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Your hometown newspaper serving South Lyon for 125 years
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Volume 125 Number 30
© 2006
South Lyon, Michigan
Greensheetclassifieds.com
House contestants square off Aug. 8
Boy DeRoche,
Fundarski seek GOP nomination
killed
in I-96
crash
By James Mitchell
Obituaries
STAFF WRITER
Pauline Brown, 86
Victoria Daniels, 83
Matthew Pesonen, 41
John Sellers, 74
— Page 6A
Something To Do
By Lisa Roose-Church
STAFF WRITER
Family fun
Kids Fun Day is coming Aug. 3
to Active Faith Community
Services. Kids will enjoy face
painting, hot dogs, cotton candy
fire trucks and much more.
— Page 10A
A 11-year-old boy died
Thursday morning when the vehicle he was riding in hydroplaned
on wet roads and slammed into
two other vehicles on Interstate 96
near Kent Lake Road in Lyon
Township.
Casey Huddleston of Belding
was killed and four other people
were critically injured when a
1998 Camaro hydroplaned, striking a 2005 Grand Prix that was in
a separate accident only moments
before, also as a result of
hydroplaning. The Camaro struck
a man who
stopped to help
the Grand Prix
driver.
Sgt. Michael
Johnson of the
Oakland
County
Sheriff’s
Department said the driver of the
Grand Prix, Jon Wangler, 44, of
Rockford, hydroplaned before 11
a.m. and rolled multiple times
before stopping alongside westbound I-96.
Three men in a white pickup
belonging to Sign-A-Rama in
Madison Heights stopped to help
Wangler and were outside their
pickup calling 911 when a woman
driving the Camaro, Cindy
Huddleston, 33, of Belding, also
hydroplaned, slamming into both
vehicles. Trooper Barb Smolinski
said the Camaro pushed the pickup into Thomas Progar, 37, of
Westland as he stood outside the
pickup.
The impact caused the side of
the Camaro to peel away,
Livingston County Sheriff Bob
Bezotte said.
Four years ago, Craig DeRoche wondered if
he could turn his experience on the Novi City
Council into a floor-seat in the Michigan
House of Representatives. Campaigning for a
contested primary election next month,
DeRoche’s resume has considerably
improved: In 2005, he was elected by his peers
to serve as Speaker of the House.
“Being Speaker has allowed me to do great
things for the district,” DeRoche said. “And
also for the entire region.” The last time an
Oakland County representative held the title,
DeRoche said, was in 1867.
DeRoche is being challenged for his position by Novi candidate Mario Fundarski; both
are seeking the Republican nomination in the
Tuesday, Aug. 8, primary election. The winner
will face Democrat Tim Jarrell of Walled Lake
in the November general election. The state’s
38th House of Representatives District
includes South Lyon, Lyon Township, Novi,
Wixom, Walled Lake and portions of
Northville.
DeRoche, a former marketing representative
for a worker’s compensation insurer, was first
elected to the Novi City Council in 1997 and
reelected in 1999. DeRoche was also a
Republican precinct delegate and a delegate to
the Republican State Convention. During the
2003-2004 legislative session, DeRoche
served as vice-chair of the Commerce
Committee, and a member of the Energy and
Technology, Regulatory Reform and
Transportation committees.
Fundarski, formerly known as Mario
Fundaro before changing his name, is the
owner and manager of Mario Fundarski
Enterprises and is a longtime political activist.
Fundarski has run for elections ranging from
Republican primary challenger
Mario Fundarski,
R-Novi.
State Speaker
of the House
Craig DeRoche,
R-Novi.
Novi school board in 2005 to Congress in
2000 and 2002. He was arrested after Clinton
Township police had sought charges of
Continued on page 7A
Gotcha!
Lyon
Township
Coming soon
Get into the swing
Summer is the time for tennis.
If you think it might be fun, check
out our tips for beginners and
learn about clubs and classes that
get you in the game.
— Page 1B
Prepare to vote
Throughout this week’s edition
are stories that will help you learn
about the candidates and the ballot issues for the Aug. 8 primary.
Continued on page 8A
Contact Us
South Lyon Herald
101 N. Lafayette
South Lyon, MI 48178
■ Classifieds:
888-999-1288
■ Newsroom:
248-437-2011
■ Fax:
248-437-3386
■ Home Delivery:
888-840-4809
Index
Community Calendar . . .5B
Classified . . . . . . . . . . . .1C
Church Happenings . . . .4B
Opinions . . . . . . . . . . . .12A
Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . .10A
Something To Do . . . . .10A
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1B
Postal Information:
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southlyonherald.com
Photo by HAL GOULD
During a spirited game during Vacation Bible School, Amanda Montrief (left) gets a grip on Andrew Suchezky.
Students at Fellowship Evangelical Presbyterian Church took part last week in “Son Treasure Island,” an adventure
in search of God’s love. Church news and activities can be found in Church Happenings on page 4B.
Begin historical journey in Salem Money
crunch
endangers
concert
‘Passport’ offers 30 sites
for trips back in time
By Dan Trudeau
STAFF WRITER
The Washtenaw County Historical
Consortium has come up with a program
that’s sort of like traveling backward in time.
On this trip, however, you’ll need a passport.
The consortium’s “Passport to History”
program got underway in June. The informal
historical tour challenges hard-core history
buffs and casual enthusiasts to visit as many
of the county’s historical sites as possible by
the end of June 2007.
With a semi-rural patchwork of farms and
charming villages crisscrossed by railroads
and the Huron River, Washtenaw County still
retains much of its frontier character.
That character is remarkably well preserved in many of the county’s historical
attractions. Together, those attractions paint a
rich picture of the region’s history — a picture that program planners think area residents will want to see.
Interested participants can pick up a “passport” at participating sites — Ann Arbor’s
Museum on Main Street and the Cobblestone
Farm are good bets. The passport is actually
a listing of 30 sites that can be used like a
checklist for touring amateur historians.
If participants can get the passport signed
by a volunteer or authority figure at 12 or
more participating sites and mail it back
before July 1, 2007, they’ll receive a small
prize, consortium representative Louisa
Pieper said.
Those who visit 15 of the sites will be
entered into a drawing for one of three $50
gift certificates to the gift shops at several
county historical attractions, Pieper said.
And while the prizes and contest add a little excitement to the effort, participating sites
say the ultimate goal of the passport program
is to increase interest and knowledge about
the rich and varied history of Washtenaw
County.
By Dan Trudeau
STAFF WRITER
Photo by HAL GOULD
Polished wood pews and antique lighting highlight the well-preserved
interior of the Salem Walker Church. The white chapel, located on Angle
Road, is one of two Salem sites on the Washtenaw County Historical
Tour.
“It’s not for the prize, it’s just to get people
out and see all the wonderful things we have
in the county,” said Pieper, a volunteer at Ann
Arbor’s Kempf House and an active member
of the consortium.
“And they have a year!” she added.
With 30 sites taking part in the passport
program, travelers can set their own itineraries. For example, railroad enthusiasts
might check out the Chelsea Depot Museum
in Chelsea, the Huron Valley Railroad
Museum in Dexter and the Saline Railroad
Depot in Saline. Those interested in the history of agriculture in the area might like
Pittsfield’s Sutherland-Wilson Farmstead
and Saline’s Rentschler Farm.
However, to go into detail on each of these
fascinating sites could fill a whole newspa-
per, so for practicality’s sake, let’s take a
look at a handful of participating sites close
to the South Lyon area. Any of these sites
could fill a few hours, and each is within a
25-minute drive of downtown South Lyon.
Salem-Walker Church
and Cemetery — Salem:
Located on Angle Road just east Seven
Mile Road in Salem Township, the church is
a Greek Revival gem and is still open for private events and regular meetings.
A stroll in the small, shady cemetery
behind the church can fill a half-hour easily,
adding a dash of the macabre that will
With a 60-member youth symphony from Germany scheduled
to play a concert in South Lyon on
Aug. 8, parents and volunteers are
suddenly faced with a bit of a
dilemma.
They may not have a place for
the young musicians to play.
The Stadkapelle Wertingen
symphony band will arrive in
South Lyon on Aug. 5, brought
here through an exchange program sponsored by Blue Lake
Fine Arts Camp. The group has
come several times in the past and
has always played a concert for
local music lovers.
But this year, volunteers are
worried they won’t be able to pay
the $580 it costs to rent the
Millennium Middle School gymnasium, where the band is scheduled to play.
Evelynn Matelske, a volunteer
who is working out many of the
details for the band’s upcoming
trip, said she was not aware of the
hefty cost attached to booking an
event at Millennium until she
received the bill earlier this
month.
In the past few weeks, she’s
appealed to the South Lyon
Community Schools, the City of
South Lyon, the South Lyon Area
Chamber of Commerce and Blue
Continued on page 3A
Continued on page 6A
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