NORTHVILLIANS,

The school year in “The Ville” has come to a close and the Summer Solstice is upon us (longest day of the year). With the warmth of the season, it is all about swimming, recreating, enjoying the festivals, listening to music and joining in activities in town. We started off last weekend with fantastic weather for the Arts & Acts Festival and a Save Soil Walkathon. Also, I heard many of you experienced the exciting opening of rooftop dining at the Exchange. A lot of summer fun going on in the Ville.

Before looking at summer activities in the Ville through the years, let’s take a look at what’s happening today:

Events

• State of Community at Community Center – Thursday 6/23 at 6:00 PM. All are welcome.
   
• Northville Fourth of July Parade – Monday 7/4 at 10:00 AM. The route is Griswold to Main to Dunlap to Linden to Main Street to Center. And be sure to look for the Fly-Over.  See route: Link
   

• Dancing in the Ville – Town Square, Wednesday evenings 6:30-8:00 PM. Arthur Murray teachers provide lessons for a variety of dance genres (all levels).
   
• Summer Concerts every Friday & Saturday at 7:00 PM – Downtown
   
• Northville Garden Walk – 7/13. Link for information

Now let's look at Summer Activities through the years in the Ville...

Northvillians have cooled down from the heat of the summer in various ways through the years. As you may know, our town is the headwaters of the Rouge River, with three tributaries converging in the Ville (Johnson Creek, Randolph Drain and the Rouge system). We also have the only natural lake in Wayne County. AND we are the highest point in the county, so you can see that aquatics have always been important to Northvillians.

In the four historic sections of town, there have been many opportunities to cool down:

Orchard Heights

• Starting in the 1870’s, Northvillians in the Orchard Heights area would go to the Northville Fish Hatchery (the first National Hatchery) which provided a spot for swimming in one of their 13 ponds. This area was fed by the Johnson Creek with its springs of cold, fresh, clean water supporting trout, perch & even redfin darters (all caught there in the past month).
• Finally, at the end of Eaton Drive at Seven Mile, there was a pond where Joe Denton Park is today. This spring-fed pond was the City’s water supply.

• Locals would cool down in the Mill Pond created by the dammed-up Rouge River, which previously fed the water works of the mills in this area. Many folks had homes on the banks of the Rouge River to keep cool in the summers and to experience the relaxing sounds of stream water.

• The Rouge River, after the Randolph Drain connects to it, runs through the entire Beal Town area, coming in by the Wagon Wheel Bar & Grill. Last century, the river through Northville Downs was entombed underground to provide more land for the Wayne County Fair and the Downs Racetrack. Today, the Downs Development initiative is planning to daylight this portion once again, with acres of parkland on either side for all Northvillians to recreate.
• The Johnson Creek connects to the Rouge near Custard Time and the Good Time Party Store.  After WWII, Wayne County built what we would call today a “splash park” as you enter the parkway on the bike trails close to Custard Time. When I was a kid, there were still remnants of the concrete wading pools with large sprinklers.

• The Randolph Drain winds its way through this historic area and becomes quite a creek when the rains are upon us. In the early 1960’s at the edge of the Historic District on top of the rise next to Hillside School (8 Mile & Randolph), the Northville Swim Club took shape. My parents were charter members, & I have fond memories of cooling off there.
• Locals early on would also cool down at the nearby gravel pit areas. Thousands of years ago, the glaciers “slowed down” ever so slightly, edging their way through Northville and leaving gravel deposits. This created large craters that would fill with spring water. I remember hearing stories from my father & grandfathers about swimming in what is referred to today as Blue Huron Pointe and Highland Lakes.
   

• Dating back to 1877, a Record article stated that “Grand Concerts” were held as part of a fundraising effort for the Opera House in town.
• Many stories from the 1800’s spoke about the Northville Community Band and its summer concerts downtown in the crow’s nest (Main & Center). Sometimes concerts were right on the streets.
• For the past 150 years, street dances were part of Northville’s DNA from the 4^th of July weekend to Labor Day.

At one time, we were blessed to have both a Northville community band and a strong high school band that often combined for concerts in town.

As we look back on summer activities of cooling off and enjoying music in the streets, we see that some things just don’t change. Embrace the season as you dance to the rhythm in the warm evening breezes.  Remember, it’s not the destination that is important, it’s truly the journey.  Live life to the fullest this summer – enjoy the music in our downtown social district and stroll around the river at Ford Field and the Mill Race Village while you cool down next to the flowing waters.

Keep that Northville Summer Faith!