After years of delays, it finally appears that three vacant buildings in downtown West Dearborn could soon be demolished by year’s end.

The former Brothers Tuxedo building at Michigan and Howard is one of three buildings city council approved to be demolished.

Dearborn City Council on Tuesday night approved (yet again) the demolition of the three biggest eyesores on Michigan Avenue: the Bally Total Fitness (previously a Vic Tanny); Brothers Tuxedo (gutted years ago and rotting since) and the remaining half of the building that was once Guilano’s restaurant.

Regular readers of this site will recall that the removal of these three buildings — all on the north side of Michigan Avenue between Military and Howard streets — were a key part of the Dearborn Village Partners (DVP) corporation’s planned development on Michigan, which at one time included a movie theater and condo/apartment living. In fact, those very plans for the development were submitted to the State of Michigan in order to obtain Brownfield tax credits.

A birdseye view of an early rendering of the DVP project that was once proposed on Michigan between Military and Howard.

With the economy still struggling, it is doubtful the scope and magnitude of the original development will ever see the light of day. The good news, however, is that a new plan for the property must be submitted to both the city and state if DVP still hopes to secure those tax credits.

It isn’t quite clear who will pay for demolition of the three buildings. At one point, it was going to be the city of Dearborn. The city would then hold a lien on the property until it recouped its cleanup costs. It now appears DVP will be paying to have the buildings razed.

The  city of Dearborn, the Dearborn Area Ministerial Association (DAMA) and The Henry Ford are coming together to remember the events of Sept. 11, 2001 during a “Remembrance & Unity” candlelight vigil at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011 on the front lawn of the Henry Ford Museum. The event is free to the public.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder will join Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. and The Henry Ford President Patricia Mooradian at this solemn ceremony that will offer both reflection on the past events and a shared hope for the future.

“We are inviting everyone to join us at this event, which will highlight the unity of our community,” O’Reilly said. “The tragic events of September 11 drew us together like never before as a nation, a state and a city. We will remember with respect the impact of that day 10 years ago, and at the same time reinforce the enduring community connections that comforted us then, and continue to strengthen us now.”

The vigil will include community leaders, members of the clergy and music. It will be held regardless of the weather and last about one hour. Candles will be provided and seating for people who are disabled will be available.

“It is truly an honor to host this event at The Henry Ford,” Mooradian said. “In 2001, days after the events that occurred on September 11th, we found people coming through our museum gates in an effort to seek solace and refuge and to be inspired by our nation’s history in a time of great uncertainty. Ten years later, we feel it is so important to gather as one community, to remember and to move forward with great hope and optimism for the future.”

For more information, please call The Henry Ford at 313-982-6001 or visit the website at www.thehenryford.org

Dearborn artist Janet Kondziela paints food at Top Dog Coney Island, 13342 Michigan.

Dearborn Paints – Good Food, an exhibition of art, commerce, marketing and a bit of fun, is finally completed and open to the public.

Following 12 months of painting good food from Dearborn restaurants (and probably a bit of tasting it, too, we hope), Dearborn artist Janet Kondziela is putting down her easel and paints, just for a day, so we call can view her original paintings of each restaurant’s signature product.

We wrote about Kondziela’s restaurant project a year ago, HERE and some of you may have bumped into her while she was on location at several Dearborn establishments with her easel and paints.

Aided by a grant from the Dearborn Community Fund and some additional support from the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce, Kondziela was on site at more than 25 businesses.

Now her finished works will be open to the public on Friday, Sept. 9 at the Padzieski Gallery, located in the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Ave. The public reception for the opening runs from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Friday and the exhibit will run until Sept. 24.

There will be a Dearborn Chamber of Commerce “After Hours” reception on Wednesday, Sept. 7, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Those wishing to attend that event should contact the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce at 584-6100 to make a reservation.

Both events are free.

From left to right, Dearborn's newest principals, Jamel Lawera, Kristin Waddell and Daniel Hartley.

Students at three Dearborn schools will begin the school year with new principals.

The Board of Education recently approved the appointment of the following principals:

Mr. Daniel Hartley, Principal of DuVall Elementary (my childhood elementary), previously Assistant Principal at Bryant Middle School

Ms. Kristin Waddell, Principal of Whitmore-Bolles Elementary, previously Assistant Principal at Maples Elementary

Mr. Jamel Lawera, Principal of Salina Intermediate, previously Assistant Principal at Salina Intermediate.

The Dearborn School District was fortunate to have had many outstanding candidates for these positions. We wish all three of these administrators a great school year.

Say goodbye to Dearborn’s Snow Branch Library, the first casualty of Dearborn’s budget cutting.

The last day of service to the community for Snow is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 2.

Dearborn, like many municipalities in the metro area, is faced with extremely difficult decisions in order to balance the budget.

While the closure of Snow Branch is an example of one of those decisions, the City is retaining all library services through the Henry Ford Centennial Library on Michigan Avenue as well as the Bryant Branch Library, 22100 Michigan Ave. and the Esper Branch Library at 12929 W. Warren Ave.

In addition, because of the reciprocal borrowing agreement with Dearborn Heights, Dearborn residents can use the Caroline Kennedy Library at 24590 George Street and the John F. Kennedy, Jr. Library at 24602 Van Born Road.

The return drop box at the Snow Branch Library will be open until the end of September to accommodate those patrons returning library material.

The Well bar in Dearborn.

The owners of The Well bar, which opened in Dearborn’s West Village Commons in September 2009, held their first ever golf outing for charity and raised about $3,500, all of which is being donated to the Make a Wish Foundation

“We decided to have the event to raise some money for a charity,” said Dale W. Gehringer Jr., one of the owners of The Well. “We looked at a few and we selected the Make A Wish Foundation. We just really wanted everyone to have a great time for a good cause.”

Gehringer said 88 people attended the outing, which was held at the Inkster Valley Golf Club Aug. 20.

Of course an outing like this takes the help of many sponsors to be successful. Gehringer says The Well wants to thank all who participated and/or donated, including many Dearborn restaurants and bars who donated gift cards. Even Chris Chelios donated a few autographed items for auction and some Thomas Holdstrom items, as well.

“We had many sponsors for this event that donated either Hole Sponsorships or gifts that we raffled away after the outing,” Gehringer said. “We plan on having an annual outing every year.”

The sculpture 'Internal Combustion' by Douglas Gruizenga, is located at Michigan and Brady near the Dearborn Historical Museum.

If you like those art sculptures you see while driving through Dearborn (we do) you can thank the Dearborn Community Fund, the non-profit organization that provides resources to support recreational and cultural projects in Dearborn.

Twelve new sculptures are enhancing the landscape in east and west Dearborn along Michigan Avenue.

The artwork was installed through Dearborn’s Art in Public Places project as part of the Midwest Sculpture Initiative (MSI).

The Dearborn Community Fund (DCF) project has expanded since it was first initiated in 2009 when eight sculptures were placed around the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.

“Public interaction and interest in the project provided the encouragement to host a new exhibit for the third year in a row,” said EmmaJean Woodyard, executive director of the DCF.

This is the second year that the East Dearborn Downtown Development Authority (EDDDA) and the West Dearborn Downtown Development Authority (WDDDA) are collaborating in the project, which has helped to expand the initiative and increase the number of sculptures from eight to 12.

Residents and visitors to Dearborn are encouraged to take a sculpture tour.

“The sculptures range from whimsical to serene, provocative to straight forward,” Woodyard noted. “Residents already have commented that the subject matter – such as pistons and horses that look like wild Mustangs – as well as the steel and aluminum materials used by the artists, are a great reflection of Dearborn and our automotive history.”

Artists whose work is exhibited in the 2011 Art in Public Places Project are from Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. All can be purchased for those interested, too.

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Steve King and the Dittilies will help campers rock ‘n roll through the last official weekend of the season at Camp Dearborn, marking the end of summer for many. The band will perform Sunday evening at the ever popular Canteen Dance.

The official camping season traditionally ends with an end of summer bash. The band will play Sunday, Sept. 4 from 8 till 11 p.m. Tent and cabin reservations are expected to be fully booked.

A favorite camping destination for many in southeast Michigan, Camp Dearborn wraps up another busy season with the Labor Day weekend crowd. Tents and cabins in Tent Village have been filled since mid-June. The camp office maintained a waiting list for much of the summer.

Camp Dearborn runs its full activity season from mid-June through Labor Day each year. Camping with limited activity is available as early as May 1 and runs through October.

In addition to the permanent camping units of Tent Village, Camp Dearborn offers 191 temporary sites for those with their own equipment. Temporary sites are either full hook-up or electric only and can be reserved by calling either of the Camp offices: Dearborn Recreation Department at 313-943-2350 or Milford Camp Office at 248-684-6000.

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Fordson: Faith, Fasting Football, the award-winning movie filmed in Dearborn that documents the Fordson High School football team during Ramadan, opens at select AMC Theatres Sept. 9.

We haven’t seen the film yet but early reviews and awards suggest it is well done.  People we have spoken to who live in Dearborn and have seen the film say it shines a more positive light on our city and its residents. For many who live outside of our city and only view us through the negative lens of the network news, the film could serve as a good educational tool.

The film will launch via the AMC Independent™ program in select AMC markets (for a minimum of one week), including Dearborn, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Orange County, Calif., Los Angeles, New York, N.Y., Brunswick, N.J., San Jose, Calif., San Francisco, and in the Greater Washington D.C. region, including Gaithersburg, Md., and Alexandria, Va.

According to the movie’s producer, the film shows all-American life in a typical high school (Fordson) that happens to be mostly Arab-American, unearthing a community desperately holding onto its Islamic faith while struggling to gain acceptance in post 9-11 America.

The film recently received the Special Grand Jury Award at the Slamdance Film Festival, Special Jury Prize at the DEADCenter Film Festival, the Audience and Founders Award at the 2011 Politics on Film Festival, the Best Documentary Award at the Detroit-Windsor Film Festival and was named Champion of the World Cup Film Awards.

You can read what Varity magazine had to say about the film after it was shown at Sundance by clicking here http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117944514/

“This film offers a dynamic and delicate story from a perspective that is not often told,” said Nikkole Denson-Randolph, vice president, specialty and alternative content for AMC. “We are proud to play a role in sharing the story.”

North Shore Films is launching a national grass roots marketing campaign to secure volunteers to promote the film in their local markets via educational institutions, religious organizations, youth sports teams and community centers. People interested in volunteering can sign up at www.fordsonthemovie.com

Additional information about Fordson is available at its website, via Facebook and Twitter (@FordsonTheMovie).

U.S. Congressman John D. Dingell’s office issued this release today:

U.S. Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) on Friday commended the Federal Railroad Administration for obligating $28.2 million in investment funding to the Michigan Department of Transportation for the building of a new Dearborn train station. This funding will allow the City of Dearborn to consolidate its two passenger rail stations into a intermodal station in the west section of downtown Dearborn.

“This is such an exciting day for the City of Dearborn and The Henry Ford, said Dingell. “Improving passenger rail service is something I have long supported, and I look forward to helping this project succeed. Modernizing rail travel will help attract small business development, increase job growth, and enhance the livelihood of communities and business, by helping to expedite the time and efficiency of people and goods getting from point A to point B. The City of Dearborn and its economy will reap the benefits of this investment for many years.”

“This project is part of a larger strategy to increase the number of potential customers coming to Dearborn every day. Increasing the customer base sustains existing businesses and attracts new activity and investment,” said Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. “I have to personally thank our Congressional representatives, particularly Congressman John Dingell and Senator Debbie Stabenow, for their support and intervention to keep this project on track and create new employment opportunities in our area. This project would not have been possible without active participation from The Henry Ford, led by Patricia Mooradian, the State of Michigan Department of Transportation and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments. With their ongoing help, Dearborn will be a vital stop on a growing and prospering transportation corridor.”

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