The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Dexter Daze around the corner
By Sean Dalton, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: July 31, 2008
The bar for improvement was set last summer for this year's Dexter Daze.
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Karen Bentley, chairperson of the Dexter Daze Committee says the booths are sold out, the entertainment is robust and the arts and crafts vendors are going to set a new standard this year.
"Arts and crafts are definitely going to be better," Bentley said. "Last year we thought our numbers were going to be down because of an event that Saline put on, but that didn't happen and we don't expect it to this year either."
She says the gauge is the food providers' take, which was up 5 percent last year.
"It's become one of those annual things that draw more and more people every year as word spreads around," she said.
There are currently 15 vendors on the waiting list, waiting for somebody else to drop out at the last minute, according to Bentley. She was previously the entertainment chair, which is now being handled by Mary Diskin, who served as parade chairperson in years past.
"She just kind of dragged me back into it," Diskin joked. "I took nine years off and (Bentley) brought my husband and I back into it - heserved as parade chair for 9 years too."
Diskin said the entertainment this year is "strong" and recurring Master of Ceremonies Joe Tiboni brought some new talent to the table.
"We have Like Water Drum & Dance opening Friday and Jazz Caribbean & West African out of Chelsea opening," she said. "Joe (Tiboni) highly recommended RJ Spangler - a blues band. They will Friday night.
And of course Big Pinkey is back and II-V-I Orchestra, as well as Colors the Clown. We even have a magic show and a ventriloquist."
Tiboni says people should be stoked for RJ Spangler.
"Spangler and I go all the way back to Joe's Star Lounge in the early 80's," he recalled.
Tiboni himself has been active in the music seen around Ann Arbor and elsewhere since the '60s. He graduated from University High School in Ann Arbor.
He came to Dexter Daze as a crew member for Aerial Sound one year and filled in as MC the following year, and it just stuck.
"He was one of the co-leaders of Sun Messengers, a Detroit 'big band' large ensemble," Tiboni said. "They have three or four horns, a keyboard and a bass player and all of that stuff. I use them regularly at my night club.
Tiboni says that Spangler is such a strong talent that he has even helped a few Detroit greats, such as Joe Weaver and Johnnie Bassett - names that will be instantly familiar to old-time Detroit blues enthusiasts - rekindle their careers. He also manages Alberta Adams, another locally known blues artist.
"When Mary said she was looking for someone for closing slots, I told her this would be a good one," Tiboni said.
He added that the rest are always reliable for being entertainment.
"Song Source's Kevin Devine always does a great job and Big Pinky is a favorite, no doubt about it.
"They're definitely a Dexter Daze highlight - local boys with a large following in the area. They're probably going to play Dexter Daze as long as there is a Dexter Daze. "
Tiboni highly recommends the rest of the entertainment, noting that he wouldn't be as enthused about Dexter Daze if it didn't have great talent.
"Most of these acts are great ... like the RFD Boys. What can I say about the RFD Boys, other than I'm of the opinion that they would draw the same crowd they will at Dexter Daze without any of the other activities or a $10,000 raffle in the middle of their set."
Entertainment schedule
Please see our Dexter Daze special section inside of this issue, with the inserts, for a full list of which acts are playing when, in additional to interviews, articles and other information about Dexter Daze and the individual events that make it such a blast.
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