Looking for something to do New Year's Day? How about a hike at Hayes State Park

If you're looking for something different to do on New Year's Day, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources will host a hike at Hayes State Park near Onsted off Michigan Avenue (only about 11 miles from Manchester) at 11 a.m.

The hike will begin at 11 a.m. at the park, and the difficult will vary on what those in attendance want to partake in. The DNR encourages participants to bring their camera and a chair to enjoy a campfire later that day.

If you attend, you'll also have the opportunity to win several fitness club memberships, as well as an afternoon at Lazy B's Ranch.

If you're out of town, here's the list of other hikes taking place around the state. They range from Hayes all the way to the Porcupine Mountains in the western Upper Peninsula.

And for those of you who are worried about timing: yes, the hike says it will be complete before the Lions kick off at 1 p.m. against the Packers.

Offensive advertising?

I was horrified today when I checked my email and saw the latest ad from Spirit Airlines.

The "busty" advertisement is outrageously offensive to women. The "double d" slogan is an extreme stretch to find some way to incorporate breasts into the company's advertising. It's sad Spirit has been forced to use sexual images of women to sell its services and can't stand on its reputation, treatment of customers and overall experience.

The subject of the email teased readers with "Check out our Double D's." Sounds quite similar to a slogan an adult entertainment company might use.

Worst of all, this ad commits one of the most common and repulsive parts of sexual advertising, not showing the model's face. Why isn't it shown? It's because the company could care less about anything above her neck, including her brain. This model's breasts were used as objects, trying to disconnect them from any uncomfortable feelings that could arise from associating them with a person with thoughts and feelings. It makes it easier for the ad to be digested, but actually adds to one of society's problems, the sexualization of women.

The ad also continues to send women and young girls the message that they have to have large breasts to be appealing. Who in the Spirit Airlines advertising department thought this ad campaign was acceptable?

Spirit may support it's double d promotion, but it's definitely disgusting.

Bridgewater is getting excited for the Sugar Bowl

The painted rock in Bridgewater on Austin Road has had some additional embellishments in recent weeks to go with its "Go Blue" tagline:



We want to know how you think the Wolverines will do next week in the Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech. Click on the widget below and enter your phone number, and Google will call you and prompt you to leave a message telling us how you think Michigan will do next week in New Orleans (Your phone number can be left private as well, if you're worried about giving out your phone number).

BRIDGEWATER TOWNSHIP: Man shoots his wife and himself, wife taken to U-M hospital

By Ben Baird
bbaird@heritage.com
Twitter: @BenBaird1

A Bridgewater Township man shot his wife and then committed suicide Saturday night in the 13000 block of Austin Road.

The wife was shot in the chest and shoulder. She was taken to the University of Michigan Hospital and is reported to be in stable condition.

Township Supervisor Jolea Mull learned about the shooting at about 11:45 p.m. Saturday from the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office.

She said according to police, the couple was arguing throughout the day because of the man's depression issues.

He shot his wife and then turned the gun on himself. The wife was able to run out of their residence and call 911. She was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but on Sunday police told Mull the woman is now in stable condition.

There is no official statement on the shooting from the sheriff's department yet, Mull said.

Staff Writer Ben Baird can be reached at bbaird@heritage.com.

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Midnight Madness event the result of quick brainstorming

It's amazing how such a short time span can result in some of the best ideas.

A seemingly good example is the Midnight Madness Fundraiser event being put on by several of the merchants in Manchester next weekend. The event, designed to spur late-night shopping and donate to a local charity or community group, was thrown together just this month by two local merchants: Steven Hahne of MacLennan's Nursery, and Nichole Fisher, owner of Nichole's Emporium, which opened earlier this year.

Hahne said the ideas for it just came within minutes of the two of them discussing, and out of it a seemingly fun idea was born.

Janet Larson, the president of the Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce, said the talks for it happened at an evening chamber networking party. It's amazing what can happen with just a few minutes of small talk at a business-related function.

If you're planning on shopping that night and you have your camera, we'd love to publish any photos we receive from the evening (unfortunately, I have that day off, and won't be able to make it). If you have any, feel free to send me an email at dveselenak@heritage.com.

And be sure to spread the word of the event. We're doing our part, with the flyer posted on our front door at our downtown Saline office:

Land acquisition by DNR in Manchester, Norvell townships recommended by Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund

The list of recommendations by the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund was tweeted this evening by the DNR, and the purchase of the Trolz family farm is listed.

Here's the tweet announcing all the recommendations statewide, which includes six projects in Washtenaw County:

Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board recommends 99 grant-funded projects totaling $39.6 million: ow.ly/7TwWl

— Michigan DNR (@MichiganDNR) December8, 2011

The recommendation of the acquisition, which is being called the River Raisin Recreation Area, is to cost $3 million on the area, which is "to focus on hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation."

The move was the next step in the land acquisition, the DNR told The Enterprise in September. The next step is to send the recommendation to the state legislature, a process that could go well into next year.

Other projects on the recommendation list in the county include:

Washtenaw County

• $2.275 million to connect to urban nature preserves

Ann Arbor

• $300,000 to Gallup Park for several improvements, including energy improvements and better access to buildings
• $300,000 to help fund the in-ground skate park at Veterans Memorial Park

Ypsilanti Township

• $300,000 to renovate Rutherford Pool

Ypsilanti

$289,400 for developing the Heritage Bridge over Michigan Avenue and a fishing pier

Manchester resident appears on NPR's "Talk of the Nation"

A benefit from Google Alerts is to see whenever something is written about "Manchester, Michigan." Yesterday, an interesting piece came across and thought I'd share it.

It was a link to NPR's "Talk of the Nation" show, a call-in program for listeners to voice their opinions on different subject matters in the nation. This clip talks about the new television show, "All-American Muslim," a show filmed in Dearborn to showcase Muslims living in America. 

Many of the callers debated on whether the show was a good representation of Islamic life here in America, and one of those callers came from the village. 

A caller identified as Susan called the show from Manchester, and talked about how she would like to see more diversity when it comes to showing Muslims in their day-to-day lives.

"And when I go to the masjid or the mosque in my area in Ann Arbor, I don't see this as a cross-section of Muslims," she told the radio show. "I see this as a very small proportion of Muslims."

It was a show filled with Michigan voices, as another caller voiced their opinion from Ann Arbor, and another from Dearborn.

You can read a transcript of the conversation here, or click below to listen to the show. It's about 16 minutes long.

Bomb Patrol Afghanistan is best new TV show

Of all the new TV shows this fall season, "Bomb Patrol Afghanistan" is the only show that has garnered my attention and respect, and I only discovered it this month.

The show, which airs at 10 p.m. Tuesdays on G4, gives viewers a first-hand look at the daily activities of the U.S Navy's Ordinance Disposal Mobile Unit. The team specializes in detecting, destroying and investigating improvised explosive devices.

Cameras are on board military vehicles, on the site of IED investigations and inside the military base. Viewers get to know the military members and experience highly-stressful and dangerous situations where the soldiers risk their lives to protect fellow military members and Afghan citizens.

The show features soldiers carefully climbing out of a military vehicle, situated directly on top of an IED, and trying to cut the cord without setting it off. It also shows how the soldiers take in all their surroundings to determine IED and civilian dangers.

"Bomb Patrol" opens viewers' eyes to the reality of what's going on in Afghanistan and makes them appreciate how much members of the armed services are risking to protect others.
The unique setting and experience makes it the best new show of the season.

Employees suffer on Black Friday

I've always thought waking up at the crack of dawn to wait in line and fight for Black Friday sales was insane. But with the increasingly-popular decision to open stores either all day Friday, or in the late evening, it's gone far beyond insane.

It seems like people are embracing the change to Thanksgiving night shopping because shoppers would much rather stay up late than wake up early for 5 a.m. sales. What they don't realize, or don't care about, is how the hours will be affecting employees and their holiday celebrations.

My sister is a cashier at a department store and I also worked several years in retail. We've both suffered the wrath of Black Friday, from long hours to crabby customers.

Last year, my sister was scheduled for the 5 a.m. shift and had to be awake by 3 a.m. in order to get to work on time. We had family staying with us from out of town and going to bed at 8 p.m. definitely put a damper on her family holiday activities.

This year, she's scheduled to work 11 p.m. Thursday night to 12 p.m. Friday afternoon. Again, she will either have to try to squeeze in a Thanksgiving nap, or face a 12-hour shift with no sleep. I don't know how this can be safe or acceptable for employees and I don't think shoppers realize what employees are put through.

That brings me to my retail experience. Shoppers tend to believe you're getting paid extra to work the holiday and only work your eight-hour shift and go home. This couldn't be further from the truth.

As an assistant manager, I was required to work all day Friday and Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. I'd start at 7 a.m. and wouldn't leave until after 10 p.m. both days. It also usually took longer to get out because the store was such a disaster and required extra cleaning.

On top of the 15-hour Friday and Saturday, I also usually put in a 14-hour day the day before Thanksgiving in order to finish setting up displays required for the day after Thanksgiving. The display changeover usually began earlier in the week, so the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving were in no way short days either. And trust me, there was no special pay except for overtime after 40 hours.

In order to alleviate the pain of retail employees, Thanksgiving day sales should be online only.
Shoppers can still shop, but there will be less of a need for employees.
Until the shopping trend changes, I ask that all shoppers please be kind to your retail employees. Clean up after yourself, be patient and realize the employees have given up a great deal to make your Black Friday shopping possible.

Voting is especially important in local races, like Sharon Township and Manchester schools

Did you pick up your sticker
today?

I've always been taught that voting is just something you do as a citizen. I remember the first time I voted, and it felt kind of cool to do it. Today, voting still felt just as cool, even though it was not in the usual spot for me (I casted a ballot in Clinton this morning, the first time I've done so away from my hometown).

These local races many residents are voting on today are perhaps the most important ones they'll vote on. Presidential and gubernatorial races have all the glamour, but it's these city council and school board elections that determine more of your daily life than what Barack Obama does in the White House.

Be sure you head to the polls and vote today. There's a contested race for two seats on the Manchester school board, and there's an uncontested race in Sharon Township for two seats on the board, stemming from the recall election in August (if you think not voting in an uncontested race is an okay thing to do, reflect on what I wrote here a few months ago about that very issue. I hope you'll look at it differently).

There still is time to go to the polls today, they're open until 8 p.m. So go pick up your sticker and wear it the rest of the day.

Sharon Township impresses

I was quite impressed at the Sharon Township Board of Trustees meeting Nov. 3. First, agendas were printed and available for residents, a practice that has began taking place the last month or so.

Next, Interim Treasurer Brian Simons presented the board and audience members with a packet detailing the townships financial information. For the first time since I began covering Sharon Township in April, audience members had the financial information at their fingertips. They were also able to ask questions, which Simons competently answered, although he's been on the job a few months. His organization and willingness to engage residents was impressive.

Finally, mineral licensing board chair Jim Hopkins gave an extremely informational presentation on the MLB that far exceeded my expectations. He even said he would do additional research to try to establish a list of all the townships in Michigan that have MLBs, something he would have found helpful for his presentation.

The eagerness of Sharon Township officials to be more transparent to its residents is a welcome change that is not going unnoticed by the residents. It's what the residents hoped for after August's successful recall election. The obvious change is probably in part due to the board a facelift with it's two newest members, Simons, and interim trustee Peter Psarouthakis.

At the meeting, the audience applauded the efforts from both Simons and Hopkins and I'd like to do the same.

Halloween means candy, neighboorhood interaction

There are several reasons I enjoy Halloween. The first, of course, is that for the month leading up to Halloween it's socially acceptable to eat all candy in sight.

Second, I love how the neighborhood comes alive for one night. Whether walking door to door trick-or-treating or handing out candy at home, you get to see neighbors that normally hide inside. It's the one opportunity each year you get to verify the ancient old lady down the street is indeed still alive and the chance to meet new neighbors.

The foot traffic up and down the street can only be matched when the power goes out and neighbors emerge to verify it is in fact not just their house, or when an ambulance, police car, or fire truck make a visit to the neighborhood and all the gawkers find their gawking spot.

Halloween costumes not only mask faces, but can mask inhibitions and get neighbors interacting.

High school football is Pure Michigan, especially in Manchester

Manchester JV against Clinton earlier this year.

There's nothing more Michigan than the high school football playoffs.

The season continues for the Flying Dutchmen, after posting one of the best records in Washtenaw County at 8-1. They play in a Division 6 district which contains several southern Michigan teams, including Leslie, Hillsdale (Manchester's most recent victim) and Grass Lake, which gave them their only loss of the season. Move on farther, and the possibility of playing other teams from other parts of the state emerge. Because of being in Division 6, a division with smaller schools, it opens up the geography, as many smaller schools are in more rural areas.

This is a football state, no question about it. Between two Big Ten schools, several other Division I programs (including my alma mater), Division II schools that garner national attention and we can't forget about these guys, this state loves it some football. Which is why the high school football playoffs are so special: what's a better way to celebrate Michigan than competing against some of the other best schools and regions in the state? It's a wonder the Pure Michigan campaign hasn't thought of marketing it harder.

I'm not a football writer, and I don't pretend to be. I'm no expert on stats, and I can't tell you who will win it all (of course, it'd be nice to see the Dutch play in Detroit). The closest experience I have is I played in one playoff game as a backup to the backup in high school for my now-defunct high school (We were clunked 47-7).But I do know that while everyone wants their team to win at Ford Field come Thanksgiving weekend, it's something the entire state can embrace.

Manchester's journey could be an interesting one geographically. Once it gets through districts, Manchester will play a school from southwest Michigan (Hartford, Cassopolis, Constantine or Schoolcraft)  for the regional crown. From there, they could play schools ranging from Ecorse to Vassar in the state semifinals. And it wouldn't be uncommon to see an Upper Peninsula school in the state title game.

I've seen how football is in other communities across the state. Living in mid-Michigan for several years, It wasn't hard to see that's a football-hungry area of Michigan. Schools like Mount Pleasant, Beal City and Ithaca expect to do well in the playoffs after completing 9-0, 8-1 seasons. Near Detroit, it's no secret who the teams to beat are (yes, I'm looking at you, Brother Rice), and it's best not to knock East Grand Rapids anytime. I don't know a lot about the Upper Peninsula's football hunger, but I bet it's not a bad feeling to win a title and knock off a few "trolls" (Lower Peninsula dwellers) in the process.

Manchester's hungry for a playoff victory, especially after losing in the first round last year to Willow Run. The road the Dutch could take may make for just as an exciting trip as the games themselves.

In any case, Go Dutch!

Time to run?

Forbes released a list this week of the most dangerous cities in America and Detroit was number one. Living in a suburb of Detroit, the top ranking increased my desire to move as far away from city as possible. I enjoy visiting Detroit when going to an event, like a Tigers game. I would not, however, want to live there. I appreciate those trying to bring the city back to life, and maybe I should try to make change instead of complaining.
The list also reminded me of one of the things I hate about watching Detroit sports on national television. Usually when a Tigers or Wings game is broadcast nationally, the announcers make some type of comment about the fans showing the spirit of Detroit and breathing new life into the city. Yes the fans attending the games are putting money from parking and concessions into the city, but after the game they get in their cars, lock their doors and go back to the suburbs.
Also, in now way are these people the true "spirit" of Detroit. Eight-two percent of Detroit's population is African American. Take a look at the stands, it's predominantly white.
I wish national broadcasters would call it as it is and draw attention to what Detroit is really like. Show the homeless people begging for change outside the stadium, as well as the guy with the foam Tiger paw, $8 beer and $4 hot dog texting on his smartphone.
Let's show American a full image of Detroit, the rays of sunshine emerging from the financial troubled city, along with the hardships.

Don't be silent

A new school year brings news friends and new experiences. It can also bring new dangers. Women and students in Washtenaw County can easily become victims of sexual assault, not only from new friends, but trusted friends at well.
One of my friends from college was recently featured in a television news story discussing how she was raped her senior year of college. The incident really hit close to home. Women and men of all ages should know how to protect themselves and how to get help.
Safe House Center in Ann Arbor which provides support for sexual assault victims and is a wonderful source for victims.

A little village politics during last weekend's Oktoberfest bed races

Local political jabbing anyone? (Photo by Tanya Wildt)

 There was a little fun-poking at the village council for those paying attention during the bed races at Oktoberfest last weekend.

The team from Stockwell's Home Cooking on Adrian Street had its team members wear cardboard sandwich board signs around their necks with phrases like, "Is my sign in the right place?"

The signs were an allusion to the sign ordinance debate earlier this year. Owner Dawna Stockwell had a sandwich board on Main Street to bring patrons into her restaurant for several years, and was ordered to move it after it was found it was in violation of the village's ordinance.

After several months of debate back and forth between the village council and the planning commission, it was decided that the sign remained off Main Street. The board has stood in front of Stockwell's and Kellie's ever since.

Jackson Model Rocketry Club

The Jackson Model Rocketry Club held a launch at Horning Farms in Freedom Township.

When voting still matters, even if every candidate is a shoo-in

This was the scene most of the day in the village room Tuesday.

It's always been something that's been engrained in me since I was in school: vote, vote, vote and yes, don't forget to vote. Your voice is important.

That's why it was slightly stunning to see only eight ballots cast in the Manchester village elections Tuesday when I stopped by the polling place at 12:30 p.m. in the village hall.

Sure, there were only four candidates running for four slots in an election in September, but surely more than eight folks would turn up before noon, right?

Many will say, "what does it matter? Those four people are going to get elected anyway" and not show up to vote. To a degree, this makes sense for all of us, and I might have done the same before. But my thinking has changed.

Here's an interesting tale to put things in perspective: a woman in Burton, a suburb of Flint, ran for the lone spot on the Bentley school board in May. She was a write-in candidate for one of two spots, and was the only other eligible candidate. In other words, one vote for her would win.

But she didn't win. She failed to have one person vote for her, including herself that day.

She told The Flint Journal she was at her son's baseball game, and couldn't make it to the polls.

“I (thought I) would have gotten a vote,” she told The Journal. “I had plenty of people I know that would have gone up there and voted.”

Because of remembering this incident and seeing the low vote total in the afternoon, I asked Village Clerk Julie Schaible Tuesday afternoon what would happen if someone, for some reason, didn't get a vote. She was not completely sure how it would be handled, understandably so. It's not like this happens all the time.

Thankfully, no such incident happened. All four candidates received at least one vote, and they'll be sworn in on Oct. 3. But it does put things in perspective: just because someone is a shoo-in for a seat doesn't always mean they'll get voted in. Which is why that old cliche, "every vote counts" still rings true today.

The Wurster Park gazebo is getting a facelift

Hopefully this will fix the leaking roof in the gazebo in Wurster Park.

Today, Tom Pratt of C. Schmitt Contracting was working on the roof of the gazebo, ripping up shingles in preparation of installing new ones this week.

Pratt said the roof will have shingles instead of wood to help prevent leaking.

The village contracted with C. Schmitt Contracting to repair the roof for $1,120 earlier this year.

More photos from the field day on the Kuhl farm in Sharon Township

Going out to the farm on a cool September afternoon was the perfect way to spend some time out in the Greater Manchester area.

I attended my first field day Tuesday at the Kuhl family farm on Peckins Lane in Sharon Township, midway between Manchester and Chelsea. The subject matter dealt with soybean aphids and different types of fertilizers for both soybeans and corn.

We went out into the field to observe some of the traps that had been set up for the bugs, and Ned Birkey from the Michigan State University Extension demonstrated and showed the traps to the farmers in attendance, which equaled about 30.

Here are some photos from the event, as well as a speech given by Keith Reinholt of the Michigan  Soybean Committee on aphids:

Procrastination can be productive

Procrastination isn't always a waste. See how this reporter takes a day dream and comes up with a story idea. You never know what will inspire you. View my stream of consciousness/events below.

I need a story idea.

What can I write about?

Is it time for lunch yet?

I have leftover Mexican.

I wonder what Manchester students eat in the school cafeteria.

I think I'll look at the Manchester cafeteria menus.

Man, I used to love those peanut butter and jelly graham cracker sandwiches my elementary school served. I wonder if I can find them.

Google search peanut butter and jelly graham cracker sandwiches.

Find image of sandwich.

Look at photo comments and find out they were served at a Relay for Life event and commenter says you can buy them at MarketDay.com.

Find out MarketDay.com is a fundraising website.

Search groups using MarketDay.com near Manchester.

Discover Manchester band boosters are affiliated with MarketDay.com.

Decide to write story about Manchester school fundraisers.

Purchase peanut butter and jelly graham cracker sandwiches.

New Lawn Sod Farm

This morning I went to New Lawn Sod Farm in Van Buren Township. The DeBuck family talked to me about the business and had me ride on the harvester. View some photos below.

Live chat regarding the Todd Green photo incident

Heritage will host a live chat today at 3 p.m. for members of the community who would like to have a discussion regarding the photo incident that has shown much outcry on The Enterprise's Facebook page.

The chat is embedded on our website here, but will also take place here on our blog. We hope you can join us and have a discussion with us regarding the incident.

Reminder: Comments are moderated. Vulgarity, libelous comments and personal attacks will not be tolerated.

More photos from Saturday's Medieval Faire

If you were like me Saturday, you traveled back in time a few hundred years visiting Carr Park.

The library hosted its second Medieval Faire, this time taking advantage of the large space on the park on the west side of Manchester. As soon as you arrived, you spotted people wearing hats they wouldn't wear today, heard the clanging of the metal worker and heard the trumpet of the heralder announce events about to take place.

The big event had to be the sword fighting, where demonstrators from Jackson and Ann Arbor were on hand to answer questions and act as a medieval resource.

And even the animal lovers had something to look forward to: a pen of Great Danes came out, as well as a hawk used for falconry. It was quite the scene.

Here are some other photos from the event, as well as a compilation video I compiled from Saturday's faire:

Camping season

I spent the past weekend camping at my favorite campground in Michigan, Fort Custer State Park in Augusta, just outside of Battle Creek. The large sites surrounded by trees are the perfect setting for a relaxing weekend. The bike trails and beach are added bonuses.
I've never done any camping in Washtenaw County. Are there any suggestions?

Manchester High School football is back

Ah, football season.

It's close to being the greatest time of the year (I'll still give Christmas the nod here). It's the quintessential American sport, and is played by people of all ages, in pads and in shorts.

While I haven't had the pleasure of enjoying a football game in Manchester, I was treated to the beginning of the season last night, as I watched the JV team play Clinton down in Clinton, nearby where I live. While the game was postponed due to the weather being poor, it was still refreshing to see the players on the sidelines, hearing the shrill of the whistle and seeing the lights pour down onto the field.

High school football is a great thing for both the community and the players. It's a game that brings together some unlikely kids, and forces them to get along while doing some physically and mentally tough training. It's a great thing for kids to partake in; I played football for three years (read: backup to the backup), and don't regret anything about it. With it comes risks, such as injury, but most times, the rewards outweigh the negatives.

As the Flying Dutchmen look to return to the playoffs this year, here's a taste of fall football from last night's JV game in Clinton. The Dutchmen held a 20-14 lead with more than nine minutes remaining in the third quarter:

The 9/11 10-year anniversary is coming and we want to know what you remember

It's just one of those days everyone know what they were doing.

Right up there with Pearl Harbor, JFK's assassin and the moon landing, everyone knows exactly what they were doing the day the Twin Towers fell on Sept. 11, 2001.

We'd like to help share some of the stories Manchester and Washtenaw County residents have from that day, which can either seem like it was forever ago, or just yesterday.

That's why we need your help.  Let us know in the comments below what you were doing that fateful day. Include your real name, and where you live, and we'll include it in our 9/11 coverage next month. You can even post it on our Facebook wall, as some others have already done.

It's something we all can share and remember, no matter what our political differences are. It's a time to remember.

You may see Tanya or I in the village later this month with our Flip cameras out, talking to people. We're looking to also gather several videos across Washtenaw County of people talking about that fateful day and what they remember. The staff here at Heritage will be doing the same, leading up to Sept. 11. We'd love to hear what you remember.

Worthy of a mention, but not first prize

Sleeping Bears Dunes was voted the most beautiful place in America by "Good Morning America" voters Wednesday. The Dunes were one of 10 finalists, including Aspen, Colorado, Grand Tetons in Jackson, Wyoming and Lanikai Beach in Oahu, Hawaii. As much as I love Michigan's natural beauty, there's no way Sleeping Bear Dunes is the most beautiful location in America.
I've been lucky enough to visit a lot of locations in the country, camping from east to west and north to south, all around our beautiful country. These travels have also included a great deal of time within the state of Michigan and I've always thought the beauty of the state was overlooked. The gorgeous coastlines and friendly small vacation towns were a hidden gem. This is why I'm pleased to see one Michigan location on the list.
Having visited Colorado and the Grand Tetons, as well as the Dunes, there's no comparison. The first two breathtaking locations win out over Sleeping Bear every time. I was also shocked not to see Alaska anywhere on the top-10 list. I've only seen photos, but the Alaskan wilderness and wildlife would top Sleeping Bear any day.
If I'm right, then what led to the Dunes being selected?. I have a theory. You may disagree and question my Michigan pride, but I think Michigan earned the top spot due to unemployment. There are probably a lot more Michigan residents sitting at home watching "Good Morning America" than in many states in the country where people are at work during most of the broadcast, accounting for more voters.
Even though Sleeping Bear Dunes may not be the most beautiful place in America, it's definitely one of the most beautiful in Michigan, and I support that vote.

More photos and a video from Saturday's Run Manchester races

More than 280 runners came out last weekend to compete in the 4th Annual Run Manchester.

The race, which runs throughout the entire village, seemed to go successful, and the weather was great for a Saturday morning run.

Not able to attend, or slept in after partying too hard at the Party in the Park Friday night? Here are some additional photos, as well as a video, from the races:

An earful

I paid my first visit to the Manchester Farmers Market on Thursday for the Faerie Festival. I took the opportunity to buy local sweet corn from Saline farmer Richard Weisenreder. Every year my family and I try to find the best local corn. Weisenreder's corn was fabulous and the family members I ate it with couldn't stop talking about how delicious it was. You'll probably see me at the market again this Thursday, buying more of Weisenreder's corn and trying other local farmers' corn as well.

The M-52 sign to Bridgewater is busted again

Either someone is a clumsy driver, or they just don't like Bridgewater.

The sign along M-52 just east of the village in Manchester Township points to the hamlet's direction down Austin road right before you get to the light. But for the second time in several months, the sign has been destroyed, leaving half of it still upright and the other half on the ground.

I noticed several months ago the first sign had been broken a few months ago, but thought of it as accident. It took quite a while for it to be replaced, but was new just a few weeks ago. When I drove to Manchester from my home in Clinton Monday, the sign was damaged again. Now, since the second sign is broken in the exact same way as the first, I can't help but wonder if it's a target for vandals.

Kari Arend, the communications representative for the University Region (which consists of south-central Michigan) of the Michigan Department of Transportation, said MDOT repairs signs based on priority, and couldn't speak for the specific sign on M-52.

"We will go out there and replace it as needed," she said. "When we have time, we’ll get a road crew out there."

Until then, just remember: Bridgewater is east on Austin Road.

115 House Concert

Today I went to a live folk music concert in Manchester...in someone's house. Mike and Kathy Austin have opened their home for house concerts, an event where artists perform inside homes instead of traditional venues. House concerts provide an intimate setting for performers and audience members.

This was the second show for the Austins, hosting Annie and Rod Capps with Jason Dennie. They played two 45-minute sets with time for crowd interaction in-between.
If you haven't attended one of the Austin's shows yet, you definitely should. The music sounded great and all the Austins asked for is a donation of roughly $10, with all the money going to the artist.
The next concert is scheduled for Sept. 24 with blues/folk artist John Latini, who has been nominated for four Detroit Music Awards this year.

The blotter's back: let us know what you think

In going through some old papers, Tanya found some papers with police blotters in them. So we've decided to resurrect the tradition and bring the blotter back to the Manchester Enterprise, starting today.

Each week on Friday, we'll collect blotter information from the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department for the Greater Manchester area that week, and publish the roundup on our website. Then, that list will appear in the newspaper the following Thursday.

We know people are always curious about the police activity in their area, and we're hoping the blotter will clear up some confusion over what's happening in your neighborhood, block, or township. While Nixle, the service the sheriff uses, displays some activity, not everything is sent out via a Nixle alert.

While we know Manchester is a pretty safe place to live, work and play, we realize things happen, and people want to know about them. We hope the blotter will help communicate that to the community. For larger news items, a news brief will be posted to our site, as well as a map showing the area of the crime, as was done with this alert in Sharon Township regarding vandalism to some property.

We're hoping to add on incidents in the some of the townships (Manchester, Freedom and Sharon) that are serviced by the Michigan State Police; we'll be working on bringing those to you in the future as well.

Let us know what you think of the blotter idea. We'll try to get the information out to you as we get it.

A video review: How is the chicken at the chicken broil?

The event came in with high expectations for me.

As I've written before, I've been waiting to try the chicken from the Chicken Broil for about seven months now. I finally got my chance Thursday at about 4:30 p.m.



It was a great-looking plate of food, and the chicken was enormous, as each plate contained half a bird. No added seasonings or sauces, just good old-fashioned broiled chicken.

The first bite was a tasty one, where it was obvious it had been slowly cooked. The chicken was moist mostly throughout, although I think one bit was a bit dryer than what I was looking for. But you get that on nearly 100-degree days.

Even with the heat, the meal was great. I'm looking forward to next year. Here's hoping the temperatures comes down about 10 degrees with it.

Photos from setting up for the Chicken Broil

According to my phone, it's going to reach as high as 101 degrees today for the 58th Annual Chicken. Broil. And it's not stopping the guys from getting the birds on the grills.

The chicken was unloaded from the chicken beginning around noon today, and all 19,000 pounds of it will make it onto the concrete brick grills. This is after all the setup earlier this week.

Today's festivities have even been noticed near Detroit. Radio station 104.3 WOMC published a write-up on the event, after Chris Fegan of the village won a contest on the radio station.

It's quite the process. Take a look at some of the photos from Thursday afternoon's setup at Alumni Memorial Field.