Riley Rocks!

Riley Skate Park has made Farmington Hills a popular destination for area skateboarding enthusiasts.

Ollies and kick flips, the boneless and the late shove it, grinds and nollies – if these words are foreign to you, spend an afternoon hanging out at Riley Skate Park and get an extreme sport education. They're all names of skate board tricks, and at Riley you can watch experts and novices alike perfect their skateboarding and in-line skating skills. Or, try it yourself if you daydream of being the next X Games superstar! The skate park is just inside the gates of Founders Sports Park on Eight Mile Road in Farmington Hills. Designed by local skateboarders, Site Design Group and Grindline, the 29,000-square-foot, all-concrete park opened in 2009 and is maintained by the City of Farmington Hills. Riley Skate Park is considered the best in …

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What's New at the Nature Center?

From bees to tadpoles, you'll find something new at the Nature Discovery Center in Farmington Hills.

Now that spring really has sprung, there's a lot going on at the Nature Discovery Center in Farmington Hills' Heritage Park: For more information about the Nature Center and about summer camps offered by the City of Farmington Hills, visit fhgov.com Correction: The red-bellied woodpecker pictured in our gallery was incorrectly identified in the initial version of this story.

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Flying Fish Fuel Festivities

The Nordkap Lodge of the Sons of Norway hosts a festive Norwegian Constitution Day celebration Saturday in Farmington Hills.

Saturday's rainy weather didn't dampen the spirits of attendees at the annual Norwegian Constitution Day celebration sponsored by Nordkap Lodge of the Sons of Norway. The event was held at the Swedish Club on Ruth Street in Farmington Hills. The day began with an informal parade around the grounds, with many people in traditional Norwegian dress or carrying Norwegian flags and featuring traditional Scandinavian music. Next, the group assembled inside the facility, and sang three national anthems - those of the United States, Canada and Norway (sung in Norweigian). After an address by Dennis Flessland, Consul of Norway for Michigan, the crowd enjoyed a meal complete with Norwegian specialties and music. Perhaps the most anticipated event of…

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Undoubtedly A Great Theatre Experience

SRO Theatre in Southfield presents "Doubt: A Parable" featuring Farmington Hills actor Maggie Gilkes.

Doubt: A Parable is a brilliantly compelling, Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play by John Patrick Shanley. The show is being presented by SRO Theatre in Southfield beginning Friday, April 29 and is a must see for area theatre lovers. Never heard of SRO? You're not alone. SRO Theatre is a nearly unknown jewel of a theatre located in a restored 1854 church on the gorgeous grounds of Southfield's Burgh Historical Park. Located just a block east of Telegraph Road near I-696, the theatre is very convenient for Farmington and Farmington Hills residents. Set in a parochial school in 1964, Doubt is essentially a battle of wills between autocratic, rigid Sister Aloysius and the younger, doctrinally flexible Father Flynn. Sister Aloysius is …

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Harrison Football Players Read at Lanigan

A group from the state championship team visits classrooms to push literacy.

Harrison High alumna Debby Kuna was delighted to see members of her alma mater's championship football team reading to students in her Lanigan Elementary kindergarten classroom Wednesday. "(The students) look up to them," she said. "It's fun for them to hear a different voice reading to them and have a different person come in." Principal Rob Kauffman said the idea to invite the football players came as the result of a discussion with Harrison principal Aaron Johnson and academic dean Angela Leach. "We started brainstorming ways we could support each other," Kauffman said. "One of the simplest things we came up with right away was to bring their students here." Kauffman said one of Lanigan's "areas of concern" is that many boys struggle …

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Fore! It's Time For Spring Golf at Glen Oaks

Glen Oaks County Golf Course provided a cure for the winter blues last Sunday as players from duffers to scratch golfers dusted off their clubs and hit the links.

Sunday, April 10 brought temperatures near 80 degrees and loads of sunshine to Farmington and Farmington Hills. The wonderful weather had golfers hauling their clubs out of storage and heading to Glen Oaks County Golf Course for a much anticipated first round of the season. According to golf legend Bobby Jones, "Golf is a game played on a five inch course – the distance between your ears."  That is undoubtedly true, and a pleasantly challenging course can only make a golfer's mental state and the game better. Glen Oaks is a lovely 18-hole, Par 70 course complete with rolling hills, three Par 3 holes that cross streams and a distinctly bucolic feel, which is surprising given that it's in a suburban area. The course spreads over 122 acres …

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Jan Cartwright

10:26 am on Friday, April 15, 2011

Thanks, Bryce! Thanks for reading Patch and taking some time to comment!   more ›

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Producing The Producers

Hold on to your hats! The Farmington Players are in rehearsal for their production of the multiple Tony Award-winning musical.

At the Farmington Players Barn, things are hopping as the troupe prepares for its upcoming spring musical, The Producers. Based on Mel Brooks' hilarious 1968 film by the same name, the musical was one of the most popular hits in Broadway history and won a record 12 Tony Awards during its New York run. With the book by Brooks and Thomas Meeham and music/lyrics also by Brooks, the show is faithful to the film and in some respects is even funnier. The show was released for production by community theater companies just a couple of years ago, and the Barn jumped at the challenge to bring this show to life. In a nutshell, The Producers tells the story of Max Bialystock, a scheming, smarmy (now-failed) Broadway producer desperately seeking a hit…

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Quilting for a Cause

Farmington Library Quilters create fabric heirlooms while enjoying conversation and camaraderie.

On the first Monday evening of every month, the second-floor auditorium at the Farmington Community Library Main Library is filled with laughter, fellowship and piles of colorful fabric, as the Farmington Library Quilters work their magic. The group, founded by Ruth Ann Carter of Farmington Hills in September 2008, has grown from six women to more than 36. Membership is open to anyone interested in quilting, from rank beginners to experienced quilters. The group does not operate as a traditional guild; there are no dues to pay or bylaws to follow. It's simply a friendly spot to work on personal projects and learn from fellow enthusiasts. The quilters are in the midst of creating a colorful "raffle quilt," a collaborative project that will …

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Imagination Theatre, Etc. Rocks the Library

Families bring dinner and stay for a show at the Farmington Community Library Theater Picnic Wednesday.

Imagine Theatre, Etc. – Janet Marie and m'Archibald – delighted an audience of parents, grandparents and children Wednesday at the Farmington Community Library Main Library. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library, the Troy-based duo performed an array of new and classic children's songs that kept everyone on their toes.

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Celebrating St. Patrick's Day

Lots of wearin' o' the green in Farmington and Farmington Hills today.

From Grand Tavern in Farmington Hills, to the streets of Farmington, we found people getting their green on, in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. While we started out early this morning, many locations we visited had plans for activities throughout the day. Check back for more photos, and feel free to add your own.

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