SPY’s Community Newsletter
(1/15/25)
SPY Officer Line-Up For 2025
Here is the 2025 leadership team for the Sunfield Area Sponsors of Programs for Youth (the SPY’s) that were elected at the SPY’s January business meeting:
President Craig Cappon
Vice President Justin “Sam” Coan
Secretary Renee Strimback
Treasurer Shana Cappon
Promotions Director Pete Weller
Membership Director John Fisher
Sgt.-At-Arms Zeke Cappon
Director-At-Large Jeff Gibbs
Wild Game Dinner / Sportsman’s Night Update
The tickets for this year’s event have been printed and are going quickly. If you are interested in going you had better get ahold of Pete Weller ASAP! If you have any questions or need further information about the event give Pete a call at 517-743-1642.
REMEMBER---This year’s SPY’s annual Wild Game Dinner / Sportsman’s Night will be held on Saturday, February 8th at the American Legion Hall in Charlotte.
ALSO---Pete is in need of some helpers on the night of the event. The tasks he needs help with are easy, but extremely important. He needs chip sellers / distributers at the door; tray porters; and other various and sundry helpers. Please give Pete a call if you care to lend a hand at this important and popular fund-raiser. Thank you.
Other Upcoming Events
· The SPY’s annual Euchre Tournament will be held on Saturday March 8th. Details will be coming soon!
· The SPY’s annual No-Tap Bowling Tournament will be held on Saturday March 22nd. Details on this event will be coming soon as well!
Contributions
· Mark Woodman Plumbing & Heating renewed their Corporate Sponsorship for 2025.
· Mark & Shari Woodman also renewed their Platinum Sponsorship for 2025.
· Ron & Marlene McDiarmid renewed their Platinum Sponsorship for 2025.
· The “Cousin Club” made a donation to the Dime Pitch Booth activity.
Looking For A Special Volunteer
The SPY’s are looking for someone to take over the Chairmanship of our Adopt-A-Highway program. The SPY's pick-up trash along M-43 from Round Lake Road on the west side of town to Shaytown Road on the east side of town, three times a year in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Transportation program. What’s involved with being the Chairman of this activity is primarily handling the sign-up sheet and passing out bags to the volunteers the day of the event. If you would like further information please contact Derek Desgranges at 269-838-7686.
Parting Comments
· Deep Thought of the Week: Boren’s First Law: When in doubt, mumble.
· Notable Quote: “He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander.”---Aristotle
· That’s Puny Department: It was a chilly, blustery day as I made my way through the front door of Swede’s Grill looking for some lunch. Once seated and in the process of reviewing the specials board, Chef Robbo emerged from the kitchen and plopped down in the booth across from me. “Fish”, he says, “I’ve got another, ultra special intellectual groaner for you this week.” “It has a special English lilt to it, which is key, and will make even the MENSA’s out there scratch their chins.” “I can hardly wait.” Says I, “But hurry it up. I’m hungry.” “OK, OK. Here goes. What is an ig?” “I responded, “I have no idea what an ig is. Pray tell, what is an ig?” A big grin erupts on the Chef’s puss. “Why Fish, an ig is an Inuit’s house without a toilet.”
· Did You Know Section: There’s a reason we typically receive X-rays only in a medical setting: Without the proper precautions, radiation is extremely dangerous. But for several decades following the discovery of X-rays in 1895, most people didn’t think twice about sticking their feet inside unregulated X-ray machines at the shoe store. Shoe-fitting fluoroscopes, which show moving images in real time, were developed during World War I to examine injured soldiers’ feet without removing their boots. After the war, they were adapted for commercial use to help fit people for shoes, and they became staples at shoe stores in many countries, including the United States.
The machines were tall wooden or metal cabinets with an X-ray tube encased in lead at the base, and an alcove for the customer’s feet just above. When the fluoroscope was turned on, X-ray beams created an image on a fluorescent screen above the feet, which could be viewed through eyepieces on top of the cabinet. The devices were heavily marketed to mothers and children, and some machines had three eyepieces: one for the seller, one for the customer, and one for the parent.
While some experts raised alarms about the potential dangers of the machines in the 1920s and ’30s, the public became more acutely aware of the effects of radiation after World War II. States started regulating and testing shoe-fitting fluoroscopes in the late 1940s. At least one shoe store employee suffered radiation burns on her foot from a leaky machine, and medical experts warned that radiation exposure could damage kids’ growing bones. However, it’s impossible to determine how many people were hurt, since radiation injuries come on slowly and nobody at the time was keeping track of who was using the machines or for how long.
In 1957, Pennsylvania became the first state to ban the shoe-fitting X-rays altogether, and most other states followed suit over the next few years, effectively wiping out their use in the United States.
· Weird But True Department: One of the oddest coincidences ever recorded spans a period of nearly 200 years and involved three ships that sank in the Menai Strait of the coast of Wales. The first vessel went down on December 5, 1664, and of its 81 passengers, only one survived, and he was called Hugh Williams. On December 5, 1785, 121 years later, another ship sank in the Menai Strait, and again, all of the passengers perished except one – named Hugh Williams.
Two ships sinking in the same area on the same day of the month certainly is not earth-shattering, but when each of them have only one survivor of the same name, it gets a little eerie. But the story does not end at that.
On December 5, 1860, yet another ship, a small 25 passenger vessel, sank in the Menai Strait. And once again there was only one survivor – and once again his name was Hugh Williams.
Notices
1. If there is any organization or business out there that has something they would like to advertise or promote, please feel free to submit it to this Newsletter and we will help publicize it. There is no charge. We are glad to provide this means as a public service to help keep the community informed.
2. If you are looking for further information about the SPY’s events---Corporate or Platinum Sponsorship information---scholarship forms---youth sports reimbursement forms---past SPY newsletters---etc.---just go to the SPY website at www.sunfieldareaspys.com.
3. NOTE: If you know of anyone who would like to receive these SPY’s Newsletters, just send me an email at john.sandrafisher@gmail.com with their email address and we will add them to the distribution list
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