Special Event: Annual Marshall Historic Home Tour

Saturday, September 7, 2019, departing at 8:00 a.m. and returning approximately 6:15 p.m. Cost is $40 per person.

Join your HASP friends in a self-paced tour of historic homes, museums, commercial buildings and churches in Marshall, MI. As participants board the bus, they will receive a brochure (which is also your ticket) which contains a map and detailed descriptions of all the places on the tour. This will enable you to plan your day and tour route in advance. The brochure also reflects shuttle bus stops for the free service to transport people from place to place. Knowledgeable docents share interesting tidbits, as well as answer questions at each stop. A juried fine arts and crafts fair surrounds the downtown circle, and food/snack venues are located around town as well. Lunch is on your own and self-pay. This trip is open to guests/friends of HASP and the deadline for registration is Tuesday, September 3, 2019.

New Member Orientation

Our next new member orientation will be Wednesday, September 11 at 9:30 a.m., in the HASP classroom on the second floor of the Anderson Werkman building. If you are a new member and have not attended an orientation, we encourage you to join us. This is a great opportunity to learn more about our organization, meet other new HASP members, and discover ways to be involved! Coffee and light brunch food will be served. Please call or email the HASP office (395.7919 or hasp@hope.edu) to let us know if you will attend.

Next Monthly Meeting

Our next monthly meeting is Tuesday, September 3, “We the People: A Constitution Day Celebration”, at the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts Concert Hall, 9:00-10:30 a.m. A bus shuttle from parking lot 63 (SE corner of Devos Fieldhouse, Fairbanks and 11th St. – across from the soccer field) will be available from 8:30-9:00 a.m. You may park your car in that lot and get a ride to the Jack Miller and back after the program.

Friday NOON Series, March 15, 2019

It was exactly 50 years ago during the week of March 15 that Dr. Donald Williams was interviewed by Hope College to become a professor of Chemistry. On his way to breakfast at the Eastown Russ’ he noted a sign along Chicago Dr., LEMMON USED CARS. Upon leaving he saw a marquee sign at a nearby dry cleaner, BRIDAL CHESTS AVAILABLE FOR GOWNS. He thought about how many meanings could be applied to each of them. On his way to the interview he passed, DR. PIEPER – OPTOMETRIST. How appropriate that seemed to him. That was the beginning of his “Funny Sign Slide Show”. Now retired, Don’s growing collection has about 3000 such signs from which to choose for a presentation suited for almost any audience. He and his family have photographed many of the signs, but he acknowledges some of the best ones are from his friends. They include poorly worded headlines, confused translations, misspellings and inappropriately placed notices.
Don’s dry sense of humor, sense of timing and sequencing of the slides makes for a hilarious program. However, be warned – it is for the strictly literal, the slow reader, nor those offended by an occasional risque reference!
You are invited to relax and approach the presentation with an open mind and ready to laugh. This fast moving show will last about 30 minutes. Join us in the HASP classroom on Friday, March 15, at noon.

Next Noon Series: Friday, January 18, 12 noon

NOONTIME/Brown Bag Series on Friday, January 18, 12noon-1pm ~ HASP Classroom
(This is a 1x month, free HASP event – no registration required)
Our speaker for the January Noontime Series is Sally Laukitis, the executive director of the Holland Convention and Visitors Bureau. When she started as Director at the CVB in 1994, it was a one person office with a limited budget, and now has grown in 24 years to ten employees. The CVB has been hugely successful in attracting visitors and events to Holland, and in 2018 has registered visitors from all 50 states, 8 Canadian Provinces, and 48 different countries. How do all these people find their way to Holland? Advertising Holland to visitors in both the USA and internationally is a yearlong business utilizing billboards, print (especially magazines and the Visitor Guide), radio, social media, foreign language videos, and Travel Michigan resources. Sally has been appointed by the governor to the Michigan Travel Commission which oversees the “Pure Michigan” strategic plan, and has been an officer in a number of tourist organizations in the state. Holland’s rise to a popular tourist destination is a fascinating story. Join us Friday noon, January 18 to see how this has happened.