Last Friday Evening the 5th, I had the opportunity to see and hear Nick Vuujcic, a young man from Australia. Nick was born without limbs, his story and attitude is inspirational.
I wish you could have been there for the event, but I think even seeing these YouTube Videos will inspire and encourage you. – Richard Dalton
Despite the front graphic, this Video is quite different from the other:
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Pewabic will Introduce the Exhibit at its 107th Birthday Celebration March 13
DETROIT, (March 4, 2010) – In conjunction with National Women’s National History Month, Pewabic Pottery is honoring the achievements of artist and Pewabic founder Mary Chase Perry Stratton, with “A Journey of the Pioneering Spirit,” a new permanent exhibit highlighting her life. The exhibit will open on Saturday, March 13 during Pewabic’s 107th birthday celebration, which is free and open to the public.
“Detroit has been Pewabic’s home for more than a century and this new exhibit is a great way for our 37,000 annual visitors to learn more about Pewabic’s history,” said Terese Ireland, executive director for Pewabic Pottery. “We believe visitors, students and artists who view this exhibit will come away with inspiration for their own lives.”
During the festivities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., guests can tour the new exhibit and explore the historic facilities. Hourly tours will be given from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. where visitors can view tile pressing and wheel throwing demonstrations. Birthday cake and refreshments will be served throughout the event. Visitors will also be eligible for hourly door prizes.
“A Journey of the Pioneering Spirit” provides a special opportunity to discover and celebrate Stratton’s contribution to Michigan history. Exhibit highlights include: Awakening a Passion – The Early Artistic Environment of Mary Chase Perry Stratton; China Painting – The Craze Sweeps the Country; Achieving Artistic Influence – The Studio Pottery Movement; and Painting with Fire – The Art of Glaze Chemistry.
“National Women’s History Month provides a special opportunity to discover and celebrate Stratton’s contribution to Michigan history,” added Ireland.
An important figure in Detroit’s artistic and cultural life, Stratton was a founding member of the Detroit Arts & Crafts Society and later served as a trustee of what is now the Detroit Institute of Arts. She established the ceramics department at the University of Michigan, taught students in Wayne State University’s ceramics program and was given honorary degrees from both schools in recognition of her accomplishments. In 1947, she received the coveted Charles Fergus Binns Medal, the nation’s highest award in the field of ceramics. Stratton was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame in 1986.
March also kicks off Member Appreciation month in which Pewabic Society Members can double their membership discount up to 20 percent on items in the Museum Store and Gallery of Studio Artists. This includes Pewabic embossed tiles & vesselware, address plaques and numbers, ornaments, framed pieces and the work of more than 40 ceramic artists from across North America. Discounts also apply to purchases on www.pewabicstore.org (excludes gift certificates, class registration, Stratton, Revelation, Custom Collection and Exhibition purchases). Member Appreciation Days are open to all Pewabic Society Members through March 31.
“A Journey of the Pioneering Spirit” is made possible in part by a grant from the Michigan Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional support was provided from the Clover E. Downs Living Trust. Any views findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the Michigan Humanities Council.
Pewabic Pottery is a non-profit arts and cultural organization and National Historic Landmark dedicated to ceramic education and advancing contemporary ceramic arts while honoring Arts & Crafts ideals.
Pewabic Pottery is open to the public year round and offers classes, workshops, lectures and tours to children and adults. The Pottery continues to create tile for architectural installations and offers galleries that showcase more than 70 ceramic artists and a museum store for purchasing handmade Pewabic items. Visitors are welcome, free of charge, during regular business hours Monday – Saturday from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. To learn more about Pewabic Pottery call (313) 822-0954 or visit our website at www.pewabic.org. Pewabic Pottery can be found at 10125 E. Jefferson Ave. in Detroit across the street from Waterworks Park.
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The Trustees of the National Automotive History Collection and The Detroit Public Library Friends Foundation invite you to a lecture and book signing featuring
Paul J. Ingrassia author of Crash Course:
The American Automobile Industry’s Road from Glory to Disaster
Was Detroit’s self-destruction inevitable? What were the key turning points?
Noon, Tuesday March 16, 2010,The Village Women’s Club
190 East Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304. thevillageclub.org.
$25 per person Friends members, $30 per person Non-members
Space is limited and reservations are required by March 12, 2010
RSVP Required, 313-481-1357, books will be available for purchase and signing by Mr. Ingrassia.
–
Conrad J. Welsing, APR
Media Specialist, Detroit Public Library
5201 Woodward, Detroit, MI 48202
Office 313-833-4043
Cell 734-516-5962
Fax 313-833-3310
Library Main Number 313-833-1000
www.detroitpubliclibrary.org
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Nathan Skid
When yawning and bleary-eyed metro Detroiters begin their day on March 29, absent from their car radios for the first time in 45 years will be the voice of Dick Purtan.
Known for his humor, charity work and trademark mustache, Purtan announced on Feb. 11 that he’s retiring next month from oldies station WOMC-FM 104.3, ending a career that began more than 50 years ago. That includes on-air stints at different Detroit stations since 1965.
Widely considered a pioneer of the modern morning radio format of comedy bits, chatter and music, and the recipient of nearly every imaginable award in the business, Purtan exits the industry at a time of immense change.
Some of that change has been pressure from radio station managers and owners to talk and laugh less on air, and play more music instead.
It’s the result of increasingly detailed and instant audience measurement technology, such as Arbitron Inc.’s Portable People Meters that replaced the traditional written diary method in recent years.
“That’s been a problem. Music radio is music radio, and talk radio is talk radio,” Purtan said. “It’s harder to be a so-called personality and entertain on music radio. There’s not as much time as there used to be. Owners want to play more music.”
That pressure isn’t the primary reason Purtan is retiring, however.
Purtan, who has six adult daughters — including Jackie, who works on the show — told his family last summer that he planned to retire at some point in the next 12 months.
He reached the final decision during time off at Christmas after his wife, Gail, tearily told him she didn’t want him to go back to work.
Gail Purtan has survived ovarian cancer for the past 13 years and breast cancer for the past five years — diseases her husband has used his proven on-air fundraising abilities to fight.
“I decided it was time I devoted 100 percent of my time to her instead of 90 percent,” he said, adding that they plan to spend time in Florida and cruising while he mulls writing an autobiography and podcasting in retirement.
Some local radio insiders speculate the cost-cutting within the industry, which dwindled Purtan’s large cast of on-air sidekicks and production staff, also significantly fueled his decision to quit.
“I remember when Purtan’s studio looked like a circus,” said Dick Kernen, vice president of industry relations at Southfield-based Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts and a 50-year veteran of the radio industry who worked with Purtan over the years.
“This isn’t just somebody that decided to resign only to spend more time with his family. This resignation was because it wasn’t fun anymore,” Kernen said.
WOMC’s owner, CBS Radio Detroit, declined to renew two more of the show’s staffers last year, and Purtan doesn’t hide his displeasure at the state of the radio business.
“I wasn’t happy with that, but that was the situation,” he said. “Things have tightened up a great deal.”
That’s a departure from what he calls the freewheeling early days of his career, when he once interviewed John F. Kennedy from the lip of a stage during a 1960 campaign stop in Jacksonville, Fla. — Purtan still remembers the questions he asked — and scraping up with other disc jockeys the $12,500 needed to bring The Beatles to perform in Cincinnati in 1964.
The next year, he hired on at Detroit’s WKNR-AM, better known as Keener 13.
He would work at several other local stations, and at one point had an equity stake in WKQI-FM 95.5, before launching his “Purtan’s People” morning show on WOMC in 1996.
His retirement opens an enormous gap in WOMC’s lineup, the lucrative morning drive-time slot sought by advertisers.
“At some point, when the time is right, we’ll talk about the evolution (of the morning slot),” said Deb Kenyon, senior vice president and market manger for CBS Radio Detroit. “We’re a great station today and we’ll be a great station six months from now.”
Kenyon said the station will be honoring Purtan on air in coming weeks.
“He’s not replaceable. There’s no talent like that,” she said.
A few names to take over the morning slot have been floated among radio insiders.
“It will have to be with someone who is well known, recognizable and has a proven track record of success in Detroit morning radio,” said Don Tanner, a partner in Farmington Hills-based Tanner Friedman Strategic Communications and radio veteran who just published an updated version of his book on the radio and music industries, No Static At All.
Tanner believes Jim Johnson or Lynne Woodison, who for many years did the “J.J. and Lynne” morning show WCSX 94.7 FM until 2008, are possibilities — but separately, because Woodison is suing station owner Greater Media Inc.
“Also intriguing is the duo of Chris Edmonds and Stacey Duford (formerly morning show hosts at WNIC 100.3 FM and recently teamed on WOMC’s Sunday Brunch program),” Tanner said. “A wildcard might also be Ann Delisi, who is doing her weekend show at WDET. She has a large, loyal following out there although has traditionally worked more with alternative music, including the original “River.’ “
Whoever takes over will do it in an uncertain economic climate.
Purtan said he’s heard that $100 million in radio advertising revenue has evaporated from the Detroit market, mirroring an industry trend that has forced the major radio corporations to cut jobs and belt-tighten.
“The economic situation has hurt radio a great deal. It’s a tough business now to be in,” he said.
“It could be $100 million or close to it,” said Bill Burton, CEO of Troy-based Detroit Radio Advertising Group, which sells advertising on behalf of a consortium of member stations. It gave Purtan a lifetime radio achievement award a few years ago.
“It’s a tough struggle, but it’s still a very good business,” Burton said.
Such lifetime awards are going to be harder to earn because the economics and culture of radio today make it much more difficult now for someone to spend decades in a market doing the same thing, radio industry watchers say.
“It takes a very long time to become what Purtan and people like that have done. It takes years and years to establish being part of people’s day,” Kernen said.
Matching how many years Purtan did it to his age is impossible because he’s coy about his birth date.
However, he did confirm that he was a senior at Syracuse University when he turned over his programming director job at the campus radio station to a hand-picked sophomore: future television newsman Ted Koppel, who turned 70 this month.
In the 1990s, Purtan was able to move from the traditional revenue-sharing model contract — in which he would get a cut of the advertising dollars from airtime sold during his show — to a straight salary deal that his lawyer, Henry Baskin of Birmingham-based The Baskin Law Firm P.C., said makes him the highest paid non-syndicated radio personality in the nation.
But it’s raising money for charities that may be Purtan’s real forte.
His annual radiothon benefiting The Salvation Army’s Bed and Bread Program, scheduled for Friday, has raised more than $22 million for the program since 1988.
After retirement, he intends to stay involved behind the scenes with the charities, but not on air, he said.
Even when Purtan is wistful reflecting on his career, the trademark wit isn’t far off: “Forty-five years is a pretty good stretch of time to be doing a show in one town. The audience must have had strong stomachs to accept me for that long of a time.”
And don’t look for him shilling on television commercials, either, which he steadfastly said he will not do. Nor will his lawyer of 34 years allow him.
“I told him if I catch him selling windows or a piece of furniture, I’d come over and kill him,” Baskin said.
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Civil Inattention, in part, is the act of avoiding eye contact as you pass someone on the sidewalk. If you pretend they don’t exist, you don’t have to care about them. In some Philosophies they have determined this is how cities have survived for so long. My wife and I go for walks quite frequently and actually SHOCK people as we say hi to everyone we pass. I remember growing up and thinking it rude not to at least say HI. We’ve already had enough about not caring about each other in this world, the least we can do is take 3 seconds out of our day to say Hi.
Ok, now about the statue. This statue is an icon of Detroit called “The Spirit of Detroit”. Which is kind of funny, as the statue was made in Norway using a Norwegian model and was never officially named. The scripture behind it gave it the name. I’ve seen pictures of this statue when it was first installed, without the scripture, and it looks so bare without it. – Detroit Derek
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Wild Winter Weekends at the Detroit Zoo!
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Event held at Ford Education Center. Wild Winter activities free with regular Zoo admission.
Please note all activities subject to change without notice. Check back for more details.
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Detail: Tower, Sweetest Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church (Color Version)–Detroit MI, originally uploaded by pinehurst19475.
As the need remains great in Haiti following the Jan. 12 earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands of people and leveled much of Port-au-Prince, contributions and fundraisers are ongoing in the Catholic church in southeast Michigan. (*Please note: As of this writing, the Archdiocese of Detroit and Catholic Relief Services are continuing to monitor the situation following the Feb. 27 earthquake in Chili for possible relief efforts.)
To date, people have donated $1.35 million for Haiti earthquake victims to the Archdiocese of Detroit on behalf of Catholic Relief Services, an agency that was present in Haiti prior to the earthquake and which has played a strong role on the ground since the immediate aftermath. Donations have come through the archdiocese Web site, parish collections, and various fundraising efforts at Catholic parishes and schools. Additional funds have been collected for a number of other outreach organizations.
“It has been a great blessing for me to witness the tremendous outpouring of support from so many people from across the Archdiocese for the critical work of Catholic Relief Services in aiding the people of Haiti,” said Archbishop Allen Vigneron, Archbishop of Detroit. “I praise God for their generosity, and I am deeply grateful for their demonstration of charity, even as we all remain aware that the people of Haiti continue to need our prayers and material support.”
Details on upcoming events to benefit Haiti earthquake victims can be found at www.AODonline.org/haiti. Among them:
At 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 3, St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, 5780 Evergreen Ave. in Detroit, will feature a talk from Bishop Thomas Gumbleton on the film “Franz Jagerstatter: A Man of Conscience.” Bishop Gumbleton founded a clinic in Haiti and has visited the country following the earthquake. A freewill offering will be taken.
At 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 14, a choir benefit featuring local music ministers and choir members will take place at St. Isidore Parish, 18201 Twenty-Three Mile Road in Macomb Township. In conjunction, an album of original, locally-produced songs to benefit Haiti earthquake victims will be released.
At 7:30 p.m. on both March 26 and 27, the play “Twelve Angry Men” will be performed by seminarians at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, 2701 Chicago Blvd. in Detroit. Admission is free; a freewill offering will be taken for earthquake victims.
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(He prayed and spoke aloud the name of Jesus)
A Pastoral Response to Atheist Prayer Protesters
A number of years ago, I was asked if I would come and do the invocation or opening prayer for the Detroit City Council. Not long after that enjoyable experience, I was called by the Office of the Chaplain of the United States Senate asking if I could come in June of 2003 and lead the United States Senate in prayer. Choosing between a few available dates in June, I settled on the 24th which is my wife Theresa’s birthday. During that trip, I also made some interesting appointments to discuss urban problems and solutions with some national experts concerning our challenges here in Metro Detroit.
The Michigan Senate with Senator Pappageorge and Father Richard Dalton
A few weeks ago I was asked by a Michigan State Senator whom I didn’t know, to come and offer the invocation at the Michigan State Senate, which I did on the February 4th, 2010. Again, while in Lansing, I used the occasion to set up a few appointments in the Lansing with discussions focused on Metro Detroit.
This morning (Feb 25th 2010) I read an article in the Detroit News that recounted that a “Watchdog Group” of Atheists from my childhood home state of Wisconsin is charging that those prayers are WRONG. According to them, perhaps someone like me should not have even been allowed into the U.S. Capitol, the Michigan State Capitol, or the Detroit City County Building in clerical collar with the name of Jesus in my heart and on my lips.
The U.S. Supreme Court declared the “The opening of sessions of legislative and other deliberative public bodies with prayer is deeply embedded in the history and tradition of this country. From colonial times through the founding of the Republic and ever since, the practice of legislative prayer has coexisted with the principles of disestablishment and religious freedom.” Tradition has also done this without the “Watch Dogs”. How can an Atheist Group “reviewing” three minute prayers for content be in any way compatible with my religious freedom as an American Clergy? I object to Atheists who don’t believe in prayer, or the legislators who ask us to come and pray, to demand Jesus’ name neither be mentioned or invoked.
The term “non-denominational” in no way leaves Jesus out of the picture, his name and work is central among Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, the Eastern Orthodox, Pentecostals, Evangelicals and many others, even including an Anglican like myself. To demand that we must all pray as Unitarians, as the Atheists request us to do, is establishing a secular “religion” instead of demonstrating true religious tolerance. Please, invite the Unitarian, the Jewish Rabbi, the Muslim Imam, Buddhist Monk and others, but let them and us come as we are, with our faith as it is. Neither Congress, State Officials or Local Governments should establish or prohibit the free exercise of our religious freedoms during those three minute invites. In spite of the Atheists’ objections, it might be understandable in a nation that counts itself as 76% Christian that the Detroit City Council would invite a good representation of clergy from the Christian tradition.
I think we are fooling ourselves to think that the “Freedom from Religion” folks will be contented only to control our speech in the legislative chambers of government during our short prayers. I have the feeling that they would like us out of their eyesight and earshot altogether. They seem to want total freedom from us, the ten commandments, manger scenes, the greeting, “Merry Christmas”, and a whole list of other things. How dare a Sports Figure like Tim Tebow ruin the Super Bowl for them. On a major noisy, high traffic street in the Detroit Suburbs, an evening spotlight on a cross on Church property was seen as a violation. You can put a spotlight on a tree, but not on a cross. Can that really be seen as religious tolerance? Although it’s not crime, there seems to be a whole lot of hate in this Watchdog Group whose Co-President Dan Barker called out an evangelical pastor from Indiana for practicing his faith, calling his God a ‘petty, vain, insecure, egotistical being.’ ” One could wonder who really has the ego and insecurity issues in that Indiana debate.
I hope we Christians won’t be intimidated by such attitudes, but will have a more frequent, clearer and helpful voices impacting our communities both in the city and suburbs. We need more public settings and media outlets where our stories can be told, our values respected, and the many works of compassion throughout Metro Detroit motivated by the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus, will be given a better spotlight. Great stories of daily deeds around Metro Detroit where the hungry are fed, children are tutored, ex-offenders are befriended, the addicted are freed, people find needed shelter. This Web Blog itself is part of a bigger project to tell those stories and build up our communities. The LookUpDetroit.com web effort will soon be inviting the Christian Community and others to steward together this Digital Gateway for all of Metro Detroit. We hope it will be a helpful resource for believers and unbelievers alike.
I believe I’ve acted appropriately as I prayed in these public settings even without the “Atheist Watch Dog” monitoring me. I’ve done no Senatorial altar calls in Washington D.C. or Lansing. Major controversial doctrines between denominations were never brought up during the Detroit City Council Prayer, but the name of Jesus mentioned and included? YES ! ! He is central to my faith and my access to the Heavenly Throne. His government trumps any other in my life, so please don’t call me to come pray, if I can’t even mention the wonderful name of Jesus.
Father Richard Dalton contact information
Click Here for a Printable Copy of this Post
Links
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Oakland County, Michigan Lady Justice, originally uploaded by Oakland County Executive.
The original statue was constructed of thin sheets of zinc metal plate and fabricated by the now-defunct W.H. Mullins Sheet Metal Statuary and Cornice Works Co. of Salem, Ohio. It was recast in bronze by the Fine Arts Sculpture Centre, Inc. of Clarkston, substantially increasing its weight from 100 pounds to 365 pounds. The 9,200-pound base upon which Lady Justice sits is Georgia white marble and taken from the same quarry that supplied the marble facing for the court house in 1960.
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Souled Out, originally uploaded by DetroitDerek Photography.
There are a lot of things we as Detroiters don’t necessarily notice anymore, we’ve become numb to. One of those is the large number of churches that have either closed, or are for sale. While this has happened on a small scale throughout Detroit’s history, it really accelerated in 1989/1990 and continues to this day. 35 Catholic churches, including the beauty you see here, have been closed since that time in the largest mass closing of Catholic Churches in U.S. History. Churches have long been an imporant part of our history here, the first building built in Detroit was St. Anne’s Church ( 3 days after the city was founded in 1701 ) . If you don’t support them, you’ll continue to see more places just like this…. – Derek
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COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION RESOURCE EXCHANGE (CORE) EVENTS
March 2010 Events
Do It! Easy, Beautiful Landscapes
Monday, March 1, 8, 22, 7 PM
Rochester Hills Public Library, 500 Olde Towne, Rochester
This year, have the best-looking landscape in the neighborhood. Make it the landscape of your dreams, one that has four seasons of interest, increases your home’s value, and decreases your yardwork. Landscape designer, author, and Detroit News garden writer Janet Macunovich gets you started with simple steps to update an existing landscape or design complete plans for that new home. In this first session, you’ll learn how to look at what you already have, your needs, your yard’s potential, what seasonal gaps most need filling and decide what to keep and what groundwork to do before you buy anything new. Registration is required.
Learn @ Your Library: Powerspeak
Tuesday, March 2, 7 PM, repeated Wednesday, March 3, 10 A.M.
Rochester Hills Public Library, 500 Olde Towne, Rochester
Learn about our new online language learning program. No registration required.
Youth Dialogue Day
Thursday, March 4, 8 AM
Rochester Auburn Hills Community Coalition
Discussions between high school youth and community leaders sponsored by Rochester Auburn Hills Community Coalition at St. John Fisher Church, Walton Blvd near Squirrel Rd. If interested in attending, contact executive director, Paul Funk at 248 765-4655
Careers in Transition
Thursday, March 4 and Thursday, March 18, 7 PM
First Congregational Church UCC, 1315 Pine, Rochester
This group is open to all members of the community who are seeking employment or considering a career change. Meets the first and third Thursday of the month at 7 pm.
Contact Number: 248-651-6225 Instructor: Michelle Fisher, et al
Upper Room
Saturday, March 6, 13, 20, 27, 7-10:30 PM
First Congregational Church UCC, 1315 Pine, Rochester
A gathering place for today’s teens. A safe place where middle and high school youth can hang out and have fun in a safe environment. Activities may include video games, card games, board games, karaoke, improv, dancing, talking to friends. The choice is yours. Meets every Saturday night. Register using form on www.rochesterupperroom.com. Bring form with you. $5 and school ID for admission.
Rochester-Avon Historical Society Appraisal Day
Sunday, March 7, 12 PM
Rochester Community House, 816 Ludlow, Rochester
Appraisers will determine the value of your treasured antiques. Experts will examine items such as fine art, pre-depression glass, furniture, pottery, lamps, china, porcelain, dolls, collectibles, toys, clocks, musical instruments, jewelry and Asian art. Appraisals are $5 for oral and some appraisers will give written appraisals for $20. Admission is free.
Everyone’s Reading Presumed Innocent
Monday, March 08, 7 PM
Rochester Hills Public Library, 500 Olde Towne, Rochester
Book discussion of Turow’s Presumed Innocent, part of the Everyone’s Reading program. Don’t forget to pick up a copy of the book at the adult reference desk once you’ve registered! Registration Required
English Matters: ELL Conversation Group
Tuesday, March 09, 3/16, 3/23, 3/30, 10 AM
Rochester Hills Public Library, 500 Olde Towne, Rochester
Would you like to practice your English in a comfortable and friendly setting? Join our free ELL Conversation Group of informal conversation. You will have fun and meet new friends from around the globe! Registration begins January 5th and is open to those who live or work in Rochester, Rochester Hills and Oakland Township. You may register online at rhpl.org or by calling Outreach Services at 248-650-7150
Travelin’ Man: On the Road and Behind the Scenes with Bob Seger
Thursday, March 11, 7 PM
Rochester Hills Public Library, 500 Olde Towne, Rochester
Join us for an evening with Thomas Weschler and Gary Graff, authors of Travelin’ Man: On the Road and Behind the Scenes with Bob Seger, a 2009 Michigan Noteable Book. Travelin’ Man is a photo-driven insider’s look at Bob Seger’s career from the early days to his breakthrough as a world-famous musician. Tom Weschler spent more than ten years from the late 1960s through the 1970s in the Bob Seger camp, working as tour manager and photographer during Seger’s early days. Weschler and award-winning music journalist Gary Graff annotate the images with Weschler’s recollections of the events and Graff provides additional background on Seger’s career. After the presentation, books will be available for purchase.
RJWC New Member Meeting
Thursday, March 11, 7:15 PM
Rochester Junior Woman’s Club
The Rochester Junior Woman’s Club holds meetings for new or prospective members the second Thursday of each month. Contact Linda Dill at 248-659-8155 or misstweeti@att.net for additional information.
A Date With Spring
Friday, March 12, 8 PM
Stoney Creek High School, 575 Tienken, Rochester
Rochester Symphony Orchestra conducted by Suzanne Acton, with music by Mozart, Delius, and Schumann. Also featured will be the winner of the RSO’s Young Artist Competition.
Cost: $25 per person, $12 for students
Healthy Child Screening Day
Age Group: 3 to 5 years old
Saturday, March 13, 11 AM
Rochester Hills Public Library, 500 Olde Towne, Rochester
Join us for our second healthy child screening day sponsored by the Rochester Lions and the Friends of the Library. Drop by between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM to have your child’s vision screened. The Lion’s vision test checks for the most common cause of blindness in children. **DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENT FOR A VISION SCREENING FOR ADMITTANCE TO KINDERGARTEN** The Oakland County Health Department will provide a free screening that meets the requirement for Kindergarten.
Sunday Concert: Blackthorn
Sunday, March 14, 1:30 PM
Rochester Hills Public Library, 500 Olde Towne, Rochester
Blackthorn plays traditional contemporary Celtic music of Ireland. Jigs and reels, ancient melodies, ballads and songs of contemporary Irish songwriters are combined with stories that describe the Irish experience. Registration not required.
Sunday Matinee’ Benefit
Sunday, March 14, 2:30 PM
Friends of Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve presents Sunday Matinee’ Benefit. A film from the Growing Up Wild series will fascinate and entertain anyone from 3 years old to 93. Nature games and activities will round out the program. Refreshments will be available for purchase. Children must be accompanied by a care giver. The movie will take place in the Fellowship Hall of the First Congregational Church, 1315 North Pine. Tickets ($5 donation) are available at Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve Tues to Friday 9 to 5, or by sending a check to Friends of DHNP, 333 North Hill Circle, Rochester 48307.
Teenage Sex – Consequences and Costs of Early Sexual Activity
Monday, March 15, 7 PM
Crittenton Hospital, 1101 University, Rochester
Will meet at the Crittenton Hospital Medical Center Auditorium. This event is sponsored by the RAHCC, Crossroads Pregnancy Center and Crittenton Hospital Medical Center. Please register at 248-652-5269 or www.crittenton.com/classes
Canoeing & Kayaking Through Michigan & Wisconsin
Tuesday, March 16, 7 PM
Rochester Hills Public Library, 500 Olde Towne, Rochester
Author Doc Fletcher will present a photographic journey down rivers from each of his two books, “Weekend Canoeing in Michigan” (2008 release) & “Michigan Rivers Less Paddled” (2009), and a sampling of rivers from his upcoming book about Wisconsin. You’ll be introduced to a day trip down each river that includes the river’s “degree of difficulty”, float time, obstacles expected, & key landmarks encountered. All local canoe / kayak livery info is included. Histories of nearby towns (w/ that town’s local Detroit Tiger radio affiliate) are discussed, & tales are told of a local, old time, tavern in that town – a place to relax and relive the day’s river adventure.
No registration required.
Love the One You’re with: On Architecture and Urbanism in Detroit
Thursday, March 18, 7 PM
Rochester Hills Public Library, 500 Olde Towne, Rochester
Michael Hodges, art-and-architecture writer at The Detroit News, has spent the last two years shooting Detroit in all its splendor and collapse for his architecture blog. This lecture and slide show offers alternate ways of reading Detroit — hitting the city’s architectural high points without skirting the abandonment that characterizes so much of the cityscape. Hodges reviews the treasures we have that upstarts like Seattle would kill for, including our three great art-deco skyscrapers (Guardian, Penobscot, and Fisher). He also makes an argument for learning to see the interest — and even beauty — in areas most people would call “depressing.” Registration is not required. For more information, please call 248-650-7124.
Rochester Junior Woman’s Club Spring Highlights
Saturday, March 20, 10:30 AM
Royal Park Hotel, 600 E. University Dr., Rochester
Rochester Junior Woman’s Club “Spring Highlights” Luncheon & Shopping Boutique
Rock-n-Bowl
Saturday, March 20, 12:30 PM
Rainbow Connection Bowling Event – Bowling 3 games * Pizza/Pop * Raffle Prizes * 50/50 * Silent Auction $20 per person * Sponsorships Available!
Founder’s Day Celebration
Sunday, March 21, 2 PM
Rochester Hills Public Library, Multipurpose Room
Dr. Richard Stamps, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Oakland University will help commemorate the founding of Rochester with his program “Rochester’s Prehistory: Life Before the Settlers”. The whole family is invited to meet Dr. Stamps and learn about the native peoples in our area and how they lived. Especially entertaining for school children of all ages.
Budget Travel 101
Tuesday, March 23, 7 PM
Rochester Hills Public Library, 500 Olde Towne, Rochester
Learn basic strategies to save money when traveling the world. Tips and tricks will be offered for anyone traveling across America, throughout Europe, or around the planet. Make your travel dollars go further by learning how to use public transportation, budget hotels, and hostels. We will also discuss safety, packing, health, accessing your money, travel resources and more! Registration is not required. Please call 248-650-7124 for more information.
Newcomer’s ELL Book Club
Thursday, March 25, 10 AM
Rochester Hills Public Library, 500 Olde Towne, Rochester
Are you a recent newcomer to this country who wants to improve your English? Please join other newcomers from all over the world as they come together in this fun and rewarding group to explore English literature together. Registration begins Monday, December 14 and is limited to residents of Rochester, Rochester Hills or Oakland Township. For more information, call Outreach Services at 248-650-7150.
Dementia Caregiver Series
Thursday, March 25, 6:30 PM
First in a series of three Dementia information workshops sponsored by Oakland Family Services. “Taking Care of the Caregiver” Being a caregiver can be more difficult and stressful than you ever expected. In our busy, mobile society, we have multiple roles and responsibilities where time pressures make us less available for care giving. Learn to cope with the challenges caregivers face by understanding and acknowledging your emotions. Hosted by the Fountains of Franklin, 28301 Franklin Road, Southfield, MI 48034-1672, free and open to the community, no registration required, call (248) 353-2810 with questions. Instructor: Micheline Sommers, LMSW
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Building on the popularity of National Geographic Channel’s Fight Science specials, a new five-part series of Fight Science premiered Monday, February 1, 2010 and will move to its regular night and time Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
The series brings together a team of technical engineers, physiologists and computer technicians to uncover the secrets behind some of the world’s most elite fighters. Each episode uses breakthrough technologies to peer in real time into the bodies of fighters and trained professionals including special operations soldiers, SWAT officers, martial artists and self-defense experts. Wayne State University Professor of Biomedical Engineering Cynthia Bir is lead scientist in the series.
This season features five episodes: “Ultimate Soldiers” (Mon., Feb. 1); “Fight Like an Animal” (Thurs., Feb. 4); “Stealth Fighters” (Thurs., Feb. 11); “Human Weapon” (Thurs. Feb. 19) and “Super Cops” (Thurs, Feb. 25). Bir says she is most excited about the “Super Cops” episode because it contains a lot of her research: “We pulled a lot of what I have done in the past in terms of evaluating body armor and less-lethal technology into the show.”
In the episode, Fight Science invites SWAT officers to the lab to put police techniques and equipment through the ultimate stress test. Sensor-equipped dummies designed to respond like humans test the effects of less-than-lethal weapons including rubber bullets, water cannon and the stunt hand grenade known as the “flash bang,” which emits a blinding light and loud noise.
Bir views Fight Science, as well as ESPN’s Sport Science (for which she is also lead scientist), as an opportunity to make science appealing to a wide audience. “The fact that we are putting science out there in a cool and fun way is the best part,” says Bir. “We need to get kids excited about science in any way that we can.”
Wayne State University is a premier urban research university offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.
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Join us for an evening with Thomas Weschler and Gary Graff, authors of Travelin’ Man: On the Road and Behind the Scenes with Bob Seger, a 2009 Michigan Notable Book, on Thursday, March 11th at 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Rochester Hills Public Library. Travelin’ Man is a photo-driven insider’s look at Bob Seger’s career from the early days to his breakthrough as a world-famous musician. Tom Weschler spent more than ten years from the late 1960s through the 1970s in the Bob Seger camp, working as tour manager and photographer during Seger’s early days. Weschler and award-winning music journalist Gary Graff annotate the images with Weschler’s recollections of the events and Graff provides additional background on Seger’s career. After the presentation, books will be available for purchase. Registration is not required. For more information, call 248-650-7124.
The Rochester Hills Public Library is located in downtown Rochester two blocks east of Main Street off of University Drive on Olde Towne Road.
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Independent Michigan filmmakers showcase community with premiere event
Novi, MI – Livonia based, SuperHouse Pictures is hosting a premiere event on Saturday, February 27, 2010, at the Novi Town Center 8, 26085 Town Center Drive, Novi, MI, 48375. The doors open at 7:00 p.m. and the screenings are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend and support Michigan’s growing film industry. The program will feature five short films created by Michigan film makers:
Baby Daddy’s Girl, Penny’s from Heaven, Nevaeh’s Message, The Making of Daughter? (Documentary) and How to Feel in America Today.
In 2003, before the influx of Hollywood productions became commonplace in Michigan, SuperHouse Pictures was established by Gregory Morrison, Shane Sevo and Joe Wells. With modest beginnings, SuperHouse Pictures has grown from three guys with a camera to a community rich with talent and creativity. The team’s efforts were recognized last summer by Crain’s Detroit Business’, on-line Detroit Make It Here, when the production company was featured in an article highlighting their success. “We don’t just make movies, we nurture relationships, cultivate material, and create opportunities.” said Morrison.
Lawrence J. Straughen, a supporting actor from the trio’s 2005 short film project, Funnel Face: The Musical, returned to explore writing opportunities with the SuperHouse sponsored, Project Lightstand. Designed to cultivate screenplays for film production, Project Lightstand was launched in the winter of 2006. The premiere event boasts 4 scripts written by Project Lightstand alumni.
Project Lightstand is a workshop and a sounding board for ideas. It keeps me focused and creates deadlines. Lightstand is a great resource for writers, said Straughen. The Novi Town Center 8 screening of Penny’s from Heaven and Baby Daddy’s Girl, were both penned by Mr. Straughen as SuperHouse entries for the 48 Hour National Film Challenge, a contest with required script components and a grueling production schedule. The SuperHouse team has received numerous awards, but in 2008, Baby Daddy’s Girl received national attention with a Best Picture nomination.
Melissa Kerley, director and screenwriter of Nevaeh’s Message,formed her own production company, Generation Courage, in 2005. Ms. Kerley had wrapped production on her first film, Learning to Fly and learned of SuperHouse, through an actor common to both. The first collaboration came in 2006 with the short film, Who’s Jumping? “I brought a feminine touch to the boys club.” said Kerley. Generated through Project Lightstand, her script tells the story of a videographer on the hunt for a rare albino deer, who falls prey to her past and the hauntings of a child.
The documentary, The Making of Daughter? is a behind the scenes look at the production of the gritty family drama. Jeremy Salo and his company, CLV Productions, brought the script and documentary to life, but Salo’s involvement with Project Lightstand brought the Daughter?
script to paper. A second script, iTeen, originating through Project Lightstand, has recently wrapped principle photography.
The short film, How To Feel In America Today will also be screened. In 2008, Joe and Nicole Wells began working on an experimental film project. “We wanted to create a film that freed us from the constraints of traditional film making, developing a process that focused on acting and cinematography.” said Mr. Wells. The movie deals with abortion and adoption. It empowers the viewer to see this divisive issue through new eyes.
The short films featured at the Novi screening are all encompassed under the SuperHouse umbrella. They do make movies, but there is a story behind every relationship nurtured, script cultivated and opportunity created to make Michigan’s independent film community shine a spotlight on SuperHouse for their premiere event.
www.superhouse.org
Contact:
Shane Sevo
shane@superhousemedia.com
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Take one, two or all three of our job workshops
presented by Sherri Kerby,
a career services advisor
from Lawrence Technical University.
Job Search Strategies
Tuesday, March 9th
7 pm
Find out how to sharpen
your job search skills,
identify your skill sets
and build better career networks
Resume Roundtable
Thursday, March 11th
7 pm
Have your resume critiqued!
Please bring a current resume
to participate. We’ll also review
the essentials of winning resumes
Interview Inspiration
Thursday, March 25th
7 pm
Learn the techniques to ensure a good
interview and the differences between
traditional and behavioral interviews.
Waterford Twp. Public Library
5168 Civic Center Dr.
Waterford, MI 48329
http://waterford.lib.mi.us
248-618-7693
All workshops will be held in the Community Room of the main library. This is a free event, although advanced reservations are required.
Register at the library’s adult reference desk or by calling 248-618-7693.
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Some views of Detroit’s mounted policemen (LOC), originally uploaded by The Library of Congress.
The Detroit Mounted Police was founded in 1893 to corral loose farm animals. In its roughly 110 years of existence, about 600 officers have served with the Mounted Police. For years (Officers) patrolled the streets with (horses), doing what officers in cruisers do: chase bad guys, issue tickets and make arrests. The mounted force peaked in 1979 with 65 horses and 56 officers. Today there are only 18 horses and seven officers. It is evident from the way the horses are treated at the stable that the officers are deeply attached to them. Each officer names his horse and remains with it until one of them retires.
Read Full Story at http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=4139
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CLICK HERE FOR MAIN SITE
The Bob-lo boat, Ste. Claire, at the Wyandotte, Michigan dock in 1959. The St. Claire and the Columbia were excursion boats on the Detroit river for many years, and many Detroiters have fond memories of these old steamships.
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The Belle Isle Conservatory – Detroit Michigan. From across the lagoon. Red buldings on right are from the now closed Aquarium.
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