The Baker House is on the federal historic registry come and see inside and take a tour of this amazing building! While inside, enjoy a sample cup of tea, shop and just stroll around!
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KURT KUBAN – Publisher
Kurt is an award-winning journalist, having served as a reporter and editor for several local newspapers and magazines, including the Plymouth Observer He has been a journalist for over two decades. He founded Journeyman Publishing, which also publishes The ‘Ville, in 2017.
SCOTT SPIELMAN – Editor
Scott graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Journalism. He covered western Wayne County for more than 12 years at several publications before transitioning into corporate communications and media relations. A Canton resident, he has also finished his first novel and is hard at work on his next.
SCOTT BUIE – Advertising Director/Vice President of Sales
Scott has 20+ years creating advertising campaigns for clients in Metro Detroit. After managing sales for radio stations for 17 years he purchased Street Marketing, where he works closely with a variety of businesses and events. Scott and his family have lived in the Plymouth/Northville area for over 23 years.
JENNY PEARSALL – Creative Director
Jenny has been in the design and print industry for over twenty years, holding various positions in graphic design, print buying, production and print management. She also owns Bovia Design Group, a company specializing in publications and corporate branding.
MICHELE FECHT – Writer
Michele is an award-winning journalist whose first post-college reporter position was at The Northville Record before moving on to The Detroit News She has been a City of Northville resident for nearly 40 years and is an author, researcher and local history enthusiast.
TIM SMITH – Writer
Tim brings a penchant for telling personal stories that run the gamut from news to sports. During more than 35 years in journalism, mostly with the Observer & Eccentric, he has earned numerous state and national awards. The Wayne State grad is a published author and rec ice hockey player.
WENSDY VON BUSKIRK – Writer
Wensdy graduated with a degree in journalism from Wayne State University. Her first job was working as a reporter for The Northville Record. Now, as a freelance writer and editor, she works for a variety of magazines, including The Rock. -Photo by Kathleen Voss
SUE VOYLES – Writer
Growing up, Sue always knew she wanted to be a writer. She has written for many publications over her long career in public relations and journalism, and taught English and journalism at Schoolcraft College. In 2022, she received the national Headliner Award from the Association for Women in Communications.
KEN VOYLES – Writer/Photographer
Ken is an award-winning writer, photographer and designer whose career has spanned nearly five decades in and around metro Detroit. He started his journalism career in Plymouth, working for the Community Crier. He is the author of two books on Detroit history, loves to travel and has finished his first novel.
BILL BRESLER – Photographer
Bill arrived in Plymouth in 1977 to work for the Community Crier. He also worked for the Plymouth Observer for many years. Bill, who taught photography at Madonna University, retired from what was left of the newspaper business in 2019 and now freelances. He’s happy to be back in the Plymouth community.
BRYAN MITCHELL – Photographer
Bryan started working as a photographer more than 30 years ago, and was a staff photographer for the Plymouth Observer in the 90s. He has freelanced for The Detroit News, The Guardian, Reuters, and other publications. His photography has appeared in newspapers and magazines around the globe.
Last month we published a letter from a resident regarding one of the candidates in the race for 35th District Court Judge—or so we thought.
The letter, signed by Benjamin McCready, was critical of candidate Michael Woodyard. Citing two specific cases, it made difficult-to-substantiate claims about his alleged behavior in the courtroom. It concluded by urging voters to be wary of him and endorsed his opponent, Joe Barone, instead.
I was a bit wary of it, to be honest. While we don’t endorse political candidates as a magazine, we welcome letters about candidates for local offices. We just prefer that, rather than try to bring any candidate down by portraying them in a negative light, the writer highlight the positives of whomever they’re endorsing, instead. We talked about it and decided it could not run as it was and a heavily shortened version was printed, instead. You may have seen a full version of it on Facebook, where I later found it.
Shortly after the issue hit the street, Woodyard contacted us about his concerns regarding the letter and expressed disappointment that we had published it. McCready, he claimed, was not a real person. There was no one by that name in the area voter files and the Facebook profile that had posted it appeared to be a ghost, literally and figuratively: the picture was skeletal and there were no friends or activities attached to it. It had been created recently, too. Emails sent to verify his identity were not returned and the Facebook posts were reported as fraud and removed.
This is aggravating to me for several reasons. First, we want The Rock to be a place where people can express their opinions. It’s a community forum. But that forum should be based in honesty. We are neighbors, discussing other neighbors and issues that are important to each other. You should have enough integrity to use your real name, unlike social media where just about anything goes.
Secondly, as I mentioned above, I’m not a fan trying to win something by tearing anything or anyone down. I’d much rather hear a positive message from someone over a negative message about someone. I know the people who get paid for that sort of thing will tell you that negative campaigning works, but I’ve personally never been dissuaded by one—and I’m not even that smart.
Finally, and somewhat related to that, I hoped this race would not involve any mudslinging, considering both candidates were running to be a judge for our community. In the courtroom, character counts.
But that race, like all the others, is over and now we need to work together to move forward—and I can’t help but wonder if that’s even possible. We are so fractured as a society I wonder if we can ever heal.
I read something today to think about if your candidate didn’t win or, like in the City of Plymouth, your parks plans didn’t go through. “You are not giving up, and neither am I. The fact that we cannot save everything does not mean we cannot save anything and everything we can save is worth saving.”
America will move on. That’s about all we have to say on the election, other than the assorted wrap-up stories you’ll find in this issue.
You can also read about great things going on in Old Village, and the new state-of-theart security system at the high schools. As a comic book fan from way back, even I was impressed with it. It is a bittersweet thing, though: while it’s a wonderful thing to have and a great comfort knowing our children and teachers are safe, it’s still sad that such a thing is necessary.
As always, thanks for reading and please drop a line to let us know what you think. (Just use your real name, ok?)
Scott
By Tim Smith
The Security Operations Center in PlymouthCanton Community Schools is so bold and progressive one would think all the gold bricks in Fort Knox were being monitored.
But the floor-to-ceiling wall of high-tech, Artificial Intelligenceassisted bank of flashing lights and Zoom-like cameras –displaying every nook and cranny of the district’s many school buildings, bus stops and athletic venues – is protecting something far more valuable than gold. That is, the safety of every student.
And in a dangerous age where mass-casualty school shootings are becoming all too common, P-CCS Superintendent Monica Merritt and director of safety and security Josh Meier are spearheading a multi-pronged effort to keep students and
faculty members safe from potential shooters all while underscoring the need to make sure learning takes place as naturally as possible.
Just in the wake of the Oxford High School shooting in 2021 alone, Plymouth-Canton
Community Schools investigated nearly 100 threats underscoring why improvements needed to be made into how school threats were assessed and responded to.
“It definitely is complicated,” said Merritt, about the complexities of being an educator
in 2024. “We all have to wear multiple hats. You can’t just say ‘This is my job and my lane.’
So it’s important to provide the training that’s necessary so that people can be successful with the tools that we have in place.
“Again, you keep a priority on we’re here for teaching and learning, but we also have to ensure that students and safe.”
It’s a balancing act between teachers delivering lessons and students receiving them in an organic way, without the environment morphing into a restrictive situation.
“Over the years we continue on with, … how do we strengthen our (security) systems in a proactive manner,” Merritt continued, “so we’re not in a responsive space. Not wanting to make our schools like prisons. We want to make sure that
students feel safe but that they’re still in a school environment.”
The district opened the SOC in 2021 at Plymouth High School and has sunk more than $6 million into a partnership with Motorola Solutions and its subsidiary Avigilon. There are 1,600 cameras strategically placed to keep the ultimate attention on all district building entry points and other areas where potential trouble might percolate.
Add to the mix district-wide 911 monitoring, building access controls, so-called “focus of attention” monitoring and almost immediate communication with area police departments in the event of a serious event. That minimizes human error.
“(Motorola) is a good partner of ours,” said Meier, who came to the school district following
a long career with the Canton Township Police Department. “The camera system is Avigilon, owned by Motorola. What we did when we started building this system out is, it’s like peeling back the layers of an onion.”
That means integrating mass notification systems, gunshot detection sensors, public address systems, kiosks for visitors to enter buildings and much more.
“Before we made these integrations, if a building went
into lockdown somebody had to run over and physically push the lockdown button,” Meier explained. “Then they have to get on the PA and make an announcement. Then somebody else has to call 911. Then somebody else has to jump on cameras and see what’s going on.
“Now, that all these things are tied together holistically, when you activate a lockdown you automatically get a PA announcement. We automatically get notified and those screens (on the SOC wall) populate to that building so we can see what’s going on.”
With the cameras infused with AI, what Meier and others in the SOC can quickly determine is whether a group of people moving faster than normal indicates trouble is brewing or merely something as routine as students being late for their next class.
Meier emphasized the AI capabilities are not meant to encroach on anybody’s personal space. But the intel gleaned from the technology is building analytics that will enable
potential danger to be nipped in the bud.
“I’m a firm believer in the use of Artificial Intelligence if it’s used responsibly,” Meier said. “I’m not looking for student
have discretion.
“You can talk to a student and say ‘Hey, let’s get going to class.’ If it’s a continuation thing or something egregious you write the referral and pass it on.”
discipline issues. I tell staff, think of us as the traffic cop. We don’t issue the discipline. We do referrals. It’s like issuing a ticket and then the judge issues the penalty. If you see something you
The SOC features capabilities to see when and where somebody
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is attempting to carry guns into one of the district’s schools and shut a possible threat down in real time.
Meier walked over to a desk in the center of the room, equipped with multiple computer screens and radio technology, and replayed footage of a simulation from last summer. The exercise was to see how fast the system detected and responded to the sighting of a weapon.
“One of the things that’s built into (the system) is visible firearm detection,” Meier explained. “We tested this extensively over the summer with the Canton Police Department.
He replayed the simulation footage and explained that a district security manager was walking toward a building
P-CCS to get some guidance into how it might be working and whether such a project would be worth pursuing.
“They want to see all this stuff and see what we’re doing,” Meier said. “But they’re also asking, ‘How are you addressing threats?’ ‘What are you doing?’ and ‘Who’s evaluating the threats?’ Again, you have to look at it from an educator’s perspective. I have a background in public safety. Our educators don’t, they’re here to educate. I’m not going into a classroom and teaching kids, it’s not my wheelhouse. My wheelhouse is in this room. In a lot of school districts they don’t have these supports in place.”
Of course, those extra steps, personnel and security equipment are essential to maintain maximum safety at Plymouth-Canton Educational Park (comprised of Canton,
carrying a deer rifle. The alarm started blaring and “before he even touches that door we are aware that somebody’s walking up to that door with a gun. That’s how quickly the Artificial Intelligence and analytics detects that.”
The SOC also is so cutting edge that school districts around the United States are contacting
kids (at P-CEP), it’s like a college campus. We have to think and plan differently.”
Concurring was Meier, stressing that “there’s not a high school around us that has three high schools on campus where kids are transitioning every hour on the hour between buildings. That’s a huge responsibility to monitor and keep kids safe when that transition is taking place. That’s where we’re utilizing technology to help us do that.”
Kurt Tyskiewicz, the district’s assistant superintendent of student services, said the use of recent bond issue dollars also have bolstered the multi-pronged security mission.
gold standard, Merritt knows how important it is to keep it operational for many years to come. She cited Michigan School Aid Act section 97 and 31aa funding as being critical to the entire effort.
Merritt said there is a supplemental funding bill from the state of Michigan that will allocate $125 million for safety, security and mental health initiatives.
And keeping tabs on future financial resources will be crucial to enabling the Security Operations Center to maintain and improve as needed.
Plymouth and Salem high schools) – which is much different than any other area high school setting.
“It’s so different from other school districts,” Merritt explained. “When you think about most high schools, students come in at 8 o’clock and leave at 2:30. Where our students come in and they’re moving every hour. So you have 6,000
“All of our buildings have secure entry points,” Tyskiewicz said. “We’ve utilized our knowledge that we’ve learned from our security teams when we do additions, or we do modifications to our buildings. Josh is part of our bond team. When we’re putting up an addition or adding a new stadium (such as P-CEP’s third football venue) we’re thinking about security as we go through that planning. It’s something I don’t think we used to think about, but now we have to.”
Now that P-CCS’s security system is up and running and quickly becoming the
“We have to continue to evaluate where we stand, because we believe these investments are important,” Merritt said. “We don’t want to say ‘Hey, we’re just going to use these for a couple years and pull back.’ The expectation would be that we would need to sustain those. As we look to our long-term plan it may be other investments. Maybe we continue to prioritize to make sure we keep this system in place and at the same time continue to advocate for those resources.”
During a precarious and unprecedented time, that is an investment the district won’t shy away from. Because, according to Merritt, maintaining a safe environment for students is imperative.
To many youngsters in Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, getting the chance to spend time with Echo is a fun and wonderful thing.
And why not? Echo is a happygo-lucky Yellow Labrador Retriever who will “lick you to death” if given the chance, said his handler, Scott Hughesdon of the school district’s security team.
But Echo is ready to spring into serious action when needed, in his role as a serious K-9 canine trained in sniffing out bomb explosives and detecting weapons or other devices that could put students in harm’s way.
“If you go into your house and somebody made a stew, you smell the stew,” said Hughesdon, who worked 28 years in the Canton Township Police Department before joining P-CCS in 2022. “But Echo smells every ingredient in the stew. He walks by something and either there’s odor or there’s no odor. He’s only trained in the odor (detection). If he sits he’s telling me ‘Dad, there’s odor here. I’m going to sit down and indicate to you that there’s odor, there’s trouble here.
“At that point, I know, okay, we’ve got to evacuate and get everybody going. But he’s very, very impartial. He just works for praise.”
No dog treats are allowed, because no police canine needs to get weighted down by extra pounds.
“He doesn’t work for food, he works for praise and I have a ball that he gets during detection,” Hughesdon noted. “He just does his thing. If it’s there it’s there and if it’s not, it’s not. It makes it very, very easy for me. Because I trust him.”
Echo, who was born in Croatia and made his way to the United States by way of Germany, is certified in firearm and explosive detection.
But he also is a certifiable sweetie.
“On an average day I will greet almost 200 students that will come up and pet him,” Hughesdon said. “And some kids might be in a crisis. They had a bad test or broke up with their boyfriend or girlfriend. They come over and get comfort from Echo.”
The Kiwanis Club of Colonial Plymouth purchased Echo for the school district, and the friendly pooch and Hughesdon have been teaming up since January 2023.
Every week, the tandem do meet-and-greets with elementary, middle and high school students across the district.
“When I do my presentations they meet Echo at the middle schools,” Hughesdon said. “Some of the kids coming in (to Plymouth-Canton Educational Park) are freshmen and this is a big campus and they’re pretty overwhelmed.
“Well, what was cool this year was, as they were coming in, the
various elements he is trained on,” Hughesdon explained. “And they’re hidden in old rooms. We search it.
In the afternoon we do scenarios, such as a medical emergency.
“If a teacher (in a scenario) says ‘Hey, I need your help, we have to do CPR,’ I then put him in the ‘down’ (tactical command) and he’ll go in the down,” Hughesdon continued. “I’ll throw the leash back and he’ll stay at the door while I assist the teacher with any problem or emergency they may have.”
first thing they did was ‘There’s Echo?’ They remember him from middle school. But it gave them a sense of comfort, like it was something familiar to them. And then they would always do this, ‘There’s Echo…and there’s the dog guy.”
Hughesdon pivoted to the imperative jobs that Echo is entrusted with, such as detecting dangerous substances or items that might be stuffed inside a wayward backpack or school locker, for example.
In fact, Echo was really put to the test when there was a bomb threat at Plymouth High School in 2022. The dog was part of a team of mutual aid canines used to search the entire building.
“We went through and secured the building,” Hughesdon said.
A lot of repetition goes into Echo knowing what to do and how to respond if he notices something might be out of whack.
Every week Echo and Hughesdon do maintenance training at a former school in Taylor. Echo undergoes obedience training, but also “scenarios,” where the dog encounters and reacts to various simulations.
“So they’ll have black powder, or they’ll have C-4 explosives, they’ll have the
Although Hughesdon and Echo are usually joined together, the dog won’t be with him in the case of an active shooter situation. In those instances, Echo is crated while his human handler joins in the efforts to stem the threat.
The main reason for that separation is to protect Echo.
“He couldn’t really do much,” Hughesdon stressed. “If we already know somebody is unfortunately doing something like that he would be left behind. I would try to keep him safe.”
Thankfully, Echo gets to spend far, far more time making the rounds around the district. When he does, collective blood pressures are lowered and happiness levels go through the roof.
“I’ve said he’s just an absolute dynamite dog,” Hughesdon said. “The kindest heart you’d ever want to meet. He’ll lick you to death.”
As your needs evolve throughout your life, we’ll strive to provide the products, solutions and experiences to help you achieve what’s important to you.
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Financial Advisor
1176 South Main Street Ste A Plymouth, MI 48170 734-454-4653
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“I really loved being there for every day human beings and being a best solution for people of modest means,” remembers Stearns. “I got to roll up my sleeves and really understand the credit union movement.”
Walking into your local bank or credit union, cashing a check, making a deposit or opening an account is an everyday part of life for most of us. There’s nothing particularly extraordinary about that, but when you look closer at a nearly 75-year-old local credit union, you’ll find there’s a lot more going on than handling transactions.
Just ask Tansley Stearns, CEO and president of Community Financial Credit Union, about how CFCU is giving back to the community and her face lights up.
“One of the things I love about financial cooperatives, we have cooperative principles and credit unions have a commitment to community,” says Stearns, who has been at the helm of Plymouth-based CFCU since June 2022.
The cooperative structure of credit unions – based on membership, shared characteristics such as geography, focus on community and their nonprofit status -- is what makes them different. At CFCU, that means local investments, which
have totaled $3.6 million in the last five years, according to Stearns.
“The dollars are a big part of our approach, no question, but it’s also about walking alongside
program. Today, it serves first through 12th graders in 57 different schools, including 22 in the Plymouth-Canton district. It was that program that attracted Stearns, 48, to Community Financial from her position at Canvas Credit Union in Colorado.
“I was excited to come here because, at the time, we had about 50 student-run branches. I always thought connectivity to schools is important and connecting to the next generation,” explains Stearns, who started working in the credit union industry in 1998 after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English and psychology from the University of Michigan. Something that made her CPA father “very concerned.”
Community involvement is a big part of that movement, something that has been growing over CFCU’s history, and continues to develop.
Over the last two years, CFCU has taken the next step to expand its community impact.
“One of the things that has been common with credit unions is that we tend to give in a diffuse way,” says Stearns, who grew up in Hillsdale on the family farm.
folks,” explains Stearns, who lives in Canton.
The idea of walking alongside others comes to mind when thinking about the well-known CFCU student-run credit union
Still, she found her purpose working in the marketing department at a credit union headquartered in a Macy’s store basement that was formed to serve store employees.
Driving her daughter to that first job in a Waterford mall that “wasn’t in the best shape,” Stearns’ mother asked her if this “was a real job.”
“We launched the Relentless Care Foundation in December 2022 with a goal to return $10 million to our communities in the next 10 years.”
The Relentless Care Foundation (RCF), which was granted 501(c)3 status in December 2023, is focused on three areas: affordable housing, jobs and economic mobility in Michigan.
Already, RCF has made its presence felt. Working with Habitat for Humanity in Hillman (located near Alpena), it committed $30,000 to cover the land purchase for five new single-family homes. In concert with that, the CFCU team also developed the hOpe! mortgage program to make it easier for people to buy a home.
The foundation is also supporting Detroit’s Fitzgerald Neighborhood through the Roof
$8,000 for professional career programming at the Plymouth District Library and $15,000 to First Step, which serves victims of domestic and sexual violence.
Placemaking through art in the community – something Stearns experienced at Canvas Credit Union – is also behind CFCU’s gift of $50,000 to Plymouth ArtWalk in 2022. It also connected CFCU with local artist Tony Roko, who designed three debit cards that have a roundup feature for members to donate to Roko’s Art Foundation, Ruth Ellis Center or RCF.
While supporting housing, operating student-run branches and donating to local organizations that improve quality of life all seem like natural choices for a credit union like CFCU, one program stands out to Stearns.
“We had a partnership with First Step even before I came here. I was impressed with their work and how they take a unique approach to those affected by domestic and sexual violence,” says Stearns, who volunteers four hours a week for a crisis text line.
her get out of the situation.”
While stories like these are evidence of the credit union’s impact in Michigan, it doesn’t end at our state’s borders.
Citing the organization’s mission “to cooperate and collaborate” Stearns points to CFCU’s participation as a title sponsor for In The Cellar, a collaboration of credit unions across the Great Lakes and their partners to benefit Children’s Miracle Network. CMN provides funding to children’s hospitals, including four in Michigan, that provide medical and mental health care.
hospitals because they localize giving and the donors can target their giving to local hospitals,” says Stearns of the live event and auction.
CFCU traces its roots back to 1951 and the Daisy Air File Company. As Plymouth’s main employer, it formed the Daisy Employees Federal Credit Union. When Daisy moved out of the area in 1958, the credit union applied for and was granted a community charter, changing its name to Plymouth Community Federal Credit Union.
the Block program. Created by Bargain Block reality show stars Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas and their company Nine Design + Homes, Roof the Block is giving new roofs to 10 long-time residents of the neighborhood. The Relentless Care Foundation committed $50,000 to that effort.
“Roofs are so important and if there can be an investment in roofs it can help neighborhoods thrive,” says Stearns.
Of course, there are also investments closer to CFCU’s home. In its current grant cycle, the Relentless Care Foundation awarded grants of $55,000 to the Plymouth Community Arts Council to celebrate its 55th year, $10,000 to The Park radio station,
“There was a social post that asked women whether they would prefer to meet a man or a bear while walking in the woods. And the majority of women said a bear. A team member proposed this idea of Choose the Bear this past April.”
Choose The Bear -- which fits perfectly with CFCU’s outlined bear logo -- offers a number of financial lifelines to help survivors of domestic and sexual violence, including a loan program to help those struggling economically to escape violence.
“These loans can be used for any number of things. We had a woman who moved to Michigan and came with a partner and it turned bad,” says Stearns. “She was struggling to find a way to get back to her family and we were able to support her and help
In The Cellar, partnering with CMN and Credit Unions for Kids, launched last year with an event at The Henry Ford which raised just over $900,000. This past September, a second event at Union Station in Chicago raised more than $1 million.
“We chose this network of
As the nonprofit organization grew through a conversion to a state charter in 2013, CFCU has remained focused on people and community.
Today, Community Financial Credit Union serves 86,000 members across Michigan at 14 branches that include Plymouth, Canton and Northville along with Gaylord and other locations outside of metro Detroit. Two more locations are planned for 2025. Its current assets stand at more than $1.6 billion.
“I think that our purpose here is bolder and more than a financial transaction…more people can have their impossible dreams coming to life,” reflects Stearns. “These are the stories that define and make credit unions different.”
And it’s certainly not the end of the story for Community Financial Credit Union.
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One gorgeous evening in October along a bustling Liberty Street, a small group of art enthusiasts gathered at the Bearded Lamb brewery to celebrate a young artist. As the first art exhibit held upstairs in the newly renovated Lamb, those on hand were excited to support the debut of Jennifer Anne, a colleague and friend of local artist Tony Roko.
Also excited that evening was Ryan Lamb, whose name graces the recently renovated brewery. The popular neighborhood watering hole bookends a block on Liberty Street with Hermann’s Olde Town.
Lamb’s investment earlier this year in his brewery is an important part of this night, and in a way the art reception offers a subtle symbol of the gathering energy in Old Village, a dynamic confluence of new businesses, some longtime OV stalwarts and the promise of other exciting
changes coming down the road.
“Everyone here has a real together attitude that’s kind of symbiotic,” says Lamb. “We feed off the same customers, the same energy. And we all have the same goals. We want Old Village to be that cool spot to go to. Plymouth is great, we have two downtowns but they can’t be connected, so we kind of have to stand alone.”
Lately energy seems to be pouring out from what was once known as lower town. While development can often be a bad word to many, if the vibe is right it’s mostly welcomed by those who cherish this unique 54-block community north of Kellogg Park.
Over the past year the area has landed new retail, one new restaurant, renovation of other spaces and the not-so-distant future opening of another restaurant along the railroad tracks that can add charm (and sometimes traffic problems) to the area.
There are also new clothing boutiques, a beautifully renovated auto body shop turned into a real estate office and talk of a beer garden, a small retail/ apartment redo and residential homes being redone or bought by people like local Lions legend Aidan Hutchinson.
Closed for nearly three months, the Bearded Lamb was mostly transformed behind the scenes with expanded brewery
operations like fermenters, a new draft line system, improved lighting and sound and redone floors. Seating was expanded with new booths and more table tops along with improvements to the event space upstairs. For Lamb, many of the changes will better position the brewery to distribute beer locally to the new Red Ryder lounge and still-to-beopened Chicane restaurant.
“We saw early on that this was a spot that would only continue
to grow, even though it often seems overlooked," says Lamb. "I like the extra fresh new things we're seeing, like retail and more restaurants. We want to get this collective area going.”
Lamb said other moves are also encouraging, like a new TIF (Tax Increment Financing) area now in process through the city, the evolution of the Old Village Association into a dedicated nonprofit with an eye on local events and the desire for new and better signage to let people know when they are in the village.
The East Elm Kitchen Company, located just down the block from Bearded Lamb, is a fresh retail venture for the area. Owner Rebecca Nicholson
“Liberty Street is the heartbeat of Old Village,” says Nicholson, whose background is in automotive supply chain logistics. “We did our research and liked the new things happening here. I love being an independent retailer. We learn from our customers, their needs and try to devote our space to them.”
Nicholson envisions a more walkable Old Village with a healthy mix of retail and restaurants where customers find a destination they want to return to, often.
“We have strong and wonderful business owners and they have been responsible for making this happen and being so community-minded,” she says. “The sky’s the limit.”
East Elm Kitchen hosts cooking classes, offers free
launched one year ago in a renovated Liberty Street building that had been condemned. She was excited to host a grand opening in November.
“We weren’t able to do it a year ago,” says the Plymouth Township resident. “We took a risk back then with retail in Old Village but we’ve had a great beginning. It’s going well and we’re learning a lot every month.”
The 1,000 square foot store caters to the foodie in us all with the highest quality kitchen items. Products include cookware, bakeware, cutlery, barware, coffee tools, and often displays products from local artisans and food makers.
several turntable stations to play music, antique wood décor in all directions highlighted by a wraparound bar top made of church pews. And guess what? There are no televisions in sight.
Welcome to the brainchild of Jeff O’Brien, his wife Alexis and mother-in-law Sally Mily, a longtime owner of Fox Hills.
Most of the records on display are O’Brien’s, but more importantly the vision is his.
“We thought a long time about life after Fox Hills,” says the Salem Township resident, who once lived in downtown Plymouth, and worked for Fox Hills for many years. “During Covid we’d spin records and sip bourbon and wonder if we could recreate a basement kind of vibe, a throwback to my parents’ era when music was at the heart of it. We’d play music, we’d talk and then we wondered could that work here.”
O’Brien said his brainchild also evolved from some of his favorite bars in places like Grand Rapids, where he grew up, and Chicago. Once the dream was on the way to becoming reality, O’Brien put his music love on the line – his records, his restaurant.
samples and items and generally tries to connect personally with each person who walks through the doors.
“It’s great to meet with people and talk about what we love,” says Nicholson.
Step in to Red Ryder, the recently opened restaurant along Starkweather (former Honey Hole), and you quickly realize it’s unlike anything you’ve experienced. The vibe is “cool,” with music, drinks, good food, but most of all, music. There are thousands of vinyl records – over 3,000 - lining the walls,
“I grew up on vinyl,” says the 43-year-old. “We want to create a strong and lasting memory that transcends time. And we’ve always loved Old Village so what better place?”
It all began by completely rehabbing the 150-year-old building Red Ryder calls home. Hard core restoration work began in January of this year and was done in time to open by September. Looking around, O’Brien’s unique place seems to fit what everyone feels is the Old Village vibe.
“There’s nothing like it,” he says. “Right now we’re just trying to introduce ourselves to the community.”
Continued on page 16
“Everyone here has a real together attitude that’s kind of symbiotic. We feed off the same customers, the same energy. And we all have the same goals. We want Old Village to be that cool spot to go to. Plymouth is great, we have two downtowns but they can’t be connected, so we kind of have to stand alone.”
Ryan Lamb, Bearded Lamb Brewing Company owner, on the Old Village vibe
Continued from page 15
Earlier this month Red Ryder launched a Sunday brunch that complements a regular menu which features most items under $20 and is built around locally sourced ingredients. There’s also definitely a “cocktail culture” with no beer on tap, just a loving ode to old-time suds like Hamm’s, PBR, Stroh’s and more.
Each night the music is different. DJs join O’Brien to create unique music vibes every time, and while some music may not be for everyone, clearly there’s an eclectic formula that draws together any kind of music genre people love.
“For us and Old Village the more different kinds of experiences you have here, the more we can grow and help each other,” he says. “You have to be in this heart and soul doing it because you want to create something you’re passionate about and share with it others.”
O’Brien believes Old Village’s growing resurgence isn’t just about new businesses, but longtime stalwarts like Meridian Coffee. He also loves the complete lack of a “corporate” gentrification to the area.
“We still need to do stuff without changing what’s unique about Old Village,” he adds. “I’d
love a social district or to find a way to connect to Plymouth’s downtown with a trolley or something.” He also champions more and better signage and lightning without changing the character of the community.
And then there’s Chicane, a restaurant, nightclub and banquet center taking shape along the railroad tracks on the
great food and cocktails, and nightly entertainment that will be, according to Soenen, not just top-notch but memorable.
Driving by the project these days it looks daunting, even ambitious, but stepping inside one can only be floored by the attention to detail and the passion for doing things right at every level.
“I owned the property for a long time and wondered about tearing it down or doing something else,” says Soenen, who once owned Canton’s legendary Centerstage performing arts center on Ford Road that drew national acts like Dire Straits. “What I really wanted to do was a high-end steakhouse with great entertainment every night.”
Like its name – Chicane is a racing term for a curve in the track designed to impede or slow down drivers as they prepare to race ahead – there have been many twists and turns on getting
site of the old Station 885 and Stella’s Trackside. Certainly in terms of investment, this has to be the crown jewel right now for Old Village, running in the millions of dollars for longtime Plymouth business leader and philanthropist Don Soenen.
Set to open by the end of the year, Chicane will have it all: A spacious banquet center, high end dining with a passion for
unlike anything else in Plymouth, let alone Old Village.
There’s a lovely little patio known as “the Circuit,” a 130-person banquet area called “the Apex” and two kitchens that will offer American classics, wood-grilled steaks, lots of fresh ingredients and homemade pasta.
“At the end of day it’s about slowing down, gathering up yourself to speed forward and win the race of life,” says Soenen, a former race car driver who is well known as the man who helped create PARC, saving Plymouth’s old high school (and once Central Middle School).
“I think Old Village will embrace this. There’s an opportunity to tap into a high-end dining experience,” says Soenen. “We’re really three businesses – dining, entertainment and banquet experiences.”
While many details are still in the works for Chicane, Soenen is proud to showcase all of the work done so far. Now, he adds, it’s about delivering on the promise he made to himself and his team to give Plymouth something unlike anything that’s nearby in the Detroit area.
“We’re going to be a destination,” says Soenen, not unlike what his fellow Old Village business owners hope to do.
the project done. More than two years have already been committed, but now Soenen has his team in place and his vision is finally taking shape.
Besides the masterful inside, the parking area has been transformed, the landscaping dramatically upgraded, and at the human level, plans call for top-notch service, food and music blending into something
Beyond the new and exciting, Old Village has thrived because of places like Meridian Coffee, its tattoo shops, a historic auto garage like Denny’s Service, the work-in-progress surrounding Roko’s Art Foundation project, Finders Keepers vintage clothing and records, and the various small offices housing attorneys, real estate agents, entrepreneurs, counselors and health therapists.
As Soenen says about his new restaurant, so it might be said of Old Village: “We want it special.”
By Scott Spielman
Voters in the City of Plymouth rejected a proposed parks and recreation millage for the second time in two years on election day.
Voters opposed the scaledback millage levy of 1.2 mills for eight years by a 52.78% to 47.28% margin, according to unofficial vote totals. In all, there were 3,167 votes cast against the
did not want to invest in it,” said Plymouth Mayor Suzi Deal.
The city had proposed a millage to purchase property, develop parks and upgrade others in 2023. That proposal, which also would have brought in funds for major work at the Plymouth Cultural Center, was rejected by merely 60 votes.
The city commission went back to the drawing board and
just rejected, would have provided upgrades at parks, a dedicated revenue stream to pursue matching grants, upgrades at the cultural center, a new Zamboni and extensive work at Point Park off Starkweather to make it a more accessible—and attractive— entranceway to the city.
The basic idea was to get the revenue stream in place, develop a priority list and work with residents on the needs of their neighborhood parks and fund them accordingly. The money would also have funded a new turf field that the city would partner with the school district on—located at East Middle School, it would be shared with between the district and the city.
“I was very proud of our team, our commissioners, when we made this decision to go after this for the second year in a row,” Deal said. “We listened to what people had to say to us and cut it back and redesigned it and tried to specifically address the needs that we felt needed to be addressed and opportunities we could take, as well.”
Residents spoke against the lack of specifics in the plan and voiced
While their parents were making important choices about their city, state and country, the children of Plymouth were making some pretty big decisions, too.
Many sat with Plymouth Mayor Suzi Deal and cast ballots of their own—for their favorite flavors, vehicles, colors and more.
“It was so much fun,” Deal said. “We had nearly 300 children voting.”
Superman claimed the top spot for ice cream flavor, while Spider-man was the favorite actual superhero among young voters. Kiwanis Park topped the list of parks; police car was the favorite vehicle, green the favorite color and pizza was the overwhelming choice for favorite food.
millage and 2,840 votes for it.
“Ultimately, it was the decision of the citizens if they wanted to invest in it. Unfortunately, for the second year in a row, they
created a new proposal for park improvements that did not include the purchase of the former lumber yard at Ann Arbor Trail and Lilley roads. The new proposal,
around, but there were more voters, too. More than 70 percent of residents turned out.
“This might have been a record year for us, as a city,” she said. “I’m a little surprised that we downsized the millage and the margin was still greater but, again, there were more voters out there.”
The failure of the millage means the partnership with the schools on the new field will not happen, either.
“It was a place where we could use some green space to put in the turf field to increase some of our recreational programming,” Deal said. “We don’t have the money right now to do any programming like that, so it makes no sense for us to try to find a place to put in a turf field.”
It also doesn’t make sense, she said, to return to voters a third time—at least not in the near future. Deal said a parks millage might be back on the ballot sometime, but it would most likely be more than a year down the road.
“I don’t think this board will want to do anything like that any time soon. It might fall on
concern over how and where the money would be spent. A group formed to oppose the millage based on those concerns, too. The margin was wider this time
to the next board,” Deal said. “It’s a disappointment, but we’ll move on. We’ll go forward. We’ll maintain what we’re doing and go from there.”
The Plymouth Township Board of Trustees will remain Republican, after nearly 80 percent of township voters cast their ballots on or before Nov. 5.
The new board will be: Township Supervisor Chuck Curmi, who was unopposed after the August primary; Clerk Jerry Vorva, who defeated challenger Nancy Conzelman; Treasurer Bob Doroshewitz, also unopposed in November; and trustees Jen Buckley, John Stewart, Mark Clinton and Sandy Groth. Vorva earned 9,761 votes to Conzelman’s 8,288—good for nearly 54% of the vote. Buckley was the top vote-getter among trustees with 9,391, followed by Stewart (9,388), Clinton (9,268) and Groth (9,056).
“I am a trustee who will work to mend fences and find ways to work
with all of my fellow elected officials to earn and maintain the respect of our citizens,” Groth said. “Our one and only job is to represent the citizens and make the decisions that facilitate
By Scott Spielman
their best interests. I will work for and with all of our residents. We have an awesome community.”
The three Democrats vying for trustee positions made a strong showing: Angela Nolan received
8,495 votes, Bob Miller took in 8,289 and 8,169 residents voted for Michael Westra.
“I went into this race with an open and optimistic view of our community,” Nolan wrote on her Facebook page. “I am not a politician; I am a humble woman with a passion to help. I wanted to make a difference in how our township makes decisions. I felt that I could truly make a difference. And I have.” Democrats fared well in up-ticket races in the Plymouths, as well. Plymouth voters favored Kamala Harris and Tim Walz over Donald Trump and JD Vance, Elissa Slotkin over Mike Rogers. They helped propel Joe Barone to the bench at the 35th District Court (see related story), too.
There will be a new face on the PlymouthCanton Community Board of Education, too, after Jennifer Vos, a Plymouth resident, defeated incumber Patti McCoin. Vos earned 23,853 votes, or about 46.2%, to McCoin’s 21,297. Faize M. El-Khali received 6,428 votes in that race.
Vos will serve a sixyear term on the school board.
Altogether, 19,431 of the township’s 24,568 registered voters cast their ballots in the general election. Of those, 4,259 voted early, 5,185 voted on Nov. 5 and 9,987 cast absentee ballots. In the
city of Plymouth, 6,595 of the 8,498 registered voters participated—about 77.6%. Of those, 1,752 voted early, 1,798 voted on election day and 3,045 cast absentee ballots.
Also of note, Plymouth Township resident Mike Balow was elected to the Michigan State University Board of Trustees. Balow came in first place, with about 25% of the vote, and will serve an eight-year term on the board that governs MSU.
By Tim Smith
To paraphrase a classic TV sitcom, everybody likes Joe Barone. What’s not to like?
The 53-year-old Barone is a Canton Goodfellow, member of the Plymouth Family YMCA, supporter of Friends of the Penn and a volunteer for Focus Hope among many other community endeavors.
And during his recent campaign for an open judgeship on the 35th District Court, the Plymouth Township resident went door to door to introduce himself to residents and ensure them he would be just like them in many respects.
He impressed the greater jury, if you will, defeating Canton attorney Michael Woodyard for the seat to be vacated by Judge Ron Lowe, who is retiring after 35 years on the bench. Barone won the six-year term, tallying 38,366 votes (about 55 percent) to defeat Woodyard, who collected 30,664 votes (just under 44 percent).
“It’s really hard to pinpoint any one thing,” said the affable Barone, about what he credited for his Nov. 5 triumph. “But I did spend a lot of effort and energy knocking doors in Canton. I think people were receptive to the fact that ‘Hey, this guy is out here, he’s working hard and he’s meeting us at the door.’”
Barone, a longtime private practice attorney who owns Barone Law Offices, PLC at 607 S. Main Street in Plymouth, will serve constituents in Canton, Plymouth and Northville.
Support across those communities was relatively even, Barone said, with approximately 54 percent voting for him both in Northville Township, Canton Township and the city
supporting the local teams, supporting the local groups.
“I think that’s one of the keys, supporting the local community and people recognizing you for doing it for almost 30 years.”
Coming up short in his election bid was the 58-year-old Woodyard, also a communityminded local attorney.
“Getting into this effort was an opportunity for me to continue my career-long path of giving back to my communities,” Woodyard said. “You know, like any one of the probably 200 jury trials I’ve had, the jury gets to make the decision. And the voters have spoken. I wish Joe all the best.”
Barone said it will be “a little weird” getting used to wearing a black robe instead of uniforms for teams or service groups.
“There will never be an ego in my courtroom,” Barone said. “It will always be I want to do what’s best for us.”
According to Barone, an absolute rock-solid principle he will adhere to on the 35th District bench is treating all who enter his courtroom with total respect.
“Really it just comes down to,
what we were doing,’ or ‘We were sitting out in the hallway forever.’
“You have to respect the jurors’ time, you have to respect every person that comes before the court. Lawyers, defendants, everybody.”
According to Barone, another important aspect of what he will bring to the position will be steadfast non-partisanship. He said that characteristic is crucial, particularly in today’s divided political landscape.
“You knock on some of these doors and people will ask ‘Are you a Republican or a Democrat,’” Barone noted. “And one, you’re prohibited from even telling someone whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat in judicial races. So I ran it from the perspective that, it really doesn’t matter if you lean one way or another. I’m pretty much right down the middle and I think that’s what judges need to be.”
During his campaign, Barone “tried to completely steer clear” of the federal lawsuit filed by a young public defender against 35th District Court and two of its judges, claiming a hostile work environment.
But one “hot-button issue” he didn’t avoid was how to bolster the long-term financial health of the court, which -- because of COVID-19 -- needed to receive local subsidies to help keep operations humming along.
“For years, communities would get money back from the court in terms of fines and costs, all that stuff,” Barone noted. “And for the last 5-6-7 years the communities had to pay into the court to fund the operations. I’d like to at least take a look into where we’re at.
of Plymouth and 60 percent of Plymouth Township voters filling in the bubble next to his name.
“It really just comes down to being involved in the community for 27 years, living here and working here,” Barone said.
“Raising my family here. It’s going to community events,
we have to recognize we have a changing and diverse community and recognize that everyone that comes into our court needs to be treated with that respect, that dignity,” Barone said. “If there’s one complaint you hear about courts across the state, it’s ‘Oh my gosh, that judge didn’t care about
“And the court definitely should not be a revenue generator.”
With a chuckle, Barone added a perfect one-liner rooted in real life and not television comedy.
“You shouldn’t have police sitting on the side of the road writing tickets for that purpose.”
(SOUTHFIELD, MI) Full body MRI clinics have gained national attention lately, as TV personalities publicly share their personal full body scan experiences. One actress credits the scan for saving her life after doctors dismissed her unexplained pain for months. After various tests, including a CT scan, had “unremarkable” results, the pregnant actress became her own advocate, searched out a full body MRI clinic and discovered she had pancreatic cancer. Thanks to early detection the tumor was removed successfully.
As a general rule, when symptoms occur related to cancer, it usually has progressed to stage three or four. Even with annual physicals, there are limitations. Most screenings only cover about 29% of cancers with 71%
occurring outside of where doctors are able to screen. However, full body MRI scans can detect cancer in every organ from the top of the head through the genitals and can detect it very early.
For a long time, full body MRI scans were available only in select areas outside of Michigan, requiring expensive flights like in Vancouver or California. However, this changed when a clinic opened in Southfield, making these scans available to Metro Detroit residents.
“Our advanced MRI screening can detect cancers very early when they are as small as a pencil eraser and are more easily treatable. If cancer goes undetected, however, it can grow into stage three or stage four with difficult treatments. We can also identify conditions such as brain, abdominal, chest,
and groin aneurysms,” stated the founder of the Southfield clinic called Bionicc Body Screening. The primary focus of Bionicc Body Screening is to deliver peace of mind, offering a comprehensive and detailed imaging of the body’s internal structures. The ultimate hope is for excellent health. However, in the event that something is detected, the advanced screening aims to catch any potential issues at their earliest stages. This approach offers the best opportunity for successful treatment outcomes, should the need arise.
Robert B., age 50, opted for a full body scan from Bionicc Body Screening and a very small tumor was detected. He said, “It saved my life. Their MRI found a
kidney tumor that had been missed by a recent CT scan. I cannot recommend this service more.” Take the first step to learn more about full body scans by visiting www.BioniccBodyScreening. com and request a free, no obligation Information Kit. Request it today and you’re also guaranteed a copy of their FREE eBook, Catching Cancer Before It’s Too Late! (This is a limited time offer.) Schedule today at 1-833-BIONICC
For Matt Koleszar, there’s no better place to be than the 22nd state house district.
The Democrat incumbent legislator and Plymouth resident now has another two years to be exactly where he wants to be, following his Nov. 5 victory over Republican challenger Adam A. Stathakis. He won the race with an unofficial tally of 31,530 votes (52.5 percent), while Stathakis collected 28,546 votes (47.5 percent).
“I’m very honored to represent this community,” said Koleszar, a couple days after the election, having recharged his batteries after a long and hard-fought campaign. “I always tell people in Lansing I have the best district in the state and I stand by that.”
can do is make sure you are responsive to your constituents and you also make sure that you are always there to help them,” Koleszar noted. “So it’s about that accessibility and that responsiveness and that doesn’t change regardless of where the political pendulum is.”
One issue Koleszar intends to keep working on is protecting public education for Michigan school districts.
“I want to keep doing everything we can to continue strengthening public education,” Koleszar said. “Just being a champion for our public schools. That never changes and I’m totally willing to work with the majority party and do whatever we can in order to do that.”
Another positive is how well residents throughout the district already know him. He has served in the state house since 2018, but only since 2022 in the 22nd District due to decennial redistricting.
make sure my constituents know who I am. I want them to know they can come to me if they need help with anything.”
In other state house races impacting Plymouth and Northville, Democrat incumbents Kelly Breen and Jason Morgan will return to Lansing for another two years each in their respective districts.
By Tim Smith
Koleszar was among the Democrats who made it through the election in a year where Republicans made strides up and down the ticket.
“At the state level, my party will be the minority party so that always does present some challenges,” Koleszar emphasized. “But really, for me, it definitely doesn’t impact my ability to serve my constituents and to make sure that I’m there for them every day.”
He added that he has experience as a minority party member, something that will help him serve over the next two years. The 22nd District includes much of Northville Township, Plymouth Township and the cities of Northville and Plymouth.
“The biggest thing you
“People in this community know me,” Koleszar said. “I always say that, when it comes to their state representative there’s so many who have said ‘Oh, I feel like my constituents don’t know who I am.’ My goal is always to
Breen captured 26,841 of votes (55.5 percent) to defeat Republican challenger Thomas Konesky (20,823) in the race for the 21st state house district, which includes the Oakland County portion of Northville and sections of Novi, Farmington Hills and Lyon Township.
Meanwhile, in the 23rd District, which includes the western portions of Northville and Plymouth townships and a swath of Washtenaw County including Salem Township plus sections of South Lyon and Lyon
Township in Oakland County, Morgan romped to victory over Republican candidate David Stamp. Morgan registered 29,870 votes (61.5 percent) to outpace Stamp’s 17,477 tally (36 percent).
The path to Terry Marecki’s election win over former
Plymouth District Library director Carol Souchock very well might go through a plan to fix the roads in the Wayne County Commission 9th District.
Marecki, a Republican from Livonia, is touting plans to reinstate a program that would funnel county resources in hopes of helping townships fix and maintain area roads.
“The administration is completely on board with this,” noted Marecki, in a Nov. 7 e-mail. “We are just trying to figure out the logistics of this program.”
She has an opportunity to keep that quest alive thanks to her Nov. 5 election win, by a 55to-45 percent margin. Marecki tallied 39,403 votes while Democrat candidate Souchock checked in with 32,203 votes.
Wayne County’s 9th District includes the city of Northville, Northville Township, Plymouth Township and much of Livonia.
According to Marecki, who has served a decade on the Wayne County Commission (including as its lone Republican at times), her experience and dedication to residents were among keys to her victory.
“I take very seriously the items that are brought before me in our meetings,” Marecki explained. “I research and make decisions based on facts and how I think my district would want me to vote.”
Marecki will look to build on a track record of fiscal responsibility.
Meanwhile, Souchock said her bid to unseat Marecki was a positive experience – except for the final result.
She said it probably won’t be her last election run, adding that her entire career has been in public service and that “in some way” she likely will continue following that pursuit.
“While it wasn’t the outcome we were looking for, I got a lot out of the campaign. My circle is much larger,” she said. “I really enjoyed getting to know all the Democratic clubs and members. I really enjoyed getting a chance to connect with all those folks and I look forward to continuing it.”
Souchock called Michigan’s
“Republican wave” as one reason why she came up short against Marecki.
“I think it was definitely surprising,” Souchock said. “I knew it was going to be a close and competitive race, no question about that. But just the whole Michigan Republican wave was a surprise.”
When Canton High cross country
standout Aiden
Pengelly steps atop podium to receive his award, he’s usually donning a “Bucky” Barnes sweatshirt.
The junior, who ranked this fall among the top five distance runners regardless of class in the Michigan High School Athletic Association leaderboard, has become – in his own right -- sort of a Marvel Comics character who is known as the sidekick to Captain America.
Superhero or not, Pengelly continued to rewrite the Canton record books every time he stepped onto a 5,000-meter course for the Cobras, who at one stage of the season ranked among the top 10 teams in Division 1.
And that happened once again on Nov. 2 when he took runner-up honors in the MHSAA D1 finals held at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn with a 5-kilometer time of 15 minutes,
By Brad Emons
01.0 seconds.
Jenison senior Seth Connor (14:54.5) pulled away in the final mile from Pengelly and thirdplace finisher Kyle O’Rourke of Milford (15:02.0) to capture the individual title.
But it was a dream season to say the least for Pengelly, who also captured the D1-Region 6 (15:17.6) individual title on Oct. 26 at Willow Metropark in New Boston and only a week earlier the Kensington Lakes Activities Association meet (15:13.0) crown at Manley Bennett Park in Hamburg Township.
Pengelly flirted with the sub15 minute barrier throughout the season and saved his best for last at the Division 1 finals with another school-record clocking.
“I don’t see any reason why he can’t walk away – from a high school standpoint – with at least the Park record, go after Carter Solomon’s (Plymouth High/Notre Dame) record,” Canton coach Bill Boyd said. “He’s got some
work to do…but that’s on him.”
Pengelly’s s self-motivation is one of the reasons why he can go after Solomon’s high school mark of 14:42.7, set in the 2019 D1 regional at New Boston’s Willow Metropark. (Solomon was the D1 individual champ that year.)
Pengelly also captured the Hansen’s Invitational (15:24.4) and was the Wayne County champion at Willow Metropark (15:19.9). He added runner-up finishes at both the Lamplighter Invitational (15:44.0) and Duane Raffin Festival of Races at Holly in 15:48.5 (as Canton took the team title), and was third at the highly competitive Jackson Invitational (15:16.1).
His approach to the sport and each race is simple.
“Racing is just kind of fun,” Pengelly said. “It’s a lot more fun when you win, so I don’t know… it’s just a good motivator and keeps me healthy and fit.”
A year ago, Pengelly blossomed as a sophomore where he earned
All-State honors taking 18th individually with a personal best 15:31.6 after placing third at the regional (15:34.7) and fourth in the KLAA.
During the 2023 season, Canton senior Mitchell Clark eclipsed the school record once held by his older brother Zachary with a time of 15:39.8, but Pengelly quickly put his name on the school leaderboard at both the regional and state finals and has held it ever since.
“It’s pretty neat,” Boyd said. “Now he’s just seeing how many times he can break his own record.”
Pengelly’s father Scott, a retired Detroit Police officer who once held the Salem High cross country 5K record with a time of 15:56, was an accomplished distance runner himself.
Growing up, Aiden dabbled in other sports, including seven years of swimming, before concentrating in distance running when he got to Canton.
“The running really started with my dad,” Aiden said. “When I was in the fifth grade he said I should try it, and then I was like, ‘O.K.,’ And then COVID hit, I just stopped swimming and decided to go with running. I was good at swimming, but not as good as I was at running.”
Aiden got his feet wet as a
competitive runner in middle school.
“It was a pretty amazing thing,” said Scott Pengelly, who was recently inducted into Salem’s Athletic Hall of Fame. “When he was in sixth-grade, I asked him if he wanted to run for Pioneer Middle School. That was his first taste of running. It’s kind of a funny thing. We’d look at their workouts, there wasn’t enough mileage, so he’d run home from Pioneer an extra two or three miles every day from practice.”
Boyd, meanwhile, saw Pengelly’s enormous promise early on and it translated right away into his inaugural ninthgrade season at Canton where he set the freshman record with a clocking of 16:36.9.
“When he was in eighth-grade he was one of the top middle school runners, and we saw the name and heard he was coming to Canton,” Boyd said. “We definitely had high expectations
when he came in. And sure enough, he broke the freshman record in his last race and broke the sophomore record pretty early and then he broke the school record as a sophomore. And you can see this year he’s just one of the hardest working kids that you’ll ever meet, just an absolute privilege to coach him.”
During the 2024 spring sophomore track season, Pengelly placed fifth in the 3,200 run (9:33.49) and 13th in the 1,600 (4:29.81) at the Livonia Stevenson regional. He was also 13th in the 1,600 and 16th in the KLAA meet.
In June, he ran at the New Balance Nationals Outdoors at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pa. in the 4x1-mile relay with a 4:33.6 split.
“He comes out and just loves to discuss race strategy, ‘Where shall I be, what’s this,’ and he’ll have his ideas and I’ll have mine, and we’ll put them together,” Boyd said. “He’s the kind of kid and the reason why you become a coach -- a lot of fun.”
Race tactics is something Pengelly studies and takes seriously.
“Watching the Olympics, everybody has their own strategy,” he said. “Some try to take it out fast and some people that start fast finish first. It’s
a lot of intangibles and is the ultimate teammate.
“He’s a little quiet…he doesn’t like a ton of attention on himself, but then he’ll wear a Bucky shirt to every awards ceremony,” the Canton coach said. “He won’t smile for pictures. But he’s the kid that if somebody needs a ride, or if somebody says, ‘Can you take me to this and pick us up?’ He’s the one, ‘I got it for you.’ He just
his own race strategy. We talk as father-son, we talk shop, but also as a coach. But behind closed doors we have our own little ideas. He came to us this week, Coach Boyd, and said, ‘Hey, I thought about it, I pictured in my mind and this is how I want to do the race, I know where I should go.’ We said, ‘Hey, have at it, enjoy the race.’”
Aiden can be funny when he
“Racing is just kind of fun. It’s a lot more fun when you win, so I don’t know…it’s just a good motivator and keeps me healthy and fit.”
Aiden Pengelly, who won KLAA and regional titles this season
interesting to see how everybody has their own racing strategy. I like to do that. Every course is different and depending on the people I’m racing I’ll change my strategy where I get to pick it up and slow it down.”
During his spare time, Aiden likes to scuba dive with his father, and likes to climb and ski. He carries a 3.7 grade-point average and has interest in attending one of the military academies upon graduation.
“I got a letter from Navy, so I’m looking into that,” said Aiden, noting he’s also reached out to West Point.
Boyd said Pengelly, who has a button-down approach, brings
jumps in the car and goes. He’s a real leader, but he’s that guy that everybody wishes that they were that kind of friend because he’ll drop everything for you.”
Scott Pengelly, who also serves as an assistant coach under Boyd, is a proud father to say the least.
“He’s surpassed me in every way,” Scott said. “He’s learned to run his own race. He trains hard. He does what he has to do, eating and sleeping. His academics are off the chart. He’s doing awesome there. I just wish that I could have been like him when I was younger. He’s teaching me a lot of things and it’s awesome for me come out here and watch him run and race, and come up with
has to, and then there’s the comic superhero side that comes out in him.
“You can see that he loves wearing sweatshirt where he’s a Bucky’s fan, maybe it’s good luck for him now,” Scott Pengelly said. “He’s a very low-key kid. You won’t see him smile very often. That’s just the nature in our family, but inside I know he’s proud for Canton’s team, his teammates and how he runs for Canton. He just doesn’t express his emotions. He’s locked in all the time.”
Just like Captain America’s sidekick “Bucky” Barnes. The Rock |
“We really wanted to help out in the community. We’re fortunate that we can help out our neighbors in need.”
At first, it was an informal affair: church volunteers distributed flyers, then handed out donated food to families in the Kmart parking lot. Soon, they started to learn how to work with Gleaners and, within a year, the operation had grown and moved to the church on the western edge of the township.
Now, Gleaners delivers the food at 7:30 a.m. on the third Saturday. Church members, as well as volunteers from a number of other groups and organizations, sort it into bags to distribute to families, who call ahead to request assistance.
community—and beyond.
“They’re from all over, but for the most part they are from western Wayne County, the south Canton area, or Washtenaw County,” he said. “But we also get folks from as far away as Dearborn. They’ve been coming for years.”
It’s a big task, but the church has plenty of help. They lean on volunteers from groups like high school track and field teams, honor societies and more—on any given distribution day there are between 50 and 100
On the third Saturday of every month, the parking lot at Trinity Church on Ann Arbor and Gotfredson roads is bustling with activity.
This isn’t a regular church service, however, but a gathering of groups and church members dedicated to helping out their neighbors. Each month, with supplies purchased from and donated by Gleaner’s Food Bank, the church distributes meals to as many as 240 families in western Wayne and eastern Washtenaw counties.
“It’s a real good ministry and it helps a lot of people out,” said Dan Dalton, an elder with the church who coordinates the program with his wife, Peggy.
After the volunteers hold a short devotional ceremony, the families—who line up in the parking lot as early as 9 a.m.—make their way through the distribution. Dalton said anywhere from 180 to 240 families are helped every month.
“We try to give them a trunk full, a week or two worth of food,” Dalton said.
“The church really recognized that it was a tough time in our economy,” said Tony Mylnarek, executive director of the church.
The Food Pantry at Trinity dates back more than 12 years. It was started around 2008, during the Great Recession.
Families who need assistance can call the church five days ahead of time to reserve a space in line. Dalton said they help families from throughout the
volunteers taking part in the “controlled chaos.”
“There’s also people from other churches that have gotten into the habit and they come to help out,” Dalton said. “We always try to get a good blend of volunteers.”
The donated food ranges from meats, dry goods, pasta and cereals purchased from Gleaners as well as donated fruit and produce. And, of course, there’s also a sense of community spirit.
“It’s a good experience and it feels good to help others out,” said Benjamin Paluk, a volunteer from Catholic Central High School.
To volunteer at the pantry or to request assistance, visit www.trinityepc.org.
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