Memorial Day Weekend: Events, Parades and Ceremonies

This weekend is often thought of as the "official start to summer" kicking off with pool openings, BBQ's and family gatherings. It is important to remember though that it should also be a time of reflection and remembrance.

Luckily throughout Washtenaw County and the area, there are plenty of opportunities to experience events to help you do that. So save some gas money this holiday weekend and find something to do with the kids, right here at home. Honor the men and women of this great nation by attending one of the many Memorial Day ceremonies, processions and parades and then head out to experience the other free events happening. There will be plenty of fun for everyone!



Saturday, May 28:

Area Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts will gather at Highland Cemetery (943 N River St., Ypsilanti) to place flags on the graves of our fallen heroes starting at 10:00 a.m. Lunch is served to volunteers after flags have been placed.

Be sure to check out the Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra's FREE concert in the park at 2:00 p.m. Bring your blanket and the family to enjoy patriotic music in the park.

Sunday, May 29:

The annual Memorial Day observance at Arborcrest Memorial Park (2521 Glazier Way, Ann Arbor) will start at 2:00 p.m. and lasts about an hour (rain or shine). Local dignitaries, the Washtenaw County Honor Guard, local Boy Scout troops and Miss Washtenaw are often in attendance.

Monday, May 30:

The Annual Ann Arbor Memorial Day Parade begins at 10:00 a.m. The parade begins at the intersection of Middleton and Frederick and winds along Frederick, Middleton, Bardstown, Windemere, and Barrister roads winding up in Glacier Park at Larchmont and Barrister. There will be a memorial ceremony in Glacier Park at the end of the parade.

Belleville: Sumpter Township Country Fest in Belleville May 27-30, 2016. There is also a parade in downtown Belleville at 10:00 a.m. starting at Cathedral and 2nd that will process down Main Street and conclude at the cemetery.

Chelsea: Parade at 10:00 a.m. The parade route heads south on Main St., east on Park St., north on East St. and east on Middle St., ending at Oak Grove Cemetery for a traditional ceremony honoring area veterans.

Dexter: The Dexter parade begins at 10:00 a.m. with a ceremony in Monument Park after the procession.

Milan: The annual memorial will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the Blue Star Memorial and Veteran's Wall of Honor in Wilson Memorial Park. The parade will commence following these ceremonies and process West on Main St. ending at the Marble Park Cemetery, where services will be held and dignitaries will speak, honoring our military veterans.  The public is encouraged to participate in this parade using a patriotic theme but please do not pass out candy.

Saline: The Memorial Day parade, hosted by the American Legion, begins at 10:00 a.m. on Bennett Street due to Construction!

Ypsilanti:

The Yankee Air Museum always has something. On Saturday, May 28 participate in “Celebrate and Connect: Send a Million Letters to our Troops”starting at 10:00 am until 4:00 pm to support USO’s goal of collecting 1 million messages to share with those serving in the U.S. military worldwide. Then on Monday, May 30 from 9:00-11:00 a.m. participate in the annual program dedicated to honoring the military men and women who were killed serving the United States.

The Ypsilanti Memorial Day Procession begins at 9:00 a.m. (North Huron Street/Michigan Avenue) and ending at the Highland Cemetery for a ceremony. Includes veterans, Scouts, marching bands, Gold Star Mothers, and a 21-gun salute.

It is important that I also point out that there are many historic and beautiful war memorials throughout Washtenaw County to visit and honor our veterans. For a full list or War Memorial locations in Washtenaw County visit the Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County website.

If you have other Memorial Day observances to add to the post, please comment below. Watch for the weekend events round-up too for your other planning needs!

Weekend Event Round-Up: March 21-23

It has been a while since I have posted a weekend planner. This just seemed like a good weekend to share, and honestly I had a bit of time to collect the information. My daughter is excited to be off with my cousin for a weekend away - They will be crafting, seeing the new Muppet movie and sewing a dress for her to wear for book character day at school. I on the other hand want to see Divergent, will likely take my son to see the Muppet movie and will be shuttling him around to various Science Olympiad practices. I'll then end my weekend with my Brownie Troop skating at the Spectacular Scout Skate at Skatin Station. No rest for the weary here!

What are your weekend plans for this first weekend of spring? Doing anything special with the kids in Ann Arbor? If not I hope this weekend events round-up can provide some great ideas for fun!

Saturday

9:00  a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Predators and Prey at the UM Museum of Natural History

9:00 a.m. & 10:00 a.m. Free movies: Madagascar

10:00 a.m. Celebrate the 10th birthday of the AADL Malletts Creek Branch with a Happy Birthday Craft Celebration For Youth (ages 3+).  Make a three tiered paper cake with gems, tissue paper, stickers and ten candles and have a little treat.

10:00 a.m. Get crafty when visiting Michael's (3655 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor). For just $2 kids get to decorate a picture frame with felt stickers. This program runs every half hour until noon.

11:00 a.m. Get hands-on with a great snake demo at the UM Museum of Natural History (1109 Geddes Avenue Ann Arbor, MI 48109). Explore the world of snakes: How they move, how they hear and smell and what they eat. Kids will even get up close and personal with snake skin, hear like a snake, and use museum specimens to learn more. This is a free event however donations are always appreciated! Families can also attend at 3:30 p.m.

11:00 a.m. Celebrate the beginning of Spring by planting an herb garden and enjoying an ice cream float at the Ypsilanti Library (Michigan) Spring Fling free event.

11:30 a.m. Check out the stars when exploring the planetarium at the UM Natural History Museum during the "The Sky Tonight: Star Talk".  Learn about stars, constellations, planets, and telescopic objects in the current night sky. Cost is $5/person. Other planetarium shows are hourly on the half hour throughout the day.

12:00 p.m. Rainbow Loom Meet Up at Michael's crafts. Cost if $5. Register at Michael's online.

2:00 p.m. Free dinosaur tours.

2:00-4:00 p.m. Get your lab rats excited with gravity experiments during the Ypsilanti District Library (Whittaker) Library Lab Kids. This program allows kids in grades 1-6 to dive into scientific discoveries with fun, hands-on experiments. Be sure to wear old clothes for this messy lesson about gravity. Parents do need to stay to help too. Registration is required for this program by calling 482-4110 x1340 or logging onto your library account. 

3:00 p.m. Free Event. Raptor Feeding at the Leslie Science and Nature Center (1831 Traver Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105).

4:00 p.m. Bring your budding artist to the Drop in and Draw Kids teen event. Kids will work on drawing skills. All skill levels are welcome, all supplies are included free too.

4:00 p.m. Experience spring by creating a spring terrarium at the Eddy Discovery Center (17030 Bush Rd., Chelsea, MI 48118). Families should bring a glass container with a lid (quart to gallon size) and be ready to dig in to create a small ecosystem beautiful enough for display. This is a free event.

Sunday

9:00 a.m. & 10:00 a.m. Free movies: Madagascar

12:00 p.m. The Critter House is open at the Leslie Science & Nature Center.

2:00-3:30 p.m. The sky's the limit when your kids create their own telescope!  This Eddy Discovery Center program allows your kids to be their own little Galileo as they make their own working telescope with astronomy buff Meg Gower. The cost for this program is free to members of the Waterloo Natural History Association or $2/person or $5/family Supplies for the telescope are $8/telescope. This event is limited to creating 20 telescopes so advance registration required at by calling 734-475-3170.

2:00 p.m. Free dinosaur tours.

3:30 p.m. Hands-on snake demo at the UM Museum of Natural History.

4:00 p.m. Your budding musician will enjoy the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra Family Concert "The Planets" (at the Michigan Theater) featuring music from Star Wars as well as many famous planetary musical compositions. Starting at 2:30 p.m. kids can enjoy pre-concert activities including an instrument petting zoo. There will also be a real Apollo Space suit for viewing and after the show, Astronaut Tony England will be signing autographs.Sounds like a plan that is out of this world!

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Free Concert Tuesday Evening

On Tuesday evening, June 11, the Washtenaw Community Concert Band will be hosting a free concert at Washtenaw Community College Community Park (4800 E. Huron River Dr., Ypsilanti). Families can enjoy the sounds of The Phantom of the Opera, The Lion King, and vartious patriotic tunes while dining alfresco - Of course that means that you will bring your own picnic and accoutrements, but enjoying a concert in the park IS the way to go!

The free concert starts at 7:30 p.m.

Weekend Events Round-up: October 14-16

Whether you are taking a leisurely fall color  drive or attending one of
the many storytime events in Ann Arbor, there  is always plenty to do!

How is your calendar shaping up for the month? For us it seems like the next two weekends are chocked FULL of events, activities, sports or Halloween parties! can't a girl get a break?! Of course I can, when it snows!!! I just don't want snow in October.

Regardless there's not much that will stop us from attending all that Ann Arbor has to offer, we'll squeeze it in somehow. So check out the many activities that are happening in Ann Arbor for kids this weekend.


Friday, October 14:

• Kinderconcert at the Ann Arbor District Library (343 S. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor) at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. where the little ones will be learning about the viola and piano. Dance and hear stories all under the guise of educational enrichment for the preschool set!  
• The teen gathering at the Ypsilanti District Library (229 W. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti) is a great way to kick back, play some games and meet some new friends. From 6:0-8:30 p.m., teens in grades 6-12 can stop by to play Wii, Playstation II, board games, Magic, and Yu-Gi-Oh or watch anime and movies.  

Saturday, October 15:

• Take a trip down the tracks at the Southern Michigan Railroad during their annual Fall Color Tours starting today through October 30. More details posted shortly!
• Free fall movies at the Quality 16 at 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, this week is Mr. Popper's Penguins.
• Free Kinderconcert at the Dexter District Library (3255 Alpine St., Dexter) for ages 6 and under at 10:00 a.m.
• At 11:00 a.m. or 3:00 p.m., stop by the University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History (1109 Geddes Ave., Ann Arbor) for a free 20-minute interactive demonstration exploring how fossils are created. This short program offers something for all ages – exciting information about fossils and fun, hands-on exploration of fossils.
• Today is the start of the Performance Network Series for Young Audiences. At 1:00 p.m. kids ages pre-K through 6th grade can check out a performance of the “The Fisherman and His Wife” a musical based on the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.
• Paper Bag Trees, Gargoyles and Salt Ghosts at the Ypsilanti District Library - October 15, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
• Kids, strike a pose in a trick photo and get copies of your photos to take home with you during the Trick Photography session at the Ypsilanti District Library (8975 MacArthur Blvd., Superior Township) 2:00-3:30 p.m.

Sunday, October 16:

• Free fall movies at the Quality 16 at 9:00 and 10:00 a.m.
• Huron River Trick or Treat Canoe Paddle - October 16, noon-4:00 p.m.
• The other day I wrote about several harvest celebrations happening in Ypsilanti's Depot Town (noon-5:00 p.m.) or at Parker Mill (1:00-5:00 p.m.) for families interested in a little history or hands-on activities!
• Not Just for Kids series: 'Tales as Tall as the Sky' at Michigan Theater (603 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor) at 1:30 p.m. Enjoy a tall-tale that encourages interest in books and reading. Tickets start at $9/show.
• Bring the entire family to dance at Pittsfield Grange (3337 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd, Ann Arbor). Enjoy live music by David West and Donna Baird, followed by light refreshments. 2:00-4:00 p.m. Tickets are $12 for the family.

Holiday Weekend Events July 1-4, 2011

Have fun staying in town during the holiday
weekend with parades, free events and
concerts for the whole family!

If you are one of the many Ann Arbor families staying home this July 4th weekend, there is plenty to do around town! From parades to fireworks, to free crafts and building events and even some fun with science!Find an interest for every member of your family.

Friday, July 1 Events:

Begin the long weekend visiting the Dexter District Library to see Dan the Creature Man. Kids come and meet his "Rockin' Reptiles" at 11:00 a.m. for a quality face-to-face meet and greet. This live animal program is a free event for kids of all ages.

If staying closer to Ann Arbor is what you are looking for, then consider a couple of free crafty events for the kids. At 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at Tree Town Toys (2611 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor), kids ages 5 and older can create their own rocket from a toilet paper roll, string and a balloon for rocket ship fun. Also at 2:00 p.m., kids (PK through Grade 5) can create their own 4th of July craft at the Ann Arbor District Library - Pittsfield (2359 Oak Valley Dr., Ann Arbor).

Then inn the afternoon head over to the Lakeshore Family Fun Event to find a carnival atmosphere with three nights of fireworks, amusement rides, a petting zoo, a live shark encounter (hopefully NOT in Ford Lake!), a car show, talent contest, arts & crafts, on-stage entertainment, and much more! Everything except the carnival rides is free for the family. Check the website for program times!

Saturday, July 2 Events:

For a weekend of family fun, Whitmore Lake is hosting a free Independence Day Celebration downtown Saturday through Monday. But if you searching out a better understanding of local history? Take a tour of the Waterloo Area Historical Society Farm Museum (13493 Waterloo-Munith Rd., Grass Lake). Tours run throughout the weekend 1:00-5:00 p.m. An entire family can find admission very reasonably at $5/adults and $2/children allowing families a better understanding of farm life in a long-lost era.

Need a set of coasters for the folks arriving for the BBQ later in the day? Set your kids up for the free building clinic at Home Depot to solve that dilemma. From 9:00 a.m. - noon, kids can build their own coaster set for the party!

For the musically-inclined, there is something to do Saturday as well. Find a free class at 10:00 a.m. for kids ages 6-8 at Tree Town Toys. Kids will learn to use their voices, bodies and instruments to explore music and movement. To reserve your spot, call 734.929.6545.

Sunday, July 3 Events:

Sleep in and relax, THEN pop out to take the kids to get slimed! From 1:00-4:00 p.m. kids can make their own Slime at Tree Town Toys. Slime is a mixture of glue, water, food coloring, and Borax that you surely don't want messing up your own home, so head over for the low cost event for a science experiment they are sure to remember.  Your children will get to keep their own bag of Slime for only $1.
Then after dinner, stroll on over to the Ingalls Mall (915 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor) at 6:00 p.m. to see Recess Monkey. The free concert sponsored by the AADL will provide kid-friendly, parent-loved music and humor in high-energy sets the whole family will love; Rocking in Independence Day couldn't be more fun. 

Monday, July 4 Events:

Parades, parades and more parades, many even offer kids the opportunity to decorate their bikes, trikes and wagons and participate in marching in the parade! Check out my list of Ann Arbor area Independence Day Parades!

Contest: Win Free Tickets To See Justin Roberts at The Ark

On Saturday March 13, Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players will be playing at The Ark and Ann Arbor families have the opportunity to win 4 tickets to see the show for free! All you need to do is comment here about your kids funniest sports stories - although you may want to listen to Justin's hit song "Pop Fly" first as inspiration! A winning family will be choosen by Wednesday March 10.

The concert begins at 11:00 a.m. at The Ark (316 S. Main Street, Ann Arbor 48104). Tickets are $12.50 and can be purchased online or at the door, for more information call 734-761-1818.

Justin Roberts is truly one of the "all-stars" of the indie family music scene. Logging thousands of miles on the road each year in the name of children's show business, Justin has won numberous national awards and recognition and a gained a devoted fan base. Justin and The Not Ready for Naptime Players dish out unexpectedly intelligent and whimsically rocking music for kids and their parents alike.

As one of the best-selling kids' independent artists, Justin Roberts should not be missed - be sure to enter to win your family passes for the show courtesy of The Ark! As readers of the Ann Arbor Mom, YOU have a foot up on entering the contest before it is published Friday at AnnArbor.com, so be sure to enter the contest early!