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By Jeannie Davis

THE FERNDALE SENIOR GROUP. Who are we?

We are comprised of people over 55 years of age, living in Ferndale. Or not living in Ferndale. People who join want a place to connect with others, and are not enamored of lunching and shopping. Our members range from their 60s to 90s. They are not stodgy old fogies (Well, most of them aren’t).

Our members range in commitment from people who throw themselves into our events and projects,and cleaning up after special lunches….to people who come to socialize, enjoy our programs, and then go home. They all bring different talents and person-alities to the table.

One thing they all have in common is a desire to engage. Some people become more involved after attending meetings for a while, and some don’t. This is fine. One thing is certain. They all meet people who share common attitudes and problems, and they all make friends.

We meet on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at the Kulick Center at 11:00 A.M. You don’t have to be a member to attend. However, by becoming a member ($10 per year), you will get the newsletter which outlines our speakers, coming trips, and coming events. Plus, we go on certain special trips, which are members only. Some are free!At our meetings, we host pertinent speakers: Garry Taylor from the Historical Society, Mayor Coulter speaking on the state of our city, Sergeant Brown speaking on how the Ferndale Police Force operates and how to be safe, speakers on nutrition, protection from scams, handwriting analysts, demonstrations on zentangle, even our local poet. In addition, we have entertainment: magicians, singers, comedians etc. As if this wasn’t enough, on those meeting days when we have nobody speaking, we amuse our-selves. Last week, we had a lively discussion on what the members wanted to see more of and less of. Or, we have colored, or brought in our knitting and sat and chatted.

By the way, many of our members arrive early just to socialize. Lunch is available at the center after for those who want it.

We have a committee which does nothing but arrange trips for our members. The trips are generally cost-attractive. We are planning trips to The Henry Ford Museum, The Detroit Institute of Arts, The Lavender Festival in Romeo, The Wyandotte Art Fair, the Riverwalk, and of course, the casinos. We have favorite trips which we do every other year, so they don’t get stale: Eastern Market, Art fairs, Frankenmouth, Morley Candy factory, Karr’s Nuts. When we plan these trips, we look for unusual restaurants for lunch.

For events, we have pot luck lunches in the summer, and at Thanksgiving. We Seniors supply the main meat, and the members bring in dishes to pass. This is so popular, that, we are thinking of adding another potluck in March. We have card par-ties, St. Pat’s lunches, winter picnics, and a special lunch for Tiger’s opening day. We do a spaghetti dinner in the fall.

So, why would you join us? Well, you will meet like-minded people. Nothing is more intimidating than walking into a room full of strangers, not knowing anyone. You break into a sweat imagining sitting alone with nobody talking to you. Well not at the Ferndale Seniors. We have a reputation as one of the friendliest groups in Oakland County. Several people have commented on our warmth. People come forward and introduce themselves, and ask if you would like to sit with them. You will learn many new things, and have fun doing it. You will explore our surrounding area within the safety of a group on a bus.

We are not high-pressure, visit us, see if you like what you see.
Jeannie Davis, 248-541-5888

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By Malissa Martin

Ferndale Friends, and the Underwood 5 team members working to bring a community radio station to Ferndale, hosted an emergency meeting on Thursday, January 26 to try to save the imperiled project.

The station must be on the air and broadcasting by August 7, 2017 to keep the construction permit issued by the Federal Communications Commission. In order to make that deadline, station representatives say they must raise another $8 to $10 thousand dollars by this March. Board members have had a challenging time raising the necessary $15 thousand dollars to launch the station. So far, they’ve raised $5 to $7 thousand. The most expensive item in the budget is the most important – the transmitter, which is $4,000 dollars. Without the transmitter, antenna and tower, the radio station cannot launch.

At the meeting, board members of the station presented the station’s vision, plans and updates to interested supporters. The presentation lasted 90 minutes, and ended with plans to keep meeting every two weeks until the station is on the air. Station President Michelle Mirowski says the event went well, and community members appeared to be excited again about the project. “I think it’s great that we had a meeting here and met a lot of people that really want to be involved and see it as a benefit, especially to the community,” says Michelle Mirowski.

According to the Underwood 5 materials, the station plans to offer “Hyperlocal programming, community engagement, promotion of community events, specialty broadcast, and more. Potential programming for the station include: on-air book club, interviews with local news makers, coverage of government and board meetings, Go Comedy hour, prep sports coverage, geek culture and LGBT programming involving Affirmations.”

Once broadcasting, annual expenses for the non-profit radio station are expected to be about $5,000 dollars. The owners of the Rust Belt Market, Chris and Tiffany Best, have offered space in their facility for the station. Station volunteers are on a tight deadline. Funding to help launch the station will come from local sponsors in exchange for on-air mentions once the station is up-and-running. At the meeting, one local businessman offered to donate $2,000 dollars.

Ferndale’s community radio station will broadcast on 100.7 FM, reaching a roughly three-mile radius from the Rust Belt (at Woodward and 9 Mile). It is extremely unlikely the F.C.C. will issue another such license in the Metro Detroit area in the foresee-able future. If this project fails, the dream of a community-owned radio station for Ferndale may be over forever.  “What we have is extremely rare, and I can’t express that enough to people,” says Mirowski. With the deadline fast approaching, Mirowski says she and her team are not giving up. Although they didn’t expect the fundraising to be this challenging, they will continue to work hard until the end.

“This is a passion project and we see benefit in it, and it’s just a great opportunity that doesn’t always come around.” says Mirowski. Board members for the Ferndale Community Radio include: Michelle Mirowski, president; Dave Phillips, secretary/social media; Dave Kim, treasurer/promotions; Jeremy Olystyn, program-ming/training; and Keith Fraley, radio engineer.

For information on donating to help fund the Ferndale Community Radio project email: ferndaleradio@gmail.com. Visit www.ferndaleradio.com any time for more updated information.

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Story by Ingrid Sjostrand
Photo Bernie LaFramboise

Much like any other starving artist, the career of a writer is associated with struggle and the luck of catching a big break. While there is no denying that becoming an established author takes hard work and commitment, Metro Detroit writers now have a little more than just luck on their side with Mad Hatter Publishing Inc. (MHPI).

“Our plan is to be a prominent boutique publisher catering mainly to women writers of genre fiction as well as non-fiction work,” Publisher Gia Cilento says. “We plan to grow our authors and projects over the next several years, creating a healthy portfolio of work.”

Started by Cilento in 2015, MHPI is Ferndale’s very own book and website publishing house. They will release their first works in 2017 and one of the authors you can expect to see is A.M. Paoletti. An Army veteran and the first LGBT author published by Mad Hatter will release her thriller Dark of Night in July of next year.

Cilento has worked in publishing for nearly 30 years and has a strong understanding of the struggles that come with the industry. In fact, her own writing led to the inspiration for the name Mad Hatter.

“In 2010, I was working on another online enterprise (Get Out And Live) and started a writing group based at Affirmations.” she says. “As a group we came up with the name – Mad Hatter Writing Group – established a Facebook group and met twice a month to discuss our writing endeavors, challenges, struggles, dreams, and other silliness that struck our fancy. The name felt like a natural when I decided it was time to pull the trigger on creating a publishing company.”

On top of MHPI, Cilento has been a life coach for 12 years, runs the website Greenify Nation, aimed at offering tips for living a environmentally-conscious life in memory of her stepfather and Minerva Press — a company guiding women interested in self-publishing.

“Minerva Press is the home for our publishing services for self-publishing Women Who Write. We provide coaching, editorial, creative and marketing services for those who wish to publish their work independent of a formal Author-Publisher relationship.” Cilento says.

For those looking for the help of a publisher, Mad Hatter is accepting new submissions but Cilento says preparation is key. This includes building an online presence and fan base, finding an agent and, most importantly, proving they are committed to the long process ahead.

“If a writer wants to have a career and be picked up by a publisher, the publisher will be looking for longevity,” she says. “In other words, we want to know that the author is committed to being around for a series of books and that their work is solid and deep enough to gather an audience.”
And for aspiring writers, she offers five pieces of advice:

First, Bravo! It’s not easy to pour yourself out onto a blank page.

Next, make sure your writing and story are done well. It’s okay for your first draft to be rough but be sure to polish it up before you present it professionally.

Network – online with other writers, writing groups, in-person if possible.

Research – find out which publishers and/or agents specialize in your particular type of writing, what’s working in the realm of author marketing, what kind
of cover would look best for your genre/type of book.

Market – everywhere you go, everyone you meet, there is a potential reader. Let them know what you do and what you’re working on in a personable,
engaging manner,”

And, most importantly, once you get started just keep going. “Keep going even when you feel like giving up,” Cilento says. “Keep going even if it feels like you’re slodging through knee-deep mud.”

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By Maggie Boleyn

The holidays are just around the corner. Everyone has someone who is a little, well, challenging, to shop for. What if you could combine shopping while enjoying craft brews, sweet treats, music and giving back to the community? Check out the “Good Karma Christmas – Holiday Market and Party.”

Good Karma Club founder Muszall says, “The holiday season seems to bring out the best in people.  Everyone is feeling festive and looking for a way to give back to those less fortunate. The Good Karma Christmas -Holiday Market and Party is a way to celebrate and embrace that.  You can get together with friends, have a drink, and do some holiday shopping in a way that supports some of our amazing local non-profit organizations.”

This years’ event is Wednesday, December 7, so by the time you see this it may already be over. This year they are expanding to include a holiday market and unwrapped toys will be collected for the Judson Center. Bringing an unwrapped toy could boost your “good Karma.”

Karma, of course, is a Sanskrit word which, loosely translated, refers to a belief that whatever good (or bad) ff16666_gkc_teamyou do comes back to you, whether in this lifetime, or another. So, by doing something good, something good will happen to you, and vice versa. Whether or not you strictly subscribe to this belief, Good Karma Club certainly strives to do good for others through many local volunteer opportunities.

“The Good Karma Club is all about helping the local community and supporting great local non-profit organizations,” Muszall said. “It’s a great way to meet some like-minded people.”

Averaging more than 100 volunteer events per year, held at a variety of local venues means you should be able to find something to suit your abilities and schedule. “Since the Good Karma Club started in January of 2013, we have had over 300 volunteer events,” Muszall said. “Some of our regular volunteer activities include Forgotten Harvest, Motown Soup, and Everyone’s Garden among others,” she continued.

Like many community minded professionals, Muszall said she wanted to become more involved and volunteer, but had a difficult time finding and fitting in opportunities around a busy work schedule. “It was a frustrating and discouraging process,” she said.  “I figured that I wasn’t the only person in this situation. So, I wanted to create an outlet to make volunteering easier and more fun.”

Convenient volunteering hours are the hallmark of Good Karma.  “We do our best to make it convenient for our volunteers,” said Muszall.  “All of our Good Karma Club volunteer activities are in the evenings or weekends, and they don’t require a big commitment,” Muszall said.  “You just show up and work for a few hours with a nice group of people.”

Currently, 40 different Metro Detroit non-profit organizations participate with Good Karma Club. The current membership has grown to nearly 2,000 members.

The Good Karma Club Christmas and Holiday Market will be held at Loving Touch located at 22634 Woodward Ave in Ferndale on Wednesday December 7th.

In case you missed this year’s Holiday party, don’t wait until your next life to check out Good Karma Club’s other activities. Visit their online calendar for upcoming events at:
www.meetup.com/Good-Karma-Club/events/

Muszall noted that, typically, Good Karma Club has several events each month. Find Good Karma Club on Facebook, or sign up to volunteer at http://www.meetup.com/Good-Karma-Club/

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By Ferndale Schools Superintendent Blake Prewitt

The 2016-2017 school year is off to a great start! We’ve had so many exciting things happening around the district, it is hard to pick just a few to highlight! We look forward to more positive and impactful things and events happening throughout next semester as well!

Our Ferndale High School Golden Eagles Marching Band headed to Ford Field in early November to defend their state championship title. With a score of 91.65, the Golden Eagles clenched their second straight state championship title, bringing their total number of state championship wins up to nine over the last 13 years.

In addition to an overall win the Golden Eagles won all three caption awards; Out-standing Music Performance, Outstanding Visual Performance, and Outstanding General Effect. While it is wonderful for the band to have earned their 9th State Championship in the last 13 years, “I am particularly proud of this year’s band because over a third are first-year marchers, and yet the group as a whole ‘showed up for work’ every rehearsal and got incrementally better each time. That’s hard for any group to do, even far more experienced bands,” said Marching Band Director Elon Jamison

The Ferndale Eagle Football team also had an impressive season, finishing out 7-2 and making it to the State Playoffs! The Eagles went head-to-head with Detroit King at the end of October and, although they lost the game, the journey getting to that point is one worth noting. When Coach Royal started with Ferndale, there was waning interest in the program and as a result he had to move all interested junior varsity players up to the varsity team. Those 10th graders who moved up two years ago are the biggest reason for the team’s turnaround this year. “This 2017 class have set the bar high; they set the expectation for success. The three years they spent as varsity players taught them a lot. Through their hard work and preparation, they have shown the underclassmen what it takes to be successful,” said Coach Royal.

Coach Royal was also recognized for his work by being named “Coach of the Year” for Region 16 by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association.

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By: Jeff Milo, Circulation Specialist

Winter reading challenge for kids of all ages: Expanding and developing youth literacy is a round-the-year-job, so the Ferndale Library is starting sign-ups for its first winter-time reading program, on Monday, November 21. Ferndale’s Youth Services Librarians received a record number of participants during their Summer Reading 2016 program, so now they’re encouraging kids of all ages up to Grade 12 to take advantage of their time away from school work during upcoming winter breaks to have some fun with recreational reading. The Ferndale Library invites kids to take their Winter Reading Challenge. Running Dec ember 1–December 30, the FADL Winter Reading Challenge requires 15 minutes worth of reading for at least 15 days of the month. Librarians will provide each young reader with a fun, interactive log to color in for each reading session. When fully completed logs are turned in during the last week of December, kids/teens can receive a free Chipotle gift-card or a free book (their choice). Three days of programing wraps up Winter Reading starting December 28 with a theater workshop presented by 4th Wall Theatre Group. On the 29th, it’s “Full Steam Ahead,” with hands-on exploration stations and then a matinee mock-New Year’s Eve for kids on Dec 30th. Call the Kids Corner for more info: 248-546-2504.

HOLIDAY TRIM TRADE & DECORATION & ORNAMENT EXCHANGE
Looking to revive your holiday decorations and zazz up your present wrapping? Do you have rolls and rolls of wrapping paper at home that still works, but you’re longing for a fresh patterns after so many years? On Saturday, December 17, the Ferndale Library is hosting a holiday/wintertime swap of varying decorations, where people can drop off and trade their paper, bows, bags and other decorations with other patrons. This event coincides with our ongoing Crafternoons program (always on the third Saturday of the month). Come for the swap from 2-3 PM and stay for other crafty events, including a bow making station where you can learn how to make new and fancy types of bows. There will also be a hot chocolate bar and other crafternoon activities like sewing and knitting. Come make some new craft-loving friends and find new wintertime trimmings.

NEW ART ON DISPLAY
The Library’s Art & Exhibition Committee unveiled it’s latest exhibit, “Urvakan,” a collection of drawings and paintings by Berkley-based artist Mark Benglian. The art will be on exhibit at the library until January 14. Benglian’s work focuses primarily on intuitive mark-making and storytelling. The images he conjures can be whimsical and haunting at the same time, while working in almost a trance-like state with a captivating milieu of muted tones, curious/unique entities and transfixing collages.

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By Sara Teller
Photo By Bernie LaFramboise

The Ferndale Memorial Association was orginally founded in 1919 out of the Ferndale Memorial Society, by members of the American Legion and VFW organizations. It continues to be a community-driven group, and residents of Ferndale are encouraged to participate in the organization’s ongoing meetings, events and other initiatives. The Ferndale Memorial Association coordinates the yearly Memorial Day parade and observance, and the Veterans Day observance. “We have the oldest, continuous Memorial Day parade in the state of Michigan,” says Barbara Earl, active Ferndale Memorial Association Director.

Barbara herself has been with the FMA for 43 years, following in her father’s footsteps who was a World War II veteran and former member of the FMA. Five years ago, the Ferndale Memorial Association began working ff16654_page_1_image_0004with the City of Ferndale to plan a much-needed renovation of the city’s Memorial Mall located at the 9 Mile Rd and Livernois corridor. “The preliminary work – planning, design, and securing proper permits – took up the majority of the time, but we are hoping to have the renovation finalized within the next year,” Barbara says.

The Memorial Mall was originally constructed in 1956 as a commemorative centerpiece for World War veterans, both I and II, affiliated with the Ferndale community, whether in residency, or by school, work, or other means. Additions were made a few years later to include a brick monument upon which the names of deceased veterans who were associated with the city are still proudly displayed.

The City’s Memorial Day and Veteran Day services are centered around this Memorial Mall, a well-known pillar to local residents, including the city’s annual Memorial Day parade. “As part of the Memorial Day services, we have a tradition of reading all of the names of the veterans who passed in the previous year. We put their names at the niche of the monuments for an entire year, with new names added year after year,” Barbara explains.

The various events are kept tasteful out of respect for the veterans and their families, without the hustle and bustle of carnival or vending activities. The city will celebrate its 100th-year event in 2018.
The Mall renovation will make the Memorial area more accessible to all of Ferndale’s residents, regardless of mobility or age. “The main objective was to make the mall more handicapped accessible,” Barbara says.
“We’ve added the needed structure to hook up new handicapped ramps and walk ways, which will be designed to help senior citizens with limited mobility get around as well.” The improvements will ensure the Memorial Mall’s landscape meets all Americans with Disability Act (ADA) standards.

There are two planned phases to the renovation, with the first phase currently underway. It includes demolition, site prep and improvement to the existing structures, making them ADA compliant. In Phase 1, existing vegetation is being removed, and hand rails and ADA approved ramps are being installed. The existing brick wall is undergoing repairs, a new limestone cap is getting installed at the top of the wall and the limestone steps are being replaced. “The main expense will be in installing sidewalks and walkways in the Mall that will connect to the existing curb cuts already installed by the city. That is our current fundraising push, so we can begin that work next summer,” says Ferndale Memorial Association member Karen Roos.

Phase II will focus on landscaping, fencing, engraved brick placement, and renovation of the existing brick area. “We’ll replant flowers, and place new trees and bushes,” Barbara explains. “The goal is to maintain the area, making minor improvements to clean up the space, but leaving it as the Founding Fathers intended.” The City of Ferndale and the Ferndale Memorial Association hope that making the needed improvements will help to preserve the Memorial Mall for future generations.

The Memorial Mall restoration project is projected to total between $40,000 and $60,000. Fundraising events, including a large civic and community outreach campaign, have been scheduled. The plans were shared with the public during this summer’s Memorial Day celebration, and the group is currently focusing on completing the ADA structure. Donations are also being graciously accepted. The FMA will work with the City of Ferndale to determine how residents can best get involved as the project moves forward.

Those interested in volunteering their services or in making donations can contact Joann Willcock through the Ferndale Memorial Association at FerndaleMemorial@gmail.com.

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An open door or window, a startling sound, or sometimes a traumatic event like a car accident, can separate a pet from its human and leave it wandering the streets.

“It is estimated that one in three companion animals will become displaced in a lifetime,” Leah Doslea says. “Mobility is the top cause for displacement, if your animal can move or if your animal travels with you, it faces potential displacement risk.”

Doslea, who grew up in Ferndale, is the founder of “For the Love of Louie,” a Michigan-based community Facebook group aimed at using social media to reunite pets with their owners and offer a platform for posting found animals. Currently, the group boasts over 1000 reunions per month and has found K9 dogs, senior animals and even a partially-paralyzed tortoise.

Doslea started the group in 2011, after sharing a coworker’s missing family pet on social media and receiving an overwhelming response.

“I was in complete awe of the compassion that quickly surrounded me; strangers shared information with their networks, performed searches, distributed flyers, contacted local veterinary clinics, generated ads and offered encouragement,” Doslea says.

Soon after her coworker’s pet was found, another dog named Louie went missing. This Louie had been recently adopted out of a hoarding situation, and was only visiting the area from Baltimore. His great escape, which included climbing a dresser, lifting a window and pushing out the screen, had him on the run for three weeks. Doslea thought she would try using social media again and, after the sharing and support of thousands, Louie re-found his family.

“His reunion, once again, demonstrated the importance of awareness, the power of social networking, and the compassion embedded in our community. Recognizing the need for broad displaced animal advocacy, ‘For the Love of Louie’ was launched.” she says.

The Facebook page is run by a small group of administrators, and is online 18-plus hours a day. They welcome volunteers and offer training. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact loveoflouie13@yahoo.com — all you need is a computer, Internet access and knowledge of Microsoft Excel.
What are some ways to ensure your pet returns home safely? Identification such as tags and microchips are the best start, says Doslea.

“A collar with an identification tag is important, as it’s visible to a potential finder and contact can be quickly established,” she says. “Microchips are wonderful invisible identification tools; Collars and tags can fall off and microchips provide alternative identification.”

And if you come across a lost animal, Doslea says the worst thing you can do is make assumptions. Even though an animal might look disheveled, underfed or skittish, these are all potential side effects of being displaced.

“We have networked and reunited animals witnessed being thrown from vehicles, tied to posts, and placed in random fenced areas — these actions were not done by their families,” Doslea says. “While it’s important to use our voices to speak for animals, we must be mindful of our words and actions. We best serve displaced animals by avoiding assumptions, following laws, and embracing advocacy.”

While For the Love of Louie is not an official organization with a logo yet, Doslea says that the community is what makes it successful and her favorite part of running this group is seeing strangers’ eagerness to help reunite animals with their loved ones.

“For the Love of Louie would not be successful without the community; every share, suggestion, tip, or positive comment has value and may lead directly to a reunion or provide knowledge or encouragement to families and finders. Those seemingly simple ‘shares’ have the ability to cover distance far more rapidly than a displaced animal and can yield great joy,” Doslea says. “We are truly grateful to each and every person who engages in displaced animal advocacy.”

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Story by Ingrid Sjostrand

Bus shelters aren’t the most visually appealing structures in a city and Ferndale was no exception – until recently, thanks to the Ferndale Downtown Development Authority (DDA), in collaboration with the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART).

In August, they completed the first installment of the “Put the Art in SMART” project by renovating the bus shelter on West 9 Mile, right off Woodward Ave. Not only does it have a fresh coat of vibrant red paint, it features a rotating collection of art in place of old advertisements and — most notably — a green, living roof.

The project began as collaboration from DDA design committee volunteer Dustin Hagfors and Chris Best, co-owner of Rustbelt Market, with the help of Cindy Willcock, operations manager of the DDA. “The idea to replace the ‘Get Tested STI’advertisements, which were no longer under contract, and make the screen into a revolving art gallery was what jump-started the plan,” Hagfors says. “Through collaboration with Cindy and Chris, we were able to develop an idea that brought some vibrancy to the community.”

Through connections at SMART, Hagfors, who has a master’s degree in urban planning, arranged a meeting where he and Willcock pitched the idea to Madonna Van Fossen, SMART’s Oakland County Ombudsperson.

“SMART gave their blessing to our idea for the first shelter and has been very open to all we’ve pitched,”  Willcock says. “[We] ran our idea by Van Fossen and she was very interested and enthused — she even came out and helped us clean and paint the shelter!”

When Best heard about the project, he knew exactly how he wanted to contribute. “I have been dreaming about putting a living roof on these bus stops for three years.  The way these structures are built, they are just begging for it!” he says.

And Best had the expertise too, having built a living roof on his own home seven years ago, which has the same slanted roof structure as the shelters.

These updates do more than just make Ferndale more aesthetically pleasing, Hagfors says.
“It draws positive attention to the great transportation options we have available,” he says. “Ferndale is one of the only communities in Metro Detroit that has multiple lines of bus service available seven days a week, and my hope was that an artistic shelter would not only bring attention to mass transit but also make mass transit cool.”

Willcock notes the importance of a clean, safe place for those waiting for the bus, and has research to back it up. “It’s been shown that these types of enhancements actually help mitigate vandalism to the shelters and surrounding area; in fact, a federal study concluded that more people used public transit systems that incorporated art.” Willcock says.

The project needed to be completed quickly; after approval from SMART on August 10th it already had a prime-time TV spot for the following week.

“The bus stop – or at least its location – kind of picked us! The ultimate deciding factor was that Detroit Public Television was going to be filming ‘Dream Cruise Road Show’ on Nine Mile, right in front of the bus shelter on August 18,” Willcock says. “We wanted to make sure Downtown Ferndale looked great, everything just lined up for us!”

A total of 12 volunteers helped complete the project, including Best, Hagfors and Ryan Williams — who created the “Art in SMART” posters. Ferndale businesses jumped at the chance to participate too, by providing plants and donating money.

“Modern Tree and Landscape LLC saw our post asking for plants, and donated nearly $400 worth!
Without that generous donation, I don’t know how long it would have taken to get all the plants needed,” Best says. “Renaissance Vineyard Church even chipped in with a donation -churches usually accept donations, not give –love that Pastor Jim!”

There are three other shelters in Ferndale, and the DDA hopes to start executing renovation of those in the spring of 2017. In the meantime they will work on developing funding, and Hagfors says he’s already creating some eye-catching ideas for the other shelters.

“As the DDA volunteer manager, there’s nothing more gratifying than having a volunteer take such interest and ownership in a project and being able to help them turn their idea into reality!”  Willcock says. “Anyone interested in getting involved or finding out more about ‘Putting the Art in SMART’ can contact the Ferndale DDA at 248-546-1632 or info@downtownferndale.com.”

Best is excited for the potential of the project and notes that it couldn’t have happened without the DDA.
“The DDA does a lot for the downtown and this is just another example of that; they acted like the glue to bind everyone together to make it happen,” he says. “Projects such as this continue to set Ferndale apart as an example of what is possible in a downtown. Ambition plus creativity plus execution equals amazing every time.

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Ed Klobucher loves Hazel Park, his home town. Protective and proud of its past and excited about its future, he’s been the City Manager since 2002, longer than anyone else in the town’s 75-year history. He oversees the day-to-day operations, the budget, the personnel.

Hazel Park (which has a council/manager form of government) was incorporated in 1941, just after Pearl Harbor Day. The Municipal Building reflects Hazel Park’s sense of country and community, with its flags and faded news clippings that tell the stories of generations of veterans.

Hazel Park is Ferndale’s neighbor to the east. The towns share a lot, including part of the school district. But HAZEL PARK slHazel Park is Hazel Park. “We’re a little more blue-collar, maybe a little edgier” says Klobucher. He grew up in the shadow of the Hazel Park Raceway and smiles, recalling the day his mom had a big win. “She won the perfecta and we got new furniture.”

His parents are back in town after a retirement break. It’s good to have them  in an urban environment with access to culture, community and health care. Ed lives here with his wife Diane. Two kids and two adored grandkids fill out  the family.

He shares his office space with Assistant City Manager Jeff Campbell and Office Administrator Linda Yono. They bring a wealth of education and experience in so many different areas, from law enforce-ment and education to urban planning and film production, all of which help as they work for the diverse and collaborative community.

Klobucher speaks affectionately about former Police Chief and acting City Manager Albert Sadow, who was ff1663233_ed_worknot only a mentor but a tremendous role model. He recalls the honor of being Sadow’s road patrol partner. Fast forward to the present and he praises Amy Kruppe, the Hazel Park School Superintendent. “She’s a pleasure to work with.” So many projects and people to discuss, but Ed is particularly proud of “Promise Zone,” a terrific program that “guarantees all residents a tuition-free path to an associate’s degree,” a wonderful opportunity.

Like Detroit and Ferndale, Hazel Park is in the process of a renaissance of sorts. They are trying to create a culinary district, which started with the opening of the wonderful Mabel Gray restaurant. There are more new places opening – announcements to come soon – but don’t forget the long-time favorites: Pi’s Thai, Louie’s Pizza, Brayz Burgers and Country Boy. “We keep what’s great, but we’re open to change.”

The citizens of Hazel Park will make sacrifices for the big picture, but you get the sense that Klobucher wants the folks who’ve invested their lives in his town to feel good about it. “Community resiliency is important to me.”

Great restaurants, small businesses, the Raceway, the Ice Arena, an annual arts fair, great opportunities for students. Good real estate value, outstanding city services, community, a terrific location. It’s easy for Ed to ff1663233_page_2_image_0002sell Hazel Park to the newcomer. “We are that little sliver of Oakland County east of Woodward. Five minutes from everywhere.” The cool new town? The City Manager smiles. “We’ve always been cool, but folks are now finding out how cool we are.”

His plan? Above all, Ed Klobucher wants his hometown to “survive and thrive.” He is cautiously optimistic about the future. Things aren’t perfect, but “I love what it’s been and I’m excited about what it can be. We’re doing everything we can to keep Hazel Park going in the right direction.”

To learn more about Hazel Park, call 248-546-7000 or go to www.hazelpark.org

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