West Bloomfield's best family activities.

ELLYCE FIELD

R

ow out to sea; watch a
puppet show; hike a
wooded path; try a new
sport; learn a lesson from
history.
West Bloomfield families
have a variety of great outdoor
activities, entertainment and
the trendiest fun and games
right in our own backyard.
Here are West Bloomfield's
best family activities.

Summer Reading
Program

Free Concerts

Come early with blankets
and picnic supper and pull up
your favorite patch of earth for
an outdoor concert featuring
nationally known entertain-
ment. West Bloomfield Parks
and Recreation along with
Ameritech Mobile Com-
munications sponsor two sum-
mer concerts, beginning at
7:30 p.m. at Marshbanks
Park, Hiller Road north of
Commerce Road. Motown
great Martha Reeves and the
Vandellas perform July 21;

The Contours, famous for the
60s hit, "Do You Love Me?"
perform Aug. 25. WB Parks
and Recreation, 334-5660. In
case of rain, the concerts will
be held at the Jewish Com-
munity Center's Shiffman
Hall.

rental on Pine Lake. Orchard
Lake Boats and Windsurfing,
3840 Orchard Lake Road,
682-1990 features windsurfers
and rowboat rental on Or-
chard Lake.

Boat Rental

Always a perennial summer
favorite of preschoolers, early
elementary children and their
families, Puppets in the Park
has expanded to include three
shows. Mask Puppet Theater
performs July 9 (rain date Ju-
ly 10) and August 20 (rain

Pack a picnic lunch and take
the kids on a wild boat ride.
Pine Lake Marina, 3599 Or-
chard Lake Road, 682-2180 of-
fers a variety of pontoon,
motor boats and rowboats for

Puppets in the Park

"Read on the Wild Side" at
the West Bloomfield lbwnship
Public Library and find a
summer safari full of games,
prizes, movies, concerts, pup-
pet shows, storytimes and
craft-making. Bring your
children into the library to
register and receive their sum-
mer reading packet. And don't
forget to pick up the schedule
of weekly activities. West
Bloomfield Township Public
Library, 4600 Walnut Lake
Road, 682-2120; Westacres
Branch, 7321 Commerce
Road, 363-4022.

Nature flails

Walk the 1 1/4-mile Mar-
shbanks Park nature trail
through the woods and down
towards an overlook of Cass
Lake. Or take the family on a
hike through Bloomer Park's
woods, measure your fitness at
the park's fitness stations and
let the kids loose on the large,
colorful plastic play structure.
Marshbanks Park, Hiller
Road, north of Commerce
Road; Bloomer Park, Richard-
son Road, east of Haggerty.
Call West Bloomfield Parks
and Recreation for more park
information, 334-5660.

Ellyse Field is The Detroit
News "Kid Stuff' columnist
and a resident of West

Bloomfield. She is also the
author of Detroit Kids

Catalog: The Hometown
Tourist, Wayne State Press,

1990, a comprehensive Michi-
gan tour book for families.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

WB-27

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