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.

(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

(Source: Arab American National Museum press release)

SURA Arts Academy, a free, diversity-themed digital photography instruction program for youth run by the Arab American National Museum (AANM), is accepting registrations for its 2010 Summer Camp, which begins on Monday, June 28 and concludes on Friday, July 2. Thirty slots are available at no charge to students in grades six through nine who reside in southwest Detroit, Dearborn and adjacent areas.

SURA Summer Camp registration materials and program details are available for download at www.arabamericanmuseum.org/SURA-Arts-Academy.id.438.htm or by contacting Vanita Mistry at 313.624.0210 or vmistry@accesscommunity.org. Students are loaned digital cameras; lunches are being provided free by Super Greenland Market of Dearborn. The camp is based at AANM, 13624 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn, but includes field trips.

SURA was honored in 2008 by First Lady Laura Bush in a White House ceremony with one of just 15 Coming Up Taller Awards from the President’s Council on the Arts and the Humanities, after emerging from a field of 320 applicants. Coming Up Taller singles out the best arts- and humanities-based youth after-school programs in the United States. Only one other Michigan-based organization, Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, has ever received this award. Read more at www.pcah.org.

SURA is an Arabic word for photograph. In SURA Arts Academy, students are loaned new digital cameras. Photography students from the acclaimed Center for Creative Studies in Detroit then instruct the children on their operation during the five-day camp, which is based at the AANM and includes field trips. SURA also operates during the school year.

However, the camera is also a catalyst for discussion and the exploration of issues such as self-awareness, respect for others and the role of young people in their communities. Exhibitions of student photography are staged every fall at the AANM as the culmination of the previous academic year’s sessions.

“Arts education is increasingly important for youth, especially where school budgets are being cut and such programs are being eliminated from the curriculum,” says Janice Freij, curator of education at AANM. “According to the Arts and Civic Engagement report published by the National Endowment for the Arts, the decrease in arts participation for youth results in decreased exercise, volunteerism, and civic participation. But in our SURA Arts Academy, we’ve noticed increased grades and participation in both school and community activities among our participating students.”

SURA Arts Academy is funded by The Skillman Foundation, Bank of America and the Muna and Basem Hishmeh Foundation, Inc.

(Source: Taste of Dearborn press release.)

This year, East meets West with two separate events.

Taste of Dearborn West event June 16, 2010 from 6-10 pm and Taste of Dearborn East event September 15, 2010 from 6-10pm. The event is sponsored by Ameriprise Financial – Advisor Jim Thorpe. Tickets are $25 ($30 at the door) if purchased individually or $40 (save $10) if you attend both. Reservations are required by June 14, 2010 for the West event.

Participants must be at least 21 to participate and will receive a wristband during the check-in process at Bryant Branch Library starting at 5:30 p.m. The wristband is to be worn by all “tasters” so restaurant workers will be able to distinguish them from regular patrons.

Tasters sample free appetizers, purchase drink specials if they choose, then catch one of the passenger vans available for transportation to the next participating restaurant of their choice. Transportation is available to participating restaurants until 10 p.m. and is sponsored by LaFontaine Automotive Group. Menus will be distributed to each participant and are sponsored by Oakwood Healthcare System.

Dearborn is thrilled to showcase the diverse variety of flavors that our local restaurants have to offer. Come sample the best restaurants in Dearborn right at their locations.

Participating restaurants include: Andiamo, bd’s Mongolian barbeque, Bravo Cucina Italia, Buffalo Wild Wings, Cheli’s Chili Bar, PF Chang’s, Buddy’s Pizzeria, Crave, Fuddrucker’s, Giulio & Sons – Hyatt Regency, La Pita Mediterranean Cuisine, PizzaPapalis, Kiernan’s Steak House/Silky’s Martini Bar, The Post Bar, Double Olive

For more info, click HERE.

Dearborn Public Schools and Singers Of United Lands (S.O.U.L.) will co-host the final performance of the S.O.U.L. 2010 tour on May 27 at 7:00 p.m. at Stout Middle School, 18500 Oakwood Blvd., Dearborn. The free performance is open to the public and is sure to be an entertaining event for all.

Singers Of United Lands is a touring trio of professional singers, each from a different continent. S.O.U.L.’s mission is to develop international and cultural relationships through vocal music from around the world. S.O.U.L. provides workshops, presentations, performances, and lessons for audiences of all ages during a 5-month tour throughout the United States and Canada. The singers focus on international vocal music, world history, and linguistics from their respective native countries.

The performance will be a culmination of the group’s tour as well as a culminating performance of a weeklong visit to several Dearborn Public Schools. For more information on S.O.U.L. visit their website at: www.singersofunitedlands.org or contact Marcus LaPratt at (517) 388-1316.

 (Source: Friends for the Dearborn Animal Shelter press release)

The Friends for the Dearborn Animal Shelter announced its 17th annual Critter Invitational Golf Outing takes place on Monday, June 7th. New this year, golfers will be able to choose which course they prefer to play in support of homeless animals while enjoying a round of golf.

The options include the Jack Nicklaus designed private TPC of Michigan or the four star public course, Dearborn Hills. It is a best ball scramble format on both courses. 

“Offering the Outing on two courses this year gives supporters a chance to choose which one suits their skill level and wallets best,” said Elaine Greene, executive director of the Dearborn Animal Shelter.

The festivities include 18 holes of golf, cart, dinner and cocktails, silent and live auctions and all the usual Outing goodies. All participants begin at Dearborn Hills for registration and TPC golfers are then shuttled to their course. Dinner and auctions take place at Dearborn Hills for all golfers.

Some Detroit sports celebrities are expected to join in the day to lend their “paws” in support of the Dearborn Animal Shelter. Detroit Lions quarterback Drew Stanton and long-snapper Don Muhlbach, as well as Detroit Tigers great Dan Petry, are among the sports figures scheduled to attend. The event is emceed and chaired by WJBK Fox 2 sports director Dan Miller for the fifth consecutive year.

Golf packages are $300 per golfer at the TPC (11am start) and $150 per golfer at Dearborn Hills (noon start). Non-golfers can share in the fun by purchasing tickets to the Critter dinner for $75 each. Sponsorships are still available as well, ranging from $250 to $5,000 offering sponsorship visibility on both courses. More information is available on-line at www.DearbornAnimals.org

About The Friends for the Dearborn Animal Shelter

The mission of the Friends for the Dearborn Animal Shelter (FFDAS) is to provide loving care and sanctuary to animals, encourage adoptions and reunions, and promote respect, responsibility and compassion for all animals. Animals are the heart of our work.

Visit the site to donate on-line or call the Dearborn Animal Shelter at 313.943.2697. The Shelter is located at 2661 Greenfield Road in Dearborn; they accept cash and wish list donations in person as well. More online at www.DearbornAnimals.org

(Source: Arab American National Museum press release) 

Michigan Radio and the Arab American National Museum will present a panel discussion on Monday, June 7, titled Covering the Middle East: A Conversation with the BBC. This event will feature correspondents from the BBC, and will examine issues related to news reporting in this region, and how the BBC balances the demands of its global news audience in covering issues affecting the Middle East and the Arab World.

Covering the Middle East: A Conversation with the BBC will feature panelists from three different areas of the BBC. Lukman Ahmed (BBC Arabic Washington Correspondent), Liliane Landor (Head of the Middle East Region, BBC World Service), and Anne Koch (Deputy Director, BBC World Service English Networks) will each bring their unique perspective on news coverage in the Middle East to this discussion. Michigan Radio News Director Vincent Duffy will moderate.

This event is free and open to the public, and will begin at 7 p.m. Monday, June 7 in the Lower Level Auditorium at the Arab American National Museum, 13624 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn.

 As the world’s leading international broadcaster, the BBC World Service delivers news to diverse audiences worldwide in 32 different languages. In addition to providing news on Middle Eastern events to listeners in the U.K. and the U.S. through its English language service, the BBC also provides an Arab language service that reaches listeners throughout the Middle East and the globe. This provides the BBC with a unique perspective on issues related to this area and the Arab World.

 “Michigan Radio is pleased to present this discussion of an issue that will be of great interest to many people in our community,” says Michigan Radio News Director Vincent Duffy. “With the large concentration of people of Arab descent in Southeastern Michigan, having access to accurate, informed news coverage of the Middle East and Arab World is critically important.”

 This event is an extension of Michigan Radio’s recent “Muslims in Michigan” project, in partnership with the University of Michigan Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies.

 Lukman Ahmed joined BBC Arabic as Chief Washington Correspondent in July 2007. He covers all U.S. stories for the BBC Arabic network on TV, radio and online – from politics to economy, space, medicine and technology. Lukman has interviewed top U.S. officials including President George W. Bush and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and covered the 2008 U.S. presidential election. He has also reported the U.S. military campaigns from Iraq and Afghanistan. Lukman has also presented the BBC Arabic flagship programmes, Open Agenda and The Fact-finding Commission.

 Before joining the BBC, from 1998 till 2003, Lukman worked as the Washington Correspondent of the Middle East Broadcasting Centre, MBC, covering breaking news stories such as the 9/11 attacks. He then joined Al-Arabiya TV as Senior Washington Correspondent, covering key U.S. news stories, U.S. relations with African countries and policies in the Middle East. In these roles he has interviewed key U.S. political and government figures. Lukman started his journalistic career in 1987 as a news anchor for Sudan TV, before moving to the U.S. in 1995.

 As Head of Middle East Region, BBC World Service, Liliane Landor is editorially and managerially responsible for TV and radio broadcasts as well as future media in Arabic. Landor has been working at the BBC since 1989, when she joined the BBC French service. She presented a news program in French before presenting Europe Today in the News and Current Affairs department of BBC World Service. Hers was one of the first non-British voices on air.

 Two years later, Landor moved on to Newshour, BBC World Service’s flagship news and current-affairs program. When The World Today started, Landor became one of the program’s core presenters and subsequently the program’s editor. In January 2002, she joined the senior management team as Editor, Programs in News and Current Affairs, eventually becoming Head of BBC World Service News and Current Affairs in 2006 – responsible for all the BBC World Service News and Current Affairs programs in English.

 Anne Koch is the Deputy Director, BBC World Service English Networks & News. Previously she was Commissioning Editor News, Current Affairs and Business at the World Service and prior to that, the Executive Editor of Radio Daily Current Affairs at BBC’s Radio 4. She joined the BBC in 1987 after working as a journalist in Canada and then with CBC’s London Bureau. Her first job with the BBC was as a Producer with The World At One and the PM programs. She went on to become the Deputy Editor of The World This Weekend and in April 1992 she joined The World Tonight as the Editor. During her career at the BBC, Anne has also worked on more than 100 documentary programs and series on a wide range of topics.

Vincent Duffy has been news director at Michigan Radio since May 2007. In his first year of leading the Michigan Radio news room, the news team won more than three dozen national, regional and state awards including a national Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalists for a monthlong series investigating education in Michigan. He has worked as a reporter and news director at public radio stations in Illinois and Ohio, and hosted public television programs in Akron, Ohio. Duffy has won five national Edward R. Murrow awards for his radio journalism, as well as a Sigma Delta Chi award, a National Headliner award, many other national, regional and state awards.

*********

Michigan Radio is a National Public Radio news station and the state’s most listened-to public radio service. Michigan Radio, a service of the University of Michigan, serves Detroit and southeast Michigan at 91.7 FM, West Michigan at 104.1 FM, and the Flint area at 91.1 FM, and is online at www.michiganradio.org. Michigan Radio features

BBC Newshour at 9 a.m. weekdays and BBC World Service from 10 p.m.-5 a.m. weekdays and 10 p.m.-6 a.m. weekends.

 The Arab American National Museum documents, preserves, celebrates and educates the public on the history, life, culture and contributions of Arab Americans. It serves as a resource to enhance knowledge and understanding about Arab Americans and their presence in this country. The Arab American National Museum is a project of ACCESS, a Dearborn, Michigan-based nonprofit human services and cultural organization. Learn more at www.arabamericanmuseum.org  and www.accesscommunity.org

The Arab American National Museum is a proud Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Read about the Affiliations program at http://affiliations.si.edu 

The Museum is located at 13624 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, MI, 48126. Museum hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday, Tuesday; Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Admission is $6 for adults; $3 for students, seniors and children 6-12; ages 5 and under, free. Call 313.582.2266 for further information.

(Source: City of Dearborn press release)

Everyone is invited to kick off the summer season while enjoying Big Band Music from the 1930s and 40s at the Henry Ford Centennial Library on Sunday, May 23.

The free concert, performed by the 15-piece band, The Missing Links, will take place 3-5 p.m. inside the auditorium.

The concert is sponsored by the Friends of the Library-Dearborn. For more information, please call 313-943-2330.

(Source: City of Dearborn press release)

The Dearborn Public Library is partnering with the Wayne County Fight Mortgage Foreclosure Program to present a free workshop on Wednesday, May 12 for people needing financial counseling in order to keep their houses .

The mortgage foreclosure prevention workshop will be 6-8 p.m. in the library’s mezzanine’s conference room. (Note that this workshop was rescheduled from one originally set for April 29.)

Area residents will have an opportunity to meet with a HUD housing counselor who is working with the Wayne County Foreclosure Prevention program. This counseling is offered free of charge and is geared for those in the Dearborn area who are faced with mortgage delinquency or potential foreclosure

Counselors will help you understand the options available, how they can assist you in working with your lender, how the Making Home Affordable plan may relate to your situation and how Michigan’s 90-day mediation law can give you time to work with your lender.

All the counselors are certified and very knowledgeable in assisting home owners through this very difficult time.

Remember those who fought and gave their lives during Michigan’s most authentic Civil War public program in Greenfield Village.

With more than 400 Union and Confederate soldier reenactors, civilians, musicians and historic presenters, immerse yourself in this once-a-year, one-of-a-kind weekend.

For more information, click HERE.