January 3, 2020   Your source for All Livonia news. All the time. All ways positive.
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                Art + Culture + Recreation + Volunteerism = Livonia
Livonia Lions partner to make Christmas special for children with special needs 

On December 13th, the Livonia Lions Club Co-sponsored a Christmas Party for more than 200 special needs children attending Cooke School - Northville.

The Livonia Lions Club purchased and wrapped many gifts which were then gifted to the children by Santa Claus.  The Lions Club also provided a variety of food, snacks, refreshments and entertainment for the 600 attendees to enjoy.

Lions volunteers were on hand during the day long celebration to help the children and  their families have a fun and joyful Christmas Party.  Special Thanks the members and leadership of the Northville Lions Club for their support and participation in the 2019 Cooke School Christmas Party.
Motor City Youth Theatre is getting ready to rock with Sister Act
The Motor City Youth Theatre is asking if you're interested in auditioning for Sister Act Jr. If you are then email for links to the video and music clips. A pre-audition workshop is scheuled for this Saturday, Jan 4 at 10:00 AM!

Email to mcytnancy@gmail.com for the links.

 Musings can't wait for this show as it will surely rock.

All school aged kids through 18!! Great solos for leads! Great singing and dancing for everyone!!

The Motor City Youth Theatre is located on Grantland just west of Inkster Road and north of Plymouth Road. 
Coming Monday: FridayMusings survey on Mass Transit. Would you support a regional transit plan? Should Livonia expand our own transit opportunity?
Also on Monday: A special video documenting Livonia's Blessing in a Bag from this past Christmas Eve.
We are just getting over the down time from the end of year holiday. Musings is starting to ramp up for the New Year. 
Click on this image for all movie times at the Phoenix
Vote

United States Senate

Gary Peters (D-I)

John James (R)

United States House of Representatives

Haley Stevens (D-I)

Whitney Williams (R)
Eric Esshaki (R)

Michigan House of Representatives

Laurie Pohutsky (D-I)

Martha Ptashnik (R)
https://www.facebook.com/ElectReginaGargus2020/

Send your calendar notices to  rwilliamjoyner@gmail.com

January in Livonia
Dickerson Art Gallery will be presenting recent works from the following artists at the Bennett Civic Center Library during the month of January:
Durwood Coffey, Barb Gibson,  Mark Krecic, Jon Lange, Vic Leo,  Kay Masini,  Marcia Polenberg,
Ted Ramsay, Mireille Ripley,  Gwen Roth,Tim Tonachella,
Paul Zenian, and guest artist,  Danny Rebb
January 5
Healthy Livonia's 100 Days to Health begins at 9 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 5 at the Kirksey Recreation Center. The kick-off event will feature keynote speakers, raffle prizes, refreshments and a free workout.  For more information, call (734) 466-2912.
 
January 6
Official Launch of the  Detroit Red Wings versus 
Livonia All Stars  Hockey Challenge 
January 13
Official launch of the  Tour de Livonia
January 14
Peace with Integral Consciousness/ Tada Gunter
Livonia Citizens for Peace
Livonia Senior Center
January 18 @ 11:00 - 2:00
Franklin High School
PTA DADS Chili Cook-off

January 19 @ 1:00 - 4:00

January 20 @ 2:00
Livonia Historic Society @ Greenmead's Blue House
"Shanty Boys, Peaveys, and River Hogs- 
Michigan's Lumbering Days"
January 21 @ 8:30 pm
CLARENCEVILLE Senior All Night Party 
BOWLING FUNDRAISER @ MerriBowl
 Any questions call @ 313-418-3495
or email immonen4@msn.com

January 23
Senior Center Book Club: Failures of Presidents
A Project of AlphaUSA
Moderated by Chuck Dardas and the typewriter

February in Livonia
February 1 @ 2:00 - 4:00 or 6:00 - 8:00
Daddy-Daughter Dance
Elk's Lodge 31117 Plymouth Road
For more information, call (734) 466-2900.
Co-sponsored by Livonia Elk's Lodge and
Livonia Parks & Recreation

February 11
Nonviolence: The Way to Peace/ Colleen Mills
Livonia Citizens for Peace
Livonia Senior Center

February 12
Livonia GOP Lincoln Day Dinner

February 16 @ 1:00
Cardboard Boat Races
Jack Kirksey Recreation Center
Registration begins on Monday, Jan. 6

February 22 @ 4:00
PASSPORT TO SCANDINAVIA
Livonia Symphony Orchestra
Clarenceville's Historic Louis Schmidt Auditorium

February 23 @ 4:30 - 8:30
The Ian Clemens 4th Annual Trivia Night
Hosted by The Ian Clemens Foundation
St. Mary's Cultural Center

March in Livonia
March 10
100 Years of Women's Suffrage/What's Next?
Angela Ryan
Livonia Citizens for Peace
Livonia Senior Center
March 14
33rd Annual Bowling for Braille Bopoks
Novi Bowl Family Fun Center
Seedlings new logo

April in Livonia
April 14
Todays Africa Through American Eyes with 
Dr. Peggi J. Tabor, PhD
Livonia Citizens for Peace
Livonia Senior Center

June in Livonia
June 7 @ 3:00
Livonia Civic Chorus Spring Concert
Churchill High School Performing Arts Center
Parents night out with the help of the Livonia Y
When the parents are away, the kids will play!

Join the Livonia YMCA for Parent's Night Out on January 10th from 6:30pm-9:00pm!

Parents can enjoy some much deserved time to themselves with the peace of mind that their children are in a safe, fun environment. Kids will swim, enjoy arts & crafts, sports, and much more with an engaging and qualified staff. 

Children must be able to use the bathroom without assistance. Space is limited, register early!
Our Livonia Civic Chorus is preparing for the Spring Concert.
Are you ready to join them?


Commissioner Diane Webb looks forward to 2020
Livonia has two Wayne County Commissioners with the majority of our hometown represented by Terry Godfroid Marecki. Diane Webb represents Middlebelt east to Inkster, south of Five Mile to Joy Road. She also has Redford Township and Dearborn Heights. Webb recently posted a note to her constituents and Musings wanted to share the end of year thoughts from Commissioner Diane Webb:

I just wanted to take a moment to write as 2019 comes to a close, and thank you all for being such a meaningful part of my life! This past year had it's share of challenges both personally and professionally; and I am pleased to report that there were more victories than losses, more accomplishments than disappointments and more blessings than ever.

Professionally, my like minded colleagues and I were able to move the County closer to Transparency, with the video tapes of our meetings now available on YouTube, make County Services more accessible to Veterans via an outreach coordinator and a satellite offices, Fully fund the Seniors Meals on Wheels program, reinstate the Local Township Road Initiative (w/ $500K for Redford) and see the benefit of some road and park improvements in all 3 communities in my district. I realize its never enough to meet the need, but with only 25 of the 43 communities in WC receiving any road dollars, I am happy that we were included in this year.

No year in politics comes without its losses, and in my opinion, our greatest loss in 2019 came at the sale of roughly 10 acres of public park land and two historic buildings in Hines Park. The Commission approved this deal despite the public's overwhelming opposition. Commissioners Anderson, Killeen and I voted against it but we were vastly outnumbered and now Hines is no longer 17 miles of Contiguous parkway. For the first time in 100 years, it is divided by commercial property at Newburgh Road, and Wilcox Mill will soon become the residence and art studio of a private investor. Unfortunately, the democratic process doesn't always work in the best interest of the greater good, but I sleep well for knowing that I stood with and for the people.

Despite the fact my heart will forever grieve that loss, there were plenty of gains made in 2019, and given the political landscape in Wayne County, that is saying something!

 I look forward to 2020 with great hope and anticipation of even better things to come!!
Start January off with a good mystery at our 
Livonia Barefoot Productions
Susan Glaspell's Trifles, is a classic story of a murder on a farm in Iowa and the two overlooked women who solve it.

The Outside, also by Susan Glaspell, is a story about a woman who is trying to get away from everything, but finds that everything still finds her.
O. Henry, the undisputed king of irony, is the author of the other two short plays.

The Ransom of Red Chief centers on two small time con men, Sam and Bill, who travel the South looking for small money-making schemes that we're guessing end up exploding in their faces.
  
While the Auto Waits is a sweet and whimsical short play is about two young people who seem determined to impress each other by being someone other than who they actually are.
INDOOR TRIATHLON REGISTRATION UNDERWAY
Registration is underway for the  annual Indoor Triathlon Sunday, Feb. 23 at the Jack E. Kirksey Recreation Center, 15100 Hubbard. 

Participants compete in a 20-minute swim, 20-minute bike, and 20-minute run with 10-minute transition times between each event.  Swimming takes place in the 25-yard lap pool. Biking will be on upright stationary bikes. Running will be done on treadmills in the fit hub.  Scoring is determined by the total distance covered in all three events.  

"If you are looking to take part in your first triathlon, this event provides a great experience in a motivating and encouraging atmosphere," commented Ted Davis, Superintendent, Livonia Parks and Recreation.

The registration fee of $35 includes a participation t-shirt and refreshments.  Awards will be given to the top male and female in each of the following age groups 18-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61 and over.

Registration deadline is Friday, Feb. 14.  For more information, please call (734) 466-2900 or visit  www.livoniaparks.org
It is not too early to prepare for Spring. So mark your calendars for the Livonia Home Show -- 9:00 - 3:00. Kirksey Recreation Center.



Livonia's traveling acoustic guitar musician back from Petosky, Frankenmuth, Ann Arbor and now in Northville.
A Musings endorsed musician.
What is the talk circulating throughout Livonia about this
one-of-a-kind guitar being raffled off by the Livonia Symphony?
Susan Parker Stewart had promised to post some detailed pictures of the Alembic bass guitar on facebook that the Livonia Symphony Orchestra is raffling off. 

So what is all this talk circulating through our hometown about this one of a kind guitar that has so many people really excited about the opportunity to win while helping our hometown Symphony.

Let's let Susan Parker Stewart tell you a little about it:

So I believe that this is a Mark King Deluxe model with a bunch of upgrades. It is a hand built custom 4 string bass guitar with a gorgeous buckeye burl wood top and back with the electronics covers on back being continuous (cut from the same piece of wood).

The core body wood is mahogany and the pick-up's are Alembic custom wound active type.The neck is maple with purple heart wood stripes, the fingerboard is ebony with abalone oval inserts.

Another custom feature is that the side marker dots are blue and red LED's. They are gorgeous when illuminated on a dark stage.

These instruments typically take months to complete and cost between $10,000 and $15,000.

This one was donated to the Livonia Symphony Orchestra for a fundraising raffle with 100% of the proceeds from ticket sales funding LSO operations.

300 tickets are being sold for $100 each and the drawing is to be held on Saturday May 9th 2020 at a Symphony concert between 5:00 and 5:30 at the Clarenceville High School Schmidt Auditorium.

These raffle tickets will make excellent Christmas gifts! You need not be present to win!

For raffle tickets please contact LSO board member Emily Bauman ebauman.lso@gmail.com or call (248) 509-4744.