Holiday parades in Saline and Milan

Doing the preview articles for the holiday parades in Saline and Milan made me think back on all of the parades I've been to over the years, both as a child and into my adult life.

I've had many wonderful experiences, such as the one my wife and I enjoyed in Detroit last week as we went to the Thanksgiving Day Parade with my mom and dad.

The temperatures were quite fine that day for late November, and the projected rain held off so as to make for near ideal conditions.

The assortment of floats, balloons, bands and the like were all fantastic as well.
Memories of times such as these seem burn themselves into my brain the way few others do, and made me wonder what parades and related holiday events of years' past have stuck with you?

A collaboration of memories would make for a wonderful article for an edition around the new year.

If you have thoughts, memories, photographs and the like that you want to share, please email me at showard@heritage.com

Coffee shop hour in Saline this week

For anyone who wants to meet with me in Saline and talk about topics of interest or concern (see previous blog post), I'll be at 'My Favorite Cafe' Thursday morning (12-2) at 10 a.m. for an hour or a bit more.

I'm interested in hearing what's important to you, so be sure to join me.

Milan 100th birthday video, 1985

All of you Back the the Future fans out there get ready to be jealous, as I was transported 25 years back in time last night at the Milan Senior Center.

All right, not really, but I was able to watch a video taken in 1985 by Vern Campbell at events surrounding Milan's 100 year birthday celebration.

It was interesting to see how many people were involved in various aspects of the goings-on.

A theatrical production about Milan's incorporation as a village was particularly amazing, as it seemed to involve the whole town and was said to have been five weeks in rehearsal.

At other points, kids could be seen canoeing out on Ford Lake, and the kangaroo court on Main Street seemed to make everyone laugh all these years later.

A lot of familiar faces are in the video, and some great shots of city landmarks can be seen.

The VHS technology is a bit primitive by current standards, but still well worth viewing.

The historical society is selling copies of the videos for $15 if you weren't able to make it.

You can contact the society via www.historicmilan.com

Coffee and conversation this Thursday in Milan

I received a bit of feedback concerning my Facebook inquiry about having an hour or two each week set aside to meet with community members at a local business in order to discuss topics they'd like to see in the paper, or, more generally, simply what's going on in town.

I'm going to start off this week in Milan at the Lighthouse Coffee Co., 9 W. Main St.

I'll be there Thursday morning (11-18) starting at about 10 a.m. and hang around for at least an hour.

I'll just be working there if I don't see anyone show up, so drop in anytime if you can make it before 11 a.m. or so.

Bring your ideas; I can't wait to hear them.

Saline Area Schools new bond issue, your thoughts?

It appears likely that a new bond issue for Saline Area Schools will be put on the ballot for voters to decide upon sometime in the near future.

With the previous bond issue failing over the summer, I'm interested to hear from those of you who voted either in favor of or against the measure, and I'd like to know your reasoning for doing so.

Also of interest would be those of you who cast a vote previously and have since changed your mind. Of course the relevant information would be why you did so.

All of this can be used in a future article to help better contextualize what all of this means to the district and surrounding community.

Thank you for your help.

Send me a message at showard@heritage.com, or call me on Google Voice by clicking the link.

Check out the Winter Farmer's Market in Saline

I walked down to the Winter Farmer's Market in Saline this morning.

It certainly was cold, perhaps only in the mid-twenties, but the stroll from the Reporter only took about five minutes to get over to where the market is housed next to HSA.

City council member David Rhoads helped organize the endeavor, which is taking place for the first time this year. Rhoads said vendors from the ever-popular summer market were really wanting a place to sell their veggies for a few additional months.

He had renters move out of the building next door to his home remodeling business, and because he owns the space, Rhoads committed the location through December for use as a market.

There are some great late-season vegetables still available, such as potatoes and squash, as well as some great holiday gifts and crafts.

Check it out next Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 199 W. Michigan Ave.

Perhaps the best part is that you can get your produce and not have to face the elements.