Trees for Bay City

Jim Bedell has worked hard to create an appeal for grant funds in order to plant trees for our city. In the display case on the first floor the City Hall is a presentation Jim used in the application. The following text is from Jim's communication -- I have taken portions of the message for publication here.

"I’ve attached the grant application to the Bay Area Community Foundation’s McGillivray Fund that was made by the Bay City Downtown Development Authority with the assistance of the Bay City Planning Department (yours truly). We’ll know if the grant is approved on May 11th."

The Bay City Downtown Development Authority (DDA) was established by the City of Bay City on June 7, 1976. ... Projects completed by the DDA in the downtown district include: streetscape improvement projects; Third Street Waterfall Park; Wenonah Park Redevelopment; and the Rotary Micro Park at the Planetarium.

As an urban park, trees are an important part of the overall redevelopment plan, providing shade and visual beauty along the river, as well as shelter for birds and other urban wildlife.

While Wenonah Park has served the community well through the years, it was last updated in the early 1980’s and is starting to show its age at many levels. It suffers from deteriorating park facilities and deficiencies inherent to prior improvements and design oversights. This has created maintenance, management, and programming issues that require immediate attention. Additionally, current design elements prevent a strong connection to the Saginaw River and neighboring properties.

In 2004, recognizing that the time for change had come, the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and City of Bay City staff from the Planning Department and Parks Department began the process of looking at Wenonah Park and the role it plays in our community. It was agreed that this effort should provide a strategy for the redevelopment of the park to meet current and future needs for special events, as well as to provide an enhanced outdoor environment for nearby hotels, the downtown shopping district, and the community.

Wish for luck and many trees and give thanks for Jim Bedell. He has performed amazing work for our community.

Bay City Stained Glass Window Installed

The Bay City window from the Chicago Fair of 1893 was recently installed above the north-west entrance to City Hall where its beauty will be more easily seen.

City Hall Stained Glass Window

Terry Moultane found these great pictures concerning our stained glass window.
The window used to hang over the main entrance of City Hall; this was before the restoration.

This building was built to proudly display Michigan's exhibits including the stained glass window that has graced our city hall entrances. The window is visible over the Michigan sign.


This is the Court of Honor at the Chicago Exhibition of 1893.


Thanks to:

Terry A. Moultane, AICP

Community Development Planner

City of Bay City Planning

989 894 8177

tmoultane@baycitymi.org

Starkweather Family Participate in the Parade of 2003

The photo of the parade of 2003 was loaned to us by the Starkweather family. It shows Liberty Starkweather as Queen and Stuart Starkweather marching with the members of the Flint Scottish Pipe Band. (His girl friend, Emily Schell, was the runner-up Queen this year, and he accompanied her to the Irish Ball. (Wore a tux, he did.) He piped all over Flint on St. Paddy's Day, and all over Bay City on Parade Day.

The Starkweather family ancestor, Ezra Franklin Starkweather, came to Oakland Co., Michigan in 1837. His wife, the former Ruth Weston, had migrated with her family in 1827. They were some of Michigan's earliest pioneers, married January 30, 1848, and moved to Birch Run Township where they lived on an 80-acre farm.


Our Queens pageant provides scholarship monies for the Queen and court. Each year a Queen and two princesses are selected based on a personal interview and creativity. Scholarship awards total $2000.
http://stpatparadebaycity.tripod.com/

Maureen Doll

Maureen wears knitted designs of intricate character which are associated with the Aran Islands. The secrets of these knitted patterns were passed down through the ages and reflected family or local traditions. Maureen's sweater shows the famous Fishermans Rib pattern which has strong folklore connotations. Doll courtesy: Mary Ann O'Brien

Lace and Shamrocks

Mary Ann O'Brien and her mother, Grace Tanner O'Brien are framed in Irish porcelain.

Hand Embroidered Hanky

The lovely work of Betty Durocher is displayed by her son, city employee Greg Durocher.

Past Parade Marshals

Larry Piotrowski (Irish Larry), Roswell P. Tanner, Sharon Piotrowski and Mary Ann O'Brien


First husband and wife Parade Marshal team, Irish Larry and Sharon

Photos courtesy: Mary Ann O'Brien

Mary Ann O'Brien's Ireland

Amy Schabel earned the medals displayed here. Click on the link to the left to find out more about the Bay Area Runners Club.

Irish Walking Stick

The walking stick in our display was carried in the Bay City St. Patrick's Day Parade in 1986. It was brought here from Ireland by Grace Tanner O'Brien, wife of Marcus for their daughter, Mary Ann O'Brien. Mary Ann was Marshall that year and also carried the bouquet gracing the display. The bouquet and stick were decorated by past-parade-Marshall Sharon Protrowski.

19th-Century Books from Ireland

This photograph of Emilia (Emily) Guenin Wolfarth was taken in the late 1990's in Saginaw. She is the owner of the books from Ireland.

Ireland

These are photos from my trip to Ireland in 2004.

The case January 20, 2010

History of President's Day

Comment

I love the drawing of Lincoln. My mother was an illustrator for the Detroit Newspapers in the 50’s. This study of Lincoln reminds me of the magic of her drawings….
Neil Gudsen

Valentine's Day and President's Day

The following items appear to illustrate the current season.

President Lincoln Drawing

Christopher Chapman, grandson of Dot Chapman, is the artist responsible for this drawing of Abraham Lincoln. Chris grew up in Bay City and graduated from Western High School in 1995. This drawing was a free assignment and the medium is charcoal. Two of his art teachers are Charles Schwartz and Ms. Coats, and he said "I grew up liking comic books, started drawing comics, and I really liked to draw so that is what I did." Chris and his wife Keegan have two children, Rowan and Rori who also like to draw.

Dorothy Chapman Portrait

Dot loved sparkle and her collection of vintage costume jewelry would gladly be worn by any modern woman of the 21st century.

It is cold outside; romance is a great way to keep warm ...

Lace, birds and flowers are romantic

Victorian era artifacts such as the dress worn by Leona Wolfarth and the romantic print by artist Frances Brundage convey a mood of romance in this section of the display cabinet.

A Happy Heart

This stein is from Germany and is ceramic with a pewter lid. It has a love theme and sports the title "A Happy Heart" in German on one side; the other side gives the name of the artist, Allen Schmerz. The flirting couple are on the face and feature a lovely cobalt glaze. The bottom of the stein shows marks of the house.


Translation: A Happy Heart


Translation: Completely Allen Schmerz

The Hours of Catherine of Cleves

This book features a lovely illustration on the subject of St. Valentine.



The Hours of Catherine of Cleves
SUFFRAGE
130. Saint Valentine.
Dressed in a deacon's dalmatic (with the names of Jesus and Mary in gold) rather than in his usual bishop's vestments, the saint holds a book and a sword, the instruments of his martyrdom. In the lower border, composed of feather-like leaves and delicate rose and crimson flowers, are two dragonflies devouring a fly or a bee. This subject may be explained by Saint Valentine's patronage of beekeepers.

Reproduced from the Illuminated Manuscript
Belonging to THE GUENOL COLLECTION
and THE PIERPONT MORGAN LIBRARY

Published by:
George Braziller, Inc.
One Park Avenue, New York, 16, New York
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number:66-23096
Printed by Smeets in Weert - The Netherlands