07.16.08
Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Michigan, Transportation, Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, Great Outdoors, Art at 11:19 am by Tim
My daughter loves taking public transportation. If she can get on a train or a bus, it’s a great day. Yesterday was one of those great days. I picked her up from preschool late in the afternoon and, although it was rush hour, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority buses did a great job getting us around town, and we made our connections with relative ease. AATA, aka “The Ride,” will be especially busy this week, with the Ann Arbor Art Fairs running full blast now through Saturday. AATA is running shuttle service to the event, so please take advantage, as you’ll save gas, and save yourself plenty of parking headaches. I plan to do just that not only during the fairs, but have made a promise to myself and to my daughter that, from now on, we’ll use this splendid bus service regularly.
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06.19.08
Posted in Michigan, Great Outdoors, Family, Art at 5:47 pm by Tim
A splendid community anytime, Northville is all the more so this weekend. Art in the Sun takes place this Saturday and Sunday, with more than 100 exhibitors, thousands of attendees, and untold smiles. Stop by, make a purchase, soak in the atmosphere. The forecast calls for temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s — ideal strolling weather — so bring the family.
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06.04.08
Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Music, Michigan, Detroit, Great Outdoors, Family, Art at 4:23 pm by Tim
It’s “Detroit’s Unrivaled International Arts Festival,” a claim its organizers back up year after year. The 22nd Annual Detroit Festival of the Arts kicks off this Friday, June 6, and will keep tens of thousands of attendees entertained and well-fed through Sunday. Smokin’ tunes from such national acts as Raul Malo (Saturday @ 7:30) and Guy Davis (Sunday @ 3:15) intermingle with potent sounds from Motor City stalwarts that include Thornetta Davis (Saturday @ 5:30) and the Mosaic Singers (Sunday @ 12:30). Check out these profiles. In addition to the performing arts, there will be numerous practitioners of the fine arts with creations on display, so please visit them. Back in my radio days, I was a frequent emcee on various DFA stages, and loved being immersed within the excitement that unfolded at the event. I still try to attend each year. So often, I discover a new musical act or other artist, and I always enjoy the experience. Kids have plenty of fun, too. Come on down to Midtown’s University Cultural Center for this magnificent festival.
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05.21.08
Posted in Sports, Michigan, Great Outdoors at 9:54 am by Tim
For some time now, I’ve been thinking about competing in a triathlon. I see there are plenty of such events this spring and summer throughout Michigan, and if anyone has advice on this matter, please let me know, because I’m sure it’s a challenge that requires serious preparation. Specifically, I’m looking for ideas on where a rookie like me could/should first test their mettle, i.e which of the triathlons (or duathlons), if any, on the page to which I link here might make for a good starting point. I’d rather not embarrass myself. Thanks for any insight.
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05.05.08
Posted in Michigan, News, Environment, Volunteering, Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, Great Outdoors at 10:53 pm by Tim
My wife, Mary Potts, (who took these lovely photos – click on any of the thumbnails for larger versions) and I attended the groundbreaking ceremony last Friday, May 2, for the new Growing Hope Center, located at 922 West Michigan Avenue in magnificent Ypsilanti, Michigan. Note: Three of the above images are bonus shots from Growing Hope’s Frog Island Community Garden.
Quite a well attended event, too. Ypsilanti mayor Paul Schreiber addressed the crowd, as did Andy LaBarre from U.S. Representative John Dingell’s office. Growing Hope Executive Director Amanda Edmonds and her staff have taken the next step in a program that continues to blossom in the community.
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04.29.08
Posted in Education, Michigan, Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, Great Outdoors at 1:50 pm by Tim
Congratulations and bon voyage to the roughly five thousand of University of Michigan students from the graduating class of 2008 who participated in the school’s first-ever Spring Commencement on the venerable Diag, featuring keynote speaker Bob Woodruff. I wasn’t at the event last Saturday, but wandered through the area briefly on Friday, and enjoyed seeing the impressive setup and backdrop. It brought back memories of my own graduation at Crisler Arena many years earlier — won’t reveal exactly when that was, but the date was April 29, and let’s just say this is one of those “spike” anniversaries — and the untold number of times I dashed through the Diag on the way to class, sometimes barely looking up to enjoy the setting. Caught up recently with a U-M classmate of mine, Julie Yolles, and we both found it hard to believe how long it’s been since we donned cap and gown ourselves.
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Posted in Michigan, Great Outdoors at 1:32 pm by Tim
Since 1988, they’re the folks who have “…worked tirelessly to protect the places that you love and the character that makes the Leelanau Peninsula so unique.” Happy 20th anniversary to the Leelanau Conservancy, which has a full calendar of spring and summer events in 2008, including the Cherry Blossom Tour on May 10. Truly one of the most beautiful parts of the state, perhaps the entire country.
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04.21.08
Posted in Sports, Education, Games, Michigan, Environment, Great Outdoors, Family at 9:48 pm by Tim
Kudos to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for their “No Child Left Inside” campaign to get kids out of the house this spring and summer, and throughout the year, especially in light of studies that indicate children spend less than 30 minutes per week outside, one-ninth the time current adults spent outside when they were of the same age. On that note, I encourage you to check out GoCityKids, filled with a range of activities for you and your brood, and searchable by major city.
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04.17.08
Posted in Michigan, Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, Great Outdoors at 2:18 pm by Tim
They’re “a group of local cyclists who like riding bikes and engaging in bike-related activities.” Bike Ypsi began last summer, and connects Ypsilanti residents who enjoy two-wheeling. The group meets for weekly rides on Sunday afternoons, and is hosting its 2008 spring ride and festival on Sunday, May 4. By the way, May is “Curb Your Car Month,” a splendid idea.
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