Going Home

Oh My God, "The Island", as referred by us in the day! From the WABX kite in's, to the hydroplane races, to the Grand Prix, to the "Fireworks", to the Aquarium, to Belle Isle Zoo, Parking and necking on Woodside Drive, canoeing, The Golf Course, Indulging in adult beverages, nothing topped it. There you have gone and done it? Triggered the Wick's memory for more stories to come....LOL

Great idea, Michael. Belle Isle was, in some ways, a great place, "back in the day." I have many fond memories of Belle Isle during the early to mid 60's, our crazy escapes and good times we had while in junior high and high school. What particularly comes to mind is the "Legend of Tanglewood Dr." Driving down Tanglewood late night with no headlights (no street lights were present then), and at some point, pulling over to park to see if the tale was true about the ghost of the crazy woman who took revenge on "all" guys who parked on Tanglewood for the rape and death of her daughter years earlier as she and some guy "parked" along the road.

Peace,
Mike W.

A very special place, indeed – count me in – a lifetime of stories, but some of my most memorable include:

When Mr. Kowalczyk worked at Uniroyal and if Mrs. K. needed the family car for the day, she was inclined to take us for an impromptu spin around the Island and treat us to a Good Humor on the riverbank.

When Mr. Orlowski rented a trailer and loaded up our bikes for a day of cycling around the Island, then grilled up some hotdogs (gotta love a guy who grills up the hotdogs for a bunch of city kids – but imagine seeing a bunch of kids riding in the back of a trailer filled bikes nowadays!)

And the time Al Nawrocki rented a U-Haul and started a party, which grew to 2,000+ by the end of the night (according to the report in the newspaper the next day) by cranking up “Smoke on the Water” (which I haven’t heard since – aaaah – the reunion – thanks for the reminder Marianne and Mark!)

plus –

skating by the 7 Sisters,

canoeing,

the zoo and aquarium,

renting bicycles-built-for-two, and the bike marathons (which I believe were the only time camping overnight on the Island was allowed)

And then there was that one time when a group of bored and invincible teens decided to ride their bikes to the Island on a hot summer's day (around 1975?) We headed east through the Pointes then down Jefferson, so the ride there was somewhat unmemorable. But coming home on E. Grand Blvd., ‘round about Mack, we were implored to surrender our bikes, and pedaled as fast as our youthful legs would pump all the way back to Fletchers Field

…speaking of the Grace of God – please join the F3 prayer warriors at Fletchers this Saturday at noon to lift up our hearts in praise for God’s continued Grace and pray for Blessings on all upcoming 2009 events!

Chris

Belle Isle reminisces:

As a young kid, pronouncing it Bell-I-O. As a child, my favorite place on the island was the "fish house." I enjoyed seeing the sea horses and the sturgeon. Never was to keen on the "electric" eel. Enjoying it when my dad would accelerate the old Plymouth Fury (we had a bunch of Fury's) on the little hills on the road on the outside of the island. Being interested in watching the handball players. Going around and around on the pony rides, toy pistol in holster. Winter on the island ... Skating for hours on the frozen canals near the warming house. Being outside of the warming house one day when a stripped down Polar Bear club member who looked like Wild Bull Curry let out a loud yell for no apparent reason.

The last time I was on the island was around 1983 or 84. Went there to watch a Gold Cup race. So many people that I never saw a thing.


As always, good luck to you Michael. This is a tough task you've chosen. While it's true that many cared about the island, it was home to no one. Without a population, no one will be there to keep an eye on any improvements made.


D.P.

Too young to have the majority partying and camping memories like most of the blog entries here but to still have some. My dad (Paul Gerace) was a the local Jack-of-all-trades and mechanic.... that icluded boats. With each boat he repaired it entailed a test run on Belle Isle with the family. AHHHHHH THE QUEEN MARY, a sight for sore eyes... guaranteed the fireworks on river every year. I never saw them though for I was petrified of boat rides and remained under cabin shaking in my sandals, (I'd say thongs but today it does not have the same meaning as it did in the 60's) And the infamous Belle Isle Bridge facinated me. Sunday's warranted a family car ride with the top down in dads (most embarrassing) fin back white cadillac. Laying down in the back seat looking up at the trees-driving through Belle Isle Park while dad told those ghost stories. Then late night ice cream at the fountain to watch it change colors. oh, and the big cast iron stove! Now, I believe, was moved to the MI state fair grounds?

I spent many years and many a summer day/night at Blue heron lagoon on the north end of the island by Livingston Light house. I loved to fish there with my Dad, who would take me anytime I asked. When I was young any out of town guests were taken to the island for a tour and a maybe a game of golf. The rides on the giant slide. so many field trips and school walking fund raisers. Tours of the coast guard station with the boy scouts. The nature center and Scotts Fountain. The Boat museum and it's periscope. Of course the aquarium and flower coservatory and so many family cook outs. My favorite memory was driving into the tunnelunder jefferson at the start of the bridge off East Grand Blvd and calling for the horn to be honked. I think there was a sign posted "Do Not Honk Horns". There is no tunnel now. At one point during the 1980's My Dad and I were fishing at the lagoon and we found a box of dynamite, (60% Glycerin) the box read. We promptly reported at the police station which they found and took care of. My father and I got a small write up in the paper and i was terrified for a week that the person who put it there would come get us. In 1990 I proposed to my wife on the island. It was a special place where we spent time fishing and "talking" during our courtship. There are so many good memories of the Island I can't fit them all on here. My wife and I were just talking about Belle isle a few weeks ago saying we have not riden around the place in like 5 years and needed to do so soon. My oldest (7) has never seen the island ...and needs to. It's definatly a place to rehab.

I could probably fill a book, or two, with stories from Belle Isle. My father, Bill Wieske, worked on Belle Isle, the entire time I was growing up and for several years after I was out of High School, before working as a supervisor at Chandler Park or maybe even Palmer Park. During the summer month's, Dad ran the Band Shell. He would start in the afternoon, opening the building and checking that things were as they should be and then he would wait until the musicians started showing up. He set up the stage with chairs, music stands and platforms and open the flaps on the speakers on either side of the stage positioned high on poles. He worked the electrical equipment from a little room under the canal side of the building and when the concert was over, he cleared the stage and locked up after everyone was gone. I will have to ask him what year he left Belle Isle for the other Parks & Recreation Jobs, but I'm pretty sure it was well into the 70's. I remember his story about how he hid in that "sound room" with one of those sticks with the point, used to pick up trash, when Diana Ross and the Supremes did their concert there and the fans got a little rambunctious.
During the summer, unless we were out of town camping or Dad was with the Scouts somewhere, we would get up on sunday, go to Mass, come home and eat lunch and then Mom would gather a pic nic dinner and we would head off to the Island as a family. Dad would open up the building and do what he needed to do and us older kids would go exploring. We visited the flower and fish house, went to the Skating Pavilion and walked out on the deck to check out the water, went fishing by the cement steps that were somewhere between the Band Shell and the Pavilion, walked over to the tower (we even got to go up in it once) where the lady played the Organ, or just wandered around and enjoyed the fresh air. I think we knew every flower as well as every fish (I personally liked the eel and that old turtle) in those places given the number of times we walked through them. The first couple month's of the summer, the Detroit Concert Band played and the last month was the Detroit Symphony. We knew many of the musicians very well not to mention Leonard B Smith the Concert Band Conductor. He would dance with us girls when not up on stage conducting and we all remember my little sisters sitting on his lap and singing. Sometimes during the week, my older brother Tom and I would go to work with Dad and he would get us a Canoe and we'd spend the afternoon paddling around the canal and sometimes exploring the little islands there in the canal as well.
The first "story" I thought of when Mike wrote this, was the time my Grandfather came to watch the Concert one sunday. Once the concert was over and we helped Dad put all the chairs and stands and such away, half of us got in Dad's car and the other half in Grandpa's car. When we got home and Grandpa came in with the kids he drove home, we asked where Dan was. Dad thought he was with Grandpa and Grandpa thought he was with Dad. A hurried call to the the Skating Pavilion, located brother Dan. He was found wandering along the waters edge, near the cement steps I mentioned earlier but he was safe. It's amazing that he didn't fall in due to how dark that area was, especially after all the light's at the Band Shell were turned off. I'm guessing he was 3 or 4 at the time and when Dad got to the Pavilion, Dan was sitting on the counter, hapily eating an ice cream, oblivious to the scare he gave Mom, Dad and Grandpa.
Six kids, many summers and many endless memories, some even in High School after basketball games. Wink, wink. Thank you Mike for allowing me to share.
And one last thing. I am asking for prayers for my sister Martha(Wieske)Wren (we all call her Marty), a 1975 Holy Name graduate who has been battling a rare form of Cancer for just over a year and a half. Sadly, the Cancer is no longer responding to treatment and there is nothing more the Doctors can do for her. She is back home, with Hospice, for the remainder of her days. My sister is the strongest person I know to have fought as long and hard as she has and I was fortunate to visit her in Texas last week. She still has her beautiful smile and is not in any pain. Although sometimes confused, she is aware of what is happening and has accepted it. I ask that you pray for her husband as well as her children and the rest of our family as we cope and learn to accept God's choice to call her home after a short 48 years here on his earth. God Bless you All.

Greetings of peace, Diane,

Wow! What a personal story. Very interesting, and fascinating. Thank you for sharing it. Know that all concerned in your sister's struggle are in our our prayers. May all be strengthened in God's grace. Blessings.

Peace and love, Mike W.

If it's still there---I miss it, but I'm afraid to go there and see it actually gone---what about saving the old willow down by the river just past the bridge, not too far from the Yacht Club?

I know they cut back the branches so that if you sit on the mossy pads on the low-slung split trunk, you won't be curtained in anymore. But I hope they haven't just destroyed that old refuge for little adventurous kids and older lovers and just folks who appreciated the unique beauty of yet another Detroit treasure that we take for granted.

wecleartheland:

There's no more to fear at Belle Isle than there is at Fletcher Field, and I think we've proved over a course of two years that Fletcher if safe.

Incidentally, Jon Morgan and I met with Roberta Henrion, president of Friends of Belle Isle, and two other members of the association this afternoon at the Big Boy's just west of the island. I think we all came away from the meeting with a feeling that Belle Isle is a natural fit for this blog and a Detroit gem we can all rally around in the near future.

Check back here for more details in the coming weeks.

Has anyone noticed the new park rules signs just installed? This past weekend the island was humming. All kinds of people, the beach was packed-guess people are really doing the staycation thing. Too many cars. I wish the cops did a better job of traffic control. Having the mounted police in the park is great! There isn't enough parking for the amount of people. I wish there was an easier way to get on and around the island with out a car,i.e. trolley, bike rental... Any ideas?

GREAT NEWS! TIM HORTON'S opened yesterday in the vacant Starbuck's location at the foot of the MacArthur Bridge; East Jefferson and East Grand Boulevard. Great addition to the neighbor. Nice to be able to get some refreshment to take to the island to watch the freighters pass. Try to support this business.

Has anyone seen the Mounted Police back on Belle Isle? I thought it was sad when Detroit was shutting down their mounted police force. However, they are now trying to bring them back. They were at the Belle Isle Aquarium fund raiser a couple of weeks ago, and they were looking great. Anyone in favor of bring the Detroit Mounted Police horses back on Belle Isle should write to Mayor Bing and the to Detroit City Council letting them know about your support.

While we were running on the Island last Sunday morning, we did see a mounted rider scouting about. I don't think he was in a police uniform though, he was aways away, but he was wearing a coyboy hat and exchanged a friendly wave. It was great to see!

We had stopped at Tim Horton's on the way in and enjoyed breakfast on the riverbank afterward - wonderfully diverse crowd, everyone so friendly and thoroughly enjoying the jewel - awesome time!

Yeh, Belle Isle is a wonderful place. It is a shame that there are still people out there who are afraid to enjoy it. It is really about as safe as anywhere else but much more beautiful. I enjoy watching all the people doing all of the different things from kiting, to running, to biking, etc. Watching the river is great too! The Scott Fountain is gorgeous and with the colors at night it is just wonderful. I also love the conservatory and the Dossin. I know that the Friends of the Belle Isle Aquarium are working hard to bring back another one of my personal favorites the old aquarium.

The Friends of Belle Isle also work hard on preserving the island and have made a big impact in many ways. They sponsor the tree plantings that help out the city. Don't the new cherry trees plant in May around the fountain look lovely? They get the money to do this through donations from people; many donate this a memorials. FOBI also helps with preservation on the island and have recently been involved with the restoration of the bridge on Central Avenue making sure that the structure did not lose it historically significant ironwork.

The Belle Isle Women's Committee did a beautiful job with their latest project the renovation of Sunset Point on the west end of the island facing downtown. The renovation included a beautiful new comfort station, sidewalks and trees. This past May the Greening of Detroit and Detroit's General Service Department planted new flowers and shrubs too. It is a great place to sit and watch the river or the fireworks.

Today was a beautiful day on the island. Two groups came from Fremont, Ohio to visit the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory. They were very impressed with the variety of plants and the beauty of the island. They couldn't believe that the conservatory is open 365 days a year!, but it is and it is FREE. In between the tours this HUGE dinosaur of a freighter floated down the river. It was so relaxing to rest on the riverbank and watch the boat. The breeze was blowing and the temp was fine. Great relaxing time.
FYI The Belle Isle Botanical Society will schedule a tour of the conservatory with an appointment. The also have a program for school age children which is FREE. Call 313-331-7760 for more information.