Now that summer is quickly winding to a close, it is time for Macomb County residents to prepare for another fun school year for the kiddies. Preparing involves more than buying bookbags, supplies and lunchboxes.

Parents who have children entering Kindergarten for the 2008-2009 school year are encouraged to call the Macomb County Health Department office, which is located in Mt. Clemens, to receive their free vision and hearing tests for their children.  Keep in mind that these tests are required for all children that are entering school for the first time.  It is important to identify any problems that your child may have with vision or hearing at an early age so that they can have every educational advantage available at their fingertips.

Macomb County Health Department will also be willing to test any child from the ages of 3 – 18 when parents or guardians have concerns about their vision and hearing issues.  Testing is simple and painless.

All exams must be scheduled in advance by calling (586) 412-5945.  All vision and hearing tests are conducted at the Mount Clemens Health Department office only.  The address is:  4325 Elizabeth Road in Mount Clemens.

Those of you who have seen the movie “The Sound of Music” surely remember the touching song “Edleweiss” that was sung near the end of the movie. If you didn’t know, the song refers to a flower.

Well, our very own GTEV Edelweiss would like to greet Macomb County at this year’s Waldfest. Waldfest is a Bavarian Summer Festival and you’ll be able to get an even better view of Bavarian culture than you got in the movie “The Sound of Music.”

This year’s festival will be on Sunday, July 20 from 12 pm to 9 pm at Austrian Park. You’ll be treated to music from the "Sorgenbrecher" and enjoy music and dance presented by GTEV Edelweiss.

While all this is happening, you can feast on a pork roast dinner and other menu selections that are sure to tempt your tastebuds.

Children who are 16 and younger will be admitted at no cost, while adults can get into the festival for just $3.

You can all 586-786-9058 if you have questions or want additional information.

Those of you who enjoyed a weekend experience at the Mount Clemens Farmers Market may be looking for a way to have that kind of adventure during the week. Well, look no further than the Nino Salvaggio International Marketplace.

Years ago this local legend started by purchasing with several more cases of strawberries that usual. A rather nervous Nino agreed to purchase the strawberry bounty because he thought customers would delight in them as he did and he was right. Nino’s customer service philosophy runs counter to what we are seeing these days. He actually thinks about what the customer would want and not simply about what is convenient for the company. Now, the marketplace sells fresh produce, succulent fruits and all manner of gourmet treats. They can cater your next event, make gift baskets and sell wine, seafood, deli items and have a butcher shop. If you cannot make it over there to view all of the culinary bounty, you can place orders for some items online.

17496 Hall Road
Clinton Township, MI 48038
Phone: 586-412-6000
Website: www.ninosalvaggio.com
Mon.-Sat. 8 am-8 pm
Sun. 8 am-7pm

The modern-day supermarket is the evolution of the farmer’s market, but somehow supermarkets just aren’t as much fun. There is something about being out and about in the fresh air that makes the food shopping experience much richer.

June is all about strawberries at the Mount Clemens Farmers Market. Well, it is not all about strawberries, you can get other things, like cabbage and maple asparagus, but strawberries at the focus. In fact, this Saturday, you can partake of deliciously fresh strawberry shortcake starting at 9 am until they run out. Make sure you get some before it's all gone.

In case you haven't been there yet, the Mount Clemens Farmers Market is on North River Road between I-94 and Northbound Gratiot. This upcoming weekend is a great time to go, but if you can’t make it, any time is a good time. From May until November, the market operates each Friday and Saturday from 7 am to 1 pm. You can pick up fresh produce, chat with your neighbors and maybe pick up a culinary secret or two.

You can learn more about the Mount Clemens Farmers Market at www.mountclemensfarmersmarket.com or by calling 586-493-7600.

If you have found the idea of participating in a charity run or walk to be daunting, come out to the Step Up for Hope 5K Run, Walk & Stroll on Saturday, June 21, 2008 from 8:15 a.m. to Noon. Walkers start at 9 a.m. and runners will begin at 9:30 a.m. This walk to support the Tree of Hope Foundation is timed, but it is not competitive.

Tree of Hope is on a mission to raise awareness of post partum depression.  Their work includes research, educational outreach, and free, weekly support for women who are coping with post partum depression. This organization was co-founded by a woman who lost her sister-in-law to this condition.

Register in advance at www.treeofhopefoundation.org. You will also be able to register onsite starting at 8:15 a.m. Registration is $15 for those who sign up in advance and $20 for those who register on the day of the event. Advance registrants will also receive a free t-shirt. Everyone who participates will get snacks during the walk/run.

Call 877-HOPE-311 (877-467-3311) to get more information.

It is a great pleasure to enjoy a good meal. And it is an even greater pleasure to enjoy a good meal, knowing that you are helping a good cause. You’ll have an opportunity to do this on Wednesday, June 11 from 4pm-8 pm when you dine at Mr. Pita.

On that evening Mr. Pita will give 20% of the proceeds to help the Mercy House. The Mercy House is a place where homeless women can come and change the course of their lives. Even if you have never been homeless, you still know what it felt like to be in a desperate situation, a situation that you were unable to alter without some help. So take some time to go by Mr. Pita and give a little to help the Mercy House. If you are fortunate enough to go out to eat and then return to a home to call your own, then you are fortunate indeed.

Mr. Pita is locate at 15 & Vandyke. The Mercy House is on Chene at Canfield on Detroit’s east side. If you want to learn more or even do more for the Mercy House, call Nancy at 586-489-5041 or send her an e-mail at balowski@wowway.com.

Although the academic year is winding down, it is never too soon to prepare for school in the fall. This is especially true if you are shopping for schools. Your child’s early years in school can really set the tone for their view of education so it is important to be informed and choose a school that really suits your child.

On Thursday, May 22 at 4 pm the Reach Academy is having a Parent Information meeting to let interested Macomb residents learn more about this school. You are invited to come out and find out about Reach Academy’s child-centered approach to education.
Reach Academy, a public school academy, will open this fall to serve young 5s up to 5th graders. The school will add a grade every year for the next three years, stopping at the 8th grade.

They are also taking applications for enrollment , so if you like what you hear then you will be able to put in an application.

You can call 586-498-9171 or visit the Reach Academy website to get more information on the school.

In times past, members of a community (mostly women) would gather to make quilts, engaging in a social event while at the same time doing some very practical work. These days there are fewer quilting bees, but that doesn’t mean that people still aren’t making quilts.

In fact, in recent years, there has been a growing interest in not losing this craft. There has also been a new view: quilts as art. Instead of being solely used to keep people warm in their beds, quilts are now also being put on display in exhibitions all over the country.

This Friday, May 16, 2008 the Macomb County Quilt Guild will present Quilts from the Attic 2008. The event will take place at the Roseville Recreation Center on May 16 from 12 pm to 8 pm. And don’t worry if you miss it because there will be an encore on Saturday, May 17 from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission to the exhibit is $5. You can e-mail santok@wowway.com or call 586-294-0423 to get additional information.

Roseville Recreation Center
18185 Sycamore Street

Hopefully all of you Macomb County mothers were feted in high style yesterday. I am sure you are still recuperating from all of the find food that was prepared (or purchased) for you and you are still glowing from the joy of all the compliments and gifts you received.

There are some mothers in the area who were getting double, triple, quadruple and maybe even quintuple the amount of love and attention yesterday because they are the mothers of kids born in bunches.

If you live in Macomb County or the surrounding area and have had twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc., you can join Macomb County Mothers of Multiples. This group gets together monthly, plus they hold a few special events each year, to celebrate the joys and challenges of multiple births. They meet 9 months of the year at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 30003 Ryan in Warren on the third Thursday.

If your bundles of joy came in bunch and you want to connect with other mothers of multiples, e-mail mcmominfo@yahoo.com or call Kathy Colombo, the club's new-mom outreach coordinator, at 586-979-6092

Mark your calendars—The American Cancer Society will have a fundraiser on May 3 and 4. This event will go from 10am on Saturday May 3 to 10 am on Sunday May 4.

Members of our community of have beaten cancer will be there to get things started. There will also be a ceremony to honor those who are fighting cancer and to remember those who fought cancer.

There will be entertainment and activities going on throughout the night, so be prepared to stay up and join in the fun!

If you, a friend or family member has experienced the devastating effects of cancer then you know just how important and event like this is. Money is needed to find cancer research so that new and more effective treatments can be found. And so that the ultimate goal—eradicating cancer completely, can become a reality.

The other reason why events like this matter so much is that they let cancer patients and cancer survivors know just how much support the have from the community at large. No one can measure the effects that such a boost in morale can have on recovery and continued good health.

If you would like to learn more, call Jennifer McFarlane at (248)663-3444 or visit their website, events.cancer.org/rflwarrenmi.