Novi announces snow days with new music video
BY CHARITY MEIER cmeier@candgnews.com
Although the weather outside is well below zero, the Novi Community School District is on “fire” when it comes to music video announcements. In what is apparently becoming a tradition, the school district announced the cancellation of school Jan. 21 and Jan. 22 with the release of “It’s Still Snowing,”a previously unseen music video.
The video, available on Superintendent Ben Mainka’s YouTube account and posted to the district’s social media, was shot last year, as the district had anticipated having two snow days but ultimately only needed to use one.
WALTONWOOD BRINGS DOLLYWOOD TO LIFE
BY CHARITY MEIER cmeier@candgnews.com
Seniors at Waltonwood facilities in metro Detroit were able to learn about the many different aspects of Dolly Parton’s life as the various locations held a weeklong celebration in honor of the singer’s 79th birthday on Jan. 19. In Novi, the celebration included various Dollythemed activities, including “Wheel of Fortune,” trivia,
baking cornbread, Southern cooking featuring dishes from Parton’s cookbook, a hoedown, line-dancing lessons and the opportunity to pet a pony.
“All week we’ve done things like trivia questions, and we did ‘Wheel of Fortune’ where we had to recognize the names of her songs. It just got us out of the apartment and got us all involved, and I think there was something for everybody whether you were just wanting to sit around and
“Actually it’s funny there’s a lyric in there, ‘I only got one snow day last year,’ and we wrote it about the
Screenshot from YouTube.com
Members of the 2024 Novi High School Choir (back row) Brienna Russ, Rithi Ramamurthy, Hannah Jeong, Bella Houchins and Milan Thurman, and (front row) Madi Coolman, Jaanvi Muchanthla, Nikki Biju and Nico Wang perform in the “It’s Still Snowing” music video.
See SNOW DAYS on page 6A Musician Gail Engling performs Dolly Parton songs at Waltonwood Twelve Oaks Jan. 17.
Photo by Patricia O’Blenes
Waltonwood
SECOND FRONT PAGE
Eastbound I-696 to close between I-75 and Lahser for 2 years
LUXURY REMODELING
BY KATHRYN PENTIUK AND MIKE KOURY kpentiuk@candgnews.com mkoury@candgnews.com
OAKLAND COUNTY — On March 1, the third and final phase of the “Restore the Reuther” project will commence, as eastbound and westbound Interstate 696 between Lahser Road and Interstate 75 will be rebuilt in 2025-2026.
In 2027, I-696 between I-75 and Dequindre Road will see improvements such as the rebuilding of the roadway, bridge work and drainage structures.
Additionally, 60 bridges will be repaired, including the rebuilding of the Church Street Plaza bridge that contains Victoria Park. During that construction, a walkway detour will be available.
The project is expected to be completed by fall 2027.
Diane Cross, spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Transportation, clarified that westbound traffic will be maintained while eastbound and westbound I-696 will be rebuilt between Lahser Road and I-75.
“We’re reconstructing all of the freeway, but one year we will reconstruct the eastbound side and one year the westbound side, but we’re going to always let westbound traffic use the freeway, and we’ll just move them around. We’ll either keep them on the original west while we rebuild east, or we’ll move them to the eastbound side while we rebuild west. West will always have two lanes open,” she explained.
Eastbound traffic will be detoured via southbound M-10 (Lodge Freeway/Northwestern Highway), eastbound M-8 (Davison Highway) and northbound I-75 back to eastbound I-696.
“But of course, not everybody’s going to
Photo by Patricia O’Blenes
LEFT: Lindsay Charlefour, director of Life Enrichment, poses for a picture with Macho, a miniature horse dressed as Dolly Parton at Waltonwood Twelve Oaks in Novi Jan. 17.
ABOVE: Alyssa “Lee” Tobias, independent living manager at Waltonwood Twelve Oaks, performs a line dance she choreographed to a Dolly Parton song with the residents.
watch or participate,” said Linda Cooper, 75, who resides in the independent living quarter at Waltonwood Novi. “The whole week has been fun.”
“It was great because years ago she taught dancing to 5- and 6 year-olds. So she taught us just like she did the 5- and 6 year-olds — breaking the steps down. So af-
ter two or three times we really got it,” said Cooper.
Cooper said she learned a lot about Parton throughout the week. She said she didn’t realize how generous Parton is and how many different philanthropic activities she is involved with.
The idea for a week of Dolly Partonthemed activities was the brainchild of Director of Life Enrichment Lindsay Charlefour. Charlefour said January is a slower month for activities and she was doing some
12A
Photos by Patricia O’Blenes
Register for the Daddy Daughter Dance
Calling all fathers of young ladies. It’s time to shine your dancing shoes and take them out for a spin. Ladies, it’s time to dance with your father again as the Novi Parks and Recreation Department will be hosting three Daddy Daughter Dances this February.
The theme for this year’s formal event is “wish upon the stars.” Guests are asked to put on their Sunday best and enjoy a fun-filled evening of dancing and snacks.
The times and dates for this year’s event are 7-9 p.m. Feb. 7, and 2-4 p.m. or 7-9 p.m. Feb. 8. The event is open to father/daughter duos of all ages. The cost of admission is $17 per person for residents or $20 for nonresidents and includes a professional photo with a frame. Attendees can also purchase a corsage and/or commemorate the evening with a keepsake sterling silver charm from Larson Jewelry; both sold separately. To register or for more information, visit cityofnovi.org or call (248) 347-0400.
FLEX LANES LIKELY TO OPEN IN MARCH
The additional highway lane, known as a flex lane, on the part of Interstate 96 that runs through Novi will likely begin operations in March, according to Diane Cross of the Michigan Department of Transportation. The lane, which could be misconstrued as a shoulder lane on the left side of the freeway, is currently marked with a red “X” on a digital sign that goes over the lane at several points along the new flex route. When the lane is open, it will be marked with a green arrow on the digital traffic lane display.
Council meeting to be held at Fox Run Senior Living
The City Council meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 27 will be held at Fox Run Senior Living Community, 41000 W. 13 Mile Road and will not be livestreamed. It will be posted on the city’s website later in the week.
FREE AARP TAX PREPARATION
Certified AARP volunteer tax preparers will be offering free, in-person assistance with tax preparation for seniors. The volunteers can help with filing federal and state returns. The assistance will be available Wednesdays in February, March and April from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Appointments are required. Call (248) 347-0414 to schedule an appointment.
anime
to Novi A new anime convention will be coming to the Suburban Collection Showplace in August. The Michigan Anime Convention or “MiAnime” is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 2 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 3. Guests have yet to be announced. For more information, visit michigananime.com.
Neighborhood entryway grants available
Novi subdivisions with entryways in need of upgrades and enhancements are encouraged to apply for the neighborhood entryway grant from the city of Novi. The city will match those that are selected with up to $5,000 in entryway grants. Applications are due to the city by 5 p.m. Jan. 31. For more information, contact Kate Oppermann at koppermann@cityofnovi.org or visit the city’s website at cityofnovi.org.
year before (2023), but it turns out that it still works this year,” said Milan Thurman, 18, who stars in the video.
It features 2024 graduates Thurman and Nico Wang, current senior Bella Houchins, and Mainka, along with staff members and students from various schools within the district. The song “It’s still snowing,” is set to the tune of Elton John’s “I’m still standing.”
“Even though the lyrics do not completely fit a ‘Cold Day’ ... I hope it brings you some warmth and joy in the chilly days tomorrow and Wednesday,” Mainka said in a statement on the district’s website.
Classes were canceled on those days as a result of extremely cold temperatures. The National Weather Service projected wind chill temperatures to be 20 below zero on both days.
“I’ve kind of been waiting for, like, a whole year for it to come out and I couldn’t really say anything about it because I still wanted it to be a surprise,” said Houchins, 17.
Along with high school students, the video utilizes the middle school band and shows several elementary school kids singing, sledding and dancing, as well as a group of preschoolers jamming on the piano.
“I think Mr. (Nick) LeTarte went around to a bunch of different places in the district and got a bunch of different kids involved in the project, which was super cool to get a bunch of elementary school kids and to get the middle school band and all those different little snippets, such as Mr. (Christopher) Capuano faking a cough,” said Thurman.
Thurman said that Capuano, who teaches civics and history at Novi High, is “high school famous.” He described his for-
mer teacher as very funny and said that everyone enjoys being in his class.
The video also has a cameo appearance by David Baldwin, who teaches German at NHS, playing the electric guitar. Thurman said that Baldwin is a huge vinyl record buff and recalled that he often saw him playing the guitar in the hallways as people were walking by and sometimes in the middle of a class, during his time at NHS.
Houchins said one of her favorite memories from the experience was, at the direction of LeTarte, throwing snowballs at Thurmann for the video. That event can be seen at the end of the video.
Thurman, who is currently a freshman at The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, said that he has remained in contact with his former classmates who were in the video with him, despite now attending different schools.
“Everyone who is involved in that video, especially the people who sang, are all very near and dear,” he said. “We’re all really good friends.”
He said that through the videos he learned not to take himself so seriously, which he said is a lesson that has really helped him as he has continued to move forward in life. He said having creative outlets like that, especially in college, is “super fulfilling.”
“The biggest thing we all learned from Snow days from page 1A See SNOW DAYS on page 12A
Novi Superintendent Ben Mainka performs in the “It’s Still Snowing” music video.
Screenshots from YouTube.com
Milan Thurman takes a snowball for the team in the “It’s Still Snowing” video.
Winter Blast to bring the heat with new events
BY TAYLOR CHRISTENSEN tchristensen@candgnews.com
ROYAL OAK — Freezing temperatures are back, which means more fun activities in downtown Royal Oak to enjoy the weather.
The annual Winter Blast event will be back Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 and will be full of fun winter activities for the whole family at Centennial Commons, near The Rink, 221 E. Third St. in Royal Oak.
“The Winter Blast is one event in town that’s free admission, or one of the only major festivals out there now that are free admission,” Jon Witz, event producer said. “It just has a lot of value. It’s a time for people to get out of the house and embrace winter and just get moving again.”
Kicking off the 2025 Winter Blast will be a special event that has never been seen before. The Royal Oak Police Department and the Royal Oak Fire Department are going to be competing in a game of broomball to raise money for two Royal Oak homeless shelters, Outreach on 7th and the Welcome Inn Day Center.
“We are excited, and police and firefighters are excited to get out on the ice and compete in broomball,” Witz said. “There are two celebrity
coaches, Ryan Ermanni from Fox 2 Detroit and Erika Erickson from Channel 4.”
Ermanni will be coaching police and Erickson will be coaching fire. The game will take place from 4 to 4:30 p.m. Jan. 31, according to Witz, and tickets will be on sale on the Winter Blast website at winterblast.com.
“It’s an exciting community kickoff to support the unhoused in our community,” Witz said. “We are glad that it is going to be the opening event to the winter blast.”
Ice sculptures will be on display in the Ice Garden, presented by Henry Ford Health. The
display will be showcasing “expertly carved, photo worthy sculptures that light up in vibrant colors at night,” according to a press release.
The sculptures will include medieval designs like a fire and ice tower, dragons and knights, and sculptures of the Detroit Lions’ logo to celebrate the team’s success.
The Winter Blast is going to be a complement to the excitement already surrounding the Lions, according to Witz.
“We are going to certainly turn the festival into the largest Lions pep rally possible,” Witz
See BLAST on page 11A
File photo by Patricia O’Blenes
Ellie Huerta, 8, of Novi, takes a ride on the zip line during the 2024 Winter Blast. This year, the zip line will be hovering over Centennial Commons at 34 feet high, stretching 300 feet long.
SPOTLIGHT ON LEARNING
MSGCU accepting scholarship program applications
BY MARIA ALLARD allard@candgnews.com
METRO DETROIT — Michigan Schools and Government Credit Union is accepting applications for its annual scholarship program. The credit union will award over $130,000 in scholarships, including 43 scholarships of $2,500 each to help students and educators reach career goals, and 14 scholarships of $2,000 each to support future first responders.
According to a press release, 10 additional scholarships will be awarded in 2025, representing an increase of $25,000.
MSGCU will award scholarships in various categories to teachers and administrators.
Nonmembers are welcome to apply for an MSGCU scholarship and must become a member if selected as a scholarship recipient.
“Earning a degree or certification requires a great deal of determination and hard work, along with a significant financial investment,” said Steve Brewer, president and CEO of MSGCU, in a release announcing the 2025 scholarship program. “MSGCU is increasing our scholarship awards this year to support more students in the communities we serve. We have provided over $1.25 million in scholarships since our program started 20 years ago, helping more than 600 recipients complete their education.”
The MSGCU High School Excellence Scholarship, formerly the Educational Solutions Scholarship, helps high school seniors
who attend college. There are 18 scholarships in the amount of $2,500 each.
The Rudolph Heino People Helping People Scholarship supports college-bound high school seniors with a commitment to helping others. A total of 15 scholarships of $2,500 are being offered.
With four $2,500 scholarships, the Larry Swantek Educational Studies Scholarship benefits high school seniors and current college students planning to become teachers.
The Milo Perreault Educator Advancement Scholarship helps certified teachers and administrators continue their education. Four $2,500 scholarships will be offered.
William Cayen Skilled Trades Scholarship supports students pursuing certification in electrical, heating/air conditioning, automotive, or other industrial and advanced technologies or skilled trades programs. Two $2,500 awards are offered to current skilled trades students or graduating high school seniors pursuing a skilled trades certificate.
The credit union also funds the Stephen Thomas First Responder Scholarship, which supports first responders enrolled in police and/or fire academies at local colleges with 14 scholarships of $2,000 each. Applications occur directly with Macomb Community College, Oakland Community College, Washtenaw Community College, and Schoolcraft College.
Scholarship applications can be submitted online at msgcu.org/scholarships. The deadline to apply is Feb. 25.
Call Staff Writer Maria Allard at (586) 498-1045.
Photo provided by Michigan Schools and Government Credit Union
MSGCU will award scholarships in various categories to teachers and administrators. Nonmembers are welcome to apply for an MSGCU scholarship and must become a member if selected as a scholarship recipient.
CRIME WATCH
Call results in drunken driving arrest
A drunken driver was apprehended on New Year’s Day after the emergency call of a concerned driver. The concerned driver contacted 911 after noticing a Chevy Silverado swerving all over the road in the area of 10 Mile and Beck roads at 3:10 a.m. Officers did not immediately observe any signs of drunken driving, but took the opportunity to speak with the driver when he stopped at the gas station at Grand River and Novi Road. When the man put his window down, officers reportedly smelled a “strong odor of intoxicants,” according to the police report. The man also had bloodshot and glossy eyes,
CALENDAR
MARVAC RV & Camping
10 a.m.-9 p.m. Feb. 1 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb, 2, Suburban Collection Showplace, 46100 Grand River Ave. in Novi, suburbancollectionshowplace.com
FEB. 13-16
Motor City Winter Dog Classic: 7,000-plus dogs scheduled to compete in American Kennel Club titled events, also educational demonstrations, breed seminars and more, unentered dogs not allowed, 8 a.m., Suburban Collection Showplace, 46100 Grand River Ave. in Novi, suburbancollectionshowplace.com
FEB. 15
Fireworks and Flannels: Winter festival includes Kids
spoke at a low volume and appeared to be lethargic, police said. The man was arrested for operating while intoxicated and his car was impounded. He was later released following a detox period and given a citation and a court date.
Purse stolen from locker
A woman’s purse was stolen from her locker at Planet Fitness, located at 26885 Adell Center Drive in Novi. According to the police report, the crossbody purse contained a wallet, her driver’s license and debit card along with $100. The woman was told to freeze her bank card and her credit. According to the report, detectives have attempted but been unable to contact the victim and no suspect information has been found. The case was closed pending further information.
—
Charity Meier
1K and entertainment at 3:30 p.m., Flannel Fun Run 5K at 4 p.m., horse-drawn wagon rides from 5-7:30 p.m., illuminated walking path, The Art Experience, live entertainment, food trucks, beer tent and more from 5-8 p.m., and fireworks at 8 p.m., Waterford Oaks County Park, 2800 Watkins Lake Road in Waterford, facebook.com/ocparks
ONGOING
Novi Choralaires: Open rehearsals from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Novi Middle School, 49000 W. 11 Mile Road, novi.choralaires@gmail.com, novichoralaires.org
NO-VI Chess Club: For ages 5 and older, includes lectures, practice games, analysis and other training, 7-8 p.m., Novi Public Library, 45255 10 Mile Road, registration required, (248) 349-0720, novilibrary.org
Oakland County Farmers Market: 7 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturdays, 2350 Pontiac Lake Road in Waterford, (248) 858-5495, ocmarket@oakgov.com
from page 3A
use that detour. So therefore, a side effect, unfortunately, for the project, is we’re going to have a lot of eastbound, heavier traffic on the mile roads,” Cross said. “If somebody’s only going to Royal Oak, they are not going to take that detour, they’re going to just jump on a mile road, whether it’s Eight Mile, anywhere up to M-59, depending on where they’re going. Eastbound is going to be the one that’s going to see heavier traffic on local roads for two years and will be detoured for two years,” Cross said.
She added that this is the first time since the highway was constructed nearly 40 years ago that it has seen a total rehab, and with the exception of Interstate 94, it will be another 20 years before this part of the state has another major freeway reconstruction project.
“It’s a huge investment for Oakland County,” Cross said. “Yeah, it’s a pain in the neck; we totally get that. We all drive the same roads. We drive them, our families drive them, and we hear about it all the time, but what an investment to Oakland County — another $250 million into the local economy of jobs and services, and that kind of thing says what we value, I think, as a state.”
The total investment for I-696’s three phases of construction is $655 million, with this last phase totaling $250 million, which MDOT is funding through the “Rebuilding Michigan” bond program and the federal “Reconnecting Communities” grant program.
This last stretch of the project supports 2,385 jobs, directly or indirectly, according to an MDOT press release.
The effect on local communities
The communities of Ferndale, Hazel Park, Huntington Woods, Lathrup Village, Madison Heights, Oak Park, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak, Southfield and Warren will be directly impacted by the project.
Southfield drew roughly 150,000 commuters to the city before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the city’s mayor, Kenson Siver.
“It’s going to be a major inconvenience for our businesspeople and our residents, but it’s beyond our control and some needed repairs are necessary for the highway,” Silver said. “Road construction is always inconvenient, but we have to live with the reality of it because we need safe roads, and we need roads that are in good repair.”
Siver added that as a Southfield resident for more than 50 years, he remembers using the mile roads before I-696 was constructed.
“We went east to west on mile roads, and that’s what we’ll be doing again,” he said. “And I remember after 696 opened, that the
amount of traffic, particularly on 10 and 11 Mile roads, decreased significantly because people switched to the freeway. And so I would expect that they’ll all continue to get around, and it’ll just take us longer and be less convenient.”
Pleasant Ridge City Manager James Breuckman said the closure is going to “definitely” change the regional travel patterns for the city’s residents.
“We’re going to wait and see how travel patterns change because, beforehand, we can predict but we don’t know what the actual impact on traffic is going to be. And if we find that we have problems, we’ll address them and we’ll react and do all those as best we can,” he said.
Aside from the traffic disruption and the inconveniences it will cause, Breuckman does see positives in the construction with the investment and improvement in infrastructure.
As for how the project will affect local businesses, Breuckman stated that Pleasant Ridge has a mix of professional offices and services, but not many retail stores.
“I believe that our businesses will likely be OK,” he said. “They’re serving, generally, a clientele who is either already close by and won’t be coming from regional destinations, or they’re service providers whose clients may not even need to come to their offices because they can do things remotely. So, I think our business community should be relatively unaffected by this other than that baseline level of inconvenience that we’ll all be living through.”
Ryan Ringold, the chief marketing officer at Bionicc Body Screening, said that the two-year closure is going to be an inconvenience to the clients visiting the MRI clinic, which is located at the northeast corner of Northwestern Highway and Lahser Road in Southfield.
“The thought for a lot of people of going into an MRI machine is already overwhelming and can make them feel anxious, some a lot more than others. But when they’re coming and already feeling a little anxious about having the service done, adding to that by taking longer, fighting traffic, I mean, that itself can be overwhelming for people, so I think it’s kind of a double whammy for them,” Ringold said.
Huntington Woods City Manager Chris Wilson has seen the closure and detour map, and he thinks it’s a “bit unrealistic.”
“I don’t think people are going to go that far out of their way,” he said. “We anticipate it will increase traffic a little bit on surface streets like 11 Mile, and we’re prepared for that.”
Wilson also stated that the city has spoken with Rackham Golf Course and the Detroit Zoo to make them aware of the closures and the impacts it might have on them, though he hasn’t been able to speak
with more of the businesses within Huntington Woods yet.
“Once the warmer weather gets here, people are out more, we’ll have a better feel of people going to destinations like the zoo and Rackham,” he said. “I think we’ll get a better idea of how that’s going to impact local traffic patterns.”
Wilson agreed the work needs to be done, but in the short term there will be increased traffic on major streets like Coolidge Highway and 11 Mile Road. The city will direct patrols necessary to make sure people progress through town safely.
“You always worry about if there is increased traffic that people will just avoid the area and that’ll have a negative impact on business,” he said. “I don’t think that’ll be the case. We certainly want to try to avoid that, so we’ll be able to try to make sure everybody can just progress through as safely as possible.”
Ferndale is home to one of the bigger downtowns in the metro Detroit area, filled with businesses on Nine Mile Road, Woodward Avenue and the surrounding area.
In the heart of downtown is The Rust
Belt Market, home to many small businesses that operate within. One of the owners, Chris Best, was bummed to hear the highway would be closed for two years, though he agrees the improvements in infrastructure are good.
Best stated that The Rust Belt is lucky that it’s more of a destination business in Ferndale that people would make the trip to, as opposed to smaller retail shops that might be more affected.
“I do feel for the other retailers in the area that don’t have the dynamic aspect of their business models like we do,” he said. “However, I’m sure we’ll feel it in our bottom line over the course of two years. How much we’ll be able to discern if the traffic closures affected us? I don’t know if we’ll be able to pull that out, but who knows what happens with the economy in the meantime.
“We persevered through the Woodward bike lane/repaving road diet that went on, and it wasn’t as bad as everyone made it out to be,” he continued. “So that was painful, but we got through it. So, this will be the same thing.”
See I-696 on page 12A
| pkaspor@candgnews.com
said. “We have Theo Gridiron performing, who does the Lions fight song, we have specials planned if you wear Lions merchandise, guest appearances, and more to support and celebrate the Lions.”
Another addition to the Winter Blast will be an ice carving competition between 10 different ice sculptors from Michigan and Ohio carving for cash and prizes.
In other ice-themed news, The Rink will be free for one weekend only at the Winter Blast event. Attendees can skate for free and have the option to bring their own skates or pay $5 to rent skates.
Coming back for its second year is the Rock the Mic 2025 Karaoke Competition where participants can compete for prizes.
There will be 15 karaoke singers who had to qualify for the Winter Blast performance through previous karaoke competitions, according to Julie Dilworth, owner of Fusion Entertainment, the company hosting the karaoke competition.
Karaoke singers will be covering songs at the DTE Energy Family Stage in the Cornerstone Family Tent; the competition will offer $2,000 in cash prizes to the top six performers.
“There is some amazing talent in metro
Detroit, and this is a chance for a lot of these singers to get out there and perform for a huge crowd,” Dilworth said. “You will see all sorts of different styles of music, everything from pop music to country. It appeals to an audience of all ages and demographics.”
Dilworth said that the singers are encouraged to do popular songs to relate to the crowd and get the party going.
The singers will be judged by a panel consisting of a group of professionals within the music industry. This could be singers, producers or professional theater directors. The audience will also be voting.
Last year the Winter Blast included a medieval village, which will be making another appearance this year with expanded hours and more adventures.
New to the festival will be animatronic dragons covered in lights that are intended to add to the whimsy of the medieval village. Michigan’s own Knights of the New Order, a renowned medieval jousting team, will be performing for attendees.
Returning to the medieval village experience is the quest to recover a stolen dragon egg. This activity is for kids and adults, and those who successfully complete the challenge will be entered in a drawing for a chance to win a weekend getaway at Soaring Eagle Waterpark.
Throughout the weekend there will be multiple hands-on activities for all to enjoy, including archery, ax throwing, interactive storytelling and a knighting ceremony.
Delirio del’Arte will be performing, a group of “professional idiots” that specialize in juggling, magic, comedic improv, fire manipulation and more, according to a press release.
At 7:30 p.m. Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 will be one of the highlights of the event, when the village ice tower will be set ablaze.
Thrill seekers can enjoy the 34-foot-high, 300-foot-long zip line that will go over Centennial Commons. Tickets for the zip line are available at $15 each or two for $25.
Local artists, bands and fan favorites will be performing in the M3 Investment Services Comfort Zone every day of the event.
Winter Blast will also have a House of
Dank Comfort Zone including the House of Dank Gallery Stage showcasing performances by bands and musical acts representing a variety of genres. They will be selling CBD, but no THC products will be sold or consumed.
“There is not much going on in February, and to be able to bring people together to embrace winter, it’s exciting to provide that opportunity to get people out and about after you have those January blues,” Witz said.
Winter Blast will have free admission to the public from 4 to 11 p.m. Jan 31, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Feb 1, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Feb 2. For more information, visit winterblast.com.
research for ideas when she came across the fact that Dolly’s birthday is Jan. 19.
“I just came to realize that there are so many different dimensions of her life and who she is and what she stands for — what she has her hands in and what she stands for — so I decided to make a week out of it,” Charlefour said.
She did a trial run at Waltonwood in Rochester Hills. She said that event was so “incredibly” successful that she decided to suggest it for all the company’s locations throughout the region this year. She said so many residents had stories relating to trips to Dollywood, or who like her songs.
“They really had a connection, and those that didn’t really grew (to like her) and really learned something, and from that experience I thought all of Waltonwood would really enjoy this and benefit from it and really have authentic fun,” Charlefour said. “There’s so many pieces whether you do the glitz and glam version of Dolly or you do more of her Tennessee, Smokey Mountain roots and the country aspect, or whether you hit food, you hit music. You can just keep going and it’s going to touch so many different people.”
She said the event brought a lot of “bright sparkly eyes” to residents. Every community put its own spin on the theme. She said the main lo-
Snow days
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that video is that it’s awesome to be silly,” Thurman said. “It’s really, really fun and it creates a better atmosphere if you are able to just let yourself go and have fun and sort of, like, play around.”
“It’s very nice to look back on that and have learned the ability to not get involved in your own, like, cynicism,” he said.
Thurman said a lot of the skills he learned at NHS while participating in the NHS choir and with the videos have transferred over to his experience in Maize Mirchi, an acapella group he performs with at U of M, and he gives credit to his choir teacher,
cation in Rochester Hills had a Dolly Parton impersonator from Canada this year, and Charlefour loved the line dancing and the pony at the Novi location.
“Independent living, assisted living and memory care, coming together, learning the line dance and just having fun and everybody doing their own spins on it and whatever, I think that’s Dolly’s heart and love. You know, fun and flare is what she is about. And so it doesn’t matter if you’re able to do line dancing whether you are in a wheelchair or you’re standing or you’re using a walker. It doesn’t matter. It’s that you feel confident and you feel good and you’re part of a community. That’s what it’s about and that’s why these moments are so special.”
Charlefour said that animals have a way of touching people. So the pony, Macho, from Chamberlin Pony Rides and Mobile Petting Zoo portrayed the singer with a bright pink bow and a blond wig. The residents from all three departments — independent and assisted living, along with memory care — lined up to pet the pony and take pictures. Charlefour said the pony added some therapeutic value for the residents.
“It’s incredible that people with dementia or cognitive disabilities are able to have moments of clarity and speak to the animal or talk to the animal when previously communication was a big challenge for them,” said Charlefour.
Claire Schurig. He said she encouraged the concept of not taking yourself too seriously.
Houchins said the experience meant a lot to her as she plans to major in music when she goes to college. She said it was a good experience to be able to go to a music studio. It felt professional.
“I gained a lot more appreciation for Novi and for Mainka,” Houchins said. “It feels like he really cares about the kids, and it just really kind of affirmed the Novi values like caring and compassion, being a good friend. ... He just seems like he wants to get everybody involved and give students the best time, and I think snow-day videos are a really fun way to do that.”
Call Staff Writer Charity Meier at (586) 4981092.
I-696
from page 10A
Best believes it will be around six months before they’ll be able to tell the effects of the freeway construction.
“Next winter will be a really big one, because the slowdowns we have are seasonal,” he said. “It’s like every other retail establishment has these seasonal slowdowns. … This last holiday season, most shops were up over the last year, which is great, because I thought it would be a break-even or even just a slight loss because of inflation and loss of discretionary spending, but we bucked what my prediction would be, so that’s good. So, we’ll just have to maybe get creative and do more interesting events and try to counteract this traffic congestion issue and make people want to take the detour.”
Royal Oak City Manager Joe Gacioch is preparing for some big changes to traffic flow during the two years.
Gacicoch said that he attended a meeting detailing the detour plan laid out by the Michigan Department of Transportation Jan. 16.
“I can see they prioritize safety,” he said. “My chief concern will be minimizing the impact of their road closure on our local streets and neighborhoods.”
Communication is going to be the key, according to Gacioch.
“The more we can get ahead of the communications and get the messaging right for our residents and our visitors, the better. I have high expectations for MDOT to give us information,” he said.
“I would like to get some input for a local conference about how we might be able to amplify that message and make sure that Royal Oak remains as accessible as possible,” he said.
Judy Davids, community engagement specialist for Royal Oak, said that she remembers the initial opening of I-696 and the positive impact it had on Royal Oak’s downtown.
“When that road opened was when Royal Oak became popular,” she said. Davids said that that road is the epicenter of how the majority of people get around, and the closing could cause some slowdown, but like Gacioch, she is hoping the transition can be smooth for everyone.
Construction zone safety
Cross highlighted the importance of drivers staying alert to ensure the safety of construction workers.
“We are working on the side of the road in a hard hat, a vest, a cone, a barrel, maybe a barrier wall, trying to get home to our families the same way you’re trying to get home to your family,” she said. “You got to slow down. You can’t be distracted. Whatever it is that you think is more important is not more important than killing someone or killing yourself in order to get somewhere or read a text or something.”
MDOT is planning a public meeting for early February, with the date expected to be announced soon.
To stay updated on MDOT’s Oakland County projects, visit www.driving oakland.com.
Staff Writer Taylor Christensen contributed to this report.
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DOWN
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2. Discarded cards in cribbage
3. Tear down
4. Enclose in a cyst
5. Orthodontic appliance
6. Motion Picture Association of America, e.g.
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9. Related to ear 10. RPMs
11.Before, in verse
13. Predatory fsh 14. Gin’s partner
19. Giraffe’s striped-leg cousin
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23. Scout’s mission 24. What phoenix did
25. ____-____-la
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27. Old European coin
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29. More than sly
32. *Nominated artist Post Malone’s actual last name
33. Hula dancer’s necklace
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Frank and Billy
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50. Unforeseen obstacle
51. Foal’s mother
53. Chieftain in Arabia
54. Tennis amount
55. General Services Administration
56. Romanian money
58. *Kendrick Lamar’s “____ Like Us”
