When her husband passed away unexpectedly, Linda O'Brien took the reins of the family's business, becoming the head of Madison Heights' Emerald Steel Processing. With the help of her employees and a business class at Oakland County, she's engineered an impressive turnaround.
When it comes to rebuilding a thriving downtown district, Holly is looking to the future while continuing to embrace its past. The village recently welcomed four new businesses to its historic "Main Street" district, already dotted with antique dealers, clothing shops and restaurants. And while Holly might be better known for its old-timey feel and celebrations like the annual Dickens Festival in Battle Alley, efforts by the Downtown Development Authority to transform its streets into a 21st century attraction are paying off.
Premiering three major films that were shot in the Mitten State, as well as a host of local reels, the brand-new Uptown Film Festival hopes to celebrate Michigan's growing film industry -- with a dash of Hollywood glamour.
For Rick and Patricia Blackburn David, retirement is the time for new adventures, not sitting around. They've turned a century-old Victorian mansion in Pontiac into the town's only bed and breakfast — and that's just one way this couple hopes to assist in the city's turnaround.
"To see the faces of the kids as they come down the tubes in the tube run -- it's really gratifying to see that much happiness," says David VanderVeen.He's talking about the event he coordinates: Fire & Ice, Oakland County's premiere winter festival, which returns for its fourth year Friday, January 28 through Sunday, January 30 in downtown Rochester.
When Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson called for the creation of Medical Main Street, a concerted effort to bring life science and medical technology companies to Oakland County and Southeastern Michigan in 2008, four companies pledged what then seemed like a hefty fund: $5.2 million.
To Patrick McKay, history is a living thing. As the supervisor of the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm, Pat (as he likes to be called) manages one of Oakland County's most accurate and engaging historical landmarks. The museum is located in Stoney Creek Village (listed in the National Register of Historic Places) on a 16-acre complex that originally belonged to the Taylor and Van Hoosen families. Buildings from the 1840s until today are presented on the grounds, including a restored 1927 dairy barn, the original Stoney Creek Schoolhouse (which dates back to 1848) and the 1850 Red House.We caught up with McKay to find out what it's like to run a 16-acre museum complex, that historical baseball team he helped organize (the Rochester Grangers, who play the gentleman's game in the manner, custom and uniforms of 1860's ball clubs) and why he works to preserve a truly original, still breathing piece of Oakland County's history.
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