The sweet, rich scent of tobacco fills the air at Paul’s Pipe Shop and Pipe Hospital in Downtown Flint. While owner Paul Spaniola spends most of his time these days at his home in Swartz Creek, every nook and cranny of his shop is filled with tidbits, treasures and fond memories of his long and
Thousands of people jam the streets of Downtown Flint. It’s a beautiful, and oftentimes hot and humid August morning. The air is alive with energy and excitement as runners stretch their legs and mentally prepare for a grueling 10-mile run. Thousands of spectators are fired up, smiling, laughing and ready to wildly cheer for friends
The idea for the Bobby Crim Road Race was “cooked up” 37 years ago at Lois Craig’s kitchen table. Lois, a Flint native who would become the founding race director, was administrative assistant to Bobby Crim when he was Michigan’s Speaker of the House of Representatives. Lois was responsible for scheduling the Speaker’s events, and
John Jerome, an avid member of the River Bend Striders Running Group, is keeping the string going! And his “string” is quite an accomplishment – referring to the number of years he’s completed the 10-mile run in the Health Plus Crim Festival of Races. On Saturday, August 24, he’ll run it for the 36th time,
It is a joy to see and experience the developments in Flint of late, particularly those Downtown. New restaurants and dozens of events make for memorable nights on end. A recent transplant to the city or returning resident might mistake novelties to Downtown as places with a longstanding tradition, but only a handful of the
Fair weather awaited a crowd of people on June 21 for the Downtown Development Authority’s Taste of Downtown event. Now in its third year, the Taste of Downtown serves as a collection of choice restaurants from Downtown Flint, offering the public samples of their respective cuisine accompanied by the live music of select bands. Participating
Where can one find live music, chalk art, graffiti art, people dancing with electronic hula-hoopers, welders, vendors and zombies at the same place and at the same time? Why, Buckham Alley Fest, of course! Now in its third year of awesome, the 2013 Downtown Flint Buckham Alley Fest was a riotous rumpus on the Saturday
In Flint, August is the month in which the bricks of S. Saginaw St. see the most traffic: thousands of feet and countless car tires rolling in for the annual celebration of all things auto: Back to the Bricks, now in its ninth year. The 2013 installation of this classic event will take place on
With all the novel ideas of things to do in Downtown Flint, the Flint & Genesee Convention and Visitor Bureau’s most recent event, Be a Tourist in Your Home Town, really caught my eye, although I will admit that I didn’t know exactly what to expect. Indeed, I understood the concept: I was to pay
Don and Rhea DeButts have a blended family that includes eight daughters, but five of them are exchange students who each spent a year living with them through a non-profit program called International Student Exchange. This organization matches students all over the world with host families in the U.S. based on interests and values in
On July 4, the Freedom Center of Fenton celebrated its 19th annual Independence Day festivities at Silver Parkway with inflatables, food, music and activities for the whole family. The Freedom Center has gained a reputation for serving the community over the years. The church holds several food, clothing and gift drives each year, and the
Pastor Lewis Randolph of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Flint is recognized as a pillar in the church and in the community. He came to Flint as a teenager from Alabama with little money and one suit to his name; but in time this man who came from nothing would turn around and ensure that
