Seniors Selling Cookbook, hosting Mayor’s Senior Town Hall and Tastefest
(Crystal A. Proxmire)
October 27, 2010 is a big one for The Ferndale Seniors. First they’ll be getting a visit from Mayor Craig Covey, at the annual Senior Town Hall Meeting at 11am at the Kulick Center (1201 Livernois). Then in the evening they will be celebrating the launch of their first ever Ferndale Seniors Cookbook with a Taste Fest from 5:00pm to 7:00pm, at the Ferndale Public Library (222 E. 9 Mile).
MAYORS TOWN HALL
The Town Hall Meeting with the Mayor is free and open to people of any age. There is lunch available afterward for a small fee.
The Mayors Town Hall is typically a casual, fun event that also bring up serious questions about what is going on in City government. Mayor Craig Covey is willing to talk about nearly anything with the Seniors. Group President Jeannie Davis reports “The questions range from the issues at the time, to the trivial. He has even been asked why he doesn’t settle down with a permanent partner. Most of it is light hearted and we have a lot of laughs. When they were thinking of legalizing marijuana, it was pointed out that if a person were caught carrying it, they could be arrested. One of our darlings asked then about getting it home. “after all, when I buy my wine, I don’t drink it at the store, and I sure don’t want to smoke my marijuana at the store.”
Davis said she expects Covey to cover many issues, including medical marijuana, the noise ordinance debate, 
and the Charter Amendment which is on the ballot.
The Town Hall Meeting with the Mayor is free and open to people of any age. There is lunch available afterward for a small fee.
SENIOR COOKBOOK
The Seniors will be releasing their Senior Cookbook with a Taste Fest from 5-7pm at the Ferndale Public Library. There will be tables of food and a chance to talk about the recipes provided by Ferndale’s most active elders. The book contains many unique recipes like “Wacky Cake” from Virginia Saxton, who got the recipe from her grandmother who had written in on the back of their sewer bill receipt, which was $1.00 at the time. There is also one for Russian teacakes from Dorothy Gafke who used to make them with her mother. President Davis also contributed to the collection – with a top secret family recipe for Buttermilk pie that she extracted from her daughter in law with the promise never to reveal it to any one else.
The project brought the Seniors together for several months of work. “Don DeCenzo, our vice president, dreamed up the idea of the cookbook a year ago,” Davis said. “We knew we wouldn’t make any money from this, and decided to do it as a nice thing for us to have. He set up a committee, and they spread out, obtaining recipes from the ladies.
“They asked for a little story or comment to go with the recipe. Like, when that particular dish was served, who they got it from etc. Then, they took pictures of all the donors, thus making the cookbook very personal. After the recipes were entered into the computer, Don set to work assembling everything on the pages, stories, photos, and graphics.
“He priced having it printed and bound, and brought this info to the board, and we made the decision that it was too expensive, we would have had to sell the book for $20 just to break even. So, we decided to print the pages, buy the binders, and do the assembly ourselves. Don even purchased plastic sleeves so the pages would remain clean. A crew gathered and the book was assembled.
We were so pleased when we saw the finished product at last! It is so bright and colorful. I had already had the idea of launching the book with a taste fest, so, we set to work arranging this. Don is handling the details of the launch party, even down to the decor. (Not Halloween) We are using the double room at the library, and we are lining up at least 16 of the donors who will be cooking their creations, and serving them. Since we have the double room, if we can get more cooks, we will have room for them. This promises to be a great evening,” Davis said.
The Taste Fest and Launch is set for Friday, October 27, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm, at the Ferndale Public Library. The cost is $10.00 for adults, and children 10 and under get in free with an adult. Taste Fest attendees get first shot at purchasing a cook book, and they get a 30% discount off their book purchase.
For a large listing of Ferndale area events, be sure to check our Event Page. Thank you to Western Market for being the sponsor of our Newbie Foodie section. We are also currently seeking sponsors. To download a rate card click here.
