Programs and Events

12:00 pm at Van Buren County Senior Services, 08337 M-140. NO ZOOM.
Members will receive a reminder email.
RSVP Required. Non-members, send an email to info@scottclub.org

Entertainment by Diane and Lisa

Join the Scott Club members at Senior Services for a delicious lunch and great entertainment. Our Annual Meeting will start at 12:00 pm. We will install our new board of directors during the meeting. After the meeting, we will enjoy lunch prepared by Senior Services and entertainment by Diane Van Deurzen & Lisa Otey.

Diane and Lisa are a dynamic duo, a perfect blend of hot jazz, sultry blues and boogie-woogie. As international touring artists, they take their act to festivals, clubs and theaters around the world and are known for creating an atmosphere of intimacy with their humor and joyful interactions with the audience. Diane and Lisa will present a fun, energetic program of classic feel-good music from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Please come and sing along!

June 28, 2025: noon to 5 pm

Afterwards, 4 pm to 5 pm – Scott Club open for tours and refreshments

Scott Club is delighted to partner with SHOUT for the 28th annual Cottage Walk. This event, a fundraiser for both nonprofit organizations, opens beautiful South Haven cottages and a brand-new riverfront condo for tours. Conclude the afternoon with a tour and refreshments at the Scott Club, a Michigan Historic Site built in 1893, on the corner of Phoenix and Pearl Streets.

Tickets $20. Available at
The South Haven Visitors Bureau, 546 Phoenix Street &
The Chamber of Commerce, 606 Phillips Street,
or on June 28th at the Farmer’s Market

By Katie St. Amand, BA, MS, Curator & Director of Programs, North Berrien Historical Museum

In its 65 years of operation, millions of people visited Deer Forest in Coloma, Michigan, to pet and feed animals such as deer, llamas, and peacocks. It was a favorite location for families and animal enthusiasts, and many decades of memories were made at the park. Although it closed in 2014, Deer Forest lives on in the recollections and memories of the community. Through photos and stories, revisit the famed park where many once ‘fed the deer and rode the train.’

Katie St. Amand is the Curator & Director of Programs for the North Berrien Historical Museum in Coloma, Michigan. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Master of Science in Historic Preservation, both from Eastern Michigan University.

By Christine Byron

Social dancing was a popular form of recreation across the country in the first half of the 20th Century, and Michigan was no exception with dancing venues springing up across the state. Byron will look back at dance halls and pavilions located in amusement parks, resorts, hotels, night clubs, and other spots. Some restaurants and taverns featured “dining and dancing” to draw patrons to their establishments. From dancing stately waltzes in the 1900s, the 1910s gave way to novelty dances like the turkey trot and the bunny hop. The 1920s could be known as the “Dance Age” as the fox trot, jitterbug and Charleston took America by storm. During the Depression, dancing flourished as an inexpensive form of entertainment. The rise of swing and big band music in the 1930s and 1940s drew thousands of fun seekers to dance halls across the state. This social dance trend faded in the 1950s as rock and roll took center stage.

Christine Byron is a retired librarian from the Local Historical Collections of the Grand Rapids Public Library. She is an avid reader of Michigan history, and a collector of thousands of postcards and old Michigan tourist and travel memorabilia.

By Steve Rossio, Heritage Room Coordinator, Portage District Library

David Lee Sutfin grew up in Southwest Michigan at a time when Europe began its tragic journey into World War I. Not wanting to be left out, Dave volunteered to serve in the American Expeditionary Force under Colonel Joseph Westnedge where he did his duty as a combat medic under the harshest conditions. This program will bring Dave to life through a vast array of primary documents, letters and photographs he left behind.

Steve Rossio is the current Heritage Room Coordinator at the Portage District Library in Portage, Michigan, a position he has held for going on twenty-seven years. A life-long resident of Kalamazoo County, Steve graduated with his history degree from Western Michigan University. Steve has always had a strong interest in United States military history and has used this interest to interview countless veterans on their experiences as well as conduct in depth research on various areas including what you will hear about in this program.

By Sandra Wilcox, author

We are constantly bombarded by obstacles to our success, and the quickest way to attract new obstacles is to try and accomplish something big. Whether we’re opening a new business, overcoming an addiction, or fulfilling a lifelong dream, we will undoubtedly encounter plenty of opposition. How creating Positive Momentum can help us not only overcome and survive but utilize obstacles and opposition as fuel for our success.

Sandra Wilcox, who writes under the name Sandra Grey, is the author of several short stories and the award-winning historical fiction series Traitor. Sandra’s newest Cold War thriller, Counterpoint, is set to be released by her publisher in 2026. She will have copies of her current books available for sale after the program. Sandra lives on a small farm in southwest Michigan, where she grows blueberries, chickens, a flock of children, and dreams.

By John N. Low, JD, Ph.D.

Professor Low will share the story of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi and their influence on southwest Michigan. From ancient times to the present and future, the Pokagon Potawatomi have always relied on the power of storytelling to sustain themselves and their community.

John N. Low received his Ph.D. in American Culture at the University of Michigan and is an enrolled citizen of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. He is also the recipient of a graduate certificate in Museum Studies and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan. He is a retired Professor from Ohio State University and former Director of the Newark Earthworks Center.

By Steven D Rigoni

Steven will present a first-person impression of James Henry Wheaton, a local soldier who served in the 1st Michigan Infantry during the Civil War. Steve’s research for this presentation is drawn from over 70 letters sent home by Wheaton, as well as period newspapers and other historical records.

Steven is a historian with a wide range of interests from the Civil War, WWI and WWII aviation, and all Local SW Michigan history. He is particularly interested in collecting, researching, and constructing educational and informative displays of Michigan Civil War Images and Letters, and WWII Drone Engines.