How many community or college ensembles were selected to perform at Europe’s oldest jazz festival, held in July on the French Riviera? Thirty two groups from around the world were selected to play on the off festival sites, but the Henry Ford Big Band from Henry Ford Community College was the only one selected to play on the famous Pinede Gould main stage with international professional recording artists.

“This was our second time to perform at the annual Jazz à Juan Festival,” said Rick Goward, Henry Ford Big Band’s director of 27 years. “And, it was made even more special, because this was the festival’s 50th anniversary.”

Big Band Trumpet Section

Raising nearly $75,000 to fund the band’s trip to Europe was not a small feat in today’s economy. However, Goward acknowledged the tremendous support that the band received from longtime supporters and the local community.

Formed in 1983, the Henry Ford Big Band performs music of legendary American jazz greats such as Duke Ellington, Buddy Rich, Count Basie and Stan Kenton, to name a few. The band has performed twice at New York’s famed Carnegie Hall, eight times at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, three times for U.S. Presidential Inaugurations, and other appearances at the New Orleans Mardi Gras, the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Edinburgh International Festival and 25 consecutive years at the Detroit International Jazz Festival.

Recently, the band was honored with the Wayne County USA County Executive’s Award presented by the Wayne County Council for Arts, History and Humanities.

In addition to this summer’s full house, main stage performance at the Jazz à Juan Festival, the Henry Ford Big Band performed for large receptive audiences in the Old Town area of Juan les Pins and Antibes, France.

In addition to the standing ovations the musicians received following the concert at the Jazz à Juan Festival, the band also made the front page of the Nice morning newspaper the following day.   DVD copies of the televised concert will be available in early November, and the band is hopeful that the concert will be aired on PBS Detroit television.

“In my 34 years of teaching, this year’s festival performance attracted the largest and most enthusiastic audience ever,” added Goward.

Big Band's View of Crowd

Henry Ford Big Band members include young professional musicians, music educators and traditional aged music students who enroll in Henry Ford Community College to continue their performance and study of big band literature.

Big Band members include alto saxophonists Christopher Traskal of Detroit and Joe LaRussa of Farmington; tenor saxophonists Pete Birchler of Detroit and Early Lundy of Canton; and baritone saxophonist Neal Kesterson of Maybee. Trumpeters are Paul Abbott of Allen Park, James Bostek of Ferndale, John Harwick of Ferndale, and Pat Jensen of Dearborn. The band’s trombonists are Tim Fisher of Ferndale, Rob Hartman of Lincoln Park, Ian Stark of Lincoln Park and John Bostek of Flushing. Rounding out the group are pianist Terhan Terrell of Oak Park, bass player Roger Zielinski of Allen Park, and percussionist Ian Kushner of Dearborn.

For information about upcoming performances of the Henry Ford Big Band, email rgoward@hfcc.edu.

The Dearborn Chamber of Commerce’s Taste of Dearborn adds an East side event, Wednesday, September 15 from 6 – 10 p.m. The event is in partnership with the East Dearborn Downtown Development Authority. Seventeen restaurants participate in this first annual Taste East event throughout East Dearborn and the Fairlane Town Center complex.

Cost is $25 and reservations are required by September 14, 2010. Ticket price at the door is $30. Register online at www.dearbornchamber.org or download the online registration form and fax to 313-584-9818.

Participants must be at least 21 to participate and will receive a wristband during the check-in process at the East Dearborn DDA, 13750 Michigan, Ave starting at 5:30 p.m.

The wristband worn by all “tasters” will distinguish them from regular patrons. Tasters sample free appetizers, purchase drink specials if they choose, then catch one of the passenger vans available for transportation to the next participating restaurant of their choice. Transportation is available to participating restaurants until 10 p.m. Menus featuring different restaurant selections will be distributed to each participant.

This is a delicious way to enjoy all the great restaurants that East Dearborn has to offer. For more information contact Peggy Richard, Event Manager at 313-584-6100 or register online at www.dearbornchamber.org.

Participating restaurants include:

• 360 Lounge
• Adonis Restaurant
• Alcamo’s Italian Market
• Amani’s
• Avenue Bar & Grill
• Bravo! Cucina Italiana
• Country Restaurant
• Fuddruckers at Fairlane
• Fuego Mexican Grill
• Habib’s Cuisine
• Joe’s Top Dog
• PF Changs China Bistro
• Prestige Café
• Roma Bakery
• Roman Village Cucina Italiana
• Schmoocheese Cheesecakes
• Shelby’s On Warren

The Dearborn Chamber of Commerce promotes the best interests of nearly 600 member businesses through connection with prospective customers, promotion of products and services, increasing sales and saving money, and to become a leader in the Dearborn community. The East Dearborn Downtown Development Authority advocates, directs and manages revitalization and economic growth through redevelopment projects, collaborating with stakeholders and supporting and promoting businesses.

Annual Golf Outing at the TPC in Deaborn

Take part in the Dearborn Public Schools Education Foundation Golf outing at the TPC of Michigan located in Dearborn. The event, taking place on Sunday October 3, is priced at $225 for individual golfers ($800 if you register as a Foursome) and includes 18 holes of golf with cart, lunch at the club house before the event (or at the turn), and a buffet dinner. Please note that new for this year a $35 lunch and $60 dinner option is being offered. Also, returning by popular demand is a feature everyone looks forward to and that is the chance to bid on some great auction items. Make sure you sign up by September 30. There is also a brand new sponsorship packet that was developed over the summer offering many wonderful benefits to Foundation partners. Visit the Foundation’s website for an application and more information at www.dearbornedfoundation.org.

“This year’s outing is being led by Donna Inch, President and CEO of Ford Land and Christine Sipperly, President of Dearborn Federation of Teachers. We are excited by the involvement of these two wonderful community partners. Our focus for this year’s fundraiser will be classroom equipment and technology. We are confident that the support of the great City of Dearborn will show on October 3, 2010.” commented Foundation Executive Director, Eddie N. Fakhoury.

On the day of the event golfers can check in at 11:00 a.m. and still have plenty of time to catch a terrific lunch before the 1:00 p.m. shotgun start. For more information on golfing in the event or being an event sponsor contact the Foundation office at (313) 827-8790 or by email at ed@dearbornedfoundation.org.

The Dearborn Public Schools Education Foundation is a group of private citizens, independent of the Board of Education, who raise money to fund teacher grants for innovative programs throughout our district. The Foundation is a charitable 501(c) organization and all donations made are 100% tax deductible. The Foundation has raised and returned over $1,200,000 million to the schools through teacher grant requests.

The Dearborn Community Chorus (DCC) is having an open rehearsal on Tuesday, September 7, 2010 from 7-9 p.m. in the Henry Ford Community College Choir Room, room F-113 in the MacKenzie Fine Arts Center.  (See HFCC campus map – PDF)

Prospective members may attend the open rehearsal before formally registering.  The DCC always welcomes new members (ages 16 and older) with an ability and desire to sing. DCC was founded in 1963 as one of the many cultural organizations sponsored by the City of Dearborn Recreation Department.

The 60-plus member choir is dedicated to striving for excellence in choral music while offering its members an opportunity to have fun and enjoy each other’s companionship.

DCC recently announced Marcus LaPratt as its new artistic director.   Mr. LaPratt is currently music director at the First United Methodist Church of Dearborn and founder and executive director of the non-profit organization Singers Of United Lands.

DCC looks forward to Mr. LaPratt bringing his musical expertise and enthusiasm to the choir, as well as his help in continuing DCC’s mission to promote the development of a vital cultural environment in the Dearborn community and surrounding area.

DCC rehearses weekly from September through May and presents two major performances at The Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.

DCC also performs for community events, as well as regionally and internationally. For further information on registering and paying the $25 registration fee, please contact the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center Box Office at (313) 943-2354.

The Dearborn Fire Department added two firefighters to its ranks with a swearing-in ceremony at City Hall. The firefighters, Timothy Mick, 25, and Corey Silas, 23, both were part of the Dearborn Fire Cadet Program.

Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. and Fire Chief Richard Miller congratulated the city’s two newest firefighters recently. They are 25-year-old Timothy Mick (center) and 23-year-old Corey Silas (right.)

Mick is a graduate of St. Alphonsus High School. He attended Schoolcraft College where he completed classes at the fire academy and received his paramedic license. His most recent employment was with Beaumont Hospital as a paramedic on the mobile ICU.

Silas is a graduate of Dearborn High School. He attended Henry Ford Community College where he received his paramedic license, and the Oakland Community College fire academy. His prior work includes being a paramedic with Concord Ambulance and more recently a firefighter with the City of Pontiac.

The 5th annual Hugh Archer Golf Outing was held at the Dearborn Hills Golf Course on Thursday, August 26, 2010. Many prizes were presented at the awards dinner following the golf scramble.

The overall winning team was a Men’s Team of David Schlaff, Jerry Jorgensen, Tim Kostaroff and Rick Caputo with a score of ten under par. The Mixed Team winners were Julie Pucci, William Hultgren, Sharon Langen and Jim Peitz. Closest to the Pin winners were Craig Noonan, Michael Maldegen, Tim Kostaroff and Liz Kotlarczyk.   Hole-in-One prizes of Cash and Golf Trips were available on eight of the par 3 holes, but no one claimed any of those prizes this year.

New this year was the first annual Dearborn Departments Golf Challenge within the Hugh Archer Golf Outing. Two teams competed this year and the winning team of the challenge trophy was from the Police Department which consisted of Mike Maurier, Dave Ryan, Steve White and Madou Bazzi. They will have the trophy and the bragging rights until next year’s Golf Challenge.

Proceeds from the golf outing will help provide a scholarship award of $3,000 to a 2011 high school senior attending a public or private high school in Dearborn. Additional scholarship information and an online application are available on the Club’s website at www.dearbornrotary.org.  More photos of the Golf Outing are also available online.

About Dearborn Rotary: Established in 1923, the Dearborn Rotary Club is one of 33,000 clubs located in more than 200 countries worldwide. Rotary is the world’s first and largest international service organization, founded in 1905 by Paul P. Harris, a lawyer, in Chicago, Illinois. The Dearborn Rotary Club meets every Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at the Fairlane Club on Hubbard Drive in Dearborn. Guests are always welcome.

The Dearborn Youth Symphony is holding auditions for the 2010-2011 Concert Season on Thursday, September 9 from 4-9 p.m. at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.

Musicians should be prepared to play a piece of their choice. To register for auditions and for further information please visit www.dearbornyouthsymphony.org

Girls Practicing Strings (photo courtesy of the DYS)

Chairs are available in the Symphony Orchestra, Concert Orchestra, Advanced Flute Choir and Intermediate Flute Choir. All wind, brass, percussion and string instruments are welcome to audition.

DYS members include musicians ages 8 to 22 years from more than 27 communities in the southeast Michigan area.

In addition to guest clinicians and area performance opportunities, the organization also offers scholarship, solo and concerto competitions.

The DYS rehearses at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center on Monday evenings from September through May, and performs three concerts each season in the state-of-the-art Michael A. Guido Theater in Dearborn.

EDITORIAL (31-Aug-2010) – Monday morning, at the 19th District Court in Dearborn, Judge Mark Somers deliberated over a pre-trial hearing concerning an incident which occurred at Dearborn’s 15th annual Arab International Festival on Friday, June 14th.  As previously reported in the Dearborn Free Press, several people affiliated with the Acts 17 Apologetics group were arraigned  on July 12th, on charges of “breach of peace”.  The four Christians, David Wood (a 34 year old former atheist) from Bronx, New York, Dr. Nabeel Qureshi (a 29 year old former Muslim) from Virginia, Nageen Mayel (a recent convert from Islam to Christianity), and Paul Rezkalla (18) from New York were charged with “breach of peace” or disturbing the peace.  However, 18-year-old Nageen Mayel, who was operating a video camera on the night of June 14th, was also charged with “refusing to obey a police officer’s order to stop video taping”. (It was not clear at first if police intended to arrest Ms. Mayel, or just investigate her.)

The defendant’s attorney, Robert Muise of the Thomas More Law Center (TMLC),  filed a Motion for a Bill of Particulars (in an attempt to clarify the specific charges) with the City of Dearborn on July 27.  On August 3rd, Judge Somers converted the Motion for a Bill of Particulars  into a Motion to Dismiss, giving the City of Dearborn 14 days to respond.

A group of young people gather around Dr. Nabeel Qureshi at the Arab Festival.

During the pre-trial on August 30, Judge Somers reviewed arguments from both sides and asked the attorneys for clarification on some issues, postponing any decision until he receives the additional information.  Judge Somers stated that he had reviewed most of the 6 hours of video tape, and asked questions about the chronology of events. Somers indicated that in the video tapes he had reviewed, the dialogue of Dr. Qureshi was “very civil and polite”.  He also requested better audio recordings of the Nageen Mayel arrest, perhaps to resolve confusion regarding the criminal complaint about Ms. Mayel.  Judge Somers also requested that Assistant City Attorney William M. Debiasi provide citations for several cases that were referenced as being pertinent to this case.  If the case goes to trial it would most likely begin on Monday, Sept. 20, 2010.

Based on questions posed at the pre-trial, the center of the controversy (according to the prosecution) might be the question of whether the defendants intended to gather a large crowd.  Judge Somers asked  ”Was there an intent to gather a large crowd?” What is the definition of a ‘large crowd’? How many people?  How are intentions determined? Is 12 or 15 people a large crowd?  Is 25 people a large crowd? Did the police choose the best option for crowd control? Why not arrest the “foul mouthed hecklers” in the crowd?  Why not simply tell the crowd to disburse?  Did the police ever ask the defendants to leave the area? These are types of questions that will likely come up if the case goes to trial. Dearborn attorney DeBiasi maintains that the “content of their speech has nothing to do with it”.

Another topic posed at the pre-trial was testimony of key-witnesses like Roger Williams,  a festival volunteer who filed a complaint with the Dearborn police.

Judge Somers also raised the issue of civil disobedience (for example disobeying an unjust law or city ordinance) Was there any intention to get arrested? Somers made an analogy: “What if you wanted to be arrested for drinking at a whites only drinking fountain, or riding in a whites only section of a bus?” (Acts17 has previously stated they did everything possible to avoid breaking any laws.)

According to videos released by Acts 17,  there are deeper issues related to first amendment rights. Freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion.  Freedom to change your religion and say: “I was blind but now I see” or “I was a slave, but now I’m free… and let me tell you how it happened.”

As Michael Steinberg, the legal director for the ACLU of Michigan, told the Michigan Messenger: “Based solely on the videotape, it appears that the man encouraging others to convert to Christianity was engaged in speech protected by the First Amendment. The videotape suggests that the man who was arrested was not harassing the people with whom he was speaking, nor was he inciting a riot; rather, he was engaged in the type of free exchange of ideas about religion that is valued in a free society. The man’s message may not have been popular at this particular festival, but the Constitution protects unpopular speech as well as popular speech.”

City officials maintain that the arrests were a matter of public safety, not First Amendment issues.  “This issue has nothing to do with First Amendment Rights; it has to do with public safety and the individual choices made by the arrested parties” – according to a statement posted on the city’s website.

Louie Giglio, Michelle and Nabeel Qureshi, and Chris Tomlin (photo used with permission)

As the case moves closer to trial, there might continue to be questions about photography and video tape evidence. What are the parameters for using photography and video tape evidence in a court case? Are there any gaps in the photographic or video tape evidence? If so, what might have occurred in that gap? In this court case, the Dearborn Police, the City of Dearborn, Judge Somers, and Acts17 all have access to over 6 hours of video tape evidence that might be used in the upcoming trial.

While researching background material for this article, we discovered an interesting photograph (not related to this court case) of  Nabeel Qureshi and his wife, standing next to Louie Giglio and Chris Tomlin.  Does the photograph shed any light on Dr. Qureshi’s background?  Does it prove that Nabeel Qureshi is a friend of Chris Tomlin? (Probably not. Tomlin probably forgot about Qureshi long ago… or maybe not).  So does it prove anything? Does it prove that Qureshi admires the teaching of Louie Giglio more than the exhortation of John Piper or Francis Chan? Of course not.  Does the photograph prove that Dr. Qureshi is a mainstream evangelical Christian? Maybe. Does the photograph prove anything? You decide.

As you ponder the mysteries of  epistemology,  and the limitations of photographic and video evidence, there are several more facts you might find enlightening about blindness, freedom, slavery and the story of Amazing Grace.

Some people will recognize Chris Tomlin  from songs like How Great is Our God, or Indescribable ;  many others will remember  Tomlin as the one who sang the Amazing Grace theme song for the recent movie – Amazing Grace.

Amazing Grace is a Christian hymn written by English poet, former slave-trader and clergyman John Newton (1725–1807). “Amazing Grace” is one of the most recognizable songs in the English-speaking world.

Wesley Phipps provides some interesting historical context on the black notes of  Amazing Grace, and Phipps sang Amazing Grace in front of President Obama at the National Prayer Service in 2009.  Some people remember Amazing Grace being sung at Ground Zero (WTC) after the 9/11 incident. Several days ago, Amazing Grace was sung (with bagpipes playing) at the Restoring Honor Rally in Washington DC.

More background on Dr. Nabeel Qureshi and Mr. David Wood, according to the Acts 17 website:

Dr. Nabeel Qureshi is a former devout Muslim who was convinced of the truth of Christianity through apologetics and a spiritual search for God. Since his conversion, he has dedicated his life to spreading the Gospel through teaching, preaching, writing, and debating.  He holds an MD from Eastern Virginia Medical School and an MA in Christian apologetics from Biola University. Nabeel is currently a youth pastor in Southeastern Virginia, where he lives with his wife Michelle.

David Wood is a Teaching Fellow in Philosophy. A former atheist, David converted to Christianity after examining the evidence for God’s existence and the historical evidence for Jesus’ resurrection. He has degrees in biology and philosophy and is a member of the Society of Christian Philosophers and the Evangelical Philosophical Society. David lives in the Bronx, NY, with his wife Marie and his three sons—Lucian, Blaise, and Reid.

This court case still might be dismissed. As we stated on our Facebook page on July 31st:

Since we are tax paying citizens (living in Dearborn) we are hoping for a reconciliation between all parties that will promote the good name of the City of Dearborn, show respect for the authority of the Dearborn Police Department, defend the rights and good name of ACTS17, protect the First Amendment rights of all citizens, provide proper crowd control at festivals (like the Arab International Festival in the future), while punishing any evil doers.

Sounds impossible, doesn’t it?  We are still hoping and praying for a miracle.

DEARBORN, Michigan –  ”I’m mad.  Are you?”  With this question, Eddie Fakhoury, recently announced the Dearborn Education Foundation’s (DEF) fall Exhibit and Recognition Event. The event will recognize those who are M.A.D. (Making A Difference) in Dearborn area schools, and also highlight the Education Foundation’s (DEF) direct financial impact on the Dearborn Public Schools.

If you are MAD (Making a Difference), the Dearborn Education Foundation invites you to plan on attending the 2010 Exhibit and Recognition Event on September 29, 2010 at the Michael Berry Career Center, 22586 Ann Arbor Trail, Dearborn Heights. The reception will begin at 4:30PM.  Please RSVP by September 15th.  Light appetizers and refreshments will be served. The event is free — for all who want to “Make A Difference” in our schools. Contact Eddie Fakhoury at the Dearborn Education Foundation for more details.

DEARBORN, Michigan – To empower small business in Dearborn, the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce has created a networking and referral group called  Chamber Connect. This highly motivated networking group of professionals and entrepreneurs helps generate business opportunities via referrals for fellow Connect members.  Membership in this group, which celebrates its second anniversary in 2011, is limited to one representative per business category (such as financial, retail, graphic design, etc.) to enable members to acquire valid leads to help grow their companies.

Dearborn Chamber Connect - Networking and Referral Group

“The Dearborn Chamber Connect is a great group of people who are just as passionate about helping each other as they are with their own businesses,” says Ryan O’Hara of Sphinx Technology Solutions. “Since joining the group, I have seen a significant spike in sales thanks to the commitment of this group to the success of its members. Every single member has a valid contribution to make.”

Currently, Chamber Connect has 19 members and passes between 10-17 referrals each meeting – totaling 20-34 referrals a month! What constitutes a good referral? The best form is one person introducing two others who need each other and can conduct business. The group does not consider handing a name and a phone number as a valid referral. People don’t join a Business Referral Group to make more cold calls. When a referral is made, the receiving party knows that needs have been “matched” and a prospective customer should expect a call. The group works to develop confidence in its members, as well. The positive atmosphere enables participants to thrive in an environment of trust as many branch out in new careers after becoming victims of corporate downsizing.

Chamber Connect is expanding and currently recruiting new members in the following categories: dentist, credit union/bank, permanent staffing, photographer, security system service, accountant, tax service, florist, travel agent, veterinarian, hair salon, auto dealer/auto repair.

Individuals must also be Chamber members to join Connect. The group meets every first and third Tuesday of each month at the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce offices, 22100 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn.

Contact the Chamber at (313) 584-6100 with questions or requests for application. You can also follow Dearborn Chamber Connect on Twitter at @DearbornConnect