by Ray Berg, Chamber of Commerce president

The weather was perfect for the 12th��annual Chamber of Commerce Business Expo, held last Thursday in conjunction with the Farmers Market at Chi-Bro Park. Twenty of Manchester businesses, service organizations, and individual entrepreneurs hosted booths from 3:30 – 7 pm. This year,��there also were representatives from AMI Manufacturing and CEI Materials present seeking job applicants for open positions at their Manchester facilities.

Visitors got a good sampling of what the community can offer, and also enjoyed the Manchester Jazz Band playing in the pavilion. As band director Jared Throneberry said, “Playing for our Expo visitors is the ‘final exam’ for these students, many of whom are graduating shortly.” The younger crowds also filled the bounce house for four hours straight!

The Chamber is pleased to host this annual event, and appreciates the continuous crowds of visitors who walked among the rows, enjoyed the camaraderie, and welcomed truly warm weather.

Manchester High School Jazz Band

submitted by Ray Berg, Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce

The Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its 11th annual Community Business Expo on Thursday, May 24, from 3:30 to 7 pm in Chi-Bro Park, in conjunction with��the weekly Thursday Farmers Market. A number of local businesses, non-profit community service groups, and school organizations will be showing what they have to offer to the community. Other musical and children activities associated with the Expo are currently being planned.

The Chamber is��also planning a Manchester Job Fair to be held concurrent with the Expo at Chi-Bro Park. Local manufacturers and other employers seeking to fill positions will be present at the Expo.

This Expo location is the same as last year, adjacent to the Farmers Market��in Chi-Bro Park. The Farmers Market will operate at the same time, and will have its offerings of fresh produce and local goods.��

Everyone is encouraged to stop by and see what��the Manchester community provides.��Please mark your calendars for Thursday, May 24, and come down and visit! This is also a major boost for “buy local” initiatives. For updates on Expo information, and to register for a booth at the Business Expo, please visit��the Chamber web site at .

For current 2018 paid members of the Chamber of Commerce, your participation in this event is FREE, a member benefit! Employers seeking to fill job positions will also participate at no cost. Other organizations and businesses who are not Chamber members will have a nominal registration fee. The registration form can be downloaded here: 2018 Manchester Community Business Expo Application. Copies will also be available at the Library and at various locations around town. You may call the Chamber directly at 734-476-4565, or email rayberg@att.net for more information.

We look forward to seeing you at this informative and fun-filled event!

Come to our next meeting of the Manchester Area Historical Society on Thursday, April 12, 7pm��at the Kingsley-Jenter House, 302 E. Main. You’ll hear how recent research has uncovered the cause of this fire, and how well-intentioned actions designed to prevent a reoccurrence of fire at the mill led to unintended severe consequences and loss of life in Manchester. You’ll also hear how Manchester played an important role in the development of modern epidemiology in Michigan!

The public is welcome. We’ll have a short update meeting on Society matters, and some fine refreshments afterwards. We’ll also talk about upcoming programs which are sure to get your interest!

Hope to see you then!

Verdin post clock example.

The next general meeting of the Manchester Area Historical Society is Thursday, January 11, 7 pm at the Kingsley-Jenter House, 302 E. Main. We will hold a short business meeting on Society activities including our 2018 membership drive, and our planned volunteer support at the annual Kiwanis Crazy Cash event in March. As you may be aware, funding from the Sesquicentennial will be combined with a Crazy Cash grant, Chamber funds and Community Tourism Action Plan grant funds, to purchase and install a Verdin post clock at the “four corners” intersection of M-52 and Main Street on the lawn of the Kingsley-Jenter House in Spring 2018.

Our program this Thursday will be a travelogue talk by Betty Cummings on her recent visit to Belgium and the Netherlands, including pictures of warm weather, beautiful flowers and historic architecture – should brighten up everyone mood during this cold stretch! Refreshments will be served afterwards.

Our future programs include: February – Researching Manchester Homes’ History; March – our annual “Show and Tell” display, and April – The Watkins Family.

We will also have on sale the Sesquicentennial Commemorative Book.��This 170 page, full color book contains text and photos of all the events from our 150th anniversary celebration, and lots of Manchester history. The book costs $20 per copy, cash or check payable to “MAHS.” There are many photos – you may be in one or more of them!

We invite you to come and join us, and learn more about our local history and ancestors!

If you are unable to attend the meeting,��Sesquicentennial Commemorative Books are also available for purchase��at River Raisin Antiques, Pyramid Office Supply, the Library, and the Village Offices. They are also available through the Historical Society at their events. Or you can contact Ray Berg at rayberg@att.net or 248-765-9324, and we’ll make arrangements to get it to you. For persons out of the area, we can mail you a copy in a bubble envelope for $ 25. Send check and your mailing address to Ray Berg, 7705 Eisman, Manchester, MI 48158.

Enjoy the memories!

Table of contents of Sesquicentennial book.

The Village of Manchester Sesquicentennial Commemorative Books are now in printing. This book is our final product from the 150th anniversary celebration held this past August. We have been working hard to complete the book and have it available by Christmas.

The book is a 170-page, full color, high-quality paper, perfect bound print which contains text and photographs of the Sesquicentennial events, relevant Manchester history, and many other related subjects, using materials provided by a variety of sources. The cover page and table of contents are shown in the photographs below. The Sesquicentennial Committee has been working with Allegra Printing of Saline to complete this book. We have seen a full color proof, and are very pleased with the print quality and the color/sharpness of the photographs. We have received excellent pricing on this book which will allow us to sell them at $20 per copy. This can be paid in cash or check made payable to “MAHS.”

We expect to have copies available at the end of this week. We will notify via social media and various e-mail listings when and where they will be available. River Raisin Antiques and Mercantile will have them at the store (138 E. Main St.), and the Lions Club will have them at the Luminaria sales at the MAHS Kingsley-Jenter House garage (302 E. Main). Persons who have registered their interest with the MAHS will also be contacted directly and arrangements made for delivery. We may also have other venues for sale of the book.

Thanks for your interest in the book, and your patience as we worked to get this done!

Table of contents

Cover design

The Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce is busy with annual seasonal events, and the first one was a big success!��The Chamber is pleased to host and organize these holiday fun-filled activities for families in Manchester, and look forward to you being a part of them.

Caramel Apple Event
The Caramel Apple Event held on Halloween night at the Wurster Park Gazebo brought record crowds this year. Organizers Elizabeth Beaudoin, Kathy Dimond and Lisa Fookes reported giving out 1,100 caramel-coated apples, and indicated more will be needed next year! The Chamber has hosted this event for many years, taking over from original hosts Monty and JoAnn Okey who began this tradition by providing coated apples from their front porch. For the last two years, the event has been held at the Gazebo, and this has proven to be an excellent location for our young costumed guests.

The Okeys continue to help with the caramel preparation, and we are grateful for the many other volunteers who help out. Ruth and Mark VanBogelen, David Nelson, and Rose and��Melissa Cousino helped with the continuous flow of apples-on- a-stick, coating and packaging. We are also grateful for the large number of Key Club and Drama Club students who help out. Alex Clark, Madilyn Chandler and Zach Chandler have worked with us for 3 years straight. We also received help from Jonas Chandler, Emma Mrocko, Quenton Bortmas, Cole Bruestle, and Filippo Garzotto. We are also grateful for the assistance of Sgt. Paul Cook, who handed out bags of stickers and pencils and talked with the kids.

We are most grateful that the Manchester Lions partner with us to host a pumpkin bowling game adjacent to the Gazebo. It fun to see little kids working to knock over the pins and learn that it OK in this setting to roll the pumpkin as hard as they can. Our thanks to Barry Allen and fellow Lions for their support.

Our organizers report on the many positive comments and appreciation expressed by parents for this fun event, and the Chamber plans on continuing this for years to come.

Christmas Home Tour
Once again a Christmas Home Tour will be conducted in Manchester this year – Saturday, December 2, from noon��to 8 pm. Organizers Teresa Benedict-Miller and Carrie Keller have arranged for six beautiful homes on the tour, each with its own unique style, decorated for Christmas and available for touring! The Chamber serves as the fiduciary for this event, and proceeds from the tour go towards Main Street Christmas decorations.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door, and are now available at The Flower Garden, Manchester Pharmacy, Kellie, Andrews Family Chiropractic, Linda Diner or River Raisin Antiques. They can also be obtained by calling 734-255- 1498.

Christmas in the Village
And along with the Christmas Home Tour, the weekend of December 1-2 will see our annual Christmas in the Village event, beginning with a parade on Friday evening December 1, followed by an entire day of activities throughout Saturday December 2. A wide variety of craft shows, open houses and fun-filled events will fill the day. The Chamber of Commerce team is led by Jennifer Wojtowicz, Deborah Alber and Linda Stevens, and they are hosting regular
planning meetings and assembling teams to organize the many events.

Look for a separate article on the Christmas in the Village activities in the next issue of ������Ƶ. A brochure with all the activities, times and locations will be published shortly.

Please contact Jennifer Wojtowicz at PPSListings@gmail.com to offer your volunteer services and help.

The public is welcome. We hope to see you there!

James H. Fargo Gravestone – One of the Earliest Leaders in Manchester

After successfully hosting our Sesquicentennial Celebration in August, the Manchester Area Historical Society, bolstered by the interest in local history shown by attendees, is��inviting the public to join them on Thursday, September 14 at its��next general membership meeting and a special walking tour of Oak Grove cemetery beforehand.

The tour will begin at 6 pm and will be led by long-time sexton and knowledgeable cemetery historian Mike Miner. Please come directly to the cemetery west entrance drive, then drive up into the cemetery and park your car in one of the side roads which lead off this west main drive. Mike will lead attendees on a tour of notable Manchester persons, as well as explain the history of the cemetery. Please wear comfortable walking shoes. In the event of rain, the group will return to the Kingsley-Jenter House (302 E. Main), and discuss a reschedule date.

After the tour, the group will return to the Kingsley-Jenter House at about 7:15 pm to conduct the general meeting, hold elections for the coming year, and enjoy refreshments. (Membership meetings are usually held at 7 pm.) View the full agenda here:��

The Historical Society invites those many persons who showed interest in our town history during the Sesquicentennial events to join them and consider becoming members!

Friday, August 4, 2017 – Agri-Tour, Parade, Street Dance, Fire Department Open House

The day events began with the Manchester Agri-Tour, a six-hour bus tour to five Manchester-area farms and related sites highlighting Manchester agricultural heritage:

• We started with a visit at United Producers – Farm Supply/Livestock Auction, where Doug and Kathy��Brooks operate a feed supply store and organize livestock auctions that take place in the “sale ring” twice a week. A most interesting talk on the sale of livestock in today markets.
• We then moved onto the Gary Bross Farm, a crop/livestock operation his family started in 1869, two years after the founding of Manchester Village. Currently he raises a variety of grain crops, and keeps a flock of ewes that produce lambs and wool. Visitors also learned about different farming equipment including a combine and planter.
  

  At the Bross Farm

• Our third stop was Hand Sown Farm, where Megan DeLeeuw operates a certified organic farm producing vegetables, flowers, fruit and herbs. Megan sells the farm fresh produce during weekly trips to Farmers’ Markets in the local region, and explained all that is involved in operating a certified organic farm.��Our third stop also included a delicious farm-to-table lunch prepared and served at the farm by Megan DeLeeuw and chef Joe Christensen and family. Guests delighted in a menu composed of all locally grown foods.
  

  Farm to table lunch on the Agritour

• Our fourth stop was Horning Dairy Farm, a sixth-generation Centennial Farm in Freedom Township. Katelyn Packard led a tour of her family milking parlor and dairy cattle operation. Horning Dairy is a well-known and respected producer in our area. They supply milk to Kroger stores, and you may see them in Kroger TV commercials.
  

  Inside Horning Dairy Farm

• The fifth stop was the Mottice Heritage Farm on Pleasant Lake Road. For over 40 years, Bob and Sandy Mottice have been patiently assembling a collection of historic buildings from the Manchester area at their property. Their labor of love has brought a miniature historic village to our neighborhood. Visitors walked through their fully restored 1800s log cabin and the operating blacksmith shop.

Our thanks to all our hosts, to Joe Christensen and Karen Berg for their help in organizing this event, to John Schiel for the onboard bus commentary, and Manchester Community Schools and Karen Lorincz for the bus transportation!

Sesquicentennial Parade

On Friday night, we celebrated with the Sesquicentennial Parade from Alumni Field through downtown to the Emanuel Church. Our parade highlighted our heritage through a variety of float themes, community groups, antique tractors, and cars, fire trucks. It also included Queen Vicky Wurster from the��1967 Centennial, and our Sesquicentennial Grand Marshals Reno and Nancy Feldkamp. We were pleased to have three marching bands in this parade – our own Manchester High School Marching Band (current students and alumni), the 19th Century Dodworth-Saxhorn Band from Ann Arbor, and the Napoleon Lions Marching Band.

Our thanks to John Schmitt and Jeff Mann, and the many volunteers who helped out along the route, to make this a successful event.

1867 celebrities

MHS Band

Voegeding Family Cutter

Sesquicentennial Street Dance

Immediately after the parade, Main Street was closed at the M-52 intersection to begin the activities downtown. We began with a planned “street dance” at the intersection, and music started with Luke Schaible calling a set of square dances, instructing local residents on dancing steps, with Beverly Feldkamp Smith accompanying. This activity was to be followed with music from a regional band covering several decades, but a scheduling mix-up on their part resulted in a no-show. The activity would likely have had diminished attendance as rain and cool breezes began coming in, so we closed out the street activities at that point until Saturday morning. Thanks to Teresa Benedict-Miller for her work on the dance.

Square dancing

Luke Schaible and Beverly Feldkamp Smith

Grand Marshals Reno and Nancy Feldkamp at the Street Dance

Manchester Fire Department Open House/Tractor Display

Following the parade, the fire department trucks and several antique tractors moved to the Manchester Township Fire Department on Macomb Street, where an open house was held. Visitors could see the antique and modern fire equipment up close, see the inner workings of the fire station, and look at some of the tractors who had just driven in the parade. Our thanks to Jeff Mann and John Schiel for organizing this event.

Fire Department Open House

Enjoying the high seat

Saturday, August 5, 2017 – A Very Full Day!

Saturday morning events began with the Run Manchester and Manchester Street Festival, organized by Manchester Area Friends. The Manchester Men Club also put on their annual Classic Car Show along Main Street west of downtown.

Run Manchester Fun Run!

Street Festival

Classic Car Show

Manchester Area Historical Society Activities

Sesquicentennial activities resumed Saturday morning with the MAHS Antiques Roadshow and Silent Auction, held at the Kingsley-Jenter House at 302 E. Main. The Antiques Roadshow was conducted by Jay and Zack Schmidt from Schmidt Antiques in Pittsfield Township. Residents brought their antiques for expert appraisal. The event was totally booked with all available time slots taken by curious parties wanting to know if they had something really valuable and unique!

MAHS “Antiques Roadshow”

Concurrent with the Antiques Roadshow, the Historical Society conducted an Open House of the Kingsley-Jenter House, to show the renovations and upgrades being made to the former funeral home building to convert it into the Society headquarters and museum, and also its growing use as a Community Meeting Place.

At the Open House, a very successful Silent Auction was conducted of miscellaneous historic and curious artifacts, creating operating funds for the Society work in historic preservation in Manchester.

We particularly thank Cindy Dresch and Sue LaRocque for their excellent help in organizing these events!

MAHS silent auction

And just down the street at the John Schneider Blacksmith Shop (324 E. Main), the Society conducted blacksmithing demonstrations over a four-hour period for interested persons to drop in, observe and ask questions. Carl Curtis of the Historical Society served as docent and noted over 130 persons signed in our guest register! Our thanks to Tim Armentrout, Joe Vigilanti and Alex Gleason for demonstrating these historic crafts to a large audience.

Blacksmithing demonstration

Forging the iron

Sesquicentennial Heritage Arts Event

Back on Main Street in the former Black Sheep Tavern building, Heather Bartell organized an excellent display of heritage crafts and manufacturing technologies used in Manchester businesses in the 19th century. The displays covered many techniques, and also provided QR Code links to view videos of these technologies in operation. Local crafting of quilts was also on display. The event was also highlighted in the Studio and Garden Art Walk event discussed below. Thanks, Heather, for setting this up!

Heritage arts event

More of the heritage arts event

Studio and Garden Art Walk

This self-guided tour took visitors on a walking loop around the east side of town, covering four stops with an emphasis on local art and historic crafts/technologies:

1. Margaret Shaw, Folk Artist – Margaret home and studio at 610 City Road highlighted her unique folk art, as well as showing visitors her lovely garden.
   

   Margaret Shaw

2. David W. Nelson Pottery – Visitors toured David studio at 319 Morgan and viewed his pottery craft works.
   

   David Nelson Pottery

3. Manchester District Library/Village Hall Turbine Room – The Library hosted a quilting display as an example of heritage arts, as well as showing on a continuous loop the somewhat “infamous” locally made movie from 1986, “The Carrier,” another example of “historic arts” made in Manchester. In the Village Hall lobby, a display was set up describing the historic turbine room equipment still in place from the building use as a Ford manufacturing plant.
4. The MAHS Blacksmith Shop open house, described above, was also a part of this tour route.

These only describe a part of Saturday activities! Read more in Part 3 of this Sesquicentennial Recap series next week in ������Ƶ….

Selling the 1869 Enterprise on Main Street

This article is the first in a series which will recap the Sesquicentennial events. We will be publishing a Sesquicentennial Commemorative Book this fall which will contain historical information on Manchester founding (1833), the time around its incorporation (1867), the “movers and doers of 1867,” all sorts of interesting tidbits on Manchester early history gained from recent research, “then and now” photos, a complete record of the Sesquicentennial events with photographs, and information on our Sesquicentennial sponsors. We’ll publicize the availability of this book, and where to purchase it, in various print and social media.

Saturday, July 29, 2017 – Fashion Show and High Tea
We began our celebration with a fashion show highlighting clothing styles covering a 100-year period beginning in the 1860s, accompanied by lunch, dessert and tea, at the Manchester United Methodist Church. Teresa Benedict-Miller, assisted by many helpers, clothes donors, and models, led the review of men and women styles with actual clothing contributed from Manchester residents. The delicious meal was prepared by Joe and Rose Christensen, assisted by a bevy of slicers, servers and support staff.

This event sold out at 180 tickets, and was a great start to our Sesquicentennial activities!

Wednesday, August 2, 2017- Opening Reception and Program
Our Sesquicentennial celebration officially kicked off with “three taps” of the Manchester Area Historical Society gavel, and was held at the MAHS Kingsley-Jenter House at 302 E. Main, our new community meeting place which is undergoing continuing renovations and improvements. The evening centered on a presentation by Ray Berg of the MAHS entitled “Manchester – 1867,” to give attendees a sense of the nature of our town, events, key personalities, and issues of that time. Manchester was a boom town in 1867, with substantial residential and commercial growth underway.

The attendance was estimated at 70+ persons, standing room only in the main Kingsley-Jenter hall. Attendees also had a first look at Sesquicentennial items for sale, including the 1870 DeVolson Wood detailed map of Manchester, the 1872 Birds-Eye View, the Historic Home Tour book, commemorative pins and other merchandise. The reprint of the October 7, 1869 Manchester Enterprise, the earliest existing print version of our town paper, was shown, and it was announced would be available through period-dressed newspaper “criers” throughout the coming week.

We were also pleased to host several of our local 1867 townspeople through re-enactors, including Matilda Wilson Kingsley and Jeremiah Corey, as well as other guests in period clothing.

Sesquicentennial organizer Ray Berg holds up the 1869 reprint of the Manchester Enterprise.

The Kingsley-Center House was packed with standing room only for the Sesquicentennial opening program Wednesday evening.

Thursday, August 3, 2017 – Industry Tech Walk, Farmers Market, Emanuel UCC Ice Cream Social, and Gazebo Concert
The day events began with the Industry Tech Walk from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Four of Manchester manufacturers opened their doors, and welcomed guests for a plant tour and explanation of what they make in our town. Tours started at each plant on the hour, and were timed so that any person could visit and drive between each of the four plants in the four-hour period. The manufacturers reported good crowds and strong interest at the different tour times.

On the tour route were:

• Fastener Advance Products at 750 Hogan Road/M-52 is a producer of specialized pierce nuts and die buttons used in automobile manufacturing and assembly. Visitors saw a slide show explaining the process and reasons for these unique products, viewed samples, and toured the plant manufacturing floor watching the process in action. Fastener Advance Products serves a wide variety of automotive companies and suppliers.
  

  Fastener Advance Products – On the Shop Floor with Nicolas Epperson

• CEI Composite Materials, 800 E. Duncan St., is a manufacturer of architectural cladding systems and pre-engineered modular structures. Visitors could see and touch samples of the products, learn the advantages of these types of cladding panels in building design, and tour the plant to see the processes used in manufacturing the panels. Their building exterior on Duncan Street showcases their product.
  

  CEI Composites – Jeff Henry CEO Explaining the Design Process

• Post Production Solutions, 110 Division St., offers complete machining and fabrication capabilities, as well as process improvements for existing machinery, for special equipment in the automotive, agricultural, military and medical fields. Visitors were shown a slide presentation of the complete process from concept/needs analysis, through detailed design and fabrication. Several examples were demonstrated on the shop floor.
  

  Ted Roberts Showing Equipment at PPS

• Obertron Electronic Manufacturing, 10098 M-52 south of Bethel Church Rd., is an electronic printed circuit board manufacturer, providing custom designed electronic boards for specific customer applications. The tour included viewing examples of actual circuit boards and an explanation of the process involved. Visitors then toured the shop floor and got an up-close look at the sophisticated machinery used in producing these boards at a high output rate.
  

  Obertron – Brad Oberleiter Demonstrating Equipment

We appreciate our local companies opening their doors and inviting us in!

The Sesquicentennial spirit was then augmented Thursday by three traditional Manchester Thursday night summer events:

Farmers Market
Our regular Thursday afternoon Farmers Market relocated to Wurster Park this week to join in the many activities centered on the “Village Green” for the Sesquicentennial. Our usual farm and crafts vendors were supported by a Kids Corner event, with games and prizes, and several other groups enjoying the Sesquicentennial crowd. Other activities this evening around the gazebo drew in family groups and boosted the Farmers Market presence at this location.

Emanuel United Church of Christ Ice Cream Social
The traditional summer season last Ice Cream Social occurred at the Emanuel Church Fellowship Hall and adjoining lawn, with the traditional serving of meat, vegetables, salad, drinks, and of course free cake and ice cream! Much good camaraderie and happy spirits.

Gazebo Concert
Our final gazebo concert of the season, sponsored by the Riverfolk Music and Arts Organization, featured a truly special group, the Dodworth-Saxhorn Band of Ann Arbor. Brought in especially for the Sesquicentennial week, this band, headquartered in Ann Arbor, is America’s Premier 19th Century Brass Band. Presenting performances in the context of the social and political issues of the time, the DSB recreates the music and atmosphere of a 19th Century community brass band. We heard music, stories and words from the post-Civil War period covered by our Sesquicentennial celebration. A complete program was printed and distributed to the audience for the sing-along and dance segments.

The DSB is modeled after the Dodworth Band of New York City, which was the premier brass band in the United States from the 1840s to the 1880s. In keeping with its living history origins, the DSB uses only brass and percussion instruments that were built in the 1800s. A large crowd enjoyed this show!

To Be Continued in Part 2, Next Week…

Watch for ������Ƶ next week (on-line and in print) for a continuing recap of the many events that occurred Saturday, Sunday and Monday at our 150th Sesquicentennial celebration!