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Join us as we explore Michigan to find the best our state has to offer. Follow along as we travel to find and tell stories about Michigan’s best adventures, foods, events, nature, innovations, businesses, and communities. Your source for feel-good, positive Michigan news. Find us on MLive.com/MichigansBest and our social channels.
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When we chose the stories for this edition, all the events and dates were accurate. As always, find the mostup-to-date information on the business/event/activity website, Facebook page or other direct information source.
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EMILY BINGHAM | ebingham@mlive.com
If you see this bird in your backyard, winter is on its way es, it’s still autumn, but one of the earliest signs of winter might already be in your own backyard. The Dark-eyed Junco is a small sparrow that’s synonymous with winter’s return across much of the U.S. True to their “snowbirds” nickname, they fly south from their Arctic summer homes this time of year to avoid the deep freeze, and happily spend the colder months in comparatively warmer climates in many states. “People really think of them as the harbingers of winter when they start to show up at feeders,” Elliot Nelson, extension educator for Michigan Sea Grant and Michigan State University Extension, told MLive in 2022. Even their appearance echoes that of a December snow day: According to Audubon magazine, most Dark-eyed Juncos in the eastern U.S. are the “slate-colored” subspecies, with bright white bellies and darker backs that can range from soft gray to nearly black, sometimes with
brownish tinges. Regardless of each individual’s coloration, you can always look for their sweet pink beaks and white tail feathers that flash when the birds are startled into flight. Perhaps what makes juncos so widely recognizable this time of year compared to other early, birdy signs of winter, such as kinglets or other sparrows, is that juncos are both very common and easy to find. Typically birdwatchers don’t have to look much farther than the ground below their feeders, where these sprightly little birds are often spotted hopping around in search of fallen treats. If you’d like to attract these snowbirds to your yard, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Project FeederWatch suggests Darkeyed Juncos enjoy seeds like sunflower, safflower, thistle, cracked corn, peanut hearts and millet, either on the ground or in platform or hopper-style feeders. Juncos have already been reported arriving in parts of the northern U.S., making now a good time to keep an eye out for their — and winter’s — return.
New
Detroit PIZZA PASS gets you prizes and deals at pizzerias all over the area
y EDWARD PEVOS | epevos@mlive.com
DETROIT, MI
ou can now get deals and prizes when you dine at area pizzerias thanks to a free Detroit Pizza Pass. More than dozen area pizzerias have partnered with Visit Detroit to take part in the Pizza Pass. Participating restaurants include Bigalora Wood Fired Cucina, Buddy’s, Jolly Pumpkin and Mootz. There’s no mobile app. To get the free Detroit Pizza Pass, all users need to do is sign up for it here and then bookmark the pass page to easily access it at participating pizzerias. “Detroit’s pizza heritage is unlike any other, and the Detroit Pizza Pass lets visitors savor it all,” said Claude Molinari, President and CEO of Visit Detroit. “It’s a celebration of our city’s culinary creativity and we can’t wait to take people on this delicious journey.” Passport holders can earn points by checking in at participating pizza joints and redeem them for prizes like Detroit pizza hats, aprons, shirts and stickers in the rewards store.
HERE ARE ALL THE PARTICIPATING PIZZERIAS: • Bigalora Wood Fired Cucina in Plymouth and Southfield • Bob’s Pizza Palace in Detroit • Buddy’s in Detroit and downtown Detroit • Como’s in Ferndale • Francesca’s Brick Oven Pizzeria in Brownstown Twp. • Great Lakes Burger & Pizza Bar in Detroit • Hockeytown Cafe in Detroit • Jolly Pumpkin Pizzeria & Brewery in Detroit • Mad Nice in Detroit • Mike’s Pizza Bar in Detroit • Mootz Pizzeria and Bar in Detroit • Motor City Brewing Works in Detroit • Pie Sci Pizza in Detroit • Pizzaman Pizza in Detroit • PizzaPapalis of Rivertown in Detroit • PIZZAWALA’S in Canton • Shorty Bell’s in Detroit • Union Assembly in Detroit
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Telling Michigan’s Best Stories Join us as we explore Michigan to find the best our state has to offer. Follow along as we travel to find and tell stories about Michigan’s best adventures, foods, events, nature, innovations, businesses, and communities. Your source for feel-good, positive Michigan news. Find us on MLive.com/MichigansBest and our social channels.
MLiveMIBest #ITriedMIBest MLive.com/MichigansBest 10527238-03