Northern Express - March 11, 2024

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Efforts and Alliances

Regarding Art Bukowski’s article, “Room for Improvement (and Collaboration),” a huge thank-you to Northern Express, Art, Roxane, Melinda, Steve, TC-VIP, Demarie, and everyone working for positive change.

Those of us with various health challenges and disabilities need allies to join our efforts. And we have so much to offer our alliances. Call Steve, Melinda, and/or Demarie, etc.

Susan Odgers | Traverse City

Goodbye, Maxbauer

We lost our German bodega in Traverse City this past week, Maxbauer, an Old Town institution since 1913.

On the periphery of Central Neighborhood, for a pedestrian like myself, even if I wasn’t a frequent visitor to their meat counter, I could grab and go with a sandwich and drink. And their front-line staff, especially at the cash register, would be a pleasant reminder why community matters.

So locals and visitors to northern Michigan, steer into a mom & pop when you see one.

George Golubovskis | Traverse City

Disqualification vs. Absolution

The following tries to address Lee Hallett’s understanding (Letters to the Editor, Feb. 19, 2024) about the 14th Amendment, Section 3’s “disqualification.” Can disqualification be applied to Trump’s insurrection, or is disqualification dependent upon a Trump guilty verdict in some court? From what I’ve read, Section 3 is enacted without any prosecution.

When created in 1868, Section 3 applied to ex-Confederate military personnel and civilian officials, none of whom were ever prosecuted, but were subjected to “disqualification” from federal and state offices. Disqualification could only be removed by two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Congress. And, it seems, removal didn’t exonerate or imply innocence.

The history of removing disqualification is one of racism and political leveraging. Removing disqualifications became means for the post-Civil War North and South to gain concessions from each other, while tragically nurturing white supremacy, Jim Crow laws, and the Lost Cause Myth. Disqualification was seen as an honor by many white Southerners, and certificates

removing disqualification were mockingly displayed by recipients and their progeny.

What about Trump, though? Will a Trump guilty verdict possibly activate Section 3? No. If Section 3 is about insurrection or rebellion, it would then seem to me that Jan. 6, 2021, certainly applies. Trump supporters seem satisfied with his acquittal in his second impeachment trial, and for them that should end the matter. But, considering Trump’s eternal “in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,” that can’t do. Remember, Trump was found guilty of insurrection by bipartisan majorities in the House, 232 to 197, and the Senate, 57 to 43, but the latter could not reach the requisite two-thirds votes, so Trump walked. That’s no way an absolution of guilt.

For sure, the disqualification debate will always have ex-Confederates and Trump as undeniable insurrectionists, therefore treasonous.

Allen McCullough | Interlochen

Hot Talk, Cold Science

In his column “Playing Catch-Up with Climate” (March 4), Stephen Tuttle revisits the topic of climate change.

Yes, 2023 was warm, as experts had predicted, given the El Niño precondition in the Pacific Ocean. Also, an undersea volcanic eruption in January 2022 injected an incredible amount of water vapor into the dry stratosphere. These conditions more likely explain the temperature spike than an incremental increase of atmospheric CO2, says Steven Koonin, author of Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters. Koonin also observed that the heat-island effect likely boosted temperature readings in urban areas such as Phoenix.

Tuttle suggests that climate change helped spawn the 2023 wildfires in Canada, Greece, and Hawaii. But when assessing wildfire trends globally, Danish author Bjørn Lomborg noted in a 2022 Wall Street Journal article: “For more than two decades, satellites have recorded fires across the planet’s surface. The data are unequivocal: Since the early 2000s … the area burned annually has trended downward.”

Tuttle admits that Earth has been warmer than today, but that was “two million years ago, before the Ice Age.” But one need not go back so far to find warmer periods than today. Indeed, present temperatures are not unusually warm for the last 10,000 years of human existence. Using various proxy data, scientists have well established that the Medieval Warm Period (or Medieval

Climate Optimum) circa 1,000 years ago, and the Roman Warm Period (or Roman Climatic Optimum) circa 2,000 years ago, were warmer than today.

The moderate 4 degrees C warming rebound since the nadir of the Little Ice Age 400 years ago is well within natural variation and overall has been beneficial to humankind.

Neal Stout | Charlevoix

The Real Culprit

Regarding Steve Tuttle’s column March 4, 2024, about climate change, I send my thoughts. For convenience, I lump climate change, global warming, and environmental pollution into one great big pot. We all know the culprits (“the usual suspects”): Big industry, tailpipes, plastic waste, even farm animals. These are just a few guilty examples to warm up the conversation.

The greens would have us change over to electricity where possible, overlooking pollutants (and subsequent warming) created by the generation process. The same crowd would justify nuclear power, ignoring the leftover toxic waste. Bury the pollution, you say? That just exchanges one kind of waste for another. Shoot toxic waste into space on a one-way trip? Complicated, and what about the waste in doing so? Everything mentioned contributes to climate change and ultimate global warming, while sidestepping the real culprit.

That culprit is us (“we, the people”). There are simply too many people in the world. Until the real culprit is convicted, climate change will continue unabated. China had a program years ago that encouraged smaller families. A similar program worldwide is the only way to stabilize climate change. Reduce the number of people, and you reduce the cause. Maybe then, those of us left could sit around our campfires like in the old days and watch the smoke rise into the heavens without being concerned about the doomsday climate change movement.

Keith Ogden | East Jordan

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top ten this week’s

The name “Cadillac” may have its roots in French, but the northern Michigan town is going all Irish this weekend. First up is the St. Patrick’s 5krawl at 9am on Saturday, March 16, hosted by the Cadillac Firefighters Local 704 and The Greenhouse. This new 5K encourages festive attire (with awards for best dressed), and proceeds go to the Cadillac Firefighters charity fund. Register ($35 per person) at runsignup.com/Race/MI/Cadillac/ SaintPatricks5krawl. Then, on Sunday, March 17, Northern Lights Dance Academy hosts a St. Patrick’s Day Community Ceili, a free event with traditional Irish folk dance. Stop in at Up North Arts at 2pm for the performance, and learn more at facebook.com/Northernlightsballetacademy.

Lunch is back on the board at The Workshop Brewing Co. in Traverse City, and it’s nacho typical soup and salad combo! The menu is all about comfort fare, and the heaping Smoked Nachos ($14) are a must. Picture this: a base of crunchy corn chips piled high with melty cheddar-jack cheese, house tomatillo salsa, sour cream, and Cowboy Caviar (ingredients: black beans, veggies, corn, and chili pepper). Smokey and savory with a touch of sweetness, these bad boys pair beautifully with a layer of protein—try the barbeque jackfruit and thank us later—and some palette-cleansing suds, like the Shop Light lager, to wash it all down. Dig into a stack at 211 Garland Street in Traverse City. (And stay tuned for food truck plans at their sister spot, Kingsley Local Brewing!) traversecityworkshop.com

Grab three of your friends and head to Otsego Resort in Gaylord for a blast at the Beaver Dam Olympics, a team relay showdown consisting of a sack race, corn hole, beer pong, and plank skis. Held on Saturday, March 16, these uniquely northern Michigan Olympics kick off at 2pm. The cost is $100 per team. otsegoclub.com/event/beaver-dam-olympics-4

Hey, Watch It! The Regime 4

Kate Winslet for president! Err…for dictator? HBO’s latest miniseries follows the darkest hours of Chancellor Elena Vernham, a fictional European ruler whose increasingly desperate grabs for power only further the collapse of her regime and her country. The show was filmed in Austria’s Liechtenstein Garden Palace, and both the sets and the costumes are breathtaking, even as life in the palace unravels. Oh, and keep an eye out for Hugh Grant, who steps back into a political role (he made an excellent British Prime Minister in Love Actually!) as the leader of the opposition in Vernham’s government. The show is a dark satire—Winslet calls it “this imagined, absurd, unreal world” in an interview with The Ringer—and meant to be funny, disturbing, and just a little bit too real. Streaming now on Max.

If beer—green or otherwise—isn’t up your alley, opt for wine instead. The Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail is celebrating the first weekend of March Madness with Vino Madness, a food-and-wine pairing event that puts award-winning wines (and ciders) with everyday snacks. Think: Pizza and a semi-sweet white. Hunter sausage with a red blend. Bagel chips, spinach dip, and dry cider. Or even a beer cheese with a refreshing sparkling wine. Choose from 14 participating wineries along the peninsula, and see where your bracket takes you! Vino Madness runs March 16 and 17 from 12pm to 5pm each day. Food and tasting tickets are $25 (plus fees) per person per winery. Reservations are encouraged for large parties. Learn more at lpwines.com/vinomadness and buy tickets at mynorthtickets.com

This winter’s lack of snowfall may not have felt like a disaster to the average Michigander. Clear roads and sunny skies were, in many ways, a welcome change. But this wasn’t just a mild season—the record-high temps and below-average snowfall have caused serious problems for businesses and employees who rely on snow and winter tourism. Michigan government officials are recommending that small businesses affected by the lack of snow apply for federal funding from the Small Business Association. A press release from Gov. Whitmer notes that “federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans are available because of ongoing federal drought declarations affecting 42 Michigan counties,” including all those we cover at Northern Express: Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, Missaukee, Otsego, and Wexford. Learn more at sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance/economic-injury-disaster-loans.

Stuff We Love: Iconic Eats of Northern Michigan

Spring is certainly in the air, and we’re starting to think ahead to our Spring Restaurant Guide. That’s the time of year when we pull together five “iconic” dishes from across the North, the dishes that keep customers coming back again and again, snapping a dozen photos for Instagram, and telling all their friends about the best meal they’ve ever had. In past years, we’ve featured dishes like Grand Traverse Pie Company’s Cherry Crumb Pie, Art’s Tavern’s Chicken Jalapeño Soup, The Cabbage Shed’s Borscht, Mary’s Kitchen Port’s Gobbler, Farm Club’s Pozole (pictured), and Amical’s Chicken Pot Pie. (Wow, we’re getting hungry just thinking about those.) So we’re turning to you, readers, to help us find those dishes. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert—what’s the best dish you’ve ever had in northern Michigan? Tell us about it at info@northernexpress.com by March 20.

An undervalued but wonderful style of beer, the Scotch ale is known for its full-bodied character, rich maltiness, subtle sweetness, and delicious flavor notes of caramel, roasted toffee, and stone fruit. It’s a perfect beer for this kind of in-between season—not as dark and heavy as a wintertime stout, but also not as crisp and refreshing as a summer-ready IPA. If you’re feeling a craving for Scotch ale these days, head to Hop Lot Brewing in Suttons Bay. Their take on the style, called the Woad Warrior, is a richly flavorful and perfectly balanced beer that goes down easier than its 7.8 percent ABV might suggest. (And it tastes especially great paired with a trio of Hop Lot’s tacos!) Grab a pint at 658 SW Bay Shore Dr. in Suttons Bay. hoplotbrewing.com

Super Delicious Stout marinated in a bourbon barrel & pulled from a beer engine!

Super Delicious Stout marinated in a bourbon barrel & pulled from a beer engine!

A CLEARER PICTURE

spectator

By steven Tuttle

It shouldn’t have been a surprise to those paying attention. Lack of public support and under-utilization of already existing parking decks have doomed the third downtown Traverse City parking deck plans, at least temporarily.

Who

Stout

Irish Rock Live! Live!

Stout Irish Rock

2-4pm 2-4pm

Downsizing the number of parking spaces was the first strong hint that the parking deck was unlikely to be viable, but when the intended purpose of the structure changed, the obituary was already being written. First it was the amorphous “multipurpose” building, then housing and retail in addition to parking. Now, just housing and retail.

The city and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) are left with a pricey piece of property and a vague plan to create “attainable housing.” They should think hard before they become first developers, then landlords with all its attendant headaches.

A wiser path might be to swallow hard and re-sell the property to one or more private sector developers who do this sort of thing for a living. No doubt they will need subsidies aplenty—PILOT and brownfield funds leap to mind immediately—but there are advantages. Perhaps multiple developers could create multiple designs and structures rather than another monolithic, nondescript cube of condos. Taught strings could be attached so the projects benefit the city but allow the developers to make a fair profit.

If the city owns the property, the tax revenues will be nothing. Even with plentiful tax breaks, private sector owners would still add some tax money to the coffers of both the DDA and the city while avoiding the need to create another city bureaucracy to deal with their expanding housing inventory.

(And, please, allow them to provide sufficient parking for residents and customers. We don’t need hundreds of new residences only to be told there is insufficient parking so we need another deck after all.)

This does remove a rather heavy anchor dragging down the DDA’s efforts to extend the TIF 97 tax increment financing mechanism currently scheduled to expire in 2027. At the same time, eliminating the parking structure component might mean the DDA needs less money going forward and can do without another 30-year TIF.

The DDA still has a pretty robust wish list, including $7 million for Rotary Square, $15 million for heated sidewalks downtown, and $57 million for the lower Boardman/Ottaway upgrades and beautification projects.

We might want to wait another couple seasons before heating sidewalks. We should make sure this year was anomalous and not the new winter norm, because no snow pretty much mitigates the need for that $15 million expenditure. Even if winter returns to normal, that is quite the expense and would be yet another season of something torn up. After a year of having a hard time getting into downtown Traverse City, we then propose to make it difficult for people to get into the downtown stores. It would be a nice luxury in a typical winter, but maybe one we should wait to consider.

It’s not clear how they are going to spend $7 million on Rotary Square since it should mostly be left as an open space. To me, that sounds like the kind of expense that results in concrete slabs and structures where they aren’t really needed.

The Boardman/Ottaway project, though very expensive, is both the most necessary and has the most positive, long-term potential. A large sewer line running along the south bank must be replaced, as must the crumbling retaining wall. There will likely not be a more advantageous time to revitalize the backside of those two downtown blocks. Building owners have tried to put their best face backward, but the alley is more of an eyesore than an eye catcher.

We won’t be able to completely restore the area to what nature originally created; that would require moving all of downtown about a block south. But on the banks of what we once used as a sewer and waste dump, we can create something that restores at least some riparian habitat, better protects the river, and creates an asset our grandchildren and their grandchildren can enjoy.

There is one little bit of misdirection we’re hearing from the TIF extension advocates: the notion Traverse City will “lose $1.7 million” if TIF 97 isn’t extended and taxpayers will have to make up the difference. That’s not necessarily the case

That captured TIF money was dedicated for downtown and would have never seen any other part of Traverse City. And the $1.7 million isn’t lost, it would simply be returned to the entities from which it was captured—Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Northwestern Michigan College, BATA, and the Traverse Area Library District. It’s quite likely Traverse City will require no tax increases; both Traverse City and the DDA will live just fine with the existing tax rates.

We’re getting a clearer picture of the DDA’s vision for downtown. We’ll see soon enough if Traverse City voters share that vision.

KUDOS TO THE CAREGIVERS

Guest Opinion

by Karen Mulvahill

Growing up, my younger sister and I alternated between being best friends and worst enemies—sometimes within a single hour. We fought the way two cats will, staring malevolently until one makes a move, then slapping at each other’s faces without really connecting until one turns away. Minutes later we’d be walking to the record store together.

In the last decade, we’ve spent a lot of time together, never even arguing, much less slapping. That’s why it was such a blow to both of us when she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Our outings have become more difficult, because she can’t walk far without tiring. Recently, she fell and fractured a vertebra in her back.

don’t get better, repeat until someone has the courage to say, There’s nothing more we can do, or I don’t want to any more. The last time we took my dad to the hospital, the doctor looked at us and said with exasperation, “Why did you bring him here?”

The nurse at my sister’s rehab facility told me, “She just stays in her room and never asks for anything.” Well, yeah. We don’t ask for help. As her caregiver, it’s my job to have that conversation with her, to identify unmet needs, like a desire for fresh strawberries, that will make her life more pleasant.

This is not to say it’s easy. I confess I had a meltdown a few weeks ago. I was scheduled to travel with friends and the day before I was to go, suitcase packed, I said flatly,

As a culture, we’ve adopted a transactional approach to illness. Get sick, go to the doctor, undergo treatment, get better.

As my sister’s caregiver, I join the nearly 20 percent of American adults who provide “unpaid caregiving to an adult with health or functional needs” (AARP 2020). Caregiving may encompass medicating, dressing, bathing, and feeding the patient. Not to mention transportation to medical appointments, assisting with household tasks, providing emotional support, and acting as a medical advocate.

My sister’s back injury resulted in hospitalization, followed by a stint in a nursing home for rehab. It’s very clean, uncrowded, with mostly friendly, competent aides. But it’s also sterile and cold. Basic choices like what and when to eat are made for you. “Home is the one place where your priorities hold sway” (Atul Gawande, Being Mortal: Illness, Medicine and What Matters in the End

No wonder that seven in 10 Americans say they would rather die at home than in a hospital or nursing home. So it is the family that must step in.

Medical advances are enabling longer lifespans, but as Gawande writes, this means “We need help, often for long periods of time, and regard that as a weakness rather than as the new normal and expected state of affairs.”

My sister and I come from a long line of do-it-yourselfers. We don’t ask for help. My father remodeled our kitchen, fixed our cars, and built a garage. When he got cancer, he fought it the way he lived his life, confident and determined. He never once admitted he might die, even when he could barely walk.

As a culture, we’ve adopted a transactional approach to illness. Get sick, go to the doctor, undergo treatment, get better. If we

“I don’t want to go.” I called my friends, embarrassed at what I perceived to be my weakness, and they couldn’t have been more supportive. I only had to ask for what I needed.

Expectations: Unmanaged

At an event billed as "Willy's Chocolate Experience" on Feb. 24 in Glasgow, Scotland, children and parents were so underwhelmed that police were called, The New York Times reported. The event, which promised Willy Wonka-themed chocolate fountains, performances by Oompa Loompas and "optical marvels," turned out to offer just a few jelly beans and a nearly empty warehouse. Stuart Sinclair, who paid about $44 per ticket to bring his kids to the show, said it amounted to "maybe 20 chairs, a couple of tables and a half-inflated bouncy castle." Jenny Fogarty, who was hired to play an Oompa Loompa, said she was given a 15-page script the night before and that "the wigs were very cheap." The organizer canceled the event on Saturday afternoon; it was unclear who had called police. The event organizer, House of Illuminati, said ticket purchases would be refunded.

Bright Ideas

On Feb. 19, neighbors in an apartment building in Wejherowo, Poland, became alarmed as a 19-year-old man tried to lead a full-grown horse up the stairs to his thirdfloor home, Radio Gdansk reported. Police were called to the building and determined that the mare, worth about $3,800, had been stolen. She was returned to the owner, and the horse thief was charged with theft; he faces five years in prison.

for three days after a rat was spotted on the aircraft, United Press International reported on Feb. 27. The rodent was seen during a flight from Lahore, Pakistan, to Colombo, Sri Lanka. Workers sprayed the plane with poison, and technicians checked wiring for damage done by chewing.

Saw That Coming

You might have missed the first-ever Florida Man Games in St. Augustine on Feb. 24, but it's never too early to plan for next year. United Press International reported that hundreds of people paid $55 each for a ticket to watch Floridians compete in a mullet contest and a "Florida sumo" event where competitors tried to spill each other's beers. Other events included a pork butt eating contest, a race that simulated stealing a bike, and an "evading arrest obstacle course." One winning team walked away with the $5,000 prize. "We understand that Florida is weird," said Pete Melfi, organizer of the event. "We embrace it."

Try the Decaf

Details have recently emerged about an incident in Willow Springs, Missouri, in November, the Springfield News-Leader reported. The Howell County Sheriff's Office had investigated after a man in his 60s, who was a paraplegic, lost his feet while brush-hogging. "It was a poorly executed plan," said Lt. Torey Thompson. He said it was clear almost immediately that the accident had been staged: The cuts were very clean, the feet were nowhere to be found, and tourniquets had been applied to both legs. Allegedly, the victim had help from a man from Florida, who cut off the feet with a hatchet to help him commit insurance fraud. However, since the unnamed man never filed the claim and he was so severely injured, the sheriff's office declined to charge him. And the missing feet? "A couple of days later, we got a call that a relative found them in a bucket obscured by tires, so we went and got them," Thompson said. Mystery solved.

The Golden Age of Air Travel

On Feb. 13, as a Delta flight soared from Amsterdam to Detroit, maggots began falling from an overhead compartment onto passengers below, The Guardian reported. Philip Schotte, who was on the flight, said attendants traced the source to a bag stowed above and found a rotten fish wrapped in newspaper. They removed the offending item, and the pilot announced that the plane would be returning to Amsterdam. Apologizing, Delta said the passengers were placed on another flight and the plane was removed from service for cleaning. Passengers were also given 8,000 air miles, hotel room compensation and a $30 meal ticket. But who's hungry?

Sri Lankan Airlines was forced to ground one of its Airbus A330 planes

Brandie Gotch, 30, of Peoria, Arizona, told police that her children were being bullied by other kids, and she had reported it to the school and law enforcement, but nothing happened. So on Feb. 27, she took matters into her own hands, CBS5TV reported. With her four children in her Silverado, Gotch drove to a local park, where she allegedly approached a group of kids and started yelling at them. Police said Gotch grabbed a 14-year-old boy by the hair and yanked his head back and forth as she yelled at him, then grabbed a stick from her truck and chased him, yelling, "I am going to kill you and run you over!" She then jumped back into her truck and drove it toward the group of kids, running over a girl's ankle in the process, although she told police she didn't think she hit the girl. "I hope I didn't," she said. Her own children told police they were bouncing all over the truck during her jaunt through the park. Gotch was charged with six counts of endangerment, four counts of aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of attempted first-degree murder.

News You Can Use

Legend says that if the seven ravens who protect the Tower of London (six, plus one spare, as decreed by King Charles II) ever leave the landmark, the tower will crumble and the Kingdom of England will fall. So it's no surprise that the tower has a ravenmaster, and 56-year-old Michael "Barney" Chandler has just been installed in the job, the Associated Press reported. Chandler is a former Royal Marine who said, "We don't know if (the prophecy is) true or not, because we've never let the number drop below six -- and it's not going to happen while I'm here." As the sixth holder of the post, Chandler will be in charge of four other Beefeaters who look after the ravens. "You never know what they're going to do," he said. "They're all totally different, personality-wise." His favorite is Poppy, who hops up to him to accept a treat of a dead mouse now and again. Spoiler alert: The birds' feathers are trimmed so they can't fly away.

St. Patrick’s Day Events Around the North

Nine places to don your green and raise a pint

By Brighid Driscoll

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Even though St. Patrick was a Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland, today’s version of St. Patrick’s Day is not exactly what we’d call theological. (Unless of course you have a religious experience with green beer.) No, St. Pat’s—or Paddy’s, but never Patty’s—has become a day of revelry, and northern Michigan has plenty of ways to celebrate. We’ve compiled a list of local holiday fun for grown-ups and families alike to observe the day. Sláinte!

MARCH 15

St Patrick’s Paint & Sip: Cadillac Local soap and skincare maker Samantha Leifker is hosting a Paint and Sip party at Cadillac’s Sunset Shores Resort on Friday, March 15. “I started my skincare business last year and have been slowly but surely getting my name out there,” says Leifker of The Shepherds Fare, home of small-batch, wild-harvested products. “I wanted to do something that could help me get to know more people in the community, and Paint and Sip sounded like so much fun. I knew St. Patrick’s Day was coming up and thought it’d be perfect for having fun and having a drink.”

Embrace the holiday vibe with a Best Outfit Contest and enjoy games, giveaways, and lively Irish melodies throughout the event. Everything’s covered for the party, including painting supplies, two drink choices, and a spread of charcuterie, finger sandwiches, and desserts. Plus, take home your pick from Leifker’s selection of handmade soaps, all included in the $45 ticket. Her AllNatural Skincare Gift Basket with three bars of soap and Whipped Body Butter will also be for sale for $35. Tickets are going fast—sign up at theshepherdsfare.square.site.

St. Patrick’s Puzzling Party: Petoskey

Are you and your friends puzzle masters?

Gather your crew and dive into the ultimate puzzle showdown at Stafford’s Perry Hotel in downtown Petoskey. Teams of four will race against time and rivals to piece together a 500-piece puzzle. Win a pot of gold with $500, $250, and $150 prize packs for the top three teams. Plus, everyone receives free swag bags, hearty appetizers, and drinks. The fun begins at 5:30pm on March 15. (Note: There is also a March 16 date—same time, same place!) Spots are limited, so sign up at grandpashorters. com ($150 per team) and let the puzzle-solving shenanigans begin!

MARCH 16

Leapin’ Leprechaun 5K: Traverse City

Grab your green and throw on those lucky socks for the 14th year of the Leapin’ Leprechaun in downtown Traverse City. The course starts on Lake Ave. in Old Town, and an afterparty at Brady’s Bar is sure to be a good time. Proceeds from the event support little leprechauns through a donation to the Munson Medical Center’s new Family Birth & Children’s Center. Participants will receive an LL5K T-shirt, professionally timed results, a beer (green if you’d like) at Brady’s, carbs at the finish line, and age group medals for first to third place. Register at leapinleprechauntc.com for the race on March 16.

Whiskey/Bourbon Cocktail Class: Traverse City

In Irish, the term uisce beatha—aka whiskey— literally translates to water of life. Get more than a taste of life at The Bartending Company’s (TBC) cocktail class hosted at The Cooks’ House on March 16. TBC owner Roman Albaugh will teach participants how to craft the perfect Old Fashioned and Whiskey Sour, with no orange slices or maraschino cherries here.

“People don’t need to bring anything—they just need to show up with a good attitude and be excited to learn,” says Albaugh. “We’ll also go over the basic skills of bartending like how to pour, how to use a jigger, how to shake, how to get a tin separated, and in this class, how to stir a cocktail.”

MARCH 17

The Pub One-Year Anniversary: Traverse City Head to downtown TC on St. Patrick’s Day to visit The Pub for their first anniversary party. They’ll be serving up Irish fare, offering $5 drink specials, and giving guests plenty of opportunities to test their luck with games from open to close. Bonus: From 4-7pm, The Broom Closet Boys will perform for any revelers looking to dance.

Folks will make the two classic cocktails and then use their new skills to create a whiskey-based concoction of their own. Bring some friends, your partner, or just yourself. The class begins at 11am and will leave you feeling buzzy enough for a day of high spirits. Get tickets ($85) at mynorthtickets.com.

St. Patrick’s Day Crawl for a Cure: Bellaire

Chain of Lakes Relay For Life puts on its annual St. Patrick’s Day Crawl for a Cure, “where fun meets fundraising in support of the fight against cancer,” in Bellaire. On Saturday, March 16, visit participating businesses in downtown Bellaire as you work through a bingo card with various tasks and challenges. Tickets are $30 per person or $100 for a group of four at mynorthtickets.com

St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Pub Crawl: Cheboygan Main Street in Cheboygan is going to be lively this year! The inaugural “Wee” St. Patrick’s Day Parade starts at 5pm, journeying from Nelson Street to The Opera House on Huron Street. Win prizes and enjoy family fun along the route. Following the parade, dive into Cheboygan’s beloved St. Patrick’s Day pub crawl, featuring themed drinks and live entertainment across downtown. Cap off the night at The Opera House with The Knockabouts hitting the stage at 7:30pm. Secure your tickets ($30 for adults, $25 for veterans, $15 for students) at theoperahouse.org and prepare for an unforgettable celebration of Irish spirit!

Blackthorn at Crooked Tree Arts Center: Petoskey

Immerse yourself in ethereal Celtic music with a show from Midwest band Blackthorn. From traditional tunes to lively jigs and contemporary hits, experience Ireland’s musical heritage on March 16 on the Crooked Tree stage.

Since 1984, Blackthorn has enchanted audiences across the Great Lakes. Crooked Tree Events Manager Michele Horn is a fan and excited for folks to experience what she calls one of Michigan’s finest Celtic bands. “With their blend of instruments and harmonies, experiencing Blackthorn transports you to the rolling hills of Ireland, where rich stories of the land’s heritage and people come to life,” she says. “We hope you'll celebrate the Saint Patrick’s Day festivities by joining us.” Get tickets ($10 for students, $30 for members, and $40 for non-members) at eventbrite.com.

All weekend

Hit the Slopes at Local Resorts

Yes, there’s still skiing to be had on St. Patrick’s Day! Carve through the snow surrounded by a vibrant atmosphere of green-clad enthusiasts and spirited celebrations. Whether it’s the themed runs, festive contests, or lively après-ski gatherings, the mountain transforms into a kaleidoscope of weekend cheer. Splash Down at Otsego Resort, Celts and Kilts at Crystal Mountain, Mardi Gras at Nub’s Nob, Spring Carnival at Caberfae Peaks, and Carnival Weekend at Boyne Mountain are all happening over St. Pat’s weekend.

Five Defining Moments & Five Defining Beers

The 20-Year history of Short’s Brewing Company

By Craig Manning

Joe Short was too young to buy beer, so he started making his own.

That’s the humble (and somewhat illicit) origin story of Short’s Brewing Company, which opened its doors in downtown Bellaire 20 years ago this April. Two decades on, Short’s is a craft beer titan—the biggest brewery in northern Michigan and the third biggest in the state, after Founders in Grand Rapids and Bell’s in Kalamazoo.

How did one young man’s adoration for craft beer morph into one of northern Michigan’s cornerstone businesses?

Northern Express sat down with Short to talk through the specific moments (and the specific beers) that shaped the brewery’s first 20 years.

FIVE DEFINING MOMENTS

#1: The Spark

“The first step was being exposed to craft beer when I was around 19 or 20,” Short says. “I immediately had an affinity for it, but it was hard for me to acquire, not being of legal age. So I taught myself how to homebrew.”

Soon, Short had come to love the process of making beer almost as much as he loved the beer itself.

“I was just stoked about the craft,” he explains. “I was stoked about the creative process, about learning the history of brewing, and about sharing what I thought were masterpieces with people. Around that

time, I remember being told that ‘Whatever you choose to do in your life, you need to make sure it's something that you enjoy.’ And very early on, I was saying to myself, ‘Well, this is clearly it!’”

#2: The First Big Triumph “I was 23 when I started working on Short’s,” Short recalls. “I had been brewing professionally for a couple years, and I was working on writing a business plan, choosing a location, and learning what you have to do—and what not to do—just to get your doors open.”

It took two years of hard work for Short to bring his vision to life. In 2003, he snagged a 100-year-old former hardware store in downtown Bellaire and worked to renovate it.

Finally, on April 26, 2004, Short’s Brewing Company officially opened its doors.

“That felt like a triumph,” he says. “Just being able to open the doors in this remote village in northwestern Lower Michigan and say, ‘Hey, everybody! Come check this out. I’m working on some stuff here. It’s amazing and you should be a part of it.’ That first day was a ‘holy shit’ moment— as in, ‘This happened; I did it!’ But I was also thinking ‘Now what? Now you’ve gotta keep the doors open.’”

#3: The Darkest Days

Keeping those doors open proved to be an immense challenge and didn’t necessarily get easier as Short’s cycled through its first few years.

“The winters were a killer,” Short says with a shudder. “We started to throw a party at the end of every month, just to get through the off-season. We did a Halloween party in October. We did Brewski Bash in November, around Thanksgiving. We did an ugly sweater party in December. In February, we’d try a Valentine’s dinner. It was about doing whatever could get us to April for the anniversary party. We’d throw those end-of-the-month parties so we could pay rent, and then we’d have our big anniversary bash in the spring to pay taxes.”

“Every year got a little better,” Short adds. “But for a long time, we really were focused on doing what we needed to do to make it to the next summer.”

#4: The Growth Spurt

Despite a nationwide economic downturn, 2008 was a major level-up moment for Short’s. That year, the brewery opened a new production facility in Elk Rapids, significantly ramping up its beermaking capacity and its ability to chase down beer distribution opportunities.

“I believe we started really mild distribution in 2005,” Short said. “We started out with [alcoholic beverage distributor] Imperial Beverage, and they would order a few kegs here and there… and then that turned into a couple of pallets here and there.”

While you can now find Short’s beer on just about every grocery store and bottle shop shelf in the state, those early

distribution years were all about draft sales. With Imperial Beverage as a partner, Short’s kegs made their way to bars and restaurants around Michigan, and word started to spread. In no time, the brewery was being stretched too thin.

“We were starting to see more folks show up at the pub; we were becoming more of a quote-unquote ‘destination,’ and people were making a point to seek us out,” Short says. “It got to the point where it was hard to make enough beer for both distribution and on-premise sales.”

In order to meet the mounting demand, Short’s took its biggest growth step ever, purchasing an old manufacturing facility in Elk Rapids and converting it into the new hub of brewing operations. The investment not only allowed Short’s to expand its distribution significantly, but also gave the brewery a presence closer to local hubs like Traverse City.

Today, the production facility is also home to the Pull Barn, itself a bustling taproom and beer garden.

#5: The “Pinch Me” Moment

Short’s will officially celebrate two decades of operations with its annual anniversary bash, scheduled for April 2627. It’s a major milestone for any business, let alone a craft brewery nestled in a small northern Michigan town.

But when asked for his “pinch me” moment —as in, the moment in the Short’s story where he knew his business had really

“made it”—Short can’t think of an answer.

“Frankly, I still don’t know if I’m there,” Short says. “When you say ‘made it,’ I don’t really feel like that’s even the case for us. Every year has been different. We’ve had our successes. We’ve had our failures. But it’s been a relentless 20 years of figuring it out. There have been a few times where we were on the brink of bankruptcy. And we’ve always celebrated every single anniversary as ‘We made it through another year.’”

In other words, maybe the “pinch me” moment for Short is an untapped keg to be enjoyed sometime in the next 20 years.

“My wife Leah and I still, to this day, work five, six, seven days a week,” he says. “So, maybe I’ll know we’ve made it when we can take an extended vacation together for

three months.”

FIVE DEFINING BEERS

When you run a brewery for 20 years, you come up with literally hundreds of different concoctions. Some become staples, some become cult classics, and some get forgotten. In honor of the milestone, we asked Short to remember some of the brewery’s definitive creations from over the years.

#1: The Bedrock Beer

“I always say the beer that built Short’s was Huma Lupa Licious,” Short says. “IPA was and is my favorite beer style, and I really wanted Short’s to be known for a great IPA.”

Short got his wish: Huma Lupa Licious was “the first beer we ever sold at the pub”

and became the brewery’s early top seller.

“That was the style that I spent all my time really honing and perfecting,” Short says. And while other Short’s beers would eventually overtake Huma in popularity, the IPA remains his personal go-to: “It’s still my daily drinker,” he says.

#2: The Overall Flagship

For more than a decade, Huma Lupa Licious was the Short’s Brewing Company flagship. While the IPA is still on the short list, though, a different beer accounts for 50 percent of the company’s sales.

As Short remembers it, Huma lost its top-dog status in the mid-to-late 2010s, when oversaturation in the IPA market sent customers “bouncing around” to other

styles. “At that time, I doubled down on the number-one beer style in the world, which is the light lager,” he says. “I put a ton of my focus and energy on Local’s Light. And now, that beer is our top-selling beer overall and Michigan’s best-selling craft lager.”

#3: The Boss’s Favorite

When asked to identify his choice brew, Short’s list includes Huma Lupa Licious, Nicey (a wheat ale with orange zest, lemon zest, coriander, and peppercorn), Spruce Pilsner (an imperial pilsner brewed with spruce tips), and Juicy Tree (a Christmastime IPA made with blue spruce needles, juniper berries, and cranberries).

Recently, Short’s has introduced a trio of Local’s Light variants—Local’s Amber,

The Bellaire pub before and after.

Local’s Dark, and Local’s Litro Stout—to capitalize on the massive popularity of the brand. The first two are an amber ale and a dark lager, respectively. The third is a light nitro stout (abbreviated “Litro”) along the lines of Guinness.

“Right now, I have Huma Lupa Licious and Local’s Litro Stout on tap at home, and I make black and tans almost every day,” he says. “So, maybe that’s my favorite Short’s beer.”

#4: The Odd Duck

While beers like Huma Lupa Licious and Local’s Light have found broad audiences by offering traditional takes on familiar styles, Short’s has been known to get a little weird from time to time. We asked which of the brewery’s adventurous beers Short loves the most.

“That would definitely be Bloody Beer,” he says, referring to an oddity brewed with

Short's

Roma tomatoes, black peppercorns, celery seed, horseradish, and dill. “If you like Bloody Marys with a sidecar lager, you’ll love this one. It’s a weird beer, but technically and structurally, it’s something I’m really proud of.”

#5: The One That Got Away

Some beers aren’t appreciated in their own time. Which under-loved beer sticks on the brain for Short?

“There was one beer from the early years that I didn’t necessarily care for, but I thought was really well executed, and that was the Smoked Apple Ale,” Short says. “We took seven bushels of northern Michigan apples and we smoked them just down the street from the pub at the Bellaire Smokehouse. Holy shit was that beer smoky as hell, but there were a very select few people that just loved it.”

will celebrate their 20th anniversary with a two-day birthday bash April 26-27. The free event is billed as an "all ages, all day shindig."

“A Rich and Immersive Experience in the Arts”

Inside the doubly creative Freshwater Art Gallery & Concert Venue

By Rachel Pasche

Freshwater Art Gallery & Concert Venue of Boyne City wears two hats. By day, it’s a popular gallery home to works from Michigan-based artists. By night, it showcases musicians from all around the globe.

Co-owner Robin Lee Berry, a musician herself, admits to knowing almost nothing about running an art gallery when the storefront first opened its doors in 2009. Having created the music for the documentary Young Hemingway: The Path to Paris, her calling was more on the music side of things. Her husband and business partner, Tony Williams, was a furniture maker, and the duo wanted to have a space to sell the furniture alongside artwork from other local makers.

Other Boyne City gallery owners came by to welcome the pair to the neighborhood and industry, and one suggested hosting a concert in the space. The idea “took immediately,” Robin says, and she and Tony set to work organizing the first of many gallery concerts.

The Music

The first show they hosted was a band called Orpheum Bell, based out of Ann Arbor. Robin and Tony originally rented 40 chairs from the American Legion across the street but needed 100 more after people kept calling to say they’d be there.

Suffice to say, that first night was a hit, and that set the wheels in motion. “We were bitten,” Robin says of the feeling after that first concert. “We wanted to come up with

ways to make it an incredible experience for everyone involved.”

Willy Porter, musician and friend to Robin and Tony, came to visit the gallery, helping them fine-tune the sound in the store. Speakers in the front and toward the back, curtains where necessary, and the shape of the space all contribute to the impeccable sound and ambiance attendees enjoy at the concerts. “The sound is perfect. The shows aren’t too loud—you hear the music as it’s intended,” Robin tells us.

The gallery concerts seat 150 people, and the shows consistently sell out. The space is starting to gain some (positive) notoriety among performers thanks to more than a decade of successful shows.

“We used to have to source musicians to play here, but now they’re coming to us,” Tony says, “Performers want to play here, so we’re getting emails all the time from their agents, asking to book a show.”

Some of the bigger names include Albert Lee, a guitarist who’s worked with The Everly Brothers and Eric Clapton, and Patty Larkin, a folk musician. But Robin and Tony have a special penchant for the up-and-comers.

“We showcase a lot of artists that the public generally don’t know about, but people love the musicians and can appreciate their talent,” Robin explains. “We really promote climbers in the career stage of their lives. They’re not always stars, but that’s what keeps them interesting and driven.”

That goes double for Blue Mondays. On the “backbeat of the month” (every second and fourth Monday of the month), Freshwater Gallery hosts an open-mic night. There are about 10 regulars who perform,

along with others who come in more sporadically.

“We have groups come in to rehearse for an upcoming gig, people come to try their hand at a new piece, and those that just want to practice performing on stage,” Robin says. “It’s a safe space, and it’s a really wonderful community of people who just love music and art. Anyone can come and get up on the stage. We make sure the sound is perfect, give them the chance to perform a few songs.”

No matter who is on the stage, Tony is adamant on one point: “Our success with our concerts especially is due to community. We get tremendous support, great sponsorships, and we work with a lot of local places to make the whole concert come together.”

With top-quality sound, a social 30-minute intermission where food is catered from a nearby deli, and the option to bring your own adult beverages, attending a concert at Freshwater is a music experience unlike any other.

“During the performances, it’s so wonderful to look around at all the art. While your ears are listening to and appreciating the music, your eyes are doing the same around the gallery. It makes for a really rich and immersive experience in the arts,” Tony says.

The Art

The art side of the business is just as special to Robin and Tony.

“When we bring in artists, it’s like we’re inviting them to join the family,” Robin tells us. “It doesn’t matter to us if your art sells immediately or stays on the wall for months.”

Some artists, such as Martha Landis, have made lasting relationships at Freshwater— her artwork, in all its iterations, has been on display since the gallery opened. “Watching Martha’s art transcend and change over the years was really special,” Tony remarks.

Even though running the business keeps him busy, Tony still has some of his work in the gallery. His preferred medium today is what he calls “junk art,” in which he takes commonplace or discarded items and creates works of unique perspective.

When asked whether the gallery promotes the concerts and vice versa, Tony replies both are true. “We have people that come to the gallery and see the posters for the concerts, and then come to the next concert. And we have those that come to a concert and notice an artwork that catches their eye while they’re enjoying the music, and they’ll come back for it.”

At the end of the day, Robin and Tony are happy to be advancing the arts scene across a variety of mediums in Boyne City. Robin reflects on a time when some teenage boys came into the gallery, approached Robin, and said, “I don’t get it. What makes good art?”

Robin was overjoyed at this question. She replied, “Respond to yourself. What brings you joy? What sparks your interest? That’s what good art is, something that stimulates a response.”

The next Freshwater concert takes place in April. Tickets can be reserved by emailing Freshwaterconcerts@gmail.com or calling (231) 582-2588. Visit the gallery at 217 S. Lake Street in Boyne City.

Hengstebeck

Are Craft Breweries Seeing a Decline?

Brewers weigh in on beer sales, economic pressures, and consumer habits

By Victor Skinner

In 2022, Americans spent more on spirits than on beer for the first time.

Then beer consumption hit the lowest level in decades in 2023, dipping below 200 million barrels for the first time since 1999.

It’s a trend that’s fueled by a wide variety of factors, including fewer younger drinkers than five years ago, exploding growth in craft breweries in the 2010s, competition from other alcoholic beverages like seltzers and ciders, inflation slowing consumer spending, and more consumers selecting non-alcoholic options, among others.

While the declining trend hasn’t gone unnoticed in northern Michigan, it’s manifesting in different ways for area breweries, and they’re taking different

approaches to avoid the fate of more than 385 small, independent American craft brewers that went under last year.

Beards Brewery: Focusing on Core Products

“The craft beer category nationally was down about 2 percent last year and that number is … negative 3 percent so far going into this year,” says Emily Hengstebeck, the “harbinger of beer” at Petoskey’s Beards Brewery. “We’ve definitely noticed that in our numbers.”

The decline has hit both Beards’ distribution and taproom, prompting a number of changes aimed at boosting customer experience and revenues at a time when folks have less to spend than in the past.

“We’ve definitely seen a decrease in

people generally going out. The economy the way it is, they have less dollars to spend on their night out,” Hengstebeck says. “The growing trend is doing less with more … whittling down to core products.”

Beards has brewing facilities in both Petoskey and Charlevoix, which allows the company to shut one down during part of the year to cut energy and labor costs. Beards has also reduced its flagship beer offerings from six to four, while adding cider and wine options to cater to the non-beer crowd.

Other cost savings have come from stocking up on larger quantities of brewing supplies and a complete overhaul of the company’s dining experience that will significantly reduce labor costs while increasing efficiency.

With a focus on offering “quality beer at a

community price,” Beards has turned to $10 chef dinner features on weekdays, which along with a “well served beer” is designed to “package value while staying true” to Beards’ mission of providing creative, handmade selections.

Beards is also transitioning from traditional table service to a cafeteria style service to offer “more of a casual community beer garden-type place,” Hengstebeck says, adding that the move was inspired in part by customer preference changes during the pandemic and a tight labor market.

“Instead of bending under the weight of finding enough staff, we’re going to make sure our experience remains top-notch by tweaking our operation,” she says. “It’s actually happening right now. We’re really excited to be able to open our doors to an updated Beards experience.”

Emily

of Beards Brewery

Right Brain Brewery: Investing in Diversification

At Right Brain Brewery in Traverse City, owner Russell Springsteen says he began developing new products when he noticed the national decline during the pandemic, using the brewery’s downtown tap room as a testing ground.

“Right Brain actually had 10 percent distribution growth last year over the previous year, so our trends aren’t the same as the whole industry,” Springsteen says. Taproom sales were also up 2 percent, he says, though “we just didn’t have the audience we typically have” last year. “I expect that to be back this summer.”

To counter, Right Brain created Right Pop, a soda brand, as well as a seltzer water for those who prefer non-alcoholic options.

“We started making soda pop and we plan to can and package that this year,” Springsteen says. “There’s … the nonalcoholic trend, so we’re trying to capture some of those folks.”

The brewery also has a pending distiller’s license application in with the state for a readyto-drink cherry vodka, providing yet another option other than beer. “Hopefully, that’s approved by the state this summer,” Springsteen says. “Basically, we’ve tried to diversify.”

With a decade on store shelves, Right Brain has an advantage of “proven brands and a following” that help to keep sales strong, he says. Regardless, the company continues to forge ahead with new packaging and products to keep customers engaged.

“We’re trying to make it fresh and interesting for the consumer,” Springsteen says.

Stormcloud Brewing Company: Taking the Wait and See Approach

At Frankfort’s Stormcloud Brewing Company, co-owner Brian Confer says the national declining trend in craft brews didn’t set in until late last year, and he’s now assessing next steps.

“We were doing good all year long, bucking the trend, then November hit … sales took a little bit of a slump,” Confer says. “Sales are soft, our numbers have declined a little bit, but not significantly.

“It’s not enough to worry about excessively,” he adds.

Confer believes the situation comes from a confluence of factors, from those driving the national decline, to fewer summer visitors last year, to economic changes that are forcing folks to watch their spending more closely.

“The numbers are softer at the pub, as well. We’re hearing the same thing in general in the whole town,” Confer says. “No one I’ve talked to can really point to why. I think the list of things all have a small factor each, and add up to a bigger picture.”

The warning signs have convinced Confer to cut some hours at Stormcloud’s production facility, with one person volunteering to work a little less, but otherwise “not much has changed for us,” he says.

“We’re at a little bit of a wait and see pattern. It’s always hard to pin down the right course of action,” Confer says. “We’re still opening markets, so in that sense it hasn’t affected our growth.”

All three breweries noted how weather trends in northern Michigan also create additional factors that can have a significant impact, with Hengstebeck pointing to poor winters in recent years that have taken a toll on the off-season.

“When we don’t have the right kind of snow at the right time, it impacts our travelers, for sure,” she says, noting Beards is within 25 minutes of three different ski resorts. “That … has affected our operations every winter for the last few years.”

At Right Brain, Springsteen expects changes in the environment will eventually change what they do, as well. “Climate change affects our harvest and our yields,” he says. “You just adapt and move forward.”

Right Brain Brewery owner Russell Springsteen Stormcloud co-owner Brian Confer

Drink What Defines You

Get to know Identity Brewing Company’s beer (and food!) menu

By Greg Tasker

Meet the new kid on the block on Union Street: Identity Brewing Company. Identity took over the former home of The Dish Cafe, a popular luncheon destination in downtown Traverse City that offered alcoholic beverages and a healthy menu but with limited hours. The eatery officially rebranded as Identity on Dec. 1, 2023.

Traverse City couple Josh and Amanda Thomas purchased the business last fall. Josh’s craft beer dreams inspired the couple to reach out to The Dish owners Patty Hickman and Randy Waclawskil, who had previously tried to sell the restaurant the year before, though that deal fell through.

Josh and Amanda had their LLC for Identity Brewing Co. in hand and were waiting for the right opportunity to launch their own business. Happenstance brought them to The Dish.

“When Josh saw the space for sale at The Dish, it immediately felt like the perfect place to build our new home,” says Amanda, adding the couple wasn’t looking to open a traditional brewery. “When we approached Randy and Patty, they welcomed us with open arms and really helped us through the long process to finalize the sale.”

The Beer

Josh and Amanda have backgrounds in hospitality: Amanda spent years in the event industry before becoming a senior account executive for a local technology and training company. She focuses on the event, social media, and business elements of their company.

Meanwhile, Josh’s interest in beer began as a homebrewer. He worked for seven-anda-half years at Traverse City’s Right Brain Brewing and was head brewer his last three years there.

One unusual element of Identity’s makeup is that their beer isn’t brewed onsite or even in the city. The beer recipes are specially crafted and brewed under contract with Starving Artists Brewery in Ludington, owned by Josh’s brother, Andy Thomas. The brothers work together to bring Josh’s recipes to fruition. Andy runs the production and delivers the beer to their operations through a local distributor.

“It is nice to be able to work with family and support both of our businesses doing what we love,” Amanda says.

Identity’s beers are IPA-centric, more in the East Coast style, meaning they’re fruity and citrusy and less bitter. Josh plans to offer some other styles throughout the year, perhaps some sours or fun dark beers, but he doesn’t want to replicate what is being offered at other breweries.

“I think everyone here is making great beer,” he says of the Traverse City beer scene. “We are here to add to the options.”

Five beers are on tap, as well as a Mawby sparkling wine. The most popular beers are The Kid and Ja Boom—the latter is the couple’s reference to “when the world exploded” after they met. (The beer was specially brewed by Andy and served at Josh and Amanda’s wedding.)

“The beer side is going very well,” Amanda says, noting that Identity sells beer to-go by the can in four packs. “We plan to expand our tap system to offer more

selections of our label in the near future. We have some rotating and some that are always available. We love hearing feedback on everyone’s favorites.”

The Food

As neither Josh nor Amanda came from food backgrounds, they spent months working with the former owners and staff to learn food preparation and recipes. Each day, the staff is in the kitchen three hours before opening to prepare the made-fresh meals and ingredients.

“Many people loved The Dish and were regulars there when we moved, and we promised to continue to serve the same, fresh quality food they have always had,”

Amanda says. “We have continued to see

The Dish staples be popular selections, such as the Ahi Poke Bowl, the Buddha Bowl, and our Cuban is always a huge hit, along with our fresh daily soups.”

Other beloved dishes include Chicken Shawarma (with the choice to add whipped garlic toum); oven fried falafel on a thin, grilled pita with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, pickled onion, and lemon-tahini sauce; and Avocado Toast with micro-greens and lemon parsley vinaigrette on toasted sourdough bread.

Josh and Amanda have added their own version of chili and use fresh, handmade dough from a local vendor for their pizza offerings, which they also plan to expand.

Photos by Meridian Photography

They are working to offer additional healthy selections, tapping their staff for inspiration.

“We still want to keep that healthy vibe. Salads will still be here, and we want to do more vegetarian and gluten-free options,” says Josh, noting they’ve added functional mushroom shots, which boast healthy attributes and can be added to the customer’s drink of choice. The mushrooms are grown, extracted, tested, and bottled in Traverse City by Nexus Alternatives.

“We continue to add new items to the menu, especially to cater to the new evening hours we offer, and we continue to listen to our customers to be sure we are offering what they want to see,” Amanda says.

The Space

In addition to the food and drinks, the Thomases have made a few more changes to their new digs, transforming the Union Street space into a brighter, more open venue. Black trim, murals and new artwork, soft furniture, a TV, and a digital menu board—highlighting selections and their own beers—create a new, inviting vibe. They’ve also extended hours beyond lunch.

The name Identity plays on community, creating a place where everyone, no matter their identity, is welcome. The art on the walls play up that theme, reinforced with their slogan on the counter: “Drink what

Northern Michigan Connection

defines you.” The Thomases tell us everyone is welcome at Identity. The couple, who have five children, welcome kids and teens, too—Identity sells a variety of non-alcoholic beverages.

As they settle into the daily operations of their downtown business, Josh and Amanda are looking ahead. The Traverse City couple is striving to build a community space, offering bingo on Mondays, trivia on Thursdays, and live music every Friday night, with plans to continue to expand community and family events come summer. Recently, Identity hosted Pop-Up Story Times with Miriam Pico and a Taylor Swift release party. Amanda also works collaboratively with other local business owners to provide space for events and help support each other through community connections.

They’re also launching a Mug Club soon and have big plans for the summer, including an outdoor music series starting in June with the opening of their patio in the alley next door.

“We will be creating a really unique space out there,” Amanda says. “It will have its own unique vibe, with food and beverage service. We’re really excited about it.”

Find Identity Brewing at 108 S Union St. in Traverse City. (231) 932-2233; identitybrewing.com

Nano Brewing, Macro Impact at Third Life Brewing Company

This Manistee brewery puts creativity—and drinkability—first

By Karl Klockars

On a Friday evening, near the end of a dark road but still within sight of the glow of Manistee’s Vogue Theatre, bright light pours from the corner windows at the massive Manistee Iron Works building. Inside, patrons huddle around the bright bar, chat at tables, play board games, and sip a variety of lagers, IPAs, and other ales.

This is the space where longtime brewer Jamieson Hanna opened Third Life Brewing Company in 2022, the eventual destination of a career that started—like so many others in the craft beer community—with a Mr. Beer kit.

Mr. Beer Inspiration

“I was living in North Carolina, and I got into the craft beer scene down there in Raleigh,” Hanna says of his origins. “I was the guy that would drive around and follow the distributor trucks to get all the whales”—beer slang for highly sought-after beers—“and I realized how ridiculous that was. I decided that I’m just going to learn how to brew. So like everyone else, I bought one of those Mr. Beer kits from Bed Bath & Beyond.”

Despite his first efforts (“turned out awful, as expected”) he jumped straight into all-grain brewing three months later and was off and running as a beermaker.

Entirely self-taught to begin, Hanna scoured online forums and watched videos while learning to make beer, and when he moved back closer to home in Michigan, he landed a gig at Thumb Brewery in Caseville.

Over the next decade, he honed his skills at breweries including Griffin Claw, Draught Horse, Brooks Brewing, North Channel, and Loaded Dice Brewing.

“I just wanted to learn more parts of the craft,” he says. “There’s so much to learn, and there’s a lot of OGs in the industry, especially in Michigan. So I wanted to try and get as much experience working hand in hand with some of those folks, just to further myself and my knowledge in the brewing industry.”

Of those, Hanna credits Draught Horse most of all as the place he came to really refine his brewing skills. “I was jumping between brewing large batches and small batches … the 2.5bbl pilot system was the playground to tweak things before we scaled them up to [a] 10-barrel batch.”

Small-Batch Character

That small-batch character is kept at Third Life, which is technically a nanobrewery. (That’s smaller than a microbrewery, for those who remember their metric prefixes!) Hanna and his fellow Third Life brewer Tad Schmelling brew on a one-barrel system, 31 gallons at a time, double-batching into twobarrel fermenters. At the end of the process, the taproom is left with just four half-barrel kegs of beer per brew.

“It’s been fun applying production strategies to a smaller nanosystem,” he says, noting that they’ve had to expand their capacity twice in the past year just to keep up, “which is a lot sooner than I ever could have dreamed.”

It’s a fair amount of brewing work to keep Third Life’s 12 taplines pouring every week,

with half the lines dedicated to their main beers and the other half rotating a variety of recipes. Their menu leans toward the lighter side of things, which isn’t just to please the local cadre of macrobrew aficionados but also the brewers themselves.

“Tad and I are big fans of Hamm’s. It’s our favorite beer in the world,” Hanna says. “A lot of our menu typically has a more heavy hand towards lagers, but it also plays into the area that we’re in, especially in the offseason.”

That lean towards lagers is also for drinking comfort—and part of a clever effort toward community building. “We try to keep our ABVs low. It’s nice to have people sit down and be able to have two or three drinks and not feel full, not feel guilty,”

Hanna explains. “I wanted the concept here to be more community driven. It’s more of a community here than a bar, and for me that was really important and a lot of what drives what we decide to brew here.”

Constant Creativity

Lest ye worry that their beers are just a parade of Fill-in-the-Blank Light clones, a recent visit saw a Japanese rice lager and a dry-hopped pilsner on the menu alongside a more straightforward lager.

Third Life’s heftier, “crafty”-er beers include a stable of IPAs of the hazy, session, double, and 100 percent Citra-hopped varieties, a coffee porter, and a fruited wheat, plus an extra special bitter (ESB) with an interesting origin story.

The recipe for their Noble Knights Nectar started with a prompt on ChatGPT, but Hanna also used the generative AI to come up with some support content. “I’m sure we’re probably the first [brewery] to have it name a beer and create a theme song for the beer, and have it performed,” Hanna says. “One of our buddies was asking us to do an extra special bitter, and I was like, y’know, I don’t really drink this style. So I’m just going to try this thing out with ChatGPT.”

A few tweaks to the menu later, plus some

more local ingredients, and one of the world’s first AI-inspired beers was in the tank. The creation of that beer also shows off the most notable, yet far less noticeable part of Third Life: Hanna’s dedication to independence.

“That was a really fun brewing project, and it just plays in line with what we do here, just having fun in different ways.” That kind of playful creativity—sadly absent from some of today’s craft breweries—stems from the freedom of being the only one he has to answer to.

“I’m the sole proprietor for the brewery

here. I don’t have partners, or investors, or anything. So we get to call the shots,” Hanna says. “We just have fun and enjoy the freedom that we’re afforded to just do this stuff and not have to worry about answering to corporate individuals or anything of that nature.”

Hanna acknowledges the nanobrewery size has something to do with his ability to try new things.

“It’s fun at this level. Once you start getting a little bit bigger, it gets a little more hectic,” he says. “I see [other breweries] where

… now they’re doing a coffee shop. They’ve got a pizza place. They have five locations. I can’t keep up with that stuff. And you know, I never want to find myself getting that big. I’m happy at the size we’re at, as long as it’s self-sustaining for the business and the staff.”

So if you’re looking for a local brewery with a fun, freewheeling, let’s-try-anything spirit, you might just find it within the four walls of Third Life.

Find Third Life Brewing Company at 254 River St. in Manistee. thirdlifebrewing.com

Making tomorrow safer.

Tomorrow is on.

The Great Lakes are a vital source of water, life and play for all of Michigan. That’s why we’re committed to their safety and environmental protection. With the Great Lakes Tunnel Project we're taking extra precautions in the Straits, making a safe pipeline even safer. Placing Line 5 within the Great Lakes Tunnel will eliminate any risk of an anchor strike.

While the tunnel is being built, we’ve added additional safety measures— including hi-def cameras and a marine monitoring/alert system—at our 24/7 Maritimes Operation Center. Safety in the Straits is our top priority. We’re committed to keeping the Great Lakes safe for generations to come. Learn more at enbridge.com/line5tunnel.

saturday

HBA HOME EXPO: 9am5pm, Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, Acme. Over 100 vendors showcasing the latest in home building design & remodeling trends. $12; kids, free. hbagta.com

HOPS ‘N HIGHLANDS: 9am-10pm, The Highlands Resort, Harbor Springs. A craft beer-tasting weekend. Includes a variety of Michigan breweries including Ore Dock Brewery, New Holland Brewing Co., Short’s Brewery, Bell’s Brewery, & many more. There will also be live music, food trucks, keg bowling, IFOSH Stein Hoisting Winter Championships, & more. $25. highlandsharborsprings.com/events/hops-and-highlands

KID’S FESTIVAL WEEKEND: Boyne Mountain Resort, Boyne Falls, March 8-10. Includes a scavenger hunt, coloring contest, family movie night, snowman building, Willy Wonka Rail Jam & much more. boynemountain.com/annualevents/kids-fest-weekend

SPRING CARNIVAL: Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville. Featuring the Creative Sled Contest, Cardboard Classic Race, On-Slope Scavenger Hunt, Slush Cup, live music & more. Fun-in-the-sun costumes highly encouraged. crystalmountain.com/event/spring-carnival

4TH ANNUAL COMMUNITY SEED SWAP: 10am-noon, Boardman River Nature Center, TC. Bring your garden seeds - any vegetables, fruits, or flowers that you enjoy growing - & plan to leave with seeds & dreams for your 2024 garden. You do not have to bring seeds to attend this event. Shelly Stusick, Go Beyond Beauty specialist with the Invasive Species Network, will be on-site with info on avoiding invasives, planting native, & the Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network. Register. Free. natureiscalling.org

COME LEARN & SAIL!: 10am, Maritime Heritage Alliance, TC. Learn about projects & upcoming activities at the Maritime Heritage Alliance. Learn to sail this summer or get involved in the woodshop. Take a tour, have some snacks & hear about the 40 years of success. Free. maritimeheritagealliance.org/events ----------------------

OPEN STUDIO, PETOSKEY: 10am-1pm, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Visual Arts Room, Petoskey. Drop-in art for the whole family. New projects are offered each week. Free. crookedtree.org/event/ctac-petoskey/openstudio-march-9

LITTLE WAVES: Enjoy a musical children’s program series hosted by the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra. Includes a multimedia musical storybook time as well as a chance to see one or more of the many instruments of the orchestra up close. For ages 4-10. Held at 10:30am at Petoskey District Library, & at 1pm at Charlevoix Public Library. Free. glcorchestra.org/education/little-waves

TC FIGURE SKATING CLUB PRESENTS

“UNDER THE SEA ADVENTURES”: 11:30am & 4:30pm, Centre Ice Arena, TC. Skaters will take you on a journey through “The Little Mermaid,” “Moana,” “Finding Nemo,” & “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Enjoy amazing skating, music, props & lighting. $20-$180. mynorthtickets.com

2ND ANNUAL M-22 CHILI CHALLENGE: Noon-4pm, Leelanau Sands Casino & Lodge, Peshawbestown. This chili cookoff includes local restaurants Big Dex’s Restaurant, Bogey’s 19th Hole at The Leland Lodge, Lylah’s, Knot Just a Bar, & more. Enjoy tastings, outdoor yard games, adult beverages, bonfires & live music with Driving Dawn. Tickets, $15. leelanausandscasino.com/play/m22chili_challenge ----------------------

WHITHER THOU GOEST: THE STORY OF RUTH: 2pm & 7pm, Dennos Museum Center, Milliken Auditorium, NMC, TC. Presented by

the Northwest Michigan Ballet Theatre. This story is set in The Great Depression of the 1930s in the poor coal mining town of Bethlehem, West Virginia. The score is a compilation of old gospel hymns played by a live bluegrass band. Period costumes, sets, & Thomas Morrell’s choreography combine to unite old world biblical times with 20th Century Americana. $20 adult/$15 student. mynorthtickets.com/organizations/northwest-michigan-ballet-theatre

DREW HALE BAND CONCERT: 6:308:30pm, Historic Town Hall, Elk Rapids. The Drew Hale Band, “Best New Act in Country Music.” Tickets available at Nifty Things & River St. Market. $25. facebook.com/events/332231 376471316?acontext=%7B%22event_action_ history%22%3A[]%7D

THE GREENSPIRE SCHOOL PRESENTS:

“BEAUTY AND THE BEAST JR.”: 6:30pm, The Village at GT Commons, Kirkbride Hall, TC. Enjoy this tale as old as time. Doors open at 6pm. The performance is a new venture of Greenspire Productions. $10 GA. greenspireschool.org/ticket-sales

“ANYTHING GOES” PRESENTED BY TRAVERSE CITY CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL: 7pm, TC Central High School Auditorium. This Tony award winning musical has a cast of 40 students. It also features a pit orchestra of 23 student musicians, as well as professional musicians Joshua Wagner (trumpet) & Jeanmarie Riccobono (clarinet). Eight students serve as the tech crew. $20-$25. tcaps.booktix.com

“OUR TOWN”: 7pm, Cadillac Community Auditorium, Cadillac High School. Presented by Cadillac Footliters. This Pulitzer Prize winning drama has universal themes of family, love, marriage & death. GA: $11. cadillacfootliters. ludus.com/index.php

BAYSIDE TRAVELLERS CONTRA DANCE: Bethlehem Lutheran Church, TC. Beginner Dance Workshop, 7pm; dances, 7:30-10:30pm. Music by Rigs & Jeels & dances led by Pat Reeser. Donations only. dancetc.com

MOSS MANOR: 7-10pm, Cadillac Elks Lodge. Comprised of Seth Bernard, Michael Dause & Dan Rickabus, Moss Manor’s music developed & circulated during the pandemic as a way to process some of that experience: the isolation, the return to nature, the rediscovery of free time, & the making of music for its own sake. $10-$20. mynorthtickets.com/events/moss-manor-3-9-2024

VIENNA BOYS CHOIR: 7pm, Great Lakes Center for the Arts, Bay Harbor. One of the most famous choirs in the world, the Vienna Boys Choir has been enchanting audiences for centuries with their pure & pristine sound & charming performance style. $10-$67. greatlakescfa. org/events/detail/vienna-boys-choir-24

“CORNERS GROVE”: 7:30pm, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Phoenix Theatre. Thornton Wilder’s acclaimed drama “Our Town” gets a contemporary update in Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin’s play “Corners Grove.” Set more than 100 years after the original play, “Corners Grove” recasts the traditional characters as a diverse group of high school students on the cusp of adulthood. $24 adult; $19 child through college. interlochen. org/events/corners-grove-2024-03-08

“ONCE UPON A MATTRESS”: 7:30pm, Cheboygan Opera House. This musical comedy is presented by students from Cheboygan High School, & directed by Midge Shaw. $15 in advance; $17 at door. ci.ovationtix.com/36618/ production/1192948

DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: 7:30pm, Old Town Playhouse, TC. The classic story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, & the Beast, a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. $20-$33. tickets.oldtownplayhouse.com/TheatreManager/1/ online?event=0

sunday

KID’S FESTIVAL WEEKEND: (See Sat., March 9)

HBA HOME EXPO: 11am3pm, Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, Acme. Over 100 vendors showcasing the latest in home building design & remodeling trends. $12; kids, free. hbagta.com

BEGINNER KNITTING: 12:30pm, Traverse Area District Library, Thirlby Room, TC. This class will teach how to cast on, the knit stitch, & how to cast off all through creating a bunny friend you get to take home. Necessary supplies are provided. This is part one of a series. Free. tadl.org/event/knit ----------------------

SECOND SUNDAY ART PROJECT: ART OF A SUPER HERO: 12:30-3pm, Dennos Museum Center, NMC, TC. Featuring a Caldecott Storytime & a hands-on workshop with Marvel Comic illustrator Jerry DeCaire - artist for Thor, DeadPool, X-Men, etc. Limit of 40. Register in advance. $0-$10. simpletix.com/e/second-sunday-art-project-art-of-a-super-h-tickets-153872

mar 10 mar

“ANYTHING GOES” PRESENTED BY TRAVERSE CITY CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL: (See Sat., March 9, except today’s time is 2pm.) ----------------------

“BON APPETIT”: 2pm, Old Art Building, The Blue Lantern Tea Room, Leland. An Operatic Biography of Julia Child. Indulge in what is arguably the world’s most famous chocolate cake while getting the story straight from the baker’s mouth. An actual transcript of Julia baking her cake is masterfully set to music & sung by nationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Lindsey Anderson. $30 each or $125 for all 5. oldartbuilding.com/events/ the-blue-lantern-tea-room

“CORNERS GROVE”: (See Sat., March 9, except today’s time is 2pm.) ----------------------

“ONCE UPON A MATTRESS”: (See Sat., March 9, except today’s time is 2pm.)

DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: (See Sat., March 9, except today’s time is 2pm.)

WHITHER THOU GOEST: THE STORY OF RUTH: (See Sat., March 9, except today’s only time is 2pm.)

CADILLAC FOOTLITERS AUDITIONS: 4pm, Cadillac Footliters Clubhouse, 3841 Walker Ave., Cadillac. For “Hello, Dolly!”. This is a large cast with a wide variety of roles for ages 15 & up. sites.google.com/cadillacfootliters. com/hello-dolly-audition-hub

KENNEDY’S KITCHEN: 4pm, The Bay Theatre, Suttons Bay. This group has been making Irish music together & performing at backyard parties, weddings, pubs, concert halls, & national festivals since 1998. They have averaged about 80 shows per year & traveled as far as New York & Naples, Florida, recording six CDs along the way. $20 per person. thebaytheatre.com/special-events

THE STEPCREW: 7pm, City Opera House, TC. This dance production combines Irish, Tap, & Ottawa Valley in a theatrical setting. They are led by soloist Cara Butler, The Chieftains’ top Irish dancer, & Jon and Nathan Pilatzke, Canada’s leading Ottawa Valley Step dancers. $10-$45. cityoperahouse.org/node/510

monday

11

STORYTIME ADVENTURES: 1:30pm, Great Lakes Children’s Museum, TC. Featuring “All For Pie & Pie For All” by David Martin. greatlakeskids.org

ADULT COLORING PARTY: 5-7pm, Peninsula Community Library, TC. Admission is an art supply requested on the Budding Artist Tree in the library lobby. Light dinner, prizes & fun. RSVP in the PCL lobby by March 8.

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TADL ANIME CLUB: 5:30pm, Traverse Area District Library, TC. Watch a few episodes of the chosen anime & participate in a craft. This program is intended for library patrons 13-years-old & up. Free. tadl.org/events

CADILLAC FOOTLITERS AUDITIONS: (See Sun., March 10, except tonight’s time is 6pm.)

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NWS: AN EVENING WITH BARBARA MCQUADE: City Opera House, TC. A legal analyst for NBC News & MSNBC, a former U.S. District Attorney of Eastern Michigan, & a University of Michigan law professor, McQuade

part of the excitement! Tickets: $20-$25. crookedtree.org/event/ctac-petoskey/clark-lewis-circus-rock-show mar 09 march 09-17

send

is the author of “Attack From Within,” in which she writes about how authoritarians throughout history have manipulated the truth to advance their own agendas. Guest host is John Bacon. Doors open at 6pm with live music & a cash bar. The conversation starts at 7pm & is followed by a book signing. $5-$27. nationalwritersseries.org/barb-mcquade

SCOTT MILLS: 7pm, Glen Lake Community Library, Empire. Join for this poetry reading & conversation with local author, artist & teacher Scott Mills. His writing explores the natural world & our physical & spiritual connection to it. Scott will be reading from his new collection of poetry, “Drift Gestures.” glenlakelibrary.net/events

tuesday

FREE EDUCATIONAL SEMINAR: 10am, Traverse Connect, Blue Room, TC. Presented by Fred Goldenberg, local columnist & certified senior advisor, for those age 64 or just going on Medicare for the first time. Secure your place: 944-1400.

KID’S CRAFT LAB: SHAVING CREAM

SHAMROCK: 10:30am, Great Lakes Children’s Museum, TC. Shaving cream & watercolor paint combine to swirl yourself a shamrock just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. Sign up at the front desk when you arrive. Make your reservation on web site. greatlakeskids.org ----------------------

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: 10:30am, Suttons Bay-Bingham District Library, lower-level Community Meeting Room. Preschoolers of all ages are invited to join for stories, songs & active fun. Free. sbbdl.org

PARKINSON’S NETWORK NORTH SUPPORT

GROUP: The Presbyterian Church of TC, 701 Westminster Rd. Please be seated by 1pm. Welcome, speaker, socialization, bring questions. Be prepared to share tricks & tips for living with Parkinson’s. Care partners learn from each other. For info call Hettie: 947-7389. Free. pnntc.org

STORYTIME ADVENTURES: (See Mon., March 11)

TECH TUESDAY: GOOGLE DRIVE: 3pm, Leelanau Township Library, Lower-level Community Room, Northport. Join for a presentation on how to use Google Drive. Bring your mobile device or laptop with login info & your questions. Free. leelanautownshiplibrary.org

mar

wednesday

GAYLORD BUSINESS AFTER HOURS: 5-7pm, Nicolet Bank, Gaylord. Wear your favorite jersey to be entered into a special door prize drawing. $5 members; $10 not-yet members.

PLACE: TRUTH & RESTORATION (NIGHT

1): The Presbyterian Church of TC, 701 Westminster Rd. This new documentary challenges historical injustices & advocates for environmental rebalancing. It sheds light on the dispossession & decimation of Indigenous inhabitants since 1493, leading to our current environmental crisis. Today features #1 of a three-part series. Today’s topic is Obtaining Non-Christian Land Using “The Doctrine of Discovery.” Dinner at 5:30pm; speaker Tom Peters at 6:30pm. Suggested $5 donation for dinner. Free.

THE CHEESE LADY’S EUROPEAN CHEESE

CLASS: 5:30-7pm, Interlochen Public Library. Enjoy “A Taste of Europe.” Learn about European cheeses & sample some of the cheeses available at The Cheese Lady. 231-276-6767. Free.

CO-OP FILM SCREENING: 6-8pm, Loco Boys Brewing Co., TC. Featuring videos produced

by The Boardman Review & a Q&A with local farm members & co-op customers. Donations supporting MI Farm Co-op welcomed at the door. facebook.com/mifarmcoop

MANOOMIN: NATIVE GRAIN OF MICHIGAN: 6pm, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. Learn about the conservation of Manoomin, its cultural importance to the Anishinaabe people, & ecological significance in the northern midwest. Presenters are Barbara Barton & Tera John. Free. tadl.org/manoomin

LET’S TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH: 6:30-8pm, East Jordan M/H School Auditorium. Join for a community discussion to destigmatize mental health needs & create safe responses to those who suffer.

thursday

CHARTING A PATH FORWARD: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN YOUR COM-

MUNITY: 9-11am, Odawa Casino Resort, Huron Room, Petoskey. Hosted by Thrive 45 in partnership with the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance (NLEA) & MSU Extension. Explore economic development, regional trends, & the vital role of organizations like NLEA. Participate in a hands-on activity where you’ll tackle challenges faced by a hypothetical community’s development project. Register. Free. bit.ly/3uZeE38

SOLAR ENERGY 101 WITH LEELANAU

ENERGY: 10:30am, Leland Township Public Library, Munnecke Room, Leland. Things are changing quickly in the field of solar energy. Solar panel efficiencies are dramatically up, & prices dramatically down. Harvest Energy, one of Michigan’s premier solar installers, will join for a general update on this topic. Free.

BOOKENDS BOOK DISCUSSION: 2pm, Suttons Bay-Bingham District Library, lower-level Community Room. March’s selection is “The Ride of her Life” by Elizabeth Letts. Free. sbbdl.org

“THE MANISTEE & NORTHEASTERN RAILROAD IN BENZIE COUNTY”: 4pm, The Mills Community House, Benzonia. Presented by Andy Bolander as part of the Benzie Area Historical Society’s Benzonia Academy Lecture Series. Learn about the Manistee & Northeastern’s impact on Benzie County from 1889 until it was consolidated with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad in 1955. $5 recommended donation.

FREE SCREENING: “BREAKING THE NEWS”: 4-5:30pm, Dennos Museum Center, NMC, TC. A scrappy group of women & LGBTQ+ journalists buck the white male-dominated status quo, banding together to launch The 19th*, a digital news startup aiming to combat misinformation. Register in advance. Limit of 34 people. simpletix.com/e/free-screeningbreaking-the-news-tickets-153338

EAST JORDAN BUSINESS AFTER HOURS: 5-6:30pm, American Legion Post #227, East Jordan. Enjoy Bingo, food, refreshments, networking, prizes & more. Free for Chamber members; $10 for not-yet-members.

FREE EDUCATIONAL SEMINAR: 6pm, Traverse Area District Library, Thirlby Room, TC. Presented by Fred Goldenberg, local columnist & certified senior advisor, for those age 64 or just going on Medicare for the first time. No sales presentation. Secure your place: 944-1400.

INSTANT POTS WITH SCOTT: 6:30pm, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. If you have your brackets all filled out but don’t know what to make for March Madness, let the library help you discover the world of instant pot cooking, learn new recipes & enjoy free samples. Scott Morey will lead you through a cooking demo using the multipurpose Instant Pot. He is an award winning TADL chili champion. Free. tadl.org/event/instant-pots-scott-13716

mar 03

Two of Milwaukee's finest artists and members of Field Report return to the Alluvion for an all new experience!

friday

COFFEE @ 10, TC: 10-11am, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Cornwell Gallery, TC. In conjunction with the annual Youth Art Exhibit, Royce Deans will speak to the value of high school students building a body of work for their portfolio. Royce leads the CTAC-TC High School Portfolio program where students meet weekly for three hours exploring new mediums & learn to express themselves in new & profound ways. Free. crookedtree.org/ event/ctac-traverse-city/coffee-10-royce-deans ----------------------

STORYTIME: 10:30am, Leland Township Library, Leland. Stories & more for children aged 0-6 & their caregivers. Free. lelandlibrary.org

$2 FRIDAY CLASSICS: 11am, Lyric Theatre, Theater 1, Harbor Springs. Featuring “Escape From Alcatraz.”

NORTHERN MICHIGAN REGIONAL HOME & OUTDOOR LIVING SHOW: 11am5pm, Community Resource Center, NCMC, Petoskey. Visit with more than 50 home & outdoor vendors showcasing kitchen & bath materials, home improvement ideas, & outdoor kitchens & patio furniture. $5; under 17 are free. hbanorthernmichigan.com/home-showexhibitor-information

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FAMILY FUN WITH SUPERHEROES!: 3:305:30pm, Suttons Bay-Bingham District Library. Drop by the library for fun with superheroes, wsg State Representative Betsy Coffia. Free. sbbdl.org

“ANYTHING GOES” PRESENTED BY TRAVERSE CITY CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL: (See Sat., March 9)

“OUR TOWN”: (See Sat., March 9)

BAD RIVER FILM SCREENING: 7pm, AMC Cherry Blossom 14 Theatre, TC. Enjoy a new documentary about the Wisconsin-based Bad River Band, its ongoing fight for sovereignty from the Canadian corporation, Enbridge, & its Line 5 crude oil pipeline that threatens the Great Lakes & the Band’s way of life. This is the only screening in northern Michigan. A panel discussion will follow the film. Tickets must be purchased at the web site. $12.50 adult; $11 senior/student. oilandwaterdontmix.org/bad_ river_screening_traverse_city

CLARK LEWIS: CIRCUS ROCK SHOW: 7-8:30pm, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Theater, Petoskey. Enjoy an evening of juggling, daring stunts, sideshow, magic & comedy, set to a rock soundtrack. Special guest acts include Twisted Style Freerunning & Detroit Juggler Manny Mayhem. $20-$25. crookedtree.org/event/ctacpetoskey/clark-lewis-circus-rock-show

DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: (See Sat., March 9)

DIVINE DIVAS - THE SUPREMES & DONNA SUMMER: 8-9:30pm, Odawa Casino, Ovation Hall, Petoskey. A tribute to Diana Ross & The Supremes, & Donna Summer. $40-$50. odawacasino.com/entertainment

CARNIVAL WEEKEND: PARTY THROUGH

THE DECADES: Boyne Mountain Resort, Boyne Falls, March 15-17. Tonight includes a photo booth in the Snowflake Lounge from 9-11pm, & 70’s Martini Disco Party in Snowflake Lounge from 9pm-midnight. boynemountain.com/annual-events/carnival-weekend

saturday

CELTS & KAYAKS: Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville. Featuring Kayaks on the Snow Race, On-Slope Scavenger Hunt, Slush Cup, & more. Get decked out in St.

Patrick’s Day attire & receive $10 off your lift ticket. crystalmountain.com/event/celts-kayaks

LEAPIN’ LEPRECHAUN 5K: 9am, Lake Ave., Old Town TC. The course takes you on a scenic route over the Boardman River & through residential neighborhoods with a short trip on the TART Trail. An after-party will be held at Brady’s Bar. Wear your green! $35; prices increase after March 14. runsignup.com/Race/ MI/TraverseCity/LeapinLeprechaun5K

NORTHERN MICHIGAN REGIONAL HOME & OUTDOOR LIVING SHOW: 9am-4pm, Community Resource Center, NCMC, Petoskey. Visit with more than 50 home & outdoor vendors showcasing kitchen & bath materials, home improvement ideas, & outdoor kitchens & patio furniture. $5; under 17 are free. hbanorthernmichigan.com/home-show-exhibitorinformation

ST. PATRICK’S 5KRAWL: 9am, The Greenhouse - Willow/Primos, Cadillac. After the race join inside The Greenhouse for awards. Proceeds benefit the Cadillac Firefighters charity fund. $30. runsignup.com/Race/MI/Cadillac/ SaintPatricks5krawl

HELLO MARCH CRAFT SHOW: 10am-2pm, Harvest Barn Church, East Jordan. Entry fee by donation; proceeds benefit East Jordan Care & Share Food Pantry. 989-884-4335.

KIDS CODING CLUB: 10am, Bellaire Public Library. Register: 231-533-8814. For ages 5-18. Free. bellairelibrary.org

MARDI GRAS AT NUB’S NOB: Nub’s Nob, Harbor Springs. Featuring the Fat Tire Boogie, Crazy Kids & Mogul Muncher’s Silly Slalom, The Dorie Sarns Challenge, Silly Slalom, Soaker Cup, & costume judging. nubsnob.com/ mardi-gras

OPEN STUDIO, PETOSKEY: (See Sat., March 9)

SPRING EQUINOX SOIRÉE: 10am-noon, Boardman River Nature Center, TC. Prepare for warmer days & the new growing season. Learn about the importance of pollinators & native flowers while making seed balls, building bug motels, & learning about the process of making honey. Registration required. $10 per person. natureiscalling.org/events

2ND ANNUAL MICHIGAN AURORA CHASERS WORKSHOP: Noon, Headlands International Dark Sky Park, Mackinaw City. Registration required. Free. midarkskypark.org

CARNIVAL WEEKEND: PARTY THROUGH THE DECADES: Boyne Mountain Resort, Boyne Falls, March 15-17. Today includes an 80’s Party with DJ T-Bone, DJ Sam Hauxwell, DJ Bill Da Cat, & DJ Lee Blossom; & a 90’s Party with DJ Bill Da Cat, along with a photo booth. boynemountain. com/annual-events/carnival-weekend

MAPLEFEST: Noon-3pm, Grass River Center, Pavilion, Bellaire. See sap being boiled to syrup on the evaporator. See the process of making maple syrup. Ask staff questions & hike on the trail to see where they tap trees, hang buckets & lines, & collect the sap. Free. grassriver.org

TADL BAR-COOKIE CRAWL: Noon, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. Make your favorite bar cookie recipe. Show it off at the Bar-Cookie Crawl. Sign up by March 9. If you’re not baker, just join to taste & vote. Find details at the web site. Free. tadl.org/cookie

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CASS ST. PUB CRAWL: TC. Blue Footed Booby plays at North Bar from 1-5pm. Drew Hale plays from 3-6pm, followed by Blue Footed Booby from 7:30-10:30pm at The Parlor. Steven Paul & Friends play from 5-8pm at The Pub. Find ‘Cass St. Pub Crawl’ on Facebook. “OUR TOWN”: (See Sat., March 9, except today’s times are 2pm & 7pm.)

SLUSH Springs. springs.com/events/slush-cup

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DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: (See Sat., March 9, except today’s times are 2pm & 7:30pm.)

SLUSH CUP: 2pm, The Highlands at Harbor Springs. Ski over the pond! highlandsharborsprings.com/events/slush-cup

“ANYTHING GOES” PRESENTED BY TRAVERSE CITY CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL: (See Sat., March 9)

DOWNTOWN SOUND PERFORMING ARTS

SERIES: BLACKTHORN: 7:30-9pm, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Theater, Petoskey. In a rich tapestry of Celtic music, Blackthorn’s show is a unique variety of tunes & tempos. $30 members; $40 non-members; $10 students. crookedtree.org/downtownsound

THE KNOCKABOUTS: 7:30pm, Cheboygan Opera House. Enjoy this folk music trio from Marquette who plays a wide variety of traditional, contemporary & original music based in Celtic traditions. $30 adults; $25 Veterans; $15 students. theoperahouse.org/tickets ----------------------

DIVINE DIVAS - TINA TURNER: 8pm, Odawa Casino Resort, Ovation Hall, Petoskey. A tribute to Tina Turner. $40-$50. odawacasino.com/ entertainment

mar

sunday

CARNIVAL WEEKEND: PARTY THROUGH THE DECADES: Boyne Mountain Resort, Boyne Falls, March 15-17. Today includes skiing & snowboarding, Slush Cup, Party through the 2000’s at Spring Break Slush Cup with DJ, & more. boynemountain.com/ annual-events/carnival-weekend

“ANYTHING GOES” PRESENTED BY TRAVERSE CITY CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL: (See Sun., March 10)

STORIES FROM THE WORLD OF THE

IRISH: 2pm, Helena Township Community Center, Alden. Local Bardic Storyteller Jim Ribby will perform poetic Irish stories from the middle ages to late 1900’s. 231-331-4318. Free.

ongoing

SNOWSHOES, VINES, & WINES: Explore the trails at Black Star Farms Suttons Bay & then warm up with mulled wine, soup or wood-fired pizza. Held on Saturdays through the winter. Onsite snowshoe rentals are available from noon-4pm. blackstarfarms.com/snowshoesvines-wines

BELLAIRE WINTER FARMERS MARKET: Bee Well Mead & Cider; Short’s Brewing Co. Southside event space; & Terrain. Held on Fridays through the middle of May from 9am-noon.

BOYNE CITY MARKET AT THE PAVILION: Veterans Park Pavilion, Boyne City. Held every Sat. through May from 9am-12:30pm. Shop local artists, food makers & farmers. boynecityfarmersmarket.org/series/market-at-the-pavilion-2

INDOOR FARMERS MARKET: Saturdays, 10am-2pm, The Village at GT Commons, The Mercato, TC. More than 35 vendors offer a variety of items from farm fresh eggs, meats & cheeses, to fruits, veggies, homemade breads & more. thevillagetc.com

art

JOURNEY THROUGH ABSTRACTION: Oliver Art Center, Frankfort. A group exhibition of diverse abstract art. The work of Michigan artists Kenneth Anbender, Nancy Clouse & Marat Paransky is showcased in this exhibition. Runs

through April 5. Oliver Art Center is open Tues. - Sat. from 10am-4pm; Sun.: noon-4pm. Closed on Mondays. oliverartcenterfrankfort.org

“TURNED & STITCHED: ARTISTRY IN WOODTURNING & QUILTING”: Runs through April 6 at Charlevoix Circle of Arts. The wood pieces featured were crafted by members of Northwestern Michigan Woodturners. The quilts on display were made by local artists. charlevoixcircle.org

“BOTANIC”: Alluvion Arts @ 414, TC. This exhibition takes a collective look at our intimate relationship to the plant kingdom. Driven by our community of collaborators & artists, this ‘living’ exhibition will grow with additional artwork, installations, plants & observations added until the exhibition closes on May 5. thealluvion.org/arts

“CURRENTS OF COLOR: WORK BY CTAC’S WATERCOLOR STUDENTS”: Held in Atrium Gallery at Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petoskey through March 16. Artist Trish Morgan teaches beginner, intermediate, & advanced watercolor courses for Crooked Tree Arts Center-Petoskey. CTAC invited Trish’s current & former advanced students to participate in this exhibition. crookedtree.org/event/ctac-petoskey/currentscolor-work-ctacs-watercolor-students

ANNUAL YOUTH ART EXHIBIT: Crooked Tree Arts Center, TC. Celebrating the work of K-12 art students & educators from throughout the Grand Traverse region. An Opening Reception/award reception will be held on Sun., March 10 from 1-3pm. Exhibit runs through April 5. crookedtree.org/event/ctac-traversecity/youth-art-exhibit-traverse-city

DENNOS MUSEUM CENTER, NMC, TC: - HEMINGWAY IN COMICS: This exhibition presents a new, more complicated way to look at Hemingway: a man, an artist, & a character that has taken on a life of its own & allows visitors to consider why Hemingway’s image, in particular, is so enduring. It’s not only for the dedicated Hemingway fan, but for all those with an appreciation for comics, pop culture, & the absurd. Runs through May 26. Hours are Tues. - Sun., 11am-4pm. dennosmuseum. org/art/upcoming-exhibitions/hemingwayin-comics.html?utm_source=cision&utm_ medium=email&utm_campaign=DMC-winter-2024

- YOUNG AT ART: A SELECTION OF CALDECOTT ILLUSTRATIONS: This exhibition includes original illustrations from Caldecott Medal recipients & from “runnerup” Honor books, as well as other illustrations by award-winning artists. It is an exhibition of works from Wichita Falls Museum of Art’s permanent collection. It runs through April 28. Hours are Tues. through Sun., 11am-4pm. dennosmuseum.org/art/ upcoming-exhibitions/young-at-art.html?utm_ source=cision&utm_medium=email&utm_ campaign=DMC-winter-2024

GLEN ARBOR ARTS CENTER:

- “HAPPY”: Held in Main Gallery. “Happy” features the work of 26 artists who explore & interpret the many facets & meanings of happiness: literal to metaphorical, in 2D + 3D. Runs through March 21. Open Mon. through Fri., 9am-3pm; Sat., noon-4pm. Free. glenarborart. org/events/exhibit-happy

- TREE OF LIFE -- AN EXHIBIT: TC artist Mary Fortuna explores the Tree Of Life - Connecting The World in this mixed media installation. This small show runs through April 25. The Tree Of Life that will grow in the GAAC’s Lobby Gallery is populated with animals, birds & insects. Each one is a hand-sewn soft sculpture. Hours: Mon. through Fri., 9am-3pm; Sat., noon-4pm. glenarborart.org/events/exhibit-tree-of-life-connecting-the-world

TO-GO

DRINK SPECIALS (3-6 Monday-Friday): $2 well drinks, $2 domestic drafts, $2.50 domestic bottles, $5 Hornitos margarita

DAILY FOOD SPECIALS (3-6pm):

Fri - $5 hot pretzels w/ beer cheese

221 E State St. - downtown TC

Grand Traverse & Kalkaska

ENCORE 201, TC

3/9 -- The Untouchables, 7:3010:30; DJ Ricky T, 10:30

3/15 -- DJ Ricky T, 9

3/16 -- J Hawkins Band, 7-8; DJ Ricky T & DJ JR, 10

ETHANOLOGY, ELK RAPIDS

3/9 -- Up North PRIDE Silent Disco, 7-11

IDENTITY BREWING CO., TC

DINING ROOM:

3/15 -- John Paul, 6-9

KILKENNY'S IRISH PUBLIC HOUSE, TC

3/8-9 -- Lucas Paul, 9:30

Mon -- Team Trivia, 7-9

Tue -- The Will Harris Trio, 8

Wed -- The Pocket, 8

Thu -- DJ Leo, 9:30

3/15-16 -- The Equality Show Band, 9:30

3/17 -- The Wild Sullys, 2-6; 2Bay DJs, 9:30

KINGSLEY LOCAL BREWING

3/12 -- Open Mic, 6-8

3/14 -- Trivia, 7-9

LEFT FOOT CHARLEY, TC

BARREL ROOM:

3/11 – Open Mic w/ Rob Coonrod, 6-9

TASTING ROOM:

3/15 -- John & Madeline Piatek, 5-7

LIL BO, TC

Tues. – Trivia, 8-10

Sun. – Karaoke, 8

BOYNE CITY TAP ROOM

3/14 -- Adam & The Cabana Boys, 7-9

CAFE SANTE, BOYNE CITY

3/9 – Pete Kehoe, 7-10

3/11 – The Shifties, 6-9

3/15 – Chris & Adam, 7-10

3/16 – Pete Kehoe, 7-10

ETHANOLOGY, ELK RAPIDS

3/16 -- Slim Pickins String Band, 7-10

FIRESIDE LOUNGE, BELLAIRE

3/9 -- Nick Vasquez, 6

MAMMOTH DISTILLING, TC

3/10 & 3/17 -- DJ Trivia, 6-8

3/14-15 -- Clint Weaner, 7:3010:30

MARI VINEYARDS, TC

3/15 -- Jason Locke, 4-6

MIDDLECOAST BREWING CO., TC

3/15 -- Zeke, 6-9

NORTH BAR, TC

3/9 -- Luke Woltanski & John Piatek, 4-7

3/13 -- Jesse Jefferson, 7-10

3/14 -- Drew Hale, 7-10

3/15 -- Mal & Mike, 7-10

3/16 -- Blue Footed Booby, 1-5

ROVE WINERY AT THE GALLAGHER ESTATE, TC

3/15 -- TC Celtic, 5-8

SORELLINA'S, TC

SLATE RESTAURANT:

Thurs. -- Tom Kaufmann on Piano, 5-8

Fri. & Sat. – Tom Kaufmann on Piano, 6-9

THE ALLUVION, TC

3/9 -- The Bob Mintzer Quartet, 7:30-10:30

3/10 -- Moss Manor wsg Eliza Thorp, 7:30-9:30

3/11 -- Big Fun - Funky Fun

Mondays, 6-8

3/14 -- The Jeff Haas Trio feat. Marion Haydon, Anthony Stanco, Tariq Gardner, & the NMC Jazz Big Band, w/ Lisa Flahive, 6-8

3/15 -- Fernando Silverio Solis

Antrim & Charlevoix

JAX NORTHSIDE, CHARLEVOIX 3/13 -- Trivia Night, 7-9

MAMMOTH DISTILLING, BELLAIRE 7:30-10:30:

3/9 -- Clint Weaner

3/16 -- Steve Dawson

PROVISIONS WINE LOUNGE, BOYNE CITY 3/12 -- Nelson Olstrom, 6:50

SHORT'S BREW PUB, BELLAIRE 3/17 -- The Hey Makers, 2-4

y el Sueño wsg Kid Shoeshine, 7:30-10

3/16 -- Full Cord, 7:30-9:30

3/17 -- Caley Conway + Cathedral Becomes Tomb, 7-9:30

THE HAYLOFT INN, TC

3/9 -- Truck Driver Bingo, 7:30 Thu -- Trent Breithaupt's Open Mic, 6

THE PARLOR, TC

3/9 -- Mal & Mike, 8-11

3/12 -- Jesse Jefferson, 8-11

3/13 -- Wink Solo, 8-11

3/14 -- Luke Woltanski & John Piatek, 8-11

3/15 -- Tai Drury, 8-11

3/16 -- Drew Hale, 3-6; Blue Footed Booby, 7:30-10:30

3/17 -- Delilah DeWylde, 4-7

THE PUB, TC

3/9 -- Empire Highway, 8

3/10 -- Rob Coonrod, 6-9

3/13 -- Tyler Roy, 7-10

3/15 -- Nick Vasquez, 8-11

3/16 -- Steven Paul & Friends, 5-8

3/17 -- The Broom Closet Boys, 4-7

THE WORKSHOP BREWING

CO., TC

3/9 -- The Crosscut Kings, 8-11

3/10 -- TiltThink Comedy Mixtape, 7-9

3/12 -- Open Mic Night, 7-9

3/13 -- Jazz Jam, 6

3/14 -- Trivia Night, 7-8

3/15 -- Highway North, 8-10

3/16 -- The Styleguides, 8-10 3/17 -- Comedy Open Mic, 7-9

Leelanau & Benzie

BOATHOUSE VINEYARDS, LAKE LEELANAU

TASTING ROOM: 3/15 -- Andre Villoch, 5:30-8

CICCONE VINEYARD & WINERY, SUTTONS BAY

3/16 -- The North Bay Celtic Band, 2-4:30

CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN, THOMPSONVILLE

VISTA LOUNGE:

3/9 -- Dominic Fortuna, 2-5; Life Theory, 8-11

DICK'S POUR HOUSE, LAKE LEELANAU

Sat. -- Karaoke, 10-1

FIVE SHORES BREWING, BEULAH

6-9:

SHORT'S PULL BARN, ELK RAPIDS

3/15 -- AWW JEAH Dance Party w/ Botala & DJ Clark After Dark, 6-9

TORCH LAKE CAFÉ, CENTRAL LAKE

Thu -- Open Mic & Nick Vasquez, 7

Fri - Sat -- Leanna Collins & Ivan Greilick, 7:30 Sun -- Trivia, 5:30; Dominic Fortuna, 6:30

Manistee, Wexford & Missaukee

BLUE SLIPPER, ONEKAMA

3/15 -- Cheryl Wolfram, 7

NORTHERN NATURAL CIDER

HOUSE & WINERY, KALEVA

6:

3/9 -- Ted Bounty 3/15 -- Barefoot

THE GREENHOUSE - WILLOW/ PRIMOS, CADILLAC 3/13 -- Trivia Night & Music

Bingo w/ Shawny-D, 6-10 3/14 -- Karaoke Night w/ DJ Shawny-D, 7-10

3/16 -- Irish Dance w/ Northern Lights Dance Academy & Music w/ Frank Youngman, 5

BEARDS BREWERY, PETOSKEY

3/15 -- Levitator w/ Opening Band The Third Degree, 7

BOYNE VALLEY VINEYARDS, PETOSKEY

2-6: 3/9 -- Dane Tollas 3/16 -- Chris Calleja

CITY PARK GRILL, PETOSKEY Tue -- Trivia Night, 7-9 3/15 -- Annex Karaoke, 9:30

MAMMOTH DISTILLING, BAY

3/14 -- Trivia Night 3/15 -- Open Mic

FRENCH VALLEY VINEYARD, CEDAR

3/14 -- Jerome Forde, 4-7

IRON FISH DISTILLERY, THOMPSONVILLE

3/15 – Wink, 6-8

LAKE ANN BREWING CO. 3/9 -- The Lab Ratz - Niemisto/ Kumjian/Blumenfeld, 6:30-10:30

3/14 -- Trivia Night, 7-9

3/15 -- Runaway Mule, 6:30-9:30

3/16 -- St. Patrick's Day Eve w/ Rigs & Jeels, 3-6; The Jameson Brothers, 6:30-9:30

LITTLE TRAVERSE INN, MAPLE CITY

3/15 -- Billy & The Kid, 6-9

Emmet & Cheboygan

HARBOR

3/14 -- Thursday Trivia, 7-9

3/15 -- Kevin Johnson, 7:3010:30

NOGGIN ROOM PUB, PETOSKEY

3/9 -- Holly Keller, 7-11

3/13 -- PubStumper's Trivia, 6:30 3/15 -- Mike Ridley, 7-10

3/16 -- Lee Fayssoux, 7-10

ODAWA CASINO, PETOSKEY OVATION HALL, 8: 3/15 -- Divine Divas - The Supremes & Donna Summer

ST. AMBROSE CELLARS, BEULAH

3/9 -- Lynn Callihan, 5-8

3/14 -- Open Mic Thursdays, 6-8:30

3/15 -- Aaron Dye, 5-8

3/16 -- Rigs & Jeels, 5-8

SHADY LANE CELLARS, SUTTONS BAY

3/15 -- Friday Night LIVE w/ Old Mission Fiddle Vine, 5-8

STORMCLOUD BREWING CO., FRANKFORT

3/13 -- Trivia Tournament, 7-9

THE HOMESTEAD RESORT, GLEN ARBOR

WHISKERS BAR & GRILL:

3/9 – Bryan Poirer, 6-9

ALPINE TAVERN & EATERY, GAYLORD 6:

– Kenny Thompson

BUCK BREWERY, GAYLORD

-- Nelson Olstrom, 6

3/16 -- Divine Divas - Tina Turner

VICTORIES:

3/15 -- The Saints, 9

POND HILL FARM, HARBOR SPRINGS

4-8:

3/9 -- Ty Parkin & The Old Souls 3/16 -- Serita's Black Rose Duo

THE BEAU, CHEBOYGAN

3/9 -- Brad Corpus, 8

3/14 -- Musicians Playground ‘Open Mic,’ 7 3/16 -- Happy Little Accidents, 8

-- Randy Reszka, 6-10

Bringing Celtic insanity your way this St. Patty’s Day are The Hey Makers. They play Short’s Brew Pub in Bellaire on Sun., March 17 from 2-4pm.

lOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY

PISCES (Feb 19-March 20): My Piscean friend Jeff Greenwald wrote the humorous but serious book Shopping for Buddhas. It's the story of his adventures in Nepal as he traveled in quest of a statue to serve as a potent symbol for his spiritual yearning. I'm reminded of his search as I ruminate on your near future. I suspect you would benefit from an intense search for divine inspiration—either in the form of an iconic object, a pilgrimage to a holy sanctuary, or an inner journey to the source of your truth and love.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Unexpected mixtures are desirable, though they may initially feel odd. Unplanned and unheralded alliances will be lucky wild cards if you are willing to set aside your expectations. Best of all, I believe you will be extra adept at creating new forms of synergy and symbiosis, even as you enhance existing forms. Please capitalize on these marvelous openings, dear Virgo. Are there parts of your life that have been divided, and you would like to harmonize them? Now is a good time to try. Bridge-building will be your specialty for the foreseeable future.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Many of you Libras have a special talent for tuning into the needs and moods of other people. This potentially gives you the power to massage situations to serve the good of all. Are you using that power to its fullest? Could you do anything more to harness it? Here’s a related issue: Your talent for tuning into the needs and moods of others can give you the capacity to massage situations in service to your personal aims. Are you using that capacity to its fullest? Could you do anything more to harness it? Here’s one more variation on the theme: How adept are you at coordinating your service to the general good and your service to your personal aims? Can you do anything to enhance this skill? Now is an excellent time to try.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Psychologist

Carl Jung said, "One of the most difficult tasks people can perform is the invention of good games. And this cannot be done by people out of touch with their instinctive selves." According to my astrological assessment, you will thrive in the coming weeks when you are playing good, interesting games. If you dream them up and instigate them yourself, so much the better. And what exactly do mean by "games"? I’m referring to any organized form of play that rouses fun, entertainment, and education. Playing should be one of your prime modes, Scorpio! As Jung notes, that will happen best if you are in close touch with your instinctual self—also known as your animal intelligence.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Can Sagittarians ever really find a home they are utterly satisfied with? Are they ever at peace with exactly who they are and content to be exactly where they are? Some astrologers suggest these are difficult luxuries for you Centaurs to accomplish. But I think differently. In my view, it’s your birthright to create sanctuaries for yourself that incorporate so much variety and expansiveness that you can feel like an adventurous explorer without necessarily having to wander all over the earth. Now is an excellent time to work on this noble project.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You picked Door #2 a while back. Was that the best choice? I’m not sure. Evidence is still ambiguous. As we await more conclusive information, want you to know that Door #1 and Door #3 will soon be available for your consideration again. The fun fact is that you can try either of those doors without abandoning your activities in the area where Door #2 has led you. But it’s important to note that you can’t try both Door #1 and Door #3. You must choose one or the other. Proceed with care and nuance, Capricorn, but not with excessive caution. Your passwords are daring sensitivity*and “discerning audacity.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): My second cousin has the same name as me and lives in Kosice, Slovakia. He’s a Slovakian-speaking chemical engineer who attended the Slovak University of Technology. Do we have anything in common besides our DNA and names? Well, we both love to tell stories. He and are both big fans of the band Rising Appalachia. We have the same mischievous

brand of humor. He has designed equipment and processes to manufacture products that use chemicals in creative ways, and I design oracles to arouse inspirations that change people’s brain chemistry. Now I invite you, Aquarius, to celebrate allies with whom you share key qualities despite being quite different. It’s a fine time to get maximum enjoyment and value from your connections with such people.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): I will never advise you to dim the flame of your ambition or be shy about radiating your enthusiasm. For the next few weeks, though, I urge you to find ways to add sap, juice, and nectar to your fiery energy. See if you can be less like a furnace and more like a sauna; less like a rumbling volcano and more like a tropical river. Practically speaking, this might mean being blithely tender and unpredictably heartful as you emanate your dazzling glow.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Some spiritual traditions tell us that the path to enlightenment and awakening is excruciatingly difficult. One teaching compares it to crossing a bridge that’s sharper than a sword, thinner than a hair, and hotter than fire. Ideas like these have no place in my personal philosophy. I believe enlightenment and awakening are available to anyone who conscientiously practices kindness and compassion. A seeker who consistently asks, “What is the most loving thing I can do?” will be rewarded with life-enhancing transformations. Now I invite you to do what I just did, Taurus. That is, reevaluate a task or process that everyone (maybe even you) assumes is hard and complicated. Perform whatever tweaks are necessary to understand it as fun, natural, and engaging.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Do you have a relative your parents never told you about? If so, you may find out about them soon. Do you have a secret you want to keep secret? If so, take extra caution to ensure it stays hidden. Is there a person you have had a covert crush on for a while? If so, they may discover your true feelings any minute now. Have you ever wondered if any secrets are being concealed from you? If so, probe gently for their revelation, and they just may leak out. Is there a lost treasure you have almost given up on finding? If so, revive your hopes.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian poet Pablo Neruda wrote this to a lover: "I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees." That sounds very romantic. What does it mean? Well, the arrival of spring brings warmer soil and air, longer hours of sunlight, and nurturing precipitation. The flowers of some cherry trees respond by blooming with explosive vigor. Some trees sprout upwards of 4,000 blossoms. Maybe Neruda was exaggerating for poetic effect, but if he truly wanted to rouse his lover to be like a burgeoning cherry tree, he'd have to deal with an overwhelming outpouring of lush beauty and rampant fertility. Could he have handled it? If I'm reading the upcoming astrological omens correctly, you Cancerians now have the power to inspire and welcome such lavishness. And yes, you can definitely handle it.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Speaking on behalf of all non-Leos, want to express our gratitude for the experiments you have been conducting. Your willingness to dig further than ever before into the mysterious depths is exciting. Please don't be glum just because the results are still inconclusive and you feel a bit vulnerable. I’m confident you will ultimately generate fascinating outcomes that are valuable to us as well as you. Here’s a helpful tip: Give yourself permission to be even more daring and curious. Dig even deeper.

“Jonesin” Crosswords

"They've Got Chemistry"--multiple times, even.. by Matt Jones

ACROSS

1. Begs for kitty kibble

6. Device that kept Blockbuster in business

9. Can't-miss experiences

14. Move slowly

15. Random suffix

16. "Ah, I'm such ___!"

17. Pre-Internet library feature

19. Hooded snake

20. "But before ___ ..."

21. "Pet" that actually requires seeds

23. Actor McDiarmid

24. "Dang straight"

29. Mini-albums, for short

30. Word beginning a lot of Lil Wayne album titles

31. Grass rolls

32. Hacker's language, in the early aughts

34. Leave off

37. "Superstore" actor Santos

40. Tutor's task

44. Dispensers that may now be interactive

45. Where frisbees may get stuck

46. Fox show with choral versions of pop songs

47. Columbus sch.

49. 1970s-'80s sitcom planet

51. Sick

52. Browser issue that might slow your computer down

58. Football position

59. Like some gummy worms

60. "Didn't I tell ya?"

61. Second tries

63. Tests of numerical aptitude

68. Millionaire intro

69. ___ Dew

70. Former capital of Nigeria

71. Observe secretly

72. Up to now

73. Comes down in a blizzard

DOWN

1. 1200, to Tiberius

2. Memorable period

3. "___ the ramparts ..."

4. Collective acknowledgement from a room of beatniks, maybe

5. Coffee urn attachment

6. Quick clip

7. From Prague

8. Singer Bebe

9. Cheese partner

10. Eerie flyer

11. 1925 Edna Ferber novel

12. Bar mitzvah reading

13. Point of view

18. "Man's ___" (viral 2018 song)

22. Part of FWIW

24. Reviewing website

25. "Nixon in China," for example

26. Fitness motto opening

27. Less lurid

28. Checking proof

33. June Cleaver or Maggie Seaver, e.g.

35. Lance of the O.J. trial

36. Girl Scout group

38. Eyelashes

39. Deli counter qty.

41. Ninja, e.g.

42. In a new way

43. Toothpaste options

48. Colorful card game

50. Poses to propose

52. Contract conditions

53. Outdo showily

54. In a weird way

55. Delicious

56. Make speeches

57. Like Whataburger's headquarters

62. Prefix with scope

64. Explosive compound

65. Some time ___

66. Cut (the lawn)

67. Punctured tire sound

MULCHING, WEEDING + LIGHT SPRING CLEAN UP: Booking for April + May! Call or Text Northern Watch LLC: 269-290-4276

PAID PART TIME JOB TRAINING FOR SENIORS 55+: Paid Part-Time Job Training in Grand Traverse, Antrim, Benzie, Kalkaska and Emmet counties. Applicants must be age 55 and over, unemployed and seeking work and meet income guidelines. Position available in Reception and Clerical Support, Cashier, Sort-Stock, Food Prep-Servers, Custodial. To learn more call the AARP Foundation SCSEP office at 231-252-4544.

COTTAGE FOR RENT: TC 1BR Cottage, Fully Furnished, Includes All Utilities, New Appliances, W/D, Cable TV, Very Nice & Quiet, Beautiful Setting, Parking, No Pets; $1,600 per month, (231) 631-7512.

SEWING, ALTERATIONS, MENDING & REPAIRS. Maple City, Maralene Roush 231228-6248

THEPRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF TC RFP GRANT APPLICATION: The Mission Committee of the Presbyterian Church of Traverse City is beginning its 2024 Request for Proposals process to award four grants to local nonprofits To apply, please complete the form form and submit by April 16, 2024. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18r8hvp43 jsc2nrc6NSblFYQ8FyRpyv8YsEu1yDwQW 1A/edit?usp=sharing_eil_m&ts=65df5e68

MR. GETITDONE: If I can’t I will let you know who can. Call Mike 231-871-1028. Junk removal, leaf removal, grass, brush, powerwashing, anything just name it I can do it. Don’t wait to pick up the phone.

Sunday,

accounts payable activities & assisting the controller