While working part-time at a farm giving horseback riding lessons and mucking out stalls, Molly Reeser met Casey Foote. The lively ten-year-old visited the farm regularly to care for and ride the horses with a friend; it was a therapeutic way for Casey to deal with the treatment she was undergoing for bone and brain cancer. “Casey’s family would oftentimes come out and ride and it was a beautiful thing to witness,” Reeser recalls. “Here was this young girl going through really difficult times, yet she made it a priority to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of horseback riding.” Eighteen months after Reeser met her, Casey passed away.
For the Cooke family, a visit to the doctor’s office for strep throat turned into five days in the hospital – and a shocking diagnosis. But, this amazing family has stuck together as a team, inspiring others as they raise awareness of a misunderstood disease.
Flint Zombie Walk 2016 welcomes the undead to the streets of Flint from 11am-4pm! Visitors can partake in the zombie walk, and enjoy a full day of entertainment, horror vendors and horror celebrities! Top it all off with giving to charity and you can’t lose! This event it is pay-what-you-can. Suggestion: $10
Fall colors are at its peak in Genesee County during the month of October and residents are lucky to have 11,000 acres of beautiful wooded land, lakes and miles and miles of trails to walk on in the Genesee County Parks system. There’s also many other trails in this area and in the surrounding counties. So, what are you waiting for? Lace up your hiking boots and find a trail that’s right for you. Not only will you get a little exercise but you can enjoy the beauty of the glorious fall colors!
Attorneys, judges, dignitaries, friends and family members attended a ceremony at the Genesee County Courthouse in September that honored Andrew Jackson Transue, who was an attorney that practiced law in Flint for many years. He is best known for successfully arguing a landmark case in 1952, Morissette vs. The United States in front of the Supreme Court. A photograph of bomb casings that had been used as an exhibit and was given to the court administrator to add to the Historic Photographic Collection.
There is some new artwork in Downtown Flint. Two statues have been placed on the lawn at Flint City Hall to memorialize the auto workers of the 1900s. The statues were commissioned by a private donor and were sculpted by Suzanne Johnson of Suzanne Johnson Sculpture & Jewelry Design L.L.C. in Grand Blanc. According to Johnson, the sculpture commissions focus on the historical timeframe of 1930—when the Automotive industry was new, exciting, and full of promise. The granite bases are positioned beneath the bronze sculptures as if they were part of the factory floor. “It gives you a sense that you are viewing a working factory environment from the past,” Johnson explains.
Mr. B and the Joybox Express went on the road to Mackinaw City taking with them a piano on a tricycle built for three! On Friday, Aug. 25, a kick off celebration was held where Mr. B gave a musical performance, and there was a bike parade to send them off. This unusual journey, which is called Sprint4Flint, is a creative way to raise funding for and spread awareness about Youth Quest’s afterschool program. Proceeds of Sprint 4Flint will support art programming provided through YouthQuest during the 2017-18 school year. Mark Braun (Mr. B), a Flint native and the founder of Joybox Express, is a 1975 graduate of Southwestern Academy in Flint and an internationally renowned musician.
A colossal nine-foot-tall Clifford, with a tail to slide down, welcomes visitors to his home on Birdwell Island. Sponsored locally by Hurley Children’s Hospital, the exhibit is filled with activities that families can enjoy together. Exhibit runs through December.
A community favorite for over 50 years. Friends, neighbors and families gather each fall for old-fashioned fun! Join in the annual Apple Pie Baking Contest. There are carnival rides. Bingo, Texas Hold’em tournaments, raffles and live music in the Entertainment Tent.
The Genesee County Youth Corporation, better known as REACH & Traverse Place, celebrated its 40th anniversary on Friday, Sept. 8 by holding its first ever fundraiser at the Flint Farmers’ Market in Downtown Flint, according to Pete Hutchison, the organization’s Chairman of the Board. About 200 guests attended the fundraiser where a delicious dinner was served.
Some exciting new plans are in the works for the Culinary Arts Institute at Mott Community College. According to a statement released by the college, MCC Culinary Arts Institute is being re-located to Downtown Flint enabling the college to expand the number of students it can serve in the program. The plans are to renovate the building at 100 W. Second Street, which will house two culinary arts teaching kitchens, two bakery and pastry arts teaching kitchens, a meat fabrication teaching laboratory, a garde mangér classroom, a fine dining space connected to a baked goods café and a large, dividable meeting space to teach all aspects of the food service industry to MCC students.
Ladyfest, an arts and cultural women’s empowerment, LGBTQ Festival, is back for its second year! It will take place September 15-17 in multiple locations in and around Downtown Flint with an extended schedule and more programs. “We decided to focus on offering more variety to showcase the microcosm of Flint strength, skills and talent across disciplines including the arts, music and more,” says Project Director Nadia Alamah in a press statement. “The team this year has worked tirelessly out of their belief in the amazing wonders our community can create.”
