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2 · June 2018· The Wayne Dispatch

The Wayne Dispatch · June 2018· 3

Wayne Memorial High School has announced18 Class of 2018 Valedictorians and one Salutato-rian.

Valedictorians in alphabetical order:

Gabrielle Nicole AndrionDaughter of Anabelle Tombo-Andrion

Gabrielle is graduating with a 4.02 Cumulative GPA

She will be attending Michigan State UniversityMajoring in Supply Chain Management

Trevor Jordan BaisaSon of Carl Baisa and Sharon BaisaTrevor is graduating with a 4.08 GPA

He will be attending Eastern Michigan UniversityMajoring in Biochemistry

Sariah Marie BoldenDaughter of Erika Smith and Ricardo Bolden

Sariah is graduating with a 4.0 GPAShe will be attending Roosevelt UniversityMajoring in History and Political Science

Sarah Elizabeth CraigDaughter of Amy and George Craig

Sarah is graduating with a 4.19 Cumulative GPAShe will be attending Georgetown University’s

School of Foreign Services

Ken Bachar DadaSon of Bachar and Amal Dada

Ken is graduating with a 4.15 Cumulative GPA

He will be attending the University of Detroit Mercy Majoring in pre-optometry

Christine Elaine DewyerDaughter of Deborah and Darryl Dewyer

Christine is graduating with a 4.0 Cumulative GPA

She will be attending Wayne State UniversityMajoring in the Arts

Savannah Cary DobreffDaughter of Shannon and Ron Dobreff

Savannah is graduating with a 4.12 Cumulative GPA

She will be attending Kalamazoo College Majoring in English and Music

Karim Ramzi GharibSon of Ramzi and Ronak Gharib

Karim is graduating with a 4.14 Cumulative GPAHe will be attending Wayne State University

Majoring in Biology

Oliver J GietzenSon of Jennifer and Christopher Gietzen

Oliver is graduating with a 4.04 Cumulative GPAHe will be attending the Wittenburg University

Majoring in Art Education

Alyza Marie HogstonDaughter of Sabrina Harrop

and Jeremy HogstonAlyza is graduating with a 4.14 Cumulative GPA

She will be attending the University of Michigan- Ann ArborMajoring in Pre-medical studies

Javon Earl JohnsonSon of Alisa Johnson

Javon is graduating with a 4.0 Cumulative GPAHe will be attending Michigan State UniversityMajoring in Science, Technology, Engineering,

and Mathematics

Irisa LicoDaughter of Asim and Mira Lico

Irisa is graduating with a 4.10 Cumulative GPAShe will be attending the University of Michigan-

Ann ArborMajoring in Public Health

Anahi Lopez-EspinozaDaughter of Gerardo Lopez and Ester EspinozaAnahi is graduating with a 4.17 Cumulative GPA

She will be attending Denison UniversityMajoring in Environmental Studies and Anthropology

Michaela Elizabeth MinnisDaughter of Michael and Marion Minnis

Michaela is graduating with a 4.10 Cumulative GPA

She will be attending the University of MichiganMajoring in Public Health

Front Row, left to right: Ken Dada, Christine Dewyer, Sarah Craig, Savannah Dobreff, Irisa Lico, Sarah Prough, Kaylin Scott, Oliver Gietzen, Lizbeth Cortes (Salutatorian)

Back Row, left to right:Trevor Baisa, Gabrielle Andrion, Sariah Bolden, Shivam Patel, Karim Gharib, Mikayla Wallace, Michaela Minnis, Anahi Lopez, and Alyza Hogston.

WMHS Class of 2018 Valedictorians

See Valedictorians, page 4


Outdoor game nightsJoin Wayne Main Street as they

present Game Nights in Derby’sAlley (34924 W. Michigan Ave). Youcan bring your own games or choosefrom the selection of board and out-door games WMS will have available.Learn a new game, challenge new op-ponents, swap strategies and meetlike-minded people. All ages are wel-come. Refreshments will be availableto purchase. Game nights will befrom 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m., Wednes-days, June 13, June 20, June 27and July 11.

Amateur Boxing

Challenge TournamentNorwayne Boxing Gym and De-

troit Youth Boxing Magazine are pre-senting the City of Westland BoxingChallenge Tournament on Father’sDay weekend, June 16 and 17, atMike Modano Ice Arena, 6210 N.Wildwood, Westland. There will be40 fighters and 20 bouts during thetwo-day event. Doors open Saturdayat 4:30 p.m. with the show startingat 5:00 p.m. Doors open Sunday at1:30 p.m. with the show starting at2:00 p.m. Tickets are sold at thedoor: $15 for adults, $10 for chil-dren (each day).

Summer reading at the

Wayne Public LibraryRegistration begins Tuesday,

June 12, for Libraries ROCK!, thesummer reading program at WaynePublic Library. Youth can win prizesfor reading. There will be free weeklyactivities starting the week of June19.

Programs include:

Tuesday, June 26, 2:00-3:00p.m.: Legos ROCK with Chris Leach

Thursday, July 12, 2:00-3:00p.m.: Rock and Roll Percussion withPhil Kaput

Tuesday, July 17, 6:00-7:30 p.m.:WAYNE ROCKS! Talent Show andKaraoke Night

Wednesday, July 25, 2:00-3:00p.m.: Animal Magic with MarkRosenthal

Visit Carpenter’s LakeAlways wanted to know more

about Carpenter’s Lake? Join theWayne Historical Society on Thurs-day, June 14, at 6:00 p.m. to learnall about Carpenter’s Lake. Instead

of meeting at the museum, this “Des-tination Talk” will take place on thesite of Carpenter’s Lake at theAigeltinger property on HannanRoad. Mr. Aigeltinger will talk aboutthe history of the site, the lake andshow the cabins that still stand onthe property.

There will also be food and a bon-fire. The event is free and kid-friendly. To get to the property, turnright off W. Michigan Ave onto Han-nan Rd. It’s about the second houseon the right side. Watch for volun-teers who will be guiding peoplewhere to park and where to go.

See BRIEFS, page 12

Wayne Rotary Concerts in Goudy Park on Wednesday nights begin July 18th and

run through August 29th. Your Generation in Concert performs on Wednesday, Au-

gust 8th. See the July edition of the Wayne Dispatch for the full concert series line-

up.

Are you ready to Rock?

Shivam Tejalkumar PatelSon of Priti and Tejal Patel

Shivam is graduating with a 4.3 Cumulative GPAHe will be attending

Duke UniversityMajoring in Pre-Medical Studies

Sarah Irene ProughDaughter of Robert and

Tracie ProughSarah is graduating with a

4.02 Cumulative GPAShe will be attending

Michigan Technological UniversityMajoring in Engineering

Kaylin ScottDaughter of Karen Scott and

Dwayne ScottKaylin is graduating with a

4.05 Cumulative GPAShe will be attending Michigan

State UniversityMajoring in Mathematics

Mikayla Lynn WallaceDaughter of DaShawn and

Leon WallaceMikayla is graduating with a

4.08 Cumulative GPAShe will be attending the University of Michigan

Majoring in Elementary Education

Salutatorian:

Lizabeth Annayeli CortesDaughter of Marco and

Maria CortesLizabeth is graduating with a

3.97 Cumulative GPAShe will be attending

Eastern Michigan UniversityMajoring in Social Work

VALEDICTORIANS,Continued from page 3


Helium Studio is delighted to an-nounce the 2018 “Window on Wayne”photography contest as part of theCity of Wayne’s Downtown Days,July 12-14.

This year's theme is "Art-o-motive." To honor the history ofWayne as it related to automobilecompanies, this year's contest pho-tos must include a "mobility" refer-ence - any kind of mobility. Trains,buses, cars, strollers, bicycles, etc.It's up to you.

Start taking photos. Photos canbe taken from anywhere within citylimits, but must be taken during thecontest time frame, May 28 - June24, 2018. Once you have the perfectcapture, email it to Helium Studio([email protected]) fordisplay on the special Facebook page.

On June 25 public voting willopen on submitted photos. Onlinevoting will run through July 1. Thetop 10 “Liked” photos will be dis-played at Karma Coffee and Kitchenduring Downtown Days, July 12-14.During this time, the public will beable to view and vote at Karma Cof-fee and Kitchen for their favorites.

At the end of the exhibit at KarmaCoffee, the top three vote-getters willbe announced and three winners willreceive cash prizes! Exhibit openingand awards ceremony details arestill to be determined.RULES

1. Contest dates

- The contest will run from May28, 2018 until July 14, 2018.

- Photo submissions accepted be-ginning June 11 until June 23, 2018.

- Online (Facebook) voting tobegin on June 24 and ends at 6:00

p.m. July 1.- Top 10 “Liked” photos will be

announced on July 2, 2018. The artist will have until July 11

to deliver their printed and framedphoto(s) to Karma Coffee for display.

- Public voting at Karma Coffeewill be open during Downtown Days,July 12-14. Further times and de-tails will be announced soon.2. Photographer Requirements

Participants will agree to the fol-lowing conditions:

- Photos must be taken duringthe presented time frame.

- Photos must be taken within thecity limits of Wayne, Michigan.

- No illegal, pornographic or oth-erwise offensive images will be ac-cepted. Helium Studio retains theright to refuse any submitted photo-graph. THIS IS NON-NEGOTIABLE.

- Participants are allowed to sub-mit 2 entries.

- Participants agree to costs asso-ciated with the printing, matting andframing of images selected for dis-play.

- By submitting photos for consid-eration in this contest, you give per-mission for Helium Studio, The Cityof Wayne, Karma Coffee and Kitchenand interested media outlets for thepublication of your photo for promo-tional use during this contest. Therewill be no entrance fee or age re-quirement for participation.3. Awards

-Photographers of the top THREEpublicly-voted photos will receive thefollowing:

First place - $100Second place - $75Third place - $50

Enter the Window on Wayne photo contest

Here in Wayne, we thrive on ouramazing community spirit, so whatbetter way to celebrate our sense ofcommunity than by throwing a greatsummer event! This July, our down-town will be hosting the 2nd AnnualDowntown Days, which is a three-day event. Wayne Main Street, alongwith our partner organizations, is ex-cited to once again bring this specialevent to our city. Downtown Dayswill take place from Thursday, July12th, to Saturday, July 14th, and fea-ture three days of family-friendly ac-tivities including concerts, crafts forkids (provided by the Detroit Insti-tute of Arts), sidewalk sales, and ven-dor markets. These events will takeplace at venues and locationsthroughout downtown Wayne. Thisyear’s event will also feature two artcompetitions, our 2nd Annual Win-dow on Wayne photography contest,and our Art-o-Motive car hood de-sign contest.

Downtown Days was started in2017 with a purpose of celebratingour engaging community and all thegreat amenities our downtown has to

offer. Businesses and organizationshave the opportunity to host variousevents and activities at their loca-tions, while Downtown Days worksto promote those happenings to ourresidents and visitors from sur-rounding communities. This allowsus to have a unique blend of activi-ties happening all weekend long. Or-ganizations like the Knights ofColumbus, the Wayne Rotary Club,and the Wayne Historical Society,along with businesses such as HarryJ. Will, Helium Studio, Icon Com-puter, McDonalds, and NorthsideHardware will all be hosting activi-ties during Downtown Days. We havealso partnered with Nankin Transitto offer event-goers free shuttle serv-ice throughout downtown Wayne on

Saturday, July 14th.This year we will also be utilizing

some of Wayne’s incredible publicspaces for this event. For the secondyear, Downtown Days has partneredwith the Wayne Rotary Club for thekick-off of their annual Concerts-in-the-Park series, taking place on Fri-day, July 13th, at 7 p.m. in GoudyPark. Our Art-o-Motive hood contestwill take place in Derby’s Alley(34924 W. Michigan Avenue) all

weekend. In total, more than 25events will be happening arounddowntown Wayne during DowntownDays. For a full schedule of eventsyou can visit downtownwayne.org/-downtowndays. Whether you comedown for just one event, like North-side Hardware’s Sidewalk sale, orplan to check out multiple activities,we hope that you will join us forDowntown Days and help celebrateall that our city has to offer.


Downtown Days returns to Wayne in July

Wayne Rotary is bringing back by popular demand Steve King and the Dittilies to

Goudy Park on Friday, July 13, for a free family concert in celebration of Wayne’s

Downtown Days and sidewalk sales. Be sure to save the date.


This June, Wayne Main Street(WMS) will be partnering with theWayne Bicycle Club and Wayne Bicy-cle Shop to host three bicycle safetyinspection events. The events willtake place Saturdays in June from12:00 (Noon)-4:00 p.m. runningfrom June 13 – 30 at the Wayne Bi-cycle Shop, located inside Icon Com-puter at 35858 W Michigan Ave,Wayne, MI 48184. The shop will beoffering free bike tune-ups to Wayneresidents who present an identifica-tion with their address. This eventis open to residents of all ages.

The Wayne Bicycle Club wasfounded in 2016 to promote bikingin Wayne. The Club hosts weeklyrides beginning at the State Wayne

Theater every Thursday at 7:00 p.m.Earlier this year, Bike Club founderBrian Ewanciw was inspired to opena Pop-Up bicycle shop in downtownWayne.

Last year, WMS launched acrowdfunding campaign through theMichigan Department of EconomicDevelopment (MEDC) to purchaseand install 30 bike racks in down-town Wayne. This project includedhosting a number of cycling promo-tion events. The organization is ex-cited to host these events inpartnership with the Wayne BicycleClub and Wayne Bicycle Shop thisJune and hopes to promote morepop-up events/retail in Wayne to in-spire small businesses and retailers.

Free bicycle tune-ups Saturdays in June

Roger Kormos and Brian Ewanciw tune-up a bike at the Wayne Bicycle Shop.


Wayne employee hits 60 year mark with cityBy Carolyn Marnon

After 60 years with the City ofWayne, you would think DPW (De-partment of Public Works) Adminis-tration Assistant Patty Ditmorewould be ready to move on to thegolden years of retirement and allthat retirement brings with it. It’snot happening.

“I like my job and the years go byand I have my health. As long as Ihave my health, I’ll keep on work-ing,” says Mrs. Ditmore who startedworking for the City as a switch-board operator for the Finance De-partment. She stayed with theFinance Department for the nextnine years before she came to DPW.With DPW, she spent 17 years at theoffice on Myrtle, another 17 years inthe building next door to the currentbuilding, and has been in the presentoffice since 2003.

“I have a great boss, Ed Queen,and I like the guys I work with.” Pattydid note there is a female laborerwho works on the roads, Barb Rose.

After growing up in Norwayne

and graduating from St. Mary’s inWayne, Patty says she’s never reallyleft home.

Her husband, a retired Ford em-ployee, is very supportive of her and

her decision to work. She’s in the of-fice 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Monday-Friday. “My job isn’t really exciting. Ideal with the public and about 90%of them are nice.”

What does she consider excitingat the DPW? The explosion atFrank’s Furniture kept DPW busy aswell as the incident at EQ Basin notthat long ago. Also, when trees comedown during storms and power islost, she gets to coordinate clean upwith the foremen.

Besides fire and police, DPW isso important to the city, Mrs. Dit-more says. Without DPW, sewerswould be backed up and remain thatway, streets wouldn’t be plowed, andwater main breaks wouldn’t be at-tended to. She remembers when thefew employees DPW has remaininghad to deal with three water mainbreaks at one time, working 24-

hours straight, PLUS there was snow.Ten years ago, there were 28 mentaking care of the City. Now there are10. Maybe they don’t take care ofthings as quickly as they used to, butthey still take care of things. Thereare just priorities now.

When she’s not working, Patty en-joys reading fiction, especially mur-der mysteries and stories of intrigue.Her favorite authors are David Bal-dacci and John Grisham. She claimsshe has never read a romance novel.She likes to do paint-by-number artand work in her yard during thesummer. Of course, she also likesbaby-sitting her great-grandchildren,ages 5 and 10. Even though sheloves to read, she doesn’t belong to abook club. “I don’t belong to any-thing. I don’t want to be tied down.”She goes on speaking from her workdesk after 60 years, “It’s a contradic-tion, isn’t it?”

Some other activities Patty hasbeen involved in include readingbooks on cassette for the blind andteaching catechism at St. Mary’s. Sheand her husband have taken tripsand they have a cabin in Reed Citywhere they go to commune with na-ture.

“Good afternoon! Public Works,”she answers the phone in the DPWbuilding reception area where shehas a desk. She watches the camerathat is set up to view the recently ren-ovated recycling area. Although shesays the 7:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. hoursare inconvenient for some people,she says the revisions to keep outtrash are working.

“I don’t know what the future willbring,” Patty concludes as she pre-pares to leave work for the day. “If Iretired, I couldn’t sit still.”

DPW Assistant Director Ed Queen, Foreman Dave Schmidt and Rick Lawrence with

60 year DPW employee, Administration Assistant Patty Ditmore.

Learn to sing barbershopMen who like to sing are wanted.

All voice ranges. All ages. You do notneed to know how to read music. Noaudition necessary. The men of theHarmony Town Chorus invite you inthe singing of Barbershop Music.Please join them for a month dedi-cated to welcoming new voices totheir 74-year chorus. Tuesdays:June 5, 12, 19 and 26 at 7:30 p.m.No cost. All materials provided. It'sfun! It's easy! Invite friends. They sin-cerely hope to meet you! HarmonyTown Chorus meets at Kirk of OurSavior Presbyterian Church, 36660Cherry Hill Rd, Westland, in Fellow-ship Hall on the lower level.

Wayne Bicycle Club

bicycle show and bbqCome out for the Wayne Bicycle

Club’s 1st Annual Bicycle Show andBBQ during Downtown Days on July14 from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. TheShow will be held at Wayne BicycleShop, 35858 W. Michigan Ave, Suite1. Trophies will be offered for Cus-tom, Classic Original and People’sChoice. Judging will take place at3:00 p.m. There will be rides all daydown Michigan Avenue duringCruisin US12. Bicycle Clubs,builders, and sellers can reserve aspot for your tent and sell your prod-ucts, support apparel or anything bi-cycle-related no charge. Bring outthose sweet rides and show off whatyou have! The free BBQ is expectedto be pulled pork sandwiches andmacaroni and cheese donated byMotor City Meats.

Beware of scamsThe Wayne Police Department is

urging residents and businesses tobe suspicious of unsolicited phonecalls. A common scam is for a crim-inal to pose as a representative ofyour power company (i.e. DTE) andclaim your power bill is overdue.The criminal will tell the victim to gopurchase some type of pre-paid card(Itunes, pre-paid Visa) and providethe numbers to the criminal. If youare in doubt about the nature of thecall, you should hang up, locate themain number of the business, and

call to verify. Do not call the numberthat comes up on your phone display.

Yearbooks neededThe Wayne Historical Museum is

looking for yearbooks to add to theircollection. The following are theyears they are in need of from WayneMemorial High School: anything be-fore 1940, 1984, 1986, 1995, 1996,1998-2003, 2016 and 2017. Theyneed all years from John Glenn HighSchool. They need all years from St.Mary’s school.

Charity car showWayne Masonic Lodge, 37137

Palmer Rd, Westland, will be holdingtheir annual Charity Car Show onSaturday, June 9, 9:00 a.m.-3:00p.m. All cars are welcome; the en-trance fee is $15 which includes agoody bag and t-shirt. All proceedsgo to benefit Rainbow Girls and De-molays. There will be raffles, prizes,music, food court and a live auction.

Make a bracelet classMake your own stack of bangle

bracelets while learning some basicjewelry assembly techniques. Learnhow to open and close jump rings,as well as other techniques as youprefer, such as building your owncharm with papers/metal/glass, andhand-stamping. Class will be led byKim White-Jenkins, co-owner of He-lium Studios along with her hus-band Dave Jenkins. There is a $30minimum registration fee along withpiece pricing:

$5/round bangle- Choose fromtones of antique silver, antique gold,antique copper or silver plate, de-pending on what’s available. Twobangle sizes available.

$2-5/charm- A variety of qualityfabricated and handmade charms invarious metal tones will be offered.

When you register, you are guar-anteed $30 worth of materials (ban-gle[s] and charms of your choice,worth up to $30). If you choose addi-

tional jewelry, you will be chargedthat day to make up for the differ-ence. You will leave with yourstack(s) in (a) Helium Studio giftbox(es). Two sessions are scheduled:

Saturday, June 9, drop in any-time between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00p.m.

Thursday, June 14, class willstart at 6:30 p.m. sharp.

There is a no-show policy. Con-tact Helium Studios at (734) 725-3811 or stop by 3127 S. Wayne Rd.

Swim night for womenHYPE Recreation Center is host-

ing Women’s Only Swim Nights onthe 2nd and 4th Saturday of themonth. Cost is $6 from 7:00-9:00p.m. Girls and women must be age13 or older.

No children under 13 and noboys allowed. HYPE is located at4635 Howe Rd. For more informa-tion, call 734-721-7400.

Summer BBQ dinnerKarma Coffee and Kitchen will be

hosting a Summer BBQ themedthree-course dinner on Saturday,June 23.

Tickets are $25 in advance, $30day of event. Reservations are pre-ferred. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Din-ner starts at 7:00 p.m. Dinner willinclude cowboy bean taco salad,meat sampler platter (beef brisket,pork rib, BBQ chicken) with sidesand apple pie with ice cream. If theweather permits, outdoor seatingwill be available. Karma Coffee andKitchen is located at 35634 W. Michi-gan Ave.

Family safety dayBeaumont Hospital-Wayne will be

presenting their 3rd Annual FamilySafety Awareness Day Wednesday,August 1, 2:00-6:00 p.m. at Beau-mont Hospital-Wayne, 33155 An-napolis, Wayne. There will be a bikecontest, ambulance tours, child iden-tification kits, driving simulator, firesafety obstacle course, gun safety,helicopter tours, smokehouse, shoot-ing simulator, free bicycle helmets (2-4:00 p.m. while supplies last) and ajaws of life demonstration at 4:00p.m.


BRIEFS, Continued from page 4

The City of Wayne welcomed Firefighter Kevin M. Pietrasinski who was officially

sworn in by City Clerk Matt Miller at the June 5th City of Wayne Council meeting.

Firefighter Pietrasinki was hired under the SAFER grant.

Sworn in


Donors, stakeholders, and mem-bers of the community joined WayneMain Street for the official openingof Derby’s Alley last month. Theevent was a celebration of the manyrenovations WMS has undertaken inthe alleyway. These improvementsinclude new benches, bistro tables,and festooned lighting. Attendeeswere provided refreshments, as wellas a cake made and designed byBaker’s Acre.

Opening remarks were made byWMS Executive Director, Maxwell

Cameron, who publicly thanked themembers of the Greater MichiganAssociation of Realtors, Michigan Re-altors, AARP, Wayne Rotary Founda-tion, and City and Elected officialsfrom Wayne who were in attendance.Special thanks were also given to PatRice and Re/Max Classic, who wereinstrumental in the success of theproject.

WMS Board President JuanBradford then took the floor to dis-cuss how the Derby’s Alley projectbegan and the progress the organiza-

tion has made over the course of theproject. The funders for the projectwere thanked again for their contri-butions of over $23,000, collectively.Other speakers included GMARPresident James Iodice, Mayor ProTem Anthony Miller, and a specialappearance from Ezra Derby him-self.

“Wayne Main Street’s successwith Derby’s Alley is a source ofgreat pride for our organization.”stated Juan Bradford, President ofWayne Main Street. “We will continue

to establish a beautified downtownfor our community to enjoy.”

After the ribbon cutting, atten-dees enjoyed refreshments and min-gled in the new public space. WayneMain Street plans to continue im-proving Derby’s Alley throughout thenext year, including the installationof a new hanging sign. The alley willbe utilized for several eventsthroughout the year and residentsare encouraged to join WMS for Out-door Game Nights, Wednesdays,from June 13th to July 11th.

By Carolyn Marnon

Where did the name Derby’s Alleycome from? Ezra Derby is consid-ered the founder of Wayne, MI. Ezracame to Wayne in 1825 when he was22 years old and purchased the firstpiece of land sold by the governmentin Section 12, Ypsilanti Township,Washtenaw County, Territory ofMichigan. He divided the land intolots and started selling them.

In 1830, after Stephen G. Sim-mons murdered his wife, Ezrabought Wayne’s first business, a tav-ern. He then went into the black-smithing business and then sold theshop in 1832. The first school ofWayne was started above that shop.

In 1834, Ezra laid out the first vil-lage plat on the north side of Michi-gan Avenue beginning at the east side

of the Old Cemetery and runningnearly to Second St. There were 15lots facing Michigan Avenue (thenknown as the Chicago Turnpike).These lots were known as Derby’sCorners.

The site of Wayne’s first framehouse was Ezra’s home locatedwhere the recently closed GI Surplusstands, right next to the alleyway

now named Derby’s Alley.Ezra Derby was once Justice of

the Peace in Wayne. He had a totalof five wives. His first was Sally Ruggwith whom he had four children(Emma, Mary Ann, George andHenry). When Sally died, Ezra mar-ried Harriet Collins in 1834 withwhom he had three children (Maria,Ezra and Harriet). When Harrietdied, Ezra married Hannah CottonSmith in 1851. They had one child,Martha, before Hannah died in1856. Ezra then married JaneMelody. When she died, he took ona fifth wife. Ezra died in 1877. Heand most of his wives are buried atthe Old Cemetery in Wayne. Thehome he lived in during the 1870s isstill standing at 34549 Norris St.

Most of this information is froman article in the Wayne Eagle datedJune 24, 1959.

Community gathers for Derby’s Alley opening

Why is it calledDerby’sAlley?

By Carolyn Marnon

Kevin Dowd was chosen by theCity Council at the June 5 councilmeeting to fulfill the 5-months re-maining on the council seat vacatedwhen Councilman Jeremiah Websterwas elected to take over the seat ofrecalled Councilman ChristopherSanders last month.

The City Council interviewed fourapplicants for the position, includingMichael Wilson II, Len Fisher, andEric Cleereman.

Kevin has beena resident ofWayne for 19 yearsand grew up inthis area. After thecouncil meeting,Kevin expressedhis delight at beingchosen. He said he is enthusiastic tolearn the process of city council op-erations, the constituency in Wayneand working with his neighbors on adifferent level. He is hoping for a pos-itive and perhaps a long-term experi-ence depending on the outcome ofthe November election.

Kevin says the first thing he isgoing to do as councilman is learnand understand the process of citygovernment as it relates to his posi-tion. He is especially interested inthe financial situation of the city andwhat part he can play in making im-provements.

The swearing-in ceremony forKevin Dowd will be at the June 19city council meeting at 8:00 p.m. atCity Hall.

Dowd chosento fill vacant council seat

Kevin Dowd

Left to Right: Pat Rice, Wayne Main Street President Juan Bradford, James Iodice,

President of Greater Metropolitan Area Realtors, Gil White, Placemaking Lead at

Michigan REALTORS, and Collin McDonough Governmental Affairs and Community

Relations with Michigan REALTORS.

Rotary Park II in the City ofWayne located on Chamberlainreceived a beautiful upgradethis past week funded by a fivehundred dollar grant. The 4thgrade students of Hoover Ele-mentary School and theirteachers Amy Morris and An-drea Demeka designed andplanted a Rain Garden. To givetheir garden a spunky flare,students painted small boul-ders with cheerful artwork anduplifting words which created aretaining wall for the garden.

The project was completedon June 5th and serves a pur-pose far greater than just itsbeauty. There is a sign in thegarden that reads “This RainGarden has been planted byHoover Elementary’s 4th gradeclass. This garden is designedto capture, treat and infiltrate

stormwater at the source be-fore it becomes runoff. It helpsprevent nonpoint source pollu-tants from entering nearby wa-terways. The plants are nativeto the region and attractwildlife.”

The City of Wayne’s DPWstaff members were on hand tohelp students with the projectby preparing the land for plant-ing and supplying the boulders.Some of the plants used in the

design were daylilies, saw grassand sage, all native to the area.“The kids did a great job. It wasa nice improvement to the parkand the environment. The stu-dents should be very proud ofthe work they did.” said DaveSchmidt, Road Foreman for theWayne DPW.

The garden will providebeautiful blooms for the com-munity and the environment toenjoy for many years to come.


Studentsbuild raingarden

The 4th grade students of Hoover Elementary School and their teachers Amy Morris and Andrea Demeka designed and planted a Rain

Garden in Rotary Park II.

Let’s play ballBy Carolyn Marnon

State Representative Robert Kosowski procured a $100,000grant from the State of Michigan to help with the development ofparks and recreation in Wayne. The grant was to be used for anathletic facility; the baseball fields at Forest Park were chosen forimprovement.

“We are honored to be playing on these fields. We love them,”said Wayne Baseball Association board member and T-Ball commis-sioner Erika Cox while attending a Wednesday evening game at thenew field. She said Wayne baseball is reaping the rewards from thegrant.

“It was an honor to get this grant for the children of Wayne. See-ing the joy they have in playing at this improved ball field is won-derful, said Rep. Kosowski. Improvements to the fields includedstate of the art bases and removal of 4 inches of existing materialon the fields that was then refilled with new material. All three ballfields were improved. A 4th field was also added-a T-Ball field withslide safe athletic material rather than grass. There is an existingT-Ball field still within the park that has been neglected. The WayneBaseball Association had been trying to find sponsors to make im-provements at that field.

All are welcome to come out to the games. The teams will beplaying through the end of the month. T-Ball and Pinto teams playon Tuesday and Thursday. Mustang, Bronco and Pony teams playon Monday and Wednesday. Games start at 6:00 p.m. and are usu-ally over by 9:00 p.m.

There will be a Family Fun Day on Saturday, June 30, at 11:00a.m. There will be a bouncy house, face-painting, cupcakes, walkingtacos, and a raffle.


Wayne Baseball Association is now playing new fields at Forest Park. Photo by John Rhaesa

To Advertise in The Wayne Dispatch call 734-641-6550

2· June 2018· - Wayne · 24, 2018. oa68 lbh ;4i8 g;8 c8e986g 64cghe8, 8@4

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