Still Strummin’
Johnnie Bassett happily sings the blues on his new label.
Peacock Proud
Kevin Carter is no Stephen King, but he does have a few hair-raising tales of his own to tell.
Berry Interesting
Healthful goji berries are often imported, but the plants can thrive in metro Detroit.
Tuned to Each Other
Augie Visocchi isn’t very good with names, but when he walked into an 8 a.m. political science class at Michigan State in the early part of the new millennium, he remembered hers.
Arts & Entertainment
June 2009
Detroit’s Water Works Park
In 1879, a water-pumping station and standpipe (to equalize pressure) were built to supply drinking water to the city, but the 110 acres included a public park with picnic sites, tennis courts, swimming, and baseball diamonds.
River Raisin’s Bloody Banks
Fought in January 1813 in and around the settlement then known as Frenchtown, it remains the bloodiest battle ever waged on Michigan soil. Of the 934 Americans engaged in the fighting, all but 33 were either killed or forced to lay down their muskets.
Groom Mates
Get a boost from these products, or pick one up for the man in your life. (If you need reminding, Father’s Day is June 21.
Unbeatable Role
Former Detroiter Gordon Michaels lights up marquees this month as star and scriptwriter of the comedy ‘Unbeatable Harold’.
Coming Clean
A mental disorder, hoarding makes sufferers loath to discard items. Left untreated, hoarders can accumulate so many things over time that the lack of space created by encroaching belongings forces family members from their homes.
Fantasy Wedding Takes the Cake
Jennifer and Shawn Locke, a Clawson couple, wanted nothing more than to be married. But recent family layoffs were making the wedding “everyone wanted” tough to plan.
Thread Count
Last month, Birmingham native Markus Ketty competed in Bravo’s The Fashion Show for a chance to sell his designs in the mass-retail market. But metro Detroiters have been surrounded by Ketty designs for more than a decade — they just haven’t been wearing them.
Spin City
This shop, at the corner of Davison and Cliff, spins out about 10,000 vinyl records a week for local Detroit garage rockers the Dirtbombs to DJ Swamp (Beck’s DJ) to a long list of techno and dance artists.
The Great Outdoors
Every year, the Detroit Parade Company holds its Official VIP Rooftop Party atop the Miller Parking Garage (next to the GM Renaissance Center).
Up to Speed
Just when you think you’ve got Brad Keselowski figured out, you don’t. Take the slight Southern drawl, which belies his Rochester Hills upbringing.
Who Killed Barbara Gaca?
In 1955, the slaying of a little girl gripped Detroit. Fifty years on, the perpetrator remains a mystery.
The Grande Ballroom
No one even remotely familiar with Detroit’s musical history can dismiss the importance of The Grande Ballroom, a virtual temple of rock ’n’ roll.
Summer on Sale
On May 17, Detroit’s Eastern Market will be awash in a vibrant 15-acre display of annuals, perennials, shrubbery, and hanging baskets.
Hot Wheels
One day in 1893, the man destined to become the world’s most famous automaker brought home what countless enthusiasts were touting as the perfect mode of personal locomotion: a bicycle.
Health Links
“Biomechanics” is the buzzword, but it’s really about physical conditioning and preventive maintenance — making sure bodies work as efficiently as possible to reduce the likelihood of injury and/or pain in a sport where the average male golfer swings at 90 mph and the average female golfer, 65.