PM Steamers Restaurant in Ludington will be hosting a St. Patrick’s Day celebration Thursday, March 17 from 4 to 8 p.m. Besides specials on appetizers and Guiness on tap, some of my Ireland photographs will be on display.
– rob
I have been working on gathering some images for the Western Michigan Fair board to be used in some upcoming publications. As I went through my archives I found shots I really like. They include pictures of the lights of the rides shining in the dark, tractor pulls, demolition derbies and many other activities. But, this is the shot that stands out. I think when it comes down to it, this is what the fair is all about — the kids. The Western Michigan Fair is held in late July at the Mason County Fairgrounds in Ludington.
-rob
AMBER TWP. — When you approach Roger Hansen’s Cherry Hill Machine Shop you are greeted by three barking dogs. “Are you bothering my dogs?” the soft spoken Hansen asks facetiously. “They won’t bite.”
The shop is located on West Conrad Road, just a few steps from Hansen’s house, on the 120 acre farm that has been in his family since 1920.
Hansen, 69, has been a machinist for about 50 years. He started his career at Star Watch Case (which was where Harbor Front Marina and Condominiums is now located), then he worked at Harrington Tool before eventually ending up at Dow Chemical. He retired from Dow in 1996, taking an early retirement at age 55.
Since that time he has operated his own shop. “It’s good out here’” he says. “It’s kind of out of the way but people find me.”
According to Webster’s, a machinist is a craftsman who fabricates, assembles or repairs machinery. That pretty much defines Roger Hansen.
He says he keeps pretty busy. He builds and repairs parts for five area factories plus many farmers and excavators.
“It’s been a good racket for me. I’ve done it all. When I got out of Dow people just thought I would retire and do something different. People will ask, ‘why don’t you go to Florida?’ After the second day I would have to get a job or I’d go nuts.
Hansen’s shop smells of burning metal and a slight haze of smoke fills the air. At first glance the shop seems cluttered. But, after spending some time the piles of scrap metal each serve a purpose. He often recycles old parts to make new items.
His style of work is old school and he likes it that way. He doesn’t use computers. Ironically many of the projects he works on are for factories that use computer-operated fabricators. However, it is not always cost effective to create a computer program for limited quantity parts.
“All my machines are manual. I have to do it myself,” he says.
Though most of the work is done with metal, some parts require fabrication of plastic.
One day earlier this week he was repairing metal crates for a local factory. Most of that work required welding and a hammer. On another day he was making pulleys for a customer’s lawn tractor. He built the pulleys from scratch, each one taking at least an hour.
“It’s basically pretty simple,” he says with a slight smile.
He has built a variety of parts over the years.
“One of the more unique things I have built were some parts for an antique Belgian car,” he says. “I’ve also built brake drums for a couple other antique cars.
“I even get some decorative gadgets which is kind of fun, something different. Yesterday I had a fellow from Hart come in who needed locks built for an old door. You never know what’s going to come through the door.”
He says he likes a challenge. “I really enjoy the jobs when someone comes in and says they brought it somewhere else and they said it couldn’t be done. I’m not saying I can always do the job, but those are fun.”
Hansen and his wife, Marcia, have three adult children and three grandchildren. Besides machine work, he still raises cows and horses and is on the Western Michigan Fair Association board. “I still enjoy this. I will do this until I can’t get here. I have no desire to quit. Plus, I’m right here on the farm and I still do some farming too.”
– rob
On a recent wintry morning I took my West Shore Community College Photography I class to Guardian Angels Catholic Church in Manistee. Their assignment was to practice composition. This is an annual visit for the spring semester class and always enjoyable because I get to photograph with the students. Also because I love history and further I love writing and photographing about historical events and locations.
Guardian Angels Church has been a Manistee icon since 1891, three years after the parish was founded. The church’s steeple stands 170 feet tall and can be seen throughout Manistee. The church’s original congregation consisted mainly of German and Irish immigrants who had come to Manistee to work in the lumber industry. Many aspects of the church reflect its German and Irish heritage. Some of the features of the church is its carillon which features a chime of 12 massive bells. The bells are played using a keyboard located in a room in the choir loft. The church also has a turn-of-the-century pipe organ with 28 stops and 1,600 pipes.
– rob
