Old Town - Lansing, MI

Old school set to get new life as green office

This article was posted on Fri, Jul 11 2008 | Permalink

Lansing State Journal
July 11, 2008

It’s been nearly 30 years since much happened inside the old Cedar Street School.

That’s about to change.

By spring - after the 1918 building is gutted and revamped - the site of Lansing’s first school will become home to two medical practices, a fitness facility and a worldwide yarn retailer.

The $4.1 million project is expected to be Old Town’s first environmentally friendly “green” building. Its owners are aiming for a gold rating - the second highest level - from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program…

Full LSJ article

Turner-Dodge House Celebrates 150 Years

This article was posted on Mon, Jul 07 2008 | Permalink

Join the Friends of Turner-Dodge in celebrating the 150th anniversary with a picnic at Turner-Dodge before the Concert in the Park on July 16.  The picnic is at 6:00 and is $15, by reservation (call 483-4220.)  The Concert at 7pm features the soft jazz of “Too Smooth for Notes.”  The concert is free, just bring a folding chair to sit on.

The Turner Dodge House, located at 100 E. North St. in Old Town, has a fascinating history. Its members have been part of the warp and weave of the political, economic and cultural fabric of Michigan and the state capitol from statehood through the turn of the 19th century. Below is a breif history of the house and information on its very influential inhabitants.

The Turner-Dodge House History
Marion and James Turner came to Lansing in 1847 to help prepare the wilderness for the arrival of the legislature (and lobbyist) in January of 1848.  The Capital City in the forest was built in seven months.  At first the Turners built a small house on Turner Street not far from their general store and foundry.  In 1858, the Turners built a Greek revival brick house on the bank of the Grand River in “Turner’s Woods.”  The kitchen was in the basement and there was also a room with an entrance behind a bookcase.  James was a Whig and helped found the Republican Party to end slavery.  The house is thought to be part of the underground railroad.   
                 
The Turners worked for higher education for women and helped Abigail Rogers establish a Female College in North Lansing.  They named their daughter after Abigail Rogers.  Abby Turner Dodge lived in this house all of her life.  Abby married Frank Dodge in 1888 and they lived with Marion.  Later they purchased the house and renovated it between 1900 and 1903, enlarging it to 8,600 square feet. 

Frank Dodge was an attorney and a political leader of the Democratic Party.  He championed the lumber mill strikers in a Saginaw Knights of Labor strike for a ten hour work day.  He was a supporter and friend of William Jennings Bryan who visited the house when campaigning in Michigan.  While James Turner built the plank road to open up the area to travel and later helped develop the city as a railroad hub, Frank Dodge got the electric trolley up and running and helped establish a new Ingham County Court House in Mason. 
 
In her later years Marion became involved in the preservation of history, support of the regulation of alcohol, the establishment of a hospital and other
reforms supported by progressive women in the late 1800s.  The women of the family were also musicians and supported the development of arts and culture in the City.  Abby was a gifted pianist, played for the President of the United States when she was eight years old and studied in Germany for two years.

The house is on the Register of National Historic Sites open to the public May-Oct., Wed.-Sat., 1-4 p.m.  Closed for holidays and special events. 

150Years 1858-2008
The Turner-Dodge House & Heritage Center  
LANSING PARKS & RECREATION DEPART. CULTURAL DIVISION
100 E. North Street ●  Lansing, MI 48906
517/483-4220 fax 517/483-6081
http://parks.cityoflansingmi.com/tdodge

Festival Success!

This article was posted on Tue, Jul 01 2008 | Permalink

The Festival of the Moon and Festival of the Sun kicked off the summer festival season with a bang. The festival weekend of June 20-21 brought almost 6,000 people into Old Town to enjoy the events.

On Friday night, Festival of the Moon saw record crowds, with a line at the door almost all night long. Everyone had a wonderful time enjoying cold glasses of Bell’s beer and Sangria while Sam Corbin, Saving Jane and Hukster rocked the tent.

On Saturday, Festival of the Sun started off with a little rain, but that did not stop people from coming out to the event. The rain didn’t last for long and it turned into a perfect afternoon to celebrate the first day of summer.
Thousands made their way to Festival of the Sun to taste wine and craft-brewed beer from 27 different vendors, dance to music on two stages, and check out the new expanded layout, reaching into historic Burchard Park.

Everyone we spoke to seemed to have a great time at both events and hopefully will come back for more Old Town events and to shop in Old Town businesses.
But, the festivals are much more than just great time—they are so important to the growth of the Old Town district. For many, the festivals are their introduction to Old Town’s vibrant community. They also serve as major fundraisers for the Old Town Commercial Association (OTCA), directly contributing to Old Town’s revitalization. Due to the wonderful response from sponsors and attendees this year, we were able to meet our financial goals.

Of course, we would not be able to put on these festivals without the tremendous support from the entire community.  Thank you to all who volunteered, sponsored, attended or helped us spread the word about the events.

For information on other upcoming Old Town festivals, visit our newest website, www.oldtownfestivals.com, which lists all major Old Town festivals and links to more information.

I Love MessageMakers

This article was posted on Tue, Jul 01 2008 | Permalink

Message Makers
1217 Turner St.
517.482.3333
http://www.messagemakers.com

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MessageMakers creates experiences that transform, specializing in creative media, instructional design, and event media services. MessageMakers produces emotionally charged high-definition videos with high impact results. MessageMakers adeptly designs and creates effective and stimulating training programs. MessageMakers provides event media services with top-of-the-line lighting, sound, projection and staging for conferences, concerts, corporate events and more. MessageMakers gets people to cry, laugh, imagine and act.