These days, when you walk or drive through downtown Farmington in the evening, you’ll often see crowds gathered outdoors to enjoy a meal or drinks together.

You’ll hear conversation and laughter (and occasionally live music); smell the just-prepared food on the tables, and see dog-walking locals stop to hug someone they know.

But downtown Farmington hasn’t always had this inviting, energetic vibe – and it’s no accident that it’s developed over the course of the past decade or so.

“We’ve been talking about this for at least fifteen years – from the time I got involved with the Planning Commission,” says Farmington Mayor (and architect) Steven Schneemann. “ … At that time, there was a real need for a downtown center. There was no big gathering place downtown. … This led to the development [in 2005] of that big area where Sundquist Pavilion and Riley Park is. But there was no street life, either. There was nothing to draw people out.”

Patio life in downtown Farmington. (Photo by David Lewinski)

Back then, John Cowley & Sons’ Irish pub and restaurant was one of the only places you could dine outdoors while in the heart of downtown; and before Farmington’s $3.2 million Grand River Avenue streetscape improvement project – which expanded sidewalks, added crosswalks, benches, bike racks, and landscaping – began in 2009, there was little room for growth.

“The whole thing comes down to how you design it,” says Schneemann. “Before the streetscape project, we just had two big sidewalks of concrete separated by three and a half lanes of traffic,” says Schneemann. “Even if there had been more places where you could sit outside, why would you want to? Now, with the fencing and the landscaping – yes, you’re still just 5 or 6 feet away from the cars going by, but there’s a row of shrubs, and trees, and curbs, so there’s more of a sense of security. It feels more comfortable, like a place where you can really sit and relax.” READ THE REST HERE

This profile is part of Destination Ann Arbor’s Great Minds Think a Lot series, highlighting influential leaders in Washtenaw County who make a positive impact within our community.

Former University Musical Society President Ken Fischer left some pretty enormous shoes to fill when he retired in 2017 – and Matthew VanBesien may be one of the few people in the world whose metaphorical feet were big enough for the job.

For VanBesien – who’d begun his career as an orchestra musician (playing french horn) – served as President of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and then the New York Philharmonic before making the move Ann Arbor; so to say he’s accustomed to a high profile in the performing arts world would be a bit of an understatement.

But in an effort to get to know VanBesien more personally, I recently asked him some questions about his new life in Ann Arbor – which led to some surprising confessions involving workplace polka bands and the nostalgic pull of A&W Root Beer. READ THE REST HERE

Everything’s coming up live music in downtown Farmington these days.

Yes, throughout the summer, you can head to Farmington’s Sundquist Pavilion for Lunch Beats on Wednesday at noon; Family Fun in Riley Park on select Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m.; and Rhythms in Riley Park nearly every Friday, from 7-9 p.m.

Tom Birchler, who emcees and runs both Lunch Beats (now in its second year) and Rhythms, went from performing in Riley Park – with his band, Paisley Fogg – to taking Rhythms’ reins in 2014.

CHANGES IN RHYTHMS

“The first year I did it, … Riley Park, at that time, was under construction,” said Birchler. “The compass in the middle, the paver paths, the steps leading down into the park – they were in the midst of doing all that construction that summer, so my first year, we were down on Grand River, in the gazebo across from the high-rise senior living space.”

Back then, Birchler only emceed, and bands would bring their own sound system – so the series only sounded as good as each artist’s equipment.

Rhythms in Riley Park. (Photo by David Lewinski)

But Birchler wanted the series to have consistently good production quality, so when it was time to draw up a proposal for the following year, Birchler offered to supply and oversee the sound equipment at each Rhythmz show (which is where you’ll usually spot him every Friday night).

“I just put on another one of my hats,” said Birchler. “My roadie hat, my sound mixer hat. It was nice because I was able to get a better quality of sound every week. … And it was easier for the bands to just show up with their guitars and amps and stuff. It allows them to work cheaper, too. So it’s worked well, and the budget for the talent goes further than it otherwise might.” READ THE REST HERE

The first in an occasional series on brunch spots in the metro region. We begin in downtown Farmington.

Weekends are for sleeping in (provided you don’t have young children or pets providing unwanted wake-up calls).

They’re for taking the time to recover, awake, arise, and start the day.

So it’s little wonder that brunch has become such a popular dining trend in recent years. As busy as everyone is, a civilized meal with a reasonably late morning start time sounds about as irresistible as a bubbly, refreshing mimosa.

Where can you meet up with friends or family members for brunch (or just late breakfast) in downtown Farmington? This week, Metromode highlights four spots that offer some delicious options for those lazy weekend mornings. READ THE REST HERE

To understand why and how a big, multi-day annual bluegrass festival took root in the small town of Milan in the 1980s, just think of the factory-job-fueled migration trail previously forged between Appalachia and the Detroit Metro area.

“In the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, people moved to this area from Kentucky, from Virginia, from Tennessee, from West Virginia, … and [bluegrass] was the music they loved,” said Mark Gaynier, who hosts and organizes the Milan Bluegrass Festival. “The Kigers [who launched the first iteration of the festival] came from Alabama originally. … Lots of people around here had been born and raised on this type of music, so the Bluegrass Festival just felt like a big old family reunion.”

Ruth Kiger planned the inaugural Milan Bluegrass Festival as a charitable fundraiser (to help a friend who was suffering from an illness) in 1980, but the response was so overwhelming that she and husband Cayce Kiger, who’d built the KC Campground, decided to put on the festival annually.

The festival quickly grew in prominence – to such a degree that bluegrass god Bill Monroe appeared at the last one planned by the Kigers in 1986.

“Then Ruth Kiger passed away from cancer,” said Gaynier. “And the festival bounced around a little bit. It was in Leslie, Michigan for a while.”

Back then, Gaynier was a salesman for Frito-Lay, and the Kigers’ campground was one of his accounts. “I got to be friends with them,” said Gaynier. “I used to joke and say things like, ‘I should have a job like yours, where you sit out there in a lawn chair, and people just throw money at you and go put up a tent.’ And then in 1996, they came to me and said, ‘Why don’t you buy the campground?’”

Gaynier did just that. READ THE REST HERE

(Photo by Doug Coombe)

Swing dancing’s trendy mainstream revival in the 1990s – which spawned everything from a classic “Jump, Jive an’ Wail” Gap commercial to Jon Favreau’s cult-hit indie romantic comedy, “Swingers” – came to a pretty abrupt close with that decade.

But you’d never guess that if you came to downtown Farmington on a summer Thursday night.

In Riley Park’s Sundquist Pavilion, about 200 people of all ages (though the average skews young) gather weekly to Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, and Charleston their cares away by way of Swing Farmington.

“I fell in love with it from the first night,” says Melvindale’s Amber Konjarevich, 25, who first attended with friends in 2013. “Over the years I’ve made some of my best friends at Swing Farmington, who have been there for me and will be lifelong friends. I love being able to bring new people and have them experience the joy that [Swing Farmington] brings to me. The energy is always so positive, and it’s a great way to bring people together.” READ THE REST HERE

This was a fun program I took part in – thanks again to the fabulous Patti Smith – wherein I shared with the crowd my desire for a twist on a classic tale: which is to say, “Curious George Gets What’s Coming to Him.”

In the Ann Arbor Observer, Megan Inbody noted, “Journalist Jenn McKee read a Curious George story, expressing exasperation at the utter lack of negative consequences for the pernicious primate.” Indeed! You can read more about the event here.

Last Friday, one day before the Farmington Farmers Market officially opened its 26th season, FFM manager Walt Gajewski needed to have his car towed from the parking lot.

“I called, and I gave the guy the address, and he says, ‘Oh, you’re at the Farmers Market. I love that market!’” says Gajewski with a chuckle.

The tow truck driver is hardly alone. Throughout the summer, many Farmington locals bike, walk, and pull their kids in wagons to Riley Park every Saturday, while attendees from neighboring towns (and beyond) nab a nearby parking spot – all to spend an hour (or three) listening to live music; tasting vendors’ samples; chatting with farmers, artists, and friends; browsing fresh produce (or fish or meat); and enjoying the ridiculously irresistible smell of Petey’s Donuts.

All these sensory treats combine to make the Farmington Farmers Market part of many locals’ weekend routine. READ THE REST HERE

This profile is part of Destination Ann Arbor’s Great Minds Think a Lot series, highlighting influential leaders in Washtenaw County who make a positive impact within our community.

Jenn Cornell Queen – Ann Arbor SPARK’s VP of Marketing and Communications and a driving force behind a2Tech360Opens a New Window. – has long been one of Tree Town’s movers and shakers; yet surprisingly, she only became an official resident two years ago.

“Yeah, that’s it,” said Jenn, who grew up in Belleville, and had made Tecumseh her home for years before moving to Ann Arbor. “But I started working here twenty years ago, when I got my first agency job.”

Jenn worked for seven years at that first PR firm, after graduating from Alma College; then, in 2007, she launched her own agency (Jenn Cornell PR Consulting) specializing in tech companies. (Yes, Google was among her first clients, in a moment when the company was preparing to open its Ann Arbor office.)

“Ann Arbor is such a cool town,” said Jenn of her choice to build her career here. “I was never going to get bored. One of the great things about being a consultant is you can pick and choose clients – but you can’t really pick a bad one in Ann Arbor. There are start-ups, there are more established businesses – the diverse range of work made me want to keep doing it. … [People in the local tech community] are always so excited and happy to talk about why they do what they do, and that enthusiasm is infectious.” READ THE REST HERE