City of Ferndale to hold week-long earth celebration

The Ferndale Environmental Sustainability Commission and the Ferndale Downtown Development Authority are combining efforts with that of the local business community to host the 4th annual Ferndale Green Week. The week of events are an opportunity for residents to not only celebrate Earth Day 2012 but also get to know some local businesses that are doing their part to help celebrate the earth year-round.

Miriam Gershow Visits Ferndale Public Library

If Miriam Gershow made a bumper sticker it would say “Fiction Saves Lives.” The Berkley High graduate is the author of The Local News, a story about a teenager whose older brother went missing and how it affected her and her family. Gershow, who now lives in Oregon, came back to Michigan to do a reading from the novel at The Ferndale Public Library as part of their Ferndale Reads celebration.

Original Work Found in Library Storage Room

The painting—created as an illustration for The Story of Hiawatha–is gouache on illustration board. Room was left in the lower right corner for text, which was written by Allen Chaffee as a retelling of the famous Longfellow poem. Published in 1951, The Story of Hiawatha features Sperry’s illustrations throughout and is currently out of print, though two copies remain in circulation at the Ferndale Public Library.

The Last Night at AJs Cafe

“I want to spend the next chapter of my life validating Detroit’s hard work through our coffee. That’s been that conduit, and I think that’s a real important aspect. I did exactly what I signed up for. I signed up for five years… and I’m very honored to be able to be a part of Ferndale’s living room for these five years. The people of this city have really embraced me, and what this has meant as a wonderful ambassador for Main Streets all across the USA.”

Entrepreneurial Spirit: The Green Thumb Guy, Kris Lieber

It’s hard to picture Green Thumb Garden Center owner Kris Lieber donning a suit and punching a corporate clock every day, but that’s what life was like before he opened the budding garden supply business at 22963 Woodward. The 33-year-old entrepreneur used to be a clinical engineer responsible managing the Biomedical Engineering department at several hospitals for a large corporate health system.

The SOCRRA Tour

The tour starts out in the education center, where youngsters hear a presentation about recycling, and watch a video about the process. Karen Bever, from SOCRRA explained that the more kids recycle, the more money the cities get back from the program. “It costs cities $26 a ton to take away garbage, but for every ton of recycling the city brings in they get a $37.50 credit,” Bever said.

Hailey Zureich, Future Mayor of Ferndale?

You might also recognize Zureich from seeing her on stage. One of her passions is improvisational comedy, and she’s part of the family at Go! Comedy at 261 9 Mile. “I think everybody should do improv. The principles it teaches work in other areas of life. The relationships you build with people on stage will be like none you will ever have again. It’s nice to just fully trust someone to have your back.”

Route 2 Recovery: Metastatic Breast Cancer Group

While Cathy was at a follow-up doctor’s appointment, she noticed a Sharing & Caring brochure with information about a new support group. Despite her husband and children’s support, finding women to talk to who truly understand the diagnosis and treatment plan was proving to be difficult. Cathy decided to attend, hoping to meet others who may have comparable experiences.