The Sun and News

Your Hometown Newspaper Serving Middleville and Caledonia Areas

No. 23/June 4, 2022 Published by J-Ad Graphics, Inc. • 1351 N. M-43 Highway, Hastings, MI 49058 144th year

VanderVelde named Caledonia Hometown Hero

Greg Chandler
Staff Writer
Jodi VanderVelde said she
is grateful to live in Caledonia.
“I’ve been blessed to live
in a community that has sup-
ported me and my family for
the past 50 years,” she said.
VanderVelde, 44, and her
family are fixtures in the
community. Since 1972, her
family has owned The
Caledonia Family Tavern on
Main Street.
Not only has VanderVelde
built a successful business,
“she is also a generous spon-
sor of many local organiza-
tions and events,” Caledonia
Township Supervisor Bryan
Harrison said.
For her involvement in the
business community and sup-
port of many worthwhile
causes, VanderVelde has
been named Caledonia’s 2022
Hometown Hero. The
announcement came at
Wednesday night’s township
board meeting. VanderVelde
will ride in the Caledonia
Independence Day parade
July 2 and will receive a
plaque for her recognition.
“When you think of what
makes Caledonia a special
place, one of the first things
that come to mind is the local-
ly owned businesses. For over
50 years a mainstay on Main
Street has been the Caledonia

Family Tavern,” Harrison

wrote in nominating

VanderVelde for the

Hometown Hero honor.

A 1995 Caledonia graduate

who was a three-sport athlete

in high school, VanderVelde

said she is thankful for the

many people she has met over

the years – customers,

employees and more – who

have enriched her life.

“They come in the tavern

sometimes as a customer, and

after a few visits, they end up

being our friends,” she said.

“We do embrace the whole

‘family feel.’ That’s the best

part of being in a small town.”

Her parents, Neil and Linda

VanderVelde, and grandpar-

ents Jerry and Mandy

VanderVelde started the

Family Tavern in 1972. Jodi

had two brothers, one of

which is a twin.

“I’ve literally seen genera-

tions of families [come into

the business]. I still have peo-

ple that come in and say, ‘I

remember you and your

brother running around here

at 4 or 5 years old,’ so that’s

kind of neat – people that

know my parents still come in

ask about them, and my

grandparents, too,” she said.

There have been hard times

along the way. In 1975, an

electrical fire destroyed the

tavern.

“There used to be apart-

ments up top,” she said.

“That’s where my parents

lived with my grandparents,”

she said.

But Neil and Linda

VanderVelde were undaunted

by the adversity from the fire.

They rebuilt the tavern, and it

became a central focus of the

community.

In 2012, Jodi VanderVelde

took over ownership of the

tavern. Since then, she has

added live music, comedy

shows and even a street party

to the tavern’s offerings.

But VanderVelde has gone

above and beyond to help

those in the community deal-

ing with challenging situa-

tions. She has hosted multiple

benefits to help local resi-

dents raise funds to deal with

various challenges. She has

raised more than $100,

through those benefit events.

Family Tavern also sup-

ports Caledonia youth sports

teams, Mackenzie’s Animal

Sanctuary, Michigan Special

Olympics and local veterans

programs. The business also

has sponsored the Reiffer Run

IN THIS ISSUE...IN THIS ISSUE...

• Thornapple Kellogg Odyssey
  teams place at world finals


• Taxpayers in Caledonia
  will get a break this year


• Middleville tree of life sculpture
  honors late teacher


• Memorial Day events mark
  area’s solemn observance


• Caledonia boys track team wins
  runner-up trophy at MITCA Finals

ARPA fund forum in Gaines June 8

James Gemmell
Contributing Writer
The Kent County Board of
Commissioners is seeking
public input to help identify
priorities for spending some
of the $127.6 million the
county has been allocated in
federal stimulus funding.
The county board is host-
ing three community meet-
ings on county American
Rescue Plan Act funding in
early June in the northern,
southern and middle portions
of the county. One of them
will be Wednesday, June 8 at
the Gaines Charter Township
Hall, 8555 Kalamazoo Ave.
SE.
“Gaines is fortunate to be
one of three meeting locations
where the public can pass on
their comments to the coun-
ty,” Township Manager
Jonathan Seyferth said.
“We’re always happy to host
and partner with the county
whenever possible.”
The first forum was June 2
at the Kent County Health
Department, 700 Fuller Ave.
NE in Grand Rapids. The
second will take place June 6

at the Rockford High School

Creative Teaching & Learning

Center, 4100 Kroes St. NE.

The meeting at the health

department will be lives-

treamed on the county’s

Facebook page: facebook.

com/KentCountyMI

These forums will run from

6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. County

Administrator Al Vanderberg

told the Sun and News.

County Board of

Commissioners Chairman

Stan Stek will be at each of

the forums.

“What we’re seeking is

ideas and proposals for trans-

formational spending,”

Vanderberg said. “We are

open to hearing ideas for

transformational projects that

local units of government

could receive allocations for.

Or partnerships. For example,

one of the priorities for the

Board of Commissioners will

be trying to get broadband

internet extended to as much

of the county as possible.

“That’s a case where the

county could take some of its

ARPA dollars, a city or town-

ship could take some of their

ARPA dollars, and maybe

throw in a match from the

state and the provider. And

perhaps we get four partners

that pay 25 percent of the cost

of extending broadband in

that jurisdiction.”

Vanderberg said that would

be transformational, given

how many schoolkids could

not participate in online class-

es from home during the pan-

demic because they did not

have access to high-speed

internet. Or adults who cannot

work remotely from home on

their computers.

“You think of all the tele-

medicine that’s going on right

now. I mean, that would be

transformational if people

across Kent County all had

access to affordable high-

speed broadband,”

Vanderberg said.

All municipalities across

the country were allocated

funds through the American

Rescue Plan Act that was

signed into law in March

2021. Each municipality was
      targeted to receive a specified
      amount of ARPA funding
      based on their respective pop-

ulation sizes, as determined

by 2020 U.S. Census esti-

mates. The first half of the

funding from the U.S.

Treasury Department was

deposited into local govern-

ment bank accounts last year.

The second half will be

deposited this year.

Vanderberg said the county

was expecting to receive its

second installment of $63.

million in late May. Gaines

Township was awarded about

$2.7 million and is scheduled

to soon receive its second

deposit of about $1.35 million

after receiving the first install-

ment late last year.

County ARPA funding is

separate from township

ARPA funding, but the coun-

ty and local governmental

units can pool their stimulus

money on joint project. In that

regard, the timing of the

county ARPA forum in

Gaines is good for township

officials. They recently began

holding open houses to solicit

public input on a new town-

ship master plan that will be

Caledonia Family Tavern owner Jodi VanderVelde

has been named Caledonia’s Hometown Hero for her

community involvement. (Photo provided)

A day to pay tribute

Greg Chandler

Staff Writer

Hundreds lined Main

Street in downtown

Middleville Monday for the

village’s annual Memorial

Day parade, and most of the

attendees headed over to Mt.

Hope Cemetery afterward for

ceremonies honoring those

who gave their lives in

defense of their country.

“Memorial Day is not

about picnics and parades,

although there is nothing

wrong with enjoying and cel-

ebrating our American way of

life,” said Jerry Welsh, who is

Middleville’s honored veter-

an for this year.

“Memorial Day is about

gratitude and remembrance. It

is about honoring the men and

women who made it possible

for us to gather here today in

peace. The reason that there is

a Memorial Day, the reason

that we are gathered here, is to

remember those who made

our way of life possible. They

are truly the guardians of our

freedom.”

Welsh, who was the key-

note speaker at the ceremony,

shared the story of the 13

American troops who died

last year during an effort to

evacuate civilians out of

Afghanistan. Welsh read the

names of each service mem-

ber who perished.

“For those who knew

them, they are forever young,”

he said. “They came from

every background, yet they

shared a common goal: to

serve America and to make

life better for others.”

The Middleville Memorial Day honored veteran,

retired United States Air Force Sgt. Jerry Welsh, and

his wife Sheryl Welsh, look on from atop a vehicle in

the annual Middleville Memorial Day Parade on

Main Street Monday. (Photo by Brett Bremer)

See ARPA, page 5

See PARADE, page 2

See HERO, page 7