Yes It’s True: Is this Sunny Side of the Business Street?

Helen Jane Helmey, wife of Wayland Globe Editor-Publisher Irvin P. Helmey a little more than 50 years ago wrote an occasional column of pseudo advertising she called “The Sunny Side of the Business Street.”

“H,” as she was fondly called by friends and community members, would come up with a perky and positive take on local businesses and what they were doing, sometimes focusing on new equipment and new personnel. Of course, the businesses were advertisers in the Globe and Orbit and H would make sure to put their best foot forward.

Because it wasn’t strictly news, but instead a column, she was spared criticism that she was just being a local corporate shill.

Of course, she came up with the column title as a nod to the old jazz tune, “The Sunny Side of the Street.”

I remembered her columns this past week when it came to my attention there have been a series of interesting business changes in this area, some solid rumors and some irrefutable developments that could stand alone as stories.

With apologies to Rod Serling, submitted for your approval:

• The Sand Bar Restaurant on M-179 in Yankee Springs Township, just west of the state park, is being sold by its owner after a long and successful run.

• The Gun Lake Chapel plans to have occasional summertime events such as cruise-ins, featuring the beloved and despised Chick-Fil-A food truck. Despised because the company has been notoriously hostile to LGBTQ folks.

• Further evidence has been revealed that the rumor of Culver’s coming to town to replace the dearly departed Elias Brothers Big Boy is more than a rumor. The Big Boy statue has been removed, and rumor has it that Culver’s will raze the now vacant building to make way for a gleaming new facility. Stay tuned.

• Paul Lettinga was only temporarily rebuffed by Wayland Township for his plans for a newfangled 24/7 pet wash service on M-179 near the famous four corners at what used to be Joe’s Grocery. It’ll be up soon.

• There was a strange bump in the number of local restaurants that elected not to do business over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Granted, the shutdowns at Russo’s in Hopkins at the Big Dipper were only temporarily holiday closures. But also declining to take advantage of a four-day holiday weekend bonzana were 412 Distillery (which is moving headquarters), Simply Celia’s, Papa Mineo’s and Salsa Por Favor. It was a holiday, but I foolishly believed they’d be keen on keeping their doors open for the period.

Is this the sunny side of the business street?

Latest Covid virus seems terribly contagious, but mild

I have avoided the dreaded Coronavirus for more than two years since it became an unwelcome part of our lives in March 2020. My streak of fortune came to an end last week.

The only time I ventured outside the house was for Terry Whitley’s funeral June 28, the Dorr Township Board meeting June 30 and my weekly visit to Then & Now June 29. On the evening of June 28 I experienced a scratchy throat and by Wednesday morning I was convinced I had picked up a summer cold. I made the mistake of mentioning to friends at a luncheon Thursday, June 30, and was asked by one in attendance to have a Covid test to make sure it was only a cold.

The test turned out to be negative, but I was told several days later that someone else at the luncheon had tested positive and I should test again. Meanwhile, my wife was deemed positive on her test at the same time I was negative for a second time.

So somehow I passed along Covid without testing positive.

I have been vaccinated twice and added a booster. So all I’ve experienced is old-fashioned cold with a nasty cough on the backside. So I showed up at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting wearing an N-95 mask. I was still guilty of coughing, hacking, sneezing and gagging.

With apologies to the Firesign Theatre, it feels like “Everything you know is wrong!”