F.Y.I

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AGENDA, 220 S. Main St, Ann Arbor, Ml 48104.

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Flood's Fun Funds For Food Gatherers

Picnic-perfect weather on Saturday, July 11 set the tone for a reunion of former employees, bands, and friends of longtime downtown watering hole, Mr. Flood's Party. An estimated 800 adults and children filled the K of C Campgrounds west of Ann Arbor to renew old acquaintances, enjoy music and a BBQ banquet, and raise $4,400 for Food Gatherers' hunger relief efforts.

"It was one hell of a party," crowed Ned Duke, owner of the late, lamented Mr. Flood's. "People came from all across the country and beyond to see old friends, hear some great tunes, and raise a few bucks for a damn good cause." Duke speculated that the happy crowd devoured over 1,000 hamburgers, as well as 1,500 sausages and knackwurst while slaking their thirst with close to 5,000 containers of soft drinks, water and beer.

Throughout the day-long event, reunion T-shirts were sold, returnable bottles and cans were collected and the pitcher was passed (in Flood's tradition) to support Food Gatherers. "It was a real honor to be included in this celebration and to see so many day-to-day supporters there," commented Eileen Spring, Executive Director of the food distribution organization. "Their generous donation goes a long way toward underwriting the cost of easing hunger in our community." Food Gatherers currently distributes four tons of food each day, six days a week to 134 feeding programs in Washtenaw County.

Reunion revelers, who came from as far away as Belgium, were treated to music by David Menefee, Peter Stark, the R.F.D. Boys, Jay Stielstra, the Steve Newhouse Band, Mike Smith and the Cadillac Cowboys, Dick Siegel, and Scott Morgan's Key to the Highway.

Opened in 1969, Mr. Flood's Party served as a magnet for both working class and professionals until its demise in 1980. "Back then it was the only place in town where students, bikers, bankers, and laborers could get together for a drink and live entertainment, seven days a week," noted Duke.

Earlier this year, Zeke Mallory, formerly of Crow Quill Graphics, broached the idea of are union. Mallory and the other members of the Reunion Committee, Marge Everhart, Alan Pagliere, Judy Calhoun, John Copley, David Lutton, and Ned Duke met over a period of months to compile a mailing list, make party arrangements, book the bands (all of whom donated their performances), and send the invitations. The Committee gratefully cited Pat Greeley, L.D. Hieber, Tim Seaver, Jack Sherburne, Wendy Raymond, Glenn Ziegler, Clayton Bolgos, Party O'Rorke, Phil Madhouse, Gary Rosentreter, Nancy Bylica, Jan Berry, Bill Bond, and Harold Kirchen for their assistance during the day's festivities. Their efforts helped contribute to a nostalgia laden day that Committee members are considering making a bi-annual affair.

To be placed on a future reunion mailing list, write to Flood's Reunion, 5522 Geddes, Ann Arbor, MI 48105.

Ethnobotanical Trail: A Walk on the Wild Side

Matthei Botanical Gardens now features a trail dedicated to plants used by Native people and European pioneers in the Great Lakes region.

Yellow arrows and interpretive signs guide visitors on the University of Michigan Matthei Botanical Gardens' new Ethnobotanical Trail. Dedicated to plants used by Native people and European pioneers in the Great Lakes region, the trail highlights the direct relationships between people and plants - what people think about plants, how they behave toward them, and how they use them.

From plants used in ceremonies honoring various rites of passage and for medicinal purposes to plant foods introduced to European pioneers, the Trail is, says David Michener, assistant curator of the Gardens, "a work in progress reflecting the Gardens' interest in interdisciplinary studies and multicultural views of plants."

Plants on the Trail described as Ceremonial refer to sacred plants and those used in religious ceremonies. Tobacco is arguably the most important ceremonial plant. It was used for smoking and offerings as an accompaniment to many events including the planting of crops and gathering of birch bark.

Medicinal plants refer to those prepared as tonics and remedies. Witch-hazel, for example, is primarily used as a medicine, both in the past and today. In addition to their food value, the roots of wild strawberries were used medicinally as a tea to treat stomachaches, particularly in babies. The leaves were used as an astringent. Even violets, wild bergamot, bloodroot and yarrow were useful in teas, aromatic oils, infusions and chewed, ingested or used as poultices and liniments.

Corn (maize) is considered one of the most useful plant foods introduced to European pioneers and found its way to the Great Lakes region about 1,500 years ago. Green corn was roasted in the ear or made into a paste. Fully ripe, dried maize was pounded into a meal and cooked into a hominy, made into bread, or boiled in stews. Beans, pumpkins and sunflowers also were important food sources as were Spring wild strawberry, dandelion, marsh marigold and skunk cabbage.

The Matthaei Botanical Gardens is located at 1800 N. Dixboro Rd. It is situated on a lush 350 acres of winding nature trails, formal gardens, and wetland. Its conservatory houses more than 1,200 tropical, warm-temperate, and arid plants from around the world. The grounds are open daily 8 am - sunset. Admission to the grounds is free. The conservatory is open 10 am - 4:30 pm daily except Christmas, New Year's Day and Thanksgiving. The conservatory requires an admission fee. For additional information about events and programs at Matthei Botanical Gardens, call 998-7061.

Novelist Armistead Maupin Coming to A2

The Washtenaw Rainbow Action Project (WRAP) announces that internationally renowned novelist Armistead Maupin will appear at its Fourth Annual National Coming Out Day (NCOD) celebration to be held in Ann Arbor on October 24, 1998.

Mr. Maupin is the celebrated author of the "Tales of the City" series of novels, praised by Publisher's Weekly as "Sparkling entertainment . . . lit by a glowing humanity that brings each character to vivid, poignant life." The novels formed the basis of the widely acclaimed 1994 PBS miniseries of the same name. The miniseries, hailed by the New York Times as " ... a tonic," earned the highest ratings of any PBS drama series, as well as numerous awards.

Earlier this summer, a sequel entitled "Armistead Maupin's More Tales of the City" appeared on the Showtime cable network to great acclaim. It has been nominated for several Emmy awards, including best miniseries and best actress in a miniseries for Olympia Dukakis' role as the transgender Mrs. Madigral.

Mr. Maupin will be the featured speaker at the NCOD benefit dinner for WRAP, to be held at Weber's Inn in Ann Arbor. Later, he will sign books at the Coming Out Day party and dance at Cobblestone Farms. Maupin also will be the honored guest at a reception earlier in the day at a private residence in Ann Arbor.

Admission to all events will be by ticket only. Further details can be found on WRAP's website at http: comnet.org/wrap/maupin.html. WRAP office 995-9867