the Waterford RiverWalk festival would like to thank the member of MiHOPE for helping us learn to work with non-profits and introducing us to many helpful organizations in the community

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 the RiverWalk Fest, has made it our mission to seek out and contribute to culture in areas that lack strong examples of tradition and community and our commitment continues to be to provide a stronger sense of appreciation for all forms of the Arts, culture and to build traditions.

 The Heart of Oak Fest will follow that tradition and blight was our first project donated to our community and is now celebrated each year as our "end of the season project"
(our Prom - if you will)                                                                               

  The original concept of the fest was at first -NOT- a festival at all. It was a project to eliminate malicious blight, by donating a very large Mural Project to the citizens of Waterford and MDOT (approximately 6,500 square feet) to try to deter "taggers" creating very lewd blight in an area that caused a serious image problem for Waterford that didn't reflect the surrounding community's image

 Before our intervention it was very appealing to graffiti artists - tagging lewd and distasteful content in full view and accessible to the public.- Our mission was to rectify what was becoming more and more a foul "stain" on Waterford Brand (literally 6,500 square feet of it, as unorganized graffiti and slanderous stains and images)

 The once, less maintained wall, in the "Highland Road Underpass" (The H.U.B.) seemed a blank canvas to less skilled artist to practice on and was located at the end of an incomplete phase of an abandoned riverwalk project, that had been left as an unfortunate termination point. (just behind Buffalo Wild Wing's Parking lot) under Highland Road and it was much like the "Red Hot Chili Pepper's" song "Under the Bridge" with all the seedy undertones that implied.

 The beautiful -first phase- of the abandoned RiverWalk Project (before our intervention to reinvigorate the project) was simply beautiful, laying nearly unused, unknown, along a hidden, unbranded and unadvertised stretch of the Clinton RiverWalk having never had a ribbon cutting or real press to really present it to our citizens as a "finished project."

 It was all part of a formal blacktop path that originated at RiverSide Elementary in 1999 and due to lack of funding (though stunning at first) was left terminating in something similar to a dead end tunnel under Highland Road (M-59).

 Most people can image what a weather proofed area like that might draw in a highly populated community. This "cave" like structure
(lacking traffic) created an easy opportunity for shelter for derelicts to walk, sleep, and deface, contained within public property and nearly unopposed, on a walkway currently never used. (never completed) but intended for seniors and kids as a route to walk to school.

This rare coop between Waterford Schools, Waterford Township budgets and Waterford Towne Center (shopping center) was originally intended -specifically - for active community members, vulnerable seniors (often in wheel chairs,) designed as a safer path for walking school traffic to Riverside Elementary to use to avoid the four lane, high speed traffic, of Highland Road (It was certainly not now an area that would be perceived as "safe" for senior or school children)

 The Tradition of the our festival had become an event to fund the Mural renovation project to remove blight and to fill this empty canvas to deter and also to maintain clean-up of "tagging" on these walls that draws the wrong element with lewd-intent and secondly to promote the RiverWalk to drive new traffic to this location and and drive the other element out. Which I am delighted to say ...has.

 The solution began in 2014, Police Cameras were installed and motion censure light all acted to drive out this isolated, unfortunate, and dangerous image problem - that exposed citizens and children to disgusting images along with "unorganized" expressions of malicious intent.

Our organization and festival crew are proud to announce today, beyond skepticism of many, that the Waterford Clinton River *RiverWalk Project has been fully reinvigorated with the confidence that our group will donate professional Art and a team of people to maintain the integrity of the images and themes the township would prefer to present as it's brand and image. 

With this confidence in our group the township has proceeded with the abandoned project and it has become a fully functioning "destination" and safe walkway for citizen's of all ages, and now a highlighted venue and meeting place for all types of activities.

 The RiverWalk is now a highly branded searchable entity online and "safe-passage" under the high speed four lanes of "Highland Road" for Waterford and a highly used social space revered now in the community.

 Due to new confidence that the area will be maintained properly (by our donation) and as well the new promotion of the area through the DTI RiverWalk Fest, the Township approved a mission to seek out new grant and now the RiverWalk itself includes a new beautiful -handicap accessible - Boardwalk that was provided by mostly state level funding at little burden to Waterford taxpayers.

 With this new confidence and interest from the public to use the RiverWalk and evidence of enough new traffic to ensure safe and convenient use with it's new more recognized and stronger branded image
"The H.U.B." - Waterford's RiverWalk is becoming one of only a few easily recognized non-business "landmarks" when referring to Waterford and a treat for those that traverse the Clinton River by Kayak. with it's beautiful artwork and great zones for dropping in near Buffalo Wind Wings.  

 The RiverWalk that was once a very undesirable image and safety problem for the township has become a great new amenity - widely used by many community members and now enjoys constant traffic born from hard work... collaboration...
and planning from the Township Board, our group, and new brand strength garnered from events just like this from:
"The Heart of Oak Fest" 

  HOF, actively seeks out projects just like this now in many surrounding communities, that can use "our type" of help to create strong community, traditions, and new opportunities.

 HOF is inviting YOU to JOIN IN, and celebrating the arts in all forms, with your presence and to let us celebrate YOU too.
The RiverWalk Festival and Mural Renovation Project was our first Project and namesake as "Dare to Inspire" and "DTI" and hopes that we can continue great growth of the tradition as the newly renamed:
"Heart of Oak Fest"
for many years to come.  

"COME EVERYONE COME ALL...
DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE"               

     Matthew K. McClure       Pied Cypher Events
 director/producer
 248.979.0996