Dearborn’s Jazz on the Ave concert series kicks off this Wednesday, July 11, at Dearborn City Hall Park, 13615 Michigan Ave. at Schaefer.

This signature East Downtown Dearborn event is made possible through the East Dearborn Downtown Development Authority, Oakwood Healthcare System, Hi-Falutin’ Music, the Dearborn Community Fund, The Times-Herald, Dearborn Press & Guide and Metro Times.

The free concerts are from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Bring lawn chairs or blankets and stake out a good spot for great music in the park. Neighborhood restaurants will be on site, offering some tasty food to make it a picnic dinner during the show.

Here’s the schedule to mark your calendars:

• Wednesday July 11: Alexander Zonjic & Friends
• Wednesday July 18: Four80East featuring Marcus Anderson
• Wednesday July 25: Dave McMurray
• Wednesday August 1: Phil Denny & Nate Harasim
• Wednesday August 8: Tim Bowman
• Wednesday August 15: Alexander Zonjic All Star Jam

This 1930 Ford Model A convertible was stolen from the Henry Ford Museum parking lot on June 26.

Eleven days after someone stole a classic Ford Model A convertible parked in an enclosed trailer in the parking lot of the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, police decided July 6 to issue an alert requesting the help of the public.

The Ford Model A was stolen on June 26 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. from the parking lot of the museum. The car was parked in an enclosed trailer, which was hitched to a 2001 Ford F-250 pickup. The truck, trailer and classic car were all stolen, Dearborn Police said in an alert issued Friday afternoon (July 6).

The owner of the Ford Model A is from California and was in Dearborn visiting the museum. The truck is white with gold lower trim, California plate 6P95642. The trailer is a 2007 Iner Carrier Road Runner. The trailer (white) has a California Plate: 4JT5217 (2-Axel Enclosed Trailer) with a small Ford Racing Sticker on rear Bumper and a 1930 Ford Model A (Yellow, with black/chrome fenders and Brown convertible top) California Plate 670RHG, VIN: A2970284.

If anyone has information on the stolen vehicles or suspects please use the HEAT (Help Eliminate Auto Theft) tip line at 1-800-242-HEAT or www.1800242HEAT.com. There is up to a $1,000 reward offered by HEAT for information leading to the arrest, recovery and prosecution and a $1,000 reward offered by the vehicle owner for the return of the Model A.

Act now and save money when purchasing all-day wrist bands for the carnival at the 2012 Homecoming at Ford Field Park in Dearborn August 3-5.

Advanced sales of all-day wrist bands are $12, plus a $1 service fee, from now until 11:59 p.m. on August 2 at www.buymycarnivaltickets.com/event.asp or www.cityofdearborn.org.

The carnival is open 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 3-5.

Online purchasers print a receipt, and bring that, along with their I.D., to the carnival ticket booth onsite at the festival to exchange it for an all-day wrist band for that day.  Purchasers do not have to specify online which day they will be using the wrist band.

The online savings is significant. All-day wrists bands purchased onsite Aug. 3-5 are $18, still a good value for the two dozen rides at the carnival, including a popular and thrilling water ride and the giant ferris wheel.

Half-day wristbands can be purchased onsite for $13 and cover ridership from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Companion tickets, meant for adults to accompany children on certain rides, have remained at $8. Other prices apply.

There are no refunds on any carnival tickets or on wristbands.

Homecoming is an event co-organized by of the City of Dearborn and the nonprofit Dearborn Community Fund. Oakwood Healthcare is the presenting sponsor.

More than 30 Dearborn-based nonprofit groups use the festival as their major fundraiser of the year, returning those dollars to the community through positive activities and scholarships.

The festival is known for its spectacular fireworks on Saturday, sponsored by Kenwal Steel Corp., and on Sunday.

Headline entertainment is WAR on Saturday, Riot House on Sunday and Dearborn’s Rhythm & Blues Blast Featuring Thornetta Davis and Laith Al-Saadi on Friday.

For information, call 313-943-2285 or visit www.cityofdearborn

WAR will perform at Dearborn Homecoming Aug. 4 at 8:30 p.m.

Dearborn’s annual Homecoming festival will feature musical guest WAR, the longtime feel-good funk and rock band on Aug. 4.

WAR, with 14 Top 40s hits, is a favorite at festivals across the country. Better known songs from the group include: “The World is a Ghetto,” “All Day Music,” “Spill the Wine,” “The Cisco Kid,” “Low Rider,” and “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”.

WAR has toured globally playing an eclectic array of festivals, including the “Summer Sonic Festival” in Japan in 2009.

For more information on WAR, click HERE.

In addition to WAR, contemporary hits and 80s and 90s rock music will be performed by local band Riot House on Sunday, Aug. 5. They take the Main Stage at 8:30 p.m.

For more information on Riot House, click HERE.

Starting off the Main Stage festivities on Friday, Aug. 3 from 8:30 – 10 p.m. will be Dearborn’s Rhythm & Blues Blast! Featuring Thornetta Davis and Laith Al-Saadi.

Additional musical entertainment throughout the weekend includes Friday acts Dr. Pocket at 6 p.m. and The United Snakes at 7 p.m.

Saturday’s stage entertainment features the Players Guild of Dearborn at noon, Mustard’s Retreat at 3 p.m., Barry Rickey at 5 p.m. and the Bomb Squad at 6 p.m.

Sunday’s stage entertainment features Mustard’s Retreat at 3 p.m., Junction Groove at 4 p.m, Pete “Big Dog” Fetters Band at 5 p.m. and Fifty Amp Fuse at 6 p.m.

Oakwood Healthcare is the presenting sponsor of the 2012 Homecoming festival. The City of Dearborn and the Dearborn Community Fund, a nonprofit organization, are the organizers of the annual family-friendly event.

All shows at Homecoming are free and all are invited to stay for fireworks on Saturday and Sunday nights.

For more information, visit www.cityofdearborn.org or call 313-943-2285.

The State of Michigan has removed the ban on the sale and use of many types of powerful or airborne fireworks, such as bottle rockets and Roman candles.

To be in compliance with state law, the City of Dearborn revised its fireworks ordinance as well.

However, despite the change in state law, important restrictions still apply. Dearborn residents are encouraged to call 313-943-3030 to anonymously report unsafe activity in their neighborhood, or to call 9-1-1 if there is a dangerous or emergency situation.

Provisions in the new state law that all residents should be aware of:

• No one is allowed to use fireworks on public properties, including schools, churches, government buildings, city streets and parks.

• You cannot discharge fireworks while under the influence of alcoholic beverages.

• It is illegal for a minor under the age of 18 to purchase or discharge consumer fireworks.

• The Police will still be enforcing the city’s noise ordinance, within the provisions of the state law, and issue violations when necessary.

• You will be held accountable for any injury or property damage caused by discharging fireworks.

Even though powerful fireworks are now legal in Michigan, their use carries the same potential dangers and liabilities as always.

Every year, thousands of dollars in property damage is reported due to fires caused by the unsafe use of fireworks.

In addition; in 2010 more than 8,000 people across the country were treated for burn injuries caused by fireworks.

In a new twist on pay-to-play, residents in Dearborn’s Hemlock Park have petitioned the city of Dearborn to allow residents to decide whether they want to pay to keep their neighborhood pool open.

Hemlock Pool is one of two pools that city officials decided to close after the 2010 summer season in an attempt to bring municipal costs in line with available revenue.

If residents wanted to keep the pool open about 2,000 homes in the area would be assessed a tax of between $60 and $70 annually for the next decade for improvements and general maintenance to the pool.

A public meeting for residents in the Hemlock Park area is being held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 26 at Hemlock Cabin concerning the pool’s future.

The meeting is intended as a public forum to provide information about the proposed future of Hemlock Pool. It will be hosted by Dearborn Recreation & Parks Department Director Greg Orner and include other city officials.

The meeting could be a contentious one, particularly since the city has been talking about budget issues and being forced to close pools and library branches to make ends meet but still managed to spend nearly $4 million to purchase a vacant building that it plans to convert into a new City Hall.

Residents in the Hemlock Park area, through a petition campaign, have indicated their interest in allowing area residents to vote on whether they would like to reopen the pool—after extensive redesign and modernization—by assuming financial responsibility for the facility.

As the next step in the process, the city has created a Special Assessment District (SAD), which includes approximately 2,000 residential parcels.

This Special Assessment District (SAD) encompasses the area from Warren to Wyoming, along the Detroit Terminal Railroad to Ford Road, west to Schaefer, north to Haggerty, west to Maple and north back to Warren.

The owners of these parcels will be asked if they are willing to assume responsibility for the capital improvements, maintenance and operation of the pool for the next 10 years at an annual cost of approximately $60-70 per household.

Initial capital improvements call for the modernization and reconfiguration of the pool into an L-shaped facility with a zero-depth entry at a cost of approximately $1.3 million.

If payments are assessed through the SAD, property owners within the district would not pay an entrance fee to use Hemlock Pool or pay for seasonal pool tags for Hemlock Pool.

Dearborn Public Library is again holding Summer Reading Programs for all ages starting today, June 18.

Children of all ages can come to any Dearborn Public Library to register and pick out books for reading. In addition, children can enjoy weekly crafts, movies, storytimes and other activities at the Henry Ford Centennial Library.

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The hot dog cart is coming back to Westborn Mall.

We wrote about the dog stand being asked to move back in April but now the Westborn Mall owner and tenants have found a way to bring the cart back.

In a press release issued by Westborn Mall, the owner reports that Anna Ford, owner of the hot dog cart, and the owner of the Red Olive restaurant have worked out a way for both to operate in the mall.

Westborn Mall owner Tom Petzold took action to bring the cart back after customer complaints.

“This has really opened my eyes. I never intended to break the good will we have been striving for many decades to build in this community,” said Petzold, whose family has managed Westborn Mall for more than 40 years. Realizing that his decision was affecting shoppers and tenants including Red Olive, the new restaurant tenant unfairly taking the most criticism, Petzold said he knew he had to act.

Petzold called Pete Goulas, owner of Red Olive with 10 restaurants in the Detroit metro area, to talk about a possible solution. Both their companies had made substantial investments to bring the family restaurant to Dearborn.

To satisfy the shopping center’s customers who missed Ford’s hot dog cart, Petzold then called Ford with his idea. He knew her to be an astute business woman from their temporary rent free agreement set up two years earlier when the hot dog cart first came to the shopping center’s parking lot, the statement indicated.

“I asked Anna if she’d be willing to bring the hot dog cart back to the parking lot and pay a nominal rent that Westborn Mall would donate to local charities that she designated,” said Petzold.

Ford, a lifelong resident of Dearborn, readily agreed and designated both the Dearborn Historical Museum and the Dearborn Animal Shelter.

So if you stop by the mall today, the dog cart is open for business.

The public is invited to attend the City of Dearborn’s annual Flag Day commemoration ceremony at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 14 at Ford Field Park, on Cherry Hill west of Brady.

The ceremony is held in conjunction with the Dearborn Allied War Veterans Council.

As usual, the June 14 Flag Day commemoration will include a dignified ceremony to burn tattered American flags, in keeping with American Legion protocols for the disposal of flags that are no longer fit for public display.

Members of the public may drop off tattered flags for burning at the ceremony site beginning at 6:30 p.m. on June 14.

June 14, 2011, will mark the 235th anniversary of the adoption of the nation’s flag by the Continental Congress in the year 1777.

We heard the rumors and now we can report it as fact.

After 60 years at the corner of Michigan and Monroe, Dearborn Music is moving into a Dearborn strip mall three blocks west of its current location.

Dearborn Music is moving to a new location after 56 years in business and 53 years at the corner of Michigan and Monroe.

That leaves another prime corner of real estate on Michigan Avenue vacant. The building directly across from Dearborn Music is also vacant. Both properties are owned by Hakim Fakhoury.

Dearborn Music will move next door to the upcoming Goodwill store in what formerly housed Pier 1. The property is owned by Norm Newman. The new location certainly won’t offer the charm of the old historic place they were in but it will offer free parking.

This is a big move for Dearborn Music and we wish them the best. Moving to a new location after 60 years in one spot wasn’t an easy decision and there is no guarantee they will have the success in a new space, particularly without the Michigan Avenue traffic.

We wish them all the best in the Norm Newman building.