VETS, Inc. announces bowling leagues and open season
GAYLORD — Veterans Education, Training and Support, Inc. (VETS Inc.), a nonprofit Michigan Corporation, opened Sept. 1, at the Gaylord Bowling Center, 1200 Gornick Ave., for full-time bowling leagues and open bowling season.
VETS, Inc. of Northern Michigan purchased the bowling center in August to ensure the Gaylord community would continue to have a fun, enjoyable bowling center for recreation and entertainment and also for the purpose of using the business as a job and career training center for veterans and disadvantaged members of the community. VETS will be working with colleges, universities and state agencies to make the Gaylord Bowling Center a qualified business for internships and apprenticeships and an on-the-job training site for veterans.
On Aug. 26, scores of volunteers from the community, from the bowling association and from veterans organizations turned out to help VETS Inc. clean up and make sure the bowling center was ready for a fun-filled bowling season.
Local bowling association members Heather Oldenburg and her son, Erik, Rob March and Michael McDougall, bowling center chief of maintenance, helped all day and made a huge difference with their knowledge of the history of the Bowling Center. Mark Sorenson, Adam Jacobowski, Cheryl Collins, Mike Thompson and Robert French from local veterans' organization Gaylord Team Red, White and Blue along with Tabitha Beach and Ben Ferguson from the Northern Michigan Veterans Chapter of 22 to 0 and dozens of members from Gaylord VFW Post 1518 and the VFW Auxiliary all provided vital assistance in painting and cleaning.
Bowling league action started on Sept. 5, and while there will continue to be improvements made to the bowling center, it is open every day from 9 a.m. to midnight for fun, food and beverages. The members of VETS, Inc. and all who served on active duty in the military and represent every branch are grateful for their support.
North named Senior Master Technician from Ford
• Joe North, a technician at Bill Marsh Ford in Gaylord, received the designation of Senior Master Technician from Ford Motor Company. He was recently honored for achieving the highest level of training in the company.
Less than 10 percent of Ford automotive technicians achieve the level of Senior Master Tech. The designation requires more than 500 hours of training and at least five years of experience. The training includes everything from basic theory of car operations to advance work on diesels.
North has over 20 years of experience working on Ford vehicles. He becomes the third technician at Bill Marsh Ford in Gaylord to achieve the designation.
A representative from Ford, Steve Jones, presented a plaque recognizing the achievement to North. North was applauded by the Bill Marsh staff when he received the award but took it all in stride.
“I just look at the car in front of me and try to fix it,” North said.
“Joe has a history of always working hard to treat the customers right,” said Jamie Marsh, who helped present the award. “It’s great when a technician gets recognized for all the hard work that goes on behind the scene.”
Pet appreciation weekend ahead
• If your backyard is home to a pet pig, dog, cat or goat, mark your calendar for Gaylord Tractor Supply's Pet Appreciation Week Sept. 13-17. On Saturday, Sept. 16, Tractor Supply, 1286 Otsego Ave., will host a community event featuring pet adoptions, demonstrations on pet nutrition and a free Greenies dental dog treat for customers while supplies last.
“Pet Appreciation Week is our time to meet and celebrate every pet you could imagine finding out here,” said Brian Beckley, manager of the Gaylord Tractor Supply. “We look forward to greeting your family pets at the store. And, on Saturday, we hope to help some families take home an adoptable animal from one of our community rescues.”
Pet Appreciation Week, the retailer’s biggest pet food and supply sale of the year, will kick off with a pet supply drive to support local pet and animal groups that partner with the store. From Sept. 13-17, customers can drop off new, sealed food, toys, cleaning supplies and other essential pet accessories such as beds, scratching posts, leashes and bowls to be donated to local rescues and shelters.
“Our local, animal rescues are most successful when the community rallies behind them and this year we have the ability to make a major impact,” Beckley said. “After all, Pet Appreciation Week is about celebrating all of our community’s pets and animals, and that includes the ones living in our local shelters.”
Pet Appreciation Week, an annual celebration of animals and the families who care for them, is open to the public and leashed pets.
For more information on the week’s events or to participate, contact the Gaylord store at (989) 705-1256. For expert advice on raising pets and other animals, visit http://ift.tt/1U2Uiu4. To receive deals and rewards on pet and livestock products, sign up for the Tractor Supply Neighbor’s Club at NeighborsClub.com.
