AUGUST 8, 2025 EVENTS community EVENTS YPSI FOOD FESTIVAL Saturday, August 9 |12:30 – 7:30 p.m. Downtown Ypsilanti, University Bank Commerce Center, 301 W Michigan Ave. A delicious day packed with: - Mouthwatering food from local vendors & food trucks — including vegan and vegetarian options! - DJ to keep the vibes high - Family-friendly games and activities for all ages - A joyful celebration of community, culture, and small business - Whether you’re craving BBQ, soul food or something plant-based and fresh — they’ve got your plate covered. FREE ENTRY. All ages welcome. Tons of fun guaranteed. A2 FOOD TRUCK RALLY AT THE MARKET! Wednesday, August 20, 5-8 p.m. Ann Arbor Farmers Market Your favorite food trucks, carts and pop-ups plus live music! A2ZERO MONTHLY CLOTHING SWAPS August 21, 4-7 p.m. Larcom City Hall, 301 E Huron St. These are a perfect way to give your gently used clothes a new home, and you might just find an item of clothing you have been looking for, without having to buy it new. Each person can bring up to five items of clothing in good condition. Accessories are also welcome. You can take clothing without bringing anything, or bring clothing without taking anything. Hosted by the Office of Sustainability and Innovations. ICPJ ALTERNATIVES to VIOLENCE PROJECT Basic Workshop Friday, August 15, 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. Nadine Hoover & Melaine Siaw facilitating. This barebones, basic workshop is focused on transforming our personal lives and interpersonal patterns; it fulfills the basic participation requirement for the advance workshop and can be done as a refresher or a first time basic. Advanced Workshop August 16 - 17, Saturday 9 a.m. - 8 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Nadine Hoover & Melaine Siaw lead facilitating, Maryam Ashraf & Jaye Starr apprenticing. Focuses on transforming our public lives and social patterns. REGISTRATION REQUIRED: email info@icpj.org for form. Co-sponsored by Ann Arbor Quaker Meeting Friends Peace & Justice Committee, the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice, Friends Peace Teams, and AVP Michigan. A2 LOCAL FOOD FESTIVAL Thursday, August 28, 2025, 5-8 p.m. Ann Arbor Farmers Market, 315 Detroit Street This free public festival showcases farms, food makers and local organizations focused on growing a strong and sustainable local food system. Festival-goers will learn about the benefits of local and sustainably grown food, eat delicious local food, participate in fun and educational activities, and enjoy music. Submit an event to be featured in the next edition: submissions@groundcovernews. com What’s Happening at the Ann Arbor District Library Cindy Durrah: Rebel without a pause TOMMY SPAGHETTI Groundcover vendor No. 669 If you have lived in Detroit for any time you might know Cindy Durrah. If you work in the city you may have seen her as she gets around aplenty. She might be considered a thorn in the side of city council and bureaucrats. She is a housing activist who has attended more city council meetings than even the mayor. Rumor is: she holds the record. In the 1970s Cindy paddled across the Detroit River on a raft made from a door. A door that became available after Detroit demolished its first abandoned house. Cindy believes that home demolition is bad policy and I agree wholeheartedly. We all know the economic forces that created the problem in Detroit. WHITE FLIGHT is what it has been called. The official word denoting the evacuation of Detroit is: Mass. Over a million residents fled to the suburbs after the 1967 riots — riots that engulfed part of the city in flames. I was only five years old when it happened and was living in the sparsely populated suburban enclave called Livonia. I have no visual memory of the riots but I do recall my mother using the term “race-riot.” From 1968-2000, Detroit experienced the largest exodus in human history, perhaps. White people moving to the 'burbs.’ Fueled by fear, enticed by greedy realtors, the movement began in earnest, leaving a tax-depleted city center along with 250,000 abandoned homes. I digress. This article is about Cindy, who I adore because of who she is and what she represents. Cindy is a survivor. At 81 years of age she is still active and belongs on my list of Octogenerians Who Rock! Cindy was born in Wichita, Kansas Sunday, August 24 • 12-3 PM • Downtown Library Let’s take the Summer Game out with a bang with a building-wide puzzle, badge coloring, badge button making, face painting, and more! Use your remaining Summer Game points to bid for special items in our auction! Durrah's house in Detroit. She is pictured above. in 1941, and I forgot what she told me about her parents so I will ask her again. I’m hoping to keep this article going as a series. If you read this far and I kept your interest then perhaps you will purchase the upcoming editions of Groundcover. Open 10am–8pm Daily Hang out in any of our five locations across town, browsing books, magazines, newspapers, and more, or check out movies, CDs, art prints, musical instruments, and home tools— you name it! Study and meeting rooms, fast and free WiFi, and plenty of places to sit and hang out Public Computers The AADL has public-access internet computers available for use by both cardholders and noncardholders at all five locations. Each station has USB ports, headphone jacks, and some of the fastest wifi speeds in town! Byte Club An exclusive club for AADL SUPER FANS and library people like you! Byte Club will help you connect deeper with the Library you know and love, and share special sneak peeks of new things coming soon. Ready to join? Visit aadl.org/ byteclub to get started. FEATURED EVENT GROUNDCOVER NEWS 7
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