Many people know that Canton, before it was developed, was largely farmland. But did you know that there are still functioning family farms in the area? Check out Michigan Family Farms.com to find information about local farms and lots more information about finding local food and events. You can also look forward to fresh, local food from some of these farms at the upcoming Winter Markets at the Canton Farmers Market.

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.

Do you like fresh produce? Do you want to support local farmers? Are you, like me, not a fan of going shopping? I recently discovered Door to Door Organics, and now I have fresh produce delivered to my house once a week. It's great! They have several different basic orders to choose from, and you can customize your order and add items however you'd like. The food comes from local farms including Beautiful Earth Family Farm and Two Creeks Organics, both located in nearby Chelsea. I heartily recommend their goods and their service.

There has been a lot of speculation about why honeybees have been disappearing, and now scientists have a new theory: it's because of us. Luckily there are many things you can do to help foster good environments for honeybees, such as planting a diverse garden with plants that are attractive to bees. And if you're looking for honey or info on how to raise your own bees, you can't get more local than Bobilin Honey from right here in Canton.

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.

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