Monday, January 28, 2013
From a canoe trip down the "mighty Clinton River" to bowl of Erma's vanilla custard, here are five of the attractions we treasure in Shelby Township and Utica.
Spread throughout Shelby Township and Utica are some of the best Italian restaurants in the county, including, but not limited to: Did you know the Clinton River is home to Class II and III rapids? Although canoe and kayak trips along the Clinton River are growing in popularity, this attraction remains a little-known secret. Start your trip at Heritage Park in Utica, fish from River Bends Park or just walk the riverfront in historic Downtown Utica. Residents and visitors alike can enjoy their own little slice of American history thanks to the efforts of the Shelby Township Historical Committee. From the original township hall built in 1948, to the former Packard Proving Grounds, a self-guided 21 mile tour of historic sites throughout …
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Utica to build a launch pad for kayakers to park their boats and hit the town.
A $10,000 donation from ITC Transmission to the Macomb County Economic and Planning Department will be spent beautifying the Clinton River in Utica and Sterling Heights in order to attract more kayakers. Kayakers currently have the option to paddle 8-miles on the Clinton River from Yates Cider Mill in Rochester, through Shelby Township and Utica and down to North Clinton River Park in Sterling Heights. Since Macomb County recently launched the Blue Economy initiative, which is dedicated to advancing the public’s access of Lake St. Clair and the Clinton River, the county has been working on connecting an additional 11-12 miles of the Clinton River from Sterling Heights to Clinton Township for kayakers. However, debris covering clear access …
Friday, October 12, 2012
Marker signs will be posted along the Clinton River in Shelby Township and Utica.
Nearly 50 markers will soon line the more than 7.5 miles of the Clinton River that runs through Shelby Township and Utica to help people enjoying the river better understand where they are. “As you go down the expressway you see mile markers. It’s the same thing as you go down the river,” said Utica Mayor Jacqueline Noonan. Shelby Township Firefighter Jeremy Verbeke spearheaded the initiative after it took nearly half an hour to locate and rescue a person on the river last year because the individual could not explain where he had floated. “It’s just to help us get to people faster,” he said. In the spring, the Shelby Fire Department shelled out $150 to purchase 37 signs that are now posted along the river in Shelby Township. The most …
Monday, July 9, 2012
We're hoping more people in metro Detroit will understand what little gems we have here in Shelby Township and Utica. If you're planning on visiting or have a friend coming to town, point them in this direction.
We wrote this little daytrip guide to Shelby Township and Utica for a summer series called Patch Passport. The other Patch sites in Michigan — from St. Clair Shores to Dexter and two dozen in between — have done the same. All summer long, we'll offer up a weekly daytrip guide to another southeast Michigan destination, so if you decide to take a short road trip with the family to one of our Patch cities, you'll know how to get there and where to go. But to start, here's what you helped us come up with for our own daytrip guide. Have more suggestions? Add them in the comments. Since Shelby Township doesn't have much of a downtown area, visitors can hit the cute and historic downtown Utica district. I suggest taking the scenic route down …
Friday, June 22, 2012
Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel promotes Lake St. Clair while sharing possibilities for its 31-1/2 miles of coastline.
Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel dreams of making Lake St. Clair a popular recreation destination and tourist attraction. Waterfront campgrounds and more beach fronts were among the ideas Hackel proposed during the Anchor Bay Chamber of Commerce Business by the Bay luncheon Thursday in downtown New Baltimore. "How come we don't have a Navy Pier like we see in Chicago?" he asked the crowd of professionals and community leaders. After all, Hackel says, the county boasts 31-1/2 miles of coastline that is even drawing the likes of a nationally televised Bass tournament. He criticized the media for focusing on negative aspects of the lake known for having contaminants or beach closings due to E. coli. "This lake is, without a question, a …
Friday, June 8, 2012
Macomb County officials outlined a plan Friday that would focus on environmental stewardship, economic development and quality of life while looking to develop economic opportunities and environmental quality for Lake St. Clair and the Clinton River.
Macomb County officials unveiled a Blue Economy Strategic Development Plan Friday for Lake St. Clair and the Clinton River. The plan, drafted by a committee that included local, county and regional representatives, included a wide range of proposals from increased access to the waterfront to increased ecosystem restoration. "The plan is a means of providing a clear understanding of the many different aspects of the blue economy here in this county," said Hackel, citing the miles of streams, rivers and lakefront in the county as location for business development, recreation opportunities and environmental preservation. "Macomb County is very well suited to build upon the extensive and the unique water assets that are familiar to the …
Thursday, March 29, 2012
The Clinton River Watershed Council took first place in a recent online voting campaign.
Efforts to restore the streambank and improve the fishing at Yates Park just received a big boost. The Clinton River Watershed Council received a $25,000 grant this week from MillerCoors and the River Network, which partnered up to award money to nonprofit organizations focused on watershed protection, conservation and education. The Yates Park project came in first place in an online voting campaign that divided $80,000 in grant money among six projects. The project, called "Wait Wait ... Don't Step There, Fish Here!" will address the intense traffic at Yates Park that has contributed to streambank erosion and destruction of fish habitat. Yates Park is the site of many projects and events hosted by the Watershed Council; a stonefly search…
Thursday, March 8, 2012
The 62-year-old Shelby Township man was training for the Boston Marathon, family members told sheriff's deputies.
An autopsy conducted by Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office revealed a Shelby Township man who had been running along the Clinton River Trail over the weekend, and was found dead Wednesday morning in a Rochester Hills park bathroom, died from a heart attack, the Detroit Free Press Reports. According to Oakland County Sheriff's Detective Ray White, Bob Kosen had been training for the Boston Marathon. Kosen's co-workers had been concerned when the 62-year-old did not show up to work at Arvin Meritor this week, White said. Kosen's body was discovered by two Rochester Hills parks employees conducting routine maintenance on the bathroom, which is located beside the trail inside Veterans Memorial Pointe park. The door to the men's bathroom …
Thursday, July 28, 2011
State Rep. Anthony Forlini, R-Harrison Township, showed off Lake St. Clair Thursday afternoon to key members of the Michigan House of Representatives, as well as water and tourism groups, during an hour-long boat tour.
Impressed by stretches of inviting aqua waters, businesses and houses along the shore and scores of boats sailing the lake, state representatives are eager to push Lake St. Clair as a Pure Michigan attraction. At the invitation of State Rep. Anthony Forlini, R-Harrison Township, House Majority Floor Leader Jim Stamas of Midland took an hour-long boat tour Thursday afternoon of the lake, heading into the mouth of the Clinton River. Stamas and Forlini also were joined by representatives from the popular Belle Maer Harbor marina, Lake St. Clair Tourism Initiative, Clinton-River Watershed and Patch. House Speaker Pro Tem John Walsh of Livonia and Harrison Township Supervisor Kenneth Verkest also were on hand following the tour. Promoting the …
Thursday, June 30, 2011
The newly formed Macomb County Water Resources Advisory Council held its first meeting Wednesday.
Members of the Macomb County Water Resources Advisory Council met Wednesday for the first time. The 22-member council was created in May by Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel. The council will concentrate on tourism, recreation and supporting clean water efforts and economic development along Lake St. Clair and the Clinton River. "I'm extremely excited about working with this new panel," Hackel said of the council in a release. "We all agreed that it's not enough to identify problems, but how to identify and find solutions." The appointment of the council is part of Hackel's New Blue Economy initiative which focuses on water access, water attraction and water quality. Among the goals of the council are opening the Clinton River for …
RAKoon
3:11 pm on Sunday, October 14, 2012
Sure do utilize the Clinton river, the very best river in the lower lower. Feels like you are "Up North" when you get back in there. We see all kinds of wildlife from deer, to mink/weasles, hawks, herons, etc. But people need to know the river is not for novices when the level of the water goes up. There are some tight corners and snags than can be dangerous if you don't know how to navigate your… more ›