Small done Right.... Friday night Soup and Sweets Stroll in the Village...

There are so many wonderful events happening this time of year.  My favorite is the annual Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade that travels down Woodward Avenue each year.  As a young boy my sisters and I participated in this annual event through our participation in a precision marching drill team.  I know that may seem like an unfamiliar extra curricular activity to most.   Our elementary school happened to have a teacher that was a patriotic guy who put this group together and brought it to life.  When I stop to consider what he and the group of parent volunteers accomplished in this group... well... it was a thing of beauty.

He taught and instilled in this group of elementary school age kids things that are sorely needed in today's kids.  Thinking of the term "precision" as the main element of this group... we were... well... precise.  Not only in the way we dressed in our uniforms, hats, metal heel cleated boots (polished for every event), long pants with stripe down the side for boys and perfectly pleated skirts for girls.  We were taught to stand at attention in military fashion.  We were taught to perform in perfect lock step harmony never looking anywhere but straight ahead.

Please... for your own fun today... click on this link... and you can play with a giant clown balloon with your mouse... careful this could suck you in for hours of fun?  

http://www.theparade.org/

The point of this brief description is all to say that we marched down Woodward Avenue every year for the annual turkey day event... and that was back in the day when Santa arrived at the J.L. Hudson building for his reception  key to the city, and flight to Santa's Wonderland up in the still then standing Hudson's department store.  

We loved to perform and my roll in this group was fairly simple.  Because I was the tallest guy in the group the instructor found me to be best suited to handle a job that at the time I did not appreciate or really understand the meaning.  While my buddies got the job I wanted of flinging fake riffles around while marching in lock step... I was placed in the more conservative position of the colored guard.  My job was to represent our group and I guess in a small way... our country in carrying the American flag.  And so it was... while the guys behind me got the glory of slinging their riffles and precision marching in various every changing flanking patterns... my guys in the colored guard lead the way... in a more conservative... much less action pace.  Years later I began to appreciate and understand the significance of this privilege and honor to carry the American flag.  More on this in a future blog...

Now... fast forward to 2012 and we are past all the turkey day events... including a new way for the Detroit Lions to lose a game on T day... and we are on the thresh hold of Christmas.  With Black Friday and Cyber Monday behind us... we now enter the first full week in December.  That means local small town events like the Soup and Sweet Stroll in the Village of Oxford and the special night time event in the Village of Lake Orion in the wonderful Lake Orion Light Parade.


http://www.facebook.com/downtownoxfordmi?fref=ts

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Oxford-Chamber-of-Commerce-Oxford-MI/98385592375?fref=ts

I am officially inviting you, your family and friends for a bonding experience with "Small Town America".   The activities begin on Friday night in the Village of Oxford, Michigan with the annual "Soup and Sweet's Stroll".   You can purchase a wrist band at "Christmas central" or Centennial Park that gives you a sampling of soups from local restaurants or sweets from local merchants as you stroll through the Village and visit their stores while window shopping.  At 8:01 the Christmas Tree lighting officially takes place... but not before performances and caroling from local high school groups.  Be sure to stop in at local merchants to visit their "Small done Right..." stores.   Your's truly will have the new entry in "The Little Green Store..." open into the evening... we are just south of the activity center on the east side of S Washington.... look for the green light and bright white LED Christmas lights on the front of our store.

Saturday afternoon will kick off the Village of Oxford's noon time Christmas parade which marches down the main street. The great news about small town parades are that for those in the parade... it's over before you know it... while back in the day we marched in the freezing cold with the cold wind shooting down the tunnels effect created by the huge buildings in the city and covering well over a couple of miles of street lined parade goers.  Small town America is different in that you get started...cover several blocks and pack up... go home.  Fun... but in a "Small Done Right..." kind of fun.

But wait... it's not over yet... head down the highway a couple of miles... stop in to a local pub or restaurant to warm up and refuel.  Then when the day grows dark and the newly installed LED street lights come up along with the wonderful assortment of holiday decorative lighting... for the "Lake Orion Light Parade".  It is truly small town America at its best.  Done Right!

http://www.facebook.com/LakeOrionDDA?fref=ts

http://www.facebook.com/orionareachamberofcommerce?fref=ts


Stop in to our new brick and mortar location known as "The Little Green Store" and try out our free samples of chocolate covered cherries, fair trade olive oil, AND our organic candy canes.  Yes Virginia... there is an organic candy cane!    ;)

http://www.facebook.com/donaldman.1?ref=hl

Enjoy it all before it comes and goes....

Best of the holiday season to all of you and your family!

Regards,

Don Sherman

       

       

Santa's Gone Green....

You may have noticed a subtle change that occurred this past week.  At first it was not so obvious and took a day or two in order to full sink in.  It started with a simple stop for lunch at one of my new favorite diners in  the Village of Oxford.  My daughter Amanda and I had been busy on this day putting the finishing touches on our new brick and mortar location for our green products company when we decided we needed a break for lunch.   Relaxing in the former Star Buck's location recently converted into Lilly's Diner.... we shared a few laughs and talked about the recent movie offerings on the marque at the Oxford Cinema just across the street.   Our waitress promptly greeted us and joined in on the conversation.

Then... it hit me.  Subtle at first and then almost consuming me was the sound of music infiltrating the atmosphere around me.  It was not just any music my friends... but it was the sound of Christmas music.  I looked at my phone to check the date... and confirmed that even though I had just removed the Halloween pumpkins and put them into the compost pile... someone had thrown the switch to Christmas.  It felt out of place and uncomfortable to have this music placed upon us a full three weeks before Thanks Giving.  Then from there I realized that the rest of the world (at least here in metro Detroit) had made the decision to jump the gun to Christmas holiday sales.

The big box stores have made the jump.... the big orange box store has the full display of all types of electric LED lights (going green) and all types of inflatable holiday decorations.   The car dealers are subtly changing their messages... as if Santa is going to deliver a new car to you under a giant red bow.... and the local nursery on the corner has plopped down the giant Santa on their roof and placed a huge lot of natural Christmas Trees on their corner lot.  It is official... the new bench mark is the first week in November.  Black Friday is now the new official national holiday.  Close the post office... close all government offices....  and let's go shopping!        

So it is with that in mind that we enter the fray with this message for you.... Santa has gone Green!

For those of you who may not have heard the news about the new brick and mortar green store... The Little Green Store... we are located at 94 S Washington in the Village of Oxford,  Michigan.   The LGS is a sister company of the Greenfundraiserstore.com and you can see that many of the concepts we have introduced to you over the past two years are now in a place you can come to see, feel, touch, smell, taste.... kick the tires before you buy.   We feel that this completes the circle now by connecting the web store with our first brick and mortar location.   So... keep your eye out for more to come on some VERY UNIQUE green gift idea's for this dash to Christmas.  

As I like to say to my classic rock and blue's friends.... "Santa's got a brand new bag...."  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOd-00xRC6g 


Come on up and see us as we get the store ready for Christmas 2012... and walk through the door at The Little Green Store!

See you soon!

Don

"Shift into Green" in Bay Nature Magazine

Here is our recent ad that appeared in Bay Nature Magazine for the October-December issue.
Please enjoy the beautiful pictures and interesting articles in this publication.  We felt compelled to
support this publication since we have had such a high level of interest and visitations to our web site
from communities located in the Bay area.

http://issuu.com/baynature/docs/baynature-v12n4-octdec2012-1up-lowres

Best Regards,

Don Sherman
Founder and President of Greenfundraiserstore.com and The Little Green Store