This year’s Dearborn Homecoming will have a different sound, at least from the entertainment side as attendee regulars will notice the absence of a big name national entertainer.

Forget K.C. and the Sunshine Band, The Commodores or Rick Spingfield. This year it is “Big Shot with Michael DelGuidice–the Ultimate Billy Joel Experience,” who will headline this year’s Homecoming festival August 6-8.

Dearborn was trying to land Motorcity rocker Mitch Ryder but scheduling conflicts kept him off of center stage and the city instead went with Michael DelGuidice and his band, who will perform Saturday, Aug. 7, from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Michael DelGuidice and band will perform music of Billy Joel, the Beatles, Elton John and many others. DelGuidice has played with Billy Joel himself, as well as being featured in Joel’s Broadway musical, Movin Out. He has also shared the stage with Donna Summer, Roger Daltrey and many others. For more on the band, click HERE.

There will be great musical entertainment all three days of Homecoming on three stages: the Main Stage, Stage B and the Food Court Stage.

Starting off the Main Stage festivities on Friday will be Horizon, backed by the Two and a Half Deep Band. This popular Motown review will be jamming out from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday features Emerson Drive, a country music ensemble that has earned countless fans and critical acclaim with their fresh style. They take the Main Stage at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday and play until 10 p.m. For more on the band, click HERE.

On Stage B, audiences can hear local favorites The Bomb Squad from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday night, and on Sunday, Fifty Amp Fuse will play from 6-8 p.m.

Oakwood Healthcare System is the presenting sponsor of the 2010 Homecoming.

For a complete list of entertainment at Homecoming, as well as schedules for children’s activities and strolling entertainers, events at the Living History Hill, car cruise, art fair and contests, click HERE.

Henry Ford Community College and Lake Superior State University will formally announce at a noon press conference today a new partnership that would allow community college students to complete their bachelors degree in Dearborn.

Lake Superior State University (LSSU) will establish a regional site in Dearborn, partnering with Henry Ford Community College at the Dearborn University Consortium Center (DUCC) located on the campus of the Advanced Technology Academy (ATA). The university will offer degree completion options in Business and Criminal Justice beginning in the fall of 2010. Future degree completion offerings include Applied Geographic Information Systems, Computer Networking and Web Development in 2011.

“This is an extremely efficient and cost effective path for students to complete their education right here in the Dearborn community,” said Dr. Gale Mee, HFCC president.

The LSSU Board of Trustees approved the agreement to establish the Dearborn site.

“We’ve spent a lot of time on this agreement and in establishing this site, which will be very favorable for Lake Superior State,” said Board President, W.W. “Frenchie” LaJoie.

Added LSSU President, Dr. Tony McLain: “The establishment of the DUCC gives us a presence in Metro Detroit. It also allows us to bring our high value educational programs to students who never before had access to LSSU.”

Dearborn Mayor, John B. O’Reilly Jr., praised the partnership and said it will broaden options for students.

“Dearborn has always been a strong supporter of higher education and with the combination of the University of Michigan Dearborn campus and Henry Ford Community College we have over 27,000 students enrolled,” O’Reilly said. “This certainly qualifies us as a college town, but more importantly, demonstrates a commitment to meeting a significant demand for preparing professional and leaders for the Metropolitan Detroit area.

“This Next Generation Learning Center will mobilize educators, employers and community leaders to act on new ways to ensure education and training that will match the demanding requirements of 21st Century workforce.”

The Center is enrolling students for fall 2010 classes. Contact Eric Dubitsky, Regional Site Director, at 313-625-4712 or edubitsky@atafordpas.org to learn more about the Dearborn University Consortium Center.

The third of six free outdoor Jazz On The Aveconcerts is this Wednesday, July 28 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Arab American National Museum. The concert was moved from Dearborn City Hall park because of the threat of rain.

East Downtown Dearborn hosts the jazz series in July and August, along with V98.7 Smooth Jazz HD and WWJ News radio.  Concert co-sponsors include Oakwood Healthcare, the Dearborn Community Fund, the Dearborn Times-Herald, Dearborn Press & Guide and Metro Timesnewspapers. The outdoor concerts take place at Dearborn City Hall Park, 13615 Michigan Ave. at Schaefer. Bring lawn chairs or blankets and stake out a good spot for great music in the park.

Area restaurants will be open nearby, as well, providing concert-goers tasty carry-out dinners to eat in the park before the concert.

Here’s the schedule to mark your calendars:

– Wednesday July 28: Rayse Biggs Band

– Wednesday August 11: Thornetta Davis Band

– Wednesday August 18: Kimmie Horn Show

– Wednesday August 25: The Brothers Groove

PLEASE NOTE: In the event of inclement weather, the concerts will be moved inside the Arab American National Museum located directly across the street from Dearborn City Hall. No food or beverages are permitted inside the auditorium and seating is limited. Stay tuned to the EDDDA website for location updates as rain is in the forecast for tomorrow Wednesday July 28.

With the Aug. 3 Primary Election just around the corner, the League of Women Voters Dearborn & Dearborn Heights (LWVDDH) wants all to know that Voter Guides for the upcoming Primary are available at their website, www.lwvddh.org

The guide from the nonpartisan LWVDDH is helpful because it covers Dearborn and Dearborn Heights candidates for the Michigan Legislature, U.S. Congressional Districts, Wayne County, the Wayne County Transit Authority millage and candidates for Michigan Governor.

Those interested in statewide races can access information through www.lwvmi.org

Hard copies of the Voter Guide may be obtained at the City Clerks’ Offices and city libraries. For more information, please call 313-278-6476.

(Source: Dearborn Rotary press release)

The Dearborn Rotary Club will host the fifth annual Hugh Archer Golf Outing and Banquet at Dearborn Hills Golf Course on Thursday, August 26, 2010. The event helps to raise funds for the Hugh Archer Memorial Scholarship, named in memory of the longtime Rotarian and Dearborn resident who passed away in 2005 at the age of 91.

“We still have room for golfers looking for a fun outing with friends while supporting this worthwhile cause,” said Roger Miller, chairman of the golf outing committee.

Archer was a registered professional engineer whose many achievements included inventor, scientist, entrepreneur, banker, businessman, ham radio operator, sportsman, and humanitarian. He held several leadership positions in Rotary and served as president of Rotary International, the world’s largest service organization with more than 1.2 million members.

In addition to his Rotary service, Archer was active with the YMCA, Boy Scouts of America, Henry Ford Hospital, the Dearborn Schools and many other organizations. He was founder and chairman of Spiratex Company, a plastics extrusion company in Romulus, Mich.

To celebrate Archer’s many achievements and commitment to community service, an annual scholarship award is presented to a high school senior attending a public or private high school within the Dearborn School District boundaries. Selection is based on the student’s academic achievement, leadership, and community service.

“Mr. Archer’s motto was always ‘Enjoy Rotary’,” added Miller. “This outing provides a great way for everyone to do that.”

A foursome package that includes lunch, golf and dinner banquet is $480 or $125 per golfer. Sponsorships start at only $100.

To sign up as a golfer or sponsor for the August 26 event or obtain more information, visit the Club’s Web site at www.dearbornrotary.org or email Rogerhmf@aol.com

About Dearborn Rotary

Established in 1923, the Dearborn Rotary Club is one of 33,000 clubs located in more than 200 countries worldwide. Rotary is the world’s first and largest international service organization, founded in 1905 by Paul P. Harris, a lawyer, in Chicago, Illinois. The Dearborn Rotary Club meets every Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at the Fairlane Club on Hubbard Drive in Dearborn. Guests are always welcome.

iburger lounge will soon open in the West Village Commons

Those in search of a burger joint other than Miller’s will soon have a new place to visit in Dearborn.

No, Fatburger isn’t opening, despite the sign that still proclaims it is “coming soon.”

Instead, get ready for the iburger lounge, which will soon open in the West Village Commons.

Hassan Aoun, owner/chef who worked as a chef at Ciao before it closed, is opening the new iburger with Houssam Aoude.

Aoun says his new iburger, which is moving into the space once occupied by Hot Spot, will serve burgers, gourmet pizzas, soups and salads. All of the items will be organic and nothing he serves will come from a freezer, he promises.

iburger will move into the space once occupied by Hot Spot.

The iburger will open in two stages. The restaurant portion will open in about a month, Aoun says. The “lounge” part, the second stage, will open in the now vacant space next to Hot Spot, where patrons can enjoy their food in a more relaxed space, he says.

To attract some of the bar crowd, Aoun says the restaurant could be open until 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

It appears the 'dream' may not be over.

It appears “The Dream” isn’t over after all, which could be good news for downtown west Dearborn.

In an article in Sunday’s Dearborn Times Herald, reporter J. Patrick Pepper reports that Hakim Fakhoury has a new proposal for a west downtown development on city-owned land.

According to the paper, the proposed plan was submitted to the city in February. Preliminary rough plans call for a four-story, 160-unit complex comprising residential and commercial components with an estimated development cost of $31 million. The paper reports that Fakhoury’s potential partner in the enterprise is developer Jeff Helminski of Moravian Companies.

As for the demolition of several eyesore buildings owned by Fakhoury, the Times-Herald reports that city officials agreed to halt demolition proceedings on the former Giuliano’s restaurant, Brother’s Tuxedo and Bally’s Vic Tanny. In exchange for the delay, some aesthetic work would be conducted on the buildings, including “power washing, construction material cleanup and covering the windows with opaque film,” the paper reports.

And those signs that proclaimed “The Dream is Over – For Sale”? The city required Fakhoury remove them as part of the agreement. The signs, the Times-Herald says, were a “public proclamation” of Fakhoury’s frustration with city officials.

You can read the complete Times-Herald story HERE.

The Dearborn Public Library Foundation will be hosting a Children’s Book and Author Luncheon featuring award winning Michigan author and illustrator Mark Crilley on Saturday, August 21.

The luncheon is scheduled for noon at Park Place Banquet Hall, 23400 Park St.  in Dearborn.

Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for children, 12 and under, and can be purchased at any Dearborn Public Library and on the Library Foundation website HERE.

As a community service, Henry Ford Community College will present a free workshop on interviewing on Wednesday, July 21 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Michigan Technical Education Center (M-TEC), located at 3601 Schaefer.

To register, or for more information, please call 313-845-9820.

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.