'Part Timers' Find Work Online

Web Series Focuses on Trials of Temporary Jobs
Donald Lierman
Contributing Writer

From martinet bosses to empty-headed co-workers to a pay check that barely pays for a value meal, the daily struggles of the under-employed challenge many to not give away their souls for their daily bread.

Local filmmakers have created a comedic Web series, “Part Timers,” to address the trials and tribulations of making it in this not so brave new world. Each episode will feature four twenty-somethings living and working, and trying to work, in the economically struggling region of southeast Michigan known as the Blue Water Area.

The inspiration for the series is the ennui that transforms one’s self when an individual is forced to subsist in these modern times.

“When one applies for part-time work, one feels it will only be short term. Nobody applies for a temporary job unless it is absolutely necessary. But what happens when the job becomes no longer a short-term gig?” said Ryan Falcheck, who stars as Chris in the series. “These characters have come to the grim realization that this part-time job has become their lives. They deal with the despair of wondering, ‘How much longer is this going to go on?’”

Series co-creator Jesse Dunsmore, Randy in the series, based “Part Timers” on a short-story he wrote in high school about when he worked at a department store.

“The story grew from one person’s experiences. It became a tale of a group of men in their early twenties who are trying to grow up and be successful in an area that invites people to settle for mediocrity,” he said. “The series almost feels like a documentary. The issues Randy deal with are ones that I have either gone through or am going through.”

The plot revolves around four characters that are on the lower end of the economic food chain: Chris (Falcheck), Randy (Dunsmore), James (Rob McCollister) and Abe (Joe Liniarski).

Falcheck character, who also narrates, is a “friendly, well-intentioned dreamer, who works as a server. Chris is the glue that holds the group together. While other characters show their uncertainty, Chris does his best to hide it and maintain,” Falcheck said.

Dunsmore’s character, Randy, is a recent college graduate with a journalism degree seeking work in his chosen career path. “He was once very idealistic and wanted to save the world. The stress of attempting to find a job has made him very numb. He bottles up his emotions,” Dunsmore said. “In another life, Randy might have ended up as a sniper if he snapped.”

The characters of James and Abe round-out the cast. McCollister’s character, James, “works at a movie theater and is the sort of person who aspires to be a Jedi. James has the best intentions of being everything a nerd would want to be,” Falcheck said. “James is also a dreamer: he wants a girlfriend but doesn’t have the nerve to get one, he wants to make the next ‘Star Wars’ but does not have the nerve for that either.”

Abe, played by Joe Liniarski, can’t hold a job for more than a month.

“Abe has a new job every episode,” Dunsmore said. “The other characters live together in Abe’s house, but Abe doesn’t live there. He is a type of cartoon character. He gets along with Chris and Randy, but has a strained relation with James.

“Abe and James are so much alike, yet they can’t get along. Abe is the sort that lives on the seat of his pants without any goals for the future.”

The series is set to be released Saturday, June 19, at 11 a.m. and will be submitted to area film festivals. The first “Part-Timers” episode may be viewed at the Facebook page for the series: "Part Timers" episode one.

“We are not of the traditional Hollywood mode,” Dunsmore said. “We are just regular guys from the area who love to tell stories. This series is about doing those things and discussing their world the way local guys would.”

What Would You Do With $100?

Group to Give $100 to 100 People in 100 Days

Twana Pinskey
Contributing Writer

Times are tough and sometimes finding a job can prove to be even more difficult. Especially in St. Clair County.

According to the United States Department of Labor, the unemployment rate in Michigan during April was 14 percent. Many believe that rate to be as high as 25 percent St. Clair County.

Unfortunately, the Blue Water Area is not immune to the sluggish economy, but there are a few bright spots out there.

Project 100 Blue Water Area is one such bright spot, giving hope and inspiring goodwill around the area. The idea behind the project is to help people by encouraging them to give back to their community, by giving to each other.

The project encourages people to “pay-forward” random acts of kindness to other Blue Water Area residents.

Jenny Bulgrien of Port Huron is a member of the Blue Water Project 100 team and said team members are encouraging residents to focus on random acts of giving.

“A lot of people are shocked,” when someone else offers to pay for their items Bulgrien said. “I was in Tim Horton’s and paid for the people in front of me.”

Bulgrien said the project is now in its second phase, where team members are randomly giving away $100 to 100 people in 100 days, with the intention for those people to also pay it forward.

“We want to focus on how people in the community can give back,” Bulgrien said.

The project hit the streets June 7, passing out $100 bills across the Blue Water Area.

Recipients of the $100 are asked to think of ways they could give back to their communities, including donating time and helping neighbors in need. Recipients of the money are also encouraged to share their personal stories on the Project 100 Web site – project100bluewater.com.

Mark Berry of Lexington, who shared his story on the Web site, said he was in line at the Dairy Queen in Fort Gratiot, when a man handed him a business card and offered to buy his ice cream.

“I thought he was kidding,” Berry said.

If you are one of the 100 Blue Water residents handed a $100 bill, lets us know and we'll share your story.

Wanted: Resident Tourist

See Port Huron Through the Eyes of a Tourist
Twana Pinskey
Contributing Writer

People don’t always see everything their respective communities have to offer, often taking for granted the little things that make each community great. Every year, thousands of tourists ascend upon Port Huron and the Blue Water Area, which is commonly known as the Maritime Capital of the Great Lakes, to see its splendor and enjoy its blue waters.

Locals don’t always remember to appreciate all the area has to offer. Though, every day they are encouraged to celebrate all the things that make the area great, and one day each spring, they are invited to see Port Huron and the Blue Water Area through the eyes of a tourist

Blue Water Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is hosting its eighth-annual Be a Tourist in Your Own Town event Friday, June 5, at various locations across Port Huron.

Events designed to get residents out of their comfort-zone and into the community include, narrated trolley tours, cruises on the Huron Lady II, tours of the Thomas Edison Depot Museum, kids crafts and demonstrations at Studio 1219 and tours of the McMorran tower.

Additions to this year’s tourist-day include, Red Cross clowns, musical acts, face painting, actors performing in period dress, as well as the introduction of a Shipwreck Series.

Judi Stewart, Sales Manager for the Blue Water Area CVB, said the program was started for area residents who had never been to attractions in their own town.

She believes that the event is not only good advertising and promoting the area, but also gives residents a chance to experience first-hand what the Blue Water Area has to offer.

“We wanted our own residents to say, ‘Wow, that’s cool,’” she said.

Transportation between the event sites will be provided free of charge by the city transportation department on eight of its trolleys and busses. All events throughout the day are free, except for cruises aboard the Huron Lady, which are $5 each and leave the dock at corner of Military and Water streets at 10:30 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:15 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Lee Perry, Executive Director of Studio 1219, expressed excitement about the day’s events.

“What’s really cool is the Seaway Terminal,” he said, which will have several activities for every member of the family, including a marine flea market sponsored by the Port Huron Museum, a Great Lakes Nautical Society ship show, tours of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Bramble, a game-zone and underwater videos.

Perry feels the event is a good opportunity for the people of Port Huron and surrounding communities to get in-line with what the Blue Water Area has to offer.

“They (residents) are truly the ambassadors for the area,” he said.

Stewart said the program promotes community and believes, that the more community is involved, the more the community will support local businesses and each other. She said it is important for residents to bond together as a community.

“Especially in these tough economic times, we really need that,” she said.

(((Be A Tourist In Your Own Town Schedule of Events)))

Colonial Festival Hits 30-Year Mark

Annual Feast of the St. Claire Takes Over Pine Grove Park This Weekend
Donald Lierman
Contributing Writer

From authentic costumes and colonial dances to bean soups and rock candies, the 30th-annual Feast of the Ste. Claire is sure to offer a little something to suit everyone’s tastes.

More than 650 French, British, and American Indian re-enactors will portray life in the Blue Water area as it was in colonial times. Cannons will be fired. Battles will be re-enacted. And demonstrations of Celtic dance, craft, cooking and much more will re-create how life was in the region between 1750 and 1840. Each day of the two-day festival will also offer 18 historically-accurate presentations.

“This is really a wonderful event,” said Volunteer, Programs and Grant Manager for the Port Huron Museum, Holly Modock. “The feast allows both young and old a chance to experience the sights and sounds of early Michigan history.”

The two-day celebration kicks-off this weekend, May 29-30 (Memorial Day weekend), at Pine Grove Park just north of downtown Port Huron. Gates open at 10 a.m. both days and close at 10 p.m. on Saturday and 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. Admission to the feast is $8 for adults and $6 for seniors and students. Military personal (with proper ID) and children under 5 get in to event free.

Harry and Rose Burgess, who chair the annual event, have been involved with the festival since its inception in 1980.

“The festival was to first celebrate the 300th anniversary of Fort St. Joseph,” Rose Burgess said. “The idea grew to celebrate the Feast of the Ste. Claire. The lake and river were named after that feast day on which a Father Henniten ‘discovered’ those bodies of water.”

A wide variety of daily events and presentations are scheduled during the festival’s 30th anniversary celebration.

“There will be three special speakers,” Rose Burgess said. “Philip Sincully will discuss the ship, The Welcome, which was a local trading vessel. Ron Pinson will talk about local Native Americans of that period. And Gary Werner will demonstrate a colonial surgery, as well as speak on early medicines.

“Finally, a ladies high tea will be presented, which will include a commemorative cup and saucer. In addition, there will be a couple night-time firings of cannon, which will leave spectators breathless. They’ll learn why you don’t stand in front of one, even if it’s only a re-enactment.”

Also highlighting the festival will be candlelight tours, a Catholic mass and a colonial ball Saturday evening, with colonial contra dance lessons before the ball at 4:45 p.m.

Modock said volunteers are still needed for the event. Those interested should contact her at 810-982-0891, ext. 118.

Free parking will be available in the St. Clair County Community College parking lot, located by the M-TEC building, with free trolley rides to the park.

Museum members pay only $2 for admission and family passes to the festival are available for $20. Admission is good for both days of the feast.

“The event is like your own personal time machine to our ancestors’ days,” Harry Burgess said. “Even if it is not of the hot tub variety.”

Café Takes Fresh Approach to Dining

Patrons Travel Miles to Enjoy Speakeasy
Twana Pinskey
Contributing Writer

When it comes to the restaurant business, Ryan Senk is in good company -- his family. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde, New York, he returned to the area to become executive chef at the Black River Café and Speakeasy in downtown Port Huron.

Located at 213 Huron Avenue, the café offers unique dishes not found in other area restaurants, such as perch tacos and pan-fried frogs legs. Owner Bill Senk, of Algonac, said his customers come from as far south as Rochester and Mt. Clemens, and as far north as Lexington and Port Sanilac to dine on the his son’s culinary creations and enjoy a drink in the basement prohibition-inspired speakeasy.

The father- son-duo is adamant about serving the freshest food possible.

“Everything is fresh and cooked to order,” the elder Senk said. “We don’t have a deep fryer, microwave or a freezer here.”

The Senks try to order their ingredients from local farmers and suppliers, including Maple Creek Farm, which grows a variety of organic vegetables across 80-acres in Yale, as much as possible.

Chef Senk said in the current Michigan economy, it’s important to support local businesses whenever possible. That sentiment is echoed by Maple Creek owner, Michelle Lutz.

“It is a rarity to have a chef willing to change their menu based on what is available,” she said.

Lutz said Chef Senk is so particular about what goes into each plate, that he travels to the farm to hand pick the best veggies for the restaurant. She said he’s extremely dedicated and committed to picking only the freshest items.

“I just knew this was going to be a good working relationship,” Lutz said.

But Senk doesn’t just serve fresh produce, he also seeks out the freshest cuts of meat for the café. He says there is a stark difference between frozen, farm-raised and wild seafood products. That difference can be tasted in two of the café’s most popular entrees: pretzel-encrusted walleye and wild-caught Scottish salmon.

Ellen Frazer, of St. Clair, who recently dined on the pretzel-encrusted walleye, had nothing but good things to say about Senk’s skills behind the stove.

She was quite happy with the wait staff’s willingness to accommodate her special request, which included ordering the walleye’s cracked-mustard cream sauce on the side, in case she thought it would be too spicy.

“The cracked-mustard sauce was wonderful,” she said, adding that it complimented the walleye quite well. “I appreciate the sauce being artfully presented, separately with arrangement of fresh raw vegetables as an accompaniment,” she said.

She also enjoyed a side of wild mushroom hash with her meal.

Customer satisfaction is the main goal of both Senks, which can be seen not only in the food, but in their work-ethic and attention to detail.

“With the economy being as tight as it is, when people are able to go out for dinner, they want a true dining experience,” Bill Senk said. “We believe we offer them that.”

He believes their attention to even the smallest of details, such as the restoration of the building from its original décor, has made a huge difference in the café’s patronage and return business.

“There are 15,166 bricks in this room; I hand washed everyone of them,” Senk said jokingly.