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It’s not hard to see why the Made in Michigan Show in downtown Mount Clemens has more than doubled its size in recent years.

Now in its 11th year, the Made in Michigan Show is the city’s first outdoor event of the spring. The festival not only features dozens of vendors from around the Great Lakes State but also has free live entertainment, unique gifts just in time for Mother’s Day, and a Kids’ Business Fair.

The two-day festival, which runs Friday and Saturday, is one of the most popular events on the Downtown Mount Clemens schedule, according to Michelle Weiss of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA).

“This year’s show is the largest to date with over 120 vendors showcasing products that are made, grown, assembled, or manufactured in Michigan,” Weiss said.

The event has grown by leaps and bounds, especially after the end of the pandemic. There were 60 individuals or small companies signed up in 2019 compared to more than 120 ready for this weekend’s festival.

Show vendors set up along Macomb Place between North Main and Pine streets, and also on North Walnut Street between New Street and the Emerald Theatre.

This year’s products include:

Returning to the festival is the Kids’ Business Fair sponsored by The Discovery Center of Macomb, Comerica Bank and the Mount Clemens DDA. It is a one-day marketplace from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday for kids ages 8-16 to have the opportunity to explore what it is like to own their own business. Businesses range from baking, to bath and beauty, jewelers, stationary, clothing, fresh baked dog biscuits, artists, hair accessories, and more.

While the project is educational at the core, it is the DDA’s hope to ignite a spark in young people that will encourage them that business ownership is awesome.

“That’s our next generation of entrepreneurs,” Weiss said.

Free live entertainment is sponsored by Ardis Music and the Mount Clemens DDA.

On Friday, the lineup will see Kevin Tarnas at 11 a.m., Tom Bartelmay at 1:30 p.m., Johnny Rhodes at 4 p.m., Acoustic Ash at 6 p.m. Taking the stage Saturday will be Robby Chism at 10 a.m., Olivia Van Goor at 1 p.m., and Eli Bicheit & Trevor Lamb close out the schedule at 3 p.m.

DDA officials said the goal of the Made in Michigan Show is to inform, educate, and encourage Michiganders, organizations, and consumers alike, to support our local economy by purchasing products make in Michigan and from Michigan-based companies and vendors.

Festival hours are 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday.

For more information regarding the Mount Clemens Made in Michigan Show or Downtown Mount Clemens, call 586-469-4168.

Photo by Dean Vaglia

| Mount Clemens-Clinton-Harrison Journal | Published July 21, 2023

Photo by Dean Vaglia

MOUNT CLEMENS — Once a motel and long since an eyesore, a deal between the city and a developer would double the residential space in downtown Mount Clemens.

City commissioners approved an agreement between the city and Shelby Township-based developer Jim George, working under the name Manchester Mt. Clemens, LLC, on July 10 to demolish the former Victory Inn at 1 North River Road and build a 100-unit market-rate apartment complex on the site.

“There was some discussion about it, but everyone was in agreement that it was a great project,” Mount Clemens Mayor Laura Kropp said of the July 10 special city commission meeting. “It is minimal risk to the city because we’re just managing the funds from the state to the developer that the state has designated for that project. The city’s role is minimal.”

The agreement hinges on the city receiving a $5 million enhancement grant for the state to reimburse the developer for the estimated $2.75 million purchase of the site and for the cost of demolition, environmental remediation and construction. While Kropp says the developer plans to begin work on the site immediately, the city will receive the site for $1 if work does not begin on the site within three years.

“The developer is a reputable developer in the tri-county area, and he approached our state delegation … and then he approached the city about the project,” Kropp said. “He discussed with all of us the challenges about that site and how it’s been a long-term problem for the city. He knew that there were economic development dollars out there at the state level, so he gathered a team to go after money at the state level to bridge the gap of the costs of this project.”

When the project is complete, it will double the residential capacity in downtown Mount Clemens, which Kropp sees as a way to further the city’s revitalization.

“We need more people to be able to support the businesses downtown, but we’ve also had significant population loss in the last 30 years,” Kropp said. “This is going to try and right that ship.”

Other revitalization efforts in recent years include the city’s rebrand, the creation and continued support for the Oasis social district and redirecting the Downtown Development Authority’s focus to supporting city businesses. Another way the project helps the city is by providing taxable property in an area where such land is sparse.

“The challenge that lies within Mount Clemens is that we are the county seat and that we have such a strong concentration of nontaxable properties,” Kropp said. “Forty-eight percent of our land is already nontaxable.”

Two other projects are in the works to expand downtown Mount Clemens’ residential footprint. In the same week as the Victory Inn site deal was reached, city and state officials met by banks of the Clinton River to tour the under-construction Edison Crossing supportive residences on July 12.

“During the last few years, we have seen a true housing crisis in Michigan,” said Gary Heidel, chief of staff of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. “We have a lot of needs for more affordable housing in a long spectrum whether it’s affordable housing, workforce housing, housing for the homeless, housing for people with disabilities. It’s been something that really came out of the great recession when we really stopped investing in housing. … When we build new it really does help the supply problem.”

The 30-apartment complex is aimed at housing seniors, single adults and families. Veterans and the homeless are being reached out to for interest, with 11 rooms set aside for veterans. The building is fully accessible with a stretcher-compliant elevator.

While much of the building is up, the Gratiot Avenue apartment complex still has a while to go before it’s ready for occupants. Construction is expected to end by mid-August and the building should open in October.

On the other side of the Gratiot loop, the city and the Anton Art Center are working to build a 39-unit live-work facility for artists with nonprofit developer Artspace. The Roskopp parking lot is the tentative site as of a May 15 negotiation agreement. Kropp said the city is “still in current talks” with Artspace regarding the project.

The Artspace project will be eligible for federal low-income tax credits.

Several roads in downtown Mount Clemens will be closed or have restricted parking for the next few days due to some special entertainment events, including the first-ever Mardi Gras Block Party.

There’s also the return of the River Sight & Sound Concert Series, another outdoor Uptown Friday Night Concert show, and the filming of a TV commercial. The commercial filming is not open to the public.

“It’s going to be an exciting weekend as we have a lot of different things going on in terms of free musical entertainment,” said Michelle Weiss of the Downtown Development Authority.

Road closures include:

Gumbo’s on North Walnut will host a Mardi Gras Block Party from noon-10 p.m. Saturday. The family-friendly event will feature entertainment, activities, and New Orleans-style cuisine. It also has a social district license so guests can grab an adult beverage and walk around the celebration.

Jeremy Tait has owned the venue along with his wife, Courtney, and sister, Laila Tait for the last six years.

“Mardi Gras events are traditionally held in February, but up here in Michigan, it’s way too cold to be outside,” Tait said Wednesday. “So we decided to do it in the summer when it’s warmer.”

The trio took over the restaurant from Tait’s parents, Terri and Jimmy, who ran Gumbo’s for about 12 years. He said the key to Gumbo’s is their mom’s recipes, which they’ve kept on the menu.

“They’ve seen the progress we’ve made over the last few years,” Tait said. “My dad’s a bricklayer, so all of the major renovations we’ve done, he’s been the contractor. They’ll be working the party.”

The menu includes crawfish boil, Cajun turkey legs, Cajun corn, beignets, snowballs, and a full bar with specialty drinks.

Live entertainment will be provided by the Paxton/Spangler Band, the Zydeco Hepcats and Root Variations.

There also will be face painting, games, a stilt walker, clowns, dancing, raffles and more.

Also taking place this weekend:

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A man waiting to undergo a psychiatric observation left a Mount Clemens hospital, stripped, swam across a river, and climbed up a 200-foot-tall cellphone antenna before being coaxed down, according to firefighters.

The incident happened at about 9:30 a.m. when the man walked out of the emergency room at McLaren Macomb hospital. It ended a short time later when he surrendered to authorities and was transported back to the hospital.

A team of first responders including the Mount Clemens Fire Department and Macomb County Sheriff’s deputies used patience in dealing with the subject because they didn’t know how he would otherwise react, said fire Capt. Nick Candela.

“We kept our distance and played it cool,” Candela said. “He kept climbing down a little further every couple of minutes, so we were fortunate to not have to risk going up in our ladder truck.”

The episode started out with a 911 call from the hospital’s security personnel advising that a patient had fled the medical facility on Harrington Street, east of Groesbeck Highway (M-97).

Witnesses told deputies and fire personnel they watched as the patient fully disrobed and swam across the Clinton River. He then climbed over fences and through back yards.

Once he was in the area of Church Street and South Rose, near the Phoenix Stone Company, he climbed onto an antenna tower and went about halfway up.

Candela said a Sheriff’s deputy used a megaphone to communicate with the subject.

“He climbed down on his own, which is good because I don’t think the bucket on our ladder truck would reach him,” Candela said.

Once he came down, firefighters covered him with a blanket and secured him to a Medstar Ambulance gurney to be taken back to the hospital.

Candela said the Macomb County Technical Rescue team was advised of the situation in case they had to be mobilized. He said Mount Clemens firefighters are trained to climb high buildings, adding it’s a risky venture.

“Especially when you have an individual who is not in a right state of mind,” the fire captain said. “We did have a plan that included us being belted and strapped into our bucket, but you never know what’s going to happen when you get up there.”

Too many classrooms, not enough students.

That’s the rationale behind why Mount Clemens Community Schools officials decided to sell one of the district’s two remaining elementary schools.

The Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday night to enter into negotiations with the Macomb Intermediate School District to purchase M.L. King Jr. Academy.

“We do not need the space,” said Superintendent Monique Beels.

Board members last year voted to close King Academy on Clinton River Drive because of declining enrollment starting in the fall of 2023 and move students over the Seminole Academy in a couple of months.

The move is expected to save the district about $350,000.

The MISD will use the building for special education student programs.

As part of the agreement, Mount Clemens can purchase the school back from the ISD if student enrollment numbers show an unexpected increase in the future and create the need to additional classrooms, officials said.

According to the administration, King has about 80 students in a building designed to accommodate 320 children. Seminole Academy has room for 600 students, with 400 attending classes this year.

School officials said the move keeps the building in an educational setting “in our county” and prevents a charter school or private school from setting up shop in Mount Clemens.

Board President Earl Rickman III said if the district sold the building to another entity, they couldn’t “control” its future use.

“We know the ISD won’t grab our students,” he said.

The superintendent said falling enrollment is not unique to Mount Clemens as the number of students coincides with Michigan’s declining population.

“What we need to do is come up with a strategic plan to figure out what to with these buildings,” Beels said, adding, “Lots of empty classrooms here.”

Also Wednesday evening, the board tabled a recommendation to extend a lease agreement for the former Washington Academy school on North Rose near Groesbeck Highway.

The lease technically is up on June 30, but school officials want to extend that until Sept. 30 to tie up the agreement.

Several non-profits that were housed in the building, including the Macomb County Family Resource Center, were evicted this past spring. Two of those, Macomb Foster Closet and a church, are still in the building.

The leases were arranged through Macomb County, which paid $10,000 a month along with utilities and some repairs.

If Mount Clemens decides to extend the leases beyond September, the organizations can expect an increase in the rent, officials said.

The board will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday to receive an update on the lease agreement.

Mount Clemens closed Washington Academy in the fall of 2013 as part of a plan to wipe out red ink, along with slashing the budgets for athletics and transportation. Students were transitioned into Seminole Academy and Mount Clemens Junior High School.