By Alan Marble,  Co-chair, Tennis Committee (oops, Racquet Sports Committee)
September 20, 2024
 

Sometime in the winter of 2021-2022, Denny Nahnsen (at the time the co-chair of the CSA Tennis Committee), heard that Steve Shreiner was in South Florida, where Steve and Wanda had spent many winters in the past. Denny and his wife Margie were spending a few months at The Landings, a tennis and golf club near Fort Myers, where Steve and Wanda had owned a condo. Denny called Steve and set up a meeting for coffee on the deck at the tennis office (Denny has not had a cup of coffee in 50 years, so it was obviously a set-up). 

They met and exchanged small talk, and then Denny asked Steve if he might be interested in coming back to the CSA to pilot the tennis program. Steve had left his pro job at the Crystal Downs Country Club and Denny thought that perhaps he could lure Steve back to his roots. Covid and its aftermath had left its mark on the CSA and its programs, just as it had affected the lives of countless people. Let’s just say that things were in disarray. 

Just recently, Steve told me, “Denny made me an offer I couldn't refuse.” Newly minted Managing Director Amy Somero embraced the concept. We approached the board with a sizable budget and, well, the rest is modern history. Steve assembled a team which included Jen Gerling, a Traverse City tennis player whom Steve calls “the best female tennis player in Traverse City.” The supporting staff fell in line, and we began the 2022 season with great expectations and a wave of enthusiasm. The results did not disappoint. 

Steve Shreiner Head ShotMake no mistake about it, teaching and coaching are a grind. Adults first at 8:30am, then a procession of youngsters leading up to adjournment at noon. Five days a week. Adjusting and modulating your approach, from barking at latecomers to adult lessons, to, in a perhaps more gentle fashion, letting kids know what is expected of them. Nine weeks. The assembled staff responded and made the season a huge hit. 

Well-attended tournaments, and, holy cow, pickleball, crashed the CSA gates in an apparent attempt to steal all of the tennis courts. The old guard tennis players negotiated the striping of the Crystal Lake courts, but held off the paddle-carrying horde to prevent them from storming the Woods courts. Even Steve Shreiner embraced the newcomers. Eventually, so did I. 

2023 saw the upper Woods courts resurfaced at a serious price. The Budget Committee and the Board of Trustees came up with the dough to get it done, with the proviso that we might be coming back in 2024 for the lower courts. We did, and they found the funding. 

In 2024 Steve took one step back, buying some time to spend with his family. He and Jen handled three days a week, and Polly Mauer and Dave Tull, both previous directors, came forward to co-host the other two days of the week. It was a knock-out combination, with all four individuals bringing their own unique styles to the role of instructor. 

A backstory. Steve ran the CSA program for five years back in the 1980’s. Hundreds of CSA kids can attest to the fact that his bark was perhaps even louder back then.

Another. Steve evidently lost his mind sometime later during the 1980’s and went to work at Crystal Downs. He never relinquished his CSA ties, however, and each year assembled tournaments between CSAers and Downies on the clay courts. Of course, the CSA won most of those contests.

And one more. A review of the Benzie County Sheriff’s Department log from back in the 1960’s revealed that one Stephen Shreiner was detained many times for hanging around tennis courts in the vicinity, trying to hustle unsuspecting tourists into playing tennis for money. He was, however, never convicted.

OK, I made that previous paragraph up. But it was actually probably true, just never recorded.

Polly and Tom Mauer hosted a party for the tennis folks a couple of weeks ago. It was wonderful, time well spent, but Steve was sitting on a secret. The following day he announced his retirement (#2) from the CSA tennis program. 

The program he helped rejuvenate is perhaps even stronger than ever, with Jen and Polly and Dave all indicating that they will be back in 2025. We need a new body or two to make the team that much better, and the CSA staff is working on posting positions for next year. 

On a personal note, the first tennis lesson I ever attended at the CSA was in 2022 when Steve returned to jump-start the program. As a kid I was far more interested in birds and fishing than I was in tennis. As a teen, I was far more interested in fishing and, well, girls and the teen room we had. I describe my tennis game as, “ugly but enthusiastic.” But I have learned a few things these past three years…don’t swing the racket when volleying…don’t get caught in the death zone, three steps inside the baseline…don’t be late for lessons…and, hitting to the middle solves the riddle. 

Thanks again Steve, from all of us.

CSA Youth Citizenship Award 2024 - Sean McCormick
 
The CSA Youth Committee asked our community to nominate someone that they saw and felt was an example of the “CSA Way”. The Citizenship Award seeks to recognize a youth member of the CSA who models our vision by cultivating integrity, fostering responsibility, promoting inclusivity, and building confidence within themselves and others. We received several nominations for wonderful deserving candidates this year, but there was an overwhelming number of votes for this year’s recipient. Some comments made about the character and contributions of this individual are:
 
“He is very enthusiastic, conscientious, and hard-working. His work with the youth, especially the middle schoolers, has been fun and inviting for the kids.”
 Sean McCormick Youth Award 2024Sean McCormick
“…for the past two summers he has worked Maintenance and led evening youth groups…and takes a lot of pride in keeping the CSA grounds in top shape. He takes pride in making sure that our young people feel included and make the kinds of lifelong friendships that he has found at the CSA. I hear him talking to kids all day long, on the beach, or around the grounds, to make sure that they feel invited and welcomed to the evening programs.”
 
“…he has internalized the best of our CSA ideals and strived to help pass those ideals on to the next generation.”
 
“…he has worked hard in two Assembly jobs for two years - Maintenance and Youth. His enthusiasm never waivers even in challenging situations.”
 
“…I really noticed his commitment to serving the Assembly this season. Not only was he on time for maintenance work every morning at 8:00am to blow off the tennis courts and assist with whatever else needed to be done that day, but he was also closing up the CSA every night after being a youth leader! I just found it amazing that as a 17-year-old he took such great pride in working here and caring for the community. As his supervisor on maintenance, I noticed he would never shy away from a task and was very diligent about always asking what he can do next to help out. Another great attribute to his nomination is again, the full spectrum of his work this year at the CSA. The nights of the teen dance he would be working and supervising the dance until at least midnight, and the next morning would be cleaning the bathrooms from the night before - all with a joyous attitude. I just found it amazing that he wanted to do so much this season and was so involved with the youth programming. He’s a great young man and the CSA is very lucky to have such a dedicated guy!”
 
The Congregational Summer Assembly Youth Committee would like to present this year’s Youth Citizenship Award to a very deserving young man, Sean McCormick. We wish to thank him and wish him the best of luck as he starts his freshman year at Georgetown University.

Gibson Speaker Finds the Sacred in Movies

By Fran Somers

Scott MyersScott MyersScott Myers got his start in Hollywood the way it usually only happens in the movies. He graduated from Yale University with a Masters of Divinity, took up songwriting, then met someone who suggested he write a screenplay. On his third try, he sold a script.
 
“It was a little unusual,” he said in a phone conversation from Chicago, where he teaches screenwriting at DePaul University. The script was “K-9,” starring Jim Belushi as a cop whose partner is a smart-alecky narcotics dog. It was comedy-action gold and inspired two more scripts for “Alaska” and “Trojan War.”
 
Myers still writes scripts, but these days he’s also passionate about exploring the connection between movies and religion. “Movies are stories and most of the sacred texts around the world are stories. There’s an overlap there.”
 
It’s that topic that brings him to the CSA, courtesy of the Gibson Lecture Series (funded by donations to the Pilgrim Fund). The title of the Aug. 5-9 event is “The Theology of Cinema.”
 
Myers suggests you can think of going to the movies as a kind of religious experience. The “big-ticket questions” — “Who am I?” “Why am I here? What am I to do with my life?” and “How do I coexist with the impending reality of my death” — are confronted in similar ways in movies and sacred texts, he said.
 
The Spiritual Life Committee is offering movie nights showing three of the films that Myers will discuss. The animated film “Up” will be shown at 7:30pm on Aug. 1 in the Assembly Building. At 8:15pm on Aug. 5, “The Farewell” will be screened. “Nomadland” was shown July 16. Each film ties into a theme:
 
Day 1: The Protagonist’s Journey.
Movie: “Nomadland” (“Barbie” will also be discussed)
 
Day 2: Congregation
Movie: “Up” (“Shakespeare in Love” will also be discussed)
 
Day 3: Faith
Movie: “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” (“Slumdog Millionaire” will also be discussed)
 
Day 4: Conversion
Movie: “The Farewell” (“The Holdovers” will also be discussed)
 
Day 5: Redemption
Movie: “The Shawshank Redemption” (“The Silence of the Lambs” will also be discussed)
 
Myers said the theme of redemption is probably the most powerful. “We see that so often in movies.” He gives the example of “The Shawshank Redemption.” “When Andy escapes and comes through the water, he rips off his prison clothing. That’s a baptismal moment.”
 
Another popular movie theme is “conversion.” “If you look at most movies, they involve a character going through a transformation from an old set of beliefs to a new set of beliefs.”
 
Myers began exploring this topic on his blog, GoIntoTheStory.com, and it is likely to be the subject of his next book. His first book -- “The Protagonist’s Journey: An Introduction to Character-Driven Screenwriting and Storytelling,” published in 2022, was based on popular workshops Myers led with writers of all experience levels.
 
For the record, only one of Myers’ Top 5 favorite films made the cut for the CSA series: “Up.” His other favorites are: “The Apartment,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and “Inside Llewyn Davis.”

Women's Association’s Fundraising Supports the CSA and the Benzie County Community - By Annie Hessler
07/17/2024
 
The Women's Association of the Congregational Summer Assembly (CSA), founded in 1925, supports the broader Benzie County community and the CSA. Through dedicated fundraising efforts, the Association helps fund various programs and special projects that enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors alike. Ann Whelpton, the current chair of the Women's Association, sheds light on the organization's mission, activities, and impact.
 
The Purpose and Structure of the Women's Association
The Women's Association is dedicated to promoting women's and children's social welfare, and intellectual and spiritual and physical well-being of individuals and families within the CSA and its greater community. Operating under its own Board, the Association makes collective independent decisions about funding requests proposed by its members, the CSA Board of Trustees, and other community members.
 
Fundraising Efforts and Community Impact
The Women's Association's primary fundraising event is the annual Arts & Crafts Fair, held annually on the fourth Wednesday of July. This event features artist booths, the cottage treasures sale, a silent auction, and merchandise sales.
 
All events supported by the Women's Association are open to individuals and families of the CSA community, while events such as the Arts & Crafts Fair and the Cottage Treasures Rummage Sale are open to the wider Benzie County community. The success of these fundraising events is critical to the Association's ability to support various programs and projects within the CSA and the larger Benzie County community.
 
"The funds earned at the Art Fair first cover expenses of the fair such as food, publicity, safety, (extra sinks and portable restrooms), and more. Proceeds beyond that then go into the Women's Association account," Whelpton explained. "Last year, we took in $24,000 after expenses, and have given back $22,920 of that to CSA programming for this 2024 summer season. This event, and fundraising, volunteerism and community support is everyone’s work, and it takes a village!”
 
Supporting Local Nonprofits and Community Programs
The Women's Association is committed to supporting both CSA programs and local nonprofits in Benzie County. The Association's funding criteria focus on enhancing education, recreation, health, safety, appreciation for nature, spiritual well-being, community connection, and administrative needs. For many years, the Women's Association has supported numerous organizations within Benzie County, reflecting its commitment to community service and philanthropy.
 
Recent beneficiaries of their funding have included Benzie Area Christian Neighbors (BACN), Benzie Senior Resource Center, Benzie Shores Library, Frankfort Elberta Schools, and Frankfort Area Land Trust.
 
In past years, Cognition Beulah benefitted from an Interactive Science and Discovery Playground, while the Crystal Lake & Watershed Association received funds for a Swimmer's Itch Prevention Program. Other notable contributions include: the Early Childhood Nutrition Program at Grow Benzie, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library providing monthly books to children in Frankfort, the Paul Oliver Healthcare Foundation for pediatric ER supplies, and Philips Baby Pantry for snowsuits. These donations highlight the Women's Association's dedication to addressing diverse needs within the community, ensuring that vital programs and services continue to thrive.
 
"The CSA is a nonprofit organization; It's a summer community. However, the CSA is a part of Benzie County. More people are working remotely, staying longer and becoming more aware of the community and its needs," Whelpton said. “At the end of the day, we are guests here, and we want to be good neighbors and support community needs in the area."
 
Encouraging Involvement and Volunteerism
"The Women's Association and the Board of Trustees at the CSA are about community. It's about belonging to something, connecting, giving, meeting people, and contributing to a community you use, live in, and love." Whelpton said, emphasizing the importance of involvement and volunteerism. For those not yet involved, Whelpton encourages taking the initiative.
 
"The volunteer activities are posted on the whiteboard, website, and Assembly Building. People come and go; some are here all season, for a week, some vacationing, and some retired. It's easy to think that everyone knows each other because many come from generation after generation. However, we always need more volunteers to welcome folks new to the Assembly and to help with community outreach and publicity," Whelpton said.
 
Final Thoughts
The Women's Association exemplifies the spirit of community service both by and for individuals and families of the CSA community. Through its dedicated fundraising efforts, the Association supports various programs and projects benefiting the CSA and the broader Benzie County community.
 
"The positivity of all volunteers who come together for events such as the Art Fair, is amazing. The number of people who come from throughout Benzie County and beyond is fantastic. It gives people a chance to meet one another and see what this special CSA community is all about," Whelpton commented.
By fostering a sense of belonging, connection, and support, the Women's Association and all CSA volunteers continue to significantly impact the quality of life for residents and visitors in Benzie County and at the CSA.

Boys Night Out - By Alan Marble
07/17/2024 
 
In case you missed it, the senior men's doubles final match last Friday was remarkable in many ways. First, four men in their 70’s played nearly 2 ½ hours of breathtaking (literally, I mean), tennis under a warm July sun. My team lost. In full disclosure, since only two teams signed up, the finals also served as quarter-finals and semi-finals. We all survived.
 
During my serve, the other really interesting event occurred. A hen wild turkey made her matronly way by the shuffleboard court, surrounded by her considerable flock of poults, as baby turkeys are called. It was a late brood, the poults still small and quite downy, and they did not stray far from Mom’s side. Many nesting birds will try again, and again, to pull off a nest of young if the earlier nests are destroyed by weather, or devoured by predators. Eventually, the females run out of hormones and leave the season behind. In this case, she had evidently succeeded with her second or third try, with a large brood of perhaps 10 poults. Thankfully this happened while I was supposed to serve, because, had my opponents had the service, they would have quickly recognized my chronic failure of focus when wildlife calls, and punched me in the gut with a body serve. 
Tom turkey peek a booTom turkey peek a boo
A couple of hours later I was driving the dogs to Bellows Beach for a swim, and a smaller bunch of wild turkeys, perhaps 6, made its way across the road with the head-bobbing/velociraptor-like gait that is proof-positive that birds are just highly evolved dinosaurs. All boys, three were big toms with long beards, the others were birds born a year ago, called “jakes,” with their stubby 2-inch-long beards. The swamp quickly swallowed them up despite their gaudy plumage and striking size.

Two years ago, I was driving home from Frankfort on M22 and was just ascending the hill before Crystal Gardens when I noticed a flicker of movement in the scrubby pines on the right side of the road. I put on the brakes and came to a dead stop, much to the displeasure of the driver of the vehicle behind me. He leaned on the horn, just as a large velvet-antlered buck stepped out on the road and, without looking in my direction, walked across the highway. Honk! And a second buck stepped out and moseyed across the road. Honk! Honk! Buck number 3 followed suit, followed quickly by buck number 4. I waited another moment and then resumed my drive home, resisting the temptation to step out of the truck and tell the other driver that he need not thank me for saving him a wrecker bill and an insurance claim.
 
What gives? In many species of animals and birds, the sexes rarely hang-out together. If you drive Grace Road on a summer night and toss the beam of your headlights into a field full of reflective eyes, they will either be all does and this-year’s fawns, or they will all be adult bucks. Period. If you spot a conga-line of turkeys crossing the road in December and you just get your binoculars up as the last one steps out on the gravel, and it is a tom, you can be assured that all of the rest were boys, heading for a masculine night of, well, whatever tom turkeys do while roosting in trees, high above the ground in the dark.
 
The large cohort of deer which moves through Crystalia in summer is entirely comprised of does and this-year’s fawns. It is a sizable bunch - I’ve counted as many as 14 at a time as they high-tail it up the forested dunes, stopping halfway up to check the backtrail. If you see a large, solitary deer, check out its head to see if it is sprouting this fall’s antlers. Look closely and you will spot the beginnings of a rack.
 
A sow raccoon with her chittering kits will have nothing to do with a big boar raccoon, despite the possibility that he was the dad. Same holds true for black bears, even more so with grizzlies and brown bears since those males have a penchant for eating cubs if the opportunity presents itself.
 
There are two seasons which serve as a melting pot for the sexes. First and foremost is the breeding season. Spring for turkeys and all other birds and fall for white-tailed deer. Even then, the contact between the sexes is usually fleeting. A buck will stalk a doe to determine if she is receptive to his advances. Whether she nods her head or bolts from the scene, the buck will usually resume his bachelor status until the hormonal drive of the rut stirs him up again.

Tom turkeys like to gather a harem, spending mornings and nights with them in their roosts. By mid-morning, however, the hens have had enough of the boys' shenanigans and wander off, together, to feather their nests or enjoy a peaceful moment of gobbling grasshoppers.
 
The other factor that brings males and females together is the northern winter (or at least the winters we used to have). In a heavy winter, with extreme cold and deep snow, deer will gather in large homogenous groups in forests of pine, cedar and hemlocks to forage for food, stamp down the snow and feel the relief of even a few degrees warmer air under the umbrella of branches. Turkeys assemble in similar flocks and seek out agricultural fields and wooded areas with a heavy crop of fallen acorns and beech nuts to scratch down in the snow with their formidable feet and claws.
 
The ebb and flow of nature, honed over thousands of years, immutable and predictable…until it isn’t!

Summer Music Concerts 2024 - The Congregational Summer Assembly (CSA) will host four concerts this summer at 2128 Pilgrim Highway in Frankfort. The public is welcome and there is free admission.
NewThirdCoastNew Third Coast
 
This year, the Dutton Concert will feature the New Third Coast (N3C) on Saturday, July 13 from 6:30-8:00 pm. The trio features Patrick Niemisto, John Kumjian and Bryan Poirier. Both Niemisto and Kumjian are retired music faculty at Glen Lake Community Schools. Poirier is the owner of 3rd Coast Financial in Traverse City, and also plays with the Jameson Brothers outside of N3C.
 
“The New Third Coast is an excellent power folk trio that will bring a variety of instruments and sing great three-part harmonies,” CSA Choir Director Ken Cox said. The concert will be held on the CSA ballfield and attendees are encouraged to bring towels, chairs, and an evening picnic. Please note that alcohol is prohibited on CSA property. Bring your whole family to this casual-in-the-extreme time together! There will be dancing, singing along, and limerick writing happening along with tunes from the 60’s to the present day. The road in front of the Assembly Building will be blocked off.
 
CSA Choir Concert - Special Event
 
On Friday, July 26 at 7:30 pm, the CSA choir will give a special concert at the Congregational Summer Assembly Meeting House. The choir will perform some of their most popular pieces, such as “When the Saints Go Marching In” and “His Eye in On the Sparrow,” but won’t include any songs recorded in their last concert held in summer of 2000. Due to the audio recording, the choir is asking that no small children or animals attend to avoid any noise in the background.
 
 Kodak QuartetKodak Quartet
 
 On Saturday, July 27 at 7:30pm, pianist Dr. Hyemin Kim and the Kodak Quartet will perform the Burrows-Getz Concert at the Congregational Summer Assembly Meeting House. Dr. Kim serves as Collaborative Piano Faculty and teaches secondary piano lessons at Interlochen Arts Academy. Kodak has performed with multiple Grammy-winning artists and currently serves as the Cuker and Stern Resident String Quartet at the Mannes School of Music in New York.
 
 
Katherine BarbourKatherine BarbourThe final concert of the season will feature lifelong CSA member Katherine Barbour on August 3 at 7:30pm in the Meeting House, for the annual Armstrong Concert. She will perform a full-length vocal recital and will be joined on the piano by Assistant Conductor of the Apollo Chorus of Chicago, Cody Michael Bradley.

Katherine Barbour is a soprano pursuing a Music Masters in Vocal Performance at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where she is in the voice studio of Deanne Meek and will be in Carol Van Ness’ Opera Workshop this fall. She began her vocal studies in Wilton, Connecticut with Michele McBride, former principal artist of New York City Opera, and continued with Carolyn Sani Redman at Denison University.

In July, Katherine was Konigen (Queen of the Night) in “Die Zauberflote” with Lyric Studio Opera Weimar, a young artist program in Germany. She previously performed as Papagena and Knabe in Weimar summer of 2023. In addition, she has had roles in “Dido and Aeneas,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “Suor Angelica” and Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Pirates of Penzance.” As a soloist she has performed in Schubert’s “Mass in G”, Vivaldi’s “Gloria” and Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols.” She participated in Opera Lucca and Westminster Choir College Summer in Florence in 2019. She was most recently seen on the CSA stage as Belle in the 2022 adult operetta “Beauty and the Beast.”
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