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The city of Wyandotte welcomed back a favored son - Santa Claus - on Nov. 17 at its annual Christmas Parade. Hundreds turned out for the annual event and photographer Larry Caruso was there to capture the fun. See his photos on Page 5.

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Page 2 > December 12 - January 23, 2019 > WYANDOTTE WARRIOR

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Families fill library with joyful hullabaloo as Santa and Mrs. Claus visit Paula Neuman

T

Wyandotte Warrior

he Clauses — Santa and his wife — took some time out of their busy schedules to visit with children at the Bacon Memorial Library in Wyandotte on Dec. 1.

The annual event is put on by the Wyandotte Historical Society, and includes Mrs. Claus reading a story to little ones; a chance for them to sit on Santa’s lap and whisper secrets in his ear; and a Secret Santa shop, where kids can spend their allowances on gifts to surprise their loved ones.

The library’s new Maker Space also was available for ornament creation, a feature many children were enjoying, and another room in the historic building was dedicated to an elaborate toy train setup. Festive garlands and other decorations bedecked the threestory library, a Queen Anne-style house built in 1897 as a private residence and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1987 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

But the kids weren’t there for the history or for the decorations.

They were there to see the Clauses. The parents were there to take pictures of their children with the guests of honor from the North Pole.

“We direct the families to see Mrs. Claus first,” said Historical Society member Beth Labadie, who was joined by many other adults from the group helping out at the event. They all wore cheery hats and such, as well as beaming smiles as they saw the children come in, excited to visit the jolly old elf and his wife.

Mrs. Claus (Maggie Molnar) was reading holiday stories, getting lots of hugs, and handing out candy canes.

Of course, not all little ones are comfortable with unfamiliar adults, even those as beloved as the Clauses.

Photo by Larry Caruso

Onni Hart, 20 months old, hung out in the doorway watching Mrs. Claus reading and the other children for quite some time, until his mother finally was able to convince him to come sit on her lap and join in the fun.

Owen Mulica, 3, left the room after hearing a story and getting his candy cane, and announced to his mother: “I was so brave!”

And then the kids and their parents got on the library’s elevator, run by volunteer and former city official Andrew Swiecki, to go see the main man in the red suit on the floor above.

“Dad, this is not his workshop,” said Reed Gwardinski, 3, a little concerned as he waited to see Santa (David Sauers Sr.), who was sitting in front of one the library’s 11 fireplaces.

“He’s just visiting,” dad Patrick Gwardinski said smoothly.

Reed sat on Santa’s lap tentatively to give his wish list and be in a photo for his parents. His baby brother, Griffin, 1, on the other hand, wasn’t having anything to do with it. But mom Megan Gwardinski got them all settled, and Reed was all smiles when he got his

coloring book and lollipop from Santa’s elf, Kristina Sauers.

Ronin Hamilton, 6, was thrilled with the whole experience from start to finish.

“I got to see both!” he said.

His mom, Lana Hamilton, said the family had just moved back to the area, where she grew up, after living in Seattle for a while.

“This is a great event,” she said.

The Theisen siblings —Elliot, 6, Joshua, 5, and Ryan, 2 — were excited, too, jumping up and down with joyful anticipation before they got to see Santa.

Elizabeth Deburghgraeve, 2, was too shy to sit on his lap, but she was more than happy to get her lollipop and coloring book. Her baby sister, Annabelle, 7 weeks old, was along for the fun and resting peacefully in her carrier.

The expansive work tables in the library’s Makers Space were swarming with kids making ornaments.

“We always have crafts going on here, and you can drop in and do anything,” said library administrative assistant Joann Hedger. “A lot of people don’t know about it yet.”

And a happy hubub filled the Secret Santa shop on the first floor, as kids carefully considered their purchases, and Historical Society volunteers wrapped them for the children.

Stereotypically, librarians hush people making a lot noise. On this day, the joyful hullaballoo was welcome.

Learn more about the many upcoming events at Bacon Memorial Library online at baconlibrary.org.

Page 4 > December 12 - January 23, 2019 > WYANDOTTE WARRIOR

ASK THE RESIDENTS by Paula Neuman

What was your favorite Christmas gift ever?

“I’m dating myself here. I love old radios, and I received a Charlie McCarthy doll when I was 8 years old. I still have it.”

George Purdu

“The Gumby I got with clothes. It was so unusual and cute.”

Jane Fater

“I don’t really have a favorite gift.

My favorite thing is being with family and all the grandkids.”

Rick Brindley

“My father was a captain for Wyandotte Chemical. When he came home, that was the biggest gift.”

Jim Kresin

“An elephant pirate. It was a slide.”

Dixie Kazor

“These pink headphones that I got. I take them everywhere with me.”

Shayla Muszynski

“My husband this year bought me tickets to see John Cusack and meet him.”

Kelly Ray

“My best gift had to be me giving my wife Christmas presents on our first year of marriage.”

Edward Zacker

“I got a Star Wars Legos kit. It’s my relaxation.”

Elizabeth Thon

“A cookbook. A lady that works with me gave it to me. Her husband just passed. I occasionally give her jams and jellies that I made, so she thought of me.”

Mary-Johna Wein

“As a child, my favorite Christmas gift was a desk from my grandmother. I don’t know why, but I really loved it.”

Jakki Malnar “I don’t really remember. It’s usually just the emotions and the wonder that I remember.”

Hannah Schultz

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Here comes Santa Claus!

Hundreds of people turned out for the annual Wyandotte Christmas parade on Nov. 17. As usual, the parade featured bands and horses and floats and culminated, as it always does, with the arrival of the star of the show - Santa Claus.

Photos by Larry Caruso

Page 6 > December 12 - January 23, 2019 > WYANDOTTE WARRIOR

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WYANDOTTE WARRIOR < December 12 - January 23, 2019 < Page 9

FIRE CHIEF JEFF CARLEY

Wyandotte fire station renovation is complete Paula Neuman Wyandotte Warrior

In 1939, when the Wyandotte Central Fire Station was built, “air conditioning was considered opening a window,” Fire Chief Jeff Carley said.

The nation was crawling out of the Great Depression, and nobody had ever heard of computers.

Most people didn’t have the fancy new black-andwhite televisions newly on the market. They listened to the radio and played card games or board games for entertainment. Gas cost 10 cents a gallon, and a loaf of bread was 8 cents.

“The station had a small gear room,” Carley said.

“In 1939, you had a raincoat, a pair of rubber boots and a helmet.”

Firefighters then could share equipment with each other, so it didn’t matter whose stuff was stored where in the small room. Sizes weren’t an issue. But today’s firefighters have specialized turnout gear that is far more sophisticated and needs to be sized for each of the 30 members of the Wyandotte Fire Department to enable them to do their jobs.

Photo by Larry Caruso

So renovation of the old station was of paramount importance for that and for lots of other reasons. One huge improvement is reinforced concrete floors and new doors to allow for modern fire trucks. The $2.5 million job is nearly done now, and with luck, the firefighters on duty who have been living in a nearby trailer right along with their dispatch equipment can move in by the middle of this month.

“This (the renovation) is probably four years worth of work starting with myself identifying the issues

and the city putting together a plan,” Carley said. “We touched every part of the building from the basement to the attic. It has new plumbing, a new sewer, new drains, and a gear locker room to store the whole firefighter ensemble. The architect (Tom Roberts) found a home for everything. Everything found a home.”

City officials considered building a brand new station, but that would have cost a lot more, Carley said. The Maple Street station’s renovation has taken nearly a year to be completed.

Before, on-duty firefighters lived and slept in a second-floor barracks-style dormitory and shared a very open bathroom, but now they’ll have private sleeping rooms with individual lockers for their stuff, and updated facilities that afford more privacy. Yes, there’s still a fire pole, but it has been updated with safety features to meet what the law requires.

“Those are some of the things that mean a lot to me,” Carley said.

He’s very much looking forward to moving his department in.

Page 10 > December 12 - January 23, 2019 > WYANDOTTE WARRIOR

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Retail With Heart vs Every Other Option

So, what is ‘Warm’ worth to you?

Peter Rose Wyandotte Warrior

This is a season that is all about warmth. We’re all loaded with memories and images in our heads of holidays past, with family, gatherings, fireplaces and the closeness of those we value. It’s warm. It’s good.

We make it good, because it means so much to us.

By the time you’re reading this, I will have the first of a new tradition behind me, having spent two days in and around Frankenmuth with my wife, our two girls with their husbands and three young grandkids.

As I’m writing this now, I feel anticipation for that same warmth. Everyone identifies with that, don’t they? I am so looking forward to spending just two days away, with just my family. Hanging out with the family is the only real purpose, but it should be no surprise that I’ll be nosing around for shops and experiences that inspire me.

Frankenmuth is not about national chains; not about the internet. It’s all local; it’s all warm. The connection you feel to people in shops such as you find in small towns like this is palpable, and each browse, each purchase is far more likely to leave you with a sense of satisfaction and happiness than any other shopping experience. I’m looking forward to it now; I hope to be able to share tales of being impressed.

Small stores, independent and local, are all around us, though. I don’t have to go to Frankenmuth to find such stuff. I only mention that town because it’s my job - writing this column is easier with experiences from the front. And “the front” is what we’re talking about as we enter the final 30 days of the year, where every dollar taken in matters a lot for the small stores. Every purchase matters - a lot. The holiday gift giving season pays off a lot of bills and can provide a cushion that gets indie retailers through the winter months. I’m talking about local stores with local owners and local employees who all benefit tremendously through a series of single, conscious decisions.

Knowing how important this is for them makes me want to do business at such places. It’s so much more real, so much more meaningful to make someone happy and grateful. As opposed to being a part of a revenue stream that mainly leaves the state, benefitting people I don’t know - and that don’t care about me, or say thank you, or even know I spent the money at all.

It’s something that, once really understood, makes every decision about spending on food and drink and shopping a lot easier. I want my money to be leveraged to the full extent of its potential to benefit me. I want my spending to be appreciated. When

possible, I want to think that my spending might be reciprocated, just as theirs has done with my places.

In this way, spending in circles where we live and play results in those same dollars being spent again and again and again.

We can all lose the thread. And we can all find it, too, and very easily. We can all come to our senses, and realize that we’ve got more power than we ever let ourselves know. Little old us, with all that power.

My stores just experienced an emphatic demonstration of support for us independent retail businesses on “Black Friday” and “Small Business Saturday.” It feels incredibly good; we’re all so grateful. I belong to nationwide groups of independent retailers, the majority of whose reports of the weekend’s results are really encouraging for them, and for all of us. More and more people are letting themselves get the satisfaction they’ve been missing. Many never stopped. Many are starting out

in life, seeking authenticity, and finding homes with local and independent businesses like ours.

The pursuit of that authenticity is what motivates me. I travel near and far to find it. Not that I’m always buying. But I’m always looking to feel the real thing. The connection to community. The smiles, the product knowledge, the excellence in presentation, the cool and unique products, and the genuine gratitude for the patronage. It informs, it inspires, and it feels very good.

When I go to Frankenmuth (and not Birch Run where low end product is sold, tricking the people that don’t know, and with zero connectivity), I’ll be in total relaxation mode. I can use it. But then again, you can rest assured that I’ll also be hyper-aware, eager to report back with tales of glad tidings from the indie front.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Thanks for reading my columns, too!

Page 12 > December 12 - January 23, 2019 > WYANDOTTE WARRIOR

Mike Rowe’s reality show has huge impact on nonprofit for veterans Paula Neuman Wyandotte Warrior

What a difference a show makes.

A recently aired episode of Facebook-based reality show “Returning the Favor” featured TV personality Mike Rowe doing a surprise makeover for nonprofit Downriver For Veterans in Wyandotte and its founder Rose Ann Rudisill (who goes by Ann).

The program (https://bit.ly/2rjT2Kg) has hugely propelled the nonprofit’s presence, as well as the donations it receives and its ability to help veterans in need. The episode, released Nov. 27, has been viewed almost 6 million times so far. It has been shared online over and over by Downriver people and others it has inspired.

“It’s had a worldwide impact,” said Debbie Hill, warehouse manager and board member at Downriver for Veterans. “We just blew up! It’s wonderful!”

She said she’s getting calls from people all over the country. DFV’s warehouse on Fort Street is open Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the volunteers have had to expand its hours to accommodate all the new interest.

“It’s been busy,” said DFV volunteer Bill Hedke.

“People keep coming in dropping off money.”

Here’s just one example: Former Downriver resident Amber Kundrat lives in Arizona. She and her husband were lying in bed watching stuff on their phones last week when she happened to see the program. She was moved by it.

Her children, 14-year-old twins Kaden and Kianna, had been looking for a place to donate some of the money they earn housesitting and doing chores for a neighbor.

“We showed them the video,” Kundrat said.

And that’s all it took.

Kundrat was in town recently visiting relatives, so she popped in to the Downriver for Veterans warehouse to meet Rudisill, and to give her an envelope with the twins’ donation. On the back of the envelope, the children wrote: “Thank you for your service.”

Kundrat wasn’t the only one who popped in that morning.

A polite young Navy veteran in need came in to see if he could get food. A woman, who said she had seen the Facebook program, brought in a blind veteran she knows who needs help and has been stymied by the federal agencies and their paperwork.

One of the services DFV provides for veterans Downriver — many of whom don’t have transportation to the Veterans Benefits Administration

The panty at Downriver for Veterans is stocked with food for veterans in need.

in downtown Detroit — is help with the paperwork.

Rudisill knows all about it. She is a Vietnamera Air Force veteran herself. She was serving as a mentor in the Downriver Regional Veterans Treatment Court in Southgate a few years ago when she realized that many Downriver veterans are sometimes without basic needs — food, clothing and more — and have no way to get to Detroit for VA services.

“I could not sit back and do nothing,” Rudisill said.

She formed DFV in 2017, and slowly, word began to spread about its services.

Hill came into the warehouse early on to donate food. Her husband is a Navy veteran and most of the men in her family also are veterans.

“I sat down and talked with Ann,” Hill said. “I love what she’s doing. She fights for our veterans and she gets what she wants. She’s a spitfire.”

Hill joined DFV as a volunteer, and really enjoys working at the warehouse and with the organization’s clients.

“Most of the veterans we help are like family to us,” Hill said.

With the donations, including $30,000 from Mike Rowe, DFV has been able to buy a handicap accessible van to get veterans in wheelchairs to medical appointments or wherever they need to go.

The warehouse is stocked with donated food, SEE VETERANS, Page 13

Debbie Hill is the warehouse manager and a volunteer at Downriver for Veterans.

WYANDOTTE WARRIOR < December 12 - January 23, 2019 < Page 13

VETERANS

Continued from Page 12 clothing, furniture and hygiene products, and Rudisill and her volunteers box up food and other sundries to make regular deliveries to veterans in need who can’t get there.

DFV helps veterans with housing and transportation needs, as well.

“As soon as we say we need something for a veteran, we get it,” Hill said.

Local businesses and veterans groups such as the VFW and the American Legion help out often. The “Returning the Favor” video explains all about DFV and Rudisill’s mission, and shows off Wyandotte, as well.

Rowe, with help from Rudisill’s friends and her cadre of volunteers, managed to surprise her with the makeover of the building and the show in August. Keeping the secret before the big reveal was a challenge.

“We had to keep it quiet,” Hill said with a laugh. “We were so happy when it was over, because could finally open our mouths.”

Wyandotte Mayor Joe Peterson, a Vietnam veteran and a member of

DFV’s advisory board, was on hand with many others to welcome Rudisill back to the warehouse to see the surprise makeover. The mayor said he was very proud to know her and help with her work. Another advisory board member is Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn).

If Rudisill runs into a veteran with a problem she can’t solve, she calls on Dingell for help, Hill said. One way or another, DFV gets the job done.

“If you lead with your heart and you’re transparent and you truly care about people and you have nothing to lose, then you know what you’re doing is right,” Rudisill posted on the DFV Facebook page. “I love our veterans and I will go to the highest mountain to fight for you and I will get you everything I can.”

DFW is holding a Pancake Brunch with Santa fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 16 at PLAV Post 74, 963 Oak St., Wyandotte. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children. Those attending are asked to bring a $5 “”wrapped white elephant gift” for a local veteran marked whether the gift is for a man or a woman. Photos with Santa will be free of charge.

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Ice skating star Scott Hamilton inspires with talk at chamber business forum Paula Neuman Wyandotte Warrior

For a guy who’s done a heck of a lot of winning, Scott Hamilton — 1984 Olympic gold medalist and best-selling author — talked a lot about failure.

He was the speaker for the Nov. 27 Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber of Commerce Business Forum at Crystal Gardens in Southgate.

“I have fallen down more than 40,000 times,” Hamilton told the standing-room-only crowd, “including falling down five times at my first nationals and coming in dead last.”

Failure, he said, is really “just information” one can use to learn from and go on to winning.

“Failure to me is the most important thing going,” Hamilton said. “I have found a way to rise up above a lot of failure.”

Like his talk, his new book, Finish First: Winning Changes Everything, offers insight into the inspiration and motivation that comes from competing and failing — and from adversity.

Hamilton knows a lot about adversity. He was a sickly child with stunted growth. Today he makes jokes about his small stature (he is now 5’ 4” tall, but he was 5’2” tall and 108 pounds during his amateur competitions), but as a kid, he was teased and bullied, he said.

“I was called every name in the book growing up,” Hamilton told the crowd. ‘”I think I was the least popular guy in my class. I also think I was the only guy in my class who won an Olympic gold medal.”

In 1997, he had a bout with testicular cancer that taught him the spiritualism he still embraces today. In 2004, he was treated for a benign pituitary brain tumor, and in 2010, he had a brain surgery to prevent recurrence of the tumor, and another surgery for an aneurysm. In 2016, he was diagnosed with another brain tumor, which shrunk on its own.

But he didn’t talk about illness. He talked about failing. And about how to turn that into winning, another thing Hamilton knows a lot about.

For four years — from 1980 through 1984 — Hamilton never lost an American or world figure skating competition. Hamilton attributes his record-breaking winning streak to “honesty, integrity — and a lot of hard work,” according to the website for his nonprofit, the Scott Hamilton Cares Foundation.

“You have to make sure you give yourself the time and opportunity to be successful,” he said, addressing his remarks especially to the many high school students in the audience, including those from Southgate Anderson High School and Asher High School of Southgate. “It’s about committing

Ice dancer Richard Dalley (left), pairs skater Burt Lancon and figure skater Scott Hamilton — all members of the American team — show their excitement during the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. The men were 26, 24 and 25 then, respectively.

Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton signs his new book for an admirer after he spoke to the Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber of Commerce Business Forum Nov. 27.

to the process.

“Committing to the long haul is something that doesn’t exist in our culture. It’s all about instant gratification. If you want to go from here to hero — it doesn’t work that way. There is nothing stopping you from creating a life like no other, but it takes hard work.”

He told a story about his young son losing a hockey game and feeling miserable. On the way home from the game, Hamilton talked to his son about what he had learned — and the boy recognized that he had to work on his skating skills and his stick-handling ability.

“What would you have learned today if you won?” Hamilton asked his son, trying to impart the benefit of failing and learning from it.

He ended his Southgate talk with this: “We’re all given something spectacular and unique to share with each other. God made us all

angels, but with one wing. We cannot fly until we embrace each other.”

Hamilton got a standing ovation, which is a first for the chamber’s business forums, said SWCRC President Ronald Hinrichs.

Visiting Downriver — he lives in Nashville — gave Hamilton a chance to hang out with old skating friends Richard and Shelley Dalley of Grosse Ile, owners of Wesburn Golf & Country Club in South Rockwood.

Shelley Dalley and Hamilton were childhood friends, skating together in Toledo, Ohio. She said that when her husband was being treated recently for colon cancer, she was in touch with Hamilton every day via text.

“He got me through this,” she said, Richard Dalley, who was fifth in ice dance during the 1984 Olympics, has many stories about skating with Hamilton, sharing rooms with him during competitions, and about what a rascal he was when he was young. When they turned pro, the two men skated together in the Ice Capades.

Today Dalley is an ice dance judge, and officiates during winter Olympics competitions.

Hamilton’s history of what he calls “collecting life threatening illnesses,” and losing his mother to cancer in 1977 pushed him to launch his own national charity, Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation, in 2014. The foundation focuses on “shining a light on new treatment options for cancer treatment, changing the cancer conversation and aligning people and organizations to raise the bar of cancer care and survivorship.”

He also is a long-time volunteer with the Special Olympics.

“Winning comes in many different shapes, forms and sizes,” Hamilton said.

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What’s Happening Wyandotte ...

NEW YEAR’S EVE Enjoy Wyandotte Rockin’ NYE on Dec. 31 in downtown Wyandotte.

The main attraction of the night is the dropping of the half-ton steel ball with color-changing LEDs at the clock tower at the corner of Biddle and Maple.

The ball drops at 9 p.m. for younger merrymakers and again at midnight for everyone else.

Before that, however, enjoy music from Sponge and Wally Palmer of the Romantics. The event is open to all ages and will also have food trucks and a heated tents with a DJ. NEW YEAR’S EVE Biddle Hall will be the site of a News Year’s Eve party Dec. 31 from 6 p.m.- 1:30 a.m.

There will be dinner, drinks, dancing, a photo booth and champagne.

Dinner offerings include Italian chicken, roast beef with gravy, vegetarian lasagna, roasted red skin potatoes, steamed vegetable medley, baby spring salad and dinner rolls.

The cost is $40 for a single, $75 for a couple and $300 for a table of eight.

Purchase of a ticket gets you a wristband that allows access to the city party, too.

Call 734-767-9449 for details or go to thebiddlehall.com.

DECORATE YOUR HOUSE The Wyandotte Beautification invites you to take part in the 2018 Outdoor Home Decorations Award contest. For an application, contact the commission at 3200 Biddle, Wyandotte 4892 Fifteen winners will be selected and will receive a commemorative ornament and a certificate. Winners will also be recognized at a city council meeting and on social media.

Entry deadline is Dec. 19 and judging will be held at 6 p.m. Dec. 19.

CHRISTMAS MUSIC There will be a Christmas concert with the Music Lady, Beverly Meyer, at Bacon Memorial Library at 1 p.m. on Dec. 15.

Afterward there will be candy cane ornament making event.

Register at 734-246-8357.

HEALTH Mantra Meditation: Held the fourth Thursday of each month through December at Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital; located in Multi-Purpose Room A of the hospital, 2333 Biddle Avenue All sessions begin at 5 p.m.

STORY TIME Kids from 0 to 5 can enjoy stories, songs, finger plays and group activities several times a week at the Bacon Memorial Library.

Baby Story time (0-18 months) is 10-10:30 a.m. on Tuesdays; Toddler Story Time (18-36 months) is Tuesday and Wednesday from 10-10:30 a.m. and Preschool Story Time (3-5 years) Tuesday from 11-11:30 a.m.

Call the library at 246-8357 to register.

LIBRARY CARDS A library card can be your ticket to big discounts.

A card, available at Bacon Memorial Library can unlock free or discounted passes to hundreds of Michigan state parks, campgrounds, museums, trails, cultural destinations and more.

Stop in at the library at 45 Vinewood and get your card today.

MEALS ON WHEELS The Wayne County Congregate Nutrition Meals program offers meals Monday through Friday from 11:1511:45 at the Copeland Center.

A 24-hour reservation notice is required. The meals carry a suggested $3 donation cost.

Make a reservation or find out more from Angie Benson at 324-7279 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.

DROP-IN HOCKEY Yack Arena hosts adult drop-in hockey from 9:30-10:50 a.m. every Wednesday and Friday.

The program is open to players over the age of 18 and costs $6 per player.

Goalies are free. Each session is limited to 22 players and is operated on a firstcome, first-served basis.

Helmets and protective gear are mandatory.

SENIOR ACTIVITIES There is plenty of fun to be had at

Wyandotte Copeland Senior Center.

The center offers daytime socials every Tuesday from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. and evening socials every third Friday from 6-9 p.m. Pool playing is permitted during the socials.

The center also hosts drop-in card games. Play pinochle and Euchre on Mondays from noon-3 p.m.; Bridge from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Thursdays; and duplicate bridge from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on Tuesdays.

The Copeland Center is located at 2306 Fourth Street. The phone number is 324-7275.

OPEN SKATING Wyandotte Yack Arena is available daily for open skating sessions.

Monday through Friday the rink is open from 11 a.m. - noon for adults only and from noon-1:20 p.m. for all skaters. On the weekend, the arena is open to all skaters. Saturday’s times are from noon1:20 p.m. and Sunday’s are 4-5:20 p.m.

The cost for residents of Wyandotte and Riverview is $4. The fee is $3 for those under 17 and over 60. The nonresident fee is $1 more.

PET ADOPTION Shelter to Home Pet Adoption Center is always looking for volunteers.

Foster Homes: Foster homes are critical to STH’s ultimate goal of saving animals lives. Local shelters and pounds simply do not have the room to take all the animals they encounter. In parallel, we often, do not have enough foster homes.

Pet Adoption Center (PAC) Volunteer: The Pet Adoption Center is open to the public every Saturday, but the group is seeking volunteers to fill roles seven days a week caring for the cats in this facility. Volunteers are needed for general housekeeping, data entry and animal caregiver.

Petsmart Habitat Cleaner: If you are looking for ‘hands-on’ time with the cats, volunteering as a Petsmart Habitat Cleaner may be the perfect place for you! We currently have animals at Petsmart in Canton, MI on Ford Rd. (next to IKEA) and soon at Petsmart in Woodhaven.

Student Involvement - Age 12 and Up: Shelter to Home is pleased to be able to offer many opportunities for

students to obtain community service hours. We are happy to provide students with a letter for their school if needed.

You can contact STH at 734-5563135.

GARDEN CLUB The Wyandotte Club seeks to involve citizens in community projects, interesting programs, field trips and workshop. The Garden Club also assists the Beautification Commission at Dig In events each year. Beginners and advanced gardeners are all welcome to attend our meetings. Yearly dues for the The Garden Club meets on the first Wednesday of each month from the months of September to June. Meeting times vary each month. Day meetings are at 1 p.m., evening meetings are at 7 p.m at First United Methodist Church, 72 Oak Street. The club does not meet during the summer months.

You may contact the Garden Club via email at wyandottegardenclub@ gmail.com for more information.

HELP STUDENT MUSICIANS The Wyandotte Public Schools Music Program is seeking donations of used instruments in any condition.

The program is in desperate need of instruments and donations for purchase of instruments for students in elementary through high school.

If you would like to donate an instrument, please complete a form and drop your instrument off at the Board of Education Office located at 639 Oak Street, Wyandotte, Michigan 48192.

Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

DOWNRIVER COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY The Downriver Community Food Pantry provides hunger assistance to those in need. It is located behind St. Patrick Catholic Church.

Food is given away from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Those coming for assistance can use the back alley to access the building.

A referral from either a church or social services agency must be shown to obtain food. The pantry can be contacted at 734-281-6733.

Have an Event or Fundraiser? Let us know at 734-282-3939

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Stay at Home HealtHcare Stay at Home Care LLC has been helping the elderly and disabled in the privacy of their own homes for 7 years. The business started as a result of both co-owners Brenda Rademan and Diana Cain having Diana Cain & Brenda Rademan difficulty finding the means to care for their own parents at home.

“You speak with the owners; we aren’t a franchise like the rest of them.” said co-owners Brenda and Diana.

When talking about your loved ones, there is nothing worse than dealing with impersonal care.

At Stay at Home Care you can expect the friendly service of hand picked employees, and a care plan that revolves around your needs. In fact they are known for their 2 hour minimum for services. This minimum insures that they can provide you with care that works for your schedule. Stay at Home Care is proud to keep people in the homes they love, as long as possible.

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Sports Veteran Roosevelt girls look for another big season Shane Preston Wyandotte Warrior

As one of the top teams in the area from a year ago with several key returners, the Roosevelt Bears head into the season with expectations for another strong year on the court in Wyandotte.

Roosevelt (16-7 last season) was one of the most dominant teams in the Downriver League last season, turning in a 15-3 league record, finishing second only behind powerhouse Trenton.

At the start of a new season of chasing the DRL title, Roosevelt coach Ron Adkins is happy with his team’s makeup heading into the season.

“We are excited with the group we have,” Adkins said. “It is a great mixture of experience and youth.”

The Bears will be led by senior captains Jordan Tarrence, Emma Sliwka and Lillian Corby, who are all three-year varsity players and two-year starters.

Senior Kelly Adkins also brings experience to the Bears along with

returning juniors Jazz Baker, Sam Smith and Kaitlyn Patterson.

“They are being pushed every day in practice by the younger girls and you can’t ask for more than that,” Adkins said.

Also pushing for time for the Bears this season will be juniors Haley Luna, Hailey Hamel, Anna Samek, Addie Nothnagel and Laila Carroll.

Rounding out the Roosevelt roster will be sophomores Hanna Exner and Nae Atwater.

Not willing to live on last year’s successes, Adkins and the Bears have spent the weeks leading up to the season looking to grow and gel as the season opener approaches.

“We stress getting better at something every day at practice and, so far, the girls have bought in and that makes it fun to coach,” Adkins said. “We are working to get our defensive rotations down, but we love the effort and electricity this group brings to practice every day.”

The Bears opened the season at home on Dec. 4 against Monroe and will open the Photo by Larry Caruso Downriver League season on Dec. 11 on Thanks to a veteran roster, the Roosevelt girls are hoping for a big the road at Southgate Anderson. season.

Battle-tested Bears ready for league wrestling wars Shane Preston Wyandotte Warrior

After finishing as a close third in the competitive Downriver League last season, the Roosevelt wrestling team will send a battle tested group to the mats this year in hopes of bringing home some hardware.

The league title was split by Southgate Anderson and Woodhaven for the second consecutive year last winter and Roosevelt coach Brett Greene expects to be in the thick of it with those two powerhouses this season.

“This year we should compete for (one of) the top three spots in a tough Downriver League,” Greene said. “Looking ahead, every league meet should be a battle and the top spot will be determined by whichever team gains the most bonus points.”

The Bears return 11 starters from last year’s squad and will be led by a pair of state qualifiers in senior Jake Campbell and junior Kyle Cox. Campbell was a runner-up at regionals last season after claiming Downriver League and district titles at 103.

Cox finished third at the league meet, fourth at districts and fourth at regionals at 119 pounds.

Junior Nick Biundo returns to the mat after qualifying for regionals last season at 135 along with senior Jesus Plasencia (171) and juniors Nick McPhall (125) and Dominic Dupree (135).

Roosevelt seniors will include Beckham Caldwell, Madison Mackenzie, Anna Tertal and Zach Tolbert.

Juniors Dominic Baker, Matthew Burns, Pablo Bustos, Jared Deichelbohrer, Tyler Livernois, Emilio Plasencia, Brett Scott and Scott Vargas will all see

time this season as well.

Sophomores will include Mike Ferrar, Kyle Preauneau and Matthew Rose.

Other new faces who will be looking to contribute for the Bears will be Alex Biundo, Michael Blackwell, Weston Bridges, Xavier Byrne, Matt Gardner, Nathan Jerore, Dominic Jones, Damian Keathley, Javier Navarez, Lu Peterson, Alex Runions, Logan Stalling, Jadyn Tittle and Joe Valentine.

The Bears opened the season with a quad meet at Trenton on Dec. 5 followed by the Rocket Duals at John Glenn High School on Dec. 8. Roosevelt will host the Wayne County Invite on Dec. 15 to close out the month before returning after the new year to begin the Downriver League schedule.

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Fresh-faced boys basketball team ready for new year Shane Preston Wyandotte Warrior

The Roosevelt Bears head into the upcoming basketball season with some fresh faces and optimism as Wyandotte looks to climb back up the ranks in the always-tough Downriver League.

Josef McKinney starts his second year as the head coach for Roosevelt and will look to improve on last season’s 8-13 record with a relatively inexperienced team.

Despite losing over half of its roster from a year ago, McKinney is confident in a group that has played together for quite a while.

“Though we graduated eight seniors from last year’s team, we are still very optimistic about the 2018-2019 season,” McKinney said. “This group of players has been playing together for a long time, so their chemistry as teammates isn’t something we have to worry about.”

Roosevelt brings back its backcourt from a season ago with sophomores Haden Loya and Keyshawn Devlin

Coach Joe McKinney is optimistic that his Bears will have a good 2018-19 season.

returning at guard for the Bears.

Devlin finished second on the team in scoring at 15 points per game as a freshman and was an All-Downriver League second teamer last year.

Senior forward Cody Burris returns

for his third year on the varsity squad as the most experienced player on the team.

Joining him on the front court will be 6-foot, 9-inch junior Devon Forner.

“Devon made a big contribution

blocking shots, rebounding and getting put-back points for our team last year, but his role will be magnified to increase the quality and quantity of his production on a game-to-game basis.

Senior guard Darian Henderson rounds out the Roosevelt returners and will bring experience and depth to the Bears’ backcourt this year.

New players to the team will include junior forwards Daylen Boddie, Jimmy Breaux and Nico Fernandez, junior guards Cody Bowser and Noah Turner, sophomore guard Ethan Saenz and freshman guard DaLonte Wyatt.

The Bears opened the season on Nov. 30 with a 59-57 win over Monroe.

Roosevelt trailed by 13 at the half, but erased the deficit in the second half thanks to a big scoring night from Loya.

The sophomore poured in 32 points followed by Saenz with 18 and Breaux with nine points and 12 boards.

The Bears (1-0) will kick off league play against defending league champion Woodhaven at home on Dec. 14.

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Bears back in the water The Wyandotte Roosevelt boys swimming team opened the 2018-19 season at the Downriver League Relays on Dec. 1. Coach Sue Alt’s team will swim against league foes Lincoln Park and Southgate on Dec. 15 and at the Warriors Relays on Dec.18. After that, the team will break for the holidays and not swim again until 2019. Among the boys competing for the Bears this season are Robert Passuth, Ben Czarnota and Nick Hickey.

Photos by Larry Caruso

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FAREWELL, MR. PRESIDENT

President George Herbert Walker Bush made many trips to the Downriver area. I had the opportunity to photograph him on those occasions.

These are just a few images from those assignments - there are so many more. These shots are from his visits to Lake Erie Metropark, an arrival at Metro Airport, a visit to Crystal Gardens (to campaign for his son) and one of many visits to the Presidential Inn in Southgate (now a Holiday Inn). He also walked the Wyandotte 4th of July Parade when he was Vice President to Ronald Reagan. He was always accommodating to the press. Grateful to have shaken his hand. Rest in peace. Mr. President. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Larry Caruso

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Teaching Toys: A new store that celebrates learning, fun Hank Minckiewicz

T

Wyandotte Warrior

ired of seeing the same old things when you walk the toy aisles at Walmart or Meijer or Target? The same Disney toys, the same action figures, the same Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars?

Well, moms and dads, grandpas and grandmas, there is a new store in town - literally - and if you are looking for creative, educational gifts that are still loads of fun, this place is going to knock your socks off.

Owned by Grosse Ile resident and Trenton native Marie Liburdi, Teaching Toys opened Dec. 1 at 3331 West Rd. in Trenton and it has a wide array of toys that will appeal to kids who are babies and toddlers on up.

Liburdi is no johnny-come-lately when it comes to creative, educational playthings. She is the owner of Children’s Place Montessori of Grosse Ile and Brownstown and in that capacity she currently services 300 families. In the 10 years the Montessoris have been open, she has taught and touched the lives of literally thousands of children.

“I’ve seen what kinds of toys help kids learn, what kind help teach them to concentrate,” said Liburdi.

The mottos at the Montessoris are:”Helping kids grow by exploring their surroundings” and “Teaching kids with ways that are intuitive to them.”

Both of those things carry through at Teaching Toys.

“Opening this store has been my heart’s desire,” Liburdi said. “I have always wanted a one-stop shop where people can find fun, educational toys.

These types of stores are out there, but it was always discouraging there was not one Downriver.”

Rebecca Brockington, who is the Curriculum Director at the Montessoris and an occasional worker at the new store said this: “We have the kinds of things you find at museum gift shops; wonderful, educational things that you want to buy. But we have a bigger selection.”

Schools are heading more and more to teaching the S.T.E.A.M. method -

Teaching Toys store owner Marie Liburdi stands behind a selection of toys.

The shelves at Teaching Toys are full of educational, interesting toys that are loads of fun to play with.

Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math - and Teaching Toys is right in step with that.

“We have a whole line of STEAM products - it’s important to us - and it’s important to let teachers out there know that,” Liburdi said.

Liburdi’s Montessori business is going well. She is full to capacity at each location and an expansion of the Brownstown location is in the works, but the retail shop is a labor of love -

with the heavy emphasis on “labor.”

Prior to opening, Liburdi and her husband, Paul, spent days prepping the store, building shelves and unloading merchandise.

“When we got home, I could barely drag myself into bed,” she said, laughing.

But they made their Dec. 1 deadline.

Things are not 100 percent yet; the internet is still not set up, the building owner still needs to install a window

and there are product lines that have yet to arrive, but the doors are open and there is plenty of tempting product on the shelves.

Liburdi said some important things that will be available after the first of the year are teacher supplies - fun, creative, educational teaching aids, things for the classroom and bulletin board packs.

“You can find a lot of the things we carry (and will carry) online, but you have to wait at least days before you get it. Here, you can just pop in and buy it,” Liburdi said.

Children’s Place Montessori began as a small dream 10 years ago and in a decade has grown into an impressive operation with 35 employees and hundreds of clients.

Liburdi said that business began with a love for children and a love of helping them learn and grow. Teaching Toys is just an extension of that, “I am an optimist,” Liburdi said.

“When you start something and give it care and love, it will increase over time.”

Creative Montessori has done that. The Liburdis hope and believe Teaching Toys can, too.

Teaching Toys

gifts for growing minds Soo

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