We managed to stump Plymouth residents with our trivia contest last week. No one was able to answer all five questions but Tom Dusbiber had an excellent showing, with three out of five. For his efforts, he will receive a $50 gift certificate to the Box Bar. Way to go, Tom! If you missed the trivia contest, here’s a recap of the questions and answers. See how much you know! 1. What year did the Box Bar open? 1946. This answer was no easy feat to track down. But, thanks to archivist Heidi Nielsen at the Plymouth Historical Museum, we learned that Theodore C. Box purchased the restaurant …

I haven’t lived in Plymouth long but, when I moved here last spring, one of the first things I noticed was this town’s living sense of history. Not everyone is fortunate enough to live in a place with historic turn-of-the-century homes that can be recognized in old photographs, an active historical society and museum, and a thriving park in the center of town that has drawn residents together to socialize in the same space, decade after decade. The city website says that Plymouth was settled in 1825. The village was incorporated in 1867 and it eventually became a city in 1932. Photographs of …

The Plymouth Ice Festival was my introduction to town six years ago, and this year, now that I’m officially a resident, I’m throwing an Ice Festival party. From what I’ve heard, it’s a bit of a tradition. The festival, formerly known as the Plymouth International Ice Sculpture Spectacular, is in its 29th year, and, over those years, the ice sculptures on display in Kellogg Park have led people—happily—back out into the cold. This year, the festival runs Jan. 21-23. Victor West, owner of Vanessa’s Flowers, remembers it being a reason to get together with friends when he lived in town, some 20 …

I think of myself as a fairly responsible, environmentally conscious person but, the more I think about it, the more I realize I'm really not putting much effort into being green. So, in a New Year's attempt to change a few habits, I decided to revisit the not-so-novel ideas of recycling and conservation. Plymouth Township revised its recycling guidelines last July and, while I typically set aside my cereal boxes and milk jugs to be repurposed, up until a few days ago, I would not have passed a test on the do's and don'ts of recycling. Recycling Christmas Trees and Beyond Getting the …

As a busy mom, I have to make time for exercise and, this past year, there's been a huge gap between my intentions and reality. I wanted to run. I wanted to take lots of walks. I wanted to lift weights and do push-ups at home. But, more often than not, these to-dos never made it to the top of the list. Over the holidays, I took a casual approach to getting in shape. I wanted stress relief to be an integral part of my exercise routine so I focused on options that were as much about quieting my mind as working up a sweat. I decided to try running again. I also sampled a ballet and a yoga class …

When I was little, the best part of Christmas Eve was driving back from Aunt Betty's house—sitting in the back seat of the car in my fancy red Christmas coat, watching the moon follow us and seeing all the Christmas lights lining the rooftops on the way home. At our house, we always had those oversized multi-colored lights around the doorway (if you want to buy them now, they're called Old-Fashioned C9 lights) and blue electric candles on the window ledges. But, everything changes. The electric candles have fallen out of style and so have windows with ledges. As for holiday lights in general…

Plymouth is a town that loves a good mystery. Over the last couple of weeks, I've been asking people I meet — the front desk staff at the pediatrician's office, customers at Starbucks, and people mailing packages at the post office — what they are reading. Most of the 20 or so men and women I spoke to were reading novels that fall in the suspense category, whether it was Patricia Cornwell's Trace or Emma Donoghue's latest book, Room. And, when I spoke with librarian Sue Patterson, who does the adult fiction purchasing at the Plymouth District Library, she confirmed my findings. "I would say …

I'm a mom with two small children and my closet shows it. For the most part, it is full of jeans and long-sleeve t-shirts. It's the modern mom uniform, born out of practicality and one too many peanut-buttery hands reaching up to be held. I know I'm not the only mom in town with this problem so, when I heard the Plymouth boutique, Bella Mia, was hosting a holiday fashion show, I made plans to go. I wanted to get a taste of the new fashion trends and get some ideas for what to wear in this frosty Michigan weather. My family moved to Plymouth from Atlanta earlier this year and, over the last …

I try to get my kids outside every day, but when the temperature drops, it's not an easy sell. The promise of hot chocolate can only get you so far. Fortunately, Plymouth has plenty going on around town to keep little people busy this time of year. Here are a few suggestions to make the most of the winter weather, even when there's no snow. 1. Take a stroll down Forest Avenue. A short walk can perk up the whole family, even when it's blustery outside. If your child has a letter for Santa, bring it with you and drop it in the mailbox at Genuine Toy Company. While you're there, check out the …

I've always wondered what it would be like to ring The Salvation Army bell and man the iconic red kettle. The bell-ringers, standing outside grocery stores and on street corners, are a sure sign that the holiday season is in full swing and a reminder that I can do more to help my neighbors in need. So, this year, I decided to join the Army, become a volunteer and find out more about this bell-ringing business. I was mostly curious about how people typically respond to the Red Kettle Campaign.  I expected to fill out lots of forms and figured I would need to make a half or full-day commitment…

I don't know exactly what led me to Plymouth. But, I remember the first time I met this town. It was a bone-chilling weekend in January 2005. My in-laws brought me and my husband, Mark, to the annual Plymouth Ice Festival, during one of our visits up from Atlanta. What I remember most about that day was the biting cold and the relentless wind and how everyone took it in stride, except me. The ice sculptures lining Kellogg Park were grand statues, much larger than I expected, and gorgeously detailed but, that afternoon, I appreciated my warm seat inside the Box Bar just as much as the art in …