Memorial Day Blog

These flags at the Renaissance Center were at half mast this morning in memory of all veterans who died serving our country. The flags were at half mast until Noon, and then raised to full mast. I hope you all remember the reason for Memorial Day, which is to honor the memory of all who died while serving in the military. I went to Mass today, and offered today's mass for all that have served and are currently serving in the military. I also thought of my grandfathers, as well as my mom's uncle, who all served in the military.

Memorial Techno

I attended the Techno Festival downtown at Hart Plaza yesterday. The Techno Festival has been going on here in Detroit since 2000. It has all types of Techno from Drum 'n' Bass to Smooth Electronica. I've found out that I particularly like Drum 'n' Bass the best. This year's festival had the Ford Fiesta as its main sponsor. There were a few Fiestas there, including the one pictured. I enjoyed hearing all the music and getting down with other festival-goers. The festival will be going on until tomorrow night, so everyone will have a chance to get down there. They charge a $35 fee for a 1-day pass, and $70 fee for a weekend pass, and if you're paying by credit card, it'll be slightly higher at the door ($39 for a 1 day, and $76 for a weekender). The festival was the first festival at Hart Plaza to charge an entry fee in 2005. I've been going since 2003, when it was free. I'm not quite sure why they started charging in the first place, but I heard some years back that the organizers paid a percentage to the city from admission, presumably for setup, cleanup, garbage pickup, and other expenses. The music is really top-notch, so I don't mind paying the fee. I'll post more pictures from the Techno Fest soon.

Quick Friday entry

Just a quick entry this evening. Took a bike ride this evening around Comerica Park, where I saw many fans preparing for tonight's game. The theme tonite was Polish American Night, which has been a long tradition for the Tigers. The picture I post tonight was from the Tigers' Chinese New Year celebration back in April for the year of the Tiger. I enjoyed seeing everyone hanging out and having a great time :-) I like these two Tigers, they look like they're patrolling the ballpark as they usually are.

Memorial Day Weekend is approaching

Memorial Day is quickly approaching here in the US, and here in Detroit, many things are taking place. The annual "Movement" Electronic Music Festival will be at Hart Plaza from Saturday through Memorial Day on Monday. This year marks the Tenth year for the festival, held yearly since 2000 at Hart Plaza. They've charged for the festival since 2005.
Across the country, there will be many ceremonies and festivals honoring the memories of veterans who've passed away serving our country. Many cemeteries have ceremonies for Memorial Day and Veterans Day. In many communities, there are parades and different types of events to honor the memories of deceased veterans.

There will also be a game at Comerica Park on Monday afternoon for Memorial Day. The Tigers will host the Oakland A's at 1:05 PM on Memorial Day. I hear that there will be special hats that all the players will be wearing on Monday that will go to an outreach for Veterans. I hope you have a great weekend, and remember the cause for Memorial Day, as well.

YP Info

I finally found some info on the old Yellow Pages building that I wrote about a few days ago here in TWaSbL. It;s called the Michigan Bell and Western Electric Warehouse (click the link for the Wikipedia Page I found the info as I was looking around Wikipedia. The page says that Michigan Bell moved to the building in 1959, and left in 1999. As I posted earlier, my mom worked here in the 197os and 1980s. The big Yellow Pages sign must have been placed there in the '60s sometime. I found more info on the Michigan DNR Page from September of last year. it was approved as a state Historic site. I'm glad I found at least some info on the building, and look forward to finding more about it soon.

Pre-Memorial Day Blog

Memorial Day is coming up next Monday, May 31, here in the USA. It's a day where we remember all the men and women in uniform that passed serving our country. I try to say a prayer for all members of our military on that day. There are special ceremonies, church services, and other things around the country. According to the US Memorial Day website, it was originally called Decoration Day when it first started, because that was the day when people would decorate the graves of deceased veterans. I remember all my relatives who served in the military who are no longer with us. While you are out having fun and carrying out whatever plans you may have, remember all of our veterans who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

RenCen Cool down

Today was a nice day out, so I rode my bike along the riverfront downtown. When I got there, I saw many people cooling off at the water fountain and sitting along the riverfront and chatting with companions. The Riverfront park area near the RenCen, shown in these pictures, was dedicated in 2004. I like coming here to relax and be amongst everyone. Kids young and old like running through the fountains on a warm day to cool off, I like feeling the cool water from the fountain against my hand as I go by. I hope you get to go somewhere in this nice weather to relax and have fun

Yellow Pages and Sanders

These pictures that I post today are of a couple of historic and Iconic places known to many Metro Detroiters. The first two pictures are of the old Bell Telephone building on Oakman near the Lodge Freeway. The Yellow Pages sign once lit up and the time flashed on the top of the sign. Many people remember seeing the sign lit up while they were traveling on the freeway. This building was built in 1930, and from the looks of this sign, this was places sometime between the '50s and '70s. I have a personal connection to this building. My Mom worked here back in the days, and she would always tell me how nice it was to work here with her co-workers at the Yellow Pages.
This building once housed offices for Sanders confections. Now, The only sign that Sanders was here is an old sign for the Receiving entrance on the side of the building. The building is mainly vacant now. It reminds me of a school instead of an office building. I will research more on both buildings and update you all on them when I get more info.

Video Friday: Grammar Rock Nouns

This is a video I found on YouTube. Many people posted the Schoolhouse Rock videos to YouTube. This is one that was uploaded by one of many users on YouTube. I have some old Schoolhouse Rock tapes that my dad got when I was a kid. This continues to remind me that a Noun is a person, place or thing, and to not forget what I learned in my English classes at school :-P

Sailing along

Boating season is here, and I've seen many boats along the Detroit River so far this month, both pleasure and for commerce. I like seeing all the boats that are going to different destinations and come along the Detroit River. There are boats from Canada and the US that come along the river, one being Canadian Steamship Lines. Whenever I see boats along the river, I think of the Beach Boys song "Sail On, Sailor", from the early 1970s. I looked around YouTube for the song, and many people had posted both the live and recorded versions to the song. This is one of my favorite songs, and makes me think of all the boaters on the river sailing along.This picture was taken during the Downtown Hoedown on May 15. It shows many boaters
fishing and cruising along the river. I hope you boat safely if you go to the waterways across the nation to boat for any reason.

Hart Plaza History

This picture of the Hart Plaza dedication plaque is most popular on my Flickr Page, so I decided to write a blog entry and add some pictures about it. Hart Plaza is named for former US Senator Philip Hart, who passed in 1976. It was dedicated on May 18, 1978, Thirty two years ago yesterday. Many of the city officials listed on this plaque are no longer with us. The Fountain, which is named for Horace Dodge (click the name to see some pictures from the Detroit1701 site), was built from 1972-1979, according the website for the Noguchi Museum, which is dedicated to the works of Isamu Noguchi, who co-designed Hart Plaza . The circular top of the fountain shoots water, as well, but when I last saw it shooting water, it was a couple of years ago or so. The statue of Antoine Cadillac was placed in 2001 in celebration of Detroit's Tricentennial. There's a plaque nearby, which is written in English and in French, as well. According to the plaque, Cadillac came from Montreal and founded Detroit in late July 1701.

Plaque on the Overpass

I'm taking a walk late last month, and I come upon this plaque on an overpass crossing the Lodge Freeway (M-10) in downtown Detroit. I've noticed them for a while, and after reading them, I saw that these were plaques that said that these were constructed by the authority of the State and County Highway Departments and the city. This bridge in particular was built in the early 1950s. The freeway was built in the 1950s, and is one thoroughfare from downtown into the suburbs. There are a couple of bus routes that travel the Lodge during rush hours during the week. There are more plaques along the freeway like this one. Many, if not all, are greened (they were originally Bronze) due to time and the elements.

The Crowd and Detroit loves you!

I'm continuing to look at my Hoedown pictures from this past Saturday. There was a good turnout this year for the Hoedown, and everyone seemed to be enjoying their time. The crowd shot was taken at the main stage. There would be more people there. The Ampitheatre area is a good area for people to hear the music and to see the acts on stage. The area that was cordoned off was used for VIP seating. I remember when this are was used for dancing and for some VIP seating, as well. The country station gave out these neat "Detroit Loves You" signs to hold up when the artists came on stage. I still have my sign, shown here. I saw many people with these signs around Hart Plaza. Maybe I'll see more of these signs throughout the summer during festival season.

Downtown Hoedown 2010

I attended the Downtown Hoedown yesterday, which is Detroit's Country Music Festival. It's been going on for 28 years now, and it's always well-attended. This year's schedule featured Dierks Bentley, the Zac Brown Band, and hometowner Uncle Kracker. It was a Great time with lots of good music. I liked hearing all the bands that performed at the festival. I've been attending the Hoedown since 2003, mainly to find something to do around town. I've been going ever since then. This is one of many festivals coming up this summer. The Techno Festival is the next festival, which is Memorial Day Weekend.

YouTube Film Friday: 1980 Orig Mickey Mouse Club Reunion TV Special Musical Tribute

I saw this YouTube video as I was looking around the site today. It's of the 1950's Mousketeers at a reunion special in 1980. It has a tribute to the two adult Mousketeers, Jimmie Dodd and Roy Williams, who had passed when this originally aired. I like the Fun With Music dance number, as well as all the songs. My parents grew up watching the '50s Mousketeers, as well as many Baby Boomers and people born during World War II.

Lauren's Random Thursday

I'm just cruising around the internet today, reading some of the articles in the newspapers and all. I've read articles around the Internet(and saw on TV, as well) that many of the Tigers have new Mohawk 'dos, courtesy of one of the Tigers. Don't Believe me? Here's the proof in today's Detroit Free Press This year's Tigers team seem to be a pretty fun group that enjoys the company of their teammates. Also, as I'm cruising around YouTube, I'm looking at various videos, and found the music for my favorite hymn, "Immaculate Mary". It's my favorite hymn to sing.

Tiger Stadium '07 and '10

Here are two pictures of Tiger Stadium that I took the past few years. The picture on the left was taken in June of 2007, and the picture on the right was taken back in March of this year. The ads in the picture on the left were from a club that Budweiser hosted during the Super Bowl in 2006. The Friends of Tiger Stadium tried to save the stadium, and the late Ernie Harwell was on the board for the Tiger Stadium Conservancy I think of the stadium, and remember the good times Detroiters spent, and the only time I attended a Tiger game there.

Fatima Apparitions

I'm currently watching the replay of the Papal Mass in Lisbon, Portugal. The Pope is there for, according to the Vatican's Website, the anniversary of the beatification of Jacinta and Francisco, two of the children who witnessed the Fatima apparition in 1917. They were accompanied by their cousin, Lucia. They had the first apparition when they were doing their daily work. Jacinta and Francisco were very young when they passed in the early part of the 20th century. I post this picture of Mary in celebration of the event.

Gomidas and Ford Auditorium

Here are a couple of pictures that I took on Saturday that I'd like to share with you all today. These are new angles and an overlooked statue that I saw. Here is the old Ford Auditorium from the Atwater side of the building. This is near the new Port of Detroit downtown on the riverfront. This is an angle that many people have taken pictures of. My late mother told me that she had her prom here back in the late 1960s. The auditorium closed in the 1990s. Here are some pictures from the Wayne State Virtual Motor City of Ford Auditorium from its heyday. This picture is of a statue near Hart Plaza and the entrance to the Lodge Freeway downtown from Detroit's Armenian community that's dedicated to all who died during the 1915 Armenian Genocide. This is the first time I've really gotten a close look at this. I've seen this statue in passing and wondered who this statue depicts. A quick search on Wikipedia finds that this statue depicts Komitas Vardapet ( Gomitas Vardabed in Western Armenian), who, according to the Komitas Virtual Museum website, he was a member of the Clergy, and was involved in Music.

Greektown Blog '10

Here's a picture I took yesterday in Greektown (visit their website at http://www.visitgreektown.com/) . There are plenty of new restaurants and attractions here, as well as the new Greektown Casino-Hotel, which is the blue building on the far end of the block. Take a stroll through and have a bite to eat at one of the many restaurants, have a drink at one of the bars, or even worship at Second Baptist Church (the church I'm standing next to when I took this picture), Old St. Mary's Catholic Church (the steples are seen beyond the stoplight), or Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral. The Five Guys restaurant just opened up in late March, and it's been a good crowd stopping in to have a bite to eat during the week and on weekends. It was densly populated when I took this picture, but when the Tigers, Lions or Red Wings have a home game, or there is a festival or other special event downtown, it's usually bustling with activity. There are various ways to get to and from Greektown. It's accessible by the top streets, and I-75 is right nearby. There's a People Mover station adjacent to Greektown Casino, located inside Trappers' Alley, and it's 50 cents to ride. There's also the Ouzo Cruizo, which is the Greektown Shuttle, and shuttles from Fishbones restaurant and The Old Shillelagh, located just west of where this picture was taken on Beaubien and Monroe. I hope you get to visit here sometimes. I enjoy coming here.

Former Wurlitzer Building

Here are a couple of pictures I took of the old Wurlitzer building at the end of last month. This building housed offices for Wurlitzer Organs and Jukeboxes. The Fox theatre downtown has one of these organs installed. According to the building's SkyscraperPage profile, it was finished in the mid 1920's, and is built in the Renaissance style. There are some interesting styles underneath the windows there, and as you can see in the picture on the left up top, someone got in and painted pictures in the windows. W . For more info and some pics of the building, check out the OnlynDetroit Blog, which has some interior shots of the building, and also the Wikipedia page for some basic info.

Visitation Day

Today was the visitation for the late Ernie Harwell at Comerica Park. Many people, myself included, paid their respects today, and more will until the gates close this evening at Midnight. The mood around the ballpark was respectful, and quiet at times. The Tigers general manager was there this morning when I got there, greeting the fans after they passed the casket of Mr. Harwell. I said a prayer as I passed the Casket and a rosary after I left the stadium. There was a card out front where people could leave their sentiments for the Harwell family. Many people have warm memories of Mr. Harwell that they shared, as well as "Thanks for the Memories" messages. I read in the paper that this will be the only public event, and no public memorial service will be held. Many people offered prayers for Mr. Harwell and his family and friends.

RIP to Ernie Harwell (1918-2010)

I'm currently reading some articles on MLB.com about the passing of Ernie Harwell last night. He had incurable bile duct cancer. I stopped at Comerica Park today to pay my respects and to say a short prayer. I was shocked and saddened when I heard of his passing yesterday. My prayers are with his family and close friends that knew him the best. I pray that the Lord gives him rest and brings Mr. Harwell closer to Him in Heaven. There's a viewing at Comerica Park tomorrow (May 6) for all who may want to pay their respects. There will not be a public memorial service for him, and I read in the paper that the funeral will be private. Rest in Peace, Mr. Harwell. Everyone misses you dearly.

Mary, Fu-Te Ni and Red Wings, Oh My!

It's May, and I thought about the month of May being the Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Catholic Faith. Us Catholics honor Mary as the mother of our Savior, and a popular devotion is the Rosary. Here's a link from the Marist Messenger of a few Marian traditions that are popular and some feast days in May dedicated to Mary.
For all of my fellow Tiger Fans, especially my Taiwanese readers, here are a couple of pictures of Fu-Te Ni that were taken this past Saturday at the game. He currently sports a 1.54 ERA and fifteen strikeouts of as of Tonight (May 4, 2010). Fu's doing a great job with the Tigers, so we all have a reason to be pretty proud of him :-D

The Red Wings are playing San Jose this evening downtown at Joe Louis Arena :-D Go Wings! THey're behind, 2 games to 0, but I feel confident that they'll bring their "A" Game and advance in the playoffs