Detroit News Weblogs

Headless Horseman at Holy Name

Each mid-October when the Detroit Public Library Bookmobile made its stop at Holy Name, I tried to nab the book before any of my classmates could.

It contained two of Washington Irving's classic stories: "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle."

Fittingly, "Rip Van Winkle" put me to sleep. But "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" was and still is one of my favorite tales of the Halloween season.

I used to imagine myself in poor Ichabod Crane's saddle, trying to get away from the galloping black stallion ridden by the headless beast who held the horse's reins in one hand and a fiery jack-o-lantern in the other. Before too long, my pulse would race faster than the stallion's pace as I anticipated my, err, Ichabod's horrifying demise.

In October 1974, the Headless Horseman nearly did kill me -- and my father was his accomplice.

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Belle Isle 'Soul of the City'

From July 18 through Oct. 10, the Detroit Historical Museum played host to an exhibit on Belle Isle. This was the second time this decade that the Friends of Belle Isle were asked to put together an exhibit for them. The last one was in 2001 and focused on the tradition and history of the island. The 2009 exhibit focused on the present and future preservation of Belle Isle, using the theme "Soul of the City".

The theme was selected on the concept that when people visit Belle Isle it becomes a part of them, and they are drawn back again and again for fun, meditation and celebrations. Memories made there stay with you.

Friends of Belle Isle (FOBI) was the logical choice to create this type of exhibit since its mission is to promote the preservation of the natural beauty, restoration and preservation of historical sites and the adaptive use of existing structures on the island for the enjoyment and use by all people.

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A Hall of Fame day

I've talked with several people about Sunday's Treats 'n Trunks at the park and we all agree that what took place there belongs in the Hall of Fame of Friends of Fletcher Field events.

The fall colors around the park are breathtaking.

As for why we made that determination, well, none of us could pinpoint it quickly.

Yes, the weather was grand and the turnout was great. But we've had better weather and bigger turnouts for events at the park before and yet, at the end of the day, we didn't feel like we did Sunday.

For me, two things stand out:

First, since a major portion of the neighborhood surrounding the park has gone back to nature, which is showing off its fabulous fall colors right now, the scenery around Fletcher Field was absolutely breathtaking and served as a friendly Halloween mask for the horrifying blight in the area. No kidding, the setting made it feel like northern Michigan, not Detroit's east side.

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It's not the end

It's absolute in the movies. After the final scene, the credits roll and then it's the end -- unless, of course, there's a sequel.

But real life is more abstract. The lines are fuzzy, often making it difficult to determine beginnings from endings and vica versa.

One thing is certain: My days are coming to an end at The Detroit News. That does not mean, however, the end of this blog.

After talking to my boss yesterday, we came to an agreement to leave the blog as is, here, with me as its primary author, at least through Dec. 31, 2009. There's also a good chance that deadline could be extended.

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Behind the grill and loving it -- just like my grandmothers

Lunch for 200? No problem.

Both of my grandmothers loved to cook and were versatile enough to compete with the finest chefs in Europe and the best short-order cooks New York City has to offer.

Each could satisfy a table of one with a grilled cheese sandwich and a piping hot bowl of chicken soup in less than 15 minutes. Just as easy, they could prepare traditional Polish fare -- sausage and sauerkraut, potato and cheese pierogi, golabki (stuffed cabbage) -- for the entire Holy Name congregation in a single afternoon.

When I took leave from the U.S. Navy back in the mid-1980s, I always got dinner invitations from my grandmothers.

Grandma Lemanski made me golabki -- until the day I finally had the nerve to tell her I hated cabbage. From that day forward she served me my favorite dish -- spaghetti and meatballs -- and her famous banana-nut cake with buttermilk frosting for dessert.

Grandma Happy often surprised me with homemade pierogi, which she meticulously shaped and stuffed despite having debilitating arthritis in her hands. She then sent me home with two dozen more to support my pierogi habit until my leave ended.

Audio slideshow: 2009 Treats 'n Trunks at Fletcher Field

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Another Fletcher Field treat

I went into the weekend feeling somewhat uneasy and nostalgic, but went to bed Sunday thinking nothing but happy thoughts.

Everything went great for Sunday's Treats 'n Trunks at Fletcher Field: The weather was perfect; the turnout (at least 150) was terrific; the kids, all us really, had a wonderful time.

Nearly the entire park side of Mt. Olivet was parked up from Gilbo to French Road, the vehicles creatively decorated for the season. One featured hippies, peace signs and an advertisement for suspicious brownies. Another posed as a dentist office with human dental floss and the tooth fairy handing out candy. My favorite, a Detroit Public Library book mobile replica, belonged to Bob and Lee (Harding) Walmsley.

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Fletcher Field fall finale

Please come on out to Fletcher Field this afternoon, 2 p.m., for our third annual Treats 'n Trunks.

It's a gorgeous day, the Lions have a bye week and Fox 2 News is scheduled to come by to do a story.

CLICK HERE for details, and see you later!

CLICK HERE for directions to the park.

A murky future

I can't help but feel somewhat uneasy and nostalgic going into the weekend.

At the very least, my life is about to drastically change. Next week is my last at The Detroit News, and I'm struggling with it -- leaving a paper I delivered as a boy to the folks on Pinehurst and Huntington in Roseville.

I'm also struggling with what to do about Fletcher Field, the F3 group who supports the park and the kids who play there, and this blog.

Frankly, the neighborhood around the park continues to suffer a long, painful death, and so many kids have moved out of the area since we started this back in the summer of 2007. Some Sundays over the past summer, the place felt like a ghost town.

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Crud remedy

I woke up this morning with the post-marathon crud: fever, chills, aches and hacks. Or perhaps it's the swine flu.

Whatever it is, I'm certainly not happy about having it thriving in my body, which needs to go back to bed.

Anyway, I opened my email and found this from a friend in the old neighborhood who said to spread the word to others.

Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile.

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Getting ready for the holidays

The local CVS is already winding down its Halloween sales and putting out its Christmas merchandise. Radio station WNIC is getting ready to go "all Christmas all the time" again. And did you see the snow up in New England during the Patriots' rout of the Titans this past Sunday?

Last year's living nativity at Fletcher Field.

Yup, it's beginning to look a lot like ... well, at least it's time to start thinking about the holiday season.

Shield of Faith minister Imogene Johnson is way ahead of the game. She has reserved Gunther the camel and some other animals from a local petting farm for the afternoon of Dec. 5, when we will attempt to put on our second annual living nativity.

Last year, we held the event at Fletcher Field on a cold, blustery, snowy day. This year, we might hold it on the grounds of SOF, formerly Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, to get some shelter from inclement weather.

Wherever the living nativity is held, we could sure use your help. Our little group is running on fumes these days, and some fresh fuel would be a blessing.

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