Whew! Looks like it’s going to be a hot one this year and as summer heats up, the local beach becomes a popular family attraction. Enjoying a few hours in the sand and the waves is a beloved pastime for kids and adults alike and to do it right, there are many essentials. Towels, radios, inflatables, a football or frisbee, sunblock and cool shades are definitely on the list. To truly enjoy the beach properly, however, you can’t forget a pail and shovel. These simple tools are absolutely a must for the construction of an amazing, well-fortified, moat-surrounded, finely-detailed, triple-decker sand castle.
Do you love summer in Michigan? Do you love Thanksgiving in November? If you answered yes to both of these questions, then you need Summersgiving in your life! It combines the best of sunshine and Thanksgiving in one neat little package and is the perfect excuse to throw a party with family and friends.
Written between 1755-1750 BC in Babylon, the Code of Hammurabi is one of the earliest and most famous examples of early law. The definition of law is fluid but may be defined as a set of rules that are created and enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior. The development of law mirrors the development of civilization itself. Ancient Egyptian law dates back to 3000 BC and its pronouncements are based upon the concepts of truth, harmony, order, morality and justice. The first known law “code” was started in approximately 2200 BC by Sumerian King Ur-Nammu. It consisted of simple “if … then …” statements, usually doling out harsh consequences for those who deigned to “break” the law. When Hammurabi came to power around 1760 BC, he built upon the statements made by Ur-Nammu by adding to, codifying and inscribing them in stone. The 282 “laws” are now known as the famous Code of Hammurabi.
Every mid-March, the world turns green and the mythical leprechaun is in the thick of it. Known the world round, a leprechaun is defined as a type of solitary fairy that hides in the hollows, caves and tree trunks of Ireland bestowing wishes and wealth upon those who are lucky enough to find and catch him. Don’t look away once you have him, though – he’ll vanish in a flash, leaving you empty handed and forlorn … or so the legends go.
In February of 1909, a group of prominent African Americans including W. E. B. Du Bois, Archibald Grimke, Mary Church Terrel, and Ida B. Wells met in New York with White progressives Henry Moskovitz, Mary White Ovington, William English Walling and Oswald Garrison Villard, with the goal of creating an organization to champion equal rights, eliminate racial prejudice and advance voting rights, education, employment and legal justice for colored citizens. The effort was made as a response to continued unfair treatment and segregation of the African American population and was in part a result of the 1908 Springfield race riot when a white mob burned down 40 Black homes in the area and murdered two Black citizens.
Hey, you! Yeah, you. That was a great idea you had in the meeting this morning. No, don’t give me any of that negativity. I won’t hear it. It was a great idea and that’s that … and (get this) you are one smart cookie. I mean, you really know your stuff and I am glad to know you.
“Run! Run! As fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” – From “The Gingerbread Boy”
Each Thanksgiving holiday since (well, we’ll get to that), the President of the United States has officially pardoned one lucky turkey, allowing the bird to live out its remaining life on a turkey farm. It should come as no surprise that this wasn’t always the case.
For those who choose to observe it, it’s “spooky time” again. Each year in October, many of us do our darndest to scare the willies out of each other and ourselves. We watch scary movies, visit “haunted” houses, and search for the most frightening costumes with the goal of experiencing a little bit of that most universal of emotions: fear.
For 15 years, Steve Wood displayed his exceptional, detailed portraits at Art at the Market. “I was a vendor and artist there since 2006,” he remembers. “In 2009, I became board president and I continued in that position until April of 2021.” His dedication to the gallery was appreciated by his fellow artists. Recently, he left the gallery and his position due to new family and work obligations; but there was one more thing he wanted to do. “I’ve been painting murals for nearly 25 years and when the gallery moved to its new location in the Flint Farmers’ Market, an opportunity presented itself.” A new room for the gallery was built, complete with a blank wall – or to an artist, a canvas. “It was a giant space and I felt it would be a sin to leave it empty,” he explains.
In August of 1969, over 450,000 people from all walks of life met at a small dairy farm in Bethel, New York for a music festival billed as “three days of peace and music.” No one who attended – not the audience, promoters or musicians – could have anticipated it becoming a defining moment in the history of a generation. The festival was besotted with problems, from traffic jams to tumultuous rainstorms and shoddy equipment; but that never dampened the spirit of peace, love and harmony radiated by the audience. In a time of political and social strife, Woodstock was an example of unity and hope.
