Summer music series begins
Music Lakeside,a free summer music
series sponsored by the Belleville Area
Council for theArts, will present entertain-
ment every Thursday evening through
Aug. 16. The concerts will take place in
Horizon Park on High Street in Belleville
and will feature musical entertainment by
thewater.
Visitors should bring lawn chairs, blan-
kets, or arrive by boat. Food is available
this year from Cosa Sabrosa, a new addi-
tion, featuring fresh tacos, burritos, salsas
and much more. Also returning will be
Egan's Pub andTheGelatoWagon.
In case of rain, concerts will be moved
tot theMethodist Church across the street.
Meet Up and Eat Up
Meet Up andEat Up, an effort to ensure
that children in lower-income areas con-
tinue to receive nutritious meals during
long school vacations, when they do not
have access to the National School Lunch
or School Breakfast Programs, is available
from noon until 1 p.m. every Monday
through Thursday at the Jefferson Barnes
Community Vitality Center, located at
32150Dorsey St. inWestland.
The program continues through Aug.
16.
SpikeOut Hunger Saturday
Kroger is hosting a charity volleyball
tournament with proceeds benefiting
ForgottenHarvest beginning at 11 a.m. this
Saturday, Aug. 4.
The tournament will take place at the
Northville Recreation Center, located at
18680 Hines Dr. Check in begins at 10 a.m.
and the games begin at 11 a.m. Each team
must have a minimum of six players and
the cost to enter the tournament is $100
per team. For more information, email
Senior games registration nears
Area seniors have until Aug. 10 to enter
the Second Annual Canton Senior Games,
which are scheduled to take place Aug. 20-
24, at various locations in the Canton com-
munity. A variety of activities for men and
women age 55 and older will be available
during the four days of competition.
Registration is now available online at
or in person at the
Canton Club 55+ front desk, located in the
Summit on the Park at 46000 Summit
Parkway in Canton. All participants must
register by Friday, Aug. 10. Registration
fees are: Field Games/Cards/Wii
Games/Billiards fees for each event are $2
for Canton residents and $3 for non-resi-
dents; Billiards Tournament, Pickleball
Tournament, and Tennis Tournament fees
are $5 for Canton residents and $6 for non-
residents and Golf Tournament fees are
$53 for Canton residents and $58 for non-
residents.
An awards ceremony has been sched-
uled from 12:30-2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 24 at
the Summit on the Park Maple/Oak Room,
located at 46000 Summit Parkway.
Participants can take part in a BBQ lunch
for just $8 for Canton residents and $10 for
non-residents.
For additional information about the
Canton Senior Games or to confirm event
times and locations, contact Canton Club
55+at (734) 394-5485.
BonusMarket planned
The Romulus Downtown Development
Authority will host a bonus market at the
Romulus Farmer's Market from 11 a.m.
until 4 p.m. Aug. 11.
The market takes place at Romulus
Historical Park, 11147Hunt St. inRomulus
For more information, call (313) 204-
0990 orMerrieDruyor at (734) 955-4531.
Casting call
Inspire Theatre in Westland will host
auditions for a production of The Addams
Family set for October andNovember
Auditions will take place at Westland
Center for the Arts, 33455 Warren Road in
Westland beginning at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 14
and 15. Actors will perform a cold reading
and be taught lyrics to When You're An
Addams.
Performers are asked to wear comfort-
able clothing and stay for the entire audi-
tion.
Roles for the entire Addams family
including Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester,
Grandma, Wednesday and Pugsley
Addams will be cast, along with Lurch,
Mal, Alice and Lucas Beineke and five
male and five femaleAddams ancestors.
For more information, call (734) 751-
7057.
A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
6
August 2, 2018
Calendar of events
The League of Women Voters of
Northwest Wayne County is offering
assistance to those voting in the
PrimaryElection Aug. 7.
The League has provided an on-
line voter guide at VOTE411.org. Visit
VOTE411.org to read and compare
candidate responses to relevant
issues, find your polling place, check
voting hours, learn about ballot meas-
ures, and read tips about voting in
Michigan. Voters need simple, helpful
tools to help them navigate the voting
process andElectionDay.
The League also hosted candidate
forums for the 11th District US House
of Representatives- both the
Republican and Democratic candi-
dates, and the 16th District State
Representative and 6th District State
Senate. Forums were also held for the
three positions in Sumpter Township:
Clerk, Treasurer and Board of
Trustees. The video links for these
forums can be found on the League's
website: LWVnorthwestwayne.org.
Voters will need to choose one
party's ballot in the Primary Election
and then vote only for candidates in
that party. Casting votes in multiple
partieswill invalidate the ballot.
The League of Women Voters is a
non-partisan organization that never
supports or opposes candidates or
political parties. Voters are urged to
learn about their candidates from a
trusted source of election information
by visiting VOTE411.org and
LWVnorthwestwayne.org before their
ballots are cast.
Election is Tuesday
Voter, ballot information is available
Municipal clerks in the City of
Plymouth, Plymouth Township,
and Canton Township have
joined forces to engage young
voters.
That includes registering
young adult voters at the
Plymouth-Canton Educational
Park complex, explained Canton
Township Clerk Michael Siegrist.
Clerks also make it possible for
students away at college to obtain
an absentee ballot from their
hometown.
“For the college kids, it's a
pain,” said Siegrist, 35, talking
about student's voting from col-
lege. “By us going to the high
school, those kids (of age) can
vote.”
Siegrist emphasized that the
law will be followed and noted a
bill in the Michigan Legislature
to drop voting to age 16. That is
not the intent of the three local
municipal clerks, however.
Siegrist calls municipal clerks
“the guardians of democracy.”
“The idea is to get voters at
age 18while in high school, make
them informed voters, and help
tomake voting easier,” he said.
He and the two other munici-
pal clerks went to PlymouthHigh
School this past February to reg-
ister teen voters. The students
will be able to cast absentee bal-
lots by mail from their respective
colleges.
Additionally, graduating sen-
iors who were going away to col-
legewere given the option to sign
up for the absentee application
list so they don't need to return
home for the November election.
Siegrist followed up with an
additional voter registration
drive at Canton High School and
SalemHighSchool onMay 2.
As the Canton clerk, he also
recruited election inspectors at
both registration drives. Every
election requires that more 300
individuals from the community
be trained and appointed to help
administer the absentee voter
counting board and each of the
40Cantonprecincts.
The three clerks helped to
establish a scholarship through
the Canton Community Cares
Fund.
High school and college stu-
dents who work as election
inspectors for the August and
November elections will be eligi-
ble to compete for a $750 or $500
scholarship after writing a 500-
word essay about the security of
the elections process using infor-
mation from Election Day and
training.
“This was an opportunity to
illustrate the transparent process
and dispel myths and concerns
around our democratic institu-
tions,” Siegrist noted.
The Canton clerk also visited
the Advanced Placement United
States History classes and the
Advanced
Placement
Government classes at the
Plymouth-Canton Educational
Park to explain about the schol-
arship opportunity and recruit
inspectors.
Plymouth Township Clerk
Jerry Vorva has been active in
the effort as has Plymouth City
Clerk Maureen Brodie, Siegrist
said.
Siegrist, elected in Canton in
2016 and a former Plymouth-
Canton Community Schools
Board of Education member,
said the State of Michigan will be
voting on new digital scanners to
replace the old analog scanners
of the past.
The technology change will
help reduce the likelihood of
jammed ballots and eliminate a
two-page ballot, he said.
“This can help reduce lines
and make the process run
smoother, while maintaining the
security of a paper ballot. The
Voter Assistant Terminals are
designed to assist voters with dis-
abilities, but may be used by any
individual. These are tablet-
based machines that print the
ballot at the polling location, and
blend with the technology that
young adults have grown up
with,” Siegrist said.
The municipal clerks were
approached to consider a procla-
mation or resolution by an organ-
ization called Engage18.
Engage18 is a nonpartisan, non-
profit organization, founded by
high school students.
As a registered 501(c)4, it aims
to increase the youth voter
turnout and spark political inter-
est in young people. Its founding
chapter is based in Michigan,
however, organizers are working
to expand across county and
state lines, connecting students
across the nation so that they
have a stronger voice in politics,
Siegrist said.
Julie Brown
Staff Writer
This can help reduce lines and make
the process run smoother,
while maintaining the security of a paper ballot.
”
Local clerks work to register young voters
