A Little Bit of Motown Magic

Did you guess our destination? It was Frankenmuth, Michigan. My husband had visited with his family when he was young, but I had never been there. It was on my "bucket list". 

Once we got there, we sampled the famous Frankenmuth Chicken Dinner, spent several hours at Bronner's (the famous Christmas store). And then spent several hours in and out of all the high end shops on Main Street. 

We really aren't shoppers and my house is already full of almost 40 years of Christmas decorations. I need to downsize my collection, not add to it! 

My hubby was ready to leave, but I spotted a museum in Saginaw with an admission charge of only $1.00. It is called the Castle Museum due to the architecture; actually it was originally built as a post office.   

The museum was filled with great exhibits. One of my favorites was in a wing of replicas of some Saginaw's former businesses. My grandfather owned a jewelry store in my hometown that was so similar to this that I thought I was stepping back in time. 

When we entered the museum (and each paid $1.00 admission), the guide asked if we were there for the "Motown Event". Motown? Sure! It turned out it was opening day for an exhibit of the personal photographs and memorabilia of Saginaw native and Motown Publicist Abe Abrams. He was scheduled to present the exhibit, but unfortunately became ill and passed away the Saturday before. Stepping in for her dear friend was 

That's Abe Abrams on the left. 

Yes, that is Miss Martha Reeves on the left, graciously posing with Miss Merry who has the biggest smile on her face!

What we thought might be an hour's diversion turned into a 4 hour museum visit, with almost an almost 2 hour presention by Miss Reeves. She spoke, she shared, she even sang. She was so inspirational! She talked about how important her parents were in helping her become a successful young woman (even when she was a counter girl at a dry cleaners, singing in church and contests). How her dad would only let her sing at Happy Hours in nightclubs, because he didn't want her home late. 

How she was discovered after showing up for an audition and landing a secretarial post instead (due to her public high school education which taught her job skills in addition to fostering her vocal talents). How she named her backup singers - Van for her neighborhood and Dellas for Della Reese who she once heard sing at her church. 

Not only are we still talking about everything she shared with us, how wonderful the experience was, how inspirational her life was to us, my husband and I made the Saginaw evening news when they were featuring the story of the opening of the exhibit "Motown: Black & White".

We love to go off the beaten path and Saginaw Michigan will always have a very special place in our hearts.