by orionontv | Jul 31, 2024 | Community Event, Feature Writers
ORION TWP, Mich. – On Friday, July 26, 2024, a major fundraiser as well as fun-filled music festival came to the Orion area. Tommystock is an annual music festival that takes place at Camp Agawam off of Scripps Rd. There was live music, entertainment, food and beverages all weekend long.
Photo by Joe Johnson
The Orion area has had a warm welcome to many different bands and performers that have played at venues across the township and Lake Orion – including the Wildwood Amphitheater, 20 Front Street, Children’s Park and now Camp Agawam.
Eight bands including the popular Jimmy Buffet tribute band “Air Margaritaville,” performed across Friday and Saturday. The Fire Bowl was packed with spectators while the Tiki bar at Tommy’s Lake was accompanied with entertainment by DJ Rolling Rock.
“We’re happy to be back, it’s a real thrill for us,” Frank Bama of Air Margaritaville said.
The proceeds from that weekend went to the Friends of Camp Agawam group, their goal is to make improvements to the facilities in the camp.
ONTV’s Joe Johnson talked to Julia Dalrymple, a board member of Friends of Camp Agawam, about the festival that weekend.
“One of the main goals and the purpose of Friends of Camp Agawam is to make that space more enjoyable for all of our community,” Dalrymple said. “All the money raised at Tommystock goes right back into the camp.”
Rock, pop, reggae and even electronic music was celebrated at Camp Agawam – there was even a silent disco. Friday and Saturday’s bands and performances came and went, then it was time for “Boobs, Tubes and Dudes” – a fundraiser set up by the “Real Men of Orion” organization to help raise awareness for breast cancer research.
Photo by Joe Johnson
“We do so much for other people and this is just another one of those events,” Dalrymple said. “[Friends of Camp Agawam] keep looking for new opportunities all the time to get involved.”
Visitors from all over the area and even those across state lines joined up for this fantastic event. The Real Men of Orion has gotten a head start on their fundraising campaign, that Sunday they raised approximately 3400 dollars, according to a Facebook announcement post. October will be a big month for them coming up as it is breast cancer awareness month.
For more information about Camp Agawam and the Friends of Camp Agawam organization visit orionparks.com/facilities/parks_and_trails/camp_agawam.
by orionontv | Jul 30, 2024 | Community Event, Feature Writers
ORION TWP, Mich. – Two recent ribbon cutting events hosted by the Orion Area Chamber of Commerce took place last week. One on July 25 and one on July 27. Both businesses opened recently, one is a chain restaurant sure to be welcomed by the community as a fun place to eat and gather, the other business is a one-of-a-kind fitness studio that aims to tailor work-out plans and fitness routines to each customer.
The first Texas Roadhouse opened in 1993 in Clarksville, Ind. And eventually expanded to 620 locations nationwide. The Orion Township location opened its doors in December of last year, but the Chamber put on a grand opening for the restaurant to officially celebrate its newest recent location.
Photo by Joe Johnson
Along with the official ribbon cutting, guests were treated to live music, entertainment, games for kids and unlimited portions of their legendary rolls with cinnamon butter.
Jacob Wininger, a managing partner of the Orion Township location, spoke to ONTV’s Lexi McKinney about the grand opening and what it means to be a part of the community.
“There’s nothing better than giving back,” Wininger said. “If you’re going to be a part of the community, be a part of the community… You’re here to help the community and grow.”
Families, friends and community leaders came to the grand opening of the restaurant – Wininger spoke on how Texas Roadhouse’s mission helps serve this part of Michigan.
“We’re a people first company,” Wininger said. “We try to take care of our people and do the best we can by them. We have a lot of programs for our people.”
ONTV also spoke to township supervisor, Chris Barnett about the recent flow of business and commerce on the Orion side of Brown road and how he has helped develop this once empty parcel of land.
“We sprung into action, we created the Corridor Improvement Authority, which was a unique tool…” Barnett said. “Ever since then, it’s kind of been this awesome domino effect… this is a great time to be in Orion.”
For more information about Texas Roadhouse in Orion Township, visit texasroadhouse.com and click on “locations,” you can also find them on Facebook.
Photo by Joe Johnson
For the next ribbon cutting event for the Chamber that week, was the grand opening of D1 Training.
Owned by Dimitra and George Boulos, D1 Training aims to enhance the lifestyle of all age groups that come in to their facility. From focused fitness plans to offering classes, D1 Training will be a welcome addition to the Orion community at-large.
ONTV’s Joe Johnson spoke to Dimitra and George Boulos how D1 Training can benefit the community.
“We offer training to athletes as young as seven years-old to adults who are looking to lose some weight,” Dimitra Boulos said. “We knew we wanted to be in Lake Orion, this is our home, this is our community and the athletes that are within our community really inspired us to open this business.”
D1 Training opened on June 10, 2024 and has been embraced by the athletic community in Lake Orion as well as the surrounding businesses in the Orion area.
“We live and breathe Lake Orion daily,” Dimitra said.
For more information about D1 Training visit, d1training.com/lake-orion.
For more information on Chamber events visit orionareachamber.com.
by orionontv | Jul 24, 2024 | Community Event, Feature Writers
LAKE ORION, Mich. – On Saturday, July 20, 2024, the VFW (post 334) hosted a flag retirement ceremony at the Orion Veterans Memorial on Lapeer Rd. Representatives from the post as well as the Memorial Board properly and respectfully disposed of approximately 200 United States flags that were torn and tattered after years of use via a ceremonial burning.
ONTV spoke to both Bob Smith, the Orion Veterans Memorial Board Chairman, and Chuck Haskin, Quartermaster for the VFW Post 334 about the event taking place that day and why it is necessary for these flags to be disposed of this way.
“This is a very solemn ceremony that we try to do every year during summertime, where we have a collection of the flags and give them a proper disposal. We call it a flag retirement…” Haskin said. “The only way to properly dispose of a U.S. flag is to put it in the flag and burn it.”
Flag collection boxes are scattered all across the Orion area, places like Ace Hardware and grocery stores feature these collection bins at the entrances.
The flags that were burned that day were only made of cloth, since nylon or plastic fumes are toxic and members of the Board thought it was better to dispose of them separately via burial
Orion Township purchased the land that would become the Orion Veterans Memorial from the Michigan Department of Transportation over 30 years ago, now, it is a staple of not only the armed forces community here in Orion, but with the community at large. The Memorial has several events coming up, including “Patriot Day” on Sep. 11.
“A lot of these flags were donated throughout the last couple years, this is the first one we have done since COVID,” Smith said. “It’s a real honor to do it here, because this is one of the most beautiful memorials that you’ll see and to be able to do it here today is quite an honor.”
For more information on the Orion Veterans Memorial, visit orionveteransmemorial.com.
by orionontv | Jul 24, 2024 | Community Event, Feature Writers
LAKE ORION, Mich. – On Monday, July 22, 2024, the Orion Area Chamber of Commerce hosted their ninth annual Golf Outing fundraiser at the Paint Creek Golf Course.
Photo by ONTV
The sold-out event drew in dozens of businesses, as well as community leaders to the green in order to raise funds for the Chamber.
ONTV spoke to the President and CEO of the Orion Area Chamber of Commerce, Joyce Donaldson, about the event and what local businesses’ continued support for the Chamber through these types of events means.
“We’re all out here today to raise funds for the Chamber and everyone is just having a great time,” Donaldson said. “Everybody is just happy to be, y’know… out on the golf course instead of in the office.”
41 different businesses headed out on the course on the day of the event in a scramble-start, but over 250 different businesses helped make this event possible.
Photo by ONTV
“We try to raise funds just basically to keep the Chamber doors open,” Donaldson said. “It helps fill our budget, but I think more than anything it just promotes camaraderie.”
Those who participated in the fundraiser that day were guests to a special breakfast feast – including drinks like Mimosas and Bloody Marys – as well as a bratwurst-filled lunch.
Businesses also had to opportunity to sponsor certain holes in order to promote themselves and maybe even give out prizes to golfers.
“The Chamber is awesome to work with they do a lot of great things in the community,” Drake Falconer, a representative for Union Home Mortgage in Rochester, Mich. said. “Everything that we have done with the chamber has gone off without a hitch, they always do something great, so we’re just happy to be here and be a part of the event today.”
Those who participated in the golf outing and helped raise funds for the Chamber that day had the chance to win prizes via a raffle. For those who golfed well enough and had the best score, they were given a trophy and declared champions for the day.
Photo by ONTV
The winners of this honor were Township Supervisor Chris Barnett, Dan Kelly, Sam Ashley and Jim Stevens. The ceremony was held during a dinner where all of the guests, sponsors and golfers gathered.
Overall, the Chambers Golf Outing was a successful event that not only helped raise funds for an important tenant in the community, but it also brought businesses, leaders, and residents alike together.
by orionontv | Jul 24, 2024 | Community Event, Feature Writers
OXFORD, Mich. – On Thursday, July 11, 2024, a delicious new restaurant, Shawarma House, was incorporated into the Orion Area Chamber of Commerce with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Shawarma House opened its doors last year after Alex Baiz, one of the owners, and his family bought the restaurant and decided the Orion-Oxford area needed a little taste of the Mediterranean.
Restaurant exterior
Baiz’s and his family, who are from Dearborn, Mich., have owned multiple different restaurants in the past but this is their first venture into the Orion-Oxford area.
ONTV’s Lexi McKinney spoke to Baiz about his experience trying to open a restaurant and his time working with the chamber.
“We we’re trying to bring an authentic palette to the area,” Baiz said.
“We [have] a lot of different restaurants, this is the first time the community is actually very, very supportive,” Baiz said.
The Orion Area Chamber have been a vital part in this community, due to their continued support of local business – both small and large. Another aspect of the community that Baiz likes is the fact it is not only community-focused, but it is family-focused as well.
“This is a family area, that is what we’ve noticed. There’s a lot of families that come in,” Baiz said.
Guests, friends, family, and members of the chamber as well as board of trustees visited the restaurant during a brief open house where Shawarma House served platters of chicken, beef and lamb shawarma, as well as vegetables, salads and dips like hummus and garlic.
Photo by ONTV
Tasty would be an understatement, ONTV staff in particular were happy that a quality Mediterranean restaurant was a part of the community.
For more information about the Orion Area Chamber and their upcoming events, visit orionareachamber.com.
You can find Shawarma House at 1386 S Lapeer Rd, Oxford, Mich. To see Shawarma Houses’ menu in full and for more information about the restaurant, visit shawarmahousemi.com.
by orionontv | Jul 17, 2024 | Community Event, Feature Writers, Music
ORION TWP, Mich. – On Thursday, July 11, 2024, the tribute band Fifty Amp Fuse performed classic pop and rock hits at Orion Township’s Wildwood Amphitheatre. The set included classic songs such as “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl),” by Looking Glass, “How long” by Ace, “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor and “It’s Raining Men” by The Weather Girls. The last two songs, were accompanied by one of the bands three lead vocalists, Barb “Barbie” Alent.
Alent’s vocal range is impressive for a cover band, there’s no doubt she is talented when she is slinging out beautiful melodies on rock-tinged covers of “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele and “One Way Or Another” by Blondie.
Alent is not the only talented vocalist in the six-person band, lead vocalist Ethan “Chef” Phoenix brings the heat as his soulful and impactful vocals kick off more pop-heavy cuts that the band played. Songs like Cee-lo Green’s “Forget You,” Bruno Mars’s “Locked Out of Heaven” and “Roxanne” by The Police, all demonstrate Phoenix’s unique vocal style and talent on the big stage.
Alent and Phoenix occasionally performed duets, like on the bands cover of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N Roses.
Other members of the band include band leader and guitarist, Remy Lambert, drummer Steve Cooley and bassist Chris Smith.
Lambert in particular was a joy to see on stage. His stage presence along with the audience interaction – always encouraging dancing and having fun – was a welcome feature of that night’s performance.
Alent and the other band members played “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC and closed off the set with everyone on stage – Alent, Phoenix and Lambert took charge with vocals – and played the decadent “Fat Bottomed Girls” by Queen.
All of the members played and performed their hearts out on stage, delivering quality covers to residents, families and music lovers of the Orion area.
The next Wildwood event will be a concert performance by Cast Iron Cornbread, covering pop, rock and blues Thursday, July 18 at 7:00 p.m.
Next week a free screening on the 2023 movie “Barbie” will be held at the Amphitheatre on Thursday, July 25 at 7:00 p.m.
For more information about free events like these put on by the township, visit orionparks.com.
