Lansing 150 Grand Finale

November 12, 2009 – 10:18 am

It's Lansing's Birthday! by Eridony
It's Lansing's Birthday! by Eridony

2009 is the Sesquicentennial of the City of Lansing. The Lansing 150 Grand Finale is next Friday (Nov 20) immediately following Silver Bells in the City from 8-11 PM in the Lansing Center. This event concludes Lansing’s year long Sesquicentennial Birthday Party and will include free entertainment and a free reception.

As part of the celebration they are holding an "I AM LANSING" contest. Area residents, businesses and organizations can submit photos, videos and/or essays about Lansing and judges will decide the Best Lansing Story. The winner will receive a $500 cash prize and you can enter until midnight this Friday! Head over to lansing150.com for all the details!

lansing 1866The City of Lansing history page (and the City of Lansing) begins:

In the winter of 1835, two brothers from Lansing, New York plotted the area just south of downtown Lansing, naming the territory "Biddle Town." Most of this land was in a floodplain and underwater for much of the year. Despite the condition of the land, the brothers returned to New York to sell the plots to unsuspecting individuals wanting to test their fortunes in a new land. The group of settlers arrived to Mid-Michigan only to find their plots submerged under several feet of water. Nevertheless, many in the group chose to stay and established what is now Metropolitan Lansing. They christened the town "Lansing Township" after their home village in New York.

You can get a ton more great old photos of Lansing from Seeking Michigan, check out a sweet view of Lansing from the Lansing standpipe in the late 1800s on Michigan in Pictures and learn lots more about Lansing at absolutemichigan.com/Lansing!

Photo: Bird's eye view of the city of Lansing (Mich.); 1866. Courtesy Seeking Michigan.

By farlane | Posted in Area Information, Articles, Arts & Entertainment, Chambers of Commerce, Community, Destinations, Dig Michigan, Festivals, Attractions & Event Calendars, History & Libraries, Lansing, Lodging & Travel, Michigan, Photography & Film, The Michigan Pages, The Michigan Pages: History | Comments (0)

Veterans Day Special: How Detroit Won the War

November 11, 2009 – 10:16 am

willow-run-bomber-productionToday is Veterans Day, commemorating the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month when Germany signed the Armistice Agreement ending World War I. You can read more about Veteran's Day on Absolute Michigan and also on Michigan in Pictures.

Life Magazine has a feature titled WWII: How Detroit Won The War that provides an excellent photographic look at how the Motor City retooled to become "The Arsenal of Democracy". Photos include Chrysler's Tank Assembly, Dodge's military vehicle production and Willow Run Bomber Plant where more than 18,000 B-24 Liberators were built between 1940 and 1945. They note that the auto industry's contribution to the war effort was valued at more than $50 billion worth of materials - an astounding 20% of the nation's war production.

You can see a ton more photos of the Willow Run Bomber Plant right here that provide a fascinating look into what Charles Lindbergh called "the Grand Canyon of the mechanized world." Here's the story of Willow Run (and how many newsreels did this guy voice??):

Photo Credit: Library of Congress photo LC-USE6- D-008797, Howard R. Hollem, photographer. Production. B-24E (Liberator) bombers at Willow Run. Looking up one of the assembly lines at Ford's big Willow Run plant, where B-24E (Liberator) bombers are being made in great numbers. The Liberator is capable of operation at high altitudes and over great ranges on precision bombing missions. It has proved itself an excellent performer in the Pacific, in Northern Africa, Europe and the Aleutians. Ford's Willow Run Plant, Michigan

By farlane | Posted in Articles, Arts & Entertainment, Community, Dig Michigan, History & Libraries, Industry & Manufacturing, Media, Michigan, Photography & Film, Technology & Internet Media, Television & Internet Video, The Michigan Pages, The Michigan Pages: History | Comments (0)

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald edited by Joseph Fulton

November 10, 2009 – 8:00 am

Joseph Fulton put together this amazing tribute to the 29 men who died November 10, 1975 aboard the Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior set to The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot. This video is one of the best I've ever seen on YouTube and I hope you can watch it.

More shipwreck features on Absolute Michigan. Also see more about the Edmund Fitzgerald and even more shipwrecks on Michigan in Pictures.

By farlane | Posted in Articles, Arts & Entertainment, Bands, Entertainers & Labels, Boating, Diving & Beaches, Community, History & Libraries, Media, Michigan, Photography & Film, Recreation & Sports, Television & Internet Video, The Michigan Pages | Comments (11)

A Very Michigan Thanksgiving

November 9, 2009 – 11:18 am


Turkey by Vaughan

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and Michiganians will soon be hitting the road to attend family get togethers and enjoying annual traditions. To help get ready for the upcoming holiday we have compiled a bunch of informative and entertaining Thanksgiving related links for you to enjoy.

Head over to Michigan.gov and learn all about Michigan's contribution to the traditional Thanksgiving meal. You can also find some great ideas for holiday food and wine pairings in 'Tis the Season to Taste the Bounty of Michigan, Thanksgiving Dinner Wines and Celebrate the holidays with Michigan Ice Wine and dry fruit brandies. For a healthy but flavorful take on your holiday meal check out this podcast from the University of Michigan's MFit Health Division titled 'Make Thanksgiving healthy without losing flavor'. 

Check out a ton of great Thanksgiving recipes and dinner ideas on the Food Network's website.

For more Turkey Day food ideas & articles check out Absolute Michigan keyword "turkey", a search for Thanksgiving and our Michigan Grown section in Food & Dining!

2009 marks the 83rd birthday of America's Thanksgiving Parade and this year's theme is 'Together We Shine'. The theme celebrates The Parade Company bringing a spark of magic and people together to enjoy one of Detroit’s largest and free events where for one special moment, families can be entertained, share a tradition and create a memory.. America's Thanksgiving Parade is one of the country’s oldest and most celebrated parades and will step off at 9:20 a.m. on Woodward Avenue and Mack and end at Woodward Avenue and Congress in downtown Detroit on Thursday, November 26, 2009. Hundreds of thousands of parade-goers will be watching as the Parade makes its way down Woodward Avenue.

If you Motown is off your radar on Thanksgiving, how about a nice set of parade photos from the our Flickr pool, a clickondetroit.com article - "Thousands Cheered As America's Thanksgiving Parade Rolled Down Woodward " (with video), a historical look at Detroit's Thanksgiving Day Parade and a TV tuned to WDIV-TV Local 4 at 9 AM (also on for an hour nationally). If you're the prudent type, you might consider building up a calorie credit balance at the Annual Detroit Turkey Trot.


Thanksgiving Day by Dave Hogg
Dave writes: As bad as the Lions get,
Thanksgiving is always special.

The Detroit Lions’ 70th Thanksgiving Day Classic will feature the Lions hosting long-time rival Green Bay Thursday, November 26 at 12:30 p.m. ET. The Lions’ Thanksgiving Day game at Ford Field will be aired live nationally on FOX.

Via the Detroit Lions Official web site:

Four generations of fans in Michigan share a special tradition. Every year since 1934 (with a break during World War II), Thanksgiving Day in America means a time for acknowledging our nation's forefathers and giving thanks to them for blazing the paths we travel today. For Michigan, the festive turkey dinner is also accompanied with a side of Detroit Lions football.

Amaze your family, friends with what you learn about the origins and history of Thanksgiving on Wikipedia.

By Absolute Michigan | Posted in Articles, Arts & Entertainment, Chambers of Commerce, Community, Detroit Lions, Festivals, Attractions & Event Calendars, Food & Dining, History & Libraries, Michigan, Michigan Grown, Recipes, Recreation & Sports, SE, Sports | Comments (1)

When Ypsilanti had its own time zone…

November 9, 2009 – 7:22 am

Pinhole: Clock by Matt Callow
Pinhole: Clock by Matt Callow

Longtime Absolute Michigan friend Laura Bein has a feature in the Ypsilanti Courier about when Ypsilanti had its own time zone. It begins:

You have to love a city that creates, out of sheer cussedness, its own time zone. That was Ypsilanti from 1883 to at least 1904.

In the early 1880s, communities observed "local time," also called "sun time." Towns and cities gauged time by taking a measurement of the sun's position. They set this time on a highly visible clock in town, such as a church clock. Townspeople set their timepieces by the church clock. However, due to varying sun-measurements, clock time differed from town to town, which made it frustrating and expensive for railroads trying to maintain efficient schedules. In 1883, the heads of the big railroad companies met in Chicago and agreed to adopt standard time, with four continental time zones, as their preferred system, in order to regulate their train schedules. Soon afterwards, individual states began to copy the railroads' time scheme.

Michigan adopted standard time on September 19, 1885. The legislative decision read, "The People of the State of Michigan enact that standard time, central division, based on the ninetieth meridian of longitude west from Greenwich, shall be legal time within this state."

Ypsilanti simply ignored this state edict. With a few exceptions around town, the city stuck to local time and refused to adopt standard time. And refused it officially-at an October 1885 City Council meeting, the Council voted to reject, denounce, and squash standard time!

Read on in the Ypsilanti Courier.

By farlane | Posted in Articles, Community, Dig Michigan, History & Libraries, Michigan, The Michigan Pages | Comments (0)

Photo Friday: Steadfast Amid the Tumult by Rob the Photog

November 6, 2009 – 8:29 am

Steadfast Amid the Tumult

Rob the Photog (Rob Gingerich) is a former TV news photographer (and current TV production manager) who loves macro photography. He also says he has a fondness for things covered in dust, rust, cobwebs, etc and that the older he gets, the more he becomes interested in old things.

He invites you to view this photo bigger. His sets include Vacation 2009 (in Manistee),East Lansing Art Fest 2007, MSU Hockey (of Michigan State University's 2006-2007 National Championship hockey team) and My Best (slideshow).

Dive into his Flickriver (where this photo is appropriately first!).

By farlane | Posted in Articles, Arts & Entertainment, Michigan, Photo Friday, Photography & Film, The Michigan Pages | Comments (0)

The Conference on Michigan's Future

November 5, 2009 – 6:30 am

Wind farm in Ubly Michigan by Ray Dumas
Wind farm in Ubly Michigan by Ray Dumas

The 2nd annual Conference on Michigan's Future will be held Friday November 13 through Sunday, November 15, 2009 at Crystal Mountain Resort near Traverse City.

The conference will explores visions of a sustainable future for Michigan, from the critical challenges facing our economy to strategies for developing a stable, enduring economic, energy and environmental future. It features forty speakers providing high-powered, cutting-edge presentations including Robert Costanza, Albert Bates, Thomas Greco, Richard Douthwaite, Patrick Moore, Harvey Wasserman, Richard Gilbert, Soji Adelaja, Joe Welch, and Dan Scripps.

Last year Absolute Michigan talked with Crystal Mountain GM Jim MacInnes about the last year's conference and you can watch it right here:

Photo Credit

The photos in the video are from the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr. If you mouse over them you can see title and photographer's name and you can click to see more great work from them.

How Much?!No GasQuixoteSpinners 1makin' cloudsLate July CornChili and coThe Fog is BurningThe GRAM at NightOil PatchTraffic JamAmtrak 352 DepartingA young boy dreams big dreams of what lies beyond

By farlane | Posted in Articles, Arts & Entertainment, Business, Community, Computers & Technology, Dig Michigan, Environment & Environmental Organizations, Food & Dining, Government, Industry & Manufacturing, Media, Michigan, Michigan Grown, Photography & Film, Television & Internet Video, The Michigan Pages, The Michigan Pages: Build Michigan! | Comments (0)

Growing Stupidity: Will MSU Extension Be Shuttered?

November 4, 2009 – 8:55 am

Pumpkin Patch by Larry the Biker
Pumpkin Patch by Larry the Biker

In his essay Threatening Agriculture, Michigan Radio's Jack Lessenberry says that it looks as if Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm will veto funding for agricultural extension programs after witholding the October payment for extension. He quotes dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University Jeffrey Armstrong as saying this would be devastating to Michigan's second largest industry in a variety of ways including the loss of millions more in federal matching funds.

“The Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station system and MSU extension are providing the research, development, and education for Michigan’s emerging green economy,” Armstrong said.

If that funding is eliminated, or even if it is withheld, he says it would “destroy our ability to build the one economic sector in which Michigan has an advantage,” he says.

What that would mean is that MSU would have to shut down its 83 extension offices -- one per county - plus 15 agricultural and biological research stations and some other programs.

Jack notes that we're not just talking 4H here - we're talking after school programs in inner cities and a wide range of health and education issues that touch all aspects of our lives in Michigan.

I'll switch to italics to editorialize: This is about the most senseless thing I've ever heard of. Michigan is defined by what we grow and right now it seems like we're growing stupidity.

By farlane | Posted in Articles, Breweries & Wineries, Business, Community, Computers & Technology, Dig Michigan, Food & Dining, Government, Industry & Manufacturing, Michigan, Michigan Grown, Schools & Education, The Michigan Pages, The Michigan Pages: Build Michigan! | Comments (1)

AquaSWARM: MSU developing robot fish

November 3, 2009 – 10:21 am

Michigan State University researchers are developing aquatic robots that mimic fish movement to allow low cost and omni-present monitoring of harmful algal blooms in fresh water eco-systems. We at Absolute Michigan would like to welcome our robotic piscine overlords and invite you to watch this video!

By farlane | Posted in Articles, Community, Computers & Technology, Dig Michigan, Environment & Environmental Organizations, Hunting & Fishing, MSU, Michigan, Recreation & Sports, Television & Internet Video, The Michigan Pages | Comments (0)

Michitwitter November 2009

November 2, 2009 – 5:39 pm

Read a good article or blog post about Michigan? See a cool picture or video? Listen to a great podcast? Attend a fun event or find a new web site?

Scroll down to tell folks in the comments. Please keep them brief and friendly! Subscribe to Michitwitter via RSS or check out Absolute Michigan on Twitter!

Photo: You with the camera, enough pictures!! by Daylily18

By Absolute Michigan | Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Blogs & Forums, Books & Magazines, Community, Destinations, Festivals, Attractions & Event Calendars, Lodging & Travel, Media, Michigan, Movies, Newspapers, Radio & Podcast, Recreation & Sports, Technology & Internet Media, Television & Internet Video, The Michigan Pages | Comments (1)