September 19, 2013
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B E A BAKE SALE SUPERSTAR W ITH THESE RECIPES f o o o , b 8 W AYNE1W ^ST|4ND A GANNETT COMPANY SUBSCRIBERS, FIND YOUR COPY OF INSPIRE WITH TODAY'S NEWSPAPER THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013 • hojnetownlife.com Westland festival board disbands ly as well as criticism from a this year and that were posted Fourth of July tradition ends after 43 years city council m em ber th at left on the festival Facebook page B razier feeling threatened. about it looking like a prison By Sue Mason this makes it official,” com The weather and the econo this year didn’t help.” Staff Writer mittee secretary Normie Bra m y over the p ast few years Brazier was talking about zier said. “It’s a sad day, a also had a significant impact fencing put up as a security The five-member Westland very sad day.” on attendance and revenue. measure on the festival Summer Festival Committee The committee, in a press The committee raised money groimds. Concern about safety Board of Directors last week release, issued Tuesday, said it to pay for the event from do ^ te r a melee at an earlier The Rick Stel Project is among voted unanimously to dissolve faced “many new challenges nations, sponsorships, vendor carnival in Westland prompted the bands performing and end a 43-year Fourth of that significantly impacted its fees and carnival commis changes in security, including Saturday at Westland's Brews. July tradition in the city. financial ability to produce the sions. a zero-tolerance policy and $ 1 0 Blues and Barbecue. The board also decided to festival.” It cited a reduction “It was getting too difficult charge to en ter the carnival give what money it had left, in the space available for the to do something like this for area on the final day, Vhich ^ te r paying bilhs, to qualified carnival, vendors and exhibi- the community,” Brazier said. attracted large crowds be- B i k e n i g h t non-profits. I tors and invoices for police “And the things that we kept “It wasn’t an easy decision. overtime that increased sharp hearing during the festival See FESTIVAL, Page A2 c o m e s t o W e s t l a n d e v e n t By LeAnne Rogers staff Writer In its th ird year, West- land annual Blues, Brews and Barbecue might want to add bikes. With the shift to a Friday evening-Saturday event, another change fo r 2013 is replacing a car show with Bike Night. “We reached out to peo ple who suggested that we let motorcycle clubs know about it,” Westland Mayor William Wild said. “We let about 160 m otorcycle clubs know. We talked to Motor City Harley and got their list.” Front row reserved park ing will be available for Wayne Memorial JROTC cadet Farrah Hjeltness painte the awning during the Friends Project at Sheila Keister's home in Wayne, photos by tom bikes on Friday night on the BEAUDOIN W estland City H all grounds. T here will be a chance for bikers to network with oilier motorcycle enthusiasts,- ' WHAT A BLESSING pick up b iker m em orabilia and possibly win a prize. Homeowner ‘grateful’ for The scalloped trim on the Non-bikers will also be front porch awning, support welcome to check out the Friends Project makeover posts and railing be bikes in the desi^ated painted black in contrast to parking lot and visit w ith B y Sue M ason the hom e’s new light gray bikers. staff VVriter color. “One of the things with The gray is close to the bikers is free parking. They Sheila Keister couldn’t be original color of the home asked for parking to display happier. In fact, she can’t which Keister has lived in for th eir bikes,” M id said. wait to see her home when 45 years. She was raised in The two-day Blues, the last finishing touches are the house and eventually B rew s and B arbecue offi done. bought it from h e r parents. cially kicks off at 6:15 p.m. “It’s amazing, everything The color is a sharp contrast Friday. Just prior to that is beautiful,” said the Wayne to the alm ost fluorescent Westland’s annual POW/ resident who was the benefi green color it had been for MIA cerem ony will be held ciary of the 2013 Friends alm ost 2 0 years. at 5:30 p.m. a t the event Project. “The only time I’ve At the time, Keisteij, using stage. seen som ething like this was a piece of the color taken The mayor’s sister, pro on TV. W hat a blessing.” from the garage, had paint fessional singer G abiielle Eighty-six volunteers, mixed to do the house. It M id , will open Blues, Brew s including a large contingent looked good in the store, it and B arbecue at 6:15 p.m. from Wayne M em orial High even looked good on her shirt, Headliner Robert Penn School’s JROTC program, but when her father-ih-law takes the stage at 7:15 p.m. converged on Keister’s home started painting, it “looked An Inkster native, Penn, on Third Street to paint it awful.” during his long career, has twice and install a new screen “I told him to stop, ^ a t it opened for headliners in door, all in about foiu* hours w asn’t supposed to be fluo cluding Bobby “Blue” Saturday. rescen t green, but he ivas Bland, Little Milton, Johnnie Prep work like scraping mad and kept painting,” she Tbylor, Aretha Fraiddin, loose paint and tacking up said. “M y dad will be glad to Ray Charles, Coco Taylor, loose gutters, began on the see the new color.” Buddy Guy, Albert Collins home a month ago, making This is the 16th yeat' for and many others. the work of the volunteers go the Friends Project. Over This be Penn’s first Jake Gleason from PPG Pittsburgh Paints out of Canton gets the quickly Saturday. There is seen by Ed McMturay, volun- ) performance at Blues, paint pans ready for the volunteers. PPG Pittsburgh Paints donated still some small finishing B rew s and Barbecue. the paint for the house painting. work that needs to be done. See PROJECT, Page A2 The Saturday lineup will also largely be first-time perform ers a t the event. On Saturday, th e entertainm ent starts at noon with Jones’n, M an charged w ith assau lt, robbery o f eld erly couple the Chris Canas Band a t 2 p.m., the Randy Brock G roup at 4 p.m., the R ick By LeA nne Rogers the bathroom and th ere was a a television from the couple Adam s said th e suspect was Stel Project at 6 p.m. and staff Writer ' confrontation. The older man along with their 2003 Honda stiU in possession of m uch of the Zydeco Hepcats taking was pimched and put to the Accord. Adams estimated the the couple’s stolen property. the stage at 8 p.m. A D etroit m an has been ground.” in tru d er w as in the couple’s O fficers also recovered nu Among the participating charged with breaking into a The m ale resident w as tied home for about 30 minutes. merous stolen items that restau ran ts will be H ickory WesBand home and assaulting up and th e fem ale resident A fter several hours, the linked him to several recent BBQ, Longhorn Steak and robbing the elderly resi offered the intruder money couple w as able to free them home invasions in Livonia, House, Fam ous Dave’s, dents. which he had demanded, Ad selves and sought the assis Adams said. Malarkey’s, Texas Road The incident began about 10 ams said, then she went with tance of a neighbor who called “H e (Thornton) liVes in the house and Max and Erma’s. p jn . Saturday, Aug. 31, at a the suspect to a closet. 911. The W esfland Police re same block where w^ recov Ashley’s of Westland will be home on Joy between Merri- “She was shoved into the sponded and within hours lo ered the car,” Adams said. “He offering Michigan craft man and Middlebelt. The resi closet and tied up,” Adams cated the couple’s stolen car said that he rode his bicycle beers. dents, a couple both 77, were said, adding the wom an was unoccupied in the area of Fen- out here (to Westland) and put Admission to the event getting ready for bed. later hospitalized after being keU and Greenfield in Detroit. his bike in the back c)f the car * and all the entertainment is “We believe the suspect got hit and sb'angled. After a lengthy investiga (stolen from the couple).” free. Tickets for food and in through the bathroom win tion, police arrested Oliver In his interview with police, drinks are available fot dow — die screen was cut,” Stolen items Thornton, 47, a recent parolee, Adams said Thornton reported Westland Police Lt. Todd Ad The intruder allegedly stole at his apartment in Detroit. At * See EVENT, Page A2 ams said. “The man went into cash, credit cards, jewehy and the tim e of his a rre st Sept. 12, See CHARGED, Page A2 O bserver & E ccentric © The Observer & Eccentric INDEX hom0 townllfe.com Volume 49 • Numba’ 35 Business.........