Press Release | Office of the Mayor

For Immediate Release | Official Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

36300 Warren Road | Westland, Michigan | 48185

Office 734.467.3200 | Fax 734.422.1230

WWW.CITYOFWESTLAND.COM

Westland's "Deck the City Hall" Holiday Celebration Just Around the Corner

Westland, MI - We are coming up to one of the most popular annual events in our All American City. It is time once again to "Deck the City Hall." This year's celebration will be the perfect way to kick off the holiday season in Westland.

The fun starts at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 6. Everyone will gather in front of City Hall to sing Christmas Carols and welcome Santa and Mrs. Claus to Westland. After they help Mayor Wild light the Official Christmas Tree and City Hall grounds, everyone is invited inside for free cookies and hot cocoa. There will also be interactive dance activities in order to promote Westland's Healthy City Initiative and children can write out their lists for Santa and put them in Santa's Mailbox that goes direct to the North Pole.

Children will also have a chance to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. As part of Westland's Compassionate City Initiative, anyone who brings a $5 per kid or $10 per family monetary donation for "Shop with a Hero" or an unwrapped toy for the Westland Goodfellows toy drive will get a Fast Pass to see Santa and will be able to skip the line.

There will be overflow parking available at JC Penney at Westland Shopping Center and free shuttle buses will be provided.

The City of Westland is also holding a holiday poster contest for kids! Westland residents or Wayne Westland Schools students grades K - 6 are asked to make a poster with the theme, "What an All American Winter Holiday Looks Like to Me." Posters should be turned in to the office at their school, no later than November 27. Contest entries will be displayed in the City Hall Art Gallery where attendees will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite. First prize for the contest is a guaranteed white holiday, with a truck of snow being delivered to the winner's home! Second and third place finishers will win free movie tickets and passes to Airtime Trampoline and Game Park.

For those who cannot attend the "Deck the City Hall" event, letters to Santa can be dropped off to Santa's Mailbox at Westland City Hall from November 28 to December 8.

For more information, please call Aubrey Berman at (734)467-3200

Westland, Michigan is the state's 10th largest municipality, with a population of over 84,000 people who exhibit a great deal of pride in their All-American City. Westland has a thriving business community along with beautiful residential areas. The citizens enjoy a wide array of amenities and a quality of life that is second to none.

In 2014, Westland was rated as one of 24/7 Wall Street's America's Best 50 Cities to Live, offering residents and visitors an ideal blend of single-family affordable homes, apartments and condominiums, great schools, and access to numerous outdoor activities. Public safety is delivered by full-service, professional law enforcement and firefighting personnel. Westland Police Department, whose motto is protect and serve, provides emergency dispatch services to four cities and over 100,000 residents; the Westland Fire Department are licensed paramedics who responded to over 9,000 calls for service last year, about 85% being medical based. They never forget their mission of preserving life and property.

Westland is well-known as the premier destination for shopping and dining in Wayne County with hundreds of shops and restaurants anchored by the Westland Shopping Center, one of the country's original four regional malls.

Infinite opportunities are available in Westland for the recreation aficionado including, more than 40 parks and 1,500 acres of trails, a 9-hole golf course, hockey arena, athletic fields, playscapes, a Farmers and Artisans Market and more. One of Michigan's most environmentally friendly cities, Westland has a progressive curbside recycling program with one of the highest participation rates in the nation and the City is raising the bar for cultural experiences with the placement of public art throughout the City.

The City is served by two public school districts; Wayne-Westland Community Schools serving 12,000 youth was recently named one of the Best School in Michigan by WXYZ-TV and is the proud recipient of 14 Golden Apple and two Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards. Livonia Public Schools, educating nearly 15,000 students, is proud of their MEAP/MME scores that exceed state averages and the District has also earned Golden Apple and Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards.

The City provides competitive incentives for those who are interested in investing in Westland, making it one of the hottest investment markets in the region. Our Fast-Track to Business Team, which consists of key decision makers who work diligently on a development plan will "cut the red tape" and expedite the approval process for new business development.