More than 70 family members attended Gierefest in Dunn County in 2024 In front of the family are the Hestesko rings Writer McKenna Scherer is a proud Wisconsinite that love is tied to cheese and Spotted Cow But at the root of that love is her family Scherer shared a story, “The largest gathering of Norwegians in Northwestern Wisconsin, probably: Gierefest,” at a live storytelling event hosted by Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Wisconsin Life” and the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild. It was held on Nov. 14, 2024 in Eau Claire at The Lakely “The largest gathering of Norwegians in Northwestern Wisconsin probably: Gierefest,” on stage on Nov The storytelling event was hosted by WPR’s “Wisconsin Life” and the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild Wisconsin is perhaps best known as America’s Dairyland It’s also known for our love of cheese and beer: I’m partial to a Spotted Cow and the classic “Midwest goodbye,” saying farewell about 32 times before actually leaving and my family did not always live in America’s Dairyland a couple of Norwegians — Severt Giere and Ingeborg Larsdatter Male — emigrated from Norway to the United States They lived over in Minnesota for several years and by 1920 had settled with their family in Dunn County That’s about a half-hour drive from where we are tonight Severt and Ingeborg had four sons and two daughters you can imagine how it went: Those kids got married and had kids of their own He met a gal with a big laugh and a bigger heart There are dozens of us from the Giere side just from two people willing to risk it all in hopes of a better future for their family A family member brought this handmade quilt to a Gierefest and it displays a family tree I’m pleased to report that 150 years later the Gieres are now — and maybe always have been — a bunch of loudmouth Norwegians I think they taught me my first curse word A room is never quiet when they’re together: cackling women who showed me I never needed to be silent or make myself small The quieter Giere men have always worked with their hands and loved their family A room can get pretty stuffy when it’s filled with a family as big as ours so the Gieres started having family get-togethers outdoors One of those first planned family reunions was held over in Dunn County in the ‘90s My Great Aunt Jayette told me something like 11 people were at that reunion some of whom weren’t even on speaking terms — being a loudmouth can get you in trouble sometimes — and Gierefest was a way to literally bring the family back together Some of the kids shucking corn as a game because “the rest of us are tired,” said McKenna Scherer my Great Aunt Jayette and Great Uncle Larry Giere have been hosting that family reunion at their Dunn County homestead they welcome 70-plus family members for Labor Day weekend when Gierefest is held I don’t remember ever missing one year of Gierefest I think that kind of commitment to Gierefest is because of three things: two Midwestern potluck-style meals in one day; the Hestesko Tournament; and because Great Aunt Jayette says so I’m sure most of you are curious: What’s Hestesko “Hestesko” translates from Norwegian to English as “Horseshoes,” the game 2024 mid-Hestesko tournament at Gierefest in Dunn County The 2024 winners Hestesko winners with their handmade plaques at Gierefest: McKenna Scherer’s second cousin-in-law Jeremy Lee (l) and her “old man” Justin Scherer (r) my favorite part of the reunion is the silent auction Every family aims to bring at least one thing for it and the money raised goes right back to the Giere fund It’s an unspoken rule that every single item will be bought by the end of the auction Those funds cover the cost of hosting Gierefest Great Aunt Jayette texted me in early October as we were talking about Gierefest and said “Did you know that Gierefest actually goes all year long cancer; we’ve given money to members to go on mission trips The whole reason Gierefest even exists is because of those Norwegians who immigrated to America 150 years ago and settled in the Midwest the family didn’t even know who was all part of the family tree Great Aunt Jayette came across a headstone one day while visiting a Dunn County cemetery and all it contained was three words: “Mother Giere.” When she asked Great Uncle Larry who was laid to rest there The Giere’s “Mother” and “Father” headstones alongside the new headstone that the family was able to make thanks to funds from Gierefest Great Aunt Jayette has made it her mission to not only identify the names of our Giere ancestors but also to get to know them Putting a name and a face to as many as possible She has so many stories of poring over the archives of publications that no longer exist; through marriage certificates property records and census documents; and even stumbling across vintage wares at thrift sales that had the name “Giere” written on them I haven’t appreciated all of that work and all of that history I don’t know who I would be if I didn’t grow up in Wisconsin hardworking woman if I didn’t spend every Labor Day weekend at Gierefest After Scherer shared her story live on stage at The Lakely event cohost Maureen McCollum talked with her about the essay This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity “Wisconsin Life” host Maureen McCollum talks with writer McKenna Scherer after she read her essay “The largest gathering of Norwegians in Northwestern Wisconsin probably: Gierefest.” Scherer shares her story on stage at The Lakely on Nov McCollum co-hosted the event put on by WPR’s “Wisconsin Life” and the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild Maureen McCollum: Thank you so much for sharing the story there are lots of men that I will not introduce you to MM: (Laughing) I won’t tell my husband why did you decide to share this amazing story about your amazing family Hollars and you graciously reached out [about this event] the first people I thought of about my Wisconsin life My mom was born in South Korea and was adopted by a family here and grew up on a farm So much so that my boss — who actually grew up around the same area — when he hears me talk You sound like you’re from there,” which is maybe not a good thing But it really informed me as a person, because [the Gieres] never wanted me to be any different than who I was. And importantly, they never ever asked me to any different than what I was. To kind of echo what Jan [Larson] said I’m so lucky to have grown up around really strong And I couldn’t have asked for it to be any different To hear all the Chippewa Valley writers’ stories from the live storytelling event, check out the full collection at “Wisconsin Life” Live from the Chippewa Valley Wisconsin Life: ATV and UTV Trails in Oconto County Dungeons & Dragons players celebrate 50 years of friendship and fantasy in Wisconsin Don’t know what to do with your old trophies? One Madison company will recycle them. A piece of the Pack: Green Bay Packers fans on ‘owning’ the team Love Wisconsin? You’ll love Wisconsin Life, a place for engaging stories of the people that make Wisconsin feel like home. Produced by Wisconsin Public Radio and PBS Wisconsin © Wisconsin Public Radio and PBS Wisconsin, services of the Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Kathy was united in marriage to Jon Giere on January 2 Kathy retired from IBM in 1992 and spent the rest of her years enjoying life and traveling with her devoted husband She sewed and quilted beautiful works of art gardening and always had the most beautiful flowers She loved to cook for others and made the most delicious pecan pies She loved spending time with her family and friends and was a caring patient mother to all generations of her children Preceding her in death were her parents; daughter MN; daughter-in-law Deanna Boysen of Isanti 12 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren A memorial service will be held at 12:00 pm on Monday 2024 at Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes (5421 Royal Pl Visitation will begin one hour prior to the service Burial will be at Oakwood Cemetery in Rochester at a later date Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Home is honored to be serving the Giere family; to share a special memory or condolence please visit www.ranfranzandvinefh.com Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors An official website of the United States government VA|News Health Army Veteran Terrill Giere has been out of the military for more than 20 years but he still has the fighting spirit of a soldier relying on a left ventricular device (LVAD) to keep him alive and then developing a potentially deadly infection Giere recently received a life-saving heart transplant at the Michael E celebrated Valentine’s Day with his wife and is looking forward to living a long and happy life Giere started having breathing issues that he went in for a check-up and was surprised when doctors diagnosed him with heart failure “Before this diagnosis I was pretty healthy but my heart started acting up pretty fast I had to be medevaced to Houston VA to get an LVAD After a year of relying on the LVAD—a small battery-operated pump implanted into the chest that helps the heart circulate blood—Giere returned for more unexpected news His doctors found he had developed an unusual allergy along with a very serious infection and needed a heart transplant “I knew there was something serious when they took 45 vials of my blood In less than a week I was told they had found a heart and I was in the operating room,” he said Giere has been working hard to recover and is already feeling great He enjoys walking and says he can’t wait to get back to spending time with his 10 grandchildren and two great grandchildren who affectionally call him “Grumpy.”     “I have been so impressed by the staff at Houston VA both the LVAD and the transplant staff have taken amazing care of me When I walk onto the transplant unit for a check-up I really think that God had a hand in my health journey and he guided the hands of the VA doctors taking care of me,” he said medical director of the advanced heart failure program Houston VA is one of just a few VA facilities performing LVAD procedures and heart transplants She said Veterans like Giere who receive both an LVAD and a heart transplant often embody a special spirit of resilience and hope “The LVAD serves as a critical bridge allowing Veterans to regain their strength and improve their quality of life while waiting for a donor heart,” said Fedson who is also a professor for the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine “This combination not only extends their lives but also enables them to embrace new beginnings and cherish precious moments with their loved ones.” Giere credits his wife Shannon as playing a key role in his recovery the couple—pictured above—met as toddlers and formed an instant connection Life took them on different paths with Giere joining the military and serving in the honor guard in Washington years later they reconnected and married in 2021 She has been with me every step of the way through all my health battles She really is the love of my life,” Giere added Giere for choosing to receive his care at Houston VA,” said Fedson “It is our honor and privilege to care for him.” heartVISN 16 The comments section is for opinions and feedback on this particular article; this is not a customer support channel. If you are looking for assistance, please visit Ask VA or call 1-800-698-2411 never put personally identifiable information (SSAN etc.) or protected health information into the form — it will be deleted for your protection This is a beautiful story of how a Veteran got a second chance with his life I PRAY THAT NONE OF THESE DEDICATED PROFESSIONALS OR MY BROTHERS IN ARMS……….BECOME COLLATERAL DAMAGE IN THESE TROUBLED TIMES MY CAREGIVER IS LEGALLY BLIND AND USES CAPS…… AS MY PTSD WILL NOT ALLOW ME TO REMEMBER IT ALL I’m a retired AF vet and the military was my life Our son suffered a TBI in a motorcycle accident during a Navy Reserve weekend in Albuquerque He was in a coma for a week before succumbing to his injuries We had to advocate to speak to the local organ and tissue donation center b/c this was before laws were passed in each state allowing individuals to indicate their wishes on their driver licenses Because Jeremy had already signed military documents before possibly being sent to the Middle East his dad and I agreed to allow his to became an organ and tissue donor his liver went to a grandmother in San Francisco and the other kidney was transplanted into a mom who became a math teacher after receiving her transplant Twelve other individuals received bone or tissue to improve the quality of their lives we are thrilled that Terrill Giere was able to receive a new heart and new lease on life Thank you for sharing this good news with us all Over one hundred people can benefit from organ and tissue donation.) Love to Terrill & Shannon – enjoy your future anniversary celebrations God Bless You and thank you for your service excellent good luck in the future sez johnny G I’m 100% service connected permanent and total you think the VA will help me with that to help save my life Thanks VA for your support & Treatment of our Brother Giere & the Excellent Care that you provide for us all..#VETERANSSTRONG…No Matter the Circumstances I truly Thank God for the Strength &!Toughness of all of our Brothers & Sisters with the support of all of our Local VA Health Care Providers & Staff…Together we Are United in Strength & Numbers To #DRIVEON & Stand Together Back in October of 23 I got a double by-pass and a new value replacement in the High Point NC hospital Live Whole Health #271: Who do you appreciate?Who do you appreciate in your life and who appreciates you Social connection is good for your Whole Health and it makes life more enjoyable VA apps can help Veterans who want to kick their smoking habit and improve their health and well-being this Veteran chose to stay in residential treatment longer than she expected Get more resources at VeteransCrisisLine.net An official website of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Looking for U.S. government information and services?  Visit USA.gov Bernie Giere by his F4 in 1966 c/o Sarajane Giere The book cover of "My Pilot" c/o Imzadi Publishing War and ALS,” Sarajane Giere tells the story of her relationship with her husband a fighter pilot who served in the Vietnam War and spent 25 years in the Air National Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing in Westhampton Beach the book illuminates the struggles of being a military wife and the joy the two shared in their marriage The couple met when they were both attending Coe College in Cedar Rapids “It was sort of a blind date … My sorority sister [said] why don’t you go out with Bernie?’ And it just really worked,” Ms We met in the fall and we wanted to get married by December when I looked at my diaries and my letters Giere took a job at a local telephone company and supported herself and Col She would go on later to finish her undergraduate degree and get a master’s in a little tiny apartment in the third story of an old house,” Ms He graduated as a second lieutenant from the ROTC and they taught him to fly at the little airport there in Cedar Rapids; he started off in a tri-pacer.” Giere discovered a love for flying and airplanes the Air Force sent the Gieres to West Texas where he spent a year flying combat missions Giere was raising their children and pursuing painting — a flight surgeon’s wife who was a well-known portrait painter gave her lessons She’d go to the beach with other military wives and children and commiserate about the difficulties they faced The solidarity with other women who understood helped her get through it all they moved to New York and spent 40 years living on Long Island Giere was the commander at the 106th Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach Giere worked in the Riverhead School District for a time “I would find myself in a computer room with dozens of computers so I started writing these essays during lunch,” Ms ‘Why don’t you send this off to the Christian Science Monitor?’ Well and that kind of did it … I went on to publish some essays in the New York Times and [then] someone recommended the writer’s group at Ashawagh Hall so I would drive out from East Quogue there every Tuesday night even in the summer when it was hotter than heck.” going to Bread Loaf in Middlebury and eventually writing a book about her mother’s family in Minnesota She started to work on a piece about her husband’s family I’d been writing little short essays about moments of my life that just stuck with me little touchstones from my life that I couldn’t forget I told him two years before he died — [when] he was 72 he was diagnosed with ALS — now I want to write about the Gieres and your family … And I said ‘And you’re part of the story.’ So I would start taking dictation when we ate dinner.” she went back through the letters the couple had exchanged while Col and she decided to make them the focus of a book rather than simply including them in a larger tale of the Giere family but I read them again when he was gone and I saw the nuanced writing style “So this is our story of 52 years of marriage It resonated so much in me that I wanted to share what a wonderful guy he was with my family I have a great granddaughter and I can see ones are coming along and they won’t know a thing unless I tell them I want to proudly tell them what a wonderful man he was.” Giere would put on the music of the ’50s and ’60s that she and Col Giere had listened to and return to the memories she had together Reliving the days they had spent together was hard One of the emotionally difficult things she wrote about occurred in 1978 Giere was commander of the Air National Guard in Westhampton Beach “One of our rescue helicopters crashed into a mountain upstate,” Ms “He was a commander and these were people that we knew and their wives because I went along with him and the squadron commander We had to go to two wives’ homes and tell them [their husbands died] [when] they brought the seven bodies back and the governor was at the base out in Westhampton and Col shaking hands … That was very difficult for me because I was so close to it.” “The thing that got me through was the ALS Ride for Life organization “Christopher and Christine Pendergast began it … Christine started caregivers meetings Here I was in a room with these people that were helping each other Some of them had children who were affected and that really helped me because I had somebody to go to for support.” Giere will be donating all the proceeds from her book to ALS Ride for Life to support the organization that helped her and her husband so much Giere emphasized the importance of resilience “Looking back on [writing My Pilot] and thinking about what I learned from doing it I think I learned that I had more strength that I knew I had And I think it came from the adversity I went through the feedback I’ve received from people that have read my book surprised me It thrills me that what I could say could help other people It became kind of a healing for me to know that something I wrote could help other people.” You've read 4 of your 7 free articles this month Please log in or create an account to continue reading (MissionNewswire) Students at the Salesian Institute of Gières in France recently traveled to Kénitra to meet with Salesian students for nine days to learn more about their culture and way of life The goal was to increase knowledge between the students of the two regions and to foster friendship and trust There were 29 French students who participated in the overall project which included the trip “This daring and enriching project was launched for students in September 2018 with the announcement of our director and our educational consultant as well as ambassadors of the project the whole class was enthusiastic and eager to meet the students of another Salesian high school outside Europe,” said students Alec and Clément the students had to engage in various fundraising activities to help pay for travel costs They also had to convince their parents of the value of the educational experience “Some parents and even our companions had some fear before leaving being for many the first time of a trip to Africa ‘The world is my home and humanity is my family.’” the students of the two Salesian institutes separated by the Mediterranean were getting to know each other through the exchange of letters videos and conversations on social networks By the time the students were to meet in person an excellent rapport had already developed “We were greeted by the Moroccan students with songs the emotion moved us and we had no words to describe the joy and happiness of meeting our Moroccan Salesian brothers and sisters,” said Alec and Clément we were able to fully put ourselves in their shoes and experience everyday life with them “This journey has brought us another vision of Muslim culture and lifestyle in Morocco We thank the students of Kénitra for their warm welcome and their joy of life We would like to be able to welcome them and show them our customs and our lifestyle and we hope that this magnificent project continues.” Salesian missionaries have been providing education in Kénitra since founding its first elementary school in 1937 adding secondary and vocational programs that help local youth access training to meet the local labor market demands The Salesian schools in Kénitra offer students a comprehensive education regardless of differences in religious beliefs the schools are run by three Salesian missionaries with the help of lay collaborators secondary and technical schools serve predominantly Muslim students ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS) ANS – Morocco – Building bridges over Mediterranean: Salesian students on journey of discovery changing with the times has become a way of life in recent years It is the last heritage farm in Cuyahoga County – meaning that it has remained under ownership of the same family for at least 100 years who recently retired from day-to-day operations at the full-service equine riding faced their most recent challenge by having to sell 1.5 acres of land along the eastern edge of the property last year to make way for a southbound on-ramp to I-77 from Miller Road The action was deemed necessary to accommodate an expected increase in traffic associated with construction of the Valor Acres mixed-use commercial and residential development just to the east at Brecksville and Miller roads Initial plans called for the on-ramp to run directly through a farmhouse and the 1905 red barn on the property but an agreement was reached with Brecksville city officials to move the ramp farther east Construction work commenced in late-winter/early spring of this year Making full use of the farm acreage for equine training has become a challenge with ongoing work at the site my training complex is the upper farm and the arena and then down the driveway and all around the [eastern] section of the farm but I don’t go down to that end anymore due to the construction,” she explained “I can’t predict when the next dump truck is going to unload or when the next end loader is going to come up over the mound which is an unpredictable factor with the horses.” has been advertising up to 40 acres of their property The Giere family and Fogg have had an agreement for years to use that acreage for grazing in exchange for maintaining the land and we’re fortunate to have pasture land there that we can still use for grazing,” said Stacey “That’s an agreement that we’ve been able to keep with that family Much of the land was lost in 1967 when the state of Ohio required the Giere family to sell a large portion of the acreage to make way for I-77 Additional acreage was sold off to make up for the loss of the dairy business which transitioned to an agricultural and equine training farm A number of boarding clients did not return this year due to the construction who gives around 75 riding lessons per week on the property and travels with a number of her students to out-of-state competitions “We’ve had to pick and choose what we can do; it’s not how I would like to be running my business,” she said The white barn at the west end of the property which contains horse stalls and an indoor riding ring currently houses 10 horses owned by Stacey and another 16 owned by clients; ten fewer than two years ago the fate of the heritage farm depends on development at Valor Acres and other outside factors “I think a lot of it is going to depend on what happens at Valor Acres,” she said “There’s a future over there that’s gearing up and with people moving into the community and businesses trickling over “We’re going to assess the impact from this traffic we’re right here at the epicenter; we’ll have to see how that plays out,” said Brant Giere because what happens over there directly affects us We’ve had a hundred different options to look at We’re pretty diligent and we’re under no duress right now Photo (main): Siblings Stacey and Brent Giere say the future of their business hinges on the amount of traffic and other factors generated by the Valor Acres development Subscribe to the FREE monthly Newsletter Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker son of the late Vernon & Lorraine (Hendricks) Giere Dick married Marilyn (Head) Bauer on November 7 He drove truck for numerous companies in the area and worked as a car salesman He was an avid outdoorsman who belonged to the North American Hunting Club and enjoyed hunting by Uncle Ray as well as fishing whenever possible Dick meticulously cared for his lawn and cherished his property where deer and turkey would graze He devoted a lot of his time trying to teach his children and grandchildren the skills and life lessons he had picked up throughout his life he never passed up an opportunity to share a joke or play a prank Dick was never afraid to speak what was on his mind Those that loved him knew that he cared deeply for his family and appreciated every opportunity that was given to him to spend time with his grandchildren Survivors include his wife: Marilyn; children: Martin (Robbi) Brethouwer of Winneconne Paula (Greg) Schultz of Pewaukee; 13 grandchildren; his father-in-law: Kenneth Head of Hilbert; 2 sisters: Donna (Jim) Allan of Greenleaf Muriel (Jeff) Wiechman of Winneconne; a brother-in-law: Tom (Alyce) Head of Hilbert; a sister-in-law: Joanne (Harold) Pickart of St He was preceded in death by his parents; his mother-in-law: Esther Head; a niece Funeral service will be at 4:00 PM on Thursday 2012 at the Wieting Family Funeral Home (411 W Friends may call at the funeral home from 1:00 PM until 4:00 PM on Thursday Blog dedicated to show reviews of Broadway and nationwide Community Theater Blog also discusses theatre water cooler topics and stories from personal theatre experience Theatre is an inherently ephemeral art form it lives on in the memories of its viewers (pro shots while immensely helpful for spreading the passion of performance The oral tradition of remembered performance is one of the few ways these memories can be shared these memories can be passed down long after the original viewer has ceased to share their story I am thrilled to officially announce OnStage Blog’s new book club Designed to encourage theatre fans and theatre makers to engage with the art form they hold dear we will be covering a new theatre book every month we are celebrating Godspell’s 50th Anniversary with The Godspell Experience Carol De Giere’s excavation of the musical Godspell holds the answers to any question you have ever had about the megahit musical that launched Stephen Schwartz into the constellation of great musical theatre composers you can read excerpts of my interview with Ms as well as view a handful of photographs from the original production of Godspell What aspects of the work of Stephen Schwartz drew you in CAROL DE GIERE: It wasn’t so much Stephen’s musicals that drew me to spend many years writing a biography the book project seemed to choose me based on the potential to explore a successful artist’s creative process While working on a freelance assignment in 1999 I discovered his website and read some of his answers to fans’ questions I noticed that Stephen was able to report on colorful aspects of his creative and collaborative process including the story of how he came up with “Have you ever heard a wolf cry to the blue corn moon,” for the Oscar-winning Menken/Schwartz song “Colors of the Wind.” I felt called to collect all such stories into a book and really absorb how this person developed such a reliable composing and lyric-writing process that allowed him to make major contributions to musical theatre and film Why did you choose Godspell as the topic for such a comprehensive companion DE GIERE: Godspell holds a special place in the hearts of many performers and audience members alike which means people are more likely to want to reflect on it either from an artistic or a spiritual standpoint This may be in part because each group interprets the show in its own way and takes pride in its creative contributions the emotional bonds formed while staging Godspell often inspires feelings of belonging and meaning there are reasons people might want to read up on Godspell to understand it better—it’s a show with an unusual structure and some mystery to it in terms of meaning I wanted to explore that for myself as I interviewed the living original cast members and others many of whom I had already met and even befriended while working on the Stephen Schwartz biography Stephen Schwartz and Carol De Giere (Photo: Carol De Giere) Do you have a favorite story or anecdote from the development of Godspell right after Stephen Schwartz’s twenty-third birthday the show’s producers asked him to write a new score to replace a previous version that had been written for the college production Stephen had already spent virtually much of his youth attending Broadway shows and studying scores studying piano at Juilliard Preparatory Division so he was ready to bring the perspective of a musical theatre writer to this unusual piece when he and John-Michael Tebelak met together to collaborate on the first commercial version of Godspell for the Cherry Lane Theatre Tebelak handed him about a dozen pages that included some philosophers’ sayings and Bible passages that had been used as a springboard for the show Stephen knew that a musical needed a good opening number and was able to transform the spoken introductory scene into the “Prologue” song creating “Alas for You.” And he realized that if Judas was going to betray Jesus toward the end of the musical the two of them needed to have a friendly duet somewhere earlier to contrast with the betrayal but what’s so interesting is how he gave the show a shape Schwartz has a notable talent for bringing the whimsical to the stage - Godspell is a remarkable example of elevating the mundane to a place of fantastical fascination What do you think drives that instinct in his work DE GIERE: He has worked with shows that are more fantastical like Pippin and Wicked but also with a few realistic ones: Working and Rags One key to understanding his interests is that he loves to work with familiar stories that are being retold in a totally different way: hence Charlemagne’s son’s real story from the 8th century becomes a coming-of-age tale in Pippin and the villain of The Wizard of Oz becomes the heroine in Wicked Godspell is an example of a traditional story told in a different way His skill at elevating what could be a mundane moment into a beautifully artistic moment through song probably comes from being able to step deeply into a character’s experience He often gives credit to his college training as a drama student at Carnegie Mellon University learning about how an actor steps into a role He puts himself in the character’s shoes and finds a part of himself that has something to say or feel about the experience of the character in that moment He is then able to connect words and music to form an expression The loss of John-Michael Tebelak is felt profoundly throughout this book - what was it about him that engendered such respect and admiration DE GIERE: I shared this question with a few original cast members Robin Lamont was in the original college production as well as the early off-Broadway productions (and later Broadway and movie.) She comments when those of us at CMU first began to work with John-Michael But the more I worked with him and understood his vision for Godspell the more his eccentricity looked like genius He let us all grow into our roles with enthusiasm I don't ever recall John-Michael saying a bad word about anyone; he was always kind he embodied much of the spirit of the Gospel.” “John-Michael Tebelak was a visionary who felt everything deeply He communicated that depth of emotion in his directions to us The improvisations were created due to the environment he provided.” What value do you think clowning and shame-free innocence have in our modern DE GIERE: I equate clowning and shame-free innocence with waking up one’s inner child According to creativity guru Julia Cameron everyone being creative is coming from that place inside In our society when we become stressed and less joyful our natural instinct for finding balance is to look for ways to play We probably need more opportunities to inventively create to ignore our own harsh inner critic in order to be able to move forward The song “Beautiful City” has gone through a number of permutations including a revision containing lyrics written following the brutalization of Rodney King in 1991 it became a song of tribute and catharsis at memorials across the country What is it about “Beautiful City” that speaks to people during periods of trauma I will answer this in a personal way by sharing a time when I really wanted to hear the song For a long time after the tragic shooting of children at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in mid-December of 2012 a group of performers including Stephen Schwartz joined together to create a concert and album “From Broadway With Love: A Benefit Concert for Sandy Hook,” and that included “Beautiful City.” Stephen begins the song with the lines “Out of the ruins and rubble…” and that provides a sense of a trajectory: together we’re going to move forward from terrible loss and ruin to something new “Can we see a ray of hope?” Even a pale thin ray is enough to begin We just need that message at such times.  What do you hope readers will take away from The Godspell Experience DE GIERE: The subtitle is “Inside a Transformative Musical.” I want readers to enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at the original production And I hope they will understand why Godspell can be transformative the Epilogue is “Reflections on Godspell as a Transformative Musical.” Godspell was the first show to be approved by Actors Equity for performance during the COVID-19 pandemic - what is it about Godspell that made it the right choice for the first sanctioned theatre piece Sonia Manzano in ‘Godspell’ (Photo: Susan Tsu) With a small cast of ten and very flexible staging demands Godspell had the scale and simplicity that made it ideal The original director John-Michael Tebelak had in mind a kind of “theatre of poverty” idea with the first production with the center being sawhorses with planks arranged on them in various ways Each later group staging Godspell finds their own context or scenario for enacting parables and song performance and even take advantage of the situation—making up ways to incorporate some of the lockdown pandemic issues in the storytelling I know that everyone involved in the Berkshire Theatre Group’s production worked hard to follow the guidelines and still have a delightful show It was so popular that they extended the run and Stephen Schwartz attended and enjoyed the final performance What are your hopes for the next 50 years of Godspell The score is infectious and I’m sure will continue to uplift future generations I do hope that more directors and performers will read my book so that they can understand the original vision for the piece and not get lost in overly cute modernizations Robin Lamont and I have attended a number of productions and done talkbacks afterward “I've seen a number different Godspell directorial visions but also because actually doing the show brings cast members together in a true ensemble I hope that spirit continues and the inevitability of hi-tech in the decades to come doesn't get in the way of that I do believe the show will last another.” Peggy Gordon adds “I would hope that the show continues to honor the simplicity of John-Michael's purpose: to discover the simple For the show's singular purpose is to ‘Come sing about love.’” You can purchase a copy of The Godspell Experience, signed by Ms. De Giere and Stephen Schwartz at this link Make sure to check back with Backstage Book Club next month, when we will be covering Footnotes by Caseen Gaines If you are interested in submitting a book for consideration, please contact Margaret at www.margaret-hall.com Powered by Squarespace Sep 24, 2024 | Featured, Around Ottawa County | 0 comments Featured Marques Race winner Brant Giere stands next to his 1991 Porsche after the race fans of cars and speed gathered at Put-in-Bay for an annual auto race around the island but he moved them to the Put-in-Bay airport While racing through town could be difficult logistically taking over an airport had its own challenges organizers must obtain permission from the FAA and the Put-in-Bay Port Authority both entities work to make the race possible the Put-in-Bay Road Races featuring vintage race cars is an annual tradition that draws thousands of people from across the country This 1950 J2 Allard was among the over 100 vintage cars that traveled to Put-in-Bay during race week “The FAA and Put-in-Bay Port Authority allow us to shut down the airport from 9 a.m for two days,” said road race paddock chief The course is marked by hay bales that must be set in the morning and removed by 6 p.m “There are four of us managing it and countless volunteers,” Seib said This years’ Featured Marques winners were the managers’ work results in one of the most unique vintage car events in the state the racing cars are mostly from the 1950s and 1960s “We get people from all across the country and a lot from Ohio Competitors must have an accredited vintage racing license and over 100 vintage cars descended on the island for the annual car parade The Put-in-Bay Road Races were held on the runway of the Put-in-Bay airport “They took two laps around the old course on the streets,” Seib said This year’s Featured Marques Race brought Porsche competitors for an exciting competition The race stalled when a car became disabled prompting a yellow flag cruise around the course The interruption slowed Kevin Maehling’s strong lead Brant Giere took the win in his 1991 Porsche Giere raced motorcycles for 14 years and has raced cars for 25 for a total of 39 years of racing experience he said he faced fierce competition on Put-in-Bay I don’t know if I would have caught up with Kevin without that.” The Put-in-Bay Road Races pay homage to the original 1950s races that were held on the island streets Apr 29, 2025 | , BY SHERI TRUSTY OTTAWA COUNTY - Two years ago local organizations collaborated to create Ottawa County Community Day Apr 29, 2025 | , BY SHERI TRUSTY DANBURY - On a recent spring day Karen Evans of Danbury Township was traveling back from Cincinnati with her boyfriend when her.. BY SHERI TRUSTY PORT CLINTON - On April 25 a crowd gathered at Adams Street Park to celebrate Arbor Day Lake Erie Marine Forecast ODNR Fishing Reports Powered by Webify Copyright © techoraco and its affiliated companies 2025 Giere will also be appointed to the company’s board of directors He enters the role with more than 25 years of telecoms industry leadership building customer relationships and delivering innovative products to the market He has served with a number of global vendors “John has a proven track record as a CEO leading and building successful global telecom software businesses The board is confident his expertise will propel Optiva’s team and its cloud-native BSS product roadmap,” said Robert Stabile “John is a highly respected industry leader who shares Optiva’s commitment to customer success and will guide Optiva in the next phase of focusing our cloud-native products to address emerging 5G market opportunities that encompass new SaaS business models supporting a rapidly expanding monetisation ecosystem.” he served as chief executive officer of Openwave Mobility and general manager of the mobility business unit for Openwave Systems He also served as chief marketing officer for Alcatel-Lucent and Lucent Technologies and held vice president roles in sales marketing and business development at Ericsson “I look forward to leading Optiva’s outstanding team to drive a compelling company vision aligned with a market leader strategy and vibrant company culture,” said Giere My achievements are the result of building talented teams who work with agility innovation and a full focus on partnering with our customers to achieve success That is how Optiva will dominate the cloud-native BSS category and drive profitable growth.” In related news earlier this year Vodafone Idea announced plans to fully transition its IT application stack to its Universal Cloud following the pilot phase launch of the Optiva Charging Engine You have reached the limit for gifting for this month signed a letter of intent Wednesday to play softball at Central Michigan Seated with her are her mother Molly Wendel and father Jody Wendel COLDWATER - Coldwater softball star Madison Wendel signed a national letter of intent with Division I Central Michigan on Monday the individual medalist in the Midwest Athletic Conference tournament committed to the University of Northwestern Ohio Wendel was the MAC Player of the Year in 2022 and Pitcher of the Year in 2023 She also twice earned second-team All-District honors and was on the All-District and All-Ohio first teams this spring "All this hard work and dedication has finally paid off." who switched her commitment from Marshall to Central Michigan in July said the Chippewas had been recruiting her in the summer of 2022 after she met CMU pitching coach Sara Driesenga while playing travel softball in Kansas City and she was my coach during that time," Wendel said She later went to a prospect camp at Central Michigan Wendel also said that she wanted to take the "student" part of being a student-athlete seriously and the strength of Central Michigan's business and marketing programs was also a factor "I also want to be a college softball coach," she added there's a lot of college softball coaches that come out of there." she said she will plans to both pitch and hit for the Chippewas She has hit .475 for her career and above .450 in all three seasons "I wanted to leave a legacy that little girls can look up to," she said loving what they're doing and having fun doing it." she has set records for home runs in a game (two on five occasions) 10 and nine) are the top three in Coldwater history She also broke the MAC career strikeout record and ranks second in conference history for career home runs and third for pitching wins Coldwater has had its three best season by wins the last three years The Cavaliers won an outright MAC title with a 9-0 conference record in 2022 "It's amazing to have watched her just get better year by year," Coldwater coach Kyle Ahrens said but just her confidence and playing year to year A lot of people don't get to see all the extra work she puts into her program." Ahrens noted that Wendel also contributes to the youth softball program as an umpire in the summer "I love seeing them succeed and having fun doing what they're doing," Wendel said "I love giving back to the community that's brought me so much joy." Central Michigan went 29-26 and 18-11 in the Mid-American Conference under head coach McCall Salmon this spring Wendel and catcher Claire Steinke will both be seniors The Cavaliers have won at least 19 games the last three years but have yet to get past the district semifinals "I hope to get past districts with my team," Wendel said "I just want there to be a lot of success with our team and to continue to rewrite the record books." with her and Claire in their senior year," Ahrens said a lot of big goals we're hoping to accomplish that we haven't yet." signed a letter of intent Wednesday to play golf at the University of Northwest Ohio Seated with him are his father Neal Giere and mother Lisa Giere and standing are Cavalier coaches Jason Hemmelgarn and Austin Pleiman winning medalist honors at the MAC and sectional tournaments with 2-under 70s and an eagle in each He was two points behind Collin Feathers of Delphos St not only did our team do well - probably one of the better teams of my four years and winning MAC was also a huge goal," he said Giere said he wasn't planning to play in college was a UNOH alumnus and recommended it to him the coach is everything you can ask for and the facilities are really great," Giere said He also looked into Kentucky - "way back" he said - but UNOH also suited him because it was closer He intends to major in business management who play in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference in the NAIA won the UPIKE Fall Invitational at the start of the fall and won in match play against Rochester in the WHAC Fall Preview They ended with a fourth-place finish in the Egypt Valley Championship in Ada shooting a 911 as a team with Luke Turner tied for 10th with a 226 for 36 holes over three days Giere got accustomed to spending summers out at the golf course playing golf after work and practicing his driving and putting Heading into his first year with the Racers he said West hasn't given him any particular areas of his game to focus on .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Mike Kezdi, special to Sun NewsView full sizeMICHAEL KEZDI is taking what she has learned at Maple Crest Farm in Brecksville and applying it to her collegiate classes at The Ohio State University.Ten years and more than 100 quilts later Brecksville’s Meredith Giere keeps herself busy when not in the barn or on the road with her horses makes the quilts for students who stay with the stable through their senior year in high school "Quilting is my passion and my hobby," Giere said It is her respite from working in the loud Giere says that quilting allows her much-needed quiet time Giere personalizes the gifts by taking into consideration a child’s disposition when choosing what colors and fabrics to use "It’s amazing seeing her make them," said Kelly Pruchnicki "They turn out being gorgeous pieces of art She began riding at Maple Crest when she was 4 and still boards her horse at the stable She also helps out with lessons at the barn The quilt that she received when she graduated from Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School went with her to Otterbein and friends from Maple Crest that visit her often use the quilt when they spend the night "It symbolizes a rite of passage," the equine pre-veterinary science major said "You’re growing up but always remember what you learned." Jasper started riding seven years ago after attending a horse camp I was really happy," Jasper said of receiving the quilt Jasper graduated from Revere High School and now attends Akron University where she is studying biology with hopes of becoming a veterinarian — no surprise since training with Giere and her daughter "You learn a lot from Stacey and Meredith — they help you out." riders at Maple Crest learn responsibility good communication skills and "A good One special quilt made its way to the other end of the country and serves as a reminder of what the Gieres instill in their students "The quilt is a constant reminder to keep pushing through and stay focused on my goals no matter what and that I always have people that care about me and are only wishing me the best," said Sidney Baughman Baughman’s family moved from Northeast Ohio to Washington before she graduated but she spent 12 of her 13 years riding at Maple Crest Baughman uses the work ethic that she got from her training at Maple Crest to stay motivated as she works four days a week at a restaurant six days at a horse farm and squeezes in online college courses and how to pursue doing what you love even when it is not handed to you," she said is taking what she has learned and applying it to her collegiate classes who has been part of the Maple Crest family for nine years is attending The Ohio State University where she is studying to become an animal nutritionist Riding and learning at Maple Crest helped lead her to that idea "I have always really enjoyed the sport and the work," Henry said adding that having a horse and going to shows keeps the rider busy Giere acknowledges that unlike other animals "There is no free ride at a horse barn," Giere said "Each owner has to come and faithfully care for their horse." the quilts she makes for the riders are a small reward for being loyal to the animals and to the Brecksville farm Contact Kezdi at (216) 986-2358 or mkezdi@sunnews.com. 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All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Mike Kezdi, special to Sun NewsView full sizeMIKE KEZDI/SUN NEWSBrant Giere's No 56 Porsche 944 will make its first 2011 appearance April 8 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington the trailer is closer to Mansfield than its usual home off of Miller Road in Brecksville and the driver is getting a bit anxious It has been six months since Brecksville’s Brant Giere slid behind the seat of either one of his race cars and he is looking forward to what the 2011 season will bring a name many will recognize for its connection to Maple Crest Farms on Miller Road has been racing some form of motorized vehicle since the age of 7 It started out with a 50cc Honda motorcycle in motocross that his dad bought and he graduated to four wheel racing at 22 “We’ve always liked competing,” Giere said of he and his sister Stacey Stacey stuck with the family business and competes with horses while Brant chose motored racing Now Giere fields two cars in the Great Lakes Region of the National Auto Sport Association and he is actively involved in the Northern Ohio Region Porsche Club of America Giere also takes his racing experience and teaches drivers education classes for both entities Giere’s sports car racing career started simple in 1988 with some Sports Car Club of America and Porsche Club events and in 1999 he made the move to NASA he races his 1991 Porsche 911 Cup Car which is a factory built racer Much of its professional career was spent in Germany and France and Giere picked it up in 2002 Giere will race seven or eight races with the 911 as well as handling the drivers education classes The second car in his automotive stable at Maple Crest Farms is a 1988 Porsche 944 This car Giere refers to as being a one-trick pony He purchased the 944 and built it into a race car It made its first track appearance in 2008 and is only good in the NASA German Touring class He bought the 944 because he has six very close friends with identical cars and they all wanted to race together the series has many competitors making it a strong series as well a term for amateur racers who do much of the work on their own Giere says he enjoys seeing his strategies play out on the track making its debut this weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington Ohio will be a new aero package on the 944 This involves a new carbon fiber rear wing and a front splitter spoiler The hope is to make the car more “slippery” as it goes around the track The theory is that with the car maxed out at its NASA specified power to weight ratio this will help the 944 get around the track faster if he can maintain his speed through a corner at 90 mph as opposed to 80 “I will consider that highly successful,” he said of the unproven addition Giere does what he can mechanically in Brecksville but major preparations are handled by Steinel’s Autowerks in Twinsburg Rounding out his volunteer Maple Crest Farms team are Jerry King of North Royalton who Giere refers to as his “right hand man,” Todd Schweikert of Seven Hills who owns a tool and die shop and Bill Douglas of Garfield Heights who is a pro at tuning Porsches and “reading tires.” given the fact that horse show and car racing season run parallel they are usually at a horse show while he is racing They make it to the events when they have a chance The season begins April 8 at the Great Lakes Region season opener and Giere will race until October Making 2011 more enjoyable is the number of races being held at Mid-Ohio — Giere’s home track Giere will keep at it as long as he is not putting around the track See more Brecksville news at cleveland.com/brecksville Deputies blocked an intersection in Arden Hills so Mounds View students could visit the crash site and mourn together. One hand touched the wooden cross, then another. Soon, about 250 Mounds View High School students were linked to the two crosses and each other in a human chain, connected by their pain over the death of two classmates. Bridget Giere and Stephanie Carlson, each 16, died in a car crash Thursday morning at the intersection of Hwy. 96 and Old Hwy. 10. The two juniors were killed, and a third was injured, when their car was struck by another vehicle as they made a left turn on their way to school. Tearful students, some wearing the green of the Mounds View Mustangs, surrounded the crosses Monday at the crash site. They exited district school buses at 2:20 p.m. and walked in groups from North Heights Lutheran Church to the memorial site. Officers from the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office blocked the intersection of the crash for more than 30 minutes. "It was powerful and moving," said Principal Jeff Ridlehoover, wearing a pin picturing the students. "None of it was orchestrated. It was just the kids." There was no grand speech for the girls, only silence as classmates lined up to pay their respects — dropping daisies and teddy bears around the upright crosses. A photo of the two girls standing side-by-side was placed nearby. With eyes red and faces solemn, the students held the silence until they boarded buses to return to school. "It's been a difficult few days, not a whole lot of closure," junior Paige Leiser, 16, said at the site. "We are all Mustangs." Students from Irondale High School, another district high school, and St. Agnes High School, which Stephanie attended before moving to Mounds View, arrived to join the group. The Trader Joe's in Shoreview donated crates of flowers for students to place at the memorial. Over the weekend, students lit lanterns for their classmates, attended church services and gathered to grieve. Posters with pictures of the two girls now hang at the high school. Laura Fixsen of Shoreview, who has three children who attend the high school, arrived at the memorial Monday right off a plane from Los Angeles. She said it was her first stop home after consoling her children via phone over the weekend about the death of their friends. "It's rocked most of these kids to the core," Fixsen said. " It's a great loss. It's amazing to see these kids come together to be able to grieve." Giere and Carlson were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Samantha Redden, another student in the car, remains in stable condition. Friends report that she is now able to talk. The three students often rode to school together. Giere was a third-year Mounds View tennis player and had just started a job at Target. Redden and Giere rode to tennis practice together. "On the court and off the court, they were the best of friends," said Mounds View tennis coach Mike Cartwright." It was Carlson's first year at Mounds View. She previously attended St. Agnes High School in St. Paul. Carlson, like Giere, was athletic. She ran track at St. Agnes and was looking forward to joining the Mounds View team this spring. She worked part-time at the Golden Living Center-Lake Ridge, a nursing facility in Roseville. "She was a really happy, outgoing and nice to everyone," Mickey Tesfay, a 16-year-old St. Agnes junior, said of Carlson. A total of three crosses, including two large ones made of cedar that came from an anonymous donor, stand as stark reminders of the tragedy at a spot many students pass daily on their way to school. A visitation for Carlson will be Tuesday at the Church of St. Charles Borromeo, 2739 Stinson Blvd., Minneapolis, at 4 p.m. A mass of Christian burial will take place on Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the same church. Visitation for Giere was held Monday afternoon. On Tuesday, Giere's family will hold a visitation at 9:30 a.m. followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m. at Incarnation Lutheran Church, at 4880 Hodgson Road in Shoreview. No Section Peek inside homes for sale in the Twin Cities area After falling behind 17-0 at halftime and being dominated most of the game the Bulldogs may have locked up a spot in the College Football Playoff Heading into his first race of the 2011 season was hoping his new aerodynamics package would add speed to his already maxed out Porsche 944 "changed the car 1,000 percent." But the change wasn’t exactly what he expected During the course of the 2011 National Auto Sport Association Great Lakes Region season opener April 8-10 at Mid-Ohio in Lexington of the nine cars in his German Touring Series 1 class Giere finished third in both the April 9 and 10 races Giere initially hoped the package would make the car faster into the corners The not-yet-track-tested package was adding too much downforce at the rear the rear wing and front splitter act in tandem to use the air passing over and under the car to push the car closer to the ground The amount of downforce being produced by the carbon fiber spoiler lifted the front end of Giere’s Porsche off the ground "It costs you exit speed," Giere said This lack of front downforce resulted in a less-than-optimal amount of rubber actually meeting the track at Mid-Ohio This was compounded by the fact that the ambient temperatures never let Giere’s tires properly warm and what rubber was touching the ground in the corners was not very sticky Giere had to slow the car by 10 mph going into the corners he was able to get out of the corners rather quickly it is better when racing to be able to enter and exit the corner quickly By the time the next NASA Great Lakes Region race takes place May 13-15 Giere hopes to take advantage of a test-n-tune day at Mid-Ohio to dial in the Porsche by adjusting the sway bars and the front splitter and it will work," Giere said with confidence The May race is at Putnam Park Road Course in Mount Meridian Readers can follow Giere's 2011 season Contact Kezdi at (216) 986-2358 or mkezdi@sunnews.com the students of Don Bosco School of Gières a cheque the result of fundraising for research Over 600 pupils of the Don Bosco School in Gières took part in the fundraising and awareness campaign on myopathy ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007 This site also uses third-party cookies to improve user experience and for statistical purposes By scrolling through this page or by clicking on any of its elements .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Mike Kezdi, special to Sun NewsView full sizeMIKE KEZDI attempts to pass Jean-Pierre Verbundt during the Aug 12 National Auto Sport Association Great lakes Region German Touring Series 1 race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Brant Giere is motoring down to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington Ohio to face-off against amateur racers from across the United States and Canada in the National Auto Sport Association National Championships is coming off a pair of good clean races Aug 11 and 12 in NASA’s German Touring Series 1 class at Mid-Ohio 56 Maple Crest Farm Racing Porsche 944 finished first Aug The second place finish had Giere doing battle with Jean-Pierre Verbundt also in a 944 Verbundt would pull away from Giere by two to three car lengths but Giere would catch up in the turns but that was not enough for Giere to overtake him for the first place finish “I’m going to leave it as is,” Giere said following that race and looking ahead to this weekend’s events at Mid-Ohio That has been Giere’s mantra since starting the 2012 season relatively unchanged from his second place finish in last year’s NASA National Championship also at Mid-Ohio 8 race are today and tomorrow and Giere is fairly confident that based on his performance last year and at other races this year “I’m eagerly awaiting the day,” Giere said Those who wish to head to Mid-Ohio and cheer Giere on can buy a ticket at the gate for $15 and children 12 and younger are free Mid-Ohio is at 7721 Steam Corners Road, Lexington. For more information on the race weekend, visit midohio.com. Return to Brecksville home page Morocco – March 2024 - A twinning arrangement was signed on Monday 4 March 2024 between the Don Bosco College Gières (France) and the Don Bosco College Kénitra (Morocco) in the Saint Augustine Special North African Circumscription (CNA) the students of the two institutes have started a mutual exchange relationship and with the signing of the twinning agreement it was made official 2nd grade Moroccan pupils shared meetings and visits and welcomed 4th grade French students into their families This exchange develops mutual knowledge and interculturality projects for this meeting are prepared and exchanges between young people are developed Moroccan students will travel to France to visit and stay with French families .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Mike Kezdi, special to Sun NewsView full sizeROB KEZDI/SPECIAL TO SUN NEWSNational Auto Sport Association German Touring Series 1 national champs second; on the podium at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course With a new aerodynamic package in place in April Brecksville’s Brant Giere was hoping for some big things this racing season his April premonition proved true as Giere finished second in the nation in his National Auto Sport Association German Touring Series class 56 Maple Crest Farm Porsche 944 in the GTS1 group This is the first year Giere has placed on the podium in GTS1 with the 944 which is in its third year in that class 11 race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington Ohio as “pretty hairy” but good racing none the less Making matters difficult for the 12:45 p.m race was a heavy coating of rain as the drivers headed to the grid That rain had people at the track wondering if the cars would show up with rain tires or slicks they showed up with slicks and had to take some chances on the 2.25 mile track a light rain sprinkled water on some sections of the track who competes with Giere in the NASA Great Lakes Region and also runs a 944 was on the pole and Edward Baus like Giere and Graber runs a 944 in the Great Lakes Region When the green flag dropped on the GTS race which featured all five GTS classes on the track at once Giere shot into the lead in GTS1 and held that lead for the first lap went past him putting him into fourth place Giere was able to get two of those positions back following separate on-track incidents that left Graber and Verbunt disabled Giere was trying to track down Baus and at the same time kept swapping second and third positions with Paul Milligin In a sprint race filled with many on-track incidents Giere was able to hold on to his second-place spot his good friend and racing companion Baus finished first and Milligin finished third Of course when racing at the amateur level it is impossible to do it as a one-man outfit and Giere was quick to thank his Maple Crest Farm crew: Bill Douglas “The driver is just one component of the team They deserve a lot of recognition,” He said “There is no way to compete at this level with just one person.” Giere says he plans to take his 1991 Porsche 911 Cup car to some Porsche Club driver’s education events It is time to let the 944 rest he says and “just driving for fun.” Though the season will not begin again until April he will begin the process of prepping the 944 for 2012 Oh and this was a multiple winning weekend for Giere who entered 15 Dahlia blooms in the annual Dahlia Society of Ohio Show at Parmatown Mall The duo took Best in Show and several section wins as well (ANS - Kenitra) - If superficial knowledge generates fear close knowledge can foster friendship and trust This is witnessed by the experience achieved during this scholastic year by the students of the Salesian Institute of Gières the 29 French students participating in this project had worked for several months "This daring and enriching project was launched for us students in September 2018 with the announcement of our director and our educational consultant the whole class was enthusiastic and eager to meet the students of another Salesian high school outside Europe," said two students the preparation required a preparatory path both organizational - with various fundraising activities to reduce travel costs – as well as cultural and motivational The two French students explained: "Some parents and even our companions had some fear before leaving during our visit to his diocese said: 'The world is my home and humanity is my family'." when it was the time of their meeting in person a great sympathy was immediately born among the students "We were greeted by the Moroccan students with songs the emotion moved us and we had no words to describe the joy and happiness of meeting our Moroccan Salesian brothers and sisters," said Alec and Clément "This journey has brought us another vision of Muslim culture and lifestyle in that beautiful country that is Morocco," conclude the two students of Gières "We thank the students of Kenitra for their warm welcome and their joy of life We would like to be able to welcome them and show them our customs and our lifestyle and we hope that this magnificent project continues."