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

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

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.

Fish Ladder Tattoo Co.
302 E. Grand River Ave.
507.0353
http://www.fishladdertattoo.com

Here’s what clients answered when
asked why they love Fish Ladder Tattoo Co…

...because of the professionalism of Eric Jenks and Chris Boilore. The artwork they create is some of the area’s finest.  I will be back.
--Joshua Clark

...because of the numerous referrals I received when searching for an artist.  They are professionals and conscientious.  I’m sure this wont be my last time here.
--Shannon Moody

...because Chris is a great artist.  Fish Ladder is a clean, welcoming atmosphere.  I would recommend Fish Ladder to anyone looking for a great tattoo.
--Tracy Bulloch

...because of Eric Jenks and the great work he does.  They are professional, and good people.  I will continue to give them my business and refer my friends to them!
--Alex Orta

...because both Chris and Eric are very professional, and their personalities make you feel good about getting tattooed in the establishment. They’re just great!
--Chad

The cooperation from our volunteers greatly added to the success of our festival weekend and made both Friday and Saturday night run smoothly. Thank you again volunteers, we could not do the festivals without you!

If you are interested in volunteering for future Old Town events please contact the OTCA office at (517) 485-4283 or e-mail courtney@oldtownmainstreet.org with your contact information to be added to our volunteer list-serv. Thank you to all who continue to support Old Town!

Ashlei Echols: Ashlei is an OTCA employee through the Michigan Works Program. She will be a junior at Everett High School in the fall and enjoys playing soccer, singing and acting. In the future Ashlei plans to go to college out of state. She is unsure what she wants to do for a career, but whatever it is -from rocket science to marine biology - she will have passion for what she does.

Courtney Sipperley: Courtney has been working as a Communications Intern for the OTCA since January 2008. She will be a junior this fall at Michigan State University (MSU) and is working toward a degree in Advertising and Public Relations. You may have seen her from time to time filling in at Grace boutique in Old Town. Courtney is a member of PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) at MSU and she works as a lifeguard on campus.

Sara Colunga-Santoyo: Sara began working as a Communications Intern in May 2008. She is a Marketing major at MSU, where she will begin her sophomore year in the fall. Sara belongs to the Native American & Hispanic Business Students and Multicultural Business Program at MSU and she also works at The MSU Land Policy Institute.

Kara Swanson: Kara began working as a Design intern for the OTCA in May 2008. She attends Lansing Community College and has plans to graduate with a degree in Graphic Design in the next year. She is the designer and co-creator for a magazine called “Turn it Down” which features music and art happenings in the Lansing area.

Daedalian Lowry: Daedalian has been working as a Design Intern since May 2008. He graduated from MSU with a degree in Advertising and is currently taking graphic design classes at Lansing Community College. In addition to working for the OTCA, Daedalian runs his own DJ business, is an on-air broadcaster for 99.1 WFMK, and is the Assistant Program Director for 89.7 WLNZ.

The Artisan’s Circle is a new addition to Old Town, located next door to the OTCA office at 1236-B Turner St.

As an artist co-operative, all 17 artists are owners of Artisan’s Circle and own stock in their corporation, Lansing Old Town Artist Co-Operative.

The idea for Artisan’s Circle began with five artists. The majority of them had rented studio space in Old Town and decided it would be good to have their own space. Consequently, they began to solicit other artists to take part in opening up their co-operative. In October of 2007, Artisan’s Circle opened its doors to the people of Old Town. The owners chose Old Town as their location because “it’s a great art district, with a great atmosphere and we knew that Old Town was greatly improving,” said Paula Gibson, one of the owners and artists of Artisan’s Circle.

In the future, Paula said The Artisan’s Circle hopes to “expand, improve and create new artwork.”

The Artisan’s Circle is open on Sunday from noon-5p.m. and on Tuesday-Saturday from 9a.m.-6p.m. For more information about this co-op, call (517) 675-2050 or visit http://theartisancircle.com.

I am continually amazed by your endless energy and commitment to our neighborhood. There were so many examples of this in the last month alone, it would be impossible to list them all, but here are a few. We had about 65 people who came to the rescue when we had only ten volunteers for the last shift of Festival of the Sun; the entire Classic Wines staff jumped behind the bar to help pour beer at Festival of the Moon when we experienced larger-than-expected crowds; a resident stopped by with homemade treats for the volunteers setting up the festival; residents stopped by to sweep and help set-up, though they weren’t asked; locals made sure that the Farmers Market was staffed and that the farmers were happy; volunteers pitched in to plant the open beds and tree wells to “ready Old Town for company;” donors gave us plants and compost to keep away weeds and keep the beds moist; all kinds of people worked hard to move that compost to the appropriate places in 90 degree weather; business owners picked up trash, weed whacked and cleaned up open spaces; locals are helping to water the hanging baskets and keep the area looking beautiful; volunteers spent their entire weekend at the festivals helping to make sure the events were a success. The list goes on and on. Thank you so much to each of you who work so hard to continue to make Old Town so wonderful.

In addition to the donation of time and energy, a number of people have made significant financial donations to ensure that we’re able to continue the work of revitalizing the neighborhood. Please be sure to support these people as much as possible. It is not just the large donors that mean so much, it is also the individuals who have made donations to Old Town - sponsored the banners and baskets, hung a banner at an event, paid for the printing of a brochure, etc.

Thank you to the OTCA board of directors, who contribute significant amounts of time and energy, and who make sure that we’re able to successfully complete projects. These unsung heros are truly wonderful people who work in the background without much thanks, no reimbursement and are taking time away from their businesses and families for the greater good of Old Town.

I cannot say thank you enough to all of you for your help and support. I truly love Old Town. Thank you for giving me such a wonderful place to work.

Have a wonderful summer,
Jamie Schriner-Hooper, Executive Director

The first floor of the Old Town Medical Arts Building will become the home to ThreadBear Fiber Arts Studio, which features a wide variety of yarn. The owners of ThreadBear are current Old Town residents and are moving their business from their present location on Waverly Street in Lansing.

The second floor of the new building will hold the office suites of doctors Carla Guggenheim and Gail Shafer. Carla is a Rheumatologist who specializes in treating arthritis. Gail earned a bachelors degree in Occupational Therapy as well as a PhD in anatomy. In addition to the doctors offices, there will be a waiting room complete with a coffee and smoothie kiosk and a retail health supply store.

The third floor of the building will become a member-based gym, complete with standard exercise machines, special equipment for patients who are undergoing physical therapy and a dance and yoga studio. There will also be a Gyrotonic exercise system, which is used to enhance balance, flexibility and muscle strength. These specialized machines are similar to Pilates and are often used by dancers.

The Old Town Medical Arts Building is LEED certified, meaning the entire building will be environmentally-friendly. These new “going green” features include geothermal heating and cooling, a green roof and xeriscape gardening, which uses very little water.

Rochelle Rizzi, Co-Owner and Creative Director of Rizzi Designs, has more than 15 years of business experience and is also a member of the OTCA festival planning committees. In starting Rizzi Designs, Rochelle’s vision was to provide a full-service marketing and design firm that serves her clients from “concept to completion.” This idea, several years later, is still her number one priority. Rochelle recently brought on a partner, Sandra Neuman, to head up the rapidly growing Special Events Division which specializes in promotional products and unique designs for corporate and consumer clients’ themed, or branded, events.

Before starting Rizzi Designs, Rochelle volunteered for the Old Town Commercial Association, assisting with a variety of event planning projects. After experiencing the profound sense of community in Old Town, she knew she would one day move her business to Old Town, supporting the OTCA’s mission. Rochelle says her favorite part of Old Town is the community, as this feeling of connectedness has allowed her to develop valuable friendships through great business relationships. The Rizzi Designs strategic plan currently includes concentrating on rebuilding Michigan, particularly the mid-Michigan area. Rochelle has high hopes for Rizzi Designs in the future, as she wants to expand Rizzi Designs, offering more job opportunities while supporting new and growing businesses.

Rizzi Designs serves a variety of clients including nonprofit, government, and corporate businesses. This year, Rizzi Designs is extremely involved with Festival of the Moon and Festival of the Sun. Not only are they a prominent sponsor, but their employees will be volunteering in the VIP tent for both events. Thank you, Rizzi Designs! 

For additional information about Rizzi Designs visit http://www.rizzidesigns.com or call 866.44RIZZI.