Castle Blog

In Saginaw County, traditions that nourish the spirit often begin around a shared table—food, art, music, and conversation blending into something lasting. Few examples capture that spirit better than the Saginaw African Cultural Festival, the oldest ongoing Black arts festival in the country. The festival’s roots stretch back to February 14, 1969, when the Inner City Arts Exhibit (ICAE) opened in the old St. Rita’s building on Narloch Street for a single-day event. ICAE was

“If you’re going to sell Red-hots and frankfurts sell the ‘As You Like It’ kind. They’re good and will make you money.” - The Saginaw Evening News , August 13, 1907. The story of the development of the hot dog and their companion bun is complex and shrouded in myth and legend. For an outline of the history of the hot dog, we defer to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council website . The hot dog’s first appearance in Saginaw is encumbered in tall tales. However, we know t

September 2, 1984. “After Almost four decades of serving authentic Greek cuisine in Saginaw, Zorba’s Lounge on the city’s West Side is closing. ‘I want to thank everybody. I appreciate all these years,’ said a sometime tearful Tom Veremix. ‘And I know it hurts you guys, but it hurts me more.’ Veremis immigrated from Greece 70 years ago and has operated Zorba’s for almost 40 years.” - The Saginaw News , March 30, 2021. It has been nearly five years since Zorba’s Lounge a

“Restaurants come and go but when goes after more than a half a century on the Saginaw scene its passing deserves more than causal chronicle. Such a one was Vlassis Restaurant at 411 Court in the shadow of the Saginaw Courthouse. It was a perennial favored eating place of county employes[sic], supervisors and uncounted numbers of visitors from throughout the county when they had business at the Courthouse. It was started in 1913 by Theodore A. Ted Vlassis and his brother,

“Meals That Are Different in An Atmosphere of Contentment” -The Saginaw News , December 6, 1941. One of the great pleasures of exploring a city - and a city’s history – is the discovery of the unexpected. Tucked into an apartment building at 625 Owen, the Colonial Dining Room -- sometimes the title includes “Hostess Room”-- is one of those little discoveries. The Colonial Dining Room was located in an apartment building at 625 Owen, a few blocks from the edge of the

“Saginaw [General] hospital deserves liberal support for every one who is able to give, and even the mites are not unwelcome. This is an institution that not only does a great deal of good in the care of the sick and injured, but it is year by year training young women for the noble work of trained nurses, and it takes money to maintain such an institution.” - The Saginaw Evening News , November 4, 1885. The following outline of the history of Saginaw General Hospital’s Sch

“The reception at the Home for the Friendless yesterday afternoon and evening was all that could be desired and proved a most gratifying success. An interesting sketch of the Home, written by Mrs. George B. Brooks, was read by Mrs. J.B. Peter. The children went through their exercises, and between music, inspecting the commodious and cheerful building and general sociability a very pleasant time was spent.” - Saginaw Evening News , May 12, 1887. Florence Webber Peter was

WUCM-19 --today’s WDCQ-TV – went on the air in 1964, Delta College was only three years old. However, it was the age of television. At the time it opened, the nascent college had been equipped with a state-of-the-art television studio and closed-circuit television was an integral program for the community college. “Delta College is one of just a handful of community colleges in the nation to own public broadcasting stations. Delta College Public Media (WDCQ-TV and WUCX-FM 9

In 1900, Emma Kober and William C. Wiechmann* opened a modest store on East Genesee Avenue. Through their tireless efforts, it thrived and grew quickly. In 1914, they advertised, “Associate the name Wiechmann with the best values in Northern Michigan.” In honor of their fourteenth anniversary celebration, they offered a 10 percent discount on everything in the store. The success of the store soon enabled them to purchase a home on South Washington Avenue in the Grove. Howe