Second Annual Winter Market in Shain Park in Downtown Birmingham Michigan was held December December 2 – 4. The city welcomed the holiday tradition with a rich European flavor. Activities included carriage wides, visits to Santa House, ice carving and a girl making a jump rope (depicted in this video). It was a bit chilly but there were hot drinks (and heaters) at various stations to create a bit of warmth.
In keeping with the traditional German holiday market, the Birmingham Winter Market featured artisans and craftsmen selling holiday decorations, housewares, candies, baked goods and other products. Live entertainment is enjoyed by all throughout the weekend by various area choirs. Fundraising booths feature local non-profits, youth groups and others selling items and products.
I have visited Rochester Michigan to view the beautiful lights that cover the storefronts several times during the holiday season but never for the actual event when they are officially turned on. Parking was my biggest challenge when I decided to attend this year’s official start to the Big, Bright Light Show 2010 during the Lagniappe celebration. The show attracts over one million visitors to Downtown Rochester and they all seemed to be there at once for excitement and count down.
The buildings of Downtown Rochester are covered in more than 1.5 million points of light every six inches according to the Downtown Rochester website. The buildings are lit nightly beginning Nov. 29 through Jan. 2, 2011, from 6:00 pm to midnight. This is the fifth year of the Big, Bright Light Show and it is unlike any in the Midwest. The lights begin at the South Bridge and extend north to Romeo Road along with the buildings on Fourth Street from Walnut to Water Street. And if, like myself, you wonder how all those lights get there, here are a few details about the crew.
It was really a big party with music, Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus and true holiday spirit complete with tents for food & hot drinks. I was able to visit the main points including The Rochester Mills Beer Co. on Water Street, which is adorned with 75 giant snowflakes that flash to the beat of holiday music. The traditional Christmas tree on University was my last stop, which has been transformed into the Dazzling Tree of Lights, with blinking lights covering much of the tree. The stores were beautifully decorated and it will take at least another visit (without the massive crowds) to appreciate all that downtown Rochester Michigan has to offer especially during the holiday season.
17th Annual Pumpkin Patch in Birmingham Michigan 2010 was hosted by the Junior League and held on the terrace of The Community House on Merrill St. and adjacent to the newly revamped Shain Park. Activities included moon bounces, healthy refreshments, fantastic crafts, face painting, cookie decorating, pumpkin bowling and other spooktacular games for children of all ages. The Community House Dance Academy performed and Baldwin Library had a non-scary story time and magician. Lots of cute costumes as seen in the video of the event. Following the party was the 74th Annual Birmingham Halloween Parade presented by the Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber at 4 p.m. at the corner of Bates and Martin.
Looking to buy or sell a home in or around Birmingham MI, visit our new website about Birmingham Michigan Homes to learn more about Birmingham and search for real estate.
Birmingham Michigan Realtor sellingOakland County Real Estate. TishHouse sells Houses – selling Real Estate in Southeastern Michiganwith RE/MAX Showcase Homes in Birmingham, Michigan. Helping People in a challenging market by specializing in Short Sales. See what my clients have to sayabout my extraordinary customer service. Follow me onTwitter..
The Birmingham Farmers Market’s 2010 season came to a close with an end of Season Celebration. Children were invited to attend in their Halloween costumes and participate in activities like: Petting live farm animals, corn shelling, live entertainment, balloon creations and more. Also, for the first time ever hay rides were a part of the End of the Season Celebration at the Birmingham MI Farmer’s Market. To see the opening day for 2010 in May click here.
Visit our new website about Birmingham Michigan Homes to learn more about Birmingham & search for homes.
Birmingham Michigan Realtor sellingOakland County Real Estate. TishHouse sells Houses – selling Real Estate in Southeastern Michiganwith RE/MAX Showcase Homes in Birmingham, Michigan. Helping People in a challenging market by specializing in Short Sales. See what my clients have to sayabout my extraordinary customer service. Follow me onTwitter..
Previously held in Pontiac, A Favorite Summer Festival in Oakland County Michigan moved to downtown Royal Oak Michigan. It is a Labor Day weekend where everyone can celebrate Art, Music, Cuisine and Humanity. Held September 3-6, 2010 it is the 13th year for the Ford Arts, Beats & Eats. Presented by Citizens Bank, the festival offered more than 200 performances on ten stages, a highly ranked Juried Fine Arts Show, local restaurants with some of the finest cuisine in metro Detroit and international, regional and local attractions that always make the city of Royal Oak the premier destination for any event.
That is the general description of the event as promoted on the Arts, Beats & Eats website. The day I attended was Sunday and we parked at a friend's home to avoid the parking and had to wait a while in line to pay admittance and get our wrist band. It was fun to see so much focus and attendance in Royal Oak, one of my favorite cities in Oakland County. I found the Eats pretty quickly - however getting from the middle of the road to either side to try any was like swimming upstream. While there was a record attendance, the crowds were almost unbearable in the main toroughfare for "EATS". We found a few of the stages for BEATS but I never found the "juried" ARTS. My favorite part of the day was a ferris wheel ride to get a birds eye view of the crowds. We shared a cab/bucket with a father and daughter who were delightful. While I was there with my camcorder, it was fun to see the joy of the ride and festival through a child's eyes.
While I would probably go again and happy to see the festival in Royal Oak, I hope next year it is stretched out a bit so that we can enjoy walking around the city and seeing all it has to offer and the full venue of the Arts, Beats & Eats festival. It was a great first effort and I would imagine that it will only get better.
This is opening day of the Birmingham Michigan Farmer's market - May 2, 2010. Each year the Birmingham Michigan Farmer's Market opens for the summer at the Municipal Parking Lot #6 on North Old Woodward Ave. The Farmer's Market is every Sunday at 9AM - 2PM. Fresh produce, flowers, vegetables, baked good, organic foods, live entertainment and Kid Zone of kids' crafts.
This week the live entertainment was Paul Miles on the guitar. While there were more flowers than produce this early in the season, it's a great place to visit each week to get great fruit and vegetables. I was very entertained by a demo of the Magic Vase Amazing Hat by Mriya Designs who can often be found at the Market - or her website. Each week there are activities for the kids and this week, they are seen her making a special tile for their favorite teacher in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week (May 3-7).
Birmingham Michigan Realtor selling Oakland County Real Estate. TishHouse sells Houses - selling Real Estate in Southeastern Michigan with RE/MAX Showcase Homes in Birmingham, Michigan. Helping People in a challenging market by specializing in Short Sales. See what my clients have to say about my extraordinary customer service. Follow me on Twitter.
Rochester Michigan, a great walk able community in Northern Oakland County, held it’s third annual Fire and Ice Festival January 29 & 30, 2010. “A Winter Zoobilee”was the theme for the many ice sculptures that lined the streets downtown. While it was a sunny day, the temperature was anything but. I took my camera and Flip video to capture all the fun and my first stop was the fire where they were roasting marshmallows – I definitely appreciated the “fire” part of Fire and Ice.
The festival, sponsored by Oakland County Parks, included sledding, ice skating, horse-drawn carriage rides, broomball demonstrations, taste fest and beer tent with local restaurants until 9 p.m. each night, the “Big Bright Light Show,” and fireworks on Friday and Saturday nights. Winter recreation activities (and other festivals) take place on East Third and Water streets near the Rochester Fire Department.
After warming a bit by the fire, I watched some tube sledding – which probably would have done a lot to keep me warm. I noticed there were not that many people at the top of the hill - the line was at the bottom where you picked up your tube and walked the long hill up to get your turn to sled. There were a lot of parents carrying a couple of tubes – children have all the fun!
After walking the course and taking video followed by pictures of the ice sculptures, I really needed to warm up. A large bowl of vegan chili and a glass a wine at “Mind, Body, Spirits” was just the thing. I found a nice sunny window upstairs where I watched the activity on the street. I didn’t wait around for the “Big Bright Light Show” - when shops along Main, Fourth, Walnut and Water streets switch on the 1.2 million holiday lights. Rochester is well known for the Light Show which begins every year around Thanksgiving and a signature event to get into the holiday spirit.
Rochester (and Rochester Hills) is a great community to live with many festivals throughout the year geared for family fun. I was really impressed with all that went into creating the sledding runs, rink and course for the dog sledding – for literally a day and a half event.
Rochester Hills Michigan Realtor selling Oakland County Real Estate. TishHouse sells Houses – selling Real Estate Southeastern Michiganwith RE/MAX Showcase Homes in Birmingham, Michigan. Helping People in a challenging market by specializing in Short Sales. See what my clients have to sayabout my extraordinary customer service. Follow me on Twitter.
The much-anticipated North American International Auto Show NAIAS 2010 has finally opened to the public in Detroit. The first major media event of 2010 showcases the best of the auto industry at a time when it’s very existence has been in question. What better way to celebrate the heritage of the “motor city” than visit Cobo Center and take a peek of what’s new and what’s eco friendly? While I am not quite ready to buy a new car, I couldn’t help but imagining . . .
While there were personnel polishing the cars, fancy lighting and floors to show off the beauty of color and design, I couldn’t help but be dazzled with the sparkle and jewel like appearance of many of the cars. I picked a Monday afternoon thinking there would be fewer crowds but the parking lots were almost full and attendance has already surged past 2009. It definitely shows that Metro Detroit has not lost its fascination with cars even in a challenged economy. It made me think I was seeing the “Dream Cruise” far into the future.
I tried to capture at least one car from each automaker (slide shows below). While I was there however, Ford clearly had the most concentration of people checking out the demonstrations and viewing the 2010 Motor Trend Car of the Year. There is always a fascination for “Cadillac” and my favorite is always the “concept” cars. If you are attending, there is an opportunity to ride in a “green” car in “Electric Avenue”.
Metro Detroit Realtor selling Oakland County Real Estate. TishHouse sells Houses – selling Real Estate Southeastern Michiganwith RE/MAX Showcase Homes in Birmingham, Michigan. Helping People in a challenging market by specializing in Short Sales. See what my clients have to sayabout my extraordinary customer service. Follow me on Twitter..
I have been receiving massages from Irene Dalessandro at Ultimate Health Systems for 10+ years.On the few occasions when she wasn’t available, I have tried a few others but she has spoiled me.Many may not be familiar with this hidden gem of alternative healing in Trenton Michigan so a recent tour was eye opening for me as well.
Little did I know that the waiting room is designed with Feng Shui to promote positive energy – I have walked by the dolphin table so many times and never noticed.I am sure the early morning time of my visits is not to blame as much as I would like to say it is.One of the services I always find intriguing is the ionSpa foot detoxification (live demonstration in the video).I have utilized this “relaxing ” cell and organ detox and am always amazed by the amount (and variety) of particles it can pull from the body.
Irene has clients that have been with her much longer than I have and has about a 3-month waiting list for appointments.I am now on her once a month regular rotation when she does her schedule every 3-4 months.However, she is a mentor to many other therapists who rent space at Ultimate Health Systems as well as offering (and adding) a variety of services.I discovered a flyer for an upcoming Raw Food class with Maya Healthy Foods at my recent visit and considered reminisced about my brief time of living totally on raw food.
One of my interviews was with Amy Judd about the Bellanina facelift massage which I am now considering checking out. I could tell that Amy has a great respect and dedication to the Bellanina training and products that promote "a gentle method of treating the problems of sagging, aging skin without surgery". I have been noticing a few “baggy” for myself that could certainly use some toning - and the facelift massage includes home care exercises to follow.A special Thank You to Misty for her willingness to be a model for the video.
Ultimate Health Systems is located at 1545 Kingsway Court, Suite 202, Trenton, MI 48183. If you are interested in making an appointment, attending classes or have an alternative healing system and want to rent space, call their office at 734-671-3961
Diet and exercise always seems to be on the top of my list for new year’s resolutions – which I hate to say usually aren’t very effective.I have been a vegetarian for 20+ years but have an insatiable sweet tooth.More than a tooth, my whole body craves sugar.One of my best experiences was when I was in my twenties and lived on raw food for almost a year.I lived on a farm and had a huge garden.The best thing was to pick an ear of corn and stand right there and eat it immediately!!
Over the years, I have tried many diets from “Eating for Your Blood Type”, Vegan and Gluten Free and I have a whole library of nutrition books—both obscure and popular.I still have all my raw food cookbooks but have never managed to be that disciplined again.At best, I maintain a certain amount of raw food in my daily diet.I can lecture anyone on the benefits of ‘being raw’ – how heat kills vitamins and enzymes (minerals are safe); how much of our body is water and raw foods have the most water content; and the importance of fresh ‘green’ drinks’ (I do manage wheat grass from Beyond Juice in Birmingham).
So, when I heard about a class on raw foods, it prompted me to reminisce about my days without dairy (arthritis) and wheat (headaches) and a lot less calories (much thinner).I have been to raw food restaurants in Las Vegas, New York and locally including the Red Pepper Deli in Northville. Surprisingly most of the food is totally delicious and can even be warmed in a food dryer as long as the temperature does not go over 118 degrees.I saw a flyer at Ultimate Health Systems – a hidden gem in Trenton Michigan – promoting the upcoming Raw Food class.I stopped by Yoga 4 Peace to get a preview of the class and spoke briefly with Annette Zimmerman of Maya Healthy Foods.
For more information or to register for the class call Ultimate Health Systems at 734-671-3961.It is January 20, 2010 from 6:30-8:30PM.There is a charge of $35 if registered before January 17, which includes a raw food demo, theory,and Italian raw food to eat.
