Children’s activities
• Cheddar’s Preschool Story Time is 10:30 a.m. June 1. Cheddar the Mouse and Mrs. Laura read a story about Bugs & Insects and activities for ages 2-5 with caregiver at Troy Historic Village, 60 W. Wattles Road, Troy, Troy Historical Society members: $5/child and $3/adult; non-members: $6/child and $4/adult. Register at troyhistoricvillage.org.
Farmers markets
• Spring Flowers and Michigan Made Sundays are 8 a.m.-2 p.m. May 22 and 29 at the Oakland County Farmers Market, 2350 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford Twp. Annuals, perennials, plants, hanging baskets, succulents and vegetable starters as well as Michigan-made garden art, garden-related items and Michigan-made foods and crafts will be for sale. The Oakland County Farmers Market is also open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 7 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Admission is free, 248-858-5495, facebook.com/OaklCountyFarmersMarket.
Festivals
• Ya’ssoo Greek Festival is 4-10 p.m. May 27, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. May 28 and noon-10 p.m. May 29 at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 43816 Woodard Ave., Bloomfield Hills. Greek cuisine,culture and customs, music and dancing, all ages, Dave Bennett Quartet to perform 6- 8 p.m. May 27. Admission is $3, free for children under 12 or with three canned foods items to benefit Lighthouse of Oakland County, yassoogreekfestival.com.
• “Dino & Dragon Stroll”, a Jurassic walk-thru experience, is May 28-29 at Canterbury Village, 2359 Joslyn Ct., Orion Twp., DinoAndDragonStroll.com, gen adm.- $24.99+, free for children under 2 and military and veterans, additional service fees, net proceeds from opening night to benefit Jay’s Juniors to help chronically and terminally ill children. Sensory-friendly sessions are 8:30 a.m. May 28.
• Greater Rochester Heritage Days is 11 a.m.-6 p.m. May 28 and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. May 29 at Rochester Municipal Park, rochesterheritagedays.org, car shows, artists vendors, children’s activities.
• The Kensington Art Fair is 10 a.m.-6 p.m. May 28 and May 29 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May 30, at Kensington Metropark, 4570 Huron River Pkwy. on Maple Beach, Milford. The fair features artwork for sale and gourmet food trucks, kensingtonartfair.com.
Memorial Day weekend parades and activities happening in Oakland County
Fundraisers/Volunteer opportunities
• Troy Chamber of Commerce and Troy School District , “Step Up to the Plate,” Restaurant Week is May 22-27 at participating Troy restaurants. Participating restaurants offer diners 20 percent off food purchases if they bring in a “Step Up to the Plate” promotional piece (school flyer, ad, email or other communication about the program), troychamber.com. Diners may then turn in their detailed receipts to a Troy school by June 6. The school that receives the most money in receipts will win a $1,000 cash prize.
• Memorial Day Pancake Breakfast fundraiser is 7 a.m.-noon, May 30 at Royal Oak Farmers Market, 316 E Eleven Mile, Royal Oak, 248-246-3276, royaloakhistoricalsociety.com, 248-439-1501, adults $6; children 10 and younger $3
• Pontiac-based nonprofit Grace Centers of Hope is calling on volunteers to help spruce up its Little Grace Village neighborhood in Pontiac. Volunteer opportunities include gardening/planting, cleaning yard debris, and general landscaping. To volunteer, visit gracecentersofhope.volunteerhub.com or email Jager Carmos at jcarmos@gracecentersofhope.org, gracecentersofhope.org, must be 18+.
• The City of Farmington Hills is seeking volunteers to serve on its various Boards and Commissions, fhgov.com/government-business/boards-and-commissions residency requirements may vary. There are several vacancies for members and alternates, who serve when members are unable to attend meetings. Those interested, should submit an application at fhgov.com/government-business/boards-and-commissions/boards-and-commissions-questionnaire-form.
• ALS Auction Mania is May 30 to June 17, alsofmichigan.org, 248-354-6100, to benefit people with Lou Gehrig's disease, auction items include a Mexican vacation, golf packages, wine tastings and tickets to outdoor activities.
• Beaumont Children’s Walk for Miracles is June 11, at the Detroit Zoo. Registration opens at 7:30 a.m. All proceeds benefit Children’s Miracle Network programming at Beaumont Children’s. Participants are encouraged to dress as their favorite superhero. In addition to the Zoo exhibits, the event features the Beaumont Children’s mascot bear and popular fairytale and comic book heroes, snacks and refreshments and each child will receive a superhero cape. Walkers must register for the event and make a minimum donation: $5 per person or $20 per family. Visit beaumont.org/walk-for-miracles.
• Steve’s Mediterranean Chef of Madison Heights is donating one percent of sales in May to nonprofit Michigan Women Forward, miwf.org. Steve’s Mediterranean Chef products are sold in 250 stores in Michigan including Kroger, Meijer, Nino Salvaggio, Papa Joe’s Market, Holiday Market and Westborn Market, stevesmediterranean.com.
Health/Safety activities
• State of Michigan COVID-19 hotline for testing or vaccines is 1-888-535-6136, (8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon.-Fri.), for information, visit Michigan.gov/Coronavirus or CDC.gov/Coronavirus or email COVID19@michigan.gov.
Job fairs/Business activities
• Oakland County Parks and Recreation's Virtual Job Fair to fill recreation jobs in collaboration with Oakland County Human Resources is 1-4 p.m. May 24, OaklandCountyParks.com/jobs.
• The Engineering Society of Detroit’s Engineers Get Hired job fair is 2-7 p.m. May 24, at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. Cost to jobseekers to attend the job fair is free for ESD members or $20 for non-members (includes a one-year membership to ESD for new, first-time members. Parking is free. Jobseekers can register in advance at esd.org/gethired or at the event, starting at 1:30 p.m. on the day of the job fair.
• GM to host job fair for Skilled Trades roles, (including Pipefitter, Millwright, Machine Repair, and Electricians), noon-6 p.m. May 25 at GM Pontiac Stamping, 260 E. Beverly, Pontiac. For safety, shoes must be completely enclosed, (no opened toed or open heeled shoes), no high heels or skinny heels, full-length pants (no capris or shorts) are required, sleeved shirts only, no tank tops, search-careers.gm.com.
• Comcast RISE program was created to support women business owners through the awarding of Comcast services, including consulting, media, creative production and technology solutions. Those interested, can apply at comcastrise.com.
Libraries
• Commerce Township Community Library to host Robert Dustman, author of “Defining Moments”: 7 p.m. May 25, at the library, 180 E Commerce Road, Commerce Twp., 248-669-8108, register at commercelibrary.evanced.info/signup/calendar.
• Rochester Hills Public Library to host Be SMART for Kids to help parents and adults normalize conversations about gun safety, at 7 p.m. June 2 at the library, 500 Olde Towne Road, Rochester. Registration is required at calendar.rhpl.org or call 248-656-2900.
Museum activities
• Thursday Teas: Troy in the Twenties presented by Troy Historic Village at 2 p.m. May 26, inside Old Troy Church at Troy Historic Village, 60 W. Wattles Road, Troy, Troy Historical Society members: $8, non-members: $9. Geared toward adults. Register at troyhistoricvillage.org.
Parks/Nature activities
• Memorial Day weekend at Addison Oaks Campground features special events and activities, May 28-29. The campground has 170 campsites available, plus group areas, cabins and yurts. For more information, call 248-693-2432 or for a reservation, call 248-858-1400.
• Transformation Station – Water Studies workshop is 10:30 a.m.-noon May 28 at Wint Nature Center in Independence Oaks County Park, 9501 Sashabaw Road, Clarkston. Participants use nets and magnifying lenses to investigate the lives of insects that are born in the water such as dragonflies and mayflies. Participants will also look for animals that depend on them for survival. This program is suitable for ages 6+, $5/person. Preregistration with payment required by calling 248-858-0916 weekdays.
• Huron-Clinton Metroparks in Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne, metroparks.com. Park entrance fees apply.
• Oakland County Parks and Recreation offers access to natural areas, trails, dog parks and park amenities. Park entrance fees apply, OaklandCountyParks.com.
• Michigan State Parks and Recreation Areas, michigan.gov/dnr. Park entrance fees apply.
• Thursday Walking Group begins at 6 p.m. May 26. Weekly walks cover a variety of scenic 1.5-3 mile routes in the Troy area. Program is free, for all ages and levels of fitness, presented by Troy Historic Village and sponsored by Beaumont Health. For meeting locations, route details, or to sign up, visit troyhistoricvillage.org.
Support resources
• Families Against Narcotics launches new Oakland County Chapter to launch at 7 p.m. May 24 at Southfield Pavilion, 26000 Evergreen Road, Southfield, light refreshments will be served. For information, call Linda Davis at 586-855-9307 or email linda@familiesagainstnarcotics.org, familiesagainstnarcotics.org.
• Hospice of Michigan (HOM) is continuing its virtual support group sessions for Michiganders experiencing the loss of a loved one. For virtual group session times and dates, visit hom.org, call (888) 247-5701 or email kmonts@hom.org. In-person group meets on the Third Friday of the month at 10:30-11:30 a.m. at Royal Oak Senior Center, 3500 Marais Ave. Royal Oak. RSVP with Cynthia Palmer at 248-334-1323 or cpalmer@hom.org.
• Common Ground's Resource & Crisis Helpline is available 24/7 - call or text 800-231-1127.
• Mental health resources: easterseals.com/michigan/explore-resources/mental-health-tips-during-a.html.
• The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-TALK (8255), suicidepreventionlifeline.org or text 741741.
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