August 10, 2018 Happy Friday! I hope you had a great week and I’m glad you’re following Mistletoe Enterprises. Today, we’re “On The Road with Victory & Valor” in Mason, Michigan! Mason, Michigan is the county seat of Ingham County, Michigan, about 15 miles south of Lansing. Mason holds the distinction of being the only city in the country to host its county seat while in the same county as the state capital. In 1847, Lansing was selected as the capital of Michigan, but the county seat remained in Mason. According to historical records at www.masonmuseum.org and public information at the city of Mason website www.mason.mi.us , Mason was first settled in 1836. It was named after the first Governor of Michigan, Stevens T. Mason, who served from 1835-1840. Mason was incorporated as a village in 1865. And as it was a growing hub of business and government activity, it was incorporated as a city in 1875. The heart of Mason is its people. But the centerpiece of Mason is the historic Ingham County Courthouse. According to documents from December 1971, placing the Ingham County Courthouse on the National Register of Historic Places at https://www.catalog.archives.gov/id/25339527 , the courthouse was inspired and modeled after a similar structure in Hillsdale, Michigan. The Ingham County courthouse was completed in 1905. Today, the historic character, antiquity, and charm of the courthouse is surrounded by a Downtown Business District that compliments its style, and invites economic growth. The city of Mason has grown to a population of about 8,200. The Mason area hosts numerous events throughout the year including the Ingham County Fair; Independence Day celebrations; an annual Mason Holidays celebration; and parades on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, as well as other events. Mason preserves history, too. The Mason Historic District Commission ( www.mason.mi.us/historical.htm ) was established by the City of Mason in 1982 to safeguard its heritage and foster civic beauty. In doing so, they honor those who made history. The most conspicuous example of that is the memorial wall, prominently situated on the grounds of the courthouse, displaying the “Honor Roll” of those from Ingham County who made the ultimate sacrifice during World War II.
The mission of Mistletoe Enterprises and Victory & Valor is to educate others by sharing stories of history and heroes. We compliment the Mason community for their efforts to preserve history, and we will certainly return to Mason soon to share more stories about the people and the businesses that continue to make Mason, Michigan such a welcoming place to stay or visit. And we’ll be back here Monday with another installment of, “On The Road with Victory & Valor.” Hope you’ll be back with us! Have a great weekend!
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August 9, 2018 Happy Thursday! I hope your week is going well. We had been scheduled to begin our “On The Road with Victory & Valor” installments a few days ago, but extenuating circumstances delayed the departure. Thanks for your patience. I hope you’ll think it was worth the wait because today, Victory & Valor went on the road to Grand Ledge, Michigan! Grand Ledge is a city with a population of about 7,700 residents, situated along the Grand River about ten miles west of Lansing. It was first settled in the 1830’s. By 1850, the area residents selected the name Grand Ledge for their Post Office, based on the Native Americans’ of the area who referred to the tall sandstone ledges as “Big Rocks.” It was incorporated by the state legislature of Michigan as a village in 1871, a couple years after the first railroad came to the north side of the village. By 1893, Grand Ledge was sufficiently developed into a popular retreat and resort town, and it was incorporated as a city. It is celebrating its 125th Anniversary this year! The businesses along Bridge Street enjoy an old-town, small town appeal. And Victory & Valor will return to Grand Ledge in the near future to provide a more detailed installment focusing on the businesses here. But the emphasis of this installment is the beautiful scenery and natural wonder that it retains. Having travelled to many places, I’ve often been disappointed to discover how so many town planners of previous eras erred in their plans to strike a balance between developing economically while preserving the beauty and natural appeal of the environment. With multiple parks and areas accessible to the public, Grand Ledge captures the balance of nature and development. This is my humble opinion, of course. But on a twenty-minute walk along Second Island, just west of Bridge Street, as I reached the western edge of the island and readied my camera I recognized the familiar site of an immature Bald Eagle perched in the bare branches of a tree, high above the river, a few hundred yards away.
Welcome to Grand Ledge! Victory & Valor will be “On The Road” again tomorrow bringing you more stories of history and sights of natural wonder. See you then! August 6, 2018 Happy Monday! This installment was expected to be, “On The Road with Victory & Valor.” Unfortunately, there has been a delay in the scheduled departure! All is not lost, though. While we will set out and visit some interesting places very soon, this installment can be salvaged, hopefully, by sharing with you some sites of one of my previous travels, several years ago, in Washington, D.C. Our capital city is rich with history and incredible architecture. The U.S. Capitol Building is the centerpiece. According to the Architect of the Capitol website, when French engineer Pierre Charles L’Enfant was commissioned to plan the city of Washington, D.C., he said the elevated site – the Capitol Hill – was “a pedestal waiting for a monument.” L’Enfant had a vision for the Capitol Building, but he refused to provide sketches or drawings. So, he was dismissed, and Dr. William Thornton’s plans were selected after his designs were reviewed. George Washington gave his formal approval of the plans on July 25, 1793. On the interior of the dome of the Capitol, the murals painted by Constantino Brumidi over a 25-year period from 1855-1880, capture our nation’s early history and celebrates our values. Gazing 180 feet upward from the visitor’s level in the Rotunda, the “Apotheosis of Washington” is directly under the dome; and the “Frieze of American History” contains 19 panels covering a 300-foot circumference, encircling the base of the dome, 58 feet above the floor. Washington, D.C. is a beautiful place to visit. It holds many treasures, and it belongs to all of us. It is worth a trip to visit the Capitol, and the many buildings of the Smithsonian to learn and explore. We will return here tomorrow with more sites and stories of history while “On The Road with Victory & Valor.” See you then! August 3, 2018
Happy Friday! As promised, it’s time for Mistletoe Enterprises and Victory & Valor’s “Big News” announcement! Starting Monday, August 6, Mistletoe Enterprises and Victory & Valor will be sharing our stories of history & heroes while, “On The Road With Victory & Valor!” Call it a working vacation. Call it what you want. We’ll be posting frequently from our Victory & Valor Blog, and from our website and Facebook pages as we travel around and share with you some of the spectacular sights we find, and stories of some of the special people we meet along the way. While, “On The Road With Victory & Valor,” has some specific destinations in mind, the best word to describe the nature of this journey is definitely: “spontaneous.” Truthfully, it is a vacation for me. But it is indeed, a working vacation. So, for our regular followers, you might see fewer posts on the Mistletoetom Facebook page, but more frequent Victory & Valor Blog installments. (The blog normally posts directly to the Mistletoetom Facebook page, anyway. So, there shouldn’t be much difference.) Anyway, we’re looking forward to sharing with you some of the beauty that makes our country so great! We hope you’ll join us, “On The Road With Victory & Valor.” Enjoy your weekend! Talk to you Monday from…. August 1, 2018 Happy Wednesday and Happy August! I was looking at my Facebook newsfeed yesterday and noticed a couple pictures that inspired today’s blog. The pictures served notice that we are now in prime season for state and county fairs! Our country has many traditions, but few traditions like the fair. The fair is a celebration of our agrarian roots: our Founding Fathers expected our country to grow with farmers being the backbone of our society. 242 years after declaring our independence, our farming communities honor that vision. And the fair, while offering a variety of attractions, celebrates the work of farmers more than most other events. As I said, there’s lots of variety, but some things take center-stage at the typical Midwest county fair: Future Farmers of America, 4H, livestock, food, vendors, arts & crafts, and carnival rides. I asked my friend, Julianne Stenger, what was her favorite part of her visit to the Ingham County Fair? Her reply: “Elephant ears, of course!” Elephant Ears are popular. They rank up there with cotton candy, popcorn, and warm pretzels. At the Texas State Fair, as well as at the New York State Fair, the Butter Sculptures are among the most popular attractions. At the Washington State Fair, kids can learn to churn butter – the old-fashioned way. And the Ohio State Fair has a popular Homebrewed Beer Competition, as well as an impressive line-up of musical entertainment and concerts. Obviously, technology has changed the atmosphere and scenery of the modern fair compared to the fairs of two hundred years ago. But the popularity of the fair has not waned, although fairs adapted to the economic realities in times such as those during the Great Depression. At the Eau Claire County (Wisconsin) Fair, for example, fair exhibits during the Depression included entries such as “best patched garment and best darning on a hose.” But the centerpiece of the fair focuses on the farmer. Agriculture, horticulture, livestock, and educational activities for youth are the prime drivers of the fairs all across our country. Mistletoe Enterprises and Victory & Valor salute our farmers. We encourage youth to participate in educational programs such as 4-H or Future Farmers of America to develop knowledge, and to build leadership. Enjoy the rest of your evening! Talk to you again Friday. And, see you at the fair! (I’ll be the one with the Elephant Ears!) July 30, 2018
Happy Monday! As the end of July draws nearer, I’ve been looking at what we’ve accomplished this month at Mistletoe Enterprises and Victory & Valor. We’ve mentioned this in previous Victory & Valor Blog installments, but it bears repeating: a review of our business history helps us in our mission to educate others with the stories of history & heroes. This blog is going to be very brief because it’s not going to put out any new information. This is a sincere request for feedback from our readers and followers. At Mistletoe Enterprises and Victory & Valor, we want to know more about the topics that interest you. What do you like about our Facebook posts? Do you enjoy our blogs? How much time do you spend at our website and or Facebook page? Do we post too much? Or not enough? Like many of the great leaders we feature in our stories, they surround themselves with advisors who give them reliable information. Likewise, we’re looking for constructive feedback and we hope to hear from you. Tell us how we're doing and what you would like to see improved. You can respond by commenting directly at the bottom of this blog; you can use the contact form on the www.mistletoetom.com website; or you can provide feedback through our Facebook page. We hope to hear from you! Have a great evening! See you Wednesday! Happy Friday! Apparently, Mistletoe Enterprises and Victory & Valor has a following of folks who like seeing Presidents throwing baseballs!
The picture above, courtesy of the Library of Congress, shows President Woodrow Wilson showing his form. Pictured below, courtesy of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library, President Truman delivers the first pitch at Griffith Stadium to open the baseball season on April 18, 1950. At Mistletoe Enterprises and Victory & Valor, we hope you are enjoying the summer season. We understand that not everyone is a baseball fan, but we appreciate the historical connection that baseball has had with our country. In any event, it's another way Mistletoe Enterprises and Victory & Valor share stories of history & heroes. Enjoy your weekend! See you Monday! Ike delivered the ceremonial first pitch in the 1956 World Series. Other notables nearby include Casey Stengel, Walter O'Malley and Walt Alston.
President Eisenhower was the Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during WWII. He understood a thing or two about leadership, about war, and about human nature. He was astute, as a General should be, to recognize the human qualities that gave strength to our military units. "One of the things that I noticed in war was how difficult it was for our soldiers, at first, to realize that there are no rules to war. Our men were raised in sports, where a referee runs a football game, or an umpire a baseball game, and so forth." - Remarks at the Conference of the National Women's Advisory Committee on Civil Defense, October 26, 1954 One of the things Ike knew that was not difficult for our troops was that those sports known by our men instilled the vital military concept of teamwork. Have a great evening! In the spirit of the season, let's play two!
From the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, here's JFK delivering the ceremonial first pitch of the 1961 baseball season at Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C. Also in the crowd are Vice President Lyndon Johnson and Senator Hubert Humphrey. Have a great evening! Happy Wednesday! Technical difficulties can be frustrating! One way I overcome frustration, while still remaining productive and accomplishing the Mistletoe Enterprises and Victory & Valor mission of telling stories of history & heroes, is to do research.
I love baseball. And I love that our national pastime has been enjoyed for generations by fans from all walks of life. The game of baseball has woven itself into our national fabric. I do a lot of research at the Library of Congress, the National Archives, NASA, and other sites to compile the stories of history & heroes we share at Mistletoe Enterprises and Victory & Valor. And I browse the Presidential Libraries almost every day, too. The photo posted here, from the Reagan Presidential Library, features President Reagan. He was an avid sportsman and a former sports broadcaster on the radio. Here, he's throwing out first pitch at opening day, April 7, 1986, at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, Maryland. Mistletoe Enterprises and Victory & Valor deliver our "first pitch" every day, sharing stories of history & heroes. And, we hope you'll root for our team! Go Victory & Valor! Have a great day! |
AuthorTom Davis is the owner of Mistletoe Enterprises LLC. He also publishes and distributes the Victory & Valor Flyer, it tells the stories of heroes from all walks of life. Archives
December 2018
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