Here is a nice touch for the summer season in downtown West Dearborn. The “Friday Nite in the Park Concert Series”, sponsored by the West Dearborn Downtown Development Authority (WDDDA), returns again this year beginning June 18 with the band the  “Sun Messengers.” The classic rock band begins playing at 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

All concerts will be held in the Muirhead Plaza, located between Buddy’s restaurant and the Bryant Library.  If it rains, the WDDDA says the concerts will move to the Henry Ford Centennial Library Auditorium.

The concert schedule is as follows:

June 18  “Sun Messengers” – Classic Rock   6:30pm – 9:00pm

July  2  “Beat Club” – Beatles Tribute Band   6:30pm – 9:00pm

July  16  “Brian Cleary” – Jazz Quartet           7:00pm – 8:30pm

July  30  “Crush” – Classic Rock and More    6:30pm – 9:00pm

Aug  13  “Carl Cafanga” – Smooth Jazz          6:30pm – 9:00pm

Soony Saad, in this Dearborn Press & Guide photograph, holds his 2009-10 Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year trophy Thursday at Dearborn High.

The best high school soccer player in the United States is right here in our city of Dearborn. The award to Dearborn High senior Soony Saad as the Gatorade National Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year was made Thursday in the gym of the high school.

The Dearborn Press & Guide reports that Saad, who won the state coaches association Mr. Soccer Award at the end of last season, was selected the best of over 380,000 high school boys who played the game nationwide.

The paper says that Saad joins an elite list of athletes honored by Gatorade over the past 25 years that includes Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith, Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez and current Tigers pitcher Rick Porcello.

“What’s astonishing is the company he’s with,” Dearborn High coach Sean Gordon told the Press & Guide. “He’s recognized by coaches all over the country and he’s on a fast track to great things.”

Saad scored a state-record 76 goals last year and finished his career with 172, which is also a state record.

Saad told the Press & Guide he plans to attend the University of Michigan in the fall and join his brother, Hamoody, on the Wolverines soccer team.

Dearborn residents should expect to see their new trash and recycling carts delivered to their households beginning June 1, with the expectation that all households will receive the new carts by July 5, Dearborn officials say. 

All Dearborn households will receive two containers: gray for trash, green for recycling.

Some 65,200 carts — all made in Grand Rapids, Michigan — will be delivered to every household at the curbside. A complete packet of information will be inside the new carts.

Residents are being asked to store the two, 96-gallon carts in an appropriate place and not to use them before their collection day the week of July 5.  Residents need to continue to use their existing trash cans and recycling bin until that week.

Dearborn will be mailing to the 32,600 homes it collects trash from each week a post card in the next two weeks as a reminder that the carts are on the way, and to not use them before the week of July 5. 

Trash days will stay the same for every household. Curbside recycling will continue to be on trash days, but residents will recycle every other week on their trash days. Each recycling cart will have information posted on them so residents will easily know which week to recycle.

While some may balk at not having recycle pickup each week, it is worth noting that the city currently has just a 30 percent participation rate in the current recycling program. With the new larger cans and the fact that plastics from 1 to 7 can now be recycled, the city expects the participation number to increase.

We’re not ones to usually pay attention to beauty pageants, but when Miss Michigan is from Dearborn and competing in the Miss USA competition, well, then it becomes more relevant.

Rima Fakih

So congratulations to Rima Fakih who on Sunday was crowned Miss USA and at the same time helped shine a positive light on Dearborn for the many national media outlets covering this story. (Worth noting that at the time of this post, Rema Fakih was the number one most popular search on Google. The Internet search engine called the volume of searches for Fakih as “volcanic”.)

The Detroit Free Press had a nice feature story about Fakih in Saturday’s edition. You can read that story by clicking HERE.

Born in New York to Lebanese-American parents, and raised in Dearborn with her parents and her younger brother, Rami, Fakih is a graduate of St. John’s Preparatory Catholic High School. The 24-year-old earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in economics with a minor in business administration from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Well done Rima and best of luck on your next pageant step, the Miss Universe contest.

Contrary to recent reports, Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., says the project to build a new Ann Arbor to Detroit commuter rail project has not been “indefinitely delayed.”

In a column in today’s edition of the Dearborn Press & Guide, O’Reilly says that while it is true that “due to insufficient project funding, a regular commuter service of four weekday and three weekend trains per day will not begin at the end of October 2010” it is moving along as part of a phased program.

Mayor John B. O'Reilly, Jr.

“The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) have been managing a complicated planning process on the Ann Arbor to Detroit line for several years due to Greater Detroit’s unproven record on passenger rail transit,” O’Reilly says in his column.

“A demonstration project for three years was conceived to determine if we could meet the requirements to eventually receive larger allocations of federal transit dollars through a program called “New Starts.”

“Thanks to our congressional delegation and our committed partners, more than $30 million has been raised toward beginning the service. This includes improving the rail lines, leasing locomotives, refurbishing commuter rail cars like those used in suburban Chicago, and improving the station infrastructure at five locations including Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Wayne/Westland (link to Metro Airport), Dearborn and Detroit.

“MDOT and SEMCOG have identified another $50 million needed to complete the commuter rail demonstration. So, it has to be a phased program that begins with special events, and grows to commuter service moving from four to eight to eventually fifteen trains per day.

“By building the service piece-by-piece the region will begin to see how rail transit can work as an alternative to private automobiles to meet some of our transportation needs. Studies and real life have proven that an auto only system is not a sustainable model for modern American cities.”

Mayor O’Reilly’s complete column in the Dearborn Press & Guide can be read by clicking  HERE

Dearborn’s Deli on the Avenue, located on Military just north of Michigan Avenue, will now offer outdoor seating for its patrons.

Deli On The Avenue, located on Military, just north of Michigan Avenue, was finally Okayed to offer outdoor seating.

Back in December, we told you about Vicki Barndollar’s new Deli on The Avenue and some of the hurdles she faced in opening her new shop on Military. Well, it appears she has cleared those and is moving forward.

“We have received the approval from the city’s Design Review Committee and the Zoning Board to place tables outside the Deli,” Barndollar tells us. “I see everyday that the West Dearborn area is in such need of rebuilding and I want people to know that is what I am trying to do. I tried to create a quaint garden like atmosphere outside for the customer’s enjoyment along with enhancing the area around us.”

On those 80 degree days with the lightest wind and no clouds in the sky, nothing is better than enjoying your favorite food and beverage while seated outdoors. Dearborn could certainly use more of that because it helps make the city appear alive. It’s just unfortunate that traffic on Michigan Avenue is freeway fast. Kind of puzzling why the speeds aren’t more strictly enforced, particularly between Nowlin and Brady streets. But that’s a discussion for another day . . .

As for Barndollar and her Deli, she has planted flowers, placed tables and park benches outside of her shop to the rear of her building.

“I want people to see that even though I am only a small little place tucked in the corner, I will do whatever it needs to get people in and dress up our vacant downtown district,” Barndollar says. “No matter what hurdles I have had to deal with, I still love coming here everyday, and the great people we have met, and the new friends we have made. Don’t get me wrong, it has been difficult but I look out at the (Sacred Heart) church everyday and pray I stay open for another day.”

We told you last week about the new movie being filmed in Dearborn called Salvation Boulevard, adapted from Larry Beinhart’s novel of the same name. Well, Dearborn is finally making it official with press releases being issued by both the City of Dearborn and the West Dearborn Downtown Development Authority letting all of Dearborn know where some of the filming will actually take place.

Below is what the City of Dearborn and the West Dearborn DDA issued in an e-mail today:

The Ford Community and Performing Arts Center is making its mark in the film industry.

The Hubbard Ballroom, the theater, gym and ancillary space have been rented as filming locations for Salvation Boulevard starring Pierce Brosnan and Ed Harris. It is a Mandalay Independent production.

The Ford Community & Performing Arts Center is one of several Dearborn locations filming will occur.

Patrons to the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center may be slightly impacted by the shooting at the Center during the week of May 10.  Alternate entry-exit points will be available during the shooting.

George Ratcliff is the screenwriter and director of this comedy thriller based on the Larry Beinhart book about a private investigator whose very soul is put to the test as he searches for the real killer of a college professor. 

Other shooting locations around the city include Miller’s Bar, Ghafari, the University of Michigan-Dearborn and the Ritz Carlton.  The film crew will be in town for about 28 days and will be heavily using local businesses.

Other stars signed on to this production include: Jennifer Connelly, Marisa Tomei, Greg Kinnear, Jim Gaffigan, Yul Vazquez, Cindy Chu and Michael Maurice.

Mayor Dave Bing

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing will be at the Henry Ford Estate in Dearborn on May 12 to discuss how business can lead Detroit and the surrounding area to success.

His talk, sponsored by Oakwood Healthcare System and presented by the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce as part of their Business Builders Breakfast, begins at 8 a.m. Tickets are $30 for Chamber members and $40 for non-members.

Bing, a businessman and seven-time All-Star professional basketball player for 12 seasons with the NBA, was elected as the 70th mayor of the city of Detroit last November.

“I think the old way of running the city has gotten us where we are,” Bing has said. “It’s not going to work. Politics has led the city for a long time. I think it’s time for business to lead the city.”

To register, click HERE.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 15 and Sunday, May 16 that’s when Friends For the Dearborn Animal Shelter’s 5th annual Mutt Strut and Pet Expo will take place, rain or shine at Dearborn’s Ford Field Park. The event is staged in downtown West Dearborn and is sponsored by Dearborn Family Pet Care.

Themed “Fit, furry, fabulous and five,” this year’s free event has been expanded to two days of activities for animal lovers, pet owners and families promoting the health of pets and their people.

“We expanded from one day to two because our past attendees clamored for more,” said Elaine Greene, Friends executive director. “This year we have so many activities that we just had to add a second day.”

Why the fitness push? “It’s simple!” Greene says: “Everyone, including Prevention Magazine, knows your dog is your best workout buddy so we’re using this venue to encourage dogs and their owners to get moving.”

Mutt Strutters, supporters and friends will step out in style and wind their way through the heart of the west Dearborn business district on a two-mile walk. The walking course ends back at Ford Field where everyone can participate in and enjoy activities and entertainment such as:

• Chihuahua Reunion, featuring the dogs rescued last August, and their new loving families

• Former Detroit Tiger Milt Wilcox and his Ultimate Air Dogs

• JunkYardDogs, a rescue dog organization demonstrating fly ball racing and agility activities

• Fur Angels, featuring “Reading with the Angels,” a special story hour for families, kids and pets to enjoy some quiet time while a Fur Angel reads aloud

• Doggie Dash DeLure, a luring-style race for family pets to find the fastest dog

• Doggie Health Zone sponsored by Petco and a Midway of vendors with pet related items

• Fido’s Fit Club, an online and on-site support group to encourage people and pet weight loss and fitness

• Saturday night singles event called Must Love Dogs, in partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings

In addition to the fun and festivities, Mutt Strut participants gather pledges to benefit the Shelter. Last year, this event raised nearly $85,000 for Shelter operations and finding “forever homes” for its adoptable pets.

Leash up your dog and walk with an anticipated crowd of more than 2,000 supporters and walkers. Mutt Strutters can build their own pledge pages online. It’s an easy way to post your photos, help friends and family pledge 24/7 and of course, talk about your 4-legged friend. Register to participate or pledge at www.dearbornmuttstrut.com , or by calling 313-943-2697.

An article in the New York Times last Sunday discussed the high stakes battle shaping up between some schools and teachers’ unions across the country over seniority rules that have been in place for decades.

The rules require that the most recently hired teachers be the first to lose their jobs. In New York, school leaders say the rules are anachronistic and in an era of accountability, they say, the rules will upend their efforts of the last few years to recruit new teachers, improve teacher performance and reward those who do best.  The full article is HERE

We think it isn’t that black and white. There is a lot to be said about having teachers with many years under their belts.

In another article about teacher layoffs in the Times, Morris Goodman, a Dearborn attorney, past president of the Dearborn Democratic Club, a longtime political activist and observer and regular reader of Deepsaidwhat.com, asks why schools can’t be given TARP money to make sure “our future doesn’t tank.” It’s an interesting idea given all of the bailout money our government has paid to other companies.

Goodman’s column begins below:

Morris Goodman

On Tuesday April 20, the New York Times had a front-page article about the tens of thousands of teachers about to be laid off throughout the nation- 2000 in Detroit alone. On Wednesday the 21st General Motors sent the US Treasury $4.7 billion ($1.1 billion to Canada) to pay off its post-bankruptcy federal loan 5 years early. Goldman Sachs and many other bailed out banks reported record first quarter profits.  What’s wrong with this picture? If GM and our nation’s major banks are taking in huge revenues because of the action of our government in the fall of 2008 and spring of 2009, shouldn’t some of their money be used to shore up our beleaguered schools.

As the stock market has risen to its highest point since before the financial and mortgage foreclosure meltdown in the fall of 2008 (11,200+ Dow), unemployment has hovered at 9.7% nationally and over 14% in Michigan. Without getting into the argument as to whether the $787 billion February 2009 Stimulus package has done all that it was supposed to, it is clear that in the 2009-2010 school year states and localities used a great deal of their Stimulus money to keep teachers employed and other government services intact.

Without a continuation of federal support, Michigan and most other states (Alaska, North Dakota, and a few other oil and natural gas producing states being the exceptions) are being forced to make significant cuts in their school budgets, not seen since the 1930s. Is that good for this country?

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