Old Village Plymouth

Do I dare say that Spring is on its way? It has certainly felt like it recently, but as we all know Winter in Michigan can be a pedantic thing and my winter clothes are not getting packed away just yet.

The big signifier to me that Spring is on its way is that I’ve just entered the date for the Old Village Trunk and Yard Sales into our events calendar. With the City’s Spring Clean Up due to take place the first weekend of May (fingers crossed, nothing concrete from the City as yet) we have planned for the Yard and Trunk Sales to occur Saturday April 30th 8am – 3pm

If you don’t have a yard or if you live outside of Old Village but have things to sell, trunk sales will be taking place in the lot opposite the Masons Lodge on Farmer, $20 a spot, $10 for extra spots if you need them.

For me, the Yard Sales kick me into action to have a good look at what we have in the house, to see what my kids have outgrown, or in the case of my son what he has left behind. After all much of our pre loved stuff still has love in it for someone else. This is a great way to be environmentally conscious and also who knows make a few $$$$ for your pocket.

This event is always well attended, in the past local businesses have held special pop up events, we’ve had coffee trucks, home baking to sample and lemonade stands raising funds for animal shelters. With us all slowly returning to normalcy it would be wonderful to make this the biggest yard sale event Old Village has seen!

So getting looking in the basement, tell your neighbors, encourage them to have a yard sale and spread the word!

The Old Village Association will create a walking map of the yard sales, starting at the trunk sales at the Masons and making its way around the village. If you are an Old Villager – resident or business and you are intending to participate in the Yard Sales email Mark Oppat at moppat@comcast.net include your address and a brief description of what you are selling or if you have a particular piece/collection that buyers would be interested in.

HAPPY SPRING CLEANING!

Meeting Held Wednesday March 9th 2022

The meeting was started by clarifying what the Old Village Association is and is not (Refer to tab at the top ”What Is The OVA?)

Bumpers, Bikes and Bands

Trish had a very positive experience at Autorama. She distributed hundreds of flyers advertising this year’s BBB on July 17th. An ad for the event will also be run in Cruis’News – probably the most widely distributed magazine for all things vintage cars.

Old Village Trunk and Yard Sales

Jan rang the city to confirm Spring Clean Up day, although nothing concrete, the expecttion is for it to be the first weekend in May, so Yard and Trunk Sales are set for April 30th. Trunk sales will be held at the Mason Lodge on Amelia and the lot opposite – a big thank you to the Masons for holding this and overseeing it, a spot at the Trunk sale will be $20. This event is always well attended. OVA will reach out to residents via flyer to encorage as many homes as possible to take part, this would also be a good day for Old Village businesses to have a ”Pop Up” . Mark, Trish and Jan to coordinate flyer and walking map.

Banners

Hurray the banners are up! Thanks to Mark Oppat, Matt Zandee, Dave Cirilli and Mark Waller for getting it done.

Tony Sebastian

Tony is a long time resident of Old Village, a local business owner, a city commissioner and our Mayor Pro Tem. Tony spoke on a number of issues…

Firstly, as Old Village falls outside of the Plymouth DDA (Downtown Development Authority) Tony is investigating the possibility of creating a TIF (Tax Increment Financing) for the business area of Old Village (East side of Starkweather to West side of Mill, Pearl to Main) Tony stressed he was not looking at increasing taxes but creating a tax capture. The funds created from this TIF would be used for any projects within the business area that were deemed necessary – the TIF would be managed by a board approved by the city. This idea is in its infancy, Tony is still very much in the research phase, so watch this space for more updates.

Tony also discussed the possibility of Starkweather becoming a one way street (one way going towards Main) and having angled parking along one side to increase parking for businesses and their clients.

A question was raised about the possibility of having a crossing on Mill, as more family homes are being built in the east side of Old Village and traffic is very fast moving down Mill (a car flipped over on the tracks just last year). Mill is a county road so getting a crossing means applying to the County. Tony suggested getting Plymouth police to have a presence on Mill to slow traffic down.

Any Other Business

The parking lot on Spring between the Honey Hole and the jewelers is in a poor state and needs resurfacing.

Tom Young from the Chamber of Commerce said he would be attending more meetings and would like to promote Old Village events.

Attending : Trish Horstman (MLN) , Jan and Mark Waller (residents) , Leann Meixner (resident/Village Properties) Mark Oppat (resident/Village Properties) Kristi Holmes (resident/R3 Relexology), Reggie Wessel (OV business owner), Ryan Lamb (The Bearded Lamb Brewery), Greta Bolhuis (resident/City) Jonathan Collins (resident/City), Carly Cirilli (resident/Plymouth Pollinators) Bonnie Butler (Plymouth Depot) Tom Young (Plymouth Chamber of Commerce), AQuil Dennison (Henna Leaf), Aleah Bishop Cain (Lacquer & Co), Kristin Wessel (OV business owner), Dr Kyle Farr (Detroit Medical Spa), Tony Sebastian (resident/business owner/City), Randee Garrett (Avabelle), Megan Martin (Kiloh & Co), Randy (Masons)

It’s nearly the second Wednesday of the month and that can only mean one thing! Yup OVA meeting time! This month’s meeting is the one to come to – we have a couple of special guests attending – first Tony Sebastian, Tony is a long time resident of Old Village, he also runs his business from Old Village and if that isn’t enough he is also a Plymouth City Commissioner and Plymouth’s Mayor Pro Tem. Tony has some ideas to share with us about Old Village, which we are really looking forward to hearing.

We will also be welcoming Tom Young from the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber has recently been doing a fabulous online showcase of Old Village and its businesses which is greatly appreciated.

Now I would never say that the OVA meetings are dull (if you are curious about what the OVA concerns itself with – check out the new page ”What Is The OVA? – tab at the top of the page) but this is going to be a pretty exciting meeting! Below is the agenda of items to be reviewed – but if you have an Old Village matter you would like to discuss we finish with an open floor. So come and join us! Meet some neighbors, some lovely business owners and hear from Tony and Tom.

Everyone is Welcome!

Wednesday February 9th 2022 6.30pm

Meeting started with apologies from Mayor Pro Tem Tony Sebastian who was unable to attend and present his ideas for Old Village – we are hoping to host Tony at March’s meeting.

2022 Events

Yard and Trunk Sales

Date to be confirmed but looking like it will be April 30th – the weekend before the big City sidewalk trash pick up. The Masons will be hosting the trunk sale at their venue on Amelia and in the car park opposite – a good opportunity for anyone without a yard to participate. Suggestion made by Jan Waller to do a letter drop to residencies to garner more participation. Mark Oppat will review signs – see if we need more. Trish Horstman will design flyer to advertise. Suggestion of letter drop to residencies the week beginning March 26th – volunteers needed to do letter drop. Randee Gannett (Avabelle) inquired about having a tent outside her business during the Yard Sales – something we would encourage our business owners to do if they wish.

Bumpers, Bikes and Bands

Date confirmed Sunday July 17th.

Trish will be promoting this event at Autorama with her Throttle Girls stand.

Last year’s BBB – much bigger than ever before – in preparation for this happening again, OVA to letter drop residencies/businesses on Starkweather, Liberty, Spring about moving cars from street and to be prepared in case they need to leave the area by their vehicle. Discussion about boosting advertising of event on Facebook/Instagram – if we can all do our part to push event to make it a success. Possibilty of emailing followers using MailChimp, Google business profile. BBB has its own separate Instagram account – please follow and share! Trish unveiled the new BBB poster design – following tradition of every year featuring a different car and bike. Discussion of popularity of band – can draw big crowds of we choose wisely.

Any Other Event Ideas?

We would like to try and bring back the Chili Cook Off – end of September – use as a lead in to Pumpkin Path in October? Suggestion of holding it block party style on Liberty – beer tent? Would Bearded Lamb/Hermanns like to participate? OVA to ask. Cook Off would be a people’s choice compettion – could have a DJ – or some sort of entertainment – question of whether the extended patios would return next summer to Liberty – ask Hermanns and Bearded Lamb if they know. OVA to research more – a lot of people miss the Cook Off – would be a welcome return and could be a good fundraiser.

Banners

Although the city did come out and reattach banners, there are still some issues and a few of the banners on Mill are the old hummingbird design that we wanted to retire. Mark Oppat, Mark Waller and Matt Zandee (not present at meeting) will make the necessary changes – before next meeting so we can stop talking about banners!

AOB

Although Bonnie was not present the OVA congratulated Eats and Sweets becoming the new Plymouth Depot. A number of attendees had sampled coffee and bagels – it was all good and tasty and we wish them every success.

March Meeting scheduled for Wednesday March 9th 6.30pm

Attendees – Trish Horstman (My Little Needle) Jan and Mark Waller (residents) Mark Oppat (resident and Village Properties) Dyllon MacDougall (Edward Jones Financial) Randee Gannett & Jake Bolton (Avabelle) Dr Kyle Farr (Detroit Aesthetics Spa) Kirsti Holmes (R3 Reflexology and Resident) Aleah Bishop-Cain (Lacquer & Co) AQuil Dennison (Henna Leaf) Randy (Masons)

Hello Old Village Friends and Neighbors!

It’s been a few weeks since I have written a post – I was pretty wiped out after the Halloween party, and then we had Thanksgiving – suddenly Winter Break and the Holiday season and now here we are firmly in February. I say it with every year I get older – time is definitely speeding up.

There was not a whole lot of village business recently – just after Thanksgiving a small group of volunteers ”twinklified” Starkweather Park Gazebo and fir tree. The decorations on the fir tree are now down but I do love to see the gazebo all lit up at night – it looks charming in the snow – I haven’t the heart to organize take down – maybe we should keep them up all year?

There has been a few exciting changes in the Village since Fall. The Honey Hole diner has reopened after much anticipation, it is great to see patrons inside again. We also welcomed the newly rebranded Plymouth Depot – formerly Eats and Sweets, there is still ice cream galore but now barista coffee and breakfast and lunch available too. I enjoyed a lovely latte and breakfast bagel there a couple of weeks back, there is a sweet cafe area inside to enjoy your purchases. The Village also welcomed the new Bearded Lamb Brewery where Liberty Street Brewing used to be. They are offering a wide variety of craft brews and ciders. If you are feeling peckish, they have snacks and chili from Beyond Borders on Main Street. The Bearded Lamb is hosting trivia and comedy nights in their upstairs space – well worth checking out.

We have a lot of good things to look forward to this year, we will have the Old Village Yard and Trunk sales at the end of April – date to be confirmed, Bumpers, Bikes and Bands will be back Sunday July 17th. October will see the return of the Pumpkin Path – after the fabulous contribution our Old Village businesses made last year, we are thinking that some residents would like to take part? We will also be holding another Halloween Block Party for our younger Old Villagers. In addition to that it was suggested at this month’s OVA meeting (more on that later) that we bring back the Plymouth Chili Cook Off – we are really in the tentative early stages of figuring out if we can do this but we are currently thinking the end of September – what do you think? Would you like to see the return of the Chili Cook Off in Old Village? Let me know your thoughts!

Lastly I will be writing up the details of OVA meetings and posting them here in the Voice so even if you cannot make it to the meetings, you will be able to see what is discussed (now I just have to decipher my mad scribblings I make ) so expect that to drop in the next couple of days.

Stay Warm Villagers!

Jan

October is nearly over, this Sunday is Halloween and I am really hoping we get some Trick or Treaters this year (please please please)

October has been a busy month. At the start we had our very first Old Village Pumpkin Path, 23 businesses donated funds to the OVA and in return we gave them a pumpkin and the encouragement to let their creative juices flow. We were blown away by the results.

A BIG BIG thank you to the following Kiloh & Co, My Little Needle Tattoo Shop, Namaste Piercing Shop, Detroit Aesthetics Company, JoJo’s Treats, Eats and Sweets, Lacquer & Co, Henna Leaf Art Space, Hermanns Old Towne Grille, R3 Reflexology, Clear AutoBra, Piano Crafters, Denny’s Auto Repair, Certa Pro Plymouth, Love Kate’s Kitchen, The Blu Kitchen, Avabelle, Comfort Keepers, Growing Wisdom Integrative Counseling, Barkers Pet Salon, the Plymouth Pollinators, White Buffalo Yoga Studio and our good friends the Masons at Plymouth Rock Lodge #47.

Your creativity brightened Old Village as the skies got grayer and your donations meant we were able to bring back a great Old Village tradition – the Halloween Block Party.

There were a few differences – we moved the venue to Farmer, next to Starkweather Park and in these post Covid days we were a little cautious so no bounce house this year and we decorated our pumpkins with stickers, but there were games to play, pumpkins to stack, a kiddie train ride, a costume contest and lots and lots of candy. We had a good number of families show up and we saw some wonderful costumes on 2 and 4 legged friends. Here are some shots from the day.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this event a success – many neighbors came out to help set up and take down decorations and games. We were so fortunate to have the Guardians of Hope join us – this is a local group of cosplayers who love to dress up as your favorite heroes and villains from movies and animation. They volunteer their time to visit sick children in hospital, fundraise for the Make A Wish foundation and show up to community events like ours. If you want to know more about the Guardians you can find them on Facebook and Instagram @guardiansofhopeMI

We also need to give a big shout out to the students of PCEP’s Park Players Theater Company and Thespian Society #354. A large group of students came dressed up and ready to get spooky with our young friends, they ran games, sold cider and donuts and made the train ride a spooky experience. Thank you to all of them for volunteering their time – the Park Players will be performing their first LIVE shows since March 2020 starting with The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 in November and 12 Angry Women in December – dates and ticket information can be found at www.pcepparkplayers.com

At the end of the day we had a lot of happy children with lots of candy to take home and some tired volunteers who I’m sure had a nap after!

If you would like to get more involved with the comings and goings of Old Village, the Old Village Association meets every second Wednesday of the month at 6.30pm at the Mason’s Lodge on Farmer and Amelia – residents and business owners welcome!

Jan x

OK a bit melodramatic, but certainly “Halloween – The Return” – just don’t expect to see Jamie Lee Curtis running screaming down Starkweather!

We used to have a lovely tradition of a Halloween Block Party here in Old Village – a great family event to get everyone in the mood for Trick or Treating. The last Block Party was in 2017 and since then, a lack of volunteers and a certain little virus has thwarted any plans to revive this community event – until now!

A small but feisty band of OVA members are channeling their inner Dr Frankenstein and bringing the Block Party back to life! We are trying out a new venue – Farmer next to Starkweather Park. We will have a spooky train ride, games galore, pumpkin decorating, a costume contest for two legged and four legged friends and much more – this is a great opportunity before we all start hibernating to get out, meet your neighbors and have some fun.

This event couldn’t run without a couple of things – volunteers – more on that later and the funding raised from a new event we are running in the village during October – The Old Village Pumpkin Path.

From October 10th you will see an array of pumpkins pop up around the Village. Business owners have signed up to create their own decorated pumpkin and to display it either outside or in the window of their business – we want visitors to Old Village to photograph these pumpkins and share them on social media using the #OVpumpkinpath. At the time of writing this post we have 14 businesses signed up! Each of those businesses donated funds towards to Halloween Block Party – I will be blogging about our Old Village Pumpkins throughout October – also keep a look out for a Pumpkin Path walking map to help you find those pesky pumpkins!

A last word about volunteers, I am really thankful for those individuals who give their time and energy so freely to help these events happen – it would be awesome to have a few more – if you are an Old Village resident and you would like to get more involved with your community – please consider volunteering at the Halloween Block Party – we need a few adults willing to supervise some children’s games – maybe while dressed up in a Halloween costume???

There is a Halloween Block Party Planning Meeting Wednesday October 6th, at the Mason’s Lodge on Farmer and Amelia at 6.30pm – we would love to see you there!

Jan

I have just come back from a few days in Chicago, I looked at art, shopped, hung out with my kids, ate yummy food and drank cocktails by the river – all splendid fun but it is sooooooooo good to home in Old Village. Today is Labor Day and I hope you are all enjoying the last holiday of summer.

Tomorrow however I am going to be looking forward to all things Fall – as some of you know I moved to the US 10 years ago and one of the many things I fell in love with is Fall. I am looking forward to pumpkins on porches, a glass of apple cider, wearing sweaters and the spooky season!

This past August we have seen some ongoing projects come to fruition, we have new street banners dotted around Starkweather and Mill, thank you to everyone who worked to make that happen.
We have also been very lucky to have had the efforts of the Plymouth Pollinators directed at our Old Village signs and their flower beds. Dave and Carly of the Pollinators have been coming to recent Old Village Association meetings and we were blown away by their plans. Some of our local businesses very kindly sponsored the plants for these beds. I can’t wait to see what it will look like next summer. To get an idea you can see the Pollinators garden in the Knights of Columbus park on Holbrook. If you are interested in getting involved with the Pollinators the best way to start is by joining their Facebook group – search Plymouth Pollinators! Thank you Dave and Carly for all the love bestowed on Old Village!

We have plans for making this a beautiful Fall in Old Village.
Our local businesses are planning a fun Pumpkin Path that we can all participate in and highlight the array of businesses we have here in Old Village and the OVA is planning to celebrate Halloween on October 24th with a fun family block party.

Just a reminder that the OVA meet the second Wednesday of every month at 6.30pm at the Masons Lodge at Farmer and Amelia – we love to see our neighbors and your thoughts and help, help us grow. Our September meeting is Wednesday September 8th.

Hope you have a great September – best wishes to all the Old Village children who will be returning to school this week, we are all hoping for a happy and safe year for you.

Jan xx

Click the link above to view the Summer edition of the Old Village Voice.

Don’t forget Bumpers, Bikes and Bands is coming!!!!