Upcoming Events

Fly to Italy for Free! Drawing on Sunday October 26th!

Silvio’s Organic Pizza is celebrating its third anniversary in style! After three successful years with increasing business, this family owned and operated business would like to thank its loyal customers with an opportunity to win two round trip tickets to Italy!

Silvio grew up in Italy’s Abruzzo region working in his father’s bakery learning the trade. He has taken it to the next level and offers authentic Italian Pizza using organic ingredients. To taste his creations is to understand the value of well-made food with top quality ingredients. Now he would like to share more than just his food, which is why he would like to fly two lucky customers to Italy! Don’t forget to stop in for a delicious meal and an opportunity to enter.

To enter the contest, stop in as many times as you like before 1:30 PM on October 26^th to participate. With each $30 purchase you are entered to win! The more you buy, the better your chances! The winner  will be announced  Sunday, October 26th.

Please see their website for details and rules. www.silviosorganicpizza.com.

Previous Events

June 28th 6pm to 10 pm, Ann Arbor Summer Festival - Ingalls Mall on UM campus

Our meet & greet the new Executive Director was on Saturday June 28, 2008 at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival. Members came to say hello and enjoy an evening of free entertainment. They were treated to an assortment of goodies from our desert table and music by FUBAR and Lady Sunshine and the X Band.

However, the real treat was an outdoor performance by The Dream Machine from the United Kingdom. Aerialists called the Conedancers flew and tumbled around the edge of an inflated 26-foot giant cone. It was an outdoor spectacular enjoyed by thousands!

The evening was enjoyed by kids of all ages! We hope to host another exciting event such as this one next year. Thanks to everyone who came down to support us!

April 2nd 5:30-7pm, Motawi Tileworks - 170 Enterprise Drive (A2, 48103)
Arrive at 5:30pm to have a chance to make a tile, and then at 6pm we'll hear from Nawal Motawi.

She will be talking about how Motawi Tileworks applies current management ideas and innovations such as Lean Manufacturing, on-line tools, and The World Café to strengthen the company. She will reveal her favorite sources for new ideas and inspiration, and then we'll have a Q&A and sharing of ideas from other business attendees. This event is free and everyone is invited. Call Lisa @ 730-6905 with any questions about the event. 

Resources for Further Information
Do you want to know more about the topics listed above? Below are a few key resources recommended by Nawal to get you started.

Website:
  CEO Read

Books:
  Small Giants
  The Great Game of Business
  Mavericks at Work
  The Toyota Way Fieldbook
  How Toyota Became Number One
  The World Cafe
 
Magazines:
  Inc.
  Ode


Community Events
Chili/Chowder Cook-Off
Our friends at everyday cook are putting on a great event April 5th that should be a lot of fun and support Think Local First.

Durham's Tracklements, everyday wines, and everyday cook are hosting the very first chili/ chowder cook-off on April 5 from 6-8pm. $15 gets you tastes of all 20 chili or chowder entries, a vote in the competition, and two complimentary beers. ($25 per couple, and $2 off for TLF members).

Want to compete? everyday wines has a few spots left for both the chili and chowder categories. There's no entry fee, you just need to supply a minimum of 2 gallons of your chili or chowder. There will be prizes, great food, and support of a great organization. Contact everyday wines (827-9463) if you're interested in participating, or to purchase tickets. All profits go to Think Local First.

HomeGrown Festival
Visit www.homegrownfestival.org to learn more about HomeGrown, a festival celebrating local food, currently being organized for September 13, 2008 in downtown Ann Arbor.

National Events
Join Think Local First at the BALLE National conference - "the year's most powerful gathering of local business, government, and non-profit leaders working to build community wealth and well-being." 

Held June 5-7 in Boston, it will showcase what's working best in our communities, for our communities, offering practical business models and resources in the areas of local food, green building, renewable energy, independent retail, zero waste manufacturing, community capital, and more tools for shrinking carbon footprints and building self-reliant regions.

Visit www.livingeconomies.org to find out more about the conference.