The Dearborn Community Arts Council is hosting art experience workshops 3-5 p.m. on Sunday afternoons at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center. The cost is $10 per person or $32 for a family of four per session.

Each session is a sampling of an aspect of the arts. The remaining schedule is:

• January 8 – Pottery W/ Village Potters Guild Artisans

• February 12 – Photography – How to use your own camera

If you are interested in registering call 313-943-4095 or email sgreene@ci.dearborn.mi.us

So what New Year’s resolutions have you made for 2012?  Bill Maher, the host of of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher”, penned a few in a column in today’s New York Times. We thought we’d share a few of his thoughts here. Happy New Year!

New Rule Starting this year, every appliance doesn’t need a clock on it. My stove, my dishwasher, my microwave, my VCR — all have clocks on them. If I really cared that much about what time it was (or what year it was), would I still have a VCR?

New Rule Starting next year, any politician caught in a scandal can’t go before the press, offer a lame excuse and then say, “Period. End of Story.” Here’s how you indicate a “period” and the end of a story: shut up.

New Rule Now that we have no money, and all our soldiers have come home from Iraq and they’ve all got experience building infrastructure, and no jobs … we must immediately solve all of our problems by declaring war on the United States.

New Rule Internet headlines have to be more like newspaper headlines. That means they have to tell me something instead of just tricking me into clicking on them. If you write the headline, “She Wore That?” you have to go to your journalism school and give your degree back.

New Rule Let’s stop scheduling the presidential election in the same year as the Summer Olympics. I get so exhausted watching those robotic, emotionally stunted, artificial-looking creatures with no real lives striving to do the one thing they’re trained to do that I barely have energy left to watch the Olympics.

New Rule You can’t be against same-sex marriage and for Newt Gingrich. No man has ever loved another man as much as Newt Gingrich loves Newt Gingrich.

To read Maher’s complete column, click HERE.

The Rotary Club of Dearborn will offer a new scholarship to high school graduates in 2012, the Dearborn Rotary Past President Young Scholarship, to one or more graduating seniors from Dearborn’s three public high schools.

While the first scholarship of $1,500 will be awarded next year, applications to be considered need to be submitted by Jan. 16.

This new scholarship was made possible through the generosity of Robert Young, a longtime member and past president of the Rotary Club of Dearborn. He was also an educator in the Dearborn Public Schools and served as principal of Edsel Ford High School.

The scholarship will be awarded based on the applicants’ understanding of the 4-Way Test of Rotary International, along with academic performance and community engagement.

The Rotary Club of Dearborn also is seeking donations to grow this scholarship award for the future, said John Artis, Dearborn Rotary president.

“Contributing to this scholarship is a great way to honor someone who has given so much of himself to education in the Dearborn community,” Artis said.

Additional information and the application form for this year’s Dearborn Rotary Past President Young Scholarship are available online at www.DearbornRotary.org

Completed applications must be mailed to Dearborn Rotary Club, P.O. Box 2347, Dearborn, Michigan 48123 by Saturday, Jan. 16, 2012.

 About Dearborn Rotary

Established in 1923, the Dearborn Rotary Club is one of 33,000 clubs located in more than 200 countries worldwide. Rotary is the world’s first and largest international service organization, founded in 1905 by Paul P. Harris, a lawyer, in Chicago, Illinois. The Rotary Club of Dearborn meets every Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at the Fairlane Club on Hubbard Drive in Dearborn. Guests are always welcome.

A ground-level rendering of Dearborn's new train station. Construction is set to being in spring 2012.

The city of Troy turned down $8.5 million in federal grant money for a new train station but Dearborn continues to move forward with its plans for one, recently receiving a free grant for help to make its station more environmentally friendly.

Dearborn is one of just eight communities in America that will receive free neighborhood design consultation in 2012 from Global Green USA with the help of a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program.

The grant winners were announced last week.

The grant focuses attention on the new intermodal train station to be built in west Dearborn, and the surrounding neighborhoods that will be part of a transit oriented development (TOD) plan.

The grant pays for sustainability experts to make recommendations to the City of Dearborn on how to integrate environmentally-friendly and energy efficient concepts into the TOD.

The new train station itself will be built according to national recognized Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver standards.

Over the next six months, four sustainability experts will conduct three-day visits to Dearborn and the other seven communities. A specific timeframe has not yet been set.

As for the city of Troy, Mayor Janice Daniels can say “there is nothing free about government money” but you can’t help but wonder if there is something more behind her stand against taking the federal dollars. Remember, this is the same Mayor Daniels who posted a message to her Facebook page last June, after New York State approved same-sex marriage, stating, “I think I am going to throw away my I Love New York carrying bag now that queers can get married there.”

Construction for the new train station in Dearborn is expected to start in the spring of 2012.

The train station, to be built on Michigan Avenue west of Southfield Freeway, will be the center of a TOD District that includes a historic neighborhood, business districts and Fairlane Town Center, the University of Michigan-Dearborn and Henry Ford Community College, The Henry Ford: America’s Greatest History Attraction, major thoroughfares and Ford Motor Company headquarters and facilities.

Other criteria for the grant included the presence of a strong neighborhood organization, the involvement of community leaders, the demonstration that the project contributes to a larger plan, and the ability to leverage federal, state or philanthropic funds.

“The City of Dearborn is excited and ready to work closely with Global Green USA through this program,” said Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. “This is a timely opportunity for us to leverage the latest planning tools and concepts of LEED-Neighborhood Development for improving physical design and policies to develop strategies for our ultimate goal of a sustainable future.”

Walker Wells, director of Global Green USA’s Green Urbanism Program, said, “Cities are responsible for up to 70 percent of global warming pollution, but they can also be the laboratories for climate-friendly solutions that save money, improve health and quality of life. For nearly two decades, Global Green has been helping cities create sustainable plans for the future. We are excited to be able to bring our expertise to these eight deserving communities.”

The other communities are Lafayette, Indiana; Eden Prairie, Minnesota; Greensboro, North Carolina; Lakewood, Colorado; Oakland, California; Louisville, Kentucky; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Dearborn residents should be aware that the curbside trash and recycling pickup schedules will be delayed one day for the weeks of Dec. 26-30 and Jan. 2-6.

Republic Services’ decision to delay trash pickup by one day was made after the City of Dearborn published information indicating otherwise.

The one-day delay throughout both weeks is due to the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays. Trash will be picked up on a Tuesday-Saturday schedule those weeks.

For example, homes with Monday trash pickups will have their trash picked up on Tuesday; homes with Tuesday trash pickups will have their rubbish picked up on Wednesday, and so on.

Residents may call Republic Services at 1-800-878-4626. Offices will be closed Dec. 26 and Jan. 2.

Need help borrowing an e-book from the Dearborn Public Library’s website, uploading apps from the Internet, or downloading photos by using that nifty new tech item you received as a gift this season?

The Dearborn Public Library is hosting free “Tech Time” sessions where participants can learn how to register and successfully use devices, including e-readers, electronic tablets and digital cameras.

The Library’s “Tech Time” sessions will be Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2-4 p.m.; Wednesday, Dec. 28, 6-8 p.m.; Thursday, Dec. 29, 2-4 p.m.; Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2-4 p.m.; and Thursday, Jan. 5, 6-8 p.m.

Reservations are not required.

Participants should bring their fully charged electronic devices, along with any cords or attachments, to the session in the first floor training room at the Henry Ford Centennial Library, 16301 Michigan Ave., Dearborn.

For more information, contact the Dearborn Public Library at 943-2330.

Beginning in January, Dearborn residents may no longer be allowed to have their car block the sidewalk while in the driveway during snow emergencies.

A new city ordinance will prohibit residents from parking in their driveway over the sidewalk during snow emergencies.

This change in the city ordinance regarding snow emergency rules is likely to be approved in January by the City Council. If approved, residents will no longer be able to park vehicles across the sidewalk during a snow emergency.

Dearborn officials say this practice is being eliminated because it is in conflict with the American with Disabilities Act. A car parked across a sidewalk may block a person with a disability from traveling safely.

Dearborn officials say by moving parked vehicles off of the street whenever three inches or more of snow is predicted to fall allows snow plows to clear curb-to-curb instead of working around parked vehicles.

If Dearborn declares a snow emergency, residents must remove parked vehicles from the street or you could be ticketed and your vehicles could be towed.

Police do not issue warnings during snow emergencies.

Generally, you may move vehicles back on the street once the street has been plowed curb to curb and no further heavy snowfall is expected.

Driveway aprons do become snow covered during snowplowing operations. Dearborn officials ask that residents not pile snow back into the cleared street and avoid throwing snow onto your neighbor’s property without permission.

You can check if a snow emergency has been declared via any of the following methods:

• Snow emergency hotline at 943-2444.

• www.cityofdearborn.org

• CDTV, which is cable channel 10 on WOW and cable channel 12 on Comcast.

• TV news programs and news radio stations.

• You may also hear the City’s emergency warning sirens go off.

• Twitter.com messages via the “cityofdearborn” account.

• Text or email messages sent to your phone or email from the public safety information system known as Nixle. Sign up for alerts at Nixle.com.

Service is Thursday-Saturday nights under 90-day pilot; special promotions tonight at bars, restaurants

After weeks of discussions and planning, Dearborn’s west downtown district will begin to offer free valet beginning Thursday for customers of participating businesses.

We’ve written several stories HERE about this plan and City Council approved it at Monday’s meeting.

The free service will be 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

West Dearborn bars and restaurants will also offer special drink or appetizer deals on Dec. 15 (tonight) in conjunction with this new promotion, with proceeds donated to the Dearborn Goodfellows.

Two valet parking drop off points in public parking areas south of Michigan Avenue on West Village Drive between Monroe and Military will give customers easy access to restaurants, bars and shops in the district.

Two more drop off points are planned for north of Michigan Avenue between Monroe and Mason in the future.

With the support of the City of Dearborn and the West Dearborn Downtown Development Authority (WDDDA), the participating business owners have joined together to offer this free service to attract customers to the district, especially in the winter.

Patrons of other businesses in the district will pay $5 to use the valet service.

The complementary valet service is a 90-day pilot program initially lasting until mid-March. Its success will be evaluated at that time.

The participating businesses will pay the City of Dearborn’s parking system $40 a month for each space reserved for valet. That fee is in line with the system’s monthly parking permits.

At least 100 spots will be reserved, and more are possible based on the popularity of the service.

By offering free parking and free valet service, the west Dearborn businesses will encourage customers who may otherwise be reluctant to pay for parking, or who don’t want to trudge through snow during an evening out.

Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. said the new service benefits all participants. “The parking system is still collecting fees for the spots used by the valet service, businesses are showing their appreciation for their customers and generating more traffic, and customers have the added convenience and value of free parking and valet service.

“We know there are great restaurants and bars in west Dearborn,” he said, “and we invite anyone who hasn’t been there lately, or who hasn’t wanted to pay for parking, to come back and experience a terrific meal or a memorable night out.”

Other parking is available in the business district for $.50, $.75 or $1 an hour, depending on the spot selected.

For more information, visit West Dearborn Downtown Development Authority on Facebook, visit www.dearbornwestonline.com or follow WestDearbornDDA on Twitter.

PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES VALIDATING FOR FREE VALET PARKING

as of Dec. 14, 2011

• Ciao’s

• Crave

• Don Yeyo Cigar Factory

• Double Olive

• Habuki

• iBurger

• Le Cigar Emporium

• Moose Martini Bar

• The Post Bar

• The Well

Oxford Lanes will close Dec. 31, 2011 and be replaced by a VW car dealership owned by LaFontaine, who owns a dealership across the street.

Finding a place to bowl in Dearborn will become a lot more difficult this summer.

Oxford Lanes — where Dearbornites have bowled for 53 years — will become just another memory, replaced by a car dealership and joining a growing list of alleys in Dearborn and across the country to disappear.

Denny Herwig, assistant manager at Oxford Lanes, says after 25 years at the bowling alley he will take some time off.

“I am going to miss this place,” said Denny Herwig, who has worked at the bowling alley for 25 years, the last 11 as assistant manager. “I spent a lot of time here and have lots of good memories. I guess this is progress. Change is inevitable.”

If all goes as planned, the bowling alley will close Dec. 31 and then be razed to make way for a new Volkswagen dealership that will fly the banner of LaFontaine, who owns a string of dealerships directly across Telegraph on the east side of the street.

Herwig says owner Oxford owner Mark Voight will likely roll the last ball on Dec. 31, New Year’s Eve, before turning off the lights for good that same evening. Voight, however, won’t be out of the bowling business. He will continue to own and operate a string of bowling alleys in the area, including Merri Bowl in Livonia; Skore Lanes in Taylor and Woodhaven Lanes in Woodhaven.

Oxford Lanes on Telegraph, just south of Michigan Avenue, opened in 1958. Voight simply couldn’t pass up the offer LaFontaine made for his Dearborn business, Herwig said.

The only remaining bowling alley in Dearborn is the Mercury on Schaefer. At one time Dearborn had as many as 10 bowling alleys, including Maple, Westborn, Pinetree, Holiday Bowl, Schaefer Lanes and Oakwood Blue Jackets among others.

“Most bowlers will find another center to bowl at,” Herwig said. “As for me, I am going to take some time off.”

If you missed the window to sign up and have a Dearborn calendar mailed to your home, you can now pick one up at Dearborn City Hall.

The calendar, which is a year-round resource of information, including City of Dearborn phone numbers, can be picked up at the Mayor’s Office and the Department of Public Information during business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Quantities are limited and are restricted to one per household.

Beginning Tuesday, Dec. 13, calendars the calendars also will be available at the three Dearborn branch libraries and at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.

In January, the 2102 Calendar will be online at www.cityofdearborn.org for reviewing or printing.

The 2012 theme of the calendar is “Dearborn Milestones” and features black and white photos from the files of the Dearborn Historical Museum dating back to the mid-1800s. The photos highlight Dearborn’s early transportation, agriculture, industrial, recreational and municipal history.

Residents who ordered a calendar for home delivery by the Nov. 7 deadline should receive their copy by Dec. 20.