“Christmas in Detroit” by Bill Loomis (Bicknell Lecture Series: 2023-2024)

Few areas of the country seem to love Christmas as much as Southeastern Michigan. Whether at Hudson’s, sitting in the Fox Theater, or seeing hundreds of dolls and live reindeer at the Ford Rotunda, we cannot seem to get enough of the holiday season. Join presenter Bill Loomis in this exploration of the origins of modern Christmas traditions, and how they presented in the metropolitan Detroit area.
Presenter Bill Loomis is a freelance writer who possesses a degree in comparative literature from the University of Michigan and has done graduate work in television production at New York University. He has had articles published in the New York Times, Quality Magazine, a variety of business academic journals, Michigan History Magazine, Hour Detroit, Crain’s Business Detroit and the Detroit News. He also appears regularly on Detroit talk shows and history-based programs like Mysteries at the Museum. His book, “Christmas in Detroit,” is available for purchase from Arcadia Publishing: www.arcadiapub....
About the Bicknell Lecture Series:
In 1987, Dr. Frank Bicknell, a long time Grosse Pointe resident and well-known Detroit Medical Center urologist, celebrated his 80th birthday. His daughter and son-in-law established the Grosse Pointe Historical Society's Bicknell Fund to mark his milestone birthday. This fund established the Dr. Frank Bicknell Lecture Series; all Bicknell Lectures are free of charge and open to everyone.