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By Cindy Willcock

Thursday, October 15

Downtown Ferndale goes to the dogs on Thursday, October 15 when Fido Does Ferndale takes over the district with canine activities, vendors and doggone good fun.

The FUN event happens from 5:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. and takes place throughout the downtown with headquarters set up at Schiffer Park at Planavon and West Nine Mile Road. The event includes a canine treasure hunt featuring FREE doggie treats at more than a dozen participating businesses, a Pooch Parade, dog contest and opportunities to meet and make a new best friend via several pet rescues and adoption agencies.

More than 20 dog-friendly venders will be set up on Downtown Ferndale sidewalks for the event. They’ll be selling everything from organic foods, boarding and grooming and pet sitting to doggie bandanas and much more.

You can learn more by visiting Fido Does Ferndale on Facebook or the Fido event page at www.downtownferndale.com

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Thursday, May 14

FernCare Clinic provides no-cost medical care to the uninsured or under- insured in our own community and the surrounding area. Now you can help them continue their critical mission to help the most vulnerable among us while enjoying an evening of dining on historic Belle Isle at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum. The dinner will be held on May 14 from 6:00 to 9:00 P.M. Individual tickets may be purchased for $50. Sponsorships are also available at various levels (see website for details.) Go to www.ferncare.org and use the PayPal buttons on the right to purchase dinner tickets or sponsorhips.

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Story by David Wesley

Affirmations’ annual LGBT Health and Wellness Fair returns on Saturday, April 18 from 1:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. This one-day event offers free one-on-one health consultations and educational workshops for all in need of check-ups or information regarding personal health. The Health and Wellness Fair will also include free healthy snacks, fitness classes, raffle prizes, a live DJ and a special performance. This year’s fair will also host a vendor marketplace that will feature various health-related agencies and organizations to help LGBTQ+ community members and their allies have a broader range of options concerning personal health. The Health and Wellness Fair provides the opportunity to connect directly with LGBTQ+ community members and their allies both inside and outside of Ferndale. Last year Affirmations welcomed more than 100 community members at the event. The staff at Affirmations told Ferndale Friends they are planning on a huge turnout. They are optimistic this year’s event will be a success not only for Affirmations and the LGBTQ+ community but for the citizenry of Ferndale as a whole.

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Story by David Wesley

On Sunday, May 31 from 6:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M., Affirmations will host The Transgender Day of Empowerment. It’s an annual event not only to raise awareness and educate on transgender identification and other issues, but to also to empower transgender people in and around the community, in Ferndale and beyond. Transgender Day of Empowerment is a day about by boldly asking what trans people and their allies can do differently, through actions and attitudes, to help create more empathy and understanding, rather than focusing on, and surrendering to, what others do to deny total equality.

A broad panel of colorful organizers comes together every year to help arrange the event, ranging from representatives of nonprofits such as KICK (The Agency for Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Transgender African- Americans) to volunteers from schools such as Oakland University.

“This day is to empower the transgender community, to show that we are human beings and this is our day,” says Michelle Fox-Phillips, executive director of Transgender Detroit.

Organizers predict the day will succeed in its goal, empowering the transgender community and its allies. The reception of the community members was well received at last year’s event in Ferndale and demonstrated that, as Fox-Phillips put it: “The Ferndale community is very transgender-friendly.”

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/tdoe2014

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The Ferndale Arts and Cultural Commission is resuming their Salon Sunday series on Sunday, May 17, June 14, and July 19 from 6:00 to 7:00 P.M. at Dino’s. Cost is free. Come enjoy a drink, dinner, good music and visit with your friends in a low-key atmosphere. Call Jeannie at 248-541-5888 for more information.

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On Saturday October 10, join us for a fun- filled fall day at Martin Road Park! Activities include: pony rides, hay rides, carnival games, face painting and more! For more information, please contact the Ferndale Recreation Department at 248-544-6767 or visit www.ferndalemi.gov

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By Adam O’Connor

July 3-5

Metro Times and Ultimate Fun Productions kicks off Royal Oak Rib Fest on Independence Day weekend in downtown Royal Oak, beginning Friday, July 3 and continuing through Sunday, July 5. The Royal Oak Farmers Market and the surrounding lot will play host to the event, providing a fantastic backdrop for the family-friendly occasion.

There will be plenty to see, do and hear – multiple stages of music, a kid zone, a rib cookoff and more – providing entertainment, food and beverages for all ages.

“Professionally, Metro Times and Ultimate Fun Productions have proven over and over again that they understand what people like to do and how to have fun. They take everyone into account, they’re full of good ideas, and the events never have problems – people like them, and they make Royal Oak a destination,” says Judy Davids, Royal Oak Community Engagement Specialist.

The hours of the festival are from 4:00 P.M. until 11:00 P.M. on Friday, noon until midnight on Saturday, and noon until 8:00 P.M. on Sunday. More information is available at royaloakribfest.com

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By Jill Lorie Hurst

Monday, May 25

In 1865, a group of former slaves in Charleston, South Carolina honored the Union soldiers who died fighting for their freedom, moving them from a mass grave to a proper burial ground. In 1868, Memorial Day officially became the time to remember the fallen Civil War soldiers. Originally called “Decoration Day” because families walked to the cemeteries and decorated the graves of the soldiers, today some think of it as a three-day weekend or the unofficial start of summer. The Ferndale Memorial Association makes sure that all involved remember. Barbara Earle, Director of the FMA, says: “We honor not only those who died in war, but those who came back and rejoined their community.”

In 1919, Ferndale held its first Memorial Day parade. It is the oldest continuous Memorial Day parade in Michigan. It ” doesn’t have clowns or candy.” A different veteran serves as marshal each year. School bands participate, as do local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops. Children decorate their bicycles with patriotic colors and pictures and ride in the parade, which starts at 10:00 A.M. A ceremony at the Memorial across from the Ferndale Fire Department begins at 11:00 A.M. with the reading of the

“Honor Roll” (the names of veterans from Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge and Oak Park), then Barbara slips the paper with their names into the niche at the Memorial. The flag goes up at noon.

Barbara Earle has worked with the Memorial Association for 42 years. Her father (a WWII Marine who served in the Pacific Theater) was president of the Association then, and needed an assistant. She is proud of their work and the fact that they make sure that there is a “proper observance of any patriotic holiday” in Ferndale.

I also met some folks who are part of the “Michigan Fallen Foot Float.” Participants from a number of Michigan counties walk silently, carrying photographs of those who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. We discussed the emotion involved in this event. “Hornet’s Nest,” a documentary about our soldiers in Afghanistan, will be shown at the Ferndale Library on May 12 and 19.

No one I spoke with talked politics. Ed Allison says, “The politics of war have nothing to do with the death of our people.” Everyone I reached out to spoke with such sincerity, conviction and respect. It was very moving. Barbara Earle: “We take a few minutes to stop and honor the soldiers for their sacrifice and then enjoy the freedom they fought for.”

At the end of the day, we can only hope to be remembered for our kindness, our bravery, our willingness to put others first. At the Memorial Day Parade and ceremony in Ferndale, a grateful community gathers to show our veterans that they will never be forgotten.

Memorial Day is Monday, May 25.

For more information about the Ferndale Memorial Day parade, or if you wish to volunteer, please call (248) 546-1632, e- mail ferndalefootfloat@gmail.com or go to www.ferndalemi.gov.

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By Adam O’Connor

Saturday June 20

In celebration of the craft beer industry, Ultimate Fun Productions and Metro Times are pleased to announce another installment to the Royal Oak Beer Fest series – Summer Beer Fest – to be held in downtown Ferndale on Saturday, June 20. An all day festival, featuring multiple local retail vendors, food vendors and beverage companies, the event begins at noon and continues until 11:00 P.M. Admission into the festival will only cost attendees $10.

Benefiting Handy Hearts, the event will be an amazing experience in taste and sound including hot music to compliment cool brews. Breweries from around the world, across the state and down the street will showcase their unique libations – well over 150 beers total! The focus of Summer Beer Fest is the promotion of craft beers and the brewers that create them. This event is the perfect opportunity for beer aficionados, beer lovers and the casual beer drinker to speak to company representatives and brewers responsible for some of their favorite brews. It’s an opportunity to discover and taste new brews, seasonal beers and special “limited release” beers and ales.

“The Ferndale Area Chamber of Commerce is looking forward to Summer Beer Fest – produced by business member Metro Times – making its debut this June in Ferndale,” said Ashleigh Laabs, Executive Director Ferndale Area Chamber of Commerce. More information is available at www.ferndalesummerbeerfest.com.

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By Monica Mills

Saturday, December 5

On Saturday, December 5, 2015, Ferndale’s Downtown will again commemorate the day in December 1933 that Congress and President Franklin D Roosevelt passed the 21st amendment, ending prohibition. What better way to mark this historic occasion than by enjoying legal libation with a twist of costumed history?

Venues will feature 1930s décor and offer special drink prices. Staff and patrons are encouraged to wear period costumes (gangsters, flappers, rum runners etc.) The event will raise funds for Ferndale Good Fellows who offer assistance to needy families during the holiday season. Last year, eight watering holes and over a dozen volunteers raised almost $4,000. The present economy is still challenging but those and additional folks are committed to offering support again.

Off-duty police officers work with the fire department and other service organizations as part of Good Fellows to ensure that each child in need is warm, sheltered, fed, and hopefully have a toy for the holiday. Donations will be collected through “passing the moonshine jug,” raffles, possible cover charges at some venues and through corporate contributions.

If you are a venue or a sponsor interested in joining the fun, please contact Larry or Monica Mills at 248-330-2328 or email monmil@sbcglobal.net.

Last year’s sponsors include:

• Tito’s Vodka
• Templeton Rye
• Sneakers
• Danny’s Irish Pub
• The Bar Down Stairs
• Green Thumb Garden Center
• John R Glass of Troy
• Sucher Tire Service
• Just 4 Us
• Oakland 115.com
• Ferndale Friends
• Tiffani & Tom Gagne
• Craig Covey
• Councilman Greg Pawlica
• Mayor Pro-tem Dan Martin

Last year’s clubs and restaurants participating include:

• Danny’s Irish Pub, venue and sponsor
• Dino’s
• Howe’s Bayou
• New Way Bar
• Sneakers, venue and sponsor
• Soho
• Tony’s Sports Bar
• Twisted Tavern

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