August 2019 - Current Magazine

AUGUST 2019| FREE

MUSIC | ART | CULTURE

The One University Campaign’s plan for equitable campus unity p6

Locally Grown

ANN ARBOR

Independent businesses and organizations blooming in Washtenaw County P.8

All that Jazz

Blue LLama’s executive chef dishes on his culinary inspiration P.18

DEARBORN FLINT

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contents

What was the least relaxing vacation you have ever taken?

August 2019 vol. 29 | no. 08

Publisher/Editor in Chief

Collette Jacobs (cjacobs@adamsstreetpublishing.com) DRIVING TO FLORIDA WITH THREE CHILDREN UNDER AGE SIX.

Co-publisher/Chief Financial Officer

Mark I. Jacobs (mjacobs@adamsstreetpublishing.com) SEE COLLETTE’S. THAT WASN’T A VACATION, IT WAS A “FAMILY TRIP.”

Editorial

Contributing Editor: Trilby Becker (tbecker@adamsstreetpublishing.com) A WEEK IN NYC SINGLE PARENTING TWO SMALL, ACTIVE AND EMOTIONAL CHILDREN! Assignment Editor: Athena Cocoves (annarboreditor@adamsstreetpublishing.com) A DOZEN GIRLS CRAMMED INTO A BROOKLYN AIRBNB FOR A THREE-DAY LONG BACHELORETTE PARTY. I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES.

The One University Campaign’s plan for equitable campus unity, p6

Calendar Editor: Sarah Emily (calendar@current.com) CAMPING DISASTERS. NO NEED TO SAY ANYMORE.

Locally Grown

Staff Writer: Erin Holden (eholden@adamsstreetpublishing.com) FAMILY VACATION TO D.C.

Independent businesses and organizations blooming in Washtenaw County, p8

Interns: Jenny Hong, and Grace Jensen.

Contributing Writers: Jeff Milo, Kiran Hoeffner-Shah, Emily Slomovits, Mary Gallagher, Rob Brezsny, Brendan Emmett Quigley, and Jen Sorensen.

Advertising

4 5 5 18

Sales: Trilby Becker (tbecker@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Ron Katz (rkatz@adamsstreetpublishing.com) STAYING IN A CABIN IN NORTHERN MICHIGAN AND SEPTIC SYSTEM BACKED-UP. Jack Tackett (jtackett@adamsstreetpublishing.com) WHAT IS A VACATION? Adam Riccinto (ariccinto@adamsstreetpublishing.com) DISNEY WORLD WITH MY BOYS WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG. Sales Coordinator Jen Leach (sales@adamsstreetpublishing.com THUNDERSTORM WHILE ON A HARLEY TRIP.

Digital Media

Courtney Probert (digitalmedia@adamsstreetpublishing.com) A FRIEND’S 16TH BIRTHDAY PARTY AT KALAHARI... SO MUCH DRAMA.

Art/Production

Production Manager: Imani Lateef (imani@adamsstreetpublishing.com) TRAVELING THE NATCHEZ TRACE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

biz buzz green corner fyi chef’s corner: Louis Goral

by Grace Jensen

By Jeff Milo

19 food cal 23 music: Hymns of the Huron 24 music cal 28 theater:

JUNE 2019| FREE

Welcome to Paradise

MUSIC | ART | CULTURE

By Emily Slomovits

29 arts & culture cal 33 person of interest:

Senior Designer: Leah Foley (leah@adamsstreetpublishing.com) MACKINAC ISLAND. DIVE BOMBED BY BATS. Designers: Kelli Miller (kmiller@adamsstreetpublishing.com) 21ST BIRTHDAY. ENOUGH SAID. Anita Tipton (atipton@adamsstreetpublishing.com) ALL VACATIONS ARE GREAT! Norwin Lopez (nlopez@adamsstreetpublishing.com) MOJAVE DESSERT ‘96 - SNAKE BITE.

Leah Karr

By Mary Gallagher

35 cannabis:

Administration

Accounting: Robin Armstrong (rarmstrong@adamsstreetpublishing.com) WHEN IT RAINS CONTINUOUSLY ON VACA.

© 2019 by Adams Street Publishing Co., All rights reserved. 3003 Washtenaw Ave., Suite 3, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, Phone (734) 668-4044, Fax (734) 668-0555. First class subscriptions $30 a year. Distributed throughout Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and neighboring communities.

Also publishers of: Mature

OZONE HOUSE CELEBRATES 50 YEARS AND A NEW HOME, P6

CBD Products Readily Available

By Jenny Hong

37 38 39

free will astrology crossword classifieds

OUR READERS HAVE SPOKEN! P8

Most Read Online 1. 2019 Best of Washtenaw 2. Beer Guide 3. Greene Farms in Ypsi Township

Correction: Member

Audited by

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM

In our last issue (July-2019), we incorrectly identified Ypsilanti Township’s Greene Farms as a gated community. The 776-home neighborhood is not gated.

ecurrent.com / august 2019 3

biz buzz

Compiled by Jenny Hong

Poké Poké Sushi Unrolled is a wonderland for foodies

Hutkay Fusion offers locally sourced Indian staple dishes

Serving casual street foods to delicacies, Hutkay was closed for a year and has reopened. Try the customer faves Paneer Tikka Wrap Roll or Shanu Chaat.

11am-3pm & 5-9pm, Tuesday-Sunday.

3022 Packard St. 734-786-8312. hutkayfusion.com

Based in Detroit, Poké Poké is now available in Ann Arbor with eight signature bowls and numerous other options to customize your poke bowl with sauces like Wasabi Soy and Citrus Ponzu.

10:30am-9pm, MondayThursday. 10:30am-10pm, Friday-Saturday. 10:30am5pm, Sunday. 312 S State St. 734-263-2155. eatpokepoke.com

Veg-O-Rama offers vegetarian and vegan dishes for everyone

The Indo-American fast-food restaurant located in Ypsilanti opened a branch in Canton, providing healthy options at an affordable price. The eatery also hosts various events throughout the year such as Colorfest Michigan and Yoga-O-Rama.

Vahan’s has been tailoring men’s clothing for over 50 years

Vahan’s Clothing and Tailoring has provided quality clothing alteration services over the years in downtown Ann Arbor, with workmanship provided by Vahan himself.

The store has now relocated to the lower level of the former Bead Gallery.

9am-5:30pm, Monday-Friday. 309 E Liberty St. 734-662-7888.

Open Mon to Sat 10am-10pm. Sun 12-8pm. 44930 Ford Road.

734-335-3952. Veg-o-rama.com

Urban Japanese restaurant closes doors

Following China Gate’s closure on South University, neighboring Ayaka Sushi has also closed its doors. There is no indication if the Japanese restaurant, known for its stylish and chic decor, will reopen or what other business might occupy the space.

Shake Shack brings the shroom burger and crinkle-cut fries to Ann Arbor

The New York-based burger chain has opened its third Michigan location in Ann Arbor. The store, constructed with recycled and sustainable materials, offers classic items, including all-natural Angus beef burgers and frozen custard.

11am-10pm, daily. 3030 Washtenaw Ave #107, Ann Arbor. shakeshack.com

Leila, a relaxed, atmosphere for Lebanese food

The sister restaurant of the popular Phoenicia is planning to open late summer at the base of the Farwell Building in Detroit. Run by the same family owners as the fine dining Phoenicia, Leila aims to be a more relaxed alternative.

1245 Griswold. leiladetroit.com

Nick’s remodels, still satisfies cravings

Nick’s Original House of Pancakes is open for business after remodeling the entire restaurant. From jumbo gourmet omelettes to Belgian waffles, they have your sweet and savory cravings covered.

7am-3pm, daily. 3030 Lohr Cir. 734-622-6425. Nickshouseofpancakes.com

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ayakasushi.wordpress.com

Hunter House Hamburgers leaves Ann Arbor

The three-generation family business, a popular eatery among students, has closed. Its tasty and affordable burgers have been ranked #1 in Michigan. The Birmingham, MI location is still open.

Hunterhousehamburgers.com

Kerrytown welcomes Encore Records

The buyer and seller of records, CDs and DVDs of all genres and formats moves to Kerrytown from its downtown location on Liberty St. They announced “while it is bittersweet leaving a location that has hosted a record store since 1966, we are excited about the move for a number of reasons”.

11am-8pm, Monday-Saturday. Noon-5pm, Sunday.

208 N. Fourth Ave 734-662-6776. encorerecordsa2.com

Name Brand Tattoo on the move

The custom tattoo shop, owned and operated by tattoo artist Jeff Zuck, in the heart of downtown Ann Arbor wasted no time finding a new location after learning of future development plans for the building they were located in. Their new space is above Vedge Cafe, which opened back in April.

Noon-7pm, Monday-Thursday. Noon-8pm, Friday.

1-8pm, Saturday. 205 N. Main St, 2nd Floor.

734-623-0553. Namebrandtattoo.com

In the FYI column of our last issue (July 2019), we discussed the city’s involvement in the now on-hold Morningside’s LowerTown development project for Nine99, an 80 unit condo building.

Where to Whet

p.9

FREE

Contested development

MUSIC | ART | CULTURE

JULY 2019|

Letter to the Editor your Whistl

e

Ypsi Living Rural Charm, Greene Farms p.6

Nevertheless

Ann Arbor’s new women’s film festival takes flight, P34

Online reader Rassalas had a lot to say:

“Goddamn City. Worthless piece of crap town.

This is where condos should be built instead of assaulting the old neighborhoods with an ugly 8 story sunblocking cheap construction prefab condo buildings.

Lower Town is on the ropes and in great need of redevelopment, but the city has to balk at this and leave a parking structure while the project wilts on the court dockets.

I’d like to say it’s just stupid administrators, but I’m afraid the truth is much more sinister, and the above mentioned old neighborhood assaulters fear the competition from this project and have greased all the right palms in just the right way to ensure this project falters.”

In response, online reader Timjbd shared their thoughts:

“Don’t sugarcoat it. How do you really feel?

If your house we’re in the shadow of this megaplex, you might feel differently.

If you had to now compete for a parking spot on your street with the hundreds of residents of this building who are not provided with their own, you might feel differently.

I know neighbors are interested in developing this site, too, and they fought hard for the current PUD zoning designation and the master planning of this site. If you had spent years of your time doing the same, you might feel differently.”

fyi New skatepark and green infrastructure to be built in Ypsi Construction will commence soon on a new Ypsilanti Township skatepark, which should be open to the public in the summer of 2020. Young skaters in the community have been advocating for a skatepark in the area since early 2018. The location of the new park, at the corner of East Clark and Midway Roads at Community Center Park, was approved in January, and ground was broken on June 21. The $500,000 cost of the park will be covered by a grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, along with the Washtenaw County Park Commission. In addition, a $76,000 grant was awarded to Washtenaw County for improvements in green infrastructure around the park, including bioswales and rain gardens that will prevent runoff into the Huron River. The park will provide an environmentally friendly, local hangout for skaters of all ages to practice, exercise and have fun.

green corner Addressing Climate Change with Johnathan Overpeck

By Trilby Becker

Professor Johnathan Overpeck is an interdisciplinary climate scientist and the Samuel A. Graham Dean of the School for Environment and Sustainability at U-M. You have said that U-M is a leading example of how universities engage with society. How is U-M working together with Ann Arbor to address climate change? The

bottom line is that climate change presents both opportunities and challenges. People in other parts of the country are being hit harder than Michigan. They may be starting to think that Michigan is the place to go. Across the heartland of the South and Southwest it is getting really hot and there isn’t enough water to maintain the economy as it is now positioned. This could cost people economically- the value of a person’s house is dropping in these places. On the coasts, sea levels are rising and hurricanes are becoming stronger and more frequent.

We can’t let climate change here in Michigan get out of control or we too will become a sacrifice zone. More rain is coming here and there is more flooding. We are getting more nutrients in the Great Lakes because of runoff and that is causing algal blooms. Warming also contributes to this.

We are at the point where the predictions of really bad consequences from climate change are coming closer to being realized. We still have time and I personally think we can pull this off.

Read the full interview online at ecurrent.com

Update on Riverfront DTE Energy Site After lying vacant for years, the site of a former DTE Energy plant at 841 Broadway St. has a new development plan, approved 10-1 by Ann Arbor City Council on July 1.

The conceptual plan, designed by Detroit-based Roxbury Group, includes condos, a restaurant, a hotel, commercial space, a canoe/kayak launch, an event pavilion, a water feature/ ice rink, green area with walking trails, and a bridge across the Huron River to Argo Park. Although most of the new housing will likely be competitively priced for its desirable location, as a Planned Unit Development (PUD), site zoning requires Roxbury to provide a minimum of 15% affordable housing or make a donation to Ann Arbor’s affordable housing fund. $100 million will be necessary to transform the polluted former coal-gasification plant. The City plans to use 12 years of tax revenue from the development to finance the environmental cleanup.

Groundbreaking on the site could kickoff this year, according to Roxbury, although they still need to return to City Council for official site plan approval. See the DTE Riverfront planning map online at ecurrent.com —GJ

ecurrent.com / august 2019 5

PHOTO: GRACE JENSEN

feature

The One University Campaign Advocating for parity between U-M’s Ann Arbor, Flint, and Dearborn campuses

By Kiran Hoeffner-shah and Grace Jensen

icole Bonomini did not even consider applying to the University of Michigan Ann Arbor; she knew the cost of tuition would be prohibitive. Instead, following a friend’s recommendation, she applied to the Dearborn campus, and has found it a great fit.

“I’ve been pleasantly surprised— every course I’ve taken has been with professors with PhDs,” Bonomini said. “[Since it is a] satellite campus, people think, ‘it’s not really U-M,’ but I’ve loved my courses. I’m impressed with how responsive the faculty members have been.”

The University of Michigan is one of the top-ranked universities in the U.S., both in terms of the strength of its academic programs and the wealth of resources available to its students. But a stigma surrounds the satellite campuses in Dearborn and Flint.

Distribution of resources across the University’s three campuses is uneven— students and faculty at U-M Flint and Dearborn receive lower pay and less funding than what is provided at the Ann Arbor campus. To bridge these disparities, the One University Campaign (The 1U Campaign), a coalition of professors, lecturers, graduate and undergraduate students, was created to advocate for U-M to function as a single university, providing equal treatment and resources to students and faculty members at each campus.

Funding Inequity

Outside of support from the state, funding between the three U-M campuses is independent, meaning that each campus is responsible for self-funding and for the allocation of funds. While U-M Ann Arbor consistently runs budget surpluses, U-M Dearborn and Flint receive less funding per student from donations, research grants, and out-of-state tuition. The Ann Arbor campus also receives more than twice the state funding per student as Dearborn and Flint.

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This allows U-M Ann Arbor to invest in more services such as student medical and legal clinics and study abroad scholarships, while U-M Flint and Dearborn need to allocate their limited funds toward essentials.

Additionally, the U-M Ann Arbor is the only campus included in the Go Blue Guarantee, which according to its website aims to make “a world-class education affordable and accessible” by providing full tuition to any student whose family makes less than $65,000 in annual income and has less than $50,000 in assets. U-M President Dr. Mark Schlissel has stated in forums that the actual purpose is to increase socioeconomic diversity, which is lacking on the Ann Arbor campus, but not at Flint or Dearborn.

The 1U Campaign argues that expecting self-funding to be an effective means of maintaining the Flint and Dearborn campuses is not realistic for tuition-dependent institutions in which the majority of students are from in-state. Tuition for in-state students is $14,402, and $45,410 for out-of-state students. It also advocates for extending the Go Blue Guarantee to those campuses, which they estimate would cost about $30 million, and would help students from struggling families attend college.

Disparate Lecturer Salaries and Workloads

Funding for students is not the only discrepancy between the campuses. There is a large disparity between student teaching assistants and professors at the Ann Arbor, Flint, and Dearborn campuses. Graduate students, who teach courses and grade assignments as part of their scholarship packages, receive less financial assistance on the Flint campus than on the Dearborn and Ann Arbor campuses, despite having a heavier workload.

Stephanie Gelderloos, a lecturer at UM-Flint who worked with the lecturers’ union on negotiating their new contract last year, expressed concern that “the course load is 33 percent more” while at Dearborn and Flint professors earn significantly less. “Higher pay for lecturers would reduce the need for them to work outside of the university, which many people now have to do.”

The Issue of Diversity

These issues are particularly noteworthy because U-M Flint our demands], support has been steadily growing. If we carry the and U-M Dearborn are more racially diverse than the Ann campaign into the next academic year, as seems likely, I expect Arbor campus. Despite Michigan’s 13 percent African American this support to continue to build as we inform other community population, only four percent of U-M Ann Arbor students are members about how things really work.”

African American. Black students are nearly nine percent of those enrolled at U-M Dearborn, and 12.7 percent at U-M Flint campus.

University Response Daniel Birchok, a professor of anthropology at UM-Flint, says The central administration has noticed the campaign gaining that his classrooms “look like the state of Michigan [both] racially and traction. In an email, U-M spokesperson Rick Fitzgerald defended socioeconomically.” His students often face other responsibilities, the University’s budgeting system, explaining that “each campus like working or taking care of their families, and says that those has the flexibility to serve its student community by making its own responsibilities often create a “cascading effect” that causes students choices, policies and priorities— including budget priorities. That to take on more debt. To means that each campus this point, Birchok asks: has the primary Campus differences, by the numbers “If [diversity and inclusion] responsibility for developare our core values, then ing its own budget, as why isn’t money also being well as setting its own Ann put toward the campuses Dearborn Flint priorities for diversity, Arbor where most of our diversity equity and inclusion that lies?”

Students 7,532 44,718 fit its needs.” Campaign 9,468 Despite the fact that advocates say that the Flint and Dearborn The percent of when faced with funding 92 51 86 in-state students campuses have more shortages, the Dearborn diverse student bodies, and Flint campuses do not The median family U-M has spent no money $77,000 $154,000 $84,000 really have the option for income of a student on diversity and inclusion such expenditures. initiatives there, according The amount received The 1U Campaign is $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 to the campaign, while by graduate students* targeting three key players: at the U-M Ann Arbor U-M administration The minimum campus, the University (including the President, $38,000 $48,000 $38,000 salary of lecturers has spent $85 million on the three campus Provosts, diversity initiatives.

The minimum amount and the Flint and Dearborn 4 of classes lecturers 3 4 “I love the University Chancellors); the Board of are expected to teach of Michigan Flint,” Regents, which approves 200 percent: the amount of state funding per Gelderloos said. “We do the school budget; and the student, when compared to Dearborn and Flint amazing things up there state legislature, which for some amazing people *Graduate students who teach courses and grade assignments as part of their scholarship packages approves state funding. in a wonderful community.

According to Robinson, But some of [my students] administration officials struggle so much outside of the classroom that they struggle in the have been unmoving in their position. The Board of Regents has classroom or with getting to school. So not only do I have more met with coalition members, but it is unclear whether a majority will students or more teaching load, I have students who have more and agree to delay the monthly budget to pressure the administration more issues.” into meeting the campaign’s demands. The movement has also

The 1U Campaign’s Proposal

The changes that the 1U Campaign hopes to see are not just reliant on U-M’s leadership. The Michigan State Legislature also approves state funding to each campus and can change the funding requirements with minimum effect to state funding to other universities. By making slight changes to the baseline funding of each campus, the state legislature could create more parity in funding between the campuses.

Since much of the Ann Arbor funding comes from other sources, a reduction in the campus’ state funding would spell major changes for Flint and Dearborn. The 1U Campaign estimates that a 10.6 percent reduction of state funding at the Ann Arbor campus would decrease the campus’s general fund by only 1.6 percent while allowing the general fund for the Flint and Dearborn campuses to increase by 71.2 percent and 65.9 percent, respectively. Since these campuses have a smaller student body, this relatively small change for U-M Ann Arbor would result in more equal funding for Flint and Dearborn’s full-time students.

“Community support [for the initiative] has been growing on all three campuses since the formation of the campaign coalition,” said U-M Ann Arbor professor Ian Robinson. “Since [we published

garnered interest from Democratic legislators in Lansing. State Sen. Curtis Hertel and State Rep. Jon Hoadley even penned an op-ed for the Detroit Free Press signed by 12 members of the state legislature pressuring U-M to commit to the cause. However, the campaign will need Republican backing as well to enact any changes in state funding. The state budget will be finalized soon (after our print deadline), which will determine the three campus’ funding for the next fiscal year.

The Bottom Line: Is it really “One University”?

Disparities in reputation, funding, scholarships, salaries, and workloads mean that the students in need are not receiving the same treatment, leading many to question whether or not the Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses are all equally a part of the University of Michigan. Advocates claim the 1U Campaign is gaining support to change this and level the playing field for all U-M students. Those with the power to make changes are paying attention, but the Campaign’s demands have yet to be met.

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LOCALLY GROWN

What makes Washtenaw County so unique? The area’s independent businesses and organizations offer a lot of character. From nonprofits to arts organizations to locally-owned businesses, these Washtenaw County gems grow with, and in, our community.

Misha TUESDAY Owner

TUESDAY PRODUCTIONS, LLC 13 N. Washington St., Ypsilanti.

734-506-0650. mishatuesday.com How does your business make an impact? When

I perform, it’s not about me showing off. It’s about making authentic connections with individuals and groups to promote curiosity and wonder.

I also use hypnosis for helping people with personal change and conducting professional development workshops.

Three words to describe your business: Interesting.

Amusing. Mysterious.

What do you love most about your job?

I get paid to go to social events and have fun; I interact with people from all social and cultural groups; and I can use my whimsical talents to actually help people.

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Performing hypnosis and mind magic for entertainment and personal development, since 2016.

What are three Washtenaw County businesses that you love? Vault of Midnight

is one of my favorite comics shops in the world. I love theBrick & Mortar modern general store in Depot Town.

The Back Office Studio is a new coworking space in downtown Ypsi where I’m a member— I conduct some of my hypnosis sessions there.

How do you become a better you? I use

self-hypnosis and other NeuroTricksSM to program and tune my unconscious mind for happiness and success. I also teach others how to do this.

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Russ COLLINS Executive Director

MICHIGAN THEATER FOUNDATION 603 East Liberty St., Ann Arbor. 734-668-8397. michtheater.org

What’s your purpose, and how did you find it? I’m

not a fan of the idea that everyone has a pre-existing purpose that exists outside of themselves. While it is important to live purposefully, missions can and do morph and change from time to time. I focus more on identity and values: who am I, and what is most important in life? It can be problematic when we try to hold ourselves to outdated notions of who we “should” be.

A non-profit organization whose mission is joyfully serving the community, history, public storytelling, and the arts.

In 1979 (but the story begins in 1928 when The Michigan Theater was first built), the theater was saved from demolition by the community, and thus, the Michigan Theater Foundation was formed. Russ Collins has been the Executive Director ever since.

How does your organization make an impact? The Michigan and State Theaters are

community gathering spaces where people can enjoy film, concerts, the performing arts and so much more.

How do you fit into the cultural landscape of Washtenaw County? The Michigan Theater

and State Theatre marquee along with the Barton Tower are part of the Liberty Vista, which are considered well-known landmarks of Ann Arbor.

What do you love most about your job?

Everything. My job is not only fun, but incredibly rewarding because I impact what the Michigan Theater is for the community.

How many emails are in your inbox right now? 90, but I also move emails into folders, so

there’s probably more in total.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Fighting hunger in Washtenaw County through a food bank— the first food rescue program in Michigan and the sixth in the United States.

Scott HARDIN Communications coordinator

FOOD GATHERERS Food Gatherers Warehouse: 1 Carrot Way, Ann Arbor. Open 9am-6pm, Monday-Friday.

734-761-2796. info@foodgatherers.org.

Foodgatherers.org How does your organization make an impact? We fight hunger and

help the environment! Food Gatherers provides the equivalent of more than 14,500 meals a day! More than half of all food distributed is wholesome food that would otherwise end up in landfills.

What do you love most about your job? Sharing food with those that need it

most! Gathering brings about the very best in people. We get to work with more than 7,000 volunteers and pretty much every community agency and food business in the area.

What do you want your legacy to be? Everyone in Washtenaw County has

access to healthy, safe and affordable food.

Where would we find you on a Friday night? At Food Gatherers

Community Kitchen inside the Delonis Center in downtown Ann Arbor serving a delicious meal to people staying at the homeless shelter. The Community Kitchen is open 364 days of the year!

Since November 1988, founded by Zingerman’s.

Three words to describe your organization: Mission-driven.

Innovative. Joyful.

What’s a tech gadget or app that you couldn’t live without? Google

Maps! Our fleet of carrot trucks is on the road six days a week connecting more than 1,000 food businesses who have food to donate to community agencies. The daily logistics can be mind boggling, so we are thrilled to no longer rely on pagers and payphones!

CONT’D ON P10

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION CONT’D FROM P9

Three words to describe your business: Exciting.

Supportive. Playful.

Tanya LUZ Owner

MUSE ATELIER VINTAGE 336 S. Ashley St., Ann Arbor. 734-277-7763.

MuseAtelier.com Noon-7pm, Wednesday-Saturday.

Noon-5pm, Sunday. By appointment Monday and Tuesday.

A vintage boutique with a twist— focusing on providing exceptional service, a beautiful and playful atmosphere, beautiful clothes and accessories, personal styling, fun events, inclusive sizing for all, boudoir photography, and more.

Since December 2015.

How does your business make an impact?: At a time when the way we

buy things has changed so rapidly and sites like Amazon continue to dominate our purchasing attention, I wanted a place that felt like stepping back in time.

I wanted people to feel really good about coming in, to feel warmly greeted, to be told someone is grateful and thankful they are there and for their business. I try to remember everyone’s names. I also love when kids come in, and I can help them discover new things.

My particular specialty is helping people find their best fit. I can look at a customer, and for the most part know their size and what might look best on their shape, so a lot of my customers will come in when they have a specific event they need something for and I will help them put a whole outfit together that makes them feel amazing. I do a lot of listening and

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observing, because it’s a very intimate experience and a lot of women hate shopping for themselves or have been treated terribly in larger shops. I wanted a place that felt safe and accepting to try things on, and a place where you know you will find new treasures every time.

How has Washtenaw County changed since the business began?

Some things have really grown, like the restaurant scene. Unfortunately, there is a lot less of the of the mom and pop kind of traditional retail you might expect in a town like this. Wonderful shops like Peaceable Kingdom, Bead Gallery and more have all closed. My customers and friends have felt the loss of their favorite quirky shops.

How do you fit into the cultural landscape of Washtenaw County?

That’s hard to answer! From what I can understand, my reputation is for encouraging people to dress however they want, having really fair prices, personal styling, amazing service, hosting fun events and clothes that actually fit real women’s bodies. We also celebrate diversity, and are known for our events and photography sessions.

What do you love most about your job? The people!!! The most kind,

wonderful, and amazing people come through our doors!

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Andrea GRUBER

What’s your favorite local luxury?

Owner

The food! I feel incredibly blessed to live in a place where there is such a plethora of places to eat. Not only are there a ton of good restaurants within walking distance within Ypsilanti, but across Washtenaw County we have food from all over the world— small family owned eateries, foodie farm-to-table, local breweries and beer fests and food festivals and contests.

The only problem I have when deciding what to eat, is narrowing down my choices! Good food is indeed a luxury.

MASSAGE MECHANICS 7 S. Washington, Ypsilanti. 734-408-1648. ypsimassagemechanics.com 10am-5pm, Monday. 10am-8pm, Tuesday & Thursday-Friday. Noon-8pm, Wednesday.

11am-6pm, Saturday. 11am-8pm, Sunday.

Accessible, inclusive, and exceptional therapeutic massage for Ypsilanti and the surrounding communities. Since 2017.

What do you want your legacy to be? That Massage Mechanics

How does your business make an impact? Massage therapy is an

important service for both physical and mental health that is often overlooked for being “too pricey” or just as an extra luxury. My staff and I take pride in fostering an environment that is friendly, non-judgemental, and comfortable for everybody, but especially the LGBTQIA community. We also strive to keep our prices and options financially feasible for anyone looking to benefit from bodywork.

What do you love most about your job? As a Massage Therapist, I love connecting with clients, getting to meet and help people is incredibly rewarding. As a business owner, I love being able to provide a safe, healthy environment where my staff feels comfortable to be themselves. It helps us all do a better job providing for our guests.

stood out from other massage studios in our involvement and service to the community, while being a safe space for everyone and anyone who walks through our doors, staff and guests alike.

Where would we find you on a Friday night? Going out to support my

neighbors and fellow local businesses! My spouse and I are frequent-fliers at both Cultivate and Maiz. When we’re not out and about, you can usually find us hanging out at our Ypsilanti home enjoying our back porch.

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ACADEMY OF RUSSIAN CLASSICAL BALLET MICHIGAN THEATER BUILDING

RUSSIANCLASSICALBALLET.COM ecurrent.com / august 2019 11

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION PHOTO CREDIT_ JOYCE GAN, LIGHT ORANGE BEAN

CONT’D FROM 11

Oscar and Maria COTERO Owner

OSCAR’S SPORTS & GRILL 6877 S. State Rd., Saline. 734-429-7700. oscarssportsgrill. com 11am-10pm, Monday-Wednesday, 11am-midnight, Thursday-Saturday. 11am-9pm, Sunday.

A family-owned local neighborhood bar and grill that is welcoming to everybody and serves only fresh-made meals. Since Three 2008. words to describe How has Washtenaw County changed since the your business: Welcoming.

Fresh. Delicious! business began? We have

witnessed a growing thriving diverse community throughout the township and county.

How do you fit into the cultural landscape of Washtenaw County? We

offer different menu items from traditional American cuisine to some traditional Mexican entrees and pasta dishes. We use local vendors as much as possible including meats from Knights, fresh baked bread from Benny’s Bakery in Saline and fresh produce from Eastern Market.

We like to say that our menu is derived from valuable customer feedback as we place specials out on weekends and, with positive feedback, we will more than likely place it on the next version of our menu.

What do you love most about your job? Socializing

with longtime loyal customers and meeting new customers in hopes of making them loyal return customers by ensuring an overall great experience.

How does your business make an impact? We believe in giving back and supporting the community. We welcome fundraising events for schools and charities.

What’s your favorite local luxury? We keep it simple. A

special treat is taking a trip to Washtenaw Dairy to grab our favorite ice cream.

What are three Washtenaw County businesses that you love?

Alexandra E. BERNEIS HOAG Executive Director

Tomukun on Liberty, Knights on Dexter Rd., and, of course, Washtenaw Dairy!

ANN ARBOR CIVIC THEATRE 322 West Ann St., Ann Arbor. 734-971-2228. a2ct.org facebook.com/annarborcivictheatre | Twitter: @a2ct | IG: @annarborcivictheatre 9am-4pm, Monday-Friday (9am-4pm, Tuesday-Thursday in August).

Ann Arbor Civic Theatre is a community theatre group that provides opportunities for the members of the community to participate in theatre. Since 1929.

How does your organization make an impact?

their first time in an audience or onstage, or their hundredth, our doors are open. We create lifetime appreciation for the arts in our young people and foster it in those who have more experience.

How do you fit into the cultural landscape of Washtenaw County?

What’s your favorite local luxury?

We provide accessible theatre for all ages, include participation, education, and entertainment.

In an area ripe with arts and culture, we offer a creative outlet for those employed in other fields. A2CT provides a way to be involved without making theatre your profession. We began as a place for theatre artists to create and grow that wasn’t affiliated with the University, and have since become a place for those moving into the area to find a creative “home”.

What do you love most about your job?

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I love seeing people from every walk of life experience live theatre. Whether it’s

Oooh ... charcuterie from York, French cosmetics from Lily Grace or Ann Arbor Pharmacy, a binge at Literati.

What are three Washtenaw County businesses that you love?

aut bar, Vinology, and Raven’s Club are my favorite places to meet my friends before or after a show.

Where would we find you on a Friday night?

If I’m not onstage introducing a show for A2CT, I can often be found at the round table at Old Town!

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Tom and Jade Owners

YPSIMCC 301 W. Michigan Ave. Ste 408, Ypsilanti.

734-210-0875. ypsimcc.com 4-7pm, Tuesday. 10am-1pm, Friday.

And by appointment.

Educating individuals on medical cannabis, the Ypsilanti Medical Marijuana Clinic offers medical cannabis certification and in-depth consultations with patients in a safe and comfortable atmosphere.

Since 2018.

Three words to describe your business:

Compassionate. Efficient. Hospitable.

What do you love most about your job? Seeing people

experience positive change medically and personally.

How many emails are in your inbox right now?

Too many!

CONT’D ON P14

• LOCALLY GROWN INGREDIENTS • FRESH BAKED BREADS FROM BENNY’S IN SALINE • MICHIGAN BEERS • SALINE COMMUNITY FUNDRAISERS AND DONATIONS

6877 S State Rd D, Saline, MI 48176 | (734) 429-7700 | oscarssportsgrill.com

ecurrent.com / august 2019 13

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION CONT’D FROM 13

Jessica and Nikolai MORSCHAKOV Owners

ACADEMY OF RUSSIAN CLASSICAL BALLET

AUGUST 10, 7 & 9:30 PM

Primary Location: 46969 West Rd., Wixom Opening this month: 527 E. Liberty St., Suite 208, Ann Arbor (located inside the Michigan Theater Building).

248-826-8181. russianclassicalballet.com 4-9pm, Monday-Friday.

10am-3pm, Saturday.

Offering accessible, professional world-class training and performing opportunities in the Vaganova (Russian) ballet method for children and adults of all ages and levels in a supportive and encouraging environment.

Since 2004.

AUGUST 17, 7 & 9:30 PM

AUGUST 31, 7 & 9:30 PM

AUGUST 4 • PRIDE BRUNCH FEAT. DRAG QUEEN JUJUBEE AUGUST 11 • ALINA MORR TRIO AUGUST 18 • PETE SIERS NEW ORLEANS TRIO AUGUST 24 • STRAIGHT AHEAD AUGUST 28 • SUSAN TOBOCMAN QUARTET AUGUST 29 • RAYSE BIGGS QUARTET

How do you fit into the cultural landscape of Washtenaw County?

As a classical ballet academy, we are so happy to be part of Washtenaw County, a community that really appreciates and values the arts. We have spent the past several years performing at the beautiful theaters in Ann Arbor, and are looking forward to providing dancers of all ages and levels with high quality Russian classical ballet training and performance opportunities.

We are also looking forward to extending our community outreach programs within Washtenaw County. We feel the arts are a vital part of any community. We pride ourselves in providing one-onone guidance and mentoring to aspiring dancers, helping them reach their fullest potential.

What do you love most about your job?

314 S. Main St. Ann Arbor, MI 48104 734-372-3200 www.bluellamaclub.com Wed - Sat 5 - 11 p.m. Sunday Brunch 11 - 3 p.m.

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Having a positive impact on our students. Watching them grow and develop as dancers, artists and individuals. Seeing them succeed and achieve their goals.

What are three Washtenaw County businesses that you love?

Zingermans, Michigan Theater and the Ann Arbor Farmers Market.

What’s your purpose, and how did you find it?

Jessica: I feel my purpose is to provide local dancers with the opportunities and tools they need to succeed. As a young dancer from Michigan, I had to move away from home at 14 to Washington DC to receive the training I needed to become a professional ballet dancer. I always knew after my career as a professional dancer that I wanted to teach and have a school so I could provide mentorship and training to aspiring dancers, and help them navigate the process. It was very important to me to bring world-class training to Michigan.

My husband and I have worked very hard to ensure our students have access to professional teachers – who graduated from top ballet schools and had extensive careers as professional ballet dancers. We know how important it is to have teachers with professional credentials who are truly invested in their students - who view their students as unique individuals, and find the best path for that specific student.

Where would we find you on a Friday night?

With our students, amazing staff and our children, at the studio rehearsing for our next performance.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Katie Pelz-DAVIS Founder

CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY OF GREATER ANN ARBOR 2010 Hogback Rd. Suite, 3 Ann Arbor.

734-975-2500. cancersupportannarbor.org 9am-5pm, Monday-Thursday, 9am-noon, Friday. Programming also offered in the evening and weekends.

Ensuring that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action, and sustained by community. Since 2000.

psychosocial services as an extension of their programs of care.

How do you fit into the cultural landscape of Washtenaw County?

How has Washtenaw County changed since the organization began? Prior

to the CSC opening in 2007, there was no other organization providing support specific to people with cancer in the greater Washtenaw County area. Defined by the Institute of Medicine as an integral part of cancer care, psychosocial support, is a type of care addressing the emotional, psychological, social and practical needs of individuals and has been shown to improve quality of life for people impacted by cancer.

Even still, these offerings were limited through the local cancer centers. CSC brings all people together in a shared space of acceptance and hope, providing connectedness that would not happen otherwise.

Serving under 200 people in the first year of being open in 2007 the CSC is now expected to serve over 1,000 people impacted by cancer in 2019. More recently, the CSC has partnered with both major cancer centers, St. Joseph Mercy Health System and Rogel Cancer Center, to provide

Specific outreach efforts have been made by the CSC to ensure that underserved people in our community are provided with equal access and level of care. The CSC developed the evidencebased Community Health Advisor Program, which engages local communities with information and develops trust. Since the implementation of this program, the number of African American people accessing support services at the CSC has grown from less than 1% to 12% and has maintained that level year over year.

The CSC cares deeply about serving all people impacted by cancer and specific efforts are not limited to ethnicity or race.

In 2018, the CSC began offering its LGBTQ+ support group for patients, survivors and loved ones.

This support group fills an unmet need as people who identify as LGBTQ+ report continued experiences with discrimination in the healthcare system.

The CSC prides itself on being an inclusive organization, continuously assessing programs to ensure that they are representative of our local community.

CONT’D ON 16

Proud to be celebrating

10 YEARS

of bringing the local farmer’s bounty to downtown Ann Arbor.

118 W Liberty St. Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104 (734) 995-2107 | www.grangekitchenandbar.com ecurrent.com / august 2019 15

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Three words to describe your business: Innovative.

Passionate.

Forward-moving.

PHOTO CREDIT_ JOYCE GAN, LIGHT ORANGE BEAN

CONT’D FROM P15

Co-Owners and husband and wife

MAIN STREET OPTOMETRY-VISION SOURCE Dexter: 8089 Main St. Ste 1. 734-424-9230.

10am-5pm, Monday. 9am-6pm, Tuesday. 10am-6pm, Wednesday.

9am-6pm, Thursday. 10am-5pm, Friday. By appointment on Saturday.

Pinckney: 1245 E. Main St., 734-878-7444.

9am-6pm, Monday. 10am-6pm, Tuesday. 9am-7pm, Wednesday.

10am-6pm, Thursday. 10am-5pm, Friday, By appointment on Saturday. mainstreetoptometry.com Providing excellent quality eyecare, glasses and contact lenses with attention to customer service. Since 2003, beginning in Dexter.

How does your business make an impact? Our

Candye and Kayia HINTON Co-owners

HINTON REAL ESTATE GROUP 36 N. Washington. 734-480-8650. teamhinton.com 10am-7pm, Monday-Saturday.

Family-owned and team-operated, servicing clients to help them buy and sell residential and commercial properties in Ypsilanti. Since 2015.

How does your business make an impact? We

make an impact because we are charged with taking the time to educate and assist our community with resources to help them become homeowners, many are first time homeowners and/or first generation homeowners. We are involved in community events and work diligently to help build and support the downtown area, specifically.

How has Washtenaw County changed since the business began? We

are effectively newcomers to Washtenaw County. We have witnessed the growth of the area as well as the average house cost increase significantly. Many people are rediscovering the character and unique reasons to shop, live and raise a family in Ypsilanti.

Our downtown area is emerging and we enjoy the new energy that has come with all the new businesses in the area.

16

Dr. Renee LALIBERTE & Michael C. BURNS

august

How do you fit into the cultural landscape of Washtenaw County? We fit

the cultural landscape because of the culture we create inside of our office. We care and treat everyone we work with like family and very much care about the upward mobility of the city.

What are three Washtenaw County businesses that you love? Muse Atelier Vintage,

Cultivate, and Back Stone Book Store.

What do you want your legacy to be? Candye:

We want to leave a legacy of helping as many people as we can in Washtenaw County, and specifically, in Ypsilanti to have all the resources available to them to acquire, maintain and leave a legacy for their families through home ownership.

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business makes an impact by offering a local and personalized option for for all eye-related needs without the need to travel to a large chain store. We accept most insurances.

How do you fit into the cultural landscape of Washtenaw County? The

people of Washtenaw county are very proud of the options they have for just about everything and having quality services and products offered without the inconvenience of a long drive makes them loyal.

Three words to describe your business: Current.

Stylish. Caring.

What do you love most about your job? The best

part of my job is the patients.

I love learning what people do for a living or for a hobby and educating them on the best options for their visual needs.

How do you become a better you? I become a better

me by slowing down, making eye contact and listening to people. I try to offer input or solutions only when asked, or when obviously needed.

What do you want your legacy to be? We are creating

a legacy already as we watch our patients grow up, start families, have grandchildren and introduce us to their new family members, friends and neighbors.

What’s your favorite local luxury? All the eateries to choose from.

What’s your purpose, and how did you find it? After

spending a summer studying lizards in Colorado I realized field and lab work were not suited to me. I really love dealing with people each and every day making an impact on their lives, much like they impact me.

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PHOTO BY JEN PROUTY

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Owned by more than 1,000 community members YPSILANTI FOOD CO-OP 312 N. River St., Ypsilanti.

734-483-1520. ypsifoodcoop.org 9am-9pm, daily A community owned store, with a mission of providing organic, local and sustainable foods. Since 1975, after running as a buying club for several years.

How does your business make an impact?

We have been providing a place for our community to obtain good for you, sustainably produced foods for 43 years, which has also provided a bedrock for the local food scene in Ypsilanti.

It has allowed many people to know about good food and have access.

How has Washtenaw County changed since the business began?

In 1975, not many people knew about organic foods, or why they were important, and today

most everyone knows about them. There was very little local food available, although there were still many fruit orchards in the area: peaches, cherries, apples, as well as blueberries and raspberries and strawberries, especially U-pick. There are still a few, and it has become popular again, but several of them were lost to detrimental winters.

How do you fit into the cultural landscape of Washtenaw County?

We have been an example of a cooperatively owned business, a neighborhood store, and a seller of organic and local foods, and all of those concerns that are current issues of importance to our communities. We have always been open to everyone, and have worked to be a part of our community.

What do you love most about your job?

That I can buy great food everyday without having to seek it out! I love knowing that our store is really a community asset that supports a healthy and sustainable food system on a broader level.

LOC LOC ALL ALL Y GR Y O OW WNE N S D, INC E 19 75

WINNER THANK YOU

FOR VOTING US BEST NATURAL FOOD STORE & BEST LOCAL GROCER!

312 North River Street | Ypsilanti | (734) 483-1520 | ypsifoodcoop.org

“

What’s your favorite local luxury?

BLUE LLAMA JAZZ CLUB 314 S. Main St., 734.372-3200. bluellamaclub.com @bluellamaclub on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, 5-11pm, Wednesday-Saturday.

11am-3pm, Sunday.

Connecting the “Love of Food” and “Love of Music” to offer one of the most unique and exciting dining and listening experiences in the Midwest.

Since April 2019.

How do you fit into the cultural landscape of Washtenaw County?

There are a good number of venues who provide music in A2 in different formats. We spent a great deal of time planning and designing an intimate venue with state of the art sound and acoustics that elevates what the artists bring to the stage. Music is an extremely important part of any culture and we program amazing local, regional and national acts and some extraordinary world music acts representing their own diverse cultures, and bringing them to our community live. We love music and the opportunity to share it with people.

What do you love most about your job?

We love our business because our guests are really excited to have a jazz club back in Ann Arbor. It’s great to open a business that the community is really longing for!

Blue LLama loves wine and the team tasted over 1000 bottles to hand-pick a list that is interesting, diverse, approachable and pairs well with our menu selections.

”

What are three Washtenaw County businesses that you love?

Le Dawg - our team loves their homemade and creative soups, and the dawgs are delicious. White Lotus Farms and Kerrytown Farmers Market have great local products that Chef Louis uses for inspiration and to keep our menu evolving, fresh and exciting every day.

How do you become a better you?

We think that it is extremely important to always be active within our community and stay connected. We continually look for feedback to know what our guests love and to keep growing and improving on what we are doing every day.

What do you want your legacy to be?

We want to provide an amazing food, beverage and music experience all in one and give people a place they can create great memories with their families and friends.

We aspire to have a positive impact on our guests, our staff and our community.

What’s a tech gadget or app that you couldn’t live without?

P-Touch label maker.

ecurrent.com / august 2019 17

chef’s corner A peek into the minds of Ann Arbor’s culinary arbiters and their unique perspective on Washtenaw County’s dining and hospitality culture.

Louis Goral

Executive Chef at Blue LLama Jazz Club

By Grace Jensen

Louis Goral is a critically-acclaimed chef who has cooked all over the country, from Denver to Philadelphia to Chicago to Washington D.C. to New York City. Now, he has settled down in Ann Arbor to create music-inspired cuisine at the Blue LLama Jazz Club (a musician himself, he’s played the drums for over 20 years!). His innovative menu includes delicacies such as baconwrapped artichokes and charred baby octopus, to be enjoyed with the club’s live music. Goral discusses his love for cooking, his culinary inspirations, and his vision for Blue LLama.

How did you find your passion for cooking? I began

cooking with my grandmother at an early age in Iowa. We would make meat and potatoes dishes, desserts, pies, different things like that. And so that was kind of always part of my upbringing. I worked in kitchens through high school and college, but I never really took it as a serious career until I got to Denver and I found myself in need of a job. I wound up at a restaurant in downtown Denver called the Appaloosa Grill, and the sous-chef there became my mentor, and eventually, he became the executive chef and I became the sous-chef, and I’ve been doing it ever since.

Why do you enjoy it? I really love the connection between

food and experience. Using really great ingredients with people who are passionate about making those ingredients, from farmers to artisanal cheesemakers, olive oil producers, folks like that.

And I love creating amazing experiences for people. When they come to my restaurant and they have an amazing time and enjoy the food and beverages and music, it’s something for them to remember. It’s impactful.

What is your favorite dish on the menu? One of our favorite dishes right now is we’re doing a yuca gnocchi. Instead of using a potato to make gnocchi, we’re using yuca, which is a Peruvian root vegetable. We’re using some artisanal feta cheese from White Lotus Farms here in Ann Arbor, [as well as] some micro-greens of theirs with morel mushrooms and fresh spring peas. It’s just a really awesome dish, and it’s become one of the stars on the menu.

What vision do you bring to Blue LLama? The concept for

the menu is jazz-inspired American share plates. We typically think of our guests as people coming in and sharing an experience together. So that’s kind of where we got into the American share plates. Our concept of jazz music is that it’s inspired by many different regions and many different cuisine styles, from New York to Louisiana to Cuba to Paris to Chicago to St Louis. All these regions have had an impact on jazz music, so we didn’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into just one of those regions. We wanted to create something that was reflective of the diversity in jazz music and the culture of jazz.

When you’re making recipes, how do you draw inspiration from jazz music? We began by researching what

jazz musicians ate. For example, one of our inspirations was Billie Holiday, [who] said, in an interview that I read, that her favorite dish was a fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich. So we have on our menu a crispy Foie Gras peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

That’s a fun, shareable thing that we have on our menu that’s inspired by Billie Holiday’s favorite food.

What do you want people to know about Blue LLama?

One of the more challenging things for us is conveying to the public that we are a jazz club, but we also offering an amazing food and beverage experience. I think people are starting to get that as we go. We also want people to know that we do brunch on Sundays, same style, share plates. We have live music on Sunday, as well. It’s really fun.

5-11pm, Wednesday-Saturday. 11am-3pm, Sunday.

314 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-372-3200. Bluellamaclub.com

@a2ashleys

72 Draught Beers 30 Bottled Beers

50+ single Malt Scotch Whiskies 338 S. State St. Ann Arbor 734.996.9191 www.ashleys.com

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AMERICAN PUB FARE

featuring specialty burgers, salads, entres, hand-rolled pizzas, and a variety of sandwiches on our homemade bread

Pasta Palooza

Hopcat Ann Arbor Beer Dinner with Bell’s Brewery

6:30-8pm. $35. Zingerman’s Delicatessen. zingermansdeli.com

Pasta sale and tasting featuring accompanying sauces and oils.

Have a fun dinner and learn all about their pasta.

Join Hopcat Ann Arbor for a four-course vegetarian dinner paired with carefullychosen beers from Michigan’s own Bell’s Brewery. The menu includes pretzels with dips, roasted cauliflower soup, spinach and avocado enchiladas, and vegan cookie dough ice cream. Hopcat has been ranked as one of the top bars in the world for quality beer selection. Perfect for a date night or just a break in routine. $35. 7pm. Tuesday, August 20. HopCat, 311 Maynard Street. facebook.com/AnnArborHopCat. —GJ

2 Friday Buy Michigan Now Festival 10am-5pm. Downtown Northville. buymichigannowfest.com Free

This family-friendly event includes tasty treats, street vendors, live music, and children’s activities, all highlighting Michigan-based businesses and Michigan-made products.

Festival runs through Aug. 4.

VegBash Festival

7pm-11:30pm. Washtenaw County Fairgrounds. vegbash.com Free

Enjoy plant-based foods, beer and wine (proceeds benefit Barn Sanctuary), local exhibits, live music, crafts and more! Also from 10am-6pm on Saturday.

Brighton Main Street Wine Art Music Festival 5pm. Downtown Brighton. brightoncoc.org Free

Support area artists while enjoying the taste of local restaurant fare and the sounds of live acoustic music! Through Sunday.

3 Saturday Summer Community Dinner 5-8pm. $15. Green Things Farm. greenthingsfarm.squarespace.com

Bring good vibes to this kidfriendly event and listen to headliner musicians like Wych Elm. Meals are provided by Maggie Long of Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales+Kitchen.

Jazz Brunch Performances

11:30am. The Standard Bistro & Larder. thestandardbistro.com Free

Enjoy your brunch with a tasty French omelet, mimosa, and live acoustic jazz!

4 Sunday Sip and Shop

10am-4pm. Teaspressa. teaspressa.com

$1 off drinks and all donuts are $1. Plus handmade goodies by local vendors and artists.

Ann Arbor Pride Bingo Brunch

11:30am-1:30pm. $35. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

In partnership with Ann Arbor Pride, Blue LLama invites special guest drag queen superstar Jujubee (RuPaul’s Drag Race), to the stage to host a Bingo Brunch fundraiser for Ann Arbor’s own Jim Toy Community Center.

9 Friday JIFFY Mix Plant Tour 9am-2pm. JIFFY Mix Plant.

Site.jiffymix.com. Free

Free one hour tour that consists of an educational video presentation, a product sample, refreshments and a walkthrough of their packaging plant.

11 Sunday MDP Summer BBQ

1-3pm. $50. Michigan Democratic Party.

Kensington Metropark. michigandems.com

Join Governor Gretchen Whitmer, along with the grillmaster, Chef Bob Greig, MasterChef T.J. Waller, and more for MDP’s annual summer BBQ.

12 Monday Korean Ssam Party

6:30-9:30pm. $38. Miss Kim. events. zingermanscommunity.com

13 Tuesday Brewing Tasting

5-7pm. Blue Front Ann Arbor. bfa2.com. Free

Free beer tasting with Rockford Brewing Company. RBC believes in celebrating the drinking and food culture and enjoying the best West Michigan has to offer.

14 Wednesday Sourdough Bread 101 6-9pm. $69. Dixboro Church.

Mifolkschool.com

This class covers everything you need to know to create beautiful, mouth-watering sourdough bread at home. Each participant will bring home recipes and sourdough starter.

15 Thursday Beer + Yoga

6:30pm. $10. Witch’s Hat Brewing Co. witchshatbrewing.com

Practice for all levels and finish off the yoga session with delicious beer. $10 will get you the class and one Tier 1 pint.

Ssam means “wrapped” in Korean. Enjoy roasted suckling pigs, kimchi, Farmers Market greens, sauces and more in your wraps with drink pairings.

5 Monday Morning Coffee Club

8-9am. Biggby Coffee. biggby.com Free (1st meeting).

Coffee and conversation to swap lies, insult each other, and discuss possible solutions to world problems. Everyone with a thick skin is welcome at the table.

7 Wednesday Food Truck Rally

5-8pm. Ann Arbor Farmers Market. a2farmersmarket.org

10+ trucks, carts and other local vendors. Bring a chair, a friend and get ready for some tasty eats and live music.

8 Thursday Drinking with Dogs

6:30-8:30pm. $10 donation. Ann Arbor Distilling Co. annarbordistilling.com

Enjoy some drinks and socialize with other dog lovers. Games for you and your dog, including the fan-favorite Musical Sits.

Donations support the American Cancer Society.

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16 Friday

Mid Summer Eve Duck Dinner Logan Restaurant Chef Thad Gillies— a chef known for his creative, modern cuisine— and Carmela Foods are presenting a three-course meal featuring Jurgielewicz ducks and an optional flight of Carmela wines. Make sure to register online soon, seats will fill up fast!

Meal is $50 per person. $25 per person for wine flight.

5-10pm. Thursday, August 22. Logan Restaurant, 115 W. Washington St. 734-327-2312. logan-restaurant.com —EH

22 Thursday

Howell Melon Festival

Brown Bag Lunch

Fun family recreation activities, music, games, food and tasty Howell melons. Also features a stunt dog show and animal magic. Through Sunday.

Madeline L. Zehnder will discuss her current research as a recipient of the Mary G. Stange Fellowship. She is working on a dissertation about portable objects in early American literature and material culture. Attendees are welcome to bring lunch and eat during the presentation.

10am-6pm. Taylor’s Beach Campground. Howellmelonfestival.com

17 Saturday Ann Arbor Cars and Coffee 7:30-9am. Zingerman’s Roadhouse.

Zingermansroadhouse.com. Free

Celebrating their 7th season, anyone who appreciates cars and love hanging out with a cup of coffee while networking is welcome.

Farmers Market 100th Birthday

7am-3pm. Ann Arbor Farmers Market.

A2farmersmarket.org. Free

The market is 100 years old! Celebrate with a performance by the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, an instrument “petting zoo” for kids, free ice cream and more.

Local Blues and Local Brews

8pm. $8. Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti Eagle Crest. kris.kellera2@gmail.com

The 11-year local blues series presents The Switchbacks. Enjoy dinner, dancing and local brews from Ypsi Alehouse.

18 Sunday Pete Siers New Orleans Trio Brunch

11:30am & 2:30pm. Brunch show, reservation required. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Jazz percussionist and 25-year educator Pete Siers is softspoken and unassuming— but put him behind a drum set, and a hard-swinging, intensely physical, dynamically sensitive drummer emerges.

19 Monday Totally Tomatoes

10am. $60. Sprouting Chefs, LLC. allevents.in

Make a fresh tomato sauce, roasted tomato sauce and a sauce from canned tomatoes.

Also, make some delicious turkey meatballs to serve alongside your sauces and pasta.

21 Wednesday Summer Date Night

6-8pm. $65. Fustini’s Oil & Vinegars. fustinis.com

A night out with a summer menu— Sous Vide Salmon with a Herb Aioli, Steak Diane with a Balsamic Gastrique, Balsamic Strawberries and more.

12-1pm. Clements Library. clements.umich.edu. Free

23 Friday BBQ Competition

5pm. Aug 23-25. Ypsilanti Heritage, Arts, and Entertainment Festival.

Ypsifest.com

Eight of the region’s best BBQ companies compete for the best BBQ. Come by and taste them all, every day during the festival.

Rosé & Cheese

6:30-8:30pm. $45. Zingerman’s Creamery. events.zingermanscommunity.com

Enjoy a relaxing evening by tasting the pairing of a blush crisp rosé with an assortment of cheeses. Bread and additional accompaniments from their Cream Top Shop will be provided.

Murder Mystery Dinner

7:30-10:30pm. $60-$75. Kensington Hotel. kcourtaa.com

Three-course dinner in the Grand Gatsby Speakeasy. Work with each other to identify the motive and the murderer. Dress to impress in 1920’s attire— prizes awarded for best costume.

24 Saturday Cider Mill Opening Day 10am-8pm. Northville Cider Mill. northvillecider.com

Northville Cider Mill is reopening for the season. They offer everything from donut chips, maple sugar candies to pumpkins and apple cider slush.

25 Sunday DIYpsi Summer Festival

11am-8pm. Aug 24-25. Arbor Brewing Company, Ypsilanti. Arborbrewing.com

Find the Midwest’s best makers, handcrafted food and drink here, as well as a full lineup of the area’s best indie acts.

Elden Kelly Trio Brunch

11:30am & 2:30pm. Brunch show, reservation required. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Guitarist, composer and singer Elden Kelly has captivated audiences across the country with his masterful writing and improvisational ability.

Cont’d on p21

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1st Annual Wine, Women & Song Benefit Gala For The Kerrytown Concert House 3pm, doors. 4pm, show. $25-$75.

The Ark. theark.org

The long-running and wildly successful cabaret series, comprised of compelling Ann Arbor area artists, has been captivating sold-out Kerrytown audiences for nearly two decades. Enjoy the show, a silent auction, and other surprises, to benefit and celebrate the historic Kerrytown Concert House’s new leadership.

27 Tuesday Brewing Tasting

5-7pm. Blue Front Ann Arbor.

Bfa2.com. Free

Free beer tasting with Ellison Brewery+Spirits. They have the usual favorites and new flavors, something for everyone.

30 Friday Wine Tasting

7-9pm. $50, plus tax and gratuity.

Vinology. vinologya2.com

An evening of tasting wines of the Southern Hemisphere.

Light Hors D’oeuvres Served.

Reservations required.

DID YOU VOTE YET?

DINING AWARDS 2019

ecurrent.com

Green Things Farm Summer Community Dinner Listen to live music from local bands Matt Jones and the Reconstruction, Frontier Ruckus, Rhyta Musik, and Westbound Situation while enjoying dinner with the community on an organic farm. Bring your own picnic or purchase a vegetarian dinner with fresh farm ingredients catered by Jolly Pumpkin Ales + Kitchen.

Family friendly; kids under eight get in free, kids 8-18 $6. In case of rain, event rescheduled to August 4. $15 ticket plus $15 dinner (optional). 5pm. Saturday, August 3. Green Things Farm, 3825 Nixon Rd. greenthingsfarm.squarespace.com. —GJ

BUY 1 ENTREE GET 2ND ENTREE AT 1/2 PRICE 1/2 price entree equal to or lessor value

Order Online at: silviositalianfood.com 734-214-6666 | 715 N University Ave. | Downtown Ann Arbor

Ongoing TUESDAYS Cobblestone Farm Market

4-7pm. Buhr Park, 2781 Packard Rd., Ann Arbor. cobblestonefarmmarket.org

Dexter Farmers Market

2-6pm. 3233 Alpine St., downtown Dexter. dextermi.gov/farmers-market

Ypsilanti Farmers Markets 3-7pm. Downtown Market, 16 S. Washington St, Ypsilanti. growinghope.net/farmers-markets/ ypsilanti

WEDNESDAYS Chelsea Farmers Market 1-5pm. 1010 S. Main St., downtown Chelsea. Chelseafarmersmkt.org

St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor Farmers Market

Pittsfield Township Farmers Market

Westside Farmers Market 3-7pm. Westgate Shopping Center, 2501 Jackson Ave, Ann Arbor. westsidefarmersmarket.com

FRIDAYS Dixboro Farmers Market 3-7pm. 5221 Church St., Ann Arbor. dixborofarmersmarket.org

SATURDAYS Chelsea Farmers Market

8am-1pm. 304 S. Main St., downtown Chelsea. chelseafarmersmkt.org

Dexter Farmers Market

Ann Arbor Farmers Market

Saline Farmers Market

THURSDAYS Manchester Farmers Market

3:30pm-7pm. Chi-Bro Park, 209 Ann Arbor St. manchesterfarmmarket.com

$5 ADMISSION (12 & UNDER FREE)

2-6pm. Township Hall Campus, 6201 W. Michigan Ave, Ann Arbor. pittsfield-mi.gov/famersmarket

11am-1pm. St. Joe’s (inside hospital lobby), 5301 McAuley Dr, Ypsilanti. stjoesannarbor.org/thefarm

7am-3pm. Wednesdays and Saturdays.

315 Detroit St., Kerrytown.

A2gov.org/market

AUGUST 31 ST

8am-1pm. 3233 Alpine St., downtown Dexter. dextermi.gov/farmers-market 8am-noon. Downtown Saline (S. Ann Arbor St, ½ block S. of Michigan Ave). cityofsaline.org/farmersmarket

SUNDAYS Webster Farmers Market

11:30am-3pm. Sundays (except 3rd).

Webster Historical Society Grounds, 5665 Webster Church Rd, Dexter.

AUTHENTIC GERMAN DINNERS, TRADITIONAL FARE, & DANCE BAND BEGINNING AT 4 P.M. Live Entertainment by German Park Dancers 21 and under must be accompanied by parent.

Photo ID required. No pets, picnic baskets, coolers, food or beverages may be brought into the park. No admittance after 9 pm.

5549 PONTIAC TRAIL – 7 Miles North of Ann Arbor WWW.GERMANPARK.ORG

ecurrent.com / august 2019 21

COMING SOON! 8/4 & 8/7

ALICE’S RESTAURANT

(1969)

8/11 & 8/14

FILM SERIES PRESENTED BY SUNDAYS AT 1:30 PM & WEDNESDAYS AT 7 PM IN AUGUST! BUY TICKETS AT MICHTHEATER.ORG/SUMMER-CLASSICS

SOUND OF MUSIC SING-ALONG (1965)

WITH ONSCREEN LYRICS, GOODIE BAGS, PROPS AND MORE! SPECIAL TICKET PRICES APPLY.

8/18 & 8/21

BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)

8/25 & 8/28

LA LA LAND (2016)

ONE NIGHT ONLY!

THU. AUG 8 7:00 PM

BUY TICKETS AT michtheater.org/CAT 10% of proceeds go to the Humane Society of Huron Valley

ONE NIGHT ONLY!

mon. AUG 26 7:00 PM BUY TICKETS AT michtheater.org/dog 22

august

10% of proceeds go to the Humane Society of Huron Valley

2019 / ecurrent.com

ANN ARBOR’S DOWNTOWN CENTER FOR FINE FILM AND THE PERFORMING ARTS

603 E. LIBERTY ST. • (734) 668-8397 • WWW.MICHTHEATER.ORG

music Hymns of the Huron

Singer/songwriter Kat Steih discusses her latest

By Jeff Milo

Kat also cultivates connections to nextlevel knowledge by way of her other role: as a teacher. “I see teaching as what I was born to do,” she said. “Every struggle in my life has made me into a better teacher for others: my journey with vocal health; understanding fear and how to live with it, overcome it and let it go, and learning how to open up to be creative and trusting with others.” Kat said that she felt like a “lonely creative” for much of her life, but that her time at U-M was an “earthshattering experience” where she not only attained the know-how for producing her own music, but met and befriended other musicians, entering this “new world of creativity and ideas.”

Fostering connections

A songwriting lesson

As a songwriter, Kat is distinguished by her attention to fostering connections: there are, of course, thematic ties between the lyrics that fill the melodies of her songs and her emotional anchoring to her family, her upbringing (and to Washtenaw), but there’s also the sense of connection that her listeners can find through the experiences she describes, and their own stories. Kat likens these quiet or internal revelations, catalyzed by the intimate exchange of songwriter and audience, to something that French philosopher Gaston Bachelard called ‘poetic moments.’

PHOTO CREDIT: HEATHER NASH

Singer/songwriter Kat Steih experienced such illumination in this corner of the state that it’s fitting that her new full length album has an inspiringly Michigan-centric title. Kat was born in Michigan but lived abroad as a teenager.

After high school, she lived in Ohio, but came back to Ann Arbor, to major in Performing Arts Technology (& Physics) at U-M. After school, she had a stint in Denmark and has since returned and put down roots in Washtenaw County, which she claims as her “true home.” “I like the fiery, catalyzing energy,” Kat said, of the local music/arts scenes. “People here pursue life with a lot of passion. I’m always able to learn and experience new things.”

Kat’s new album, Hymns of the Huron, comes out next month, with a performance celebrating its release on Sunday, September 15, hosted inside the space where it was produced, Willis Sound Studio. Kat worked closely with musician/producer Ben Lorenz to arrange the songs, along with engineer Jim Roll to help mix and Christopher Goosman (for mastering) “(Lorenz) and I knew that we wanted to make a record that focused on my voice,” said Kat. In 2016, she had vocal surgery, after being diagnosed with pre-nodule swelling, causing tension on her vocal cords. Her voice went from “... being forced, to very bedroom-like, then to a natural, embodied performance. I’m very proud of this, and happy.”

Not only has she been teaching at the Neutral Zone, but she’s also established the Kat Steih Studio for private instruction on the fundamentals of songwriting, which prompted some questions for Kat about her own songwriting…

“I’ve written a lot of music in my life about alienation, striving, love & lovegone-wrong. (Hymns of the Huron) was written more from a place of stillness, and looking at the sources of these feelings.”

Before, she said, her songs were coming more from a place of autonomy, “… woman as an island…” whereas this album embraces a sense of place, “…which is a first for me.”

When it comes to Hymns of the Huron, Kat said “…these are folk guitar songs, with a modern edge to them. I wanted it to be a classic album, and one that conveyed the stories of love, desire, and human feeling by staying true to the openness of the songs.” As Kat had written, performed, and recorded as a solo artist, she found that a full band breathed life into her new songs, manifesting a “folk-rock” aesthetic but also adding “some grungy, atmospheric touches” with nuanced distortion and reverb. Musically, she has combined the primary stylistic influences that have stayed with her since childhood, bridging folk and rock.

Notably, Kat was also influenced by a book called The Dance of Connection, by Harriet Lerner: “…which discusses how telling the truth to your family can heal all sorts of old wounds.” Amid meditative walks through the stark peacefulness of Ypsilanti’s Highland Cemetery, she sorted out a combination of feelings and “looked realistically at my past” then wove that past into the songs that she recorded with Lorenz.

Kat Steih ‘Hymns of the Huron’ will be available online, via katsteih.bandcamp.com Also Spotify and iTunes Album Release Party, Sunday, Sept 15, 2019, 3pm-7pm Willis Sound Studio 8906 Meridian St., Willis MI

ecurrent.com / august 2019 23

music 1 Thursday The Glen Leven Band 6:30pm. The Grotto. Free

Enjoy a beer alongside a patio performance from Kevin Devine and The Glen Levin Band!

Gaelic Storm

8pm. $25. The Ark. theark.org

Mixing traditional Irish music with modern influences.

Galen Bundy Trio

7pm. Donations suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

The local modern jazz group is heavily influenced by Scandinavian folk music and Romantic-era composers.

Airey B & her Blues Boys featuring James O’Donnell 8 pm. $10. Cliff Bell’s. Cliffbells.com

Captivating singer-songwriter, guitarist, and pianist Airey B brings her old-school blues sound with Detroit trumpet player James O’Donnell.

2 Friday Wisp / Kevin McKay / Co-stars / Ryan Harroun 8pm. $5 suggested donation.

Ziggy’s. ziggysypsi.com

Free First Friday show with a nice mix of indie, folk and psychedelic favorites.

Ann Arbor Blues Festival 3 Saturday Ma Baker

8-11pm. The Session Room. sessionrooma2.com Free

Enjoy a brew in the beer garden and listen to improvisation feel-good funk and soul.

The RFD Boys

7pm. $11, general. $10, members, students and seniors. The Ark. theark.org

The legends of Michigan bluegrass have been delighting Michigan audiences since 1969.

Anthony Retka

7-9pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company.

Annarbordistilling.com Free

Hit the patio (if the weather is nice) for this Tiny Corner Concerts performance.

Modern Element

Modern Element defies genre by exploring jazz, hip hop, R&B, gospel, blues and reggae influences.

4 Sunday The Moxie Strings

7:30pm. $15. The Ark. theark.org

Mixing chops with heart, The Moxie Strings offer listeners the unique opportunity to experience some of the world’s best-known instruments through a young, progressive lens.

Brennan Andes & Friends

While they may look like a traditional bluegrass band at first glance, this Colorado-based quintet has crisscrossed the country over the past 20 years playing music reflecting varied influences.

Hit the patio (if the weather is nice) for this Tiny Corner Concerts performance.

Donald Sinta Quartet

8-9:30pm. $10-40. Kerrytown Concert House. kerrytownconcerthouse.com

Take in a performance from this Michigan-based, Concert Artist Guild-winning horn quartet.

Food and drink will be available for purchase. $40-$375. 8pm.

August 16-18. Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds, 5055 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. a2bluesfestival.com. —GJ

9:30pm. $10. Cliff Bell’s. Cliffbells.com

Yonder Mountain String Band

7:30pm. $40. The Ark. theark.org

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the Ann Arbor Blues Festival will “Make Ann Arbor Gyrate Again.”

Regarded as the first “electric” blues festival in North America, the Blues Fest has brought together iconic musicians, from the likes of Miles Davis and Etta James, since 1969. This year’s three-day lineup features slightly lesser-known but still well-loved local favorites such as “The Voice” contestant Laith Al-Saadi and Ann Arbor Music Center founder Alex Johnson.

The Fest aims to keep growing in order to “restore the Ann Arbor Blues Festival to its rightful place in the pantheon of Blues history.”

5:30-7:30pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company. Annarbordistilling.com Free

5 Monday Sam Burchfield with Cicada Rhythm

8pm. $15. The Ark. theark.org

Athens, Georgia-based Cicada Rhythm’s modern folk joins the Atlanta-based southern folk/soul artist for Southern soul.

Summer Sings 2019: Mozart Requiem, K. 626 7pm. $5. Walgreen Drama Center, University of Michigan. ums.org

Join as many as 250 area singers in a rehearsal and performance of Mozart’s Requiem, K. 626. All the singers pay at the door.

6 Tuesday

Ben Rosenblum

The Founding

New York City jazz pianist Ben Rosenblum’s debut album has received rave reviews by many media outlets. Don’t miss the Juilliard-trained artist at Cliff’s.

With a timeless, energetic, and powerful approach to songwriting, this indie-folk act with Celtic roots from Kalamazoo strives to constantly push the boundaries of the Irish and Scottish music traditions.

7pm. $10. Cliff Bell’s. Cliffbells.com

8pm. $15. The Ark. theark.org

Bop Dragons

5pm. The Cobblestone Farm Market.

Cobblestonefarmmarket.org Free

Enjoy the market, every Tuesday from 4-7pm, plus a live show.

7 Wednesday Katie Geddes

8pm. $15. The Ark. theark.org

Enjoy a captivating voice and a velvety-smooth delivery of traditional and contemporary folk, country-folk, and folk-pop tunes from a deft interpreter of beloved songs.

Talking Ear

7pm. Donations suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

The five-piece progressive music ensemble based out of the Midwest performs, offering a unique experience for listeners through composition, collaboration, and improvisation.

Gift Cards Available!

Values $10 and up, good for any service!

E-Gift Cards also available on our website.

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(734) 623-1951 relaxstation.com •Voted Best Massage 2018 •Walk-ins Welcome •Appointments Available FREE PARKING

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Full Body Massage in Individual Rooms at our Second Location

music The Joey DeFrancesco Trio 8pm. $35. Cliff Bell’s. cliffbells.com

A veteran of Cliff Bell’s returns to the stage. Joey D., a jazz organist influenced by Jimmy Smith, always brings a soulful sound to his audiences.

8 Thursday Altan

8pm. $25. The Ark. theark.org

Altan, named for Loch Altanin Ireland’s County Donegal, offers a dynamic and warm live performance mixing the most touching old Irish songs with hard-hitting reels and jigs.

Gary Schunk Trio

7pm. Donations suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

As a classically trained pianist who gravitated to jazz in the early 1970s, this intensely studied musician has immersed himself in the style and mastered the elements of technique that are distinctive to the genre.

9 Friday Tenth World

7pm. Donations suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Formed by Kevin Jones and pianist/composer, Kelvin Sholar in NYC in 1999, the group combines the harmonic sensibilities of jazz and soul with the rhythms of the African Diaspora to offer a creative and unique sound.

Pinback at the Blind Pig 8pm. $20-25. Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.org

Enjoy a fusion of pop, folk, rock, reggae and funk from this dynamic duo. Featuring Nick Reinhart.

Mike Massé

8pm. $30. The Ark. theark.org

With YouTube views in the millions, this unique talent returns to Ann Arbor for an intimate evening of acoustic music.

Laura Rain Duo

7-9pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company.

Annarbordistilling.com Free

Hit the patio (if the weather is nice) for this Tiny Corner Concerts performance.

10 Saturday Ragtime Extravaganza: Music of New Orleans 8pm. $35-$50. The Ark. theark.org

The 13-piece ragtime orchestra recognized around the world for their meticulous recreation of ragtime and early jazz music.

Keyon Harrold Quintet

7pm & 9:30pm. $25-$35. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

“Sometimes folks can’t speak for themselves, so as humbly and as honestly as I can, I try to speak for those people with my music” - Keyon Harrold.

Hulabaloo

8-11pm. The Session Room. sessionrooma2.com Free

Enjoy a brew in the beer garden and listen to the tight-knit ska-powered soul.

Sarah McLachlan Canadian Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, best known for emotionally-charged anthems such as “Adia”, “Angel”, and “Building a Mystery,” will bring her soulful sound to Rochester Hills, with accompaniment from the local Meadow Brook Festival Orchestra. McLachlan’s 2014 album, Shine On, inspired by the death of her father, hit No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Charts. She was recently inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. $30-$232. 8pm. Saturday, August 10. Meadow Brook Amphitheatre, 160 Festival Drive, Rochester Hills.

313presents.com. —GJ

11 Sunday Iguanas

7:30pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org

This New Orleans-based act’s two-decade ride has taken them all over the map musically and geographically, yet the inescapable patina of their hometown infuses every note they play.

Brennan Andes & Friends

5:30-7:30pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company. Annarbordistilling.com Free

Hit the patio (if the weather is nice) for this Tiny Corner Concerts performance.

13 Tuesday Réalta

8pm. $15. The Ark. theark.org

Enjoy a lively, exciting, and respectful approach to Irish traditional music.

Bohemian Ru’sters

5pm. The Cobblestone Farm Market.

Cobblestonefarmmarket.org Free

Enjoy the market, every Tuesday from 4-7pm, plus a live performance.

14 Wednesday The Felice Brothers wsg Diana DeMuth 8pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org

Folk and country rock from the Catskills.

Andy Adamson Quintet

7pm. Donations suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

The self-taught Ann Arbor native composer and musician, influenced by John Coltrane, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Chick Corea, performs modern jazz.

Cont’d on pg.26

Affordable Vet Services Full Medical & Wellness Services Teeth Cleaning • Radiology • Surgery Vaccines • Heartworm & Flea Preventative Comprehensive Laboratory Fully Stocked Pharmacy Prescription Diets • Ultrasound

Affordable Vet Services Dr. Maja Fontichiaro • Dr. Tara Hansen Dr. Paul Glineburg • Dr. Courtney Cutright Dr. Maddy Erba

15 Thursday Talisk

8pm. $15. The Ark. theark.org

Barely four years since their formation, Talisk has already stacked up several major awards for their pyrotechnic yet artfully woven sound, including Folk Band of the Year 2017 at the BBC Alba Scots Trad Music Awards, and a 2015 BBC Radio 2 Folk Award.

2117 West Stadium St. | Ann Arbor 734.926.0114 | affordablevetservices.com ecurrent.com / august 2019 25

Cont’d from pg.25 Andrew Brown’s Djangophonique

7pm. Donations suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Performing the music of his favorite guitar player, Django Reinhardt.

16 Friday Eric Moore

7-9pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company.

Annarbordistilling.com Free

Hit the patio (if the weather is nice) for this Tiny Corner Concerts performance.

Hughes/Smith Quintet

7pm. Donations suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Harrington Brown Duo

7-9pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company.

Annarbordistilling.com Free

Hit the patio (if the weather is nice) for this Tiny Corner Concerts performance.

18 Sunday The Del McCoury Band

7:30pm. $45-$75. The Ark. theark.org

With International Bluegrass Music Association awards numbering in the dozens, The Del McCoury Band is rooted in tradition.

Brennan Andes & Friends

5:30-7:30pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company. Annarbordistilling.com Free

The Detroit-based jazz quintet that performs original music.

Hit the patio (if the weather is nice) for this Tiny Corner Concerts performance.

Robben Ford

Rachel Mazer

8pm. $45. The Ark. theark.org

After more than 35 albums under his own name and with various bands, guitarist Robben Ford is still topping blues charts on a regular basis. He comes to Michigan with a new release, Purple House.

17 Saturday Makaya McCraven Trio

6-8pm. Cultivate Coffee & Tap House, Ypsilanti. cultivateypsi.com Free

A U-M alumna, this LA-based retro pop singer/songwriter will selections from her solo discography.

20 Tuesday An Evening with Seth Bernard

8pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org

The bleeding edge drummer, producer, and sonic collagist is one of Chicago’s savviest players.

Born and raised on Earthwork Farm in rural northern Michigan, Bernard founded Earthwork Music in 2001. Hear his internationally-influenced folk.

Chirp

PATH

Enjoy a brew in the beer garden and listen to a genre-hopping four-piece rock outfit.

Enjoy the market, every Tuesday from 4-7pm, plus a live performance.

7pm & 9pm. $15-$25. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

8-11pm. The Session Room. sessionrooma2.com Free

Matt Wertz

8pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org

A self-made singer/songwriter, Matt Wertz spent years creating soulful, feel-good pop music on his own terms.

5pm. The Cobblestone Farm Market.

Cobblestonefarmmarket.org Free

21 Wednesday Rahsaan Roland Kirk & Johnny Griffin: Virtual Concert

7pm. Donations suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Historic jazz footage of legendary performances from Rahsaan Roland Kirk & Johnny Griffin.

Michael Franti and Spearhead play Sonic Lunch Hailing from California, Michael Franti seems like an Ann Arbor native, with his love of blending music and social justice activism. He and his band Spearhead have been making music that spans genres from hip hop to reggae to funk since 1994.

Their most recent album, “Stay Human, Vol. II,” the soundtrack to Franti’s documentary, aims to spread optimism in a time when bad news seems to never cease. Sonic lunch hosts free concerts every Thursday all summer. Food is available for purchase from local vendors.

11:30am. Thursday, August 22. Liberty Plaza, corner of Liberty & Division St. soniclunch.com Free —GJ

The Ark’s Open Stage

8pm. $3. $2, members, students and seniors. The Ark. theark.org

Take your music to the masses during open stage nights, where 15 performers get eight minutes each. 7:30pm signup. Performers are randomly selected. First and third Wednesdays of the month.

22 Thursday Paul Vornhagen Quartet

7pm. Donations suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

The mostly self-taught and accomplished jazz saxophonist, flutist, and vocalist will perform.

The Sea The Sea wsg Anna Ash

8pm. $15. The Ark. theark.org

The Upstate New York-based indie folk-pop duo features U-M graduate Mira Stanley.

23 Friday Marcus Elliot Trio

7pm. Donations suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

The Detroit-based trio of improvisers explores original compositions and soundscapes.

Strummer Jam Detroit

9pm. $6. PJ’s Lager House. Find event on Facebook.

Now Hiring LMT’s thriveannarbor.com heidi@thriveannarbor.com 26

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Celebrate the music of Joe Strummer at this tribute concert, the benefits of which go to his charity for providing instruments to children. Also performing: The Gashounds, The Lowcocks, and others.

Riders In The Sky

8pm. $25. The Ark. theark.org

Legendary wacky humor and way-out Western wit.

24 Saturday George Bedard

8pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org

The seventh installment of his magisterial “History of American Music” series pays tribute to the blues of Otis Rush as well as the rich musical heritage of New Orleans.

Slam Jam 19

8pm. $8. $10, under 21. The Blind Pig. blacknotegraffiti.com

The second-annual hybrid multigenre live music showcase brings the best in local hip hop and rock. Featuring Black Note Graffiti, MC MC Kadence (as-heis), Human Skull, and Johnny IV.

Billy Mack & the Juke Joint Johnnies 8-11pm. The Session Room. sessionrooma2.com Free

Enjoy a brew in the beer garden and listen to high-energy Americana roots.

25 Sunday Abigail Stauffer & Kate Peterson

6-8pm. Cultivate Coffee & Tap House, Ypsilanti. cultivateypsi.com Free

Stauffer and Peterson, both folk proficiencies, will be performing a selection of originals.

Brennan Andes & Friends

Susan Tobocman Quartet

Hit the patio (if the weather is nice) for this Tiny Corner Concerts performance.

The Detroit-born singer, composer, lyricist, producer, and arranger will showcase her original compositions.

5:30-7:30pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company. Annarbordistilling.com Free

27 Tuesday Wallis Bird

8pm. The Ark. theark.org. Free

Irish artist Wallis Bird has been enrapturing audiences for over a decade, and was nominated for a Choice Music Prize at home in 2017.

The Randaliers

5pm. The Cobblestone Farm Market.

Cobblestonefarmmarket.org Free

Enjoy the market, every Tuesday from 4-7pm, plus a live performance.

29 Thursday

7pm. Donations suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

30 Friday Rayse Biggs Quartet

7pm. Donations suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Often referred to as Trumpeter Extraordinaire, Rayse has received local and national commendations.

Monte Pride

7-9pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company.

Annarbordistilling.com Free

Hit the patio (if the weather is nice) for this Tiny Corner Concerts performance.

31 Saturday

An Evening with Justin Furstenfeld of Blue October

Sofia Rei & JC Maillard

The captivating live performer’s recent shows have consisted of spoken word, rounded off with a question-and-answer session, plus an acoustic set of songs never before heard and intimate versions of favorites.

Award-winning vocalist, songwriter and producer Sofia Rei is considered one of the most passionate, and inventive vocalists on the current New York music scene.

8pm. $35. The Ark. theark.org

7pm & 9:30pm. $20-$30. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Thank You for Voting Us Best Falafel!

Place your order online:

jerusalemgarden.net/order-online

Thank You Current Readers for 20 Years of Support!

314 E. Liberty, Ann Arbor, MI 734.995.5060 ecurrent.com / august 2019 27

PHOTO CREDIT: SEAN CARTER PHOTOGRAPHY

theater Purple Rose Theatre says, Welcome to Paradise Platonic soulmates and a pitch-perfect cast

By Emily Slomovits

When people think of the word “relationship,” they usually think of a romantic one. And indeed, in much of pop culture and entertainment, romantic relationships are given the primary focus and are considered the ones to strive for. But in Welcome to Paradise, The Purple Rose Theatre Company’s world premiere

by Julie Marino, Evelyn and Rory become platonic soulmates despite their age difference, and though Evelyn’s adult son sees it differently, their relationship is caring and supportive.

A charming, if unconventional, story

The two characters meet innocuously enough: Rory helps Evelyn to her beach house on the Caribbean island of St. Sebastian after she feels faint at the airport. She offers to let him stay at her place for the night, and one night turns into many. Evelyn, an active but lonely widow, and Rory, a restless wanderer, find that they complement each other, coexisting peacefully. That is, until Evelyn’s suspicious and massively overprotective son Greg, his stoic, long-suffering wife Trish, and their stifled but mischievous teenage daughter Sydney show up to visit.

As the free-spirited Evelyn, Ruth Crawford is a breath of fresh air onstage. Her combination of poised and relaxed energy is perfectly balanced with Ryan Black’s unrestricted and equally charismatic Rory. Paul Stroili has the difficult task of making sure we don’t see Greg, an inherently disagreeable character, as purely the villain of the piece, and he does so masterfully. Stroili’s Greg prowls the stage, entitled and stubborn, and he brings the grumpiness down to just a simmer of tension below the surface, so you’ll never know what might set Greg off.

Rhiannon Ragland has what might seem to be a bit of a thankless and somewhat inconsequential role as Trish, but she absolutely makes the most of it, mostly in non-verbal, icy reactions to whatever Stroili is saying. With a lesser actor in the role, it would be a bit of a throwaway, but Ragland is subtle and laserfocused, giving the character a sensitivity and resigned grace.

We get the sense that her Trish is somehow still in control of her situation, even if she’s unhappy. Sydney, from the start, has her eye on Rory, and Meghan VanArsdalen, more than holding her

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own in a cast full of heavy hitters, manages to deftly walk the line between sly seduction and teenage petulance.

As a director, Michelle Mountain has an abundance of talent to work with, and so her directing is largely unaffected by the heavy hand directors must sometimes have when working with actors less skilled and giving. But her specificity and precision, even with a light touch, are to be commended.

Bart Bauer, Danna Segrest and Noele Stollmack, designers of the set, props and lights, respectively, make Evelyn’s vacation home feel like just that: not quite the comfort of one’s own home, but just homey enough to make a stranger want to stay forever. Suzanne Young’s costumes are subtle but finely detailed, especially many of Evelyn’s beautiful and artistic beachy outfits.

Tom Whalen’s sound design features an eclectic pre-show with many different genres of music represented, but whenever the record player plays jazz, we feel invited to dance in the living room with Evelyn and Rory.

Relatable and hilarious

Welcome to Paradise is witty and often laugh-out-loud funny, but also has real moments of poignancy and deep layers of conflict.

It looks at aging in a very real, painfully funny way – some of the older folks in the audience were particularly forthcoming with their laughter, especially when Evelyn struggled to get up from a short chair early on in the show. But it also subtly refutes the assumption that young and old people have nothing in common and can’t be friends or even soulmates. It shows that relationships come in many, many forms, and when you find one that makes you both happy, that’s all that matters.

“Welcome to Paradise” plays at the Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea until August 31st. For tickets and more information, please visit purplerosetheatre.org.

arts & culture

[art] Imaging Each Other Opening Reception

Ongoing Mondays

[dance] Scottish Country Dancing: Tartan and Thistle Scottish Country Dancers

7:30-9:30pm. Call for location— 734-395-7732. aactmad.org Free

PHOTO CREDIT: TIM THURMAN

Susie Lorand and friends teach students dance jigs, reels and strathspeys to live music every Monday. No partners required.

Beginners encouraged.

Fridays

Dexter Daze The 48th annual Dexter Daze festival will include music, food, the Chalk the Block competition and local artisans and businesses.

Saturday will start with a parade and end with fireworks. Free entertainment for all ages includes a ventriloquist, clown, magic show and rubber duck race. Although they’re “just a small town,” Dexter’s best will be on display for all to enjoy!

August 9-10. 7444 Dexter-Ann Arbor Rd. Suite B, Dexter.

Dexterdaze.org. Free

Ann Arbor Farmers Market 100th Birthday Bash The Ann Arbor Farmers Market is celebrating its centennial this year! To mark the anniversary, they are going all out with a birthday bash. The usual Saturday market will be amped up with live music, an Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra instrument “petting zoo” for the kids (where they can try their hand at all different types of musical instruments) and free ice cream! Wear your old Farmers Market t-shirts and see the designs from over the years.

10am. Saturday, August 17. Ann Arbor Farmers Market, 315 Detroit St. facebook.com/a2market Free

[dance] AACTMAD/AASDA Swing Dance Party

8-9pm. Riverside Arts Center. aactmad.org Free beginner lesson

Learn the basics of swing dancing followed by a dance session from two different swing DJs each week. You’ll become familiar with styles like lindy hop, east coast swing, and more.

1 Thursday

[lit] Mariama J. Lockington

7pm. Literati Bookstore.

Literatibookstore.com. Free

Author Mariama J. Lockington will read from her book, For Black Girls Like Me, about a young Black girl growing up in a white adoptive family. Signing to follow.

8-10pm. Brewpub. arborbrewing.com Free

Test your trivia knowledge at the Brewpub with two games at 8pm and 9pm. Make a night of it and stay for both.

2 Friday

The 10th annual Buy Michigan Now Fest celebrates all things made in Michigan with street vendors, live music, food, and kids’ activities.

[misc] AADL World Famous Trivia Night 6:30pm. AADL Westgate.

Aadl.org. Free

August 23-25. 2 E Cross St, Ypsilanti. ypsifest.com Free

3 Saturday

10am. Jim Toy Community Center.

Annarborpride.com. Free

This weekend-long festival will celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community with food, music, and entertainment. All proceeds benefit the Jim Toy Community Center.

[dance] AACTMAD First Saturday Contra Dance

7pm. $6-$11. Pittsfield Grange.

Aactmad.org

The Pittsfield Open Band plays while Julie Levy-Weston calls out contra dance steps! Don’t forget to bring clean shoes for the dance session.

[comedy] Free Comedy Show

9pm. Om of Medicine.

Omofmedicine.org. Free

[trivia] Trivia Night

4pm. Downtown Northville.

Buymichigannowfest.com. Free

YpsiFest is going all out this year, with a three-day festival with something for everyone. Vintage car enthusiasts can stroll through the Classic Car Show while eating barbeque hot off the grill from the BBQ Competition. Trivia geeks can go head-to-head for prizes at My Trivia Life booth, aeronautics buffs can take a helicopter ride to see the sights from above and Hollywood fans can watch the stunt show from local stage combat group Ring of Steel. And of course, there will be live music and Michigan beer!

See works by Detroit-born artists James C. Harrison (1925-1990) and Darin Latimer during this exhibit. The opening reception includes a 7pm artist talk by Latimer. On view from 9am-5pm on Saturdays, or by appointment, through the end of August.

[misc] Ann Arbor Pride

[festivals] Buy Michigan Now Festival

Ypsi Heritage, Arts, and Entertainment Festival

6-8pm. Schmidt’s Antiques.

Michiganartgallery.com Free

Two rounds of adult-oriented trivia with library merchandise prizes.

[theater] Dragster Presents: Chad Michaels

On the first Saturday of every month, regional standup and improv artists perform.

[art] DIY Glass Jar Lanterns 3pm. YDL-Michigan.

Ypsilibrary.org. Free

Get creative making these Moroccan-inspired lanterns out of brightly colored glass jars.

[film] Movies on the Patio: The Godfather

Show starts at dusk. Paesano Restaurant + Wine Bar. paesanoannarbor.com Free

Italian fare and a film on the patio? It’s an offer you can’t refuse. The Saturday night series runs through the end of August, weather permitting. Other upcoming films include: La Dolce Vita (8/10), Mid August Lunch (8/17), The Salt of Life (8/24), and The Great Beauty (8/31).

4 Sunday

9pm. $5/$10, door cover. $25, meet and greet tickets. Necto Pride.

Necto.com

Party the night before Ann Arbor Pride with RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 4 Runner Up and All Stars Season 1 Winner Chad Michaels.

[theater] Welcome to Paradise World

2pm. $22-$43. Purple Rose Theater.

Purplerosetheatre.org

Set in the Caribbean, this play centers around two people, who, despite their age difference, find love and acceptance in each other. For more information, read our story on pg. 27.

Cont’d on p30

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arts & culture

Come attend for an overview of how to start a single member Limited Liability Company (LLC), presented by legal and accounting professionals, and SBDC and EC representatives.

56TH ANNUAL NATIONAL BLUEBERRY FESTIVAL, SOUTH HAVEN

Hop on I-94 for a weekend trip to join the festivities at one of the country’s oldest continuously-running fruit festivals: the National Blueberry Festival in South Haven! Van Buren County has the highest production of highbush blueberries in the country. Since 1963, the festival has proudly celebrated Michigan’s berry growing industry with a central market, youth pageant, blueberry pie and ice cream social, 5k run, craft fair, blueberry pancake breakfasts, pie eating contests, classic car show, fish boil dinner, kids’ activities, live music and the annual parade. Plus, it’s all within minutes from the beach on Lake Michigan.

Phoenix Street, South Haven, MI. August 8-11. Blueberryfestival.com. Free.

[lit] Benjamin Pauli: Flint Fights Back 7pm. Literati Bookstore.

Literatibookstore.com. Free

Author Benjamin Pauli will read and discuss his book, Flint Fights Back, an account of the Flint water crisis which shows that Flint’s struggle for safe and affordable water is part of a broader struggle for democracy.

6 Tuesday

[lit] Paul Vachon Discusses Detroit: An Illustrated Timeline

7pm. AADL Downtown. Aadl.org. Free Author Paul Vachon will discuss and show images from Detroit: An Illustrated Timeline, which points out many of the seminal events and noteworthy turning points of Detroit’s long journey, some little known. Martin Bandyke of Ann Arbor’s 107one will host this presentation. Signing to follow.

[art] Eid-al-Adha Greeting Cards and Lantern Making 7pm. AADL Malletts Creeks.

Aadl.org. Free

Looking for a way to send your loved ones Eid greetings? Join your host, crafter/painter Malika Ayubbi as we create stylish and modern Eid pop-up greeting cards and 3-D lanterns in the spirit of Eid-Al-Adha.

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[education] “Forming Your LLC or DBA: Do it Now!” Workshop

2pm. Washtenaw Community College.

Wccnet.edu. Free

ROAD TRIP

5 Monday

8 Thursday

[dance] AACTMAD Tuesday English Country Dance

7pm. $4-$8. Chapel Hill Condominium Clubhouse. aactmad.org

No partner or experience required for this country dance lesson led by Megan Wilson and Will Jaynes. First timers should come by at 6:45pm. Wear comfortable clothes and non-slip, flat shoes. Also held on 8/13 and 8/20.

7 Wednesday

[theatre] [lit] Local Learning: The Story Starts With You - Interactive Playwriting Workshop with Black and Brown Theatre 7pm. Literati Bookstore.

Literatibookstore.com Free

Join Black and Brown Theatre for an interactive workshop exploring the role of a playwright and their relationship to actors.

Learn how to write your own simple one-minute scene, which will actors from Black and Brown Theatre will perform.

[film] Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

6pm. Ann Arbor Farmers Market.

A2farmersmarket.org Free

Enjoy Kerrytown After Dark with food trucks, a beer garden, pre-movie entertainment, and, of course, the classic teen comedy.

Festivities begin at 6pm and the movie begins at sundown. Bring a blanket or chair.

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[lit] An Evening with Author Elizabeth Berg 7pm. YDL-Whittaker.

Ypsilibrary.org. Free

Elizabeth Berg is the author of many bestselling novels, including The Story of Arthur Truluv, Open House (an Oprah’s Book Club selection), and The Year of Pleasures. She’ll talk about her work followed by a Q&A. Reception with light refreshments, signing, and books for sale to follow.

[art] [education] Stop Motion with Mochimochi Land’s Anna Hrachovec

2pm. AADL Downtown. Aadl.org. Free

Learn the fundamentals of stop-motion, plus a few inside tips, and create your own minianimation with a team during this workshop led by Anna Hrachovec of Mochimochi Land.

[lit] An Afternoon with Master of the Genre, Robert Crais 3pm. Nicola’s Books.

Nicolasbooks.com. Free

Join Nicola’s for an afternoon with the beloved, bestselling, and award-winning Robert Crais, as he shares his brilliant new crime novel, A Dangerous Man.

11 Sunday

[outdoors] Summer Birding

8am. Hudson Mills Metropark.

Metroparks.com. Free

Patti F. Smith & Britain Woodman: Vanishing Ann Arbor

Nesting season is over, and our avian neighbors are getting ready to head south. The young of the year are flying, but still depend on mom and dad for some food.

Preregister at (734) 426-8211.

Literati welcomes Ann Arborites Patti F. Smith and Britain Woodman in support of their new book, Vanishing Ann Arbor, a tour of the city’s past.

[festival] 10th Annual Ton-Up Ypsilanti Motorcycle & Music Festival

7pm. Literati Bookstore.

Literatibookstore.com. Free

9 Friday

[art] Fair Isle Knitting Basics 5:30pm. AADL Downtown.

Aadl.org. Free

Learn the basics of Fair Isle Knitting with local crafter, Beth Battey. Use circular knitting needles to make gorgeous color patterns for a simple scarf.

Previous knitting experience is required.

[nightlife] Bahama Breeze Party

9pm-2am. $7. The Circ Bar. thecircbar.com

Beach therapy isn’t covered by your health insurance (probably), but this tropical-inspired party might do the trick. Anything is possible with sunshine.

10 Saturday

[festivals] Saline’s Summerfest

8am. Downtown Saline.

Salinesummerfest.org. Free

On one fine summer weekend, on the streets of Downtown Saline, a wonderful assortment of activities, attractions, and amusements will bring together people of all ages and interests. It’s a super hometown celebration!

Noon-7pm. Arbor Brewing Company. facebook.com/thetonup Free

Enjoy great live bands, vendors, food and beverage while checking out the coolest bikes on the road. Rev your engines for the bike show ($10 to enter).

[film] Sound of Music Sing-along

1:30pm. $16. Michigan Theater.

Michtheater.org

A theater full of fans, singing aloud… these are a few of my favorite things. See the classic movie on the big screen and join the audience chorus. Also at 7pm on Wednesday, August 14.

12 Monday

[film] Brighton Beach Memoirs 6:30pm. YDL-Whittaker.

Ypsilibrary.org. Free

Watch the 1986 comedy starring Blythe Danner, Jonathan Silverman, and Stacey Glick. Fifteenyear-old Eugene Jerome is trying to uncover life’s mysteries in the adaptation of a Broadway hit about growing up in Brooklyn during the late 1930s. PG-13.

[lit] Ben Folds, A Dream About Lightning Bugs 7pm. $30. The Blind Pig. Literatibookstore.com

Literati welcomes Ben Folds in support of his memoir, A Dream About Lightning Bugs. The program will feature Ben in-conversation about the book.

A Q&A and signing will follow.

13 Tuesday

[outdoors] The Joy of Birding class 7pm. YDL-Whittaker.

Ypsilibrary.org. Free

Kelsey Derhing, naturalist with Washtenaw County Parks & Rec will give helpful tips to identify birds, discuss common birds in the area, and end with some helpful resources and citizen science projects people can use to enhance their birding adventures.

[lit] Edward Renehan: The Life of Charles Stewart Mott 7pm. Literati Bookstore.

Literatibookstore.com. Free

Literati welcomes Edward Renehan as he discusses his latest, a biography of Michigan entrepreneur, industrialist, banker, mayor, and sometimes cowboy Charles Stewart Mott. Signing to follow.

14 Wednesday

[misc] Farmers Market Centennial Exhibit Opening Reception

7pm. AADL Downtown. Aadl.org. Free

In 2019, the Ann Arbor Farmers Market celebrates its centennial.

This exhibit traces the 100-year history of the Ann Arbor Farmers Market from the backs of farm trucks to gourmet food trucks.

Through photographs and text, it tells the story of how Ann Arbor’s relationship to food has changed over the years, how farming in Washtenaw County has evolved, and how people have come to appreciate what they eat and where it comes from. This exhibit reception will feature remarks on the Ann Arbor Farmers Market, as well as light refreshments.

[lit] Crazy Wisdom Poetry Workshop Night

7pm. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tearoom. crazywisdom.net. Free

Second Wednesdays are poetry workshop nights in the Crazy Wisdom tea room, hosted by Joe Kelty, Ed Morin, and David Jibson. All writers are welcome to share and discuss their own poetry and short fiction. Sign up begins at 6:45 pm.

15 Thursday

[misc] Introduction to Psychodrama Workshop 1pm. Taubman Health Sciences Library. lib.umich.edu Free.

In this highly experiential workshop the atmosphere will be relaxed to foster easy, natural learning. Participants will learn the main roles of psychodrama: protagonist, auxillary, double, and audience. Personal exercises will be offered as well as opportunities to volunteer for the protagonist role in a psychodrama.

Nerd Nite Ann Arbor

arts & culture

6:30pm. 102 S First Street.

Annarbor.nerdnite.com. Free

Nerd Nite A2 is a gathering of, well, nerds, who meet up in a bar (Live on First St.) for informal, entertaining, but really informative talks by 3 different experts on 3 different subjects. Talks are about 20 minutes in length each.

Doors open at 6:30, speakers start at 7 pm. Come on out, grab a drink, grab a seat, and learn some awesome new junk with other friendly nerds!

[education] How to Use Networking to Start or Grow Your Business

6pm. AADL Downtown. Aadl.org. Free Networking can be a big part of starting a new business, getting referrals, and gaining and attracting new clients. In this workshop, you will learn what networking is, the reasons why networking is important, how to prepare to network, places to network, networking do’s and don’ts, and more! Presented by Mark Williams from Ann Arbor SCORE.

[theater] The Birthday Party

7:30pm. $16 - $20. Theatre Nova. arful.ly/theatre-nova/store/events

Mind the Gap productions presents Harold Pinter’s dark play, a tale that begins with two strangers arriving at a boarding house by the sea. Times and dates vary for future showings 8/18-8/25.

17 Saturday

[outdoors] Summer Bike Hike

9am. $8; bike rental for $20. Hudson Mills Metropark. Metroparks.com.

Go in search of late summer wildflowers and search for clues about the previous residents that made the park their home. Bring your own bike or rent one. Ages 12 and up. Preregister at 734-426-8211.

18 Sunday

[misc] Ullambana Day

Ann Arbor Zen Buddhist Temple.

Zenbuddhisttemple.org Free

Honor your loved ones who have passed or others who are now absent from your lives. Must set up consultation and make appointment before the ceremony.

Pokémon Trivia

6-8pm. $35. Sporcle Live. Arbor Brewing Company, Ypsilanti. Sporcle.com

20 Tuesday

[festivals] 82nd Annual Chelsea Community Fair

Rides start at 5pm. Chelsea Fairgrounds. Chelseafair.org. Free Four days of fun, including livestock contests, a parade, bingo, a rodeo, a tractor pull, games and rides.

[lit] Kaitlin Sandeno with Dan D’Addona: Golden Glow 7pm. Literati Bookstore.

LiteratiBookstore.com. Free

Literati welcomes Kaitlin Sandeno, world champion swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, and former world record holder in support of her book with Dan D’Addona, Golden Glow: How Kaitlin Sandeno Achieved Gold in the Pool and in Life. Signing to follow.

Cont’d on p32

Power on your Gameboy Advanced and study up for a night of trivia about all games Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. Winning team gets $100. Reservation required.

16 Friday

[film] Muffins-n-Movies: On the Basis of Sex

2pm. Dexter District Library.

Dexter.lib.mi.us. Free

Watch On the Basis of Sex, the true story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, her struggle for equal rights, and the early case of a historic career that lead to her nomination and confirmation as U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice.

Movies in the Park: The Greatest Showman 6:30pm Mill Pond Park.

Cityofsaline.org. Free

Fun family activities start at 6:30pm, movie starts at dusk.

Bring a blanket or lawn chair.

[lit] Poetry at Literati: Valencia Robin 7pm. Literati Bookstore.

Literatibookstore.com. Free

As part of their ongoing Poetry at Literati Series, Literati welcomes Valencia Robin in support of her debut collection, Ridiculous Light.

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arts & culture Author Event: The History of Tiger Stadium: A Love Letter to Baseball at Michigan & Trumbull 6pm. Dexter District Library.

Dexter.lib.mi.us. Free

Although the structure is gone, the memories remain. Doc will share stories from the book of the characters on the field, in the stands, and those in the neighborhoods surrounding the ballpark, as well as the broadcasters who brought the action to us when we couldn’t be there ourselves. Q&A and signing to follow.

[theater] River and Dream

7pm. Island Park. birena@umich.edu. Free

Enjoy a performance of dance, poetry and storytelling to honor the river and all it touches, presented by the Nightfire Dance Theater. Optional audience participation in a dance in the water.

Footwear is recommended for water-dancing. Children who participate must be accompanied by an adult.

21 Monday

[art] Introduction to Photography 6:30am. $40 or free entry with camera purchase. CameraMall.

Cameramall.com.

Need help getting started with your DSLR or Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera? This is the perfect class for getting started.

Make Your Own Terrarium 7pm. $40. Flipside Art Studio.

Flipsideartstudio.com

Add a little green to your indoor space with an eye-catching terrarium! Starting with a decorative glass bowl we will layer and create using various types and colors of sand, rocks, plants and other decorative materials to make this terrarium your own.

Bring a beverage of your choice (alcohol ok) and light snacks to enjoy while getting creative!

[education] Electronic Trolleys of Ypsilanti 7pm. YDL-Michigan.

Ypsilibrary.org. Free

Did you know that there used to be electric trolleys running down the streets of Ypsilanti?

You could actually ride a trolley

between cities in Michigan, and all across the country. Learn about local trolleys and interurbans with local historian H. Mark Hildebrandt.

22 Thursday

[theater] Hay Fever

8pm. Riverside Arts Center.

Ptdproductions.com

Laugh out loud at the opening of Noel Coward’s 100-year-old comedy of manners about the Bliss family. Play runs through 8/31. Times and dates vary.

[festival] Kerrytown NashBash Music Festival

5pm. Ann Arbor Farmers Market. kerrytown.org Free

For the 13th year, this festival hosts a variety of national and local country acts, including singer/songwriter Jerry Vandiver, Hoodang, The Whiskey Charmers and more! Food and drinks are available at the festival.

Check online for a full line-up.

23 Friday

[lit] Robert Mills: JFK - The Last Speech

7pm. Literati Bookstore.

Literatibookstore.com Free

Literati welcomes Robert Mills to discuss JFK: The Last Speech, which explores the dramatic relationship between two seminal Americans--President John F. Kennedy and the poet Robert Frost--which reached its tragic climax in a surprising encounter with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev at the height of the Cold War. Born out of these events is Kennedy’s remarkable speech about poetry and power.

24 Saturday

[nightlife] Havana Nights

9pm-2am. $7-$10. Circ Bar. thecircbar.com

Celebrate life with A2 Dance Revolution and the Circ Bar by dancing the night away with their Havana themed Salsa Night.

Dress code is spicy.

[outdoors] Bats in the Night Sky

8pm. $5. Hudson Mills Metropark.

Metroparks.com.

Discover the night time world of Michigan’s native bats. We will dispel some myths, learn how important bats are to our ecosystem and then head outside to look for our resident bats as they search for their insect prey. Ages 8 and up. Preregister at (734) 426-8211.

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25 Sunday

[art] DIY Cotton Scarf

3pm. AADL Downtown. Aadl.org. Free Make your own summer scarf from a t-shirt in the Secret Lab. Grade 6 - Adult.

26 Monday

[trivia] Questionnairey Trivia

7:30pm. Bobber Down Bar & Grill. bobberdownbarandgrill.com. Free

Questionnairey is a survey-based game similar to the classic game show Family Feud. Teams compete to win, based on the popularity of answers. Winners of each round earn a Bobber Down gift certificate.

28 Wednesday

[festivals] 2019 Saline Community Fair 9am. Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds. Salinefair.org. Free

Five days of all types of carnival fun— including a foam dance party, pie contest, euchre tournament, tractor pull, livestock judging, talent show, beer tent, rodeo, kids’ activities, music, rides, and more.

[art] Leaves are Falling, Autumn is Calling Art Class 7pm. $30. Flipside Art Studio.

Flipsideartstudio.com.

Join Flipside for an evening exploring acrylic paint and chalk pastel to create a beautiful piece of art. BYOB.

[lit] Crazy Wisdom Poetry Reading and Open Mic Night 7pm. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tearoom. Crazywisdom.net. Free

Hear from a featured reader and then enjoy the open mic. All writers are welcome to share.

Sign up begins at 6:45 p.m.

29 Thursday

[outdoors] Nature Walk

6pm. Cedar Bend Nature Area.

Aadl.org. Free

Join AADL over the spring, summer, and fall for informative and fun nature walks around Ann Arbor’s natural areas! These walks are led by a Natural Area Preservation host. Dress comfortably and bring water and bug spray. All ages.

[festivals] Michigan State Fair

10am-10pm. Aug 29-31.

The Michigan State Fair, LLC. michiganstatefairllc.webconnex.com

Southeast Michigan’s largest carnival with music, food, shrine circus and fun.

Leah Karr Nurse, activist, and co-founder of

person of interest

U-M’s Professional Nurse Council

By Mary Gallagher

Leah Karr is an Registered Nurse at Mott Children’s Hospital who acted as an organizer with the University of Michigan Professional Nurse Council for the 2018 contract negotiations with Michigan Medicine.

What made you decide to get involved in the contract negotiations? We have the opportunity to take amazing care of

the kids because we have really good staff ratios, and I wanted those to be maintained. I don’t want to put my license on the line taking care of more patients than I can safely care for, and I don’t want to jeopardize the reputation that I have built for myself and for our unit of being able to spend time with families, hear their concerns and provide education.

What were the reactions of patients and families during the negotiation process? Toward the end of negotiations,

including when we had the informational picket and when there was the vote for authorization of a work stoppage, the patients and families knew what was going on. They would ask us questions, and I would always say that we all just want to be able to provide the best care, and we’re trying to figure out the best way to do that.

What did you think about the final contract? I think the

final contract that was negotiated was very much supportive of the nurses being able to provide good patient care. We have our ratios in writing, we have a lower limit of mandatory overtime that the employer can mandate nurses to work per month. I think it’s a great contract, and I’m really happy with it. To vote to authorize a work stoppage is gut-wrenching. Nobody wants to do that, and it was really tumultuous. To come away from that with a contract that is supportive of nurses I think is really good.

vote (to support a work stoppage). But of the nurses who voted, 94% voted to authorize the work stoppage. So there was definitely a feeling that it was unfortunate but absolutely necessary. The resident physicians are part of a union called the House Officers Association, and they were also in support of us.

What influenced your decision to vote for the work stoppage? I became a nurse because I want to provide wonderful

What do you see as the role of organized workers in healthcare? I have never worked for a non-union hospital, and

care to children and their families when they need it most. I need my employer to be able to protect that care so that I’m able to give all that I need to give to the families. There’s no part of me that wants to not show up for the patients and families, and it was just— gut-wrenching is really the only word I can use for it. I felt like the future of patient care was in danger.

Was there any push-back from fellow nurses or from other hospital employees? I experienced no personal

pushback. There were definitely nurses like me who were in the same boat, feeling hesitant and not happy about having to have the

when I speak with my colleagues and friends from nursing school who are at other hospitals, I see that I have a stronger voice in my work. They don’t have limits on how much they can be mandated (regarding patient ratios and overtime). I can’t work more than 16 hours [at a time], and they can only mandate me for 8 [overtime] hours a month right now. That protects my time off, which allows me to rest and come back refreshed. When there are disagreements or communication difficulties in the workplace, I know that I am able to stand up and have a mature face-to-face discussion with whoever I disagree with, because the nurses are valued and respected.

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cannabis

“CBD Balms, Salves, Creme” by Vaping360

CBD Products Are Readily Available What to know about the popular ingredient

By Jenny Hong CBD stands for cannabidiol, one of two active ingredients found in cannabis along with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Unlike THC, CBD is not psychoactive and does not cause the marijuana high. CBD can be derived from either the hemp plant (cannabis that contains less than .3% THC) or the marijuana plant (contains more than .3% THC). The legal status of CBD is in flux; generally, hemp-derived CBD products are federally legal. In Michigan, CBD products will not be regulated as marijuana if the THC content is below .3%.

Treatment for anxiety, pain, and epilepsy

CBD products range from tinctures to lotions, oils and vape pens. The State of Michigan has not approved any medical conditions for treatment with CBDs beyond seizures. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the use of Epidiolex (a plant-based formulation of CBD) to treat seizures for people two years of age and older. According to Amanda Joslin, owner of Elevation Station, a cannabis consulting company in Ypsilanti that sells CBDs, many users have also reported relief from pain, inflammation, arthritis, anxiety, and depression, although the efficacy of CBDs for treatment of these ailments has not been clinically tested. “Now that CBDs are not a Schedule 1 substance,” Joslin says, “it opens up the possibility of research institutions such as the University of Michigan to test their efficacy. Certain physicians, such as Dr. Christian Bogner who practices in Farmington, have been powerful advocates for research and development into CBDs for the treatment of certain medical conditions.”

There is no evidence of health-related problems associated with the use of pure CBD thus far, but possible side effects that may occur include mild low blood pressure, slowed thoughts or movements, and sedation. There is also a small percentage of people who notice effects on their mood or thoughts when using CBD oil, similar to what they would experience with THC. As CBD products are over-the-counter items, production is not strictly regulated and quality may vary. Consumers are advised to check that CBD products are sourced from cannabis plantations designed for consumption purposes.

How much is right for you?

Determining the optimal CBD dosage and frequency of use is challenging, as effectiveness varies among individuals. It is better to begin with a lower dosage, and increase as needed. Some of the possible side effects include mild low blood pressure, slowed thoughts or movements, and sedation. Also, a small percentage of people notice effects on their mood or thoughts when using CBD oil, similar to what others experience with THC.

Types of CBDs

Understanding their differences is crucial to choosing the right type of product for your needs. CBD isolate has little to no THC content and is the purest form of CBD, which is produced by removing all other cannabinoids found in cannabis such as terpenes and essential oils. Thus, it is typically extracted from the hemp plant. This is suitable for first-time users, individuals with sensitivity to THC or other cannabinoids and individuals who undergo drug screening tests.

Full spectrum CBD contains all cannabinoids found naturally occurring in the plant. It provides higher levels of relief compared to CBD isolates as the therapeutic effects of each cannabinoid are magnified when combined. Broad spectrum CBD is in between the two, where all compounds found in cannabis are preserved but THC is removed. It may deliver the enhanced effects produced by the mixture of compounds but without the psychoactive effects from THC. There isn’t a definitive answer on which type of CBD is better, and the impact on the body depends on various other factors such as diet, stress, sleep and other medication histories. As research on the impact of CBD is still in the early stages, it is best to determine what best works for you by experimenting.

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The United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters are returning to Ann Arbor!

Monday, August 12

Annual 5K, Pub Crawl & Block Party

inment ve enterta li g n ri tu a rty fe and • Block Pa ool Shed B T e e k u a w by the Mil the Streets wl • Dining in d Pub Cra n a e c a R al UA 5K Fi Fund • 8th annu e Semper th t fi e n e to b

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free will astrology © Copyright 2019 Rob Brezsny

AUGUST ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Dear Diary: Last night my Aries friend dragged me to the Karaoke Bowling Alley and Sushi Bar. I was deeply skeptical. The place sounded tacky.

But after being there for twenty minutes, I had to admit that I was having a fantastic time. And it just got better and more fun as the night wore on. I’m sure I made a fool of myself when I did my bowling ball imitation, but I can live with that. At one point I was juggling a bowling pin, a rather large piece of sweet potato tempura, and my own shoe while singing Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir”—and I don’t even know how to juggle.

I have to admit that this sequence of events was typical of my adventures with Aries folks. I suppose I should learn to trust that they will lead me to where I don’t know I want to go.”

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): As the crow flies, Wyoming is almost a thousand miles from the Pacific Ocean and more than a thousand miles from the Gulf of Mexico, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. Now here’s a surprise: in the northwest corner of Wyoming, the North Two Ocean Creek divides into two tributaries, one of which ultimately flows to the Pacific and one that reaches the Gulf. So an enterprising fish could conceivably swim from one ocean to the other via this waterway. I propose that we make North Two Ocean Creek your official metaphor for 2019. It will symbolize the turning point you’ll be at in your life; it will remind you that you’ll have the power to launch an epic journey in one of two directions. excitement about the big picture of your destiny. If you hope to respond with intelligence to the questions and challenges that each new day brings, you must be steadily nourished with an expansive understanding of why you are here on earth. I bring these ideas to your attention, Libra, because the coming weeks will be an excellent time to illuminate and deepen and embellish your conception of your life story.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In his poem “Wild Oats,” poet W. S. Merwin provided a message that’s in perfect alignment with your current astrological needs: “I needed my mistakes in their own order to get me here.” He was not being ironic in saying that; he was not making a lame attempt to excuse his errors; he was not struggling to make himself feel better for the inconvenience caused by his wrong turns. No! He understood that the apparent flubs and miscues he had committed were essential in creating his successful life. I invite you to reinterpret your own past using his perspective.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “Artists are people driven by the tension between the desire to communicate and the desire to hide,” wrote psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott. I think that description fits many people born under the sign of the Scorpio, not just Scorpio artists. Knowing how important and necessary this dilemma can be for you, I would never glibly advise you to always favor candid, straightforward communication over protective, strategic hiding. But I recommend you do that in the coming weeks. Being candid and straightforward will serve you well.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Even if you’re an ambidextrous, multi-gendered, neurologically diverse, Phoenician-Romanian Gemini with a fetish for pink duct tape and an affinity for ideas that no one has ever thought of, you will eventually find your sweet spot, your power niche, and your dream sanctuary. I promise. Same for the rest of you Geminis, too. It might take a while. But I beg you to have faith that you will eventually tune in to the homing beacon of the mother lode that’s just right for you. P.S.: Important clues and signs should be arriving soon.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian poet Aracelis Girmay writes, “How ramshackle, how brilliant, how haphazardly & strangely rendered we are. Gloriously, fantastically mixed & monstered. We exist as phantom, monster, miracle, each a theme park all one’s own.” Of course that’s always true about every one of us. But it will be extraordinarily true about you in the coming weeks. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you will be at the peak of your ability to express what’s most idiosyncratic and essential about your unique array of talents and specialties.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): What would a normal, boring astrologer tell you at a time like now? Maybe something like this: “More of other people’s money and resources can be at your disposal if you emanate sincerity and avoid being manipulative. If you want to negotiate vibrant compromises, pay extra attention to good timing and the right setting.

Devote special care and sensitivity to all matters affecting your close alliances and productive partnerships.” As you know, Cancerian, I’m not a normal, boring astrologer, so I wouldn’t typically say something like what I just said. But I felt it was my duty to do so because right now you need simple, basic, no-frills advice.

I promise I’ll resume with my cryptic, lyrical oracles next time.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Sometime soon I suspect you will arrive at a crossroads in your relationship with love and sex—as well as your fantasies about love and sex. In front of you: a hearty cosmic joke that would mutate your expectations and expand your savvy. Behind you: an alluring but perhaps confusing call toward an unknown future. To your left: the prospect of a dreamy adventure that might be only half-imaginary. To your right: the possibility of living out a slightly bent fairy tale version of romantic catharsis. I’m not here to tell you what you should do, Capricorn. My task is simply to help you identify the options.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo figure skater Scott Hamilton won an Olympic gold medal and four World Championships.

He was a star who got inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame and made a lot of money after he turned professional. “I calculated once how many times I fell during my skating career—41,600 times,” he testified in his autobiography. “But here’s the funny thing: I also got up 41,600 times. That’s the muscle you have to build in your psyche—the one that reminds you to just get up.” In accordance with current astrological omens, Virgo, I’ll be cheering you on as you strengthen that muscle in your psyche during the coming weeks.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): What’s the story of your life?

Psychologist James Hillman said that in order to thrive, you need to develop a clear vision of that story. How do you do that? Hillman advised you to ask yourself this question: “How can I assemble the pieces of my life into a coherent plot?” And why is this effort to decode your biography so important? Because your soul’s health requires you to cultivate curiosity and

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): How many handcuffs are there in the world? Millions. Yet there are far fewer different keys than that to open all those handcuffs. In fact, in many countries, there’s a standard universal key that works to open most handcuffs. In this spirit, and in accordance with current astrological omens, I’m designating August as Free Yourself from Your Metaphorical Handcuffs Month. It’s never as complicated or difficult as you might imagine to unlock your metaphorical handcuffs; and for the foreseeable future it will be even less complicated and difficult than usual for you.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): People who sneak a gaze into your laboratory might be unnerved by what they see. You know and I know that your daring experiments are in service to the ultimate good, but that may not be obvious to those who understand you incompletely. So perhaps you should post a sign outside your lab that reads, “Please don’t leap to premature conclusions! My in-progress projects may seem inexplicable to the uninitiated!” Or maybe you should just close all your curtains and lock the door until your future handiwork is more presentable. P.S. There may be allies who can provide useful feedback about your explorations. I call them the wounded healers.

ecurrent.com / august 2019 37

crossword

THE INVISIBLE MAN Across 1. Japanese WWII general 5. Magical charms 10. Go wrong 13. Oryx cousin 14. Samurai’s sword 15. “That is so-o-o-o uninteresting�

16. ___ Knight 19. Comprehend 20. Ivory, Coast, et al.

21. Ticker valve 22. Missal’s spot 23. Collage class 24. ___ lies 33. Sickly white 34. Grand Prix racing star Hamilton 35. Do some lawn work 36. Freezes (over) 37. Fit ot be tied 38. Shoe polish brand with a bird on its tin 39. Auction spot 40. On the fringes 41. Nightmares 42. ___ ate lists 45. Cartoonish cry upon seeing some vermin 46. Cryptogram’s source 47. Parasailer’s spot 50. Soviet spy Rosenberg 53. Ex-British US ambassador Darroch 56. Theme of this puzzle (some respacing required) 59. Stud holder 60. Give, as a heads up 61. Stare in a way 62. Meet one’s maker 63. Scientist’s backing, maybe 64. Logician’s mistake Down 1. Verbal idiosyncrasies 2. Woodwind used to tune the orchestra 3. Mexican president 4. Can opener brand 5. Jaden’s mom 6. Sch. near the Rio Grande 7. Jam and coffee containers

38 

  august

(not at the same time, people) 8. Game where many players skip 9. Places to catch the big game?

10. Middle east potentate 11. Beat but good, on the innertubes 12. Pampas bird 14. Not secret 17. Employ 18. Punishment for some kids 22. Some holiday desserts 23. Hot as hell 24. Does perfectly 25. Dandy tie 26. Letter after eta 27. Kavanaugh bench mate 28. Video game board 29. Soft serve ice cream selection 30. Kind of acid 31. Direction to a masseuse 32. Deli cheese 37. Horseshoe’s symbol 38. She had a beef with Taylor 40. Chess student’s lesson 41. Type of battery 43. Dietitian’s selection 44. Barely squeeze through 47. Guest piece for the paper 48. Spiced cuppa 49. Word on some Euro coins 50. Vocalist James 51. Slight in build 52. Great bulk 53. Femur connector 54. Company that sells the HEMNES furniture line 55. Car sticker letters 57. Boolean logic word 58. 100%, if not 110%

2019 / ecurrent.com

FOR CROSSWORD ANSWERS, GO TO ECURRENT.COM

Š2019 By Brendan Emmett Quigley (www.brendanemmettquigley.com)

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