A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
4
September 15, 2011
C
ANTON
- N
ORTHVILLE
- P
LYMOUTH
Northville's 23rd Annual
Victorian Festival will welcome
some fanciful guests this year as
fairies alight in Town Square. For
the first time, an Enchanted Fairy
Park will add otherworldly
delights for children to the tradi-
tional Victorian Festival fare, set
for this weekend throughout down-
town streets.
The Enchanted Fairy Park will
feature a fairy salon and dress-up
station, fairy garden, fairy delica-
cies, fairy storytelling, and bou-
tique full of fairy finery.
“Fairies have become a phe-
nomenon in downtown Northville
in the past year,” said Joan Potter-
Thomas of the Northville Art
House. “Fairies were also very
popular during the Victorian era,
sowe thought theywould be a good
fit with our festival.”
Artist Prudy Vannier of
Northville Gallery was instrumen-
tal in inviting fairies and trolls to
Northville when she began creat-
ing fairy doors to hang outside
dozens of Northville businesses
last year. The tiny doors, mounted
on wooden plaques and decorated
with miniatures reflecting each
shop, drew not only fairies to town,
but enthusiasts hoping to catch a
glimpse or leave tiny notes for the
mythical creatures.
During the Victorian Festival,
families can stop at the Fairy
Information Booth for a map of all
the fairy doors in Northville, or
create their own to take home. Also
at the booth (aside from fairy dust
and magic rocks), children can
pick up their passport and clues to
a scavenger hunt that will lead
them to fairy letterboxes hidden
throughout the city. “When the
children find a box, they can open
it up and inside there's a stamp
and ink pad,” Potter-Thomas
explained. “They stamp their little
passport and put it all back for the
next child to discover.”
Fairies and trolls also will
march in the annual Victorian
Festival Parade, which steps off
the curb at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow,
Sept. 16.
In addition to fairy-related
activities, the 2011 Victorian
Festival will offer the activities it's
become known for which transport
visitors to a simpler era, including
children's games and a crafter's
market on Main Street, a saloon
behind City Hall, Eclipse vintage
baseball games at Ford Field, an
animal petting farm and shows,
Victorian 500 pedal cars, a cake
walk and entertainment ranging
from live music, juggling, magic
and puppets, to stilt walkers, a bar-
bershop chorus, and the Amazing
Clark Escape Artist Show. Free
tethered hot air balloon rides also
will make their debut this year. For
a complete schedule, visit
www.northville.org.
Boosters seek crafters
Beer, Brats & Bands is Saturday
Beer connoisseurs and the 21
and over are expected at the
Second Annual Brew, Brats, &
Bands event this Saturday, Sept.
17 inCanton.
The fundraiser will take
place from 6-9 p.m. at the Cady-
Boyer Barn, located in
Preservation Park, on Sept. 17.
Proceeds from the beer tasting
event will support the Canton
Historical Society Pole Barn
Raising Project. Sponsors
include Canton Leisure
Services, Holiday Market and
theLiberty Street BrewingCo.
The $30 admission includes
five drink tickets each good for
one 4-ounce beer tasting. Each
attendee can choose from50 dif-
ferent craft and specialty beers
on hand. Brats with the fixings
will also be available. Musical
entertainment will be provided
throughout the evening by “All
Directions,” playing popular
Rhythm and Blues standards
and “The Tabasco Cats” bring-
ing their Dixieland Band sound
to Preservation Park. Rex
Halfpenny, editor of the
Michigan Beer Guide and noted
beer expert, will also be on
hand offering suggestions,
answering questions, and dis-
tributing copies of “The
Michigan Beer Guide,” while
supplies last.
“Last year's event was very
well received and we're hoping
for an even bigger turn out for
this one,” said Gregg King,
Canton facilities supervisor and
event organizer. “Folks can
come and enjoy a number of
very good Michigan craft beer
selections, aswell as other styles
of beer. Our intent is to offer a
large selection and encourage
participants to try something
they normally might not get a
chance to try in a responsible
fashion.”
This year a designated driver
ticket will be available for only
$10.
For more information on
Brew, Brats, & Bands at the
Barn, visit Cantonfun.org or call
(734) 394-5310.
Organizers of the Annual
Holiday Arts and Crafts Ensemble
sponsored by the Plymouth-Canton
Music Boosters are accepting
applications from potential
exhibitors.
The event, a fundraiser at
Plymouth High School, is a juried
art exhibit and sale produced twice
a year to help support the band
and color guard programs at the
Plymouth-Canton Educational
Park.
This year the show is scheduled
for Nov. 19, but artists and crafters
should apply as soon as possible,
noted Peggy Fenwick, a boosters
clubmember.
“Those interested in applying
for consideration to exhibit should
visit www.pcmb.net/artcraft to
download an application and sub-
mit with photos as soon as possi-
ble,” she said.
A limited number of openings
are available, she added, and jew-
elers need not apply; the maxi-
mum number of jewelers permit-
ted has already been reached.
Approximately 100 exhibitors will
be permitted at this artistic event.
During the last four years, over
12,000 attendees have visited the
ensembles, Fenwick said.
For more details, contact
exhibitor coordinator Carol Rosati
at (734) 455-0714.
The Holiday Arts & Craft
Ensemble will be open from 9 a.m.
until 4 p.m. Nov. 19. There will be
food, door prizes, a raffle, and
entertainment.
Annual Victorian Festival parades into Northville