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.

 

 

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 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 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.

Please let friends and families of people who will be at Crystal know -- we have a particular interest in reaching out to younger generations. If they can’t attend, we are always happy to schedule a time to talk/zoom.

 

• Experience key mindfulness steps: 1) paying attention; 2) on purpose; 3) to the present moment; and 4) without judgement (the gentle and loving part).

• Introduces and explores each of eight senses individually and in tandem.

• Learn how compassion-turned-inward may support us in our daily functioning and in moments of discomfort.

• Meet at the Arcadia St. Pierre Trailhead. Take a slow, deliberate walk in nature, using your senses to foster a deep connection with the environment.

• Experience deep relaxation, reduced stress, and improved self-awareness through body scanning. Plus, the interconnectedness of people, animals, plants, and the environment.

1. Use QR Code below or go to www.stillnessandstrengthyoga.com
2. Click on Class Schedules & Descriptions. Select “Register” under CSA Mindfulness Series
3. Complete the information. Select the CSA Session you wish to attend. Sign a simple waiver required by instructor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 See the Mindfulness Program Flyer for more information on the classes. Reach out to Beth Wolszon at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you need further details.

Spotlight on Committees: Tennis Committee
By Ginanne Brownell

 

If the expression “down the middle solves the riddle” rings a bell, it’s pretty likely that you or someone in your family have taken part in a Steve Shreiner-led CSA tennis lesson at some point in your summer. Steve is known for his great expressions—and booming voice—and has helped to really shape the tennis program over the last few years.

That shaping up has been helped in large part by the very active tennis committee, which is co-chaired by brothers-in-law Alan Marble and Dennis Nahnsen. The two men –who are both known to take part in CSA adult lessons—took over the roles about eight years ago. Though there had been a tennis committee before that—with Alan estimating it probably started back in the 1990s— it had not been very active for a number of years.

The tennis program at CSA has grown in leaps and bounds over the last few years. For example, in 2022 the week of July 18th saw a whopping 576 adults and children participate in tennis lessons throughout the week, while this year the top week of July 10th saw 435 participate (some of these numbers include repeat “satisfied customers.”)

Two years ago, the tennis committee added pickleball to the summer roster. Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the country, and it has certainly become popular at the Assembly. This past July the first Pickleball Festival was held with over 50 participants.

The CSA Tennis Committee is responsible for the administration of all tennis activities that take place in the CSA. Its duties include creating and implementing the rules and requirements for all tennis activities and court usage on the grounds of the CSA, working with the Managing Director of the CSA to hire the tennis staff, and helping to organize and oversee two week-long tennis tournaments in July and August.

Alan Marble, Tennis Committee Cochair, is pictured on right after the Senior Men’s Doubles Final match in the August 2023 tournament.Steve, of course, ran the CSA tennis program for years and, lucky for us, he came back two years ago. “Denny approached Steve in January of 2022 and he expressed a sincere desire to run the CSA program once again,” said Alan Marble. “We cobbled together an aggressive budget proposal, got the support of the Board of Trustees and the new (amazing) managing director, and the program set records for attendance in 2022. We asked for an additional $6K for the 2023 budget, all towards salaries, and we got it.”

He added that the committee has worked hard to obtain new equipment including courtside benches and tournament scorecards, as well as developing a new program for monitoring tournament play with volunteers to ensure consistency and reporting of scores and to monitor sportsmanship. Two of the Woods courts were resurfaced last winter, and the other two will be redone for the 2024 season.

Alan says that the committee has been pleased with not only Steve coming back to help run the program but also the results, including the numbers of those signing up for the July and August tournaments as well as the weekly tennis classes. The success of the tennis program is, says Alan, “of great pride to the committee.” And for all those who love tennis, the program has become one of the highlights of summer at the CSA.