this week’s
top ten Norte Rides Into Kalkaska With New Project
Traverse City-based Cycling Advocate Norte has a vision to make the Village of Kalkaska more walkable and bike-able. They’ve partnered with the Northern Michigan Community Health Innovation Region, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation for a project aimed at increasing physical activity among Kalkaska kids. The project will feature four initiatives: development of safe routes to Kalkaska schools, pro-bike and propedestrian advocacy, development of a youth mountain bike team, and the creation of a youth leadership council. “The result, we hope, is more kids — and kids at heart — walking and biking and getting to school and work the happy, healthy, strong, ready-to-learn way,” said Ashlea Walter, Norte development director. The project will kick off Oct. 2, on Northern Michigan Walk-to-School day. Interested? Contact hello@groupnorte.org.
blocktoberfest Downtown Gaylord comes alive with their 3rd Annual Blocktoberfest on Sat., Sept. 21 from 1pm to 10pm under the Pavilion on Court. Enjoy live music by Virgil Baker and the Just for Fun Band, and the Kari Lynch Band, dancing, cornhole, kids games, food and world class beer. Prizes will be awarded for beard and mustache contests and the beer stein holding contest. The beer garden will serve craft beers and wine from northern Michigan breweries, including Snowbelt Brewing Co., Big Buck Brewery, Rolling Oak, and Cheboygan Brewing Co. Admission is free, but if you’d like alcoholic beverages, a souvenir Blocktoberfest mug is required ($5-$10). Search ‘Downtown Gaylord’ on Facebook.
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Hey, read this! The Alchemist
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Fall is fast approaching, friends. In preparation for the upcoming cooldown, we suggest Paul Coelho’s celebrated fable, “The Alchemist” — a muse-worthy dram to warm you from your cockles to your core. In the nearly quarter-century since the text’s original publication, untold numbers of readers have followed Santiago, a young Andalusian shepherd boy, in his celebrated quest for worldly wealth. After the king of Salem himself appears to Santiago in a dream, our young hero promptly sells his sheep and sets sail for Africa. But it’s the crusade that comes next that’s the real work of witchcraft. As whimsical as it is winding, this classic novel is unquestionably one for the books — and also, your fall bookshelf.
5 Available online or in-store. Open 7 days a week. www.hullsoffrankfort.com
2 tastemaker
Pepper Parmesan Bread
Petoskey artisan bread purveyors Crooked Tree Breadworks is onto something special in its Pepper Parmesan Sourdough boule ($9.25). This rich and savory loaf is great for sandwiches, toasted with butter, alongside saucy Italian fare, or just about any other way you can dream up. The store recommends toasting and topping with an over-easy egg. Any which way you like it … you’ll definitely like it. Thick chunks of quality parmesan are baked into the sourdough mixture, and tiny bits of fresh ground pepper punctuate the loaf’s chewy interior. The outer crust is satisfyingly crunchy and offers flavorful protrusions of melted, morphing cheese, crisped by the heat in the tastiest places. This bread also comes in smaller rolls, perfect for dinner parties. But hurry! While the loaves seem to last throughout the day, the smaller rolls sell out fast. If they’re out when you’re in, try CTB’s Cherry Pecan Bread, or check out the roster of other incredible bread creations at www.breadworks.com, where you can also can buy. Find the bakery at 2264 M-119. (231) 347-9574
4 • September 16, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly