Cambridge ‘Macker’ on-line registration deadline Monday

It’s almost “Macker Time”!

In fact, the deadline to register for the Cambridge Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament is Monday.

Basketball buffs planning to take part in this year’s event, slated June 9-10 at Cambridge City Park, need to get their teams together and register by Monday (May 21) at www.macker.com. The entry fee for a four-player team is $124.

It’s also down to “crunch time” to become a sponsor for this year’s event.

Several local business have already done so, with the major sponsor list including GJ Pepsi of Zanesville, Domino’s Pizza, Colgate Palmolive, Ohio Health Sports Medicine, Aaron’s Sales Leasing, Southeastern Equipment, Southgate Hotel (the Host Hotel for Gus Macker), Downtown Arena (Slam Dunk Contest), The Daily Sunday Jeffersonian, and ESPN Cambridge 1270AM/107.9FM.

Court sponsorships are still available, and anyone with questions should contact co-chairs Sharon Cassler at 439-2640 or Mike Edwards at 432-3287.

This year’s event will again feature the popular “Dream Court,” a Slam Dunk Contest and the Gus Macker Hall of Fame Ceremony.

Macker officials extend registration deadline

The registration deadline for the Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball tournament on June 2 and 3 in Morris has been extended.

Those wishing to register may do so online before midnight Sunday, May 20, at www.macker.com.

The tournament is open to males and females in age brackets of 10 under, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, and 17-18. Adult divisions are open in age brackets that range up to 40, 50, 60, and over, with all levels of experience encouraged and welcome to play.

The weekend begins on Friday, June 1, with early registration from 4 to 7 p.m., and continues through the championship games on Sunday afternoon. Every registered team is guaranteed at least three games, and each registered player receives a Gus Macker T-shirt. Trophies are awarded in each bracket for teams placing in the top three of their division.

This year’s tournament will mark the 10th annual Gus Macker in downtown Morris. Over the past nine years, over $92,000 has been donated back to local youth groups and nonprofit organizations as a result of the tournament’s success and the generous support of local sponsors. Major sponsors for this year’s event include The Morris Daily Herald and WCSJ/WJDK.

For more information about registering before the May 20 deadline, call the MDDP office at (815) 941-0245.

Gus Macker coming to Chesaning

Posted: Thursday, April 26, 2012 11:45 am

Gus Macker coming to Chesaning

The Argus-Press

The Argus-Press

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CHESANING — It’s a first in Chesaning.

For the first time, the Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament is set to take to the streets in the Showboat City.

Mark the days on the calendar, June 23-24, on M-57.

Mark Ervin, age 41, has been instrumental in bringing the tournament to Chesaning. He hopes to bring up to 150 teams to the tournament.

He said that the area businesses are excited about the event and he hopes that the tournament will draw a good crowd of spectators.

To register for the tournament, simply go to macker.com.

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Thursday, April 26, 2012 11:45 am.

Return of the Macker

Return of the Macker

Published 9:46am Monday, April 23, 2012

Hot wings, beer and entertainment. Is there any other way to throw a party? If so, don’t tell the people who gathered to celebrate the start of the annual Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament, which begins May 19.

The annual party, held at Buffalo Wild Wings, has become an event all in its own.

“This is just a great atmosphere,” Jason VanSloten, tournament operator, said.

While taking advantage of the free drinks and food, the crowd watched numerous children participate in a free-throw contest in the parking lot.

“These events bring a lot of people together this time of the year,” Tony Wilson, EMT, said.

While the party was well represented, people realized that it was merely the prelude to the main event.

“People live and die (Gus) Macker,” VanSloten said.

Last year, the three-on-three tournament featured more than 200 teams. Approximately 10,000 people showed up just to watch the event.

“It is a big fundraiser,” VanSloten said. “Other than that, it brings people out. We shut down a street to have the tournament.”

Wilson believes that this tournament is one of the biggest events for Lawrence County.

“It’s in the top three of the year,” Wilson said. “It brings a lot of revenue to the city.”

Online registration deadline is April 30 and cost $124 per team.

Opening ceremonies will begin at 8 a.m. on May 19.

Little Guy in a Tie’s Best Bets – Las Cruces Sun

Click photo to enlarge

LAS CRUCES —The weekend is nearly here and it’s shaping up to be beautiful. Expect temperatures to reach the high 80s, maybe even the low 90s, with plenty of sun, a 0 percent chance of rain (according to weather.com) and most importantly, no wind!!! After participating outside in the Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament last Saturday, I’ve had my share of wind for the rest of the year.

There’s plenty going on this weekend, no matter where your interests lie. Below, I’ve put together some of my favorite things happening, with help from the staff of the Sun-News.

Please follow my blog at http://littleguyinatie.wordpress.com to get the inside scoop on other events happening in our community. And please, please, please send your photos of this weekend’s events to lpeerman@lcsun-news.com and we’ll post in our reader-submitted galleries on the Sun-News website and on our Facebook page and we may even post your photo in Thursday’s community page in the print edition of the Las Cruces Sun-News (yes, we still put out a print edition).

Without further adieu, here’s this weekend’s Best Bets:

THE NEXT BIG THING

Up-and-coming country music artist and Las Cruces native Bri Bagwell has been busy since her

stint on “CMT’s Next Superstar” last summer:

— She has independently released her debut album “Banned from Santa Fe.”

— She launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the production of a video and promotion of her album and tour.

— She’s produced the video for her single — a piano ballad titled “Whiskey.”

— If that wasn’t enough to keep a girl busy, she announced a booking deal with William Morris Endeavor Entertainment last week that touts a big-name roster, including Taylor Swift, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley and LeAnn Rimes.

Way to go, Bri! She’s as talented as she is gorgeous. You can see Bri perform Saturday at the Rio Grande Theatre and check out the debut of her video “Whiskey.”

The show begins at 7 p.m., but don’t wait till then to get your tickets. Purchase a ticket for $20 at Treasures of Las Cruces (owned by Bri’s mom), 2001 E. Lohman Ave., or call (575) 524-1249 or go to bribagwell.com for details.

BARRELS AND BLUES

St. Clair Winery and Bistro is hosting the first Barrels and Blues Wine Festival this weekend. The three-day festival kicks off at 7 p.m. tonight at its Las Cruces location, 1720 Avenida de Mesilla.

For the past several years, the Barrels and Blues Wine Festival has been an annual event at the Albuquerque winery. Now that the Las Cruces location has a larger space, it’s time to bring the fun down south.

“This will be an annual event based around music and food,” said Zan Steinberg, general manager of St. Clair Winery and Bistro.

Tickets are $15 for one day or $25 for an all-weekend pass. Each guest receives a complementary wine glass to sample six wines made by St. Clair. A menu created especially for the wine festival will offer easy-to-eat foods.

Las Cruces musician C.W. Ayon — one of the best blues performers in the state — will be on stage from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday.

GET YOUR BOOK ON

The 18th annual Border Book Festival, which began Thursday, will go through Sunday at sites in Mesilla. This year’s theme is “The Shamanic Journey/La Jornada Chamánica.”

Events will include talks by noted healers, a panel discussion, a gala fundraising gourmet dinner, plant exchanges, book signings, readings and arts and cultural workshops.

Books by festival authors will be on sale all weekend at La Tiendita in the Cultural Center de Mesilla.

NATIONAL PARK WEEK (FREE!)

April 21-29 is National Park Week. During the week, all 397 National Park properties (parks, monuments, etc.) will offer free admission. How cool is that?

We have some wonderful National Park-managed sites in New Mexico, including Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands and Gila Cliff Dwellings. Guadalupe Mountains and Big Bend may be in Texas, but they are still both enchanting places to visit.

CELEBRATE THE EARTH

The Organization of Aggie Students Inspiring Sustainability (OASIS) will host the fifth annual Earth Day Festival from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday at Young Park.

The festival is family-friendly event that is free and open to the public. The purpose of the event is to bring the local community together to learn and discuss issues of sustainability.

The festival will include educational booths, commercial booths and local food vendors. There will be live music all day long, as well as yoga, a belly dancing performance and other entertainment. Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima will provide an opening address.

Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament coming to Chesaning, June 23-24 – The Saginaw News

View full sizeMark Ervin

CHESANING, MI — Mark Ervin isn’t sure what to expect, other than full hotels, campgrounds and restaurants.

And a closed state highway.

On Saturday and Sunday, June 23-24, downtown Chesaning will have a distinctive sound to it as the first Chesaning Gus Macker begins on M-57.

“We have a beautiful downtown … a great setup for a Macker tournament,” Ervin said. “The downtown streets are perfect, and we’re going to be able to shut it off to traffic.”

Ervin, 41, began working on bringing the Macker 3-on-3 Tournament to Chesaning after watching his son, 15-year-old Harrison, and daughter, 17-year-old Madeline, play in Gus Mackers last year.

“It was so much fun,” Ervin said. “My son played in the Greenville tournament. It was a great tournament, but when I looked at Greenville and looked at Chesaning, I thought there was no reason Chesaning couldn’t have a great Macker too.”

Meantime, organizers led by Ziggy Kozicki plan to bring the Macker back to Saginaw in 2013.

“It’s a great setting, a little different than Saginaw,” said Gus Macker founder and president Scott McNeal.
“We were excited when we heard they were interested. It’s the first
year, so we’re not real sure what to expect, numbers-wise.

“Saginaw is bigger, more parking lots, a more city setting. This is a small-town setting.”

Ervin, who lives in Chesaning, hopes to get up to 150 teams, with plenty of spectators to enjoy the tournament.

“If we didn’t have a town that I thought would do a nice family-friendly event, I wouldn’t even consider it,” Ervin said. “We’ve got a great campground a couple blocks from the event. We’ve got great restaurants, Showboat Park, hotels … everything is set up for a nice tournament.”

Anyone interested in playing in the Chesaning Macker can register at macker.com.

“All of the businesses were enthused,” Ervin said. “I can’t wait. It’s going to be great.

“The first year, I’d love to have 300 teams, but I try to be realistic. When we met with (Macker founder) Scott (McNeal), he said would could get close to 200 teams. There are a bunch of communities around Chesaning that love basketball but don’t have anything like a Macker, places like Freeland, Hemlock, Owosso, Perry, Clio, Swan Valley.

“This is a perfect place for this tournament.”

The tournament will coincide with the Mexican-American Festival in Chesaning.

“We didn’t set it up that way,” Ervin said. “The Macker doesn’t have any ties to the Mexican-American Festival, but it just adds one more event. We’ve got a lot of stuff going on in Chesaning.”

Shooting Stars – Las Cruces Sun

Click photo to enlargeBlue skies and long-range shooting accuracy returned Sunday and the Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament crowned champions in 35 brackets as the event concluded at the Field of Dreams.

A cool, sunny and breezy finale was a welcome sight to estimated 2,000 players lacing up their shoes for the annual event. The Gus Macker opened Saturday, accompanied by high winds, which whipped up dust and shrouded the tournament in a cloud of brown – not exactly ideal conditions for any shooters out there.

Sunday’s 63-degree high and comparatively light winds proved more friendly.

Stopping in Las Cruces since 1995, the Gus Macker typically benefits local nonprofit organizations, and this year was no different.

The Las Cruces Boys and Girls Club and Casa de Peregrinoswere the two organizations benefitting from proceeds of the tournament.

Las Cruces was the first stop on the Gus Macker’s 2012 schedule, according to the organization’s website. It will run tournaments in three other New Mexico cities – Alamogordo, Artesia and Hobbs – through the spring and summer.

Gus Macker returns to Las Cruces this weekend; 490 teams scheduled to take part – Las Cruces Sun

Click photo to enlargeLAS CRUCES – The 2012 Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament is slated for Saturday and Sunday in the east parking lot of the Field of Dreams.

Thousands of players and their friends and families – from all across southern New Mexico – will descend on the 35 courts for games beginning at 8
a.m. Saturday. The 490 four-player teams, placed on the appropriate court by gender, age, experience and height, will play 3-on-3 games to 15 points.

Tournament director Ken Hoeksema said for the second year in a row, sanctioned referees will manage each court.

“We have to pay a little bit more for that, but we want to make the experience for the participants on the court a better one,” Hoeksema said.

Trophies will be awarded to the top team on each court. The “Toilet Bowl” trophy will go to the best worst team on each court.

Player registration is from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday and continues at 7 a.m. Saturday. Among the festivities Friday is the third annual media game, pitting the Las Cruces Sun-News against Radio of Las Cruces at 6 p.m. at the Top Men’s Court. Jack Nixon, the Voice of the Aggies, will call the action.

Teams paid $136 to participate in the outdoors tournament, which guarantees – weather cooperating – three games and a T-shirt. According to weather.com, Saturday will be windy and sunny and Sunday will be partly cloudy. Highs on both days are expected to be in the upper 60s.

An underlying theme of the tournament, which begin in Las Cruces in 1995,

is to help nonprofit organizations in Las Cruces. This year, the Las Cruces
Boys and Girls Club and Casa de Peregrinos will be the two organizations that will benefit from the proceeds of the tournament.

The mission of the Boys and Girls Club of Las Cruces is to enable all young people, especially those who need it most, to reach their full potential as
productive, caring and responsible citizens. The club offers after-school and summer programs to more than 400 children from 6 to 18.

Casa de Peregrinos is a nonprofit and nondenominational emergency food program that provides free supplemental groceries to individuals and
families at risk of hunger in Las Cruces and Doña Ana County. The food bank serves as a safety link for those unable to purchase nutritious food due to an emergency or unforeseen personal crisis.

“It’s a good partnership to have,” Hoeksema said. “It’s important for a lot of nonprofits to collaborate, and it’s helpful to stress we’re trying to be
collaborative.”

To enhance the family-oriented experience at the Gus Macker tournament, a carnival with kiddie rides will be available this year.

For information, call (575) 635-1562 or visit macker.com for rules, brackets and more.

Macker prep includes need for volunteers

CHILLICOTHE — As planning continues for this year’s Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament, event organizers are searching for residents interested in volunteering to make the event a success.

The tournament will be June 23-24 in the parking lot area of Chillicothe High School. To make it run smoothly, however, there is a large need for volunteers, “Gus Busters” and individual and business sponsors.

Gus Busters serve as volunteer referees for the event. They must be at least 17 years old, possess a basic knowledge of basketball and be willing to enforce game rules. Volunteers who work on both days of the event will receive a gift package.

Any game officials selected to work the top men’s and women’s courts must be licensed and will be compensated.

Volunteers also are needed to help around the courts and in information or hospitality functions.

Anyone interested in serving as a Gus Buster or as a volunteer can call (740) 779-8943 or email gusmacker@adena.org.

Anyone interested in learning more about sponsorship packages should call Karen Jenkins at (740) 779-7719.

Tournament organizers also have announced several other notable details about this year’s event, including:

» The early registration deadline for teams interested in playing is May 4 if done online at www.macker.com, or a postmark of May 1 if done by mail. Early registration team fee is $112, compared to $132 after those dates.

» A T-shirt design contest for all Ross County students will take place. The winning design will be used for this year’s souvenir T-shirt to will be sold at the event. Tournament host Adena Sports Medicine will donate $250 to the art department of the school attended by the winning student.

» The Chillicothe High School Athletic Boosters will operate the concessions during the event, with proceeds going to benefit the high school athletic department and band program.

» Three-point and free-throw contests will take place on the Saturday of tournament weekend and an Easter Seals Division also will be part of the event.

A portion of the net proceeds from the weekend of activities will benefit the Adena Health Foundation’s Sports Medicine Fund, which provides scholarships to academically high-achieving high school senior athletes in the area, along with medical equipment.

Some proceeds also will go to the foundation’s Cancer Fund, which supports new and expanded services to cancer patients and families, along with medical equipment and technology.

Poll: Which downtown Saginaw development excites you the most? – The Saginaw News

View full sizeFile | The Saginaw NewsAshley L. Conti | The Saginaw News
A Washington D.C. buyer, who wished to remain anonymous, bought the historic Bearinger Building, 126 North Franklin in Saginaw over the phone during auction Thursday for $110,000. SAGINAW, MI — There are a series of changes coming to Saginaw’s downtown.

Some of them were discussed in this Saginaw News story two weeks ago when discussions of a new Great Lakes Bay Michigan Works building surfaced publicly.

Here’s a list of some upcoming and recent changes:

The Bancroft-Eddy apartments, currently public housing, will no longer serve as public housing as of November. A new intended use has not been publicly identified.

Central Michigan University has stated its intent to invest up to $18 million in the construction of two buildings for its new medical campus, one near Covenant HelathCare and the other near St. Mary’s of Michigan hospital near downtown, by 2015.

Construction of two new commercial businesses, Midwestern Surgical Associates and Catholic Federal Credit Union, both on South Washington near Holden, are nearing completion.

Although nothing has been solidified, Saginaw Development Director Odail Thorns says Bay City developer Tim Hunnicutt with the Front Porch Renaissance Group has shown interest in purchasing the Bearinger Fireproof Building at 126 N. Franklin.

Bingham Farms-based ProVisions in February closed on the former Saginaw News building at 203 S. Washington. The sale price has not been reflected in the city’s website.

Last year the Michigan Department of Transportation completed $14 million worth of renovations to Interstate 675 to open access to downtown.

Great Lakes Bay Michigan Works, with SSP Associates Inc. as the developer, announced its intent to consolidate offices downtown once an agreement is finalized.

ATT is moving 230 jobs from Saginaw Township to its
location at 309 S. Washington.

Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament organizers said they will return to downtown Saginaw in 2013.

Just outside downtown, Saginaw planners are working on finishing a deal with an unnamed developer to renovate the now-vacant Jefferson Apartments in the Cathedral District.

The city spent $4.65 million in 2010 to “streetscape” and refurbish East Genesee in downtown.

That’s a lot. What have I missed? Which of these excites you the most? What still needs to happen before downtown Saginaw can become what it once was? Please answer the poll question and comment below.

Which development or prospective development in downtown Saginaw excites you most?