Community Calendar

The Moth StorySLAM is an open-mic storytelling competition in which anyone can share a true, personal, 5-minute story on the night's theme. Sign up for a chance to tell a story or sit back and enjoy the show! Tonight’s theme is…

NEW LEAF: Prepare a five-minute story about a new chapter. Bold beginnings, fresh starts and the mess we had to leave behind. Whether you pack up your life to move cross-country, cut ties with a partner to find yourself, or woke up one day and chose a different career. Tell us what it takes to begin again and what still lingers in the rearview.

When President Franklin D. Roosevelt called upon American industry to become the “Arsenal of Democracy,” it was Donald Nelson who turned that vision into reality. As chairman of the War Production Board during World War II, Nelson oversaw the massive conversion of America’s factories—from cars to tanks, from assembly lines to lifelines of freedom.

In this installment of the Historical Speaker Series at the Packard Proving Grounds, historian Chris Causley explores Nelson’s remarkable rise from Sears executive to one of the most powerful figures in wartime America. Learn how his leadership shaped the nation’s industrial mobilization, the challenges he faced balancing politics and production, and why his legacy remains one of the most overlooked stories of the WWII era.

Join us for this fascinating look at the man behind the Arsenal of Democracy.

The Moth StorySLAM is an open-mic storytelling competition in which anyone can share a true, personal, 5-minute story on the night's theme. Sign up for a chance to tell a story or sit back and enjoy the show! Tonight’s theme is…

THIN ICE: Prepare a five-minute story about big risks, sneaky sidesteps, and treading lightly. The time you found yourself in territory so treacherous that one wrong move might crack the whole surface. Flirting with catastrophe, the texts you shouldn’t have sent, the secret you let slip, the gamble that cost you everything. Did you narrowly miss disaster, or did you plunge right through? 

Join us at the Packard Proving Grounds Historic Site for the next installment in our Historical Speaker Series, The Polio Vaccine Story. Presented by Don Calliban, this thought-provoking program revisits a time when polio was one of the most feared diseases in the world—paralyzing thousands of children each year and sparking a desperate race for a cure.
Don will explore the remarkable development of the Salk polio vaccine and the critical role Parke-Davis played in its production and distribution. The talk also highlights the organizations that helped fund this historic breakthrough and the determination of scientists who forever changed public health.
Don Calliban, retired Director of Engineering & Maintenance at Parke-Davis/Parkedale Pharmaceuticals, brings both technical expertise and a historian’s insight to this powerful story.
Event Details:
Date: Sunday, January 25 | Time: 1–2 p.m.
Location: Packard Proving Grounds, 49965 Van Dyke Ave., Shelby Township, MI 48317
Tickets: $5 for non-members, free for members
Purchase at: PackardProvingGrounds.org/Jan25-HSS-PPG

Dan Ripke’s Americana Revue Trio
With Special Guests
Grammy Award - winning harmonica legend Peter Madcat Ruth
Master Guitarist and soulful roots musician James Bourland
Clarkston Independence District Library
Saturday January 31
2-3 pm

The Moth StorySLAM is an open-mic storytelling competition in which anyone can share a true, personal, 5-minute story on the night's theme. Sign up for a chance to tell a story or sit back and enjoy the show! Tonight’s theme is…

LOVE HURTS: Prepare a five-minute story about a love that made you go OUCH. The agony of deferred love, the misery of good love gone bad, or the anguish of unrequited love. Situationships, friend break-ups, bad romances. The good, the bad, and the ugly that you survived...or you inflicted. A love that "Hurts So Good."

The Moth StorySLAM is an open-mic storytelling competition in which anyone can share a true, personal, 5-minute story on the night's theme. Sign up for a chance to tell a story or sit back and enjoy the show! Tonight’s theme is…

LOVE WINS: Prepare a five minute story about the triumph of LOVE!   Romantic yearnings answered.  Loneliness vanquished.  Matches made in heaven…The long, scary, and sometimes weird road to finding a friend group or partner who feels like a puzzle piece snapped into place. They say there is a lid for every pot,  but in the wise words of Whitney, learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all.

Dan Ripke’s Americana Revue Trio
With Special Guests
Grammy Award - winning harmonica legend Peter Madcat Ruth
Master Guitarist and soulful roots musician James Bourland
The Americana Revue Acoustic Show is a musical journey through the backroads, mountains, cities, and fields where American roots music was born. From the hollers of Appalachia to the dusty highways of Texas, this show celebrates the sounds of folk, blues, country, and bluegrass that shaped a nation.

History, heritage, and adventure come to life in our next Historical Speaker Series event, Ocean to Ocean in a Model T, presented by Steve Shotwell. Steve is the proud caretaker of his grandfather’s 1916 Model T — a family treasure that’s carried stories and memories across generations. Together with his wife Jan, Steve embarked on an unforgettable 4,000+ mile journey from New York City to Seattle, retracing the path of early motorists who proved America could be crossed by car. In this engaging presentation, Steve shares the determination, humor, and heart behind this once-in-a-lifetime trip — a tribute to the Model T’s enduring spirit and the people who keep its legacy alive.

Join us Sunday, February 8th, 1–2 p.m., at the Packard Proving Grounds Historic Site. Tickets are $5 for non-members and free for members. Visit PackardProvingGrounds.org/Feb8-HSS-PPG

The Moth StorySLAM is an open-mic storytelling competition in which anyone can share a true, personal, 5-minute story on the night's theme. Sign up for a chance to tell a story or sit back and enjoy the show! Tonight’s theme is…

ZERO CHILL: Prepare a five-minute story about losing your temper. When calm, cool, and collected went out the window. Tell us about the meltdowns, the group chat gone nuclear, or the customer service call that pushed you to the limit. From slammed doors to public rants to perfectly-timed dramatic exits. Can I speak to the manager?