New feature to keep track of news in the Chelsea area (and beyond)

You may have noticed a new feature in the right column of the Chelsea Blog, called "Leslie's News Picks". These news stories are those that I stumble upon on a daily basis, and I feel are relevant to the community ... or just interesting stuff like, "Skim Milk Cows."

Sources include Google, Ann Arbor News, Crains Business News, M-Dot, various local blogs and many other sources. At this time the Chelsea Standard does not have a news feed, but Topix.net does list some of the Standard's articles on occasion.

Any suggestions or comments are welcome! If you have a blog, and would like to know how to add a news feature to your own site, let me know.

The hottest property in town... on one day each year

By nearly any standards, Chelsea Michigan is a small town. We have approximately 5,000 people living here. Our downtown area is 3 blocks long and is usually described as "charming" or "quaint". We have a great school district, practically non-existent crime rates (see Police Blotter post) and lovely parks.

When we moved here from Ann Arbor, I thought it would be like 1950's Mayberry with neighbors flocking over, bringing casseroles and baked goods. I was a bit disappointed and somewhat relieved when that didn't happen. Found out much later that nearly everyone on my block had also moved here within the same year or two.

Despite the small town charm and sense of community, I felt surprisingly isolated as a newcomer. Our friends lived in Ann Arbor, we didn't have kids in the school district yet, and I thought that everyone knew what was going on, except me. Of course, the timing of our move had a lot to do with that. We moved to Chelsea in late July.

One hot Saturday morning in August, while we were still unpacking boxes and getting settled in, I noticed something very peculiar. I called for my husband..."Um... Mike? Why are there people setting up lawn chairs in our front yard?" Despite the weirdness of not knowing why so many people were settling in with chairs, coolers, and blankets, we went on with our day, had lunch and got our baby down for a nap.

Then it got very quiet. Too quiet. All the road traffic had stopped. It's very eerie to hear silence when you are accustomed to living on a busy street.

We had no idea until that afternoon that our house was one of the hottest properties in town for the annual Chelsea Fair Parade! Needless to say, a parade going by your front door will wake a sleeping baby. So, Mike got the baby, and we all went out to watch the festivities. Coming from much larger communities, we didn't know what to make of it. The parade was really fun and exciting and strangely quaint all at the same time.

So having a parade you didn't know about, literally go by your front door, is enough to make a person wonder... How do people share news and events? The paper only comes out once a week... that's not the only thing, is it? How do people learn about stuff going on in this town? On the rock? A big sign at Pierce field? Am I missing something? You could say that day the parade showed up at our front door was what planted the seed for what later became the Things To Do In Chelsea website.

Now every year for the parade, we invite our friends and put our OWN lawn chairs on the lawn extension at 9 a.m.

What was it like when YOU first moved to Chelsea?

The Smithsonian exhibit opens in Chelsea with Market Faire

Chelsea, Michigan - The whole city of Chelsea should feel extremely proud to have this major event kick off here in our town. "Key Ingredients is a Smithsonian exhibit depicting our national food culture. Michigan Foodways is a Michigan State University Museum exhibit exploring our state's food story by examining our rich agriculture, our diverse ethnic cuisines, and our special culinary traditions." [Source: MichiganFoodways.org]

Here is a quick summary of Saturday's Market Fair, which is the opening day for the Key Ingredients Tour:

From an email from Shawn Personke, event coordinator at McKune Memorial Library:
The McKune Memorial Library welcomes the Smithsonian Institution’s exhibit Key Ingredients: America by Food this Saturday, May 26, with Market Faire Festival! From 10 am to 3 pm – on the library lawn, rain or shine – you can enjoy:

• Taste of Michigan – vendors from all over the state are bringing samples and wares
• The Chef’s Tent – Fabulous chefs, like Nick Seccia from The Henry Ford, will be presenting live demonstrations. Plus, Zingerman’s Creamery, Sandhill Cranes Vineyard, and Eve the Restaurant!
• Waterloo Farm Museum re-enactments
• Scooples Hot Dogs
• Children’s Tent and Baby Animal Park
• Exhibits to explore!
• And much, much more!

It’s fun for everyone, come on down to the library this weekend!

Recent news articles and details:

• Traveling exhibit has food for thought Chelsea hosts a Smithsonian collection (Ann Arbor News, May 24, 2007)
• Key Ingredients Michigan Foodways Opens To Public At May 26 Chelsea Market Faire: Governor Granholm Proclamation, Michigan Recipe Story Contest winner to be announced (Michigan Foodways website)
  
• Key Ingredients Schedule of Events on the McKune Memorial Library website

P.S. I love how the MichiganFoodways website features photos of Chelsea right on their front page! You'll see the library, the Chelsea Market and a display case of baked goods that very well may be at ZouZou's. :)

RSS Feeds - What are they and how do I use 'em?

Whether or not you know what 'RSS' is, if you use the Internet on a regular basis, you have undoubtedly seen or heard of RSS Feeds. Just about every news source, e-zine and blog has a feed subscription option, as do many other websites. Those little orange icons are everywhere, but what are they for?

To put it in non-computer terms, imagine that you subscribe to The Ann Arbor News, The Chelsea Standard, Sports Illustrated and Vogue. You listen to NPR every morning, and watch the local news at 11 to get the next day's weather. It's a lot of work to stay current! What if you didn't have to thumb through pages and pages to get to the content you wanted, or be at a certain place and time to hear the news briefs you want? Instead, you have a single three-ring binder that someone organized for you. The binder has a handy table of contents listing only articles in the newspaper sections you read, and only the magazine features you want. You quickly scan the list and flip to the pages you're interested in. Want the Lion's game highlights? They're in there. Want fashion updates, but not celebrity gossip? You got it. The binder also has an audio button, and you can listen to the NPR stories you missed that morning. Too tired to stay up and watch the news? No worries, the weather updates are there, too.

Basically, each of these items (NPR Morning Edition, or Ann Arbor News Sport section) would be an RSS feed you've subscribed to. An RSS Reader (aka 'news aggregator' or 'podcatcher') is a software program that essentially acts as the 3-ring binder we're talking about. It organizes all those subscriptions of yours and puts them in one handy place. There are plenty of readers out there, including those that are specifically designed for the task like NewsGator or NewsFeed, as well as multi-functional programs like Firefox, MyYahoo and Google that can display RSS feeds for you.

In case you want to give it a try, it just so happens that I added a "Subscribe" option to The Chelsea Blog. What will happen when you subscribe? If you subscribe via email, you will get my new blog posts delivered to your in-box. If you subscribe via MyYahoo (for example), the posts will show up on your MyYahoo page in a similar format as a news item. In a way, it's like bookmarking a website page, but it then tells you when something new has been added.

You can subscribe to news, blogs, photo albums, videos, podcasts, and all kinds of fun stuff.If you get hooked, and want to subscribe to lots MORE stuff on the web, here are some links to explore:

• "How RSS Can Help You Save Time and Money" from NewsGator


• Want to make your own blog 'subscribe-able'? Check out FeedBurner for lots of nifty options and gadgets.


• Google Reader - for those of you who use Google on a regular basis, this is a pretty painless way start to starting your own RSS collection.

Questions? Comments? Post them here and I'll do my best to help you find answers.

Saving money in the summer months

This was our first "real" summer day of the season in Chelsea, Michigan, with a high of 87. My son and I went out on the back deck to water our flowers, and I got to thinking about how our utilities flip flop this time of year. Our gas bill goes way down and our water and electricity bills go up. I guess we're fortunate that the grand total stays pretty steady, but I know there are steps we can take to do better.

A neighbor of mine told me that where they used to live, there are city ordinances for when you could water your lawns. He wasn't aware that there are water ordinances in Chelsea, too. After sharing the link to the City of Chelsea website, I thought I'd do my civic duty and mention it here on my blog, too. The details can be found here: City of Chelsea Water Ordinance

During the summer, it really pays off to turn the A/C just one or two notches warmer, turn off the lights in rooms you aren't actually using, and to be frugal when watering the lawn. Our earth will be better for it, and so will your checkbook.

Want to learn more? These links have some great tips, and also provide a multitude of other resources to explore:

How To Save $$$ Now - Tips for ways to save money and energy, including driving slower, turning off your computer and trimming your utility bills.

Water Savers: 50 Ways to Live with Less - article from Consumer Reports provides tips and facts about how making small changes like taking a shorter shower, running your dishwasher when full, and mulching your gardens can make a big difference.

There's No Business Like Show Business

It always amazes me how much there is to do in Chelsea during any normal week. But every so often there is SO much to do, that I am downright astounded. This past weekend was one of those times. There was the Relay for Life events the fairgrounds, the Garden Club Plant sale, the Farmer's Market, a guided tour at the Eddy Discovery Center, music at the CCA, and more. [See the May's Past Events for details.]

However, all those fun events could not pull me away from the events we did attend. The morning was my daughter's last soccer game (coached by her Dad), then home for some food and rest. Later in the evening was Dance Arts of Chelsea's annual recital, "There's No Business Like Show Business", in which my daughter performed. She and her classmates represented Mary Poppins and danced to "A Spoonful of Sugar". Yes, it's especially lovely for the proud parents and friends of the performers, but the studio really does put on a nice show every year. The tiny little 3 year olds are adorable, the younger ballet and tap dancers are enthusiastic, and the older ballet, jazz and hip hop students put on a great performance. This year we enjoyed everything from Singing in the Rain, Grease, Chicago, to Cats and more.

After Saturday night's show, my daughter wanted to return on Sunday so she could enjoy the show from the audience. This one was even more fun, because we were able to just relax and enjoy the show. Much to my shock, my 4 year old son also wanted to come with us to see the show again. And he loved it the second time around, too.

Hats off to the teachers, choreographers, staff and students at Dance Arts of Chelsea. It was a great show!

Garage Sale Finder

Today I added a new tool to the Things To Do In Chelsea website. It's a Garage Sale Finder. The feature was requested by one of my readers who said she wished there was a good way to plan out her garage sale route in Chelsea. If you enjoy neighborhood garage sales, I invite you to check out this new feature on the site.

Personally, I love shopping garage sales. But even though I have too much clutter at home, I still can't pass up a bargain. The little voice in my head convinces me every time... "But, it's only $2!" So, I happily make my purchase, and bring it home. My new found treasure then sits in the bag for 2 weeks, coming out briefly so I can brag to my husband, "Look what I got! It was only $2!" Over the next few weeks, I bring it out every so often in an attempt to find a good place for it. Another couple months go by, and at some point my treasure has been demoted to clutter. I freecycle the item and feel proud that I'm doing such a good job decluttering. Then the little voice in my head says, "Hey, you just paid $2 to freecycle something? What's wrong with you?" Hey......

So, let me know what you think, and how well this Chelsea Garage Sale Finder tool works for you. It's still very new, so if you notice any kinks that need to be worked on, just let me know. [Email link is on my About Me page]

Wine & Beer Event at the Common Grill

The Common Grill is having a beer and wine tasting event on Monday, 5/21. I've always wanted to go to a wine tasting, but in the past I've been too to get tickets, or was too intimidated to hang out with "wine snobs". ;-) But this time I'm not going to miss my chance.

This fundraiser features wine, beer and Common Grill food. I'm sure there are local wine and beer aficionados who plan to attend, but it will also be a fun night out for the rest of us. The funds raised from the event will go to yet another fun event in Chelsea... SummerFest! Plus, if you taste something you really like, they'll have bottles you can purchase to bring home. So you really can't go wrong. I checked yesterday, and tickets are still available. Here is the official invite:

Please join us for a Wine and Beer Tasting Event at The Common Grill on May 21st from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. There will be a large variety of wines from around the world, and a selection of beers from various microbreweries, including Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales and Bell's Brewery. There will also be a sampling of the original and eclectic American bistro cuisine The Common Grill is so famous for. You will be able to purchase wine and beer at great show prices this night only. Tickets are $50 each and are available through The Common Grill at (734) 475-0470.

Hope to see you there on Monday!

Mexican restaurant coming to downtown Chelsea

This week's Ann Arbor News reported that Ypsilanti's La Fuente Mexican restaurant will be coming soon to Chelsea. It will be located in the Clocktower Complex, not too far from the TreeHouse and the Chelsea Teddy Bear Factory.

Here are links to the news sources:
Clocktower gets new Mexican restaurant (Ann Arbor News, 5/13/07). Also of interest on that news page is that a new Whole Foods Market is opening in Ann Arbor, where the Mervyn's used to be.

High time for Chelsea clocktower area Mexican restaurant becomes latest tenant (Ann Arbor News, 5/8/07)

And a restaurant review from earlier this spring:
La Fuente delicious, plentiful (Ann Arbor News, 3/22/07)

Looking forward to it!

Mother's Day

Happy Mothers Day! For all you moms out there, I hope you find a big hug and a peaceful moment at some point today.

If you are escaping your every day responsibilities, and sitting at the computer today, here are some local groups you might consider joining:

Chelsea Michigan Parents Group - an online group where we share ideas, ask advice or chit chat with other parents. Open to any parent in Chelsea, whether you have infants or grown up children.

Chelsea Recycle - Chelsea's own locally run freecycling group, where people in the Chelsea area can exchange perfectly good items they no longer need.

Enjoy your day!

Chelsea Michigan's Online Community

The Chelsea Standard announced this week that they have made improvements to their website. One of the new features is a weekly blog by columnists Ed Freundl and Sean Dalton. As anyone who knows me can tell you, I'm a huge advocate for Chelsea MI and our little "west of Ann Arbor" area, so I'm really looking forward to seeing the Standard's initiatives take root.

I've been promoting and improving Chelsea's online community for quite some time now. As the editor of the Things To Do In Chelsea website, you'd think I'd run out of things to tell people, but I still find myself bursting at the seams with information and commentary. Which is why I create this blog not too long ago. How much of it is interesting to people remains to be seen, but it certainly does open up the opportunity for discussions. Which is why blogs are so popular...and important.

What is fascinating about blogs is the way they can build a network of people, who might not otherwise connect. The content can be entertaining, useful, poignant, or educational ... and sometimes not so much. Many people don't realize what keeps blogging alive and growing, is the community it builds through cross-links. That is, those little clickable things in the side columns, and the links we add to the articles. People go off to discover interesting places, and (hopefully) bookmark or link back to your blog so they can come back later to find more stuff.

I hope that with the Chelsea Standard jumping on the bandwagon, that even more people in the Chelsea, Dexter and surrounding areas will be inspired to check out the many online resources and groups we have in our communities.

Chelsea Dollar Store Closing

Speaking of coffee, I went to Bear Claw Coffee this morning and noticed that the Chelsea Dollar Store on Old US-12 is having a closeout sale. I'm sad to see them going out of business. I always bought our balloons and birthday party supplies from their store, even though the other dollar store (on Main St.) is closer to my house, because I wanted to try and support the underdog. The Main St. store is also a nice store, and they certainly have the location advantage.

The Chelsea Dollar Store always had a great selection and a very friendly staff, and I'm sorry that my twice a year balloon purchases probably didn't help very much. Best of luck to the owners in whatever they choose to pursue in the future.

When Good Things Happen to Bad Habits

I love coffee. It's sick, really. Sometimes I go to bed at night, looking forward to waking up the next morning and having my coffee. Sometimes I plan my coffee excursions days or weeks in advance. We went camping last summer and the first food item I put on our packing list was coffee. Very often my social time with friends is to go somewhere to have a coffee. I like it hot, warm, or cold, usually with milk, rarely with sugar.

So I was especially gratified to read recently that coffee has been found to offer many health benefits. Apparently, it contains antioxidants and can help protect you from Parkinson's, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and more. I can't help but think it's just another way for us to justify our addictions, but I'll take what I can get!

Health Benefits of Coffee (WebMD)

Drinking Coffee Has Health Benefits (ABC News)

Lucky for me, Chelsea has no shortage of places to get good coffee. I don't know how or why a city the size of ours can support so many, but I for one am happy about it.

The interesting thing is that it almost seems as if we couldn't afford to lose any of them, because they each offer something unique. Where can you buy a good cup of coffee in Chelsea?

• Zou Zou's (love it for the French cafe ambiance and great food)


• Gourmet Chocolate Cafe (love it for the chocolate of course! Also, the kid's corner)


• Pierce's Pastries (love it for the small town charm and doughnuts)


• Divine Java (love it for the comfy chairs, plenty of magazines to read)


• Bear Claw Coffee (love it for the drive-thru)

and surprisingly...

• TreeHouse (love it for the kids playing while I sit and relax)


• Tree of Life Studio (love it for being such a very cool place to be)

And for coffee by the pound to make at home, I like to buy it from The Mission Marketplace. They sell fairly traded items, including coffee. Which means that my money is going to help a real family in another part of the world.

Aside from the stains, the breath, the $4 lattes. Ask me about my coffee habit now, and I'll tell you that it is purely for medicinal purposes.

The Police Blotter

I grew up in a large Detroit suburb ("The Land of Malls") and then lived in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area for many years. So living in a small town like Chelsea, Michigan has been a big change for me. This town is so small that our newspaper only comes out once a week. And in the police blotter, I have read such exciting tales as (paraphrasing, but it's all true)...

"Teens loitering at Pierce Park after dark. Police officers tell them to leave, and then they do."

"Man calls police because he hears strange noise. Police investigate, but find nothing."

In most cities, this kind of thing would not even be on the police's to do list, much less be printed in the newspaper.

One morning last year, I called the police because I came out to find the back window of my van in little pieces all over the driveway. An officer came to investigate (within the hour, no less) and having not found any glass on the interior and noting that nothing had been stolen from the unlocked car, explained that there had most likely been a hairline crack that simply given way. I was seriously wondering whether my incident was going to be in the next week's Police Beat. It wasn't.

Lately, the police blotter has not been quite so amusing. There have been assaults, vandalism, warrant arrests and more. In our small town, anything more intense would be front page news, but still it is not as reassuringly lame as it used to be. Perhaps it's a sign of the times, spring fever, or just a bad run of luck. Perhaps I've become so acclimated to the safety and comfort of our little town, that I am just a wee bit shocked when I read that someone put nail polish in a dryer at the laundromat. And it was "an apparently intentional act". The scandal! The nerve!

But after all, I did find something to smirk about in a recent Police Beat headline:

"Drunken driving prevented" (Chelsea Standard, 4/19/07).

Ahhhh, it's good to live in Chelsea.