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SSOCIATED
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EWSPAPERS OF
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ICHIGAN
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September 15, 2011
B
ELLEVILLE
- R
OMULUS
The Romulus Pumpkin Festival is back and, officials said,
it shouldbe better than ever.
The event, sponsored by the Romulus Downtown
Development Authority (DDA), returns beginning Sept. 16 in
andnear downtownRomulus.
“We had a year off, but it should be even better this year,”
said Council President LeRoy Burcroff. “I'm happy, like all
elected officials are, that it's back.”
The event was the victim of budget cuts in 2010, but was
adoptedby theDDA this year.
The event officially gets started at 5 p.m. on Friday, when
the Bingo games get started at the Romulus Senior Center.
Opening ceremonies take place at 6 p.m. and the popular
parade of lights takes place at 8 p.m.
Saturday brings a pancake breakfast to the senior center,
from 7 a.m. to noon, followed by the Cruisin' 2011 Car Show,
whichbegins at 11 a.m. onGoddardRoad andHunt Street.
There will be events throughout the day on Saturday and
Sunday-everything from a SKYHOUNDZ demonstration
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday to pumpkin rolling and
'punkin chuckin' contest at 3 p.m. that day.
This year, the event will be centered around the Romulus
Historic Park and its newpavilion, which city officials cut the
ribbon on last week.
“We're really excited about the change of venue,” said City
Clerk Ellen Craig-Bragg. “There's a lot of history there. It'll be
a great festival for the community.”
Entertainment includes acts as varied as rock 'n' roll, top
40, gospel and country artists to dance routines and Tae
Kwon Do. There will also be an outdoor flea market with up
to 300 stalls of unique items.
The spaghetti dinner will return from4-7 p.m. on Saturday
at theCommunityUnitedMethodist Church, too.
On Sunday, a tractor and lawn tractor showwill take place
from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the grounds of the Romulus
Historical Park, there will be airplane races there at noon,
followed by marshmallow races and a pumpkin pie eating
contest, too. New this year is a 'crazy shoe' croquet tourna-
ment, which takes place at 1 p.m.
“I believe the festival will be as good or better as part
years,” saidEconomicDevelopment Director TimKeyes.
The Bingo Benefit, which supports the Romulus Animal
Shelter, will take place from 5 p.m. to midnight on Friday, 1
p.m. to midnight on Saturday and from noon to 7 p.m. on
Sunday. All proceeds benefit the shelter.
“We don't keep 10 cents,” said Councilman William
Wadsworth. “It all goes back to the shelter.”
We're really excited about the change of venue.
There's a lot of history there.
It'll be a great festival for the community.
”
Pumpkin Festival Schedule of Events
The Pumpkin Festival will be located
in Romulus Historical Park and will
begin even before the annual and
beloved Parade of Lights sponsored by
theRomulus Rotary Club leaves CityHall
for the traditional route down Goddard
Road fromWayneRoad toFivePoints.
The first entertainment of the week-
end is Iroconji, a rock/alternative band
which will entertain in the park begin-
ning at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16. The
Rotary Parade of Lights will leave City
Hall at 8 p.m. for the park where the
National Anthemwill be sung at 8:15 p.m.
Entries will begin to line up at 6 p.m. at
the municipal complex at 11111 Wayne
Road. For more information, call (734)
941-5245 or visit www.roumulusrotary.org.
Closing the evening will be Trilogy, a
top 40 band which will begin to play after
the parade.
The Cutest Baby Contest will take
place during the entire weekend with
photos of the entered babies on display in
the hospitality tent, where the public will
have the opportunity to vote for the baby
they choose at 25 cents a vote. The top
two boys and girls will be declared win-
ners by virtue of the number of votes cast
at 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18 and will be
awarded gift cards.
On Saturday, the entertainment begins
at 11 a.m. at the park and at noon, the
Romulus Tae Kwon Do will present a
demonstration. At 1:30 p.m. Theories of
Illusions, an alternative rock band will
perform followed by rock band Starfire at
3 p.m. At 5 p.m. the New Mighty
Inspirations, a Motown band, will take to
the stage followed by the top 40 band
Standing RoomOnly at 7 p.m. The closing
act Saturday night is top 40 band Channel
Sixwhichwill start at 9 p.m.
Sunday begins with services by the
Romulus Miinsterial Alliance and at
noon there will be gospel and inspira-
tional entertainment. Hippie Chick takes
to the state at 1:30 p.m. and Tyrone
Hamilton will follow at 3 p.m. At 4 p.m.
the winners of the Parade of Lights will
be announced and then country band
Wacowill take to the stage at 4:30.
More activities will abound during the
event including the canning contest
where the best canned tomatoes, green
beans, pickles and fruit will be judged.
Entries can be submitted before 3 p.m.
Friday at the Romulus Senior Center.
Winners will be announced Saturday at
theHospitalityTent.
Pumpkin, sweet potato, peach and
apple pies will be judged in the Pie
Baking contest. Entries for this contest
can also be submitted before 3 p.m.
Friday at theSenior Center.
Entries in the Pumpkin Growing com-
petition will also be accepted at the
Senior Center before 3 p.m. The only cat-
egory this yearwill be largest.
Sunflowers can vie for the honor of
being the largest face or tallest in the
competition, too, with the entry deadline
the same as the other categories.
Friday there will be bingo to benefit
the animal shelter at the Senior Center
from5 p.m. untilmidnight.
On Saturday, Boy Scout Troop 872 will
start serving pancakes at the Romulus
Senior Center at 7 a.m. and continue until
noon. At 10 a.m. there will be three on
three basketball in the Chamber of
Commerce parking lot and the SKY-
HOUNDZ competition begins at 11 a.m.
This is a toss and fetch flying disc contest
and proceeds will go to the Friends of the
Romulus Animal Shelter. There is a $5
donation requested. The event will take
place on Olive Street between Bibbins
andFerndale.
The St. Aloysius White Elephant Sale
will take place from10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on
Neville and Ozga and the Cruisin' 2011
Car Show will be on Goddard Road at
Hunt Street.
The Romulus Public Library will be
hosting a used book sale from 11 a.m.
until 8 p.m. and at noon the Pumpkin
rolling contest will begin at Hunt Street
and Goddard Road. Sack races will begin
at 12:30 and bingo to benefit the Romulus
Animal Shelter will begin at 1 p.m. and
continue until midnight at the Senior
Center.
At 1 p.m. Sand Darts will take place at
Historical Park and at 1:30 the Treasure
Hunt will begin.
The event most people are waiting for,
Punkin' Chuckin', will begin at 3 p.m.
when participants can throw pumpkins
as far as they can for cash prizes. The
event will take place behind the Red
Schoolhouse in the park.
From 4-7 p.m. the Community United
Methodist Church at Olive and Bibbins
streetswill serve spaghetti dinners.
The tractor and lawn tractor show will
begin and 9 a.m. Sunday and continue
until 6 p.m. and if the weather allows, the
Dog Lure Coursing will take place from
10 a.m. until noon.
The used book sale will continue in
the park and the bingo games will begin
at noon and end at 7 p.m. The White
Elephant Sale will continue and at noon
the Giant Airplane Races will begin. At
12:30, the Marshmallow Races will start
and at 1 p.m. the Crazy Shoe Croquet
games begin.
Sunday contests and games will end
with the Pumpkin Pie Eating Contest at
1:30 p.m.
To advertise in The Eagle
Call 734-467-1900.
School chief to retire
Willow Run to continue as 24-hour airport
TomRiutta is going to retire…again.
The current interim Superintendent of
the Van Buren Public Schools has
announced that he will retire at the end of
January, 2012, something he has done four
times previously.
Riutta has spent almost 50 years as an
educator since he earned his bachelor of sci-
ence degree in education from Ball State
University. During his career, he has served
as the superintendent at seven school dis-
tricts.
Riutta replaced former Superintendent
Larry Tabor who had to curtail his hours due
to his retirement conditions. Dr. Linda Olson
had preceded him in filling in for
Superintendent Pete Lazaroff who became
ill with cancer in 2008 and eventually suc-
cumbed to the disease.
Riutta's wife, Bonnie, is a curriculum con-
sultant at Belleville High School. She, too,
will retire in January.
Following a review of procedures and
traffic by investigators from the Federal
Aviation Administration, WillowRun Airport
will remain a 24-hour facility.
The decisionwas announced last week by
Michigan members of Congress, which fund-
ed the investigation of several airports
throughout the country following reports of
air-traffic controllers falling asleep or sleep-
ing on the job.
Following those reports, the FAA initiated
a review of airports to determine whether
changes to the status or hours was advisable.
A second air-traffic controller was added to
the overnight shift at Willow Run following
the reports of others sleeping while on the
job.
Announcing the decision were Sens. Carl
Levin and Debbie Stabenow and U.S. Rep.
JohnDingell.
Pumpkin Festival returns to town this weekend