MAY 15, 2026 ON MY CORNER MEET YOUR VENDOR Andrew White, vendor No. 560 In one sentence, who are you? Love me or hate me, I’m me. Where do you usually sell Groundcover? Outside Cherry Republic, on the corner of Main and Liberty Streets. When and why did you start selling Groundcover? In all honesty, I don’t know when I started. The reason why is so I can have an income. What is your favorite spot in Ann Arbor? Hanging out on State Street or the U-M Diag. What words do you live by? Just keep 100. What motivates you to work hard selling Groundcover? The ability to make money and to conversate with people. What was your first job? I worked as a bagger at Kroger. What’s the best way to start the day? A cup of coffee and a morning smoke. What is a small thing that makes your day better? When people actually talk to me when selling Groundcover. What is your pet peeve? When someone forgets to give me back my lighter. GROUNDCOVER NEWS Earth Day reflections — so many lessons, so few listening Earth Day is a very important time to show respect for all that the sacred earth has given to humanity. This is not a religion; it's an homage to what has been giving the bounty of life we have on this planet. As a Native American I was honored to do a speech at the Earth Day event this year, 2026. What was hard to grasp was the fact we had a very small group of people in attendance. Each year the gathering for this sacred time is smaller and smaller. As I look deep into the past we have many examples of humanity over-harvesting, taking too much and depleting the land. All one needs to do is go to places like parts of Africa. The greatest example is the Sahara Desert, once a vibrant tropical land with diverse animals. The people lived as we do now, with towns and cities. Other locations are the Middle East when Babylon was a vibrant diverse location with trees and land and water — yet now much of that location is dry and depleted. Madagascar was an amazing sustainable land with many trees and good land to grow, yet now it’s all blown to the winds with sickness all around. We can then go to the great lands of India. In the northern provinces the dust makes it CINDY GERE Groundcover vendor No. 279 sap. Burdock and sorrel plants and ferns. Acorns and pine gum are some of the alternative foods we have in Michigan. Tribes have in the past been sustained exclusively by acorns, the one-stop shop tree. The Earth provides if we take a closer look at what is possible. Real rejuvenation is coming to pass in areas of depletion such as China and the reforhard to breathe and nothing grows, yet only 100 years ago the land was thick with vegetation and people living in harmony. America suffered a massive dust bowl that created real suffering. Mother Earth has a delicate this balance and we forget repeatedly. The winds of change happen fast! All the old nations and lands, they too felt invincible and full of freedom. Mother Earth gives freely yet we use unnatural chemicals to feed the world, creating chemical-resistant insects. Must we play out the warning of Atlantis? Do we not know the end of that story? Can we make real change for a better world in harmony with nature as organic farms do each and every day? Mother Earth provides the foraging lands for the humans with grains such as wild rice. Deer meat. Wild maple The "Mighty Mac"-kinac Bridge SHELLEY DENEVE Groundcover vendor No. 22 Did you ever wonder about the Mackinac Bridge being maintained? Who has the nerves of steel to do such a job? There have been many who braved the height of this phenomenon. Over 11,000 workers have worked on the project since construction began, with a high volume of daily workers on-site. The bridge was designed to replace the ferry service connecting Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. Construction began in May 1954 and was completed in 1957, opening to traffic on November 1, 1957. The fivemile structure took over three years to build at a cost of $99 million. It was designed by Dr. David B. Steinman. Approximately 90 full-time, permanent, intermittent and seasonal staff members operate and maintain the "Mighty Mac." The team of employees include engineers, maintenance workers, painters, bridge inspectors (steeplejacks), mechanics, electricians, welders and toll booth staff. The staff maintains the structure 24/7, providing services such as towing, snow removal, and the bridge camera/radio communication systems. They also provide a driver-assistance program for individuals who are nervous about driving across the bridge. Six workers lost their lives in connection with the Mackinac Bridge: five during its construction (1954–1957) and one during maintenance in 1997. The five construction fatalities included deaths from a scuba diving accident, a fall into a caisson, a drowning, and two from a fall from a temporary catwalk. Enough about that depressing information. So when was the last time you crossed the bridge? For me it’s been over 30 years, when I crossed on foot. I did the Labor Day walk on the bridge. We got up at three or so in the morning, drove to Mackinaw City and parked our vehicle. We got on a bus and we crossed the bridge to St. Ignace. Then we walked back to Mackinaw City. As we drove over the bridge to St. Ignace, we saw the sunrise — it was beautiful. As day broke we started walking the bridge. I was kind of apprehensive. Walking the bridge took a while. I don't remember how long it took, but I remember how beautiful the day was when we got back to Mackinaw City. I look back now and think how brave I was. Right now I would probably freak out. I wish I could go visit it now estation of their deserts and the re-grow projects across the world. China and India, In African countries, deserts are being reforested. This is truly essential for Mother Earth, for our own survival. Each and every one of us needs to pick a project and help with what we can. The seventh generation of your family will benefit from making a powerful choice right now, whether it’s here in Michigan or across the world. Everything starts with commitment and determination. What we are doing in the long term is what matters for each of us in every way. It takes just one additional drop of water to create a flood or make a desert into a sea. Soft movements for real change, that is real honor to Mother Earth … She is waiting … Kulema kungfu panda. just to see how nervous I would be going over it. You know it’s a shame that I haven't been up there since then. It's only 4-5 hours away. My two kids had to see the bridge with other people; other unexpected life circumstances prevented my husband and I from going at the time. Oh, I wanted to go and visit it but my husband at the time was too busy working two and three jobs, and drinking. The drinking was his life force. The jobs he worked barely kept us afloat. It makes me angry and sad that I let this happen. Maybe the fairly new car I purchased recently can get me there this summer. Right now I'm having trouble with this car and my mechanic can't seem to figure out what exactly is causing the problem. It seems like there is always something preventing me from doing what I would like to do. Walking the bridge again and silently thanking the workers is at the top of my list. 3
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