EVENTS

August

edited by LIBBY STALLMAN

Watch for the MyNorthTix symbol and get your tickets at MyNorthTickets.com.

photo by Rachel Haggerty

WED 3

THU 4

THU 4

Elk Rapids Harbor Days has a full lineup of events, including a car show, art & craft show, carnival and more. Runs through Saturday evening, concluding with spectacular fireworks over East Grand Traverse Bay. elkrapidsharbordays.org

Rudbeckia Winery and Burnt Marshmallow Brewstillery in Petoskey is hosting its first Paella Night. The al fresco dinner includes appetizers, paella and a glass of sangria, beer or wine. MyNorthTickets.com

Celebrating the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will waive the $25 entrance fee today. Come and enjoy the wonders of the park. nps.gov/slbe The 46th Annual Gem & Mineral Show in Ishpeming brings together rock and mineral enthusiasts to enjoy more than 50 vendors showing off samples, gemstones, jewelry and more. Over the weekend, enjoy two field trips for mineral collection and a treasure hunt for families. travelmarquette.com

From harness racing to livestock auctions and prize-winning roses to exotic chickens, it’s all a part of the fun at the Northwestern Michigan Fair, a Traverse City tradition since 1908. Aug. 7–13. northwesternmichiganfair.net

The Pine Performance Center in Curtis presents i.am.james. Born and raised on the coast of Lake Michigan, singer-songwriter Sierra Cassidy grew up in a thriving artsdriven community before moving to her home base of Nashville. Her music is influenced by both her upbringing in folk music and her admiration for contemporary pop music. MyNorthTickets.com Ziggy Marley, the son of reggae icon Bob Marley, has carved his own path as a musical pioneer. An eight-time Grammy Award winner, Marley is infusing the reggae genre with elements of funk, blues and rock. See his live tribute to his father at Interlochen Arts Academy. interlochen.org

Gaylord is celebrating its 100th birthday in 2022. Join the city for a centennial parade, refreshments and open house at City Hall. gaylordmichigan.net

Students join professional Broadway teaching artists for a one-of-a-kind theater experience in Traverse City. This week-long Broadway Intensive will explore “triple threat” disciplines of music, dance and acting with a live performance for friends and family on the City Opera House stage. cityoperahouse.org

FIND MORE AT MYNORTH.COM > EVENTS FRI 5

SUN 7

TUES 9

FRI 12

SAT 13

MON 15

Boyne City

FESTIVALS

7/27–8/6 Baroque on Beaver A classical music festival on beautiful Beaver Island. baroqueonbeaver.org

8/6 Straits Brews Bash Sample dozens of craft beers dockside at the St. Ignace Marina, grab some pub fare and settle in to listen to live music topped off with fireworks at dusk. stignace.com

8/6–8/14 Boyne City PirateFest Loads of family entertainment from a pirate river adventure to a treasure hunt and parade. boynecitypiratefest.com

8/12–8/14 Farm Fest Performances by Michigan artists including Oh Brother Big Sister, Steel & Wood, Hey Cuz, Kirby and more in Johannesburg. farm-fest.com

8/19–8/21 Hoxeyville Music Festival Hoxeyville is the Midwest’s premier Americana and Roots festival. Held at the Manistee National Forest in Wellston. hoxeyville.com

8/19–8/20 35th Annual Rubber Ducky Festival An annual Bellaire event full of food, fun, music and the famous rubber ducky race. bellairechamber.org

8/25–8/28 Cedar Polka Fest Lasting four days and nights, nearly 10,000 people descend on the tiny town of Cedar for family fun and entertainment with some of the best Polka bands in America. Plus, plenty of Polish beer, sausages and pierogi. cedarpolkafest.org

8/26–8/28 Benzie Fishing Frenzy A three-day salmon fishing tournament in Frankfort with thousands of dollars in prizes and hundreds of fish weighed daily. frankfort-elberta.com

Outdoor Music Series

Boyne City: Stroll the streets of Boyne City and listen to music, every Friday evening. Harbor Springs: Music in the streets of Harbor Springs, every Thursday night. Traverse City: Grand Traverse Pavilions hosts Concerts on the Lawn performances every Thursday evening. Northport: Music in the Park, Friday evenings at G. Marsten Dame Marina Park.

ARTS & CRAFTS FAIRS

8/6-8/7 Suttons Bay Art Festival at Marina Park This annual art fair takes place on the first weekend of August. One hundred artists participate, along with community groups, a library book sale, food vendors and a children’s area. suttonsbayarea.com

8/6–8/7 Petoskey Antiques Show at Petoskey Fairgrounds More than 140 antique dealers from across the United States will converge in Petoskey, bringing their best items. petoskeyarea.com

8/13 Charlevoix Waterfront Art Fair at East Park The second oldest juried art fair in Michigan has a reputation with critics and collectors alike for the quality of the work exhibited and the unparalleled location. charlevoixwaterfrontartfair.org

8/19–8/20 46th Annual Frankfort Art Fair at Market Square Park Browse fine art in historic Frankfort. frankfort-elberta.com

WALKS/RUNS/BIKE RACES

8/6 Port Oneida Run in Glen Arbor Run or walk to support preservation of historic Port Oneida in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Choose your course: Farmers Flat and Fast 5K, Homesteaders Hardcore 5K and Tiller’s 10K. phsb.org

8/13 Ore to Shore in Negaunee A series of bike races with Lake Superior as the backdrop; young kids can compete in the 50-yard Littlest Rock race while adults tackle the 48-mile Hard Rock. oretoshore.com

8/13 Crystal Lake Solo or Team Marathon Individuals or relay-based teams compete against one another. The course runs from downtown Beulah around Crystal Lake and back. clcba.org

8/21 Traverse City Triathlon Athletes swim, bike and run on Old Mission Peninsula. traversecitytriathlon.com

CA T CHING UP W I TH

MAY ERLEWINE

photo courtesy of May Erlewine T he traverse city singer-songwriter released her latest album, Tiny Beautiful Things, this spring after months of solitude and lock-down songwriting. Here she sheds light on her inspiration.

Cara McDonald: Tiny Beautiful Things was born during the Covid-19 pandemic. How did that shape the songs you wrote? May Erlewine: When things shut down, I decided not to stop working. I did stop touring, but I decided to keep creating as much as I could. I was writing these songs and thinking about what I was able to do: Make a record.

I had a couple songs but had also been writing a lot in January after the shutdown; I was playing music and doing livestreams every Monday. I started looking at this collection of songs and realized they were focusing on love and human connection in all its iterations. And I thought, it makes sense I’m writing these songs when we’re all so far apart.

These songs are about love that can be found in our happy places, but also in our grief, in our children, when our heart is broken. Love is present.

CM: Where did the album name come from? ME: I wrote the title track, “Tiny Beautiful Things,” after a book [of the same name, by Cheryl Strayed] that changed my life at a really difficult time … Her book is also a collection of humanness, a collection of letters between her and these anonymous people going through all these things and it allowed them to feel less alone. What a beautiful thing to focus on.

CM: This album is a departure from your past work—it’s more reflective, melancholy, soothing. ME: I tried to treat each song and honor it as its own thing and not worry too much about what genre it might fit into. I wanted there to be an ease of listening to the music. I wanted continuity, so I tried to make it gentle, particularly in the singing; but it was also just where I was, needing a lot of tenderness and calming energy. I was creating this music to help me also.

CM: What was it like creating without colleagues in a studio, an audience? Was Covid a creative space for you? ME: For me, when things are not going well, creativity keeps me afloat. I leaned into writing and producing because I didn’t know what else to lean into.

At first it was, “Oh, maybe this will be a little vacation and we’ll finally make that sourdough bread,” but that wore off quickly. I had a lot of grief and anxiety. I have a child, and the experience of the lack of community was very difficult. Having your kid losing their connection with other children, school, family… that felt really serious to me and was sort of in my face every day. My daughter was home with me and we were figuring it out, but I couldn’t be everything for her and that deficit was very present all the time.

CM: So you are back on the road? ME: Yes! Cautiously. At some point, I don’t know what else to do. We’re all just living with this longer and longer, so I am touring and supporting the album.

You can buy Erlewine’s newest album at mayerlewine.com— we recommend it on vinyl!