Sisterhood of the Traveling Wine uncorked

Members of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Wine meet at a local restaurant.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Wine uncorks good cheer and generosity

By Wensdy Von Buskirk

During the darkest days of COVID, a rash of ding-dong-ditch swept through Northville neighborhoods. It wasn’t teenagers defying quarantine to pull pranks, but grown women dropping off care packages on each others’ doorsteps, ringing doorbells, then making a run for it.

With the ringing of those doorbells, the Sisterhood of the Traveling Wine had arrived in Northville and Novi.

As part of a word-of-mouth phenomenon, private social media groups have participants “wining” each other across the nation. The name comes from the novel and movie Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, in which a group of best friends find a pair of jeans that inexplicably fits them all perfectly, and brings them good fortune as they swap them back and forth across the miles.

sPreAding good cheer

Longtime Northville resident and Ford Motor Co. engineer Kristin Borsenik found out about the traveling wine trend through a friend and decided to launch a group in Northville. The concept is simple: If you love wine and want to spread kindness, request to join the Facebook group “Sisterhood of the Traveling Wine Northville Novi.”

According to Borsenik, the only requirement is that you live in town.

Once accepted, you’ll fill out a spreadsheet with your name, address, wine preferences, occupation, kids, pets, and favorite color. Then, when you least expect it, goodies appear on your porch.

“It’s really informal,” Borsenek said.

Currently, the Northville Novi group has around 200 members, and though rules are few and gifting is random, somehow it works out that everyone gets “wined.”

“It’s all about trust,” Borsenik said.

Borsenik has been shocked at the goodies left on her stoop. In addition to her favorite Cabernet Sauvignon, she’s gotten candles, lotions, bath bombs, wine-themed kitchen

towels, a Michigan-shaped cutting board, and a wine tumbler in her favorite color blue.

Once she received a bottle of pricy Veuve Clicquot champagne.

“I’ve been blown away by the generosity,” she said. “When I look around my home now I see so many things that remind me that I’m not alone during the pandemic. It’s been a game changer for me.”

PAndemic PAnAceA

With people feeling isolated and stressed due to COVID, Borsenik said the group couldn’t have come at a better time. More than bringing women, wine and snacks, it’s brought them together.

When one member’s wedding was postponed for the third time due to the coronavirus, the Sisterhood staged a sociallydistanced bridal shower. “We decorated her porch in white tulle and left a mountain of snacks, gifts and candy. Nice things to make her feel special during an incredibly difficult time for her as a bride,” Borsenik said. When another was homebound after knee surgery, she was showered with flowers and cards. An essential health care worker got supplies to keep her going on the frontline.

“You may be at your wit’s end

Kristin Borsenik delivers a gift box of wine as part of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Wine initiation. By Bryan Mitchell around town. Moreover, it’s new friendships. Walking clubs been a welcome diversion. and book clubs have also spun

“My husband is a retired off from the Sisterhood.

It’s been a lot of fun and it brings people a lot of joy. You have no idea what people are going through and it’s great to make their day. Someone you don’t know, someone you’ve never met, it’s just nice to spread the

love like that.” Kathy Blair Member, Sisterhood of the Traveling Wine Northville Novi

trying to homeschool, or just got some bad news from the doctor. You find a surprise gift and it’s just what you needed,” she says. “It’s really amazing how the bags come at the exact right moment for so many people. It’s become a support group, even though we don’t really know each other.”

For Kathy Blair, who moved to the area from Chicago last fall, the group has helped her meet people and learn her way

New members get "wined" with a basket of goodies on their porch. By Bryan Mitchell police officer and we have a number of friends and family in Chicago. With all the social unrest it’s been a wonderful distraction,” she said.

Blair put together patriotic baskets for Memorial Day, and is known for her dog-themed baskets stocked with organic treats.

“It’s been a lot of fun and it brings people a lot of joy,” she said. “You have no idea what people are going through and it’s great to make their day. Someone you don’t know, someone you’ve never met, it’s just nice to spread the love like that.”

online to irl

Memberrs who’ve been “wined” share photos of their baskets online, and as lockdown lifts, the Sisterhood has begun meeting in real life. They’ve gathered for happy hours at Granite City and Rusty Bucket, and set up camp chairs at Waterford Bend Park to toast

For Borsenik, who says she is single, extremely social and a natural gift giver, the group has been an invaluable outlet. She’s enjoyed filling her home with treats and ordering wine by the case to shower people around her with a little good cheer.

“I wined a guy who sits next to me at work,” she said. “Wining people is like my new thing now, even if you’re not in the group.”

Closer to home, Borsenik said she has built bridges in the community and gotten to know wonderful people, including a neighbor she discovered just five doors down.

“She’s an amazing friend. I never would have met her if it weren’t for the wine group,” she said. “I’m meeting women all around me that I never knew were there.”

Sisterhood of the Traveling Wine Northville Novi is free and open to all local residents. Simply search for the group on Facebook and request to join.

Northville Needs Nix!

BE INFORMED ON YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUES Don’t let fictitious and divisive political ads be your information source. TRANSPARENCY, CHARACTER and RESPONSIBILITY are the leadership qualities of Supervisor Robert Nix.

WRITE-IN

WRITE IN BOB NIX FOR SUPERVISOR, EVEN IF YOU’RE A STRAIGHT TICKET VOTER. VOTE AS USUAL, JUST WRITE-IN ROBERT NIX FOR SUPERVISOR! (make sure to fill in the oval as seen above) Democrat, Republican or Independent -- Bob Nix has served ALL citizens of Northville Township with honesty and integrity. Paid for by CTE Robert Nix for Supervisor Write-In, 18276 Arselot, Northville, MI 48168

Get ready For A halloween Blue Moon

halloween in Northville may look a little different this year, but Mother Nature will do her part to keep it “spooky’ with a Blue Moon right on Halloween night. Sometimes called the Hunter’s Moon, it’s really the second of two full moons in a single calendar month. (The first was on October 1st.)

While some Halloween traditions remain in place (the skeletons have returned), Streets of Treats and some others have sadly been canceled. Hopefully, the spooky moon will make up for it and be visible for photo ops.

Another annual event gone to the wayside is northville rotary’s benefit bicycle ride,

the tour de ville. Over the last six years the tour has returned more than $90,000 in grants, scholarships and donations.

“This year we are looking at a signification funding shortfall, which will limit the projects we can support,” said Rotary Foundation member Patrick Giesa. “So we started a 2020 Tour de Ville Covid Cruise. You

Northville Rotary Foundation member, Patrick Giesa Tuscan Cafe conceptual drawing

choose your route, distance and date to ride, make a small donation at our website and they’ll send you a 2020 TdV Covid Cruise neck buff for your generosity.”

When you finish your ride, post some pictures on that same website: tourdeville.org. If you’re wondering, a neck buff is also known as a neck gaitor. If you are still wondering, like me, what that is here you go…it’s a cloth tube that goes over your head and around your neck. It has multiple uses. I think it could serve as a mask.

I know Dishin’ with Denise could lend itself to restaurant reviews, but I don’t have the palate for tasty dishes that deserve review and recognition. I’m my father’s daughter – meat and potato girl, who has made picky eating an art form. Although I love to cook, I enjoy eating out – the ambiance, the customer service, and the ability to satisfy all palates – vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian and even me, are quite impressive.

one of the “hidden gems” in northville has been

tuscan café. It is one place that’s open when many are not. Tuscan will soon be on the move as it is redeveloping the building formerly home to My Little Paris Café and Next Chapter

Bookstore.

“We’re very thankful our customers have stood by us during these challenging times,” said Will Hundley, secondgeneration owner of Tuscan Café. “We’ve been a proud member of this community for 25 years. In our new location we will continue serving gourmet coffee, giant-grilled deli sandwiches made with love, beautiful salads, home-made soups…everything that belongs in a café and deli.”

Northville residents and movie buffs remember the space as the location for Wes Craven’s classic horror sequel “Scream4,” which starred Courtney Cox, David Arquette and Neve Campbell. They are scheduled to open before the end of the year, but the current location remains ready to serve.

there’s more big news on main street with orin Jewelers moving their

“world headquarters” into its Northville showroom. The family jewelry store has been headquartered in Garden City for more than 67 years. Orin Mazzoni Jr., president and CEO is experiencing a full range of emotion as he says good-bye to the store his parents founded. He is confident the family legacy will continue at the Northville location with the help of his youngest daughter, Antoinette.

Tina and Orin Mazzoni are preparing for the next chapter and describe Antoinette as the ideal personality to take the family business into the future. She, like her father, grew up

Antoinette Mazzoni Kramar and Orin Mazzoni, Jr.

with her siblings in the family business.

“I traveled a lot, lived in Italy and Chicago, and in 2014 my husband and I decided to move back to Michigan to raise our children,” she said. “I have always had a true love for my family’s jewelry business, and now have the opportunity to learn all I can from my dad.”

I’ll leave you with a trivia question. Who recorded the song “Blue Moon”? Was it Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Elvis Presley, Billie Holiday, Sam Cooke, Cyndi Lauper, Rod Stewart, The Supremes or The Mavericks? If you guessed all of the above you are correct. And there are even more. Now, that’s scary!