The Dearborn Community Fund will host a rocking evening on Saturday, Feb. 11, featuring the music of ABBA performed by the Swedish group Arrival.

The Dearborn Community Fund (DCF) will host a rocking evening on Saturday, Feb. 11, featuring the music of ABBA performed by the Swedish group Arrival in a dynamic concert at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center followed by the Ultimate Dance Party.

The event will benefit the DCF and other participating non-profit organizations that serve the Dearborn area.

Arrival’s performance in the Michael A. Guido Theater begins at 8 p.m. and includes some of the most upbeat, feel good sounds of the ’70s including classic ABBA hits featured in both the musical and movie “Mama Mia.” You know them all – “Dancing Queen,” “Take a Chance on Me,” “Knowing Me, Knowing You” and more! Arrival is the only group sanctioned by ABBA to perform their classic hits.

Immediately following the performance, the season’s Ultimate Dance Party, open to those 21 and over, kicks off at 10 p.m. at the center in the dome room. Under a spectacular light display, party goers will groove to more ABBA music and other tunes mixed by two of Detroit’s favorite DJs – Ray G of Detroit and MMK of South Beach. Included in the evening will be other entertainment, hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar featuring specialty ABBA drinks.

Combination concert/Ultimate Dance Party tickets offer special benefits. VIP tickets are $100 and include premium front section concert seating, an opportunity to meet the performers, Ultimate Dance Party admission, and two drink tickets. A $60 combination concert and Ultimate Dance Party ticket includes main floor concert seating.

Tickets to only the Ultimate Dance Party are $25. Individual Arrival concert ticket prices vary. The Center, located at 15801 Michigan at Greenfield, is fully accessible and offers free parking.

The Arrival ABBA Concert and Ultimate Dance Party fundraiser is coordinated by the non-profit Dearborn Community Fund (DCF). The organization provides resources to support arts, cultural and recreational projects that impact the citizens of Dearborn. It is funded entirely through generous contributions from individuals, businesses, sponsors and fundraising activities.

For tickets or more information, call the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center box office at 313-943-2354.

The Dearborn Community Arts Council is hosting art experience workshops 3-5 p.m. on Sunday afternoons at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center. The cost is $10 per person or $32 for a family of four per session.

Each session is a sampling of an aspect of the arts. The remaining schedule is:

• January 8 – Pottery W/ Village Potters Guild Artisans

• February 12 – Photography – How to use your own camera

If you are interested in registering call 313-943-4095 or email sgreene@ci.dearborn.mi.us

The Dearborn Historical Museum’s book compiling the best Dearborn stories from residents and former residents is now on sale (a book signing is Dec. 10), a perfect gift for the holidays.

The book, the first of its kind ever compiled by the museum, is titled Best Dearborn Stories: Voices From Henry Ford’s Hometown. The book will be sold at the museum’s gift shop at the McFadden-Ross House, 915 Brady.

Profits from sales of the book will go to the museum, which has begun a membership drive to help keep its doors open after city funds run out during the current fiscal year ending June 30, 2012.

We have been featuring excerpts from the new book over the past few weeks. This third installment is written by Joseph F. Bugeia.

Thank you, Dearborn Public Schools

By Joseph F. Bugeia

The first 10 years of my life our family lived in southwest Detroit. When I became school age I attended a parochial school. In addition to strong discipline and the teachers forcing me to write right-handed, (I was naturally left-handed) I started to stutter, and it got progressively worse each year.

Desiring to move to a nicer neighborhood in the suburbs, my parents and I moved to Dearborn the summer before I entered the sixth grade. It was my parents’ intention that I continue at a parochial school. They found out, however, that the parish line ran down the alley behind our home, and as a result I had to attend Maples Junior High School.

On my first day at Maples, the teacher asked all new students to stand up and introduce themselves to their classmates. Because of my stuttering, it was a most traumatic experience. The teacher asked me to see her after class, at which time she indicated she was going to put me in a speech therapy class.

The speech therapy teacher determined that I had difficulty with the “th” sound, and she worked with me for several months during which time my stuttering problem improved a great deal.

In the ninth grade I ran for Student Council President. The campaigning for the position involved speaking to several classes. I won the election and even gave a speech on behalf of our class when we graduated from junior high. My stuttering problem was corrected.

During my three years at Fordson High School I had no stuttering problems. After graduation I started going to night classes at Dearborn Junior College (now HFCC). While there two great things happened: one, I determined I could do college level work, and two, I met my future wife, Mary.

After completing my Associates Degree in Commerce, I transferred to the University of Michigan receiving a Bachelor of Business Administration degree two years later.

In 1956 I was hired by Ford Motor Company. During my Ford career I held many positions requiring speaking to a variety of employee groups up to and including senior management. While working I completed an MBA from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. I had a very rewarding 38 year career with Ford in Human Resources. A major highlight of my career was meeting with Mr. Henry Ford II to handle his retirement.

When I look back at our family move to Dearborn, I wonder, “What if the parish limits had included our home,” and “What if my first teacher at Maples had not enrolled me in the speech therapy class?” AGAIN, THANK YOU-DEARBORN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

It may not make Guinness World Records, but the Dearborn Historical Museum is planning what it calls the “world’s largest book signing” Dec. 10 at Henry Ford Community College.

The event is the official introduction of the museum’s new book, Best Dearborn Stories: Voices From Henry Ford’s Hometown. The book is a collection of anecdotes and reminiscences from 154 writers, most of them residents and former residents. We have been posting excerpts from the book here at Deepsaidwhat.com

The signing, expected to draw more than 100 of the writers who contributed stories to the anthology, will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at HFCC’s Andrew A. Mazzara Administrative Services and Conference Center. The book is the latest fund-raising effort aimed at keeping the museum’s doors open.

“The largest book signing I could find online had 87 authors,” said L. Glenn O’Kray, vice chair of the Dearborn Historical Commission and coordinator on the project. “We’ve already got enough commitments from our writers to satisfy me that we’ll have well over 100 on hand. And we’re all going to be wearing T-shirts identifying each of us as a Best Dearborn Stories ‘famous author.’ ”

The book is the product of an unusually fast turn-around for a multi-author compilation – less than 10 weeks from inception to publication. O’Kray conceived the project after reading an Oct. 2 article in the Times about a “Rapid Response” strategy for setting and reaching goals in 100 days or less. He secured funds from the nonprofit Museum Guild of Dearborn for the book, located a printer and a designer, and collaborated with two other commissioners in collecting and editing the stories. Final proofs of the book went to the printer Nov. 18.

Priced at $19.95 in soft cover, the 382-page book includes stories about digging up bones in the back yard, breaking into labs to rescue animals, hiding in church after lock-up time, substituting for Ford during a portrait sitting, getting cussed out by Hubbard, and discovering that a hockey opponent who kept falling down in practice had a hat trick up his sleeve.

The historical museum consists of three public buildings, two of them associated with the former U.S. Arsenal at Dearbornville, which was built in the 1830s. It has operated with city funds since opening as a museum in 1950. However, despite voter approval of two millage increases in November, the city is proceeding with plans to continue trimming services.

After the museum’s current city subsidy runs out during the fiscal year ending in June, it will have to rely on cash reserves that previously had been earmarked for renovation of a facility to be used for exhibits and storage. Those reserves, if used for museum operation, are expected to be depleted by 2014.

The museum has raised $35,000 since it began a new membership drive in July, and it is planning to begin a major fund-raising campaign next year, including the sale of naming rights to its buildings. Book orders and donations may be sent to the museum at 915 S. Brady, Dearborn, MI 48124. Call 313-565-3000 or email lglennokray@cavtel.net for information.

The Dearborn Historical Museum’s book compiling the best Dearborn stories from residents and former residents will soon go on sale, a perfect gift for the holidays.

The book, the first of its kind ever compiled by the museum, is titled Best Dearborn Stories: Voices From Henry Ford’s Hometown. The book will be sold at the museum’s gift shop at the McFadden-Ross House, 915 Brady.

Profits from sales of the book will go to the museum, which has begun a membership drive to help keep its doors open after city funds run out during the current fiscal year ending June 30, 2012.

We will feature excerpts from the new book over the next couple of weeks. This second excerpt is from a piece written by Freda Berce who has lived in Dearborn for 65 years. The 87-year-old resident compiled a list of her favorite place of yore. Unfortunately, many of her favorite places have long since been replaced or no longer exist. Longtime residents will instantly recognize the names and locations. It’s a great list.

Berce’s story below is one of more than 100 that appears in the Best Dearborn Stories: Voices From Henry Ford’s Hometown.

Favorite Places in Dearborn

By Freda M. Berce

East Dearborn

• Woodworth House – great dining and dancing.
• Circle Theater – Warren Avenue.
• Checker Inn – Schaefer Avenue. Great large elevated dance floor.
• Carmen Theater – Schaefer Road. Soda fountain on second floor.
• Wyoming Drive In Theater – Wyoming. Still there.
• Harry Miller Flowers — Michigan Avenue. The place for buying flowers.
• Korte’s Bar – Michigan Avenue. Dancing and dining outdoors.
• Dearborn Youth Center — Michigan Avenue. Roller skating.
• U.S. Naval Barracks — had sailors galore.
• Michigan Avenue & Schaefer — traffic officers directing traffic.
• The Rotunda — exhibition hall on Schaefer Road. Sadly burned down.
• McMahon’s Cocktail Lounge – Schaefer Road. Beautiful. The place to go on dates.
• Ford Foundation — the place to live in East Dearborn.

West Dearborn

•  Eurich Furniture — Michigan Avenue. Had old fashioned soda fountain and sold penny candy.
• Meyer Seafood Restaurant — Michigan Avenue. Great food.
• Holiday Inn — Michigan Avenue at Outer Drive.
• Chambertin’s — located in the Holiday Inn. Great food.
• Calvin Theater — Michigan Avenue.
• Twin Ponds — Oakwood Boulevard by Ford engineering buildings. Great skating.
• Muirheads — Michigan at Military. Best toy store and Santa with Sleigh for children’s memory pictures.
• The Maples Bowling Alley — Michigan Avenue.
• Michigan Avenue — beautiful Christmas decorations and crowds of shoppers.
• Ford Field — Brady Street. Ice skating and Class “A” baseball games which brought hundreds of spectators every weekend, sitting in the stands and hillside.
• Greenfield Village — Oakwood Boulevard. Most memorable when Henry Ford I passed away. My sister and I waited for hours to view his body. The line was miles long (and we wore high heel shoes then—whew!).
• Dearborn Hills — the place to live in West Dearborn years ago.
• Michigan Avenue & Monroe — traffic officers directing traffic!

The Dearborn Community Fund is accepting submissions to the Midwest Sculpture Initiative Visual Arts & Writing Contest. Entries must be submitted between January 2 and February 29, 2012. Three cash prizes will be awarded.

Writing and artwork submitted in the contest must have been inspired by one of the 12 sculptures on exhibit throughoutDearbornin the 2011-12 Art In Public Places Project, part of the Midwest Sculpture Initiative (MSI).

Artists and writers may submit a maximum of three images of artwork or poems, essays, dialogues, and/or narratives.

All submitted work will be reviewed by a jury. Prizes for the winning pieces are:   $100 first place, $50 second; and $25 third. Several honorable mentions also will be selected.

Entries can be submitted on paper or electronically in PDF format to communityfund@ci.dearborn.us. For complete contest guidelines, view the brochure that lists the sculpture locations at http://www.dearbornfordcenter.com/communityfund/ or call 313-943-5478.

Winning entries will be read and juried artwork displayed on March 28, 2012 at the Dearborn Community Fund’s “Multi-Arts Night Celebration” at theFordCommunity & Performing ArtsCenter,15801 Michigan Ave.,Dearborn.  This event begins at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Winners also will be recognized in the Dearborn Press & Guide newspaper.

“We expect entries to in the Visual Arts & Writing Contest to reflect the variety of styles found in the sculptures in the Art In Pubic Places Project. They range from whimsical to serene, provocative to straight forward,” said EmmaJean Woodyard, executive director of the Dearborn Community Fund.

The Art in Public Places project is coordinated by the non-profit Dearborn Community Fund (DCF). The organization provides resources to support recreational and cultural projects that impact the citizens ofDearborn. It is funded entirely through generous contributions from individuals, businesses, sponsors and fundraising activities.

For additional information about the Visual Arts & Writing Contest or the Dearborn Community Fund, call 313-943-5478.

What’s your best Dearborn story?

That was the question posed by the Dearborn Historical Museum earlier this month, and residents and former residents have deluged the museum with favorites — dozens and dozens of them, written out and signed, up close and personal.

As a result, a prospective book project announced by the museum as a fundraiser three weeks ago is officially on. It will contain more than 100 favorite stories, it is expected to be priced around $20, and it should be back from the printer as a soft-cover publication before Dec. 1.

The book, the first of its kind ever compiled by the museum, is titled “Best Dearborn Stories: Voices From Henry Ford’s Hometown.”

“I’ve always believed that people love to share stories about themselves and their towns, so I’m not at all surprised at the response,” said L. Glenn O’Kray, vice chair of the Dearborn Historical Commission and coordinator of the project.

“Even though we set a very short deadline for submitting the stories, I think it just encouraged everybody to sit down and write instead of putting it off. We had an original goal of 300 stories, but realistically that would have been too many for one book. We do plan to keep additional stories as they come in, anticipating that we’ll have more than enough for a sequel next year.

“As it is, we should have the books available for sale at the museum in plenty of time for Christmas shopping.”

Publishing costs are being underwritten by the Museum Guild of Dearborn, a nonprofit group of more than 20 clubs that support the museum. The Guild is finalizing a contract with a printer for a rush job on the book, which will be sold at the museum’s gift shop at the McFadden-Ross House, 915 Brady.

Profits from sales of the book will go to the museum, which has begun a membership drive to help keep its doors open after city funds run out during the current fiscal year ending June 30, 2012.

If you enjoy blues music then here’s an interesting event to check out in Dearborn Wednesday evenings.

Joe’s Top Dog Coney Island & Bar, 13342 Michigan Ave., (just down from City Hall), hosts a new jam blues session each Wednesday night from about 8:30 p.m. until 2 a.m.

What’s cool about how Top Dog owner Joe Bojovic has put this together is that this blues night is an open mic jam session. So if you have an instrument and want to play with the band, you can. Bojovic has been hosting the Wednesday night blues sessions for just over a month now and interest has really started to pick up, he said. There is no cover charge either, which is also nice.

“We wanted to try and peak some interest in East Dearborn with these sessions,” said Bojovic, who for 29 years has been serving some of the best coney dogs in Dearborn. “It’s a nice way to kick back and enjoy some good music and food with friends in the middle of the week.”

Dearborn blues band Jack Rabbit Slim kicks things off each Wednesday at about 8:30 p.m.

Drafts are just a $1, well drinks $2 and Long Island Ice Tea $4 until 10 p.m. each Wednesday. The grill is open until midnight so you can get Top Dog’s coney, burgers, chicken sandwiches and salads.

A few years back, Dearborn kicked off a campaign called Fall into Dearborn.

It was great idea developed as a way to get people to visit Dearborn shops, restaurants, bars, museums, etc. But since its inception, the annual event appears to have lost some of its horsepower.

Enter Moose’s Martini Pub, whose owners initiated a meeting with the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce to get an event schedule rolling for this year’s event and to inspire some action in downtown West Dearborn.

So beginning this Friday, Sept. 23, and running through Saturday, Oct. 1, Fall into Dearborn will get underway again with the goal of generating extra activity through the streets of downtown West Dearborn.

For a list of activities so far planned, you can visit a facebook page for the event, set up by Moose’s Martini Pub.

“I’m trying to do what I can to stir things up downtown,” said Hisam Elawad who owns and operates Moose’s with his brother, Chad. “It seems like it’s been pretty stale and that our city and Chamber are doing little to spark the business NOW, rather than just future. The things in the pipeline are great. However, the businesses that are here and that plan to stay need some incentive and push.”

Indeed.  West Dearborn has a lot to offer and the more we can find ways to draw people to visit the better. Mark your calendars and tell your friends to do the same.

Fall Into Dearborn kicks off on Friday, Sept. 23 with the Dearborn Symphony celebrating its 50 year anniversary with its first concert of the season.  On Saturday, Les Stanford will host a massive Corvette show at its dealership on Michigan Avenue.

All week offerings, include:

• Mati’s Deli: 10% off any time this week (call 313.277.3253)

• Silky’s: Half-off drinks and appetizers

• Big Fish: $20 for 3-course meal all week

• Village Picture Frame: 40% off framed art; 25% off gallery items

• SEEN Vision: 20% off all sunglasses

• Moose’s Martini: 3-5pm Fall Craft Beer bottles $2; pints $2 from 5-7pm.

For the facebook page that lists events and all participating businesses, click HERE.

Dan Merritt, co-owner of Dearborn’s Green Brain Comics, sent over this news to us about the 50^th anniversary of the Fantastic Four and a tribute that will be held at his store.  Drop by and see the exhibit and say hello to Dan. The news begins below:

Fifty years ago a new “world” was created. Ushered into existence by creators Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, the Marvel Universe was born with the first issue of Fantastic Four in November, 1961.

​To pay tribute to this visionary comic book, and its lasting impact on popular culture, you need a suitably grandiose concept. Green Brain Comics’ co-owner and Headspace Gallery curator Dan Merritt came up with one: Assign 26 different artists a page each of the landmark issue’s entire contents (The cover and 25 interior story pages). Each artist was asked to bring their own style to the page while staying loyal to the original content and intent of the overall issue.

The results of this tribute will be on display in Green Brain Comics’ Headspace Gallery starting on Wednesday, September 21 with an opening reception from 7-10pm. The exhibit will be shown through Dec. 31, 2011.

Many local artists will be featured, including contributions from Dave Acosta, John Nagridge, James Anderson and Sean Bieri. Admission to the reception is free, however, we will be accepting donations for the nonprofit arts and literacy advocacy group KIDS READ COMICS.

HEADSPACE GALLERY is located inside GREEN BRAIN COMICS at13210 Michigan Avenuein East Downtown Dearborn. For more information check the website HERE or call 313-582-9444​