Howell, MI

OK, I admit it. I’m a big proponent of shopping local. I don’t care if you’re from Waterford or Birmingham, Ann Arbor or Brighton – patronize your local shops.

A couple of weeks ago, some business owners in Brighton got together and made a video about just that topic.

Now we have a great promo video of being in downtown Howell during the Holidays. A lot of video was shot during the Fantasy of Lights Parade (which everybody should see at least once!) and really gives you the feeling of shopping in a downtown area.

Big box stores and malls are fine for some things, but don’t forget about the folks who work right there on your Main Street. They usually do a lot more for your community than the big franchises (sorry, corporate policy doesn’t let us do that) and they really are more a part of your town than the big outfits.

Make a pledge to yourself that you’ll do at least some of your shopping at the smaller, local businesses this year. And while you’re in your downtown, why don’t you stop at a local restaurant for lunch or an appetizer and try something new?

Last year, local radio station WHMI (93.5 FM) in Howell, Michigan, began a program to raise money for Gleaners Food Bank of SE Michigan. WHMI partners with the Howell Soft Cloth Car Wash for the 12 days prior to Thanksgiving to raise funds. With Gleaners’ buying power, $1 will feed 1 person for 1 day.

Volunteer organizations each take a day and solicit change from the customers at the carwash. Today is the day that I help out with the rest of the Brighton Optimist Club. We’ll be on site from 10am to 6pm. My shift is from noon to 1pm.

WHMI was pleased with the contribution level in 2010, their first year, but hope to do even better this year. Gleaners of Livingston County cannot meet the needs of the county on their own, and regularly food from other Gleaners locations have to be brought in. If you live in Livingston County, consider stopping by today between 10am and 6pm to make a small monetary donation. No family should have to go hungry and the needs are more acute during the holiday season.

Kudos to WHMI and the Howell Soft Cloth Car Wash for their efforts, as well as to the Brighton Optimist Club and other community groups that each take a day for service to those in need.

Livingston County Solid Waste Program has a one-day collection coming up next Saturday, October 29^th, from 9am to 2pm. No appointment is necessary, just bring your old computer equipment, televisions and peripherals, stereos, cameras, fax machines, gaming systems for drop off and proper disposal. The collection is at the County’s East Complex, 2300 E. Grand River (48843) at Chilson.

They also accept old cell phones, but drop those off at my office for the ‘Cell Phones For Soldiers’ campaign. We’ve collected over 2500 cell phones so far!

This event is free to County residents, and includes small businesses with 10 or fewer employees. Many hazardous substances can be found in electronics and this proper disposal will keep those contaminants out of landfills where they might filter back into ground water.

For more information, call 517-545-9609, or visit the website at http://www.co.livingston.mi.us/SolidWaste/

This past Saturday I volunteered at the Howell Conference and Nature Center’s ‘Save The Wildlife’ 5K. It was a beautiful morning for the runners and walkers, cool and crisp at the start, then sunny and warming as the race concluded. It was also perfect weather for the volunteers, who sometimes struggle to stay warm without the assistance of generating a little extra body heat via exercise.

The 5K course traversed the trails on the property with a decent uphill on both of the first two miles, but the runners had the benefit of a good downhill on the last mile. It was great to see so many ages participating in the run and walks. Excellent support, smooth operation of the race and all of the athletes that I spoke with indicated they’ll be back next year.

The race staff has really become super organized in this third year of the event. This year the organizers went to full ‘chip’ results – start and finish timing – with the B-tag technology. A B-tag is where an RFID device is part of the runner’s bib (number) that they wear. It records their time from when they cross the start mat till the time they cross the mat at the finish line for an accurate event interval. This is different than ‘gun time’ where everybody has the same starting time, even if you’re the last person to cross the start line. Competitive runners certainly prefer a chip-timed event.

The Center has a lot of great activities - a Wild Wonders Wildlife Park, summer camps, a ropes course and zip line and Michigan’s tallest climbing tower. There’s also the new Nature Zone Center, periodic wildlife photo workshops, special events and don’t miss the new courtyard. The families of the participants had plenty to do while they waited for the athletes to finish their event.

The race started promptly at 10am with the first 5K runner coming across the finish line with a time of 19:29. Awards were wrapped up by 11:40am, leaving plenty of Saturday left for other things. Funds from the race will be used for the wildlife rehabilitation center

The Howell Conference and Nature Center is one of the area’s jewels. Great family activities, environmental education, and they are generally the ones called when an injured animal is found. If possible, they’re rehabbed and put back into the wild. They do accept general donations, donations of needed supplies for the infirmary, or gifts through the animal adoption program. You can visit their web site at http://www.howellnaturecenter.org/index.htm, or better yet, drop in for a visit.