Ann Arbor Restaurant Week January 15-20, 2012

Calling all foodies and those who like a good value – Ann Arbor Restaurant Week begins this Sunday! If you didn’t get your fill of fantastic food over the holidays, you have one last chance without feeling the guilt. Local chefs are putting together special menus to highlight their best culinary skills during this week long celebration. Prices have remained the same as last year, with $12 lunches and $25 dinners. These fixed priced menus generally offer 3 course meals, with a choice of items, and a select few will be offering 2 for 1 deals. Here is a list of participants:

Downtown Ann Arbor Restaurants:

Ann Arbor Holiday Activities and Things to Do

The holiday season is here and promises to be bigger and better than ever in Ann Arbor. There are plenty of holiday activities and unique, local shopping experiences in and around town. Here are a few of the things going on in the month of December.

Saturday, December 3

• 40^th Annual Christmas Bazaar and Bake Sale. Dexter Area Historical Museum, 3443 Inverness St, Dexter. 9am-3pm. Hand-made gift items for sale, baked goods, raffle, and a visit from Santa between 10:30-Noon.
• Christmas at the Mansion. Gordon Hall, 8347 Island Lake Rd, Dexter. Noon-6pm. Donation of $1/child and $5/adult. Stroll through the mansion, beautifully decorated by Dexter local businesses along with 6^th grade classes, while enjoying cookies, cider, a live holiday ensemble, and a visit by Santa.
• Saline Holiday Parade. Downtown Saline at 5:30. Annual parade featuring marching bands, floats, horses and more, followed by the arrival of Santa.
• All the Trimmings Holiday Show. Chelsea Fairgrounds, 20501 Old US-12. Free entry and refreshments. A wide array of offerings from jewelry to fiber arts to wood carvings, holiday greens and more.
• 24^th Annual Chelsea Hometown Holiday. Downtown Chelsea, various locations. A fun-filled weekend holiday celebration that begins Friday evening with Santa’s arrival to light the Christmas Tree at Pierce Park at 6pm, followed by many activities and entertainment until Sunday evening. Visit chelseafestivals.com for a complete schedule.
• Santa Visits Kerrytown. 407 N. Fifth Ave. 10am-1pm. Visit with Santa and enjoy live musical performances from local musicians, schools, and groups.

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There’s a Lot to Do in Ann Arbor

Fall is one of the most beautiful times in Michigan and always reminds us of why this is a great place to live. The Ann Arbor area has so many fun activities planned to keep you entertained until the holidays arrive. So get out and enjoy the crisp air, sunny days, and gorgeous fall colors. Here are some of the local events planned through Halloween.

Ongoing:

• Wiards Orchards & Country Fair and Night Terrors. 5565 Merritt Rd. Ypsilanti. Hours & prices vary. http://www.wiards.com
• Wasem Fruit Farm. 6580 Judd Rd., Milan. 9am-6pm daily. http://www.wasemfruitfarm.com
• Dexter Cider Mill. 3685 Central, Dexter. Hours vary. http://www.dextercidermill.com
• Jenny’s Farm Market. 8366 Island Lake Rd., Dexter. http://www.jennysdextermarket.com
• The Blast Corn Maze. 6175 Daly Rd., Dexter. Hours & prices vary. http://www.blastcornmaze.com
• Corn Maze at Talladay Farms. 6270 Judd Rd., 6-10pm. $6/maze or $10 for both. http://www.talladayfarms.com
• Chelsea Fear Grounds. 20501 W. Old US-12, Chelsea. State of the Art Haunted Attraction. Hours & prices vary. http://www.chelseafeargrounds.com

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Labor Day Weekend Activities 2011

If you aren’t already planning on heading up north, as us Michiganders like to do, and are looking for some fun this Labor Day weekend, there are plenty of things happening in Ann Arbor and the greater Detroit area. From community fairs to performances to football, there is something going on for everyone.

Saturday, September 3

• University of Michigan Football vs. Western Michigan University. 3:30pm at The Big House, Downtown Ann Arbor.
• Eastern Michigan University Football vs. Howard University. 7pm at Rynearson Stadium, Ypsilanti.
• Saline Community Fair. 9am-late evening at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds. Fair rides, food, and fun with animals, tractor pulls, motocross, a parade, and much more.
• Old St. Patrick Labor Day Festival. Noon-11pm at 5671 Whitmore Lake Rd, Ann Arbor. Free event. Enjoy live music, a petting zoo, face painting, rock climbing wall, bungee jump, cake walk, Vegas tent, silent auction, Corvette car show, and much more. Pulled pork dinner on Saturday and Chicken dinner on Sunday.
• Detroit International Jazz Festival. Downtown Detroit. Free event. 5 stages of live music that showcases the best in Jazz, poetry slams, kids bop, and art. Saturday fireworks.
• Hamtramck Labor Day Festival. Downtown Hamtramck. Carnival rides, Art Fair, 5k race, live music, Canoe race in the street, parades, polka, food, pub crawl, and much more.
• Arts, Beats, & Eats Festival. Downtown Royal Oak. Featuring over 250 live performances including many big named musicians, over 70 restaurants showcasing their best food, a fine art show, puppet show & kid’s activities, and more.

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Washtenaw County Events – August 2011

With summer in full swing, the local activities heat up and offer a little something for everyone in the Ann Arbor area. From Dexter Daze to the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival to the Chelsea and Saline Fairs, the final month of summer will keep Ann Arbor families entertained until the first day of school. Here are some of the local fairs and events throughout the month of August.

Wednesday, August 3

• Fiddlers and Fast Cars. 6-10pm. Downtown Ann Arbor on Main Street between William and Liberty. Free. Features classic cars, muscle cars, and hot rods with musical performances by the award winning Saline Fiddlers.

Friday, August 5

• Michigan Roots Jamboree. 3pm-midnight. Riverside Park near Depot Town, Ypsilanti. $15/day or $50/weekend pass, includes camping at Frog Island. Music on 2 stages, kids tent, local artist displays, local food and national brewed beers. For schedule, visit http://www.rootsjamboree.com/.
• Saline Summerfest. 5-11pm. Downtown Saline. Live music, craft/art show, kid’s activities, beer & wine tent, charity ‘Casino Night’, limbo contest. http://salinesummerfest.org/
• Dance Party in the Park. 7pm. Carr Park in Downtown Manchester. $15 or $25 includes dinner. Dance to live Cajun music led by Al Berard, world renowned Cajun fiddler, Louisiana style dinner, cash bar, and silent auction. http://riverfolkfestival.org/

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When: July 20-23^rd
Time: Wednesday-Friday 10am-9pm
Saturday 10am-6pm
Where: Downtown Ann Arbor

Next week is the start of one of Ann Arbor’s favorite annual events: The Ann Arbor Art Fairs. This is a fantastic time of year when artists from all over the country come together to showcase their best work and put on the area’s best art show. The Ann Arbor Art Fairs is actually a combination of 4 juried fairs, including the original Ann Arbor Street Fair, the State Street Area Art Fair, the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair, and Ann Arbor’s South University Art Fair. These fairs have made the Top 10 Fairs list every year since 2004, and have received countless accolades. In its 52^nd year, this year’s fairs promise to be at the top for 2011!

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Ann Arbor Summer Festival Week 3

As the Ann Arbor Summer Festival winds down, the events heat up! Haven’t had a chance yet to visit downtown Ann Arbor and see what this fantastic cultural event has to offer? No worries, you still have a fun-filled week left to get down there and see what all of the excitement is about. Following is a schedule of events for the third and final of the festival. All events are at Top of the Park and free of charge (although donations are appreciated) unless otherwise noted.

2011 Ann Arbor Summer Festival Week 3
Entertainment Lineup and Supporting Activities

Saturday, July 2
5:00 PM Retreat: Capoeira
5:00 PM Hana Malhas
6:00 PM Joe Summers Gypsy Jazz Trio
7:00 PM The Rusty Wright Band
9:00 PM Thornetta Davis
10:30 PM After Dark with powdrblu

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The Ann Arbor Summer Festival 2011

When: June 17 – July 10, 2011
Main Venues: Top of the Park at Ingalls Mall on Washington Street
Power Center for Performing Arts, 121 Fletcher
Hill Auditorium , 825 N. University
Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, 911 N. University
Arbor Brewing Company, 114 E. Washington

The Ann Arbor Summer Festival, a major cultural event in the Ann Arbor community, is here for its 28^th season and promises entertainment for the whole family! This celebration features indoor and outdoor performances, with over 100 scheduled events including: music, dance, comedy, film, theater, circus, and street arts. Top of the Park, the most well known outdoor venue, hosts movies under the stars, After Dark late-night DJ series, Wind Down Wednesday wine tasting, and Kids Rock family concert series, just to name a few. Indoor venues vary and feature a variety of contemporary performing artists. There are also many off-site exhibitions and events. Following is a schedule of events for Week 2 of the festival. All events are at Top of the Park and free of charge (although donations are appreciated) unless otherwise noted.

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Ann Arbor Restaurant Week is Back!

It only happens twice a year and the second week of the annual Ann Arbor Restaurant Week will be here June 12-17. This is the time for local chefs to show off their skills as participating restaurants offer fixed price lunch and dinner specials throughout the whole week. Lunches are $12 and 3 course dinners are $25. Many restaurants will also be offering 2 for 1 deals as well.

Ann Arbor Restaurants Included:

• Arbor Brewing Company
• The Arena Sports Bar & Grill
• Argiero’s
• Bandito’s California Style
• *Bar Louie
• The Black Pearl

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Memorial Day is a time of remembrance, reflection, and expressing gratitude for our veterans and our country. It’s also a time to spend with family, watch parades, and attend events honoring those that have fought for our freedom and to teach our youth the true meaning of Memorial Day.  There are many great events happening in the Ann Arbor area to help celebrate the holiday.

Saturday, May 28^th

• Post Open House & Military Memorabilia Display. 10am-5pm. Located at the VFW Post 423 at 3230 S. Wagner Rd, Ann Arbor. Items from the military museum will be on display.
• Celebrate Memorial Day at Your Museum. 12-4pm at the Washtenaw County Historical Museum at 500 N. Main St., Ann Arbor. Learn more about ‘Decoration Day’ and make a traditional wreath or a card to send to a vet.
• Pops on Broadway. 2-4pm. Free outdoor concert at Riverside Park in Depot Town. The Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra will be performing ‘A Salute to Broadway’ with a picnic immediately following. Bring a lawn chair and be ready for a great time. Read the rest of this entry