NORTHVILLIANS,

I wanted to slow down for a moment and thank all that attended the Memorial Day ceremonies at Rural Hill Monday.  The hundreds of Northvillians that participated and gave respect to our fallen heroes was humbling. For next year, great support exists to assist the VFW with their ceremony as well as a lot of enthusiasm to help them with the return of the Memorial Day Parade.  Stay tuned, we will try to get back to some normality (pre-Pandemic). Now that it is June, we have our sights set on the 4^th of July activities in town.

Switching gears to June, this month has always been synonymous with weddings. Appropriately, it is that season of wedding bliss at the Mill Race Village. When I first became Mayor in 2019, a citizen asked me at my induction ceremony if I could officiate over their marriage ceremony.  At the time, I didn’t realize that mayorship also included “Justice of the Peace” status.  Since that time, I have married 46 couples with ceremonies at the Mill Race, various homes, City Hall, and other Northville venues.

Before jumping to “June weddings” let’s take a look at what’s happening in town:

Events 

• Thursday, June 2^nd – Joint STATE OF THE COMMUNITY ADDRESS. The City of Northville & Northville Township will TEAM up to review the State of the Community. It will be available via Zoom at 7:00 PM:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83806051028

• June 2-5 – NORTHVILLE’S SPRING CARNIVAL sponsored by our Chamber of Commerce @ Northville Downs. Come join in the festivities … for more info click on LINK 
   
• June 3^rd, 6:00 PM – The Northville Historical Society presents and hosts “Wines of the World” benefit event. Click on this link for more details: LINK
   
• June 4^th, High School Senior Vehicle Parade 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM.  Starts on 6 Mile at Ward Presbyterian Church, ending at Northville High School.
   
• City of Northville Fourth of July Parade – Dunlap & Main Street at 10:00 AM

Now let's take a look at Weddings in Northville through the years...

Present Day – Weddings in Northville have always been celebrated in very unique & special ways. The Mill Race Village historical area is a prominent example of a popular, quaint and romantic wedding venue.  

Let’s look back at a few of the historic weddings as referenced by the Northville Record, which was first established in 1869 and is the oldest newspaper in Michigan.

1888 – Henry Ford spent his honeymoon in Northville, and had many connections to our “Hamlet in the Hills” or “Switzerland of Wayne County” as many referred to the area. Henry & Clara strolled along the riverbank by Ford Field and eventually donated this land for our historic village there.

1929 – A high-flying marriage ceremony took place at 10,000 feet that involved Eddie Stinson, Northville Aircraft producer and resident (Orchard Heights). The wedding was conducted between Toledo and Northville, with our Methodist Minister officiating in the air. The plane’s graphics included “We’re Just Married” and “Atta Girl.”

1931 – During the Great Depression, the marriage of a prominent Northville couple (Gertrude Parmenter & Donald Starr) occurred in front of a packed grandstand at the Northville County Fair. The couple had won a contest for the elaborate marriage ceremony, with music provided by the Fair’s vaudeville orchestra. Northville merchants donated gifts (including a new Ford car) and a honeymoon suite at the old log cabin on River Street in “Beal Town.”  It was estimated that 2,500 attended the wedding with 75 or so celebrating at the reception afterward in Orchard Heights.

1935 – The County Fair wedding of 1935 united Herbert Ware and Madeline Lemmon in a carnival atmosphere. The ceremony was preceded by a trapeze act and a vaudeville show. According to the Northville Record, a beautiful garden background theme was established for this event.

1999 – The bridegroom (Steve Skinner) made a grand entrance when his helicopter touched down at Ford Field just in time for his wedding ceremony at the Mill Race Village.

The month of June derives its name from Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage. It was thought that couples who married in June would be blessed with prosperity and happiness for life.

So get out and enjoy June in the Ville – see the trees in full bloom and the young ducklings, swans and geese on the Mill Pond. Stroll the grounds of the Village, walk through the historic downtown streets and partake in the downtown social district this coming weekend. And maybe you, too, will have prosperity and happiness in life.

Keep that Northville June Faith!