The Sun and News, Saturday, April 3, 2021/ Page 5You are a living room
community, you are a dining
room community, you are a
home office community, and
you are absolutely a backyard
community,” Muldrow said.
“Those attributes and those
different facets of your story
are extremely important for
us to build into this overall
story that we’re trying to tell
for Middleville.”
While the stagecoach
itself is not included in the
new brand, that image was
influential.
“When I say it is cast in
metal, it is cast in metal. It is
in the supports of your
benches, it is in signage, it is
everywhere,” Muldrow said.
“The idea that we would be
replacing that just makes no
sense. You can’t justify it.”
The stagecoach was
included in a number of
secondary designs that were
presented, such as a potential
village seal that looks similar
to a door badge that might
have been found on a
stagecoach.
Muldrow used the
imagery of hub and spokes of
the wagon wheel to appeal to
the sense of community.
“You love being small.
You love knowing one
another,” Muldrow said.
“You also love helping one
another, and this idea of
community and teamwork,
everybody being in it
together. I cannot tell you
how many times in both the
focus groups and the survey,
people were so quick to say
‘in Middleville, if you are inneed, the community comes
to your help. We are here for
you.’ We heard story after
story of that.”
The DDA portion of the
new branding seeks to
promote downtown as “in
the middle of the action.”
“I wanted to highlight the
organization side of the
DDA. I wanted the DDA to
be seen as this engine for
vibrancy,” Muldrow said.
“This is the group that is
helping the wheels to turn
and helping things to move
forward, and this is a way
that you can get involved,
making the community
cool.”
The new branding can
incorporate community
events such as the Riverbank
Music Series, Heritage Days
and the Middleville Market,
Muldrow said.
“Through your colors,
through your typefaces and
this generalized approach to
design, you can create these
components that feel like
they are coming from the
same family, while still being
able to capture some of the
individual personalities of
the events,” he said.
During Tuesday’s public
input workshop, several
residents spoke of the small-
town feel as a key theme in
developing the new brand.
“When you think about
community and you think
about family and you take a
look at why people are
moving here, it ceases to
become the middle of
nowhere and it becomes themiddle of everything,”
village council Trustee Kevin
Smith said. “It’s family,
community, great schools,
quaint businesses.”
Smith spoke of the many
family-oriented activities
that go on in the village
during the summer, such as
the Riverbank Music Series
and the Middleville Market.
Rhonda Van Polen, who
was hired as deputy clerk by
the village last year, spoke
about the activity in thedowntown area.
“I can look outside from
where I sit at my desk, and
there is always something
happening, whether it’s little
kids that are skateboarding
and they shouldn’t be, or
somebody shoveling the
walk across the street,” Van
Polen said. “I’m so excited to
see a store going in across
the street [in the Lofts of
Middleville building]. If I
walk across the street to get
lunch, I meet somebody onthe road. There is always
something happening.”
A steering committee
consisting of Rayl, DDA
Director Katherine Schmidt
and members of the DDA’s
promotions committee plan
to review the
recommendations from
Muldrow. The village council
could vote by the end of the
month on whether to adopt
the new branding, Rayl said.Sunday Services:
9:30 AM – Worship
11:00 AM – Sunday School
6:00 PM – Adult Bible Study
6:00 PM – Student Ministries
Dr. Brian F. Harrison, PastorOur mission is to worship God and equip
committed followers of Jesus Christ who will
reach our community with the Gospel7240 68th Street SE
Caledonia, MI 49316
616-698-
http://www.alaskabaptist.orgCALEDONIA:
9185 Cherry Valley Ave SEMIDDLEVILLE:
1664 M-LEARN MORE!
thejchurch.com
616-217-
@thejchurchONE CHURCH - TWO LOCATIONSChurch ad_B&W_2.5 X 2_072320.indd 1 7/23/2020 4:16:21 PM
Worship Services:
10:00 AMPastor Tony ShumakerPastor Greg Cooper
In Person Family Service 10 am • Come as you are!
Online Facebook and You Tube 10:20 am
http://www.brightside.org • 616-891-
8175 Broadmoor – Caledonia
See our website for further information.Yankee Springs Bible Church
8900 Duffy Road
Middleville, MI 49333"Shining Forth God's Light"Sunday Morning Worship ........................10:00 a.m.
Community Group ..................................11:00 a.m.
James L. Collison, Pastor
http://www.yankeespringsbiblechurch.orgGood Shepherd
Lutheran Church
908 W. Main Street, Middleville
(Missouri Synod)
Matins Service (Wednesday)....... 9:00 a.m.
Sunday Worship ................9:30 a.m.
Pastor: Rev. Peter Berg
http://goodshepherdlcms.googlepages.com
Church: (269) 795-SERVICE TIMES:
Sunday at 9:00am and 11:00am
20 State Street, Middleville, MI / http://www.tvcweb.comLocal Church
Directory
Saturday Evening Mass ...................5:00 p.m.
Sunday Masses ...........9:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.MIDDLEVILLE
CHRISTIAN REFORMED
708 W. Main Street
Worship Service ..............10:00 a.m.
“BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
IN MIDDLEVLLE AND BEYOND”
Church – (269) 795-
middlevillecrc.org
facebook.com/middlevillecrc@ St. Paul Lutheran Church
& Preschool
8436 Kraft Ave., Caledonia, MI 49316
Office 616-891-8688 • Preschool (616) 891-
http://www.stpaulcaledonia.orgNOW OPEN TO PUBLIC
Sunday Worship:
8:30 a.m. & 11 a.m.
Fellowship
9:45 to 10:00 a.m.
Sunday School
10 to 10:45 a.m.Whitneyville
Fellowship Church
4935 Whitneyville Ave, between 52nd & 48 th^(^)
Praising God through
Hymns Reading God’s Word Special Music
Worship Services Prayer Meeting & Bible Study
Sunday 10 am & 6 pm Wed nesday 6:30 pm & 7 pm (^)
Pastor Ed Carpenter - 616-868- 0621
Sermons online: WhitneyvilleFellowship.org
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1351 N. M-43 Highway • Phone: (269) 945-9554 • Fax: (269) 945-
News and press releases: [email protected] • Advertising: [email protected]Local students
graduate from
Alma College
The Alma College
Registrar’s Office has released
the names of several local
students who have completed
requirements for their respec-
tive degrees during 2020.
Some students also earned
graduation honors, awarded
in three levels, recognizing
outstanding academic
achievement. The highest
honor, summa cum laude, is
given to students who have
achieved a 3.8 grade point
average; magna cum laude
honors are awarded to stu-
dents with a 3.6 GPA, and
cum laude honors require a
3.4 GPA.
Local students who
received degrees include:
Caledonia – Daniel Lynch,
bachelor of arts degree in
music, cum laude; Cassidy
Sanford, bachelor of arts
degree in theater.
Middleville – George
Murphy, bachelor of arts
degree in economics, cum
laude.
Wayland – Garrett Dill,
bachelor of arts degree in psy-
chology.BRANDING, continued from page 1
Call any time
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Middleville Rotary plans ‘take-away’
chicken dinner fundraiser
With the COVID-
pandemic putting the kibosh
on regular fundraising
activities, the Middleville
Rotary Club is trying another
measure to raise funds for its
activities.The club will provide a
“take-away” chicken dinner
Friday, April 16, from 5 to 7
p.m. at Thornapple Kellogg
Middle School. For a $
ticket, supporters can get a
rotisserie half-chicken, bakedpotato, green beans, roll and
cookie to take home.
Tickets are available
from any member of the
Middleville Rotary and at the
Thornapple Township Hall.