NORTHVILLIANS,

SPEED WEEK EDITION – I may be the town’s first “Motor Sports Mayor”… in my life I have raced, turned the wrench, restored vehicles, and even owned some hot rods through the years. To this day, I continue to religiously (38 years now) return on a pilgrimage to the Daytona 500 for inspiration with other motorheads whom I’ve grown up with. I have just returned from this yearly gathering of friends, cars and racing. This annual event reminds me how many Northvillians are drawn together in common pursuits.  In the late 1960’s when Michigan International Speedway opened, it became a father/son event for many of us in the Ville.  Today, those young boys are in their 60’s.

Northville over the years has been the center of various racing activities in which many of us have participated, watched from the cheap seats or heard about from our elders. Racing that occurred in Northville included: Horses, motorcycles, bikes, cars, snowmobiles and even go-carts.

We are just coming off NASCAR’s Speedweek at the World Center of Racing and that made me remember my own youthful racing aspirations. I used to race Trans Am’s in club activities in the 70’s and looked at racing in the NASCAR Truck Series early on. As youngsters, many of us had dreams of being a racer, a firefighter, a police officer or some other exciting career. With that youth dream in mind, we’ll look at some racing activities in the Ville over time.

• Snowmen sculptures on display in downtown Northville through the winter… enjoy!
   
• Chili‘in the Ville – Saturday, February 25^th, 1-5 PM, Downtown Northville. The City & Township Fire Departments, along with a plethora of restaurants, will face off in a Heated chili cooking competition. Ice Sculptures will be on display, along with the availability of chili samplings.  LINK
   
• History Lecture - First Settlers: Early Native American Tribes in Michigan – Wednesday, March 1, 7 PM, Mill Race Village. Joe Oldenburg presents on the Ottawa, Chippewa, Potawatomi, and the Hurons in our area in the 1600s. LINK
   
• Great White Buffalo Brewing Company Grand Opening – Friday, March 3^rd, 101 W. Main. The renovation is complete! Stop in to see the transformation…and in a nod to the site’s history, consider sipping an Ambler Ale.


• Seniors… it’s party time again! It seems like I just attended the Valentine Tea at the Community Center last week and now it’s time to gear up for March’s St. Patty’s Day Senior extravaganza on Wednesday, March 16^th, 11-1 PM. Register online at Northvilleparksandrec.org or call 248 349 0203. LINK

Let's transition to Racing in the Ville over time...

CAR RACING IN NORTHVILLE

• Even before the first Daytona 500 was run in 1959, Northville’s historic 4^th of July activities included car racing. In 1957 the “Northville 100” Stock Car race took place with over 10,000 fans on hand to see some of the best drivers in the nation compete for the Northville Trophy.

• On Memorial Day 1957, they had Motorcycle racing at Northville Downs (and again in the 70s). Speeds approached 90+ MPH on the straightaway.
• Earlier, in 1924 there were motorcycle hill climbing events near Randolph as reported by The Record (oldest weekly paper in the Detroit Metro).

• Before my time, I’ve been told by Northvillians that there was a go-cart track right behind where CVS is today. Many a youth cut their teeth on speed there.

• In 1897 The Northville Record touted a bicycle race that started at the Fish Hatchery Park on 7 Mile and raced to the Opera House (Dunlap/Center). Hundreds of folks lined up near Wing & Dunlap to witness the finish. So you can see, biking has always been part of the Northville DNA. Today, the Rotary Club still hosts a Tour De Ville bike outing.

• In 1971 Snowmobile racing hit town, taking place at the Northville Downs. Titled the “Motor State Snowmobile Classic,” it was a literal wintertime invasion into Northville. Teams from various manufacturers along with some 500+ competitors signed up for the race.  Over 12,000 attended.

• Northville has previously hosted the State High School Cross Country Championships, and in the fall, you can still witness countless high school and college teams competing in Cass Benton Park in 5K and 10K races. It’s tough Northville racing topography, running through. Michigan’s oldest Arboretum. Additionally, multiple road acres are also hosted in town yearly, usually finishing at Ford Field.

• In 1888, articles appeared in The Record about Horse Racing on Dunlap. Then in 1893, an article spoke about the 4^th of July street races and mentioned that “It was the largest crowd ever seen in Northville.” In 1944, the Northville Downs was built with an all-new track on the County Fair Grounds that included lights for night racing and brand new overnight barns.

So with this Speed Week edition, we have touched on multiple forms of racing that have occurred through time in our town. You can see that a lot of horsepower has been on display at Northville Downs through the years. Now it’s time for you to race into the future and engage your time & talents for the betterment of our community.  Be part of our future trajectory for Northville, we are heading there ... together.
 
Keep Racing into the Northville Future!