By: Alyssa Ochss | St. Clair Shores Sentinel | Published July 27, 2023
Yardeners to host 30th annual garden tour
The St. Clair Shores Yardeners are hosting their 30th annual garden tour from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5.
In an email, Laurel Fowler, a member of the Yardeners, said the tour will feature eight gardens including the St. Clair Shores Community Garden, the St. Clair Shores Senior Activity Center’s raised garden beds, a business and the gardens of five private residents. Yardeners and master gardeners will be available in their gardens to answer questions.
This is a self-guided driving tour with some walking, the email said. The cost for the tour is $5 for each adult and free for children younger than 12. Maps are available for purchase at the Selinsky-Green Farmhouse Museum on the day of the tour and are included in the ticket price. There are no advanced ticket sales.
Fowler said in an interview there is no group meeting and people can visit the gardens at their leisure.
Registration, ticket sales and map distribution start at 9 a.m. at the Selinsky-Green Farmhouse Museum behind the library at 22500 E. 11 Mile Road.
“We promise lots of great ideas and just a lovely way to spend the day visiting with the gardeners and their gardens,” according to the email.
Library adds new lending partner
According to their newsletter, the St. Clair Shores Library will have a new lending partner to offer a wider range of e-books and e-audiobooks.
The library partner is called Woodlands Library Cooperative, and it joins other libraries including the Lakeland Cooperative, the Great Lakes Digital Libraries, the MCLS Overdrive groups, the White Pine Cooperative, the Up North Digital Consortium and The Library Network.
In an email, Stephaine Fair, the assistant director of the St. Clair Shores Public Library, said the Woodlands Library Cooperative provides a wide variety of e-books and e-audiobooks. It has 23,312 titles that are shared with other OverDrive groups, Fair said.
“All kinds of them from fiction to nonfiction, from adult through youth,” Fair said.
New D2A2 Frequent Rider Passbook available
SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN — On July 10, the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan announced its new D2A2 Frequent Rider Passbook Program.
The discounted pass program offers savings for commuters traveling between Detroit and Ann Arbor on the D2A2 bus route. D2A2 is a pilot commuter bus service connecting Detroit and Ann Arbor.
Starting immediately, passengers can purchase a passbook containing 50 one-way trips for the price of $100, offering bus rides as low as $2 each way. The program offers a 60 percent decrease in cost per ride compared to purchasing each ticket individually.
In addition to the new 50-ride passbook, the RTA will continue to offer a book of 10 one-way trips between Detroit’s Grand Circus Park and Ann Arbor’s Blake Transit Center for $50. All passes are valid for one year, starting from the selected date. They are nonrefundable and must be utilized by the person named in the transaction.
To purchase a travel passbook, commuters are required to create an account or log into their existing account on the D2A2 website. It is recommended that passengers always log into their account to make travel pass reservations, where they can manage bookings seamlessly.
To purchase a travel passbook, commuters are required to create an account or log into their existing account on the D2A2 website at d2a2.com. For any inquiries or assistance, call (517) 333-0400 or send an email at info@michiganflyer.com.
Parks and recreation seeks public opinion
The city of St. Clair Shores Parks and Recreation Department is looking for public input about its 2024-2028 Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
St. Clair Shores City Planner Liz Koto said in an email it is a requirement by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to update the master plan to qualify for grant funding but that it is not required by the state of Michigan.
“We want to continue to be eligible to apply for grants,” Koto said in the email.
A public meeting will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 1 at the St. Clair Shores Civic Center, at 20000 Stephens Road.
There is no agenda for the public meeting, Koto said, and city staff and consultants will be available to answer questions. They are also there to listen to public feedback about parks and recreation programs. Residents should bring their ideas and opinions about improving the city’s parks and recreation programs and operations, Koto said in the email.
Residents can ask questions before the meeting by contacting Koto at liz@scsmi.net or Rob Spinazzola at spinazzolar@scsmi.net.
DIA’s 2024 Inside|Out program applications available
METRO DETROIT — Applications to participate in the Detroit Institute of Art’s 2024 Inside|Out program are now available.
The popular DIA program brings high-quality reproductions of artwork in the museum’s collection to communities in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. Over a period of time, the art pieces are displayed in prominent areas of participating cities.
Those interested in applying can find the application on the museum’s website at www.dia.org/insideout. Applications will be accepted until Aug. 8.
Priority will be given to first-time communities and those who have not participated in Inside|Out in the past three years. Selected locations will be notified in August.
The 2023 installations are currently on view in 21 communities in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties through November 2023. Over the course of the program, the museum has partnered with more than 100 communities.