September 18, 2019 Your source for Livonia news. All the time. All ways positive.
Please join the Livonia Arts Commission for their first "A Little Night of Music" featuring Alexander Zonjic this Friday, Sept. 20th. The concert takes place at the Alexander Blue House, located at Greenmead Historical Village. Tickets are $25 each and are available on the fifth floor of Livonia City Hall (33000 Civic Center Drive)
or online.
Tickets purchased on line can be picked up at the Will Call Table the night of the event. Seating is limited, so don't delay. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the event is from 8 - 9:30 p.m.
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On October 3rd Livonia salutes our 1835 Livonia City Hall of Fame Class of 2019.
The 15th year of thanking our Livonia Ambassadors.
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Presenting sponsor
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Every year the date of the annual 1835 Livonia City Hall of Fame is circled bright red on the calendar of many Livonia residents. This year is no exception for the first Thursday in October, October 3rd at 7:00. The Induction Ceremony has been the gathering place for an incredible community of creative thinkers and innovators, the source of so much of what has been given to Livonia since our incorporation as a Township in 1835 and as a City in 1950.
The efforts of those inducted have helped create a sustainable hometown of which we are all proud. Please join us and our esteemed friends from Livonia at the 1835 Livonia City Hall of Fame Induction. On October 3rd we will gather at the historic chapel built in 1930 at Rosedale Gardens Presbyterian Church to advance the work and continue the recognition of leaders who have dedicated a portion of their existence to bettering a town they live in or work in.
Alan Helmkamp, Class of 2015 Livonia Hall of Fame
Terry Marecki, Wayne County Commissioner
R. William Joyner, former Wayne County Commissioner, Founder Livonia Hall of Fame
Acceptance of behalf of the Livonia Community
Charlie Mahoney, Class of 2011 Livonia Hall of Fame
Special proclamations presented by
Michigan State Senator Dayna Polehanki
Michigan State Representative Laurie Pohutsky
Wayne County Commissioner Terry Marecki
City of Livonia
Chuck Dardas -- President, COO AlphaUSA
To be introduced by Former Michigan State Senator and current Wayne County Commissioner Glenn Anderson
 Today's business environment has become increasingly complex due to political and regulatory changes. As a result, there is a growing demand for company leadership who can successfully navigate a business environment while also accepting the responsibilities of giving back to the community by helping shape the future of the hometown where their employees live and work. Chuck Dardas offers up a rare breed of corporate leadership who understands that future generations will be better off because of efforts provided today. Efforts not just on paper but with ideas actually implemented.
Watching Chuck Dardas in action is to understand a mantra of "why talk. Go do." He offers up a template of community service that has brought to Livonia a food pantry inside Livonia schools now helping families across the district; giving students an opportunity to see real manufacturing while learning from experts in the industry from a real-life perspective, not just academic; encouraging people to expand their horizons and that life and learning is a continuous journey; reaching out into the community to host a book club at the Senior Center; establishing a Young Inventors Program to reinvigorate a passion for building things among young people.
Chuck Dardas has taken his skill set and knowledge base to develop a proactive corporate narrative across the range of community organizations from education to art and culture, from our youth to our seniors. This Dardas template provides an understanding that by networking and infusing a multitude of networks with new ideas and enthusiasm a community can stay young by being young.
Robert Hardies, founder Financial & Portfolio Advisors, Livonia Philanthropist, 1954 -2019
Award accepted posthumously by Dan MacIver, owner F&PA
To be introduced by former Livonia Board of Education President and current Livonia City Treasurer Lynda Scheel
 Bob Hardies is remarkable in terms of the lives touched and service provided as he understands that small business owners often play a key role in their local communities by giving back and volunteering time or donating money to worthy causes.
Bob Hardies works to develop and cultivate a culture of philanthropy within his business and within the organizations to which he donates. He wants to create a Culture of Philanthropy. He looks for opportunities to make an impact through a holistic approach that goes beyond simply writing a check. He wants to make sure that the money being donated enhances the mission of the organization and helps provide not just short term assistance but the framework for long term success.
His love and appreciation for the arts provides him the desire to support the Livonia Symphony Orchestra, Livonia Youth Symphony, the Livonia Civic Chorus, Seedlings and the Clarenceville Education Foundation among others.
His appreciation for the community is embodied in the Bob Hardies Best Kept Secrets of Livonia, a four-volume set of historical significance that has seen nearly 10,000 copies in circulation throughout his hometown in the past two years. He recognized that new residents moving into Livonia needed to have an understanding of some of the unique aspects that helped shape the town to which they have moved. As a result every month new residents receive in the mail the latest volume of Best Kept Secrets.
Bob Hardies has taken a significant skill set and has developed a culture of community giving. It is his goal to challenge other individuals and businesses to adopt and assist with time and energy some of the many organizations in Livonia that can use this help. By challenging others he is multiplying his own spirit of giving.
Seedlings Braille Books for Children
Award accepted by Debra Bonde, Founder Seedlings
To be introduced by former President Livonia City Council Maureen Miller Brosnan
 Over 150 million people use braille around the world today for a multitude of reasons. Braille allows users to gain an understanding of reading comprehension, of enabling them to be more independent and of opening doors in the professional world by securing a job. Helen Keller famously stated, "We, the blind, are as indebted to Louis Braille as mankind is to Gutenberg."
The Livonia based Seedlings Braille Books for Children provides children with a love for literacy by keeping visually impaired children in the mainstream of popular literature, providing an appreciation for story telling and an opening of doors into a world that many may never have known existed. This love of literacy starts right here with 100 volunteers printing and distributing braille books to every state in America and over 75 countries around the world.
Less than 20% of the 50,000 blind children in the United States are proficient in braille. The written word has been inaccessible to them, and this is what Seedlings is working to change with Braille books being provided at each level of development, from toddler books to classic literature for older children. Just as sighted children learn to "read" as they are exposed to the printed word, so do visually impaired children who are exposed to the tactile page at an early age.
Reaching out and touching the lives of children helps give meaning and purpose to human existence, an understanding that we can share with others that which we take for granted. Lives are touched each time a child picks up a book, each day that a volunteer transcribes a book into braille, each day that a parent shares their love of reading with their visually impaired son or daughter.
With every book that is shipped nationwide or around the world it helps define the cornerstone that makes Livonia a great hometown. Volunteerism. Reaching out. Putting a smile on the face of a young child. It is not about an individual making it seem that life is centered around self. It is about the importance of giving of oneself to enhance the quality of life of another. That defines Livonia. That defines the significance of Seedlings Braille Books for Children.
Dominick Paris, Author of From Footpaths to Freeways, Livonia Public School Teacher, 1910 - 1994
To be accepted posthumously by Livonia Pubic Schools Superintendent Andrea Oquist
To be introduced by Livonia City Councilwoman Kathleen McIntyre
 Dominic Paris provided ground-breaking research in local history and efforts to preserve history in Livonia. As a history teacher at Bentley High School he brought history alive to many students and dedicated his book Footpaths to Freeways to his students.
Dominic Paris was able to influence many students, including Sue Daniel, to love history. Sue was inducted into the 1835 Livonia City Hall of Fame with the Class of 2006 for her work and effort into our historic village at Greenmead.
Footpaths to Freeways: The Story of Livonia, published in 1975 by Dominic P. Paris is the guidebook to the history of Livonia. It is the book upon which other books about Livonia are based. It is, in essence, the bible of Livonia's 200-year journey from uncharted territory to full city. The book is thoroughly researched and includes many details that would otherwise be lost to history.
Dominic Paris was born in Solto, Lombardia, Italy on January 7, 1910. Dominic was the oldest child in the family and the only one born in Italy. The family left Italy when he was just a small child, arriving in America in 1913.
As a young man, Dominic was appointed to the Marquette County Road Commission in 1934. He would be about 24 years of age. Records show him as a teacher in 1937 in Ishpeming. Dominic married his wife, Lydia, a fellow teacher, in 1939 in Ishpeming. Along the way, he acquired a BA. From Northern Michigan University and a master's from Wayne State University.
By 1940, Dominic Paris settled in as a teacher at Bentley High School in Livonia. The yearbook states he had acquired a BA and M.Ed. and was teaching World History and Geography. Dominic died Dec. 18, 1994. Daughter Rosemary Grace was born in 1941 and died in 1991 in Highland Park. She left 2 children.
The template for understanding and sharing the history of Livonia was created by Dominic Paris. We should continue his legacy by sharing the heritage of our hometown.
Paul Soucy, 4 time Ringside World Champion boxer, mentor to young people
To be introduced by Livonia City Councilman Jim Jolly
 Paul Soucy grew up in New Hampshire where he started a boxing career in 1957 when he was 19 in the Golden Gloves.
In the 1980's Soucy ran the Livonia Boxing Club where he coached several promising amateur and pro fighters. There is one trivia questions that features some of his best work as a trainer.
Soucy coached an amateur heavyweight named Craig Payne, who defeated a then 16-year-old Mike Tyson for the National Golden Gloves title, along with Cuban legend and three-time Olympic gold medalist Teófilo Stevenson, and 1984 Olympic Gold medalist Tyrell Biggs, whom Payne lost to on a controversial judges decision to go to the L.A. Games during the finals of the U.S. Trials.
When he was 73, mine you that was seven years ago, Soucy became a four-time Ringside World Champion in 2012 when he captured the 165-pound age division. It was his fourth Ringside title after winning previously in 2005, 2006 and 2008. This was incredible when you consider that he had undergone quintuple bypass surgery, while also having metal plates in his ankle and neck. Some may consider Soucy, who is also a diabetic, the proverbial "Cat with Nine Lives."
Soucy created a template in identifying young people, helping them realize their potential while working to help them set the bar high while believing in them. This template is one that should be passed on to others in all walks of life. So many appreciate Paul Soucy and the city of Livonia should be proud of this boxer who understands the life lessons that can be learned and shared.
Dennis King, Executive Director, Community Living Centers
To be introduced by Livonia Zoning Board of Appeals Commissioner Tim Klisz
COC was founded in 1965 by a group of leading family members and advocates in an effort to enhance community opportunities for persons with developmental disabilities living in Western Wayne County. Today, COC supports more than 20 homes, condominiums, and apartments in the communities of Livonia, Plymouth, Redford and Garden City.
King has been an inspirational leader in enriching the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities by providing housing and comprehensive support. She has dedicated her career and much of her life providing assistance and advocacy to help individuals with disabilities become not only independent, but involved citizens in their communities.
King has spent her entire 38 year career working in Livonia. She spent 10 of those years living in Community Opportunity Center's Livonia Opportunity House. Her passion and dedication to helping disabled individuals as well as her commitment to bettering the community should be celebrated.
King oversees an annual operating budget of over $5 million, 80-90 live-in residents and 120 part-time or full-time employees.
Denise's vision has helped shape the community of which we should be proud. The community of Livonia and the community of those living with developmental disabilities.
We say "thank you" to the Class of 2019 from the bottom of our hometown hearts.
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What is and why is there a Livonia Hall of Fame
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Livonia is a great hometown
 Sense. Feel. Cultivate. Enjoy every aspect of Livonia. If earth's great treasure lies in human personality then Livonia is a rich community indeed. The
 personality of this hometown was formed and shaped from the first farmer planting seeds in the fertile soil of Livonia Township. To recognize the work put into building the foundation of a long lasting, stable community the 1835 City Hall of Fame was established with the Inaugural Class being inducted in 2005.
Everyone who has lived, shopped or played in Livonia should give pause to thank those who gave of their time and energy so that those who call Livonia home will have that opportunity to enjoy the institutions already in place, the culture defined and the heritage appreciated.
The 1835 Livonia City Hall of Fame is conferred on those whose vision helped shape a community of which we are proud. Moved us from a one room school house to a bustling hometown with attributes that would make any community proud.
This commission, given to the those hardworking founders, carries with it a recognition that their work and deeds have advanced the good name, image and reputation of a hometown built with a desire to redefine community; engaging citizens, creating traditions and institutions of which we can all be proud. Their singular efforts will forever be recorded as playing a significant role in challenging future generations to raise the bar of excellence. This commission carries with it a responsibility to be Livonia's continued ambassador of good will and fellowship around the world.
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Vote
Tuesday November 5
Absentee Ballots out September 25
City of Livonia
Mayoral Race
Vote for one candidate in November
Maureen Miller Brosnan
Livonia Police Officers Association
Police Officers Association of Michigan
Livonia Police Lieutenants and Sergeants Association
Livonia Firefighters Local 1164
AFSCME, UAW, Teamsters Local 299
Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters,
Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 2
Greater Metropolitan Association of Realtors
Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council
Dan Centers, Livonia School Board Trustee,
Tim Klisz, Zoning Board of Appeals Member
Gretchen Alaniz, Schoolcraft College Trustee
Brian Broderick, Schoolcraft College Board Chair
Janice Centers, Zoning Board of Appeals Member
Former Livonia City Council Members Mike McGee,
Joe Taylor, and Dale Jurcisin
https://www.maureenformayor.com/
Laura Toy
Mayor Dennis Wright ,
Former Mayors Jack Kirksey, Jack Engebretson
Councilwomen Kathleen McIntyre and Cathy White
Councilman Brian Meakin
Right to Life of Michigan
City of Livonia Council Race
Vote for up to four candidates in November
Scott Bahr
Mayors Dennis Wright, Jack Engebretson, Jack Kirksey
Council members Laura Toy, Jim Jolly
Brandon Kritzman, Kathleen McIntyre, Cathy White
Brian Meakin
Former Council members Jim McCann, Joe Taylor
John Pastor, Treasurer Lynda Scheel
Commissioner Terry Marecki
Livonia Public School Trustees Mark Johnson
Colleen Burton, Karen Bradford, Crystal Frank
Former LPS Superintendent Randy Liepa
Former Representatives John Walsh, Laura Cox
Former Senator Patrick Colbeck
Former Fire Chief Shadd Whitehead
Livonia Firefighters Union 1164
Schoolcraft Trustee Dillon Breen
ZBA Members Chris Boloven, Joel Turbiak,
Jim Baringhaus
Planning Commissioners Sam Caramagno
Carol Smiley
Greater Metropolitan Association of Realtors
Right to Life of Michigan
Gregory Coppola
Councilmembers Laura Toy,
Brian Meakin,
Brandon M. Kritzman, Kathleen McIntyre
County Commissioner Terry Marecki
Former Councilmen
John Walsh and
John Pastor
Jim McCann and Joe Laura
Zoning Board of Appeals Jim Baringhaus and Tim Kliz
Schoolcraft Trustee Dillon Breen
Right to Life of Michigan
Robert Donovic
Livonia Police Officers Association
Livonia Fire Fighters Association
Police
Officers Association of Michigan
Park Commissioner Paul Condon
Schoolcraft Trustees Gretchen Alaniz, Dillon Breen,
Mayor Dennis Wright,
Councilwoman Laura Toy, Councilman Brian Meakin,
Greater Metropolitan Association of Realtors,
County Commissioner Diane Webb,
State Representative Jewell Jones,
Right to Life of Michigan
Brian Duggan
B
randon McCullough
Greater Metropolitan Association of Realtors
Livonia Police Officers Association
Police Officers Association of Michigan
Livonia Police Lieutenants and Sergeants Association
Livonia Firefighters Local 1164
Mayor Dennis Wright,
Former City Councilwoman Maureen Miller Brosnan
Councilmen Jim Jolly, Brandon Kritzman,
Great Detroit Building & Construction Trades Council,
Sheet Metal Workers' Local 80,
Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers,
County Commissioner Diane Webb
Eileen McDonnell
former Livonia City Council member Joe Laura,
Kathleen McIntyre
Mayor Dennis Wright,
Former Mayors Jack Kirksey, Jack Engebretson,
John Grzebik, Greenleaf Commission,
Zoning Board of Appeals Tim Klisz and
Jim Baringhaus
Arts Commissioner Lindsay Spence
Recreation Commissioner Katie Jolly
Livonia Police Officers Association
Treasurer Lynda Scheel,
Council members Laura Toy, Jim Jolly,Brian Meakin,
Cathy White, Brandon Kritzman
Wayne County Commissioner Terry Marecki,
Schoolcraft Trustee Gretchen Alaniz
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Cinematic Art expands in Livonia with the introduction of Fathom Events
at the Phoenix Theatre
Star Trek: The Motion Picture -
40th Anniversary (1979)
September 18 - 4:00pm
September 18 - 7:00pm
Rob Zombies 3 From Hell
September 18 - 7:00pm (Night 3)
Promare
September 19 - 7:00pm (SUB)
The Shawshank Redemption -
25th Anniversary (1994)
September 22- 4:00pm
September 22- 7:00pm
September 24 - 7:00pm
September 25 - 7:00pm
Friends 25th: The One With The Anniversary
September 23 - 7:00pm (Night 1)
September 28 - 7:00pm (Night 2)
October 2 - 7:00pm (Night 3)
The Secret World of Arrietty -
Studio Ghibli Fest 2019
September 29 - 12:55pm (DUB)
September 30 - 7:00pm (SUB)
Click on this image for all movie times
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Senior
Fit
Classes
Senior Fit is a FREE exercise program for people age 55 and over that encourages senior adults to exercise their way to a healthier lifestyle. The program features standing and chair exercises that build strength and flexibility, as well as improve balance and cardiovascular fitness.
Location Schedule & Registration Information
Livonia Civic Park Senior Center
15218 Farmington Road
Mondays, 3 to 4 p.m.
Session 1: September 9 - October 28
Session 2: November 11 - January 6
Session 3: January 13 - March 2
Session 4: March 9 - April 27
Session 5: May 4 - June 22
Session 6: June 29 - August 17
St. Mary Mercy Livonia
Wellness Center
36475 Five Mile Road
(Classes will run continuously from September 2019 through September 2020)
Mondays, 12 - 1 p.m.
Thursdays, 12 - 1 p.m.
To register, please call 734-655-1310
Villa Marie
15131 Newburgh Road
(Classes will run continuously from September 2019 through September 2020)
Wednesdays, 3 - 4 p.m.
Thursdays, 9 - 10 a.m.
To register, please call 734-655-1310
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September in Livonia
Fine Arts Gallery the entire month of September
Bennett Civic Center Library
September 18 @ 9:00 - 1:00
VistaTaTech Schoolcraft College
Veterans' Health Summit
Register at 734-495-1200
September 20 @ 8:00-9:30
A Little Night of Music featuring Alexander Zonjic
Greenmead Historical Village for only $25
Tickets available at Livonia City Hall
September 20
Emily Ann Griffin Golf Classic
Fox Creek Golf Course
Dinner at
Sacred Heart Banquet Center
September 21
September 20 - 23
Leonardo Joyner arrives in Livonia
and from the look on his face he can't wait
September 27 @ 6:00 - 10:00
September 28
@ 10:00 - 6:00
Guns and Gowns @ Greenmead
October in Livonia
October 1 - 30
Wilson Barn Pumpkin Fest
October 3 @ 7:00
Historic Rosedale Gardens Presbyterian Church
Presenting Sponsor: Financial & Portfolio Advisors
Old World-New Season
Livonia Symphony Orchestra
Clarenceville High School
Louis Schmidt Auditorium
October 14 @ 4:00 - 7:00
Seedlings Annual Open House
Piano prodigy Avett Ray Maness/American Idol fame
Greeters: The typewriter and Bodyguard
October 21
Wayne 11th Congressional District Republican Club
Dinner Dance @ Italian Club Livonia
October 24 @ 5:00 - 7:00
Rotary Community Spaghetti Dinner
Help Eradicate Polio
Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church
October 28 @ 5:00 - 7:00
Flemings support for the ARC
People with Disabilities
tickets @ TheARCNW.org
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Charger Nation has a celebration planned next week.
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Calling all Churchill High School alumni... and any member of the community who would love to help Charger Nation celebrate 50 years of excellence!
When? Friday, Sept. 27
Where? CHS 8900 Newburgh Rd.
What's Happening?
Open House at 4:15 p.m. (come and see the amazing renovations!)
Ceremony at 5:15 p.m.
Homecoming Football Game vs Franklin at 7 p.m.!
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A Girls Who Code Club coming to Livonia soon.
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Girls Who Code has room for 6 more middle school girls to join their club. This is a free club that is sponsored by the Livonia Warriors Robotics team, but your child does not have to be on a robotics team. It starts Saturday, September 21st. For more information check out their website at https://livoniagirlswhocode.org/
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Let's go swimming and watch a movie at the same time.
Right here in Livonia
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Get your family and friends together for Dive In Movie Night on Saturday, Sept. 21 at the Kirksey Recreation Center. Ditch the stuffy living room and relax in an inflatable raft in our Lap Pool and enjoy a movie on our full color LED scoreboard!
Check-in begins at 5 p.m. and the movie starts at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 per person for a Wet Ticket (swimming) and $4 per person for a Dry Ticket (non-swimming). There are a limited quantity of rafts available for rent for $1 for a single and $2 for a double. Ticket price increases $1 day of event.
Limited space available. Ages 11 and over, please. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Any person in attendance must be able to swim or have the use of a Coast Guard approved life jacket/vest.
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History can and will talk. To you. At you. About you.
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On September 22nd come out and hear the amazing stories of a small town called South Lyon and the area that surrounds it. Hear about the adventure into the wilderness by a woman and her children in their search for a new life, and the ghost town of Kensington and how the Metro Park got its name.
Published historian and Greenfield Village master historical presenter Jennifer Redfern-Seiler shares these stories and more. Tickets are $10 (cash or check) at the door.
And mark your calendar for the rest of the History Talks productions at Barefoot Productions.
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Culinary Art
The
official
artisan chocolate of FridayMusings.
Designed and created right here in hometown Livonia by
Joe Gilligan.
It is his mission to deliver high quality chocolates made with 100% organic butter and cream with the finest chocolates available with his flavors varying season to season.
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If you are looking for a place to purchase a pumpkin this fall, consider
this fundraiser that supports "Livonia Cares"
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Update on the November general election
Jim Davis coffee and conversation 9/17, 9/24
Brandon McCullough fund raiser 9/18
Jim Davis general election kick off 9/22
Maureen Miller Brosnan knock doors 9/28
Wayne 11th Republican dinner/dance 10/21
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FridayMusings will continue to post information about the 8 candidates running for City Council and the 2 candidates running for Mayor. When we receive notification of an event and as was done in the primary we will post announcements
without editing.
Maureen Miller Brosnan invites you to join her
Join Maureen and special guest Senator Dayna Polehanki as they knock doors in Livonia to help get Maureen elected mayor! Saturday, September 28, 12:00 - 3:00.
Please bring a charged phone, comfortable shoes for walking, and dress for the weather. They will start at 37609 Five Mile, southwest corner of Five and Newburgh.
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