Tag Archives: Dancing in the Streets

Sweet September

 

Maypole and tango are just two of the many dances at Dancing in the Streets. (Photo: © Vickie Elmer)

September brings back to school schedules and cooler evenings, yet there’s still beautiful days and events to savor.

We are going to three of them this month and want you to come along. They are:

Sept. 6 – Dancing in the Streets.  Learn to dance an array of international dances, or enjoy music and dance from Main Street.  If you feel adventurous, try Cajun-Zydeco or belly dancing. Or swing and English country dancing may be more your style.  We will be right in the center of the festival, starting around 12:30 so you can enjoy some treats before you move your feet.

Sept. 13 – Kerrytown Book Festival . Held in the Farmers Market, this festival is a great place to meet authors and small publishers. We will be on our sidewalk outside 303 Detroit Street with a make a book mark activity and lots of sweet treats.

Sept. 13 – Monarch Migration Festival at Leslie Science and Nature Center.  This ticketed event features games, educational activities and a chance to help the monarchs on their journey south.

Then it will be one or two more Saturdays and the Italian ice cart goes dark by the end of September. Order your quarts so you won’t be without if Indian summer visits us in October.

This year, we expect to return with roasted chestnuts grown in Michigan a few times in November and December. So watch our Facebook page for announcements of those events. When the weather turns cold, we are glad to join your company’s holiday party with this distinctive holiday treat.

Lucky 7 launches with Peace & Dancing

Dancing brings people together and encourages joy and creativity. (MorgueFile photo)

This weekend, we start our Lucky 7 charity events – and you, our guests are fortunate indeed.

For you will not only enjoy our company and our delicious made-in-Detroit Italian ice on Saturday and Sunday, but you will give to two worthwhile non-profits – and find joy right by our silver cart.

Saturday, we support Peace Neighborhood Center.  Since 1971, Peacehas provided  family and youth services to low-income and at-risk individuals and families from summer camps to tutoring to crisis assistance. Peace people will be with us on Detroit Street in Kerrytown from 9 to noon. And to make the day more magical, Gordon

Gordo the Magician will join us on Saturday morning. (Photo: courtesy Gordon Schott)

Schott, or Gordo the Magician,will join us, with his mix of tricks and balloon animals.

Sunday, we support Dancing in the Streets. This  event takes over Main Street downtown 1 – 7 and teaches us swing dance, waltz, English country dance and more.  Or watch belly dancing or join the “Do the Hustle” flash mob at 1:45 p.m.

For several years, we’ve donated to Ann Arbor Community of Traditional Music & Dance, the all-volunteer organization that produces Dancing in the Streets.   Children’s art activities and an instrument “zoo” plus a maypole make this a fun family day.  Volunteer to help with set-up or tear down too.  (Note: The photo is not from Dancing, though it almost could be.)

If this sounds like a joyful opportunity for community support, Mity Nice still needs more performers and musicians for the rest of our charity events. Join the fun-raisers by emailing us at busker@mitynice.com.

So please come out both days – and please plan to show up during the week too to support The Breakfast at St. Andrews (on Wednesday) or FLY Art Center (Friday afternoon). Check our full schedule of Lucky 7 charities or watch our Facebook for other details.

It’s going to be a sweet, sweet charitable Labor Day Weekend!

 

Sweet charity series

 

Mity Nice believes in charity and giving back – in our daily operations and after we tally up any profits at yearend.

This year, we’re planning a fall charity fun-raiser – for seven charities!  This is a big undertaking for a little company,  yet we can’t help but feel excited and hopeful: We want to raise awareness, raise new volunteers – and donate a healthy share of our total sales each day to good local causes.

Here’s the schedule of charities:

While we have the charities, we still are looking for some fun for this fun-raiser – street musicians, performers, sidewalk poets or magicians who will join us. Interested? Drop us a line at busker@mitynice.com and let us know what charities and what days you’d like to play.
Even if you couldn’t dance or play music in public, you can participate. Share details of our fun-raiser with your friends – and bring a bunch of them down. Buy a pineapple Italian ice or a lemonade, an Italian soda or a Maize & Blueberry muffin – and we will give to the cause of the day.
Join us for seven days of sweet charity!

Blue moon – dogs, students and dancing this week

The summer’s fun continues to run.

We have a busy week here at Mity Nice, and we’re really looking forward to seeing friends back from vacation and students and staff back to U-M and other local universities. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s up with us:

  • Thursday, Aug. 30 –  We’re heading to Main Street around 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. to welcome Lena and Habana, the Latin American restaurant, to our neighborhood.  If you want a shot of tequila in your Italian ice, start at the cart then step inside!
  • Friday, Aug. 31 – Our first Full Moon, Dogs & Spoon event. Please stop by on Main Street with your friendly dogs, big, small, young or old. We are big dog lovers, and so we’ll have dog treats (courtesy of Dogma Catmantoo in Kerrytown) and a dog game or two. The spoon, of course, refers our wooden spoon so owners and friends can savor late summer heat with a couple of scoops of lemon or lime Italian ice.
  • Saturday, Sept. 1 – Hello Students! Look for us on our North University sidewalk space near Hill Auditorium, starting around 4 p.m. We’ll crack out the Go Blue! Italian ice, and give away a dozen of our Maize & Blueberry muffins to students, then scoop up some sweetness to new and old friends.
  • Sunday, Sept. 2 – Dancing in the Streets. Such a joyful event, with free dance lessons and music and more along Main Street. We have been part of it every year, and we always donate a percent of our sales to the organizers, the Ann Arbor Community of Traditional Dance and Music.  We’ll be there by around 1, and the dancing begins at 2 p.m. with ballroom dance lessons and family dance too.  (Yes, we will dance a bit, when we’re not scooping or pouring drinks.)

We hope to see you at a few of these fun events – dancing shoes and dogs are optional, but joy and friendship and Italian ice are essential!