Electronic translator not needed for friendship
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Clinton family hosts Japanese student in exchange visit
It has been a whirlwind autumn for 13-year-old Steven Denuyl.
After being accepted to the Lenawee Intermediate School District’s Japanese Exchange program in late September, the Clinton Middle School seventh-grader and his family began plans for hosting a Japanese exchange student.
Junjii Matsuo, 14, from Moriyama, Japan, arrived in late October and stayed for a week with Steven’s family.
Despite the facto that Junji didn’t know much English and Steven doesn’t know Japanese, the two teens hit it off right away.
Armed with his electronic translator, Junji made green tea and miso soup for his host family after taking a day or two to bounce back from the 13-hour time difference. Steven and many of his five brothers and sisters have learned how to say thank you (arigato) in Japanese along with several other greetings.
Steven said he plans to really buckle down to study Japanese before his trip in next May, since he now has a better idea of the language barrier in Japan.
Described as being “kind and generous” by several Clinton Middle School teachers, Steven was one of the first Clinton students selected to be one of eight “ambassadors” for the program.
“He’s so concerned about making up for the work already,” said Ann Dunham, his English teacher.
Legally blind, Steven does not spend time feeling sorry for himself or feeling insecure, said Bridget Kelley, Steven’s mother, a part-time nurse for Saline Community Hospital.
Originally published Monday, November 1999
His condition is called Stargardt’s disease, a juvenile form of the untreatable macular degeneration, which Steven has had since the third grade.
Steven says having limited vision does get frustrating at times. But he can see well enough to read and write with a special pair of glasses. Steven’s central vision is most affected and the progressive effect is a roughly circular area of blindness. To read, Steven must hold a book as close as two-three inches away from his face. In school, teachers say, Steven goes up to the blackboard to take notes.
Junjii arrived at Clinton Oct. 26 and left Nov. 1. Bridget Kelley said the whole experience was better than what the family expected. She said the night Junji arrived, the family was surprised by the number of gifts Junji had brought.
“Half of his suitcase had food in it (to give away),” Bridget Kelley said.
“And the other half was filled with presents … I don’t know where he fit his clothes,” Steven said.
Described by the Kelleys’ as a friendly and polite boy, Junji loves playing games, making origami and—at least while in Clinton—eating super-sized McDonald’s meals. According to Junji, Bridget Kelley said, in Japan the largest size a person can order for French fries or a soda would only be considered a medium here in the United States.
“We’ve figured out that Junji is really a ham,” said Mike Kelley, Steven’s stepfather.
The Kelley-Denuyl family found explaining Halloween to Junji wasn’t an easy task. Junji liked the novel experience of trick-or-treating at different houses, but Mike Kelley said Junji kept on offering money in exchange for the candy to people at each door.
“They don’t celebrate Halloween in Japan, so it was a new thing for him,” Steven said.
The family also took their Japanese visitor to the haunted house at Wiard’s Orchads in Ypsilanti, Michigan Speedway in Brooklyn and to the Pighopper’s Farm in Clinton, where Junji saw farm animals for the first time.
Nina Howard, coordinator for Japanese programs for the Lenawee Intermediate School District, said Junji is thoroughly “a city boy,” like the other Japanese exchange students who are all from the same state.
The exchange group going to Japan next year will include other middle school students from participating towns in Lenawee County, including Adrian, Tecumseh and Hudson. All students will stay with the families of the students they hosted.
According to a bilingual tourist brochure given to each U.S. host family, Moriyama in Shiga Prefecture has grown in the past 20 years from a town of 35,000 to 60,000 people. The city is about a 60-minute train ride to Kyoto, Howard said.
Moriyama also is one of several cities in Shiga Prefecture to have a sister-city relationship with cities and towns in Michigan, including Adrian.
Steven and the other students were picked to participate in the program, said Howard, to learn more about cultural differences and to form relationships with people from other cultures.
“We’re looking for students who are curious and open to other cultures and students who will be good ambassadors to the U.S.,” Howard said.
Bridget Kelley said Steven has saved up $250 so far for the trip and they will be sure to give him plenty of film and presents for his trip to Japan next year—and an electronic translator just like Junji’s.
Photo Caption: Japanese exchange student Junji Matsuo, 13, left, stayed at the home of Clinton Middle School student Steven Denuyl, 13, in Clinton for a week. Steven will head to Junji’s hometown in May.
Originally Published Monday, November 15, 1999
Monday, November 15, 1999
Tuesday, November 09, 1999
Clinton star recovers after collision
Clinton star recovers after collision
By Pamela Appea
The Ann Arbor News
It’s been nearly three weeks since Clinton High football star Ryan Stoianowski took his first step without the aid of a wheelchair or crutches.
Photo caption: Ryan Stoianowski, 17, is back on his feet again following a serious traffic accident eight weeks ago that put him in a wheelchair temporarily.
They were big steps for the football star and academic standout who had to watch part of his team’s winning season from the sidelines, grateful to be alive after a crash with a semi truck.
The crash happened while Stoianowski was driving back to his Irish Hills home after a homecoming event Sept. 22. After stopping before turning left onto US-12 from a side road, the teen looked to see if the way was clear, but two trees obscured one side of the road. He turned and the truck slammed into Stoianowski’s car.
“To this day, he didn’t even see the semi,” said Laurie Stoianowski, his mother.
It was Laurie and Michael Stoianowski’s 20th wedding anniversary that night. A driver and witness to the crash called the couple and put Ryan on the cell phone after he came to.
“We were so grateful that he was alive,” Laurie Stoianowski said.
He apologized for the car and said, “I’m hurt real bad,” she recalled.
The Stoianowskis reached the site of the crash within 10 minutes and then went on to the hospital, she said.
Injuries from the car accident were serious, but not life threatening. With a compound fracture in Stoianowski’s left leg, a broken right arm, a gash above his eye with some muscle and nerve damage near his eyebrow, doctors advised that Stoianowski sit out school for a few weeks.
“He missed quite a bit of school with the accident,” his mother said. “The most important thing for him was to keep his 4.0 (grade point average). And he was able to maintain it.”
As the football team captain who scored 13 touchdowns in the first four games of the season, Stoianowski had played for years. And for as long as he can remember, he and his father would go to the back yard and throw a ball around, Stoianowski said.
Football, he said, was not just a pastime but almost a way of ife.
The wreck changed that. Now Stoianowski, 17, says he has no plans on playing sports in college.
Sitting at the sidelines, Stoianowski saw his team go on to win three games without him, including advancing into the playoffs until losing to Addison.
He was proud of the team for winning.
“He’s a team player. And the team is more … than just Ryan and he would tell you that,” said Jim Pittman, athletic director at Clinton High School.
In addition to scoring an impressive number of touchdowns, Stoianowski also averaged well over 150 yards a game, Pittman said. But he added that the teen has never been the type who would think he’s the team’s only valuable player.
Ryan Stoianowski bounced back sooner than doctors predicted. His leg cast came off before schedule. His arm cast should be coming off before Dec. 1. Along with physical therapy, Stoianowski said he will have regular check-ups to keep tabs on the damage done to his eye.
Ron Schaffner, a math and sciences teacher at Clinton High School, said Stoianowski plans to become a civil engineer and is now trying to decide where he wants to go to school in fall 2000.
Stoianowski also recently began driving again. With money saved up from working in his father’s building business, Stoianowski said he plans to buy a car from his mother in a few weeks.
And Stoianowski said he will be joining the baseball team in the spring.
He has a message for the people who took the time to care for him after the crash.
“I’d like to thank my family and my friends and the teachers at Clinton, (and) my girlfriend and her family for their support,” Stoianowski said.
“And thanks for all the cards that everyone’s given me and the cards they’ve sent and most of all for keeping me in their thoughts and prayers.”
Originally published Tuesday, November 9, 1999
By Pamela Appea
The Ann Arbor News
It’s been nearly three weeks since Clinton High football star Ryan Stoianowski took his first step without the aid of a wheelchair or crutches.
Photo caption: Ryan Stoianowski, 17, is back on his feet again following a serious traffic accident eight weeks ago that put him in a wheelchair temporarily.
They were big steps for the football star and academic standout who had to watch part of his team’s winning season from the sidelines, grateful to be alive after a crash with a semi truck.
The crash happened while Stoianowski was driving back to his Irish Hills home after a homecoming event Sept. 22. After stopping before turning left onto US-12 from a side road, the teen looked to see if the way was clear, but two trees obscured one side of the road. He turned and the truck slammed into Stoianowski’s car.
“To this day, he didn’t even see the semi,” said Laurie Stoianowski, his mother.
It was Laurie and Michael Stoianowski’s 20th wedding anniversary that night. A driver and witness to the crash called the couple and put Ryan on the cell phone after he came to.
“We were so grateful that he was alive,” Laurie Stoianowski said.
He apologized for the car and said, “I’m hurt real bad,” she recalled.
The Stoianowskis reached the site of the crash within 10 minutes and then went on to the hospital, she said.
Injuries from the car accident were serious, but not life threatening. With a compound fracture in Stoianowski’s left leg, a broken right arm, a gash above his eye with some muscle and nerve damage near his eyebrow, doctors advised that Stoianowski sit out school for a few weeks.
“He missed quite a bit of school with the accident,” his mother said. “The most important thing for him was to keep his 4.0 (grade point average). And he was able to maintain it.”
As the football team captain who scored 13 touchdowns in the first four games of the season, Stoianowski had played for years. And for as long as he can remember, he and his father would go to the back yard and throw a ball around, Stoianowski said.
Football, he said, was not just a pastime but almost a way of ife.
The wreck changed that. Now Stoianowski, 17, says he has no plans on playing sports in college.
Sitting at the sidelines, Stoianowski saw his team go on to win three games without him, including advancing into the playoffs until losing to Addison.
He was proud of the team for winning.
“He’s a team player. And the team is more … than just Ryan and he would tell you that,” said Jim Pittman, athletic director at Clinton High School.
In addition to scoring an impressive number of touchdowns, Stoianowski also averaged well over 150 yards a game, Pittman said. But he added that the teen has never been the type who would think he’s the team’s only valuable player.
Ryan Stoianowski bounced back sooner than doctors predicted. His leg cast came off before schedule. His arm cast should be coming off before Dec. 1. Along with physical therapy, Stoianowski said he will have regular check-ups to keep tabs on the damage done to his eye.
Ron Schaffner, a math and sciences teacher at Clinton High School, said Stoianowski plans to become a civil engineer and is now trying to decide where he wants to go to school in fall 2000.
Stoianowski also recently began driving again. With money saved up from working in his father’s building business, Stoianowski said he plans to buy a car from his mother in a few weeks.
And Stoianowski said he will be joining the baseball team in the spring.
He has a message for the people who took the time to care for him after the crash.
“I’d like to thank my family and my friends and the teachers at Clinton, (and) my girlfriend and her family for their support,” Stoianowski said.
“And thanks for all the cards that everyone’s given me and the cards they’ve sent and most of all for keeping me in their thoughts and prayers.”
Originally published Tuesday, November 9, 1999
Sunday, November 07, 1999
Warm the Children purchases uniforms for Cheney students
Warm the Children purchases uniforms for Cheney students
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Students at the New Cheney Academy of Math and Sciences in Ypsilanti Township started out this school year with something completely different from most Washtenaw County public schools--uniforms.
But before classes began in late August, Leslie Rosenwasser, a social worker at the K-7 academy in the Willow Run district, found herself with a last-minute problem to solve.
Some parents, she learned, couldn’t afford the cost of a $25 uniform. For a few parents with more than one child at Cheney, the cost automatically jumped up to $50 or $75, plus the price of shoes.
“What we never wanted to do was to exclude any student because they couldn’t buy the uniform,” Rosenwasser said. “Everyone should come in with the same advantage.” So Rosenwasser approached the Warm the Children Fund to make sure all Cheney students had uniforms.
Warm the Children dipped into the emergency and special cases funds for money to help buy uniforms for students. Warm the Children also approached Kmart on Rawsonville Road in Van Buren Township to help pick up some of the cost, Rosenwasser said.
“We decided to donate $100 worth of merchandise,” General Manager Mark Kerns said. He estimated that Kmart gave Cheney Academy students about 7-8 uniforms since the pants and shirts were being sold at a reduced price then.
Then the Warm the Children Fund provided the school with an additional 12-15 uniforms, saving parents a total of $500-$600.
“I think it’s a wonderful program. It helps less fortunate people as well as people who may not be able to afford uniforms at a time of need,” said Lisa Watkins, a parent of three Cheney academy students and a paraprofessional for Thurston Early Childhood Development Center.
Watkins also said she’s glad that Cheney has the new uniform dress code in place. She said several of her friends wish their children’s schools would require uniforms as well.
“It’s a good thing financially for parents because you’re not worried about buying a whole lot of different things,” she said.
Looking at it from a Cheney student’s perspective, Watkins said. Uniforms make everyone equal and help build self-esteem.
“No one knows if you have one uniform or 10 uniforms,” she said. “This way, you don’t have the competition, ‘Well you have designer clothes and you don’t’ ”.
Many of the older students in the six5th or seventh grades who attended the school before Cheney became specialized were not used to wearing uniforms and balked at the idea initially, Principal Teresa Wilson said. But now, most of Cheney’s 335 students have come to like the camaraderie that comes with wearing a color-coordinated uniform like everyone else.
With white shirts and navy blue pants, skirts and jumpers as the uniform, even teachers, the school custodian, secretary and parents have started coming to Cheney dressed in support of the school’s official colors, Rosenwasser said.
Rosenwasser believes Cheney is a stronger school and stronger community because of the uniforms.
“We’re kind of all in this together. It’s just like we’re all alike in some ways, the teachers too,” she said.
Originally published Sunday, November 7, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Students at the New Cheney Academy of Math and Sciences in Ypsilanti Township started out this school year with something completely different from most Washtenaw County public schools--uniforms.
But before classes began in late August, Leslie Rosenwasser, a social worker at the K-7 academy in the Willow Run district, found herself with a last-minute problem to solve.
Some parents, she learned, couldn’t afford the cost of a $25 uniform. For a few parents with more than one child at Cheney, the cost automatically jumped up to $50 or $75, plus the price of shoes.
“What we never wanted to do was to exclude any student because they couldn’t buy the uniform,” Rosenwasser said. “Everyone should come in with the same advantage.” So Rosenwasser approached the Warm the Children Fund to make sure all Cheney students had uniforms.
Warm the Children dipped into the emergency and special cases funds for money to help buy uniforms for students. Warm the Children also approached Kmart on Rawsonville Road in Van Buren Township to help pick up some of the cost, Rosenwasser said.
“We decided to donate $100 worth of merchandise,” General Manager Mark Kerns said. He estimated that Kmart gave Cheney Academy students about 7-8 uniforms since the pants and shirts were being sold at a reduced price then.
Then the Warm the Children Fund provided the school with an additional 12-15 uniforms, saving parents a total of $500-$600.
“I think it’s a wonderful program. It helps less fortunate people as well as people who may not be able to afford uniforms at a time of need,” said Lisa Watkins, a parent of three Cheney academy students and a paraprofessional for Thurston Early Childhood Development Center.
Watkins also said she’s glad that Cheney has the new uniform dress code in place. She said several of her friends wish their children’s schools would require uniforms as well.
“It’s a good thing financially for parents because you’re not worried about buying a whole lot of different things,” she said.
Looking at it from a Cheney student’s perspective, Watkins said. Uniforms make everyone equal and help build self-esteem.
“No one knows if you have one uniform or 10 uniforms,” she said. “This way, you don’t have the competition, ‘Well you have designer clothes and you don’t’ ”.
Many of the older students in the six5th or seventh grades who attended the school before Cheney became specialized were not used to wearing uniforms and balked at the idea initially, Principal Teresa Wilson said. But now, most of Cheney’s 335 students have come to like the camaraderie that comes with wearing a color-coordinated uniform like everyone else.
With white shirts and navy blue pants, skirts and jumpers as the uniform, even teachers, the school custodian, secretary and parents have started coming to Cheney dressed in support of the school’s official colors, Rosenwasser said.
Rosenwasser believes Cheney is a stronger school and stronger community because of the uniforms.
“We’re kind of all in this together. It’s just like we’re all alike in some ways, the teachers too,” she said.
Originally published Sunday, November 7, 1999
Saturday, October 30, 1999
Parking ramp gets royal treatment at opening
Parking ramp gets royal treatment at opening
Hundreds turn out for ribbon-cutting ceremony
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Most kings and queens only get a crown but the newly named king and queen of Ann Arbor will get free parking for a month at Ann Arbor’s new Fourth Avenue and Washington Street parking structure.
To celebrate the recently finished $9 million project, there was free food, speeches and prizes Friday evening as residents and city officials gathered to mark the opening of the new parking garage.
Judy Turner, manager for Discovery Toys, a home-based business and Steven Pellerito, program coordinator at the University of Michigan’s business school, won the titles of king and queen and the free parking.
Pellerito said he has tentative plans to donate his prize to charity while Turner said she can always use free parking space when dropping off or picking up one of her daughters for after-school events.
Organizers of the event said thousands of Ann Arborites sent in entry forms for free parking, a prize many Ann Arbor residents would covet.
“It’s been a big project and we’re glad it’s finally come to fruition,” said Mayor Ingrid Sheldon, who cut the ribbon to the parking structure after opening remarks from officials.
Hundreds turned out for the event. Many walked around the new parking structure to view a specially-arranged showing of 100 antique and classic cars.
Two protestors--a mother and a son--held signs saying that the Fourth Avenue and Washington Street parking structure doesn’t “allow” free parking for Courthouse Square residents next door.
Other residents of the two-year-old senior citizen facility said they’ve always known that they would have to use another Ann Arbor parking lot a few blocks away unless they wanted to pay extra parking fees. Daily parking will be $1.20 an hour.
“I understand how they feel. But it was explained to them (and us) a long time ago,” said Marilyn McDonnell, a lifelong Ann Arbor resident.
While greeting residents and dispensing car-shaped chocolates to children, Susan Pollay, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority, said parking at the structure is free of charge all day today and Sunday.
The seven-store building with 277 spaces has been built to last, she said.
“We have everything in it so that it will last 50 years,”
Peggy Geiger came to the event to see her cousin, Adrian Iraolla, project manager for the parking structure, get an award.
“I work (close by) so I’ve seen the construction taking place every day,” Geiger said. “I think it’s classy. I like the way it looks.”
Art work will be added to the outside of the parking structure after fundraising from private companies and individuals is completed.
Photo Caption: Judy Turner of Ann Arbor was named ‘Queen of the Structure’ during the grand opening of the Fourth and Washington parking Friday night.
Photo Credit: Lon Horwedel
Originally published Saturday, October 30, 1999
Hundreds turn out for ribbon-cutting ceremony
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Most kings and queens only get a crown but the newly named king and queen of Ann Arbor will get free parking for a month at Ann Arbor’s new Fourth Avenue and Washington Street parking structure.
To celebrate the recently finished $9 million project, there was free food, speeches and prizes Friday evening as residents and city officials gathered to mark the opening of the new parking garage.
Judy Turner, manager for Discovery Toys, a home-based business and Steven Pellerito, program coordinator at the University of Michigan’s business school, won the titles of king and queen and the free parking.
Pellerito said he has tentative plans to donate his prize to charity while Turner said she can always use free parking space when dropping off or picking up one of her daughters for after-school events.
Organizers of the event said thousands of Ann Arborites sent in entry forms for free parking, a prize many Ann Arbor residents would covet.
“It’s been a big project and we’re glad it’s finally come to fruition,” said Mayor Ingrid Sheldon, who cut the ribbon to the parking structure after opening remarks from officials.
Hundreds turned out for the event. Many walked around the new parking structure to view a specially-arranged showing of 100 antique and classic cars.
Two protestors--a mother and a son--held signs saying that the Fourth Avenue and Washington Street parking structure doesn’t “allow” free parking for Courthouse Square residents next door.
Other residents of the two-year-old senior citizen facility said they’ve always known that they would have to use another Ann Arbor parking lot a few blocks away unless they wanted to pay extra parking fees. Daily parking will be $1.20 an hour.
“I understand how they feel. But it was explained to them (and us) a long time ago,” said Marilyn McDonnell, a lifelong Ann Arbor resident.
While greeting residents and dispensing car-shaped chocolates to children, Susan Pollay, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority, said parking at the structure is free of charge all day today and Sunday.
The seven-store building with 277 spaces has been built to last, she said.
“We have everything in it so that it will last 50 years,”
Peggy Geiger came to the event to see her cousin, Adrian Iraolla, project manager for the parking structure, get an award.
“I work (close by) so I’ve seen the construction taking place every day,” Geiger said. “I think it’s classy. I like the way it looks.”
Art work will be added to the outside of the parking structure after fundraising from private companies and individuals is completed.
Photo Caption: Judy Turner of Ann Arbor was named ‘Queen of the Structure’ during the grand opening of the Fourth and Washington parking Friday night.
Photo Credit: Lon Horwedel
Originally published Saturday, October 30, 1999
Monday, October 25, 1999
Wildlife Haven Emerges in Superior Township
Wildlife Haven Emerges in Superior Township
Rebirth of wetlands is goal in LeFurge Woods
The Ann Arbor News (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
By Pamela Appea
News Staff Reporter
Superior Township—Township environmentalists and conservationists have proved they’re not just a group of dreamy tree huggers.
Over a year-long period, members of the Superior Land Conservancy have faithfully invested time, money and volunteer labor toward a collective vision.
The goal is to transform 9.2 acres of the 171-acre LeFurge Woods acreage the group has owned for the past several years, back to a full-fledged wetland.
Some 50,000 cubic yards of dirt and mud have been removed from the former soybean and corn farm, and thousands of woody species have been planted to create a wetland. The property now serves as a wildlife habitat and storm water holding pond for runoff flows into drains and the Huron River.
Already, a large variety of amphibians, including frogs and toads, and water fowl have settled in thanks to a large amount of snow last winter.
During the Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy’s annual meeting on Sunday, board members of the township group reported they have exceeded initial expectations of LeFurge Woods.
Founder and President of the Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy Jack Smiley reported that LeFurge Woods now serves as a haven and habitat for diverse animal and plant wildlife when just a few years ago, the site had been underutilized farm land.
The “Field of Dreams” theme for the 1999 meeting, said Marion Morris, chair of the Superior Township group is a perfect metaphor for members’ ongoing desire to conserve open land instead of watching developers take over their community.
“When we first met in 1991, most of us weren’t having dreams. In fact most of us were having nightmares that Superior Township would become just another suburbia brightly lit and paved over,” Morris said in her introductory remarks.
Now board members and other conservationists can rest easy knowing that plans have been made so that LeFurge Woods will be a permanently protected conservation site in the township.
LeFurge Woods, located in Prospect Road between Geddes and Vreeland roads, is believed to be named for Isaac LeFurge, who came to Michigan from New Jersey with his father and brother over 150 years ago. LeFurge owned and farmed a large portion of the present site in the 1850s and 1860s.
In recent years, the combination of woods and farm land appeared to be prime location for housing and business developers.
But that’s when Jack Smiley and Bill Seacrest and other concerned conservationists stepped in to intervene.
Bob Morningstar, a wetlands consultant and board member of the township group, said he and others began to try and arrange a way to restore the wetlands over the last five years.
After purchasing an additional 40 acres for the LeFurge site in the mid-1990s, the group envisioned a way they could develop the land to include endangered plant species.
But first they had to find the funds.
Finally in 1995, the group secured a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to pay back the loan conservancy board members had taken out for the land purchase.
They also made a deal with Chrysler Corp. to pick up the $200,000 cost of the earth worth and construction costs, board members said.
Now, Smiley said Sunday, almost every type of mammal native to Southeastern Michigan has recently been seen on the site, including coyotes, foxes and deer.
He also noted that the site is home to 100 species of birds, and conservationists have documented hundreds of bush, water lily and plant varieties at the area.
Morningstar said so far the majority of plants and wildlife on the LeFurge property have grown well, but problems with invasive species like purple loosestrife or erosion sites are still a concern.
“Only time will tell what type of plant community develops,” he said.
Many expressed strong support for the project.
“This is the most rewarding thing I do,” said conservancy board member Sandi C. Lopez.
Others agreed that the project is important.
"There are simply enough malls. We have empty stores downtown, while they're demolishing historic farm houses to build more malls," said Terry Lee Lansing, a Superior Township resident.
Bill Seacrest, founder and board member of Superior Land Conservancy and board member of the Southeast Michigan Conservancy, said the group is thinking of the future.
"We are trying to establish a green belt, a buffer, for the future generations of people, especially (so that) the children will have access to the wild," he said. "We do this with a global understanding.
"… Everyone's talking about saving the rain forest but we're losing our own backyard."
Rebirth of wetlands is goal in LeFurge Woods
The Ann Arbor News (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
By Pamela Appea
News Staff Reporter
Superior Township—Township environmentalists and conservationists have proved they’re not just a group of dreamy tree huggers.
Over a year-long period, members of the Superior Land Conservancy have faithfully invested time, money and volunteer labor toward a collective vision.
The goal is to transform 9.2 acres of the 171-acre LeFurge Woods acreage the group has owned for the past several years, back to a full-fledged wetland.
Some 50,000 cubic yards of dirt and mud have been removed from the former soybean and corn farm, and thousands of woody species have been planted to create a wetland. The property now serves as a wildlife habitat and storm water holding pond for runoff flows into drains and the Huron River.
Already, a large variety of amphibians, including frogs and toads, and water fowl have settled in thanks to a large amount of snow last winter.
During the Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy’s annual meeting on Sunday, board members of the township group reported they have exceeded initial expectations of LeFurge Woods.
Founder and President of the Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy Jack Smiley reported that LeFurge Woods now serves as a haven and habitat for diverse animal and plant wildlife when just a few years ago, the site had been underutilized farm land.
The “Field of Dreams” theme for the 1999 meeting, said Marion Morris, chair of the Superior Township group is a perfect metaphor for members’ ongoing desire to conserve open land instead of watching developers take over their community.
“When we first met in 1991, most of us weren’t having dreams. In fact most of us were having nightmares that Superior Township would become just another suburbia brightly lit and paved over,” Morris said in her introductory remarks.
Now board members and other conservationists can rest easy knowing that plans have been made so that LeFurge Woods will be a permanently protected conservation site in the township.
LeFurge Woods, located in Prospect Road between Geddes and Vreeland roads, is believed to be named for Isaac LeFurge, who came to Michigan from New Jersey with his father and brother over 150 years ago. LeFurge owned and farmed a large portion of the present site in the 1850s and 1860s.
In recent years, the combination of woods and farm land appeared to be prime location for housing and business developers.
But that’s when Jack Smiley and Bill Seacrest and other concerned conservationists stepped in to intervene.
Bob Morningstar, a wetlands consultant and board member of the township group, said he and others began to try and arrange a way to restore the wetlands over the last five years.
After purchasing an additional 40 acres for the LeFurge site in the mid-1990s, the group envisioned a way they could develop the land to include endangered plant species.
But first they had to find the funds.
Finally in 1995, the group secured a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to pay back the loan conservancy board members had taken out for the land purchase.
They also made a deal with Chrysler Corp. to pick up the $200,000 cost of the earth worth and construction costs, board members said.
Now, Smiley said Sunday, almost every type of mammal native to Southeastern Michigan has recently been seen on the site, including coyotes, foxes and deer.
He also noted that the site is home to 100 species of birds, and conservationists have documented hundreds of bush, water lily and plant varieties at the area.
Morningstar said so far the majority of plants and wildlife on the LeFurge property have grown well, but problems with invasive species like purple loosestrife or erosion sites are still a concern.
“Only time will tell what type of plant community develops,” he said.
Many expressed strong support for the project.
“This is the most rewarding thing I do,” said conservancy board member Sandi C. Lopez.
Others agreed that the project is important.
"There are simply enough malls. We have empty stores downtown, while they're demolishing historic farm houses to build more malls," said Terry Lee Lansing, a Superior Township resident.
Bill Seacrest, founder and board member of Superior Land Conservancy and board member of the Southeast Michigan Conservancy, said the group is thinking of the future.
"We are trying to establish a green belt, a buffer, for the future generations of people, especially (so that) the children will have access to the wild," he said. "We do this with a global understanding.
"… Everyone's talking about saving the rain forest but we're losing our own backyard."
Municipalities plan Sunday Halloween
Municipalities plan Sunday Halloween
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Children know that Halloween falls on Oct. 31, but their parents may wonder whether trick-or-treating will go on as usual since that date falls on a Sunday this year.
The answer from most area municipalities is yes.
Most officials said that the fact Halloween falls on a Sunday this year doesn’t seem to be a problem. Neither Ann Arbor nor Ypsilanti officials said they considered switching the celebration date.
Halloween always has been celebrated on October 31 in the Ann Arbor area, said the city’s police chief.
However, Chief Carl Ent said there will be one change this year. The city will push up official trick-or-treating hours from 5-8 p.m. from the regular 6-9 p.m.
Ent said ordinarily city police suggest that trick-or-treating hours begin at 6 p.m., so parents can come home from work in time to accompany their children on the rounds.
But he said the city figured this year that most parents would want to start and finish candy collecting earlier so families would have enough time to get ready for school and work Monday morning.
The community appears satisfied with the arrangement.
“On the one hand, it might make sense to have it Saturday. On the other hand, Halloween usually falls on a weekday,” said Carol Shulman, co-president of the district-wide PTO Council in the Ann Arbor Public schools.
She added that most parents are used to the time crunch and the fact they will be trick-or-treating in the dark.
“I’m not sure that the community could switch Halloween,” she said.
Ypsilanti plans Halloween hours to coincide with Ann Arbor, though downtown businesses will have their traditional give-away from Friday from 5-7 p.m.
In Livingston County, Halloween scheduling sparked protest among Brighton residents after Brighton City Council change Halloween trick-or-treating hours to Oct. 30.
But council reversed its decision on Thursday, restoring the traditional Oct. 31 trick-or-treating.
Only Livingston County’s Pickney Village still plans Oct. 30 Halloween hours.
Many area church officials say they haven’t tried to influence when Halloween is celebrated.
“We can’t expect any other changes or any sort of respect for Sunday. It’s nothing new and it’s nothing that surprises us,” said the Rev. Norbert Rodriguez, youth pastor at Bethesda Bible Church in Ypsilanti.
Rodriguez said his church will set up a fall festival for Halloween, so that children will have something else to do that night.
In Chelsea, where Halloween trick-or-treating is organized by Kiwanis Club members, officials did discuss whether Halloween should be observed on Sunday or Saturday this year,” said Police Chief Leonard McDougall.
But Kiwanis members finally decided toward the end of September that Halloween celebrations should stay on Oct. 31.
“It wasn’t a big deal,” McDougall said.
Halloween last fell on a Sunday five years ago in 1993.
Originally published Monday, October 25, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Children know that Halloween falls on Oct. 31, but their parents may wonder whether trick-or-treating will go on as usual since that date falls on a Sunday this year.
The answer from most area municipalities is yes.
Most officials said that the fact Halloween falls on a Sunday this year doesn’t seem to be a problem. Neither Ann Arbor nor Ypsilanti officials said they considered switching the celebration date.
Halloween always has been celebrated on October 31 in the Ann Arbor area, said the city’s police chief.
However, Chief Carl Ent said there will be one change this year. The city will push up official trick-or-treating hours from 5-8 p.m. from the regular 6-9 p.m.
Ent said ordinarily city police suggest that trick-or-treating hours begin at 6 p.m., so parents can come home from work in time to accompany their children on the rounds.
But he said the city figured this year that most parents would want to start and finish candy collecting earlier so families would have enough time to get ready for school and work Monday morning.
The community appears satisfied with the arrangement.
“On the one hand, it might make sense to have it Saturday. On the other hand, Halloween usually falls on a weekday,” said Carol Shulman, co-president of the district-wide PTO Council in the Ann Arbor Public schools.
She added that most parents are used to the time crunch and the fact they will be trick-or-treating in the dark.
“I’m not sure that the community could switch Halloween,” she said.
Ypsilanti plans Halloween hours to coincide with Ann Arbor, though downtown businesses will have their traditional give-away from Friday from 5-7 p.m.
In Livingston County, Halloween scheduling sparked protest among Brighton residents after Brighton City Council change Halloween trick-or-treating hours to Oct. 30.
But council reversed its decision on Thursday, restoring the traditional Oct. 31 trick-or-treating.
Only Livingston County’s Pickney Village still plans Oct. 30 Halloween hours.
Many area church officials say they haven’t tried to influence when Halloween is celebrated.
“We can’t expect any other changes or any sort of respect for Sunday. It’s nothing new and it’s nothing that surprises us,” said the Rev. Norbert Rodriguez, youth pastor at Bethesda Bible Church in Ypsilanti.
Rodriguez said his church will set up a fall festival for Halloween, so that children will have something else to do that night.
In Chelsea, where Halloween trick-or-treating is organized by Kiwanis Club members, officials did discuss whether Halloween should be observed on Sunday or Saturday this year,” said Police Chief Leonard McDougall.
But Kiwanis members finally decided toward the end of September that Halloween celebrations should stay on Oct. 31.
“It wasn’t a big deal,” McDougall said.
Halloween last fell on a Sunday five years ago in 1993.
Originally published Monday, October 25, 1999
Thursday, October 14, 1999
Richardson discusses global community, Chicago Maroon
Chicago Maroon
Richardson discusses global community
By Pamela Appea
Bill Richardson, U.S. Ambassador to the UN, spoke Thursday night at Hutchinson Commons in a lecture and discussion sponsored by the U of C’s Political Union. The event attracted over 300 people.
Richardson is a member of the President’s cabinet and the National Security Council. Prior to becoming to the U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN, Bill Richardson served New Mexico’s Third Congressional District, where he was elected eight times.
He has been described as one of the most prolific legislators in the House, with numerous bills and amendments enacted in environment, energy, Native American affairs, health, foreign policy, and defense areas, during which he successfully negotiated the release of three political prisoners and visas for their families. Ambassador Richardson has also chaired U.S. observer teams for elections in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Deutsche Demokratische Republik, the former East Germany.
“Ambassador Richardson’s an encyclopedia of diplomatic knowledge, as he should be,” said Jacob Studley, president of the Political Union, 1996 intern for Richardson and a third-year student at the college. “I think the event went well … he shone during the Q & A.”
Richardson’s twenty-minute speech was followed by a session in which he answered questions from audience members. Richardson began his speech by clearly enunciating the positive side of U.S. foreign policy during the two-term Clinton Administration.
“We’ve had some problems, we’ve had some bumps and bruises. But, on the whole, we have a coherent foreign policy,” said Richardson. “If you’re going to have a sustainable foreign policy, you’re going to have to have the support of the American people,” he said.
“As American Ambassador to the UN, I have dealt with issues concerning human rights, refugees, or conflicts in Africa, but have also attempted to explain to the American people why the UN is important,” he said.
The UN was formed in a historic conference held in San Francisco by several nations in 1945 after World War II. The goal of these countries was to maintain peace and to encourage political, social and economic security and stability over the world. While the role of the UN has changed over the years, Richardson stressed that it is still a vital, important organization.
The UN is active in over 172 countries, and according to Richardson, this year alone, the UN has monitored elections is more than 50 countries. Other organizations that operate under the UN include the World Health Organization and UNICEF.
Richardson sees the role of the UN as that of a peacemaker more so than in the traditional peacekeeping light. He used Somalia, China and Bosnia as examples of this. “It’s a global village,” said Richardson. “It’s better to have summits, to keep a constructive dialogue going, in order to bring these countries into the international community.”
Richardson also wants to raise public consciousness in the amount of U.S. economic obligation to the UN, as our country currently pays 25 percent of the UN’s bills. He wants to lower America’s contributions to a rate of 20 percent.
“In the past two years, there has been great improvement in the UN, in terms of the budget,” said Richardson. “But we still have a long way to go.”
Many enjoyed Richardson’s speech.
“It is important for students who will one day be prominent in the county to pay attention to political matters because what’s happening in the world will have an effect late,” said Brandi Kishner, a first-year student in the College.
Richardson fielded several questions on the Middle East, in particular the current political events between Palestinians and Israelis.
“I thought his speech was excellent. He covered many topics. In particular, I liked that he wants a better understanding of the Arab world,” said Diane Mahmoud, a visitor from California.
Richardson was a member of the Resources Committee, the Commerce Committee, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Helsinki Commission on Human Rights. During the 103rd Congress he chaired the Subcommittee on Native American Affairs.
Richardson spoke earlier on in the day for the United States Hispanic Leadership Conference at Sheraton Chicago Hotel. Richardson received a B.A. (1970) from Tufts University and a M.A. (1971) from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
The Political Union has recruited many public figures, since its founding last year, including Betty Friedan and the President of Chile. They hope to sponsor at least three more speakers this year, and are currently attempting to bring King Hussein of Jordan to campus.
Originally published October 14, 1999
Richardson discusses global community
By Pamela Appea
Bill Richardson, U.S. Ambassador to the UN, spoke Thursday night at Hutchinson Commons in a lecture and discussion sponsored by the U of C’s Political Union. The event attracted over 300 people.
Richardson is a member of the President’s cabinet and the National Security Council. Prior to becoming to the U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN, Bill Richardson served New Mexico’s Third Congressional District, where he was elected eight times.
He has been described as one of the most prolific legislators in the House, with numerous bills and amendments enacted in environment, energy, Native American affairs, health, foreign policy, and defense areas, during which he successfully negotiated the release of three political prisoners and visas for their families. Ambassador Richardson has also chaired U.S. observer teams for elections in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Deutsche Demokratische Republik, the former East Germany.
“Ambassador Richardson’s an encyclopedia of diplomatic knowledge, as he should be,” said Jacob Studley, president of the Political Union, 1996 intern for Richardson and a third-year student at the college. “I think the event went well … he shone during the Q & A.”
Richardson’s twenty-minute speech was followed by a session in which he answered questions from audience members. Richardson began his speech by clearly enunciating the positive side of U.S. foreign policy during the two-term Clinton Administration.
“We’ve had some problems, we’ve had some bumps and bruises. But, on the whole, we have a coherent foreign policy,” said Richardson. “If you’re going to have a sustainable foreign policy, you’re going to have to have the support of the American people,” he said.
“As American Ambassador to the UN, I have dealt with issues concerning human rights, refugees, or conflicts in Africa, but have also attempted to explain to the American people why the UN is important,” he said.
The UN was formed in a historic conference held in San Francisco by several nations in 1945 after World War II. The goal of these countries was to maintain peace and to encourage political, social and economic security and stability over the world. While the role of the UN has changed over the years, Richardson stressed that it is still a vital, important organization.
The UN is active in over 172 countries, and according to Richardson, this year alone, the UN has monitored elections is more than 50 countries. Other organizations that operate under the UN include the World Health Organization and UNICEF.
Richardson sees the role of the UN as that of a peacemaker more so than in the traditional peacekeeping light. He used Somalia, China and Bosnia as examples of this. “It’s a global village,” said Richardson. “It’s better to have summits, to keep a constructive dialogue going, in order to bring these countries into the international community.”
Richardson also wants to raise public consciousness in the amount of U.S. economic obligation to the UN, as our country currently pays 25 percent of the UN’s bills. He wants to lower America’s contributions to a rate of 20 percent.
“In the past two years, there has been great improvement in the UN, in terms of the budget,” said Richardson. “But we still have a long way to go.”
Many enjoyed Richardson’s speech.
“It is important for students who will one day be prominent in the county to pay attention to political matters because what’s happening in the world will have an effect late,” said Brandi Kishner, a first-year student in the College.
Richardson fielded several questions on the Middle East, in particular the current political events between Palestinians and Israelis.
“I thought his speech was excellent. He covered many topics. In particular, I liked that he wants a better understanding of the Arab world,” said Diane Mahmoud, a visitor from California.
Richardson was a member of the Resources Committee, the Commerce Committee, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Helsinki Commission on Human Rights. During the 103rd Congress he chaired the Subcommittee on Native American Affairs.
Richardson spoke earlier on in the day for the United States Hispanic Leadership Conference at Sheraton Chicago Hotel. Richardson received a B.A. (1970) from Tufts University and a M.A. (1971) from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
The Political Union has recruited many public figures, since its founding last year, including Betty Friedan and the President of Chile. They hope to sponsor at least three more speakers this year, and are currently attempting to bring King Hussein of Jordan to campus.
Originally published October 14, 1999
Friday, October 08, 1999
Fire Brought Reality Home for Couple
Fire Brought Reality Home for Couple
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Cynthia and James D’Amour of Ann Arbor know that fire is not something that always happens to other people. The D’Amours still vividly recall the night several weeks ago when they awoke to the shouts of “fire!” and the sound of someone pounding on their door.
By the time the D’Amours, groggy with sleep, realized their apartment building was on fire, their exit out the front door was blocked.
They grabbed their wedding photos, an airplane ticket for Cynthia D’Amour’s business trip the next day and some computer disks for their home-based business and fled to their balcony to await rescue.
The D’Amour’s, both 37, survived their ordeal without serious injury, but the experience made them realize how important it is to be prepared for the possibility of fire.
Fire officials would underscore that, during this week, which has been declared Fire Prevention Week. Many area fire departments will have open houses this weekend.
“We (want to) share some valuable lessons that we have painfully learned,” Cynthia D’Amour said.
“Never in our wildest dreams did I think we would be burned out by a fire started in the apartment below us.” (Ann Arbor Fire Departments said the blaze started on the floor below the D’Amours by smokers who accidentally set a mattress on fire.)
Although they had insurance, it wasn’t enough, the D’Amours said.
“If we replace everything that we lost, (it) could easily add up to $30,000. Instead we are having to make some strategic decisions about replacements,” Cynthia D’Amour said.
The couple now realize that their previous fire insurance policy was inadequate. They thought they were a low fire risk and that $20,000 in coverage would be enough for their two-bedroom unit in the Village Park apartments on the east side of Ann Arbor. They regret that they did not buy an additional $10,000 in fire insurance that would have only cost an extra $25 per year.
D’Amour added that she lost many things, including family heirlooms and professional achievement plaques that are irreplaceable. It’s also hard, she said, to prove to insurance adjusters that a burned out piece of furniture or other heirloom was originally worth something.
Fire Department Open House
The Ann Arbor Fire Department will have open houses at all six of its fire stations Sunday as part of Fire Prevention Week.
The open houses will run from 1-4 p.m., with different activities at each fire station. For more information, call (734) 994-4908.
Some other fire departments will have open houses Sunday:
-Brighton: the station at 615 W. Grand River Ave. will be open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Events include rescue equipment display, tours, a “smoke house” presentation by the Brighton SWAT team, survival flight helicopter landing.
-Howell: 1-4 p.m. Sunday at 1211 W. Grand River Ave. Events include Smoke House demonstrations, survival flight helicopter landings, fire hose practice for children, “Stew” the Arson dog, refreshments.
-Green Oak Township: 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday at 9384 Whitmore Lake Road. Events include car fire demonstration, an extrication demonstration, two survival helicopter landings, a fire prevention program for children at 3:30 p.m.
Originally published Friday, October 8, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Cynthia and James D’Amour of Ann Arbor know that fire is not something that always happens to other people. The D’Amours still vividly recall the night several weeks ago when they awoke to the shouts of “fire!” and the sound of someone pounding on their door.
By the time the D’Amours, groggy with sleep, realized their apartment building was on fire, their exit out the front door was blocked.
They grabbed their wedding photos, an airplane ticket for Cynthia D’Amour’s business trip the next day and some computer disks for their home-based business and fled to their balcony to await rescue.
The D’Amour’s, both 37, survived their ordeal without serious injury, but the experience made them realize how important it is to be prepared for the possibility of fire.
Fire officials would underscore that, during this week, which has been declared Fire Prevention Week. Many area fire departments will have open houses this weekend.
“We (want to) share some valuable lessons that we have painfully learned,” Cynthia D’Amour said.
“Never in our wildest dreams did I think we would be burned out by a fire started in the apartment below us.” (Ann Arbor Fire Departments said the blaze started on the floor below the D’Amours by smokers who accidentally set a mattress on fire.)
Although they had insurance, it wasn’t enough, the D’Amours said.
“If we replace everything that we lost, (it) could easily add up to $30,000. Instead we are having to make some strategic decisions about replacements,” Cynthia D’Amour said.
The couple now realize that their previous fire insurance policy was inadequate. They thought they were a low fire risk and that $20,000 in coverage would be enough for their two-bedroom unit in the Village Park apartments on the east side of Ann Arbor. They regret that they did not buy an additional $10,000 in fire insurance that would have only cost an extra $25 per year.
D’Amour added that she lost many things, including family heirlooms and professional achievement plaques that are irreplaceable. It’s also hard, she said, to prove to insurance adjusters that a burned out piece of furniture or other heirloom was originally worth something.
Fire Department Open House
The Ann Arbor Fire Department will have open houses at all six of its fire stations Sunday as part of Fire Prevention Week.
The open houses will run from 1-4 p.m., with different activities at each fire station. For more information, call (734) 994-4908.
Some other fire departments will have open houses Sunday:
-Brighton: the station at 615 W. Grand River Ave. will be open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Events include rescue equipment display, tours, a “smoke house” presentation by the Brighton SWAT team, survival flight helicopter landing.
-Howell: 1-4 p.m. Sunday at 1211 W. Grand River Ave. Events include Smoke House demonstrations, survival flight helicopter landings, fire hose practice for children, “Stew” the Arson dog, refreshments.
-Green Oak Township: 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday at 9384 Whitmore Lake Road. Events include car fire demonstration, an extrication demonstration, two survival helicopter landings, a fire prevention program for children at 3:30 p.m.
Originally published Friday, October 8, 1999
Sunday, September 19, 1999
Collection shows flare for hair care, The Ann Arbor News
Collection shows flare for hair care
By Pamela Appea
The Ann Arbor News
Pittsfield Township—For Mary Bachman, there’s nothing better than a fine-tooted comb.
“Fine” as in “antique,” that is.
And the longtime Pittsfield Township resident scours antique shows with a fine-toothed comb, much like the ones she’s trying to find.
Over the past several years, Bachman has collected more than 450 antique, decorative and functional combs and hairpins from England, Japan, Ghana and every region of the United States.
“I wanted to collect something that was colorful and decorative,” Bachman said about her passion for the hair care tools.
Set up in several display cases and mounted on the wall in her home, Bachman’s combs show unique colors and designs, including a crocodile comb, a fertility doll comb and Chinese combs with pagodas carefully etched into the design on the upper part of the comb.
Her comb collecting came by accident. After her husband, Lee, retired from teaching, she accompanied him to antique shows. In 1986, at a Saline-area antique show, she spotted her first prize—a celluloid comb that she bought for about $30.
“I guess that’s how I caught the bug,” she said. Bachman’s self-described comb “obsession” just took off.
She has since collected dozens more celluloid combs, several ivory combs with “French jet” black glass and wooden combs. Bachman even wrote the book on comb collecting last year, “The Collectors Guide to Hair Combs: Identification and Values.”
Her passion for comb collecting shows in her knowledge of the hair tool’s rich history, something Bachman said most people don’t know.
In prehistoric times, people used their hands to groom their hair. Then came what she called “crude” combs made from animal bones. Over time, people began to carve detailed and distinctive designs and patterns in their combs.
Some unique materials people used to make combs included tortoise shells, steer horns and bamboo shoots.
She explained that around the turn of the century, comb makers boiled steer horns to soften them and fashion them into combs. They would often dye the horn to make it look like amber or tortoise shell, both of which were popular but harder to get.
“It was really a nasty, smelly process and … I can’t imagine how they came up with the idea,” she said.
From the mid-19th century, celluloid combs were popular and easy to produce in different colors and sizes, Bachman explained.
However, celluloid decorative combs, which many women used for fancy upswept chignon hairstyles such as the French twist, became less popular until comb makers stopped making them entirely. One reason, Bachman theorized, was “probably” because women began bobbing their hair, a fashion trend of the1920s.
Celluloid combs also posed somewhat of a safety hazard, because they were highly flammable, thus comb makers began looking for other materials to work with.
Bachman, 76, an artist, had previously collected various antique items, but nothing had held her interest for too long. Antique combs, however, were easy to get and to keep, “since they didn’t take up too much room,” she said.
A second-term president of The Antique Comb Collectors Club, an organization that boasts several international members, Bachman believes the fun in comb collecting comes in stages.
“Fifty percent of the enjoying is getting the combs—the pursuit—then 25 percent is from researching the comb and figuring out if you got a good deal—and 25 percent , a good deal of my enjoyment—for all of my comb collection—is sharing with other people,” she said.
Bachman recently found her oldest and most valuable comb, a small French comb from the 10th century A.D. The 2-to3-inch ivory comb is a simple design and fairly sturdy. Ivory combs were made most often from elephant tusks.
She said ivory combs are “quite difficult” for antique comb collectors to come by because of the undesirability of using elephant tusks.
Bachman says she has made a “significant investment” in her entire comb collection.
Still when a “plain” Martha Washington comb was on sale earlier this year for $4,000 dollars, Bachman probably wouldn’t have purchased it has she about it.
“I do have my limited,” she said with a laugh.
Originally Published Sunday, September 19, 1999
Photo Caption: Mary Bachman has a collection of 450 combs, including two from Ghana below. Photographer Leisa Thompson-The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
The Ann Arbor News
Pittsfield Township—For Mary Bachman, there’s nothing better than a fine-tooted comb.
“Fine” as in “antique,” that is.
And the longtime Pittsfield Township resident scours antique shows with a fine-toothed comb, much like the ones she’s trying to find.
Over the past several years, Bachman has collected more than 450 antique, decorative and functional combs and hairpins from England, Japan, Ghana and every region of the United States.
“I wanted to collect something that was colorful and decorative,” Bachman said about her passion for the hair care tools.
Set up in several display cases and mounted on the wall in her home, Bachman’s combs show unique colors and designs, including a crocodile comb, a fertility doll comb and Chinese combs with pagodas carefully etched into the design on the upper part of the comb.
Her comb collecting came by accident. After her husband, Lee, retired from teaching, she accompanied him to antique shows. In 1986, at a Saline-area antique show, she spotted her first prize—a celluloid comb that she bought for about $30.
“I guess that’s how I caught the bug,” she said. Bachman’s self-described comb “obsession” just took off.
She has since collected dozens more celluloid combs, several ivory combs with “French jet” black glass and wooden combs. Bachman even wrote the book on comb collecting last year, “The Collectors Guide to Hair Combs: Identification and Values.”
Her passion for comb collecting shows in her knowledge of the hair tool’s rich history, something Bachman said most people don’t know.
In prehistoric times, people used their hands to groom their hair. Then came what she called “crude” combs made from animal bones. Over time, people began to carve detailed and distinctive designs and patterns in their combs.
Some unique materials people used to make combs included tortoise shells, steer horns and bamboo shoots.
She explained that around the turn of the century, comb makers boiled steer horns to soften them and fashion them into combs. They would often dye the horn to make it look like amber or tortoise shell, both of which were popular but harder to get.
“It was really a nasty, smelly process and … I can’t imagine how they came up with the idea,” she said.
From the mid-19th century, celluloid combs were popular and easy to produce in different colors and sizes, Bachman explained.
However, celluloid decorative combs, which many women used for fancy upswept chignon hairstyles such as the French twist, became less popular until comb makers stopped making them entirely. One reason, Bachman theorized, was “probably” because women began bobbing their hair, a fashion trend of the1920s.
Celluloid combs also posed somewhat of a safety hazard, because they were highly flammable, thus comb makers began looking for other materials to work with.
Bachman, 76, an artist, had previously collected various antique items, but nothing had held her interest for too long. Antique combs, however, were easy to get and to keep, “since they didn’t take up too much room,” she said.
A second-term president of The Antique Comb Collectors Club, an organization that boasts several international members, Bachman believes the fun in comb collecting comes in stages.
“Fifty percent of the enjoying is getting the combs—the pursuit—then 25 percent is from researching the comb and figuring out if you got a good deal—and 25 percent , a good deal of my enjoyment—for all of my comb collection—is sharing with other people,” she said.
Bachman recently found her oldest and most valuable comb, a small French comb from the 10th century A.D. The 2-to3-inch ivory comb is a simple design and fairly sturdy. Ivory combs were made most often from elephant tusks.
She said ivory combs are “quite difficult” for antique comb collectors to come by because of the undesirability of using elephant tusks.
Bachman says she has made a “significant investment” in her entire comb collection.
Still when a “plain” Martha Washington comb was on sale earlier this year for $4,000 dollars, Bachman probably wouldn’t have purchased it has she about it.
“I do have my limited,” she said with a laugh.
Originally Published Sunday, September 19, 1999
Photo Caption: Mary Bachman has a collection of 450 combs, including two from Ghana below. Photographer Leisa Thompson-The Ann Arbor News
Thursday, September 02, 1999
Students fill books with scraps of history
Students fill books with scraps of history
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Homer Dennis Strong, class of 1925, had much in common with many undergraduates at the University of Michigan today.
From Detroit, Strong was an athlete and an avid U-M sports fan. He pledged a fraternity. And judging from his social calendar, Strong went to Michigan Union with several dates those first heady few weeks.
Like other U-M students of the World War I and World War II eras, Strong kept comprehensive scrapbooks that serve as a window to the past. The scrapbooks include photos, letters, fraternity party announcements, dance cards for Michigan Union events, and of course, commencement announcement after four (or five) long years. These students kept it all.
The students’ penchant for scrapbooking is not surprising, said Marianne Behler, an Ann Arbor-based consultant for Creative Memories, a company dedicated to helping people preserve photos and scrapbooks.
“I could imagine that their sort of experiences, like joining a fraternity, and going to a football game were important to them because it was the first time anyone in their family had done it,” Behler said.
“Everybody has a story to tell. Everybody has something important to say. Some people (especially students) were driven to preserve their memories,” she said.
Bentley Historical Library has at least 100 of these scrapbooks in its collection. During that era, students pre-ordered “memory books” from the Chicago-based College Memory Book Company. Students paid anywhere between $1.50 to $6.50 for the scrapbook depending on whether they wanted extras, like a fancy leather cover or their name embossed on the scrapbook. The scrapbooks ranged in color from blue to black to dark green, and some, depending on the students’ preference had special pages for athletic scores, a friends’ sign in page and social activities.
Both men and women kept scrapbooks. As for Strong, his scrapbook indicates that sometime in late September 1921, he began going steady with a certain U-M student and Plato fan from Ypsilanti—Helen N. Starr. In his scrapbook, under “social calendar,” Strong’s carefully handwritten H.N.S. takes up the rest of the page—he didn’t bother to fill in the details of their social life.
Ford Archer Hinchman, Jr., class of 1924, clipped political news articles for his scrapbook. Hinchman (aided by his brother during World War I) documented his time from high school to his first year at the U-M, to World War I and back again through articles, letters and pictures.
One of the Sixteenth Engineers based “somewhere in France” Hinchman enlisted in the military, May 4, 1917, and came back to the U.S., a year and a half later.
Hinchman chaged under military censorship rules. In a letter home, dated Sept. 3, 1917, Hinchman wrote, “I wrote mother and explained about the censoring of the mail …. It makes me feel pretty sore as I am bursting with information.”
Hinchman wrote many letters to his family detailing his frustration with the aspects of military life and “German successes.” He ultimately returned triumphantly home in January 1919. Hinchman resumed his studies at the U-M as a member of the Delta Kappa Upsilon fraternity.
Josephine Violet Lang, class of 1921, loved to hear classical music recitals, especially violin music. A straight B student in her four years at U-M, Lang was part of the first generation of women to exercise the right to vote. Her activism on that issue was deemed unseemly by one nameless male suitor.
He wrote, “My Little Suffragette: You can’t put any of your masculine airs over me … Cupid might send you a diamond ring if you learn how to boil water. I want a housekeeper, not a militant suffragette.”
It’s unclear what happened to this suitor. But Lang went on to earn her master’s degree at the U-M in 1923.
Originally published Thursday, September 2, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Homer Dennis Strong, class of 1925, had much in common with many undergraduates at the University of Michigan today.
From Detroit, Strong was an athlete and an avid U-M sports fan. He pledged a fraternity. And judging from his social calendar, Strong went to Michigan Union with several dates those first heady few weeks.
Like other U-M students of the World War I and World War II eras, Strong kept comprehensive scrapbooks that serve as a window to the past. The scrapbooks include photos, letters, fraternity party announcements, dance cards for Michigan Union events, and of course, commencement announcement after four (or five) long years. These students kept it all.
The students’ penchant for scrapbooking is not surprising, said Marianne Behler, an Ann Arbor-based consultant for Creative Memories, a company dedicated to helping people preserve photos and scrapbooks.
“I could imagine that their sort of experiences, like joining a fraternity, and going to a football game were important to them because it was the first time anyone in their family had done it,” Behler said.
“Everybody has a story to tell. Everybody has something important to say. Some people (especially students) were driven to preserve their memories,” she said.
Bentley Historical Library has at least 100 of these scrapbooks in its collection. During that era, students pre-ordered “memory books” from the Chicago-based College Memory Book Company. Students paid anywhere between $1.50 to $6.50 for the scrapbook depending on whether they wanted extras, like a fancy leather cover or their name embossed on the scrapbook. The scrapbooks ranged in color from blue to black to dark green, and some, depending on the students’ preference had special pages for athletic scores, a friends’ sign in page and social activities.
Both men and women kept scrapbooks. As for Strong, his scrapbook indicates that sometime in late September 1921, he began going steady with a certain U-M student and Plato fan from Ypsilanti—Helen N. Starr. In his scrapbook, under “social calendar,” Strong’s carefully handwritten H.N.S. takes up the rest of the page—he didn’t bother to fill in the details of their social life.
Ford Archer Hinchman, Jr., class of 1924, clipped political news articles for his scrapbook. Hinchman (aided by his brother during World War I) documented his time from high school to his first year at the U-M, to World War I and back again through articles, letters and pictures.
One of the Sixteenth Engineers based “somewhere in France” Hinchman enlisted in the military, May 4, 1917, and came back to the U.S., a year and a half later.
Hinchman chaged under military censorship rules. In a letter home, dated Sept. 3, 1917, Hinchman wrote, “I wrote mother and explained about the censoring of the mail …. It makes me feel pretty sore as I am bursting with information.”
Hinchman wrote many letters to his family detailing his frustration with the aspects of military life and “German successes.” He ultimately returned triumphantly home in January 1919. Hinchman resumed his studies at the U-M as a member of the Delta Kappa Upsilon fraternity.
Josephine Violet Lang, class of 1921, loved to hear classical music recitals, especially violin music. A straight B student in her four years at U-M, Lang was part of the first generation of women to exercise the right to vote. Her activism on that issue was deemed unseemly by one nameless male suitor.
He wrote, “My Little Suffragette: You can’t put any of your masculine airs over me … Cupid might send you a diamond ring if you learn how to boil water. I want a housekeeper, not a militant suffragette.”
It’s unclear what happened to this suitor. But Lang went on to earn her master’s degree at the U-M in 1923.
Originally published Thursday, September 2, 1999
Thursday, August 12, 1999
Village’s celebration like big family reunion
Village’s celebration like big family reunion
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Superstitious residents of Dexter hope history won’t repeat itself at the annual Dexter Daze weekend starting [this] week—on Friday the 13th.
The Monument Park event last opened on a Friday the 13th six years ago, when the Sportsman’s Bar on Main Street had a grease fire that spread to three other buildings.
The mid-morning fire either destroyed or seriously damaged four buildings. Loren Yates, the long-time chairman of Dexter Daze, didn’t have much time that day to devote to the festival—as a firefighter he was busy working to put the fire out.
Many hope Dexter Daze ’99 will go off without a hitch. Residents are looking forward to celebrating the 175th anniversary of Dexter Village this year at the three-day event.
The annual extravaganza regularly draws 20,000 to 30,000 people one Chamber of Commerce official said.
“Dexter Daze is kind of a big party of the community,” said Carol Jones, Dexter Daze committee secretary and an administrative assistant for the Chamber.
She said that during the weekend, many former Dexter residents come back to visit with friends and family. Jones said talking to people she hasn’t seen in a while makes her feel like she’s attending a big family reunion.
One hitch to Dexter Daze last year was the major construction under way on the town’s streets and sidewalks. But now, Dexter has a new-and-improved look, she said.
The event will feature musicians, arts and crafts vendors, a bake sale by senior citizens and food vendors. Children’s entertainment will include Gemini and Colors the Clown.
Yayes said there will be a free shuttle bus going into the village from Dexter High School for people who want to avoid traffic. Parking is free, he said.
The Saturday morning, Dexter Daze Parade will include a band antique and classic cars, fire and police departments, members of the Kiwanis, the Rotary and Lions’ clubs and local students and businesses.
While visiting the area, Jones said, Dexter Daze participants often visit other Dexter sites, including the 100-year-old cider mill and the 100-year-old cider mill and the Spring Valley Trout Farm, where people can catch and buy trout and catfish.
“It’s a busy (time), said Jan Going, who has lived in Dexter for 15 years.
She enjoys the parade and also will visit with several longtime friends coming in from other parts of Michigan and Florida.
“Dexter Daze) is just super,” she said. The community really participates.”
Dexter Daze
What: Town festival with arts and crafts, music and bingo, children’s activities.
When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Where: Dexter village
Highlights: Parade at 10 a.m. Saturday, horseshoes tournament at 1 p.m.
Originally published Thursday, August 12, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Superstitious residents of Dexter hope history won’t repeat itself at the annual Dexter Daze weekend starting [this] week—on Friday the 13th.
The Monument Park event last opened on a Friday the 13th six years ago, when the Sportsman’s Bar on Main Street had a grease fire that spread to three other buildings.
The mid-morning fire either destroyed or seriously damaged four buildings. Loren Yates, the long-time chairman of Dexter Daze, didn’t have much time that day to devote to the festival—as a firefighter he was busy working to put the fire out.
Many hope Dexter Daze ’99 will go off without a hitch. Residents are looking forward to celebrating the 175th anniversary of Dexter Village this year at the three-day event.
The annual extravaganza regularly draws 20,000 to 30,000 people one Chamber of Commerce official said.
“Dexter Daze is kind of a big party of the community,” said Carol Jones, Dexter Daze committee secretary and an administrative assistant for the Chamber.
She said that during the weekend, many former Dexter residents come back to visit with friends and family. Jones said talking to people she hasn’t seen in a while makes her feel like she’s attending a big family reunion.
One hitch to Dexter Daze last year was the major construction under way on the town’s streets and sidewalks. But now, Dexter has a new-and-improved look, she said.
The event will feature musicians, arts and crafts vendors, a bake sale by senior citizens and food vendors. Children’s entertainment will include Gemini and Colors the Clown.
Yayes said there will be a free shuttle bus going into the village from Dexter High School for people who want to avoid traffic. Parking is free, he said.
The Saturday morning, Dexter Daze Parade will include a band antique and classic cars, fire and police departments, members of the Kiwanis, the Rotary and Lions’ clubs and local students and businesses.
While visiting the area, Jones said, Dexter Daze participants often visit other Dexter sites, including the 100-year-old cider mill and the 100-year-old cider mill and the Spring Valley Trout Farm, where people can catch and buy trout and catfish.
“It’s a busy (time), said Jan Going, who has lived in Dexter for 15 years.
She enjoys the parade and also will visit with several longtime friends coming in from other parts of Michigan and Florida.
“Dexter Daze) is just super,” she said. The community really participates.”
Dexter Daze
What: Town festival with arts and crafts, music and bingo, children’s activities.
When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Where: Dexter village
Highlights: Parade at 10 a.m. Saturday, horseshoes tournament at 1 p.m.
Originally published Thursday, August 12, 1999
Wednesday, August 11, 1999
Senior Safety, The Ann Arbor News
Senior Safety
By Pamela Appea
The Ann Arbor News
Mall sponsors event to help older people avoid scams
Seniors like Ypsilanti resident, Grace Allen, 84, got a chance Tuesday to peruse information on everything from fraudulent health insurance billings to whether she gets enough fiber in her daily diet.
Allen was among 400 people who attended Briarwood Mall’s “Senior Safety Awareness Day,” the first senior event at the shopping center to address both health and safety issues.
“The response that we got was really positive,” said Marc Strich, Briarwood Mall general manager.
TRAID, a consortium of local area law enforcement agencies, senior organizations and local social service agencies, set up information booths and had experts on hand for questions.
Major concerns facing seniors are charity scams, telephone fraud and credit card fraud, said Irma Swanter, Michigan district coordinator for the American Association of Retired Persons, an organization addressing political and social issues for people over 50.
She said AARP had documented stories where seniors have been defrauded of tens of thousands of dollars. The seniors thought they were giving to charity or getting a chance to win a free cruise. She said in some cases, seniors are scammed over several months, even years.
“(Seniors) are lonely. They like to talk on the phone or have company. They’re just vulnerable,” said Uva Wilbanks, chairwoman for TRIAD.
Seniors at Tuesday’s event were given information on how to avoid telephone fraud and know their rights regarding unsolicited telemarketing calls and letters. Sometimes seniors get bombarded by scammers, specifically because of their age, Wilbanks said.
Deputy Lisa King of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department recalled a recent case where an older Milan woman almost lost $1,200 on a scam.
Two men came uninvited to her home and offered to paint her barn, King said. The woman, in her late 70s, wrote them a check and the pair left without doing any work.
The woman’s son, an employee of the Ypsilanti Police Department, tracked the men that day—and the two were arrested at the bank as they were preparing to cash the check, King said.
Allen said she felt prepared for telephone scams by not answering the telephone unless she knows who is calling.
“I watch my bill every month. I got caller ID (and an answering machine), and if its important they will leave a message, she said.
Other booths at the mall gave information about Huron Valley paramedic service, area support groups, medical care and volunteer opportunities.
The event, said Tom Fisher, security director at Briarwood Mall, adds to other “senior friendly” activities at Briarwood, including the weekly “Fitness over Fifty” exercise.
Originally published August 11, 1999.
By Pamela Appea
The Ann Arbor News
Mall sponsors event to help older people avoid scams
Seniors like Ypsilanti resident, Grace Allen, 84, got a chance Tuesday to peruse information on everything from fraudulent health insurance billings to whether she gets enough fiber in her daily diet.
Allen was among 400 people who attended Briarwood Mall’s “Senior Safety Awareness Day,” the first senior event at the shopping center to address both health and safety issues.
“The response that we got was really positive,” said Marc Strich, Briarwood Mall general manager.
TRAID, a consortium of local area law enforcement agencies, senior organizations and local social service agencies, set up information booths and had experts on hand for questions.
Major concerns facing seniors are charity scams, telephone fraud and credit card fraud, said Irma Swanter, Michigan district coordinator for the American Association of Retired Persons, an organization addressing political and social issues for people over 50.
She said AARP had documented stories where seniors have been defrauded of tens of thousands of dollars. The seniors thought they were giving to charity or getting a chance to win a free cruise. She said in some cases, seniors are scammed over several months, even years.
“(Seniors) are lonely. They like to talk on the phone or have company. They’re just vulnerable,” said Uva Wilbanks, chairwoman for TRIAD.
Seniors at Tuesday’s event were given information on how to avoid telephone fraud and know their rights regarding unsolicited telemarketing calls and letters. Sometimes seniors get bombarded by scammers, specifically because of their age, Wilbanks said.
Deputy Lisa King of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department recalled a recent case where an older Milan woman almost lost $1,200 on a scam.
Two men came uninvited to her home and offered to paint her barn, King said. The woman, in her late 70s, wrote them a check and the pair left without doing any work.
The woman’s son, an employee of the Ypsilanti Police Department, tracked the men that day—and the two were arrested at the bank as they were preparing to cash the check, King said.
Allen said she felt prepared for telephone scams by not answering the telephone unless she knows who is calling.
“I watch my bill every month. I got caller ID (and an answering machine), and if its important they will leave a message, she said.
Other booths at the mall gave information about Huron Valley paramedic service, area support groups, medical care and volunteer opportunities.
The event, said Tom Fisher, security director at Briarwood Mall, adds to other “senior friendly” activities at Briarwood, including the weekly “Fitness over Fifty” exercise.
Originally published August 11, 1999.
Monday, August 09, 1999
Interest high in Catholic law school
Interest high in Catholic law school-Hundreds of prospective students apply to Ave Maria; 100 instructors interested as well
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
The newly-formed Catholic law school in Ann Arbor is considering prospective students for fall 2000--an almost eight months before the April 1 admissions deadline.
Ave Maria administrators said hundreds of prospective students have called the admissions office asking for information on requirements, courses and faculty.
Michael Kenney, dean of admissions, estimated that 200 prospective law students from 40 states have called Ave Maria since the law school was formed four months ago.
About 100 faculty at other institutions have expressed interest in joining Ave Maria, Kenney added.
Ave Maria administrators are encouraged by the response, said Kenney, who had been acting dean of admissions until this month.
“I’m very enthused about the opportunity to be involved in the process of starting a new Catholic law school. The vision … is to be a national law school that will have high admissions standards,” he said.
Led by interim Dean Joseph Falvey of Grosse Pointe Park Ave. Maria Law School is preparing a specialized, Catholic-centered law curriculum and recruiting faculty.
Bernard Dobranski of the Catholic University Law School in Washington, D.C. will become Ave Maria dean in a few months. Judge Robert Bork was recently named as Ave Maria’s first faculty member, Kenney said.
The school, temporarily located at Thomas More Center at the Domino’s Farms, plans to admit 50 first-year law students in the fall 2000. It will gradually increase enrollment size to several hundred students, Kenney said.
Officials are still working out major details for short-and-long-term campus planning. A real estate agent said Ave. Maria is leasing an 85,000-square foot building at 4375 Plymouth Road, where Ave Maria may house administrative offices and classrooms.
Plans for student housing to fall 2000 are uncertain, school officials said.
However, admission services are up and running, and Kenney said the law school intends to process applications this year.
Law school candidates will be expected to fill out a two-page application. Admission will be assessed by grade-point average, standardized test scores, letters of recommendations and the prospective student’s personal statement.
Ave Maria, Kenney said, welcomes applicants of any religion.
Ave Maria will be the 26th Catholic law university in the United States. It is in the process of obtaining its accreditation with the Michigan Board of Education, published reports said.
Thomas Monaghan, the former owner of the Domino’s Pizza empire and founder of the Ave Maria foundation will reportedly spend $50 million of the law school.
For information, contact Kenney by email at mkenney@avemarialaw.org or by phone (734) 930-4408.
Originally published Tuesday, August 9, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
The newly-formed Catholic law school in Ann Arbor is considering prospective students for fall 2000--an almost eight months before the April 1 admissions deadline.
Ave Maria administrators said hundreds of prospective students have called the admissions office asking for information on requirements, courses and faculty.
Michael Kenney, dean of admissions, estimated that 200 prospective law students from 40 states have called Ave Maria since the law school was formed four months ago.
About 100 faculty at other institutions have expressed interest in joining Ave Maria, Kenney added.
Ave Maria administrators are encouraged by the response, said Kenney, who had been acting dean of admissions until this month.
“I’m very enthused about the opportunity to be involved in the process of starting a new Catholic law school. The vision … is to be a national law school that will have high admissions standards,” he said.
Led by interim Dean Joseph Falvey of Grosse Pointe Park Ave. Maria Law School is preparing a specialized, Catholic-centered law curriculum and recruiting faculty.
Bernard Dobranski of the Catholic University Law School in Washington, D.C. will become Ave Maria dean in a few months. Judge Robert Bork was recently named as Ave Maria’s first faculty member, Kenney said.
The school, temporarily located at Thomas More Center at the Domino’s Farms, plans to admit 50 first-year law students in the fall 2000. It will gradually increase enrollment size to several hundred students, Kenney said.
Officials are still working out major details for short-and-long-term campus planning. A real estate agent said Ave. Maria is leasing an 85,000-square foot building at 4375 Plymouth Road, where Ave Maria may house administrative offices and classrooms.
Plans for student housing to fall 2000 are uncertain, school officials said.
However, admission services are up and running, and Kenney said the law school intends to process applications this year.
Law school candidates will be expected to fill out a two-page application. Admission will be assessed by grade-point average, standardized test scores, letters of recommendations and the prospective student’s personal statement.
Ave Maria, Kenney said, welcomes applicants of any religion.
Ave Maria will be the 26th Catholic law university in the United States. It is in the process of obtaining its accreditation with the Michigan Board of Education, published reports said.
Thomas Monaghan, the former owner of the Domino’s Pizza empire and founder of the Ave Maria foundation will reportedly spend $50 million of the law school.
For information, contact Kenney by email at mkenney@avemarialaw.org or by phone (734) 930-4408.
Originally published Tuesday, August 9, 1999
Friday, August 06, 1999
Towns with same names as girl invite her to be parade marshal
Ashley Hudson, Indiana
Towns with same names as girl invite her to be parade marshal
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Ashley Hudson, 10, says she’s a “regular kids” with one exception” “I have two towns with my name.”
These towns are a mile apart in the northeast corner of Indiana and they’ve adopted the Pittsfield Township girl as a unifying spirit.
Ashley and her family will be the guests of Ashley, population 900, and Hudson, population 700, this weekend when she serves as the grand marshal of the towns’ annual parade.
Back in early 1997, Ashley’s maternal grandparents were driving along I-69 on the way to Michigan when an exit sign caught their attention. It referred to two towns just off the interstate, “Ashley” was listed first, followed by “Hudson.”
To the grandparents, however, it wasn’t a reference to two towns—it was their granddaughters name. So they pulled over and took a picture of it, said Sandy Hudson, Ashley’s mother.
Several weeks later, the Hudson family, including Ashley’s father, Mike, and her brother Josh, 14, visited the two towns and looked around. Sandy Hudson late wrote to the two towns, telling them about her daughter’s name.
The towns’ joint chamber of commerce wrote a letter back, asking if Ashley and her family wanted to participate in the first annual Ashley and Hudson parade, which was being held in the spirit of cooperation between the two former rival towns. Ashley agreed and attended the first parade in 1997; this year’s parade will be her second.
Pat Alleshouse, secretary for the towns’ chamber of commerce, who has lived in Ashley since the 1950s, said the two towns haven’t always gotten along.
“Over a hundred years ago, Hudson was already a town. The people who owned the land right next to Hudson couldn’t get together (with the Hudson residents) on the price. They moved on down the railroad track and created the town of Ashley.”
Alleshouse says, though, that the longstanding rivalry isn’t as bad as it used to be. Events like the parade bridge the two towns,, which are located just west of I-69, about 18 miles south of the Michigan border.
Ashley, the girl, will receive a complimentary Ashley Hudson hat and T-shirt, free meals, lodging, a ride in the twons’ 1978 silver Corvette during the parade, and a bouquet of yellow flowers—the town’s official color.
“We just fell in love with her right away,” Alleshouse said. “They’re just the nicest family. Just a regular, friendly girl.”
Ashley who will be a student at St. Francis of Assisi in Ann Arbor this fall, is looking forward to the trip this weekend.
“They saw me when I was 8, and they can see how much I’ve grown,” she said.
Originally published Friday, August 6, 1999
Photo Caption: Ashley Hudson, 10, holds up a flier for the Ashley-Hudson festival in Ashley and Hudson, Ind., this weekend. Hudson will be the grand marshal for the festival’s parade for the second year in a row.
Towns with same names as girl invite her to be parade marshal
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Ashley Hudson, 10, says she’s a “regular kids” with one exception” “I have two towns with my name.”
These towns are a mile apart in the northeast corner of Indiana and they’ve adopted the Pittsfield Township girl as a unifying spirit.
Ashley and her family will be the guests of Ashley, population 900, and Hudson, population 700, this weekend when she serves as the grand marshal of the towns’ annual parade.
Back in early 1997, Ashley’s maternal grandparents were driving along I-69 on the way to Michigan when an exit sign caught their attention. It referred to two towns just off the interstate, “Ashley” was listed first, followed by “Hudson.”
To the grandparents, however, it wasn’t a reference to two towns—it was their granddaughters name. So they pulled over and took a picture of it, said Sandy Hudson, Ashley’s mother.
Several weeks later, the Hudson family, including Ashley’s father, Mike, and her brother Josh, 14, visited the two towns and looked around. Sandy Hudson late wrote to the two towns, telling them about her daughter’s name.
The towns’ joint chamber of commerce wrote a letter back, asking if Ashley and her family wanted to participate in the first annual Ashley and Hudson parade, which was being held in the spirit of cooperation between the two former rival towns. Ashley agreed and attended the first parade in 1997; this year’s parade will be her second.
Pat Alleshouse, secretary for the towns’ chamber of commerce, who has lived in Ashley since the 1950s, said the two towns haven’t always gotten along.
“Over a hundred years ago, Hudson was already a town. The people who owned the land right next to Hudson couldn’t get together (with the Hudson residents) on the price. They moved on down the railroad track and created the town of Ashley.”
Alleshouse says, though, that the longstanding rivalry isn’t as bad as it used to be. Events like the parade bridge the two towns,, which are located just west of I-69, about 18 miles south of the Michigan border.
Ashley, the girl, will receive a complimentary Ashley Hudson hat and T-shirt, free meals, lodging, a ride in the twons’ 1978 silver Corvette during the parade, and a bouquet of yellow flowers—the town’s official color.
“We just fell in love with her right away,” Alleshouse said. “They’re just the nicest family. Just a regular, friendly girl.”
Ashley who will be a student at St. Francis of Assisi in Ann Arbor this fall, is looking forward to the trip this weekend.
“They saw me when I was 8, and they can see how much I’ve grown,” she said.
Originally published Friday, August 6, 1999
Photo Caption: Ashley Hudson, 10, holds up a flier for the Ashley-Hudson festival in Ashley and Hudson, Ind., this weekend. Hudson will be the grand marshal for the festival’s parade for the second year in a row.
Thursday, July 29, 1999
Ag Ambassadors: Extension service program promotes understanding, The Ann Arbor News
The Ann Arbor News
Ag Ambassadors: Extension service program promotes understanding
By Pamela Appea
The Washtenaw County Michigan State University Extension Service is launching an “Ag Ambassadors” program this fall so that farmers and nonfarmers can better understand each other.
Due to perceived tension and miscommunication between the two groups, the Washtenaw-area Agricultural Advisory Council--a group of farmers and MSU agricultural administrators--decided to start a program to promote better understanding of local agricultural practices.
Also, because of the low use of locally produced Washtenaw agricultural products—most Washtenaw County grains or meat are exported out of the county—“mutually beneficial” business opportunities could be an additional perk of the program, MSU administrators said.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity,” said Nancy Thelan, MSU Extension Director.
The extension office is looking for 10 county residents, including business professionals and local community leaders, to participate in the federally funded program and then pass on the information they learn to others, said Mike Score, the local Extension agricultural agent.
The program, which runs for a year and is funded with a grant of about $3,000, starts Sept. 18 with a Rural Community Appreciation Tour orientation.
The agricultural ambassadors, who will be selected for community involvement and interest in agricultural issues, will tour Way-lene Acres Dairy Farm, Shady Hills Farm and Plymouth Orchard during four meetings in 1999-2000.
“By educating 10 people, they become ambassadors to other nonfarmers, and they will let nonfarmers know what local agricultural concerns are,” said Score.
The “Ag ambassadors” program won’t just be quaint farm tours, Score said. The program will emphasize difficulties in farming and ambassadors will do some hands-on work, including milking cows and baling hay, in addition to talking to farmers. The group will meet at different points in the year to educate the ambassadors about the weather-related difficulties farmers may face.
Currently, there are 200 full-time farmers in Washtenaw County, said Score.
Although Washtenaw County farms have dwindled in numbers in the past 30 years, 160,000 acres of land are still farmed, Thelen and Score said.
Score, who works with farmers on educational program, said many have expressed concerns that nonfarmers don’t care where Washtenaw County corn goes or that farming land in developing areas are not seen as relevant to the entire community.
Score said that he hopes the program will also get business-minded “Ag Ambassadors” aware and excited about agribusiness opportunities.
Although some Washtenaw County residents do make a habit of buying locally produced fruits and vegetables, Score said, there is no medium for selling other Washtenaw county grains and agricultural products, including corn, soybeans, wheat, beef and pork—which local farms ship out of the county.
Buying locally produced grains or other food does not guarantee that the price will be lower. However, Score said, one benefit of supporting Washtenaw county agriculture might be better product quality.
The “Ag Ambassador” outreach program may expand and become an annual program in the next several years, MSU agricultural administrators said.
Anyone interested in the Ag Ambassadors program should contact Mike Score at (734) 971-0079, extension 2619, by Aug. 20.
Originally published Thursday, July 29, 1999
Ag Ambassadors: Extension service program promotes understanding
By Pamela Appea
The Washtenaw County Michigan State University Extension Service is launching an “Ag Ambassadors” program this fall so that farmers and nonfarmers can better understand each other.
Due to perceived tension and miscommunication between the two groups, the Washtenaw-area Agricultural Advisory Council--a group of farmers and MSU agricultural administrators--decided to start a program to promote better understanding of local agricultural practices.
Also, because of the low use of locally produced Washtenaw agricultural products—most Washtenaw County grains or meat are exported out of the county—“mutually beneficial” business opportunities could be an additional perk of the program, MSU administrators said.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity,” said Nancy Thelan, MSU Extension Director.
The extension office is looking for 10 county residents, including business professionals and local community leaders, to participate in the federally funded program and then pass on the information they learn to others, said Mike Score, the local Extension agricultural agent.
The program, which runs for a year and is funded with a grant of about $3,000, starts Sept. 18 with a Rural Community Appreciation Tour orientation.
The agricultural ambassadors, who will be selected for community involvement and interest in agricultural issues, will tour Way-lene Acres Dairy Farm, Shady Hills Farm and Plymouth Orchard during four meetings in 1999-2000.
“By educating 10 people, they become ambassadors to other nonfarmers, and they will let nonfarmers know what local agricultural concerns are,” said Score.
The “Ag ambassadors” program won’t just be quaint farm tours, Score said. The program will emphasize difficulties in farming and ambassadors will do some hands-on work, including milking cows and baling hay, in addition to talking to farmers. The group will meet at different points in the year to educate the ambassadors about the weather-related difficulties farmers may face.
Currently, there are 200 full-time farmers in Washtenaw County, said Score.
Although Washtenaw County farms have dwindled in numbers in the past 30 years, 160,000 acres of land are still farmed, Thelen and Score said.
Score, who works with farmers on educational program, said many have expressed concerns that nonfarmers don’t care where Washtenaw County corn goes or that farming land in developing areas are not seen as relevant to the entire community.
Score said that he hopes the program will also get business-minded “Ag Ambassadors” aware and excited about agribusiness opportunities.
Although some Washtenaw County residents do make a habit of buying locally produced fruits and vegetables, Score said, there is no medium for selling other Washtenaw county grains and agricultural products, including corn, soybeans, wheat, beef and pork—which local farms ship out of the county.
Buying locally produced grains or other food does not guarantee that the price will be lower. However, Score said, one benefit of supporting Washtenaw county agriculture might be better product quality.
The “Ag Ambassador” outreach program may expand and become an annual program in the next several years, MSU agricultural administrators said.
Anyone interested in the Ag Ambassadors program should contact Mike Score at (734) 971-0079, extension 2619, by Aug. 20.
Originally published Thursday, July 29, 1999
Visit to Dawn Farm helps special needs campers learn
Visit to Dawn Farm helps special needs campers learn
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
As Nondi Lampkin, 4, snapped broccoli heads from Dawn Farm’s garden and placed them in her yellow bucket, she said she planned to cooker her small harvest later on that afternoon—adding some supermarket-bought melted cheese.
Lampkin was one of more than 20 children from Ann Arbor’s Early Learning Center summer camp program who visited Dawn Farm Wednesday.
The 4 ½ week camp works with children ages 3-5 who have special learning needs, grouping them together with other preschool children, so that all children can learn and have fun. One of the camp’s most popular field trips is to the Ypsilanti-area farm, where children pet farm animals, leaf-paint, go on hayrides, and garden for half the day.
Ann Telfer is one of the organizer’s of the integrated summer camp—which is in its third year. Telfer, the parent of a 6-year-old autistic child, David, said she felt there was a need for a local camp that took an integrated learning approach.
“This entire project points to the positive influence of the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and its voice in requiring schools and communities at large to include and accommodate children with differing abilities in all aspects of life,” she said.
Telfer said the Dawn Farm trip is particularly successful for autistic children, who enjoy the direct contact with animals—since some have difficulty playing with other children or talking with adults.
Camps coordinators work on strengthening children’s verbal skill and play ability. The camp also gives non-special needs children the opportunity to learn about others who are different.
“I think it’s remarkable that we are now working in integrated classrooms,” said Linda Johnson, a special education teacher with the Ann Arbor Pre-School and Family Center.
Telfer said that the idea for the camp was realized with the support of Johnson, a 30-year teaching veteran and Carol Fast, an Ann Arbor-area speech pathologist. They and other parents worked with the Early Learning Center, which is a private school, and Ann Arbor Public School administrators to start the summer camp.
Jim Reitz, an Ann Arbor parent, said he was pleased with the camp. He went along with the group for the Dawn Farm field trip.
“My son (Duncan), 4) really likes animals. There’s nothing like a farm for these kids,” he said.
Telfer said it’s important to provide autistic children the opportunity to talk with other children during the preschool years. In her opinion, though, the camp benefits all the enrolled children.
Telfer’s son David, said he enjoyed feeding the goats and the llamas at the farm. “I feel proud the goat ate the leaves,” he said after thanking the animal.
Sam Colvin St. Cyr, 5, didn’t have much time to talk about his favorite farm activity. He said, “I have to feed my hungry goat,” he said, not breaking his stride.
The children also looked at llamas and the farm’s three pigs, and they petted baby turkeys and baby rabbits.
Dawn Farm which operates as a residential drug rehabilitation center, recruited resident volunteers to participate in the children’s farm experience, said Alayne Speltz, operations manager.
“I think it’s fantastic. They put a lot of smiles on our faces,” said Roxanne Denike, a Dawn Farm resident from the Whitmore Lake area.
The trip to Dawn Farm was partially subsidized by the Ann Arbor Branch of the Women’s National Farm and Garden Association, in addition to parent’s camp enrollment fees.
Originally Published July 29, 1999.
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
As Nondi Lampkin, 4, snapped broccoli heads from Dawn Farm’s garden and placed them in her yellow bucket, she said she planned to cooker her small harvest later on that afternoon—adding some supermarket-bought melted cheese.
Lampkin was one of more than 20 children from Ann Arbor’s Early Learning Center summer camp program who visited Dawn Farm Wednesday.
The 4 ½ week camp works with children ages 3-5 who have special learning needs, grouping them together with other preschool children, so that all children can learn and have fun. One of the camp’s most popular field trips is to the Ypsilanti-area farm, where children pet farm animals, leaf-paint, go on hayrides, and garden for half the day.
Ann Telfer is one of the organizer’s of the integrated summer camp—which is in its third year. Telfer, the parent of a 6-year-old autistic child, David, said she felt there was a need for a local camp that took an integrated learning approach.
“This entire project points to the positive influence of the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and its voice in requiring schools and communities at large to include and accommodate children with differing abilities in all aspects of life,” she said.
Telfer said the Dawn Farm trip is particularly successful for autistic children, who enjoy the direct contact with animals—since some have difficulty playing with other children or talking with adults.
Camps coordinators work on strengthening children’s verbal skill and play ability. The camp also gives non-special needs children the opportunity to learn about others who are different.
“I think it’s remarkable that we are now working in integrated classrooms,” said Linda Johnson, a special education teacher with the Ann Arbor Pre-School and Family Center.
Telfer said that the idea for the camp was realized with the support of Johnson, a 30-year teaching veteran and Carol Fast, an Ann Arbor-area speech pathologist. They and other parents worked with the Early Learning Center, which is a private school, and Ann Arbor Public School administrators to start the summer camp.
Jim Reitz, an Ann Arbor parent, said he was pleased with the camp. He went along with the group for the Dawn Farm field trip.
“My son (Duncan), 4) really likes animals. There’s nothing like a farm for these kids,” he said.
Telfer said it’s important to provide autistic children the opportunity to talk with other children during the preschool years. In her opinion, though, the camp benefits all the enrolled children.
Telfer’s son David, said he enjoyed feeding the goats and the llamas at the farm. “I feel proud the goat ate the leaves,” he said after thanking the animal.
Sam Colvin St. Cyr, 5, didn’t have much time to talk about his favorite farm activity. He said, “I have to feed my hungry goat,” he said, not breaking his stride.
The children also looked at llamas and the farm’s three pigs, and they petted baby turkeys and baby rabbits.
Dawn Farm which operates as a residential drug rehabilitation center, recruited resident volunteers to participate in the children’s farm experience, said Alayne Speltz, operations manager.
“I think it’s fantastic. They put a lot of smiles on our faces,” said Roxanne Denike, a Dawn Farm resident from the Whitmore Lake area.
The trip to Dawn Farm was partially subsidized by the Ann Arbor Branch of the Women’s National Farm and Garden Association, in addition to parent’s camp enrollment fees.
Originally Published July 29, 1999.
Monday, July 26, 1999
Runners carry torch for peace
Runners carry torch for peace
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Kapila Castoldi is modest about her two-mile daily running habit.
But the Ann Arbor resident can take pride in her efforts to coordinate Peace Run volunteers who have been running longer distances--eight to 10 miles a day, every day--for the past three months.
“Peace run 1999: the run to 2000” started with a team of European runners in Portugal on Jan. 1. U.S.-based Peace Run athletics started passing the torch April 17 at New York City’s U.N. building, where the team will conclude its segment on Aug. 17. Participating runners from 119 other countries will continue the run until Dec. 31.
The runners--who take turns carrying a lit peace torch symbolizing world-wide peace--trekked Sunday through Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
“It’s a simple idea, but we get enthusiastic responses from many people,” said Castoldi, a visiting Oakland University assistant physics professor.
Peace Run volunteers, a 12-person team with U.S. and international members, visit various schools, community centers and city halls, where they talk to local children and community groups.
“It’s exciting for the kids and it puts a seed in their mind about .. Peace,” said Castoldi, who coordinators the Michigan and Tennessee runs.
Tom Taylor, a Peace Run captain and a carpenter in New York City, said he took the time off work to focus on ways of being a peace-oriented person.
“I don’t think about peace every day when I’m working. (But now) I think of peace every day, 100 times a day when I am running … an I meet good people (who also care about peace),” he said.
During the runners’ stop in Gallup Park at 10:40 a.m. Sunday, the volunteers were joined by U.S. Rep. Lynn Rivers D-Ann Arbor, who walked a half-mile.
The group also was joined by Ann Arbor YMCA runners along with some local citizens.
In Ypsilanti, where the runners stopped at 12:40 p.m., a few Eastern Michigan University students ran three miles with the team toward Depot Town.
“I really liked the idea of getting people involved in peace,” said G. Summer Scarbough, an EMU senior and the student body vice president.
“People don’t get involved unless it is reactionary like the protest against the … (1998) Khan (rally) in Ann Arbor. (the Peace Run) is proactive, and something positive,” she said.
Castoldi who couldn’t run with the group due to a recent injury, said that since the event fell on the weekend, it was low-key. She predicted that the Peace Run shop in Detroit today might have a higher attendance.
Mary Roberts, YMCA senior program executive, said even if the Ann Arbor event was on a smaller scale, the principles of peace are still important.
“(Peace Run) is something that we believe in,” she said.
Originally published Monday, July 26, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Kapila Castoldi is modest about her two-mile daily running habit.
But the Ann Arbor resident can take pride in her efforts to coordinate Peace Run volunteers who have been running longer distances--eight to 10 miles a day, every day--for the past three months.
“Peace run 1999: the run to 2000” started with a team of European runners in Portugal on Jan. 1. U.S.-based Peace Run athletics started passing the torch April 17 at New York City’s U.N. building, where the team will conclude its segment on Aug. 17. Participating runners from 119 other countries will continue the run until Dec. 31.
The runners--who take turns carrying a lit peace torch symbolizing world-wide peace--trekked Sunday through Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
“It’s a simple idea, but we get enthusiastic responses from many people,” said Castoldi, a visiting Oakland University assistant physics professor.
Peace Run volunteers, a 12-person team with U.S. and international members, visit various schools, community centers and city halls, where they talk to local children and community groups.
“It’s exciting for the kids and it puts a seed in their mind about .. Peace,” said Castoldi, who coordinators the Michigan and Tennessee runs.
Tom Taylor, a Peace Run captain and a carpenter in New York City, said he took the time off work to focus on ways of being a peace-oriented person.
“I don’t think about peace every day when I’m working. (But now) I think of peace every day, 100 times a day when I am running … an I meet good people (who also care about peace),” he said.
During the runners’ stop in Gallup Park at 10:40 a.m. Sunday, the volunteers were joined by U.S. Rep. Lynn Rivers D-Ann Arbor, who walked a half-mile.
The group also was joined by Ann Arbor YMCA runners along with some local citizens.
In Ypsilanti, where the runners stopped at 12:40 p.m., a few Eastern Michigan University students ran three miles with the team toward Depot Town.
“I really liked the idea of getting people involved in peace,” said G. Summer Scarbough, an EMU senior and the student body vice president.
“People don’t get involved unless it is reactionary like the protest against the … (1998) Khan (rally) in Ann Arbor. (the Peace Run) is proactive, and something positive,” she said.
Castoldi who couldn’t run with the group due to a recent injury, said that since the event fell on the weekend, it was low-key. She predicted that the Peace Run shop in Detroit today might have a higher attendance.
Mary Roberts, YMCA senior program executive, said even if the Ann Arbor event was on a smaller scale, the principles of peace are still important.
“(Peace Run) is something that we believe in,” she said.
Originally published Monday, July 26, 1999
Sunday, July 25, 1999
Getting parking takes a ‘find’ art
Getting parking takes a ‘find’ art
The Ann Arbor News
By Colleen Newvine, Rob Hoffman and Pamela Appea
Kathy Krick went into this year’s art fairs knowing parking was going to be a challenge.
Wednesday morning, her hunch proved right.
Krick, director of the State Street Art Fair, had to shuffle artists around and provide alternative parking this year because typically many of her fair’s artists park in the 786-space Maynard Street structure, closed this year for repairs.
Krick had encouraged many of the fair’s artists to park in the Liberty Square structure instead, and issues many of them four-day parking passes they paid for in advance.
Come Wednesday morning, Liberty Square was full by 8 a.m. She heard that some artists showed only their artist identification, not a parking pass, and were admitted, leading to overcrowding.
“There’s always some first-day parking glitches,” commiserated Dave Kronenberg, director of the Summer Art Fair.
Krick said things seemed much smoother Thursday after she’d talked to people at the structure and checked in with some of the artists.
“Well, at least I haven’t heard any complaints,” she said.
Fair? What fair?
Ask artists in the Ann Arbor Fairs what pieces have caught their eyes and the likely response is a bewildered chuckle or a shoulder shrug. With four long days of selling, often alone or with one assistant, there’s not much time for strolling the streets.
Loel Martin, a photographer from Skokie, Ill., has been in the Summer Art Fair (booth D373) about a decade now, and though he thinks the quality of the show overall is on the rise, he can’t cite any particular booth that called to him.
“I’ve only seen what’s between here and the car,” he said, gesturing from his booth on Liberty Street down toward Main Street. “Now you could ask me about my art …”
-March Russell, an assistant at the Harvard Reflections Booth on Main Street (D424), said he’s snuck a few minutes here and there to look at other booths. He’s enjoyed the variety of photography, and the different types of glass work, though he didn’t have one particular favorite of either.
“It’s fun to see the great variety of work that’s produced,” he said.
One he did like, not far from the Harvard Reflections booth, is the assortment of rattam tables by Sally Bright (booth D349.)
Not so early risers
Spencer Porter did something Thursday that he had never done before in his 27 years as an exhibitor at the Summer Art Fair on Main Street.
He cooked himself breakfast.
“I had time,” said Porter, an Ann Arbor resident who displays life-sized casts (D470.) “It was great.”
It’s all due to the art fair’s new opening time of 10 a.m., instead of the traditional 9 a.m. Artists lobbied for the later hour to cut down on the amount of time they spend outside every day.
Are people paying attention to the new hours? Not really. At seems to be an art fair tradition, people were out on the streets before 8 a.m. munching on bagel, sipping coffee and sneaking peeks at the open booths. Plus the AATA is still running shuttle buses starting at 8 a.m.
“We figure it’s going to take a few years for people to get to the new hours,” said Liz Nowland-Margolis, an AATA spokeswoman.
Artists Robert Martin of King George, Va., (D440) arrived on Main Street at 7:30 a.m. Thursday--the same time he had traditionally showed up to sell his sculptures made out of recycled musical instruments.
“If you’re doing an art show and you wait until 10 a.m., it’s not professional,” he said.
He gives good face
Mark Hammond of Grand Rapids sells a number of musical instruments like wooden drums and other noisemakers such as rain sticks and wind chimes on Liberty Street (D324.)
But even as children bang on a small wooden drum, Hammond offers something completely unrelated--a sign beckons people to take advantage of free facial massage.
By Thursday, he’s only done a handful of them.
“It usually takes a while for people to realize it’s not a gimmick,” he said.
The massage takes about a minute, with Hammond rubbing and pressing on various points of the face while the recipient sits in his chair behind the booth.
Hammond used to live in Thailand, and while there, he studies with monks and learned about how blood flows and the skin works.
Sign up, sign on
With 500,000 pairs of eyeballs expected this week, it’s prime time to share a message.
The not-for-profit row on East Liberty Street has its typical diverse range of booths, including the Southeast Michigan Naturists and Ronald McDonald House.
One anti-abortion advocate took advantage of the audience by carrying a large placard with a graphic picture of an aborted fetus and text describing the picture as the remains of a child.
“Oh no, we’re in the weird section,” Holly Speers, an Ontario potter, said to her two fellow potters. As they briskly walked by the booths, the group explained they drove in Thursday from Canada to see the art, not to listen to any impromptu lectures.
Hare Krishna monks Giri-Govardhana Das and Iksraku-Das, both of Detroit, have come to the art fairs for years to talk to people about the “pure love of God.” Their both occasionally offers free vegetarian food, a time when they admit they are the busiest.
The Michigan Greyhound connection is a group that works to find non-lethal alternatives for the estimated 30,000 greyhound dogs--a year--that are bred but then not necessarily used for racing.
As volunteer Stacey Ignagni sad by one of two greyhounds--who were well protected from the heat under the booth’s tent--she said the art fairs are a great way to publicize the dogs’ plight.
Much less weighty was the message touted by an employee of Arbor Brewing Co. “Beer. It’s like art, but wetter.”
Smile, You’re on CTV.
For the ninth year in a row, the Community Television Network has its camera trained on the art fairs.
At their tent on South Fifth Avenue and Liberty Street, producers with the Ann Arbor public-access channel try to entice passers-by[s] into saying hello on camera. One in four usually are amenable, says Ralph Sameron, CTV’s facility manager.
“After a while, you can spot who you should approach.”
About 20 hours of tape will be distilled into 14 hours of programming. CTV began broadcasting the results Wednesday night. Most people just say a few words, like “Hi mom” and other greetings, Sameron said. But there are always a few people who like to juggle, perform dramatic readings and even show off their pet snakes.
Sidewalk sales
With the art comes the sales.
Many local businesses set up tables bearing discounted merchandise, and other businesses plan on increase sales during the fairs.
Sales at most downtown ice cream establishments were busy Thursday. With lines well out the door at Stucchi’s most of the day, Megan Cagney, the manager of the sore on South State Street and Washtenaw Avenue estimated that the State Street location sold at least 150 gallons of ice cream.
At Kilwin’s on East Liberty Street, the “swamped” owner Karen Piehutkoski estimated that her store did well on opening art fair day--despite the rain.
“What we sold yesterday was what we might (usually) sell in an average week,” she said, noting that the day’s sales topped 200 gallons.
Copping a spot
The Ann Arbor Fire Department has long been a fixture of the Ann Arbor Arts Fairs. This year, the Ann Arbor Police joined the roster.
Vicki Motsinger, crime analyst with the department, said she’s been surprised by the number of visitors she’s seen at the booth on Main and Liberty streets.
People have asked a variety of art fair questions, like where the find the bathrooms, but they’ve also taken an interest in a display of illegal drugs.
Better bags
When Shary Brown sat down last winter to view slides of the 1998 Street Art Fair, she was pleased with what she saw.
Except those little yellow things that kept appearing in her pictures.
“I didn’t know what they were,” she said. “Then when I saw one up close, I realized. ‘Oh, it’s a parking meter. That’s pretty ugly. What can I do? I can decorate it,’ so I did.”
This summer, instead of being covered with city-issued bright yellow bags, the area’s 43 meters feature bags decorated with this year’s Street Art Fair logo--a picture of a wooden shack reminiscent of the fair’s former booths.
Originally published July 25, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Colleen Newvine, Rob Hoffman and Pamela Appea
Kathy Krick went into this year’s art fairs knowing parking was going to be a challenge.
Wednesday morning, her hunch proved right.
Krick, director of the State Street Art Fair, had to shuffle artists around and provide alternative parking this year because typically many of her fair’s artists park in the 786-space Maynard Street structure, closed this year for repairs.
Krick had encouraged many of the fair’s artists to park in the Liberty Square structure instead, and issues many of them four-day parking passes they paid for in advance.
Come Wednesday morning, Liberty Square was full by 8 a.m. She heard that some artists showed only their artist identification, not a parking pass, and were admitted, leading to overcrowding.
“There’s always some first-day parking glitches,” commiserated Dave Kronenberg, director of the Summer Art Fair.
Krick said things seemed much smoother Thursday after she’d talked to people at the structure and checked in with some of the artists.
“Well, at least I haven’t heard any complaints,” she said.
Fair? What fair?
Ask artists in the Ann Arbor Fairs what pieces have caught their eyes and the likely response is a bewildered chuckle or a shoulder shrug. With four long days of selling, often alone or with one assistant, there’s not much time for strolling the streets.
Loel Martin, a photographer from Skokie, Ill., has been in the Summer Art Fair (booth D373) about a decade now, and though he thinks the quality of the show overall is on the rise, he can’t cite any particular booth that called to him.
“I’ve only seen what’s between here and the car,” he said, gesturing from his booth on Liberty Street down toward Main Street. “Now you could ask me about my art …”
-March Russell, an assistant at the Harvard Reflections Booth on Main Street (D424), said he’s snuck a few minutes here and there to look at other booths. He’s enjoyed the variety of photography, and the different types of glass work, though he didn’t have one particular favorite of either.
“It’s fun to see the great variety of work that’s produced,” he said.
One he did like, not far from the Harvard Reflections booth, is the assortment of rattam tables by Sally Bright (booth D349.)
Not so early risers
Spencer Porter did something Thursday that he had never done before in his 27 years as an exhibitor at the Summer Art Fair on Main Street.
He cooked himself breakfast.
“I had time,” said Porter, an Ann Arbor resident who displays life-sized casts (D470.) “It was great.”
It’s all due to the art fair’s new opening time of 10 a.m., instead of the traditional 9 a.m. Artists lobbied for the later hour to cut down on the amount of time they spend outside every day.
Are people paying attention to the new hours? Not really. At seems to be an art fair tradition, people were out on the streets before 8 a.m. munching on bagel, sipping coffee and sneaking peeks at the open booths. Plus the AATA is still running shuttle buses starting at 8 a.m.
“We figure it’s going to take a few years for people to get to the new hours,” said Liz Nowland-Margolis, an AATA spokeswoman.
Artists Robert Martin of King George, Va., (D440) arrived on Main Street at 7:30 a.m. Thursday--the same time he had traditionally showed up to sell his sculptures made out of recycled musical instruments.
“If you’re doing an art show and you wait until 10 a.m., it’s not professional,” he said.
He gives good face
Mark Hammond of Grand Rapids sells a number of musical instruments like wooden drums and other noisemakers such as rain sticks and wind chimes on Liberty Street (D324.)
But even as children bang on a small wooden drum, Hammond offers something completely unrelated--a sign beckons people to take advantage of free facial massage.
By Thursday, he’s only done a handful of them.
“It usually takes a while for people to realize it’s not a gimmick,” he said.
The massage takes about a minute, with Hammond rubbing and pressing on various points of the face while the recipient sits in his chair behind the booth.
Hammond used to live in Thailand, and while there, he studies with monks and learned about how blood flows and the skin works.
Sign up, sign on
With 500,000 pairs of eyeballs expected this week, it’s prime time to share a message.
The not-for-profit row on East Liberty Street has its typical diverse range of booths, including the Southeast Michigan Naturists and Ronald McDonald House.
One anti-abortion advocate took advantage of the audience by carrying a large placard with a graphic picture of an aborted fetus and text describing the picture as the remains of a child.
“Oh no, we’re in the weird section,” Holly Speers, an Ontario potter, said to her two fellow potters. As they briskly walked by the booths, the group explained they drove in Thursday from Canada to see the art, not to listen to any impromptu lectures.
Hare Krishna monks Giri-Govardhana Das and Iksraku-Das, both of Detroit, have come to the art fairs for years to talk to people about the “pure love of God.” Their both occasionally offers free vegetarian food, a time when they admit they are the busiest.
The Michigan Greyhound connection is a group that works to find non-lethal alternatives for the estimated 30,000 greyhound dogs--a year--that are bred but then not necessarily used for racing.
As volunteer Stacey Ignagni sad by one of two greyhounds--who were well protected from the heat under the booth’s tent--she said the art fairs are a great way to publicize the dogs’ plight.
Much less weighty was the message touted by an employee of Arbor Brewing Co. “Beer. It’s like art, but wetter.”
Smile, You’re on CTV.
For the ninth year in a row, the Community Television Network has its camera trained on the art fairs.
At their tent on South Fifth Avenue and Liberty Street, producers with the Ann Arbor public-access channel try to entice passers-by[s] into saying hello on camera. One in four usually are amenable, says Ralph Sameron, CTV’s facility manager.
“After a while, you can spot who you should approach.”
About 20 hours of tape will be distilled into 14 hours of programming. CTV began broadcasting the results Wednesday night. Most people just say a few words, like “Hi mom” and other greetings, Sameron said. But there are always a few people who like to juggle, perform dramatic readings and even show off their pet snakes.
Sidewalk sales
With the art comes the sales.
Many local businesses set up tables bearing discounted merchandise, and other businesses plan on increase sales during the fairs.
Sales at most downtown ice cream establishments were busy Thursday. With lines well out the door at Stucchi’s most of the day, Megan Cagney, the manager of the sore on South State Street and Washtenaw Avenue estimated that the State Street location sold at least 150 gallons of ice cream.
At Kilwin’s on East Liberty Street, the “swamped” owner Karen Piehutkoski estimated that her store did well on opening art fair day--despite the rain.
“What we sold yesterday was what we might (usually) sell in an average week,” she said, noting that the day’s sales topped 200 gallons.
Copping a spot
The Ann Arbor Fire Department has long been a fixture of the Ann Arbor Arts Fairs. This year, the Ann Arbor Police joined the roster.
Vicki Motsinger, crime analyst with the department, said she’s been surprised by the number of visitors she’s seen at the booth on Main and Liberty streets.
People have asked a variety of art fair questions, like where the find the bathrooms, but they’ve also taken an interest in a display of illegal drugs.
Better bags
When Shary Brown sat down last winter to view slides of the 1998 Street Art Fair, she was pleased with what she saw.
Except those little yellow things that kept appearing in her pictures.
“I didn’t know what they were,” she said. “Then when I saw one up close, I realized. ‘Oh, it’s a parking meter. That’s pretty ugly. What can I do? I can decorate it,’ so I did.”
This summer, instead of being covered with city-issued bright yellow bags, the area’s 43 meters feature bags decorated with this year’s Street Art Fair logo--a picture of a wooden shack reminiscent of the fair’s former booths.
Originally published July 25, 1999
Thursday, July 22, 1999
Jack Nielsen, former head of floral businesses, dies
Jack Nielsen, former head of floral businesses, dies
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Jack Nielsen, co-founder and former president of Ann Arbor-based Nielsen’s Flowers & Greenhouses, died Sunday at home after a yearlong illnesses. He was 86.
Memorial services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Muehlig Funeral Chapel, 403 S. Fourth Ave., Ann Arbor.
Remembered for his quiet and unassuming manner and his business acumen, Nielsen developed the retail side of the family business until his retirement in 1982.
Some associates recall thinking of Nielsen as the “white tornado: because of his light blond hair and high energy. Family members remember that he was difficult to keep up with in the store and on the way to buy fresh plants and flowers.
Nielsen also served as a charter member of the Pittsfield Township zoning Board of the Appeals in the late 1960s and early ‘70s. Remembering Nielsen as a natural leader in promoting environmental concerns during zoning ordinance planning, former township supervisor Robert Lillie described Nielsen as a “very fine man” when they were both involved with township service.
A native of Aarhus, Denmark, Nielsen came to the Untied States in 1925 at age 12 with his parents and two brothers.
After living in Des Plains, Ill., and Mt. Clemens, the family settled in Ann Arbor in 1934.
The greenhouse, originally known as Nielsen’s Flower Shop, is located at 1021 Maiden Lane. It is in its 65th year of business this year.
During World War II, the family business experienced some difficult times.
“People weren’t buying flowers then, obviously,” said Paul Nielsen, his son.
To compensate, Jack Nielsen converted some of the greenhouses to henhouses. He then raised chickens, donating thousands of eggs to the University of Michigan community for the war effort, said his daughter-in-law Diane Nielsen.
Nielsen, a traditional and reserved man, “always showed that he cared,” said Mary Ann Nielsen-Nisley. She remembers that her father was instrumental in encouraging her, along with siblings, to be involved with the family businesses and nature.
Nielsen devoted most of his time and energy to the greenhouse and flower shop, working seven days a week. He was president of Nielsen Flowers and Greenhouse from 1959 until 1982.
Inducted into the Ann Arbor Bowling Hall of Fame, Nielsen also enjoyed a long involvement with the Harness Horseman’s Association in Michigan.
Nielsen also is survived by a brother, Paul Nielsen of California; sons Frederick Nielsen and Larry Nielsen; nine grandchildren; and 5 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Theresa, and his brother Brent F. Nielsen, who also worked at the family business.
Originally published Tuesday, June 22, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Jack Nielsen, co-founder and former president of Ann Arbor-based Nielsen’s Flowers & Greenhouses, died Sunday at home after a yearlong illnesses. He was 86.
Memorial services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Muehlig Funeral Chapel, 403 S. Fourth Ave., Ann Arbor.
Remembered for his quiet and unassuming manner and his business acumen, Nielsen developed the retail side of the family business until his retirement in 1982.
Some associates recall thinking of Nielsen as the “white tornado: because of his light blond hair and high energy. Family members remember that he was difficult to keep up with in the store and on the way to buy fresh plants and flowers.
Nielsen also served as a charter member of the Pittsfield Township zoning Board of the Appeals in the late 1960s and early ‘70s. Remembering Nielsen as a natural leader in promoting environmental concerns during zoning ordinance planning, former township supervisor Robert Lillie described Nielsen as a “very fine man” when they were both involved with township service.
A native of Aarhus, Denmark, Nielsen came to the Untied States in 1925 at age 12 with his parents and two brothers.
After living in Des Plains, Ill., and Mt. Clemens, the family settled in Ann Arbor in 1934.
The greenhouse, originally known as Nielsen’s Flower Shop, is located at 1021 Maiden Lane. It is in its 65th year of business this year.
During World War II, the family business experienced some difficult times.
“People weren’t buying flowers then, obviously,” said Paul Nielsen, his son.
To compensate, Jack Nielsen converted some of the greenhouses to henhouses. He then raised chickens, donating thousands of eggs to the University of Michigan community for the war effort, said his daughter-in-law Diane Nielsen.
Nielsen, a traditional and reserved man, “always showed that he cared,” said Mary Ann Nielsen-Nisley. She remembers that her father was instrumental in encouraging her, along with siblings, to be involved with the family businesses and nature.
Nielsen devoted most of his time and energy to the greenhouse and flower shop, working seven days a week. He was president of Nielsen Flowers and Greenhouse from 1959 until 1982.
Inducted into the Ann Arbor Bowling Hall of Fame, Nielsen also enjoyed a long involvement with the Harness Horseman’s Association in Michigan.
Nielsen also is survived by a brother, Paul Nielsen of California; sons Frederick Nielsen and Larry Nielsen; nine grandchildren; and 5 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Theresa, and his brother Brent F. Nielsen, who also worked at the family business.
Originally published Tuesday, June 22, 1999
Wednesday, July 21, 1999
Church Group raises goal for clothing drive
Church Group raises goal for clothing drive
Organization hopes to provide clothing for 1,000 low-income children
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Jewelry retailer Arthur Robertson said he has wanted for years to so something for low-income children in the community. Although Robertson said he often talked with his wife, Sandra, about some of his big dreams for a grassroots community service project, he said he wasn’t sure he could make that commitment.
“Like everyone else, I thought I was too busy.” But after Robertson said he had a vision from God, he knew it was time to act. In 1993, as part of the Bethel AME church outreach program, he started the Quality of Life Resource Center, a clothing center for low-income children at 1511 Traver in Ann Arbor.
The organization’s annual back-to-school clothing drive, the group’s largest venture, tries to provide hundreds of Washtenaw County children with basic staples such as a winter coat or a dictionary for the school year.
Not only do new clothes and school supplies fulfill a practical need for low-income families, but they also provide children with self-esteem, said Roberson, the organization’s executive director.
This year, Robertson said the Quality of Life Center’s goal is to clothe 1,000 children, up from the 560 children for whom the organization provided clothes last year. Although this jump may seem like a stretch. Roberston said his operation has expanded since 1994 when it provided clothes for only 10 families.
“(My) dream has been realized,” he said.
Working from a list of names given by Washtenaw County Interdependence Agency along with families involved in the Head Start program and a local domestic violence shelter, Robertson works with the families’ requests.
“We give them a form and build from that,” he said.
Most children need a jacket, pants, socks, underclothes and shoes. For school supplies, they need one notebook, a pen and a pencil, he said.
J.C. Penney gives the Quality Life Center discounts for the clothing drive.
“The families are very appreciative because the funds (for clothing) are not available,” said Scott Elliott, the director of Head Start’s family services division.
According to Elliott, 90 percent of families who participate in the Head Start program fall under the federal definition of living in poverty, and many are homeless.
A new set of clothes, said Robertson, can cost up to $300, a “luxury” that many low-income families cannot afford. Last year, he estimated that he spent $100 for each child who received new clothes.
“Sometimes … problems pile up, if you take away just one (that helps),” said Gerald Monford Jr., a parent whose children were helped through the program.
The center often struggles to get sustained financial support. This year, the Quality of Life Center has raised $35,000 since March. To reach its goal this year, Robertson said he wants to raise $65,000. The center relies on cash donations from businesses, churches and other organizations for funding.
“(Last year) we were so far from our goal (in the late part of summer), it was frightening,” he said. But, the center ended up providing clothes for 560 children--60 more than expected.
Anyone interested in making a donation can call Robertson at (734) 665-1221 or send checks payable to the Bethel Quality of Life Resource Center to P.O. Box 13099, Ann Arbor, MI 48133. Donations are tax deductible.
Originally published Wednesday, July 21, 1999
Organization hopes to provide clothing for 1,000 low-income children
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Jewelry retailer Arthur Robertson said he has wanted for years to so something for low-income children in the community. Although Robertson said he often talked with his wife, Sandra, about some of his big dreams for a grassroots community service project, he said he wasn’t sure he could make that commitment.
“Like everyone else, I thought I was too busy.” But after Robertson said he had a vision from God, he knew it was time to act. In 1993, as part of the Bethel AME church outreach program, he started the Quality of Life Resource Center, a clothing center for low-income children at 1511 Traver in Ann Arbor.
The organization’s annual back-to-school clothing drive, the group’s largest venture, tries to provide hundreds of Washtenaw County children with basic staples such as a winter coat or a dictionary for the school year.
Not only do new clothes and school supplies fulfill a practical need for low-income families, but they also provide children with self-esteem, said Roberson, the organization’s executive director.
This year, Robertson said the Quality of Life Center’s goal is to clothe 1,000 children, up from the 560 children for whom the organization provided clothes last year. Although this jump may seem like a stretch. Roberston said his operation has expanded since 1994 when it provided clothes for only 10 families.
“(My) dream has been realized,” he said.
Working from a list of names given by Washtenaw County Interdependence Agency along with families involved in the Head Start program and a local domestic violence shelter, Robertson works with the families’ requests.
“We give them a form and build from that,” he said.
Most children need a jacket, pants, socks, underclothes and shoes. For school supplies, they need one notebook, a pen and a pencil, he said.
J.C. Penney gives the Quality Life Center discounts for the clothing drive.
“The families are very appreciative because the funds (for clothing) are not available,” said Scott Elliott, the director of Head Start’s family services division.
According to Elliott, 90 percent of families who participate in the Head Start program fall under the federal definition of living in poverty, and many are homeless.
A new set of clothes, said Robertson, can cost up to $300, a “luxury” that many low-income families cannot afford. Last year, he estimated that he spent $100 for each child who received new clothes.
“Sometimes … problems pile up, if you take away just one (that helps),” said Gerald Monford Jr., a parent whose children were helped through the program.
The center often struggles to get sustained financial support. This year, the Quality of Life Center has raised $35,000 since March. To reach its goal this year, Robertson said he wants to raise $65,000. The center relies on cash donations from businesses, churches and other organizations for funding.
“(Last year) we were so far from our goal (in the late part of summer), it was frightening,” he said. But, the center ended up providing clothes for 560 children--60 more than expected.
Anyone interested in making a donation can call Robertson at (734) 665-1221 or send checks payable to the Bethel Quality of Life Resource Center to P.O. Box 13099, Ann Arbor, MI 48133. Donations are tax deductible.
Originally published Wednesday, July 21, 1999
Monday, July 19, 1999
Parking structure gets ‘safety’ phones
Parking structure gets ‘safety’ phones
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Melisa Medina has wondered whether she’s safe when walking through Ann Arbor’s parking garages at night.
“(I sometimes feel) like I have to run to my car,” said Medina of Saline.
City police say crime is not prevalent in the city’s parking structures, but the nature of the buildings can create the perception that people need to be wary in them.
In the past few weeks, bright yellow “safety phones” have been added to several of the city’s parking structures. Officials say the phones can be used by people who must immediately contact police or medical help.
The effort stems from work by the Downtown Development Authority, the city and the Ann Arbor Mayoral Taskforce on Increasing Safety for Women.
“It is something that we wanted to do for a long time,” said Deputy Chief Craig Roderick of the Ann Arbor Police Department.
There are eight “safety phones,” each illuminated by a blue light, at the parking areas on South Fourth Avenue and William Street. Ann and Ashley streets, South First and West Washington streets and West Liberty Street.
And there are 29 phones installed by the DDA at elevator doors and each floor of the Fourth Avenue and the Liberty Street parking structures.
The phones have a button that, when pressed, immediately connects the individual with the 911 dispatcher. Modeled on the University of Michigan safety phone program, the dispatcher also can immediately determine the location of the call.
Lt. Greg Bazick, said police have not received emergency calls on the phones yet, though there have been a couple of pranks.
However, the police said the perception of increased safety is a benefit of the phones.
Kent Baumkel of the mayor’s safety task force said the group spent two years developing the safety phone project.
The DDA and the police department began preliminary discussions in early 1998 on how to implement some new ways to make Ann Arbor residents feel they could have immediate police help, officials said.
“Even if you’re not a victim of crime,” said Susan Pollay, executive director of DDA, “it gives the bad folks the message that this is not the place to get into mischief. It gives the good folks a feeling of comfort.”
Funds for city phones were generated from increased parking meter rates that took effect last year, Roderick said. The total for the city’s part of the project was $17,800.
The task force allocated $25,000 for the safety phones in the 1998-1999 fiscal year, and hopes to expand the project next year. And the DDA has allocated $55,000 through December for the phones.
Representatives for both agencies indicated they plan on installing several more phones in the Maynard Street structures this fall.
They also said that phones will be installed in the next two weeks in the parking area next to the main branch of the Ann Arbor District Library.
Photo Caption: The city of Ann Arbor, with the Downtown Development Authority, installed ‘safety phones’ in several parking structures such as this one at the Fourth Avenue and William Street structure.
Photo Credit: Larry E. Wright
Originally published Saturday, July 19, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Melisa Medina has wondered whether she’s safe when walking through Ann Arbor’s parking garages at night.
“(I sometimes feel) like I have to run to my car,” said Medina of Saline.
City police say crime is not prevalent in the city’s parking structures, but the nature of the buildings can create the perception that people need to be wary in them.
In the past few weeks, bright yellow “safety phones” have been added to several of the city’s parking structures. Officials say the phones can be used by people who must immediately contact police or medical help.
The effort stems from work by the Downtown Development Authority, the city and the Ann Arbor Mayoral Taskforce on Increasing Safety for Women.
“It is something that we wanted to do for a long time,” said Deputy Chief Craig Roderick of the Ann Arbor Police Department.
There are eight “safety phones,” each illuminated by a blue light, at the parking areas on South Fourth Avenue and William Street. Ann and Ashley streets, South First and West Washington streets and West Liberty Street.
And there are 29 phones installed by the DDA at elevator doors and each floor of the Fourth Avenue and the Liberty Street parking structures.
The phones have a button that, when pressed, immediately connects the individual with the 911 dispatcher. Modeled on the University of Michigan safety phone program, the dispatcher also can immediately determine the location of the call.
Lt. Greg Bazick, said police have not received emergency calls on the phones yet, though there have been a couple of pranks.
However, the police said the perception of increased safety is a benefit of the phones.
Kent Baumkel of the mayor’s safety task force said the group spent two years developing the safety phone project.
The DDA and the police department began preliminary discussions in early 1998 on how to implement some new ways to make Ann Arbor residents feel they could have immediate police help, officials said.
“Even if you’re not a victim of crime,” said Susan Pollay, executive director of DDA, “it gives the bad folks the message that this is not the place to get into mischief. It gives the good folks a feeling of comfort.”
Funds for city phones were generated from increased parking meter rates that took effect last year, Roderick said. The total for the city’s part of the project was $17,800.
The task force allocated $25,000 for the safety phones in the 1998-1999 fiscal year, and hopes to expand the project next year. And the DDA has allocated $55,000 through December for the phones.
Representatives for both agencies indicated they plan on installing several more phones in the Maynard Street structures this fall.
They also said that phones will be installed in the next two weeks in the parking area next to the main branch of the Ann Arbor District Library.
Photo Caption: The city of Ann Arbor, with the Downtown Development Authority, installed ‘safety phones’ in several parking structures such as this one at the Fourth Avenue and William Street structure.
Photo Credit: Larry E. Wright
Originally published Saturday, July 19, 1999
Sunday, July 18, 1999
Close to Home
Close to Home
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Even many local artists who regularly tour the annual art fairs in places like New York City or Santa Fe say there’s no place like home.
Especially during Art Fairs week in Ann Arbor.
Many of the potters, photographers, craft workers and painters who make the Ann Arbor area their year-round homes say that despite the fairs; grueling demands, they will still feel a sense of relief when the three fairs comprising the event begin on Wednesday.
It’s four days of the year when they won’t have to book plane travel, stay at motels and live out of their suitcase to show and sell their wares.
“(It’s a relief) just to sleep in your own bed,” said Margo West, a ceramic artist who is participating in the State Street Art Fair for the fourth time.
West, an Ann Arbor native, said she loves participating in the State Street fair—even though each vendor spends typical 12-hour days in the July sun and “it’s hard to get away, even for a moment.”
But, she said, the long days are worth it, since she’s at home.
Artists, even the locals, have to go through a rigorous screening process to be included in one of the art fairs. Many artists applied in February, then waited for the decisions in April.
Michael Waldchen, a furniture maker, said it’s a thrill to be accepted into an Ann Arbor fair. He said he probably shares the feeling with other Ann Arbor artists –“no matter how many years they have been doing it.”
With an estimated half-million people coming to the art fairs, most local artists spent last week completing booth arrangements and waiting for extra orders of business cards.
Most artists said they won’t produce rush artwork in the weeks before the fairs. Brighton-area song-bird painter Catherine McClung said she sent her last painting out in early July to be framed.
Local artists said one advantage of being at home was that they didn’t have to worry about broken pottery, exceeding airline weight limitations or misplacing a bag with important fair information – all of which can cause stress when traveling to fairs far away from home.
The comfort of being around family is also part of the home-turf advantage.
Ann Arbor woodworker Mark Orr and Jan Dutcher, a painter, said they never take their children with them to out-of-state art fairs.
“You can’t be watching your children and watching your booth,” Orr said.
Even weekend out-of-state trips—while their three children stay with Orr’s mother—are difficult, he said.
But when the artists are in Ann Arbor, the children ages 11, 9, and 4 can visit their parents at the fairs.
A long-time State Street art fair artist, McClung said the Ann Arbor fair is now one of the only fairs that she attends. When she was starting out in the late 1970s, McClung recalled 25 shows in a year.
After the birth of her daughter 24 years ago, McClung remembered how she juggled substitute teaching, painting and fairs.
After a year or two, though McClung knew that she wanted to do art full-time which also made it easier to be with her young daughter.
For McClung, the art fairs—both then and now—are fun.
“It’s like going to a big cocktail part, without the cocktails,” she said.
Sidebar
Local Angle
State Street Art Fair:
Total artists: 300
Area artists 7
Ann Arbor Street Art Fair: 190
Area artists: 25
Summer Art Fair: 550
Area artists: 45
Photo Caption One: Mark Orr makes some measurements on a table leg as he and partner Jan Dutcher work the afternoon away in Orr’s Ann Arbor garage recently. The two were preparing to exhibit this week.
Photo Caption Two: Roann Ogawa glazes a giant ceramic bead recently at her Ann Arbor home. Ogawa and other members of the Ann Arbor Potter’s Guild will have display space on South University Avenue.
Photo Credit: Lon Horwedel
Originally published Sunday, July 18, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Even many local artists who regularly tour the annual art fairs in places like New York City or Santa Fe say there’s no place like home.
Especially during Art Fairs week in Ann Arbor.
Many of the potters, photographers, craft workers and painters who make the Ann Arbor area their year-round homes say that despite the fairs; grueling demands, they will still feel a sense of relief when the three fairs comprising the event begin on Wednesday.
It’s four days of the year when they won’t have to book plane travel, stay at motels and live out of their suitcase to show and sell their wares.
“(It’s a relief) just to sleep in your own bed,” said Margo West, a ceramic artist who is participating in the State Street Art Fair for the fourth time.
West, an Ann Arbor native, said she loves participating in the State Street fair—even though each vendor spends typical 12-hour days in the July sun and “it’s hard to get away, even for a moment.”
But, she said, the long days are worth it, since she’s at home.
Artists, even the locals, have to go through a rigorous screening process to be included in one of the art fairs. Many artists applied in February, then waited for the decisions in April.
Michael Waldchen, a furniture maker, said it’s a thrill to be accepted into an Ann Arbor fair. He said he probably shares the feeling with other Ann Arbor artists –“no matter how many years they have been doing it.”
With an estimated half-million people coming to the art fairs, most local artists spent last week completing booth arrangements and waiting for extra orders of business cards.
Most artists said they won’t produce rush artwork in the weeks before the fairs. Brighton-area song-bird painter Catherine McClung said she sent her last painting out in early July to be framed.
Local artists said one advantage of being at home was that they didn’t have to worry about broken pottery, exceeding airline weight limitations or misplacing a bag with important fair information – all of which can cause stress when traveling to fairs far away from home.
The comfort of being around family is also part of the home-turf advantage.
Ann Arbor woodworker Mark Orr and Jan Dutcher, a painter, said they never take their children with them to out-of-state art fairs.
“You can’t be watching your children and watching your booth,” Orr said.
Even weekend out-of-state trips—while their three children stay with Orr’s mother—are difficult, he said.
But when the artists are in Ann Arbor, the children ages 11, 9, and 4 can visit their parents at the fairs.
A long-time State Street art fair artist, McClung said the Ann Arbor fair is now one of the only fairs that she attends. When she was starting out in the late 1970s, McClung recalled 25 shows in a year.
After the birth of her daughter 24 years ago, McClung remembered how she juggled substitute teaching, painting and fairs.
After a year or two, though McClung knew that she wanted to do art full-time which also made it easier to be with her young daughter.
For McClung, the art fairs—both then and now—are fun.
“It’s like going to a big cocktail part, without the cocktails,” she said.
Sidebar
Local Angle
State Street Art Fair:
Total artists: 300
Area artists 7
Ann Arbor Street Art Fair: 190
Area artists: 25
Summer Art Fair: 550
Area artists: 45
Photo Caption One: Mark Orr makes some measurements on a table leg as he and partner Jan Dutcher work the afternoon away in Orr’s Ann Arbor garage recently. The two were preparing to exhibit this week.
Photo Caption Two: Roann Ogawa glazes a giant ceramic bead recently at her Ann Arbor home. Ogawa and other members of the Ann Arbor Potter’s Guild will have display space on South University Avenue.
Photo Credit: Lon Horwedel
Originally published Sunday, July 18, 1999
Saturday, July 17, 1999
Firefighters Focusing on Safety
Firefighters Focusing on Safety
Training sessions teach specialized techniques for efficient rescue
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Most fire fighters worry about the safety of others at the scene of a fire before they think of themselves.
However, the focus is on firefighter safety this week as the Ann Arbor Fire Department hosts 16 veteran firefighters from southeast Michigan as part of a statewide effort to teach specialized safety techniques.
The Rapid Integration Team training program is being conducted at an abandoned building at 436 S. Main Street that will be demolished in the next few weeks. The program focuses on teaching firefighters quick and effective methods of firefighter rescue.
Another firefighter team is working with makeshift structures at the Resource Recovery Center landfill.
Jim Baldwin, the Ann Arbor Fire Department bureau chief will help firefighters approach their work differently.
“For years and years and years, we’ve practiced saving occupants of buildings,” he said. “But we’ve never really done—on a formal basis—enough to save our own people.”
Each graduate of this “train the trainer” program will go to their local departments and teach others what they have learned.
During the course, firefighters review ways to tear down walls, ceilings and floors as quickly as possible. They also practice hoisting methods for injured firefighters using mannequins and other trainees.
According to many of the course participants, rescuing firefighters can be difficult because of the uniform and firefighting equipment which can weigh up to 70 pounds.
The annual firefighter mortality rate is about 100 in the United States, according to National Fire Protection Association statistics.
Last year, the federal government passed a bill mandating that three or fewer firefighters cannot enter a burning structure until they have backups.
Baldwin said Ann Arbor is one of the first cities in Michigan to train individuals using new rescue techniques, allowing the fire department to “better comply with the law.”
“This is probably the greatest thing that I’ve ever worked on,” said Lt. Don Fisher, of the Ann Arbor Fire Department and a 28-year fire department veteran.
Fisher said the training continues Ann Arbor’s “progressive” tradition. He and four other firefighters helped develop the program curriculum at Michigan State University.
Fisher and Baldwin will start training all the 120 Ann Arbor firefighters in the next few months. Baldwin said training should be completed by the end of the year.
Full funding for the training was provided by a $50,000 federal grant.
Photo Caption: Ypsilanti Firefighter Fred Williams lowers Lt. Dave Fisher, of the Ann Arbor Fire Department, from a second-story window as party of a training session in Ann Arbor.
Photo Credit: Alan Warren
Originally published Thursday, June 17, 1999
Training sessions teach specialized techniques for efficient rescue
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Most fire fighters worry about the safety of others at the scene of a fire before they think of themselves.
However, the focus is on firefighter safety this week as the Ann Arbor Fire Department hosts 16 veteran firefighters from southeast Michigan as part of a statewide effort to teach specialized safety techniques.
The Rapid Integration Team training program is being conducted at an abandoned building at 436 S. Main Street that will be demolished in the next few weeks. The program focuses on teaching firefighters quick and effective methods of firefighter rescue.
Another firefighter team is working with makeshift structures at the Resource Recovery Center landfill.
Jim Baldwin, the Ann Arbor Fire Department bureau chief will help firefighters approach their work differently.
“For years and years and years, we’ve practiced saving occupants of buildings,” he said. “But we’ve never really done—on a formal basis—enough to save our own people.”
Each graduate of this “train the trainer” program will go to their local departments and teach others what they have learned.
During the course, firefighters review ways to tear down walls, ceilings and floors as quickly as possible. They also practice hoisting methods for injured firefighters using mannequins and other trainees.
According to many of the course participants, rescuing firefighters can be difficult because of the uniform and firefighting equipment which can weigh up to 70 pounds.
The annual firefighter mortality rate is about 100 in the United States, according to National Fire Protection Association statistics.
Last year, the federal government passed a bill mandating that three or fewer firefighters cannot enter a burning structure until they have backups.
Baldwin said Ann Arbor is one of the first cities in Michigan to train individuals using new rescue techniques, allowing the fire department to “better comply with the law.”
“This is probably the greatest thing that I’ve ever worked on,” said Lt. Don Fisher, of the Ann Arbor Fire Department and a 28-year fire department veteran.
Fisher said the training continues Ann Arbor’s “progressive” tradition. He and four other firefighters helped develop the program curriculum at Michigan State University.
Fisher and Baldwin will start training all the 120 Ann Arbor firefighters in the next few months. Baldwin said training should be completed by the end of the year.
Full funding for the training was provided by a $50,000 federal grant.
Photo Caption: Ypsilanti Firefighter Fred Williams lowers Lt. Dave Fisher, of the Ann Arbor Fire Department, from a second-story window as party of a training session in Ann Arbor.
Photo Credit: Alan Warren
Originally published Thursday, June 17, 1999
Monday, July 12, 1999
Evening of Entertainment to aid safe haven for youth
Evening of Entertainment to aid safe haven for youth
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
During a typical workday, Wil Seegars has to wear the hats of a bus driver, psychologist, grant writer, secretary, programmer, coach—and executive director of Pinelake Cooperative Center in Ann Arbor.
With a focus on positive uplift, the youth center—where the walls are adorned with pictures of black leaders and information on African-American history—provides recreational activities during the school year. It also provides “life skills” training year round, as well as community service opportunities.
Seegars’ role as fund-raiser takes priority as the center hosts a jazz musician, dancers and other entertainment at a fund-raiser at Washtenaw Community College.
But his work continues year round at the center.
With a lot of director and staff turnover over the past decade, Pinelake has lost regular members—particularly girls—and some community support, said several Pinelake youths and a parent.
Detroit native, Seegars, 29, has held his current position for three years. He believes he has provided “a safe haven” for the 50 or so youths who regularly drop into what they affectionally call the “clubhouse,” located at the Pinelake Village Cooperative housing development off Maple Road in west Ann Arbor. He also recently hired a full-time female staffer who makes a special effort to work with teen-age girls.
When only one of four high school seniors who attended the Pinelake Center graduated last year, Seegars stepped up tutoring and encouragement efforts. This year, all four of the members who were seniors—Aliaa Meadows, Freddie Brann, Wyland Kirkland and Edrick McBoy—graduated this past spring from either Pioneer or Roberto Clemente high schools.
Many who regularly stop by Pinelake, which has been in existence for 10 years, have been coming sine they can remember.
Jason Cooper, 7, who has been active at the center for two years, said that he thinks Seegars is “pretty cool” and enjoys the frequent field trips the center organizes.
“I live here basically. When I wake up, I come to the clubhouse and see what they’re doing,” said Shamise Jones, 15, a Roberto Clemente 10th-grader who has been coming to Pinelake since 1990.
She added that a regular University of Michigan Pinelake tutor was “really helpful breaking algebra down” when Jones had difficulty with math during her junior high school years.
Many others see Seegars as a father figure who gives constant uplifting talks and coaching. He, along with two other Pinelake members and several volunteers, also works to aid Pinelake teens in finding their first jobs and applying to community colleges.
Seegars, who runs Pinelake with the aid of local and city grants along with individual donations, believes however Pinelake children should not assume everything will be handed to them for free. Parents are asked to contribute $35 for summer activities.
“We’re a small operation with big ideas,” he said.
As a former member of the Air Force and a police officer, Seegars believes strongly in the importance of trips not only to places like Kings Island or Disney World, but also to the Wayne County Jail, where he took one Pinelake male as a lesson when the teen was going through a difficult period.
Seegars believes that children living in the surrounding Pinelake Village Cooperative neighborhood, home to about 250 residents, should felt that they have opportunities.
As Pinelake resident Cynthia McCoy, mother of Edrick and two younger sons, said, “The crime (in this area) is not totally gone, but it’s tolerable. The (center has) helped me a lot. My children can come in and get advice and guidance.
Fund-Raiser Details
Pinelake Center will hold a fund-raiser Sunday featuring jazz artist Althea Renee’, African dance, and spoken word. The event will be held 5-9 p.m. at the Morris Lawrence Building on the campus of Washtenaw Community College, 4800 E. Huron River Drive. Tickets are $7 in advance or $10 at the door. For more information, call (734) 994-0431.
Photo Caption: Pinelake Cooperative director Wil Seegars takes up Brandon Fortson (not pictured) on a bet that Seegars couldn’t do 50 push-ups. Parents and youths at the center say Seegars has greet rapport with kids there.
Photo Credit: Michael Sugrue.
Originally published Saturday, July 12, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
During a typical workday, Wil Seegars has to wear the hats of a bus driver, psychologist, grant writer, secretary, programmer, coach—and executive director of Pinelake Cooperative Center in Ann Arbor.
With a focus on positive uplift, the youth center—where the walls are adorned with pictures of black leaders and information on African-American history—provides recreational activities during the school year. It also provides “life skills” training year round, as well as community service opportunities.
Seegars’ role as fund-raiser takes priority as the center hosts a jazz musician, dancers and other entertainment at a fund-raiser at Washtenaw Community College.
But his work continues year round at the center.
With a lot of director and staff turnover over the past decade, Pinelake has lost regular members—particularly girls—and some community support, said several Pinelake youths and a parent.
Detroit native, Seegars, 29, has held his current position for three years. He believes he has provided “a safe haven” for the 50 or so youths who regularly drop into what they affectionally call the “clubhouse,” located at the Pinelake Village Cooperative housing development off Maple Road in west Ann Arbor. He also recently hired a full-time female staffer who makes a special effort to work with teen-age girls.
When only one of four high school seniors who attended the Pinelake Center graduated last year, Seegars stepped up tutoring and encouragement efforts. This year, all four of the members who were seniors—Aliaa Meadows, Freddie Brann, Wyland Kirkland and Edrick McBoy—graduated this past spring from either Pioneer or Roberto Clemente high schools.
Many who regularly stop by Pinelake, which has been in existence for 10 years, have been coming sine they can remember.
Jason Cooper, 7, who has been active at the center for two years, said that he thinks Seegars is “pretty cool” and enjoys the frequent field trips the center organizes.
“I live here basically. When I wake up, I come to the clubhouse and see what they’re doing,” said Shamise Jones, 15, a Roberto Clemente 10th-grader who has been coming to Pinelake since 1990.
She added that a regular University of Michigan Pinelake tutor was “really helpful breaking algebra down” when Jones had difficulty with math during her junior high school years.
Many others see Seegars as a father figure who gives constant uplifting talks and coaching. He, along with two other Pinelake members and several volunteers, also works to aid Pinelake teens in finding their first jobs and applying to community colleges.
Seegars, who runs Pinelake with the aid of local and city grants along with individual donations, believes however Pinelake children should not assume everything will be handed to them for free. Parents are asked to contribute $35 for summer activities.
“We’re a small operation with big ideas,” he said.
As a former member of the Air Force and a police officer, Seegars believes strongly in the importance of trips not only to places like Kings Island or Disney World, but also to the Wayne County Jail, where he took one Pinelake male as a lesson when the teen was going through a difficult period.
Seegars believes that children living in the surrounding Pinelake Village Cooperative neighborhood, home to about 250 residents, should felt that they have opportunities.
As Pinelake resident Cynthia McCoy, mother of Edrick and two younger sons, said, “The crime (in this area) is not totally gone, but it’s tolerable. The (center has) helped me a lot. My children can come in and get advice and guidance.
Fund-Raiser Details
Pinelake Center will hold a fund-raiser Sunday featuring jazz artist Althea Renee’, African dance, and spoken word. The event will be held 5-9 p.m. at the Morris Lawrence Building on the campus of Washtenaw Community College, 4800 E. Huron River Drive. Tickets are $7 in advance or $10 at the door. For more information, call (734) 994-0431.
Photo Caption: Pinelake Cooperative director Wil Seegars takes up Brandon Fortson (not pictured) on a bet that Seegars couldn’t do 50 push-ups. Parents and youths at the center say Seegars has greet rapport with kids there.
Photo Credit: Michael Sugrue.
Originally published Saturday, July 12, 1999
Thursday, July 08, 1999
Children find fun in themes of science
Children find fun in themes of science
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Bengamin Lehman shook the jar of homemade butter and chanted “better butter, better butter” until a teacher gently reminded him to give the next person a turn.
The Ann Arbor boy was having fun at Logan Elementary School—and learning about science at the same time.
Science has never been this fun, said Becky Hatner, the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum’s summer science camp coordinator. The camps offer classes that take a specific theme in science and make such subjects as polymers, paleontology and physiology both fun and educational, she said.
“It gives kids who are already interested in science a chance to create and explore and to discover new things,” she said. “It can also interest kids who may not like science as much, hooking them in.”
Each class in the seven-week program is one-week long, with a morning or a afternoon shift. Sessions are offered for children in kindergarten through 8th grade. Twice-weekly classes are offered for children ages 1 to 5.
Near the classroom where the butter was being made in the “Gobbledy-Gook” session, the 12 kindergartners and 1st-graders in “Sense-sational” learned about their sweet, salty and sour tongue tastebuds using Toostie Rolls, pretzels and pickles.
Classes at the science summer camp, said Hattner, are truly hands on, she said, adding that children get to take the time in finding the answer to such questions as “how much they would weigh on Jupiter” or what a dinosaur bone feels like.
For the several new teachers who work at the science summer camps, many said they also learn a lot by approaching science through a child’s point of view.
David Consiglio, a recent college graduate who will teach chemistry and physics in a Detroit-area school in fall, said that while making rockets in his “Flighty Fliers” class he has been amazed at the “kids’ ability to solve problems.”
The program, which is in its 12th year, allows teachers to think of creative ideas for class experiments. Consiglio said instead of using the typical paper airplane approach, he came up with the idea of a balloon hovercraft.
Sandra Finkel said her son, Micah Warschausky, enjoyed the program so much from last year, she knew it would be a good idea to enroll him again.
Photo Caption: Charmaine Redman, 9, left, watches her balloon float around the floor during a gravity experiment in Flighty Fliers class. The Ann Arbor Hands on Museum is sponsoring Summer Science Camp, housed in Logan Elementary School.
Info: Classes, which go until Aug. 13, cost $60 for each weekly session. They last two hours per day. Scholarships are available. For information, call (734) 994-6449.
Originally published Thursday, July 8, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Bengamin Lehman shook the jar of homemade butter and chanted “better butter, better butter” until a teacher gently reminded him to give the next person a turn.
The Ann Arbor boy was having fun at Logan Elementary School—and learning about science at the same time.
Science has never been this fun, said Becky Hatner, the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum’s summer science camp coordinator. The camps offer classes that take a specific theme in science and make such subjects as polymers, paleontology and physiology both fun and educational, she said.
“It gives kids who are already interested in science a chance to create and explore and to discover new things,” she said. “It can also interest kids who may not like science as much, hooking them in.”
Each class in the seven-week program is one-week long, with a morning or a afternoon shift. Sessions are offered for children in kindergarten through 8th grade. Twice-weekly classes are offered for children ages 1 to 5.
Near the classroom where the butter was being made in the “Gobbledy-Gook” session, the 12 kindergartners and 1st-graders in “Sense-sational” learned about their sweet, salty and sour tongue tastebuds using Toostie Rolls, pretzels and pickles.
Classes at the science summer camp, said Hattner, are truly hands on, she said, adding that children get to take the time in finding the answer to such questions as “how much they would weigh on Jupiter” or what a dinosaur bone feels like.
For the several new teachers who work at the science summer camps, many said they also learn a lot by approaching science through a child’s point of view.
David Consiglio, a recent college graduate who will teach chemistry and physics in a Detroit-area school in fall, said that while making rockets in his “Flighty Fliers” class he has been amazed at the “kids’ ability to solve problems.”
The program, which is in its 12th year, allows teachers to think of creative ideas for class experiments. Consiglio said instead of using the typical paper airplane approach, he came up with the idea of a balloon hovercraft.
Sandra Finkel said her son, Micah Warschausky, enjoyed the program so much from last year, she knew it would be a good idea to enroll him again.
Photo Caption: Charmaine Redman, 9, left, watches her balloon float around the floor during a gravity experiment in Flighty Fliers class. The Ann Arbor Hands on Museum is sponsoring Summer Science Camp, housed in Logan Elementary School.
Info: Classes, which go until Aug. 13, cost $60 for each weekly session. They last two hours per day. Scholarships are available. For information, call (734) 994-6449.
Originally published Thursday, July 8, 1999
Annual event celebrates Huron River
Annual event celebrates Huron River
Wide array of activities planned for Huron River Day on Sunday
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
When Huron River Day first took place in 1980, it was organized by a handful of environmentalists and concerned locals. The event, which featured bluegrass music and water-testing displays, attracted several hundred people, said longtime Ann Arborite Eunice Burns, one of the original organizers.
Now Huron River Day regularly brings as many as 5,000 individuals to Gallup Park for canoeing, bike tours, races, entertainment and other family activities, sponsored mostly by select corporations.
Organized by the Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Department, the 19th annual Huron River Day will take place Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Despite changes since its inception, the event still brings people together to celebrate the Huron River, said Irene Bushaw, department marketing specialist.
The river, which extends nearly 130 miles from its main outlet, is a major source of drinking water for nearly 60 surrounding communities in the Michigan area. In addition, residents and visitors regularly fish or canoe in the river.
Coordinators say the event will feature both new and old activities, including educational exhibits on recycling, drinking water safety and organic farming. Many organizations, including the National Wildlife Federation, the Ecology Center and the Ann Arbor Department of Landscapers, will educate the public with displays on local environmental issues from noon to 4 p.m.
“We think we have something for every age, every interest: athletes, environmentalists, music and nature lovers and vegetarians,” said Bushaw.
“It is a time for to be with their families,” she said.
Children can enjoy workshop theaters and music will be performed by various groups, including the Ann Arbor Civic Band.
Events that require paid admission and/or registration include the youth fishing derby, the mile run and various bicycling tours.
However the event hasn’t been without its mishaps. Burns aid just a day before the second annual Huron River Day, two canoeists almost drowned. An article in The Ann Arbor News at the time reported that a surge from a dam malfunction caused the canoe to overturn. Efforts from concerned onlookers aided the rescue of both canoeists.
Another year, said Burns, some individuals enthusiastically proposed jousting contests on a bridge over the river, but event organizers rejected the idea, fearing that participants might accidentally fall into the water.
Among the most popular spectator events are the Corporate Challenge and the Community Cup Mayor’s canoe races.
Event admission and parking at Huron High School are free. Call (734) 994-2284.
Originally published Thursday, July 8, 1999
Wide array of activities planned for Huron River Day on Sunday
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
When Huron River Day first took place in 1980, it was organized by a handful of environmentalists and concerned locals. The event, which featured bluegrass music and water-testing displays, attracted several hundred people, said longtime Ann Arborite Eunice Burns, one of the original organizers.
Now Huron River Day regularly brings as many as 5,000 individuals to Gallup Park for canoeing, bike tours, races, entertainment and other family activities, sponsored mostly by select corporations.
Organized by the Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Department, the 19th annual Huron River Day will take place Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Despite changes since its inception, the event still brings people together to celebrate the Huron River, said Irene Bushaw, department marketing specialist.
The river, which extends nearly 130 miles from its main outlet, is a major source of drinking water for nearly 60 surrounding communities in the Michigan area. In addition, residents and visitors regularly fish or canoe in the river.
Coordinators say the event will feature both new and old activities, including educational exhibits on recycling, drinking water safety and organic farming. Many organizations, including the National Wildlife Federation, the Ecology Center and the Ann Arbor Department of Landscapers, will educate the public with displays on local environmental issues from noon to 4 p.m.
“We think we have something for every age, every interest: athletes, environmentalists, music and nature lovers and vegetarians,” said Bushaw.
“It is a time for to be with their families,” she said.
Children can enjoy workshop theaters and music will be performed by various groups, including the Ann Arbor Civic Band.
Events that require paid admission and/or registration include the youth fishing derby, the mile run and various bicycling tours.
However the event hasn’t been without its mishaps. Burns aid just a day before the second annual Huron River Day, two canoeists almost drowned. An article in The Ann Arbor News at the time reported that a surge from a dam malfunction caused the canoe to overturn. Efforts from concerned onlookers aided the rescue of both canoeists.
Another year, said Burns, some individuals enthusiastically proposed jousting contests on a bridge over the river, but event organizers rejected the idea, fearing that participants might accidentally fall into the water.
Among the most popular spectator events are the Corporate Challenge and the Community Cup Mayor’s canoe races.
Event admission and parking at Huron High School are free. Call (734) 994-2284.
Originally published Thursday, July 8, 1999
Thursday, July 01, 1999
City seeking goose population solutions
City seeking goose population solutions
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
When a particularly territorial Canada goose knocked a Gallup Park visitor off her bicycle this past spring, Ann Arbor park officials were reminded of the ever-present and often annoying goose population.
Park workers and state wildlife specialists spent hours Wednesday putting bands on 257 city geese, an early step in an effort that could limit the birds’ reproduction.
David Borneman, coordinator of the natural-area preservations in the city, said the DNR came to Ann Arbor to put plastic bands on the necks and legs of the geese as part of an ongoing study by U.S. and Canadian conservationists.
“It is simple, low-tech, but very effective in figuring out what is happening with the population,” said Earle Flegler, a state Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist.
Using canoes, the dozen or so people rounded up the birds from Gallup Park and the Huron Hills and Leslie Park golf courses.
DNR wildlife experts are trying to determine how many of the geese are year-round city residents.
If experts classify 90 percent of the geese as “Big Michigan” or native area geese, then Ann Arbor may qualify for a federally funded egg replacement program by spring 2000.
This program, Borneman said, would lead to goose population control. It’s a problem, he said that has been an issue in Ann Arbor for years.
The high goose population –which rough estimates place at 3,000 in the area—causes pollution and upsets the ecological balance in Gallup Park, he said. Each adult goose, he estimated, produces about a pound of manure per day, making cleanup an impossible chore for park maintenance.
And while attacks are rare, he noted that many Ann Arbor residents have complained about the potential hazard of aggressive geese.
If the DNR funds that Ann Arbor does qualify for the egg replacement program, biologists and conservationists would take goose eggs from nests, substituting the original eggs for plastic eggs.
After several week, Borneman explained, the geese would realize that the eggs will not hatch, and then abandon the nest.
“We would certainly give the public a chance for comment (before any decision is made), he said.
Borneman also noted that the National Humane Society supports such egg replacement programs.
The species of Canada geese that consider Ann Arbor to be their home base leave during the winter for warmer climates. However, Flegler said, many Ann Arbor geese won’t venture more than 20-30 miles away from the area, unless the weather becomes excessively cold.
Photo Caption One: A Canada goose protests Wednesday while waiting to be banded at Gallup Park. The plastic bands do not harm the birds, said Ann Arbor Parks and state wildlife officials.
Photo Caption Two: A flock of Canada geese is shooed to a pen Wednesday where the birds were banded, tested and released at Gallup Park. Ann Arbor Parks and DNR officials processed 257 birds in a study to see whether the city is eligible for a program that would reduce the goose population.
Photo Credit: Robert Chase
Originally published Thursday, July 1, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
When a particularly territorial Canada goose knocked a Gallup Park visitor off her bicycle this past spring, Ann Arbor park officials were reminded of the ever-present and often annoying goose population.
Park workers and state wildlife specialists spent hours Wednesday putting bands on 257 city geese, an early step in an effort that could limit the birds’ reproduction.
David Borneman, coordinator of the natural-area preservations in the city, said the DNR came to Ann Arbor to put plastic bands on the necks and legs of the geese as part of an ongoing study by U.S. and Canadian conservationists.
“It is simple, low-tech, but very effective in figuring out what is happening with the population,” said Earle Flegler, a state Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist.
Using canoes, the dozen or so people rounded up the birds from Gallup Park and the Huron Hills and Leslie Park golf courses.
DNR wildlife experts are trying to determine how many of the geese are year-round city residents.
If experts classify 90 percent of the geese as “Big Michigan” or native area geese, then Ann Arbor may qualify for a federally funded egg replacement program by spring 2000.
This program, Borneman said, would lead to goose population control. It’s a problem, he said that has been an issue in Ann Arbor for years.
The high goose population –which rough estimates place at 3,000 in the area—causes pollution and upsets the ecological balance in Gallup Park, he said. Each adult goose, he estimated, produces about a pound of manure per day, making cleanup an impossible chore for park maintenance.
And while attacks are rare, he noted that many Ann Arbor residents have complained about the potential hazard of aggressive geese.
If the DNR funds that Ann Arbor does qualify for the egg replacement program, biologists and conservationists would take goose eggs from nests, substituting the original eggs for plastic eggs.
After several week, Borneman explained, the geese would realize that the eggs will not hatch, and then abandon the nest.
“We would certainly give the public a chance for comment (before any decision is made), he said.
Borneman also noted that the National Humane Society supports such egg replacement programs.
The species of Canada geese that consider Ann Arbor to be their home base leave during the winter for warmer climates. However, Flegler said, many Ann Arbor geese won’t venture more than 20-30 miles away from the area, unless the weather becomes excessively cold.
Photo Caption One: A Canada goose protests Wednesday while waiting to be banded at Gallup Park. The plastic bands do not harm the birds, said Ann Arbor Parks and state wildlife officials.
Photo Caption Two: A flock of Canada geese is shooed to a pen Wednesday where the birds were banded, tested and released at Gallup Park. Ann Arbor Parks and DNR officials processed 257 birds in a study to see whether the city is eligible for a program that would reduce the goose population.
Photo Credit: Robert Chase
Originally published Thursday, July 1, 1999
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