Summerfest this weekend - July 25 and 26

Chelsea's annual summer festival, SummerFest is going on this weekend, July 24 and 25. With young kids, my family has traditionally spent the most time at the Kid Zone which has kids entertainment and activities, bouncy tents and tons more stuff. Last year, the SummerFest art show (ARTicipation) was also placed near Kid Zone, which worked out great for me. While the kids were watching a magic show or bouncing around, I could take a peek at art, jewelry and other cool stuff and still be within eye contact. Those two parts of SummerFest take place down by the Clocktower. And when you head that way, say hi to me! For a lot of the weekend, I will be volunteering at the info booth near the railroad tracks.

Another favorite at SummerFest is all the music. Not only are there free performances throughout the event at various locations, but the food and entertainment tent (aka the beer tent) is a whole lot of fun at the end of the day.

There are lots of details on the SummerFest website (another one of my projects). I also posted a link to my FlickR account in the left hand column of my blog, which has tons of photos from last year.

Busy weekend in Chelsea, isn't it?

Some good ole fashioned rock 'n roll this Thursday

I have never seen so much press about an event in Chelsea before, but in case you somehow missed it, Mitch Ryder and his band will be performing in Chelsea on Thursday Night. Pretty cool, huh? Last I heard, VIP tickets were close to sold out, but there is still time for the rest of us to get in on the concert. Tickets are available by going online at www.chelseacenterforthearts.org or by calling the CCA at (734) 433-2787. The performance will be in the entertainment tent behind the Common Grill, which will be set up similarly as during SummerFest concerts (which is this weekend, too!).

Mitch Ryder, dubbed a rock and roll legend by many, is most famous here in Michigan because he is a Detroit rocker born in Hamtramck. His best known hits are "CC Rider" and "Devil with a Blue Dress & Good Golly Miss Molly", which is listed as one of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Search for Mitch Ryder videos on YouTube to see some great clips and vintage performances.

This is a special event organized by the Sounds & Sights on Thursday Nights committee, and funds raised will go to help keep great musicians and entertainers coming to Chelsea on Thursdays throughout the summer.

Learn more:

• Official website of Mitch Ryder - videos, albums, music downloads, photos and tons more
  
• Mitch Ryder biography on Answers.com
• Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels on Michigan Rock and Roll Legends website
  
• Mitch Ryder on Wikipedia
• Sounds & Sights on Thursday Nights
  

New babies at the house

We have newborn twins at our house. What!? Nooooooo....... don't look at me! Think I'd have time for blogging if that were the case? Thankfully, someone besides me is responsible for taking care of these babies.

Our new babies are birds. A mother robin has made herself at home in one of the hanging baskets on our front porch. A month or so ago, I had been wondering why half the flowers in my hanging basket were not growing, and peeked in there to find a nest. Wasn't sure if it belonged to anyone, but I knew it must be recently added because those baskets were only just hung up on Mother's Day. So I have been very carefully watering the non-nest side of my flowers since then.

A couple weeks later, I glanced over to the basket when I was headed out the front door and was startled to see a new face:


The kids and I were happy and excited to see new life unfold before our eyes. We keep checking out the front window for when Mama Bird grabs a lunch break so we can go out and peek in the nest and snap a photo.

As you might guess... this is what we found next (below):

A few days later.... babies! My 7 year old said, "Awww... cute! No wait. They look weird!" (below):

Another day or two later, they are still looking very strange and alien-like (below):

The NEXT day I took the following photo. They look a little like Muppets to me:

By the NEXT day, they have nearly doubled in size. Mama Bird is gone a lot. It must take extraordinary work to feed babies that grow this fast. They are almost cute now, and starting to look more like birds than the prehistoric creatures that were their ancestors (photo below was taken today):

If I take too long with the photos, I get an angry Mama Bird squawking at me from the nearby tree:

Sometimes the little things in life are the most fun. I find it comforting to be reminded that life is not all about gas prices, politics, and credit card bills.

I'll keep adding photos as I take them, so check back if you're interested in the progress! :) Here is the permalink to this page: http://chelsea-mi.blogspot.com/2008/07/new-babies-at-house.html

Manchester Chicken Broil This Week

Wait... for the second time this month I am blogging about an event NOT in Chelsea (fireworks being the first). Well, that's ok. It's the neighborly thing to do, and it is actually one of the reasons I started this blog in the first place.

The 55th Annual Manchester Chicken Broil takes place this week. It will be held on Thursday (7/17) from 4 til 8 p.m. Have you ever been to it? I haven't... yet. It is said to be the largest event of its kind, serving over 12,000 meals in 4 hours. Proceeds raised go to help out the library, parks and other local organizations.

If you'd like to buy tickets here in Chelsea, you can get them at one of these places: Key Bank, Edward Surovell Realtors, Chelsea State Bank (both locations), and TCF Bank. Tickets are $7 in advance and $8 at the gate. For the price, you get a half chicken, coleslaw, bread and drink. I'd say that is a pretty good deal. You can either order it to go, or stay at the park and enjoy your meal outdoors along with some musical entertainment.

Visit www.manchesterchickenbroil.org for all the details.

And if I want to go really crazy mentioning events outside of Chelsea, I could mention that the Ann Arbor Art Fair is this week as well. But you probably already knew that. :)

Chuck wagon, donkeys, cowboys and a bit of American history

Did you know that the Fourth Annual National Day of the American Cowboy is being celebrated this month? The first national observance was on July 23, 2005 as a way to acknowledge and preserve the heritage, history, and culture of America’s Cowboy. [see www.cowboyday.com to learn more]

Celebrate National Cowboy Day on July 19 in downtown Chelsea
The official date this year is July 26, but you can celebrate a little early here in Chelsea thanks to the Mule Skinner Boot Shop. Our local Cowboy Day celebration takes place on Saturday, July 19 from 10am until 2pm. The event features an authentic chuck wagon, miniature donkeys, and real cowboys and cowgirls. So dust off your boots and shine up your spurs and head on downtown to celebrate the cowboys who helped make this country great.

See event details: National Cowboy Day Celebration

Mission Marketplace owner named "Retailer of the Month" ... in Chicago

If you've noticed the news links on the right side of my blog or visited the Chelsea News Tidbits on the Things To Do In Chelsea website, you'll know that I have an RSS feed to search news matching keywords "Chelsea Michigan". From there, I pick relevant articles to share with you. (Have I mentioned how glad I am that Hilary Clinton and her daughter Chelsea are not making news in Michigan much lately?)

Anyhow, this bit of interesting news came across my desk this morning. A Chicago organization called The Chicago Market: Living and Giving has named Kevin Frahm of The Mission Marketplace in downtown Chelsea as the July 2008 Retailer of the Month. There is a feature article about the store and Kevin:

The Chicago Market's Retailer of the Month: JULY 2008

With a passion for a world where there is “enough for everyone” Kevin Frahm, Executive Director, started The Mission Marketplace as a physical manifestation of that vision. By sourcing Fair Trade and Green vendors from around the world The Mission Marketplace has created an inviting store that also invites change. .... [click link below to read more]

Read full article here Retailer of the Month: July 2008 on shopchicagomarket.net

The Mission Market Place, has been one of my favorite stores since they first opened in that tiny store near the Clock Tower, to where they are now in the heart of downtown Chelsea. It's nice to see a genuinely nice guy and hard worker get some nice press.

Chelsea restaurant reviews - old and new favorites

The Ann Arbor News has featured two Chelsea restaurants in the past week. Our old favorite, Cleary's Pub, and our newest restaurant, Las Fuentes.

• Cleary's Pub, which is one of my favorites, has really tasty food and is a great place to hang out either with or without the kids: Cleary's Pub attracts all kinds (Ann Arbor News on MLive, 7/3/08)

• Las Fuentes, our new Mexican restaurant located in the Clocktower Complex, is family-friendly and will soon be another option in town for drinks with friends: Las Fuentes opens in Chelsea (Ann Arbor News on MLive, 7/3/08)

The Big Storm of June 2008

Wednesday night we had an impressive and scary storm in our area. I was working away at the computer, when my 7 year old said "There is lighting outside, Mommy. You might want to shut down." I took a glance outside and said, "Ok. Thanks. I think it will be fine." I saved my files and continued on. Next thing I know.... INSTANT SHUT DOWN due to a power outage. Whoops.

From our front window, the kids and I watched the eerie sky change from gray to green to black. Winds whipped down Main Street, water poured down from the sky... except that it wasn't really "down" because it was more horizontal. After the worst of the storm seemed to have passed and we realized how incredibly dark our house was, we lit candles and had crackers and cheese for dinner. My friend next door came by and said that our neighbor had some remodeling done courtesy of Mother Nature. Their front porch was hit by a falling tree, and it was in shambles.

See more storm photos from Chelsea photographer Burrill Strong on his blog

After we had been without power for a few hours, I must say it was slightly annoying to be sitting in the dark, and seeing the neighbors across the street with full power! Oh well... they are probably on the Chelsea Community Hospital grid, and I'm sure they needed it more than us.

But we made the best of it. Having no TV and no computers, we just sat and talked and giggled about comparing and contrasting weather with bodily functions. (Oh, you thought I was a mature adult? Fooled you! -g-) Power came back on by midnight (Yay to Chelsea Power! Read more about them in this 2005 article on the Chelsea Report), just in time for bed.

The next morning we were awoken bright and early by the sound of chain saws and grinders from Arbor Care Tree Surgeons, who made efficient and tidy work out of cleaning up the downed tree on our neighbor's lawn.

Chelsea Planning Commission Mtg Tonight

The Planning Commission is holding a work session tonight (Tuesday) at 7 p.m. One of the topics of discussion is the Walgreen's site plan.

• See related news brief on MLive

PC work sessions are held in the lower level conference room at the Chelsea City Offices, 305 S. Main St, and are open to the public.