Is your medicine cabinet filled with expired or unused drugs and are wondering what to do with them? Safely dispose of them on Saturday October 29th from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM at the Canton Township Police Department. Help keep the water supply clean and at the same time stop dangerous medications from being accidentally consumed or stolen. The free event  is part of the Drug Enforcement Administration's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day and this week's Red Ribbon activities.

Photo courtesy of AP Images

The Canton Winter Farmers Market returns this Sunday, March 13, from 10:00AM-2:00PM, but with a different location due to the soggy weather: Come to historic Cherry Hill School on the Northwest corner of Ridge and Cherry Hill Road at 50440 Cherry Hill Road. Eighteen local vendors will be there this Sunday. Don't miss it!

Save the Date

One more Canton Winter Farmers Market is slated for Sunday, April 10 from 10:00AM-2:00PM

Pasta Drive

The Farmers Market will continue its pasta drive to help restock the shelves at Open Door Ministry's Food Pantry in Canton during all three Winter Markets. Drop off any boxed, dried pasta at Cherry Hill School during the Market.

A virtual cornucopia of foods and other items for your Thanksgiving feast will be available to buy at Canton's Fall Harvest Market this Sunday, November 21, from 9:00AM to 2:00PM at the Cady-Boyer Barn, in Preservation Park at 500 N. Ridge Rd. (approx. 1/4 mile north of Cherry Hill Rd.). Nearly two dozen local Michigan farmers and vendors will offer market favorites, including: turkeys, pie pumpkins, farm eggs, apples, spices, cider, natural meats, stuffing, artisan breads, salad greens, winter squash, sausage, pasta, honey, pies and other baked goods, pierogi, flower arrangements, dog treats and much more. Some vendors are taking pre-orders for your convenience.

Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit invites you to join the fight for local jobs as we go "Bowling for Jobs" starting at 1:00PM Saturday, September 25, 2010 at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park. Bowling activities will take place from 1:00-3:00PM and will include a silent auction and tin can raffle.

Other ways to support Goodwill on September 25 include donating your e-waste (computer accessories) and gently used clothing or housewares at Thunderbowl from 8:00AM to Noon. The highest quality items collected will be sold at Goodwill's new Metro Detroit flagship retail store, scheduled to open this fall in Canton.

Individual tickets are available for $20 each. To purchase tickets online, please visit Goodwill Detroit Bowling for Jobs. Tickets can also be purchased at the door.

Library card users can now get special savings at local Canton businesses thanks to Check Out Canton, a partnership between the Canton Economic Development office and the Canton Public Library. Local businesses supply special offers that can be checked out with a library card, just like the Museum Adventure Pass program. Take a pass from the Check Out Canton rack and present it at our Checkout Desk. You'll be issued a voucher good for one week.

Offers include a buy one, get one free ticket from the Village Theater at Cherry Hill, savings on catering, carpet cleaning, veterinary care and more. To see the current offers and availability, search the online library catalog. One pass per library card per week, no holds on passes.

The 2nd annual Paws in the Park event returns to Canton's Heritage Park this Saturday and Sunday, August 28-29. The weekend is packed with fun activities for the whole family — including your four-legged friends, so don't leave Fido at home! Take your dog through an agility course and the "Chase It" lure course, participate in the Paw Walk to benefit the Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV), enter the dog costume and float contest, cheer on your favorite Ultimate Air Dogs competitors (jump into a 40-foot pool) and visit the pet adoption and pet vendors areas. Other don't-miss shows: Rock n' Roll K9s and Pawsitive Vybe disc dogs. Admission is free for dogs and children 10 and under and $5 at the gate for everyone else. A portion of the event proceeds will benefit HSHV.

Come for a stroll at Canton’s 1^st annual Sound Garden event. It will be taking place at the Lower Rouge Recreation Trail on Thursday, August 12 from 6:30-8:30PM. Light refreshments will be available and live music is going to be stationed along the trail for your enjoyment.

Canton, considered to be a Hidden Gem of Economic Development, will be featured on the Fox Business Channel on the economic news show Inside Business with Fred Thompson on Sunday, July 25th at 4:00PM. The segment will feature township Supervisor, Phil LaJoy, and Canton Economic Development Manager Debra Bilbrey-Honsowetz. It's a great time to be part of Canton!

We have been notified by Canton Township that the Detroit Water and Sewer Department (DWSD) will be performing emergency repairs to the DWSD meter pit at Warren and Napier roads on Friday, July 23, which will require the shutdown of a main water feed into Canton between 10:00am and 3:30pm. We have been advised that Northwest Canton will experience low water pressure during that time; water pressure within the library may be affected. Full water pressure will be restored once the repair has been completed.

Five Summer Concerts Series are for the choosing this year throughout Canton. Fun for the whole family with the Backyard Beats, Jazz, Groovin' Round the Globe, Thursdays Night Series at Heritage Park or for the little ones, Tuesdays are Terrific. More information can be found on the Canton Township's website: Summer Concert Schedule

Canton small business owners can now get free business counseling! The Canton Chamber of Commerce has partnered with SCORE, an Ann Arbor based small business counseling service, for advice in areas such as finance, accounting and management. For more information regarding availability and appointments, call the Chamber at (734) 453-4040.

Congratulations are in order for Canton Charter School student Siddharth Varanasi! A resident of Canton Township, Siddharth, 11, just won the Detroit News Spelling Bee this past weekend and will go on to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee this June! If you're interested in learning more about the kinds of words used in these competitions, check out the Scripps/Merriam-Webster study site or one of the library's many dictionaries! Happy spelling!

Canton ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White are featured in Saturday's New York Times. Read about their international success and bid for Olympic gold in Vancouver!

You are invited to the first meetup for CantonWiki, which will be on Tuesday, November 10 from 7:00pm-9:00pm at the Canton Public Library in Group Study Room A. Please RSVP on CantonWiki.

CantonWiki is a city wiki for Plymouth and Canton, Michigan, which aims to provide a comprehensive reference for anything and everything in the area.

Fun for the whole family at the Canton Fall Fesitival Carnival beginning Thursday through Sunday, October 1-4, at the Canton Sports Center. Rides, pumpkins, music, crafts, petting farm and more all weekend long. Don't miss the Storytimes on Saturday with Canton Public Library's own enthusiastic storytellers!! Come one come all. Schedule of events

Staying in Canton during Labor Day weekend? Enjoy a walk along the Lower Rouge River Recreation Trail. The walk is Monday, September 7^th from 5-7pm and Trail Bingo will be provided by the Canton Leisure Services Staff. Having just recently taken a bike ride on the trail, I can tell you first hand that it is a beautiful piece of Canton that everyone should go out and enjoy.

Men and women, 50 years and older, will compete in the Western Wayne Senior Olympics August 17 through August 21, 2009. A complete schedule of events is available at Canton Seniors Leisure Services.

Have you checked out Etsy? It's a shopping site where you can purchase items created by artisans and crafters from all over the world. It's also a great place to find special items made by those right here in our community! Right now in Canton, the following shops have items for sale:

• Red Sun Creations offers unique handmade jewelry
• MudPuddlesNPigtails offers accessories for girls
• Princess Fancy Pants offers custom and semi-custom invitations and save-the-dates
• Definitions offers clothing for women
• Fabulous Chic offers jewelry and accessories
• Glazed and Amused Pottery offers fun and functional pottery
• Deborah Flanagan Jewelry offers jewelry made from silver wire
• Crafts for a Cure offers coasters
• Rabid Designs offers hand-crafted items
• Baby Bits offers clothing and accessories for little ones
• Rose Chic Friends offers hand-painted, hand-crafted and hand-sewn items
• Stylin Doggies offers accessories for your favorite pampered pooch

It's Memorial Day weekend which means it's time for the Annual Canton Cup, the largest soccer tournament of it's kind in Michigan.  Over 580 teams from across Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois and Ontario compete on soccer fields throughout Canton.  More information can be found on the 2009 Canton Cup website and find the new book Outcasts United: A Refugge Team, an American Town by John St. Warren in our collection.

April is National Fly a Kite Month, so take some time to investigate kites in fact and fiction at your library. If you’re feeling really adventurous, take a trip to one of Canton’s parks to fly your own kite.