Latest news with #FisherBuilding
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Detroit People's Food Co-op celebrates 1 year of bringing fresh food to the community
Buying lunch at the Detroit People's Food Co-op one recent afternoon, Detroiter Idris Nia, 74, got emotional thinking about shopping at a store owned by the people, open for the people. 'We have lived through a nutritional food desert in this area, and would have to go to Dearborn for our groceries," Nia reflected, after grabbing a few vegan items from the hot bar. The co-op stands like a lone, confident soldier, adorned in chartreuse green and blaze orange paint with complementary green, yellow and orange lettering. On Woodward Avenue in the North End, the co-op is near the Fisher Building, Piety Hill and the Boston-Edison Historic District. The term 'food desert' doesn't sit well with co-op general manager Akil Talley ― a desert, he said, is naturally occurring: 'We like to call it 'food apartheid,' because a lot of it was intentional." Observing the lack of access to fresh groceries near this location, one might agree. That's a notion that drives Talley's work ethic to do better for the residents around him. Talley also helps facilitate bringing in produce and products from locally sourced farms and creators, including D-Town Farms and hair products from F.I.G Tree Dist. and Lorraine's Premium BBQ Sauce, to name a few. On the co-op's one-year anniversary last week, Boston-Edison resident Michelle May, 62, had produce and fresh flowers in her cart. May, also a lifetime member, said: 'It's been amazing to watch this go from idea, to this,' as she opened her arms and did a nearly 360-degree swivel 'It's so Detroit … it's community Black-led in a majority Black city.' A lifetime membership to the co-op is $200. Members must be over 21 and residents of Michigan. Members receive certain discounts, a chance to have input on what the store carries and the ability to vote to elect the co-op's board of directors. According to the ticker posted prominently on the wall near the checkout lanes, the co-op is up to 4,279 members and they welcome an increase in that number. As 26-year-old Detroiter Tyzhane Taylor and her 3-year-old shopped, she said, "It feels like family here." For more information on how to become a member or rent event space, go to This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit People's Food Co-op helping solve food deserts
USA Today
08-05-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Built by the Fords, this Michigan golf club added to National Register of Historic Places
Built by the Fords, this Michigan golf club added to National Register of Historic Places Show Caption Hide Caption Dearborn Country Club: 100 years of history Dearborn Country Club, established by Henry and Clara Ford in 1925, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in March 2025. The National Parks Service added Dearborn Country Club to its National Register of Historic Places in March 2025. Dearborn Country Club, which was developed, owned and operated by Henry and Clara Ford, opened in the spring of 1925 and currently has about 300 members. Architect Albert Kahn designed the Tudor Revival-style clubhouse. Renowned golf course designer Donald Ross built the 18-hole facility. Just outside Detroit, in the middle of inner-ring suburb Dearborn's hustle and bustle, neighborhoods, businesses and factories, a 161-acre golf course and clubhouse developed, owned and operated by Henry and Clara Ford celebrated its 100th anniversary as Dearborn's newest inductee on the National Register of Historic Places. The Dearborn Country Club once served as a private entertainment venue for the Fords and their friends. It has since transformed from a gathering place for business executives to a family-friendly club with membership open to the public. The 18-hole course, designed by the renowned Donald Ross, and 19th hole Tudor Revival-style clubhouse, designed by famed Michigan architect Albert Kahn, are preserved by the Dearborn Country Club. Kahn is known for designing Detroit's Fisher Building, among others. Ross is one of the world's best-known golf course designers, with Oakland Hills and Detroit Golf Club among his many works. Local and architectural historian Ian Tomashik, the lifelong Dearborn resident and Dearborn Historical Society volunteer behind getting the Dearborn Country Club on the register, said integrity is one of the National Parks Service's criteria to measure how well a place conveys its historic significance. 'When you walk around the Dearborn Country Club, you still experience the space as people in the 1920s did,' Tomashik said. The ceiling beams are the same as in 1925, as are the stained glass windows. More: Golfweek's Best: Top private golf courses in every state, ranked 'Social landmark' The Fords weren't big on golfing. Legend has it Henry hit his niece with a golf ball on one of his first times swinging a club and never played again, Tomashik said. So why a country club? It was a place for Ford and his upper-level executives to gather for some fun. The course opened in the spring of 1925, and the Fords hosted two Dearborn friends, Louis and Mina Ives, for the clubhouse's first dinner in October 1925. The bill for four dinners totaled $6. In its first years, membership cost $100 a person. The club was open to anyone who lived within a 25-mile radius of Dearborn from the beginning, though its first members were exclusively invited by the Fords, Tomashik said. Though Tomashik didn't find an official guest list in his research, he said the Fords may have partied with Thomas and Mina Edison, along with other famous friends. The clubhouse did not serve alcohol until its members formed a board and bought it after the Fords died. The clubhouse hosted old-fashioned ballroom dances, some led by Henry Ford's friend Benjamin Lovett, a famed Boston dance instructor for whom Dearborn's Lovett Hall is named. 'They were trying to revive line dances and call and response dances from the 1870s … (which were) vestiges from rural America that were disappearing in the 1920s,' Tomashik said. The doors were guarded by security while open to members and their guests during the dances. 'Henry and Clara loved these dances,' Tomashik said. 'The Fords were very friendly and open to talk to almost anyone who came inside. You would see Henry and Clara Ford dancing right there on the floor alongside everybody else, if they weren't sitting up in the balcony, where they overlooked the events.' The balcony still stands on the second floor, where the clubhouse's bedrooms would host guests. Tomashik said the Fords had a suite in the clubhouse, though their Fair Lane Estate, a National Historic Landmark, sits next to the country club's property to the east. The space also hosted conversations about the future of the city. When the clubhouse was built, half of what is now the city of Dearborn was the city of Fordson and half was Dearborn Village. 'Local politicians met at the clubhouse to formally discuss incorporating Dearborn Village and the city of Fordson into the modern city of Dearborn, led by the Fords' private secretary and club member Ernest Liebold, members present included club members Clyde Ford, Henry Penhale and William Cameron, as well as Mayor Joseph Karmann, of Fordson,' Tomashik said. Places on the register must have a historic association in at least one of four criteria: events, people, design, or information/archeological potential. The clubhouse and golf course met National Register Criterion A, which recognizes historic places which made significant contributions 'to the broad patterns' of local history, Tomashik said. 'We designated this for the influence the country club had on building the city of Dearborn,' Tomashik said. 'It became a social landmark that wasn't located in many other of our neighboring suburbs.' Dearborn Country Club member Ray Biscaro, a former president of the club, said history adds to the experience. 'Just to think the Fords and the family and dignitaries were in the same room either dancing or celebrating weddings or just social events, it's pretty neat,' Biscaro said. 'You can golf anywhere, but to come to a place that has this kind of history, you feel very special.' The Register Tomashik started the application process in February 2022 after Biscaro's wife, Marti, called the Dearborn Historical Society looking for help completing the National Register nomination. After years of back and forth with the State Historic Preservation Board that shaped the research and argument for adding the club to the register, Tomashik presented the application to the State Historic Preservation Board in September 2024. The application then moved on for approval from the National Park Service, which approved it in March 2025. Tomashik says the country club has a big historic footprint because it was founded, financed and operated by the Fords, who saved and eventually donated information about Albert Kahn's original clubhouse specifications, letters between Ford employees about its design and even the type of grass planted on the course. The documents are preserved at the Benson Ford Research Center in Dearborn, Tomashik said. 'Oasis' The Fords sold the property in 1944 and members of the clubhouse formed a board and bought it in 1953, Tomashik said. Since then, the clubhouse has maintained its historical significance while shifting its vibe. 'We used to be more of an older salesman-y club, and now we're transitioning and have been a family-oriented club. The average age is younger than even when I joined,' Dearborn Country Club President Bill Monteith said. Since the '50s, the clubhouse has added a pool, locker rooms and an additional restaurant. Monteith said the club has about 300 members, most of whom don't live in Dearborn but are still within 20 miles of the course. The club has about 100 employees, he said. When the Fords owned the place, it was a dry club, but it has served alcohol since members bought it, Tomashik said. Outside of golf, the club hosts dinners, weddings, a kids swim team and other social events, all of which have to be hosted or sponsored by an existing member. Membership, which requires an application and vetting process, is open to anybody, Monteith said. Biscaro said the private club does not publish its membership cost. Many private clubs do not. Monteith has been involved with the club since his parents joined in 1975. He joined on his own in 1989 and has served three three-year terms on the board since then. 'It's my oasis away from hustle,' he said. 'For a lot of us, the country club is our cottage. We spend the weekends at the club versus Up North. This becomes your social club. … We have a unique club. We're very close. The members and staff make the club.'
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stellar Latin jazz band Aguankó playing Michigan Jazz Festival fundraiser Sunday afternoon
Inject some fun into your afternoon this Sunday with the sunny rhythms and cool breeze of swinging Latin jazz while helping a local organization. The Michigan Jazz Festival, held the third Sunday in July each year, is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025. The free-entry, one-day event features over 40 musical groups across seven stages, and exclusively includes Michigan musicians or those who have Michigan ties. On Sunday, April 13, in Livonia, the festival will host its annual spring fundraiser, which helps keep the festival free to the public. This year's fundraiser at Livonia's Schoolcraft College Vistatech Center features the accomplished metro Detroit Latin jazz combo Aguankó. The band will feature leader Alberto Nacif on congas and percussion, Wesley Reynoso on piano, Pat Prouty on bass, Russ Miller on sax and flute, Charlie Miller on trumpet, Leonard King on drums, and Rob Killips on trombone. Aguankó's most recent album, 2023's 'Unidad,' reached the top of The Roots Music Report's Top 50 Jazz Album Chart. At Sunday's event, Nacif said the band will play songs from four of their five albums (the fifth one being a Christmas record). He also said that being a part of Detroit means a lot to him. 'I was born in Mexico,' Nacif said, 'in the south, in a state called Oaxaca. We came here when I was a pre-teen – like, 12, 13 – and according to my mom, I learned English very quickly. In a matter of months, I was speaking the language pretty well. My mom was widowed at a very young age; my dad died at 38 in a car accident. She wanted to come up here and be with her two brothers and two sisters who were here, working. 'We lived in a house on Lothrop, right across from the Fisher Building, and then we moved to Highland Park, and then we moved to Huntington Woods. I went to Detroit Catholic Central High School and Wayne State University. So, even though I'm Mexican, I just feel like I'm from here. This is my home.' Also on Sunday: Janis Siegel, Grammy-winning Manhattan Transfer vocalist, singing in Ann Arbor this week Arts coverage: Detroit Opera's AI-centered 'Così fan tutte' a sloppy disappointment Nacif, who now lives in Brighton, serves his community as a full-time doctor, specializing in family and lifestyle medicine. 'It's fun,' he said. 'People ask me, 'Is it tough to do both?' and I say no. It really takes the same skill set, which is to make sure you have the absolute best team possible, make sure that you're always prepared, and make sure that you deliver what you want to deliver.' A Michigan Jazz Festival veteran, he praised the festival and the talent it collects. 'It's a really big jazz festival,' Nacif said. 'I know that there is the Detroit Jazz Festival, which is bigger. But the reason I like the Michigan Jazz Festival is, number one, it really focuses on the local talent, and we have loads of local talent that are good enough to be international talent, anytime, anyplace. The other thing I like about it is it's free, and it's in the campus of a well-regarded college. There's something to it being sort of in the middle of a working-class city, you know? 'I really, really love playing there, because the audiences are so appreciative and sophisticated.' Festival board member Bart Polot agreed. 'There's no other festival quite like it,' said Polot. 'And to be able to have all this music within walking distance, one stage to another – it's probably the most accommodating jazz festival around. In order to keep it free, in order to pay all the musicians and have all the other amenities that we have, we really rely on the generosity of jazz supporters. So, if you love jazz and you live in the southeastern Michigan area, you want to support the Michigan Jazz Festival by coming out.' Sunday's concert will begin at 3 p.m. at the Schoolcraft College Vistatech Center at 18600 Haggerty Rd., Livonia. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door; advance tickets can be purchased at The 30th Michigan Jazz Festival will take place on Sunday, July 20, at the same location. Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at dbeddingfield@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Latin jazz band Aguankó playing Michigan Jazz Fest fundraiser Sunday
Axios
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Things to do in Metro Detroit: Feb. 21-23
From adults-only fare like club dancing and the Dirty Show to Mahjong and TMNT, there's lots to do on this cold, cold weekend. 🦸 Browse comics and see the co-creator of the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" at Great Lakes Comic Con. Tomorrow, 5-9pm; Saturday, 10am-6pm; Sunday, 10am-4pm. $55 for three days, $20 Friday or Sunday and $25 Saturday. 🎨 Go check out [censored] and [censored] at the adults-only Dirty Show, known for its burlesque, art and more. Friday and Saturday at the Russell Industrial Center, 7pm-2am. General admission is $50. 🎛️ Dance the night away to '90s and 2000s jams at Orchid in Ferndale. Saturday, 9pm-2am. Free entry before 11pm, $10 general admission after that. 🀄 Play Mahjong at the historic Fisher Building, with refreshments and prizes. Sunday, 10am-5pm. $15. 🕺 Miss Eva's is hosting an R&B birthday bash, with old and new hits. Friday, 8pm-midnight. $30. 🎸 Alternative rock is the name of the game at Big Pink this weekend, with a DJ spinning tracks from the Strokes, LCD Soundsystem and more. Saturday, 10pm-2am. $20. 🎭 Take in " Confederates," which digs into America's racism and gender biases, at the Detroit Public Theatre. Saturday, 2pm and 8pm; Sunday, 2pm; and more shows through March 16. General admission, $49. 🎤 Come to One Mike Detroit for a pop-up night of poetry, music and comedy. Saturday, 7-11pm. $15.
