Keeping Stearn's Park Beautiful

[XLFD]

Momentum Sensorium

A 'site-specific' dance company out of Chicago was scheduled to go out on the breakwater and perform their craft on the evening of Friday, August 1, 2014.  On their website, the event was broadcast to those interested in their art:

 

"Momentum Sensorium is a Chicago based Site-Specific Dance Company led by Helen Lee. Since 2007, Momentum Sensorium has been seen utilizing various sensory elements to enhance live performances. Squishing fruit to emit the scent, sharing fruit for audience members to taste and releasing ladybugs with the possibility one may land on you for the sense of touch. Momentum Sensorium was a part of Looptopia, a festival celebrating performances in various outdoor venues in the Downtown area of Chicago, in 2007 and 2008. In 2009, Momentum Sensorium co-produced a evening length performance with dance company, The Humans. Helen was awarded a Dance Residency at the Chicago Cultural Center as a part of the Dance Bridge program in 2007. She has performed solo works at Little Sable Point Lighthouse in 2011, Big Sable Point Lighthouse in 2012 and White River Light Station in 2013. Helen is excited and thrilled to be returning for a 4th summer with 2 other dancers at Ludington North Breakwater. Immediately, after this performance, she will be heading to Cape Charles, VA to participate in a 2 week Site-Specific Experimental Dance Film project.
This year's dance performance will take place at Ludington North Breakwater with 3 dancers. The performace will begin at the end of pier and conclude inside the tower. Lighthouse visitors are welcome to experience the performance as they climb the tower anytime between 7-8:30pm. This will be a rare and unique way to experience your lighthouse visit."

It was also introduced in this COLDNews article in the local paper to notify the locals of this event.  For the Ludington breakwall they decided to leave their fruit and ladybugs at home; instead they brought with them a couple of buckets full of gold-colored aluminum dots about an eighth of an inch in diameter.  And they liberally spread it along the breakwall as they advanced up all the way to the lighthouse.  Here is a photo from their  Facebook site which shows what the breakwall looked like that day:

Steve Begnoche in the accompanying article to the pictures below in the COLDNews wrote about the performance:  "As the two made their way to the lighthouse, they interacted with people, with each other and their surroundings.  At times they drizzled or tossed gold spangles they carried in pails.  Passersby sometimes didn't know what to make of what they were seeing."

If we can get beyond unsanitary aspect of the three dancers rolling around on the breakwall where tourists from all over walk on with their athlete's foot, the seagulls use as a loo, and the dead fish are laid on the rocks by successful fishermen, etc., we notice that there is quite a bit of glittering litter on the breakwall, about three buckets or so, placed there by the bucket brigade of bangles by this trio.

Four days later, I took a camera out to the breakwall after having noticed a lot of spangles on the breakwall, the nearby rocks and in the nearby water the previous afternoon.  Gold spangles stretch all the way from the sand near the parking lot (look closely, there are a few dozen spangles here):

 

 

All the way to the lighthouse these gold spangles are glittering the landscape:

Go see for yourself, before a big storm comes our way, and most of the glitter winds up at the bottom of Lake Michigan or along beautiful Stearn's Beach.  Barring any concerted effort at cleaning the residue completely, the spangles should still be visible for awhile, so don't rush yourself.

 

Park Manager John Shay Likes a Messy Beach

 

City Manager John Shay is also the manager of Stearn's Park, and determines what is permissible there.  The breakwall is now under city control, so the glittering of the breakwall, without any thought of a cleanup, is his making.  And lest you think I am being hard on John Shay for the actions of a transient dance troupe, I have to point out two other unsightly things which I witnessed yesterday and today. 

 

It was disappointing too; I had taken an acquaintance from out of town to check out our queen of beaches yesterday and they could forgive the gold spangles as a poor decision.  What they thought was a bit nasty was the pile of garbage that the city maintains right in the middle of the lovely sand dune near the breakwall.  Particularly since I told them this has festered there in one form or another since early this year.

 

On the sidewalk leading down to the breakwall, they also noticed the recent paint stripping that city workers had done to the railings.  We both hoped that the previous paintings through the years did not have lead paint amongst the blue and white 'spangles' of paint: 

 

 

 

So what was supposed to be a prideful display of Stearn's Park turned out with me apologizing for what our park management has allowed to happen to it, and with them saying how easily it could be to correct the various pollution that has been self-inflicted on the park by its own manager.   I also told him of how a large bonfire was allowed on the beach without any sort of permit earlier this summer, when the three big signs at the beach expressly saying fires are not allowed on the beach.  But apparently, it's okay when the City Manager allows it; just like polluting.

 

At least it's another converted person who thinks John Shay is leading our city down the wrong path, and I didn't even have to get into his other faults and failings to the citizens of our once-fair city.  Though I eventually did.

[AQUAMAN]

I just had some out of town family that left Sunday and also asked me about this trash and railings. Didn't know what to tell them except that the DPW is doing a good job when city officials don't distract them with other nuisance jobs. It's only normal to quickly paint after you prep a job, unless of course cold/wet weather intercedes. Now that Shyster Shay knows from spying here X, you can probably go take some pics. of the guys painting there very soon...lol. 

[XLFD]

Not a lot of cold or wet weather in the last week to speak of, but let's continue to keep tabs on the progress the City management makes on these trashy areas.  Eighty hours of Beach Patrol for each week, and yet they haven't seen all this, whereas we and our visitors both do after a brief visit over the weekend. 

Hmm, it sounds like those Beach Patrollers are ready to become LPD Crime Scene Investigators with their eye for detail, LOL.

[Willy]

The trash pile has been maintained there for years. Any debri is dumped there for future pick up. I have seen that pile at least 6ft high at times. It is a disgusting site right in the middle of the dunes. The City should use some common sense because that area is used by a lot of out of town visitors and this will be a vision they will remember.

As far as the dancer's are concerned that type of "art" does not appeal to me at all but I applaud their effort to showcase their dancing abilities. They should have considered the gold glitter because fish will be consuming some of it and then the gulls and people will consume the fish.

[XLFD]

Helen Lee just joined last night, and left a thoughtful response in my inbox, which I hope she doesn't mind my sharing it with you, since we always strive to have all sides covered in such issues: 

"I only just saw this and I wanted to respond. 

Thank you for bringing this to our attention and your concern for the environment.  To be honest, I hadn't thought about this and realize we could've made better choices in the materials we worked with.  This was actually my first time working with glitter.  Previous to this performance, the props and materials used have been environment friendly.  I will definitely will be more mindful going forward in the choices made for our performances and how it effects the environment. 

I also wanted to correct that there were 2 dancers, not 3.  And while, we did use glitter to give to people and toss from time to time.  The other dancer and I did not use the entire pail nor even 1/4 of the glitter.  This does not excuse the fact that we used glitter unknowingly harming the environment.  While the other dancer and I were inside, the children around got a hold of the 2 pails of glitter and emptied them.  Glitter is fun and irresistible so I understood why that happened, I did not expect them to be emptied nor was it planned.  I was unaware of the environmental effects at the time of the performance and it was brought to my attention shortly after in August 2014.  The performance was not done with harmful intent.  If I could go back and change it, I would."

I just wish our city leaders would take her example of accountability for the other two instances in the article above.

[Willy]

Don't feel bad about it Helen. I don't see glitter being a major problem. You should see Stearns Beach the day after the 4th of July. Trash all over the place especially from fireworks. The gun powder smoke from the fireworks on the 4th is so thick it's hard to breathe.  We all put things into the environment that we shouldn't. If the Earth wasn't such a forgiving place we wouldn't be here. 

[jfc123]

Helen, for you to own up and apologize for your misjudgment in my opinion is very respectable!  Can you please apply for the position of Ludington City Manager? This beautiful city needs a caring for all individual like yourself to help right the helm, because as this last city council meeting proved, there is a lot of wool being pulled over the residents eyes!