🚀🌕 A Wolverine Is Going to the Moon

Morning, Ann Arbor! A U-M grad got picked for a Moon mission, a Liberty Street legend is searching for its next owner, and USA Today says one of the 39 best restaurants in America is right here on Liberty. There’s a lot happening around town, let’s dive in.

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Read Time: 5 minutes

Reader Count: 4,806 townies

Percent of Ann Arbor Reading: 3.91%

🚀 A Wolverine Is Going to the Moon Program 

NASA named Andre Douglas to the four-person crew of Artemis III, flying in 2027. Douglas holds two U-M master's degrees, one in mechanical engineering and one in naval architecture. It will be his first spaceflight: about two weeks in orbit testing the systems that will carry astronauts back to the Moon. NASA

🍳 Afternoon Delight Is Looking for Its Next Owner 

Joanne Williams started at Afternoon Delight (251 E. Liberty St.) in high school and has owned it since 1998. This week she announced she's retiring later this year. The breakfast spot has served bran muffins and quiche since 1978, feeding regulars from Bo Schembechler to Michael Phelps, and Williams is hunting for a buyer who'll keep the menu and the crew intact. "It's a special place," she says. We agree. mLive

🍽️ Spencer Is One of the 39 Best Restaurants in America 

USA Today put Spencer (113 E. Liberty St.) on its Best Restaurants of 2026 list. Only 39 spots in the country made the cut. Abby Olitzky and Steve Hall have run the place since 2015 as a wine shop by day and a farm-driven dinner spot by night. Spencer’s menu shifts with the seasons and what is available from nearby farms. WGRD

🎪 Top of the Park, Week 2: The Big Guns 

The Avett Brothers play Hill Auditorium on Friday, June 19, and Ira Glass tells stories at the Power Center on Saturday, June 20. The free stuff is just as good: Gremlins on Tuesday, Sleepless in Seattle on Wednesday, Sinners on Thursday, and Coco on Sunday, all at dusk. Full schedule

🏚️ Braun Court Is Gone

The last five houses at Kerrytown's Braun Court were razed this week, leaving an open dirt lot off Fourth Avenue where Aut Bar, the Jim Toy Community Center, and Common Language Bookstore once anchored decades of brunches and late nights. Wickfield Properties is replacing them with a seven-story, 27-unit luxury condo building next to the new Dunbar Tower apartments, with plans to save pieces of the old court for a tribute room inside. A2Gov

⛪ The Old Treasure Mart Is Getting New Life

Redeemer Church's long-delayed renovation of the former Treasure Mart at 525 Detroit St is finally in full swing, with hopes to move in by year's end. The 1869 building, home to the beloved antique shop for 60 years before it closed in 2020, is getting a 1,300-square-foot addition and a restored original facade. mLive

🍷 Aperitivo Opened on Ashley 

Ann Arbor's new Italian cocktail and wine bar held its soft opening over the weekend at 200 S. Ashley St., a block off Main. About 30 seats inside, 60 on the patio, and mocktails plus charcuterie while the liquor license clears. The menu even has a "Beyond the Boot" section for non-Italian drinks. MLive

🧵 Zingerman's Hand-Painted a New Awning

The weathered black awning over Zingerman's Deli came down last month, replaced by a love letter to the original. Sign painter Nick Jaroch learned the old one was sewn and hand-painted decades ago by a current staffer's grandmother, so the team made a new one the same way: hand-sewn, hand-painted from a traced stencil, with the vintage hand-crank hardware restored using a 1936 patent. Zingerman's

🎌 Japan Week Takes Over Ann Arbor

The 12th annual Ann Arbor Japan Week runs June 14–20, with free, all-ages events from U-M's Center for Japanese Studies. Think a clay Totoro workshop, giant-brush calligraphy, taiko drumming at Top of the Park, a free "Okko's Inn" screening at the Michigan Theater, and a sushi demo to close it out. All free and open to the public. U-M CJS

🎓 More U-M Grads Are Leaving Debt-Free 

More than 60% of in-state U-M grads now finish with zero student debt. And adjusted for inflation, in-state tuition and fees actually fell 5% over the last decade, down $946 since 2016. The Go Blue Guarantee, which covers tuition for Michigan families making $125K or less, is doing a lot of the lifting. The University Record

🚌 Your Library Card Is a Bus Pass Now 

TheRide's free weekend program is back through August 30. Flash an AADL or Ypsilanti District Library card and ride free all day Saturday and Sunday. WEMU

❤️ Mud Day Returns June 27 

Apple Playschools' 11th Annual Mud Day hits Leslie Science & Nature Center on Saturday, June 27, 10am to 12:30pm. Mud kitchen, mud paintings, a giant mud zone, and a splash tower to rinse off after. It is free, it fills up fast, and it funds childcare scholarships. Pre-register here

On the Market

447 Sumark Way — $468,000 2 bed | 3 bath | 1,935 sqft - A bright, turn-key end-unit in Oakbrook Condos with rare first-floor living: main-level primary suite, vaulted ceilings, and a fireplace. Last sold for $227,500 in 2012.

709 Indianola Ave — $589,900  3 bed | 2 bath | 1,419  sqft - A 1951 Northside Cape Cod taken down to the studs and rebuilt with a modern edge: refinished oak floors, a wood-burning fireplace over exposed brick, and a chef's kitchen with quartz and a Bosch double oven. Steps from Argo and the Huron River. Last sold for $357,000 in 2018.

1107 Arborview Blvd  — $599,000 4 bed | 2 bath | 1,618 sqft - A character-filled 1942 colonial on a rare corner lot near Bach and Slauson, sitting on an oversized one-and-a-half lot parcel. Four bedrooms, two full baths, two wood-burning fireplaces, and a yard with serious room to garden or entertain this close to town.

Adoptable Humane Society Pets

Anna — 4 years 8 months | Medium Female | Domestic Shorthair  A shy, sensitive sweetheart who takes time to trust, but once she does, you'll have a loyal companion all to yourself. Meet Anna

Ashoka — 7 months | Large Female | Hound Mix A quick learner with a lot of energy and even more love. She is looking for a family that likes to move. Meet Ashoka

Barnaby — 16 years | Small Female | Domestic Shorthair A sweet, laidback senior who wants a warm lap and good food. Her adoption fee is just $50. Meet Barnaby

That's all for now! Have a great week in Tree Town!

— Ryan, James, and the Michigander Team

P.S. - A group of U-M grads just launched AuraFizz, a no-added-sugar prebiotic soda born out of dorm-room workouts in Ann Arbor. It's coming to local shops soon, with free samples planned on the Diag this summer. drinkaurafizz.com

P.P.S. - NASCAR Cup driver Zane Smith stopped by Washtenaw Dairy (602 S. Ashley St.) before race weekend and got behind the counter to make milkshakes. The shop's review: "He killed it." MLive

P.P.P.S. - Ashley's Lobsterfest is back for its 44th year, June 17–21 (plus bonus days June 26–27). Fresh Maine lobster by the ton, with dinners, rolls, and the famous all-you-can-eat option. Reservations recommended → book a table.

P.P.P.P.S. - Some people dream of no downtown construction and lower property taxes. We dream smaller: 1k Instagram followers. Only 71 to go. Help us get there → @michigandernews

P.P.P.P.P.S - Last week we told you Sugo Pasta Bar was coming to Kerrytown. Now we know patrons will watch 20+ kinds of fresh pasta made all day, with owner Moreno Cerutti (of NYC's Osteria Carlina) focused on real Italian dishes. That's amore.

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