By Evelyn Cairns
A first prize of $1,000 will be awarded in the Downriver Council for the Arts’ inaugural Glee Challenge, which seeks groups of three or more performers of all ages in country, gospel, punk, rock, classical and other types of music.
Additional prizes of $750, second; and $500, third, will be awarded in the contest, a benefit for the DCA.
An elimination round will be held on Nov. 11, and the final competition Nov. 12. Both contests will take place at the Flat Rock Community Auditorium.
Contestants must be 18 or older or have their parents’ permission to participate.
The deadline for entries (CDs, DVDs and You-Tube links), which must be accompanied by a $25 entry fee, is Oct. 10. Entries and payment are being accepted online at www.downriverarts.org or can be mailed with a check or money order to: Glee Challenge, Wyandotte Arts Center, 81 Chestnut, Wyandotte, MI 48192.
Rules, entry forms and additional information are available by going to www.downriverarts.org and clicking the Glee link.
Co-chairmen Delores Elswick and Mary Ann Perttunen are being assisted by Erin Suess, Phillipa Matakas and Tammy Trudelle.
Glee sponsors and advertisers for a program book are being sought by Elswick at (734) 674-8821, and Perttunen at (734) 320-7204. Ads start at $25 for a quarter-page, business-card size. Call Elswick or Perttunen for details.
Jet Fly slated for charities
The roar of more than 100 radio-controlled model jets will be heard on Grosse Ile Thursday through Sunday during the 11th annual Michigan Jets Charity Jet Fly, a benefit for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Naval Air Station Grosse Ile Fund.
The jets will take off from the Grosse Ile Airport, 9601 Groh Road, with the Flying Pilgrims, the Detroit Aero Modelers and the Midwest R/C Society as hosts for the fly.
Hours will be 1 p.m. to dusk Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.
Admission will cost $10 per vehicle. Concessions will be operated by King Bar-B-Que and jet vendors.
For additional information, go to www.michiganjets.com.
Driver to talk at museum
Danica Patrick, IndyCar Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series driver, will give a talk on COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and sign autographs at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 8 at the Henry Ford Museum’s Anderson Theatre.
Patrick will speak in memory of her grandmother, who died of the disease, and on behalf of DRIVE-4COPD, the country’s largest awareness campaign targeting the disease.
The driver became the first woman to win an IndyCar Series race in 2008 and finished fourth at the NASCAR race in Las Vegas this year with the highest finish for a woman driver in a major NASCAR Series.
There is no charge for admission, but seating will be on a first-come basis. For more information, call (313) 982-6001 or go to www.thehenryford.org.
Society seeks toy stories
The Detroit Historical Society is seeking stories about favorite toys, along with the actual toys or photographs taken up to 1980, for an exhibit to open Sept. 24 at the Detroit Historical Museum.
Contributors should include their names, ages, the communities in which they lived at the time of the stories and the years of the stories.
If a photo is submitted, the image should be at least 150 dpi, and the people and toys should be identified, along with the year the photo was taken.
Submissions and the contributors’ names, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses are being accepted by Tracy Irwin at The Detroit Historical Society, 5401 Woodward, Detroit, MI 48202, or [email protected]
Aug. 26 is the deadline for submitting stories and photos for consideration of inclusion in the exhibit.