Page 26 • November 10 - December 7, 2018
GROSSE ILE GRAND
SUGGESTIONS OR COMMENTS? WE ARE LISTENING AT 734-282-3939
TELESCOPING THE TOWNSHIP
Former Islander was an actress, sculptress and artist Word reached us back in Michigan of the passing of Florence Kaufman, who died on Sept. 12 at the age of 93 at the home of her son Alan, in Maui, Hawaii. She had been living in Florida, and although she was Jewish, we exchanged cards and news of our families every Christmas. She and her husband Daniel (past member of the school board) lived on Swan Island until they moved to Florida. It was Florence Kaufman who answered the call By Pamela A. Frucci of the newly organized Island Beautification Committee back in 1975 to create their logo of an island with a tree and images of fish and birds. Her talent included art, acting, and sculpture. She did the kneeling soldier in front of the Flat Rock City Hall, portraits of our children, Marti and Jay when they were kids, and she was an actress appearing in local theater. An enlarged copy of her IBC logo is hanging in the township hall. Dump the Junk; find the treasure a success Over 750 Island residents took advantage of the once-a-year Dump the Junk; Find the Treasure opportunity offered by the Open Space Committee at the DPS yard on Groh. Manned by both volunteers from the committee and the Grosse Ile Nature & Land Conservancy plus paid DPS workers on Sat., Oct. 13, residents could unload items that couldn’t be picked up by Waste Management on trash day and disposed of them in large dumpsters. One dumpster was delivered by Fritz Enterprise which collected metal items which were then returned to their yard in Taylor, weighed, and a check is sent to the township. The money is then donated to a good cause on the Island. Another disposable item were 64 tires which Waddles Tires picks up at a cost of $2 a tire. Many residents found items they could use in the Find the Treasure section of the yard and any leftovers were picked up by the Salvation Army. Bikes left at treasure event find new homes Island resident John Urban III drove off from the DPS yard on Groh Road on Sat., Oct. 13 with 10 to 11 bikes in his pick-up truck. Destination: Back Alley Bikes on Cass Avenue in Detroit. This organization has been in operation for 15 years working with youth and adults, teaching them skills in taking bikes and restoring them to working condition. John calls the procedure: “repurposing” the bikes. In return for their restoring the bikes, the workers get to keep the bikes. The adults in the program learn skills they can use in the work world. Back alley Bikes calls their program: Earn a Bike. John has been on the look out for discarded bikes on his trips around the Island. John suggested having a yearly collection of bikes no longer
Heritage tree in the yard of John and Sarah Speer (on left) and Memorial tree honoring the marriage 28 years ago of Bob and Kathy Campbell (on right)
wanted. A call to Back Alley Bikes alerts them to pick up the bikes for re-use. As John commented: “It’ll put a smile on some kids’ faces!” New idea for learning history from the water In April 2018 Julie Cortis and Trista Redfield launched Ducky Baby Charters, any opportunity for up to six passengers to tour Grosse Ile on their pontoon boat. This gives them not only a two-hour guided tour, but a chance to enjoy nature and the beauty of the Detroit River, thanks to Julie’s long association with Island history. A special treat is because of Julie’s piloting tugboats working delivering mail to freighters, she’s able to get her pontoon boat up close to freighters plowing the river. Ducky Baby Charters doesn’t do outings for fishing or serve food, but passengers can bring food, drinks and snacks on board. The couple have closed for the season, but Julie says they’re pleased with how well their first season worked. They dock at Hoovers Boat Livery and can be reached on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Their website is duckybabycharters.com, a take-off on “rubber ducky” and their phone number is (734) 546-6000. Shop the Christmas Boutique Nov. 23-Dec. 22
The popular Grosse Ile Historical Society’s Christmas Boutique will open the holiday season on Fri., Nov. 23 from 12 noon to 6 p.m. At the opening gala there will be food and drink for those who want to get their early shopping done with a choice of handmade crafts and gifts from 30 local artisans. From Nov. 24 to Dec. 22 the boutique hours are from 4-8 p.m. on Fridays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. As a fundraiser for the G.I. Historical Society, the boutique is chaired by Ann Loftus and Sue Zink with those who contributed to the boutique acting as hostesses. The sale takes place in the Customs House at the corner of Parkway and East River Road. Celebrate little known national days You may not have known it, but Oct. 25 was National World Pasta Day, first celebrated in Rome, Italy in 1995. National Days came to my attention listening to WRCJ, the classical music station, when the DJ announced that day Oct. 2 was National “Name your Car Day.” In using Google for more information on National Days, I found out that Oct. 10 was National Handbag Day, and Oct. 16 was National Dictionary Day SEE TELESCOPING, Page 27
