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Oakland County presents an evening of free family activities
Oakland County’s parks department is hosting an evening of free family activities featuring a concert, outdoor games and a big-screen showing of the movie “Family Camp” during their Come Out and Play series.
The Summer Shindig event is the evening component of the series and will be held 6-10:30 p.m. on Friday, July 21 at Catalpa Oaks County Park, 27705 Greenfield Road in Southfield. The Summer Shindig features inflatables, a climbing tower, a zipline, face painting and balloon artists 6-8:30 p.m. A concert will take place 7:30-9 p.m., followed by the movie, which will begin at 9 p.m. Food trucks, including the Little Donut Factory, Kona Ice and Bomb Diggity Dogs, will be on-site, 6-9 p.m. To use the zip line, children must be at least 45 pounds and 42 inches tall. A waiver form will be available at the park the day of the event or in advance at OaklandCountyParks.com and must be signed by a parent or guardian. Zip line participants must also wear closed-toe shoes. Shoes are required for the climbing tower, and socks are required for non-water inflatables.
For the water inflatables, a swimsuit or change of clothes is recommended.
No registration is required. For more information, email RpsOutreach@oakgov.com or call (248) 858-0916.
Emmanuel Lutheran Church hosts free Vacation Bible School
Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 23425 Lahser Road, invites children of all ages to attend their free Vacation Bible School.
The fun-filled week kicks off 5:30-8:30 p.m. Monday, July 17, and runs through Thursday, July 20.
Dinner will be shared at 5:30 p.m. each night. Children and teens will learn how to be good stewards of water through Bible studies, crafts, music and outdoor games and activities.
Adults are welcome to join the evening discussion group.
VBS will include a tour of the Emmanuel Community Farm, where students can check out the drip irrigation system that helps feed the community. Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash and the Dirt Doctors will be at the session on Thursday, July 20. For more information, contact Barb Klimkowski at (248) 910-0810 or bark51@att.net.
LTU alumna wins architectural honor
Lawrence Technological University alumna Tiffany Brown was honored for her hard work in the field of architecture with the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, which is their highest distinction.
Brown earned three degrees from LTU: a Bachelor of Science in architecture in 2005, a Master of Architecture in 2007 and a Master of Business Administration in 2015.
Brown is the executive director of the National Organization of Minority Architects, an organization that was founded in 1971 to address the inequalities in the architecture industry that remain prevalent today.
Currently, only 2% of the nation’s licensed architects are African American. Brown founded 400 FORWARD, an organization dedicated to encouraging minority women to join the architecture field after she learned that there were only 400 African American women architects in the United States.
Brown has been an LTU adjunct professor of architecture since 2017. She was one of eight honorees in the 2022-2023 NCARB Annual Business Meeting, and during her recognition, officials stated that she “has been an expert advocate for improving representation in the design industry, raising awareness of NOMA’s efforts to draw minority students into the architecture profession. Her ongoing collaboration with NCARB on the joint Baseline on Belonging study has highlighted opportunities to support underrepresented licensure candidates and architects by removing barriers in early career stages. She recently had the honor of being named among Architizer’s ‘100 Women to Watch in Architecture’ and has received several recognitions and awards from industry leaders, including the American Institute of Architects.”
Household hazardous waste and document shredding event planned
Residents of the nine Resource Recovery and Recycling Authority of Southwest Oakland County communities can attend a household hazardous waste and document shredding event 9 a.m.-2 p.m. July 15 at the Wixom Department of Public Works, 2041 Charms Road.
RRRASOC’s nine communities include Farmington, Farmington Hills, Milford, Milford Township, Novi, South Lyon, Southfield, Walled Lake and Wixom.
The event provides residents with a free and safe way to dispose of household hazardous waste items and personal information in a way that protects both the environment and the people in it. Items accepted include oil-based paint, solvents, automotive fluids, household cleaners, lawn and garden chemicals, batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, and unused and expired medications.
Residents may also bring unwanted and broken electronics.
Residents can bring up to three boxes of paper or 100 pounds for shredding.
Items such as unwanted clothing, shoes, accessories and other household discards such as kitchenware, tools, toys and books are also accepted.
RRRASOC advises that household hazardous waste products be kept in their original containers and that products should not be mixed. Containers should be tightly sealed, packed in a box in an upright, stable position and transported in the trunk of a car or bed of a truck. Items not accepted include latex paint, explosives, smoke detectors, radioactive waste and commercial/business waste.
For more information on what items are accepted and when other waste collection events will be held, visit www.rrrasoc.org or call (248) 208-2270. Events are held rain or shine.
