It's THE thing to do in Chelsea in July... SummerFest!

Chelsea SummerFest - July 27 and 28, 2007
Only a few more days until Chelsea's big SummerFest weekend is here. This annual event has taken place every July in Chelsea, Michigan for the past 30+ years. Back in the beginning, it was an annual sidewalk sale and now is best known for the music, food, art and activities. Locals and visitors from all over southeastern Michigan (and beyond) make it a much anticipated outing every year.

For adults, many people say the best thing about SummerFest is the beer tent ... aka the Food and Entertainment Court. Local restaurants such as the Common Grill, Cleary's and Zou Zou's will be offering great food and drinks, while both visitors and townies hang out and enjoy the live music.


For families, it's all about the Kid Zone. This year, Kid Zone will be located in the new Clocktower Courtyard, which is behind the TreeHouse, Gourmet Chocolate Cafe and Pink Turtle. If you have any doubt that there will be fun things for kids to do, you should be aware that most of the activities were organized by the highly motivated and enthusiastic owner of the TreeHouse! And the rest of the activities were planned by the Chelsea Teddy Bear Factory.

Also in the Clocktower Courtyard is the SummerFest arts and fine craft area, which is one of my favorite places at the festival. You will find stained glass, paintings, sculptures, jewelry and more. If you were overwhelmed at the Ann Arbor Art Fair, you will find Chelsea's ARTicipation a breath of fresh air. The high quality art will impress you and the prices are ... well... not A2 Art Fair.

The biggest surprise of all?
One thing most people don't know about SummerFest is that it is completely organized by community volunteers and funded by sponsors and donors. Most people seem to think it's paid for and organized by the city or something. Nope. It is a huge undertaking that only happens each year because individuals and businesses volunteer their time and energy to find sponsors, book entertainment, organize activities, rent tents and supplies, pick up trash and manage every single detail of this great event. If you love SummerFest, then find out how you can help next year!

Thank you to all of you! Your hard work is very much appreciated by those of us who love SummerFest.

See you there!

"What to do in Ann Arbor when you're all art-ed out?"

In yesterday's Detroit Free Press, there was a news brief titled Find fun outside of the fair. It made me happy to see the fourth item down:

Drive to historic Chelsea
This is an architecturally gorgeous hamlet 25 minutes west of Ann Arbor. Staying for the whole weekend? You might take in "Sea of Fools" at Jeff Daniels' Purple Rose Theatre, (734) 433-ROSE, playing Wednesday through Sunday, or dine at the Common Grill, (734) 475-0470, one of Michigan's outstanding seafood restaurants.
[Source: www.detnews.com, July 17, 2007]

I love it when people outside of our local area are reminded what a great town we have.

Going to the A2 Art Fair?
For those venturing TO Art Fair this week (July 18-21), here are some useful links:

• Did you know there are 4 separate art fairs that make up "Art Fair"? Learn more about the Ann Arbor Art Fairs at annarbor.org
  
• Interactive Map of Ann Arbor (watch out... this is a slow download)
  

New citizens group forms in Chelsea

In response to the ever increasing taxes in Chelsea, a new citizens group has recently been formed. I read about this today on mlive.com, and will be eager to learn more about the group and their activities and progress.

On the Chelsea Citizens for Accountability website, the group is described as follows:

A non-partisan, grassroots organization to restore accountability and equitable tax structure to the City of Chelsea, Michigan.

Who are we? A gathering of Chelsea residents who believe the time has come for better accountability and higher efficiency in City government. We believe a properly run City would not require additional tax revenues. We also believe an excessive tax burden will damage our community.

Source: Citizen Group Forms After Chelsea Increases Taxes (Ann Arbor News, July 12, 2007)

Farmers Markets and U-Pick Farms

There are several farmer's markets in our area, including those in Chelsea. The best known is on Saturday mornings in downtown Chelsea. The newest one in town can be found at the Chelsea Community Hospital (Wednesdays, 2:30 til 5:30).

If you are looking for other local markets, or a place where you can go pick your own blueberries or other fresh produce, check out this resource from the Michigan.gov website:

Farm Market, U-Pick and Agricultural Tourism Directory
The Michigan Farm Market, U-Pick and Agricultural Tourism Directory is a guide to more than 200 farm markets, u-pick operations and agricultural tourism opportunities throughout the state. Visiting farm markets and u-pick farms is a family event that can be enjoyed all year long.

Chelsea is located in Region 7, which includes Washtenaw County and the surrounding areas.

Research Study Proves the Obvious

Found this story in the Ann Arbor News this week:

U-M study says video games interfere with homework

The article states, "Of the nearly 1,500 children ages 10 to 19 who were studied, 36 percent played video games. ... During the study, participants were asked to keep diaries on how they spent their time for 24 hours on one weekday and one weekend day."

Ok, perhaps I'm a bit too skeptical because of my education and experience in research and statistics. But I venture to guess that you could prove just about *anything* based on asking people to journal one week day and one weekend day. Choose the right day and you could determine that I am an avid exerciser and health nut. Choose the wrong day and you might prove that I don't shower or leave the house.

I'm trying to remain optimistic that the study results were just glossed over for a news byte, and not that countless hours and resources were spent to prove the obvious.

Those research results are almost as riveting and eye opening as the study I read in the New York Times that determined "New Yorkers depressed after 9/11" (NYT, 5/19/02).

Hmmm... really? Ya think?

Chelsea Library Chooses New Director

Chelsea's McKune Memorial Library has chosen Joan Elmouchi as their new Library Director. Elmouchi is finishing up her tenure as director of the Garden City Library, where she has been for 14 years. According to an article in the Observer & Eccentric newspaper, she sees Chelsea as a booming area, and she and her husband are excited about moving to our town.

The article states that her last day at the Garden City Library will be July 6, and is taking a month off before starting at the library in Chelsea.

Congrats on the new job, Joan. I look forward to meeting you!

• Library director Elmouchi resigns (Observer & Eccentric Newspapers, 7/1/07)

UPDATES
Additional news sources for your reference, added after original post publication:

• Library Director Resigns to Take Job in Chelsea (News Briefs in the Free Press on 7/3)
• Chelsea: New library director to start on Aug. 6 (Ann Arbor News brief, 7/5/07)