June 23, 2025

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Articles for author: Steven Sheldon

Encore’s West Side Story is a Theatrical Masterpiece

Encore’s West Side Story is a Theatrical Masterpiece

Photo: Jets gang members. Photo by Michele Anliker The Encore Musical Theatre Company is concluding its 16th season with the iconic musical West Side Story, conceived by Jerome Robbins, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and book by Arthur Laurents. West Side Story premiered on Broadway in 1957, yet its underlying themes remain ...

Saline High School Graduates 423 Seniors

Saline High School Graduates 423 Seniors

The Class of 2025, the 157th graduating class from Saline High School (SHS), held its commencement exercise on Sunday, June 1, at Hornet Stadium, with 423 seniors receiving diplomas. SHS principal Theresa Stager provided some facts about the class to open the ceremony. “Saline High School was rated #1 in the State of Michigan of ...

Saline Superintendent Stephen Laatsch Retires After 27 Years of Service

Saline Superintendent Stephen Laatsch Retires After 27 Years of Service

Saline Area Schools Superintendent Stephen Laatsch is retiring after 27 years in the district. From technology teacher to superintendent, Laatsch leaves a lasting legacy. Thirty-plus years as an educator, the last twenty-seven in Saline, Superintendent Stephen Laatsch is retiring. Mr. Laatsch first interviewed for a 5th-grade teaching position at Heritage School. He was hired instead ...

American Legion: A Century of Service and Community Leadership

American Legion: A Century of Service and Community Leadership

From veteran advocacy to family-friendly events, local American Legion posts in Dexter, Chelsea, Saline, and Milan remain vital to community life. Photo: Milan Post 235. Source: Google Streetview In remembrance of Memorial Day, The Sun Times News presents a feature of the American Legion. American Legion posts—including those in Dexter, Chelsea, Saline, and Milan—are much ...

1997 Classic Animated Film + The Croswell = Pure Magic

1997 Classic Animated Film + The Croswell = Pure Magic

Lavish costumes, powerful vocals, and heartfelt performances open Croswell’s 2025 Broadway season with a dazzling rendition of Anastasia. Photo: (L-R) Jeffrey King (as Vlad), Aubrie Lauren, Maxwell Lam (as Dimitry). Photo by Ashlee Sayles The Croswell Opera House, located in downtown Adrian, kicked off their 2025 Broadway season with Anastasia, the 20th Century Fox animated ...

Encore’s Joni Mitchell Tribute Concert Sneaky Good

Encore’s Joni Mitchell Tribute Concert Sneaky Good

Clerno, Dick, and Stevens bring personal style and emotional depth to Mitchell’s music Photo: (L-R) Sarah B. Stevens, Maddie Dick, Zuri Clerno (singing) & Jacob Kerzner (piano). Photo by Steven Sheldon Joni Mitchell can never be confused with The Beatles or Elton John, two earlier tribute concerts at The Encore Musical Theatre Company in 2025. ...

Lodi Township Board Approves 2025 Road Improvements

Lodi Township Board Approves 2025 Road Improvements

The Lodi Township Board of Trustees meeting lasted for almost two hours at the township hall on Pleasant Lake Road on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. It wasn’t until the discussion over the need to call a special meeting to discuss an Ethics Policy that disagreements appeared amongst the board members. Trustee Leslie Blackburn, citing board ...

The Game was Afoot at Chelsea High School

The Game was Afoot at Chelsea High School

Photo: (L-R) Sitting Joshua Gregory (Holmes), Standing Henry Kibler (Watson). Photo by Steve Sheldon Rivalries have been a part of our lives forever. Palmer v Nicklaus; Bird v Magic, Ali v Frazier, Army v Navy, UM v OSU, Hatfields v McCoys. But one rivalry has existed longer than them all. Professor James Moriarty v Sherlock ...

A Bus Ticket to Ireland and a Boarding Pass to Heaven

A Bus Ticket to Ireland and a Boarding Pass to Heaven

Breeda Kelly Miller shares the tender, humorous, and heartbreaking story of caring for her mother Mary through dementia, reminding us that love endures even in goodbye. By Steven Sheldon Note: The Sun Times News presents The Long Goodbye, a series sharing the journeys of families who cared for loved ones with Alzheimer’s or other forms ...

Dexter Drama Club’s Mamma Mia! Wows Sold-Out House

Dexter Drama Club’s Mamma Mia! Wows Sold-Out House

Photo: Cast of Mamma Mia! Photo by Steven Sheldon The Dexter High School Drama Club staged the Benny Andersson/Bjorn Ulvaeus musical Mamma Mia!, featuring the music of the iconic 1970s pop group Abba, in the Performing Arts Center at the high school. It was not a Broadway quality performance. But it was the best high ...

The Encore & Fred Grandy Produce a True Laugh Fest in “The Importance of Being Earnest”

The Encore & Fred Grandy Produce a True Laugh Fest in “The Importance of Being Earnest”

Photo: (L-R) Maddie Dick, Caleb McArthur, Fred Grandy, Jackson Reagin. Photo by Michele Anliker The Love Boat’s Fred “Gopher” Grandy highlighted an outstanding cast as The Encore Musical Company staged Oscar Wilde’s classic play “The Importance of Being Earnest – A Trivial Play for Serious People,” running now through Sunday, May 4th. Wilde’s play premiered ...