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The 3rd Annual Buy Michigan Now Festival is less than two months away. Slated for Aug. 5-7 in downtown Northville, the annual event is on target to show-casemore than 100Michigan ven-dors, entertainers and merchants and the organization is still accepting applications, according to organizer LisaDiggs.

The family-friendly Buy Michigan Now Festival which will showcase various Michigan entertainers, businesses, prod-ucts, and educational opportuni-ties is once again made possible through the sponsorship support of Michigan businesses and other organizations, she said. In addi-tion to teaming up again with downtown Northville to host the upbeat celebration of Michigan, other major sponsors include: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Coffee Beanery, Tom HolzerFord, andHiller'sMarket. "The Buy Michigan Now Festival is a little different from a lot of other summer events. It's a fest with a cause. In addition to providing great food, entertain-ment, and fun, we are dedicated to helping Michigan businesses grow. It's going to be companies

like these, each adding one or two more jobs that brings our economy back on track, and we want to help them do it," Diggs said.

The free weekend celebration focuses attention on Michigan-based businesses and locally-pro-duced merchandise to help stim-ulate the economy. More than 50 scheduled vendors - whose com-panies are based all around the state - are already signed up for the event, Diggs said, and the vendor list continues to grow daily.

Main and Center streets in central Northville will be closed to allow for pedestrian traffic. Local Northville merchants will host a sidewalk sale, while Michigan vendors set up shop under tents in the streets. The event also features live entertainment in Town Square and a kids' zone dedicated to fam-ily fun.

The event will take place from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5. and Saturday, Aug. 6 and from noon until 5 p.m. ~Sunday, Aug. 7. More information is available at (248) 390-0974 or info@BuyMichiganNow.com.

After 15 years, they've decided to add something extra special to the annual Home Tour sponsored by the American Association of University Women Northville-Novi Branch

This year, the group has added a spectacular designer show house to the event, according to group mem-ber Val Gagnon.

The three-day event will open this year with a preview party at the designer show house from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Sept. 23.

The self-guided tour of five Northville homes, as well as the designer showhouse, will take place from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Sept 24 and from11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Sept. 25.

A variety of area creative design-ers will work their magic to trans-form the 1929 Tudor home of Dr. William Demray, DDS, into the designer show house, Gagnon said. Guests at the Friday Gala Party will visit with the designers, enjoy a small plate strolling dinner, silent auction and signature cocktail. The home tour gives visitors the oppor-tunity to view homes in the Northville city and township. They are widely different in architecture and interior design and span two centuries of construction. Hostesses in each homewill note architectural features and special furnishings. The Designer Show House and Home Tour is the signature fund-

raising event of the association Northville-Novi Branch. Funds gen-erated by the organization are used to promote equity, education and development of opportunities for all women in the local, national and international community. Locally, scholarships are awarded to women at area community colleges and high schools.

The branch also has a commit-ment to the Mercy Education Project inDetroit andKids 4 Afghan Kids.

Additional information about this event and ticket sales is available from Gagnon at (248) 347-1754 or Tanya Aldrich (248) 486-4031 or at www.aauwnn.org.

Richard Turnquist of Northville was among more than 709 volun-teers at the Detroit Institute of Arts who received awards recently for their service.

Turnquist has been a volunteer

at the museum in downtown Detroit for more than 15 years. From staffing information desks to giving presentations to community groups, to conducting tours for adults and school children, volun-

teers are an integral part of DIA operations, presence and person-ality, a spokesperson said. Last year alone, volunteers donated 61,734 hours, providing the equiva-lent of $1.3 million in services, she

added.

“A great museum in a great city must be supported by great volun-teers, and the DIA is honored to be served by 709 outstanding individ-uals,” said DIA Director Graham