Well, Lake Orion, I don’t how to break it to you, so I’ll do it quick, like ripping off a Band-Aid.
I’m leaving.
I know, I know. I feel the same way, but there’s no reason for weeping. It was fun while it lasted, wasn’t it?
My year in town has been great, it’s just time to move on, is all. Come this time in two weeks, I’ll be the new cops and courts reporter at the Manistee News-Advocate in the great North Woods of Michigan.
It’s always been a dream of mine to live near grouse-filled woods and trout-laden waters, away from the same thing Robert Traver, nom de plume for Michigan judge and author of Anatomy of a Murder, John Voelker, wrote about hating: ?…the environs where crowds of people are found, which are invariably ugly; because of all the television commercials, cocktail parties, and assorted social posturing, I thus escape.?
But I’m glad I found myself in such a pleasant place as Orion before I made my escape. I’ve been honored to serve your community as editor for the past year.
You’ve let me into your homes and minds. You’ve let me tell your stories, which should always be considered a sacred task. Our stories are who we are, after all. Being entrusted with them should never be taken lightly.
I never did and I hope I’ve accomplished my goal of putting together a great community newspaper each week.
The stories ranged everywhere from the very sad, like the woman who drowned in Buckhorn Lake, to triumphant, like the Orion plant winning a new small car over of three other plants to be kept open.
I will miss a lot of things once I’m gone.
I’ll miss proudly putting up the fresh edition of The Review in the office window each week.
I’ll miss the delicious brisket sandwiches at Blue Ox.
I’ll miss jaw-jacking with folks who are kind enough to stop in at our office just to chat.
I will miss dollar beers at the Sandbar after deadline on Tuesdays.
I’ll miss not being able to get our reporter, Megan Hess, in trouble with officials by putting edgy headlines on her stories.
I’ll miss the Pumpkin Launch this October.
I’ll miss the rubber bands that come flying my way when I start misbehaving in the office. Jody’s got a wicked shot.
I’ll miss out on the Dragon on the Lake, an event that seems like a really cool way to celebrate Lake Orion’s 150th birthday.
The fact that I’ll miss so much should show what kind of community Orion is.
It’s a place with some great places to eat. It’s a place that cares about its people. But most of all, this time of year, it’s a place that can’t wait for the first Dragon football home game. It’s the kind of place where people should want to be.
Though Orion’s a great community that offers a lot to its citizens, it doesn’t mean it’s perfect. So, now that I’m leaving, Nostra’john’us can make all sorts of predictions.
Nostra’john’us predicts that the Orion Board of Trustees meetings will get longer and longer the more Trustee JoAnn Van Tassel aspires beyond her position. She seems like she wishes she was the Supervisor, a position she held decades ago, a fact she never, ever lets anyone forget.
Don’t forget, people, just because you’ve been doing something a long time doesn’t mean you’re all that good at it. I’ve been walking since I could walk, and I still trip occasionally.
Nosta’john’us predicts more mayhem at the schools as Superintendent Ken Gutman reshapes the district in his image.
Todd Dunckley was ousted from his position as principal. And, in a developing story, Lance Davis will not be returning as the varsity basketball coach after only one season because his contract wasn’t renewed.
Numerous attempts to contact both Gutman and Athletic Director Bill Reiss about this have been unsuccessful. They just ain’t calling back.
As for the high school principal situation, in a strange twist of fate, the two interims the school board chose were actually my very own high school principals when I was in high school, Livonia Franklin, Class of ?96.
So, while it would be nice to have the roles reversed and I would get to be the one making sure they were doing a good job, it’s best that I’m taking off. You see, I wasn’t the most behaved creature in high school, and sat face to face with both of them on several occasions. And they weren’t asking me to be valedictorian.
I wanted to get out back then just as badly as I want to get to where there aren’t as many crowds now. And I’m on my way. So, thanks for helping me get there, Orion. Keep it real.