Programs and Events

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.

By Nancy Brock

Late in WWI the United States sent over 5,000 soldiers to Archangel in northern Russia at the request of the British allies. Many believed their mission was to guard supplies, but the mission changed. What happened? Who was there? Nancy Brock will present a brief history of the 1918-1919 Polar Bear Expedition with bio sketches of area veterans who participated and to remember their contributions and experiences.

Nancy is a Mattawan native with a lifelong appreciation of local history. She has been researching WWI Polar Bears from southwest Michigan for more than eight years.

By Curt Tofteland, Founder, Shakespeare Behind Bars Program

The Mission of Shakespeare Behind Bars is to offer theatrical encounters with personal and social issues to incarcerated, post-incarcerated, marginalized, and at-risk communities, allowing them to develop and expand life skills that will support their reintegration into society. Founded in 1995, Shakespeare Behind Bars is the oldest, continuously operating program of its kind in North America. Each year Shakespeare Behind Bars serves 200+ incarcerated adults and juveniles in thirteen SBB programs in Kentucky, Michigan, and Illinois.

Curt L. Tofteland, as the Founder of the internationally acclaimed Shakespeare Behind Bars program, produced and directed fourteen all-male Shakespeare plays. SBB is the subject of the multiple award-winning documentaries by Philomath Films. During his twenty-year tenure as the Producing Artistic Director of Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, Curt produced fifty Shakespeare productions, directed twenty-five, and acted in eight. As a professional director and an Equity actor, he has 200+ professional productions to his credit. Additionally, he has presented 400+ performances of his one man show Shakespeare’s Clownes: A Foole’s Guide to Shakespeare.