Thursday, November 18, 2021

OL Smith Middle School

 

Ora Lynn Smith, is the namesake of OL Smith Middle School. 

Born in Union City MI, Mr. Smith was orphaned at age 10.
He served as a teacher for many years in Indiana before getting his law degree at the University of Michigan. Smith was elected prosecutor in Gratiot County before eventually being selected as an Assistant Attorney General of Michigan. He ended up resigning that role and moving to Dearborn in 1927 to form a private law practice. However, not much later he was appointed as a federal prosecutor. 

While working as a prosecutor, Smith served on the Board of Education for the old Dearborn School District #7. Serving as an attorney on their behalf, he was an instrumental in the drafting of Michigan legislation to permit the consolidation of contiguous school districts. This eventually made possible the merger of Fordson and Dearborn District #7 in 1944.

Smith passed on 11-18-1941

OL Smith school was dedicated in his honor in 1954.

Monday, November 8, 2021

November SODA Meeting 2021


 NOVEMBER SODA MEETING

Join us this Thursday for our November 2021 SODA Meeting

Thursday, Oct 14th, 7:00pm

** In Person Meeting*

Whitmore-Bolles Elementary School
21501 Whitmore St Dearborn, MI 48124
in the auditorium

Face masks are required per Dearborn Public School guidelines for building use.

If you don't feel well, please do not attend.


Event Planning!

Come join us in planning events for our 2021 - 2022 year

Have your voice heard, find out what's going on in the neighborhood and city, visit with your neighbors.

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

October 2012 SODA Meeting

  

OCTOBER SODA MEETING

Join us this Thursday for our October 2021 SODA Meeting

Thursday, Oct 14th, 7:00pm
** In Person Meeting*

Whitmore-Bolles Elementary School
21501 Whitmore St Dearborn, MI 48124
in the auditorium

Candy donations for TRACK or TREAT can be dropped off at the meeting.

Face masks are required per Dearborn Public School guidelines for building use.
If you don't feel well, please do not attend.

Event Planning!
Come join us in planning events for our 2021 - 2022 year
Have your voice heard, find out what's going on in the neighborhood and city, visit with your neighbors.

Monday, October 4, 2021

SODA TRACK or TREAT - 7th Annual


Sunday, October 24, 2021
5:30 pm

7th Annual SODA
TRACK or TREAT

Penn-Vassar Park

A fun evening in the park for the whole family.

Kids "trick or treat" around the track at Penn-Vassar park and collect candy from decorated treat stations.

Prizes Best Candy Station

You do not have to be a SODA member to have a treat station or volunteer.
If you are interested in having a treat station, donating, or volunteering for this event; email Sarah Ford: sford@vividclean.com


Highlights from Track or Treat 2019  

Thursday, September 16, 2021

September 2021 SODA Meeting


 SEPTEMBER SODA MEETING

Thursday Sept 23rd @ 7:00pm

** In Person Meeting **

Whitmore-Bolles Elementary School
21501 Whitmore St Dearborn, MI 48124
in the auditorium 

Facemasks are required per Dearborn Public School guidelines for building use. If you don't feel well, please do not attend.

Come help plan events for our 2021 - 2022 year.

Event Planning:

  • Adopt-a-Tree Well
  • Track or Treat
  • *future events

Wednesday, August 11, 2021

SODA Garage Sale and Snow Woods Street Sale

August 13th - 15th   2021

Fri & Sat 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sun 11:00 am – 3:00 pm 


SODA Fields / Acoustic Music Event
Sat Aug 14th - Live Music and Local Pop-Up Vendors


SODA and Snow Woods have teamed up again this year. Find all your street sale and garage sale locations all in one place! Locations can be found on the map below, or on the Yard Sale Treasure Map app.

Download Yard Sale Treasure Map app
You will be able to see sale locations the day
of the sale with the free version of the app

 

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE MAP


SODA Fields / Acoustic Music Event

Southwestern Outer Drive Neighborhood Association is proud to present;

SODA Fields / Acoustic Music Event

A new music event for the Dearborn community featuring local talent. This is a Free all ages event. Free snacks. Near the splash pad for the kids.

  • First musical act starts at 4:00 pm

  • Located on the soccer fields at Whitmore-Bolles Elementary
    21501 Whitmore St Dearborn, MI 48124

  • Local Pop-Up Vendors

  • Parking available in the school parking lot.

Bring blanks or lawn chairs and enjoy an evening of music.





Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Call for Pop-Ups

 

Call for Pop-Ups! 

Do you have a local business?
Looking for a pop-up opportunity? 

We would love to have you join us at our
SODA Fields / Acoustic Music Event
August 14th 4 pm - 8pm.

We're hoping to add pop-up vendors to enhance the experience for everyone. If you're interested in having a pop-up at the event we would love to have you!

Cost per vendor: Free
Vendor responsibility: Bring your own table, chairs, tent, ect.

Please fill out the registration form below if interested.


Monday, July 12, 2021

SODA Fields : Acoustic Music Event

 

 
Southwestern Outer Drive Neighborhood Association is proud to present;

SODA Fields : Acoustic Music Event

A new music event for the Dearborn community featuring local talent. This is a Free all ages event. Free snacks. Near the splash pad for the kids.

- First musical act starts at 4:00 pm
- Located on the soccer fields at Whitmore-Bolles Elementary.
- Parking available in the school parking lot.

Bring blanks or lawn chairs and enjoy an evening of music.

Thursday, July 1, 2021

2021 SODA Neighborhood Garage Sale

 

SODA Neighborhood Garage Sale

Be apart of Michigan's Longest Garage Sale!! 

August 13th - 15th, 2021

Fri & Sat 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sun 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Please fill out the form below to register your address for SODA's event. We will contact you before the sale date to give you further information and confirm that you have obtained a garage sale permit.

Residents are responsible for getting their own permit from the City.

http://www.cityofdearborn.org/services/clerk/obtain-a-garage-sale-permit

The cost is $10 for the first City permit for the year

The association will advertise the event, make a map of the garage sale addresses, and sale locations will be available via the smartphone app Yard Sale Treasure Map. The sales will also be published on www.us12heritagetrail.org as part of Michigan's Longest Garage Sale

Michigan's Longest Garage Sale
https://www.us12heritagetrail.org/garage_sale.asp

2021 SODA Summer Family Picnic

 

2021 SODA Summer Family Picnic

Calling all SODA Members!

Come out on July 17th for our annual picnic
SODA will provide Pizza, Packaged Snacks, and Bottled Water.

July 17th
Noon
Whitmore-Bolles Park

Please bring your own side dish to share with your own family.
We will Not be doing potluck style this year.

Please bring a lawn chair.

Don’t forget your sunscreen and beach towels for the splash pad!

Not yet an association member? Come join us and sign up!

Thursday, May 20, 2021

The Dearborn Shop - NEW SODA Business Member

 

SODA is excited to announce a new Business Member!

The Dearborn Shop

https://thedearbornshoponline.com/

thedearbornshoponline@gmail.com

The Dearborn Shop is founded and owned by Jacob and Lizzie DiMaria. We are local wedding and family photographers and working with clients in Dearborn has made us want to support our community even more! You will see our shop online (coming soon) and around town doing pop-up sales. Our main goal, simply put, is to support and unify Dearborn through the products we carry. To start, we will have Dearborn themed apparel; t-shirts, hats, mugs, pins, stickers, etc. Keep your eye out for new items as our inventory will constantly grow and change. We will also support local makers by selling their items in our online store and at our pop-up sales. Eventually we plan to have an in-person storefront so we can host even more local creators. We are excited to bring Dearborn something that has been wished for, for a long time. Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and sign up for our email list to be the first to get all the updates!

We hope to see you at our pop-up at the Edison Street Sale! Sat, June 5th at the corner of Edison and Beech.





Wednesday, May 12, 2021

May 2021 SODA Meeting

Join us this Thursday for our May 2021 SODA Meeting

Thursday,  May 13th, 7:00pm

Event Planning!

Come join us in planning events for this Spring and Summer. 

Have your voice heard, find out what's going on in the neighborhood and city, visit with your neighbors.


May SODA MEETING
Thursday May 13th @ 7:00pm
Zoom - Virtual Meeting

Join Link: http://bit.ly/SODA2021


(Full join information below)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

SODA is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: SODA Meeting 2021

Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85033030008?pwd=aUNscHpGd1FVdHVSakFMY2d2ZVhPQT09

Meeting ID: 850 3303 0008

Passcode: 785547

Friday, April 9, 2021

The Dearborn Agency - NEW SODA Business Member


 SODA is excited to announce a new Business Member!

The Dearborn Agency

313.562.8373

info@dearbornagency.com

22691 Michigan Avenue
Dearborn, MI  48124

https://www.dearbornagency.com/

The Dearborn Agency has been a long supporter of many of SODA's events such as Track or Treat and the SODA Easter Egg Hunt. Not only that, but several members of their team are SODA area residents and members. We're very happy and excited to have their further support of SODA by joining at a business member!

The people of The Dearborn Agency have been delivering a tradition of value to customers for more than 80 years. Their team works together to find ways to minimize risks and maximize assets, and provide personal attention to each of their customers. The Dearborn Agency is a proud member of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the nation’s largest certifier of women-owned businesses and a leading advocate for women business owners and entrepreneurs. 

Please consider The Dearborn Agency for any of your insurance service needs. 

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Thank You! SODA Easter Egg Hunt

 

Thank You to Everyone that donated to this year's SODA Easter Egg Hunt.  Every one of you made this great event possible! 


4000 Filled Eggs
71 Prize Baskets



Prize Basket Donations:

Vicky Vincent
Anne Michelis
Michelle Rebecca
Kathy & Jack Harrison
Carol Lowe
Gail Denman
Michele Featherston
Deb Seder
Andrea Fitzgerald
Lolly by Golly

Candy and Other Donations:

Kathy & Jack Harrison
Helen & Ron Schauman
Jim Thorpe
Stephanie Fries
Mike Albano
Stacey Vaughan
Mike Chung
Barbara Acheson
Windy Webber
Gail Denman
Gary Woronchak
Eric & Sara Kumm
Anne Devlin
Susan Dabaja
Christi Roth
Virginia Russell
The Dearborn Agency
Carolyn Farrell

Egg Stuffers:

Carol Lowe
Sylvia Hall
Leonard Family
Michelle Rebecca
Kathy & Jack Harrison
Kameron Brown
Breanna Jackson
Jeremy Jackson
Emma Harrison
Sean Harrison
Lily Smith
Lillie Hart
Stephanie Fries & Family
Theresa and Dave Smith
Judy Struble
Marlana Tokman


Monday, April 5, 2021

Andrea Fitzgerald, Realtor - NEW SODA Business Member

 

SODA is excited to announce a new Business Member!

Andrea Fitzgerald, Realtor

313.283.1729

22371 W. Village Dr.
Dearborn, MI 48124

https://www.facebook.com/AndreafitzgeraldRealEstate/

Andrea Fitzgerald is a member of Keller Williams Legacy. Andrea is a Dearborn resident and she has been supporter of SODA; and we're happy to have her as a business member of the association. Please consider Andrea for your real estate needs.

Friday, March 26, 2021

One More Week

The outpour of generosity from the community is beyond words!

One more week till the SODA Easter Egg Hunt. We're still taking donations of prize baskets, small individually wrapped candies, or donations to offset costs.

1200 more eggs to stuff, we will be contacting those that have offered to stuff eggs this weekend. Thank you so much to everyone that has already stuffed eggs and donated items.

If you would like to donate please Contact Us

Friday, March 12, 2021

6th Annual SODA Easter Egg Hunt

6th Annual SODA Easter Egg Hunt
Saturday April 3rd, 2021
12:00 pm at Penn-Vassar Park

"The Fastest 5 Minutes In Dearborn"

All Dearborn neighbors are welcome!

We are so excited to be brining this event back to the community!!

Bring your baskets or a bag to carry your found eggs. Find a "Special" Egg and win an Easter Basket or special prize. Each egg will have a small prize or edible treat inside. The hunt will be divided into age groups. Ages 0-12.

Be on time! Hunt will start promptly at 12:05 pm.

We're working on plans to spread out the hunt to give more space for everyone. All local and state guidelines will be followed to insure a safe fun event for all. 

The Easter Egg Hunt committee is currently accepting donations. Candy, prizes, etc.
Please CONTACT US for donation drop-off or pick-up.

Have a community group or business and would like to help support this event? Contact SODA President Tim Harrison through the CONTACT US page to find out how you can help.  

Thursday, March 4, 2021

Dearborn Senior Citizen COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments TODAY 3/4/2021

Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Hadda has asked that this information be forwarded regarding available COVID-19 vaccine appointments for senior citizens.

Currently they have several hundred appointments available until 5PM today, 3/4/2021.

To qualify for the vaccine seniors must be age 65 or older and reside in one of the following cities:
Dearborn, Inkster, Garden City, Melvindale, Dearborn Heights, Redford or Allen Park.

This regional COVID-19 Vaccine response will be organized by the Dearborn Fire & Police Departments.

A two-page instructional flyer detailing who is eligible and how to make an appointment is below, along with a one-page Record of Vaccination form that should be filled out prior to arrival at the vaccination site at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center (FCPAC).  We ask that younger family members to assist seniors with appointments as needed.

The scheduling link is listed in the instructional flyer, and also below:

www.cityofdearborn.org/COVID



Thursday, February 11, 2021

Letter to Wayne County - Outer Drive Bicycle Facility Design

In representing our residents and community I signed on to a letter this week requesting Wayne County communicate with City and community leaders on the upcoming plans to for bike lanes on Outer Drive. The funding for this project was first donated more than 3 years ago by the Kosch family of Dearborn Brand. Additional funding was later approved by Dearborn City Council. Outer Drive is under the jurisdiction of Wayne County and any changes to the roadway must go through the county. The county has not been forth coming with information and has changed design plans without engagement with the community that has funded the project. County officials have ignored multiple planned meeting with City of Dearborn officials. We are requesting that the County share details about the re-engineered bicycle facility design, and, if plans do not conform to the community vision established in the recently adopted Dearborn multimodal transportation plan (MMTP), that they work together collaboratively with the City of Dearborn to provide safe and inviting bicycle infrastructure on Outer Drive that conforms to the standards set forth in the MMTP. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Timothy S. Harrison
SODA President

Update 2/11/2021, 3:00pm
Sam Baydoun, Wayne County Commissioner, reached out on Facebook and said Beth Taylor is no longer with the County. He has reached out to Beverly Watts the DPS director. He said he is working on setting a Zoom meeting with all the respective parties.

The following letter was sent to Elizabeth Taylor, Department Administrator Wayne County DPS Engineering Division

Dear Ms. Taylor,

We are writing on behalf of Dearborn residents and commuters who are very concerned about the quality of bike facilities that are to be constructed this spring on Outer Drive.

City/County modifications to the MMTP Outer Drive plans came to our attention in December 2020. The MMTP was the product of extensive community engagement. However, there has been no direct outreach to the community regarding design changes to Outer Drive. We have been trying to obtain clarity on the project since we first learned of them.  

We are specifically concerned about modifications that compromise cyclist safety by not addressing the need to slow traffic and separate modes. Specifically, decisions appear to have been made to eliminate lane width reductions, replace on-road bike lanes with sharrows and eliminate painted buffers from on-road bike lanes. 

This is not consistent with MMTP recommendations for safe cycling facilities. Research clearly shows that slowing traffic and providing separation between modes is critical to safety for the most vulnerable users of the transportation system (e.g., cyclists, pedestrians, kids, elderly, mobility-impaired).

Also well understood is the fact that people will avoid using bike/ped facilities if they do not feel comfortable and facilities are not convenient. Surely, given the multiple co-benefits associated with walking and cycling modes (e.g., health, environment, traffic congestion) we can do better. 

We have been unsuccessful in learning the exact nature of the construction plans. We ask that the County share details about the re-engineered bicycle facility design, and, if plans do not conform to the community vision established in the MMTP, work together collaboratively with the City of Dearborn to provide safe and inviting bicycle infrastructure on Outer Drive that conforms to the standards set forth in the MMTP. 

A worst case scenario, for all of us, is that this project counterproductively dissuades people from cycling and from further supporting multi modal facilities. Outer Drive is an important regional connector and we must take the time to get this project done well, so as to build momentum for purposeful and recreational biking in Dearborn and the surrounding area.

Thank you for your time. We look forward to hearing from you.

Respectfully,

Susan Grasso, Member Healthy Dearborn Steering Committee and Co-chair Healthy Environments Action Team

Tracy Besek, Founder Bike Dearborn,  Dearborn Resident and Member of Healthy Dearborn Healthy Environments Action Team

Sean Galloway, Member of Bike Dearborn and Dearborn Resident

Ann Franas, Member of Bike Dearborn and Dearborn Resident

Tim Harrison, President Southwestern Outer Drive Neighborhood Association of Dearborn and Chair Healthy Environments Action Team

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

February 2021 SODA Annual Meeting

 Join us this Thursday for our February 2021 SODA Annual Meeting 

Thursday, Feb 11th, 7:00pm

We will be discussing future events and want your input!  

Have your voice heard, find out what's going on in the neighborhood and city, visit with your neighbors.

Annual Election.

Annual board election will take place at the end of the meeting.
All association members that are current with their yearly dues are eligible to vote. 

February SODA MEETING
Thursday Feb 11th @ 7:00pm
Zoom - Virtual MeetingJoin Link: http://bit.ly/SODA2021


(Full join information below)

Help Wanted!
Board Positions Open:
- Secretary

If you are interested in running for a board position please send a message on the Contact Us page. http://www.sodadearborn.com/p/contact-us.html

To run for a board position you must be a Regular SODA Member and current with your annual dues payment.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Topic: SODA Meeting 2021
Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85033030008?pwd=aUNscHpGd1FVdHVSakFMY2d2ZVhPQT09

Meeting ID: 850 3303 0008
Passcode: 785547
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Meeting ID: 850 3303 0008

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Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbqxhqVQLX


Thursday, January 21, 2021

Downtown Dearborn Pick Up Pledge

The Dearborn Downtown Development Authorities and the organizers of Dearborn Restaurant Week are asking residents to take the #PickUpPledge.

For the week of January 22nd - January 31st help support local restaurants by placing a to go order and pick it up in person.

Delivery services that have become popular for order out dining charge restaurant operators between 15% to 30% on orders placed with delivery providers. This cuts deeply into any amount made by the restaurant on that order, possibly causing the restaurant to lose money on your order.

So take the pledge, and pick up your order in person this week!

Find out more about #PickUpPledge and a list of local restaurants on the Dearborn Restaurant Week website  https://www.dearbornrestaurantweek.com/

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

January 2021 SODA MEETING

 

January SODA MEETING
Thursday Jan 14th @ 7:00pm
Zoom - Virtual Meeting


Special Guest:
Cristina Sheppard-Decius, CMSM
​Manager of the East & West Dearborn Downtown Development Authorities

(Full join information below)

Discussion about future projects and events.
Help Wanted!
Board Positions Open:
- Secretary

If you are interested in running for a board position please send a message on the Contact Us page. http://www.sodadearborn.com/p/contact-us.html
To run for a board position you must be a Regular SODA Member and current with your annual dues payment.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SODA is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: SODA Meeting 2021
Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85033030008?pwd=aUNscHpGd1FVdHVSakFMY2d2ZVhPQT09

Meeting ID: 850 3303 0008
Passcode: 785547
One tap mobile
+13017158592,,85033030008#,,,,*785547# US (Washington D.C)
+13126266799,,85033030008#,,,,*785547# US (Chicago)

Dial by your location
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        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
        +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
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Meeting ID: 850 3303 0008
Passcode: 785547
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbqxhqVQLX