September in Washtenaw County is buzzing with fun things to do with friends and family. The weather is cooling, but we still have some sunshine to enjoy. It's a big month with the football season starting and many other cultures and causes to celebrate.

Harvest Festival | Ann Arbor

September 16, 2 – 5 p.m. | Sutherland-Wilson Farm  

The 10th Annual Harvest Festival at Sutherland-Wilson Farm is welcoming the fall harvest season with a musical performances, face painting, carriage photos, lawn games, a pumpkin patch, house tours and self-guided building tours, a petting farm, and so much more. 

University of Michigan Football | Ann Arbor

September 1 – December 1 | Various locations

University of Michigan football returns on the first day of September! Their first game of the season is at Notre Dame, the first Home game is on September 8th, 15th and 22nd. For the full schedule, check out our PDF calendar click here. 

RunTough for ChadTough | Saline

September 29, 8:30 – 11 a.m. | Saline High School  

Benefitting The ChadTough Foundation, a local nonprofit in Saline, this running event is celebrating its fifth year with a family-friendly 5K and a one-mile fun run. 

Orphan Car Show | Ypsilanti 

September 15 | Riverside Park 

The term “orphan car” describes a vehicle built by a manufacturer that has discontinued business entirely, and because Ypsi has such an important history in cars and orphan cars, it’s the perfect place for this unique car event. The 2019 show celebrates the 21st year of the Orphan Car Show! Spectator admission is $7 for adults and children under 12 are admitted for free.

Old West Side Homes Tour | Ann Arbor  

September 22, 12 – 5 p.m. | Community of Christ Church 

The 46th Annual Old West Side Homes Tour celebrates Ann Arbor’s historic Old West Side whose architecture, streetscape, history and environment are especially characteristic of 19th-century, midwestern America.

Heritage Market | Milan 

September 29, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Hack House 

The Heritage Market brings local vendors, creative makers and community members to shop and support local in the historic Hack House.  

 Oktoberfest | Saline 

September 20 – 21 | Downtown Saline 

This fall celebration brings celebrates Germany in a classic event. Oktoberfest features traditional and modern music, a festive biergarten, a corn hole tournament, wiener dog races and so much more over the course of two full days. Yes it’s called Oktoberfest but is held in September .

Football season is coming up! Are you as excited as we are? We have a great calendar for you to print out to keep track of your favorite Michigan Football Team. Both University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Michigan State in East Lansing have announced the dates of their Home games and away games.

The fall sports season is upon us. Hockey, Football and basketball sports seasons are about to begin. The Red Wings and Pistons will play at the Little Caesars Arena. Keep track of when your favorite sports team is playing with these FREE printable calendars available below.

Click on the images below to bring up a full size calendar that you can print out for the 2018-19 Season schedules.

The Pistons aka Detroit Bad Boys, will kick off the season October 17th at 7 pm at the Little Caesars Arena against the Brooklyn Nets.

The Red Wings hit their first puck of the season at Home on Thursday, Oct. 4 versus the Columbus Blue Jackets. Print out the calendar below to stay in the know of when and where they will be playing for the rest of the season.

Detroit Lions Football: Now in the midst of theirSeason, keep up with upcoming Lions  games with the calendar below. 

Are you a College Football Fan? Check out the Wolverines and Spartan schedules below.  

Tom Stachler is a licensed Ann Arbor area real estate agent and broker also working real estate home and condo sales in the Saline, Dexter, Chelsea, Ypsilanti, Milan and many of the surrounding markets in both Washtenaw and Livingston County.  Please click on the inventory or MLS search tab above for the latest residential, income and commercial realty property listings for sale.  

As the 2013-14 NCAA men's basketball season tips off, the University of Michigan Wolverines find themselves in an enviable, albeit challenging, situation.

The team is coming off a season in which they:

• Finished the regular season with a record of 13-5
• Split the season series with two of their biggest rivals, Ohio State and Michigan State
• Earned their first Big Ten championship (sharing the honors with the Buckeyes and Spartans) in 27 years (1986)
• Made program history by opening with a 21-2 record
• Reached the NCAA tournament's prestigious Final Four (last accomplished in 1992-93)
• Gave Louisville a run for their money in the National Championship game, losing 82-76

So expectations are pretty high for head coach John Beilein's relatively young Wolverines' 2013-14 squad. And they will have to try and meet or even exceed those expectations without the services of point guard Trey Burke and shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr., both of whom chose to seek fame and fortune on the NBA's hard court.

Look for Beilein to lean heavily on freshman point guard Derrick Walton Jr. and sophomore shooting guard, Nik Stauskas, to try and fill the Burke-Hardaway Jr. void.

The University of Michigan has good reason to be proud of the Varsity Tennis Center, where the Michigan Wolverines host some of the most prestigious intercollegiate events in the country. Past events include such notable competitions as the ITA National Indoor Championships of 2003-2004, the Wilson/ITA Midwest Regional men's championships of 2004-05 and women's championships of 2000. The Big Ten Conference men's championships of 1999 and 2009 and women's championships of 2000 and 2011 also took place here. The indoor facility houses eight courts located 20 feet apart lit by 16 lights per court, ample for televised coverage. Outdoors you will find 12 courts and seating for 600 spectators. Electronic scoreboards enhance the spectator's experience. Located on South State Street, just south of the Golf Course, the facility is truly a gem on the University of Michigan campus, putting Michigan tennis on the map.

The men’s varsity schedule begins in September with non-scoring events and continues through the NCAA Individual championships ending May 26. The men’s team takes on Western Michigan on January 18. The women’s schedule runs concurrently. Women will partake in the Michigan Invitational January 18-20 with competition against Virginia Tech on January 25. The Wolverine Open takes place in 2013 on December 6-8. Competition will be limited to 32 singles and 16 doubles. The weekend should prove to be an exciting event for Michigan tennis enthusiasts.

Last season’s finish in the number two spot in the Big Ten is pushing the men’s team veterans, Evan King, Shaun Bernstein and Barrett Franks to lead their fellow Michigan tennis players on to victory. You can connect with the team for up-to-date news on their Facebook page. The women’s team is doing well as Ronit Yurovsky and Sarah Lee dominated at the ITA Regional Midwest Doubles matches. Yurovsky went on to win the singles title. That is not bad for a sophomore with more playing time coming up for a bright collegiate future. You can follow the women on Facebook as well.

Michigan tennis is just one more asset for residents of Ann Arbor to enjoy. The Wolverines have always been a great source of community pride, and these great young athletes promise not to let us down. Unless the University is hosting NCAA competitions, there is no charge to attend these exciting matches. If you ever have questions about schedules or tickets, call (734) 764-0247 for additional information.

During the October 18, 2013 meeting of the University of Michigan Board of Regents, approval was granted to issue the Munger Graduate Residences project for bids and award construction contracts. The schematic design for the eight-story building was approved at the September meeting. The structure will accommodate housing for approximately 630 students. Construction is scheduled for completion during the summer of 2015.

Charles Munger, vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has generously donated $100 million toward funding the 370,000-square-foot building as well as another $10,000 in fellowships for resident students. Munger’s donation is the largest in the history of the University. The total estimated cost of the project is about $185 million, the balance of which will be funded by bond proceeds and commercial paper issuance. About 264 construction jobs will be created by the project.

The design includes 96 apartments, most of which will contain seven bedrooms for a total of 632 bedrooms in total. The residences will take up seven floors, with an additional floor of common space accommodating a solarium, a commissary and an outdoor balcony which encircles the floor as a running track. Music practice rooms, a media room and indoor gym are also included in the design. Lounges, study space and the track will be on the eighth floor.

The innovative design was a joint project by Hartman-Cox Architects and Integrated Design Solutions. The plans will follow U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification system which will insure exceptional energy efficiency, exceeding standard levels by about 30 percent.

On-campus residences for graduate students are unusual living options and the University hopes that the addition of this unique offering will attract more graduate students to the University of Michigan. Offering a communal approach to student life, the building encourages interaction across disciplines. The vision is that this positive social environment will remove some of the isolation graduate students often feel, and allow the free exchange of ideas to elevate the level of their educational experience. Each bedroom has its own private bath and shares a common kitchen and living areas with three to six other bedrooms. At the current projection, the new dormitory should be available for graduate students for the fall semester of 2015. The $10 million in fellowships will be used in part to select students to help defray their living expenses. The University of Michigan bidding for $185M grad student dorms is officially underway.

The University of Michigan football team enters the 2013 season ranked No. 17 in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches polls. The Wolverines who take the field for Saturday's season and Home opener against Central Michigan are a relatively young squad; however, they are a favorite - along with Nebraska - to take the Big Ten Legends Division title.

NCAA College Football pundits are saying that the Wolverines' 2013 schedule is the toughest in the division, with back-to-back blockbusters against Michigan State and Nebraska in early November, and perennial nemesis Ohio State looming large as the team's last regular season opponent.

Youngsters Expected to Grow Up Fast

Michigan coach Brady Hoke's 2013 Wolverines' fate rests heavily on the shoulders of untested freshmen and sophomores. Some of its anticipated playmakers saw slim to no time on the field during game day last season, according to the Detroit Free Press. Although coaches often begrudge the need for youngsters to make an immediate and impactful contribution, it's a fact of life in today's big-time college football world.

Will Kyle Kalis, a highly touted redshirt freshman offensive guard, solidify new starting quarterback Devin Gardner's right side? On the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator Greg Mattison has unquestionable talent in Ondre Pipkins, Joe Bolden, James Ross and Jarrod - all true sophomores - but can they live up to their potential?

As you ponder those debate-starter questions in the back of your mind, allow the front of your mind to enjoy these tasty tidbits about the forthcoming Wolverines season:

• Home field advantage: UM plays the Cornhuskers and Buckeyes at home, where it's 14-0 the past two years
• Freshness Dated: Devin Gardner replaces Denard Robinson as full-time signal caller
• Yin-Yang Offensive: potent running game balanced with big-arm QB
• No Easy Outs: Wolverines saw 18 turnovers in five of its 2012 losses

2012 football Season Recap

Michigan ended its 2012 season on the first day of 2013 (Jan. 1) with a heartbreaking 33-28 loss to South Carolina in the Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. Going into the game, the Wolverines were ranked No. 18 in the BCS and No. 19 in the AP polls.

There weren't many highlights to the season; however, there was one REALLY HUGE one. On Oct. 20 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan slipped past in-state rival Michigan State 12-10, snapping the Wolverines' four-game losing streak to the Spartans, and giving the football program its 900th win - the first college football program to reach this achievement.

One of the most agreeable aspects of owning property in the Ann Arbor area is the wealth of resources associated with the University of Michigan. Among the best of these is the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA.) Founded in 1909, UMMA is one of the largest university art museums in the United States, with a permanent collection that includes nearly 19,000 objects.

About the Museum

The University of Michigan Art Museum is housed in a 94,000-square-foot exhibition space that combines the historic Alumni Memorial Hall with the new Frankel Wing. The remodeled museum, opened in 2009, houses a variety of permanent and temporary exhibits. Highlights of the museum's permanent collection include works by Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, James Whistler, Claes Oldenburg and Max Beckmann. The collection includes examples of American, European, Asian, Middle Eastern and Asian art and spans from the pre-Columbian era to modern times.

Visiting the Museum

UMMA is located on State Street on the U of M campus. The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5:00 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays. Admission to the museum is free, but donations are encouraged.

Special Museum Programs

In addition to the permanent and temporary art exhibits, UMMA hosts a full schedule of classes, lectures and special programs. These include drop-in art classes, poetry readings, parent and children art workshops, film screenings and gallery talks. The museum also offers a variety of art tours that focus on examples in the collection of a particular artist, period or genre.

Other Ann Arbor Area Museums

UMMA isn't the only museum in the greater Ann Arbor area. The Cranbrook Museum in Bloomfield Hills features a changing array of modern art exhibits. The Detroit Institute of Arts, located two miles north of downtown Detroit, houses one of the largest and most diverse art collections in the United States. And, the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn features a huge collection of historic objects and Americana.