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Field Notes: A ship on dry land, with its own golf course
The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. A couple of miles east of the sprawling rail and shipyards that make up the port of Superior, Wisc., the sole relic of a brief but fascinating era in maritime...
Field Notes: In praise of the gofer
The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. This past weekend, I was browsing through some posts on a Facebook page dedicated to Ohio's Lake Erie Islands. I grew up on the nearby mainland and visited...
Letter to the editor: There should have been a fourth option on high school question
Editor: I voted in your online poll this week regarding high school. I chose the third option, "Miserable," because it was the most appropriate of the three offered, but in truth it doesn’t capture the entirety of my experience. As a gawky, unathletic kid from the...
Field Notes: Putting the fun back in fungible
The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. As a writer, I have a more intimate relationship with words than, say, the average accountant or software engineer. Right now, I am having an intense dalliance...
Field Notes: The Duck of Memorial Day
The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. Although often referred to as a Duck “boat,” the General Motors DUKW utility vehicle is really more of a floating truck. Designed for use as an amphibious...
Field Notes: QuackRNaut. You decide.
The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. The offices of RS Byrnes Associates, the firm where I worked as a consultant from 1998 to 2004, were located in a two-story office building near the intersection...
Letter to the editor: ‘If you want to earn a living wage, don’t leave it up to the manager at Wendy’s’
Editor: I read the article last week about employees at Wendy's walking away from their jobs with equal parts sympathy and consternation. Most of us have, at one time or another, worked for minimum wage. I got my very first "real" job, at a family-style restaurant in...
Field Notes: Did I miss anything?
The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. For the first time in more than a year, I attended a live sporting event on Sunday; the Charlotte Knights game with the Gwinnett Strippers Stripers at...
Field Notes: The Green Bang
The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. You could make the case that fall is the most aptly named season, what with leaves and temperatures both falling, but from where I sit, calling the season we are...
Coffee heiress likes asparagus. A lot.
The Montgomery Herald has a special segment called Deeper Dive, where they ask locals to answer a set of fun questions. They recently asked Myra to participate; her answers follow. 1. Who is your favorite musical artist/ first concert? Flo RidaThe Who2. What is a fun...
Field Notes: Hire for talent, reward for skills
The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. Last week's Field Notes started with an anecdote about a shrine to the Virgin Mary, and this week's starts with a tale about another shrine of sorts. In...
Field Notes: Presumption of incense
The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. My grandmother celebrated her 90th birthday at the small, tumbledown house where she raised 10 children. There was a huge store-bought cake (a rarity in my mom's...