Livingston County Notes

I went to a meeting of the Brighton Optimist Club at Mt. Brighton early yesterday morning and noticed a lot of activity at the Challis Rd. entrance. Freshly damaged trees, earth that had been moved, equipment lying about. Turns out that the production company filming the remake of the Patrick Swayze movie, 'Red Dawn', was going to film a scene there. They brought in dead trees, planted some and left others lying around. By the time I left, the Brighton Fire Department was there to make sure the 'controlled burn' didn't get out of hand. Pretty exciting. This crew has also set off some pretty spectacular explosions in downtown Detroit to make the movie, too.

Speaking of the Brighton Optimist Club, they have a great fundraiser in progress. They're partnering with Michigan's own Dutchman Farms to sell cut and container-grown Christmas trees and holiday wreaths. Well priced goods with reasonably priced UPS shipping which even allows you to choose the shipping date. I ordered a wreath as a gift and the shipping to Metro Detroit was right around $7. They have a low rate of defective or damaged good and guarantee immediate free shipment of a replacement should you get a bad item. You can check them out at http://www.dutchmantreefarms.com/green2green-fundraiser/overview.html and use code OCBRMI to give the Brighton Optimist Club credit. They ship anywhere in the lower 48 and have a special deal with UPS. The greener of us will consider the container-grown trees that can be planted outside in the Spring.

The Howell Rotary is conducting the popular 'Tour de Livingston' bike ride tomorrow, Saturday, October 10th. Routes of 25-75 miles are available and proceeds go to Livingston County's United Way. All routes start at Mt. Brighton. See http://www.tourdelivingston.org/Default.aspx for more info.

A lot of restaurants seem to be doing fine, even in this poor economy. The new Sagano's Japanese Steak House on Main St in Downtown Brighton is doing well. Stout's Irish Pub on Grand River put in a new patio with bar and stanchion-style gas heaters and a fire pit this year. Well done, comfortable and perhaps the nicest outdoor seating in the area. Next door to Stout's, work continues on the Leaf, Barley & Vine, Brighton's first real wine & cigar bar. They are approved to have an outdoor seating space with a fireplace, too. In recent years, the Stonefire Bistro and Main Street Martini Bar opened on Main Street. There are plenty of choices for different dining experiences in Brighton.

The local Farmer's Markets are still open through the end of the month, too. Catch Brighton's on Saturday mornings, in front of the downtown municipal buildings adjacent to the millpond, and Howell's on Sunday mornings, adjacent to the Historic County Courthouse.