Growing Hope Plant Sale

On Friday and Saturday Growing Hope held a plant sale at their new Michigan Ave. location. I didn’t buy any plants but I did get to walk around their yard. The plans for this facility are fantastic and its location couldn’t be better. I know they have some stiff gardening competition since they are next door to Paradise Gardens but competition is good for everyone.

Check out their website for a lot of useful information. Growing Hope is also hosting a 4 square club (4ft x 4ft raised garden beds not the kids game) with tips and an online community to help with 4 square gardens. Growing Hope sells 4 square raised bed kits and rain barrels to make growing your own food easy.

Ypsilanti Festivals Making the News

The Detroit News published its list of festivals to attend this summer and our ‘Heritage’ Festival is on it. Even though this is just a compiled list it is good to get a little exposure this early in the summer planning season.

The Big News is that Ypsilanti made the Chicago Tribunes list of midwest music festivals with our Elvis-Fest. The Tribune list is an exclusive list featuring some of the biggest and best festivals in the mid-west and none of the Detroit Festivals made the cut. The Elvis-Fest folks do a really nice job and it is a festival worth making the list.

Lunch At Biggies

While at the Crossroads Festival I noticed the location of ‘Biggie’s Fine Foods’ at 16 North Washington across from Club Devine. They weren’t open on Sunday but I kept them in mind and today I walked to Biggie’s to give them a try.

Biggie’s has a good mix of food. They have a complete line of Soul-Food along with ‘fast food’ staples like Hamburgers, Chili Dogs, and a variety of hot sandwiches. Today I was there to try their $1.00 hamburgers. The hamburgers were a lot like McDonalds burgers but it was much nicer eating a burger cooked in a friendly local environment.  Biggie’s has full sized burgers that I’d like to try too including the 1/2 pound Biggie Burger which I’m sure are different than McDonalds.  I certainly recommend picking up a burger or two before heading to one of the Downtown establishments for a cocktail.

I haven’t tried anything from the Soul-Food portion of the menu but I can’t wait to. When I visited there was a large group of folks eating buffet style and from the number of people that asked for to-go boxes I have the impression that the food was good.

My official review of Biggies for a quick pre/post bar meal is:  4.5 Watertowers

• Food Good and fairly priced
• Staff Incredibly Friendly
• Atmosphere is what I like to see - Not too much money spent but clean

Hours are M-Th 11am - 9:30pm   Fri/Sat  11am - 10:30pm   Closed Sunday except Soulful Sunday

Call ahead for carry out orders 734-484-3434

I will review Biggies on their soulfood menu next time I go.

Twenty Third Voter at 1pm

For those that apparently don’t know there is an election today in Ypsilanti. I was the 23rd person to show up at the Adams School voting location. If you have an opinion on the school board or the Headlee Amendment override it might be wise to take a look and vote. Today, it seems, one vote will be the voice of 10.

Trusty Getto has some opinions on who you should vote for.

Here is the A2 article on the election.

Ypsilanti Business News

Our Friends over at ISSYS have done it again. This time they have been awarded a new patent for a Biochemical Warfare Agent Detection & Treatment System. Read the Article Here. I really think you should read the article because it seems like a major medical breakthrough that will saves lives if you find yourself attacked by chemical weapons.

On the other side of things another Ypsilanti company, Divine Comforters Bereavement Services Group LLC, was awarded a business grant of $5,000 to help grow its business which provides “non-traditional funeral coordinating
and consulting services.” You can read that article Here

A Fantastic Sunday In Ypsilanti

On Sunday morning my parents and I rode from the Prospect Park Neighborhood to Rec Park to join the bike-ypsi folks for the community ride and BBQ. There were 3 rides taking place; a long 30 mile ride, a medium 15 mile ride and the short 3 mile community ride. I would guess there were 70 or more people taking part in the community ride. The ride circled through downtown, depot-town, and then back up Forest and Pearl to the park. The ride ended with a BBQ and community gathering. Many of our community groups were represented with tables and volunteers. The bike-Ypsi folks were also making sure every child in attendance had a bike helmet which were fitted and given to the kids to take home. The Organizers did a fantastic job with this event and it would be great if they were able to organize a summer and fall event as well.

After parking my bike at home I walked through Riverside Park and the Ypsi-Street Rod car show on my way to the Crossroads Festival. The car show was pretty packed but sadly it doesn’t expand into Depot-Town or downtown like I’d hope an event like this would.

I arrived at the Crossroads Festival in just enough time to catch the Horse Cave Trio beginning their set. As you can see from the picture below there was no trouble finding a seat at the festival. The concept of this festival is great but I don’t think anyone knew it was going on.  As far as I know the only advertising came from me when I asked AM1600 WAAM to write and read a news release about the event.  (FYI WAAM AM1600 still cares about local events and seem to be willing to help support them so contact them if you have an event).   At the time I was there most of the people had come at the invite of the Horse Cave Trio. I stayed through the Horse Cave Trio set and then wandered to the Tap Room which seemed to be where most of the festival goers were gathering. It’s really too bad that there isn’t more support for this festival because it could be a great thing but it needs more atmosphere.

I’m not certain how I would have tied all three of these events together but I’m sure it could have been done. It is a shame that with a few hundred people in Riverside Park, a hundred or so people at rec park and free music on Washington Street Down-Town and Depot-Town didn’t appear any busier than on a normal day. I hope next year the three groups coordinate and make this an Ypsi happening rather than three events in Ypsi.

I didn’t steal from Brian Robb

Today I was doing my catch up on local blogs and stopped over at the east-cross blog maintained by Brian Robb and noticed my last two posts are very similar to his last two. I did not copy from his blog, I swear.

Thankfully he doesn’t have anything about the Bike-Ypsi events going on this weekend but he does have all the information on the Crossroads festival this weekend check out his post.

Brian even posted the poster for the Crossroads Event Here. Check it out the poster there is a lot to do on Sunday including a pub-crawl after the music.

Now that I’ve brought up the Crossroads Festival again I have to comment on things. This Sunday’s event seem fantastic, the bands are good and they got most of the merchants involved. This event is exactly what it should be but without a few random emails I would not have known about it and I try to keep up with local happenings.

I also found it disappointing that the Crossroads folks and the Bike-Ypsi folks aren’t co-ordinating their events. It would have been perfect if the Bike-Ypsi ride were scheduled to end on Washington Street and morph right into the Crossroads Festival (I think the timing is perfect). My guess is that neither group knew of the others activities. Just like we need all of the city and business groups working together we need meetings between the heads of all the citizen groups to pool resources and to match events.

Drink Beer and be Healthy this weekend in Ypsi

I’ve added some info on the Crossroads Festival check it out

When the Corner Brewery introduced it’s Tree-Fort beer at the request of the Tree-Fort mountain biking team it solidified the synergy between beer and bikes and this weekend will pay tribute to that combo.

Thursday May 1st –
Summer Beer Fest Ticket Release Party at Sticks-
When: Thursday, May 1st from 5-9pm.
Who: Everybody is welcome
Attractions include:
• Festival ticket sales including a discount on the purchase of 2 day tickets. This will be the only opportunity to get this discount.
• Prizes including guild and brewery merchandise and festival tickets.
• Enjoy a beer with brewery staff from around the state
• An expanded selection of Michigan beers including some special features

Friday May 2nd –
1st Bike to Work Friday of May - Bike to Work with Bike Ypsi! Meet up with local Ypsi-to-Ann Arbor commuters every Friday in May for a leisurely ride to work. On May 2, 9, 23, and 30, we will meet at 8:00am at Bombadill’s coffee shop (217 W Michigan Ave) for the ride to AA. In the evening for the ride back, we’ll meet at 5:15pm at AA City Hall (100 N Fifth Ave) and end out ride at Haab’s Happy Hour. (18 W Michigan Ave… free appetizer for each person with a bike helmet)

Saturday May 3rd -

• I believe the Freighthouse Farmers Market is Open now
• Bike Ypsi First Ride starting at the Freighthouse at 9am
• Big Brew Event at the old Farm Bureau Building. Celebrate National Homebrew day with Big Brew at the Ypsilanti Brewing Co. Big Brew is a world-wide event celebrating National Homebrew Day by brewing and giving brewing demonstrations. This is your chance to observe and participate in the brewing of beer.Where: Ypsilanti Brewing Co., 4 W. Forest Ave, Ypsilanti, MI 48198
  When: Saturday May 3, 2008, 9AM
  What: Brewing demonstrations all day, potluck about 5PM

Sunday May 4th

• Bike Ypsi Spring Ride and Fest

  When: Sunday, May 4, 2008
  Where: Recreation Park Pavilion, 1015 Congress St, Ypsilanti, MI
  Be a part of the Bike Ypsi Spring Ride and Festival!

• Bicycling events are free and open to the public.
• Meet and ride with fellow bicyclists.
• Trade routes, ideas, and safety tips.
• Activities for every age and skill level.
• Helmets required for riders under 18, encouraged for all others.
• The rides below are non-supported rides

Times and events:

Long Ride (30 miles); 8:45 a.m.
Not as Long Ride (15 miles); 10:00 a.m.
Community Ride (3-5 miles); 11:30 a.m.
Festival (bbq, bike polo, bike rodeo for kids, info. booths, and more); starts at NOON!!!
We encourage cyclists who participate in the Long Ride and Not as Long Ride to stay on for the Community Ride.

The 3rd season of the YPSILANTI CROSSROADS SUMMER FESTIVAL kicks off on Sunday, May 4th with a special “Cinco de Mayo” Party from 2-8 PM.
CROSSROADS, a free downtown Ypsilanti music festival, is ready for our 3rd annual summer of presenting great live musical entertainment.

Horse Cave Trio
Tracy Mack
Tracy Kash Thomas Band
Tumbao Bravo

In addition to the great bands there is more:

Terry Bakery will host a Cupcake Walk,The Dreamland Theater Puppet Troupe will offer a special performance of a children’s classic with the Dreamland modern twist. Chad Brown of Club Divine will give free dance lessons immediately before Tumbao Bravo. What Is That Gallery of Fine Art & Craft is sponsoring Mexican-themed Make & Take Art Projects. There will be face painting, massage therapy, and an authentic Mexican Menu offered by Pub 13 in conjunction with Dos Hermanos Market.

Monday May 5th — Cinco De Mayo

I know every bar has an event but here are two that have caught my attention

Cady’s Grill Tequilla Dinner on Cinco de Mayo sponsored by Patron
The Tequilla Dinner features Chips with homeade salsa, chorizo quesadillas, salad with lime picante dressing, wet chicken burito with rice, refried beans, and pico de gallo, Fish tacos, chili lime steak kabobs, and fried ice cream.
The dinner will also include the Patron tasting with many different drinks made from Patron, and live music on the back patio.
The price is $40 in advance and $50 at the door, please reserve your tickets in advance by calling or coming into Cady’s.

Corner Brewery — Come join us at the Corner Brewery for Cinco De Mayo. We will have a special food menu and a Chili Beer Rat Pad that will be released at 8:00pm. Third Coast Kings will go on at 8:00pm and play till 11:30pm. Best of all it is Monday so it is happy hour all day long! Hope to see you all there.

Holmes Road

If you are trying to get to Von’s or the Holmes Road Diner from the Prospect Park Neighborhood you are in for a detour. Holmes road will be closed from Prospect to Ford Boulevard through November. The Detour takes you out to Clark road and then back but Forest is also an option.

For information on the Project Visit the <a href=”In other Spark News the township may give $15,000 towards the project check out that article here“>Washtenaw County Road Commission’s site.

Granholm doesn’t like incubators

Crain’s Detroit Business website reported that Jennifer Granholm line item vetoed funding for 2 proposed business incubators including the one to be located in Ypsilanti.

The governor Tuesday signed a $144 million supplemental appropriations bill for various departments, but scratched by line-item veto two allotments of $500,000 for the Spark East incubator in Ypsilanti and a proposed Macomb County incubator for defense and homeland security.

Mike Finney, president and CEO of Ann Arbor Spark, also said the veto was not the end of the Spark East proposal. Spark has been working with Eastern Michigan University and Washtenaw County to create a new incubator in economically strained Ypsilanti.

“We are still hopeful to get state funding for the project (elsewhere),” he said. “But at this point we are also focused on trying to raise private funds as well. It’s still important to get an incubator operating in the eastern county region.”

Read the full article here

In other Spark News the township may give $15,000 towards the project check out that article here