JUNE 22 Big & Rich
JUNE 26
JUNE 27
JUNE 30
Greensky Bluegrass
Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Mat Kearney
JUNE
JULY
AUG.
SEPT.
JUNE 30 & Julius Caesar - Interlochen Shakespeare Festival
JULY 1, 7 & 8
JULY 2, 9, 16, 23, 30,
World Youth Symphony Orchestra & AUG. 6
JULY 11
“Collage” - A Multidisciplinary Showcase
JULY 12 Styx
JULY 20
JULY 21
JULY 22
JULY 23
JULY 24
JULY 27
AUG. 9
AUG. 3-6
AUG. 9
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
SUMMER 2023
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Five for Fighting
Donny Osmond
The Temptations & The Four Tops
Dark Star Orchestra
Ragtime - High School Musical Production
Dark Star Orchestra
AUG. 10 Train
SUMMER 2023
AUG. 11
AUG. 17
AUG. 18
AUG. 19
SEPT. 1
SUMMER 2023
Lindsey Stirling
The Lone Bellow Trio
SUMMER 2023
The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA
The Beach Boys
Brandi Carlile
For the full lineup visit: Food and beverages available onsite—including beer and wine at select Kresge shows!
interlochen.org/tickets
Interlochen Center for the Arts gratefully acknowledges the following sponsors for their continued support:
The Spectator
I thoroughly enjoy reading Mr. Tuttle’s “Spectator” column every week. I find his point of view both interesting and thought provoking. I don’t know if he limits his thoughts to writing, but hope someday he would consider a speaking engagement at some venue in Traverse City. I would make it a point to attend. Though I do believe he should change the title of his column from “Spectator” to “Cheerleader for the Blue Tribe.”
Luigi DeGiorgio | Lake City
melting or something else?
The carbon dioxide molecule is so small that you cannot see it when you exhale. Carbon dioxide does not leave visible tracks. Maybe carbon dioxide is not causing the melting. Maybe something else is causing the melting and is leaving tracks. Maybe targeting carbon dioxide is the wrong source.
Tree-mendous!
Although a climate-change skeptic, I agree with Cathye Williams’ column “Hug a Tree, Definitely” (May 1, 2023) that trees are beautiful creatures and prodigious carbon dioxide absorbers.
Trees evolved during the Carboniferous Period 360 million years ago when atmospheric CO2 levels were over 1,200 parts per million. Early woody plants sucked vast amounts of CO2 out of the air, but there was nothing to digest the wood. Dead trees did not decompose, and the sequestered carbon was buried with the dead trees, which became coal beds.
The trees sequestered so much carbon that eventually there was a dearth of atmospheric CO2. Fortuitously, bacteria, fungi, and other species evolved that could digest wood and return CO2 to the atmosphere. By burning fossil fuels, humans similarly help to replenish atmospheric CO2 after the concentration of this essential molecule got dangerously low (180 ppm) during the last glaciation. (Moore, The Positive Impact of Human CO2 Emissions on the Survival of Life on Earth, 2015)
Enhancing the natural process of sequestration by expanding and protecting forests and exploiting this renewable resource before it goes up in smoke is a cost-effective means of reducing CO2 levels (for those who care about that) and providing wood so humans can create beautiful and useful things like houses, pianos, and baseball bats. A win-win.
And it’s not just trees. A recent article demonstrated that the rise in atmospheric CO2 has yielded a 30 percent worldwide increase in plant growth since 1900, nearly double the previous estimate. The authors estimate that the additional biomass will, over this century, effectively counteract 17 years of human CO2 emissions, enough to satisfy the Paris Accord. (Haverd, “Higher Than Expected CO2 Fertilization Inferred from Leaf to Global Observations,” Global Change Biology, Feb 2020)
Trees are a great renewable resource for humanity.
Neal Stout | CharlevoixI think the dirt is black soot and not from U.S. power plants. Black soot is a much larger absorbent of the sun’s infrared radiation. Going after the wrong source of the melting, then immediately shutting down all the fossil fuel emissions in the United States, will do nothing to stop the global temperature rise by 1.5 degrees by 2300.
Neil Karl |
Is
Cathye Williams’ opinion column “Hug a Tree, Definitely” (May 1, 2023) made me think of an NBC TV news broadcast from April 21, 2023, that showed two video clips of glaciers melting, sloughing off into the sea.
An interesting observation is that both video clips showed dirty snow and ice falling into the sea. Is carbon dioxide causing the
The Michigan Brewers Guild Spring Beer Festival is back, baby! This big-time booze event on Saturday, May 13, brings together dozens of breweries to showcase 465+ beers, from sours to IPAs to rich stouts. You’ll find breweries attending from all over the state, including NoMi’s own Beards Brewery of Petoskey, Big Buck Brewery of Gaylord, Earthen Ales of Traverse City, Five Shores Brewing of Beulah, and many more. The festival is held at Turtle Creek Stadium in Traverse City, home of the Pit Spitters, and is in the great outdoors rain or shine, so be sure to dress for the weather. Tickets for 21+ attendees are $50 ($60 day of at the door, if tickets are still available), which gets you admission to the event plus 15 tokens for 3-ounce beer samples. If you’re not drinking but want to join the fun, you can purchase a $10 designated driver ticket. For more details and to purchase tickets, head to mibeer.com/events/ spring-beer-festival.
2 tastemaker Stone Hound’s Carrot Bowl
We won’t lie, we were pretty heartbroken when Rad.ish Street Food closed their Stone Hound Brewing Company location last fall. But the brewery took up the reins and has continued the legacy of creating delicious vegan eats in Williamsburg. The top recommendation from Stone Hound staff is the Carrot Bowl ($15), a flavor-packed dish that includes roasted carrots, pickled red onion, toasted chickpeas, and healthy doses of hummus, spinach, and quinoa. It’s all topped off with cilantro and a soy peanut dressing. Gobble up the whole thing guilt-free; it’s almost your whole day’s worth of veggies in one bowl! Add a pint of Stone Hound’s beer to the mix—we’re partial to Riley’s Strawberry Rhubarb Sour when spring arrives—and you’ve got yourself the perfect meal. Find the Carrot Bowl (and an A+ rotating tap selection) at Stone Hound Brewing Company 3593 Bunker Hill Road in Williamsburg. stonehoundbrewing.com
Changing up the months this year from June to May, Frankfort Elberta Restaurant Week runs May 7-13 for 2023. Enjoy $15 and $25 menu specials at participating restaurants, including The Hotel Frankfort, Birch & Maple, Stormcloud Brewing Company, Dinghy’s, The Scoop, and Dos Arboles. For a full list and more info, visit frankfortelbertarestaurantweek.com.
When we first meet the unnamed main character in Maggie Millner’s debut, Couplets: A Love Story, she’s in denial. A 20-something living in Brooklyn, she’s built a routine life with her longtime boyfriend that consists mostly of listening to NPR, eating veggies, and struggling as a poet. Since moving from the West Coast, though, she’s been quietly escaping into her dreams (which range from a tryst with a college roommate to the affections of older women), and, in the process, discovers a side of herself she never knew existed. Then she meets a woman at a bar and ditches her boyfriend, and suddenly that dream world is very real. Told through a series of rhyming couplets interspersed with delicate prose, Millner upends oldschool structures to cast new light on love and identity. Short and sweet—and definitely for grown-up readers who like their romantic tales with a side of heat—this story in verse took us less than a day to devour.
Need something unique to do with Mom on Mother’s Day this year? After you’ve celebrated with brunch, take her out on Old Mission Peninsula to Lighthouse Lavender Farm for their opening day and Mother’s Day Plant Sale. Why lavender? In addition to being a beautiful burst of purple in your landscaping and a yummy treat for bees, lavender is known for its soothing properties and is thought to help with better sleep, lower blood pressure, and reduced pain from common ailments like headaches. Shop live plants and other lavender-inspired goods to help Mom have a calm and stress-free year. (Or at least a calm and stress-free day—that’s the least we can do, right?) The farm will be open from 10am-6pm on Sunday, May 14. Find Lightwell Lavender at 2150 Carroll Road in Traverse City, and get more details on their Facebook page @LightwellLavenderFarm or at getlightwell.com.
The Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency (NMCAA) will be expanding their Laundry Project program—which offers families and individuals an opportunity to do their laundry for free at participating Traverse City laundromats—to include summer services this year. NMCAA credits “the increase in popularity and additional funds” for the expansion, as the program was intended to run only during the school year. Summer hours for the Laundry Project are 6am to 9am at Eastfield Laundry on 8th Street every second and fourth Thursday. There are no income limitations to participate in the program, but folks are asked to inform staff at the laundromat that you are participating in the Laundry Project and complete the sign-in sheet. (And speaking of staff, NMCAA is looking for volunteers for the summer Laundry Project!) To learn more, donate, or sign up to volunteer, head to nmcaa.net or call (231) 947-3780.
Have you seen the “Say No to Camp Grayling Expansion” signs that have popped up in yards lately? Last year, the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) had proposed leasing over 160,000 acres— double the size of the existing property—of state forest land adjacent to Camp Grayling, a National Guard training camp. The lease was intended to offer more space for “lowimpact military training activities.” Well, the signs have spoken. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced they will not be granting the lease to the DMVA, citing “public concerns and feedback from Tribal governments, coupled with our own review of the proposal” as the core reasons behind the decision. Those public concerns—which were aired over eight months of public meetings due to the volume of feedback—included issues with PFAS contamination around the camp, diminished property values, noise, and damage to environmental systems within the state lands. To learn more about the decision, head to michigan.gov/dnr.
Great cider starts in the orchard at Folklor Wine & Ciders, where fruit-growing team Izabela Babinska and Derrick Vogel use all-organic farming practices to let the flavors in their cold-hardy ferments shine. That’s why there is no shortage of apple goodness in their 2021 Sky Fruit sparkling cider. Made in pétillant naturel, or “pet-nat,” style (where fermentation is finished in the bottle), this rustic cider contains a blend of 16 apple varieties, including McIntosh, Golden Delicious, and Cortland, all of which contribute to its classically apple palette. The result is a gently-effervescent cider with subtle acid and a fruity-dry finish. It’s fresh, a little hazy, and it’s 100 percent Michigan. Grab a bottle for $25 at folklorwineandcider. com. Psst! This one does throw some sediment, so if you prefer a clearer cider, chill the bottle for a few minutes before serving. Find Folkor Wine and Cider at 16820 Ferry Road in Charlevoix. (231) 758-4740, folklorwinecider.com
VegMichigan is partnering with Confections With Convictions, a local chocolate shop that sells fair-trade, organic, locally-sourced treats. When you purchase any of their vegan chocolates between April 1 and May 15 using discount code Veg2023, you’ll receive a 10% discount and be giving a gift that represents your care for the bond between mother cows and their calves, justice for chocolate laborers, new beginnings for the shop’s employees and sustainability for the planet. Your purchase will also include this special Happy Mother’s Day card from VegMichigan!
To purchase vegan chocolates please visit: www.confectionswithconvictions.com/collections/vegan-collection To learn more about VegMichigan please visit: www.vegmichigan.org
Being a federal judge is a pretty good job that lasts forever.
Article III, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution says federal judges “…shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour…” The practical result is that judges essentially hold those offices regardless of their behavior.
The mechanism for removing them is impeachment and conviction, but in the entire history of our country, during which there have been thousands of federal judges, only 66 have even been investigated for the possibility of impeachment, only 15 have actually been impeached, and only eight have been convicted and removed from office.
At the very top of the federal judiciary, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), not a single justice has ever
resign from the court under the threat of impeachment. Though he always steadfastly denied the accusations, there was evidence he had agreed to receive annual payments from a shady financier in exchange for favorable treatment at the court.
All of this comes to mind as we discover more about the outside influences potentially infecting our current SCOTUS.
It’s already been widely reported that Clarence Thomas has received many millions of dollars worth of free luxury travel and gifts from billionaire Harlan Crow, who also financed an organization for Thomas’ wife and then paid her $120,000 annually to run it. We now also know Crow bought a house owned by Thomas, his mother, and his brother. Thomas justified it all by claiming he has a close personal friendship with Crow.
been removed via impeachment, and only one, Samuel Chase in 1805, has ever been impeached. Chase, accused of favoritism and bias, was acquitted by the Senate.
Only one sitting Supreme Court justice has ever been removed by any means. John Rutledge was a recess appointment— appointed while the Senate was in recess so they did not have the chance to confirm—of George Washington. The Senate returned somewhat cranky because Washington had circumvented them. They refused to confirm Rutledge and he lost his seat, the only justice ever to leave the court involuntarily.
It’s not as if every justice has been an ideal citizen. It’s just that it is very hard to get rid of those who are not.
James McReynolds, who was U.S. Attorney General under Woodrow Wilson and was appointed to SCOTUS in 1914 by Wilson, was not what you would call open-minded. Raised on a Kentucky plantation, he was an overt racist, sexist, and antisemite (he would leave the SCOTUS hearing room rather than listen to a Jewish lawyer) who served until his retirement in 1941. So detested by his colleagues was McReynolds that when he died in 1946, not a single SCOTUS justice attended his funeral. But he could not be removed from the court.
Hugo Black, considered one of the more influential members of SCOTUS during his 34 years on the bench, was nominated by Franklin Roosevelt. After his confirmation it was revealed he was a former member, organizer, and leader of a Ku Klux Klan chapter. He claimed he had reformed and stayed on the court despite his background.
Abe Fortas, a Lyndon Johnson nominee, became the first and only justice to
As has been previously reported, the Crow/ Thomas friendship did not begin until after Thomas had been on the court for five years.
Thomas is not the only justice who got a lucky house-selling break after being confirmed. Neil Gorsuch and partners owned acreage and a cabin in Colorado they had been trying to sell for two years. Nine days after he was confirmed, a lawyer working at the mega law firm of Greenberg Traurig, which appears frequently before SCOTUS, purchased the property. (During Gorsuch’s tenure, 12 cases have reached SCOTUS in which Greenberg Traurig either represented clients or had some affiliation with them. In those cases, Gorsuch voted favorably for Greenbereg Traurig interests eight times and against them four.)
Even Chief Justice John Roberts, who has otherwise been above reproach, now has questions to answer. His wife started a business after Roberts became chief justice in which she recruited lawyers for elite law firms, many of which had, or still have, business before SCOTUS. She was paid more than $10 million in commissions for her eight years of work.
You would think there must be some kind of conflict-of-interest rules for federal judges, and you would be right. There is, in fact, a federal statute requiring federal judges to recuse themselves from any case “…in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned.” But that rule does not apply to SCOTUS, which has almost no rules regarding ethics at all.
And it appears at least some members of the court, free from the consequences of their own behavior, are willing to take full advantage of a job without rules.
It’s not as if every justice has been an ideal citizen. It’s just that it is very hard to get rid of those who are not.
The story of humans has always been centered around food—what our ancestors ate, where they found it, and how we’ve turned it into the modern morsels we crave today. Where food is, we gather. We build meal traditions around birthdays, family gatherings, and potlucks with friends and colleagues.
So it’s no wonder that the perennial question when you’re planning an outing or invited to an event is, “Will there be food?”
The same question could be applied to your spring adventures in northern Michigan. Inevitably, someone in your group will wonder where the next place to stop and grab a bite will be. Luckily, with six locations and counting, Dunegrass knows all the high points for local fare across the region, making your pit stops much easier to plan.
Our go-to lately, Roasted Cafe, is just upstairs from the Dunegrass dispensary in Cadillac. As soon as you walk in, the scent of fresh-pressed espresso awakens your senses. Looking for breakfast eats? Try their signature Avocado Toast or the classic Lox Bagel. At lunch, we love the Chorizo Wrap with a hint of spice paired with a cup of soup. If you prefer an evening cocktail alongside a shared charcuterie appetizer, no worries—Roasted Cafe has that too.
If you are headed a little more UP there this spring—aka crossing the bridge to visit Marquette—we never miss a chance to stop at Lagniappe Cajun Creole Eatery, home to authentic Louisiana culinary classics like fried green tomatoes, gumbo, and jambalaya. (One visit will have you leaving with a Nawlins accent.) Food is an ingredient that binds us together—another ingredient is Dunegrass. (After all, we did perfect the art of baked goods.) Whatever your Up-North thing is, we are here to hook you up with the essentials and direct you to all the local hot spots.
As lifetime residents of northern Michigan, we have a home-grown view of Up-North experiences. From our perspective, “A Higher Latitude” refers to northern Michigan’s unique sense of place that is best enjoyed responsibly with friends. Scan the code below to find your next adventure.
Can the United States lay claim to being a civilized society if it cannot perform the basic job of keeping its children safe and alive?
America’s moronic love affair with guns— and the concomitant debasement of our democracy by deliberately misreading and distorting the Second Amendment—does not inspire confidence.
The evidence is incontrovertible: Gun violence in the U.S. is a clear and present threat to our safety and health. Our country has infamously laissez-faire firearms laws, more guns than people, and an increasing disregard for human life. Consider the evidence.
Since overtaking automobile accidents in 2020, guns in America are now the leading cause of death for children and teenagers.
The U.S. accounts for 97 percent of all gun-related child and teen deaths among similarly large and wealthy countries. Almost six in 100,000 American children ages one to 19 die from firearm violence. The next closest country is Canada at 0.8 children per 100,000. (Perhaps Canada’s proximity to the U.S. is hazardous to its children’s health.)
Living in America seems to become more hazardous daily, as harmless and routine activities can carry the risk of deadly retaliation in this country. Knocking on the wrong door can get you shot; mistaking a stranger’s car for your own can get you shot; honking your horn at other motorists can get you shot. Attending church, going nightclubbing, and even asking for directions can be fatal. Engaging in any of these activities can, and has, ended with fatal shootings.
While guns are the greatest threat to our children’s survival, incompetent leaders are a close second. Drivers’ licenses require greater qualifications than practicing politics. If one aspires to a career as an electrician or plumber, or any other valued profession, one must first earn a license. But what experience do our legislators have?
An Alabama senator’s last job was as a college football coach, (and not a great one at that). Georgia Congresswoman Greene has experience in the construction and fitness industries. Representative “Gym” Jordan last toiled as a high school wrestling coach. Noble professions no doubt, but what if, before qualifying to be a senator, representative, or (oh my) president, candidates were required to pass basic competency exams? Suppose basic understandings of constitution law, history, and economics were preconditions to holding political office?
To succeed in politics often seems to only require a questionable charisma and a gift of gab rather than substantive knowledge. It shouldn’t be asking too much of our leaders
that they serve with honor and principled commitments to, and an understanding of, the rule of law.
Any hope that one day our leaders would miraculously wake up and pass sensible gun regulations were dashed by the shallowness of the Lilliputian Leader of the House of Representatives. Following another senseless (is there any other kind?) mass shooting, a reporter asked Kevin McCarthy to comment. He replied with “No comment” and stormed off as if the intrepid reporter had insulted his rapidly diminishing manhood.
This unsettling episode recalled a quote from Epictetus’ Discourses: “What is it then to be properly educated? It is learning to apply our natural preconceptions to the right things according to Nature, and beyond that to separate the things that lie within our power from those that don’t.”
Using Epictetus’ measure as a point of reference, many of our political leaders appear poorly educated and unwilling to use the power of their office to protect the nation’s children. Example: Tennessee Rep. Burchett said of school shootings: “We’re not gonna fix it.” Instead, he said that the country needed more prayer and a “real revival” rather than gun control legislation. This politician has chosen the path of mediocrity.
As Seneca wrote in his moral letters, “… this sickness is an unrelenting distortion of judgment, so things that are only mildly desirable are vigorously sought after.”
It seems clear that too many individuals enter politics motivated by greed and the lust for power. When faced with a choice of doing good or doing well, they choose the latter. No wonder few leave politics in grave financial need. Public service can be lucrative!
This essay leans heavily on the Greek Stoics because they popularized the idea that all people are capable of moral growth, but it requires motivation, study, and practice. None of us are perfect—we all are capable of stupendous acts of stupidity (speaking from personal experience)—but we can change and become, per President Lincoln, “the better angels of our nature.”
We end this essay not with the Greek Stoics, but with the words of a great American, an ex-enslaved person, Frederick Douglass, who demonstrated through his life how motivation and hard work on one’s mind equal personal growth. Douglass possessed prescience, apparently anticipating our current dysfunctional political landscape. He wrote: “It’s easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
We cannot build strong children if we cannot keep them alive.
Isiah Smith, Jr. is a retired government attorney.
There was a time when finding international cuisine or plant-based menu items in northern Michigan was basically mission impossible. As the area’s status as a foodie destination has evolved, though, the selection of restaurants and dishes has diversified substantially. Today, it’s easy to find restaurants that suit virtually any diet and that span a huge range of food cultures from around the world.
That diversity of food options was our guiding light for this piece, the fifth installment in our ongoing series spotlighting northern Michigan’s most iconic, legendary dishes. The Northern Express team started this journey back in 2018, and has since had the opportunity to explore 19 of our favorite local dishes. We’ve dined out on burgers and sandwiches, directed your attention to some of the area’s best chicken entrees, sipped on the region’s finest soups, and debated whether a particularly hearty Bloody Mary counts as a “dish.”
What we haven’t done much of—until now—is delve into northern Michigan’s increasingly adventurous culinary side. With that realization in mind, here are five fishes we think everyone should try—whether they’re in your typical wheelhouse or not.
POZOLE VERDE/POZOLE ROJO
Maybe it’s because pozole has traditionally not been easy to find in northern Michigan. Maybe it’s the fact that Farm Club only serves it one day per week. Or maybe it’s how Farm Club’s homegrown ingredients bring about some of the best flavor combinations you’ll ever taste.
No matter the reason, the conclusion is the same: Farm Club’s pozole verde and pozole rojo are both out-of-this-world dishes.
A quick primer: Pozole is a cross between soup and stew that has a long history in Mexican culture and cuisine. The dish is made with hominy, which is field corn that has been processed through a time-intensive process called
nixtamalization. That process increases nutritional value and improves flavor and aroma, among other benefits. Hominy, plus a chile pepper broth, forms the basis of pozole, though the dish is also served with meat, other vegetables, herbs, and additional ingredients to round out the heartiness and flavor profile.
Three main varieties of pozole exist: green (verde), red (rojo), and white (blanco). Farm Club serves two of those—verde and rojo—on a rotating basis throughout the year. The pozole verde is made with all fresh ingredients, including sorrel, poblano, and jalapeño peppers, fresh cilantro, onion, and garlic, as well as with pork. The pozole rojo, meanwhile, is made largely from dried components—particularly a mix of dried chiles, including guajillo, Fresno, and New Mexico chiles—and is served with chicken.
Nic Theisen, who co-owns Farm Club, says he was inspired to bring pozole to the Farm Club menu after extensive travels in Mexico led him to fall in love with it.
“My wife, Sara and I spend a lot of time in Mexico,” Theisen explains. “We’ve bike-toured all over, I’ve been to all 32 states, and I speak Spanish fluently. I’ve also really developed a sincere love for the land and farming and for the food and people. Pozole, in particular, always struck me. It was always intriguing to me how the corn was prepared, because it’s not something you see much here in the States.”
That corn preparation, Theisen notes, is quite laborious and time-consuming— which, in Mexico, means the dish “is generally considered a celebratory food” for special occasions. At Farm Club, the preparation challenges mean pozole is only served one day a week, as a Thursday
special. And since ingredient availability varies throughout the year, Farm Club has a half-year rotation for pozole nights. In the summer and fall, when fresh chiles are readily available from Loma Farm (which the Theisens also own), pozole verde hits the menu. In the winter and spring, when those fresh ingredients run low, the Farm Club team reaches into their stores of dried chiles to whip up pozole rojo.
Theisen says customers tend to be pretty evenly split on which pozole they prefer. Some lean toward the “thicker” texture and “fresh, grassy flavor” of the pozole verde. Others prefer the “frothier” pozole rojo, with its “toastier” and “more concentrated” flavors. But both dishes are wildly popular: Farm Club regulars come out every Thursday for pozole night, with the dish selling out every week. That’s what we call legendary.
GRAIN BOWL
For a long time, being a vegan (or even a vegetarian) in northern Michigan wasn’t easy. For proof, just look at Northern Express’s past iconic eats selections. Decadent burgers and steaks? Cheesy soups? Meaty pizzas? Chicken pot pies and steak pasties? All super yummy, no doubt, but not exactly geared toward our veggie-eating readers.
Fortunately, plant-based options have been on the rise in northern Michigan over the past few years, with restaurants putting real effort and creativity into developing that side of their menu. This year, we knew we had to represent this growing (and delicious!) side of northern Michigan’s food scene, and that led us to Stormcloud Brewing Company’s sublime grain bowl.
According to Stormcloud co-owner Rick Schmitt, the brewery has been on a mission since 2013 to offer a varied and well-rounded menu with something for every customer, including those who shy away from the meat-heavy, dairy-rich dishes often found on brewpub menus.
“We knew from the beginning the we wanted to strive to provide vegetarian options made with locally-sourced ingredients,” Schmitt says. “And right around that time, there was a bit of a movement where restaurants like ours were seeing more and more requests for true vegan alternatives. So we experimented with several things, and through a series of test kitchens and trial and error, we eventually landed on this ancient grains grain bowl.”
The grain bowl is hearty, flavorful, and beautiful to look at, combining kale, red rice, red quinoa, black barley, edamame, cremini mushrooms, sesame seeds, almonds, bell pepper, mixed greens, and tahini dressing. (Be sure to pair it with one of Stormcloud’s Belgianinspired brews—in this case, the team specifically recommends the Whiled Away IPA.)
The dish isn’t just for vegans and vegetarians. While Schmitt says roughly 20 percent of Stormcloud’s clientele comes in looking for something that fits into those categories, he notes that the grain bowl regularly catches the eye of other types of customers as well. Sometimes, it’s folks who don’t consider themselves vegan but are looking for something a bit healthier than typical pub fare. Other times, customers will take advantage of the add-on protein options that Stormcloud offers for the grain bowl—chicken, bacon, or a fried egg— to un-veganize it.
Between all those groups, the grain bowl has become the type of signature dish that will likely always stay on the menu.
“We only added the grain bowl to the menu probably around 2019, but it’s been a staple ever since,” Schmitt says. “We have a lot of regular customers who always come in for the same thing, and there are a lot of regular customers that come in just to get the grain bowl.”
CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA WITH HOMEMADE NAAN
Speaking of food options that have historically been difficult to find in northern Michigan, Indian food has never exactly been one of the core cuisine categories for the region.
Thank goodness, then, for NJ’s Grocery, which is arguably the best-kept secret in local dining. At this little independent grocery store in Lake Leelanau, you can find a rich variety of authentic and tasty Indian dishes, prepared daily and conveniently packaged for grab-and-go enjoyment. Plus, the prices are so reasonable that you can buy dinner for the entire family and spend a fraction of what you would at a sit-down restaurant. What’s not to love?
The store is owned and run by a group of siblings who were born and raised in India. One of the siblings, Sam Chugh, manages the store. Another, Rosie Chugh, is the chef behind India’s Kitchen, the name for the part of the shop that whips up daily servings of Indian favorites like butter chicken, tandoori chicken, chicken korma, and shahi paneer. Frankly, you can’t go wrong with any of the recipes, though we’re partial to Rosie’s chicken tikka masala, best enjoyed with hot-out-of-the-oven naan bread.
Every day, Rosie takes the skills she learned from her mother while growing up in India and uses them to make from-scratch dishes in the small kitchen at the back of NJ’s Grocery. Notably, she works from memory and by feel, using neither recipe cards nor measuring cups. Even more impressive, Rosie does it all as a lifelong vegetarian who has never sampled so much as a bite of meat or fish.
That kind of innate cooking intuition is rare, and it makes NJ’s Grocery a must-visit destination if you’ve ever wondered what authentic, home-cooked food would actually taste like in India.
(You can even learn from Chugh’s well-seasoned expertise. NJ’s Grocery offers “cookery classes in Indian cuisine” for both individuals and groups. Learn more at njsgrocery.com/indiaskitchen.)
We know what you’re thinking: Does a pizza really belong amidst a series of northern Michigan’s more adventurous dishes? If you’ve ever been to Piper’s Mighty Good Pizza in Harbor Springs, though, then you already know the answer is yes. This award-winning pizzeria makes some of the most out-there pizza pies you will ever find on a menu.
Just how unusual are the pizzas at Piper’s? Well, get a load of the Krab Rangoon Pizza, described on the restaurant’s website as: “Made with our own krab and cream cheese dip, mozzarella, sesame seed crust. Topped with wontons, chives, a drizzle of sweet and sour sauce, and a fortune cookie on the side.” How weird and wonderful is that?
Piper’s also makes a “Chicken Cordon Bleu” pizza, a popular pie called “Brie’s Pizza” that uses spinach-artichoke dip as the sauce, and monthly specials like April’s “Ballparker,” a baseball-themed pizza made with a “cheesy-chili mix,” mozzarella and cheddar cheese, Polish sausage, fresh onions, and mustard; it’s like a loaded ballpark hot dog in the form of a pizza.
Our favorite Piper’s pizza—and the restaurant’s most (in)famous offering, according to founder and owner Doug Piper—is The Monster, a decadent one-size-fits-all pizza that weighs in at six pounds. Toppings include marinara sauce, pepperoni, ham, onions, green peppers, green olives, mushrooms, tomatoes, bacon, and a double helping of cheese. Add an extra thick crust—essential to make sure the pizza can support all those toppings—and you have a dish truly worthy of the name it was given.
“It’s so thick that we have to run it through the oven twice to make sure that all that dough is cooked,” Piper says with a laugh. “We like to challenge customers, as in, ‘Bet that the two of you can’t finish it!’ Because usually, it takes three or four guys to finish it. I’ve never seen anyone eat more than three pieces at once.”
In other words? If you’re really, really hungry—we’re talking “just ran a marathon and need to catch up on calories” hungry—you really can’t do better in northern Michigan than The Monster.
CHERRY CRUMB PIE
Let’s round this year’s list out with a bit of comfort food—and with a dish that we can’t believe we haven’t spotlighted already.
There might not be a single more “iconic” dish in northern Michigan than Grand Traverse Pie Company’s cherry crumb pie. From the National Cherry Festival to the baked goods department at Meijer, this pie is everywhere—and for good reason.
These days, the cherry crumb pie is the signature cherry pie of the Cherry Capital of the World. It wasn’t always this way, though, and Mike and Denise Busley—the founders and owners of Grand Traverse Pie Company—weren’t always pie people.
As Mike tells the story, the Busleys were living and working in California in the 1990s—him in the defense industry, her in medical sales—when they fell in love with a San Diego pie shop called the Julian Pie Company. They adored the pie so much that the Busleys decided to give up their careers, move to Michigan, and start a similar pie company right here in Traverse City. First, though, they needed to address one issue with their plan: They didn’t actually know anything about making pie.
Mike ended up connecting with Liz Smothers, the owner of the family-run Julian Pie Co., who agreed to provide a crash-course in running a pie business. Smothers assisted with the Busleys’ business plan, shared a few recipes, provided in-the-kitchen pie prep training, and even flew to Traverse City to help Mike and Denise get Grand Traverse Pie Company off the ground in July 1996.
Among the pearls of wisdom that Smothers shared with the Busleys was this: Making a good cherry crumb pie is virtually impossible.
“She never made cherry crumb pie,” Mike tells Northern Express. “She’d made apple crumb pie, and a few other varieties, but never a cherry crumb, because she was convinced that cherries are too juicy and it wouldn’t work. And heck, I’d never made a single pie before I met Liz, so who am I to argue with her?”
So when Grand Traverse Pie Co. first opened its doors, the pie that would eventually become its top seller wasn’t even on the menu. “We had a cherry pastry pie instead,” Mike says.
That cherry pastry pie was and is a robust seller. Unfortunately, it wasn’t something the Busleys could sell at the Cherry Festival. Back in those days, Sara Lee had an exclusive right to sell cherry pie at the Cherry Festival, which meant that Grand Traverse Pie needed to come up with an innovative plan if it wanted to take advantage of that (very lucrative) event opportunity. On the suggestion of his mother—who was at the time serving as bookkeeper for the business—Mike decided to give cherry crumb pie a shot.
“And lo and behold, it worked,” he says.
The exclusivity agreement with Sara Lee eventually went away, and today, it’s possible to sample cherry pies from a variety of different makers down at the Cherry Festival grounds each summer. Grand Traverse Pie Company’s Cherry Crumb Pie is the festival’s signature pie, though, as well as the calling card for the company that made it. Simply put, this pie tastes like summer (though we’re perfectly willing to eat it all year round).
The modern fine-dining eatery in Petoskey gears up for its second summer
By Karl KlockarsOpening a restaurant is a famously difficult proposition. Opening your first restaurant after building a reputation at Petoskey-area dining destinations like Tapawingo and Chandler’s? That sets the expectations bar pretty high. And then deciding to take the reins of a restaurant that has served generations of northern Michiganders for nearly a half-century?
The co-owners of Spring & Porter, Alyssa Harrold and Tommy Kaszubowski (who is also the executive chef), certainly know how to challenge themselves. But they’re rising to the occasion as they enter their second summer operating their restaurant at the site of the former Villa Ristorante Italiano, which operated for 45 years prior to closing in 2021.
“It was a leap of faith. I got to know a lot of people working downtown for 14 years, and I think reputation did carry us quite far,” Kaszubowski says. “It’s been a nice transition [and] the growing pains are kind of minimal.”
In addition to Kaszubowski’s extensive career in top-tier kitchens, Harrold also brings her own hospitality credentials to the table, which she didn’t earn solely in restaurants. After meeting Kaszubowski while waiting tables in 2009, Harrold pivoted to working as a probation officer for the last seven years. And if you think there’s a crossover between working with customers in restaurants and with people on probation, you’re right.
“It’s really about people skills and being genuine with individuals, and wanting the best for each person that you’re working with,” she says. “I found those skills really nicely transferred to one another.”
A Touch of Italian Transfer has been the name of the game. Villa Ristorante Italiano was—you guessed
it—an Italian spot, and Kaszubowski’s menu remains Italian-inspired while making its own mark.
“I love the flavors of Italy. Italy has about the best diversity of food you can find anywhere. So I really like using that, but not traditionally,” Kaszubowski says.
He jokes that there will probably never be a lasagna on his menu, nor seven pasta dishes. (Noodle lovers, adjust your expectations.) But Kaszubowski is committed to having a “touch of Italian” to elevate what he sees as a locallyfocused menu that allows him to be creative in the kitchen all year round.
Nevertheless, Fans of the Villa and Kaszubowski’s previous restaurant stints will still find some familiar dishes on the menu.
“For staple things, it’s been the spaghetti Bolognese and the halibut on risotto,” he says. “Those are two staple sellers which I’ve been known for over the years.” On the Villa side, Kaszubowski has kept a version of Pane con Aglio—essentially garlic toast ciabatta with roasted peppers, four cheeses, and balsamic vinegar—that “sells like crazy.”
“I didn’t know how it would mesh with what we’re doing, but it’s been really flying out here,” he says of the dish.
“What we’re doing” is also adding seafood to the menu, including some items that might be a little foreign to some diners.
“Octopus has done well, which is surprising; we do a grilled octopus dish with white beans that has been on for a while now. I always have found that Petoskey is a seafood town, especially in the summertime,” Kaszubowski says.
Other frutti di mare items that jump off the menu—at least for us hungry writers— include oysters on the half shell and the Day Boat Sea Scallops, prepared with crispy
prosciutto, confit garlic, broccoli, and wild mushrooms. Landlubbers can opt for the Pesto & Fontina Crusted Chicken Breast, a thigh cut with red bell pepper fondue and potato gnocchi, while vegetarians will enjoy the Arancini (crispy fried parmesan risotto) and the Cheese Platter with a variety of cheese, fruit, nuts, and spreads.
New for this year is a freshly-revamped craft cocktail menu. While the Spring and Porter team did acquire an expansive wine cellar from the Villa (more on that below), Kaszubowski and Harrold want to showcase some other beverage options beyond a vintage old-world wine.
“The cocktail push has been just to match
with what our customers want,” Harrold says. “Tommy is really focused on customer service, [and] people want craft cocktails right now. And that’s their first taste of the restaurant, because you usually order drinks before you get your wine with dinner. So we want to have that first taste matching the food.”
Which is not to say that wine is an afterthought. “Alex [Czinki, previous owner of the Villa] purchased amazing wines, and we’re very fortunate to have that be our backdrop for our wine cellar,” Kaszubowski says. “A lot of those wines are going to age really well, so for me, we’re really creeping in the other world wines—we’ve got a lot of Napa cabs coming on board. But we’re always
going to have those big brunellos and barolos for our high-end wine list as well.”
Still, with all of those adjustments, the biggest change to the restaurant actually didn’t happen in the kitchen or behind the bar. It doesn’t even have anything to do with a customer’s sense of taste or smell—it’s a change to what you hear.
“We’ve been filling the place, so it got really loud in there,” Kaszubowski says. “We had to do the sound paneling in the ceiling, and that changed the whole dynamics of the restaurant.”
“We did not know that people would come in and be like, ‘It’s so loud in here,’” Harrold says. “I had no idea because when we took over, Alex never let the building fill. So we had every seat filled in the restaurant and it was … energetic, or lively, as I would tell guests. So we worked with a downstate acoustical engineer to craft new ceilings so it would look like shiplap paneling. It’s actually the most expensive, worthwhile investment we’ve made. It’s beautiful, [and it] softened the room. It was amazing. It’s really improved the
atmosphere of our space.”
Kaszubowski and Harrold have learned that those details—big or small—make a major difference for customers and staff alike. And after running his own restaurant for a year, Kaszubowski says he definitely has an appreciation for what it takes to run it for much longer than that.
45 years gets all the praise in the world I did spend a lot of time with [Alex] while we were waiting for the liquor license to transfer [and] seeing all of what he put into this place and knowing that I wholeheartedly also want to do that at this place, he and I really connected well,” Kaszubowski says. “He knew I could put my heart and soul into it, which he did too.”
commonality between the owners of both generations of restaurateur: “We will be dragging [Tommy] out at [age] 85, saying, ‘You can’t cook any more!’” decades to go before that day comes.)
F Petoskey. (231) 347-1440, springandporter.
SATURDAY MAY 20, 2023 4PM—7PM
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CHARCUTERIE
BY
Walloon Lake
Tucked on the southeast shoreline of Walloon Lake, Barrel Back Restaurant is a lakeside diner’s dream. Guests come in all seasons for the view and the atmosphere—think panoramic, floor-toceiling windows and a fire crackling in the center of the dining room—but they stay for the extensive tap list, wine offerings, and heartwarming menu prepared in the restaurant’s wood-fired rotisserie smoker, oven, and grill.
“We’re known for our slow-cooked meats, brisket, chicken, and ribs,” says Hotel Walloon Sales and Marketing Manager Emily Jensen.
On the Menu
The aroma of Barrel Back’s smoked meats and wood-fired pizzas hit you as soon as you enter their cozy dining room, and the menu embodies the essence of comfort food. The best-selling winter dishes are exactly what you crave after a frigid day on nearby slopes and trails: house-smoked brisket, chicken wings, and a beer-battered whitefish sandwich, to name a few.
Their wood-fired pizzas run the gamut, from the more traditional BBQ Chicken and Mediterranean to the Beer Cheese (Stella Artois beer cheese, bacon, and jalapeños) and Ryker’s Island (pepperoni, pineapple, coconut cream sauce, pickled jalapeños, red onion, and “sweet and spicy” coconut glaze). The menu rounds out with gourmet salads topped with fresh cheeses, veggies, nuts, and proteins. We like the West Arm, which has bacon, bleu cheese, avocado, apples, and garden greens dressed in a sugarcane vinaigrette.
And don’t miss the breakfast offerings, which feature all the classics, from Eggs Benedict to French Toast to Buttermilk Pancakes. You’ll also find some specialties— the Brisket Poutine stands out with its cracked pepper gravy, as does the Breakfast Quesadilla packed with scrambled eggs, veggies, Plath’s smoked bacon, and a cilantro-lime sour cream.
Find Barrel Back Restaurant at 4069 M-75 in Walloon Lake. (231) 535-6000, barrel-back.com
By Northern Express Staff & ContributorsWith winter in the rearview, it’s time to start daydreaming about dining on patios, enjoying a glass of wine by the fire pit, and getting the first tastes of the spring harvest on local menus. During the colder months, these restaurants offered a respite from the chill and the snow, and now they’re ready to burst out of hibernation and welcome you to the table.
When Brooklyn Hall originally had the thought to bake and sell her family’s pepperoni rolls, it was as part of an assignment to finish her high school education. She didn’t anticipate the wild success she would experience or the remarkable growth that would occur when Traverse City residents couldn’t get enough of her delicious food.
Today, Brooklyn works at and runs a restaurant with her mother and older sister, Maddy, where they’ve expanded their menu to not only include the pepperoni rolls that started it all but also from-scratch pizzas, subs, salads, soups, and more.
On the Menu
Outside of the well-known rolls, Brooklyn’s also offers Chicago-style stuffed deep dish pizza, calzones, thin-crust pizza, garlic knots, and cheesy breadsticks. There are even gluten-free pizzas, plus a new array of sub sandwiches that have been receiving glowing reviews from customers. For lighter fare, the Hall women also whip up salads and soups that have garnered their own devoted fan base.
It all starts with top-notch ingredients, which are mostly organic, and making everything from the dough to the bread to the sauces by hand. Dressings, soups, desserts, salads, you name it—the Hall team makes it themselves. They even shred their own cheese to ensure the flavors are fresh and the cheese is nothing short of perfectly gooey (they use fresh and brick mozzarella).
The deep-dish pizzas are baked to order, so call ahead to make sure it’s ready for you to pick up. Discounted meal deals and online-only specials—like the Family Meal Deal (a six-pack of pepperoni rolls, a large salad, and a cheese-stuffed deep-dish pizza for just $55)—are a great way to save a bit of cash if you’re placing a large order
Find Brooklyn’s Pepperoni Rolls at 2036 West South Airport Road. (231) 642-5001, brooklynstc.com
Patrick and Michael Evans are not your typical brothers. Both graduates of the Great Lakes Culinary Institute (GLCI), the two have been cooking for most of their lives and share a background in haute cuisine.
Their new Szechuan restaurant, Crocodile Palace, was named in homage to several of the pair’s go-to San Francisco spots, and the menu is inspired by dishes they loved enough to replicate while also offering a style of cooking not easily found in northern Michigan.
The menu features a selection of Chinese and Szechuan-inspired fare—cuisine from China’s Sichuan Province, known for its use of garlic and chilis—and is largely based on traditional street food to make each dish more approachable.
The team has pared down their menu to a handful of elevated plates. Of these, the Dan Dan Noodles ($15) are a fan favorite: a deliciously-tingly ramen dish featuring numbing bark spices and rich ground pork, topped with pickled vegetables and tahini.
Patrick Evans says the unsung hero of the menu is the Beef Tendon Salad ($10). A riff on a similar dish he discovered at Shanghai Dumpling King in California, Crocodile Palace’s iteration features braised and paper-thin beef tendon slices accompanied by shaved celery with sesame, cilantro, peanut, and plenty of seasoning.
“I can’t think of anywhere else in Michigan that has something like that on the menu,” he says. “It makes me really happy that people are responsive and willing to try something new.”
Other menu standouts include the Salted Cod and Chicken Fried Rice ($12) and the Boiled Pork Wontons ($12). Stuffed with pork and napa cabbage and served with black vinegar and chili oil, the wontons are surprisingly simple. “But once you top [them] with the scallions and cilantro, it becomes this whole different thing,” Evans adds.
Find Crocodile Palace at 124 Cochlin Street in Traverse City. (231) 421-3555, crocodilepalace.com
Six years: That’s how long it took for Loco Boys Brewing Company to evolve from the germ of an idea into a full-fledged business. Traverse City’s newest craft brewery and restaurant is officially up and running, slinging fromscratch Mexican food and unique beers from its space near Slabtown.
Perhaps above all else, Loco Boys Brewing is a love letter to owner Mike Mohrhardt’s heritage. The name, he says, is both a play on the phrase “local boys” and a tribute to his Mexican grandmother. Other elements of the business, from a tap list of original beers heavily influenced by Mexican and California brewing styles to a scratch kitchen that focuses on authentic Mexican cuisine, also pay homage to the Mohrhardts’ heritage.
On the Menu
Mole (pronounced MOE-lay, mole is a term used in Mexican cuisine to describe a type of sauce) appears twice on the current Loco Boys menu—first in an appetizer called Mole Bravas, which tops crispy potatoes with a mole poblano sauce; and second in the restaurant’s flagship entrée, Enchiladas de Mole Poblano, described as “pulled chicken in corn tortillas, scratch mole poblano, with steamed rice and refried beans.”
“That’s one of the dishes that I’m most proud of,” Mohrhardt says of the enchiladas.
On the beer side, you’ll find creations like the Dirty Over the Shoulder, a golden milk stout that boasts all the rich, sweet, creamy, and coffee-tinged flavors of a stout beer, but that pours with a golden hue more associated with IPAs or amber ales. The well-rounded beer menu ranges from Mexican-inspired recipes (a Mexican lager, a habanero chocolate porter) to familiar staples (a variety of IPAs, an English brown ale).
Find Loco Boys Brewing Company at 901 W Front St. in Traverse City. (231) 252-2378, locoboysbrewing.com
Named for its parcel’s terraced descent down to Little Traverse Bay, the Terrace Inn and
its attached eatery—now known as 1911 Restaurant—were first established when affluent banker William DeVol and his wife, Josephine, chose to expand their Bay View cottage property by purchasing the land behind it. Billed as a luxury of its time, their hotel opened in 1911.
Historical details are deliberate in the attached 1911 Restaurant. Housed in the 2,000-square-foot space that once served as the Terrace Inn’s canteen, the eatery consists of an indoor dining room complete with historic buffet and seating, as well as a patio and covered terrace, all of which encompass the flavor of an early 20th century meal.
On the Menu
Helmed by executive chef Andy Carlson, the restaurant’s menu rotates seasonally and features regional American recipes designed to please a diverse clientele. For Carlson, this means simple plates prepared to the highest possible standard. Of these, the MaplePlanked Whitefish ($33) is a standout, which chefs encrust in parmesan and serve alongside duchess potatoes with lemon and house-made caper aioli.
The Great Lakes Walleye ($35), is another bestseller, which is sourced from John Cross Fisheries and crusted in crispy lemon-panko with lemon beurre blanc and vegetable risotto. Carlson also underscores the signature Schnitzel and Spaetzle ($35), which pairs pecan-crusted chicken breast with root vegetables and local cherry gastrique.
Unlike their 20th-century counterparts, modern diners enjoy a cocktail or glass of wine with their meal, courtesy of the subtle but well-stocked bar installed in 2007. In the summer months, the eatery also offers live guitar music on the terrace.
“This is a destination for people to spend some time entertaining guests, having conversations, and actually enjoying their food,” says Carlson.
Find The Terrace Inn and 1911 Restaurant at 1549 Glendale Ave. in Petoskey. (231) 3472410, theterraceinn.com
Sometimes a name just sticks. Even after the Kingsley Inn was sold in 2020 and was briefly renamed the Judson Market and Restaurant, the place was still known to locals by its old name—or its nickname, KI, for short.
That name is back for good. Today, new owners Brian McAllister, his wife Laurie Bouwman, and their son Max have reopened the new/old Kingsley Inn. The restaurant had its first day just in time for the St. Patrick’s Day crowds on March 17, offering the same high standards—and some menu favorites—that can be found at the McAllister family’s Hofbrau Steak House and American Grille in Interlochen.
“There are always some tweaks, but by and large, [we had] a very successful opening,” Max says of the restaurant’s unveiling. “We had a great response from the community. Off the top of my head, I’d say we served about 250 people.”
The KI menu is described by Max as “elevated home cooking” and “99 percent from scratch.”
Diners can expect to see Hofbrau dishes like the Mile High Ribeye, topped with haystack onions and served with fried smashed potatoes and garden vegetable; or
the slow-roasted Half Slab of Ribs, dipped in house marinade, char-grilled to order, and then covered with house-made BBQ sauce. Or choose KI’s Homemade Meatloaf with from-scratch beef gravy or the Loaded Mac & Cheese, heavy with bacon, ham, and homemade cheddar mac sauce.
You’ll also find sandwiches (the best Reuben!) and yummy apps, including Irish Nachos, aka crisp waffle fries with beer cheese and bacon.
The full-service bar features eight craft beers on tap, a robust wine list, and a sophisticated selection of hand-crafted cocktails, like the Lavender Lemongrass Martini and the Traverse City Cherry Mule.
Find the Kingsley Inn at 211 East Main St. in Kingsley. (231) 263-8128.
Cadillac
With its extensive American menu, lakeside setting, and friendly service, Burke’s Waterfront is a popular stopover for hungry tourists motoring along Route 115 through the outskirts of Cadillac.
The dining room windows afford panoramic views of Lake Cadillac; an outdoor deck, popular in the summer and fall, brings customers closer to the water’s edge. Guests enjoy frequent sightings of wildlife, including eagles, otters, muskrats, and jumping fish.
“The lake is busy all year,” says Mary Burke, who opened the nautical-themed restaurant with her late husband, Larry, nearly four decades ago.
That longevity for a restaurant is no easy feat. Burke attributes the casual restaurant’s success to that extensive menu—“there’s something for everyone.”
The restaurant’s hearty breakfasts— everything from overstuffed country omelets to eggs benedict to lumberjack-inspired eggs, meat, and sides—have cultivated a loyal following of locals, hunters, snowmobilers and boaters, as well as the after-church crowd on Sundays.
The lunch and dinner menus are a smorgasbord of American classics, including various hamburgers, Reuben, patty melt, classic club, Monte Cristo, and wraps. Entrees offer chicken, shrimp, seafood, and pasta dishes. And then there are salads and a selection of Mexican fare with burritos, enchiladas, tacos, and fajitas.
The menu standouts, known as the “Lumberjack’s Choice,” are the prime rib— fresh every day—and the steaks, which include a 12-ounce NY strip, a blackened 14-ounce ribeye, and an eight-ounce sirloin. The prime rib is hand-cut, marinated by hand, and slow-roasted in low temperatures.
The seafood offerings, “Neptune’s Net,” include maple-glazed salmon, herb-crusted walleye, Michigan whitefish (from Lake Superior), and jumbo Gulf shrimp.
Noteworthy, too, is a selection known as “Lola’s Favorites.” Lola was Mary Burke’s mother-in-law, whom she describes as a fabulous cook. The recipes were Lola’s, and choices include Country Fried Steak, Roasted Turkey Dinner, Roasted Beef Dinner, and “To Die For” Liver.
Find Burke’s Waterfront at 2403 Sunnyside Dr. in Cadillac. (231) 775-7555, burkeswaterfront.com
MAY
BY ROB BREZSNY
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A famous football coach once said his main method was to manipulate, coax, and even bully his players into doing things they didn't like to do. Why? So they could build their toughness and willpower, making it more likely they would accomplish formidable feats. While this may be an approach that works for some tasks, it's not right for many others. Here's a further nuance: The grind-it-out-doing-unpleasant-things may be apt for certain phases of a journey to success, but not for other phases. Here’s the good news, Taurus: For now, you have mostly completed doing what you don't love to do. In the coming weeks, your freedom to focus on doing fun things will expand dramatically.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Losing something we value may make us sad. It can cause us to doubt ourselves and wonder if we have fallen out of favor with the Fates or are somehow being punished by God. I’ve experienced deflations and demoralizations like that on far more occasions than I want to remember. And yet, I have noticed that when these apparent misfortunes have happened, they have often opened up space for new possibilities that would not otherwise have come my way. They have emptied out a corner of my imagination that becomes receptive to a fresh dispensation. I predict such a development for you, Libra.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Kissing is always a worthy way to spend your leisure time, but I foresee an even finer opportunity in the coming weeks: magnificent kissing sprees that spur you to explore previously unplumbed depths of wild tenderness. On a related theme, it's always a wise self-blessing to experiment with rich new shades and tones of intimacy. But you are now eligible for an unusually profound excursion into these mysteries. Are you bold and free enough to glide further into the frontiers of fascinating togetherness?
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632–1723) worked at a variety of jobs. He sold cloth. He was a land surveyor and bookkeeper. He managed the household affairs of his city’s sheriffs, and he supervised the city’s wine imports and taxation. Oh, by the way, he also had a hobby on the side: lensmaking. This ultimately led to a spectacular outcome. Leeuwenhoek created the world’s first high-powered microscope and was instrumental in transforming microbiology into a scientific discipline. In accordance with astrological omens, propose we make him your inspirational role model in the coming months, Sagittarius. What hobby or pastime or amusement could you turn into a central passion?
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I wonder if you weren't listened to attentively when you were a kid. And is it possible you weren't hugged enough or consistently treated with the tender kindness you deserved and needed?
I'm worried there weren't enough adults who recognized your potential strengths and helped nurture them. But if you did indeed endure any of this mistreatment, dear Capricorn, I have good news. During the next 12 months, you will have unprecedented opportunities to overcome at least some of the neglect you experienced while young. Here's the motto you can aspire to: "It's never too late to have a fruitful childhood and creative adolescence."
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): As I've explored the mysteries of healing my traumas and disturbances over the past 20 years, I've concluded that the single most effective healer can work with is my own body. Expert health practitioners are crucial, too, but their work requires my body's full, purposeful, collaborative engagement. The soft warm animal home I inhabit has great wisdom about what it needs and how to get what it needs and how to work with the help it receives from other healers. The key is to refine the art of listening to its counsel. It has taken me a while to learn its language, but I’m making good progress. Dear Aquarius, in the coming weeks, you can make great strides in developing such a robust relationship with your body.
PISCES (Feb 19-March 20): Can we surmise what your life might be like as the expansive planet Jupiter rumbles through your astrological House of Connections and Communications during the coming months? I expect you will be even more articulate and persuasive than usual. Your
ability to create new alliances and nurture old ones will be at a peak. By the way, the House of Communications and Connections is also the House of Education and Acumen. So I suspect you will learn a LOT during this time. It's likely you will be brainier and more perceptive than ever before. Important advice: Call on your waxing intelligence to make you wiser as well as smarter.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): All of us are always telling ourselves stories—in essence, making movies in our minds. We are the producer, the director, the special effects team, the voice-over narrator, and all the actors in these inner dramas. Are their themes repetitious and negative or creative and life-affirming? The coming weeks will be a favorable time to work on emphasizing the latter. If the tales unfolding in your imagination are veering off in a direction that provokes anxiety, reassert your directorial authority. Firmly and playfully reroute them so they uplift and enchant you.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Most of us have an area of our lives where futility is a primary emotion. This may be a once-exciting dream that never got much traction. It could be a skill we possess that we’ve never found a satisfying way to express. The epicenter of our futility could be a relationship that has never lived up to its promise or a potential we haven't been able to ripen. Wherever this sense of fruitlessness resides in your own life, Gemini, have an interesting prediction: During the next 12 months, you will either finally garner some meaningful fulfillment through it or else find a way to outgrow it.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Many of us Cancerians have high levels of perseverance. Our resoluteness and doggedness may be uncanny. But we often practice these subtle superpowers with such sensitive grace that they're virtually invisible to casual observers. We appear modest and gentle, not fierce and driven. For instance, this is the first time I have bragged about the fact that have composed over 2,000 consecutive horoscope columns without ever missing a deadline. Anyway, my fellow Crabs, I have a really good feeling about how much grit and determination you will be able to marshal in the coming months. You may break your own personal records for tenacity.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Why do migrating geese fly in a V formation? For one thing, it conserves their energy. Every bird except the leader enjoys a reduction in wind resistance. As the flight progresses, the geese take turns being the guide in front. Soaring along in this shape also seems to aid the birds’ communication and coordination. I suggest you consider making this scenario your inspiration, dear Leo. You are entering a phase when synergetic cooperation with others is even more important than usual. If you feel called to lead, be ready and willing to exert yourself—and be open to letting your associates serve as leaders. For extra credit: Do a web search for an image of migrating geese and keep it in a prominent place for the next four weeks.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I boldly predict that you will soon locate a missing magic key. Hooray! It hasn't been easy. There has been luck involved, but your Virgo-style diligence and ingenuity has been crucial. also predict that you will locate the door that the magic key will unlock. Now here’s my challenge: Please fulfill my two predictions no later than the solstice. To aid your search, meditate on this question: "What is the most important breakthrough for me to accomplish in the next six weeks?”
Creme de la Weird
For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, a ritual event took place at the Sensoji Temple in Tokyo on April 22, The Guardian reported. The traditional "crying sumo" event features pairs of infants, held up by the parents facing each other, who are frightened into crying by staff wearing "oni" demon masks. The first baby to cry wins the match. "We can tell a baby's health condition by listening to the way they cry," said Hisae Watanabe, mother of an 8-month-old. "I want to hear her healthy crying." Crying sumo events are held throughout the country. "In Japan, we believe babies who cry powerfully also grow up healthily," explained Shigemi Fuji, chairman of the Asakusa Tourism Federation, which organized the event.
Clothing Optional
Police in Mesa, Arizona, responded to the One Life Church on April 16 after receiving a call about a naked man in the church's baptismal fountain, AZCentral reported. Officers said Jeremiah Sykes, 20, was asked to leave repeatedly but wouldn't comply; he then wrapped himself in a blanket and wandered about the property. Sykes told officers he was baptizing himself. During his booking procedure, he punched two officers, compounding his charges.
Wrong Place, Wrong Time
Shivdayal Sharma, 82, died in a freak accident in the Alwar region of India on April 19, LBC reported. As Sharma urinated near a train track, a Vande Bharat express train struck a cow, launching it 100 feet into the air before it landed on him. Sharma was killed instantly, and another man narrowly escaped being hit also. Ironically, Sharma worked at Indian Railways before retiring 23 years ago. Officials are calling for metal fencing to keep cows away from the tracks, along with the removal of garbage and vegetation.
The Blackpool Zoo in England is hiring! Wanted: "A team of people to join our Visitor Services team as 'Seagull Deterrents.'" You, too, can dress up in a large bird costume and scare away pesky seagulls, which steal food from both visitors and animal enclosures. The Daily Mail reported that candidates must be "outgoing, as you need to be comfortable wearing a bird costume," and hours will be variable.
On April 19, Viktoria Nasyrova, 47, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced to 21 years in prison for a bizarre plot she cooked up against a lookalike friend from Ukraine, NBC News reported. Nasyrova wanted to avoid being sent back to Russia, where she faced charges in a 2014 murder, according to the Queens district attorney's office. So in 2016, she laced a cheesecake with phenazepam, a powerful toxin found only in Russia, and fed it to her "friend." The victim survived, but her Ukrainian passport and $4,000 in cash were stolen. Nasyrova's attorney said that she will likely be deported after serving her sentence.
In Carmarthenshire, Wales, residents have responded to the condition of a rural road that they describe as the "worst in the county" with a clever road sign, Wales Online
reported on April 27. "Caution: Remove dentures. Adjust bra straps. Secure your nuts," the sign reads. Abergorlech Road is full of potholes, and while some have been filled, residents believe "the road is so worn and damaged that it requires complete resurfacing in many places," a spokesman said. "Whilst the sign is intended to be funny, the constant wear and tear on our vehicles is a real issue."
The Carmarthenshire Council contends that there is no money budgeted for resurfacing, but residents say it's "ironic that the police can check our vehicles to ensure that they're safe for the road, but no one is ensuring that the road is safe for our vehicles." Maybe it's time to call the Terminator.
Awesome!
Seventh-grader Dillon Reeves of Warren, Michigan, is being hailed as a hero after he came to the rescue of a wayward school bus on April 26, ABC News reported. Reeves noticed as he was riding the bus home from school that the driver was "in distress." Superintendent Robert D. Livernois said the student "stepped to the front of the bus and helped bring it to a stop without incident. I could not be prouder of his efforts." The bus driver had lost consciousness; emergency personnel tended to the driver, and students were delivered home on another bus.
King Charles III's coronation is only days away, and while the royal family will be shuttled to and fro in gold-clad carriages drawn by fine white horses, the average Londoner will be on foot. Or ... you can hire a horse-and-carriage Uber! Metro News reported on April 27 that the Coronation Carriage will operate May 3 through 5 in Dulwich Park in London; the fancy carriage is fashioned after the royal vehicle and features a plush interior with embroidered cushions and throws. Even more posh, Uber will donate money from the rides to Spana, a U.K. charity that supports the welfare of working animals.
The Madison County (Texas) Sheriff's Office is investigating the mysterious mutilations and deaths of six cows spread over three counties, Fox News reported on April 22. The cows were found along a highway with their tongues cut out, but strangely, no blood had been spilled and there were no signs of the cattle struggling. Furthermore, investigators said, the carcasses had lain undisturbed by scavengers for several weeks. All the cows were found in the same position: lying on their side, with the face cut along the jawline and the tongue neatly removed. There were no discernable tracks in the area, sheriff's officers said. They're working with other law enforcement agencies across the U.S. to identify similar incidents.
The Coniston Tavern in Nuneaton, England, is allegedly haunted by the ghost of a former drinker there, according to the landlord, Andy Gadsby. Fox News reported that on April 24, CCTV video captured an incident where a beer glass suddenly exploded, showering three pals with shards of glass. Earlier, at the same table, a different customer's glass suddenly slid to the floor. Gadsby said the ghost is Dave, who used to live in an apartment above the pub. "One night he drank a bottle of brandy and had a heart attack and died," Gadsby said. "Maybe his spirit is around the pub and he's desperately trying to pinch people's drinks. The two incidents have spooked people out."
flown
May 8 »
June 18
Fresh Crawfish
MENU SAMPLING:
Crawfish Risotto
Crawfish Boil
Cajun Popcorn
Warm Crawfish Salad
Crawfish Grits
Crawfish Etouffee
Mudbug Patty Melt
SPECIAL LIBATIONS:
Crawtini
In person at the City Opera House (+ livestreamed)
Guest host Kal Penn
I Have Something To Tell You—For Young Adults
is an adaptation of the hopeful, and refreshingly candid memoir by Chasten Buttigieg. With honesty, courage, and warmth, Chasten relays his experience of growing up gay in Traverse City and embracing his identity, while inspiring young people across the country to do the same.
Event Underwriters: Susan & Al Cogswell Literary Sponsors: Bay Books, GT Regional Community Foundation
MAY 12, 7PM • CITY OPERA HOUSE
Doors open at 6pm with live music & cash bar For details visit NationalWritersSeries.org
by Barbara Stamiris
If you visualize our water planet from afar, sending oil through Earth’s largest freshwater system is unfathomable. Even in 1953, using the Great Lakes as a shortcut for Canadian oil was senseless, except to the oil company.
A 2,000-mile Enbridge pipeline carries Alberta oil from western to eastern Canada, cutting through the U.S. midway. The Line 5 section has leaked 33 times across Michigan carrying oil to Sarnia. Now 70 years old, Line 5 is the world’s most dangerous pipeline due to its degraded condition and its position among our unique Great Lakes.
At Senator Peters’ 2018 Anchor Strike Hearing, experts called the Mackinac Straits “the worst location in the U.S. for an oil pipeline.” Its condition in this sensitive location makes Line 5 the most dangerous pipeline in the U.S. and in the world. No other pipeline endangers 20 percent of Earth’s freshwater, 700 miles of shoreline, and the drinking water of 40 million. Yet Enbridge chooses the 70-year-old Great Lakes route instead of its seven-year-old land-based route to Sarnia.
Why is Line 5 so dangerous? In a busy shipping lane, anchor strikes are inevitable. Warnings are ineffective, since dropping anchor is an emergency measure. In 2018, the anchor that struck Line 5 was dragged unknowingly, and a blizzard delayed inspection.
The Straits’ currents, 10 times stronger than Niagara Falls, scoured away Line 5’s bottomland support. As a result, Line 5 requires 219 remedial supports which suspend it, causing new problems. Line 5 now sways in the currents, causing bending and vibrational stress. A suspended pipeline represents a completely new design, requiring engineering review and approval that it never got.
When the pipeline rubbed against the supports, its safety coatings were scraped off—damage Enbridge failed to report for three years. In 2020, extensive damage to one of the supports led to months of shutdown. Enbridge said its own vessel caused the isolated incident, yet forceful currents from record-high lake levels could have caused the displacement and affected other supports.
But most importantly, suspension makes Line 5 more vulnerable to anchor strikes.
When Gov. Whitmer ordered Line 5 shut down in 2020 to protect the Great Lakes, Enbridge sued to keep it operating. While Enbridge lawsuits drag on, Line 5—well beyond its 50-year design life—continues to bring in billions by operating in defiance of the state order.
(An Enbridge pipeline around the lakes, rebuilt and expanded after the Kalamazoo
spill, reopened in 2015 with excess capacity, but Enbridge chooses the Great Lakes route.)
Another strategy that keeps Line 5 operating is promising a tunnel. Knowing Line 5 is obsolete, Enbridge said a tunnel would replace it by 2024, but the Army Corps has announced a delay in its review which pushed tunnel completion to 2030. So if the tunnel is approved, Line 5 would be nearing 80 years old. If the tunnel is not approved, Enbridge has said it will continue to operate old Line 5. Enbridge has no decommissioning date.
Enbridge publicly promotes a tunnel as the solution for Line 5, but its internal plans differ. In the 2018 tunnel agreement with outgoing Gov. Snyder, Enbridge made sure it could back out without penalty—a wise move since an oil tunnel is not a safe investment today. This may explain why Enbridge’s Board of Directors has not approved the tunnel and no money is allocated for a tunnel in its annual Security & Exchange Commission Reports meant to inform shareholders of upcoming projects.
While Enbridge avoids risk, taxpayers must fund years of state and federal review for a tunnel unlikely to be built.
In Ottawa this past March, Biden told Trudeau we’re “two countries with one heart.” If the Great Lakes are that heart, warnings of a deteriorated anchor-struck pipeline, like warnings of a heart attack, cannot be ignored. And yet mention of Line 5 was politely avoided.
Biden remained silent about Trudeau siding with Enbridge by invoking a 1977 treaty. The treaty asserts that Line 5 can’t be shut down by Michigan, that the U.S. must transport Canada’s oil against our own environmental and economic interests.
When Canada’s interests collide with U.S. interests, silence is not an option. Doing nothing leaves Enbridge calling the shots. Biden can revoke the permit for Line 5— and save the Great Lakes—if he acts before it’s too late.
National Geographic says the Great Lakes are “the irreplaceable fragile ecosystem… that our planet needs to survive.” An oil spill here would have global implications; yet, unlike other climate threats, this one can be solved by turning off a valve. While the fix itself is easy, the politics are not. One thing is certain, Enbridge should not get to decide.
From a planetary perspective, it’s a nobrainer. If the world’s most dangerous pipeline has an easy solution, get the oil out of the water. Now.
Barbara Stamiris is an environmental activist living in Traverse City.
•DUTCH Hormone Testing
•QUEST Diagnostic Laboratory Testing
•Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
•Ozone Therapy
•PRP Joint Injection Therapy
•IPL Facial (Intense Pulsed Light)
There’s something special about the wine from northern Michigan, and the nation (and the world) is starting to take notice.
“I think we’re in the early stages of a blossoming stage,” says Lee Lutes, head winemaker at Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay. “I think the quality of the wine itself has grown exponentially in the last 50 years.”
When Lutes first came to the region to work for Leelanau Cellars in 1994, wine tasting at a handful of wineries on Leelanau and Old Mission peninsulas was a different experience than it is today.
“People would come into the tasting room, it was poured for free, and if they liked it enough, they’d buy a bottle for seven to 10 dollars,” Lutes says. “It was all we could do just to get people to try Michigan wines.”
Two decades prior, Chateau Grand Traverse’s Edward O’Keefe planted the first vitis vinifera varieties of wine grapes on Old Mission, leveraging the temperate climate from the surrounding bays to differentiate
the area in an industry dominated by sweet grapes and hybrids. On the Leelanau Peninsula, the first commercial grapes came into production in 1965, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that both Old Mission and Leelanau peninsulas were officially recognized as American Viticultural Areas.
In the decades since, both the number of wineries and varieties of wines produced have grown substantially, to what’s now 11 wineries on Old Mission and 28 on Leelanau, with scores of vineyards to support them. Estimates of the economic impact of Michigan’s wine industry ballooned to $300 million by 2005, then to $5.46 billion by 2017.
Last year, a report from the National Association of American Wineries estimated the state’s 196 wine producers helped to contribute $6.33 billion to the economy, both directly and indirectly. Across the state, the industry supports 46,769 jobs and $2.1 billion in annual wages, resulting in a total of $403.67 million in state, local, and federal taxes, according to the report.
While that data isn’t localized to the Grand Traverse region, area wineries and
vineyards comprise a significant share of wines and grapes produced in Michigan.
“This region grows 60 percent of the state of Michigan’s grapes,” says Sherri Fenton, managing owner of Black Star Farms, which launched in Suttons Bay in 1998, converting a large home into an inn and event venue.
Building a Destination
The Black Star Farms facility has since expanded from 125 acres to 160, complete with a 10-room inn, event barn, indoor riding area, hiking trails, organic vegetable garden, and other attractions. Black Star Farms opened a second facility on Old Mission Peninsula in 2009, where the company produces white wines, and more recently has focused on building experiences into the business.
Initially operating with a handful of employees, Black Star Farms now employs upwards of 100 people during the summer, when visitors can elevate their stay with ebike adventures, picnics on private sail boats, or stand-up paddleboard excursions before a relaxing glass of wine.
“We’ve gotten to really becoming a
destination venue for guests that come back year after year,” Fenton says. “We’re all trying to build experiences to really help showcase how beautiful the region is.”
Old Mission Peninsula’s Chateau Chantal has had a similar trajectory, where MarieChantal Dalese’s parents planted a vineyard in 1986 and opened a bed and breakfast in 1993.
“The idea of going to Traverse City for wine tasting wasn’t a thing at that time,” she says. Chateau Chantal overlooks both East and West bays, and the location is a key component to its success, but expanding sales to stores in 2003 and extensive renovations that increased the bed and breakfast to a dozen rooms set up the business for the future.
As new waves of wineries converted cherry land to vineyards in the 1990s and 2000s, several businesses worked together to establish wine trails on both Old Mission and Leelanau peninsulas, initially to help tourists locate the businesses.
That effort evolved to include special events, joint marketing efforts, and collaborations with local chefs and musicians.
“That change is something we’ve kind of had to lean into,” Chantal explains. “Now we’re offering more experiences than we ever had before.”
Food and wine education seminars, cooking classes, and sensory experiences have helped raise awareness and drive interest beyond wine aficionados, she says. “We’re trying to cater to all these options people are looking for,” Chantal adds. “The reach and impact of these wineries is far beyond what’s grown on their own farm.”
On the Leelanau Peninsula, the wine trail that started with four members in 2000 is now at 20 wineries. Much like on Old Mission, collaborations with other local businesses have helped to increase traffic beyond the traditional tourist season.
“We’ve seen the season elongate,” says Geoff Hamelin, owner of Verterra Winery in Leland, explaining that wine tourism is no longer just a summer fling but an activity that “now brings a significant amount of traffic” in September, October, and November.
“It’s just a different dynamic that I think has been positive not only for us but the entire area,” he says. “What I think is driving it is the quality of wines we’re producing and the number of wineries have introduced more people to wine in Michigan.”
“We used to stay open for years on just Friday and Saturday in the winter, but we have found it is worth our time and staffing … to be open Thursday through Monday,” says Taylor Simpson, whose Simpson Family Estates operates Good Harbor Vineyards and Aurora Cellars on the Leelanau Peninsula.
The growth in the industry also propelled Simpson Family Estates to launch Harbor Hill, a business to help folks locate and develop property to plant vineyards, as well as a custom crush wing and mobile bottling unit that travels the U.S. to help businesses make wine.
“More and more it’s servicing wineries in the area,” Simpson says. “Because of the growth, there’s demand for these services … and it’s not slowing down.”
Neither is demand slowing for winery visits. Simpson notes that as its popularity grew, the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail was forced to limit tickets to events because “there were so many people who attended, it got crowded.” Those events are held throughout the year, though they rarely take place in the busiest months of July and August. Instead, shoulder season events tend to fill up the
calendar September through May.
This spring, for example, you can look forward to Experience Leelanau May 1921, a new event to celebrate Michigan Wine Month with a weekend of tastings, food and wine pairings, cooking demonstrations, and other experiences.
Sharing the Story
Much of the success of northern Michigan’s wine industry is tied to collaboration between wineries, the wine trails, and Traverse City Tourism (TCT), which has worked to integrate the industry into promotions year-round, president Trevor Tkach says.
“To have some of these excursion opportunities that other destinations don’t have is unique,” Tkach says. “The wine pairs really well with a lot of other activities going on.”
The area’s natural beauty, coupled with a plethora of outdoor opportunities and Traverse City’s reputation for locally crafted food and beverages, has helped to set the region apart from other northern Michigan getaways, Tkach says.
“Our food and wine experiences [are] what differentiates us,” Tkach says. “We tend to blend it into other things.”
While TC Tourism works to promote the industry through local events like TC Uncorked—another Michigan Wine Month celebration that offers a digital passport to explore wineries throughout the month of May—experiences at trade shows in Chicago and elsewhere reveal folks outside of the state aren’t always in the know when it comes to Michigan wine.
“You get a lot of people who say ‘I didn’t know you had a wine region,’” says Mike Kent, TC Tourism’s public relations manager.
Thanks to the creation of the Traverse Wine Coast in 2017, that perception is beginning to change. The wine coast is comprised of 26 wineries from both peninsulas that are working together with entities like TC Tourism and Pure Michigan to market and promote area wines on a national and international scale.
Their efforts have so far resulted in numerous awards, a feature in Wine & Spirits Magazine, and an upcoming special on PBS’ Wine First, a program that explores the world’s wine regions. “That will bring a lot of attention to the fact that we’re here,” Fenton says.
Simpson agrees: “I think we’re in the right place for a lot of growth, especially in the next 40 years.”
Chasten Glezman Buttigieg grew up in Traverse City in the early aughts, a time still largely defined by conservative societal expectations, especially in the suburban and rural Midwest. The West Senior High School graduate says he came of age thinking he had to embody a certain ideal—that of a “Christian, Republican man”—in order to be successful and accepted by his community.
So, when Buttigieg realized he was gay, he felt he had to hide the truth.
“It was a narrow vision,” he explains. “It felt like there was no room for difference, and that was very hard for me.”
Of course, we know Buttigieg’s story has a happy ending; he grew up to be a world traveler, teacher, bestselling author, political spouse, and a father. But that journey from terrified kid to confident adult wasn’t easy. Buttigieg first told his story in his 2020 memoir, I Have Something to Tell You, and appeared before hundreds of virtual attendees at the National Writers Series (NWS) in his hometown.
He’s back with NWS on May 12 (this time in person and on stage at the City Opera House in Traverse City) to talk about his newest book, I Have Something to Tell You—For Young Adults.
The Book I Wish I Had
Due for release on May 16, the memoir offers an unfiltered peek at his path to selfacceptance and finding his space and identity. Unlike his debut work, though—which, says Buttigieg, is more chronological and covers a larger span of his life—the young adult adaptation zeroes in on his younger years to create room for reflection as an adult.
“We didn’t have books like this when I was growing up,” Buttigieg says. “This book is the one I wish I could have handed to [my middleschool self] when I was overwhelmed by what the world thought of me.”
In contrast to other YA reprints, which often feature similar storylines with adjusted language or other details, Buttigieg underscores that the new book has been completely rewritten.
“There’s tons of new stories and material,” he says, many of which explore tougher topics like loneliness, politics, and internalized homophobia. “I feel like this is so much more accessible for a young audience who wants to spend time in that part of my life,” he continues, “because I don’t think the world’s norms and expectations [for young people] have changed all that much.”
The memoir comprises 10 standalone chapters—complete with a selection of personal photos and a foreword by actress Ariana DeBose (known for her performances in Hamilton and the Steven Spielberg version of West Side Story)—each detailing an “episode” of his life. These range from the mundanity of 4-H chores, to slinging Starbucks coffees, to full-on existential crises, all of which lead to the realization that it is, in fact, okay to be gay (or anything else, for that matter).
Buttigieg says reliving these stories has helped him make connections with readers. “Talking about the mundane things [resonates with] people, because [it’s helpful]
to know what someone might be feeling, whether they’re LGBT or not,” he explains.
He mentions the scene in which he comes out to his grandma as an audience favorite, which includes a rosary hung from the rearview mirror and plenty of nervous crying. “I’ll run into people at the grocery store, and they’ll say, ‘Oh my god, that was me,”’ he says with a laugh. “[I love] being able to give back in that way.”
Buttigieg adds that the book is not exclusive to YA readers. “It [speaks to] anyone who’s ever felt like a fish out of water,” he says. “I think a lot of people will recognize the story of growing up and thinking you have to be a certain way.”
Despite feeling like a fish out of water himself during his youth in Traverse City, Buttigieg and husband Pete have moved back to raise their family here. He says TC has undergone “tremendous progress” since he was a kid.
“As someone who grew up in Traverse City, I’m excited to be a part of its renaissance,” Buttigieg adds.
This renaissance includes increased visibility and support for the LGBTQ+ community, something that wasn’t always the case in northern Michigan. To illustrate this point, Buttigieg references the “We Are Traverse City” stickers, which were released around 2000.
Designed by the Human Rights Commission, the stickers featured a rainbow background and were intended to encourage allyship following a wave of homophobic backlash. As part of that initiative, Buttigieg explains, the stickers were also posted on public vehicles, like BATA buses and police cars.
The fallout was shocking. “I remember
watching people debate the stickers”— which were eventually discontinued—“and that told me [not to] dare stick my neck out, because people don’t even believe that LGBTQ people deserve a sticker on a city bus,” Buttigieg says.
Fast forward two decades, and Front Street is home to countless Pride flags and rainbow crosswalks in June, a reality that would have seemed impossible to a young Buttigieg. In fact, he says Traverse-based Up North Pride comes in as one of his “coolest” Pride experiences thanks to its community focus and lack of corporate sponsorship.
Even members of his former 4-H club, which for Buttigieg was often a place of performance and hyper-masculinity, have reached out in the interest of creating a more inclusive environment.
“It’s all about being part of something bigger than yourself,” he notes. “Every time I come home, I’m surprised by the people and businesses and their commitment to equality.”
In order to further that progress, Buttigieg emphasizes the importance of action for allies—especially since the LGBTQ+ community can’t rely on legislation for the support they need. “It’s not enough to say [you’re] loving of all people just to sit home and hope things get better,” he says.
“Allyship requires action.”
The first step, Buttigieg recommends, is to get involved. This could include joining a community organization (he highlights the Human Rights Campaign, PFLAG, and GLSEN, among many others), or making donations of time or money. For parents, Buttigieg also encourages getting involved in local school administration decisions by attending meetings, or where applicable,
running for open board positions.
The key to real change, though, he explains, is consistently showing up for members of the LGBTQ+ community, and not just during the upcoming Pride Month.
“Everyone needs to be doing the work,” he says, “because [the fight] is so much bigger than legislation. It’s about an America that is inclusive and loving of all people, and I think the book will be a great way for people to think about how they want to join that fight.”
About the Event
An Evening with Chasten Buttigieg takes place on Friday, May 12, at 7pm at the City Opera House in Traverse City, and via livestream. Tickets range from $7$42, and all non-student tickets include a copy of I Have Something to Tell You—For
Young Adults. In-person tickets can be purchased through the City Opera House, and livestream tickets can be found through the links on the NWS website.
The guest host for the event will be actor, educator, and former political liaison Kal Penn. A graduate of UCLA’s school of Theatre, Film, and Television, Penn has appeared in such popular TV series as How I Met Your Mother and House, and is the co-creator and star of the NBC comedy Sunnyside. In addition to his film career, Penn has served as adjunct lecturer at both the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California, Los Angeles, and was associate director during the Obama administration. For tickets and more information, visit nationalwritersseries.org.
saturday
GLEN LAKE RESTAURANT WEEK: April 28 - May 6. Enjoy an array of foodie options for dining around the Glen Arbor area. Enjoy everything from “french fries to French cuisine.” Participants will each offer their own special menus & pricing. visitglenarbor.com/event/glen-lake-restaurantweek-2023
13TH ANNUAL MUD, SWEAT & BEERS
FAT TIRE FEST & MOUNTAIN BIKE
RACE: 9am, Mt. Holiday, TC. Races include the Stout - 25 miles (SOLD OUT), Pale Ale13 miles (SOLD OUT), Ginger Ale - 2 miles, & Root Beer - 1/4 mile. mudsweatandbeers. com/index.php
AAUW ANNUAL BOOK SALE: 9am-6pm, The Village at GT Commons, Mercato, TC. Like-new books & puzzles. $2-$5. Proceeds go to scholarships for local women. traversecityarea-mi.aauw.net
CLEARING TRAILS WITHOUT POWER
TOWLS: 9-11am, Little Traverse Conservancy Office, Harbor Springs/Round Lake Nature Preserve. An Introduction to Crosscut Saws & Axes. Learn about maintaining your owns trails without the noise, weight & danger of a chainsaw. Join LTC volunteer & U.S. Forest Service certified Crosscut Sawyer Dan Dueweke for a presentation indoors, followed by hand-sawing practice outside. Please bring your own hand tools & an axe or crosscut saw if you have them. Registration required. Free. landtrust.org/events
INTERLOCHEN RUN FOR THE ARTS 5K: 9am, Interlochen Center for the Arts. Experience live music & art as you run (or walk) a course through the grounds of Interlochen Center for the Arts. $30 pre-race; $35 race day. interlochen.org/events/interlochen-runfor-arts-5k-2023-05-06
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INDOOR SIDEWALK SALES: 10am-6pm, The Village at GT Commons, Mercato, TC. Hit all the local deals! Enjoy giveaways, mimosa specials & more. Stop by High Five Threads, Silver Fox Jewelry, Notably Natural, Crystal Lake Alpaca Boutique, Landmark Books, The Refillery, & many other businesses. thevillagetc.com/the-village-tag-sale-2
MAYDAY MELTDOWN BOULDERING
COMPETITION & SPRING FAIR: 10am, ELEV8, TC. This all-day event features multiple waves of climbing in a competition format. All ages & abilities are welcome to compete. There will also be food & craft vendors, massage demos, games & activities. Free to attend. Must pay & register to compete. elev8climbing.com
SPRING TREE PLANTING: 10am-2pm, Consuelo Diane and Charles L. Wilson Jr. Working Forest Reserve, Harbor Springs. Join the Little Traverse Conservancy for spring tree planting to kick start forest succession & keep out invasive plants at this former pasture land. Bring your own work gloves & lunch. petoskeyarea.com/events/ spring-tree-planting
25 CENT FAMILY FAVORITES: 11am, Lyric Theatre, Harbor Springs. Featuring “Over The Hedge.” lyricharborsprings.org/25-family-favorites
BEN TRAVERSE HOUSE CONCERT: 6-8:30pm, 4320 E 46 Rd., Cadillac. Presented by Gopherwood Concerts. Enjoy this traditional folk singer, songwriter, multiinstrumentalist, & audio engineer. Advance tickets: $15 adults, $7 students, free for 12
& under. Door: $18 adults, $9 students. Find ‘Ben Traverse House Concert’ on Facebook.
“THERE IS A LIGHT IN SPRING”: 7:30pm, Petoskey Methodist Church. This concert is presented by the Little Traverse Choral Society, reminding us of the renewal spring provides. Not only in sunshine, warm breezes & blooming flowers but in our hearts & minds as well. Featuring choral works by Hayden, Gershwin, Rutter, Stroope, Copland, Vaughan Williams & many more. $15 adults; $5 students; free for under 12. littletraversechoralsociety.org
AN AMERICAN IN PARIS: 7:30pm, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Corson Auditorium. Experience a silver screen classic live as Interlochen Arts Academy theatre students perform the stage musical adaptation of the Academy Award-winning film “An American in Paris.” $41. interlochen.org/events/american-in-paris-2023-05-05
BLISSFEST PRESENTS: TRADITIONAL COUNTRY DANCES: 7:30-10pm, LittlefieldAlanson Community Building, Alanson. Rigs & Jeels with Caller Larry Dyer. All dances will be taught & Traditional Country Dances include contras, squares, & waltzes. $7/person; $10/couple; $15/family.
COMEDY W/ BILL BUSHART: 7:30-9pm, Traverse City Comedy Club, TC. Bill has performed at the Odd Ball Comedy Fest at DTE, headlined Michigan’s Brew HaHa & LaughFest in Grand Rapids. He’s worked with stand up greats Gilbert Gottfried, Mark Normand & Roy Wood, Jr., among many others. $25-$30. mynorthtickets.com/events/ comedy-wbill-bushart-5-5-2023
LEELANAU COMMUNITY CHOIRSPRINGTIME SINGTIME: 7:30pm, Leland Community United Methodist Church. Enjoy a collection of songs from the classic American & European Coral catalog.
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MANITOU WINDS PRESENTS COMPLEMENTARY COLORS: 7:30pm, Grace Episcopal Church, TC. Matthew Cochran, instructor of guitar at Interlochen Arts Academy, joins Manitou Winds for a program of chamber music, spoken word, & visual art. Local artist Lauren Everett Finn will curate & host a solo exhibit. Free. manitouwinds.com/ upcoming-performances ----------------------
MAYA ANJALI BUCHANAN, VIOLIN CONCERT: 7:30pm, Cathedral Barn at Historic Barns Park, TC. Maya is a young rising star from the famed Curtis Institute, & will be accompanied by award-winning pianist, Dr. Ya-Ju Chuang in a program of sonatas for violin & piano. Drink service by Tonic & Lime. Seating is very limited, book early! Students & first time attendees - call the Box Office for 50% off. 947-7120. $45.50. traversesymphony.org/concert/maya
sunday
INDOOR SIDEWALK SALES: (See Sat., May 6, except today’s time is 10am-4pm.)
AAUW ANNUAL BOOK SALE: (See Sat., May 6, except today’s time is noon – 3pm.)
MOREL MUSHROOM PICKING SEMINAR WITH THE CHAMP!: 1pm, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. After winning the National Morel Hunting Championship five years in a row, Anthony Williams retired from competitive picking to become the “Expert in Residence” for the National Morel Festival. This seminar is filled
with stories from his 70 years of picking, tips on where & how to pick including the finer points on finding the elusive morel. Free. tadl.org/morels
AN AMERICAN IN PARIS: (See Sat., May 6, except today’s time is 2pm.)
HONDURAS - PAST & PRESENT: 2pm, Helena Township Community Center, Alden. Tom George, M.D., former Michigan State Senator, has traveled to Honduras 10 times to participate in medical missions. He will present about Honduras, its people, & its relationship to the United States. 231-331-4318.
JAZZ IN THE VINES: 2-5pm, Chateau Chantal Winery, TC. Enjoy live music by the Jeff Haas Trio, wine & appetizers. Tickets are $50 each or 2+ for $40 each. Benefits United Way of Northwest Michigan. unitedwaynwmi.org/events
LEELANAU COMMUNITY CHOIR CONCERT - SPRINGTIME SINGTIME: 2:30pm, Suttons Bay Congregational Church. Enjoy a collection of songs from the classic American & European Coral catalog. Free.
“THERE IS A LIGHT IN SPRING”: (See Sat., May 6, except today’s time is 3pm.)
MAYA ANJALI BUCHANAN, VIOLIN CONCERT: (See Sat., May 6, except today’s time is 3pm.)
NORTHERN MICHIGAN BRASS BAND CONCERT: 3pm, Great Lakes Center for the Arts, Bay Harbor. Something for everyone... this 30-piece, British-style brass band will perform an eclectic mix of traditional brass band classics, marches, transcriptions, featured solos, contest pieces, pop & jazz. $15 adults; free for students. greatlakescfa.org/ events/detail/nmibb
THE SACRED EARTH TRIBE PRESENTS
THE DANCES OF UNIVERSAL PEACE: 3:30pm, Llama Meadows Eco Farm, Benzonia. These dances blend chants with live music & simple movements into a living experience of unity, peace & joy. There will also be Dances on June 11, July 16 & Aug. 27. Love offering of $7-$10. facebook.com/thesacredearthtribe ----------------------
LEELANAU COMMUNITY CHOIR CONCERT - SPRINGTIME SINGTIME: 7pm, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Glen Arbor. Enjoy a collection of songs from the classic American & European Coral catalog. Free.
monday
DROP-IN PRESCHOOL ADVENTURES IN ART: 9:30-10:15am, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Visual Arts Classroom, TC. Hands-on fun for preschoolers & their grown-ups. Early registration encouraged. $5. crookedtree. org/class/ctac-traverse-city/preschool-adventures-art-may-8
KID’S CRAFT LAB: MAKE A CARD FOR MOM: 10:30am, 1pm & 3:30pm, Great Lakes Children’s Museum, TC. Make a handmade card for Mom with hearts & flowers. Sign up when you reserve your attendance at the Museum. greatlakeskids.org
G.T. HUMANISTS MEETING: STURGEON FOR TOMORROW: 6pm, Traverse Area District Library, TC. Join the G.T. Humanists for a presentation by Brenda Archambo, founder of Sturgeon for Tomorrow. She will speak on the organization’s efforts to conserve & protect sturgeon of the Great Lakes. Free. gthumanistst.org
If you like running on a combination of paved roads, dirt roads and trails, head to Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville on Sat., May 13 for the North Mitten Half Marathon, 10K & 5K! Races start and finish at the white slopeside tent near the Crystal Clipper chairlift. The Half Marathon begins at 8am, followed by the 10K at 8:30am and 5K at 9am. There will also be a 1 Mile Fun Run at 11am. Prices range from $15-$93. crystalmountain.com/ event/north-mitten
tuesday NW MI ARTS & CULTURE SUMMIT: 8:15am, Interlochen Center for the Arts. Artists of all disciplines, arts & cultural organizations, creative entrepreneurs, & community builders will gather to further the arts at the 2023 Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Summit. Free to members; non-members, $30 (applicable to membership). nwmiarts. org/2023-nw-mi-arts-culture-summit
PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: 10:30am, Suttons Bay-Bingham District Library. Stories, songs, & active fun. Free. sbbdl.org
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STORYTIME ADVENTURES: 10:30am, 1pm & 3:30pm, Great Lakes Children’s Museum, TC. Featuring “Owl Babies” by Martin Waddell. Sign up when you reserve your attendance at the Museum. greatlakeskids.org
PARKINSON’S NETWORK NORTH: 1pm, The Presbyterian Church of TC, 701 Westminster Rd. Parkinson’s related information for Parkinsonians, care partners, & family. Speaker presentation. A split session for solving problems of daily living. 947-7389. Free. pnntc.org
QUESTION, PERSUADE, REFER (QPR)
TRAINING: 4:30pm, Child & Family Services, 3785 Veterans Dr., TC. QPR is a suicide awareness & prevention training that empowers all people, regardless of their background, to make a positive difference in the life of someone they know. Please register early, as space is limited. Free. cfsnwmi.org/suicide-prevention
GAYLORD COMMUNITY PRODUCTIONS
HOLD AUDITIONS: Gaylord High School,
Gornick Auditorium. For Footloose The Musical. 5:30-6pm: For ages 6-12. 6-8:30pm: For ages 13 to adult. Ages 13+: Have an audition song ready to sing.
NORTHERN MICHIGAN STARTUP WEEK - UNIVERSITY SHOWDOWN PITCH COMPETITION: 5:30pm, City Opera House, TC. University students from all over the state will pitch their creative & innovative ideas, covering a wide range of industries. The voting for the pitches will be done by a judge panel, & cash prizes will be awarded to the top three pitches. Register. app.tcnewtech.org/login
SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL SHORTS: AAPI MONTH FREE FILMS: 6pm, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. Learn with community members during Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. “Conversations in Context” is hosted by MTV News correspondent Yoonj Kim & produced by the Smithsonian Channel. The brief films cover a number of topics, ranging from Asian American stereotypes in Hollywood to student protests for socioeconomic change. A post-screening panel discussion with AAPI community members will follow. Register. Free. tadl.org/event/smithsonianchannel-shorts-aapi-month-free-films
wednesday
MAY ANNUAL BREAKFAST: Pancake Chef, Mackinaw City. 7:30-8am: Coffee, networking & registration. 8-9:30am: “Mackinaw’s Favorite Breakfast Buffet.” Learn how the community continues to grow & prosper. Featuring Mackinac
Bridge Authority, Mackinaw Straits Health System, Mackinac State Historic Parks & more. RSVP: kelly@mackinawchamber. com. $18 members; $20 not-yet-members.
WALKABOUT WEDNESDAY: 8-10am, North Coast Work, Petoskey. Get to know area businesses in a casual meet & greet format. Free. ----------------------
STORY STEW: 11am, Peninsula Community Library, TC. Stories, songs, & coordinating craft kits for all ages up through preschool. 231-223-7700.
GAYLORD BUSINESS AFTER HOURS: 5pm, Claude Shannon Park, Gaylord. Music, games, prizes, networking & more. Bring your own chairs. Register. $5 members; $10 not-yet members. gaylordchamber.com/ business-after-hours
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS FORUM: WORLD PRESS FREEDOM: 6:30pm, Dennos Museum Center, NMC, TC. Honoring press freedom with Joyce Barnathan, former President of the International Center for Journalists and Moscow Bureau Chief at Newsweek, & Gene Gibbons, former Chief White House correspondent for Reuters. $15 in-person ticket; $10 livestream suggested donation; free to current students & educators. tciaf.com/event-may-2023
thursday
KID’S CRAFT LAB: MAKE A CARD FOR MOM: (See Mon., May 8) -------------
TUNE-UP DAY AT ORY-
ANA: 11am-2pm. Norte will be at Oryana on 10th St., TC to tune up your bike. Oryana will donate 2 percent of all profits on May 11 from both Oryana locations to Norte. norteyouthcycling.org/calendar/tune-up-at-oryana?mc_ cid=916a16c917&mc_eid=df24b9efb4
GRAND TRAVERSE MUSICALE SPRING
CONCERT: 1pm, First Congregational Church, TC. Featuring the choirs & singers of St. Francis High School, under the direction of Jamie Hardesty. Following the music program, all are invited to stay for refreshments. Free. gtmusicale.org
PARKINSON’S NETWORK NORTH (PNN): 1pm, Leelanau Governmental Center, Suttons Bay. Information for Parkinsonian’s, care partners, & family related to Parkinson’s Disease & solving problems of daily living. Info: 947-7389. Free. pnntc.org
HOUSING HAPPY HOUR: 4pm, Left Foot Charley, Barrel Room, TC. Held to bring together like-minded individuals who share a passion for providing housing solutions. Enjoy drinks, food, & networking. RSVP is appreciated. Free. eleoonline.net/ Pages/WebForms/Mobile/ShowFormMobile.aspx?id=c1e33487-636d-421c-afbb63006919142e&linkto=1294
GAYLORD COMMUNITY PRODUCTIONS
HOLD AUDITIONS: Gaylord High School, Gornick Auditorium. For Footloose The Musical. 5:30-6pm: For ages 6-12. 6-8:30pm: For ages 13 to adult. Ages 13+: Have an audition song ready to sing.
KALKASKA SPRING GATHERING 100 WOMEN WHO CARE: 6:30pm, Kalkaska United Methodist Church. Hear information
about local nonprofits. Audience members are encouraged to donate to the presenting groups but monetary donations are not required for attendance. facebook.com/ events/621869986035436
“SOME OF BENZIE COUNTY’S EARLIEST SETTLERS”: 7pm, The Mills Community House, Benzonia. Genealogist Mary Link will present this program as part of the Benzie Area Historical Society’s Benzonia Academy Lecture Series. $5 donation suggested. benziemuseum.org
“STEEL MAGNOLIAS”: 7pm, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Theater, Petoskey. Presented by Little Traverse Civic Theater. $20 adults; $10 students 18 & under. app.arts-people. com/index.php?actions=4&p=3
64TH ANNUAL MESICK MUSHROOM FESTIVAL: Mesick, May 12-14. Includes a flea market, car show, mud bogg, co-ed softball, parade & more. mesick-mushroomfest.org
MORE TO EXPLORE: 9:30am, noon & 2:30pm, Great Lakes Children’s Museum, TC. Spring Sensory Bins. greatlakeskids.org
COFFEE @ 10, TC: 10am, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Cornwell Gallery, TC. Join northern Michigan artist Brenda J. Clark & some of her students. Brenda & her students are featured in the exhibit “Thursday Painting: Brenda J. Clark’s Group of Seven-ish.” Free. crookedtree.org/event/ctac-traversecity/coffee-10-brenda-j-clark-and-students
ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PRESENTATION:
Noon, Glen Arbor Arts Center. Ohio writer Nathan Lipps will use his Glen Arbor Arts Center artist’s residency to take a deeper dive into a manuscript-in-progress, a group of poems titled “Seiche.” Lipps will talk about the water, & his work on the poems describing it. Free. glenarborart.org/events-page/events-all
INTRODUCTION TO MINDFULNESS:
Noon, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. This workshop with Personal Transformation Coach Samantha Gutowski will teach you about the benefits of mindfulness. Learn more about meditation, breathwork, journaling, somatics, & many more techniques for developing a mindfulness practice. Free. tadl.org/mindfulness
MOTHER’S DAY WILDFLOWER HIKE: 3:30pm. Join LTC Conservation Specialist Amy Lipson for a hike through the Ransom Nature Preserve in Charlevoix County. Be prepared to walk for up to an hour & a half on terrain that includes some hills. Pre-registration required. Free. landtrust.org/events ----------------------
NIGHT AT THE NATURE CENTER: 5-7pm, Boardman River Nature Center, TC. Discover the world around you through indoor & outdoor activities. Register. $5. gtcd.wufoo. com/forms/q1bx4gck0bg9zbe
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TC TRAIL RUNNING FESTIVAL: 6:30pm, Timber Ridge RV & Recreation Resort, TC. The 5K & 10K Relays will be held tonight. tctrailrunningfestival.com/event-info
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“STEEL MAGNOLIAS”: (See Thurs., May 11)
NWS: CHASTEN BUTTIGIEG: 7pm, City Opera House, TC. Chasten will talk about his newest book, “I Have Something to Tell You - For Young Adults.” Chasten is the husband of former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, & he writes about growing
up gay in his small Midwestern town. Guest host is Kal Penn, an actor, academic lecturer & former White House staffer in the Barack Obama administration. Tickets range from $32 - $67.50. Virtual tickets are $30. Students, $7. nationalwritersseries.org/product/ chasten-buttigieg-2023
“SOMETHING ROTTEN”: 7:30pm, Old Town Playhouse, TC. In the 1590s, brothers Nick & Nigel Bottom are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rock star known as “The Bard.” $28 adults; $15 youth under 18, plus fees. oldtownplayhouse.com/performances/mainstage/something-rotten.html
COMEDY W/ NICK LEYDORF: 7:459:15pm, Traverse City Comedy Club, TC. This comedian/lawyer has been described as “funny, adorable, and non-threatening.” $25-$30. mynorthtickets.com/events/comedy-wnick-leydorf-5-12-2023
COUNTRY CONCERT SERIES: BOOMTOWN SAINTS: 9pm, Odawa Casino Resort, Victories, Petoskey. DJ to follow. $10. odawacasino.com/entertainment
saturday
TC TRAIL RUNNING FESTIVAL: Timber Ridge RV & Recreation Resort, TC. The 100K & 100K Relay, 50K, 75K, 25K & 10K will be held today. tctrailrunningfestival.com/event-info
64TH ANNUAL MESICK MUSHROOM
FESTIVAL: (See Fri., May 12)
NORTH MITTEN HALF MARATHON, 10K & 5K: Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville. A combination of paved roads, dirt roads & trails. Races start & finish at the white slopeside tent near the Crystal Clipper chairlift. Half marathon: 8am; 10K: 8:30am; 5K: 9am; 1 Mile Fun Run: 11am. Prices range from $15 - $93. crystalmountain.com/event/north-mitten
29TH SUE DEYOUNG/JUDY EDGER MEMORIAL BREAST CANCER 5K WALK & RUN: 9am, East Park Pavilion, Downtown Charlevoix. $30. screenmaster.net/walkruncure/shop/home
HICKORY MEADOWS VOLUNTEER
WORKBEE: 9am-noon, Hickory Meadows Natural Area; meet at Randolph St. Trailhead, TC. Help the Grand Traverse Conservation District staff plant native seedlings & pull invasive garlic mustard, in partnership with the Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network. Register. natureiscalling.org/events
MADE IN CHEBOYGAN CRAFT SHOW: 9am-5pm, Washington Park, Cheboygan. Featuring a large assortment of crafters selling jewelry, home decor, pottery, clothing, toys, kitchen essentials, custom printed shirts & mugs, & more. For vendor info, email: madeincheboygan@gmail.com. facebook.com/madeincheboygan ----------------------
SPRING ART MARKET: 9:30am-4pm, Dennos Museum Center, NMC, TC. Celebrate spring & moms with fun museum programming & over 20 Michigan artists selling their work indoors in a range of media from painting, printmaking, mixed media & ceramics to glass, metal, fiber, wood & jewelry. Enjoy a tour with the director, a Mother’s Day card making project, Michigan Legacy Art Park’s community art project, live art demonstrations & a pianist playing in the galleries. Parking is free in the DMC lot & throughout NMC’s campus. Free. shop.dennosmuseum.org/2023-spring-art-market
CREATE HANDMADE BOOKS USING GELLI PRINTING: 10am-noon, Interlochen Public Library. Instructor Pam Yee will demonstrate how to create colorful pages with this popular method of printmaking. 231-276-6767. Free.
FREE DROP-IN FAMILY ART: 10am-non, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Cornwell Gallery, TC. Fun art activity inspired by exhibit in the gallery. crookedtree.org/class/ctac-traversecity/free-drop-family-art-may
MOTHER’S DAY CRAFT EVENT: Bellaire Public Library. Stop in between 10am - noon to create a planting pot out of folded newspaper & plant seeds. Free. bellairelibrary.org
WALK & TALK THROUGH SWIMMING & THE BIRDS ARE WATCHING: 11am, Glen Arbor Arts Center. Glen Arbor Arts Center Gallery Manager Sarah Bearup-Neal leads a conversational walking tour of the SWIMMING and The Birds Are Watching exhibits. Bearup-Neal talks about how the exhibiting artists interpreted the SWIMMING exhibition’s theme, both literally & symbolically; tools & materials used; as well as other insights into their creative process. The Birds Are Watching is a selection of mixed-media paintings by Benzie County artist Jessica Kovan. Jessica uses birds as a meditation on climate change. Free. glenarborart.org/events-page/events-all
IRISH IMMIGRANTS IN MICHIGAN: A HISTORY IN STORIES: 11:30am, Cadillac Wexford Public Library. Pat Commins of Dublin, Ireland & Elizabeth Rice of Michigan have compiled true stories of Irish immigrants who came to Michigan in the 19th century. cadillaclibrary.org
BARTER FAIR: Noon, Grow Benzie, Benzonia. Enjoy an afternoon of swapping, trading & upcycling. Meet the person whose trash is your treasure & make a trade. The only rule: Money won’t get you anything. Free. growbenzie.org/events/2023/5/13/barter-fair ----------------------
ARBOR DAY CELEBRATION: 1-4pm, Petoskey Winter Sports Park. Celebrate spring & the city’s designation as a Tree City. Kids’ arts & crafts, scavenger hunt, speakers, tree climbing demonstration & more.
BLESSING OF THE BLOSSOMS: St. Joseph Catholic Church, TC. 1pm: Ceremony. 1:30pm: Reception; enjoy a free slice of Sara Lee pie. 2pm: Requested Blessing of Orchards & Vineyards.
MOTHER-DAUGHTER AFTER HOURS
PARTY: 5:30-8pm, Interlochen Public Library. Enjoy food, games & fun. Diverse activities will encourage problem-solving, skill-building, & relaxation to help you & your girl(s) have fun & connect. Registration encouraged: 231-276-6767. Free.
“STEEL MAGNOLIAS”: (See Thurs., May 11)
AN EVENING WITH ABRA BERENS & FRIENDS: 7pm, Old Art Building, Leland. A fundraiser for the Leland Township Library. Renowned chef & cookbook author Abra Berens will introduce her newest book, “Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit,” & engage in a conversation with local fruit growers Gene Garthe, Nikki Rothwell & Pete Laing, all of whom are featured in the book. $100; $150 for VIP tickets. lelandlibrary.org
“SOMETHING ROTTEN”: (See Fri., May 12)
CANTICUM NOVUM: 7:30pm, Church in the Hills, Bellaire. NMC’s a capella chorus under the direction of Jeff Cobb will perform the program, “Music of Love and Loss,” including the music of Brahms, Rutter & more. $15 suggested donation.
COMEDY W/ NICK LEYDORF: (See Fri., May 12, except tonight’s time is 7:30-9pm.)
MESICK MUSHROOM FESTIVAL 5K
GLOW RUN: 7:30pm, Northern Exposures Campground, Mesick. This run will start at the covered picnic area, located just north of the parking area. You will run alongside the Manistee River & proceed onto the trail. The trail is winding & hilly with several roots. Your final part of the run is along the Manistee River on a paved campground road. $15$40. mesick-mushroomfest.org/Run.html
TRAVERSE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAAN EVENING WITH BOB JAMES: 7:30pm, City Opera House, TC. A concert honoring jazz legend Bob James playing his most beloved tunes with the Traverse Symphony Jazz Orchestra. $25.50 - $61.50. traversesymphony.org/concert/bob-james/?mc_ cid=9e8d71241b&mc_eid=36a666ea46
APRIL WINE & THE LEGENDARY LITA FORD: SOLD OUT: 8-10:30pm, Little River Casino Resort, Manistee. lrcr.com/event-calendar/concerts/april-wine-and-the-legendary-lita-ford
64TH ANNUAL MESICK MUSHROOM FESTIVAL: (See Fri., May 12)
BIRDWATCHING: 8am, Michigan Legacy Art Park, Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville. Join Michigan Legacy Art Park’s Executive Director & birding guide Angie Quinn on a birdwatching hike through the Art Park. Bring binoculars if able. Meet at the trailhead. $5 entry fee per adult; ages 17 & under, free. crystalmountain.com/event/ birdwatching-may
MADE IN CHEBOYGAN CRAFT SHOW: (See Sat., May 13, except today’s times are 10am-3pm.)
CREATIVITY Q+A LIVE WITH BLACKSMITH SCOTT LANKTON: 1pm, Glen Arbor Arts Center. Leelanau County artist/blacksmith Scott Lankton talks about his practice with Sarah Bearup-Neal, GAAC gallery manager. Lankton was hooked on hot steel the first time he worked with it. He went on to find a vocation in the forge, pounding metal into domestic objects. Lankton also found that this old art + craft form can be put to use in the pursuit of peace, & be a way of raising awareness about gun violence. Free. glenarborart.org/events/ creativity-qa-live-with-blacksmith-scott-lankton ----------------------
“SOMETHING ROTTEN”: (See Fri., May 12, except today’s time is 2pm.)
“STEEL MAGNOLIAS”: (See Thurs., May 11, except today’s time is 2pm.)
HONORING OUR HEROES & HEROINES: AN AFTERNOON OF SYMPHONIC MUSIC BY ENCORE WINDS: 3pm, First Congregational Church, TC. An afternoon of powerful symphonic music chosen to honor our national heroes & our personal heroines: our mothers. $10/person; students free. encorewinds.org
TRAVERSE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAAN EVENING WITH BOB JAMES: (See Sat., May 13, except today’s time is 3pm.)
BLOOMS & BIRDS: WILDFLOWER WALK: Tuesdays, 10am through Sept., Grass River Natural Area, Bellaire. Go for a relaxing stroll on the trails with GRNA docents to find & identify the unique wildflowers at Grass
about local nonprofits. Audience members are encouraged to donate to the presenting groups but monetary donations are not required for attendance. facebook.com/ events/621869986035436
“SOME OF BENZIE COUNTY’S EARLIEST SETTLERS”: 7pm, The Mills Community House, Benzonia. Genealogist Mary Link will present this program as part of the Benzie Area Historical Society’s Benzonia Academy Lecture Series. $5 donation suggested. benziemuseum.org ----------------------
“STEEL MAGNOLIAS”: 7pm, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Theater, Petoskey. Presented by Little Traverse Civic Theater. $20 adults; $10 students 18 & under. app.arts-people. com/index.php?actions=4&p=3
64TH ANNUAL MESICK MUSHROOM FESTIVAL: Mesick, May 12-14. Includes a flea market, car show, mud bogg, co-ed softball, parade & more. mesick-mushroomfest.org
MORE TO EXPLORE: 9:30am, noon & 2:30pm, Great Lakes Children’s Museum, TC. Spring Sensory Bins. greatlakeskids.org
COFFEE @ 10, TC: 10am, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Cornwell Gallery, TC. Join northern Michigan artist Brenda J. Clark & some of her students. Brenda & her students are featured in the exhibit “Thursday Painting: Brenda J. Clark’s Group of Seven-ish.” Free. crookedtree.org/event/ctac-traversecity/coffee-10-brenda-j-clark-and-students
ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PRESENTATION:
Noon, Glen Arbor Arts Center. Ohio writer Nathan Lipps will use his Glen Arbor Arts Center artist’s residency to take a deeper dive into a manuscript-in-progress, a group of poems titled “Seiche.” Lipps will talk about the water, & his work on the poems describing it. Free. glenarborart.org/events-page/events-all
INTRODUCTION TO MINDFULNESS:
Noon, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. This workshop with Personal Transformation Coach Samantha Gutowski will teach you about the benefits of mindfulness. Learn more about meditation, breathwork, journaling, somatics, & many more techniques for developing a mindfulness practice. Free. tadl.org/mindfulness
MOTHER’S DAY WILDFLOWER HIKE: 3:30pm. Join LTC Conservation Specialist Amy Lipson for a hike through the Ransom Nature Preserve in Charlevoix County. Be prepared to walk for up to an hour & a half on terrain that includes some hills. Pre-registration required. Free. landtrust.org/events ----------------------
NIGHT AT THE NATURE CENTER: 5-7pm, Boardman River Nature Center, TC. Discover the world around you through indoor & outdoor activities. Register. $5. gtcd.wufoo. com/forms/q1bx4gck0bg9zbe
TC TRAIL RUNNING FESTIVAL: 6:30pm, Timber Ridge RV & Recreation Resort, TC. The 5K & 10K Relays will be held tonight. tctrailrunningfestival.com/event-info ----------------------
“STEEL MAGNOLIAS”: (See Thurs., May 11)
NWS: CHASTEN BUTTIGIEG: 7pm, City Opera House, TC. Chasten will talk about his newest book, “I Have Something to Tell You - For Young Adults.” Chasten is the husband of former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, & he writes about growing
up gay in his small Midwestern town. Guest host is Kal Penn, an actor, academic lecturer & former White House staffer in the Barack Obama administration. Tickets range from $32 - $67.50. Virtual tickets are $30. Students, $7. nationalwritersseries.org/product/ chasten-buttigieg-2023
“SOMETHING ROTTEN”: 7:30pm, Old Town Playhouse, TC. In the 1590s, brothers Nick & Nigel Bottom are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rock star known as “The Bard.” $28 adults; $15 youth under 18, plus fees. oldtownplayhouse.com/performances/mainstage/something-rotten.html
COMEDY W/ NICK LEYDORF: 7:459:15pm, Traverse City Comedy Club, TC. This comedian/lawyer has been described as “funny, adorable, and non-threatening.” $25-$30. mynorthtickets.com/events/comedy-wnick-leydorf-5-12-2023
COUNTRY CONCERT SERIES: BOOMTOWN SAINTS: 9pm, Odawa Casino Resort, Victories, Petoskey. DJ to follow. $10. odawacasino.com/entertainment
saturday
TC TRAIL RUNNING FESTIVAL: Timber Ridge RV & Recreation Resort, TC. The 100K & 100K Relay, 50K, 75K, 25K & 10K will be held today. tctrailrunningfestival.com/event-info
64TH ANNUAL MESICK MUSHROOM FESTIVAL: (See Fri., May 12) ----------------------
CREATE HANDMADE BOOKS USING GELLI PRINTING: 10am-noon, Interlochen Public Library. Instructor Pam Yee will demonstrate how to create colorful pages with this popular method of printmaking. 231-276-6767. Free.
FREE DROP-IN FAMILY ART: 10am-non, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Cornwell Gallery, TC. Fun art activity inspired by exhibit in the gallery. crookedtree.org/class/ctac-traversecity/free-drop-family-art-may
MOTHER’S DAY CRAFT EVENT: Bellaire Public Library. Stop in between 10am - noon to create a planting pot out of folded newspaper & plant seeds. Free. bellairelibrary.org
WALK & TALK THROUGH SWIMMING & THE BIRDS ARE WATCHING: 11am, Glen Arbor Arts Center. Glen Arbor Arts Center Gallery Manager Sarah Bearup-Neal leads a conversational walking tour of the SWIMMING and The Birds Are Watching exhibits. Bearup-Neal talks about how the exhibiting artists interpreted the SWIMMING exhibition’s theme, both literally & symbolically; tools & materials used; as well as other insights into their creative process. The Birds Are Watching is a selection of mixed-media paintings by Benzie County artist Jessica Kovan. Jessica uses birds as a meditation on climate change. Free. glenarborart.org/events-page/events-all
IRISH IMMIGRANTS IN MICHIGAN: A HISTORY IN STORIES: 11:30am, Cadillac Wexford Public Library. Pat Commins of Dublin, Ireland & Elizabeth Rice of Michigan have compiled true stories of Irish immigrants who came to Michigan in the 19th century. cadillaclibrary.org
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COMEDY W/ NICK LEYDORF: (See Fri., May 12, except tonight’s time is 7:30-9pm.)
MESICK MUSHROOM FESTIVAL 5K
GLOW RUN: 7:30pm, Northern Exposures Campground, Mesick. This run will start at the covered picnic area, located just north of the parking area. You will run alongside the Manistee River & proceed onto the trail. The trail is winding & hilly with several roots. Your final part of the run is along the Manistee River on a paved campground road. $15$40. mesick-mushroomfest.org/Run.html ----------------------
TRAVERSE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAAN EVENING WITH BOB JAMES: 7:30pm, City Opera House, TC. A concert honoring jazz legend Bob James playing his most beloved tunes with the Traverse Symphony Jazz Orchestra. $25.50 - $61.50. traversesymphony.org/concert/bob-james/?mc_ cid=9e8d71241b&mc_eid=36a666ea46
APRIL WINE & THE LEGENDARY LITA FORD: SOLD OUT: 8-10:30pm, Little River Casino Resort, Manistee. lrcr.com/event-calendar/concerts/april-wine-and-the-legendary-lita-ford
sunday
64TH ANNUAL MESICK MUSHROOM FESTIVAL: (See Fri., May 12) --------------
NORTH MITTEN HALF MARATHON, 10K & 5K: Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville. A combination of paved roads, dirt roads & trails. Races start & finish at the white slopeside tent near the Crystal Clipper chairlift. Half marathon: 8am; 10K: 8:30am; 5K: 9am; 1 Mile Fun Run: 11am. Prices range from $15 - $93. crystalmountain.com/event/north-mitten
29TH SUE DEYOUNG/JUDY EDGER MEMORIAL BREAST CANCER 5K WALK & RUN: 9am, East Park Pavilion, Downtown Charlevoix. $30. screenmaster.net/walkruncure/shop/home
HICKORY MEADOWS VOLUNTEER
WORKBEE: 9am-noon, Hickory Meadows Natural Area; meet at Randolph St. Trailhead, TC. Help the Grand Traverse Conservation District staff plant native seedlings & pull invasive garlic mustard, in partnership with the Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network. Register. natureiscalling.org/events
MADE IN CHEBOYGAN CRAFT SHOW: 9am-5pm, Washington Park, Cheboygan. Featuring a large assortment of crafters selling jewelry, home decor, pottery, clothing, toys, kitchen essentials, custom printed shirts & mugs, & more. For vendor info, email: madeincheboygan@gmail.com. facebook.com/madeincheboygan
SPRING ART MARKET: 9:30am-4pm, Dennos Museum Center, NMC, TC. Celebrate spring & moms with fun museum programming & over 20 Michigan artists selling their work indoors in a range of media from painting, printmaking, mixed media & ceramics to glass, metal, fiber, wood & jewelry. Enjoy a tour with the director, a Mother’s Day card making project, Michigan Legacy Art Park’s community art project, live art demonstrations & a pianist playing in the galleries. Parking is free in the DMC lot & throughout NMC’s campus. Free. shop.dennosmuseum.org/2023-spring-art-market
BARTER FAIR: Noon, Grow Benzie, Benzonia. Enjoy an afternoon of swapping, trading & upcycling. Meet the person whose trash is your treasure & make a trade. The only rule: Money won’t get you anything. Free. growbenzie.org/events/2023/5/13/barter-fair
ARBOR DAY CELEBRATION: 1-4pm, Petoskey Winter Sports Park. Celebrate spring & the city’s designation as a Tree City. Kids’ arts & crafts, scavenger hunt, speakers, tree climbing demonstration & more.
BLESSING OF THE BLOSSOMS: St. Joseph Catholic Church, TC. 1pm: Ceremony. 1:30pm: Reception; enjoy a free slice of Sara Lee pie. 2pm: Requested Blessing of Orchards & Vineyards.
MOTHER-DAUGHTER AFTER HOURS
PARTY: 5:30-8pm, Interlochen Public Library. Enjoy food, games & fun. Diverse activities will encourage problem-solving, skill-building, & relaxation to help you & your girl(s) have fun & connect. Registration encouraged: 231-276-6767. Free.
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“STEEL MAGNOLIAS”: (See Thurs., May 11)
AN EVENING WITH ABRA BERENS & FRIENDS: 7pm, Old Art Building, Leland. A fundraiser for the Leland Township Library. Renowned chef & cookbook author Abra Berens will introduce her newest book, “Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit,” & engage in a conversation with local fruit growers Gene Garthe, Nikki Rothwell & Pete Laing, all of whom are featured in the book. $100; $150 for VIP tickets. lelandlibrary.org
“SOMETHING ROTTEN”: (See Fri., May 12)
CANTICUM NOVUM: 7:30pm, Church in the Hills, Bellaire. NMC’s a capella chorus under the direction of Jeff Cobb will perform the program, “Music of Love and Loss,” including the music of Brahms, Rutter & more. $15 suggested donation.
BIRDWATCHING: 8am, Michigan Legacy Art Park, Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville. Join Michigan Legacy Art Park’s Executive Director & birding guide Angie Quinn on a birdwatching hike through the Art Park. Bring binoculars if able. Meet at the trailhead. $5 entry fee per adult; ages 17 & under, free. crystalmountain.com/event/ birdwatching-may
MADE IN CHEBOYGAN CRAFT SHOW: (See Sat., May 13, except today’s times are 10am-3pm.)
CREATIVITY Q+A LIVE WITH BLACKSMITH SCOTT LANKTON: 1pm, Glen Arbor Arts Center. Leelanau County artist/blacksmith Scott Lankton talks about his practice with Sarah Bearup-Neal, GAAC gallery manager. Lankton was hooked on hot steel the first time he worked with it. He went on to find a vocation in the forge, pounding metal into domestic objects. Lankton also found that this old art + craft form can be put to use in the pursuit of peace, & be a way of raising awareness about gun violence. Free. glenarborart.org/events/ creativity-qa-live-with-blacksmith-scott-lankton ----------------------
“SOMETHING ROTTEN”: (See Fri., May 12, except today’s time is 2pm.)
“STEEL MAGNOLIAS”: (See Thurs., May 11, except today’s time is 2pm.)
HONORING OUR HEROES & HEROINES: AN AFTERNOON OF SYMPHONIC MUSIC BY ENCORE WINDS: 3pm, First Congregational Church, TC. An afternoon of powerful symphonic music chosen to honor our national heroes & our personal heroines: our mothers. $10/person; students free. encorewinds.org
TRAVERSE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAAN EVENING WITH BOB JAMES: (See Sat., May 13, except today’s time is 3pm.)
BLOOMS & BIRDS: WILDFLOWER WALK: Tuesdays, 10am through Sept., Grass River Natural Area, Bellaire. Go for a relaxing stroll on the trails with GRNA docents to find & identify the unique wildflowers at Grass
River Natural Area. Along the way look & listen for the birds who call Grass River home. grassriver.org
KRISTEN EGAN: ON A FAR SHORE: Higher Art Gallery, TC. Featuring a collection of new masks. Runs til June 3. Open Tues. through Sat., 11am-5pm. higherartgallery. com/exhibitcalendar
“GARDEN OF GLASS, THE ART OF CRAIG MITCHELL SMITH”: Charlevoix Circle of Arts. This exhibition combines larger-thanlife floral forms with retrospective works & fresh new pieces made in Craig’s Charlevoix studio. Runs through May 20. Hours are 11am-4pm, Mon. through Fri., & 11am-3pm, Sat. charlevoixcircle.org
NEW ARTWORK BY GEORGE KLEIBER: Ledbetter Gallery/Vada Color, TC. George is a prolific storyteller & poet & incorporates this into his artwork. George’s art celebrates nature, earth, & spirit. The show will run through May 31. Open Mon. through Fri., 9am-4pm. Closed Sat. & Sun. ledbettergallery.com
“SWIMMING”: Glen Arbor Arts Center. Featuring exhibitors Margo Burian, Barbara Bushey, Nancy Crisp, Royce Deans, Sheila Stafford, Melonie Steffes, Kimberly Stoney, Michelle Tock York, & many others. Runs through June 1. glenarborart.org/events/exhibit-swimming ----------------------
“YOUTH INNOVATION IN RURAL AMERI-
CA”: Raven Hill Discovery Center, East Jordan. Community-based youth design projects by local students. Runs May 6 through Oct. 7. miravenhill.org
DISPLAY OF TURNED WOOD CREATIONS BY TOM CLARK: Alden District Library. Runs May 2-30. 231-331-4318.
FLORAL EXPLOSION, PAINTINGS BY THERESA YOUNGMAN: Oliver Art Center, North Hall & Fisher Room, Frankfort. Enjoy Youngman’s freestyle form of painting in her colorful depictions of flowers, gardens, landscapes, & rivers. Runs through May 19. A reception for the artist will be held on May 6 from 5-7pm. Oliver Art Center is open Mon. - Sat. from 10am-4pm. oliverartcenterfrankfort.org
CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER, PETOSKEY:
- BLACK CANVAS 2: HIGH SCHOOL
PORTFOLIO PROGRAM EXHIBITION: Held in Atrium Gallery. Work from CTAC’s new High School Portfolio Program. Runs
April 29 - June 3. crookedtree.org/event/ ctac-petoskey/blank-canvas-2-high-schoolportfolio-program-exhibition
- SPECIAL NEEDS ARTISTIC MOVEMENT: Held in the Dance Studio, this class provides the special needs community a chance to expand their artistry & movement creativity while giving the example that the arts are for everyone. This dance & movement class is designed for teens & adults. It includes basic to intermediate dance education, & is held on Mondays & Fridays from 1-2:30pm through May 12. Register. crookedtree.org/ event/ctac-petoskey/special-needs-artisticmovement ----------------------
CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER, TC:
- INSIDE CROOKED TREE: FACULTY & STAFF EXHIBITION: Held in Carnegie West Gallery through June 3. Those who teach & those who work at Crooked Tree Arts Center Traverse City share artwork they created in this exhibit. crookedtree.org/event/ctac-traverse-city/inside-crooked-tree-faculty-staffexhibition-opens-april-28
- THIS IS 6:47: Held in Carnegie East Gallery through June 3. Featuring artwork from the latest Crooked Tree Arts Center High School Portfolio Students. crookedtree.org/event/ ctac-traverse-city/647-featuring-ctac-highschool-portfolio-students
- THURSDAY PAINTING: BRENDA J. CLARK’S GROUP OF SEVEN-ISH: Held in Cornwell Gallery through June 3. See the work of seven (or more) artists who meet online every Thurs. for two hours to explore a problem-solving agenda put forth by artist Brenda J. Clark. Throughout the session, participants share their artwork, seek inspiration, & encourage one another in creativity under the guidance of Clark. See some of these paintings created by this group. crookedtree.org/event/ctac-traverse-city/ thursday-painting-brenda-j-clarks-group-seven-ish-opens-april-28
DENNOS MUSEUM CENTER, NMC, TC:
- “US”: Teresa Dunn’s solo exhibition is a collection of her recent narrative painting series that brings voice to stories that people of color, individuals with complex cultural identities, & immigrants shared with her about their daily experience in America. Runs through May 28. Open Tues. through Sun., 11am-4pm.
- “VITALITY AND CONTINUITY: ART IN THE EXPERIENCES OF ANISHINAABE, INUIT, AND PUEBLO WOMEN”: This exhibit celebrates some of the critical roles Anishinaabe, Inuit, & Pueblo women fulfill in their families, their communities, the art world, & beyond. Runs through May 19. Open Tues. through Sun., 11am-4pm. dennosmuseum.org
Deadline for Dates information is Tuesday for the following week.
“Contemporary jazz of the highest order; a benchmark for where the genre can go.” ~Detroit Metro Times
Winner, 2022 Telluride Bluegrass Band Competition, International Bluegrass Music Association
“Momentum Award Band of the Year”
“a sound that can bring the lively energy of a Parisian dance hall to the quietest listening room...”
An immersive and cinematic electronic music experience with Jesse Clayton, CYMEK and Wavrunner plus live analog visual art from Super Nuclear
ALBUM RELEASE SHOW
“Max channels the flair of Tom Pe and the eloquence of the Beat Generation’s finest to create his distinctive sound.”
Founded by two Interlochen alums, Viridian Strings is a collective of some of the country’s most promising young musicians performing stellar chamber music
Continuing: The JEFF HAAS QUARTET FEAT. LAURIE SEARS playing every Thursday, and FUNKY FUN MONDAYS, alternating between BIG FUN and FUNKY UNCLE—fast becoming the must-see Monday night live music experience!
No advanced ticket sales for these 6 pm Mon and Thurs shows—just an honor cover at the door.
THE ALLUVION’S PREVIEW SERIES is a limited slate of programming while we get ready for our GRAND OPENING. We are still dialing in a dozen key systems and thousands of fine details—please pardon dust, wires, construction equipment, temporary furnishings, and other small messes, as well as occasional minor inconveniences and shortfalls of our ideal level of hospitali and accessibili .
TICKETS FOR ALL SHOWS NOW ON SALE AT WWW.THEALLUVION.ORG
COMMON GOOD BAKERY, TC
5/9 & 5/13 -- Blair Miller, 6
ENCORE 201, TC
5/6 -- Country Rock Night w/ Larz
Cabot, 8; Drew Hale Band, 9; Derek Randall, 10
5/12 -- The Pistil Whips, 8; Friends
With Benefits, 10
5/13 -- Blake Elliott, 8; DJ Ricky T, 10
FANTASY’S, TC DJ
KILKENNY'S IRISH PUBLIC HOUSE, TC
Thu -- Ladies Night with DJ Leo, 9:30
LEFT FOOT CHARLEY, TC
BARREL ROOM:
5/8 -- Open Mic w/ Rob Coonrod, 6-9
5/12 -- Windy Ridge Trio, 5-7
LIL BO, TC
Tues. – Trivia, 8-10
Weds. – Aldrich, 9
Sun. – Karaoke, 8
MAMMOTH DISTILLING, TC
5/12 -- Clint Weaner, 7-10
MIDDLECOAST BREWING CO., TC
5/12 -- Jesse Jefferson, 6-9
ROVE ESTATE VINEYARD & WINERY, TC
5/12 -- Chris Smith, 5-8
SORELLINA'S, TC SLATE RESTAURANT:
Thurs. -- Tom Kaufmann on Piano,
5-8
Fri. & Sat. – Tom Kaufmann on Piano, 6-9
SPARKS BBQ, TC
5/13 -- Levi Britton, 7
THE ALLUVION, TC
5/8 -- Funky Uncle, 6
5/11 -- Jeff Haas Quartet feat. Laurie Sears, 6-8:30
THE LITTLE FLEET, TC
5/13 -- Metal Bubble Trio, Fake
Baseball, & Jonathan Timm Band, 6-10
THE PARLOR, TC 8-11:
5/6 -- Trillium Groove
5/12 -- Blue Footed Booby
5/13 -- Chris Sterr
THE PUB, TC
8-11:
5/6 -- Jazz Cabbage
5/13 -- Rigs & Jeels
BOYNE VALLEY VINEYARDS, PETOSKEY
2-6:
5/6 -- Tyler Parkin
5/13 -- Chase & Allie
CITY PARK GRILL, PETOSKEY
5/12 -- Annex Karaoke, 9:30
HIGH FIVE SPIRITS, PETOSKEY
5/12 -- Peter Allen Jensen, 8-10
ODAWA CASINO RESORT, PETOSKEY VICTORIES:
5/6 -- Live DJ, 9
5/12 -- Country Concert Series: Boomtown Saints, 9; Followed by DJ
THE BEAU, CHEBOYGAN
5/6 & 5/11 -- Open Mic, 8-11
5/12 -- Ron Getz, 7:30-10
5/13 -- Billy P w/ Guest, 8-11
THE WORKSHOP BREWING CO., TC
5/6 -- East Bay Drive, 8
5/9 -- Open Mic & Talent Showcase, 7
5/10 -- Jazz Show & Jam w/ Ron Getz, Dave Collini & Bill Sears, 6
5/12 -- Hatchwing Rider, 8
TRAVERSE CITY COMEDY CLUB, TC
5/5 -- Comedy w/ Bill Bushart, 7:45-9:15
5/6 -- Comedy w/ Bill Bushart, 7:30-9
5/12 -- Comedy w/ Nick Leydorf, 7:45-9:15
5/13 -- Comedy w/ Nick Leydorf, 7:30-9
UNION STREET STATION, TC
5/6 -- Lucas Paul Band, 10
5/7 -- Open Mic, 4-7
5/9 – Open Mic Comedy, 8-9:30; then Karaoke
5/10-11 – DJ Donte, 10
5/12 – Happy Hour w/ Rolling Dirty; then The Timebombs
5/13 – The Marsupials, 10
5/7 -- Blair Miller, 5
5/13 – April Wine & The Legendary Lita Ford, 8-10:30: SOLD OUT
BEL LAGO VINEYARD & WINERY, CEDAR
5/9 -- Luke Woltanski, 3-5
DICK'S POUR HOUSE, LAKE LEELANAU
Sat. -- Karaoke, 10-1
FRENCH VALLEY VINEYARD, CEDAR
4-7:
5/9 -- Michael Fahey
5/11 -- The Duges
IRON FISH DISTILLERY, THOMPSONVILLE
6-8:
5/12 -- Wink
5/13 – Lighting Matches
LAKE ANN BREWING CO.
5/6 -- The Daydrinker Series w/ John Piatek Duo, 3-6; The Jameson Brothers, 7-10
5/9 -- Wink, 6:30-9:30
Thu -- Trivia Night w/ Host Tom Kas-
par, 7-9
5/12 -- Happy Hour w/ Adam Duress, 3-6; Delilah DeWylde, 7-10
5/13 -- The Daydrinker Series w/ Sydni K, 3-6; Silver Creek Revival, 7-10
ST. AMBROSE CELLARS, BEULAH
5/10 -- Comedy Hive Open Mic, 7-8:30
5/11 -- Open Mic Night w/ Jeff Louwsma, 5:30-8:30
5/12 -- LaRose, 5-8
5/13 -- Bill Frary, 5-8
5/14 -- Robert Feddersen, 2-5
SHADY LANE CELLARS, SUTTONS BAY
5/12 -- Friday Night LIVE with Andrew Lutes, 5:30-8:30
5/14 -- Elizabeth Landry, noon-3
THE DIXIE SALOON, MACKINAW CITY
5/5-6 & 5/12 -- Pete 'Big Dog' Fetters, 8-11
THE NOGGIN ROOM PUB, PETOSKEY
7-10:
5/6 -- Brett Mitchell
5/12 -- Mike Ridley
5/13 -- Moon Howlers
ALPINE TAVERN & EATERY, GAYLORD
6:
5/6 -- Zeke
5/12 -- Nelson Olstrom
5/13 -- Lou Thumser
BIG BUCK BREWERY, GAYLORD
6:
5/13 -- Nelson Olstrom
BOYNE CITY TAP ROOM
Thu -- Sean Bielby & Adam Engelman, 6-9
BOYNE MOUNTAIN RESORT, BOYNE FALLS BEACH HOUSE DEER LAKE:
5/14 -- Nelson Olstrom, 11am
5/12 -- Zie
FIRESIDE LOUNGE, BELLAIRE
6:30-9:30:
5/12 -- Jessica Dominic
5/13 -- Darrell Boger
MUSKRAT DISTILLING, BOYNE CITY
5/8 -- Blair Miller, 6-9
SHORT'S BREW PUB, BELLAIRE
5/13 -- Robert Rolfe, 8-10:30
THE WHI-SKI INN, BOYNE FALLS
7-10:
5/6 -- Charlie Rieger
5/13 -- Nathan Bates & The Shifties
ACROSS
1. Nights before holidays
5. Loos
8. Radio and podcast streaming platform, for short
14. Mediocre
16. What a suspect might enter
17. Guessing game with yes/no answers
19. Put on a patch, maybe
20. Unnatural raspberry color/"flavor"
21. "Tik ___" (Ke$ha hit)
22. "It ___, Captain Vegetable / With my carrot, and my celery" (early 1980s Sesame Street song)
25. Surname of fictional siblings Shiv and Roman
27. Big ceramic pot (or a French-sounding greeting backwards)
29. Way of obscuring messages practiced by Leonardo da Vinci
33. Sunburn-soothing substance
34. "His Master's Voice" initials
35. "Downton Abbey" title
37. When a second-shift worker might return to the office
42. Asuncion assent
43. Ritter of country music
44. ___ speak (as it were)
45. Ancient chariot-racing venue
49. Present day, for short?
50. Actress Thurman of "Gattaca"
51. 157.5 deg. from N
52. Recede, at the beach
55. Devilish creatures
57. Participial suffix
59. What the first words of the theme answers (including this one) might represent when repeated
65. Let out fishing line
66. Post-accident inquiry
67. Light touch
68. Enter the auction
69. "Girls" creator Dunham
DOWN
1. Doc seen for head colds
2. Solemn oath
3. It's way past April in Paris
4. Nine-digit IDs
5. Fret-free query
6. ___ au vin
7. Ticket leftover
8. Rude remark
9. Hilton, for one
10. Center intro
11. Bunches
12. Spot near Lake Tahoe
13. To-do list entry
15. Alamogordo's county
18. "The Time Machine" humanoid
22. Muslim religious leader
23. Grain holders
24. Like some unexpected endings
26. Org. for women since the 1850s
28. Trickster god of African folklore
30. Call sign that dates back to the original Star Wars movie
31. Whitewater rides
32. Some wedding cake figurines
36. "The White ___"
38. Flight awards
39. Chinese e-commerce company that went live in the U.S. in late 2022
40. Studied closely
41. Wine's bouquet
46. Animals in a 2022 World Cup-adjacent beauty contest
47. Stamp-issuing org.
48. Common graph axes
52. Cabinet dept. concerned with schools
53. ___ fides (credentials)
54. Comedian Bill
56. Clumsy attempt
58. London lockup
60. "Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling ___"
(actual 2023 New Zealand comedy show)
61. "All Things Considered" host Shapiro
62. Wish to take back
63. Longtime Mad Magazine cartoonist Martin
64. The Specials genre
