Regarding the last post about the end of the line for the 219 Prospect St building...  Doesn't look like that will be happening any time real soon.  After 5 months and $3500 in legal fees, the title has been cleared, but in the meantime I just could not come up with a alternative plan for all the stuff I have in that building.

219 Prospect, Alma, Michigan

For the last couple months I've been negotiating with the credit union next door to me on Prospect St; they want to buy my building to demolish it as part of their expansion project this year.  The building has certainly gone through a lot of changes over the years!  The abstract documents that the property was deeded to Ralph Ely in 1855. At the time the settlement that would become known as Alma was called Elyton.  It is my understanding that the old wood frame house that is still part of the structure was built by the controller of the Republic Truck Plant. Republic built something like 80% of the trucks used by the US in WWI.  I bought the building in 1972 from Opal and Ed Waber. By the mid 1970s I took off the top of the house and covered the house and attached concrete block garage (the section with the large windows) with end-support trusses and one large roof.   The complex is currently about 4000 sq feet.  The photo here was taken shortly after the new roof was put on in the 1970s; that is my first brand new car, a Chevy Vega ($2,900 sticker price) and my loyal tri-color collie Stormy. We were still living in the house portion at this time.  The first business was Cook Christian Supplies, a Christian Bookstore that sold a few musical instruments. Out of that grew Cook's Music. Eventually the business grew until there were Cook's Music locations in Alma, Mt Pleasant, and Midland, and Cook Christian Supplies stores in Alma and Mt Pleasant.  Currently the building houses Rebeats.  Where will Rebeats go?  Probably the core operations will be moved to my residence, the "Bahlke House," a historic site mentioned in another blog entry. The third floor is currently unoccupied except when Will is home on vacation; I may have to reduce his living area from the entire third floor to one bedroom.  
The transaction has been delayed because the deed was never properly recorded in my name. Shortly after selling me the business, the Wabers moved to California.  The 15 year land contract was paid off in 1987. In 1993 both Opal and Ed Waber were killed in a car crash in California. Their only daughter, Janet, and her husband John Hopkins died in 2008 and 2004 respectively.  We have started a "Quiet Title Action" to straighten out the title.

Sister Connie Jo

Thanks to everyone who reached out to the family as we dealt with the loss of Connie. The funeral at Peace Lutheran in Alma Tuesday was well attended; lots of church friends, former neighbors, relatives, etc. Connie has been laid to rest in Riverside Cemetery in Alma alongside our parents.

I've never been much of a fan of the whole process of having the mortician work at making the person look good. It really was wondrous in this case, though. Connie looked better than she has in years. The really remarkable thing to me is that the expression on her face had gradually gone from confusion and bewilderment over the last couple years to discomfort and pain last week- the expression on her face in the casket clearly showed her at peace and relaxed... anyone who knew her journey of the last few years commented on this. Our niece Heather from Atlanta and nephew Sean from Chicago made it back, and we had cousins from Ann Arbor and Denver make the trek. Thanks to all of you!

Sister Connie Jo

The story I heard my Dad tell many times was that when Connie was born, the Doctor was delayed in getting to the hospital. When reached by phone, he made it clear the nurses were to delay the birth until he arrived. They took some rather extreme measures, such as laying across Mom's legs. Connie was oxygen-deprived at birth, and Dad always felt it led to her later health problems.
People who did not know her as a youngster may be surprised to hear that she was a "normal" kid. She was healthy, active, interested in others, passionate about hobbies, pets, and friends. She had a great gift of memory; we all depended on her to remind us of birthdays, give us any phone number we could ask for, keep us all on schedule with school, meetings, work schedules, etc. For a number of years Connie endured the relentless teasing of two brothers and had to share a room with an older sister. In spite of that she was probably the most consistently cheerful of the group, adding an important dynamic to our family.
As she grew into adulthood, Connie slowed down. It was as if she had gradually become developmentally disabled. Tests revealed a hydrocephalic condition, and a shunt was installed to reduce the fluid pressure on her brain. Her condition gradually declined over many years, until finally we helped her move to the Laurels of Mt Pleasant. Several years ago as Connie's cognitive and motor skills were declining, a new brain scan showed significant loss of brain tissue.
In recent weeks Connie had been hospitalized for bronchial and urinary tract infections. The Doctor believes that she suffered first a slight heart attack and then, a couple weeks later, a small stroke. She was no longer able to communicate.
Connie rarely complained about her situation, or about anything for that matter. She continued, until her passing at 63, to inspire us with her attitude. We will miss her.

UK Drum Fair

Jeez- where did the year go? I must be the worst blogger ever, with no entries since 2010. My wife Maria has a brain tumor removed in January, has recovered nicely. The 2011 Chicago Drum Show went well and I'm now making final preparations for a new second annual show, the Chicago Musical Instrument Show, set for November 19&20.
The 2011 UK Drum Fair was held Sep 24&25 in Birmingham, England and I found it well worth the trip. If any of you have been considering a visit to this show, next year would be a good time to go; it will be their 10th Annual show with many special guests and events.
I spent a night with Nick Ormrod (Covent Garden Orchestra percussionist, Sabian endorser) and his lovely wife Mary in London on the way to the show and again on the way back. I always learn a lot about the percussion industry when I speak to Nick and I'm pleased to announce that Nick and Mary will be coming to the Chicago Drum Show in 2012.
Winnie Mensink from Amsterdam set up in the space next to mine at the UK Fair and supplemented my meager book inventory with his stock. Thanks, Winnie! The show traffic was good, there were sizable crowds both days. For me, this show is all about networking. It seems that I spend nearly all my time there in very interesting conversations about book projects, drum shows, new and vintage equipment, and percussion history. It was especially nice this year to visit with Bob Henrit (Kinks), Carl Palmer, and Geoff Nicholls. My vote for the favorite new product goes to the remarkable new drum throne at the Silverstone display. This is a high-end throne custom-upholstered in fine leather- check their site at www.drumthrones.co.uk. I hope to be back in 2012 for the anniversary show!

Another historic day at Ford Field

The last game of 2010 for the Lions and the Vikings was Brett Farve's last game as an NFL player. He didn't dress for the game, still injured. His helmet did come to the field and we tested the coach-QB communications in it; I'm shown here holding Brett's helmet at the Telex rack.

Football, football, more football....

Since 1997, I've been working as a subcontractor for Simoni Systems, an audio contractor, doing the visiting coach's headsets for Detroit Lions games. The first few years were at the Pontiac Silverdome using a system that involved long cables for each coach. We are now on a second-generation wireless system, and the games are played at Ford Field. I also do occasional college games that are played there, and this year I did the mixing for two days of high school championship games. My position on NFL days has been refined by the NFL the last few years as they have become more sensitive to technological issues. I am the "VST" or Visitor's Sideline Technician. I am stationed at the Telex intercom rack on the sideline and wear a yellow hat so the coaches can find me quickly if there is a problem. I am not allowed to have any other duties on game days, have had background checks as well as factory training on the Telex wireless systems. On weeks when there is a home game, I receive the headset diagram and electronic files from the visiting team 5 days before the game. I burn the electronic files to an SD card that is used to configure the wireless transeivers in the Telex rack. The coach-to-quarterback and coach-to-defensive-captain communications start with my Telex gear, are sent to Motorola radios attached to my rack, transmitted upstairs to a repeater, then re-transmitted to the helmets. There is a cutoff switch on the repeater to prevent coach-to-player communications except when allowed by rules. All radio transmissions are encrypted, so even if unauthorized personnel had the frequencies, they would be unable to understand the messages. There are numerous other security safeguards including periodic sweeps for bugging devices by FBI agents.
Monday, December 13th, 2010, was one of the most memorable football games played at Ford Field. The New York Giants had been scheduled to play the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis on Sunday the 9th. The Giants left New York, but a winter storm kept them from reaching their destination and they only made it as far as Kansas City. The game was rescheduled for Monday. While they were working on their travel dilemma Sunday morning, word came through that the Minneapolis Metrodome roof had collapsed under the weight of the heavy snow. By noon Sunday the decision had been made that the game would be played at Ford Field. An unbelievable number of logistical challenges were overcome jointly by the Giants, the Vikings, Lions staff, and Ford Field staff, and over 45,000 people were in the seats for the kickoff Monday night. The Vikings did their best to make it a home game; painting their logo on the field and in the end zones, bringing their home production crew and announcers, even their cheerleaders. I worked both with the Giants headset tech and my old friend Gary Bosiacki, the Vikings tech who worked for Telex for many years when I was a Telex dealer as Cook's Music. The most memorable thing about this game was what did NOT happen- Brett Farve did not start the game for the first time since he started his career in 1992. A copy of the "inactive" roster (an original is going to Canton for the Hall of Fame display on Farve) released at game time is posted with the photos here:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6450458&id=689831554#!/album.php?aid=261676&id=689831554
Think about that for a second. Brett Farve started his chain of consecutive NFL starts 5 years before I started working NFL games and I am now in my 14th year. I once read a quote by an NFL player who compared play to walking onto a highway full of speeding volkswagens. For the most part, these guys are not only BIG (many are 6'5", 275 lbs and bigger) but also armored and it is incredible how fast they can move. Many quarterbacks who starred in college never make it in the pros. Very few actually can claim to have had a successful career of 5-10 years. I doubt that very many of Farve's records will ever be broken and I'm grateful to have spent time on the sidelines so close to him.