2008 Salem Area Historical Society
The year 2008 for the Salem Area Historical Society was another one with lots of activity.
2008 SAHS January Meeting
In January a short business meeting, the 20 attendees were treated to a presentation by SAHS member, Gilbert Terry on Early Salem Farming. Gilbert was encouraged to document this research by creating a new SAHS publication on the subject.
2008 SAHS Annual Dinner/Auction
Salem Area Historical Society held its annual DINNER/AUCTION on Saturday, February 16, 2008 at the Fox Hill Golf Course Clubhouse. There were 81 attendees who reviewed a fine photo presentation by Gilbert Terry of the Dickerson Barn Restoration Project. They also enjoyed a wonderful buffet banquet, which was followed by a short business meeting. The election slate of offices for 2008 was presented and accepted. This was followed by a presentation to Don Riddering for his designation as the Salem Area Historical Society President Emeritus. Marge and Jerry Skelly were given their SAHS Membership Cards as the first ever SAHS Lifetime Members. Marcia Van Fossen and Elwood London were also given SAHS Membership Cards as Lifetime Members. The auction was the last agenda item. The auction committee did a great job in gathering the donations. We had 96 Auction Items from over 50 donors. Please support our sponsors who are listed on our Website at Annual Dinner/Acution . It was a lively auction with lots of participation. This was our most successful Dinner/Auction in terms of attendance and fund raising. When adding up the funds generated from the banquet, auction, 50/50 and donations, we raised over $3,500. Thanks to all who helped make this Salem Area Historical Society event such a success!!!!
2008 SAHS Plymouth Whaler Hockey Night
SAHS participated in its first Plymouth Whalers Hockey Night on Friday, February 22nd. We sold 12 tickets and sponsored the Chuck-A-Puck. Diane Cwik and Helen Gierman sold the pucks up though the first two periods. The SAHS netted $213! GREAT JOB!!! THANK YOU!
It was an exciting Game. The Whalers were leading the entire game until the last 5 minutes when they fell behind 5-6. The Whalers pulled their goalie with a minute to play and SCOOOOOOOOOOOORED with 24.3 seconds remaining to tie it at 6-6. There was no scoring in the overtime period (5 minutes). In the shoot-out, the Whalers won 2-0 for a Whalers 7-6 victory.
2008 SAHS Election Dinner
The March SAHS Meeting was our annual Pot-Luck Dinner and Election. Our election results were:
|
President
|
Cwik, Terry
|
|
Vice President
|
Van Fossen, Marcia
|
|
Secretary
|
Letts, Andrea
|
|
Treasurer
|
Brautigan, Mike
|
|
Member At-Large
|
Gilbert Terry
|
|
President Emeritus
|
Riddering, Don
|
In addition, there was a business meeting to review our 2007 financial statement, current financial position, and the 2008 budget. Through many generous donations and your memberships, the society now has a small cash reserve.
April Meeting
At our April meeting, SAHS member Linus Drogs gave a presentation on genealogy research to the two dozen attendees. Linus also had relevant handouts and answered many questions from the audience.
May Meeting
At our May meeting, SAHS member Jean Bemish gave a presentation on Beatrix Potter to the twenty-some attendees. Jean also read some of Beatrix’s work and had Potter books and memorabilia for all to review.
Conant Farm Meeting
Also in May, the Jarvis-Stone School was used to host a Public Meeting on the Conant Farm Local Historic District. Many attendees were SAHS members. All those in attendance were in favor of this project.
Flag Day
In June, SAHS members participated in the Annual Salem Flag Day Parade and hosted a table on the Township grounds after the parade. Karl Geirman got to drive the historic Ice Cream truck from The Dixboro General Store.
Candidates’ Forum Nights
Salem Area Historical Society held the first of its two Candidates’ Forums at the Jarvis-Stone School on Wednesday, July 23rd, and included the Salem Township Candidates for Supervisor (Robert Heyl -R), Clerk (Sharon Bell – D, Mary Cowmeadow - R, David Trent – R) and Treasurer (Linda Hamilton – R, Brian Laskey – D, Paul Uherek). This first forum as attended by a standing-room-only crowd of over 65 citizens. The second Candidates’ Forum was held at the Jarvis-Stone School on Tuesday, July 29th and attending were the Salem Township Candidates for Trustee (Matthew Letts -D, Sue Bejin – R, Barton Cann - R, Dennis Draplin – R, Wayne Wallazy – R and Brien Witkowski –R). This forum as attended by a standing-room-only crowd of over 62 citizens. At both forums, attendees were given handouts that included the candidates’ responses to 10 questions. During the forums, each candidate gave an introduction, responded to three questions and gave a closing. This was followed by informal discussions afterwards. A copy of the candidates’ responses is available through the Salem Area Historical Website at: Candidates' Forum.
Oldtime Summer Picnic and Croquet Match
On July 27th, the Salem Area Historical Society held its annual Oldtime Summer Picnic and Croquet Match. This year festivities included the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Model T. Several members of a local Model T club drove their Model T to the picnic for the attendees to review. The croquet match was held amongst SAHS members since we could not get another historical society to accept our challenge to compete. A special thank you goes to Helen and Karl Gierman for the delicious picnic meal that they provided. The South Lyon Herald article about the event can be found on our Website at: SAHS_Picnic_2008.
.
Dickerson Barn Update
In July, the three doors to the Dickerson Barn were hung. The hinges are replicas of the type of hinges used in the 1830s. More of the floor has been arranged for securing by Gilbert Terry. We painted the exterior of the Dickerson Barn a beautiful Barn Red during October. In November, a scout troop assisted SAHS in a Barn work day, where the crawl space was cleaned out and the floor was laid out and organized.
Annual Barn Dance
Salem Area Historical Society held its annual Barn Dance at the Three Cedars Farm with music and calling by The Picks 'N' Sticks on September 19th. A crowd of over 180 attended and danced to the music which was non-stop for over 3 1/2 hours! The crowd spanned and included all ages from 5 to the 80’s including many pre-teens and teens. The dancing instructions, which were mixed in with the music and dance calling, increased the dance skill level and enjoyment for all. Picks 'N' Sticks never took a break and played an extra 45 minutes because everyone was having so much fun.
SAHS extends a special THANK YOU to Gary Whittaker and his staff at Three Cedars Farm for generously donating their facility and time for the use of the Barn Dance. Their barn is an excellent venue for our event. An additional THANK YOU goes to Picks 'N' Sticks and Sherry Humecky for their great play, delightful attitude and generous donation that made this event possible, enjoyable, fun and financially successful.
October Meeting
Our monthly meeting on the fourth Wednesday of the month, October 22nd, featured a presentation by Michelle Bononi, entitled “Restoration of Old Gravestones”. The twenty attendees learned about the restoration process and enjoyed many photos of historic cemeteries including those in Salem.
Country Antique Fair and Flea Market
Thank you to everyone who helped us set up and run our first Salem Area Historical Society's Country Antique Fair and Flea Market. This includes our crafters/vendors and our customers for supporting us through selling,
buying, attending, donating, etc. It was a successful fundraiser for the SAHS's Jarvis-Stone School and
Dickerson Barn projects. It was held on Saturday, October 25th at the Jarvis-Stone School. It featured a
lecture on antiques by Bruce McKenzie with antique appraisals following the lecture. We had over twenty
Craft & Flea Market Tables from local vendors with a wide array of goods. Food, drinks and bake goods
were available for purchase. Despite the cool to cold temperatures all those involved enjoyed the event and
recommended that we hold it again in 2009. Everything went so smoothly that one would be lead to believe
that Sue DiMilia, Marcia Van Fossen and Pat Hatala are professional event organizers.
Flu Immunization Clinic
SAHS once again hosted a Flu Immunization Clinic at the Jarvis-Stone School. It was administrated by the Washtenaw County Public Health Department on November 6th. The nurses administrated Flu shots to about two dozen attendees.
Annual SAHS Christmas Party
The year's Annual SAHS Christams Party was hosted by Marsha Van Fossen and Woody London on Sunday, December 7th. It was well attended by SAHS members. After enjoying the dishes provided by Marsha and Woody as well as those brought to share by others, Terry Cwik, President SAHS, presented Jerry Skelly a picture frame plaque as SAHS 2008 Honoree. Jerry was honored for his many years as a SAHS member, his more than a decade long service as the SAHS Treasurer and for being part of the first SAHS LIFETIME Couple Membership.
