A new bar and grill has opened downtown. The Rock Bar & Grill is located at 844 Penniman Avenue, next to the Post Office, in downtown Plymouth.

There has been lots of life at Wilcox House the last several months.  Right now the “Wilcox Winter Gathering” is underway.  Most interesting to me is that the home itself is now open to the public:

The Wilcox House opens to the public for the first
time in its 100 year history on Dec. 6th at 10:00 a.m.
and will be open Tuesday-Thursday, 2pm-6pm
through Christmas Eve.

Special Christmas Eve hours: noon-4pm
Adults $5 each. Children must be accompanied
by an adult to enter the house.

Additionally, you can meet Santa there and Christmas trees and other items are being sold at the outdoor market, which is on the grounds of the home:

Outdoor Market:
Tree, wreath and garland sales: Tuesday – Sunday
Outdoor Sales begin Friday, Nov. 27th.
Hours will be posted on the gates of the Wilcox Home

Visit Santa:
Bring the kids and the camera! Santa will be
receiving guests inside the house free of charge on:
Sunday, Dec. 6th 10am-2pm
Friday, Dec 11th & Dec. 18th 2pm-7
Saturday, Dec. 12th & Dec. 19th noon-7pm
Sunday, Dec. 13th & Dec. 20th 11am-4pm

If you use Facebook, you can keep up with all the events at Wilcox House through “The Gathering at the Wilcox” group.  http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=188851708939&ref=search&sid=100000005451152.626029927..1&v=info#/group.php?v=wall&ref=search&gid=188851708939

Filming is (or was as of 2 hours ago) taking place on Church Street between Harvey and Blunk.

Apparently Boulders bar and grill is closed to the public because shooting for Trust is taking place there.

Thanks to Marti Erickson Chamberlain for allowing me to post photos she took of the outdoor set of Trust.  Those of you familiar with Plymouth will recognize this area as Penniman Street, just west of Harvey Street.

David Schwimmer has been eating at Burger Spot.  *thumbs up*  Of course, there’s other good information in this article.

http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20091125/NEWS15/911260593/Film+crew+puts+%E2%80%98+Trust++in+Plymouth

Trust is the name of the movie that Schwimmer, best known for his role as Ross on the television sitcom Friends, has been directing in Plymouth and other area locales in recent days. The movie, a family drama, stars Clive Owen, Catherine Keener and Noah Emmerich; the writer is Andy Bellin.Schwimmer and his cast and crew were on Church Street last week and on Forest Avenue on Monday. Shooting began in Michigan Nov. 5 and is scheduled to be completed in mid-December, said publicist Cid Swank.

Trust is believed to be the biggest Hollywood production with a Plymouth setting since the 1980s newspaper drama Word of Honor, starring Ron Silver and the late Karl Malden.

“It creates economic opportunity,” said Wes Graff, executive director of the Plymouth Community Chamber of Commerce. “Obviously, it’s sent some money” into the local economy. Graff said he spoke with an assistant on the set who told him 60 percent of the film’s crew is from Michigan.

Schwimmer, who is directing his second film, has been seen around Plymouth several times, including twice at the Burger Spot on Forest, where he had lunch on Monday and one day last week.

“Kind of a quiet guy,” said Burger Spot owner Mike Schmidt. Schwimmer had two burgers and a large order of fries on each visit, Schmidt said. He ate alone, reading and checking messages on his phone, Schmidt said, although he was briefly accompanied by a woman on his first visit.

“Still waiting for Clive Owen or Catherine Keener,” Schmidt said with a smile.

Schwimmer seemed friendly and approachable, Schmidt said, although he pretty much kept to himself. On his Monday visit, he was recognized and attracted a few curious people, he said, including one woman who spoke with him briefly, Schmidt said.

Graff said Schwimmer’s interest in Plymouth speaks well of the impression the city makes on visitors.

“The quality of what they consider to be scenic, the older homes, obviously plays well with this kind of film,” he said.

A made-for-cable movie, Christmas in Pittsburgh, is also scheduled to be partly filmed in Plymouth, beginning next month, Graff said.

There has been a lot of fun and excitement associated with the filming of Trust, the David Schwimmer movie starring Clive Owen and Catherine Keener.   I don’t know too many specifics, but quite a few scenes have been shot on the streets of our little town.

There are some other web sources regarding this, particularly some cool stuff on Facebook.  I’m hoping to gain permission to share some of that information here (since it was gathered by someone else’s hard work.)

UPDATE:  As of about 8 p.m. today (Wed., 11/25), it looked like there was shooting taking place in The Gathering.  The intersection of Union and Penniman, and in front of the Penn, were closed to traffic.

I was privileged today to see Trinity Church’s monthly Food Pantry outreach in action today.  What a touching experience.  I attend Trinity, have written about this event and have followed it somewhat distantly.  But today was my first time actually seeing it.

If there is a way in which Trinity and her people show God’s love it’s through this outreach.  The church, partnered with Gleaners Food Bank, has been distributing about 300 or so food baskets one Saturday per month.  Estimates are that about 1,000 people are fed for one week by the food baskets.

What is really great is that families are invited into the church for hot food served at their table.  It was bitter-sweet to see the place packed and all the tables filled.  It’s awful that so many in our community need that kind of help, but it was great to see that they are getting the help.

Trinity, which is located at Gotfredson and Ann Arbor Road, will continue this outreach on a monthly basis.  If you have questions about it feel free to call  734-459-9557.  Look for posting in Detroit Craigslist or check this blog for information.  I will try to remember to keep up-to-date on that ministry.

Shooting for a David Schwimmer-directed film, Trust, starring Clive Owen and Catherine Keener, started tonight in town.  It will resume from Thursday afternoon to Friday morning and pick up again after Thanksgiving.

http://www.freep.com/article/20091117/ENT01/91117068/1320/Trust-us-Plymouth-streets-to-close-for-movie

Friends of mine have already gone downtown to do some stargazing and they’re posting pictures on Facebook.  Pretty exciting to have a film crew right in the heart of the city.

Anyone familiar with Plymouth history probably knows that our town is known for b-b gun manufacturing.  The Red Ryder gun of A Christmas Story (maybe the best Christmas comedy ever) fame was made here in Plymouth.  The Plymouth Historical Museum will be honoring that history, tying it into other themes from the movie, in an exhibit that opens next week.

When the Plymouth Historical Museum reopens Nov. 18, officials will showcase their newest exhibit, “A Red Ryder Christmas Story.”The exhibit draws its inspiration from the popular 1983 movie, A Christmas Story, in which the main character, Ralphie, longs for a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. Throughout the museum’s Main Street there will be vignettes of scenes from the movie and from the original story upon which the movie is based.

***

The museum’s exhibit seeks to recapture that nostalgic spirit by displaying period toys, clothing and other artifacts.

Read the full Plymouth Observer article here.

http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20091112/NEWS15/911120574/1032/Plymouth+Pipeline