles quite a few cases for staff of Central
Michigan University.

“I’d say those cases are personal injury, custody, divorce, and I’ve
done quite a few trusts, advance directives and wills,” he said.

When Mount Pleasant residents approved city Proposal 1 to take
fluoride out of the drinking water in November of last year, Barberi
was hired to represent the citizens in the issue.

Mount Pleasant resident Gladys Mitchell said she was pleased with
Barberi’s help.

“It was great having him represent us,” Mitchell said. “He has been
a very prominent person in the community, and was certainly helpful to
us.”

1st Place: Deerfield

2nd Place: Tallgrass

3rd Place: Village at Bluegrass

2. Best Attorney

1st Place: Barberi

2nd Place: Bloehm

3rd Place: O’Neil

3. Best Auto Body Shop

1st Place: Pete’s

2nd Place: Krapohl

3rd Place: Heritage

4. Best Bank

1st Place: National City

2nd Place: Independent

3rd Place: Isabella Bank

5. Best Bar

1st Place: O’Kelly’s

2nd Place: Pub

3rd Place: Bird

6. Best Barbershop

1st Place: Bob’s

2nd Place: Westside Barber

3rd Place: Bo Rics

7. Best Ice Cream Store

1st Place: Doozies

2nd Place: Coldstone

3rd Place: Dairy Queen

8. Best Bookstore

1st Place: SBX

2nd Place: Bookmark

3rd Place: CMU Bookstore

9. Best Free Event

1st Place: Wares Fair

2nd Place: Mainstage

3rd Place: CMU Sporting Events

10. Best Breakfast Place

1st Place: Lil’ Chef

2nd Place: Stans

3rd Place: Bob Evans

11. Best Place for a Tailgate

1st Place: CMU Parking Lots

2nd Place: Main Street

3rd Place: Bird

12. Best Car Dealer

1st Place: Krapohl’s

2nd Place: Graff

3rd Place: Heritage Chrysler

13.Best Cell Phone Provider

1st Place: Nextel

2nd Place: Alltell

3rd Place: Sprint

14.Chinese Restaurant

1st Place: Dragon Express

2nd Place: Hunan House

3rd Place: China 1

15.Best Church

1st Place: Sacred Heart

2nd Place: St. Mary’s

3rd Place: MPCC

16. Best Class

1st Place: HEV 213

2nd Place: HEV 355

3rd Place: Bowling

17. Best Coach

1st Place: Jay Smith

2nd Place: Brian Kelly

3rd Place: Jerry Reighard

18. Best Coffee Shop

1st Place: Kaya

2nd Place: University Cup

3rd Place: Java City

19. Best Convenience Store

1st Place: 7-11

2nd Place: The Store

3rd Place: C3

20. Best Deli

1st Place: Meijer

2nd Place: Max & Emily’s

3rd Place: Tumas

21. Best Delivery

1st Place: Jimmy John’s

2nd Place: Papa John’s

3rd Place: Pita Pit

22. Best Place to get something tattooed

1st Place: Intricate Decor

2nd Place: Heritage

3rd Place: Sinister Productions

23. Best Downtown Business

1st Place: Bird

2nd Place: Max & Emily’s

3rd Place: Chloe

24. Best Dollar Store

1st Place: Dollar Tree

2nd Place: Dollar Daze

3rd Place: Family Dollar

25. Best Dry Cleaners

1st Place: Miller’s

2nd Place: American

3rd Place: Sunshine

26. Best Excuse to skip class

1st Place: alcohol- related

2nd Place: sleep-related

3rd Place: weather-related

27. Best Fast Food Restaurant

1st Place: Taco Bell

2nd Place: Wendy’s

3rd Place: McDonald’s

28. Best Florist

1st Place: Elliott’s

2nd Place: Jim & Donna’s

3rd Place: 4 Seasons

29. Best Fraternity

1st Place: Lamba Chi Alpha

2nd Place: Phi Sigma Phi

3rd Place: Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon

30. Best Place to get something pierced

1st Place: Intricate decor

2nd Place: Claire’s

3rd Place: Heritage

31. Best Weekend Adventure

1st Place: tubing

2nd Place: canoeing

3rd Place: Windsor

32. Best Gift Shop

1st Place: Hallmark

2nd Place: SBX

3rd Place: Chloe

33. Best Golf Course

1st Place: Riverwood

2nd Place: Pohl Cat

3rd Place: Buck’s Run

34. Best Gym/Health Club

1st Place: SAC

2nd Place: Wellness Central

3rd Place: Holiday Inn

35. Best Grocery Store

1st Place: Kroger

2nd Place: Meijer

3rd Place: Ric’s

36. Best Hair Salon

1st Place: Side Door Salon

2nd Place: Waterworks

3rd Place: Fiesta, Sheer Magic

37. Best Hamburgers

1st Place: Freddie’s

2nd Place: BW 3

3rd Place: Wendy’s

38. Best Happy Hours

1st Place: Bird

2nd Place: O’Kelly’s

3rd Place: La Senorita

39. Best Place to take your parents

1st Place: Mountain Town

2nd Place: Bird

3rd Place: Embers

40. Best Place for your parents to take you

1st Place: Mountain Town

2nd Place: Embers

3rd Place: Casino

41. Best Music Store

1st Place: Sam Goodies

2nd Place: New Moon

3rd Place: Target

42. Best Place for Lunch

1st Place: Pita Pit

2nd Place: Bird

3rd Place: Subway

43. Best Meal Under $5

1st Place: Taco Bell

2nd Place: McDonald’s

3rd Place: Wendy’s

44. Best Men’s Clothing Store

1st Place: Gliks

2nd Place: Old Navy

3rd Place: Martin’s

45. Best Mexican Restaurant

1st Place: La Senorita

2nd Place: Los Palomino

3rd Place: Taco Boy

46. Best Nail Care/Salon

1st Place: LA Nails

2nd Place: Water Works

3rd Place: Gigi

47. Best Newspaper

1st Place: CM Life

2nd Place: Morning Sun

3rd Place: USA Today, Detroit
Free Press/News

48. Best Party Store

1st Place: The Store

2nd Place: Underground

3rd Place: 7-11, Big Mikes, Empty Keg

49. Best Pharmacy

1st Place: Walgreens

2nd Place: Rite Aid

3rd Place: Mission Pharmacy

50. Best CMU Athlete

1st Place: Kara Reighard

2nd Place: Jerry Seymour

3rd Place: Adam Kieft, Chris Kamen

51. Best Pizza Place

1st Place: Papa John’s

2nd Place: Pizza Hut

3rd Place: Pizza Planet

52. Best Local DJ

1st Place: Mike Scheutte

2nd Place: J Blizzard

3rd Place: CFX

53. Best Place to Meet People

1st Place: Bird

2nd Place: The bar

3rd Place: Pub, Wayside

54. Best Place to Study

1st Place: Library

2nd Place: Bird

3rd Place: Kaya

55. Best Place to take a Date

1st Place: Cinema

2nd Place: Mountain Town

3rd Place: Bird

56. Best Thrift Shop

1st Place: Goodwill

2nd Place: Bizarre Bazaar

3rd Place: Salvation Army

57. Best Professor

1st Place: Usha Chowdhar

2nd Place: Steve Scheer

3rd Place: Bert Nelson, Patrick Okankwo

58. Best Vintage/Antique Shop

1st Place: Bizarre Bizaar

2nd Place: St. Germain

3rd Place: Goodwill

59. Best CMU Actor

1st Place: Jeff Daniels

2nd Place: Eric Wisniews

3rd Place: Jason Pintar

60. Best Residence Hall

1st Place: Cobb

2nd Place: Carey

3rd Place: Kulhavi, Towers

61. Best Restaurant

1st Place: Bennigans

2nd Place: Mountain Town

3rd Place: Applebee’s

62. Best Salad Bar

1st Place: Ruby Tuesdays

2nd Place: Sweet Onion

3rd Place: Big Boy

63. Best Saturday Night

1st Place: Bird

2nd Place: Blackstone

3rd Place: Main Street

64. Best CMU Actress

1st Place: Rachel Kruppa

2nd Place: Sarah Ray

3rd Place: Kell Crump

65. Best Shoe Store

1st Place: Payless

2nd Place: J C Penneys

3rd Place: Shoe Horn

66. Best Restaurant Dessert Menu

1st Place: Bennigans

2nd Place: Applebees

3rd Place: Big Boy

67. Best Sorority

1st Place: Sigma Kappa

2nd Place: Delta Zeta

3rd Place: ZTA

68. Best Sporting Goods Store

1st Place: MC

2nd Place: Dunhams

3rd Place: Jays

69. Best Student Organization

1st Place: SAPA

2nd Place: SGA

3rd Place: Sigma Kappa

70. Best Sub Shop

1st Place: Subway

2nd Place: Jimmy John’s

3rd Place: Quiznos

71. Best Tanning Salon

1st Place: B Tan

2nd Place: Mirage

3rd Place: Sunsations

72. Best Thursday Night

1st Place: Pub

2nd Place: Boomers

3rd Place: Wayside

73. Best Place to Get Caught Speeding

1st Place: Mission

2nd Place: M-20

3rd Place: West Campus

74. Best Coolest Neighborhood

1st Place: Main St.

2nd Place: Downtown

3rd Place: Deerfield

75. Best Reason to go to CMU

1st Place: partying

2nd Place: people

3rd Place: education program

76. Best Video Store

1st Place: Family Video

2nd Place: Blockbuster

3rd Place: Videoland

77. Best Women’s Clothing Store

1st Place: Dots

2nd Place: Old Navy

3rd Place: Maurices

78. Best Kept Secret Bar

1st Place: Bird

2nd Place: Marty’s

3rd Place: Freddies

79. Best Place for Last Call

1st Place: Blackstone

2nd Place: Bird

3rd Place: O’Kellys

80. Best Place to go after bars close

1st Place: Lil’ Chef

2nd Place: home

3rd Place: Taco Bell

81. Best Kept Secret Restaurant

1st Place: Agnes

2nd Place: Dinner Bell

3rd Place: Los Palominos

82. Best Bakery

1st Place: Robaires

2nd Place: Morningstar

3rd Place: Meijer

83. Best Place to Propose

1st Place: Island Park

2nd Place: Bird

3rd Place: Warriner

84. Best Place to find a pick-up game

1st Place: SAC

2nd Place: Island Park

3rd Place: Bird

85. Best Festival

1st Place: Reggae

2nd Place: Summer Fest

3rd Place: Mardi Gras

86. Best Bar to people watch

1st Place: Wayside

2nd Place: Bird

3rd Place: Pub

87. Best Bar worth cover charge

1st Place: Pub

2nd Place: Boomers

3rd Place: Wayside

88. Best looking bar staff

1st Place: O’Kelly’s

2nd Place: Pub

3rd Place: Bird

89. Best looking bar clientele

1st Place: Pub

2nd Place: O’Kelly’s

3rd Place: Bird

The pub, 106 Court St., rocked to the top of the Best of Mount
Pleasant list with 67 votes for having the best value for the cover
charge. They also won for having the best-looking bar patrons, with 53
votes.

“I’m excited about it. I’m glad people are noticing,” said manager
Joe Schneider. “I’m glad people get dressed up to come and see us. I do
like good-looking people in here. It’s good for us.”

The Pub also took home the “Best Thursday Night” award with 77 votes.

Boomers Lounge, inside Holiday Inn on Pickard Road, came in second
for having the best value for cover charge, with 37 votes. Boomers is
widely known for its Thursday night drink specials and comedy night on
Wednesdays.

Wayside Central, 2000 S. Mission St., came in a close third place
with 35 votes for best value.

The Wayside was voted the best “bar to watch people” with 144 votes.

O’Kelly’s Sports Bar and Grill, adjacent to the Wayside, took first
place for having the best looking bar staff at 57 votes.

“It’s a surprise and it’s definitely a compliment because we do
value our customers very much,” said bartender Jason St. John, a Mount
Pleasant junior. “I think that at O’Kelly’s we’re set apart from other
bars in town. We project a very positive image.”