Ann Arbor Farmers Market 100th birthday bash; A2 Blues Fest turns 50; EMU buyouts

ANN ARBOR – Happy Friday!

This weekend marks anniversaries for several establishments in town. The Ann Arbor Farmers Market will be celebrating its 100th birthday on Saturday with free ice cream from Washtenaw Dairy, live music and more. Read about the history of the market here. Argus Farm Stop will also be celebrating its fifth anniversary at its W. Liberty location.

On the music side, the Ann Arbor Blues Festival turns 50 this weekend. It kicks off tonight at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds. Read my interview with festival director James Partridge from last year that unpacks the festival's spotty history.

Have a great weekend.

- Meredith (@meredith_A4)

What's been happening:

💵 As Eastern Michigan University struggles with declining enrollment, 142 EMU employees recently accepted early retirement buyouts. (MLive)

🗣 University of Michigan's largest donor, real estate mogul Stephen M. Ross, faced public backlash after deciding to host a fundraiser to re-elect President Donald Trump. Here's what members of the university's community are saying. (Michigan Daily)

⚖ Staying with matters of public outcry, popular downtown eatery Sava's came under fire this week after a former employee published a scathing post on social media detailing her experience reporting sexual assault to her managers, a matter she says was mishandled. (A4)

🤝 Co-founder of Duo Security Dug Song just launched the Ann Arbor Entrepreneurs Fund -- a venture centered around philanthropy. (Crain's Detroit)

😏 University of Michigan had a genius response on Twitter to news that Ohio State University was trying to trademark the word "the" for branded apparel. (A4)

🎻 The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra is now on the search for a new conductor and music director. (A4)

🍝 Read Sarah's interview with Blue Llama Jazz Club's chef Louis Goral. The club has garnered lots of attention for its inventive menu. (A4)

Your weekend plans:

💗 Nicola's Books is taking part in Bookstore Romance Day, a nationwide initiative for independent bookstores to celebrate their romance fiction collections. Staying with books, the founder of metro Detroit's Dogology University will be holding a free book signing at Sweetwaters on Washington St. (A4)

🎮 Show off your video game skills at the Super Smash Brothers Ultimate Tournament at the Wyndham Garden Hotel on Saturday. (A4)

🏊 Annual open water race Swim to the Moon celebrates 10 years on Sunday. (A4)

Feature interview of the week:

"At the time, we were called A-1 Screenprinting because there was such thing as a phone book, and being first in the phone book was genius marketing."

- Rishi Narayan, co-founder of Underground Printing

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