NORTHVILLIANS,
The Elections and voting are upon us! In this coming week, we have the time-honored duty to exercise our right to vote, to elect those who can best serve our Nation, Region, and Community. Accordingly, this week we will look back through Northville’s history on some interesting political and patriotic activities around the Ville.
In November, after talking about elections and patriotism I will write about Veterans Day in the Ville, the latest Northville Sports Hall of Fame inductees, our Annual Santa Lighted Parade and Thanksgivings in town through time.
Northville has always been known as quite a patriotic community and local pride is part of our DNA. The Northville Record reported on local patriotism activities all the way back in 1895, noting that over 5,000 visitors ventured to Northville during our Fourth of July festivities that year. During that celebration, there was a sunrise 21-gun salute, a huge parade, and a fireworks finale that night. Red, White and Blue decorations covered the town.
BEFORE LOOKING INTO OUR PAST ELECTION & PATRIOTISM ACTIVITIES, LET'S SEE WHAT'S GOING ON IN "THE VILLE" TODAY:
- Trick or Treating on the Streets of Northville, 10/31, 6-8PM. There’ll be activities at the Fire Department (City Hall), the Baptist church (High St.) along with the closed streets of Main, Dunlap and others for pedestrian traffic that night - enjoy!
- Legacy Park Tree Walk, 11/2, 10:30AM. Northville Tree Champions will give a guided .8 mile walking tour, teaching how to ID more than 10 of our majestic trees. Meet at the trailhead kiosk on Wayne Service Dr. Ave. and wear sturdy shoes.
- Maybury Farm Corn Maze & Wagon Ride, this is the last weekend. Link
- Parmenter’s Northville Historic Cider Mill (Since 1873) open till 11/24 (Baseline Rd) - 7 days/week from 10AM till 8PM … Get your cider & doughnuts now! Link
- Farmers’ Market – Last week. Final chance for this year to attend the Chamber’s Award-Winning 100-year-old Market, Thursday (Halloween), 8AM-2PM (Highland Lakes Shopping Center – 7/Northville Rd)
Info for Citizens
PROJECTS AROUND TOWN
- Ford Field – Phase I: (Fall) Infrastructure, waterfall, staircase, invasive tree removal / Phase II (Spring) – Vista, fencing, ADA entrance, Play structure, bathrooms, drainage.
- Riverwalk – Work on sections progressing, daylighted riverbed being lined with rocks.
- Downs Initiative – North section foundation work done. At the old Farmers’ Market area foundation activities have started. The first of 4 building permits have been issued.
NEW TASK FORCE MEETINGS
- Cemetery Restoration Task Force – 11/25 (City Hall 7:00 PM) - Stop by the Oakwood Cemetery and see the work being done by the TEAM. Contact me to be a section donor. For more info contact Dave Marold @ [email protected]
- Bicentennial Task Force Mtg – 10/29 - TONIGHT! (City Hall 7:00 PM) - Reviewing: Signage, Markers, movies, social media, tours, Banners, Logos, and more. To receive additional info, reach out to [email protected].
|
|
|
Let's take a look at the celebration of democracy in the Northville community over time!
1894 – 541 Northville ballots were cast in total: 298 straight Republican, 112 for the Democratic Party, 31 for the Prohibition Party, 1 for the Populist and 99 split votes.
1904 – Governor Warner who lived close by in Farmington frequently traveled to Northville (the #2 economic power in the State at the time) via train and trolley to speak to residents.
1920 – The election marked the first-time women could vote in Michigan. The women’s suffrage movement started in 1848 and by 1869, the movement pushed for federal support. An article by Michele Fecht in “The Ville” noted that several Northville women attended a suffragist rally in Detroit in 1874.
1927 – Northville celebrated its 100th year as a Community (our Centennial) by hosting the largest parade seen in Michigan up to that time, which was supported & attended by Henry Ford.
1932 – Gov. Brucker was the honored guest on “Governor’s Day” at the Wayne County Fair (larger than the State Fair), which took place at Northville Downs.
1940’s – Speaking of democracy, it’s generally agreed that no American community contributed more to the Allied powers during WWII than the Detroit area, and Northville was a great part of that activity. Notably, this region grew to be known as the “Arsenal of Democracy,” a term coined by Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt in a speech where he highlighted the need for cooperation between government and all citizens.
1950 – Governor Soapy Williams frequently visited Northville. In 1950, the UAW hosted him at Ford Field where he spoke with plant workers before he presented the Governor’s Cup at Northville Downs. Additionally, in 1952, he was the keynote speaker for the dedication of the Northville State Hospital (Legacy Park today).
1959 – For the first time ever, Northville used voting machines. The City had nearly 1,890 registered voters while the Township had close to 1,600.
1973 – A proposal to merge the City & Township was on the ballot. It passed in the City by a margin of 4 to 1 (942 to 259). However, the Township voted it down 1,504 to 1,358. That spelled defeat for the merger because the proposal had to carry BOTH the City and the Township.
1975 – The Township requested that the merger of the City and Township be on the ballot again. The motion was defeated even more soundly than two years before.
1982 – Published in The Northville Record: Governor Milliken stated that he was “especially pleased” to attend the dedication of the “first city in the state” to begin a project under the State Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Law. He continued, “it’s a thrill to see a law translated into bricked sidewalks, parks and Victorian-period pieces such as graceful streetlamps, benches, and a charming four-sided town clock.”
1992 – President George Bush & First Lady Barbara Bush slowed down their campaign train as they came through Northville’s Cabbagetown, waving to those by the tracks. They toured past the Ford Plant (Water Wheel Centre), the Chamber of Commerce building and Bealtown.
1998 – Governor Jennifer Granholm (16th US Secretary of Energy) was a Northville Community resident and was the Attorney General for the State of Michigan before becoming the Governor.
1998 – Gov. Engler stopped at Northville’s historic Parmenter’s Cider Mill during his campaign journey this time of year in 1998.
2019 – Governor Whitmer has visited town a dozen times since taking office, and she has been supportive of the many initiatives important to the growth and well-being of our community.
2024 – President Biden came to town to speak to media and citizens. Locals were lined up 20-deep to see him and his 36-vehicle motorcade come down Main Street. The Motorcade stopped at the Garage Grill and Fuel Bar where I introduced President Biden as a new Northvillian.
You can see patriotism is part of our DNA in the Northville Community. Growing up, my parents instilled in me that during the journey of life, it is up to all of us to LEARN, DO and then GIVE BACK to the community. I speak from the heart when I say democracy and cooperation are an ingrained part of the fabric woven into our hometown. One of my grandfathers led the Republican activities in town and the other handled the Democratic events, but both were all about the ENTIRE community, no matter the party affiliation.
I encourage everyone to make a difference – get involved and CAST YOUR VOTE. It all happens on Tuesday, November 5th – be part of this democracy we live in!
Keep that Northville Patriotic Faith!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
