Just a reminder that at tomorrow’s birthday party, you could be the one going home with a gift! There will be gift bag door prizes featuring some snazzy Detroit stuff.

Like what? How about an assortment of Germanck Nuts or some Sanders sauce or even your own Detroit journal. Maybe a coffee cup to use while perusing the Detroit Almanac.

Just one of our ways to say “Thank you” to everyone who has made this past year a success for Detroit Metblogs. And once this storm passes, I am headed to Astoria to pick up our cake. Yum.. Who’s bringing the candle?

A round of well-deserved applause goes out to the players of the Detroit Shock, who beat the WNBA defending champion-Monarchs last night by 20 points.

Embarrased on the court twice last year by Sacramento — including a 91 - 51 loss on Monarch-turf — the Shock’s win last night secured the team a spot in the post-season and should lessen the pain of those brutal Monarch losses.

Cheryl Ford led the team in scoring with 24 points. Katie Smith had 20 and Deanna Nolan had 14. The Shock take on the Seattle Storm tomorrow night at 10 and then head to Sacramento on Sunday for another Monarchs matchup.

The Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau is conducting an electronic survey to hear what Metro Detroiters think are the best parts of the city. The result will hopefully be a more savvy and accurate visitors brochure to the metro area. I’ve always said that no matter what city you’re in, if you don’t know where to go, it isn’t going to be much fun… especially Detroit… So let’s help out the DMCVB and do our part to make sure they don’t create another lame brochure!!!

Also, they provide an opportunity for you to make your own map of the metro area, which could come in handy when you have visitors over and such the like. You can find the branding survey at www.detroitstories.org

Also, don’t forget to meet us at Cobo Joe’s tomorrow night any time after 5:30 p.m… (shameless promo, i know)

Just heard from another metblogger that former Detroit City Council President Maryann Mahaffey just died at Henry Ford Hospital this morning. She served on the city council for more than 30 years.

You can read about her
Detroit Free Press Article
Her Wikipedia Entry

Don’t forget to join us this Friday at Cobo Joe’s as we celebrate our first year in the Metblogging family.

Details here.

Today we got a notice about the $300 trash collection fee the city has approved. The letter clearly stated that our property tax millage rate would go down immediately. However, it failed to point out that we’re paying way more for trash collection now than we were under the old system. Our trash collection cost went from $60 per year to $300 per year! I’m still trying to figure out how the average Detroiter is going to be able to pay for this. No wonder 10,000 people leave the city every year….

The Detroit Free Press had a great article today. http://www.freep.com They talk about how Michiganders still drive American Autos. “45% of households owning a vehicle made by General Motors Corp., 39% a Ford Motor Co. vehicle, and 22% a Chrysler Group car or truck. The poll showed only 15% of Michigan households own a vehicle made by a foreign automaker.”

Its great to see hard numbers that show Americans, driving American vehicles. Michigan is doing a great job supporting the American Autos! I have a feeling though that the overall numbers for the U.S. would not be this high. I lived 4 years in Richmond VA. Virginians drive foreign autos. I spent a few weekends in Washington DC, our nations capital and saw the Foreign Autos out numbered American owned Auto there as well. I even saw Jesse “the Body” Ventura exit from a Mercedes to interview just outside the White House.

Today is Detroit’s 305th birthday!

On July 24, 1701, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac officially established Fort Pontchartrain du Detroit (Fort Detroit) near the Detroit River.

Click here for more information.

I realize that living Detroit comes with a certain amount of risk (as does living anywhere), but things seem to be getting closer and closer to home recently and it’s starting to make me kind of nervous. In the news today is a state police officer getting shot at a westside gas station. I’ve had my own run-ins with crime lately too that I didn’t expect.
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Having been invited, Friday morning, to the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy’s breakfast and tour, I gladly took the day off from work to hear and especially to see the progress of the extensive construction. After the morning speeches, there would be a hard-hat tour and a yacht cruise on the Detroit River. I had the secondary agenda of showing petanque to those who attended.

The morning began at around 8:00 a.m. with city, state and company leaders assembling at the GM Promenade. It was pretty hot out even at that early hour so I grabbed a table with the sun at my back (beter for photos). I sat at the table with John Stroh and his son, devouring the fresh fruit and pastries, in good view of the speakers which included the Conservancy’s head officers; Faye Nelson, President & CEO; Matt Cullen, Co-Chair, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy; Derrick Miller, Co-Chair, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy; and David Page, Chairman.

As there is already $250 million raised from Ford, GM, Toyota, Stroh, Kresge etc etc, as expected there were many “thank yous” offered up. But there was a thorough progress report as well, with mention of the conversion of the Dequindre Cut into a safe and usable passage from the city’s center to the riverfront.

Around the buffet table areas were architectural renderings of the various promenades and pavillions built or soon to be completed. [I will post all of my photos HERE (Flickr site)]

The water carousel which is located just at the end of the walkway leading upriver from the Ren-Cen is well underway. I met up with Harriet Saperstein, a longtime riverfront activist, who was equally optimistic about the progress. She said she’s been waiting 40 years for this…

More details about the conservancy’s plans can be found HERE.

Community donations in the form of Inscribed Bricks & Pavers are available - I plan to have my club’s brick ordered soon.