VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1

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Town gearing up for a tasty celebration of the past at Elizabeth Park

TRENTON

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Rotary seeks host families

Send us your news items!

Trenton Rotary Club is looking for residents interested in becoming a host family for foreign exchange students. Op-portunities are avail-able for both the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 school years. Call 676-4838 for details.

A music culture that includes opportunities to learn how to play an instru-ment and participate in band in elementary school are viewed as key fac-tors in the growth and success of the Trenton High band.

School district’s music culture produces big band era at THS

Welcome to the first issue of the Trenton Trib! After a year of pub-lishing the bi-monthly Trenton Tribute news-paper, Kathy Kane has partnered with Joe Hoshaw Jr. of HPR Media & Promotional Services LLC in order to expand to a monthly free community news-paper. The result is a new name and a new look for the publication, which will continue to be available at numer-ous businesses throughout town as well as by limited home delivery to alternating neighborhoods. “We’re excited to be able to be able to ex-pand to a monthly for-

mat,” Kane said. “We’re looking forward to be-ing able to provide ad-ditional local news cov-erage plus additional advertising options.” The publication also has kicked off a new Website, www.trentontrib.com. Some of the additional advertising and promo-tional services include Website banners, online social network opportunities and search engine expo-sures. As co-publishers, Kane will manage the business affairs and Hoshaw will manage the editorial content. Kane is also the owner of Market Insights, a full-service marketing

RItrenton

B B T T Inside this issue ■ Around Town ……………………………. Page 3 ■ Interesting Neighbors …….…..…..... Page 4 ■ Who’s Pooch? …………….….….….….. Page 5 ■ Schools ………………………….…..……. Page 8 ■ Business ………………..………………. Page 10 ■ Sports ……………………………………..Page 11 ■ Bulletin Board ………………….…….. Page 14

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Trenton’s favorite late-summer events, A Taste of Trenton & Beyond and Somewhere in Time, are team-ing up again to fill Elizabeth Park with the aroma of great food and the sights and sounds of years gone by. Prior to last year, the Taste was held on Third Street in front of City Hall. The combination of the

two popular events was something that had been dis-cussed for a while. In the estimation of most attendees, the change last year was defi-nitely a positive step. So the sepa-rate organizing

committees for both the Taste and Somewhere in time are gearing up to do it again from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 19. It will mark the 19th year for Taste and the 26th anniversary for Somewhere In Time. The Taste of Trenton & Beyond is expecting to fea-

See Page 2

Carol East (left) and Shirley Yoas in period garb at last year’s event.

Ilene Flanagan photo

BY RICK SCHULTE trentontrib.com

When the home football stands empty out before halftime, don’t blame it on indifference. Blame it on a boom-ing band program. This season, more than 140 students will suit up for the Trenton High School marching band. And in a school of around 940 students, that means a whopping 15 percent of the student body participates in the band program. Michael Kurilko started running the band program in the fall of 1987. He has overseen its growth over the years in number and stature. “The band itself has 144 members,” Kurilko said. “I also have some jazz band kids, pep band, and I also teacher guitar at the high school.” The result has been a musical cul-ture in the district. While Trenton is well known for its success in athletics, the school is also renowned for its band and music program. It’s also not a coin-cidence Trenton has a stellar reputation for academics, ranked as one of the top districts in Wayne County. “It takes a fair amount of personal commitment to learn to play a musical instrument,” Kurilko said. “Being able to play in an ensemble, that personal discipline translates over to academics. It’s a similar type of learning.”

The school year, in essence, starts early for the band kids. The band camp, free from outside distractions, allows its members to set the tone both musically but in performing its routines. “It’s absolutely one of the most in-tense, important things we do,” Kurilko said. “Even though we are an ensemble, we have to play as a student group. There are things we practice in August, musically, that gets everyone ready to play for the rest of the year.” In competitions, that hard work pays off. Last year Trenton placed first in a band competition at Woodhaven, and was third in competitions at West Bloomfield and Durand. It also pays off in creating a positive buzz about the band program. Kurilko oversees the band at the elementary and middle school levels, which has proven to be a fertile training ground for the high school program. Kurilko wanted to be sure to give credit to the large legion of volunteers, who do a wide variety of duties. Not only do they help out at band camp, but their presence can be felt at band com-petitions, football games and concerts. “There’s a core of people who will always be there, but the parents are really interested in what we do,” he said. “We meet at the Westfield Center

Trenton Educational Foundation photo

See Page 9

The deadline for our October issue is Sept. 15.

Homes sought for cats and kittens

The Trenton Trib welcomes reader sub-missions of event list-ings, articles, photos and other items of pos-sible interest. Please send your submissions to info@trentontrib.com.

Auditions are planned for Sept. 12 for the an-nual “Scarecrow Idol” competition that will be held during the Scare-crow Festival in October in downtown Trenton. Call 675-7325 to sched-ule an audition or visit the Scarecrow Festival Website at www.scarecrowfestival. net for more details.

Oct. 4 is last day to register to vote

Residents who want to vote in the Nov. 2 general election need to be registered by Oct. 4. Registration can be made at the City Clerk’s office at City Hall. Absentee ballots also are available at City Hall for voters who are unable to go the polls on election day.

Talent needed for ‘Scarecrow Idol’

The animal shelter for Trenton-Woodhaven is in desperate need of homes for cats and kit-tens. Call 675-4956 for information. The shel-ter is open to the public most week days.

Page 2 The Trenton Trib September 2010

The Trenton Trib in an independent newspaper published monthly

by Trenton Trib LLC in Trenton, Mich.

Kathy Kane Co-Publisher & Business Manager

Joe Hoshaw Jr. Co-Publisher & Editor

Advertising Sales Kathy Kane, Christina Gurtowsky

Contributing Writers Christina Gurtowsky, Joe Hoshaw Jr.,

Kathy Kane, Linda Pastor, Kelly Self, Rick Schulte, Ryan Hoshaw

Contributing photographers Ilene Flanagan, Paul Thompson

Our Mission: “Serve as Trenton’s preferred source for hometown news and information.”

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company. Hoshaw’s busi-ness provides publicity and publication develop-ment services. Both com-panies are located in Trenton and the part-ners are also both long-time residents of the city. The monthly Trenton Trib will continue con-centrating almost exclu-sively on Trenton news and information, empha-sizing the community’s positive attributes with an interesting and uplift-ing approach. Kane launched the original publication with the goal of providing a news outlet that focuses solely on the city of Trenton, its residents and business owners. “This partnership enhances our ability to fulfill that goal and de-velop a stronger pres-ence in the community,” Kane said. “You could classify us as a specialty publication – but our specialty is Trenton.” Under the new monthly format the pub-lication Trenton Trib LLC will continue to print and distribute 3,000 copies per issue. The publication accepts display and classified

We’ve gone monthly! From Page 1

ture about15 area res-taurants. It will also offer its own entertainer this year in addition to the entertainment pro-vided by Somewhere in Time. Longtime favorite “one-man-band” Terry Stevenson will return to perform throughout the day under the big tent where the restaurants will be housed. Taste of Trenton and Beyond Chair Meg But-kowski said the commit-tee opted not to have Stevenson last year be-cause Somewhere in Time already had it’s own entertainment lineup. “But since we really couldn’t hear it in the (food) tent, we have hired Terry this year,” Butkowski said. “We will also have two ticket booths, one at each end of the tent.” Overall, though, the move to the park proved a huge success for the Taste. “It was wonderful last year,” Butkowski said. “Our vendors sold out of food; Rotary sold out of beverages. Just like be-ing on Third Street many people came and stayed for hours. We have all had very favor-able comments on hav-ing us in the park. Being in such a beautiful area only adds to the fun day everyone has. We look

City gears up for tasty trip into past at Elizabeth Park From Page 1

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forward to another suc-cessful day in the park.” Somewhere in Time, cosponsored by Wayne County Parks and Tren-ton Parks and Recrea-tion, recreates an early 20th century Elizabeth Park setting, featuring period garb, old-time entertainment and old-fashioned games, arts and crafts, a bake sale, a children’s area and river cruises on the Diamond Jack River Boat Tours. With the scenic De-troit River as a back-drop, visitors can enjoy an old-fashioned outdoor picnic by sampling the delicious cuisine pre-pared by the area's fin-est restaurateurs. The Diamond Jack River Boat Tours will depart every hour from 1-4 p.m. Attendees also can take a “Walk through Automotive Time,” and view an ex-panded selection of vin-tage automobiles that will be on hand for all to see. If two wheels are more your speed, be sure to stop by the antique bicycle display. For horseshoe enthusiasts, an old-fashioned horse-shoe blind doubles tour-nament is set for noon. Bring your shoes and register beginning at 11 a.m. Pony rides also add to the early 1900s nos-talgia. For the younger set, an expanded lineup of

children's entertainment is scheduled throughout the day at the Children's Entertainment Center. Doc Steele’s Old-Time Medicine Show will roll in to keep everyone en-tertained. This living history performance, dedicated to the old wagon variety shows of the late 19th century, is sure to enter-tain audiences of all ages. Two performances are scheduled 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. At 2:15 p.m., the children favor-ite, “The Music Lady,” will take the stage. The children’s entertainment will wrap-up with a Magic Show at 4 p.m. Live music and enter-tainment also is sched-uled throughout the day. To get things started, the Floral City Harmon-izers will serenade at 11 a.m., followed by the strolling ragtime jazz of Ed Peltz and Friends at noon. The banjo group “Side by Side” will take center stage from noon-2 p.m. From 2-3 p.m. enjoy the harmonious sounds of the Raisin River Sweet Adelines. The afternoon enter-tainment will conclude with a bang as the Downriver Community Band performs the big band sounds of old from 3-5 p.m.

To assure the best possible atmosphere for the event, Elizabeth Park will be closed to through traffic. Conven-ient parking is available in the park or visitors can park in Downtown Trenton and take the shuttle from the former location of Taste of Tren-ton near City Hall. Admission to all of the day’s events and entertainment is free. Tickets for food and bev-erages at the Taste of Trenton & Beyond tent will be available both on site and in advance at City Hall. For further information regarding “Somewhere in Time” call Trenton Parks and Recreation (734) 675-7300 or Wayne County Parks and Rec-reation at (734) 261-1990.

TASTE OF TRENTON & BEYOND SPONSORS

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September 2010 The Trenton Trib Page 3

AROUND TOWN

Upcoming Events

The Trenton Cultural Center, located at the corner of West Road and Edsel, will be a gardener’s dream on Saturday, Sept. 25, as Trenton Parks and Recreation holds its 17th annual Autumn Perennial Exchange. From 10 a.m. until noon, gardeners will have the opportunity to weed out their excess foliage that has grown over the summer months and make room for new varieties of flowering flora by swapping their surplus plants with fellow gardeners for new varieties. Joann Perna, the city’s assistant director of Parks & Recreation, said the ground rules are simple. “Just bring the plants or seeds you want to trade clearly marked in plastic bags or pots,” she said. “For best trad-ing come at 10 a.m. sharp; register on site to obtain a table assignment and walk around to other tables to ex-change, trade or barter with fellow gardeners and make your best deal.” What if you are just starting out and don’t have plants to exchange? No problem. “Many of our gardeners will have plenty to give away,” Perna said.

Door prizes and refreshments also will be available. As an added bonus, a special seminar will be held by a rose expert called, “Lullaby Your Rose Bushes for the Winter,” sponsored by Dr. Noel Jackson. A rose can last forever but, Michigan winters can be brutal on the plant. Take part in one of the special “Rose Seminars” to learn how and when to pre-

pare your roses for the winter season. A list of supplies will be provided that will help you with the process. The seminars will be held at 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. during the Perennial Exchange. Gardeners are also asked to share their favorite helpful gardening tips. Just jot down your helpful hints along with your name address and phone and drop them off at the plant exchange or at Trenton Parks and Recreation Of-

fice. For those who have more questions than answers, once again, there will be master gardeners on hand to help out. Perna said the best thing about the event is that it’s free. For additional information on the day’s events, call (734) 675-7300.

‘Exchange’ offers bounty of greenery

Swapping out perennials at last year’s Autumn Perennial exchange are Ellie Moore (left) Jan Over-beck and Dian Carmichael.

It has been two years in the making, but it’s now official: Trenton is now the new host of the prestigious International Silver Stick-Trenton Regionals. Divisions par-ticipating in the Decem-ber tournament will in-clude Mite B, Squirt B, PeeWee B and Bantam B classifications. Following 40 seasons of hosting the Trenton Invitational, the Trenton Hockey Association has converted that age-old tournament into an In-ternational Silver Stick Regional tournament for “B” level teams. The tournament will be held the weekend of Dec. 10-12. This directly corresponds with last season’s Trenton Invita-tional, which was changed to this time-frame in hopes of even-tually becoming a Silver Stick Regional. The newly christened event is expected to pro-duce a jam-packed week-end of hockey at the

Kennedy Recreation Center. International Silver Stick is the oldest inter-national youth hockey tournament in existence, beginning in 1957. Silver Stick Hockey has a prestigious reputa-tion of excellence. So much so that the original

Silver Stick trophy is on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Trenton Hockey has a long history within Sil-ver Stick hockey, with many Trenton teams having won regional tournaments and gone on to the North Ameri-can finals.

Divisional win-ners of the Trenton Regionals will ad-vance to the Silver Stick North Ameri-can Finals in Pel-ham, Ontario (Niagara Falls area). In January 2011, finalists from throughout the United States and Canada will meet to determine the North American champions. Last month the Trenton Silver Stick Committee held its third meet-ing to develop plans for the event. The committee

is currently made up of THA officials, city offi-cials, business associa-tion members and hockey parents. The tournament’s Website addresses are www. trenton-silverstick.org or ss-trenton.pointstreak sites.com.

Prestigious Silver Sticks tourney coming to town

The 17th annual Autumn Perennial Exchange offers gardeners a chance to swap their surplus plants.

Sept. 6 — Labor Day. Remember that city trash pickup will pushed back one day due to the holiday.

Sept. 7 — First day of school for Trenton Public Schools students.

Sept. 9 — Friends of the Detroit River annual fall dinner cruise, 6-9 p.m.; departure from the Rivard Plaza dock in Detroit; Cost is $50 a person or $90 a couple. Call (734) 6750141 for details or send your check to register to Friends of the Detroit River, P.O. Box 725, Trenton, MI 48183.

Sept. 11 — Eighth-grade students from Arthurs Mid-dle School will be going door to door to collect return-able bottle and cans to raise funds for their spring trip to Washington, D.C. Residents who would like to con-tribute are asked to place their bottles and cans on the front porch by 10 a.m.

Sept. 11 — The Downriver Youth Performing Arts Center kicks off its fall acting workshops for children ages 5-8 at the Trenton Village Theatre from 10 a.m. until noon. Each group performs a mini-musical at the end of the six-week session. The final performance is Oct. 16. This program is offered as a chance to de-velop performance skills, learn new skills and make friends while having fun. Email dypac@dypac.com to register or get more details.

Sept. 11 — The Kennedy Pool will be the site of the annual dog swim from noon-3 p.m. This is the eighth year for the popular event, sponsored by Trenton Parks and Recreation and Great Dane Sponsors Gi-braltar Veterinary Hospital. See the article on Page 9 for more information. Sept. 12 — The Arthurs Middle School Eighth grad-ers are on the fundraising trail again, this time at Olga’s restaurant in Woodhaven, where a portion of proceeds from diner bills that day will be donated to the Washington, D.C., trip.

Sept. 12 — The Downtown Event Planners will hold its first auditions for the Scarecrow Idol completion at this year’s Scarecrow Festival . Call 675-7325 to schedule an audition or visit the Scarecrow Festival Website, www.scarecrowfestival.net, for more details.

Sept. 18 — Plant Exchange at Oakwood Southshore Medical Center, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; Exchange seeds, bulbs, plants, rhizomes, etc. Nothing to exchange? No problem. Just come and look and get some new plants for your garden. Sept. 19 — Taste of Trenton & Beyond and Some-where in Time, Elizabeth Park, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. See article starting on Page 1 for more details. Sept. 22 — Accepting the Challenge: Building Hands-On Skills for Middle Stages of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Related Dementias. A free, interactive training session for professional and family; Wayne County Community College District-Downriver Cam-pus on North Line Road in Taylor; 9 a.m. until 8:30 p.m.; email jchurches@arborhospice.org to register. Sept. 24 — Planned dedication date for the new Jack Castignola memorial being constructed at the en-trance to the football field, prior to a 7 p.m. home foot-ball game against Melvindale. For more details, see the article on Page 6.

Sept. 25 — Take part in one of the rose bush semi-nars at the city’s annual Autumn Perennial Ex-change. The seminars will be held at 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. at the Cultural Center.

Oct. 1 — Find out who’s got talent locally at the Scarecrow Idol competition in downtown Trenton and also help kickoff the annual Scarecrow Festival, 6 p.m.

Oct. 4 — Last day to register to vote in the Nov. 2 general election. Register at Trenton City Hall.

Oct. 15 — Trenton High School Homecoming; catch the queen crowning and catch up with old friends at the football game as the Trojans take on Taylor Tru-man at 7 p.m.

Oct. 16 — Trenton High School Homecoming Dance, 6:30 p.m., at the high school.

Oct. 16 — Trenton High School’s Class of 1975 will hold an informal 35th-year class reunion at Mr. Nick’s Restaurant beginning at 7 p.m. Light snacks and cash bar are planned.

Ilene Flanagan photo

Page 4 The Trenton Trib September 2010

COMMUNITY

Kathy

Kane

Motivational Moment

Laughter can go a long way to alleviate daily stresses Take time out for a laugh today. This occurred to me at the Trenton Mid-Summer Festival when one of the committee members was on the phone with some-one who called in to ask about kids activities at the event. Under a bit of stress and lack of sleep from the four days of nonstop planning and coordination, — follow-ing weeks of preparation before the event — the mun-dane questioning of the caller suddenly struck a funny bone. I only heard, “ Yes, the kids can shoot the hose at the house“ and, “No, the house really isn’t on fire…” followed by her uncontrollable laughter. It was conta-gious to say the least, and soon myself and three oth-ers sitting nearby were laughing hysterically. After apologizing for of lack of sleep, the call ended and she explained through her tears of laughter that the lady just kept asking the same question in differ-ent ways — so much so that it perpetuated the unin-hibited outburst. I think we all needed that moment for our sanity. That is why some committees get along so well — they laugh a lot….and I mean A LOT. What better way to break up any stress you may be dealing with at an event or anywhere else. Studies show that laughing truly is a natural en-dorphin — and far too many people don’t take advan-tage of this natural cure for the effects of stress. The days when I feel stress build up I realize I haven’t laughed enough and purposefully try to find humor in something — like when you realize you need a vaca-tion, but find yourself running around trying to com-plete projects and meet all your obligations for work. But then suddenly you realize that the packing, stop-ping mail, laundry and shopping all still need to be done. And, what if, with all this chaos going on the chil-dren start fighting and your husband runs out of the bathroom to discipline children — only to quickly real-ize that he forgot his clothes in the heat of the mo-ment. Now if that isn’t a good time for a belly laugh, I

don’t know what is. Email Kathy Kane at info@trentontrib.com.

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Interesting Neighbors I met with Paul Sieloff on the day he returned from duty as a chaperone for the Tren-ton High School band’s trip to camp last month. He seemed relaxed and happy to be home after a week of enjoying the “sound of summer” with the band in Almont. I’d never met Paul before, but had a hot tip that he was in fact an interest-ing neighbor. I think his answers prove just that! KK: So you are an 86 graduate of THS. Have you lived in Trenton your whole life? Sieloff: My folks moved here in 1968, and I lived here until I went to Lawrence Tech and then married (my wife) Angela. We had lived in Bloomfield Hills, Royal Oak, Dearborn and Madison Heights. We both had accounting po-sitions and were just waiting to move back to Trenton once we found a job closer. KK: So you obvi-ously found a closer professional opportu-nity? Sieloff: Yes, I joined the Talon group in De-troit and we moved back to Trenton just in time for the kids to start school. KK: How many kids? Sieloff: We have Amy, who is 17 and a new graduate from THS. She happened to be the valedictorian of her class and is starting classes at Michigan Tech this fall. Rachel is 16 and plays

BY KATHY KANE trentontrib.com

Busy band dad finds a little time to pursue car hobby Have an “Interesting Neighbor” you’d like to see profiled in the Trenton Trib? Send us an email with the per-son’s name and phone number and tell us what you think makes them so darn interest-ing!

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the clarinet in the band, and Benjamin is 15 and plays the trumpet in the band. We also have a new addition this year: Christina Tisch, who is (an exchange student) from Germany (living with us) this year through the Youth For Understanding group. And she also is in the band. KK: Sound like you are very busy, do you have any time for hob-bies? Sieloff: I make time for my passion of collect-ing Cadillac die cast cars (He’s got a full showcase,

very impressive!) He also likes to pur-chase the full version Cadillac in collector shape. He has had cars as old as 1966 up to his most recently acquired 1988 blue beauty. Paul travels quite a bit with his financial execu-tive career, training other CFOs around the country. And when he’s not out cheering for his favorite band, you are sure to find him polish-ing up something stylish in his garage on Oak-wood Drive.

Paul Sieloff alongside his prized 1988 Cadillac.

Kathy Kane photo

Shout

Outs

Congrats to Trenton Attorney Robert Paul-beck and new bride, Kathy; and also Joe and-Laurie Dixon of Dixon & Associates on their nup-tials! To Riverside Kayak, which reports that it will soon have kayaks for rent at Elizabeth Park. Visit www.riversidekayak.com for more info. We’re also passing along shout outs on behalf of Nancy, who’s backyard power line fell June 28, almost flattening her dad and taking out a major portion of the city’s power. The live wire situation was handled quickly she said because of Mayor Brown and DTE, but she also wanted to thank BNS Tree Removal, which sped to her rescue to clear away tree debris Also to Taste of the Races food vendors who donated food to Taylor PD after the storm shut down the party: Steven Armos, ABC Catering and Fa-mous Dave’s.

Want to send along a Shout Out to someone who lives or works in Trenton? Email us at info@trentontrib.com

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Our Stories

Inspired by the NBC series, “Who Do You Think You Are?” I set out to do a little digging on my hus-band’s family, who supposedly arrived in this country sometime in the 1600s. I enlisted the help of Ances-try.com, an incredibly useful tool. My husband, Daryl Self, is a direct descendent of Francis Self, the first Self of this family to be born on American soil in 1668 in Westmoreland, Va. Five generations later, Allen Richard Self and his son, Matthew Gilbert Self, farmers in Tennessee, were appar-ently drafted at gunpoint to fight for the Union Army in the Civil War. Both father and son died of war inju-ries in Bledsoe County, Tenn., in October of 1862 within 16 days of each other; Allen was 49, and his son Matthew was 26 years old leaving behind 7 young chil-dren, including Chesley Sylvanus Self, Daryl’s great grandfather. Another surprise came in researching Daryl’s paternal grandmother’s fam-ily. Tracing her fam-ily directly back five generations yielded the name James Sparks, a confirmed Revolutionary War soldier with the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolu-tion and listed in the “Roster of Soldiers and Patriots of the American Revolution Buried in Indiana, Volume II,” published by the Indiana Daughters of the American Revolution in 1966. On Nov. 15, 1833, James Sparks filed a petition to receive a Revolutionary War Pension which states that he “kept himself in continual readiness for service and on every occasion when the United States needed his service, he never waited to be drafted.” It further states that during one tour “the troops nearly starved and suf-fered much,” living on roots and hides, which Sparks roasted and ate. These are only a couple of the fascinating stories that we’ve come across in researching just a small portion of our family. Being able to present this kind of history to our children has been a valuable tool in teaching Ameri-can history, and instilling in our children a sense of pride in themselves and their Country. What’s your story? You may be very surprised to find out.

Family research unearths both pilgrims and patriots

September 2010 The Trenton Trib Page 5

Matthew Gilbert Self as a young boy. He grew up to marry and have seven children, and died at age 26 serving the Union Army during the Civil War.

Who’s

Pooch?

Name this pooch and his or her owner and win a gift certificate for teeth whitening at Drs. Jackson, Snider & Parker — and get your picture in the next issue of the Tren-ton Trib. Prize value is $100. Please email your answer to info@trentontrib.com

Enter To Win A $25 Gift Certificate!

July’s mystery Pooch was Buck Jocks, known to hang out at The Trenton Village Animal HealthCare on West Jefferson. Congrats to Brenda Speers (right) who guessed correctly and was chosen from many other con-test participants through a random drawing, winning a rolling summer cooler.

Soroptimists stay focused on helping out in the community

What is a Soroptomist? A Soroptimist is some-one who is a leader in her community. She believes that by joining with other women and engaging in the service of her commu-nity and society, she can make the world a better place. Soroptimists' efforts are focused into six areas of service: economic develop-ment, education, environ-ment, health, human rights, and International Goodwill. Our Downriver com-munity has several Sorop-timist International chap-ters/clubs, including Wy-andotte, Southgate and Trenton, Flat Rock and Monroe. Soroptimist In-ternational of Trenton Area is a service club for business and professional women focused on sup-porting the advancement of women and girls Down-river. Sandina Polgar is president of the Trenton area group, which serves the communities of Tren-ton, Riverview, Grosse Ile,

Woodhaven, Gibraltar and Brownstown Town-ship. According to Polgar, the group is "looking for-ward to a year filled with fresh ideas, new members and a philanthropic spirit that reaches beyond all expectations." And the group is grow-ing. At its June 22 Instal-lation Banquet the organi-zation welcomed four new members who bring with them the professional business and community service experience that makes Soroptomist clubs so successful. What plans do they have for the future? Saturday, Sept. 4, the Trenton club will sponsor the seventh annual “Riding for Women's Can-cer Awareness” motorcy-cle ride. Proceeds from the event will benefit Women's Cancer Aware-ness, Penrickton Center for Blind Children and other Soroptimist of Tren-ton Area service projects. In addition to this fan-tastic event, which raises thousands every year, the club will again host a Kentucky Derby day

event, the details of which will be announced at a later date. In the past the group has hosted fundraising events for First Step, Wayne County's domestic abuse shelter. Look for many of the club members to be on hand Aug. 10 to witness a ground-breaking event at the First Step facility on Venoy Road in Wayne. Polgar says, “Stay tuned; there are even more fun-filled projects in the works.” Soroptimists give back to the community in many ways — through scholar-ships and grants, by hands-on training work-shops and through gener-osity of spirit. Polgar admires the teamwork. "Our Service Committee works tire-lessly on projects every year, including a tea party

for the residents at Tren-ton Senior Towers, Skat-ing with the Blind at the Kennedy Arena, and many more." Interested in learning how you can be part of this effort? The group’s business meetings are the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Westfield Center in Tren-ton. Monthly Dinner meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday at an area restaurant. The Federa-tion Website is www.soroptimist.org. The mission of Soroptimist is to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and around the world. Soroptimist Interna-tional of Trenton Area belongs to District III, in the Midwestern Region. The Midwestern Region belongs to Soropti-mist International of the Americas, which is one of four federations of Soroptimist International. Visitors and professional business women are en-couraged to check out what Soroptimist has to offer!

BY LINDA VOVRES PASTOR trentontrib.com

Fundraiser to benefit boy with rare cancer An Oct. 22 Oktober-fest fundraiser is planned for Morgan Pus-desris, a 5-year-old Grosse Ile boy who has been fighting an ex-tremely rare form of brain cancer since 2008.

Organizers currently are looking for donors and sponsors for the event, which will be held at the Robert Jones Knights of Columbus Hall at 25160 Outer Driver in Lincoln Park.

Raffle items also are being sought, and busi-nesses are being asked to display fliers to help promote the event. More information can be found at www.mor-gansmascots.com.

Correction

A photo caption in the July issue had an incor-rect first name listed for Hannah Bodrie. The photo showed Hannah donating her hair to Chil-dren with Hairloss at Tay-lor School’s Giving Back to the Community Day.

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Page 6 The Trenton Trib September 2010

MORE NEWS

Permanent Castignola tribute gets School Board OK Trenton High School alumni who have long desired to erect a permanent memorial to legendary Trenton Football Coach Jack Castignola finally got their wish last month when the Board of Education approved a design concept and cleared the way for construction to begin virtually immediately. Work was expected to begin in late August and a dedication ceremony is being planned for Sept. 24, right before the Trojans take on Melvindale in a home football game. It’s not yet certain whether the monument will be completed by that time. “The project, pending the necessary permits and inspection, is planned to be completed within the next two months,” Trenton School Board President Marie Conflitti said following the Aug. 16 board meeting that included the vote to approve the memorial. Homecoming follows the planned dedication by two weeks, and Mark Lybrook, one of the leaders of the campaign to get the memorial built, is hoping large contingents of former THS football players will be on hand to pay tribute to “Coach Jack” at both events. “We are encouraging all former students, players, family, and friends of Coach Jack to attend,” said Ly-

brook, a 1976 graduate who has been at the forefront of the campaign to permanently honor Castignola since it began about five years ago. The group had originally planned to dedicate the memorial before a football game two years ago, but the school board could not come to an agreement on the location or the design at that time. “The board approved an alternate design that will enhance the entrance at the east side, (next to the parking lot), along with staging the Jack Castignola Memorial,” said Lybrook, who now resides in Ohio but was on hand for the Aug. 16 meeting. Conflitti said the design encompasses a marble placard in memory of Castignola that will be incorpo-rated into a brick pillar that will become part of a new entry gate to the football field. “The board was happy to finalize the plans for this project,” she said. Lybrook, who has received help on the design con-cepts from former Mayor Wayne Sieloff and Down-town Development Authority Chairman Bob Howey, both of whom are highly regarded architects, said the actual construction process itself should only take about two to three weeks. No taxpayer dollars are being spent on the monu-ment, which is being paid for with money collected

through the alumni group’s fundraising efforts. The cost is expected to be between $12,000 and $15,000. Lybrook said the Castignola memorial is considered an initial step in a three-phase plan to create a more extensive alumni-funded entryway that will include a permanent ticket booth and additional space to recog-nize other people in the future. Contributions continue to be accepted to help pay for those later phases. Checks made out to the Jack Castignola Memorial Fund can be sent to the Trenton 5/3 Bank branch or Timber’s Hair Salon, both on West Road. “This has really been rewarding to me to see this come to fruition,” said Lybrook, who continues to hear new stories all the time about the positive influence Castignola had during his time in Trenton. “He helped so many people.” Castignola arrived in Trenton in 1964 and created a winning tradition that included numerous league championships and along the way won the hearts and minds of hundreds of players like Lybrook who con-tinue to sing his praises for his inspirational leader-ship and compassion. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1985 and died several months later in 1986. He com-piled 231 career wins at both Trenton and Monroe Catholic Central, and today ranks 19th overall in Michigan high school football history.

War memorial committee planning to improve city monuments

BY JOE HOSHAW Jr. trentontrib.com

The city’s Veteran’s Memorial Committee is attempting to raise fund to help pay for plans to expand and enhance the war memorials it main-tains both outside and inside of Trenton Veter-ans Memorial Library on West Road. Committee spokes-man John Craven said two military memora-bilia display cases will be added to the inside display, one on each side of the existing memorial plaque. “The intent is to dis-play military memora-bilia of local veterans ... for a two or three month duration, allowing others to proudly display their memorabilia,” Craven said. Full military funeral services include a flag-draped casket, 21-gun salute, three volley by seven rifles, followed by ceremonially folding the flag and presenting it to a family member. “Keeping with that tradition and wanting to honor those heroes fur-ther, we will be mount-ing a flag display case for each of the city’s 57 deceased veterans on the ends of the library book-shelves,” Craven said. “The display cases also will include an engraved nameplate identifying each veteran. Craven said the com-mittee also will establish an online presences for the information about the project, with many pictures as well as indi-vidual military informa-tion for each of the 57 veterans. The City of Trenton Website will house the contents of the project with active links to from other Trenton organization Websites. Visit www.trentonmi.org for more details. Additions to the out-

Additional tributes to Trenton veterans will be added to both the outside and inside displays at the Tren-ton Veterans Memo-rial Library on West Road.

side memorial will include six Dakota Mahag-ony granite monuments (three each side of the center stone monu-ment) display-ing the names of the foreign wars and list-ing the names of each soldier who was a casualty of that war, Craven said. “At the base of the center stone monu-ment we will place another granite memorial en-graved with the POW-MIA emblem,” he said. “The significance of these granite memorials is to state that ‘We will never forget!’” The final enhance-ment of the exterior of the library memorial will be the addition of a Car-illon system. Carillons are prevalent at Na-tional Cemeteries. Caril-lons ring out appropriate songs with the sounds of Flemish church bells. The ambiance will be respectful with such mu-sic themes as faith-based, patriotic and clas-sical selections. The con-trol system will be housed inside the library and the music will be transmitted via two ex-ternal speakers mounted at each corner of the library building. The group is planning to have to install the interior display cases, flag display cases and Carillon system installed by November. A dedica-tion is planned for next Memorial Day, May 28, 2011, for the outdoor granite monuments as well as the interior en-hancements.

Brochures are avail-able at the Trenton VFW Post 1888, American Legion Post 426, the library and at Trenton City Hall. Craven said the brochures provide details of the project as well as a donation form. The monuments run nearly $2,000 each and the Carillon will be $9,000. The display case

will cost $1,000. The 57 flag cases are expected to cost $60 each. Donations to help pay for the projects can be sent to Trenton VFW Post 1888, 2763 Veter-ans Parkway, Trenton, MI 48183. Indicate War Monuments Project 501(c)3 charitable organiza-tion on the memo line on your check.

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(734) 671-1150 (B) (734) 771-5488 (C) randyconflitti@carolbollo.com

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Trib Notes

September 2010 The Trenton Trib Page 7

Starting a newspaper in Michigan? Hey, buddy, you must be nuts Tell a good friend you’re starting up a new business in Michigan and you’ll usually get a concerned look that in most cases should probably be interpreted as a highly skeptical, “Good luck with that.” Tell someone you’re working on project that in-volves expanding and enhancing a fledgling commu-nity newspaper and the look of concern often turns to one of disbelief. “Really. Are you serious? ... Good luck with that.” Trust me, there were times when I too thought the idea of starting a hometown newspaper — amid a cli-mate of shrinking daily newspaper editions and de-clining ad dollars directed toward print — sounded, well, frankly, kinda nuts. Enter Kathy Kane, who, a little over a year ago, had an inspiration to start a newspaper because she thought it would be nice for Trenton to have its own hometown publication. Eschewing the critics and naysayers who said it “couldn’t be done” or, at the very least “wasn’t a real bright idea,” Kathy said, simply, “I’m doin’ it.” And she did, launching the Trenton Tribute last September. With virtually no newspaper career ex-perience and limited knowledge of the industry, she had managed to get her first issue on the streets within a matter of a few months of making her bold pronouncement. Admittedly being one of the people from the “not-a-bright-idea” camp, I couldn’t help but be impressed by Kathy’s determination to find a way to make it work. Whatever she lacked in general newspaper back-ground she made up for with her Internet marketing

skills and her expertise on how to effectively utilize Web-based social media such as Facebook , Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn, expanding newspaper’s reach well beyond the more old-school, stand-alone print editions. It was no longer about rehashing an old idea and reviving a relic from the past. It was about taking a great tradition and molding it into something new and vibrant — with the help of all the interface options the Apple/Google New World Order of Communications has to offer. It was actually starting to sound like fun — a new twist on something I had always loved to do. So, after months of discussions on what the potential could be if we teamed up, we came up with a way we could pool our efforts to enhance the product and bring it to you monthly instead of every other month — plus online

at the freshly launched trentontrib.com, and with regular updates via our email list, our pages on Face-book and LinkedIn, as well as through posts to our Twitter account. Will it survive long-term? Will it make money? While I hope the answer to both is “yes,” I really don’t know for sure. No one does. But, if knowing the an-swers to those questions were a prerequisite to start-ing a business, probably the large majority of the busi-nesses operating today would never have opened their doors in the first place. For a venture such as this, those are really the wrong questions to ask. The proper questions should be, “Will it add value to the community?” and, “Will I enjoy doing it?” As Michigan moves forward, if we hope to attain that elusive “diversified economy” we keep talking about in largely hypothetical terms from one recession to the next, we need more people like Kathy Kane, who are willing to take the calculated risk to do some-thing new and creative even if it doesn’t necessarily come with any guarantees. You call that, “The right thing to do.” Happy reading! Email Joe Hoshaw at info@trentontrib.com

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Trenton Trib staff members gather for a group photo at a July luncheon held to discuss plans for the switch to a new name and a monthly publica-tion schedule. In attendance were Christina Gurtowsky (left), Matt Kane, Ilene Flanagan, Kathy Kane, Paul Thompson, Kelly Self, Mary Hoshaw, Joe Hoshaw and Christina Dudash.

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While he may be entering his last year on the job as superintendent of Trenton Public Schools, Dr. John Savel has no interest in making plans for post-retirement vacations or other leisurely pursuits. Savel, who announced last spring that he would be retiring effective June 30, 2011, said he still has too much to do and wants to stay focused on completing his seven-year stint as leader of the 3,000 student dis-trict by pushing ahead with programs aimed at im-proving the educational environment for Trenton stu-dents. “I know there is something else out there for me, but I truly want to concentrate on finishing strong,” Savel said. “My dad was a school superintendent and one of the things I learned from him was that when you have a job you continue to ensure the education of the children until the last day you are working.” Savel likely would be the first to admit that it has-n’t been an easy seven years, with the school district mired much of the that time in the long-running cash crunch that has severely affected districts throughout the state. Despite the financial obstacles and other setbacks, Savel said each year has included positive steps for-ward for the district’s students. “There are a lot of good things that have happened … and I’ve enjoyed my time here,” he said. “It’s a nice community. The residents take a lot of pride in what’s been done, and I like to think I’ve helped with this.” Savel said he was especially pleased with the over-whelming approval of the hold-harmless millage in August. Voters passed the levy 2558-1330. “The millage vote was a very strong statement,” he said. “I think it’s wonderful that the Trenton commu-nity stepped up and did what neither our legislators nor our governor would do.” Since the inception of Proposal A (in 1994), Savel said, some communities have not done a consistently good job of supporting their schools, but Trenton al-ways has — even in the face of one of the toughest economies in recent memory. “So I’m very, very proud of our community.” By staying until the end of the 2010-2011 school year, Savel will get to be around nearly until the com-pletion of the three-year-long bond-funded facilities

Page 8 The Trenton Trib September 2010

SCHOOLS

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improvement project. The final phase is expected to be completed next summer. School Board President Marie Conflitti lauded Savel for overseeing the successful bond campaign and subsequent renovation of the district. “Dr. Savel has worked very hard for the district during the course of changing times in Michigan,” she

said. Part of the improvements performed this past sum-mer included the installation of fiber optics between the school building and the replacement of all school district computer servers. Those additions signifi-cantly advance the district’s ability to utilize technol-ogy in the classrooms.

John Savel has been Trenton Schools superintendent since 2004. He will retire at the end of the 2010-2011 school year.

BY JOE HOSHAW Jr. trentontrib.com

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September 2010 The Trenton Trib Page 9

for a pre-band camp meeting. There’s a sign there that lists the ca-pacity of that room at 375. And we filled it up. So they really are in-volved.” Bonnie Ginn, a parent who volunteered to help out at the annual August band camp in Almont, has nothing but good things to say about the music program. She cur-rently has a freshman son (Alexander) and a junior daughter (Hannah) participating in marching band. A few years ago, another daughter (Madeline) was a band member. “It’s a great experi-ence,” Ginn said. “And it means a lot in school, too. It gives them confir-mation that they are really good at something. And as a band member, even as a freshman you can go to school and have an upperclassman in the band say hi to you, to make you feel more welcome. It helps to have people like that behind you and it makes it eas-ier.”

The Kennedy Pool has officially “Gone to the Dogs” — for one day, that is! On Saturday, Sept. 11, from noon-3 p.m., the Kennedy Aquatic Center will open its doors for the eighth straight year to man’s best friend. This canine event is sponsored by Trenton Parks and Recreation and Great Dane Sponsors Gibraltar Veterinary Hospital. Parks and Recreation officials said 200 dogs en-joyed this canine water playground last year. They expect an even bigger turn-out this year. All residents are welcome to bring their favorite four-legged friend for a refreshing dip in the pool. There will be fun games and wacky contests throughout the afternoon, including best swimsuit (for the dog), people pet loo-kalike, fetch and jump the farthest contests, to name a few. In addition, area groups, organizations and busi-nesses will be on hand to share their pet-friendly in-formation and merchandise beginning at 11 a.m. Dr. Gregory Raspbury, veterinarian and owner of Village

Animal Healthcare on West Jefferson, will be on site to answer questions and provide doggy first aid. The fee for the swim is $5 per dog; owners are free with their pet. Each dog must have its own handler. A $5 fee will also be charged for spectators without a pet. Participants can pre-register at the Trenton Rec-reation Department, located at Trenton City Hall,

Mondays through Fridays, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. On site registration will begin at 11 a.m. Eligibility rules are simple: Dogs must be licensed and owners must show proof of rabies vaccination and be prepared for clean-up duty. Bortetella vaccination is recommended. For more information please call (734) 675-7300.

Kennedy Aquatic Center going to the dogs for a day

The enthusiasm of the dogs and the enjoyment it pro-vides their owners and other animal lovers usually makes it hard to tell who’s having more fun at the an-nual dog swim.

Music culture helps keep school band program on key

From Page 1

Ilene Flanagan photo

Food pantry in need of volunteers on Thursdays The Trenton Food Pantry is in need of vol-unteers each Thursday between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. The food pantry is located at 2901 Manning Drive, inside the north-west entrance of the old St. Timothy Catholic School Building.

Join the TBA and join the fun! Build friendships and local business contacts by becom-ing a members of Trenton’s hometown business group — the Trenton Business Associa-tion. The TBA connects local businesses through regular events held in town and through consistent communi-cation through its Web site, emails and online social net-work sites. BIZ BLAST — 5:30-7 p.m. Sept. 14 at Mr. Handy-

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Page 10 The Trenton Trib September 2010

BUSINESS

When asking Larry Pettinga, owner of The Framery & Gallery on West Jefferson in downtown Trenton, what it is that keeps his business going through these tough times, he is quick to answer: “Quality work, a good relationship with customers … and Kelly (his dog and customer greeter) helps, too.” Pettinga goes to work everyday with a smile on his face — as does his golden retriever, Kelly, who is a big hit with the customers. “Kelly has always greeted the customers and is very gentle. Some people even come in with treats for her,” said Lynn Gardner, Pettinga’s assistant at the Framery. The Gibraltar resident has been working at The Framery for 16 years. “She is my right-hand, left-hand — everything,” Pettinga said. “Lynn can run the shop just as well as I can.” Pettinga has been in business downtown Trenton for 34 years, and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. “I’ve always enjoyed coming to work, which is why I don’t plan on retiring,” he said. Larry’s interest in custom framing began in the early 1970s, when he did framing jobs out of his house for customers. “Framing was very primitive back then; not many people were doing it,” he said. Now working out of his 3,000-square-foot shop, Pettinga has been able to ex-pand his custom designs as well as sell various types of artwork. Although the recession has hit Michigan hard, The Framery still has loyal customers from the Downriver area, as well as Brighton — and even California. “Since the recession hit, art has fallen way off,”

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Framery remains focused on personal touch through tough times BY CHRISTINA DUDASH trentontrib.com

Pettinga said. To keep The Framery afloat, he guaran-tees that if the work doesn’t look right, he will gladly redo the project for free. “We are not trying to gouge people,” Gardner said. “We work in the customer’s best interest.” Not only does The Framery offer a unique and wel-

coming experience with the help of Kelly the “door greeter,” but it is also one of the biggest shops around. It also provide fast, overnight work as well as all fram-ing done on-site. For more information, call (734) 671-0130.

Self-massage can ease carpal tunnel pain

Do you have carpal tunnel symptoms? Mas-sage can help you get better naturally. In your day-to-day life, you use your hands for almost everything you do. It’s easy to forget how important your hands are to you until you find yourself unable to perform even simple daily tasks because of pain or numbness. That's why one of the most important things you can do for your hands is self-massage. 1. Massaging your hands and arms will help make your muscles happy. It can reduce swelling that can cause symptoms in your hand. 2. When you do your own self-massage you are using muscles in your hands and arms that you have probably not been using. That is the second way that self-massage helps you get rid of symptoms — it gets you to use more of your muscles instead of just the same ones you use all the time. Here's one way to do self-massage of your hands. Just let one rub the other or rub both at the same time. Rub your palms together, with or without lotion, several times a day. Rub and massage your upper arms and lower arms. You can twist, pinch, press, rub and squeeze your muscles (those are

all variations of mas-sage.) Be sure to work in a position that doesn't ag-gravate your muscles. If you cannot do this with your hands, try using your lower arms. Massage is very im-portant for healthy mus-cles and soft tis-

sues. Massage gets the blood and lymph fluid flowing. It warms and softens your muscles and helps them to function better. It relieves tight muscles that may be causing your hand pain. Self-massage can be a very important remedy to help you get rid of

your carpal tunnel pain naturally. Janet McClain owns McLain Massage Ther-apy, 3133 Van Horn Road. She can be reached at 734-765-6867, or via her Website, mcclainmassagether-apy.com.

BY JANET McCLAIN Special to the Trib

Framery owner Larry Pettinga and assistant Lynn Gard-ner and Pet-tinga’s pet Kelly, who serves as the stores unoffi-cial greeter.

Local Character and Prosperity — In an increasingly homogenized world, communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character have an economic advantage. Community Well-Being — Locally owned businesses build strong communities by sustaining vibrant town centers, linking neighbors in a web of economic and social relationships, and contrib-uting to local causes. Local Decision-Making — Local ownership ensures that important decisions are made locally by people who live in the community and who will feel the impacts of those decisions. Keeping Dollars in the Local Economy — Compared to chain stores, locally owned businesses recycle a much larger share of their revenue back into the local economy, enriching the whole community. Source: Institute for Local Self Reliance

Why shop local?

Christina Dudash photo

September 2010 The Trenton Trib Page 11

SPORTS

The current trend in college athletics is a bigger-is-better mentality. The Big Ten (actually, already with 11 schools) will expand to 12 schools. The Pac-10 will up its membership to 12. And geographically speak-ing, distance hasn’t been a real concern. But the Downriver League, with a year in the books, bucked that trend with a reasonable amount of success. Although there are pros and cons to most every-thing in sports, there are a few real pluses to the 10-team high school league, which runs from Melvindale and Lincoln Park to the north to the southern schools of Trenton, Woodhaven and Gibraltar Carlson. “There’s no question, the mileage makes a big dif-ference,” Trenton football Coach Bob Czarnecki said. “The potential to build up local rivalries is great, too.” That wasn’t the case in Trenton’s previous league, the Michigan Mega Conference. Most sports were di-vided into four separate divisions. The splits weren’t based on geography; school enrollment size and the recent rates of success were the dictating factors. The Mega Conference existed from the 1993-94 season through the spring of 2009. While it succeeded (for the most part) in grouping similar teams on the field, it also produced some logistical quandaries. Member schools such as Ypsilanti, Redford Thurston and Redford Union, for instance, offered no real feel-ings of a rivalry. “Also in the Mega, you could change divisions every two years during the realignments, so you had a hard time establishing some rivalries,” Czarnecki said. “That’s one thing the Downriver League has — lots of rivalries.” Considering the close proximity of both Woodhaven and Carlson, those are natural rivals. There’s also a lengthy rivalry with most of the other league mem-bers, when they competed in the Wolverine A league prior to the Mega Conference. But there are also some imperfections to the plan. In some sports (such as tennis, cross country, swim-ming, softball and golf), Trenton has a history of being vastly superior to some of the other Downriver League schools. It’s not a putdown, but with state-meet ap-pearances in those sports to Trenton’s credit, there are definitely a few mismatches built into the schedule. Trenton’s boys’ and girls’ tennis teams have com-peted in several strong tournaments over the years, taking on state-ranked teams in the process. They’ve also played top-notch programs from Dearborn and Monroe during the league season. “The Downriver competition was probably a little bit down, in terms of what we’re used to,” Trojans boys’ tennis coach Rich Menzel said. “But in terms of location and busing to away meets, it’s very, very con-venient.” And that may be a key in these trying economic times. The distance to Trenton’s five scheduled away

Less distance, more rivalries increase appeal of Downriver League

football games this fall is still less than one trip to Redford. But while the league is good for proximity, it’s still not perfect. “We’re a smaller school in the league, and it would be ideal if we could schedule a first-week game against

a Monroe Jefferson and a week nine game with a Riverview,” Czarnecki said. “Both schools are similar to us in size. But there are pluses and minuses to eve-rything. Ultimately, it comes down to what’s fair to the kids, and what’s best for the kids.”

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Trenton Football Coach Bob Czarnecki instructs his squad during summer practice as the team pre-pared to host Downriver League rival Wyandotte in its season opener Aug. 27.

Rockies are No. 1 in 10U Trenton Rockies team

members celebrate their 7-5 win over the

Gator in the 10U cham-pionship game, held in

mid-July. Team mem-bers included Kyle

Gilroy, Zach Perkins, Andrew Wiseman,

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Lozon, Jason Chadwick, Ronnie

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Page 12 The Trenton Trib September 2010

The newly renovated Board of Education meeting room, for instance, also has been equipped to serve as a distance learning center, offering the ability to link two classes at a time to lectures, field trips or demonstra-tions anywhere in the world. General classrooms also have been equipped with student presentation centers. “All this is going to allow our students to be competi-tive anywhere at anything,” Savel said. One of the programs expected to be made available through the distance learning center is the Central Michigan University Strong Student Leaders Program, a highly regarded program that can be provided di-rectly from the university via the electronics now set up in the learning center/board meeting room. Savel also was pleased to see the security enhancement completed at the high school and Arthurs Middle School this summer, which fol-lowed similar upgrades to the elementary schools last year. “We don’t want students to have to worry about anything but education when they are here,” he said. Numerous changes and improvements to the curriculum district-wide, the transition to tri-mesters and addition of advance placement courses at the high school, and a staff-led ex-pansion of elective class options at the middle school are some of the positive classroom strides Savel takes pride in. “We have to really make sure (the students) have every opportunity, and I think we’ve been able to do that,” he said. “In education, someone once said, ‘You can’t stand still, because if you stand still, people are passing you by.’” Some noteworthy non-instructional advances during Savel’s tenure include increased transparency offered to residents through the Board Docs public records re-trieval system, a complete overhaul of board policies and improvements to the district’s Website. One key disappointment Savel has is that he hasn’t been able to make better strides in developing a pro-ductive collective bargaining relationship with the dis-trict’s teachers, who are now working in their second extended stretch without a contract since Savel arrived in 2004.

“The last (contract) took a long time, and this one is causing difficulty,” he said. “We have a really good staff, but our mutual inability to sit down and resolve our issues is probably one of the biggest concerns I have.” He’d like to see the contract settled before he de-parts. “That would be one of the best things for the new superintendent coming in,” Savel said. As of late August, the board was still considering how to proceed with finding the district a new leader. “We look forward to working with Dr. Savel during his final year as superintendent and are confident that

he will make the transition for the new superintendent a smooth one,” Conflitti said. “To date, the board has not made a final deci-sion on the process in which a new superintendent will be chosen. Internal candi-dates are being considered.” Savel said that, given the financial restraints of the past several years, he’s very happy with what the district still has been able to accomplish. “Do I wish we could have

done more? Absolutely,” he said. And while seven years may not seem like a long tenure in some circles, it’s an above average length of stay for a superintendent in Michigan these days. “It can be very fulfilling, but there’s a lot of pres-sure involved,” Savel said. “I ultimately have the re-sponsibility for 3,000 students; to make sure they have the best education possible. “Good things happened here before I arrived, and good things will happen after (I’m gone), but good things have happened for the students while I was here, and I’m happy with that.” While Savel hasn’t done any post-retirement plan-ning, one thing is high on his agenda: Spending more time with the family. “There were a lot of nights away at meetings … that’s something I’m look-ing forward to.”

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The Wandering Minstrel Studio seeks to enrich students’ lives one beat at a time

Local musicians Brian Buchignani and Barbara Ring opened the Wander-ing Minstrel Studio of Music this past July in hopes of providing students with a calm and relaxed environment in which they could learn the art of music. “We were inspired to open the studio because music education is needed, especially in this area,” Buchignani said. “Since we are both have the abil-ity to provide this education, we wish to utilize that gift as much as we can.” The goal of opening The Wandering Minstrel Studio, located at 2975 Fifth Street near Downtown Trenton, is to provide each student with the opportu-nity to develop the love of music that will last a lifetime. "Our goal is to foster a love of music by providing such an atmosphere which can make that possible," Ring said.

Both Buchignani and Ring agree that the practice of music enriches the quality of one’s life, as well as improv-ing academic performance. “Budget cuts in our local schools are doing away with the music programs,” Ring said. “Without music programs in our schools, students are no longer granted the opportunity to learn how to play an instrument. We built this stu-dio to regain that opportunity and pro-vide people with the education to learn what they may not be able to do so in school.” “We wish that students discover music as a form of self expression," Buchignani said. ”This will make them more sensitive and compassionate hu-man beings.” For more information on the Wan-dering Minstrel Music Studio, Bu-chignani and Ring invite you to check out their Website at thewanderingmin-strel.net, or come by for a personal tour of the studio.

Brian Buchignani and Barbara Ring outside the Fifth Street studio.

BY CHRISTINA GURTOWSKY trentontrib.com

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Green community Several volunteers gather to help harvest the bounty at the commu-nity garden at the Cultural Center. The food grown in the garden helps replenishes the supplies of the food pantry at the center.

Christina Gurtowsky photo

Page 14 The Trenton Trib September 2010

TRENTON TRIB

Miscellaneous

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Announcements

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Tren-ton Rotary President Lynn Nolan. Hope you have a great day on Sept. 8!

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Call 734-676-0850 or visit www.trentontrib.com to place your classified ad All classified advertising must be paid for in ad-vance. Payment can be accept by credit card, through PayPal, or by check (if the ad is submitted by the 10th of the month).

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Summer redux

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Bill Jasman photo

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Summer was here, but now it’s almost gone — but there were a lot of opportunities for fun and recreation while it lasted. Some of the high-lights include the PNC Roar on the River (the two photos at left), which celebrated its 60th anniversary. The Tren-ton Mid-Summer Festival again attracted thousands of visitors to downtown to check out the many craft booths and other attractions, which included a visit by a giant tooth, courtesy of Dr. Noel Jackson and staff.

Trib staff photo

Have a photo taken at a Trenton event you’d like to share? You are welcome to send them to the Trenton Trib and we’ll consider them for publication. Please email them to info@trentontrib.com and include details about where the photo was taken and who is in it.

Sometimes we overlook the significance that the Detroit River has in our lives

September 2010 The Trenton Trib Page 15

BY RYAN HOSHAW trentontrib.com

As residents of Tren-ton, the Detroit River is right in our backyard; but sometimes people forget the significance of this essential waterway. This is the first in an ongoing series of articles pertaining to the impor-tance of the Detroit River. Downriver resi-dents use the river for many things — boating, fishing and swimming, to name a few. There are several area organizations that work to retain the beauty of the Detroit River. Three major or-

River Current

ganizations include the Friends of the Detroit River, the Detroit River-Front Conservancy, and the Detroit River Inter-national Wildlife Refuge. All three do what they can to use the river as a learning resource for everyone, and oversee many projects and events aimed to help maintain and improve everything about it. Friends of the Detroit River, led by Chairman David Howell, have many projects intended to enhance the environ-mental, educational, economic, cultural and recreational opportuni-ties associated with the Detroit River. One project is being conducted right in Tren-ton on the south side of the West Road bridge over the Frank and Poet drain. This area is a naturally occurring flood plain and over the years the banks of this part of

the creek have been se-verely impacted by ex-cessive storm water. The project scope at this site was to re-establish the naturally occurring bank system. This project is another example of where a local organiza-tion is helping to keep the Detroit River and its tributaries in good shape. Detroit RiverFront Conservancy, which is directed by a 46-member board, is responsible for the establishment, im-provement, operation, maintenance, security, programming and ex-pansion of the Detroit RiverWalk and associ-ated green spaces just a few short river miles to the north in the city of Detroit. One of the most exciting projects DRFC worked on was the De-quindre Cut. The De-quindre Cut Greenway, an urban recreational path, opened to the pub-

lic in May 2009. The 1.35 mile pedestrian path linked the Riverfront to many neighborhoods. The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, led by Refuge Manager and Trenton resident John Hartig, has several conservation projects in the works. One of the most signifi-cant is the Humbug Marsh. The Humbug Marsh, located in Gibral-tar, is the last mile of natural shoreline on the U.S. Mainland of the Detroit River. The wild-life refuge is trying to conserve this area of 465 acres so that this habitat can last for many years to come. The Detroit River is such an essential re-source to our communi-ties that it must be taken care of as well as possible. These three organizations and many others are stepping up to maintain this waterway. In the months ahead this column will explore the many ways the river impacts our lives. If you

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The Detroit River flows for 32 miles from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie. By definition, this classifies it as both a river and a strait  —  a strait being a narrow passage-way connecting two large bodies of water. That is why the river was origi-nally called the River of the Strait by early French settlers. However, today, the Detroit River is rarely referred to as a strait, be-cause bodies of water referred to as straits are typically much wider. The Detroit River is only between 0.5–2.5 miles wide. The Detroit River starts on an east to west flow but then bends and runs north to south. The deepest portion of Detroit River is 53 feet deep in the northern por-tion of the river. At its source, the river is at an elevation of 574 feet above sea level. The river only drops three feet be-fore entering into Lake Erie at 571 feet. The river contains no dams and is easily navigable by even the smallest of vessels. The watershed basin for the Detroit River is approximately 700 square miles. Since the river is fairly short, it has few tributaries. Its largest tributary is the River Rouge in Michigan, which is actually four times longer than the De-troit River and contains most of the basin. The only other major Ameri-can tributary to the De-troit River is the much-smaller Ecorse River. Tributaries on the Cana-dian side include Little Creek and the River Ca-nard. The discharge for the Detroit River is rela-tively high for a river of its size. The river's aver-age discharge is approxi-mately 188,000 cubic feet, and the river's flow is always constant. Source: Wikipedia

River Geography

32-mile stretch has some unique characteristics

have any comments on this article, or sugges-tions for future articles, please email them to info@trentontrib.com.

SAY YOU “SAW IT ON THE TRIB BULLENTIN BOARD — Sell it local, and buy it local. Call 734-676-0850 and say goodbye to unwanted items tak-ing up space.

Page 16 The Trenton Trib September 2010

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