On August 6, the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce will host the “Cruisin’ Dearborn” Car Parade as part of this year’s Homecoming festivities.

Following registration at 6 p.m., the cars will depart from the 19th District Court on Michigan Ave., traveling through historic West Dearborn and ending at Ford Field Park.

All 150 classic cars will then be on display at the Children’s Activity Field, where cruisers can enjoy the music of Horizon and the Two & a Half Feet Deep bands. If you have a classic car you’d like to show off, it’s not too late to register online! To do so, click HERE.

We spoke of chickens here once before, so we thought it might be appropriate to share this story in today’s Detroit News about a rooster that is getting the boot from a residential neighborhood near Petoskey after a 16 month fight.  For that story, click HERE.

No hens in Dearborn.

As for the chicken case in Dearborn, resident Syeda Akbari, who had been hoping to keep her chickens, has been denied the right to do so at her home in Dearborn. That earlier story is HERE.

Dearborn City Council decided to punt the matter to the city attorney’s office.  The legal team simply sent a letter to Akbari saying “City Council would not take any further action on the subject at this time.” Attached to that letter sent to Akbari was a copy of a paper the legal department sent to Council members simply containing the relevant city codes on chickens and a recommendation to draw up a new ordinance if the council wanted to permit Akbari to keep chickens as pets.

The council’s decision to take no further action means there will be no chickens, at least not until a homeowner some day decides to challenge the current ordinance in court.

Moose's Martini Pub in Deaborn is now open for business.

After nearly seven months of renovations and paper work, Dearborn’s newest bar is now open.

Moose’s Martini Pub, 22217 Michigan Ave., officially opened its doors this afternoon. Hisam Elawad who owns and operates the pub with his brother, Chad, says their new place is a mix between a martini pub and a bar.

“It has a northern lodge feel,” says Elawad, a Dearborn resident. “I wanted something casual and fun.”

We wrote that the pub was coming back in January  We will have more to say about this newest martini pub but here are some facts about the club until then:

– “Happy Hour” 3pm-7pm‎ Half Off All Food Items‎‎ (Drink Specials begin Monday, July 19)

– “The Nooner” Noon-3pm‎ $1 Domestic Bottles everyday‎‎ (Drink Specials begin Monday, July 19)

– Corporate Parties‎ Yes.‎‎

– Food Yes. Oven Baked Appetizers

– Drink Specials‎ All Day, Every Day‎‎ (Drink Specials begin Monday, July 19)

– Email‎ info@moosesmartinipub.com‎‎

– Music‎ Adult Contemporary/Classic Rock/Motown by day & 70s, 80s, 90s Hits‎‎ by night

– Outdoor Seating‎ Yes.‎‎

– Payment Accepted‎ American Express‎‎, Cash‎‎, Discover‎‎, MasterCard‎‎, Visa‎‎

– Sport Friendly‎ Yes. Six 50-inch LED TVs‎‎

If you have questions about the Wayne County Commission, County Commission Gary Woronchak will answer them in Dearborn on July 15 at Dearborn City Hall.

The meeting with Woronchak (D-Dearborn) will begin at 10 a.m. in the City Council Chambers.

Meetings of the Wayne County Commission are usually held in downtown Detroit at the Guardian Building.  Some meetings are scheduled in individual commissioners’ districts so the public can more easily attend.

Woronchak arranged for the July 15 meeting to be held in his 13th District, which includes Dearborn, Allen Park and Melvindale.

“It’s not always convenient for residents of my district to travel downtown to see a commission meeting,” said Woronchak in a release, “so I’m glad to be bringing a meeting into the 13th District so people can see the commission do its work.”

The Wayne County Commission is the legislative branch of county government, serving as a check and balance to the executive branch, which is headed up by Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano. The chief role of a commissioner, a part-time position with an annual salary of nearly $70,000, is to adopt a budget and enact ordinances.  The commission also approves contracts and appointments. There are 15 commissioners elected in individual districts.

After nearly eight months of running her own business, Vicki Snapp Barndollar is closing the door on her Deli on the Avenue.

Deli owner Vicki Barndollar, left, and her niece, Heather VanOast, began serving sandwiches in December.

Rather than try to sell her business (she did consider it), for personal reasons Barndollar says she is simply going to sell the equipment in her deli, 949 Military, and move on to the next chapter in her life.

We wrote about her Deli on the Avenue when it opened in December and again in May when city officials approved the deli’s request for outdoor seating.  Barndollar said closing was a tough decision to make but a necessary one at this point in her life.

“It saddens me to say that I have had to close it due to personal reasons,” said Barndollar, a 1978 Fordson High School grad. “I do want to thank everyone who came in and supported us. We had so many regular faces each and everyday. They had honestly become our friends. It was a hard battle to get where we had become but it was so worth every minute of it.

“I think it would be wonderful if someone could do the same type of thing that I did, but right now for me the timing was just off.”

Down the road might there be a Deli on The Avenue Two? “Who knows,” Barndollar says.

Best of luck . . .

(Source: Glass Academy press release)

A spectacular glassblowing beer tasting event on August 5th from 4-10pm; brought to you by Edible WOW of food samples, 5 Michigan breweries, and hand crafted glass tumblers coupled with live glassblowing. For more info, click HERE.

$45 Ticket Includes:

1 – Hand Blown Beer Tumbler

2 – Complimentary Drink tickets

Food Samples by edibleWOW sponsors

$200 VIP Ticket Includes: All of the above PLUS

Private Dining Area

Air Conditioning

An Extravagant Drinking Vessel, & more

Participating Michigan Breweries:

Arbor Brewing Co. – Ann Arbor

Motor City Brewing Works – Detroit

Kuhnhenn Brewing Co. – Warren

Arbor Brewing Co. Corner Brewery – Ypsilanti

Rochester Mills Beer Co. – Rochester Hills

**Tickets must be purchased in advance, no tickets sold at the door. Must be 21 years of age to purchase, ID will be checked at the door.

Date: August 5th, 2010

Time: 4pm to 10pm

Location: 25331 Trowbridge, Dearborn 48124

It appears the last auction for the Dearborn Atrium, formerly Adams Jr. High School, didn’t fetch an amount that was likeable to its owners. Read earlier story, HERE.

Sold in 2005 for $19 million, the Dearborn Atrium bidding begins at $390,000.

The Dearborn Atrium is again being offered through an online auction with REDC Commercial and CB Richard Ellis. Like the first auction, the starting bid is $390,000. You can submit a bid by clicking HERE.

There will be two open houses at renovated school on Friday, July 16 and July 23 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The auction itself will begin July 27 and is scheduled to end on July 29, 2010 at 1:05 p.m. (EST).

For those interested in scheduling a walk through the property, you can contact Christopher Conwell at 248-351-2049 or christopher.conwell@cbre.com

The city of Dearborn is informing residents that it has a number of “cooling stations” for those troubled by the extreme heat.

Residents are invited to visit the four public libraries and the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center during regular business hours to cool off in the air-conditioned public buildings, the city says in a recent press release.

The Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Ave., is open from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Residents are invited to sit in the lobby area. Inside the Center, senior citizens are welcome to stay in the Senior Center, which has a lounge. The Senior Center’s regular business hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call The Center at 943-2350.

The library locations and their hours are as follows:

 Henry Ford Centennial Library, 16301 Michigan Ave., Monday-Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.; Fridays 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

 Bryant Branch, 22100 Michigan Avenue; Esper Branch, 12929 W. Warren Ave.; and Snow Branch, 23950 Princeton Ave. Branch hours are Monday and Tuesday 12:30-8:30 p.m.; Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

For more information about the libraries, call 943-2330.

Overdue fines at Dearborn libraries is being increased to 25 cents per day, per item.

The Dearborn Library Commission recently voted to increase overdue fines and increase the daily Internet pass fee to $2 and the annual pass to $20 for all non-resident library cardholders. Overdue fines for entertainment videos and DVDs remain $2 per day.

All increases took effect July 1, 2010, the start of the City’s new fiscal year.

For the first time, through July 16, the Library is offering a Food for Fines program. During this time, patrons may donate non-perishable, non-expired food items and receive $1 reduction in overdue library fines for every item donated. All donated items will be given to the Dearborn Firefighters for distribution to families in need through the Burn Drive program.

For more information, stop by any one of the four Dearborn Public Library locations, visit www.dearbornlibrary.org or call 313-943-2330.

Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. will present Rima Fakih, recently crowned Miss USA, with a Key to the City on July 10 at 10 a.m. at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.

“We’re celebrating her win and offering an opportunity to hear Rima speak about her path to success,” O’Reilly said in a city press release.

The free event takes place in the Center’s Michael A. Guido Theatre. According to a city press release, Fakih will “deliver an inspirational message to motivate young people on how they too can reach their goals.” A short reception will follow.

Tickets must be picked up in advance from the theatre box office (313-943-2354).

Fakih returns to Dearborn after traveling abroad as Miss USA. Since being crowned on May 16, she has made appearances in China, Rwanda and many cities in the U.S. She is posting a video blog of her activities on www.missuniverse.com. Fakih, who grew up with her younger brother in Dearborn and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Michigan – Dearborn, says she plans to attend law school after completing her reign as Miss USA.