This article was originally published by The Tuscola County Advertiser.

CASS CITY — She has been described as a woman who “bursts with adolescent girl power” and “a quirky girl with a whole lot of spunk, energy, and dedication.” But to her Cass City friends and family, she is Brittany Nicol — the girl with big personality and gobs of talent.

Nicol says she always has had an interest in music and theatre. She largely credits her grandmother with taking the time to help her and her sister, Alyssa, learn to play musical instruments and to sing when they were growing up. The impressive list of instruments she plays includes the oboe, piano, guitar, ukulele, and hammer dulcimer, as well as various percussion instruments.

As a student at Cass City Middle School, and a member of the Academic Track team, Nicol says her interest developed into a passion. “Academic Track helped my interest in musical theatre flourish into something I could do for a career,” she says. “It was by far my favorite part of middle school.”

Nicol, the daughter of Jim and Jeanne Nicol of Cass City, started preparing for her future career early. In the fall of 2007, she enrolled in Interlochen Center for the Arts, an institution whose stated purpose is to “[engage] and [inspire] people worldwide through excellence in educational, artistic and cultural programs, enhancing the quality of life through the universal language of the arts”.

For Nicol, her time spent at the center was life-changing. “Everyone always laughs, but I describe it as a ‘magical place’,” she says. “Interlochen is my favorite place in the whole world. I really came into my own at Interlochen and was surrounded by people who were as passionate about the arts as I was… Interlochen (and my parents) taught me what good work ethic and focus is and that I can do anything I set my mind to.” That combination of passion, work ethic, and focus have served Nicol well, as she continues her education at Michigan State University.

The decision to become a Spartan, however, was not part of the original plan. “It’s actually a funny story,” she says of her decision. “I applied many places for my undergraduate degree, but they were all Musical Theatre programs. After some thinking (and almost going to college in Oklahoma) I realized I would rather be closer to home and go to a program that was centered around acting instead of singing and dancing. Also, since I had such a different experience for high school, I wanted to go to a public university.”

Today, Nicol is pursuing her Bachelor in Fine Arts in Theatre, with an emphasis in acting – a pursuit she is, by all appearances, both enjoying and excelling at. “It’s a program that I had to audition into and I have about 15 other people in my class receiving that same degree,” she says.

Nicol has received rave reviews for her performances in 14 different productions at Michigan State University and in the Lansing community. The Lansing State Journal says that Nicol’s scenes “are passionate and forceful, revealing a fragility in even the most intelligent and outgoing of souls.”

While her participation in an eclectic array of productions has been a thrill, Nicol says she does have her favorites. “Pump Up the Volume was a great experience because I really connected with the guest director that came from New York. I also just finished Xanadu where I did the whole show on roller skates. That was definitely a learning experience!”

For Nicol, the end is in sight, as far as her time at Michigan State University goes. After graduating in May of 2014, she plans to take her career to the next level. “I’m planning to move to New York City to pursue Musical Theatre. I’m very excited to make the big move!”

While the excitement of big-city life looms on the horizon, Nicol isn’t quick to forget where her roots are. “I think of how great it was to grow up in a small town community,” she says. “I loved going to football games and being involved in my church.”

Nicol credits the members of her support network with helping her achieve her goals. “I have an extremely supportive family, some great friends, a very supportive boyfriend, and I have had some amazing opportunities,” she says. “I wouldn’t be able to do any of the things I’ve done without the unending supports of my parents. So many thanks to them. My mom always jokes that I have to thank her first when I get a Tony. If I ever get so blessed to have such a high honor, you bet I will! “

For more information about Brittany Nicol, her career, and background, visit her website, www.brittanyannnicol.com.

This article was originally published by The Tuscola County Advertiser.

CASS CITY — There’s no saying what will happen when a seed of talent is nurtured — take Cass City’s Roger Parrish, for example. The combination of raw talent, encouragement from his parents, and opportunities to hone his skills proved to be just what he needed to blossom into the village’s “music man”.

Parrish’s talents were “inherited”  from his mother, Elena Stoll Parrish, whose musical abilities included singing, as well as playing a variety of instruments, including the piano, organ, and harmonica.

“She never had the opportunity to take lessons,” Parrish says of his mother. “She played by ear, without notes.”

As a boy, Parrish’s parents encouraged his musical talent. They bought an old upright piano from Cass City High School for $5. It was on this piano that Parrish’s mother taught him how to play by ear — something he picked up on quickly. “She taught me a couple of hymns, old traditional hymns,” he says. “[Playing by ear] made sense to me.”

When he was about 10 or 11 years old, Parrish began taking piano lessons from Ethel McCoy, wife of a prominent town doctor. He was under her tutelage for a couple of years, during which his natural talents were refined.

As time went on, Parrish had opportunities to grow and share his gift of music. At the ripe age of 15, he became the organist at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Cass City. During his high school years, he was the school choir’s pianist, played at various local functions, and was a drummer in the band at Cass City High School, where he was graduated in 1950.

After high school, Parrish enrolled at Central Michigan University. When he returned home from school on the weekends, his schedule was full – teaching piano lessons Saturday afternoon, playing for area dances Saturday night, and serving as church organist on Sunday morning.

In 1954, Parrish graduated from Central Michigan with a degree in education with a minor in choral music and piano. It didn’t take him long to put his education to good use.

“There was an opening in Caro for elementary music,” he says. “There was no school building at that time, so they had classes in area churches. I’d get in my car and go to the different churches [to teach].”

The following year, Parrish took a job in his hometown, teaching choral music for grades 1 through 12. “There was no music room at Campbell Elementary at that time, so I had to literally push a piano from one room to the next,” he says.

Parrish taught students the fundamentals of music and was a great promoter of vocal talent among high school students. “There were some very talented students at that time, as there are now, I imagine,” he says.

Not only did Parrish teach music – he composed it as well. Among his compositions are Cass City High School’s anthem — “Alma Mater, Hear Us Now”, “Rhapsody of the Red Bird”, “A Tribute to Mother Teresa”, (written 5 days after her death in 1997), as well as a host of Christmas songs, such as “This Child of Christmas”.

“It was a highlight of my life,” Parris says of his time teaching in Cass City. “I enjoyed it very much.”

In 1970, having taught at Cass City for the past 15 years, Parrish decided to resign and take his musical career in a new direction. He headed to California, where both family and opportunity awaited him. There, he worked as an entertainer in various venues, one of which was the prestigious Stardust Country Club in San Diego.

From there, Parrish worked in a variety of places, including Indiana, Virginia, and Florida. While in Miami, someone suggested that Parrish apply for work with a cruise line. “I applied on Thursday, was hired on Friday, and set sail on Saturday,” he says.

His job with the cruise line took him to South America and the Caribbean Islands. He worked with them for two winters before retiring in the mid-1970s.

Since that time, Parrish has used his musical abilities to benefit the Cass City community. He was the organist and choir director at the First Presbyterian Church for 15 years, and has played and sung his original music in other churches throughout the area.

Today, Parrish is active with the Tom Thumb Singers, where he serves as the lead piano accompanist. “I enjoy hearing and playing the music of the Christmas season,” Parrish says. “It’s very inspirational.”​

​CASS CITY — Most people look back fondly on special Christmas gifts they received as children. For Kevin Gracey, it is the gift his brother received that he remembers best, because it led to a life-long hobby for him.

It all started during the Christmas season of 1973. “My younger brother went to Bad Axe and told Santa he wanted a train for Christmas,” Gracey says. A while later a phone call came, informing Gracey’s brother that he had won a drawing for a model train set.

For years, Gracey tried to get his brother to give him the train. His mother, however, always intervened, advising Gracey’s brother to keep the set. After ten years of asking, Gracey finally got the train, trading his keyboard to his brother in exchange.

The joy of owning that first train sparked in Gracey a desire to continue collecting – a hobby that continues to this day. Gracey still has that first train, a 1973 Lionel Blue Streak Freight. “My prized one is my first one, because I know where it came from,” he says.

His initial interest in trains, however, has expanded to include train displays. “To me, it’s the operating accessories,” he says, citing the saw-mills, buildings, lights, and other accessories that help to create a winter scene for the trains to travel through. “It’s a blast. The people who say, ‘I had this when I was a kid’ [make it enjoyable].”

Today, Gracey enjoys sharing his passion with the public locally, setting up his display during Fall Family Days at the Thumb Octagon Barn and during the Christmas season at Rawson Memorial District Library.

“I love Christmas,” Gracey says. “I love the lights, and especially with Christmas, people come into look at it…it’s satisfying. It’s a good hobby.”

During most of the year, Gracey’s display is housed in his basement. “I have a 4’x20’ display and it’s solid Christmas – buildings, lights, everything to do with Christmas. It’s a year-round thing.”

Gracey is quick to point out that he couldn’t maintain the display without the help of his wife, Diane. “My wife has everything labeled in tubs,” he says. “She does all the landscaping.”

In addition to his display, Gracey enjoys buying and selling trains. “I’ve been to some shows and set up to sell there,” he says. “But sometimes it’s a two-hour drive, an hour to set-up, then a seven-hour day with the display.”

With the advent of Ebay and other online markets, Gracey says he doesn’t do the shows any longer. He does give a word of warning about online markets to prospective train collectors, however. “Be very careful. You need to know what you’re looking for,” he says, referencing the varying degrees of quality and prices.

During the holidays, Gracey will be setting his train display up at Rawson Memorial District Library in Cass City. He says he is hoping to run the train on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during the month of December.

“This year we’re going to do Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer” as our theme, he says. The display will feature buildings, characters, and scenes from the famous Christmas story.

Gracey says children love watching the magical, miniature “winter wonderland”. “The kids, if you get something they can relate to…it’s just that much more satisfying”, he says.

In addition to the display, the public is welcome to enter a raffle for one of two H.O. model trains donated by Cass City resident Stanley May. One train is guaranteed to go to a child, while the other will be given to a person of any age. Tickets are $0.50 each and will be available for sale at the library until December 20. For information about the raffle, contact the library at (989) 872-2856.

For more information about the display, or collecting train sets, contact Kevin Gracey at (989) 415-7036.