Fun in Milan

Milan was hopping tonight with families. Parents, grandparents and children filled Wilson Memorial Park as Gemini, a family-oriented musical group, performed as part of the Concert in the Park series, which was followed by a movie in the park.

I took some photos for The Milan News-Leader, as well as some video. While getting names of people I captured digitally, I noticed people from all across the area were there to enjoy the show, not just residents of Milan.

Lelana Rakebrand, 7, who helped Gemini in one performance, traveled from Britton. Reigis Recchia and his son, Reed, came just down the road from Saline, and Logan Frantz, a cutey in a Superman T-shirt, traveled all the way from Canton.

And then there were David Behen and his daughter, Isabel, who also performed with the group. They came from Ypsilanti Township. When I jotted down their last name, I thought to myself, "I know that name. Why do I know that name?" It took me half the trip home from Milan to Pittsfield Township down Carpenter Road to figure it out. David Behen, if I have this correct, is the former deputy administrator for Washtenaw County. He recently took a job as leader and vice president of Information Management Solutions and Services' Government Solutions Practice.

I recognize the name because I edited the press release for publication. While we didn't run it yet in the Milan paper, it was published in our new Ann Arbor newspaper, the A2 Journal. If you haven't check out our new paper yet, visit us online at www.a2journal.com.

My recent visit to Milan shows me that Milan is a happening place -- a city that attracts visitors from across southeast Michigan. That's good news for local merchants and the community as a whole as people walk away with a good feeling about Milan.

Here's a video of the Behens performing with Gemini. Check out more video via a link on our Web site.