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Here's what you should know as you start your day.
Remember last summer's "Life Remodeled" home build in the Olde Towne neighborhood of Farmington Hills? Over the past week, organizers posted a video on the YouTube.com social media website that includes a look at the complete project, from the repairs and clean-up done on homes throughout the neighborhood, to time-lapse video of the build and comments from the new homeowners. Take four minutes to view the inspiring video posted above. To see what's happening in Farmington and Farmington Hills today, check the list of events posted on our calendar. We've also included events later in the …
Farmington Public Schools officials have approved a facilities plan designed to carry the district into the future. But what about the schools that are part of Farmington's past? The photo above shows Farmington Union School, which was located in the area of School and Thomas Streets in Farmington. Built in 1888, the two-story brick building was destroyed by fire in 1918. In the monograph, "Farmington, Michigan in the early 1900s", reports that the school's operating expenses in 1909 were "Teachers $2,150, fuel $111, janitor $200, loan $300, and miscellaneous $288." You can read the…
Even though Monday is a federal holiday, trash and recyclables collection will go on as usual today, as will business at Farmington city hall. Farmington Hills city hall and U.S. Postal Service branches in Farmington Hills and Farmington will be closed. There will be no mail delivery today. Both the Farmington Community Library Main Library and Farmington branch are open today. Farmington Public Schools students are enjoying their winter break this week, so school buildings are closed. Take a look at what else is going on today, along with a list of events for which you'll have to register…
Area residents Virgil Thilz, Harvey Hershey, John Shalholub and Norman Berger all share their memories of serving during World War II in a video posted this week at YouTube.com. User swoccstudios1 shares videos produced by SWOCC Studios, home to the Farmington, Farmington Hills and Novi city channels, and public access television for all three communities. Take a look at the 6-minute video, then check out the events for which you'll need to register or buy tickets, along with today's happenings: Today Top Shelf Reads (7 p.m.) Farmington Rotary Queen of Hearts Raffle (9 p.m.) Look ahead "…
It's time to sign up for the annual Princesses and Super Heroes Fantasy Fun Night held at the Costick Center March 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. This event, which sells out every year, will feature music, dancing, face painting, crafts, a moonwalk bouncer, and much more! A kid-friendly buffet dinner sponsored by Busch’s Fresh Food Market will include hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, snacks, and drinks. Register by March 1 at the Costick Center, 28600 W. 11 Mile Road in Farmington Hills or online at https://recreg.fhgov.com. Here are more events for which you'll need to register or buy tickets, along with…
A 28-second video posted on a social media sharing site shows what it's like to speed down the sledding hill on Shiawassee and Farmington Road. YouTube.com user mommynetworkofmi posted the video on Feb. 8. The user's channel also includes a review of the new Sky Ropes course, which opened last year at the Farmington Tennis Club. Once you've taken a virtual ride down the sledding hill, take a look at the events on today's calendar, along with those later in the week for which you'll have to RSVP or purchase tickets: Today Farmington Rotary Lunch (11:45 a.m. - guest speaker Michael Angelo …
The Michigan Department of Education will release the results today of Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) standardized tests taken by Farmington Public Schools students in the fall of 2012. Come back to Farmington-Farmington Hills Patch after 10 a.m. to learn how local students did in reading, writing, math, social studies and science. In the meantime, check out this list of today's big events, along with those for which you'll have to purchase tickets or register later in the week: Today Join Botsford’s "Start-Smart" Weight-Loss Workshop (registration required - 5:30 p.m.) Open…
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" for the students at School of Rock in Farmington, who performed Motown classics on Jan. 27 at John Cowley & Sons. YouTube.com user SchoolofRock Farmington posted videos of the student performances on the social media sharing site this week. They also covered artists like Stevie Wonder, the Jackson 5 and Barrett Strong. Learn more about the school by reading Get Ready to Rock: Music School Opens in Farmington. Then check out the list of big events on the Patch calendar today, along with events for which you'll need to register or buy tickets later in the week: …
Remember when we were talking about how low gas prices were in December? Well, those days are over. According to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report, the price for a gallon of regular gas in metro Detroit has jumped by more than 39 cents since the beginning of January. The trend reflects record-setting increases nation-wide, AAA Federal Relations Manager Avery Ash writes: "The 17-cent increase since last Monday is the most dramatic one-week spike in nearly two years and the twentieth largest weekly increase of the 21st century." Find low Farmington-area gas prices on our Commute page. And …
Farmington Hills resident Pat O'Neill pulled out a camera Sunday morning as two coyotes wandered through the Independence Commons subdivision. O'Neill, who captured one of them in clear photos submitted to Farmington-Farmington Hills Patch, wasn't the only resident to report a coyote sighting over the weekend. Linda Weber, who lives just south of the Oakland Community College Orchard Ridge campus, said she and her husband spotted one in their backyard Sunday. We've added the two locations to a map that shows coyote sightings in Farmington and Farmington Hills. If your location is not listed…
A group of downtown Farmington merchants hope you'll slip into your faerie finery and join them Feb. 16 for the Sun, Moon and Stars Faerie Ball, held at Grand Celebrations on Grand River in Farmington. The dance caps off the Farmington Faerie Gathering, which includes a faerie door scavenger hunt, Faerie Fayre and two faerie teas Feb. 14-16. Admission to the Ball, which is open only to those 21 and older, includes an open bar, light hors d'oeuvres, a costume contest and the crowning of a King and Queen. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased on the event website. Other events include: A …
The weather may be blustery, but the Farmington Downtown Development Authority (DDA) staff is already well into planning for the 2013 Founders Festival, held July 19-20. Applications are being accepted from crafters, commercial businesses, food vendors and nonprofits for the event. In addition, Memorial Park on Grand River west of Farmington Road will be home to Wags-n-Whiskers, reserved for dog-related vendors. All applications can be downloaded from the Farmington DDA website. To get you in the mood for this year's festival, take a look at the 2012 parade, featured in today's Youtube.com …
A group of downtown Farmington merchants have asked Downtown Development Authority officials to consider changes to the popular Farmington Farmers and Artisans Market, which is open Saturdays May through early November at the Walter E. Sundquist Farmington Pavilion and Riley Park. We've rounded up suggestions made in comments on our initial story, as well as on our Facebook page. Tell us in today's poll which option you support or share your thoughts with a comment. Then take a look at what's on our calendar today, as well as a list of events for which you'll have to register or buy a …
For those who know their way around Farmington, today's mystery photo should be a snap to identify. If you know where it was taken, leave your guess in a comment below. Later today, we'll reveal the location. In the meantime, browse through the list of events going on today, as well as those for which you'll have to register later in the week: Today Donate Shoes 4 BDF Cat Rescue Fundraiser (all day) Farmington Rotary Lunch (11:45 a.m.) One Step Aweigh meetings (7 p.m.) Farmington School Board Meets (7:30 p.m.) Look Ahead Free Caregiver Training Offered in Farmington Hills (Wednesday) Toxic…
Talented North Farmington High vocalists and musicians are featured in videos from the school's Jan. 19 and 20 coffee house concerts, posted last week at YouTube.com. Nine performances can be viewed on the social media video sharing website, from a comic duet by brothers Avery and Evan Rausch, to a stirring rendition of the ballad "At Last", by Natalie Porretta. Some will be available on iTunes.com. Once you've listened to the music, browse through the list of events going on today, as well as those for which you'll have to register later in the week: Today Donate Shoes 4 BDF Cat Rescue …
Video from a recent charity contra dance hosted by 2011 Miss Farmington Elise Newcomer made its way to the YouTube.com social media website this week. YouTube user John Newsome posted the video of a dance held at the American Legion Groves-Walker Post #346 to raise funds for charitable causes. The event featured in the video collected $410 for a family in northwest Detroit whose home is in foreclosure. When she started holding the events in 2011, Newcomer told Farmington-Farmington Hills Patch that contra dancing is an activity that can be enjoyed by anyone, with or without a partner. …
If you have ideas for revitalizing the Grand River corridor in Farmington and Farmington Hills, a group of local volunteers wants to hear them. The Grand River Corridor Improvement Authority boards in both cities will host a public visioning meeting today at the Costick Center in Farmington Hills. If you can't attend, they've also set up an online survey. Or you can attend one of their 7:30 a.m. meetings at the Jon Grant Community Center in Farmington Hills, on the fourth Thursday of each month. One of the large properties currently vacant along the corridor is the former H.A. Smith Lumber …
Harrison High School dancers didn't have much space to work with as they performed during Monday's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration at the Farmington Community Library, and they used every inch. Dancers performed three works during their 2 p.m. performance in the Main Library second floor auditorium, which previewed their Feb. 8 winter concert. Director Toi Banks said in addition to guest choreographer Melissa Rector of The Koresh Dance Company in Philadelphia, dancers will perform works created by alumnae Tiffany Norris, a senior at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and …
The family pictured in today's mystery photo is part of a sculpture that's on display somewhere in Farmington Hills. If you think you know where we took this photograph, leave your guess with a comment below. Then take a look at the events on our calendar today, along with a list of events for which you'll need to register or buy tickets later in the week. Today Donate Shoes 4 BDF Cat Rescue Fundraiser (all day) Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (9 a.m.) Look ahead Relief for Sinus Sufferers (Tuesday) Kindle e-reader class (Tuesday) Should You Take a Lump-Sum Pension Buyout Offer? (Tuesday) …
It's official: The Trader Joe's Farmington Hills location is closed, and the store's new location in Bloomfield Township is already drawing big crowds. What would you like to see in the space left behind in the mall at 14 Mile and Northwestern? Could that area use another grocery store? How about a new restaurant or an entertainment venue? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment, then take a look at some of the big events happening today, as well as events later this week for which you'll need to register or purchase tickets: Today Toastmasters International (9 a.m.) Free Caregiver …
