Today marks the annual celebration of Earth Day, inspiring “awareness of and appreciation for the Earth’s environment.” But here in Michigan, supporting events are not limited to April 22; they’re taking place all week long throughout cities across the state.
Bay County Health Department is offering free e-Waste collection through Friday. Ann Arbor and Flint Best Buy locations are rewarding gifts cards to the first 100 recyclers this Saturday. And the Indigenous Earth Day Summit runs through tomorrow at Northern Michigan University.
Learn more about Earth Day on Wikipedia. Or find a local event through the EPA’s Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge.
April 19 is National Record Store Day. The inaugural event will bring together music retailers across the country “to celebrate and recognize the value and unique culture of independent record stores.”
As part of the celebration, select stores will be distributing pairs of special 3-D glasses. Customers can use the specs to view Bjork’s new 3-D video for her latest single, “Wanderlust.” [ Read more ]
Sunday, April 13, The Flint Youth Theatre will showcase Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead. One of America’s most popular comic strip characters is in high school now and “oh, brother” have things changed. This darkly comic, irreverent and poignant take on the future of the Peanuts gang earned top honors at The New York International Fringe Festival in 2004. [ Read more ]
Even if you’re an outdoors amateur, the Up North Journal Podcast is to be enjoyed. A weekly talk show about hunting and fishing, a father and son share their adventures through the Michigan woods and waters.
Despite once catching two fish on a single hook, I’ve since become more a fan of air conditioning than slimy hands. For me, the program is an intriguing look into the adventures of a family with some wildnerness lessons added for good measure. I was expecting a middle-aged son and his older father, but instead found a father and his 13-year-old son sharing their experiences together.
Check out the podcast and then visit the accompanying Up North Journal for blogs, video, photos and more.
A Flint man is moving concrete blocks to recreate Stonehenge all by himself. Wally Wallington uses small stones and levers while attempting to replicate the English monument. Following his 35 years in construction, Wally says, “many times I had to improvise on tools that were not at hand in order to get the job done.”
A YouTube video filmed for the Discovery Channel has already been viewed over 3 million times. For additional info, visit the official website at theforgottentechnology.com.
If you’ve ever spent time in Ann Arbor on foot, then you already know that it is a very walkable city. So walkable, in fact, that Prevention magazine and the American Podiatric Medical Association recently named A2 the third most walkable city in the nation. (Cambridge, Massachusetts and New York City took the top two spots).
Along with its national walkable city list, Prevention has also released what it deems as the 10 Best Walking Cities in each of the 50 states. The Michigan rankings, in order of walkability, are: Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Flint, Livonia, Lansing, Dearborn, Warren, Sterling Heights and Clinton Township. [ Read more ]
Flint Knits has relaunched with a fresh design and new address at flintknits.com. A popular source of craft info within the state and nationwide, blogger Pamela Wynne shares her talent through both vivid descriptions and amazing images. Recent posts include cardiganizing the reglan pullover, minty fresh fashion and process knitting.
Handmade Detroit sat down with Pamela in the fall. A Flint resident, she’s “proof that crafters in Michigan are a creative, clever and talented bunch.” Citing inspiration as “the innovative people and art and craft that are coming out of the former rust belt,” check out the interview and don’t miss the crafty recommendations — Etsy, Revelry, Whip Up and more.
If you loved the 1980s — the decade that brought us Rubik’s Cubes, hair crimping, Members’ Only jackets and TV shows like Alf and Family Ties — you’ll want to keep your calendar clear for Bringin’ Back the 80s, a fun fest in Frankenmuth on April 18 and 19.
A fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, the third annual event will feature everything from live music and great food to breakdancing, an 80s costume contest, a poker tournament, free massages and more.
The festival will be held at the Harvey Kern Pavilion in Heritage Park, located at 601 Weiss Street in Frankenmuth.
Contact Jeanna Zehnder at big80s@charter.net for more information. Rock on!
If you’re a donut lover like me, you’ll be thrilled to know that Dunkin’ Donuts is adding more than 100 stores in Detroit, Lansing and Saginaw over the next several years.
It’s all part of an aggressive national growth strategy that involves expanding in existing markets and entering new ones throughout the country. [ Read more ]
Today and tomorrow, March 7 and 8, Kettering University in Flint is hosting the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Rookie Regional, a first-of-its-kind national pilot program of FIRST Robotics.
Designed to show high schoolers that science and engineering are fun, the purpose of the “FIRST Robotics Rookie Regional” is to offer a low-cost way for new teams to begin competing in FIRST, said Francois Castaing, a FIRST official. “One of the most difficult things perceived about high schools creating a new FIRST Robotics team is the uncertainty of how best to start, how to measure growth and how to be successful competing with and against teams that are more experienced. FIRST Robotics of Michigan believes this new concept is the answer.”
What is FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) exactly? FRCs challenge teams of young people and their mentors to solve a common problem in a six-week timeframe using a standard “kit of parts” and a common set of rules. Teams build robots from the parts and enter them in a series of competitions designed by Dean Kamen, Dr. Woodie Flowers, and a committee of engineers and other professionals. [ Read more ]
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