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SSOCIATED
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EWSPAPERS OF
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ICHIGAN
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AGE
5
April 9, 2015
Thunder will roll into
Belleville Memorial Day
Artaffair entries sought
Library programs announced
Wrestlers plan benefit
B
ELLEVILLE
- R
OMULUS
Wolverine Pro Wrestling is hosting a
fundraising wrestling exhibition to help a
lifelong Romulus resident in her battle
with stage four cancer.
Lee Tracy, the owner of Wolverine Pro
Wrestling, said that he has known Cindi
(Silvey) Hensley for more than 35 years
and graduated fromRomulusHighSchool
with her. Hensley, whose husband Glenn
is also a lifelong Romulus resident, was
diagnosed with breast cancer last year
and the disease has nowmetastasized into
her bones and spread to her liver, Tracy
said, and she is currently hospitalized
with a blood clot and multiple lesions in
her liver.
He has organized thewrestling event to
help defray some of the costs of his life-
long friend's medical bills and is calling
the event Smackdown for Cindi.
There are 15 wrestlers who have
agreed to participate in the six or seven
matches planned for 6:30 p.m. May 24 at
Roller Skate Park, 19750 Sumpter Road in
Belleville. Tracy said professional
wrestlers from as far away as Toronto will
travel to fight for this cause, including
WPW Champion Tyson Dux, Russ Jones,
N8Mattson andAbeAction Jackson.
Tickets for the event are priced at $12
for adults and $5 for children ages 6-13.
Children younger than 5 will be admitted
free.
“Cindi is a beautiful person,” Tracy
said, “she is a true fighter and that's why, if
for only a day, wewant to fight for her.”
luncheon will be served for everyone.
People are encouraged to bring plenty of
clean, soft rags. Mothers Polishes, Waxes
and Cleaners, Inc. has donated plenty of
aluminumpolish for people touse.
“Twenty years we've been doing this,”
exclaimed Ray Hunter, chairman of the
Yankee Air Museum Board of Directors.
“And it never gets old. I'malways amazed
by the large crowd that comes out every
April to help us and believe me, it's a big
help.”
Hunter says this polishing party is
even more important because 2015 is the
70th anniversary of the end of World War
II. It's also the 70th birthday of the
Yankee Lady, which was delivered to the
UnitedStates ArmyAir Forces on July 16,
1945.
“World War II Veterans are passing
rapidly, the youngest might be 86 or 87
years old. Wework very hard to keep our
airplanes in top flight condition to honor
them,” continued Hunter. “Veterans,
their children and grandchildren allmar-
vel at these aircraft when we fly them
into air shows and believeme they notice
and appreciate thehigh gloss finish.”
Hunter said he sees lots of families
return year after year, but there are new
faces, too. He attributes the excellent
participation a sense of patriotism that
people get when they get up close to the
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress and North
American B-25 Mitchell. These aircraft
are never on display at the museum
Collections and Exhibits Building on the
east side of Willow Run Airport. Hunter
also explained that each year the num-
ber of airworthy B-17s and B-25s
declines. He estimates only seven to
nine B-17s and maybe eight to ten B-25s
will take to the skies in the United States
this year.
“There's an added attraction this year,
the Douglas C-47 Skytrain is also in the
hangar and needing a shine,” said Kevin
Walsh, Yankee Air Museum executive
director. “The museumwill be announc-
ing special sightseeing flights on board
the C-47 real soon and we think the pro-
gramwill be ahit.”
In planning the Bomber Buffing event,
Walsh and the professional staff make
sure the event is appealing to the whole
family.
According to Walsh, logo merchandise
and unique gifts will be available.
Special membership incentives are
planned for the day.
Yankee Air Museum security volun-
teers will be on hand to help direct free
parking and access to the Bomber
Buffing.
Hangar 1 is on the northwest side of
the airfield. Follow the road signs for
west and south access to Willow Run
Airport to get to Hangar 1. Entry will be
through the door under the awning of M2
Aircraft Management, Willow Run
Airport, Kirk Profit Drive, Building 2601,
Hangar 1, Ypsilanti, 48198. The event is
free and open to the public.
Romulus Public Library has planned a
series of programs for April.
The Second Monday Book Club will be
reading Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter
Naslund andwillmeet at 7 p.m. April 13.
Author Teresa Irish will be speaking
about her book “A Thousand Letters
Home: One WWII Soldier's Story of War,
Love andLife.”At 6:30 p.m. April 20.
Following her father's death, Irish
found packets of letters he wrote during
his time inWorldWar II. Her book is com-
prised of selections from those original
letters placed into historical context with
excerpts from the book 102d through
Germany (published by the division in
1945.)
Jerry Hasspacher will be presenting an
Earth Day program titled “Climate
Change andYou” at 6:30 p.m. April 30.
The environment is the basis of the
web of life and a healthy environment can
only be assured through environmentally
knowledgeable citizens acting responsibly,
Hasspacher said.
All programs are subject to change.
Registration for the free event is available
by visiting the library or by phone at (734)
942-7589. Space is limited. All programs
will take place at the Romulus Public
Library, located at 11121 Wayne Road in
Romulus.
TheBellevilleAreaCouncil for theArts
is now accepting applications for the 5th
Annual Artaffair on Main, which will take
place on Main Street in downtown
Belleville on July 25-26.
Artists who have current works of qual-
ity and want to sell their items will be
accepted for the exhibition and sale.
Several categories including fine arts and
handcrafted art of original design and fine
quality will be included in the show. All
booths measure 10-feet by 10-feet there
will be $1,000 inBest inShowawards.
Applications and additional informa-
tion
can
be
found
at
showmanager@artaffaironmain.
Once again this year, an annual tradi-
tion will take place in Belleville on
Memorial Day.
Thunder Rolls, the 11th annual motor-
cycle ride and Memorial Day service to
honor veteranswill take placeMay 25.
Organizers from David C. Brown
Funeral Home, which sponsors the event,
said that registration and line up for the
ride will begin at 11 a.m. in the parking lot
of the Belleville campus of Wayne County
Community College. The college is located
offHaggertyRoadnear I-94.
Themotorcycle ridewill begin at 1 p.m.
from the college lot and end at the
Veteran's Memorial in Horizon Park in
Belleville. The park is located off
BellevilleLake onHighStreet.
The memorial service will begin at
about 2-2:30 p.m. after all the cyclists have
arrived, organizers said.
The cost to ride in the event is $10 and
each registered rider will receive a spe-
cial commemorative pin.
“We remember, reflect and honor our
veterans; past, present and future, who
have given their all for our country,” noted
Kathie Steigerwald, one of the organizers
of the event, in a prepared release.
For more information, contact
Steigerwald at (313)570-6115 or (734) 697-
4500.
Museum
FROM PAGE 1
Spelling success
Wick Elementary School students in grades three, four and five recently partici-
pated in the annual school spelling bee. At the school-wide event, each grade
awarded the top three spellers with medals, while the top 10 per grade received
ribbons to recognize their achievement. The top three spellers in each grade also
move on to the district spelling bee. Wick principal ShaVonna Johnson, at left,
congratulates some of the spellers, third place fifth-grader Sabriyah McCord, sec-
ond-place fifth grader Reginald Harper, fith grade first place winner Zalika Rivers
and Tanya Cofield, the Romulus recreation coordinator and honorary spelling bee
judge.
