July 4th – Parades, Ducks and Fireworks

May 24, 2016

The 4th of July may seem to be a long way off, but it will be here sooner that you think. Independence Day in the Milford area is always special. One of the three major parades of the year in Milford takes place on that day ( the other two are the Memorial Day Parade and the Christmas Parade). The Independence Day Parade is put on by the Milford Historical Society, which also runs the Milford Historical Museum in Downtown Milford.

RotaryDucksThis year the 4th of July Parade will have a special twist, with the addition of the Huron Valley Rotary Club’s annual Duck Race in Central Park. Here is their Press Release –

Huron Valley Rotary Club (formerly Milford Rotary Club) will be celebrating their annual duck race fundraiser this year on the 4th of July this year following the Parade in Beautiful Downtown Milford.  Designed to be a family fun event right after the parade and held in Central Park, there will be food, games, displays, music and fantastic prizes for the famous Duck Race which will be held at 3 PM.

This year count on games designed to engage the entire family so they can remain downtown Milford after the parade and enjoy the day with family and friends.

One of the Rotary Clubs major fundraisers, proceeds help us to do work with local nonprofits in our community as well as provide scholarships for high school seniors at both Milford and Lakeland High School. Duck tickets can be purchased from any Rotarian, Huron Valley State Bank, and the Carls Family YMCA.  Several other non-profit organizations are also joining in selling ducks and will earn a percent of the proceeds of the tickets they sell. Be sure to go to our website http://www.huronvalleyrotary.com or follow us on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/DuckRaceFestival/ .

For additional information, please contact Sharon Peterson at sjpeterson@ymcadetroit.org.

The Rotarians have this wonderful family event planned to follow the parade, with food and games and things to do for the whole family – all leading up to the excitement of the annual Duck Race down Pettibone Creek in Central Park. The excitement of thousands of little yellow rubber ducks furiously paddling down the creek to try to be first to the river is not to be missed, not to mention the thrill of having the winning duck which pays the owner an amount yet to be determined; but which has paid as much as $2,000 to the winner in the past.

The theme of this year’s Independence Day Parade is “Celebrating our Freedoms” and all paradelocal organizations are encouraged to enter a float or walking group in the parade. The parade is on the 4th of July and steps off at 11:00 AM, with line-up starting at 10:15 AM. Participants line up on Union, Hickory and East Streets. Groups may obtain the Parade Registration form from the  Milford Historical Society web site – www.milfordhistory.org or by emailing parade co-chairs Rich Harrison or Norm Werner.

There are many area fireworks shows during the 4th of July Weekend, with events at Kensington Metropark and Camp Dearborn being the closest.

So plan on spending much of the 4th of July in Milford at the parade and the Duck Race festivities to follow.

 

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Posted by Norm Werner

Things to do and places to go over the Spring Break and beyond

March 29, 2013

Whether or not you’ll be traveling out-of-town over Spring Break, go to my Web site – www.movetomilford.com and check out all of the fun things there will be to do around the Huron Valley area over the next few weeks. You can start with The Great Egg Hunt out at Kensington Metropark  this week and go from there. Actually you could end up back at Kensington quite often, since they have lots of upcoming events andpiglets many of their animals will be having spring babies or litters.

For the wee ones there’s a whole series of events coming up at Max & Izzy’s in Downtown Milford. For the older kids there’s the shoot ’em up, blow ’em up movie GI Joe Revenge showing at the Milford Cinema.

With warmer weather finally arriving getting outdoors will be high on the list. Take the kids to Central Park to play on the play structures or get really adventuresome and go rent a canoe and get out on the river. Kensington will be hosting all sorts of outdoor activities , as well as their first “Farmer for a DAy ” events out at the Farm Center. This program is offered to boys and girls, ages 7 to 15 years old, interested in working on a farm. Kids will work alongside the farmers and in teams to accomplish daily or seasonal chores. This program is designed to be educational and fun. Children will leave with a greater appreciation of farm life. Most will probably come away saying, “So, I decided not to be a Farmer”, but they’ll have a better appreciation for farm life.

VFAA_PAN_GraphicThe arts are not to be forgotten either. April 13 is PAN – Poetry Art Night – at the Huron Valley Council for the Arts in Highland. Then on April 20 the final performance in the Classic Series featuring a performance by soprano Karen Roberts at the HVCA. Go tp the Move to Milford web site and click on the poster for all of the info on that event.

For those who love garage sales there are two events – the Community Sharing Garage Sale April 17, 18, 19 at the Apollo Center in Highland and the Mom 2 Mom sale at Lakeland High on April 20.

There is also a job fair for Lakeland High School Students on April 24 to allow the students and potential summer employers to get to know each other.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Easter Egg Hunt was a blast

March 25, 2013

I helped out with the 2013 Huron Valley Easter Egg Hunt this past Saturday. What a blast! It was cold, but the kids didn’t seem to mind. There were goddie bags for the first 400 kids to show up, plus face painting and a visit with the Easter Bunny, who arrived in style in a 2013 Mustang convertible, courtesy of Hines Park Ford, one of the sponsors. The other sponsor was Genesys Credit Union.

The kids were split into three groups, based upon age 2-4, 5 – 7 and 8 – 10, with each group having its own baseball field full of eggs for the hunt. Below is a link to the YoouTube video that I created from the pictures and videos that I shot while the event was in progress. Enjoy. If you missed this year’s egg hunt make sure to put it on your calendar for next year.

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Posted by Norm Werner

It’s Easter Egg Hunt Day!

March 23, 2013

Today is the day for the annual Huron Valley Chamber of Commerce free Easter egg hunt. The egg huntevent divides the kids into three different age group brackets, so that it’s a little more fair for the younger aged children. The hunt will tak place at the Duck Lake Pines Park on Duck Lake Rd in Highland. That is about a 1/4 mile south of the Duck Lake and M-59 intersection (South of the Rite-Aid store).

The event kicks off at 10 AM  with the arrival of the Easter Bunny to visit with the children. Rumor has it the Bunny will arrive in a brand new Mustang, courtesy of one of the event sponsors – Hinds Park Ford.  There will be goody bags for the first 400 children at the event and face painting, in addition to pictures with the Bunny.

The actual hunt begins at 11:00 AM with the 2-4 year olds allowed to take the field. Then at 11:10 AM the 5 – 7 year olds will be turned loose on their own field. Finally, at 11:20 the 8 – 10 year olds will be given a field of eggs to hunt on. The three groups are placed on three different baseball field at the park to allow each groups to only compete with others of the same age.

The event is hosted by the Charter Township of Highland and the Huron Valley Chamber of Commerce. This years sponsors are Genesys Credit Union and Hinds Park Ford. Many local chamber members contributed items for the goodie bags.

So, bundle up the kids and come on out to visit with the Bunny and let your kids have the thrill of the hunt for Easter eggs. It’s all good fun! For a map to the park click here – http://tinyurl.com/a53hp74

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Posted by Norm Werner

Village Fine Arts Association brings PAN to Milford

March 2, 2013

VFAA_PAN_GraphicThe Village Fine Arts Association (VFAA) has put out the call for artists and musicians to participate in the 12th annual Poety Art Night (PAN) on Saturday, April 13, 6:30 p.m. in the Milford Public Library Community Room, 330 Family Drive . Milford.  Tickets will be available at the door -Adults $10, Children 17 and under $5.

The VFAA has been greater Milford’s premier independent art organization for over two decades, holding art shows, monthly meetings with informational speakers, workshops open to all skill levels and numerous events and projects within the community.

PAN is a visual arts and poetry competition and sale. Artists are invited to enter their 2 or 3 dimensional artwork, accompanied by a poem. The poem should be either the inspiration for the art piece, or inspired by the art. The poem can be an original by the artist, or someone else or a previously published poem. Only original poems by the artist or commissioned by the artist for the show will be judged and eligible for prizes.

To enter the PAN competition artists should go to the VFAA website and download the prospectus. The entry deadline is March 16, so hurry to get your application in to participate in this event. As for the rest of us, we’ll just have to wait until PAN comes to Milford on April 13.

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Posted by Norm Werner

A ringing success in Highland…

February 12, 2013

My wife and I decided to attend the 19th annual Handbells Concert at the Highland United Methodist Church this past weekend. It wasn’t a completely serendipitous choice, since she plays in the bell choir at our church.

handbellThis concert showcases the talents of the bell choirs of four area churches – The Brighton Bible Church, First United Methodist Church of Brighton, The Presbyterian Church of Milford and Highland United Methodist Church. In all there were well over 70 bell ringers in the concert.

What great sounds they made! The bell choirs used both hand bells and hand chimes and employed a number of techniques to make a great variety of sounds from those instruments. Sometimes they just rang the bells, sometimes they laid the bells down and struck them with small mallets, sometimes they just banged the bells down on the table, which produced its own muted notes. The techniques were wonderful in their ability to make these simple instruments sound like something else. Then there were the chimes, which have their own rich tones and sound completely different than the bells.

Each choir performed a few numbers separately. Tom Gorton, from the Highland United Methodist Choir did a solo that was very nice and I’m sure very difficult, since it involved holding several bells at once but ringing them individually. There was a choir duet involving the Brighton United Methodist and Highland United Methodist choirs and a grand finish that combined the ringers from all four churches. What an unbelievable delight that was! It was just amazing what 70+ ringers, using all of the techniques and instrument types at once could produce – very much like the full rich sound of a full pipe church organ.

The Highland United Methodist plans a special concert for next year’s 20th anniversary concert. I’ll make sure it is on the Community Events Calendar at my Web site – www.movetomilford.com so that you can plan to attend, too. It really is a well spent hour and a wonderful experience to sit through.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Upcoming events in the Milford, Michigan area

February 6, 2013

It’s winter and in Michigan that means it’s cold; but, that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to do, especially in Milford and the Huron Valley area. There are several upcoming events for charitable causes that will be fun and help raise much needed money for worthwhile causes.

The first is this week, Thursday, Feb 7. The annual Taste of the Valley is the primary fund raising event for he Huron Valley Youth Assistance Program. The HVYA program, which is run in waiter with foodMilford and Highland Townships, has as its goal assisting “at risk” youth of the area. The risk is that they will pursue a path of juvenile delinquency that will inevitably lead to worse behavior later on in life. The HVYA Program provides counseling and other activities to encourage and support the youth to take a different path.

The Taste of the Valley will take place at Bakers of Milford starting at 7 pm and will feature food samples from some of the top restaurants in the area. There will also be a raffle and a silent auction for gift baskets that have been donated for this cause. Tickets are $20 in advance (you can get them at either Township office) or $25 at the door.

In Valentine’s Day, Feb 14, the Community Sharing Outreach organization has organized an event that they call Food from the Heart. This event will take place in Downtown Milford and features live music at all of the participating venues. Many stores and restaurants are Community Sharing logoparticipating. You can see the list by clicking here to view the poster. As with most Community Sharing event, your “ticket” to get into this event is a can of food or box of non-perishable food (of course a cash donation is always welcomed). You can stroll through downtown and stop off in participating shops and restaurants to listen to the music and enjoy your shopping or dining. For a list of performers at the various locations, click here.

In support of the Food from the Heart event, the Milford YMCA is having a Parent Night Out for children so parents can attend this fun event. Please call the Y to register call 248-714-4412 and it is $13.00 an hour for Y members and $17.00 an hour for non-members. So, plan on dropping the kids off at the Y and then enjoying a night of music and fun in Downtown Milford in support of a good cause.

laugh-smallThen, on Feb 16 there is LAUGHS AT THE LEGION – at the American Legion Hall, Milford. 5 pm the doors open, optional burger and fries meal available for $7 and a cash bar. The Comedy Show starts at 7 pm. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. This event benefits the Highland-White Lake Business Association Scholarship Fund and the summer-time Sparks in the Park event.

Finally, Oakpoint Church on Milford’s South side (on South Hill Rd) is hosting Milford’s Beast Feast on Feb 23 – 6 – 9 pm at Oakpoint Church – a pot luck dinner for hunters from the area. Bring a wild (or tame) game dish to pass – some other food will be supplied. Exchange stories with fellow hunters, plus a raffle and other competition. Tickets are $5. For more information go to the Oakpoint Web site.

There are also some upcoming free community events, which are just held to have fun and don’t raise money for any group.

The first is the Milford Community Snow Day – Feb 9 – 4 pm until 6 pm, in Milford Central Park – If our crazy winter weather cooperates there will be Ice Skating/ & a Figure Skating demo, Winter Crafts, Winter Games, Snowshoeing, Sled Dogs, Voyage in Time Re-enactment, Bonfire, Cocoa & Cookies, fun for the whole family. Click here to view the poster for this event.??????????????????????????????????????

There are also the Daddy-Daughter Dance and the Mother-Son Dance on Feb 16 – 7 – 9 pm – sponsored by Huron Valley Recreation & Community Education. The Daddy-Daughter dance will be at Milford High School and the Mother-Son Dance at Heritage Elementary School. $25 per couple for residents, $35 per couple for non residents. $10 for each additional daughter. Click here to see the registration form for both dances.

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Posted by Norm Werner

A slice of Americana right here at home…

August 19, 2012

I recently spent a few days meeting with most of the local merchants and businesses while soliciting support for the upcoming Milford Home Tour. The experience gave me pause to reflect on how idyllic a setting the Village of Milford really is. I got to meet with the Butcher and the Baker, the Barber  and the Feed Store proprietors, because we still have all of those things in our little Village. I met the shoe store owner, several clothing store owners and a couple of our jewelry store owners, too. Then there were the furniture stores, the candy store, the local photographer and the kitchen/cooking store. Of course the more prosaic stores are there too – the auto parts stores the drug stores and grocery stores. Finally I got to meet with most of the owners of our great local restaurants. See the header at the top of this page for a composite view of some of the stores of our downtown.

The thing that stood out for me was that all of these little, individual businesses still existed right here in the Village of Milford and that, for the most part, you could park once and walk to all of them by going up and down Main St. You just don’t find such a great assortment of stores and businesses in small towns anymore. Milford is far enough off the beaten path to have avoided the fate that so many small towns suffered when so-called “big box” stores moved in and took all of the customers away. Milford also had a good master plan for growth and strong and visionary leadership who carefully managed what and where growth took place, in order to preserve a strong downtown.  It worked and we still have a viable downtown that takes advantage of the great historical buildings that are there and the small town feeling that permeates everything.

Many of the local merchants that I talked to have had a tough time recently, with the down economy taking its toll, even here. Every one of them said there’s no place else that they’d rather be than in Milford, even in this economy. That says a lot, too.

Several of the local businesses decided to support the Milford Historical Society and its 36th annual Home Tour during the third weekend of September. The fact that we have the local Milford Historical Society, with its museum and a Home Tour that’s been going on for 36 years also speaks volumes about small town America and our little Village. People in Milford value and have preserved the fine old housing stock that grew up during the mid to late 19th Century. Milford was never a rich town, but it has preserved the bigger, nicer homes that were built by its early merchants and businessmen, as well as the smaller homes that were occupied by the workers of the day. There are no real mansions in Milford, but there are some fine old homes that have the best features of homebuilding of that era. Some of them are on display each year for the Home Tour.

So, if you get the opportunity to get out to Milford for the Home Tour, try to come on September 15th so that you’ll also have time to wander around our beautiful downtown. Most of the downtown stores are not open on Sunday, but on that weekend some will be, because there is also the big Milford Car Show downtown, too.  You’ll be able to easily find our Butcher and Baker and many of the other businesses that I’ve mentioned. The Feed Store is a little harder to find, but it’s there, tucked away off a residential side street (Houghton St) on the south east side of town. If you have an animal of almost any type you can find feed and other things for it there, along with a proprietor who’s more than happy to chat with you about your pets.

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Posted by Norm Werner

There’s something for everybody this weekend…

July 26, 2012

There are 11 events or opportunities to do something in the Milford/Highland area between now and Sunday night. If you’re an active, outdoors type there is the family Olympics in Highland and Stand Up Board races Saturday and canoe and kayak races in Kensington Park on Sunday, also Sunday there’re 5K runs and walks in Highland.

For sports spectators, there’ the Milford Crit bicycle races onthe streets of Milford on Sunday. For music lovers there’s the Concert in the Park tonight in Central Park and Friday Night Live at the Center St Pavilion. There are also programs with bugs and snakes for the kids out at Kensington. Find out the times and other information for all of these events at http://www.movetomilford.com/  There’s always something happening in the Huron Valley.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Doug Killingbeck Memorial Canoe Races coming up soon

May 4, 2012

An impoortant upcoming Community Event

Doug Killingbeck Memorial Canoe Race

Presented By Michigan Canoe Racing Association.

When: Saturday, May 12, 2012.

Time: 12:00pm until 6:00pm.

Where: Milford’s Central Park

This race is in memorial of Doug Killingbeck, who gave his life to help two drowning teenagers. Concessions will be available for purchase at the event with a donation to the Memorial fund. Prize money will be awarded to the top finishers in each Pro class.

Noon – Pro C-1 Race begins; registration opens at 11

3 PM- Pro C-2 Race

Business/ Amateur Class begins at 3:30 pm

Awards follow each race.

The MCRA is also raffling off $400 worth of merchandise

to participating paddlers!

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Posted by Norm Werner