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The 2024 “Placemaking Through Landscape Design” summer camp recently received the President’s Honor Award for Significant Support of Landscape Architecture. The award was presented at the Michigan American Society of Landscape Architects (MI ASLA) Conference held in Detroit on September 12.

The mid-July annual camp, held at Lawrence Technological University’s Southfield campus, marked its third year. The camp was hosted by Lawrence Technological University and organized by the Michigan Chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, the City of Southfield Planning Department and Southfield City Centre.

“The success of this program is because of the many volunteers who shared their time, experience and talent leading up to and during the week-long program, “said Terry Croad, AICP, ASLA, Director of Planning for the City of Southfield and organizer of the camp.

Croad also acknowledged the eight participating students from Michigan and Chicago who were “extremely focused and excited to learn about landscape architecture as a possible career.”

For more about the Placemaking Through Landscape Design” summer camp, visit  https://southfieldcitycentre.com/landscape-design-camp-inspires-students/

Summer is here, and that means Southfield is bustling with things to do. Whether you’re a resident, employee, student or visitor, “Southfield offers a wide array of activities and events all summer long,” says Southfield Mayor Kenson J. Siver.

Here’s just a sampling:

Eat to the Beat is a lunchtime favorite featuring live music and food trucks on the front lawn of the Southfield Municipal Campus from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Jun. 13: Circle of Sound Band
• Jul. 11: Detroit Social Club Band
• Aug. 8: Denise Davis & The Motor City Sensations
• Sep. 12: Kathleen Murray Band

The 17th Annual Southfield Garden Walk (June 23), hosted by the Southfield Parks & Garden Club, will feature eight yards in the Tamarack/Hiawatha Neighborhood, located between Evergreen and Lahser roads, south of Ten Mile. Participants can enter the neighborhood on Tamarack Trail between 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. Tickets for the walk are $10 and may be purchased on the day of the event or from the Southfield Mayor’s Office.

A Jewish Artists Exhibition (through July 31, 2024) features 15 Michigan-based Jewish American artists on display in the Southfield City Hall atrium/main lobby.

The 8th Annual Kimmie Horne Jazz Festival (August 9 and 10) takes place on the front lawn of the Southfield Municipal Campus. Enjoy great jazz Friday from 6 to 10:30 p.m. and Saturday from 3 to 10:30 p.m. In addition to live music, the free event features food trucks, boutique vendors and more.

The Chutney Festival (August 24) is a vibrant and delicious celebration of South Asian and West Indian street food. The event will be held at the Southfield Municipal Campus.

Things to do all summer long:

Get moving on the Southfield City Centre Trail with a walk, jog or bike ride during lunchtime or after work. The trail features nearly 9 miles of non-motorized pathways, including a 3.5-mile “Inner Loop” where you’ll find several outdoor art installations. The Monarch Butterfly Pollinator Garden, Tapestry of a Community and Red Pole Park are just a few.

A Bike Share program (with 9 convenient locations]) makes it easy to ride the trail. For a 3.5 guided tour of 26 public works of art and cultural sites along the trail, download the PocketSights app to your mobile device and search “Southfield, Michigan.”

Get out on the green. If you’re a golfer, don’t miss your chance to tee off at the Evergreen Hills Golf Course, located at the Southfield Municipal Campus, 26000 Evergreen Road, this 9-hole, par 34, 2,954-yard public course features beautifully landscaped grounds and manicured fairways.

Grab lunch at one of your favorite Southfield restaurants, find an open bench along Evergreen or Civic Center Drive and enjoy the great outdoors.

For the athlete in you, the Southfield Municipal Campus is home to baseball diamonds, soccer fields and every type of court imaginable, including volleyball, tennis, pickleball, basketball and racquetball.

A brilliant Monarch butterfly sculpture has been added to Southfield City Centre Trail, made possible by Eaton, the international power management company located in Southfield. “Eaton encourages all of its employees to be active stewards for our environment,” says Laurie Conn, facility manager for the Vehicle Group. “We support the Butterfly Sculpture and Garden because we support our community. We live here. We work here. We’re glad to be part of the community.”

Eaton first contributed easement so the Trail could extend past its building. Then it contributed additional easement for the butterfly sculpture, which was installed this spring, and the creation of an adjoining pollinator garden, home to butterflies, bees and other pollinators. The City will add an educational panel and amenities such as benches and wayfinding signs. “The Monarch butterfly is in decline,” says Terry Croad, director of planning for the City of Southfield. “It is on the international endangered-species list.” A sculpture of the Monarch was chosen to make a bold statement and complement the vivid color at Red Pole Park. “We want to bring awareness to the plight of pollinators and bring a smile to visitors,” he says.

Conn says the extension of the Trail and the new sculpture increases wellness opportunities for Eaton employees. “We have a lot of walkers. This is a great space for our employees to be physically active and reduce stress, which contributes to both physical and mental well-being. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so this is a great time to take advantage of this new space,” she adds. The sculpture and garden, which is now being designed by a landscape architect, complements efforts of  the “Green Guardians,” an employee group supported by Eaton that promotes environmental sustainability.

For the second year in a row, Southfield City Centre Trail was the location of the Anti-Defamation League’s annual “Walk Against Hate” and fundraiser and the results were inspiring: More than 200 people participated and more than $26,000 dollars were raised in support of the organization. “Antisemitism and all forms of hatred have been on the rise for the last several years,” Carolyn Normandin, regional director of ADL Michigan, said after the September 18 event. “On the day of the walk, we saw the combining of communities, from different walks of life, different religions, different races and ethnicities all saying, ‘Michigan is no place for hate.’ We are standing in solidarity and as long as we do that, we can stand up to hatred and bigotry.”

Arthur Horwitz, long-time area resident, civil rights champion and journalist, was chosen as the inaugural Path to Truth honoree and leader of the walk. He was joined by Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren, representatives from City of Southfield and Lawrence Technological University and student leaders from several area high schools, along with participants from Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties.

In addition to the annual walk, ADL works year-round to train teachers and students in ways to disrupt and redirect any kind of hateful dialogue. “Between January 1 and September 1, we trained more than 1,000 teachers,” Normandin said. “More than 30 schools – elementary, middle and high schools – are participating in ADL’s No Place for Hate, a curriculum that is student-led with guidance from a faculty advisor.” For more information, visit adl.org.