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Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
This state fair marks end of summer. Where to celebrate in Michigan
Come summer's end, the Michigan State Fair will be back to celebrate with a packed lineup of contests and activities. The annual tradition, now held in Novi on Labor Day weekend, dates back to 19th century Michigan, per local historians. The fair showcases the state's agricultural industry, with a farmers market featuring fresh produce and a competition judging livestock from across Michigan. From farming to carnival rides, baking contests, fitness, live music, craft beer and beyond, there will be something for everyone at the 2025 Michigan State Fair. "The Michigan State Fair, LLC, is devoted to the ongoing development and support of agriculture, business entrepreneurship, and family entertainment, while preserving the legacy and beloved traditions of the original State Fair," the event website says. "This privately produced event carries forward all of the positive aspects of past Fairs, including substantial positive economic impact, with major charitable and community benefits, all with no burden to the taxpayer." Here's what to know. The Michigan State Fair will be Aug. 28 to Sept. 1, 2025. The Michigan State Fair began in 1849 in Detroit, with a previous version held in 1839 in Ann Arbor, according to the Detroit Historical Society. The event then moved around before settling back in Detroit for good in 1905 at the State Fairgrounds at 8 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue. Here are some of the activities you can check out at the state fair: Baking contests Steamers Thrill Show Flagstar Farmers Market Live entertainment musical acts Friday Night Flights beer festival Livestock exhibits and competitions Blood drive Midway carnival rides and games Rock-N-Roll K-9 dog performances Butter cow sculpting Moovin' thru the Midway 5K run/5K walk Pig races Fair admission is $10, with children ages 2 and younger free. Ultimate admission, including unlimited carnival rides and BMX/FMX shows, costs $42. Tickets for the Friday Night Flights craft beer festival are $20, including 10 drink tickets, for ages 21 and older. Minors must have a parent or guardian with them to attend the state fair, per organizers. Fair admission does not include carnival rides. The state fair will be held at the Suburban Collection Showplace at 46100 Grand River Ave. in Novi. The Michigan State Fair was previously held in Detroit, running out of the state fairgrounds at 8 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue from 1905 to 2009, the Detroit Free Press reported. In 2009, the state fair was discontinued due to budget issues and in 2012 the event was relocated to Novi. The Detroit Free Press contributed. Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: When is the Michigan State Fair
USA Today
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
Before Henry Ford: The forgotten Detroit pioneer who drove the first gas-powered car
Before Henry Ford: The forgotten Detroit pioneer who drove the first gas-powered car Show Caption Hide Caption The impact and history of autos in Detroit, The Motor City Here are some facts about Detroit's auto industry. Charles Brady King was a "mechanical genius" inspired by what he'd seen at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. King caused a stir when he drove his own car on the streets of Detroit on March 6, 1896. For most people, the name Henry Ford probably springs to mind when they consider Motor City automotive pioneers. But Ford, who certainly stands out among those pioneers, wasn't the first person to drive a gas-powered car "of his own making," as it's been described, on the streets of Detroit. Ford's trip almost three months later in his Quadricycle was certainly notable, but Charles Brady King is the man recognized by the Automotive Hall of Fame, the Detroit Historical Society and other sources as the man who took that first drive in Detroit. In fact, the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, according to a Hall of Fame article, described 'the first horseless carriage seen in this city' as 'the invention of Charles B. King, a Detroiter.' King, a 'mechanical genius and one of the most technically knowledgeable of the early automotive pioneers,' had caused quite a stir on the night of March 6, 1896, driving from his machine shop on St. Antoine onto Jefferson Avenue before heading up Woodward Avenue, according to the article. The Henry Ford Museum seeks rare talent: Antique vehicle mechanic wanted. Is it the right job for you? 'A crowd soon gathered, and became large enough that it halted King's progress in front of the Russell House Hotel at Cadillac Square [in Downtown Detroit]. King eventually drove his vehicle back to the machine shop, only to be greeted by a policeman who threatened to ticket him for disturbing the peace,' the article said. King, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007, was inspired to design his car by what he'd seen at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, although there seems to be disagreement in a couple of sources about which vehicle or engine gave him the nudge. King, who died in 1957, gets credit, too, from several sources for helping Ford with his Quadricycle. "Michigan: A History of the Wolverine State" called King "one of the most interesting and likable of all the automotive pioneers." Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@ Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Suburbs trying to look less suburban by building downtowns
Downtown Battle Creek | Photo by Anna Gustafson On a warm day in 1968 a young Bob Seger rocked a crowd of 20,000 in front of a Hudson's department store, a highlight of the grand opening ceremonies for the sprawling Oakland Mall in Troy. Troy was a booming, relatively new Oakland County suburb that had been incorporated as a city just 13 years before the 1.5 million-square-foot 'super-regional' mall opened. Its motto was 'The City of Tomorrow . . . Today.' But today, the city of tomorrow is trying to look a bit more like the city of yesterday. Troy, Warren and Livonia are among numerous cookie-cutter suburbs across the country trying to build downtowns from scratch. The appeal of suburbs was long centered on the availability of land for spacious homes with large yards and huge shopping malls with plenty of parking. Newly built freeways made it easy for suburbanites to commute to jobs in the city. Racial tensions resulted in massive white flight from Detroit and other large cities. About 120,000 white people fled Detroit for the suburbs in just the first two years after the 1967 riots, according to the Detroit Historical Society. But today, the suburbs have lost much of their retail mojo. The Hudson's (now Macy's) store Bob Seger played in front of, is closing this month. Oakland and many other malls are struggling to survive. About 1,800 U.S. malls have closed since the 1980s. Only about 700 are left. Online shopping has crippled brick-and-mortar retail, especially since the Covid pandemic. And many younger residents want to live in places with a more urban vibe. 'The whole way people acquire stuff is changing significantly,' Robin Boyle, a retired Wayne State University urban planning professor, told me. 'They want to go somewhere to eat and drink and have some fun. That's what's driving this.' Officials in Livonia cite the need for new, younger residents at the heart of plans to build a downtown, formally known as a city center, on 27 acres of property that is currently occupied by city offices. Livonia, which had a population of nearly 101,000 in 1990, has lost almost 9,000 residents in the past 35 years. The city's proposal calls for a mixed-use, open-air development containing retail shops, restaurants and housing. The center would feature a network of sidewalks and bike paths that would connect to the larger community. Mayor Maureen Bosnan told the Detroit News 'that if we do this right, this is the way to make sure that Livonia is the place that our kids want to come home to.' She said a downtown is 'a missing piece' in the city. Warren, a Macomb County suburb that's also the state's third-largest city, is trying for a second time to create a downtown from scratch. It's working on resurrecting most of a $170 million plan that called for housing, retail and a hotel adjacent to Warren's city hall and library. That development proposal died in 2022 when the Warren City Council voted against financial support for the project. Troy has built an expansive city center featuring luxury apartments, and mostly chain retail stores, restaurants and hotels at the busy intersection of Big Beaver Road and I-75. Boyle, a longtime member of the Birmingham planning commission, said one problem with these new city centers is that they lack the diversity and authenticity of long-established downtowns. 'Most of the successful ones are where there are old buildings,' he said. These include older suburbs such as Royal Oak, Ferndale and Clawson that have revitalized walkable downtowns where the tenants are 'overwhelmingly food and drinking establishments.' Robert Gibbs, a Birmingham-based planner who has designed city centers around the country, said about 75% of them either underperform financially or fail. The successful ones usually have strong anchor stores, including grocery stores and convenient parking, but also mimic the feel of a traditional downtown, he said. One example is the Village of Rochester Hills, a Gibbs-designed shopping center that's anchored by an upscale Von Maur department store and a Whole Foods grocery. Most of the retail and restaurants in the Village are national brands. But it also has city-like streets and sidewalks. Major retailers are attracted to such centers, which also provide healthy tax revenues to local governments, Gibbs said. Many of these centers are in what Gibbs calls 'edge cities,' such as Troy, that are located in the outer ring of metro areas. Overall, the suburbs are still growing, particularly those farthest away from urban cores. Experts say that may be attributable to lower housing costs in those areas and more people working from home since the Covid pandemic. But some bedroom communities are trying to attract younger residents who want something more than look-alike housing and big-box retailers. Building downtowns is one strategy. 'Edge cities are just plain boring,' Gibbs said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
