A Weekend In The Rouge!

The past weekends in River Rouge were a hard one to miss. There was so much going on! From Friday to Sunday the city has been lit up like the Vegas strip. Friday the annual River Rouge Days carnival opened. This year was different from the Rouge Days of before. There was a two dollar fee upon entry, and children under seventeen had to be supervised. The carnival portion took place inside a secured gate while vendors and events like wrestling and an old school car show took place. This new order of events was designed to keep the events as safe and fun as possible for the community

River Rouge Panthers also took the field for their home opener against St. John's Jesuit. The game started out even with both teams having seven points in the start of the second quarter. Mental mistakes and penalties held the Panthers back going into the next half. But the combined athleticism of Nick Marsh and Daniel Rucker kept the offense in the game, while the Defense held their ground against the Titans. A Panther fumble resulted in St. John's Jesuit taking advantage of the game and winning 22-29. This gave the Panthers their third loss of the season.

Saturday there was a party in the street and the people gathered to see the parade stroll up Jefferson. The great Mr. Donald Bilinski (former Rouge teacher) narrated the event from the skies. There was a golden list of participants. Local politicians and friendly neighborhood faces rode with the convoy to give their hands to the neighborhood. The parade ended with a bang. The River Rouge Marching Band pushed up the street the same as everyone else, but they couldn't relax just yet. There was a battle of the bands waiting for them at memorial park.

This weekend proves that traditions of River Rouge are only getting better with time. More residents are showing their faces and actively participating. Many outsiders stopped by and had some fun too. I only hope the festivities continue to get better with time.

Throughout the course of the most recent weekend, the Panthers competed against Brother Rice for their second home game of the year. Both teams met at Panther Stadium for their first potential win of the season. With penalties, hiccups, and sheer player on player competitiveness, the game was pretty close in the first half. Panther #21 Jaheem Richmond led the Defense with a key interception to contain the Warriors offense.

The Panthers will be on the road next week to face off against the Eagles of Lakewood Ohio.