Mason High School yearbook staff adapts to COVID challenges

The Mason High School yearbook staff, and yearbook staffs across the country, have had to adapt to a new way of creating a book of memories amid being in a pandemic. With many school events and clubs being cancelled, it has been a challenge to chronicle this remote school year. Mason High School yearbook staff attends class over Zoom. Eric Haynie is the yearbook teacher at Mason High School. As a teacher, he has had to help his students find creative ways to create the yearbook.

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Building Twentyone hosts Comedy for a Cause fundraiser

Building Twentyone in Mason hosted “Comedy for a Cause” on March 4. This was a fundraising event for the teen center to support its programs and help with the costs to run the organization. 

The event had a DJ, food, and the main attraction, comedian Joey I.L.O. The fundraiser was in-person, but people could also attend virtually. “You had so many different types of people in the room from different walks of life … to me, that’s what was so beautiful about the comedy that it was so organic and just all came together and there were so many people from different walks and to see them all laughing together, man, it was beautiful,” said I.L.O.

The fundraiser was bigger than what Building Twentyone Director Benjamin Schartow was expecting. There ended up being around 120 people in-person, and at least 30 people virtually. The event raised more than $17,000, according to the Building Twentyone website.

Greater Lansing 100+ Women Who Care is closing in on $1 million in donati0ns

The Greater Lansing chapter of 100+ Women Who Care held its first meeting of 2021 on March 23. The chapter includes multiple towns around Lansing, including Mason and the rest of Ingham County, as well as Clinton and Eaton County. The Greater Lansing area 100+ Women Who Care organization has more than  200 members and meets four times per year. Due to COVID, the past few meetings have been held over email. 

The organization’s mission is to choose a charity or non-profit at each meeting to support and donate to. Each member is required to write a $100 check to the charity that is chosen, which is mostly the only requirement to join.

Preparation for Arbor Day celebration 2021 begins

The annual Arbor Day celebration is approaching and Mason, a Tree City U.S.A., is preparing. Mason Mayor Russ Whipple, City Council Member and tree commissioner Elaine Ferris and 2019 Arbor Day honoree Douglas Klein. The Arbor Day Foundation is a national program that helps plant trees in cities all over the country. Mason is one of those cities, and to celebrate the occasion, the Mason Cemetery Board and Tree Commission dedicates a tree to an honoree. 

Residents nominate people, and many times the honoree is involved in horticulture or has helped the community. Elaine Ferris, city council member and member of the tree commission, said there are usually one to six nominations.

Memory garden in the works to build fairgrounds grandstand

People are trying to raise enough money to replace the former grandstand at the Ingham County Fairground in Mason.

The initiative and a memory brick garden fundraiser started in 2018. Carol Carlson, executive director of the foundation, explained that the initial goal was to raise $50,000, because the county said that if the foundation could raise that much, it would see what it could do.

However, when the foundation reached its goal, the county did not do much for it. So the next step was to get to $100,000, and the foundation is hoping the county will match that.