Sturgis: A Year in Review
As we prepare to say goodbye to 2022 and ring in the new year we wanted look back over the year and all the memories made.
We started the year off in January/February by applying to work with several classes at MSU who were seeking participants for class projects. Sturgis was selected for two. The “Welcome to Sturgis” mural was the result of one and the other involved kids from the community helping a grad student film a how-to on Robert’s Rules of Order which outlines how meetings should run. This kicked off our Grow Sturgis campaign.
From there we had the Easter Bunny visit Town Hall and give treats out to the kids who came by, we had a Music in the Park day which featured several local and regional musicians playing a wide range of genres from bluegrass and gospel to Celtic. The inaugural season of Sturgis Community Market also made its debut this year, running from May - September. Trunk or Treat returned again this year with an outstanding attendance both in “trunks” participating and kids from all over the community coming out to enjoy time with friends and family. There was a similar and stellar turnout for the Christmas parade. With over 40 entries and multitudes of people lining the highway this event was an excellent way to kick off the Christmas season. We are also excited that we now have local travel football and baseball teams using our park as their practice fields.
March saw the start of Sturgis Cruise In Nights. These were held the third Friday night of each month March - October. Local car enthusiasts gathered along the highway and admired the cars, trucks, and motorcycles that lined the street.
The Sturgis South Bike Rally also returned this year after taking a few years off and the town opting for a cruise in in 2021. The Rally this year featured many of the traditional events as well as family friendly attractions like the Strollers, Bikes, and Trikes mini rally hosted by the Sturgis Public Library’s Story Time.
In September the MS Department of Education released the school rankings for the 2020 - 2021 school year. West Elementary, located in Sturgis, was the only school in the district to receive an A rating. This was quite possibly the proudest moment we had as a community this year.
The Sturgis High School Alumni Association hosted an all class reunion in October. The school was opened up for touring with the park set up for each class to gather together and mingle with other classes while enjoying food, fellowship, fun and music.
Our library has also been busy this year. They debuted a newly renovated bathroom and storage area, they had a wonderful summer reading program, and a weekly Story Time for kids. The Friends of the Library group also hosted several informative and entertaining sessions throughout the year. We are very proud of all our library offers.
The town’s beautification committee was also hard at work this year ensuring planters were filled and maintained with pretty flowers through out the year as well as doing an outstanding job decorating Main Street for Fall and Christmas.
Sturgis was also recently approved for a grant to fund a new police car. We hope to receive the funds from the grant in early 2023. This new car will replace the 2013 Crown Vic that is currently in service. We are also happy to have approved at the December Board of Alderman meeting to rename a portion of Highway 12 running through town to the Louis Jones Memorial Highway in memory of Louis Jones who served as Police Chief of Sturgis for 30 years. Once the State Legislature approves the renaming of this portion of highway MDOT will place the road sign designating it in Louis’ memory.
In addition to help keep Sturgis moving forward a new town website and this newsletter were introduced as a way to keep locals and visitors informed of all things Sturgis. We also went live on CampSpot.com which allows those wanting to reserve a spot at the park to do so online as well as pay online with a credit/debit card. Previously all reservations had to go through Town Hall and payment made in either cash or check.
While we said goodbye to several longtime businesses in 2022, this year we also welcomed several new businesses. Even though we’ll miss running downtown to pick up a few things from Walter’s or the Sturgis Art Studio and we’ll miss slowing down and waving at Mr. Yarbrough’s we know change is fleeting. If the pandemic taught us anything it is that the new normal only lasts a short while before it changes from being the new normal to just being normal. The anticipation and excitement the new businesses that have been discussed for town will continue to propel the growth we’ve seen over the last year.
We have worked hard this year to make positive steps forward to support Sturgis and grow Sturgis. In 2023 let’s continue the campaign that was started in early 2022. Let us all Support Sturgis to Grow Sturgis.
*Please know not all events listed were “hosted” by the town. Many of these events such as the Music in the Park, Friday Night Cruise Ins, the Community Market, etc. were curated by citizens who had an idea and wanted to create an event the whole community was invited to and worked with the Town to get approval/coordinate details to bring the ideas to fruition. We earnestly thank all the community members who had an idea and worked hard to bring so many wonderful opportunities to our town.
