Hartland Township Large Item Drop Off Day This Sunday

Hartland Township's large item drop off day will be this Saturday, May 10th, from 9 am-1 pm in the Hartland High School east parking lot on Dunham Road. To find out what type of items will be accepted call Rolly Olney, Public Works Director at 810-632-7498. This service is only available to Hartland Township residents, and ID may be required. No charge to participate.

Gazebo Food Drive This Saturday!

Don''t forget! The Sixth Annual Fill the Gazebo Food Drive is this Saturday, May 3rd from 9am-2pm in downtown Brighton.

Join local realtors at the Mill Pond gazebo and donate your non-perishable items; canned meats, beans, pasta, meat sauces, personal care items, canned fruit and laundry detergent. No glass containers please.

This event provides emergency food items for Livington County residents.

Monetary donations are also accepted, you may also make them on-line at www.gcfb.org/gazebo.

Mother's Day Concert This Weekend

Grab your Mom and head over to the Shalom Lutheran Church on M36 in Pinckney this Saturday, May 3rd for a Mother's Day concert by the The Livingston Symphony Orchestra. Show starts at 8pm.

A second show will be at the Hartland Music Hall, on Sunday May 4th, starting at 2pm.

Howell Spring Clean-Up Slated for This Weekend

This Saturday, May 3rd, is the City of Howell's Residential Spring Clean-Up.

Residents living in the central business district need to contact the Dept. of Public Works at 546-7510 to make arrangements for pickup on Friday, May 2nd. All other residents should place items at the curbside no later than 6am on Saturday.

One type of appliance per household, no hazardous waste will be accepted. For details, call the above number for more information.

Cardboard City to Bring Awareness to Homelessness

Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh grade Howell students will be spending the night April 25th in cardboard boxes on the front lawn of the Howell High School Freshman Campus to bring awareness to the needs of homeless individuals in Livingston County.

They will also be collecting food and donations for those in need.

For more information, call Howell High School teacher Cindy Perlman at 517-548-6267.

Celebrate Earth Day in Howell

The Howell High School Environmental Club presents an Earth Day/Arbor Day celebration.

The event will be held at the Livingston County Courthouse in downtown Howell on Saturday, April 19th beginning at noon on the courthouse lawn.

The free family event will include a variety of local non-profit groups that will have informational booths and activities. endors will be selling earth friendly products and the U of M Solar Car Team will be showing off their amazing car that finished 7th in the world in Australia!

Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy live music at the amphitheater.

Livingston Land Conservancy Needs Volunteers

Local volunteers are needed next weekend to help remove Garlic mustard, one of the most invasive plants in Michigan.

Garlic mustard overwhelmes natural habitats and threatens wildflowers and the forest ecosystem. In just a few years time, it can take over an area.

The Livingston Land Conservancy will be removing the plant from the Northumberland Nature Preserve on Sharpe Road in Fowlerville, across from the high school. The work day will be held Saturday, April 26th at 10am.

Garlic Mustard is an easy plant to remove and they provide an on-site training for volunteers and how to physically remove it and properly dispose of it. Volunteers are asked to wear long sleeves and pants and bring water as well as work gloves. Anyone interested in volunteering is asked to contact the Livingston Land Conservancy at (810) 229-3290.

City of Brighton Yard Waste Collection Begins This Week

Curbside yard waste collection begins this week in the City of Brighton, and will run very other week through the end of September. Yard waste removal service is provided as part of customers' property taxes and is available to any customer that currently receives curbside waste removal services. Pick-up coincides with your regularly scheduled waste removal day.

In the city of Brighton:

-Yard waste includes leaves, twigs and branches, grass clippings and other organic materials such as flowers, weeds and garden plants.
-Yard waste must be packed in brown paper bags, or bundled together. There is a limit of 10 brown paper bags and/or four-foot bundles of brush, not to exceed 60 pounds per bundle.
-Please place yard waste by the curb by 6:00 AM.

The program in the City of Brighton is one of only 120 in our state. Yard Waste is collected and shipped to Tuthill Farms Composting (located between Brighton and Whitmore Lake) to be composted.

When composted, it:
-Provides nutrients to the soil,
-Increases beneficial soil organisms (e.g., worms and centipedes),
-Suppresses plant diseases reducing the need for fertilizers and pesticides,
-Protects soil from erosion,
-Assists pollution remediation.
-Yard waste is collected and shipped to Tuthill Farms Composting (located between Brighton and Whitmore Lake).

Source: City of Brighton website

Kensington Metropark Golf Course Opens Today!

Today is opening day of the 2008 season at the golf course at Kensington Metropark.

This 18-hole course covers 6345 yards with a par of 71.

For rates or more information, visit http://www.metroparksgolf.com/ or call 800-477-3178.

A vehicle entry permit is required to enter all Metroparks. The pass is $20 annually, or $12 annually for seniors or $4 for a day pass.

45th Annual Livingston County Home Show

The 45th annual Livingston County Home Show will be held this Friday-Sunday, April 4 - 6, 2008. This year it is at a new location- the Howell High School at Parker Campus Fieldhouse.

More than 200 exhibitors will be in attendance, offering the latest in home improvement and decor. This year is promising lots to see and do for those who are looking to sign a contract or for those just wanting to dream for the future.

Returning this year will also be The Taste of Livingston County with samples from some of the finest restaurants, caterers, and delis in the area.

Check out the Home Show's website at http://lchs.michiganbizsearch.com/

Family Fun Festival at Hartland High School

There will be a Family Fun Festival on April 3rd at Hartland High School from 6:30 pm-8:30 pm.

100% of the proceeds will benefit Challenge Day programs which run every year at Ore Creek Middle School.

The festival will feature the use of the aquatic Center, gym, computer games, face painting, moon walk and bake sale.

The cost is $5 per person or $20 per family. For more information, contact Denise Pentescu at 517-546-1668.

Green Oak Township Master Plan

Green Oak Township residents are encouraged to express their opinions regarding Green Oak Township's Master Plan this Thursday, April 3rd at 7 pm during a public hearing of the Planning Commission.

The Master Plan is a profile of the community’s goals for the future and outlines policies regarding existing or anticipated developments in the township.

Due to the increased growth in the township, the township is looking to update the plan to reflect current conditions.

The current plan is available for review at http://www.greenoaktwp.com/

Report a Pothole!

Does it seem that this time of year everywhere you turn there is another pothole in the road?

Did you know MDOT, or the Michigan Department of Transportation, encourages motorists to let them know about potholes they come across? You can do that here on their on-line form.

There is also a link from that site to file a damage claim.

SELCRA Programs Currently Being Offered

SELCRA, the Southeastern Livingston County Recreation Authority, is currently offering registration for the following programs:

Recreational Youth Baseball and Softball
Available for boys and girls entering K-10th grade in the Fall of 2008.

Practice begins the end of May and games begin June 7th.

Deadline to register is May 2nd.

Summer Girls Basketball League

Grades 3-8th

Learn the fundamentals of the game with a one hour practice and two games per week.

Games begin July 7th and will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays thru July 31st.

Deadline: June 18

Girls Volleyball League
Grades 3rd-8th

The emphasis of this league is learning the fundamentals of the game.

Scheduled from May 12th thru June 26th with varying times and dates of practice and games. Deadline: April 23

Summer Sports Camps
Currently registering for the following clinics and camps: Tennis, Soccer, Golf, Baseball, Basketball, Cheer, Pom, Bowling, Skateboarding and more.

Please call 810-299-4140 or visit http://www.selcra.com/ for more information.

Spring Eggstravagnaza This Saturday!

The Brighton Jaycees and Selcra will be holding a Spring Extravaganza this Saturday, March 15th at Maltby Middle School in the gym.

The event will begin at 10am with an Easter egg hunt, a goodie bag for each child and different shows including a magician. Admission is just $2. For more information call 810-229-4140.

Livingston Arts Council Chili Challenge

If you are a regular reader of our blog, you will know we love the events put on by the wonderful Livingston Arts Council. The Arts Council has now taken another thing we love, chili, and are making a whole night of it!

On Thursday, March 13th The Livingston Arts Council will be hosting a Chili Challenge on at the Howell Opera House. The Challenge will be from 6 pm-7:30 pm and will offer ten types of chili to sample! They will also have salad, corn bread and drinks.

The event is a fundraiser for the Opera House. For more information call 517-540-0065.

Art on Main Opens This Weekend!

This weekend Brighton is welcoming Art on Main, the Brighton Art Guild's new center in downtown. The public is invited to the opening reception this Saturday, March 8th from 6 - 9 pm.

The center will feature a fine art gallery, gift shop, art classes and studio space.

Art on Main hours will be Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11am-8pm, and Sundays from Noon-4pm.

For more information, contact the Brighton Art Guild at 810-220-9091 or visit http://www.brightonartguild.com/

Last Chance Rescue

One of our favorite pages in the Livingston Daily Press & Argus is the adorable "Adoptable Pets" featured every Wednesday. Many of the pets available for adoption are through the Last Chance Animal Rescue, which is located in Howell.

Not only are pets featured in the paper, but the Last Chance Animal Rescue shows their dogs from 11 am- 4 pm Saturdays at Tractor Supply Co. on Grand River on Genoa Township. Cats and kittens are on display seven days a week at PetSmart, 8537 W. Grand River Ave., in Brighton.

You can also view their available animals on their website or at the Petfinder web site.

If you are contemplating expanding your family with a furry friend, what a great way to do it!

Notes from the Brighton Chamber of Commerce Breakfast

A refreshing breeze blew through Brighton at the Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce breakfast this morning. I sat and listened to Rod Jones of Work Skills, Fred Grant of Stonefire Bistro and Genoa Woods Conference Center, Dan Hartman of deCode and Tim and Mike Corrigan of Corrigan Oil speak about what they have done with their businesses to keep them vibrant and alive despite the economy. All these business owners look for ideas outside the box. They network with other business owners and creatively develop their business plan to be and remain profitable. Diversification was a major topic and all of these business owners have multiple companies and/or projects.

Fred Grant encouraged everyone in the audience to find another business owner and ask for advise on one issue our businesses may be having. This is the kind of business community I want to be a part of. Positive and forward thinking. The Brighton Chamber is progressive in enabling business owners to network in a positive way. Thanks to all who participated and shared. Thanks to the Brighton Chamber of Commerce and Pam McConeghy for putting the breakfast together.
- Karen Jolley

Brighton Prepares for Upgrades Throughout Town

Brighton city officials have outlined its list of capital improvement projects for 2008-09.

The city is planning on replacing part of sewer system in the downtown area. The "Millpond Bypass Sewer Project" will include a new sanitary sewer near First St. and Mill Pond Lane. Construction will take place this year.

Also on track is a reconstruction of Charles Orndorf Drive- with includes adding a center left turn and and upgrading traffic signals. This will be a welcome configuration with the additional of St. Patrick School in that area.

Other items to be upgraded are police car replacements and new snow removal equipment.

Some of the projects are being funded by bond requests, others from the city's general fund.