Herrick and Coldwater park campgrounds will open May 1 for the summer season, said Sue Ann Kopmeyer, director of Isabella County Parks and Recreation. She said a few thousand campers visit the parks during the summer; some stay for a month, while others stay for a few days.

“People camp at Deerfield Park all year,” Kopmeyer said. “(People were) camping when it warmed up for the equinox.”

Kayaking, tubing, canoeing and walking trails are also available at county parks. The river loop in Deerfield Park is the most popular trail because visitors can walk along the Chippewa River, Kopmeyer said.

“Eight county parks are responsible for over 1000 acres of land,” Kopmeyer said. “We’re lucky to have so much natural land to experience.”

Deerfield Nature Park, 2425 W. Remus Road, is about 600 acres and has 8.5 miles of trails. Gosshawk Trail is good to try for mountain biking, Kopmeyer said.

Meridian Park, 3995 Meridian Road, is more than 100 acres and boasts a trail along the Chippewa River.

Christopher Bundy, director of parks and spaces for the city of Mount Pleasant, said many people utilize the trails to access downtown.

Bundy said not many people are familiar with the extent of the trails.

“The trails are busier in the summertime,” he said. “The trails are so much nicer in terms of safety and are aesthetically pleasing.”

Isabella County is considering offering an Earth Day run at one of its parks April 16, Kopmeyer said. County beaches will open Memorial Day weekend.

A farmers’ market will be held Thursdays in Island Park starting in June, Bundy said.

“Quite a few come down and purchase fruits and vegetables … which are locally grown within 50 miles,” Bundy said.

About 25 people attended the Cross Country Skiing Workshop in Deerfield Nature Park, 2425 W. Remus Road.

The event was organized by Isabella County Parks intern LeAnn Redman, a Ferris State senior.

“The whole goal is to get people out to the park and to get people out on the trails,” Redman said. “We have very nice trails so we wanted them to utilize them.”

Redman said she couldn’t have been more pleased with the workshop’s turnout.

“They’re doing great,” Redman said. “We have lots of different skill levels and everyone seems to be picking it up. I’m pretty happy with the turnout.”

The course was taught by Pete Little, director of Gratiot County Parks and Recreation.

“I started teaching about 15 years ago at Mountain Meadows Cross Country Ski Resort and at Bolton Valley, (both) in Vermont,” Little said. “I’m just teaching them the basics: How to do hills, how to cruise on the flat, how to stop and how to turn.”

Fourteen-year-old Mount Pleasant High School freshman Ashley Granger, who heard about the event from her mom, was enthusiastic to learn how to hit the slopes.

“I have never done this before, so this would be something good to know about,” Granger said. “I learned that crashing and getting up is hard to do unless you’re taught how to do it.”

Mount Pleasant resident Allison Quast, owner of Motorless Motion, 121 S. Main St., said she picked up a new hobby.

“Yesterday was my first experience skiing, this is my second day,” Quast said. “I think it’s a great full-body exercise. It’s a wonderful way to be outdoors.”

She said she learned about the skiing workshop when she received flyers at her store.

The event is held once a year at the park.

“We did an event similar to this last year and had a good turnout,” Redman added. “If people are interested, we’ll certainly have it again.”

Isabella County Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski said Sonya Marie Sheffert, 43, was found by her husband, Larry Sheffert, in the park off of Winn Road.

Sonya Sheffert

Mioduszewski said Sheffert had been in the river prior to being found on the ice.

“It doesn’t look like anything suspicious,” Mioduszewski said. “There was only one set of footprints, so it wasn’t homicide.”

Sheffert taught psychology at Central Michigan University and Alma College, according to both insitutions’ websites.

Mioduszewski said Sonya Sheffert left her home on Hilltop Road sometime between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.

He said their children recognized the vehicle while their father drove them to school and suspected it was hers. Larry Sheffert inspected the vehicle later after he dropped off them off and realized it was hers.

Larry Sheffert followed the lone footprints and discovered his wife on the ice of the Chippewa River. He attempted to warm her while waiting for paramedics to arrive, Mioduszewski said.

The sheriff’s department received a call shortly after 8 a.m. Deputies arrived on scene about 8:30 a.m.

First responders administered CPR at the scene and Sheffert was taken to Central Michigan Community Hospital, where she was pronounced dead later in the morning.

Mioduszewski said an autopsy was being conducted Tuesday. A cause of death had not been determined.

Isabella County Parks and Recreation Marketing Coordinator Katrina Stock said people camp at Deerfield Nature Park on 2425 W. Remus Road despite the cold and snow.

“It’s about a mile hike back to the campground,” she said. “People will bring a sled or wagon and load up their supplies to transport them to the site.”

The campground offers a water pump and toilet. Campers are able to use wood at the campsite in order to build a fire.

The fee for a one-night stay and a vehicle pass is $20. There is a $6 fee for a daily pass into Deerfield without an annual pass.

Stock said there are about five to six groups a year that camp at Deerfield during the winter.

“Campers need to bundle up and make sure that they bring enough warm items,” she said. “Deerfield is a great option for both skiing and sledding.”

Stock said the park also has miles of snow-filled trails. People often use them for cross- country skiing and snow shoeing.

Campers are also invited to ice fish, walk their dogs and hike.

County Parks and Recreation Director Sue Ann Kopmeyer said Deerfield will also be the host of the second annual Frigid Doe Ice Bowl Disc Golf Fundraiser Jan. 22. Proceeds go toward EightCAP.

“There’s a local disc golf group here that puts that on,” Kopmeyer said. “EightCAP provides financial assistance to those in need.”

Kopmeyer said the parks and recreation department provides discounted annual passes to those using EightCAP.

Chris Bundy, director of Parks and Public Spaces, said all of the city parks are free to access during both the summer and winter.

Mission Creek Woodland Park is a popular location for sledding, he said.

“There’s quite a large hill that a lot of folks come out to,” Bundy said. “It’s a quick drive, especially if we have a big snowfall.”

Many of the nine Mount Pleasant parks offer paved trails that people use to walk their dogs. Bundy said people also take their kids out in strollers on them.

Bundy said people continue to kayak and canoe even during the winter through the parks’ many meetings with the Chippewa River.

Nearly 200 people watched the portrayal at the sixth annual Mid-Michigan Civil War Muster Saturday and Sunday at Deerfield Park. Reenactors from all over Michigan replayed the battle of Bentonville.

John Beeler of Canton along with other civil war reenactors do a salute to those who have fallen in the Civil War. The reenactment took place at Deerfield County Park. (Joe Tobianski/Staff Photographer)

Standing behind a 3,000-pound cannon from 1836, Wyandotte resident Brian Murphy said as a person who likes history, he gets to experience what the soldiers went through during the war.

“I get to touch a part of history, literally,” said Murphy, who played a confederate solider from the First Missouri Hiram Bledsoe Light Battery. “This gun in front of me served in both the Civil War and the Mexican War.”

The park, 2425 W. Remus Rd.,  was a great place to reenact the war, said Dave Rowley, commanding officer of the 10th Michigan Infantry, which hosted the event.

“The people of Isabella County love to see their park being used in a variety of ways,” Rowley said.

Along with portraying the major heroes that participated in the War, some re-enactors portrayed some of the smaller heroes.

Susie King-Taylor, the first African-American field nurse and Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, were portrayed by Michelle Petrie of Brownstown Township during the reenactment.

“These American figures are in the history books,” Petrie said. “If you have access to a computer, look them up and find out about them for yourself.”

The Civil War is important for everyone to learn outside of school, Rowley said.

People have told him after his performances they’ve learned much more in 30 minutes than any textbook could have taught them in school, he said.

Rowley, who has been re-enacting the Civil War for 40 years, said it is an honor to be in the shoes of the soldiers that served in this war.

“We do this out of respect for our ancestors that fought in the Civil War,” Rowley said. “In this three-day battle alone, there were 5,000 casualties out of the 60,000 soldiers that fought in the war and we need to pay a tribute to them.”

While that sounds like a small number in today’s terms, it was the standard in 1864.

Most of the re-enactors at the Fifth Annual Mid-Michigan Civil War Muster easily popped two shots in that time period, but only a few were doing the ‘good soldier’ standard of three.

The weekend-long reenactment was held in Deerfield Nature Park, 2425 W. Remus Road.

The Sunday battle reenactment was based on a Nov. 23, 1864, skirmish in Mount Pleasant, Tenn., in which a refugee camp was found by Confederate and Union army detachments. Both forces fought over the ground and ended with a temporary truce.

The Muster was organized by the Tenth Michigan Infantry, a group dedicated to advancing knowledge and appreciation of U.S. history.

The way it was

Re-enactor Michele Petrie portrayed Susie King Taylor, the first black woman to serve with the 33rd Colored Troop of South Carolina. Petrie assisted the surgeon in the field hospital, removed bullets, assisted with amputations, dressed wounds and wrote letters for soldiers, she said.

Petrie and her husband have been active in the Tenth Michigan Infantry for four years. They were encouraged to join by a co-worker of Petrie’s, and enlisted after they saw a reenactment in Shepherd.

“We actually do things the way they did back then,” Petrie said. “We cook on open fires.”

The Infantry also has a generational influence.

“My dad started the group in 1976, so I’ve been doing this 33 years. I started as a bugler and am now the colonel,” said re-enactor Dave Rowley.

Rowley’s children also are active in the Tenth Michigan Infantry.

Rowley challenged some of the re-enactors to a speed-shooting contest and taught a few basic Civil War-era drills to those in the crowd who wanted to join in, such as teaching them to march.

Tom Plachta of Mount Pleasant came with his wife, Laura, and children, Tommy and Dominic.

“This is a good way to see what went on, and it’s a good way to spend a sunny day and learn something.
And what boy doesn’t want to watch gun shooting?” Plachta said.

In addition to the steadfast re-enactors, some made the annual pilgrimage to the Muster.

“I have come here for four years. The most interesting thing was the dialogue during the battle instead of just actions,” said Mount Pleasant West Intermediate School eighth grader Allie Strong. “It’s first hand experience on how it was then and how they have camps set up and the way they are dressed, too.”

The Tenth Michigan Infantry’s Civil War reenactment will present two battle recreations from 1864, one from Buzzard’s Roost, GA and a skirmish in Mount Pleasant, Tenn.

The reenactment also draws people into the park, located at 2425 W. Remus Road.

“The last couple of years we have seen quite a number of people, some local TV stations and draws people into the park who might not know it’s there, and hopefully might become regular visitors,” said Park Supervisor Mike Marsh.

The reenactment will have the two battle recreations, both at 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. In addition to the battles, there will be a public drill, artillery demonstrations and a period church service.

From an academic standpoint, the reenactment could be a powerful lesson.

“On a scale of one to 10 of how educational it is, I’d say an eight or nine, depending on the size of the reenactment, maybe a nine if it were a larger battle like Shiloh or Gettysburg,” said assistant professor of history Randall J. Doyle.

Doyle believes there are lessons to be learned from people who have such a strong interest in history.

“These help show the commitment that was shown by both sides, how difficult the war truly was, and how it was a lot of hand to hand combat and the individuals who participated were very dedicated, that was part of why it lasted so long,” Doyle said.

Although history buffs might enjoy the event, it might not be so enticing to others.

“I think it would be interesting to see what goes on at something like this, to see what life was really like. I don’t know if I’d go unless I had to, though, but I’m sure it would be cool if I actually went,” said Allegan freshman Allison Parliament.

Park-inspired art, live music, poetry readings, trail walks, a “Creation Station” and the creation a community quilt will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 26 at Deerfield Nature Park, 2425 W. Remus Road. The event is free, but an entrance permit is required for a vehicle to enter the park. The event is hosted by the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy, Isabella County Parks and Recreation and Art Reach of Mid Michigan. For more information, call the Isabella County Parks and Recreation department at 772-0911, ext. 340.

“Carol” auditions

Open auditions for “A Christmas Carol” will take place at 6:30 p.m. today at the Broadway Theatre, 216 E. Broadway St. There are parts for 22 men, women and children, and chorus spots. Ages 5 and older are welcome to try out.

Chamber Music

Five musicians from the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Institute of Music will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Music Building’s Staples Family Concert Hall. The artists will open the “Guest Artist” portion of the concert hall’s 2009-10 season. Tickets are $5 for the general public and $3 for students and senior citizens, and are available at the Central Box Office, in the Bovee University Center, or by calling 774-3000.

Cover Letter Workshop

A workshop will take place at 6 p.m. today in the Bovee University Center Maroon Room to help students with writing effective and professional cover letters and thank-you notes for potential employers. Alpha Kappa Psi, a professional co-ed fraternity, will host the event. Alpha Kappa Psi also is holding a workshop on effective resumes at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Bovee University Center Maroon Room.

Lyricists Lounge

A night of battles, free styling and hip-hop lyricism takes place at 8 p.m. tonight in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium. Lyricist Lounge Emcee Battle is sponsored by Minority Student Services, On the Fly Productions and Phi Beta Sigma. Interested students can find out more by e-mailing onthefly@cmich.edu or calling 774-1189.

Halfway to St. Patty’s

Bennigan’s Grill and Tavern, 2424 S. Mission St., is hosting a “Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day” celebration from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and from noon to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday. The celebration includes live music and a D.J. Melissa May and The Thunder Chickens will perform at 9 p.m. Friday and Jedi Mind Trip will perform at noon and 9 p.m. Saturday. Food and beverage specials are available on both days. There is a $5 cover in exchange for an appetizer.

“I Hate Hamlet”

The final performances of “I Hate Hamlet” are at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Broadway Theatre, 216 E. Broadway St. Tickets are $8 and are available at the door and at Ace of Diamonds, 128 E. Broadway St.; Bennigan’s Grill and Tavern, 2424 S. Mission St.; Ric’s Food Center, 903 E. High St.; and the Doherty Motor Hotel, 604 N. McEwan St., in Clare.