City of Chelsea Visioning Session at the Chelsea Depot

The Chelsea Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is hosting another city visioning session this evening at the Chelsea Depot. (The first one was held in September) This is a very important meeting to learn and discuss the future of our community. The only way the DDA and the City of Chelsea will know what we want for our city is for us to tell them.

So, despite the C-C-C-C-O-L-D weather, please take a couple hours of your week and participate in this event.

More details can be found on the event listing on the Things To Do In Chelsea website.

Library Journal's Best Library In America 2008

McKune Memorial Library in Chelsea, Michigan.
Photo by Burrill Strong Photography ©2007.

Published article now available
As reported in the Chelsea Blog earlier this month, our very own McKune Memorial Library here in Chelsea has been awarded the prestigious "Best Library in America 2008" by Library Journal and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

To give you a quick update, the full article is now available online at LibraryJournal.com. This article includes details about the programs, technology and people that helped us win the award:

• Best Small Library in America 2008: Chelsea District Library - A Michigan Model (Library Journal, 2/1/08)

For more information and additional news links, see previous Chelsea Blog post: Chelsea District Library is the Best Small Library in America! (1/16/08)

A night out at the Chelsea Bulldog's hockey game

As a small business owner in Chelsea, I do what I can to help support the community. One of my sponsorship opportunities came up a couple years ago when a friend, who had a hockey-player son, asked if my business would be interested in advertising in the Chelsea Varsity Hockey Program. The prices were reasonable, so I said "Sure." However, with the kids being so young and me being very much non-sports minded, it took until last Saturday to attend our first game.

I'll try not to sound too surprised when I report that we all had a really good time. Well, of course my husband and kids had a great time. They love anything that involves sports and snacks. But I too enjoyed the evening and found a bit of a sports fan in myself as I rooted for the Bulldogs (who won 4-2). Being newbies to the Arctic Coliseum, we inadvertently sat in the wrong section, and it was slightly confusing to the kids when the Ann Arbor Pioneer parents sitting behind us were cheering for their own team. But it was all in good fun when I whispered to the kids that we didn't want to cheer when the *other* team got a goal.

I also learned that the Arctic Coliseum has a mini video arcade. And yes, I'm probably the only person in Chelsea who didn't know this, but I confess I have only ice skated once in my life -- and my little brother had to hold me up for dear life. But it's good to know since I'm a probably more of a video game fan than a sports fan.

Upcoming Games
The Chelsea Varsity Hockey games generally start at 6:30 or 7:00, with three 15 minute periods. For families with young kids, it's just the right amount of time to enjoy the game, get some snacks from the concession stand, and be home by bedtime. For those who actually have a social life, you'll still have plenty of time afterwards for a movie, a date, or drinks with friends.

If you want to catch a game before the end of the season, you'll have to be quick, because there are only a few more home games.

• Saturday, Jan. 26 - Bulldogs vs. Plymouth Salem @ 7:00
• Wednesday, Jan 30 - Bulldogs vs. Huron @ 6:30
• Saturday, Feb 2 - Bulldogs vs. Kearsley @ 7:00
• Saturday, Feb 9 -Bulldogs vs. Lincoln @ 7:00

Related Link
To see some great photos of Chelsea Varsity Hockey and other local sports, check out the blog of local photographer, Burrill Strong.

And the sponsorship ad?
Oh, and since it fits in well with the topic at hand...

Catching up on local news in Chelsea

There have been quite a few interesting and/or relevant news articles about Chelsea in the past week or so. Rather than hold off on sharing the news until I have something clever to say, here are some snippets.

• Earth Day Celebration Planned for Chelsea - I'm hoping to get more information on this event soon for the Things To Do In Chelsea website
• Chelsea-Ann Arbor Bus in the works - Wouldn't this be great? With gas at $3+ per gallon even if those who work in Ann Arbor took the bus or shared a ride ONE day each week, they'd save 20% on gas expenses.
• Development Plan for Federal Screw Works Revised - There has been a lot of news, controversy and modifications in this story since it was first announced. This article does a good job summing it up. It will probably merit it's own full post in the near future.
• Purple Rose Theatre Opens Newest Play: "Vino Veritas" on January 17
• Reed's Barbershop Chosen as "Small Business Leader" by Chelsea Chamber of Commerce - I must agree, this is a great little place. They even won over my 4 year old son by turning on the NASCAR channel just for him when he said he liked 'Lightening McQueen'. (To which I thought woefully to myself, "Nascar has its own CHANNEL??")
  

That's all for now folks!

Soup Swap at the Chelsea Center for the Arts

Tonight, the Chelsea Center for the Arts is hosting a Soup Swap. Besides the fact that it is a great way to contribute to the programs at the CCA and make a donation to Faith In Action, it's a cheap "fast food" which means I don't have to cook tonight (yay!).

Here's the scoop (ladle? lol)
WHAT:
Soup Swap - Purchase hot yummy Zou Zou's soup for $3 per serving and a canned soup donation for FIA (I've heard they are requesting NO chicken noodle, but I have no idea why... it's one of the favorites here in our house, so my kids will be glad I'm not giving it away!)

WHAT ELSE? Not only can you get the soup, but you can also purchase beautiful hand-made pottery created by some of the CCA's artists.

WHERE:
Chelsea Center for the Arts (CCA)
400 Congdon Street
Chelsea, MI 48118
734.433.2787

WHEN:
Today, Wednesday 1/23 from 3:30 until 6:30 p.m.

More Information:
Event Listing: chelsea-mi.com/events/2261.html
CCA Website: www.chelseacenterforthearts.org
National Soup Swap Blog: www.soupswap.com/blog

Chelsea Businesses Chosen as "Best In Michigan"

Those of us who live in Chelsea know that there are some fantastic businesses here in town. Well, it's good to see in print that we are not the only ones who know this. Some of our local businesses have recently been chosen as "Best of Michigan Businesses" by readers of Corp! magazine.

I don't know if this recognition gives the recipients anything except good press. But it's certainly a good reminder in this somewhat depressing Michigan economy there are many businesses in Michigan that are doing well and are certainly worth celebrating. Congratulations!

• Aberdeen Bike and Fitness
• Chelsea Eyeglass
• The Garden Mill
• Chelsea Community Hospital
• The Common Grill
  

Here is the news release in its entirety, and I have highlighted some of our local folks in red (let me know if I missed any!).

Source: www.prnewswire.com

Corp! Magazine Announces Companies Named by Readers as 'Best of Michigan Business'

                      Companies to be honored Feb. 19

  WARREN, Mich., Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Michigan's largest business
magazine, Corp!, asked its readers to name which businesses they considered
the "Best" in Michigan. And 1,000 readers responded with their opinions and
praise for businesses throughout the state.

  The "Best of Michigan Business" winners will be celebrated at a
breakfast program on Tuesday, Feb. 19 at MSU Management Education Center in
Troy. The event begins at 7:30 a.m. with breakfast and networking, followed
by an awards program and concluding at 10 a.m. The nearly 300 companies
that were named a "Best of Michigan Business" will be featured in the
January/February 2008 issue of Corp! magazine. (See following list.)

  Readers were asked in a poll to name the best businesses in a variety
of categories including: health care provider, banks and credit unions, law
firms, small business and family business.

  Other categories included firms specializing in staffing, accounting,
commercial and industrial real estate, technology, marketing and public
relations, manufacturing, sports and entertainment, retailing, grocery,
restaurants, engineering and architectural and construction.

  Corp! magazine has been under new ownership since early 2006. Corp
Publishing LLC, under the leadership of Edward Deeb, editor-in-chief and
Jennifer Kluge, publisher, purchased Corp! and began publishing in March
2006.

  The mission of Corp! magazine, founded in 1998, is to inform, intrigue
and entertain business owners and top level executives by providing
business features, news and profiles with a Michigan emphasis.

                      BEST OF MICHIGAN BUSINESS 2008

                             ACCOUNTING FIRMS
  Beene Garter, LLP                          Maddox Unger Silbertein, PLLC
  Bredernitz Wagner & Co.                    Plante & Moran, PLLC
  Culver, Wood & Culver, CPA                 Schwanitz, Hayden & Associates, PLC
  Deloitte & Touche                          Swenson & Niel, PC
  Doren Financial Group                      The Rehmann Group
  Ernst & Young                              Virchow Krause & Company
  Godfrey Hammel, Danneels &Company, PC      Weinlander Fitzhugh

                       ARCHITECTURAL & CONSTRUCTION
  Albert Kahn Associates, Inc.               McIntosh Poris Associates
  D&D Building                               Michigan Commercial Construction
  Dan Vos Construction Company               Redstone Group
  Father & Son Construction                  Rossetti Architects
  Frank Rewold and Son, Inc.                 SmithGroup, Inc
  Grissim Metz Andriese Associates           T.H. Marsh Construction Company
  Hamilton Anderson Associates               Turner Construction Company
  Ideal Group                                Victor Saroki & Associates Architects, PC
  Lindhout Associate Architects              Walbridge Aldinger Company

                          BANKS & CREDIT UNIONS
  Aeroquip Federal Credit Union              Fidelity Bank
  American 1 Federal Credit Union            Fifth Third Bank
  Bank of America                            First Bank
  Best Source Credit Union                   Flagstar Bank
  Charter One                                Huntington Bank
  Chase                                      Key Bank
  Citizens Bank                              Lake Michigan Credit Union
  Clarkston State Bank                       Michigan First Credit Union
  Comerica                                   MidWest Financial
  Community Financial Credit Union           National City Bank
  Co-op Services Credit Union                New Liberty Bank
  Detroit Edison Credit Union                Premier Financial Credit Union
  DFCU Financial                             River Valley Credit Union
                                             TCF Bank

                               ENGINEERING
  Apollo Tool & Engineering, Inc.            Orchard, Hiltz & McCliment, Inc.
  Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber, Inc.     Process Results, Inc.
  Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc.                Saturn Electronics & Engineering, Inc.
  NTH Consultants, Ltd.

                             FAMILY BUSINESS
 Aberdeen Bike & Fitness                   Kashat Market
  Bommarito's Bakery                         Kent Manufacturing
  Boone & Darr                               Moon Valley Rustic Furniture
  By the Bay Shuttle                         Morse Moving & Storage
  Chelsea Eyeglass                           National Coney Island
  Corsi's Restaurant & Banquet Hall          StoAway Storage
  Franco's Pizza                             The Garden Mill
  JM Construction                            Try Construction
  JW Coffee Shop                             Zehnder's of Frankenmuth

                                 GROCERS
  Busch's                                    Nino Salvaggio's Marketplace
  Eastern Market                             Papa Joe's Gourmet Market
  Forest Hill Foods                          Polly's Country Market
  Hiller's Markets                           Spartan Stores
  Holiday Market                             VG's Market
  Hollywood Super Markets                    Westborn Markets
  Meijer                                     Western Market

                           HEALTH CARE PROVIDER
  Beaumont Hospital                          Metro Health Hospital
  Chelsea Community Hospital                 Michigan Institute for Human Performance
  Detroit Medical Center                     North Oakland Medical Center
  Grand Valley Health Plan                   Northern Michigan Health Care Systems
  Henry Ford Health System                   St. John Health
  Henry Ford Retirement Community            University of Michigan Health System
  McLaren Health Systems                     West Branch Regional Medical Center
  Medical Weight Loss Clinics

                                LAW FIRMS

  Beier Howlett, PC                          Karen Smith Kienbaum & Associates
  Bodman, LLP                                Mellon McCarthy & Pries, PC
  Butzel Long                                Mika, Meyers, Beckett & Jones, PLC
  Charfoos & Christensen, PC                 Miller Canfield
  Clark Hill, PLC                            Nemeth Burwell, PC
  Dickinson Wright, PLLC                     Portnoy & Roth, PC
  Dykema                                     Safford & Baker, PLLC
  Foley & Lardner, LLP                       Stark Reagan, PC
  Harness, Dickey & Pierce, PLC              Trowbridge Law Firm, PC
  Honigman, Miller, Schwartz & Cohn, LLP     Warner, Norcross & Judd, LLP
  Howard & Howard

                              MANUFACTURING
  Acme Manufacturing Company                 Kawasaki Robotics USA, Inc.
  American Axle & Manufacturing              Lear Corporation
  Asahi KASEI Plastics North America, Inc.   Link Engineering Company
  Axle Tech International                    Marsh Industries, Inc.
  Chrysler, LLC                              Michigan Box Company
  Continental Teves                          Michigan Production Machining
  Creative Foam                              Numatics, Inc.
  De Giulio Industries                       Ontario Die Company
  Delta Technologies Group                   Pontiac Coil
  Ford Motor Company                         Premier Protective Packaging
  General Motors                             Prestolite Wire Corporation
  Global Tooling Systems                     RSDC of Michigan
  Herman Miller, Inc.                        Sensors, Inc.
  Howard Finishing, LLC                      Steelcase
  Ideal Shield                               The Alpha Group
  INCOE Corp                                 The Magni Group
  Industrial Woodworking Corp                Toyota
  Intertec Systems

                              MARKETING & PR
  Airfoil Public Relations                   Franco Public Relations Group
  AutoCom Associates                         Hermanoff & Associates, Inc.
  Berline                                    Inner Circle Media
  Big Communications, Inc.                   Intellitrends
  Brogan & Partners                          Lovio-George, Inc.
  Clear!Blue Communications                  Marketing Associates, Inc.
  Duffey, Petrosky & Company                 Marx Layne & Company
  Elemental                                  Publicom
  Enlighten                                  Uproar Communications
  ePrize

                               REAL ESTATE
                         (COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL)
  CB Richard Ellis                           Milliken Realty Company
  Colliers International                     Northern Equities Group
  Farbman Group

                               RESTAURANTS
  220 Restaurant                             Gandy Dancer
  Andiamo's                                  G's Pizzeria
  Assaggi Bistro                             Hong Hua
  Bacco Ristorante                           Il Posto Ristorante
  Christine's Cuisine                        Kruse & Muer
  City Kitchen                               Lark
  Common Grill                               Luigi's
  Cuisine                                    Mi Pueblo Restaurant
  Fishbone's Rhythm Kitchen Café             Ristorante Ciao
  Forte

                                RETAILERS
  Anthrolpologie                             Gordon Chevrolet
  Beadquest                                  Gorman's
  Bordine Nursery                            Green Brain Comics
  Butterball Farms, Inc.                     McDaniels Kitchen and Bath
  Claymore Shop                              Monogram Goods
  Contempo Home                              Moosejaw
  Design Within Reach                        Running Fit
  Elder-Beerman

                      SMALL BUSINESS ($1-10 Million)
  Accent Reduction Institute, LLC            Menlo Innovations, LLC
  American Spoon Foods                       Powerhouse Gym International
  Arlington Transit Mix & Masonry Supply     Sorella's Homebaked Goods
  Biz-R Collection                           The Betty Brigade
  ByBlos Banquets                            Two Men and a Truck
  CAE, Inc.                                  Webbsmarts, LLC
  Logic Solutions

                     SMALL BUSINESS ($10-50 Million)
  Burton Manor                               Palace Chrysler Jeep
  Chrysan Industries, Inc.                   Petoskey Plastics
  Dobson Industrial, Inc.                    PostNet
  Gongos Research, Inc.                      Service Express, Inc.
  Honey Baked Ham                            Tepel Brothers Printing Company

                          SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
  Detroit Institute of Arts                  MGM Grand Detroit
  Detroit Opera Theatre                      Olympia Entertainment
  Detroit Lions                              Palace Sports & Entertainment
  Detroit Pistons                            Plymouth Whalers
  Detroit Red Wings                          Saginaw Spirit
  Detroit Shock                              SMG Van Andel Arena
  Detroit Tigers                             The Henry Ford Museum  Greenfield Village
  Mel Ball Entertainment                     West Michigan Whitecaps

                              STAFFING FIRMS
  ACRO Services                              Kelly Services
  Aquent                                     Manpower
  Arrow Strategies                           Modern Professional Services
  Delta Staffing                             On Assignment Lab Support
  Express Personnel Services                 Resource Technologies Corporation
  Inteligente Solutions                      Strategic Staffing Solutions

                             TECHNOLOGY FIRMS
  APEX Digital Solutions                     Netlink Software Group, Inc.
  Ardesta                                    Prime Focus
  BlueWater Technologies                     Ranal, Inc.
  CareTech Solutions, Inc.                   RTT USA, Inc.
  Compuware                                  Safety Net
  Datamatics Technologies, Inc.              Sarcom
  Entrega Corporation                        Sparton Corporation
  Fry, Inc.                                  Speedshape, Inc.
  Google                                     Springthrough
  KMT Robotic Solutions                      TechSmith Corporation
  Micro Works Computing

  For Further information:
  Contact:  Jennifer Kluge /Ed Deeb (586) 393-8800
 -or-       Sue Voyles 734-667-2005

Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Chelsea

Monday, January 21, 2008 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. On this day we commemorate the love, courage and teachings of a man who helped change the way we view people in our own community and throughout the world.

In Chelsea, Michigan the public schools are closed, in part so that families will take the opportunity to participate in activities in our city and the surrounding areas to celebrate diversity, tolerance and understanding. One World One Family has been organizing Chelsea's annual MLK activities ever since 2002, has a full lineup of activities for families and march that goes through downtown Chelsea. All are invited to join.

Full details can be found on the Things To Do In Chelsea website:

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day march and activities in Chelsea - January 21, 2008 from 1 til 9 p.m.

More information about Martin Luther King, Jr. and this commerative holiday can be found in many places on the web. One resource I found particularly inspiring was this article from The King Center: The Meaning of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday by Coretta Scott King

Chelsea District Library is the Best Small Library in America!

I received some great news recently. It is yet to be announced 'officially' but we should be hearing more about it very soon!

The Chelsea District Library has been awarded the Library Journal Best Small Library in America award! This is a huge honor, and a very prestigious accomplishment, with a $15,000 prize. Our very own McKune Memorial Library will be the cover story in the February issue of the Library Journal. In addition, they will receive the award at the Public Library Association conference in March 2008. Heartiest congratulations to all the staff!

I'm proud of our great library, and the whole community of Chelsea for this accomplishment.

LIBRARY JOURNAL ARTICLE
Best Small Library in America 2008: Chelsea District Library - A Michigan Model (Library Journal, 2/1/08) - Added 1/28/08 by Leslie

To learn more
Best Small Library In America Nomination Guidelines

In The News (I'll continue to add news articles here as they become available)

• McKune named 'best small library' in nation (Chelsea Standard, 1/24/08) - Added 1/24/08 by Leslie
• Chelsea Library wins national honor (Ann Arbor News, 1/24/08) - Added 1/24/08 by Leslie
• Library Journal names Chelsea District Library the Best Small Library in America (Press Release on Chelsea District Library's website, dated 1/24/08) - Added 1/28/08 by Leslie
• Library industry publication recognizes McKune (Ann Arbor New, 1/27/08) - Added 1/28/08 by Leslie

Voting in the January 15, 2008 Presidential Primary

As you probably know, the Presidential Primary election will be held on Tuesday, January 15, 2008. In Chelsea, Michigan the polling location is as follows:

Washington Street Education Center
500 Washington St.
Chelsea, MI 48118
FIND IT ON GOOGLE MAP
Polls are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Call the Chelsea City Clerk at 734.475.1771 for more information.

OTHER INFORMATION
This is a strange election day, full of controversies. The Presidential Primary is what they call "closed", which means you will be required to declare your party preference by selecting either a Democrat or Republican voting ballot. You will show ID and be verified as a registered voter and then recorded as either voting Democrat or Republican in this election. And yes, this list will given to the respective parties.

• The Democratic Ballot (link opens PDF file) includes:
  Hillary Clinton
  Chris Dodd
  Mike Gravel
  Dennis Kucinich
  Uncommitted
  
  NOTE: According to a recent Michigan Democratic Party press release: “Supporters of Joe Biden, John Edwards, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson are urged to vote "uncommitted" instead of writing in their candidates’ names because write-in votes for those candidates will not be counted.”
  

• The Republican Ballot (link opens PDF file) includes:
  Sam Brownback
  Rudy Giuliani
  Mike Huckabee
  Duncan Hunter
  John McCain
  Ron Paul
  Mitt Romney
  Tom Tancredo
  Fred Thompson
  Uncommitted
  

You will find additional information and answers to FAQs about this election on the eWashtenaw.org website:

• Presidential Primary Instructions & Frequently Asked Questions


• What's Up with the Presidential Primary? Clerk/Register Larry Kestenbaum

MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT
It is important to understand that there are NO VALID WRITE-IN CANDIDATES in this election. If you opt to write in a name instead of choosing one of the fill-in choices, your vote will NOT count. An election official from Washtenaw County, and member of the ArborParents group, said this:

“You need to know this because the election inspectors are not allowed to tell you that your vote won't count unless you SPECIFICALLY ask whether your vote will count. Even then, the answer we were given to say in such a case was, ‘There are no valid write-in candidates for this election.’ If someone were to ask, ‘Can I write-in a candidate?’ or ‘May I vote for a write-in candidate?’ we're to answer simply, ‘Yes you can,’ or ‘Yes you may.’ If they ask HOW to vote for a write-in candidate, we can only explain about how to make their ballot on the line provided for write-in candidates.

If all this gets you down about voting in the primary, consider that your VALID VOTE (if you don't throw it away on a write-in candidate) will at least influence the talking points in the media. The Republicans are certainly focusing on this primary, and the Democrats will be looking at the pro-Clinton or anti-Clinton vote.”

There is a lot of talk about this election, whether it should be held at all and what the results will mean when it's over. I'd urge each of you to do some research before going to the polls and decide what is best for you. If you support a particular candidate, visit their website, visit the website for the party you support, visit the michigan.gov website and the Washtenaw County website, and read some of the opinions and editorials that have been written recently. Be an educated voter and make your vote count!