The experts from Perfectly Placed and the Wayne County Extension Service are back. They will guide us through cleaning out that garage - what to keep, what to get rid of and how to get rid of it safely. Join us on June 20 at 7:00 in the Community Room and you will be able to hold summer cookouts with the garage as a rain backup space without embarrassment.

Check out one of these food-related films and earn a Chow Down badge:

1. Big night [videodisc] by Rysher Entertainment presents a Timpano production:
Determined to drum up business and foil his Little Italy rival, Secondo concocts a rumor that bandleader Louis Prima will dine at his restaurant that very night, sending chef Primo into a frenzy. Will it be the finest night of his career, or will it be a financial disaster? Will Louis Prima actually come to dine? With wonderful performances by Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub, it's worth viewing this film just to see the dinner's masterpiece timpano.

2. Toast [videodisc] by W2 Media Inc, BBC, and Screen WM present ; produced by Faye Ward ; written by Lee Hall ; directed by SJ Clarkson:
England's reputation for terrible food may be deserved if this film, based on food writer Nigel Slater's memoirs, can be believed. Nigel's mum may have served meals from boiled tin, but he and his dad adored her. When she dies and her place in his father's affections is threatened by their gastronomically adept cleaning lady, Nigel enters into an unofficial culinary contest with his late mother's rival.

Enslaved by ducks by Bob Tarte

The amphibians and reptiles of Michigan: a Quaternary and Recent faunal adventure by J. Alan Holman

Birds of Detroit by Chris C. Fisher, Allen T. Chartier

Michigan turtles and lizards: a field guide and pocket reference by James H. Harding and J. Alan Holman ; photography and illustrations by James H. Harding, except where otherwise credited

Fish of Michign field guide by David Bosanko

The wolves of Isle Royale: a broken balance by Rolf O. Peterson

Fowl weather by Bob Tarte

Alden B. Dow: midwestern modern by Diane Maddex

Art Deco in Detroit by Rebecca Binno Savage and Greg Kowalski

Art in Detroit public places by text by Dennis Nawrocki ; photographs by David Clements

Buildings of Michigan by Kathryn Bishop Eckert

Artists of early Michigan: a biographical dictionary of artists native to or active in Michigan, 1701-1900 by compiled by Arthur Hopkin Gibson ; research assistants, Beverly Bassett and Jean Spang

Marshall M. Fredericks, sculptor by edited by Suzanne P. Fredericks ; introductory essay by Edgar P. Richardson ; foreword by Sammuel Sachs II ; researched and compiled by Marcy Heller Fisher ; with contributions by Barbara Heller ... [et al.]

Looking for Przybylski by K.C. Frederick

Detroit breakdown by D.E. Johnson

Say nice things about Detroit by Scott Lasser

Grand River and Joy by Susan Messer

Trigger man: more tales of the Motor City by Jim Ray Daniels

See what I see by Gloria Whelan

Sparks by Laura Bickle

The dollmaker by Harriette Arnow

Detroit breakdown by D.E. Johnson — Detroit, 1912.

The Detroit electric scheme by D. E. Johnson — Detroit, 1910.

The expeditions: a novel by Karl Iagnemma — Michigan Territory, 1844.

Grand River and Joy by Susan Messer — Detroit, 1967.

Looking for Przybylski by K.C. Frederick — Detroit, mid-1970s.

The mercy killers: a novel by Lisa Reardon — Ypsilanti, 1967.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides — Detroit, from Prohibition to the present.

The burning of Rachael Hayes by Doug Allyn

Company man: a novel by Joseph Finder

Eden Springs: a novella by Laura Kasischke

Freshwater boys by Adam Schuitema

The river swimmer: novellas by Jim Harrison

Ford Road by Amy Kenyon

Say nice things about Detroit by Scott Lasser

Check out some of these tunes that mention Michigan or its cities:

Beyond the windswept dunes: the story of maritime Muskegon by Elizabeth B. Sherman

Deadly voyage: the S.S. Daniel J. Morrell tragedy by Andrew Kantar

Gales of November: the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Robert J. Hemming

Many a midnight ship: true stories of Great Lakes shipwrecks by Mark Bourrie

Mighty Fitz: the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Michael Schumacher

Ships and men of the Great Lakes by Dwight Boyer

Ships gone missing: the Great Lakes storm of 1913 by Robert J. Hemming

Michigan has a rich history of ethnic diversity. Early European explorers were met by the most populous Native American tribes of the Ottawa, Potawatomi, and the Ojibwa (or Chippewa) people. Later, in the 17th century, the French voyageurs explored and settled in Michigan. These included Etienne Brule, Jacques Marquette, and Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, the founder of the city of Detroit. However, over time large populations of various European, Middle Eastern, and Asian ethnicities have emigrated to our state. Find out more about the people who have contributed to Michigan's growth and culture.

Arab Americans in Metro Detroit: a pictorial history by Anan Ameri ; Yvonne Lockwood

Arab Americans in Michigan by Rosina J. Hassoun

Chaldeans in Michigan by Mary C. Sengstock

Michigan's motto declares: "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you." With that in mind,  take some time to explore the natural beauty and wonder of our great state with the resources listed below. For more ideas explore the Pure Michigan website.

Of woods and water: a photographic journey across Michigan by Ron Leonetti and Christopher Jordan ; foreword by Dave Dempsey

The paddler's guide to Michigan by Jeff Counts

Hiking Michigan by Roger E. Storm, Susan M. Wedzel

Belle Isle to 8 Mile: an insider's guide to Detroit by edited by Andy Linn, Emily Linn and Rob Linn

Twelve classic trout streams in Michigan: a handbook for fly anglers by Gerth E. Hendrickson ; fully revised by Jim DuFresne

Michigan by David Lee Poremba

Bold women in Michigan history by Virginia Law Burns

State of war: Michigan in World War II by Alan Clive

Bath massacre: America's first school bombing by Arnie Bernstein

Lives and legends of the Christmas tree ships by Fred Neuschel

Eyes on fire: witnesses to the Detroit Riot of 1967 by edited by Heather Buchanan, Sharon Stanford, Teresa Kimble

The Way-Back Room: A Memoir of a Detroit Childhood by Minock, Mary

A desira

Michigan remembered: photographs from the Farm Security Administration and the Office of War Information, 1936- 1943 by edited by Constance B. Schulz ; with introductory essays by Constance B. Schulz and William H. Mulligan, Jr

Father Abraham's children: Michigan episodes in the Civil War by Frank B. Woodford ; new foreword by Arthur M. Woodford

A drive down memory lane: the named state and federal highways of Michigan by LeRoy Barnett

The Potawatomis, keepers of the fire by R. David Edmunds

Picturing Hemingway's Michigan by Michael R. Federspiel

Lumberjack: inside an era in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan by William S.

Michigan is home to many noted authors. Whether native born or longtime residents, writing fiction, nonfiction or poetry, the following authors have produced a remarkable body of work.

The legacy of music in the state of Michigan is truly impressive. From classical to rock and everything in between, our state can lay claim to hundreds of noteworthy musicians. Here are but a few:

Read about some of the many noteworthy individuals who have made their mark on our great state!

Life with Mae: a Detroit family memoir by Neal Shine

The Dodge brothers: the men, the motor cars, and the legacy by Charles K. Hyde

William G. Milliken: Michigan's passionate moderate by Dave Dempsey

Empire builders: how Michigan entrepreneurs helped make America great by Burton W. Folson, Jr

Detroitland: a collection of movers, shakers, lost souls, and history makers from Detroit's past by Richard Bak

The situation in Flushing by Edmund G. Love

Michigan herb cookbook by Suzanne Breckenridge & Marjorie Snyder

Guide to Michigan vegetable gardening by James A. Fizzell

The Midwest fruit and vegetable book by James A. Fizzell

Our Michigan: ethnic tales & recipes by edited by Carole Eberly ; cover by Toni Gorkin, ill. by Beverly Woodard

The history of Michigan wines: 150 years of winemaking along the Great Lakes by Lorri Hathaway & Sharon Kegerreis

The feast nearby: how I lost my job, buried a marriage, and found my way by keeping chickens, foraging, preserving, bartering, and eating locally (all on $40 a week) by Robin Mather

Traveling through time: a guide to Michigan's historical markers by edited by Laura Rose Ashlee

Michigan, the Great Lakes state: an illustrated history by George S. May, JoEllen Vinyard

The sweetness of freedom: stories of immigrants by Stephen Garr Ostrander & Martha Aladjem Bloomfield

The Toledo War: the first Michigan-Ohio rivalry by Don Faber

Michigan ghost towns of the Upper Peninsula by compiled by Roy L. Dodge

The Underground Railroad in Michigan by Carol E. Mull

I invented the modern age: the rise of Henry Ford by Richard Snow

Myths and mysteries of Michigan: true stories of the unsolved and unexplained by Sally Barber

Unexplained Michigan mysteries: strange but true tales from the Michigan unknown by Gary Barfknecht

Michigan haunts and hauntings by Marion Kuclo, the green witch Gundella

When Michigan was young: the story of its beginnings, early legends, and folklore by Ethel Rowan Fasquelle

Weird Michigan: your travel guide to Michigan's local legends and best kept secrets by Linda S. Godfrey ; Mark Sceurman and Mark Moran, executive editors

Myths and legends of the Mackinacs and the Lake Region by Grace F. Kane

Ghost stories from Canton by Virginia Bailey Parker ; illustrated by Sharon Lee Dillenbeck and Roy Rinke