People at Music Under The Stars

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Governor Jennifer Granholm
Honorary Chair

In her sixth State of the State address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm said that despite persistent economic challenges, Michigan's citizens and leaders will be relentless in their efforts to transform this state into one of the best places in the country to live, learn, and earn.

"Our challenge is to give our people the tools they need to realize those hopes and come out on top in this new era," Granholm told a joint session of the Legislature. "In these tough times, government cannot be all things to all people. We have to focus on four things - a job for every worker, affordable health care for every family, safe places to live and work for all of us, and quality education for our citizens, kids and adults."

Six Rivers Regional Land Conservancy’s land conservation work is essential to the quality of place that the Governor spoke of in her address. Our work takes many forms, including assisting communities to conserve urban river corridors, managing the invasive plants that threaten the integrity of the ecology of our Great Lakes region, and preserving working lands in rural areas. As we put our boots on the ground in Macomb, Oakland, Lapeer and Genesee Counties, we are inspired by Governor Granholm’s dedication to the quality of life and the recovery of our economy in Michigan.

We are very honored to welcome the Governor as our Honorary Chair of Music Under The Stars.

Governor Granholm’s Website: http://www.michigan.gov/gov

Nancy Bell, The Conservation Fund
Keynote Speaker

Nancy Bell, the Vermont Field Director for The Conservation Fund, is recognized as a national leader in conservation and community engagement. Her focus and specialty is wildlife habitat protection for black bears at a landscape level.

Her twenty-five year career arose from a grass roots, activist background, was steeped in an eight-year litigation against Killington Ski Area and emerged as a passion for the conservation of wildlife habitat, particularly for bears. With The Conservation Fund since 1995, she has built unique partnerships with communities, businesses, non-profit organizations and state and federal agencies to conserve almost a half million acres of land in four states.

She has just completed the Green Mountain Bear Corridor with multiple partners, a fourteen year project, protecting 28 parcels totaling 21,000 acres that link the northern and southern units of the Green Mountain National Forest. She also spearheaded the Champion International Paper project for The Fund in northern Vermont and conserving 300,000 acres in three states. She continues to work for The Fund in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine on community initiatives for landscape level conservation.

Nancy is a recipient of numerous conservation awards including the Chevron/Times Mirror Magazine Conservation Award.

Six Rivers staff and Board members have come to know Nancy, through her friendship with Six Rivers Trustees Gail Danto and Art Roffey. Her deep love for the land, and the creatures that inhabit it, inspires the enthusiastic professionalism she brings to her land conservation work. It is a model we aspire to – as we connect habitats for people and nature - here in southeast Michigan. Please join us in welcoming Nancy, not only as our Keynote Speaker, but as a treasured friend of Six Rivers.

big SHORTY

They’re back! – putting the music into Music Under The Stars – and rocking us with that Chicago-style blues and funk sound. Describing themselves as an interdisciplinary fusion band – they thrive on grooves, tasty solos, and original arrangements of well-known and obscure music and their own songs. Their impressive and eclectic song list includes jazz classics from Gershwin to Brubeck to Silver, blues from Taj Mahal to Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon, rock from the Allman Bros., Hendrix, and Winwood, soul from Sam Cooke, folk from Dylan, touches of classical from Bach, Beethoven and Chopin and even a wee bit of country. Tom Waits, the Beatles, Booker T., Dr. John: they’re all here.

The good news is … this year at the Michigan Design Center there’s more room on the dance floor – and we dare you to stay away!

http://www.bigshortymusic.com

The Band (from left): Joe Salisz,
Frank Koscielski (Frankie the K), Dr. Jim Hart and Jeff Mueller

Ken Lindsay
Auctioneer

Certified professional auctioneer Kenny Lindsay is a nationally recognized and multiple award winning auctioneer who was also awarded with the Michigan Auction of the Year honors.

Lindsay is a highly skilled and accomplished auctioneer who finished at the top of his class at the Continental School of Auctioneering in Mankato, Minnesota. Several years later, Lindsay was accepted to and ultimately graduated from The Certified Auctioneers Institute (CAI) at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. The CAI status is the most esteemed and highest possible designation in the auction industry which is equivalent to a PhD in the auction profession. Only approximately 1,100 auctioneers world-wide have achieved this pinnacle designation.

In 2007, Lindsay achieved another significant educational accomplishment in Cincinnati, Ohio as a certified ‘Benefit Auction Specialist.’ Only a few auctioneers in the entire State of Michigan are professionally recognized as a specialist in the 14.5 billion dollar nationwide benefit auction industry. Lindsay is a full-time professional consultant, educator and auctioneer for numerous non-profit organizations. Lindsay is a national columnist for several auction industry publications and has served on the National Auctioneers Association President’s Advisory Council. Lindsay is recognized by the State of Michigan as a ‘Subject Matter Expert’ for being a key contributor developing the Michigan Auctioneers registration examinations.

Lindsay was selected to the 2006, 2007 & 2008 MSAA ‘Michigan’s Best’ All-Star Auction. Lindsay was featured on the front page of the Detroit News & Free Press Newspapers on a benefit auction feature story along with other mentions and/or stories on WJR, WCAR, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, ESPN, Grosse Ile Camera, Monroe Evening News, Observer & Eccentric Newspapers, eBay Magazine, Bay City Times, Madonna Magazine, The Auction Exchange & Collectors News, Sports Collectors Digest, Orlando Sentinel, Tampa Tribune and other national trade publications.

An outdoor enthusiast himself, Lindsay is an avid financial supporter and volunteer of numerous conservation organizations. He understands the importance and embraces the mission of Six Rivers Regional Land Conservancy and is honored to be a part of your most important fundraising event of the year with ‘Music Under The Stars.'

Visit Lindsay & Vander Kolk Certified Fundraising Auctioneers at
www.BenefitAuctionFundraisers.com or call (248) 473-1547.

Check out Ken on YouTube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIdhjziTmkA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyqhVrxTdH0