Please, make yourself right at home while you are here
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eighbors separated by the narrow Trenton Channel on the southernmost end of the Detroit River, the City of Trenton and Grosse Ile Township are two of southeast Michigan’s most interesting and vibrant communities. The waterfront is the most common bond, as both communities boast a significant number of residents who are avid fans of the local waterways, which place boaters only minutes from one of the Great Lakes, Lake Erie. Not surprisingly, outdoor recreation in the area is abundant, with numerous highquality parks, trails and the emergence in the last decade of a budding international wildlife refuge that is expected to become a world-class attraction. Some of the must-see facilities and attractions include the Trenton Cultural Center, The Trenton Veterans Memorial Library (which is a fabulous facility shared with Grosse Ile and three other communities), the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge (which encompasses parts of Trenton and Grosse Ile), Elizabeth Park and Marina in Trenton, Kennedy Recreation Center and Aquatic Center. Trenton has festivals and events throughout the year, including the annual Trenton Summer Festival the last week of June held downtown on West Jefferson, and several Elizabeth Park events, including the PNC Roar on the River power boat races the third week in July, Jazz on the River the first weekend in August and Country Fest on the River the last weekend in July. Activities are scheduled throughout the summer, especially for children, so make sure to check www.trentonmi.org for concerts and outdoor movie showings at the Cultural Center. During the fall, guests can stroll back in time at the annual Somewhere in Time at Elizabeth Park. Held the third Sunday in September, Somewhere in Time rekindles the past with a unique celebration of the park’s earliest days in the early 20th century, featuring period clothing, antique vehicles, ragtime bands and traditional games like sack races and a pie-eating contest. On Good Friday before Easter, guests can enjoy the great marshmallow drop at Elizabeth Park. Trenton holds three annual parades, including a Memorial Day, Christmas and the High School Homecoming. You may want to stroll through the Cultural Center at the corner of West and Edsel. Each season brings many great traditions, including a seasonal community garden, perennial exchange, children cooking, movement and dance, art and craft classes, concerts and movies, Christmas teas, shopping at the craft barn and theme parties are also available. The Kennedy Recreation Center is the
home to the aquatic center, a 13,000-squarefoot, state-of-the-art outdoor facility that offers many attractions to keep visitors swimming! A concession stand, lounge chairs and large shade umbrellas add to the fun. The Detroit River offers some of Michigan’s finest fishing and Elizabeth Park Marina puts you right in the action. Elizabeth Park Marina and Boat Launch provides four launching, four loading wells and a 52slip mooring facility. The facility has utility hookup, pump station and a new shower facility. This award-winning transient marina was built in 1993 through an Urban Waterways Grant. Improvements at the marina include a new shower facility and parking lot enhancement. The Marina is open 24 hours a day from April 1-Oct. 31. Elizabeth Park Marina is located east of I-75, south of West Road, on the corner of West Jefferson and Van Horn Road. At Elizabeth Park visitors can rent a Kayak at Riverside Kayak Connection on Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Memorial Day through Labor Day, weather permitting. Kayak fishing boats are also available. For info contact Riverside Kayak Connection at (734) 285-2925 or online at riversidekayak.com, Facebook, twitter, blog. A new connector path is coming in 2017 that will take bikers and walkers directly to the International Wildlife Refuge, which begins on the southern edge of the city, east of West Jefferson Avenue. In 2001, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge was established as a result of bi-national efforts from politicians, conservation leaders and local communities to build a sustainable future for the Detroit River and western Lake Erie ecosystems. Because of this collaboration, international status was given to
the refuge, making it the first of its kind in North America. Located along the lower Detroit River and western shoreline of Lake Erie, this international gem is situated just 20 miles south of Detroit and 50 miles north of Toledo, Ohio in Wayne and Monroe counties. The refuge’s nearly 6,000 acres consist of unique habitat, including islands, coastal wetlands, marshes, shoals, and waterfront lands within an authorized boundary extending along 48 miles of shoreline. In 2004, the Detroit River Refuge acquired Humbug Marsh, a 410-acre unit situated in Trenton and Gibraltar. The parcel represents the last mile of undeveloped shoreline along the U.S. mainland of the Detroit River and contains critical habitat for many rare fish and wildlife species. The site has also been designated as Michigan’s only “Wetland of International Importance” by the 1971 Ramsar Convention. A new Visitor Center is nearing completion at the Refuge Gateway property, as its new fishing pier.
On Facebook you can find more information about the Kennedy Recreation Center, Trenton Summer Festival, International Wildlife Refuge, Trenton Veterans Memorial Library and Trenton Parks and Recreation. Grosse Ile Township, perennially rated as one of the safest cities in Michigan, offers a unique mix of urban suburb and resort community, with its beautiful setting and easy access to nature and recreation. Grosse Ile is the largest island on the Detroit River. The township of Grosse Ile is actually composed of 12 islands, although the community is most often identified with the main island (which residents simply refer to as “The Island”). Grosse Ile’s main island is technically composed of two islands. The tip of the main island’s northern section is named Hennepen Point in honor of the 17th century French explorer Father Louis Hennepin. It is uninhabited and separated from the remainder of the northern section by an unnamed canal that cannot be navigated in a power boat. The southern section of the main island is separated from the northern section by the Thorofare Canal, which runs on a diagonal course from east to west connecting the main channel of the Detroit River with the Trenton Channel of the river. The southern section of the main island is connected by bridges to Elba Island, Meso Island (also known as Upper See Page 6