You Know You’re From Detroit If …

Eileen Glick is proof you can take the girl out of Detroit, but you can’t take the Detroit out of the girl.

She
moved to Phoenix in 1979, but can’t shake her Detroit roots. “Detroit
was such a great place to grow up. We took so much away, now it’s time
to give something back,” says Glick.

So nostalgic is she for
Detroit days gone by that she’s put together a Detroit reunion,
subtitled “Can’t Forget the Motor City.” The party is open to everyone
— Detroiter, ex-Detroiter, suburbanite and city kid — and takes place
at various locations on June 19 through 22.

There are certain
Detroit memories, shared experiences, that Glick and the organizers
have tried to bring into the reunion: trips to Bob-Lo Island, Tigers
games, Vernors ginger ale, and the entertainers from local TV and radio.

So
reunion participants will take a cruise on the Detroit River, have a
dinner dance, go to a Tigers vs. Whites Sox game, check out a play
about Catholic school and have breakfast with Detroit TV hosts people
grew up with.

While the reunion is a walk down memory lane, the hope is to give attendees a new experience of Detroit, too.

“I
think Detroit’s starting a rebirth,” says Glick. “They’re revitalizing
the core of the city … .We wanted to create an experience for those
who haven’t been back to Detroit in awhile. They’re in for a very
pleasant surprise.”

Faygo, Sanders, Bob-Lo, Soupy …

Glick
began a Web site called www.detroitmemories.com in 2003 after receiving
a few forwarded a few of those “you know you’re from Detroit if … ”
e-mails. The lists would reference tidbits of Detroit iconography such
as drinking Faygo, Towne Club, Sanders and “Lunch with Soupy.” She
began compiling these Detroit memories and posting them on a Web site
dedicated to the culture and history of the Detroit she grew up in.

The
Web site’s popularity grew and connected her with other ex-Detroiters;
those who left the city but never forgot the place. Glick’s
co-coordinator, Daniel Boyce, who currently lives in Mexico City,
contacted Eileen and told her he would like to do something for Detroit
in appreciation; she had been thinking the exact same thing. Glick came
upon the idea of throwing a reunion to showcase downtown’s
revitalization.

Glick, who’s flying in from Phoenix, says that
she’s excited to get everyone downtown together. Though Detroit’s
changed a lot since the days of Johnny Ginger and Bob-Lo Island, she’s
anxious to promote a new chapter in Detroit’s history.

“Every
city runs on a cycle. I really think Detroit is experiencing a rebirth,
there’s a vitality that I haven’t seen in 30 years,” says Glick. “I
just want to give something back to the city that taught us so much.”

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For a full schedule of events and prices, go to www.detroitmemories.com or www.detroitreunion.com. Some of the reunion events include:

•
Opening reception at the new Boll Family YMCA, downtown at 1401
Broadway, at 6 p.m. July 19. Speakers include Gordon Castelnero, author
of TV Land – Detroit, and Gary Glaser, director of a documentary film about Tiger Stadium, also to be shown that night.

• Tigers v.s White Sox, July 20. The reunion has a reserved section. Tickets are $40.

• A dinner cruise on the river on the Detroit Princess in tribute to Bob-Lo Island and the Bob-Lo boats, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

•
Breakfast at the Roostertail,100 Marquette Drive, at 8:30 a.m. Friday.
Many of Detroit TV’s biggest stars of the ’50s and ’60s will host,
including Jerry Gale (Johnny Ginger), Marv Welch (Wixie the Pixie), Irv
Romig, (Rickey the Clown), Art Cervi, (Bozo the Clown). Moderators will
be author Tim Kiska, author of From Soupy to Nuts and Ed Golick, creator of www.detroitkidsshow.com.

•
Late Nite Catechism performance at the City Theatre, 2301 Woodward, 8
p.m. Friday. A one-woman interactive show starring Karen Sheridan.

•
A ’50s and ’60s dinner and dance at Cobo Hall’s Portside Dining Room,
One Washington Boulevard, at 6 p.m. Saturday. Special guests include
popular Detroit radio DJs Paul Cannon, Lee Alan, and Robin Seymour.

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Photos:



Downtown Detroit Copyright Dave Krieger



Bob Lo Island Postcard



Joe Short, Captain Bob Lo