Save the date and your appetite! 

The EDDDA has teamed up with the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce to indulge participants with the unique and cultural tastes of East Downtown Dearborn with a Taste of Dearborn East on September 15th, 2010 from 6-10pm. We are thrilled to be a part of this successful event that will showcase the diverse variety of flavors that our local restaurants have to offer. 

Cost is $25 and reservations are required by September 10, 2010.  Ticket price at the door is $30.  You can register online at www.tasteofdearborn.com or download the online registration form and fax to 313-584-9818. Participants must be at least 21 to participate and will receive a wristband during the check-in process at the EDDDA office, 13750 Michigan Avenue, starting at 5:30 p.m.

Seventeen restaurants participate in this first annual Taste East event throughout East Dearborn and the Fairlane Town Center complex. 

 The wristband is to be worn by all “tasters” so restaurant workers will be able to distinguish them from regular patrons.  Tasters sample free appetizers, purchase drink specials if they choose, then catch one of the passenger vans available for transportation to the next participating restaurant of their choice.  Transportation is available to participating restaurants until 10 p.m.

This is a delicious way to enjoy all the great restaurants that East Dearborn has to offer. For more information contact Peggy Richard, Event Manager at 313-584-6100 or Melissa Kania of the EDDDA at 313-943-3141. Register online TODAY at www.tasteofdearborn.com.

Participating restaurants include:

360 Lounge

Adonis Restaurant

Alcamo’s Italian Market

Amani’s

Avenue Bar & Grill

Bravo! Cucina Italiana

Country Restaurant

Fuddruckers at Fairlane

Fuego Mexican Grill

Habib’s Cuisine

Joe’s Top Dog

PF Changs China Bistro

Prestige Café

Roma Bakery

Roman Village Cucina Italiana (at check-in)

Schmoocheese Cheesecakes (at check-in)

Shelby’s On Warren

Come taste the diverse restaurants in East Downtown Dearborn right at their locations!

The East Dearborn Development Authority (EDDDA), in partnership with the City of Dearborn, is exploring a new and creative, approach to a potential economic development project with Artspace, the nation’s leading nonprofit real estate developer for the arts. The Artspace mission is to create, foster and preserve affordable space that serves the needs of artists and arts organizations of all disciplines. These activities contribute to the continued growth of the arts community thus enhancing the cultural and economic vitality of the surrounding community. This results in these nationwide projects being community driven.

Dearborn has a deep rooted and well established arts and cultural community with many existing cultural resources. Included in these are: the Dearborn Symphony Orchestra, Dearborn Youth Symphony, Artist Society of Dearborn, Fair Lane Music Guild, Berkowitz Gallery, Padzieski Art Gallery and Dearborn Community Arts Council. Dearborn is home to amazing attractions and destinations like The Henry Ford, the Arab American National Museum and the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center that draw thousands of visitors each year.

The arts and cultural industry is one of growth and has a direct economic impact on the community. Nonprofit arts and cultural organizations support more jobs then other fields such as accountants, lawyers, public safety officers or teachers. The arts and culture industry attracts audiences, increases tourism, spurs business development and generates revenue. The arts mean business! The arts are a business!

With its distinct and vibrant marketplace of people, food and cultures as well as the $70 million mixed use development under construction at Michigan and Schaefer, the EDDDA is well positioned to support an innovative and creative project such as the proposed Artspace.

Visit the Artspace website at www.artspace.org.to learn more about the organization and its success in other communities. The scope of this project requires a comprehensive strategy in order to move forward. Community involvement from all sectors: financial, civic, arts and culture are all part of the mix that leads to a successful project!

This is a unique opportunity to blend the oft-perceived divergent worlds of art and economic development into a powerful, unified force to achieve sustainable job creation and retention. We must focus on sustaining our community by capitalizing on assets including: the international presence of our diverse ethnic groups, a well defined arts/cultural heritage, and access to substantial economic development resources.

Feel free to contact Melissa Kania of the EDDDA with questions or comments at: 313-943-3141 or by e-mail at: mkania@ci.dearborn.mi.us.

PUBLISHED: July 1, 2009

DEARBORN - While it’s home to City Hall, the Arab American National Museum and the future site of the Dearborn Town Center, East Downtown Dearborn has long lived in the shadow of its West End counterpart.

But local business owners and the East Downtown Dearborn Development Authority (EDDDA) say they plan to change that by offering a variety of programs this summer that highlight the district’s unique history and its eclectic mix of shopping destinations.

“When people say that there’s no shopping in Dearborn, I tell them to look around,” said EDDDA Director Michael Boettcher. “We’ve got a nice mix of everything here.”

The district is currently home to more than 187 businesses, according to the EDDDA’s Web site, many of which are locally owned and operated.

“I think that makes our neighborhood stand out,” Boettcher said. “There’s a lot to be said for personal service, and we’ve tried to emphasize that to local businesses. It’s nice to have a place you can go where everybody knows your name.”

But Boettcher knows it’s going to take more than a few friendly faces to revive the struggling district, which is why the EDDDA has partnered with local organizations to offer a series of unique programs intended to remind residents that there’s still plenty to do — day or night — in East Downtown Dearborn.

“District residents tell us that they would like more to do here after work and merchants open in the evenings want reasons to keep customers coming later in the day,” Boettcher said. “Last summer’s successful ‘Music Under the Stars’ concerts at City Hall Park show that people are willing to hang out in the neighborhood if offered fun activities to keep them here.”

This year, the EDDDA will be sponsoring another of the Recreation Department’s “Music Under the Stars” concert at 7:30 p.m. July 30 at City Hall Park, and recently announced a new partnership with Smooth Jazz V98.7 to launch its own series of Wednesday evening concerts in the park in July and August.

There will be two shows in July (the 22nd and 29th) and three in August (the 12th, 19th and 26th), according to the EDDDA’s new Web site, www.eastdowntowndearborn.com.

Alexander Zonjic and Friends will headline the opening show on July 22.

“Our businesses have been looking for a reason to stay open late, and the concerts are a great opportunity for them to attract new customers,” Boettcher said. “It should be a lot of fun.”

The EDDDA has also partnered with MotorCities National Heritage Area — an affiliate of the National Park Service dedicated to preserving, interpreting and promoting the automotive and labor heritage of the state of Michigan — in an effort to promote the district’s unique history through informational signs posted adjacent to local historic buildings.

“This is the neighborhood the Rouge Plant built,” Boettcher said. “There’s a lot of history around here…it’s really amazing. We have quite a legacy in East Downtown Dearborn.”

And while a part of the city’s past — the old Montgomery Ward building on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Schaefer — recently came tumbling down, Boettcher said he’s excited to see what’s developing at the site.

“It’s pretty cool,” Boettcher said, referring to the Dearborn Town Center development currently under construction on the site. The 125,000 square-foot facility will offer multi-specialty medical care, retail, office space and an assisted living facility for seniors.

“It’s a big project,” Boettcher said. “But it has to be — it’s going to serve a focal point in East Downtown Dearborn that, hopefully, will draw people to the area.”

The vacant Kroger store on Schaefer just north of Michigan Avenue could also be redeveloped, Boettcher said.

“That’s the next big lion to tame,” he said. “There’s been some interest in it, but there’s nothing concrete at this time.”

The building, Boettcher said, is still in good condition — much like the rest of the neighborhood.

“We’ve got some good bones to start with,” he said. “With what we’ve got and what we think we can attract, I think we can make East Downtown Dearborn prosperous again.”

Contact Staff Writer Sean Delaney at (734) 246-2702 or sdelaney@heritage.com.

The EDDDA added beauty and vitality to East Downtown Dearborn with a new summertime signature event series, all new bike racks around the neighborhood and new benches and tables in City Hall Park. 

District residents tell us that they would like more to do here after work and merchants open in the evenings want reasons to keep customers coming later in the day.  The 2008 successful Music Under the Stars concerts at City Hall Park show that people are willing to hang out in the neighborhood if offered fun activities to keep them here. 

This year we sponsored another of the Recreation Department’s Music Under the Stars concerts at City Hall Park, 7:30 pm on Thursday, July 30^th as part of their Citywide concert series.  We’re also proud to announce a new partnership with Smooth Jazz V98.7 and launched our own whole series of Wednesday evening concerts in the park in July and August over the summer! 

Smooth Jazz chose the muscians and they promoted the series to their listeners at every turn.  We also did our own concert promotions in and around East Downtown.

In 2008 it became clear that the old outdoor furniture at City Hall Park needed replacement, so the EDDDA stepped in with attractive new tables and benches in and around the park, including checkerboard game tops on some tables. From our office windows, they appear to be a hit with an increased number of park visitors this year.

Concertgoers brought picnic dinners from nearby restaurants and took advantage of the new furniture over the summer, and of course brought blankets and hung out on the grass to enjoy the entertainment that will no doubt become a popular tradition in East Downtown over time as the series grows.