Lodi Township Celebrates 175 Years

Scenes from Lodi Township's 175th Jubilee at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds.

Audrey Tuttle, who is almost 2, eating a hot dog.
She and her sister Kiera Tuttle, 4, and her brother Logan Tuttle, 6, were at the festivities with their mom, Karen Tuttle and dad, Dan Tuttle. They have lived in the township for three years.

Peg Canham, the chairman of the event, takes a breather from the three-day celebration to have her photo taken.

Dave Goodrich of Manchester, showed the crowd how to make S-hooks.

Displays of the township's history were crowd favorites and lines snaked around the building as township residents waited to eat free hot dogs and hamburgers Saturday.

Proceeds from a 50-50 and a silent auction will go to the renovation of the old Township Hall. About $60,000 is needed and about $15,000 has been raised, so far.

Friday night, about 100 people played bingo with celebrity callers Lucy Ann Lance, Ginny Patton Moss and Thayrone from WAAM radio.

Ceremony celebrates history, you decide

York Township held a ceremony honoring Lt. Dan Throop, a Revolutionary War veteran, today at Judd Road Cemetery despite arguments by Martha Churchill, a historian from Milan, that her research shows that there are no Revolutionary War heroes buried in Judd cemetery. In a story we published last week, York Township Supervisor Joe Zurawski said reputable researchers with ties to the military have verified that the unmarked grave contains Throop, a soldier who fought in the Battle of Lexington.

Zurawski said that the Michigan Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and the National Sons of the American Revolution have assisted in certifying the validity of Throop's war record and a polished granite monument has been donated for both Throop and his son. But Churchill says representatives from the Sons of the American Revolution told her that they do not verify or check historical facts. They leave this up to the applicants.

A Milan attorney and member of the Washtenaw County Historical Society, Churchill checked with a military researcher and learned that a Revolutionary War veteran by the name Throop died in New York in 1824. He is the real one, she says, and is known to the Daughters of the American Revolution. However, DAR will add additional soldiers at the request of applicants, she says, without verifying through additional research. Churchill said that's what's happened here.

Zurawski said when someone applies for membership in the DAR of SAR, what the group cares about is lineage. "These ladies had nothing to gain by making a false claim" back in the 1880s, he said in our story.

The Dan Throop buried in the Judd Road Cemetery is said to have been born in 1748 and died in 1833 in York Township. But Churchill said she couldn't find any record of it in "History of Washtenaw County," published by Chapman and Company and dated 1881. He and his son are missing from the Register of Deeds office, as well and didn't own any land in the township, she said.

Included in the ceremony was Revolutionary War re-enactors, as well as a bagpiper. There also was a flag ceremony and reading of the famous Ralph Waldo Emerson poem "Concord Hymn," which contains the famous line "The shot heard round the world."



From Reporter Lisa Allmendinger, who covered the event:
As I listened to the historical renditions of the start of the Revolutionary War at a ceremony for Capt. Daniel Throop in Judd Cemetery this morning, I tried to imagine what it might have been like to be there as the shot heard round the world went off.

I closed my eyes and looked for lamps in windows signaling “one if by land and two if by sea.”

I looked at the horses standing in the back of the cemetery and listened for the clip-clop of Paul Revere’s horse as word spread that “The British Are Coming.”

The Revolutionary War re-enactors marched into the ceremony, carrying flags with 13 stars and one that read “Don’t Tread on Me,” it took me back to the many Revolutionary War sites I visited with my mother as a child.

Because of her love for the Revolution, I, too, became interested in Colonial Times. I cannot count the number of times I’ve been to Williamsburg, Va.

Some of my favorite books involve stories about the men who helped create this great nation.

So, it was an honor to meet the family of this Revolutionary War hero and take their photo.

I was given an opportunity to look at the thick red book that chronicled the Throop family back to England, where they were known as the Scroope family.

Happy Fourth of July Throop family and Americans everywhere.

Holy Fourth of July

There are three things I really love about the Fourth of July.

Thing #1 is that television producers replay the old Saved by the Bell 4th of July episode where Kelly beats Lisa, Jessi and the little country club witch in the holiday beauty pageant because she is OBVIOUSLY way prettier and knows more about what the purpose of the holiday is supposed to be. It's a really great episode in which Zack Morris has outstanding, quaffed hair.

Thing #2 is fireworks. You aren't American if you don't like explosions, and fireworks are perfectly "safe" explosions that celebrate our heritage in the best way we know how. Fire!!!! Blast!!!! Lights!!! Check your local newspapers for firework shows near you. I know Comerica Park always does some, which is where I was on the 4th last year. This year I will be doing something slightly different and more hippie-like.

Which brings me to Thing #3, the ability to plan getaways. Sure, traveling might stink over the next few days and there are bound to be some road ragers out there... but I think we could all really, really use a vacation. Time to see some friends, eat some pasta salad, and celebrate some weekend freedom. It's particularly exciting for me because A) I usually work on the weekends, and this is one of my few outs for that, and B) I will be attending the Rothbury Music Festival in Rothbury Michigan with a bunch of yuppies and hippies and other -ies. I might stand out just a bit, given my wardrobe and general outlook on life, but I expect it to be a dang good time.

So whatever you decide to do this Independence Day weekend, do it with a smile and don't forget what we're celebrating. Sometimes it's easy to forget, but we really are incredibly blessed to live in the country that we do... even if things seem not so hot right now. Cheers, America!

P.S.
For those of you who do NOT have plans and are in need of some 4th of July weekend ideas... here are a few.

1. Watch Independence Day for Will Smith's one-liners ("Now that's what I call a close encounter.")

2. Go to the pool. Don't forget sunscreen though. I hear that spending time around water is therapeutic, and if I wasn't attending the music fest I would be in Irish Hills with my boyfriend and his friends... drinking beer, sitting on pontoons, wake boarding, riding jet skis and tubing.

3. Attend a BBQ. The very best pulled pork and ribs recipes always come out of the woodwork on this very special long weekend. Find some family or friends hosting one such BBQ and RSVP ASAP.

Well, that was weird.

Dude. Michael Jackson died. He friggin' died. And right before he was about to go on a 50-event tour, too. Dang.

I feel like this was probably the weirdest and most shocking celebrity death that could have happened. Mostly because he's had so much plastic surgery and been on so many drugs that I intrinsically assumed he would magically last forever. Sort of like Keith Richards. He's one of those celebs that you can just picture living forever on the fringe and outliving even the cockroaches. I mean no disrespect; he just seemed well preserved.

This whole thing made me come to several realizations, however, most of which pertain to technology. First observation, it's sort of sad when TMZ is your fastest and most accurate news reporting source. They knew what went down WAY before the real news stations even bothered to collect details. It was hours and hours. Perhaps it's because the methodology TMZ uses to collect their news is so disgusting that there's no way it isn't true. They're like the town gossip, who you don't really like, but when they do speak up about an event it tends to be right on. CNN drug its heels and eventually got up to speed. But you have to wonder how this sort of pecking order will continue to mold the news industry. In the days of twitter and camera phones and facebook, news just isn't that hard to transmit to others. TMZ has way more weapons in its arsenal than legit reporting stations who have their so-called hoops to jump through first. And while I appreciate a news source that bothers to confirm details BEFORE broadcasting, there's something to be said about breaking a story.

The second technology-based observation is how our age of technology has transformed what people perceive as real relationships. When I got home from the bar last night, I decided to get on facebook. Well lo and behold, nearly every facebook status in my news feed was either "Michael Jackson R.I.P." or "you will be missed" or "omg my life is over bc MJ died." The obsession with celebrities never ceases to surprise me, especially how attached people can get to them and how they begin to feel like they genuinely know them. People are behaving as if he was never a creeper with psychological issues. Or perhaps they're pretending to ignore that little tidbit in order to respect his better years.

As far as I'm concerned, the real Michael Jackson died a long time ago... right around the time he officially made the race change to become a new person. The only remembrance we've had of his old and true self since the new millennium is his older albums. I love Michael Jackson's music as much as the next person, but let's leave fanaticism at the door and simply be appreciative of a good artist. Which most of the bars did because pretty much no matter where you went in Ann Arbor last night, the venues were hopping with MJ's hits. I heard Thriller three times at Babs Underground. (Side note: I did NOT hear Dirty Diana, which happens to be a personal favorite.. and I was quite angry.)

The only thing that could possibly result from all of this that might legitimately effect everyone is that (and I'd bet quite a bit of money on this) a record label will now re-release some sort of greatest hits album. Or perhaps we'll now be offered some never-before-heard tracks that hit the cutting room floor. Sort of like what happened with 2Pac.

On a related note, how much does it stink to be Farrah Fawcett? I mean, the one thing celebrities always have in common is that when they die, they become immortalized and have a day dedicated to remembering their careers and whatnot. This was Fawcett's chance to be remembered and to earn a tiny shrivel of "oh yeah. I remember her. She totally rocked." Instead, her fame and glory was completely overshadowed by the MJ stuff. Too bad...

The old English way

Wimbledon is here, my dearest ladies and gentlemen. It's very exciting. Of the four grand slam tennis tournaments, the English and proper grass court games are exceedingly exciting to watch. It is the only major on grass and it is the third installment in the four-major tour. The series began in Australia in the Australian Open, then took place in Paris only weeks ago for Roland Garros (the French Open). Now Wimbledon is up and the U.S. Open will follow in New York in several months.

There are two important things to know about this year's tournament. First, a majority of the matches will take place in the morning and afternoon Eastern Standard Time, because of the 6-hour time difference with the European overseas site. Related to this is the fact that one can listen to Wimbledon radio online or follow an online scoreboard in real time. Both can be found at wimbledon.org and are incredibly entertaining sidekicks to have open while at work. Nothing like listening to the proper commentating of a Brit while at working, discussing "lovely volleys," "the grand Queen of England" and the "antics and excitement of the British crowd which always loves a good challenge and underdog." Things are always so official with a British accent.

The second thing to know for this year's tournament is the absence of the No. 1 player in the world. Rafael Nadal pulled out of this year's draw only a week or two ahead of the first schedule match, citing continued tendinitis in his knees. The Spanaird is the rival of No. 2 player and Roland Garros champion Roger Federer from Switzerland. Nadal lost to Robin Soderling in an early round of the French Open several weeks ago and also struggled in a minor grass court tournament that took place in the weeks leading up to Wimbledon. He's definitely struggling with injuries.

But given Nadal's absence, this could very well be the year that Federer breaks Pete Sampras' record of 14 major tournament wins. Federer tied the record of 14 two weeks ago in Paris and will be going for a new record at 15 this week and next. It will be history in the making for the Swiss player, who also finally completed his grand slam in Paris. He's playing really well.

I do advise watching some of the tennis. Local American players Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Andy Roddick will all make appearance with relatively decent seeds. The Williams sisters are seeded No. 2 and No. 3, and Roddick is No. 6 this year. Serena is poised to potentially win at Wimbledon again, but will be challenged by several Russians who are battling for majors. Roddick has only won one major in his career, so I doubt he'll progress past the quarterfinals. James Blake is fun to watch, too, but has struggled to break through to any notable level of greatness. He has a fun peanut gallery, though...

So check it out. There should be plenty of television coverage in the coming weeks, so check your local listings. And check out Wimbledon Radio at wimbledon.org, as well. The finals are usually on Sunday (June 28), I believe.

Sparklepires and their ruckus

Most people in the newsroom are aware of the fact that I'm a Twilight nerd. If it wasn't already plainly obvious by my quoting the book and daydreaming about a fanged hero named Edward, it was made ever the more clearer by the Twilight Bella and Edward poster that hangs over my computer. It's an addiction, what can I say.

But in Twilight-related news, I thought I should report a local crime beat in relation to a recent screening of said movie. To be frank, some Twilight freak fans got into it at a Top of the Park Twilight screening over whether or not the actors and movie writing were up to snuff. It was sort of like watching an ABC Family horror movie in which there's an awful lot of name calling and buildup but very little action. It fizzled, and I was disappointed. And I'm fairly aggressive and protective of my series, so it's a good thing my roommate and her boyfriend were there to hold me back.

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that I was involved, but only as a peanut gallery commentator.... who incidentally was making peanut gallery comments about a peanut gallery. But it was exciting, nonetheless.

The thing that made all of this funny is that only two days prior a friend had emailed me a link to a newspaper article written by some southern softy who felt that Twilight is destroying today's youth. (Man Stephanie Meyer would roll over in her Mormon, Arizona bed if she knew people were going to make that accusation.) The article basically accused Twilight and other vampire-related literature and pop culture shows of giving today's youngins an inappropriate picture of life and what vampirism is really about. He feared that middle schoolers would go around sucking each other's necks more than usual (hickeys galore!) and perhaps drawing blood for fun. They also might experiment with sex more, and wooden stakes and brooding would most likely be involved.

I smirk at the author, because although there are certain sexual fetishes out there that have to do with vampirism (I think this was actually featured on an episode of "Nip Tuck", in fact), the likelihood that Twilight can be blamed for middle schoolers and their premarital hand holding is questionable. (Note: there is also an amazing amount of hand holding and giggling at Top of the Park) The series is written by a Mormon and vampirism is arguably a metaphor for abstinence. The couple does not engage in sex; they can barely even kiss each other before he gets omg TOO EXCITED about premarital touching or he might kill her.

And yet, here I was, on Ann Arbor's Ingalls Mall watching Twilight against Rackham Auditorium... and these middle schoolers are about to come out swinging over a MOVIE. And not even a particularly amazing movie. So now I've decided that Twilight might not be the sexual apocalypse that the article's author suggests, but it just MIGHT be the newest and most dangerous obsession gone terribly wrong that I've seen in years, or ever. Not to mention these girls are setting expectations for their love lives that are completely and utterly ridiculous.

Example #1: In the movie, Edward says "You are my life now." and "I couldn't live with myself" if anything ever happened to you. First of all, boys don't do that. It is very rare that a male will claim to love you forever wholeheartedly and in such an intense way by the age of 16. Just isn't going to happen, so I do wish they wouldn't get so swept up in this idea.

Example #2: Edward is a stalker, and a creepy one at that. It perplexes me that no one seems to notice the fact that Edward watching her sleep or sneaking in to her bedroom window or threatening to kill people for her doesn't make anyone's skin crawl. Even for just a second. In the real world, people like that are axe murderers. You know, the super polite types who freak out and shoot someone. This is not a personality type to strive for. Parents, please advise your daughters about overly passionate and potentially abusive men.

Now I love Edward as much as the next average Twilight reader. He protects her, he's intelligent, etc. etc. But he has his flaws, too. They just aren't made immediately obvious to you because it's written from Bella's perspective. And when you're in love you don't necessarily see that person's flaws. So while Edward is AH-MAZE-ING to look at, let's make sure we can keep some sanity about it all. Appreciate and love the series, but don't pick fights with each other in public screening venues over whether or not Kristen Stewart "deserves to kiss Rob Pattinson." And don't swarm the actors like a group of locusts. They are people, too. And Fox News reported yesterday that the actor was clipped by a cab on the street in New York amid a flurry of overzealous fans who, coincidentally, could not reel in their sexual obsession with the actor.

So cool it chicks. Do the right thing. Buy a poster. Drool a little. But leave the obsession at the door. You're scaring people.

A Fun Weekend in Saline

This weekend in Saline is rockin'. Jesse Palter kicked off the weekend and the Saline Summer Music Series Friday. Two Twelve Arts Center's Family Fun Day this afternoon was a highlight and I am looking forward to Old Vehicle Day at Saline Depot Museum Sunday, followed by Grillin' for the Hungry in the late afternoon at the Farm Council Grounds near Saline. Check out video of all of these events at www.salinereporter.com. You'll find the link in the left-hand corner of the home page. In the meantime, enjoy some photos from yesterday's concert (above and Family Fun Day.