Boxing class at the library and more

There are several challenges to running a hyperlocal blog like this one. For example, Google’s search rankings tend to rank sites lower if most of their articles are less than 500 words. That might not be a problem for those blogging about some topics. When one is blogging about one particular neighborhood, though, there are a lot of stories that I simply cannot stretch out that long without becoming redundant or boring.

Therefore, I’ve decided to start merging some of these stories into longer posts; creating one long post that the internet search engines like rather than three or four shorter articles that they rank lower automatically.

Boxing | Stock photo by Harut Movsisyan/Pixabay

Boxing classes at the library
The Edison Branch (18400 Joy Rd.) of the Detroit Public Library will host a boxing class this coming Saturday, March 8 from noon to 2 pm. This event is open to all ages. It’s a great way to build self-esteem and physical confidence.

More details about this class are available on the library's website, which is located here.

Pizza | Stock photo by Igor Ovsyannykov/Pixabay

Free slice of pizza

This Sunday, March 9 is National Pizza Day, which is one of those social media holidays that is near and dear to my heart. I look forward to celebrating at Sbarro's inside Fairlane Town Center where you can buy one New York slice and a beverage and get another slice of New York cheese or pepperoni for free.

Details and coupons are located here.

Rouge Park | Photo by Frank Nemecek

Rebirth of the nature trail?

The Friends of Rouge Park are exploring the possibility of reestablishing the original Wild Nature Trail. This trail was constructed in Rouge Park in the 1930s but has been in a general state of disrepair for quite some time.

I will have more on this story as it develops, especially if the nonprofit group decides to push forward with it.

Girl in a garden | Stock photo by Rudy and Peter Skitterians/Pixabay

Community garden launches fundraiser

The In Memory of Community Garden (6551 Minock St.) is attempting to raise $500 to support their ongoing operations. If you are willing and able to so, please consider making a donation over on this website.

The garden will provide children and families a place to learn about nutrition and the benefits that fruits, vegetables and exercise provide. Community gardening is a healthy, inexpensive activity for youth and adults that can bring them closer to nature and allow them to interact with each other in a socially, meaningful and productive way. Produce from the garden will help supply nutritious locally grown produce to low-income families in need and all surplus will be donated to our local food banks and pantry's. The Garden will add beauty to the community and heighten people’s awareness and appreciation for all living things.

Detroit police release new recruiting video
The Detroit Police Department, like most police departments in this nation, has more openings for police officers than it does people applying for those jobs. In order to boost its numbers, they have released a new recruiting video for social media and television.

Quite frankly, I think this video is kind of badass. It’s embedded above. I encourage everyone to watch it and share with anyone who you think would make a good Detroit police officer.

Interested parties can also get started on their career pathway by clicking here.

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Rouge Park: A year in review

Rouge Park in Detroit - Photo by Frank Nemecek

2019 has brought some tremendout improvements to Rouge Park. As the year draws to a close, I want to review some of those great moment and give everyone a look into what the new year has in store for the largest park in Detroit.

 We saw the first leg of the Scout Hollow Nature Trail open this year. 2019 was also the year that:

• Completion of the new Sorensen Historical Interpretive Trail;
• Repairs made to the pool house at Brennan Pool;
• New roof for the Buffalo Soldiers Heritage Center and their horse barn;
• 355 volunteers came out for Rouge Park Appreciation Day. They collected 388 bags of trash, 15 tires, 16 appliances, and 135 cubic yards of invasive plants. They also planted 135 plants and improved 900 feet of trail;
• Three separate additional work days with another 135 volunteers to improve the prairie, clean up trash and cut brush along the bike trail; and
• Planted 25 new trees in the Sorensen Recreation Area thanks to a partnership with the Greening of Detroit.

The Friends of Rouge Park also worked with GM Cares to reclaim the Joe Prance Butterfly Gardens and Trail. This included removeing broken picnic tables and other improvements.

Jacqara Jackson joined the Friends of Rouge Park in February as their part-time project manager. She quickly jumped into organizing our annual meeting, annual cleanup, volunteer day,s and improving our communications with our first electronic newsletter and social media.

As for the coming year, we are expected to see the Sorensen Recreation Area completed in 2020 as well as a walking loop, picnic shelter, playscape, sports fields, and connection to the historical interpretive trail. Major improvements are expected at the archery range. A new splash pad, picnic shelters and a playscape are coming to the Brennan Recreation area.

The completion of new soccer fields in the Cozy Corner Recreation Area and a new large picnic shelter donated by GM.

But none of this would be possible without your support.  Please consider a donation at this time of year.  Checks can be made out to the Friends of Rouge Park and mailed to 9509 West Parkway, Detroit, MI 48239 or you can donate on our website www.rougepark.org.

Friends of Rouge Park are hiring an intern

River Rouge Park - Photo by Frank Nemecek

The nonprofit advocacy and service organization Friends of Rouge Park are looking for two qualified interns to help them organize volunteer work days in the natural areas of the park. One internship will run from January to May while the other will run from April to August. Both positions pay a stipend of $500 per month.

College students who are majoring in environmental studies, natural resources management, parks management, community engagement, or related fields are preferred.

Those wishing to apply for this position at the largest park in Detroit should ideally possess good communication skills. The group is also seeking interns who have a background in management of natural areas as well as:

• Knowledge of invasive species and native plants;
• Invasive species removal methods;
• Certified pesticide applicator is preferred;
• Experience working with a diversity of volunteers; and
• Good computer skills including spreadsheets, social media, and website updates.

The intern should also must be comfortable contacting corporations to ask for volunteers and donations.

Duties for this internship will include assisting in the development as well as implementation of a plan for the management of the prairie, trails and natural areas in Rouge Park.  This will involve but is not limited to: prioritize projects, recruit volunteers, organize volunteer work days, train volunteers, develop core volunteers as well as corporate volunteers, develop partnerships, and solicit corporate donations and volunteers. The interns will also engage the local community in these efforts and in the park.

College students who are interested in applying should send a cover letter and resume to rougepark@gmail.com with “ATTN:  Internship” in the subject line. The deadline for applying is December 13, 2019.

District 7 holday party announced

Christmas | Photo by Larisa Koshkina on Pixabay

The District 7 team of Detroit invites everyone to celebrate the holiday season. They will host a holiday party on Thursday, December 5. It will run from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Brennan Pool House (21415 Plymouth Rd.), which is located at the northern end of Rouge Park.

All Detroiters are invited to attend this party. There is no charge for any residents to attend this holiday celebration.

The District 7 is a part of the City of Detroit’s Department of Neighborhoods. It includes the Warrendale neighborhood as well as the surrounding ones.

There is ample parking near the Brennan Pool House. It is also along the D-DOT Plymouth Rd. bus route. One can download a schedule for the Plymouth Rd. bus route from the D-DOT website.

This is the first of several holiday parties that will happen in the area. When more of these events are announced, I will post them to this blog.

Friends of Rouge Park to meet this Tuesday

The nonprofit advocacy group Friends of Rouge Park will have their next general membership meeting this coming Tuesday, November 19. It will start at 7:00pm at the Westside Christian Academy (9540 Bramell St.).

Their agenda for that evening will include a report from Alisha Bell. She is the President of the Wayne County Commission President as well as the Commissioner for District 7, which includes the Warrendale and surrounding neighborhoods. There will also be an update on the master plan for the park as well as reports from:

• City of Detroit;
• Detroit Outdoors;
• Elite Archery;
• Buffalo Soldiers; and
• Motor City Mountain Biking Association.

Everyone who is interested in the future of the largest park in Detroit is welcome to attend this meeting.

Community-wide meeting this Wednesday

An avenue - Photo by Peter H./Pixabay

Over the past nine months, residents and community  groups throughout Warrendale have come together and worked with the City of Detroit’s Planning and Development Department. They are going to propose a series of projects for the built environment of this neighborhood. This includes improvements to our streets, our houses, our parks, our businesses, and more.

After all of this work, it’s time for everyone to come out and see what these groups have come up with. The City of Detroit and others are eager to get feedback on everyone who lives or works in Warrendale. This is an essential part of building a community.

To that end, there will be a community-wide meeting this Wednesday, November 13 at the Dick & Sandy Dausch Campus NFL/YET of the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan (16500 Tireman Ave.). Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. Presentations will start at 6 p.m.

In addition, childcare will be provided on site for this meeting. If you have young ones that won’t sit through a presentation and you don’t have someone else to watch them, those facts should not be an excuse for not participating. Your voice is an important part of this meeting and that’s why there will be someone there to watch young kids while the adults talk about the future of our neighborhood.

Refreshments will also be provided for those attending this meeting.

Parking is available for this meeting in the lot at the Boys & Girls Club. If that lot fills up, additional parking will be available at the O’Live Church of God in Christ (16601 Tireman Ave.). The church is basically across the street from where this meeting will happen.

There is no cost or commitment for anyone to attend. I hope to see a lot of my neighbors in attendance this coming Wednesday evening.

Halloween coming to Rouge Park

Halloween - Illustration by Myriam Zilles

As previously reported on this blog, Detroit’s Halloween in the D program is coming to Rouge Park. Children across Warrendale and the surrounding neighborhoods are invited to the Brennan Pools Building (22340 Plymouth Rd.).

Volunteers will be on hand to help make sure that the youngest Detroiters have a spooky good time. Trick-or-treating will happen there from 5 - 8 p.m.

This, of course, leads directly to my second announcement that is related to Halloween in the D.

The nonprofit group Friends of Rouge Park is looking for volunteers to help make this event a safe and fun time for the children of Detroit. The more people who help out, the easier this will be on everyone. There are two different times next week when they will need people to help them with the Halloween program.

Volunteers are needed to help pack bags of candy for the children on Wednesday, October 23 from noon until approximately 5 p.m. Anyone who is willing and able to help should sign up via the link below and then come to the Brennan Pools Building that day.

The group will also need lots of help on Thursday, October for Halloween itself. From noon until 6 p.m., the group is looking to help with people who can help setting up for this event and staffing it. They will also need help that day with staffing this event and then breaking everything down later at night. This will needed from 4:30 - 10 p.m.

Anyone who is willing to volunteer to make Halloween in the D a safe and fun evening for the children of Detroit is asked to sign-up by clicking this link.

For more information, please contact Erica Hill, manager of special events and programming for Detroit’s Parks and Recreation Department. She can be reached at (313) 628-4203.

Friends of Rouge Park to meet this Tuesday

Friends of Rouge Park - Photo by Frank Nemecek

The nonprofit advocacy and service group Friends of Rouge Park will have a general membership meeting this coming Tuesday, October 15. It will start at 7 pm in the Westside Christian Academy (9540 Bramell St.) in Detroit.

Items likely to be on their agenda include the cleanup of the park's bike trail that members of RAI did earlier this month as well as:

• Upcoming tree planting on Saturday, November 2;
• Upcoming community conversation meeting next month; and
• Additional updates and discussion of Rouge Park.

Anyone who is interested in makig the largest park in Detroit an even better place is welcome to attend.

Halloween in the D

Detroit is gearing up for a spooky and fun Halloween, Mayor Mike Duggan outlined in his announcement last week at the 8th Police Precinct, which services the Warrendale neighborhood. The Department of Neighborhoods is the lead agency for making this happen. However, there will be a variety of partners supporting these programs.

In and around the Warrendale neighborhood, Rouge Park will be transformed into a Haunted Park for visitors on Thursday, October 31. D-DOT will also bring back its popular Haunted Bus There will also be Trick Or Treating at police stations, fire houses, and recreation centers across Detroit.

More information about Halloween in the D activites is available in the video embedded above.

Rouge Park offers 2 for 1 golf special for Detroit residents

Golf - Stock hoto by C. Flark

From now until October 13, residents of Detroit can enjoy 2 for 1 golfing at the Rouge Park Golf Course (11701 Burt Rd.). This offer is valid anytime except weekends before noon and includes both cart and green fees.

This is a great opportunity to explore the Rouge Park Golf Course, which is one of the great underappreciated gems of the Warrendale area and Detroit as a whole. There is also a similar deal at Chandler Park Golf Course for eastside neighbors.

In order to collect on this offer, Detroiters will have to present their drivers license or government-issued identification to confirm their residency. Only one of the two golfers needs to be a city resident for both to enjoy this 2 for 1 special.

For those who don't live in the city of Detroit, don't worry. The Rouge Park Golf Course has you covered as well. There is a $5 off coupon that is available on their website for our suburban neighbors.

Golfers can reserve their tee time by visiting this website. When you get to the course, please be sure to mention that you heard about this from the Warrendale Detroit Blog.

Now that there's this 2 for 1 special going on, I suppose this means all that's left for me to do is to somehow convince Paige Spiranac to join me on this golf outing.

View this post on Instagram

Had a blast at the @rocketclassic the last couple days! First time in Detroit and I loved it. I’ve never seen so many people so proud of their city and so passionate about this event. Thanks to all the people I’ve met who were so nice! I will definitely be coming back! @rocketmortgage @pgatour

A post shared by Paige Spiranac (@_paige.renee) on Jun 27, 2019 at 11:53am PDT

I know it's an incredible long shot for me to convice Paige Spiranac to join me on a golf outing. However, she has retired from professional golf and she did say how much she enjoyed visiting Detroit this past summer.

I know, long shot but a man can dream. Until then, I still have my discount on cart and green fees.

Rouge Park tree planting needs volunteers

Volunteers are needed for a tree-plantting in Rouge Park on Saturday, November 2 from 9 - 11 am. It will happen at the northern end of the park, near West Chicago and Trinity in Detroit. The exact location for volunteers to meet is still to be determined but all volunteers who register will get an update about this point.

This tree-planted effort is being coordinated by the Greening of Detroit and the Friends of Rouge Park. The groups are looking for a total of 20 volunteers who are available to help for two hours that day.

Any volunteers who are interested in planting trees in Detroit's largest park are asked to register online by clicking here.

Detroit police arrest man for reckless driving in Rouge Park

Tire marks in Rouge Park left by doing donuts - Photo by Detroit Police Department

A 25-year old male decided that it would be a cool idea to speed through Rouge Park and do donuts in the street. All of this happened on Saturday, June 29 near the Brennan Pools.

The Detroit Police Department, however, wasn't having it. He was arrested for reckless driving and his car was impounded. Police chief James Craig said in a statement on Twitter, "We are not going to tolerate this blatant disregard for public safety in our city. More to come."

The car being impounded - Photo by Detroit Police Department

I would like to thank the Detroit Police Department for their response. The Warrendale and surrounding neighborhoods are safer with this idiot off our streets.

Friends of Rouge Park to meet tomorrow

Rouge Park sign - Photo by Frank Nemecek

The non-profit advocacy group the Friends of Rouge Park will have their next general meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, May 21. This meeting will start at 7:00 pm and is expected to last approximately one hour.

The group will meet in the Westside Christian Academy (9540 Bramell St.). This is near West Chicago Rd. and Outer Drive.

Everyone who is interested in the future of the largest park in Detroit is welcome to attend this meeting.

Volunteers needed for Rouge Park clean up this Saturday

Volunteers are needed to clean up Rouge Park this Saturday - File photo

Rouge Park Appreciation Day, which is the largest local park clean up of the year, will happen this Saturday, May 18. This volunteer event is organized by the nonprofit Friends of Rouge Park as well as each of the other groups who utilize the park on a regular basis.

During this daylong event, volunteers will undertake multiple projects to maintain the largest park in Detroit and a valuable resource for the Warrendale neighborhood. This will include invasive species removal, picking up trash, planting, painting, and more.

All volunteers are appreciated, even if you are only able to help out for an hour or two. Anyone with questions about this event is asked to email RougePark@gmail.com. Volunteers can sign up to help by filling out this Google Form here.

On a personal note, I want to thank everyone in advance who is able to help out at this event. Your efforts truly make a huge difference in the Warrendale neighborhood as well as surrounding parts of Detroit.

Detroit police announce explosion training

Detroit Police - Stock photo from Pixabay

The Detroit Police Department announced this afternoon that their bomb squad will have three explosive effects training sessions later this spring that will happen in Rouge Park. During each of these sessions, the archery range will be closed to the public. Also, residents and visitors near the park may hear explosive sounds, which should not be cause for alarm.

The three training sessions for the Detroit Police Department will happen on:

1. Tuesday, May 7;
2. Tuesday, May 14; and
3. Tuesday, May 21.

Each of these three sessions will start at 7 a.m. and continue until 1 p.m. Again, residents and visitors near Rouge Park in Detroit should not be alarmed when they hear explosive sounds during any of these three time periods.

Friends of Rouge Park to meet tomorrow evening

Rouge Park on a foggy day in Detroit - Photo by Frank Nemecek

The non-profit advocacy group Friends of Rouge Park will have their next general meeting tomorrow evening. This meeting is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, January 15 at 6 p.m. It is expected to only last for approximately an hour.

This general meeting will happen at the Westside Christian Academy (9540 Bramell St). Everyone who is interested in the future of Rouge Park, which is the largest park in Detroit, is welcome to attend.

More information about the Friends of Rouge Park and their work in Detroit can be found on their website.

Monarch butterflies are in trouble

Monarch butterfly - Creative Commons photo courtesy of Wikimedia

A series of academic studies and news reports show that the monarch butterfly is in trouble.

A report published by the University of Florida showed that the number of monarch butterflies reaching their winter home from along the Atlantic coast has dropped by more than 80% since 2005. This report was written by Professor Hannah Vander Zanden of their Department of Biology and also appeared in the journal Animal Migration.

This echoes results published in National Geographic that focused more on western populations of the monarch butterfly, which also showed almost an 80% decline in their population. A third study by the researchers at the University of Texas-Austin showed similarily that these winged insects are in trouble.

I mention all of this because Michigan normally has a strong population of monarch butterflies. In fact, there are two areas in the Warrendale neighborhood of Detroit that have become strong habits for them. The Tall Grass Praire in Rouge Park is the largest and most strongly established one. Volunteers at the In Memory Of Community Garden at Minock and Whitlock Streets have also reported a growing population of these and other butterflies.

The fact that monarch butterflies - a winged insect that pollinates many other plants and enables them to continue growing - are in such trouble along with these two populations of monarch butterflies in Warrendale emphasizes, in my opinion, how important thee two programs are.

These programs are largely dormant for the winter but they will resume in spring, just in time for the surviving monarch butterflies to return to the Detroit area. While in Michigan, they will spend there summer here and hopefully lay enough eggs that to begin stabilizing their population.

The monarch butterfly in Rouge Park and at the community garden is, of course, one of the many stories that I will continue to follow in 2019.

Also, for my internatonal readers, may I suggest taking a look at "Protecting British Butterflies"by Chris Lee over on UP Gardner.

This post is a part of this blog's semi-regular Friday Focus series, which endeavors to highlight news and opinions that, in my opinion, don't get as much attention as they deserve. It's only because of scheduling challenges this week that my Friday Focus article is published on a Saturday afternoon.

Please follow this blog on Facebook for more great content. I'm also on Twitter and Instagram as @fnemecek.

Job opening with the Friends of Rouge Park

Stock illustration from Pixabay

Two important non-profits in the Warrendale area of Detroit are hiring a part-time project manager on a temporary basis. The Friends of Rouge Park, which strives to protect and enhance the largest park in Detroit, and Detroit Outdoors, which strives to connect the youth of this city to the natural world and who operates what used to be known as Scout Hollow in the park, are the two groups that are hiring for shared position.

Under the direction of the Friends of Rouge Park Board of Directors and the Detroit Outdoors Program Director, this Project Manager will assist both organizations in implementing their missions by planning and leading park events and volunteer activities, fundraising, marketing, community outreach and developing the partnerships needed to implement the FORP Master Plan.

Additional details about this position as well as information on how to apply can be found online here. The deadline to apply for this position is January 7, 2019.

Friends of Rouge Park to meet

Save Rouge Park sign - Photo by Frank Nemecek

The nonprofit advocacy group Friends of Rouge Park will hold their next general meeting on Tuesday, November 20. This gathering will happen from 6 - 7 p.m. in the Westside Christian Academy (9540 Bramell St.).

Items on the agenda for this meeting include updates on upcoming plans and goals for 2019 as well as an update on the Sorensen signage project. There will also be elections for the board of this organization.

Everyone who is interested in the future of the largest park in Detroit is welcome to attend this meeting.

Friends of Rouge Park to meet tomorrow

The Friends of Rouge Park, a nonprofit advocacy group that works for the betterment of the largest park in Detroit, will have a general membership meeting tomorrow evening. The group will meet at 6 pm at the Westside Christian Academy (9540 Bramell St.), which is near West Chicago and Outer Drive. Their meeting is expected to last approximately one hour.

The agenda for this meeting includes board elections for the group as well as:

• Opening of the Sorensen Interpretive Trail;
• Goals for 2019; and
• General updates on Rouge Park.

Anyone who is interested in the preserving and protected Rouge Park in Detroit is welcome to attend this meeting.