In The Spirit: Resident's Get Ready For Halloween!

Despite the fact that Halloween is only a day away, Hamtramck is looking quite bare. Very few residents have dressed up their house for the fun and frightful holiday. Why? Is the economy to blame? Religion? Disinterest? Whatever the reason, it's a given that at least some of Hamtramck's residents are getting in the spirit!

Of course you have the famous decorations of the "brothers of Lumpkin." This family house has been decorated with ghouls, ghosts, and goblins for at least 17 years. It's a classic of the Hamtramck holiday scene and is a must see for any trick-or-treater!

A house on Yeman's street got into the spirit. From a chainsaw wielding zombie to a hangman's noose, this house is decorated and ready to scare the daylights out of the children. (Look below for pictures of this cool house!)

A house on Edwin street is ready for the younger crowd with its tasteful and elegant decorations. Also a yearly display, these residents always know how to please everyone from the youngest to the oldest of Halloween lovers!

Now, here comes the madman! What if Hamtramck had a holiday decorating contest? What if every resident who participated in said contest sent in an entry form with a small donation. The home that wins the decorating contest wins a gift certificate or product that was donated by local businesses.. Granted, the details need to be worked out; but the idea is sound and doable. It would work for both Halloween and Christmas. Not only would it raise money for a good cause, but maybe it would allow people to get in touch with the holiday spirit again. With the world getting progressively worse, all it takes is a little spirit to bring a happy face to millions!!

DAPRS Featured in "The Hamtramck Review"

Hey all,

Check us out in this week's "The Hamtramck Review!" You'll find a very nice summary of our history, future activities, and equipment! Remember that the "Call For Content" project is still active!

We need your input about possible paranormal activity in the area! We have contacted the Hamtramck Historical Commission regarding any information about the area. We hope to hear back from them soon.

Finally, Halloween is this Sunday and I just wanted to say Happy Halloween! I hope everyone enjoys a safe holiday!

Smoke Damaged Clothes? Stand in line!

Hey there,

So two businesses located on Joseph Campau in Hamtramck were recently damaged by smoke and heat from a fire at a related business next door. Today, they display a sign in the window stating that they are selling smoke damaged clothing for up to 50% off. Any takers? I didn't think so...

Who would want to buy smoke damaged clothes? Why is this sort of thing legal in the first place? Quite some time ago I commented on a local business giving out smoke damaged clothes for free, and the ensuing riot of people trying to get it. Free is one thing, but having to pay for something that is damaged and smelly?

I'm no doctor, but isn't there some health hazard to selling things that have been damaged by smoke; especially smoke that comes from an older burning building? What kind of chemicals are attached to these clothes? I'm sure its not as simple as just getting them laundered. Break out the Febreeze!

Also related to this, the area around the store that caught on fire is still not cleaned up! The ground is littered with bits of metal and glass. The burnt sign still hangs precariously. Aren't there regulations or ordinances against that sort of thing? They did board up the burnt out store front, but only after about three days of lolligagging!

These three businesses need to shape up and start caring about their customers and their city.

Pinguy OS: A Very Nice Windows Alternative

  I have always been pretty happy with Windows. Starting with Windows 98 and ending at Windows 7, my various computers have seen the many incarnations of Microsoft's powerhouse. However, recently I've been finding that Windows is simply not providing the kind of applications and development environment I require.
  In an effort to find a better alternative, I tried various distributions of the Linux OS. I tried everything from Ubuntu to Fedora, but everything required massive amounts of configuration, compiling, and coding. It's not that I can't do the work, but it simply required too much of my time.
  Finally, I discovered Pinguy OS. Pinguy is a heavily modified version of Ubuntu Linux. It comes preconfigured "out of the box." And when I say preconfigured, I mean it! This OS came with most of the programs I needed preinstalled and ready to go. Installing the remaining software I needed was so easy; I hesitate to say it was easier than installing on Windows. Of course, the high standards of security, customization, and development were all still there.
  Of all the OSs I've used in the past couple of months, Pinguy blew my mind.
So, from a website developer/blogger to the rest of you, I suggest trying Pinguy OS out. If you have a second computer or would like to try dual booting, I recommend giving it a whirl.
  As I type this post, I am using Pinguy on my second desktop. I still have Windows 7 on my design station, but for general computing and anything that requires a higher level of security, I am using Pinguy.
  Have a good night now!

America Can't Drive! A Review

America can't drive. Hamtramck must be the number one ringer of this truth. But I digress. On to the review...

America Can't Drive is a website devoted to photos and stories of people's often frustrating experiences on the road. Whether it be a bad parking job or an extremely stupid person oblivious to other cars and chatting away on his cell phone, this site has it all. You can even find printable fake parking tickets to put on offender's windshields. Pure awesomeness. You can be sure that I'll be printing some out for distribution around the city.

Site founder Kevin Scott mentions that "We believe America can drive...but only if the ones who can't stay home." ACD features a bad driver hotline, a number to text photos to, and a submission email address.

Visit www.americacantdrive.com

Zombie Walk Huge Success + New DAPRS site

Hey all,

The zombie walk was amazing. At least 400 shambling corpses showed up to the event in Greektown armed with canned food and donations for Gleaners Food Bank. My sister and I were able to collect $25 cash and 49 cans from various sources. The top collector at the event was somewhere around $900. Wow. Just wow.

Anyway, the event was great. My sister and I shambled around with the hundreds of other zombies, scaring lions fans and fighting over the arm that made up our dinner. All in all, it was a great day.

DAPRS Site Redsigned!! New Features!

Our group's homepage, the D.A.P.R.S. is back online and better than ever. Visit us at www.detroitaprs.info

Forgotten Hamtramck Landmarks -- A Madman Project

Hey all,

 

I am beginning my first madman project, which is entitled "Forgotten Hamtramck Landmarks." These aren't your normal popular landmarks, though. These are silly, satirical, and strange landmarks that have either been lost to time, or forgotten by most.

 

I'll be needing some help with this. I'll list a couple of ideas here and I would like it if some of you could let me know about the origin of the landmarks? Okay, here we go:

 

• Hamtramck City Hall: An outhouse structure built across from the former Outer Limits Bar. It was built as political satire by a Hamtramck resident. More info needed please.

• Hamtramck, Rat City USA sign: Erected next to the current Glory Foods when it was Farmer Jack's, someone built this very elaborate sign as a homage to Hamtramck's rat problem. Pictures?

• Loyal Order of the Ratelope: A small logo on the "Whiskey In A Jar" sign refers to this Loyal Order. The logo is so silly, depicting a rat with antlers.

• Apples Galore!: Large red apples were painted all over Hamtramck by someone. I really need more info about this.

• The Sticker Transformer: Located on Trowbridge and Joseph Campau, this power transformer was covered with band stickers, homemade stickers, and political stickers. It was quite a sight. Unfortunately, it was recently painted over.

• Cement Benches: Everyone remembers the cement benches that could be found all over Hamtramck. Unfortunately, the only one I know of that survives is located on Joseph Campau across from Little Caesars.

 

There are many, many more ideas that I have brewing, but I need more time to think. This should tide you over 'til then.

 

ALSO:
Don't forget that Sunday, October 10th is Zombie Day. Come see me walk as a zombie at 3pm on the corner of Beubien and Lafeyette in Greektown. I'll also be seen walking Hamtramck's streets until late Sunday night.

Call For Paranormal Stories

Hey all,

As you know, I have recently been working on starting a Hamtramck based Paranormal research group by the name of D.A.P.R.S. or the Detroit Area Paranormal Research Society. In honor of the upcoming Halloween Season, we'd like to extend an invitation to share some of your paranormal encounters, or those of your family and friends. Ghosts, UFOs, Cryptids, Pyschical Events, ESP, anything out of the ordinary will do.

If you know of any buildings, parks, or cemetaries that have been known or rumored to be haunted, let us know. We are eager to investigate.

For more information, feel free to visit our temporary website at http://www.detroitaprs.info/. Please excuse the ads, for we are currently utilizing a free web host. We will be transferring soon to a new site design and a new host.

ALSO:
Those of you who have been up early enough in the morning and have driven or walked down Joseph Campau have seen him. Sweeping up Joseph Campau and doing his part to keep the city clean. We are hoping to get an interview with this man in the next couple of days. For now, we would just like to say thank you!