October 2020 News Briefs

The Wayne Historical Society has announced a number of programs coming up later this year. Add these to your calendar now and watch this column for further information. Masks are required at the events. Hand sanitizer will be available. The museum is sanitizing doorknobs and surfaces.

Oct. 8, 7:00 p.m.
The History of Eloise
Tyler Moll will present the history of this infamous hospital, poorhouse and asylum at 7:00 p.m. This will be a pre-recorded video that will be on Facebook and You Tube. You can find the links through the Wayne Public Library website.

Oct. 17, 4:00 p.m.
Witches Brew Tea
A haunted tea party inside the Wayne Historical Museum will feature several Wayne characters in a spooky setting. Event is at 4:00 p.m. Tickets are selling fast, so act now! Tickets are $35 and can be purchased through the Museum.

Oct. 24, 8:00-11:34 p.m.
Ghost Hunt at the Museum
Join the Great Lakes Ghost Hunters as they hunt for paranormal activity in the 140-year-old Wayne Historical Museum. A one-hour spot is $25. There is a limit of ten people per hour. Masks are required; hand sanitizer will be available.

Nov. 12, 7:00 p.m.
Blacksmithing: The Bert Green Story
Learn about Bert Green and what life was like as one of Wayne’s last blacksmiths. You will also learn how the company continues today. This event will be inside. Masks are required. Chairs will be socially distanced. The museum will try to record the event for those who wish to stay at home.

Dec. 5, 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Holiday Night at the Museum
Come out and see Santa, get cookies and hot chocolate, and join in the Christmas cheer as the town Christmas tree is lit. All activities will be held outside. There will not be events inside the Wayne Historical Museum nor at First United Methodist Church.

Notre Dame Hall. 3144 S. Wayne Rd, Wayne, will be hosting DJ Justin Dance Parties. $5 cover includes a snack buffet. Doors open at 8:00 p.m. with tickets available at the door. You can make online reservations if you wish at www.NotreDameHall.com/events. The next themed night is Disco (October 24). This series of Saturday night dance parties will have you dancing all night long.

Wayne County will be providing free drive-thru covid-19 testing in the City of Wayne November 21 and 22 from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. The location has not yet been determined. Mark your calendar now if you wish to get tested. No preregistration is needed. Insurance is not needed. A doctor’s order is not required. Testing is for ages 5 and up; minors must be accompanied by guardian.

The Ford Bronco made the cover of the current Car and Driver magazine. The Bronco will be built at the Wayne Assembly Plant soon.

Mill Trail will be getting an upgrade thanks to a $79,677.13 grant from the Wayne County CBDG (Community Development Block Grant) Program. The grant will cover the costs to replace 27 existing trail lights with 27 60W-LED energy efficient lights; 4 eight-foot heavy duty metal park benches and three 32-gallon metal trash receptacles to be placed along Mill Trail.
Mill Trail is an approximately one-mile walking and biking trail that runs along the Rouge River. Currently, the lighting along the trail is either not operational or has been damaged. Some of the benches are worn out and need to be replaced. Litter has been a problem that will hopefully be addressed with the addition of trash receptacles that can be anchored to the ground with lids attached by a cable. This will likely prevent the occasion of finding trash receptables and lids thrown into the river.
No date has been confirmed for when the project will begin.

Wayne City Manager Lisa Nocerini announced that the City of Wayne received $489,380 through the Michigan Department of Treasury Public Safety and Public Health Payroll Reimbursement Program (PSPHPR). The funding will be used to offset costs for full-time Police and Fire personnel in the way of salary, overtime, healthcare and fringes during the peak of COVID-19.
The City also received $37,000.00 through the First Responder Hazard Pay Premiums Program through the Michigan Department of Treasury which was provided to communities that currently do not have Hazard Pay in the current union contracts for Police and Fire only. This grant covers 37employees in both Police and Fire. The maximum the City could request is $1000.00 dollars per employee which Wayne requested.

The Atwood Park playground is temporarily closed. A new play structure will replace the current structure. Due to safety concerns and the need to prep the area for the new playground, the existing play structure is closed. Construction of the new playground will begin soon.

OBIT
Wayne’s oldest resident, 110-year old Winifred Nichols, died September 28 in Wayne. She is survived by her son, Emery Nichols, Jr. and daughter, Patricia (Fredrick) Garber, six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband, Emery Nichols, Sr., father Joseph Eberts, mother Mable Eberts and daughter Joyce Chiodini. Visitation and Rosary were held October 4 at Uht Funeral Home followed by Visitation and Mass at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on October 5. She was laid to rest at Holy Sepulchre in Southfield.