Farmington Press

Published May 29, 2013

Impatiens, a top choice for homeowners planting colorful annual flower displays, will not be available at most nurseries this year.

“There is a downy mildew problem with impatiens,” said Carl Eckert, owner of Eckert’s Greenhouse on Ryan in Sterling Heights. “We didn’t grow them this year, and most other nurseries also didn’t.”

Published May 22, 2013

Church’s Field of Flags honors 6,700 dead soldiers

Anyone heading down Power Road, south of 11 Mile, are likely to run across a Field of Flags outside the Farmington Hills Church of God.

The FHCoG, 25717 Power, is hosting the traveling Field of Flags from May 3-27. As of press deadline, the field featured 6,699 flags after having arrived with 6,687. Each flag honors a soldier killed in Iraq or Afghanistan, meaning 12 have died since the fixture came to Farmington Hills. About 250 flags represent Michigan soldiers and any additional flags will be added each Sunday at 12:30 p.m. until the display moves on to its next location.

Published May 22, 2013

Mapping out Michigan fun

Michigan Week is in full swing, giving residents just one more excuse to revel in all the wonderful things there are to do and see in the Mitten State.

Whether you’re a beer buff or a beach babe, there’s a place for you in Michigan. But with so many regional specialties, it’s hard to choose which area of the state is best for the stay- or play-cation of your choice.

Published May 13, 2013

Constitution Day celebrates Norwegian culture

FARMINGTON HILLS — With the 199th anniversary of Norway’s constitution taking place May 17, local residents will celebrate their heritage Saturday with Norwegian Constitution Day festivities.

The Nordkap Lodge, a branch of the Sons of Norway, will host the gathering 11 a.m.-3 p.m. May 18 at the Swedish Club, 22398 Ruth St., celebrating the signing of the constitution in 1814 that established Norway as an independent sovereign state.

Published May 6, 2013

Farmington Hills' Heritage Park partners with nearby Tollgate Farm

NOVI/FARMINGTON HILLS — Southern Oakland County is not currently known for its farmland, but at one point it was.

The 210-acre Heritage Park in Farmington Hills and 160-acre Tollgate Farm, a Michigan State University Extension in Novi, are both remnants of a time past, back when both resided in what was previously known as Farmington Township. And now they’re partnering to provide fun and educational programming.

Published May 1, 2013

Farmers Market returns for 20th season, but at new site

FARMINGTON — The 20th season of the Farmington Farmers Market is slated to begin this weekend, but not at the Sundquist Pavilion, which it has called home for the past eight years.

Due to construction on Groves Street, the farmers market will relocate into a pair of municipal lots on Orchard Street, just a block or two south of the pavilion, for the May and June markets. The market meets 9 a.m.-2 p.m. every Saturday, starting May 4.

Published April 30, 2013

2013 Detroit Jazz Festival creates unity in jazz community

DETROIT — The Labor Day weekend is still a few months away, but already it’s promising to be another great one for jazz lovers and the city of Detroit.

Published April 29, 2013

Tips offered for preparing pets for emergencies

FARMINGTON HILLS — When disaster strikes, are you prepared to save not only yourself, but also your pets?

That was the question posed during an hour-long discussion April 24 at the Costick Center during an Emergency Preparedness Committee meeting featuring Christian Ast, a veterinarian from Plaza Veterinary Hospital in Farmington.

Published April 24, 2013

Officers receive awards for armed gunman training

FARMINGTON HILLS — Botsford Hospital is a place many people go for medical emergencies, but thanks to some special training, the hospital’s staff is ready for a different type of emergency.

Police Sgt. Brian Bastianelli and training officer Larry Luttrell were recently honored for their work with Botsford, which started in October 2011, preparing hospital staff and administrators for the unlikely case of an armed intruder. The duo was given the hospital’s Safety Award March 20.

Published April 16, 2013

Damage by driver still visible

FARMINGTON — Residents of Heritage Village West condominiums had a strange start to their St. Patrick’s Day last month, and the damage is still there as a reminder one month later.

At about 9:45 a.m. March 17, a resident in his 70s was taking his 67-year-old girlfriend’s silver 2011 Lincoln MKS to drive their small dog to the groomers in Livonia when he lost control of the vehicle, police said.

Published April 10, 2013

Luddites’ latest is a ‘Twisted’ take on acoustic music

After almost 21 years together, the Luddites still haven’t suffered the ubiquitous “creative differences” that have shattered bands less than half their age.

The 11-piece acoustic group will celebrate the release of their fourth CD, “Twisted In,” with a concert starting at 9 p.m. April 13 at PJ’s Lager House. Bass player David Giovannucci, one of the original Luddites from those early days in August 1992 when they started as a five-piece acoustic act, said friendship and mutual respect have kept them going all these years.

Published April 10, 2013

The lesser-known benefit of recycling

In the bin

Come garbage day, most curbside recycling bins are stuffed with paper, plastic and glass bottles, cans, and cardboard, but there’s a whole lot more that can be added to the heap.

Published April 9, 2013

Farmington Tennis Club shuts down abruptly

FARMINGTON — When employees and members arrived at the Farmington Tennis Club April 1, some may have thought a cruel April Fools joke was being played on them.

Without any prior announcement, the club at 22777 Farmington Road had closed its doors for business. The sign near the road read “Thanks for the memories …”

The club had been open for several decades, sporting seven indoor tennis courts used by regional tennis players. Patrons were still driving through the club parking lot April 4 trying to figure out what was happening.

Published March 27, 2013

Despite cold temperatures and damaging fungus, local nurseries are getting ready for gardening season

Though spring seems to have lost its way en route to Michigan, it won’t be long before temperatures finally rise and the ground thaws to welcome new plants and flowers into eagerly awaited gardens around metro Detroit.

Just like in fashion boutiques, there will be lots of trends that customers will be clamoring for at their local nursery this year as they plan their landscape design. According to Erma Rhadigan, co-owner of Ray Wiegand’s Nursery in Macomb Township, this year’s most popular bloom choices are going to be bright, warm colors.

Published March 27, 2013

Spring into projects: Seasonal cleaning can include much more

With spring here — at least according to the calendar — many homeowners look to the state of their houses after the long, dirty winter and aren’t happy with what they see.

Carpets are soiled by salty boots; driveways start cracking from the months-long freeze/thaw cycle; and muddy messes are exposed in backyards that will be used for entertaining, come summer.

Now is the time to fix those problems, according to local contractors, before warm-weather fun beckons and the summer home- improvement rush begins.

Published March 19, 2013

OCC honors scholarship donors, recipients at annual celebration

FARMINGTON HILLS — There are few things in life as meaningful or as appreciated as a heartfelt “thank you.”

On March 14, faculty, students and administrators gathered to share a meal and stories, and to celebrate the art of gratitude during the Oakland Community College annual scholarship luncheon. The 21st annual lunch, prepared by students enrolled in the college’s award-winning Culinary Studies Institute, honored the school’s many scholarship recipients and the generous donors who made the awards possible.

Published February 15, 2013

Bus stop incident being investigated in Farmington

Authorities are investigating a report of a man in a truck suspiciously interacting with local school children as they waited for the bus.

The incident occurred in the early morning Feb. 14 as a group of five Power Upper Elementary School children waited for the bus to arrive. The fifth- and sixth-grade students reported seeing a male driver in a black pickup truck slow down as he approached the bus stop and possibly make a gesture.

Published August 8, 2012

Capturing summer in a jar

Can do

Eileen Haraminac will teach several upcoming food preservation courses at the Macomb MSU Extension office at 21885 Dunham, Assembly Room A, in Clinton Township:

• Aug. 18: hot water bath jams and jellies.

Published March 21, 2012

Lawmakers, animal advocates seek legislation to stop puppy mills

As pet lovers snuggle up with their furry friends, many may not think about where their animals came from before they found them listed online or at a pet store. But the Michigan Humane Society estimates that 99 percent of pet store puppies are bred by large-scale breeders, or puppy mills, some of which are known for their cruel and inhumane treatment of animals to maximize profit.

Published March 14, 2012

A whiskey slamming, beer guzzling good time

An electronic sign on the wall reads “10 days, 14 hours, 15 minutes and 4.32 seconds.”

“That’s the countdown until the end of my life,” laughed Melisa Valentine, 25, of Ferndale, a bartender at the Blarney Stone Pub in Berkley.

She’s kidding of course. The countdown marks the time left before St. Patrick’s Day, the annual holiday many celebrate by bellying up to the bar. But for those tasked with handling the crowds and their beverage orders from behind the bar, it’s a far different experience.