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UM M E R NORTHERN MICHIGAN’S WEEKLY • august 24 - august 30, 2026 • Vol. 36 No.34
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A N D I F N OT — WE ’ LL PR IC E M ATC H . T R AV E R S E C I T Y | H O N O R | P E T O S K E Y
FREE GOODIES FOR NEWCOMERS
Northern Express Weekly • august 24, 2026 • 1
FOR USE BY INDIVIDUALS 21 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER ONLY. KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN. IT IS ILLEGAL TO DRIVE A MOTOR VEHICLE WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF MARIHUANA. NATIONAL POISON CONTROL CENTER 1-800-222-1222.
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letters CONTENTS Asking for a Friend A 1st District constituent with questions for Representative Bergman: Are you okay with converting “The People’s House” into a legitimate military target? How about $4.00 gas? Three million people losing health insurance? Masked ICE agents with no ID on America’s streets? How about a war of choice in the Middle East? All of this without your congressional oversight. Too busy maintaining your home in Louisiana? Asking for a friend. Tom O’Rourke | Traverse City The Real American Dream In the Aug. 17 Express, Walt Wood bravely takes on the fraught topic of the American Dream—its winners and losers, and the role we can end up playing in our country’s war against its own citizens. For example, our own portfolios grow as the leaders we deplore wage war against our neighbors. He speaks as a Christian, urging fellow Christians to promote a cooperative model instead of competing to the detriment of our neighbors, especially those who might not look like us. I’ll add (I am not arguing here, just adding) that Christianity is just one of the religions practiced in America. As Wood prompts us to recognize and consider all of humanity, let’s apply that to our citizenship: When we hear fear mongering and hate for candidates and others who do not look like us, let’s call it out. Vote for candidates who, whether they are Christian or not, promote policies that hold politicians’ feet to the fire, require corporations to pay their fair share, and support our neighbors, whether they look like us or not. That’s the American Dream. Diane Miller | Honor
features
Ooh La La, Chez Amie.........................................9 Ready, Set, Locals Summer!..............................10 Late Summer Paddles......................................12 Little Treats...........................................................15 July Up North: A Recap...................................17 Food Insecurity..............................................18 The Sounds of September...............................20
columns & stuff Top Ten.........................................................4 Spectator/Stephen Tuttle..................................6 Guest Opinion..................................................7 Dates..........................................................21 Weird............................................................27 Astrology.......................................................28 Crossword.....................................................28 Nitelife...........................................................29 Classifieds....................................................30
Northern Express Weekly is published by Eyes Only Media, LLC. Publisher: Luke Haase PO Box 4020 Traverse City, Michigan 49685 Phone: (231) 947-8787 Fax: 947-2425 email: info@northernexpress.com www.northernexpress.com Editor: Jillian Manning Creative Director: Kyra Cross Poehlman Finance Manager: Libby Shutler Sales: Lisa Gillespie, Kim Murray, Kaitlyn Nance, Abby Walton Porter, Michele Young For ad sales in Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Boyne & Charlevoix, call (231) 838-6948
Contributors: Ross Boissoneau, Art Bukowski, Anna Faller, Beth Milligan, Rachel Pasche, Kelsey Sanders, Stephen Tuttle, Drew VanDrie
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From Rock to Blues, Country to Classical— — Legends Play Here.
Distribution: Marc Morris, Gerald Morris, Dave Anderson, Joe Evancho, Jason Ritter, Sherri Ritter, Roger Racine, Sarah Racine, Brandy Grames, Rachel Cara, Jackson Price, Lisa Price, Peggy Bell
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Listings Editor: Jamie Kauffold
Copyright 2026, all rights reserved. Distribution: 36,000 copies at 600+ locations weekly. Northern Express Weekly is free of charge, but no person may take more than one copy of each weekly issue without written permission of Northern Express Weekly. Reproduction of all content without permission of the publisher is prohibited.
The Rock Orchestra
AUG
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interlochen.org/tickets Northern Express Weekly • august 24, 2026 • 3
this week’s
top ten Paddle for the Platte
Are you really a northern Michigander if you’ve never paddled or floated down the Platte? For those of us who love this iconic river, there’s a way to give back on Friday, Aug. 28. Benzie Conservation District (BCD) has teamed up with Riverside Canoes for Paddle for the Platte, a family-friendly trip on the river from 9am-12:30pm with activities along the way. You’ll learn about the watershed, local flora and fauna, and the Department of Natural Resources’ salmon program in the Platte River. Riverside Canoes will donate 50 percent of all kayak and canoe rental for the day to the BCD— be sure to mention this when you arrive to pick up your gear! (Note: In the event of inclement weather, a rain day is scheduled for Sept. 4.) Get all the details and register at benziecd.org/paddle-for-the-platte.html.
A Polka Tradition
Join nearly 10,000 Polka fans at the 44th Annual Cedar Polka Fest, Aug. 27-30. Hit the dance floor with live music by Bavarski (pictured), The Diddle Styx, Polka Generations, Dynabrass, and the Scottville Clown Band! Catch the Ultimate Air Dogs, an arts & crafts fair, a parade, and the Hagerty Classic Polka Fest Car Show. And don’t forget to lace up your shoes for the Run 4 the Kielbasa race! Visit cedarpolkafest.org for a full schedule and tickets.
Hey, read It! Where the Water Meets the Sky On a cold winter night in the late 1980s, a devastating house fire rocked Michigan’s rural Garden Peninsula. Ten years later, its only survivor, a young woman named Abby, makes her return for what’s supposed to be a one-off summer of helping her uncle study ecology in the nearby forests. What she finds, however, is so much more: refuge in her unexpected friendship with a wild girl named Seda, a rekindled bond with her oldest friend Brew (and the feelings she’s developed for him), and an everelusive sense of belonging in the plants and animals of her childhood home. Still, unanswered questions remain. What really happened on the night of the fire, and could Abby have had something to do with it? Set against the dreamy backdrop of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Diane Les Becquets’s coming-of-age novel Where the Water Meets the Sky is a celebration of strength in community, the healing powers of nature, and the impact of the places that raise us (especially when one of those places is Michigan!).
the MARKET
2 tastemaker
Providence Farm’s Baja Whitefish Tacos
The menu at Central Lake’s Providence Farm is ever-changing. The seasons—and the bounty of the land itself—dictate what’s being served for breakfast and lunch at this certified organic farm. So we can’t promise that you’ll get one of the mouthwatering Baja Whitefish Tacos, but fingers crossed it will be on the menu when you visit. Homemade tortillas are filled with fresh-caught whitefish battered in an organic pancake (yes, you read that right) batter and topped with pico de gallo. As one diner said, “I’ve never tasted a fish taco so delicious…they were divine.” We feel confident in extrapolating that out to the rest of the Providence Farm eats, whether they’re from the kitchen or from their market overflowing with summer’s bounty. Find them at 5691 N M 88 in Central Lake. facebook.com/ ProvidenceOrganicFarmCafeNaturalFoodMarket
4 • august 24, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly
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6 Mountaintop and
Moonlight Dinners
If you haven’t been to a ski hill since there was snow on the ground, here’s your sign to make a summertime visit. On Tuesday, Aug. 25, Crystal Mountain hosts a Mountaintop Farm-to-Table Dinner, complete with a chairlift ride, a welcome reception, and a familystyle dinner in the yurt. The dinner is 21+; $199 per person at crystalmountain.com. Later in the week, on Aug. 28, the Inn at Bay Harbor invites you to dine under the full moon— the Sturgeon Moon, in this case—with a multi-course meal that features caviar, smoked sturgeon, beef filet, and a deconstructed s’more finale. (According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the moon is named after this Great Lakes fish because they were once so abundant at the close of summer.) The dinner is $80 per guest, and a wine pairing add-on is available for $45 more. Find more details at innatbayharbor.com.
HeadWaters Completes Preserve Protection
Stuff We Love: Powering Ukraine Few of us can imagine what life is like in Ukraine today, where many citizens are forced to live in bombed cities or experience regular and severe power outages. In response to the ongoing war, Petoskey’s Rick Donahoe, a retired engineer and member of the First Presbyterian Church, has been building solar-powered light kits, which can provide both light and charging capabilities, for the people of Ukraine. Because the kits contain lithium batteries, they must travel by land or water, which means a long trip across the Atlantic and through Europe to reach the refugees. Donahoe and church members have assembled more than 2,500 battery packs and/or kits to date. On Monday, Aug. 24, volunteers are gathering at 6pm in Fellowship Hall at the First Presbyterian Church in Petoskey (501 E. Mitchell St.) to assemble 100 kits and hear from Donahoe and Dave Nonnemacher, who transports the finished kits to Ukraine. Learn more at petoskeypres.org.
HeadWaters Land Conservancy, headquartered in Gaylord, has spent the last five years trying to turn 12 protected acres of coastal forests, wetlands, and shoreline along Lake Huron into 213 acres. The Hess Nature Preserve involved years of property acquisitions, partnerships, and fundraising and progressed along in three separate phases. Per HeadWaters, “The first phase added 40 acres of wetland, forest and wildlife habitat. The second and largest phase protected another 158 acres, including an extensive dune and swale complex that connected the earlier acquisition to the original Hess Nature Preserve and created a significant corridor of protected habitat. The final phase added a critical Lake Huron shoreline parcel, extending the preserve’s protected shoreline by approximately 450 feet.” The preserve is open to the public, and in the coming years, HeadWaters will be planning trails and other ways for visitors to appreciate the space. Stay tuned at headwatersconservancy.org.
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Still Outside Embrace the Season… Al Fresco & Indoor Dining
PETOSKEY | CHARLEVOIX | Wineguys Restaurant Group
NORTHSI DE FOOD & SPIRITS
bottoms up Shady Lane’s 2025 Reserve Riesling If you’ve ever dabbled in Michigan wine, you’ve almost certainly tried a late harvest Riesling—but we’re certain that you have yet to taste anything like Shady Lane’s 2025 Reserve version. Inspired by a fall trip to Germany, this tastebud-bender features estategrown Riesling grapes picked at peak “late harvest” concentration and fermented dry. The result is a gorgeously complex white wine with the signature lush palette and caramelly notes—think: raw honey, citrus, and tropical fruit—that define similar styles, but minus the sweetness and with a touch of vibrant acid. Each sip is balanced, rich, a bit unexpected, and perfect for autumn in northern Michigan. Grab a glass at the Shady Lane Cellars tasting room starting in early September (9580 E Shady Ln., Suttons Bay), or check out their wine club to get in on the action early. shadylanecellars.com
Northern Express Weekly • august 24, 2026 • 5
DON’T CREATE THE SOURCE OF DISASTER
spectator By Stephen Tuttle Enbridge’s Line 5 was first built in 1953, running across the Upper Peninsula, under the Straits of Mackinac, and down the spine of the Lower Peninsula until it ends in Sarnia, Ontario. Most of us paid little attention to it—shame on us— until there was an anchor strike on that underwater pipeline that made us realize there was the possibility of something very, very bad happening. So, Enbridge, way back in 2018, proposed building a tunnel beneath the Straits for their beloved pipeline. Then more attention.
people
started
paying
First a little background. The United States has the largest petroleum product pipeline network in the world. We have an astonishing 2.8 million miles of pipeline crisscrossing the country. It mostly carries natural gas and most of that mileage is local, lines running into homes and businesses. You might have such a pipeline running right under your backyard. The pipelines also carry oil and other petroleum products. Go online and ask for a map of pipelines in the country, and it looks like someone spilled a plate of multi-colored spaghetti on it. You might be surprised to learn there are nearly 68,000 miles of pipeline in Michigan alone, and Enbridge has only 930 miles of it. Grand Traverse County’s natural gas is provided by DTE lines; no Enbridge natural gas comes here. The Enbridge product starts in the oil sands of Alberta, Canada, and is transported by other pipelines to Superior, Wisconsin, where it transfers to Line 5 and starts its journey, with roughly 540,000 barrels (22.7 million gallons) a day of crude product flowing through its 30-inch-diameter pipeline. The natural gas liquids are stripped out at the Rapid River Terminal not far from Escanaba, and the result provides 65 percent of the U.P.’s propane, according to Enbridge.
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Ah, yes, the risk. The percentage of pipeline leaks and accidents, given the millions of miles and remarkable amount of product surging through them, is small. Unfortunately, the raw numbers and consequences are not. According to the Federal Register, the U.S. averages about 370 leaks of hazardous liquids annually, but it bumps up to 678 incidents per year when we include natural gas transmission lines, or 1.7 incidents every day. The problem here is not the number of problems—most of the leaks are small and controllable—but the very real potential for catastrophe. Michigan has already experienced exactly that phenomenon. In 2010, just outside Marshall, Michigan, Enbridge Line 6B ruptured and released at least a million gallons of crude product into Talmadge Creek, which then found its way into the Kalamazoo River. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 1,500 acres of wetlands and 38 miles of waterways were severely damaged, thousands of amphibious critters were killed, injured, or had to be rescued, and sections of the river had to be closed for two years while clean-up efforts were undertaken. Enbridge, which either misunderstood their own warning system or ignored it, continued to pump oil through the ruptured line for another 17 hours and ended up paying $1.2 billion in cleanup and restitution costs. They “solved” the problem by replacing Line 6B with a bigger pipeline. It’s not like petroleum products easily vanish into the environment. There are still environmental consequences—oil blobs showing up, diseased fish—from the Exxon Valdez disaster of 1989. A spill under the Straits would be more than a generational issue; it would be a disaster expanding lifetimes.
Some oil makes it to refineries in Detroit and Ohio, but the vast majority of the product ends up at Sarnia’s petrochemical complex in Ontario. So, product extracted from Canada, goes into a Canadian-owned pipeline and mostly ends up in Canada for use by Canadians, but the pipeline runs exclusively through Michigan whose residents get all the risk. And there is risk.
Tribal nations through which Line 5 travels strongly oppose the pipeline in general and the tunnel specifically. Governor Gretchen Whitmer was once a strong opponent, but the state regulatory bodies approved the tunnel project in spite of her opposition. The Army Corps of Engineers approved a permit, but the Michigan Supreme Court, unlike the other groups that analyzed the thing, rightly decided the regulators had not fully done their job considering environmental concerns or others, and now we start again.
You must think Enbridge surely pays the state plenty for the right to do this. They pay their share of taxes, and they’ve paid some hefty settlements for line mishaps, but they pay not a cent to run the pipelines—not a lease fee nor a royalty.
It’s long past time for Enbridge to figure out how to get their product to their plants without crossing the Straits. The best way to avoid what could be an absolutely cataclysmic disaster is to never create the source of it.
A NEW PLAN FOR MONEY OUT OF POLITICS IN MICHIGAN
GUEST OPINION by Justin Mendoza Regardless of how you define yourself politically, almost everyone has a visceral negative reaction when they hear the c-word: corruption. However, it’s important to figure out exactly what we mean by “corruption.” Many of us define it as using public office for personal—often financial—gain. But there are also other types of corruption that are abundant in Michigan. One of the most insidious types of corruption is the way that corporations and their associated entities game the political system to get more money and power. And that, my friends, is something that we as Michiganders need to champion ourselves to fight against. Getting money out of politics is top of mind for Michiganders right now. Heading into the election this November, voters will have the opportunity to decide on a ballot initiative that would do exactly this, and Progress Michigan polling shows that four out of five voters want to see that initiative pass. But there’s also a new bill Lansing lawmakers introduced that will help steer our state in the right direction toward a more transparent and accountable government that works for everyone, not wealthy corporations. Michigan legislators recently introduced a bill that would go after dark corporate money in our elections. Introduced by state Senator Sean McCann and state Representative Betsy Coffia, it’s modeled after a plan in Montana (aptly named “the Montana plan”) that seeks to redefine what powers corporations have under state law. It makes it clear that anyone who is not a living, breathing person is not granted the power to use corporate funds to influence politics while leaving individuals fully free to participate in the political process. In other words, it helps level the playing field between us voters and corporations that have been spending record sums of money in our elections. The goal of the Montana plan is to help course correct after the disastrous 2010 Citizens United United States Supreme Court decision, which has given corporations the unfettered ability to spend gobs of money on elections, a number that continues to grow. The nonprofit Public Citizen has found that corporations have already spent more than half a billion dollars trying to sway public opinion on the 2026 midterm elections. Michigan also had the most expensive U.S. Senate primary in history this year on the Democratic side, and only time will tell how much more dark money advertisements we’ll be inundated with on our screens until November. Michigan has a history of regulating corporate influence in our elections, and it’s
time to lean back into this spirit. One of the court cases that Citizens United overturned was a U.S. Supreme Court case involving Michigan, Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce. The opinion from 1990 ruled that a Michigan law banned corporations from spending treasury money to influence elections. However, there were loopholes in that law that allowed corporations to use separate funds for political speech, and of course all this went out the door with the Citizens United decision. Now, Michigan lawmakers are looking at bringing the Montana plan to our state. It’s a noble cause considering that Michigan has ranked 48th among all states and the District of Columbia for ethics and transparency in state government. This isn’t just about ensuring our government is accountable to us, it is also an issue of affordability. Monopoly utilities in our state have the ability to raise prices year after year, while donating nearendless amounts of cash to our lawmakers who have the power to rein them in. And what do we Michiganders get in return? The answer is higher bills year after year. With high and rising costs for just about everything, we need our elected officials to be accountable to the people, not corporations that are trying to line their own pockets.
To God Be The Glory
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A large majority of Democrats, Republicans, and independents agree that reforms like the Montana plan are needed to help infuse greater trust and confidence in government, according to a 2025 YouGov poll. While the Citizens United decision has ushered in a new era of unlimited corporate spending, there’s still power that states have to curb this— something that Hawaii has already done. Rep. Coffia said regarding the bill, “I have seen big insurance, utility monopolies, and other special interest groups wield staggering levels of influence over what bills are even allowed a committee hearing, regardless of which party is holding the gavel. This legislation is desperately needed and long overdue to refocus Michigan politics on serving everyday Michiganders, not corporate CEOs and their shareholders.” Michiganders are sick and tired of the power that wealthy corporations wield in our elections. We need our elected officials to take action to hold themselves and the system they’re part of accountable, but we also can’t rely on these efforts alone. It will take a variety of ways—including the Mop Up Michigan ballot initiative this November—to solve this problem. Justin Mendoza (he/him) is the executive director of Progress Michigan, a nonprofit communications advocacy and government watchdog organization.
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231-348-8100 2200 East Mitchell Rd., Petoskey Northern Express Weekly • august 24, 2026 • 7
NOW
HIRING •••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Accounting Coordinator
Looking for a rewarding accounting career close to home? Traverse City Area Public Schools is hiring an Accounting Coordinator to support grants, budgeting, financial reporting, and district accounting. If you enjoy problem-solving and are eager to learn, we'd love to hear from you. School finance experience is helpful but not required—we'll provide training. Join a team that makes a difference for students every day. TCAPS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
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8 • august 24, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly NE - WELLNESS HUB
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SINCE 2013
OOH LA LA, CHEZ AMIE New restaurant marks the return of Eric Fritch’s French-inspired dining to Traverse City
By Beth Milligan New Jersey native and Seattle Culinary Academy alum Eric Fritch has come a long way from being an upstart chef in Seattle dreaming of moving to Michigan with his wife, Amy, to open a patisserie. The couple did just that 30 years ago, launching the tiny Patisserie Amie on East Front Street in Traverse City in 2005. Developing a cult-like following with lines out the door for his French-inspired fare, Fritch eventually decamped for larger digs on Lake Avenue in 2008. The restaurant continued to enjoy a devoted following until the pandemic forced its closure in 2020. Fritch pivoted and launched a new food truck, Le Metropolitain, which served up a combination of previous menu staples and new brunch features to hungry weekend guests at Traverse City Whiskey Company. A devastating truck fire last fall required Fritch to pivot once again. “Through the grace and timing of manifestation, we found this space at the Warehouse MRKT,” he says. Enter Chez Amie, a return to Fritch’s brickand-mortar roots that is once again reviving beloved French staples with some creative new twists. Bon Appétit Open since April in the former Hexenbelle space on the corner of Garland and Hall streets, Chez Amie is a brunchfocused, Parisian-inspired café with touches of chic European décor in an airy, light dining room. The restaurant sits about 30 indoors and another 15 on its sun-dappled patio. Accommodating both reservations
and walk-ins, Chez Amie offers a counter service-style approach, with guests perusing menus and then placing orders at the front café area for table delivery. Fans of Patisserie Amie will find plenty of returning favorites on the menu. Those include a “perfectly executed” Croque Monsieur, Fritch says with pride, a grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich with bechamel. Small breakfast pizzas highlight fromage blanc with toppings like bacon and a fried egg, mushrooms and truffle, or smoked salmon with capers. An entire “Les Oeufs” menu offers numerous plays on eggs, from silky omelets to eggs “Benedictine” to steak haché, a classic bistro dish featuring minced beef patty, fried egg, truffled holly, waffle fries, and toast. “It’s classic French with something for everybody,” Fritch says of the menu. “We don’t try to reinvent the wheel, but we’ll put our own twist on it. We probably have the best hollandaise in the world. We have a great bechamel sauce. We really stick to those mother sauces.” Those with a sweet tooth won’t want to miss the “Sucrées” section of the menu. In addition to Belgian waffles, French toast, and a variety of crepes, Fritch has become legendary for his beignets. The hollow, puffed-up French donuts are topped with powdered sugar and delivered warm to the table. Fritch says they’re different from the traditional kind you might find in New Orleans, for example; his style is more of a “beignet souffle.” Made fresh to order, the beignets can be eaten alone as a sweet treat or turned savory with surprising fillings ranging from snails to garlic bechamel. “It’s
a nice little vessel for your eggs,” Fritch says, hinting at future menu specials to come. The pastries pair well with Chez Amie’s extensive coffee and espresso menu. The classics are present—café au laits, cappuccinos, and lattes—as are some craveable special features. Standouts include the restaurant’s “famous” hot chocolate and the Moka, which features Belgian chocolate, espresso, and Chantilly cream, according to Fritch. A showstopper is the Crème Brûlatte, a vanilla latte with a caramelized sugar crust guaranteed to earn longing stares from neighboring diners. Bientôt (Coming Soon) While brunch has been the focus, Chez Amie is about to ramp up operations. Fritch estimates the café will have its liquor license by the end of August. “The first thing that will start happening is our brunches will start serving mimosas, bellinis, Bloody Marys, and alcoholic coffee drinks like we used to do [at Patisserie Amie],” he says. “Then we’ll start keeping our doors open after brunch.” Fritch plans to soon launch an afternoon happy hour, which will include both drinks and “French noshables.” Next up will be the return of “bistro nights,” weekend dinners that were in high demand at his former restaurant. At Chez Amie, those slots will likely be available Friday and Saturday from 5pm to 8pm. “We can book those up and probably max them out,” he says. Dinner options will range “far and wide,” Fritch says, growing animated as he discusses his plans. “Steak frites, duck dishes, pork, chicken, our famous snails,” he lists off. “It
probably won’t be quite as large of a dinner menu as it used to be, but always having some appetizers, some pizzas, entrees, a small dessert menu. The possibilities are endless.” The liquor license will also allow Chez Amie to host private events and parties, plus a series of special dinners. “We used to do beer and wine dinners, and I want to bring those back,” Fritch says. He mentions a renowned “France vs. Italy” dinner series long hosted by Traverse City’s Trattoria Stella, in which he previously participated representing the French side of the cuisine. He’d love to do something like that again, potentially partnering with Warehouse District neighboring chef Eric Nittolo of Nittolo’s Little Italy. “We’re already talking about doing a dinner together,” Fritch says. For Fritch, his restaurant journey in Traverse City—from tiny bistro to bustling restaurant to food truck to modest café—has ultimately landed him in the right place. “We love being in the Warehouse District,” he says. “We have a hotel going up right across the street from us, another one going in nearby. And everyone in Warehouse MRKT is so nice. We’re so happy to be part of this community.” On the cooking side, Fritch’s goal remains the same as it was 30 years ago. “I want to try and give people a good value and a good vibe,” he says. “I want to transport them, even for an hour or two, to Paris.” Find Chez Amie at 144 Hall St., Ste 107, in Traverse City. facebook.com/chezamietc
Northern Express Weekly • august 24, 2026 • 9
Ready, Set,
LocaLS SummeR! Now’s the time to return to your favorite tourist hot spots By Anna Faller With our dreamy beaches, farm-fresh agriculture, and nationally acclaimed hospitality industries, it’s no secret (especially not to locals) that northern Michigan is becoming an increasingly popular destination for out-of-town tourists. “Local flavor is what makes a place cool,” Lake Ann Brewing Company co-owner Matt Therrien notes. “When you go on vacation, you always want to know what the secret place is.” Releasing that secret to the masses, however, is often enough to keep residents at home until their go-to haunts free up in September—many with a seasonal lineup of locallyfocused events and features. How are northern Michigan’s busiest spots making space for regional regulars this summer? Northern Express has the local lowdown!
Lake Ann Brewing Co., Lake Ann Per Therrien, the Lake Ann business model starts with curating a local space that “allows tourists,” and not the other way round. “You get your flavor from the locals,” he says. “When you go to a hometown place, you need hometown people to be there.” Nestled in the heart of Lake Ann, Lake Ann Brewing Co. hangs its hat on curating funky neighborhood vibes, and the combination of lively outdoor spaces, alongside a freshlyconstructed all-season pavilion, means the facility can accommodate dozens of people. Add to that multiple rotating taps, shared picnic tables for socializing, and a jam-packed seasonal music lineup, and you’ve got summer crowds by the crush. Therrien says year-round residents account for a significant portion of that business, even in peak season, so LAB kicks off the autumnal transition by returning to its regular programming. Trivia Thursdays, for instance, which the brewery pauses at the end of May, are set to return in September, as are Wednesday open mic nights; meanwhile, live performances are limited to Friday and Saturday sets. 2026 also marks the brewery’s first season with a second stage, making the space’s signature performances (and adjusting to inclement weather) easier to facilitate. Maintaining reasonable prices, Therrien notes, is also a key part of local draw. “We don’t have a mug club, and we don’t run specials. We just charge local prices year-round, and it works well for us,” he says. Other seasonal fun includes specialty sips, like stouts and spiced ciders for cooler weather, as well as the taproom’s annual Oktoberfest celebration on Oct. 3. “People come from around the world to Traverse City, and we get to see the world come to us all summer,” adds Therrien. “I think the reason we have a local following is because we’re beholden to them and treat them well.” Check out Lake Ann Brewing Co. at 6535 First St. in Lake Ann. lakeannbrewing.com
10 • august 24, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly
River Club, Glen Arbor With its 18 holes of landscaped putt-putt, signature “Mexigan” eats (aka, Mexican flavors-meet-Michigan sourcing), frosty beverages, live music, and more, River Club in Glen Arbor is an undeniable hotspot for visitors seeking some peak-season fun. “We aim to be the no-veto entertainment option,” co-owner Mike Sheldon notes. “Everyone from [ages] three to 93 can putt-putt. It’s a something-for-everyone destination.” This goal, however, can lead to serious lines—in fact, Sheldon estimates that the club sees upwards of 1,500 guests per day in the summer! Though he underscores that this number inevitably represents both tourists and townies, it’s not until things cool off in September that the club can stretch its local legs. For starters, there’s the highly-anticipated return of the Mucho Macho Nachos— served in an “absurd” sheet pan-sized stack—which the kitchen is forced to suspend for the summer. Various fall-themed cocktails are also on the early fall docket, as are football watch parties for game days (projected via the club’s five jumbo TVs), and several premier special events. Those include the River Club’s first annual “Run Club and Hole in One,” which is scheduled for Sept. 12 and offers 5K and 10K options, followed by prizes, food, and other goodies. The club is also slated to host the pre-party for Frankfort’s Ironman 70.3, complete with free athlete meals, on Sept. 18. Other locals-only programming includes buy-one-get-one golf for the month of September (don’t forget to bring your ID!), as well as the launch of open mic and karaoke nights, though Sheldon notes that the latter is still in the works. “Locals are the backbone of River Club,” he adds. “We’re doing this to serve our local community. It’s good business and good for the region.” River Club is located at 5963 S Oak St. in Glen Arbor. rcglenarbor.com
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4500 US 31 N • 231-938-2330 Farm Club, Traverse City Celebrating local flavor has long been the name of the game at Farm Club, where onsite produce reigns supreme—in fact, co-owner Gary Jonas estimates a whopping 90 percent of the eatery’s veggies are estate-grown—and other goodies like house-brewed beer and baked treats make taking a bite out of northern Michigan as easy as cracking a menu. Summer tourists and weekenders, however, are just as eager to dig in, and with north of 1,000 visitors passing through Farm Club on a typical day in July (especially in comparison to the 250 or so of early April), securing a spot in the dead of summer can be far easier said than done. This is where Mother Nature comes in, marking the start of the seasonal shift with earlier nights, cooler temperatures, and the long-awaited return of onion rings to the Farm Club fryer. “Every year, we save our onion rings for locals,” says Jonas, which the kitchen crafts from a giant sweet onion variety called Ailsa Craig. Per Jonas, these whoppers aren’t typically ready for harvest until the end of August, but an unusually fruitful 2026 yield means they might hit the menu before summer’s out. Other locally-focused fun includes the farm’s yearly (and free!) Field Socials on Sept. 17 and 24, where locals can sip on new beverage releases while mingling with farmers and brewers. Farm Club’s Annual Corn and Chile Roasting Festival also takes place later that month, headlined by the year’s take of green chiles—fresh, dehydrated, roasted, you name it—and a regular hoedown of heirloom corn shucking before autumnal flavors hit the menu. “We have an amazing community,” he adds. “Doing this project only feels good if we can do it with the people that live here in mind.” Find Farm Club at 10051 Lake Leelanau Dr. in Traverse City. farmclubtc.com
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Shorts Brewing, Bellaire + Elk Rapids With more than 20 years, multiple northern Michigan outposts, and a tastebudboggling array of craft beverages under their belt, Short’s Brewing Company has fermented its way into a statewide entity that belongs to everybody. “I think it’s our people side of things that makes [Short’s] so magical,” marketing and brand director Christa Brenner says. “At the end of the day, you want to go somewhere where you feel welcome, and you feel that when you’re here.” Add to that offerings like top-notch eats, dedicated outdoor space, and a range of eclectic events from trivia to live music and beyond, and the Short’s staff is pretty much consigned to slinging food and drinks at warp speed each summer. (In fact, they sold nearly 7,000 pints of Local’s Light in July and August 2025!). So, it comes as no surprise that locals summer at Short’s also intersects a serious product drop. This year, a highly-anticipated line of hard refreshers enters the ranks. Starcut’s Apple Cider Donut cider is back for another season of frenzied sipping, as is Local’s Honey Crisp (that’s a light lager flavored with apple and honey), and the Rocktoberfest German-style lager, which is specially brewed for the Rocktoberfest beer garden party in Bellaire in late September. Per Brenner, local sponsorships, like chairlift rides at Shanty Creek in support of Pure Michigan are also on the docket, as is programming like the return of bingo nights at the Elk Rapids Pull Barn (a cutthroat affair, she jokes), along with various weekly features, community partnerships, and ongoing plans for Short’s Landing in Traverse City. “It’s really about taking care of the community,” Brenner adds. “These are our neighbors. At the end of the day, we want to take care of them because they’re taking care of us.” Find Short’s Brewing Company’s Bellaire Pub at 121 N. Bridge St. in Bellaire and the Elk Rapids Pull Barn at 211 Industrial Park Drive in Elk Rapids. shortsbrewing.com
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Northern Express Weekly • august 24, 2026 • 11
Late Summer Paddles Avoid the tourist flotillas and enjoy a peaceful day on the water this August
LATE SUMMER PADDLES Avoid the tourist flotillas and enjoy a peaceful day on the water this August
By Drew VanDrie There’s nothing quite like a paddle trip on the river. Northern Michigan abounds with numerous navigable rivers, and though many are popular with tourists and visitors, they can be a special retreat for locals looking for their own restful recreation in the waning days of summer. To encourage your own stream dreams, Northern Express has assembled a helpful guide to nudge you riverside, drop you in the current, and send you blissfully downstream before summer’s end. (Note: This is not an all-encompassing list of rivers or liveries—there are plenty more to explore!) THE PLATTE RIVER Liveries: Riverside Canoe (canoemichigan.com); Tipsy River Canoe (tipsycanoeandbrew.com) Spanning nearly 30 miles across Grand Traverse and Benzie County before concluding in the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore, the Platte River is renowned for its gentle current, shallow depths, and crystal clear water. Expect most of your trips to take between one and four hours, depending on where you start. The most popular section is the put-in just off of M-22 at the Platte River Picnic Area Canoe Launch on Lake Michigan Rd. With slow flow and warm water, it is also suitable for tubing (typically below the Platte River Fishing Weir or the El Dorado boat launch) and stand-up-paddle boarding (SUP), the latter of which we especially recommend in the evening. The way the river winds also makes it possible to park along Lake Michigan Road and walk back to your car, saving the hassle of a shuttle. Located within the National Lakeshore, river goers will need a National Parks entrance pass. Those seeking different scenery can launch from just outside downtown Honor Riverside Canoe at Platte River Park and float down to the edge of Platte Lake (there is a takeout off of Deadstream Road). Adventurous types may enjoy heading even further upstream to Platte River State Forest Campground (on Goose Road) and shove off from there, for a more winding, engaging, and lengthy paddle before taking out at either Honor or Platte Lake.
12 • august 24, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly
MANISTEE RIVER AND TRIBUTARIES Liveries: Pine River Paddlesports Center (thepineriver.com); Chippewa Landing (chippewalanding.com/rentals); Shel-Haven (shelhaven.com) One of the most recognizable rivers in Michigan, this main artery spans nearly 190 miles and is renowned for its fishing, wildlife, and recreation. Often referred to as the “Big Man” (for good reason), this substantial river offers endless options, and paddlers can shape the length and duration as they see fit! For wide, flat river conditions, sweeping views of the highbanks, and passage under the hiking trail suspension bridge, the paddle from below Hodenpyl Dam to Red Bridge River Access (N Coates Highway) is a popular four-hour trip. Looking further upstream, the opportunities for added wilderness, seclusion, Pine River Paddlesports Center and a more active paddle are also available. Paddlers can venture just below Smithville Landing off M-66 from the M66 Manistee River Boat Launch and meander downstream to Rainbow Jims/Coster Road takeout. Ideal for confident paddlers, this three- to four-hour route offers an intermediate, engaging paddle as you trace the bends and oxbows that wend through acre upon acre of uninterrupted forests. Continuing upriver, another popular portion is Sharon Bridge down to the Dutch John Boat Launch (Dutch John Rd). Easy to access, this lively paddle takes four to six hours (depending on the amount of paddling), and is full of bends, midstream islands, and plenty of gravel bars and shallows to pull over and take a mid-trip dip in the river. Due to the length and the uninterrupted span of the river (no need to portage!), outfitter options are plentiful along the whole waterway. Paddlers can pick from a number of rental options depending on which section of river they plan to pursue.
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AU SABLE RIVER Liveries: Borchers Canoe & Kayak (canoeborchers.com); Carlisle Canoe Livery (carlislecanoelivery.com) With a portion designated as the Holy Waters and renowned for its Blue Ribbon Trout Stream status, this pristine 138-mile river dominates the narrative for Michigan rivers. One of the most popular sections for relaxation is below the Mio dam down to Comins Flats. The smooth current and open river make it ideal for those looking for an effortless paddle or tubing trip. Further upstream is another preferred section disembarking from Grayling and meandering approximately 8 miles down river to Burton’s Landing (Burton’s Landing Rd). Shallow in spots, the stretch takes approximately two-and-a-half hours and is not recommended for tubing as a paddle is often required to navigate. Those seeking a longer venture can look into the stretches of McMaster’s Bridge down to Parmelee Bridge (two-and-a-half hours) or extend to the Whirlpool Canoe Launch (five hours). Full of light twists and wide bends, this popular section provides navigable paddling while meandering through sections of northern Michigan’s most unspoiled countryside. Much of the appeal of the Au Sable is its general navigability, making it perfect for beginner and learning paddlers to venture out and enjoy the river.
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CHAIN OF LAKES Liveries: paddleantrim.com/chain-of-lakes-water-trail/outfitters Taking a break from constant river current, recreators can head to the Chain of Lakes waterways. Officially established in 2021, the Water Trail provides 84 access sites and 100 miles of water to uncover. Winding through a series of interconnected inland lakes and waterways, paddlers can choose their own routes and level of rigor. Divided into two sections by the dam in Bellaire, the Upper Chain is largely beginner friendly, with the lower more suited to intermediate to advanced paddlers. For beginners seeking placid waters, the section of Ellsworth to Wilson Lake can be just right! Launching from the village of Ellsworth, these small and narrow lakes provide just shy of two hours of easy paddling and could be considered for SUP as well. Enthusiastic venturers could also continue southward to Ben-Way Lake or Hanley Lake (two hours) for some additional tranquil traversing. Another idyllic section to explore is navigating through the Grass River Natural Area along the Grass River itself. Geared toward intermediate paddling, the section covers seven miles and takes approximately three hours to glide from the southern edge of Lake Bellaire to the Clam Lake DNR access. Bissecting through miles of protected wilderness, the peaceful water pathway is a favorite among paddlers. For the advanced paddler looking to put in some serious miles, the Water Trail offers several lake circumnavigations, shoreline lengths, and crossing including Lake Skegemog (three-plus hours), Torch Lake Eastern Shore (seven hours), and Elk Lake Loop (eight hours).
Visit schoolship.org or call (231) 271-3077 to book the perfect end of summer event for the whole family!
Northern Express Weekly • august 24, 2026 • 13
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LEELANAU VETERANS AFFAIRS TUESDAYs ONLY 9a.m - 3:30p.m. Call 231-995-6070 To schedule an appointment Leelanau County Government Center 8527 E. Government Center Dr, Suttons Bay
14 • august 24, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly
LittLe treats: sustainabiLity edit 12 good-for-you, good-for-the-planet purchases for under $20 By Rachel Pasche After a long day, a successful moment, or even a great workout, getting yourself a fun reward is a ritual we all participate in. But these little treats don’t have to be wasteful trinkets that only offer a few moments of extra dopamine. We’ve rounded up 12 sustainable treats from eco-conscious shops around northern Michigan, so you can feel good about your accomplishment…and about the reward.
1. Chocolate Bar from Grocer’s Daughter, $12 Nothing says “little treat” like something sweet, and Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate is the place to go for incredible sweets that are responsibly and ethically sourced. Owners Jody and DC Hayden source their cocoa and chocolate from a farm in Ecuador, the owner of which they’ve been friends with for over a decade. The bars, truffles, and other treats are made onsite at the Grocer’s Daughter store in Empire. Bars range from traditional dark and milk chocolates to fun add-ins like cherry pecan, coffee hazelnut, or chai latte. grocersdaughter.com
2. Boxy Charm Bag from Wild Lettie, $15 Pick up a boxy charm bag for all your little essentials at Wild Lettie (locations in Fishtown and Suttons Bay), where sustainability is the name of the game. All items made with ripstop material— including the boxy charm bag—use 100 percent recycled materials and printed using sustainable printing practices. All packaging used by Wild Lettie is recyclable, too. The bag comes in several fun patterns, but we especially love the fish one. wildlettie.com/collections/ everyday-flair/products/fishboxy-charm-bag 3. Headband from Yana Dee, $15 Downtown TC’s Yana Dee is all about ethical apparel, using salvaged materials, fabrics like organic silk and cotton, and environmentally
friendly practices. Since opening the business in 2004, the owner has been committed to keeping fashion ethical; she started out using fabrics she could afford (including thrifted curtains or gifted collections) to make clothing, and has since been able to grow the business without sacrificing the ethos. The headbands come in multiple styles and boast fun patterns using fabrics from organic cotton to salvaged leather. yanadee.com/ collections/headbands
4. Bright Eyes Cream from The Refillery, $15 This locally made undereye cream from The Refillery in Traverse City is a perfect addition to slow mornings and days when you need a little extra something. Made by Wilde Fern Apothecary, Bright Eyes Cream is formulated with organic reishi mushroom, caffeine extract, aloe, and shea butter and is easy to add to any natural skincare routine. refillerytc.com/products/brighteyes-cream 5. Dried Flower Bouquet from Lilies of the Alley $10+ Add a long-lasting pop of color to a room with a dried flower bouquet from Lilies of the Alley in Traverse City. You can choose a fun vase for your creation or just start making a bouquet; each flower is priced by the stem, ranging from $0.10 to $1+ per stem. Dried bouquets last indefinitely and require no water. Plus, the dried flower bar gives you the chance to create something totally unique! Bonus: flowers at Lilies of the Alley are sourced locally when possible. liliesofthealley.com 6. Room Spray from Farm House Candle Co., $18+ Crafted and poured in Leelanau County, the room sprays and candles from Farm House Candle Co. are made in small batches using phthalate-
free fragrances and essential oils. The room sprays come in unique and fresh scents that bring the outdoors into your home, like tomato and herb, fern and grass, and peony and black pepper. The candles are all made with natural soy wax for a carbon-neutral burn, free from any of the toxins sometimes found in candles. farmhousecandlecompany.com 7. Beeswax Body Lotion from Lavender Hill Farm, $19 Lavender is known for its relaxation properties, and Lavender Hill Farm has bottled up bliss in this lotion crafted in Boyne City by June Apothecarie. Not only is Lavender Hill Farm the largest lavender farm in Michigan, it’s environmentally verified, certified naturally grown, and home to 30 varieties of lavender as well as Italian honeybees. Local artisan and maker Lindsey June uses her degree in biochemistry from MSU to create sustainable products, including this lavender lotion that uses lavender grown at Lavender Hill Farm. lavenderhillfarm.com/product/ beeswax-body-lotion
8. Eat Your Veggies Tote from Farm Club, $18 Farm Club is the ultimate farm-to-table dining destination—you can actually see some of the ever-rotating menu items growing on premises! While stopping for a bite to eat here is a treat in itself, the mini market in the building has some fun goodies, like this “Eat Your Veggies” tote bag, that are too cute to pass on. Farm Club uses organic practices on their farm,
and their merchandise is made with eco-conscious textiles like ringspun cotton. farmclubtc. com/shop/p/eat-your-veggieslightweight-tote
9. Little Seed Farm Natural Deodorant from Anchor Alley Market, $14 Anchor Alley Market, Frankfort’s refill grocery store, carries a ton of non-toxic and zero-waste household products in bulk, designed to be put into your containers or theirs. In addition to shampoo, conditioner, soaps, detergents, and more, they also carry natural deodorant balms from Little Seed Farm, which uses solar power and ingredients like goat’s milk (from their own farm) to craft skincare products. The deodorant is aluminum-free and includes a wooden applicator stick. anchoralleymarket.com
10. Lip Balm from Market Mercado, $15 This sustainable market in Indian River carries a whole array of handmade, secondhand, upcycled, and vintage products, including this organic homemade lip balm made in collaboration with Wild Child Apothecary. The creator of Market Mercado also has an upcycled fashion line with one-of-a-kind jackets, dresses, shirts, and more. Stop in for more unique and interesting finds, or check out the Etsy shop. etsy.com/ shop/jwhiteoriginal
11. Nail Polish from Northern Nail Polish, $16 This nail polish is created in Traverse City without any of the toxins, chemicals, or allergens found in many of the larger nail polish brands. All polishes use vegan and nonGMO ingredients and are crafted with eco-conscious practices in mind. The colors are inspired by the Michigan lifestyle, with names like Lilac Festival, Fudge Capital, and Midwest is Best. northernnailpolish.com
12. Enamel Pin from Nature Walk Studio, $8+ Decorate your backpack, purse, work bag, or favorite jacket with the cool natureinspired enamel pins from Nature Walk Studio in Empire, with designs like butterflies and their caterpillars, mushrooms, fish, and plants native to Michigan. This art studio features work from artists and collectives from around North America that emphasize eco-friendly art practices. Clothing and bags at the studio are handmade and printed, and many of the artists and companies behind the products support causes that support conservation, sustainability, and charity. naturewalkstudio.com/ lifestyle?category=Pins
Northern Express Weekly • august 24, 2026 • 15
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16 • august 24, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly
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July up North: A recAp How the 100th Cherry Festival, the semiquincentennial, and the wildfire smoke affected tourism during the busiest month of the year
By Art Bukowski When it comes to tourism and the business it supports, the Grand Traverse region has forever alternated between very busy summers and much quieter cooler months. While an uptick in shoulder season and winter visits have taken the edge off this whiplash in recent years, summer remains the undisputed king. Most businesses will tell you no month in summer is more important than July. Throngs of people headed Up North select that most prime of summer months for their vacations, and this year was expected to be a doozy with the 100th National Cherry Festival and 250th birthday of the United States of America on the calendar. Northern Express checked around to see how July panned out, and the answers range from good to the best ever, depending on who you ask. Traverse City Tourism Trevor Tkach is president and CEO of Traverse City Tourism. He doesn’t yet have hotel stay data for July, but says that the month appeared to be roughly on par or slightly above previous Julys in terms of the numbers of visitors “in market” as tracked by their cell phones (yes, they can do that). In many ways it was a tale of two halves. The Fourth of July traffic in particular was very strong, he says, but everything took a turn when Canadian wildfire smoke poured in for a week. “We started off on such a high clip with the Cherry Festival, and then just about a week later we were hit with that smoke, which was as thick as fog in Traverse City,” Tkach says. “I did hear from a number of our lodging members that they were experiencing a lot of cancellations.” It was, unfortunately, one of those rare occurrences where northern Michigan isn’t
the retreat it normally is. “You weren’t really escaping the smoke by coming north; it was just as thick or even worse than the big cities downstate,” he says. “And you hate to see it happen any time of the year, but it really put the brakes on just as we were starting to get momentum.” Overall, though, considering concerns about high gas prices—and higher prices in general—Tkach can’t complain. Though he had heard anecdotally that downtown businesses were doing well, the expectation is that higher prices across the board would keep most wallets a little tighter. “People have been spending a little bit less on their trips in some fashion, whether it’s choosing to go to the grocery store instead of going to a restaurant or maybe not spending as much on products while they’re in market,” he says. “They’re just being a little more frugal.” Local Businesses If there was frugality, it certainly didn’t impact everyone. Bill Golden, owner of Downtown Traverse City staple Golden Shoes, says this July was simply gangbusters. “It was the best ever,” he says. “Cherry Festival was good, but this is my 45th year doing this, and I’ve never seen the last two weeks of July busier.” That translated to the two best sales weeks in the shop’s history, Golden says. He’s still marveling at those crowds. “You couldn’t see the sidewalk, there were so many people on it. It looked like Manhattan,” he says. “Back in the ’80s, you’d wish for rainy days. Now it doesn’t even matter anymore. It can be 90 degrees and sunny, but they’re still down here.” The smoky days actually increased business, Golden says, as people were more inclined to shop than engage in outdoor activities. Adrienne Brunette is a co-founder and co-owner of Honest Hospitality, which
Tkach
Paye
owns Mama Lu’s and The Flying Noodle in downtown Traverse City and The Burrow in Greilickville. She echoed Golden’s sentiments. “I felt like it was really busy, and I think the weather definitely had something to do with it,” she says. “We’ve had really a perfect summer outside of that blip of smoke. We definitely felt that in a negative way, but otherwise it’s been super busy.” This summer has been nice in that they’ve also seen far more of their local customers than they’d usually see in the summertime, Brunette says. All of it has added up to a lot of money in the till. “At the Burrow, [late July] was our busiest week in the history of the restaurant in terms of revenue,” she says. National Cherry Festival As a non-gated festival, the Cherry Festival is never able to say just how many people attended. But Executive Director Kat Paye says the action-packed Fourth of July—which included fireworks and a drone show—was one for the record books.
This is true literally in the case of the Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA), which set a single-day ridership record of 7,126 riders on July 4. (BATA provides shuttles to and from the festival.) “I’ve never, ever seen it so busy on the Fourth of July. It was incredible,” Paye says. “Every area had lines, and I’ve never seen a line that long out of the souvenir tent.” The week-long festival usually orders more shirts or other merchandise on Wednesday on an as needed basis, but did so on Monday after being cleaned out the Fourth of July weekend. Sales of other items were also strong. The rest of the festival (July 4 was opening day) seemed about average in terms of attendance, Paye says. She’s glad the wildfire smoke held off until the festival had wrapped. “We consider ourselves blessed every day to get to do the best job in the world, which is to celebrate our favorite fruit and events in Traverse City,” she says. “And for whatever reason, Mother Nature always seems to be on our side. We love that.”
Northern Express Weekly • august 24, 2026 • 17
Volunteers from Food Rescue of Goodwill Northern Michigan on the farm.
FOOD INSECURITY DOESN’T TAKE A SUMMER BREAK How local organizations keep families fed when school’s out
By Kelsey Sanders While many people associate food drives and charitable giving with the holidays, food insecurity affects many people year-round or in certain seasons more than others, including during the summer. The Northwest Food Coalition (NFC) is an agency that helps collect, stock, and assist pantries and meal sites in six northwest Michigan counties. The NFC now includes over 70 food pantries, baby pantries, and meal sites to address those hunger needs. Many families rely on the school programs that provide free meals to schoolaged kids every weekday during the school year, but what happens when school is out for the summer? Quite a few pantries notice an uptick in visits from families who need help keeping their growing children fed while at home on summer vacation. “We see seniors who are on a fixed income use our services year-round,” says Mary Clulo, chairperson of the operating committee for NFC. “But many of our pantries see an uptick in families with children during the summer. Children are impacted more because they aren’t in school and growing kids are more voracious eaters.” An Increase in Need for Food (and Volunteers) Food pantries and other agencies that provide aid and essential items to individuals in need have seen a rise in the number of people seeking assistance over the last four years. Benzie Area Christian Neighbors (BACN) has served Benzie and Manistee
counties since 1983 by providing food, clothing, essential items, utility bills, transportation, and more. The agency was founded by a group of churches in the area with the goal of helping any and all neighbors with limited resources to overcome an immediate crisis. In a typical year, they serve over 1,000 households. BACN has seen a 70 percent increase in usage between 2020 and 2024, in part thanks to a new facility that allowed the agency to expand, but also due to the rising cost of living and the changes to certain government programs that provide assistance to those in need. While BACN credits seasonal homeowners and their donations as very powerful for the organization’s monetary needs, Diane Mahoney, BACN’s executive director, shares that they always struggle to find volunteers, and that’s how they really survive. “We have 188 volunteers—some are our core volunteers, while others only volunteer during summer when they have time or are in town, and others volunteer only during the winter, which is all a reflection of our demographics,” explains Mahoney. “The challenge is recruiting younger volunteers, which is tough because we often serve our neighbors from 10am-2pm so those demographics are typically working.” Clulo adds that volunteers are one of the top needs of every agency the NFC partners with. “We are struggling to find volunteers because people are finding it harder to volunteer,” she says. “Volunteering is very rewarding and it really allows people to put
18 • august 24, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly
things in perspective. Every time you serve somebody that’s a touchpoint with somebody who they might not be meeting every single day in their circle. And it really is a mutual opportunity to experience an education for what others are going through.” Competing Needs Another factor that has come into play for many people who find themselves in need of assistance is transportation. Between the cost of gas, the cost to own and maintain a car, and the rising cost of all other essential items, Clulo and Mahoney have heard from many people that they work with and serve that transportation is becoming a major issue for those struggling with food insecurity. Mahoney says that transportation help is BACN’s fastest growing area of request, which is why many of the smaller food pantries are in existence: To help the area’s neighbors access food help without the need for transportation. “Now people are choosing food or transportation,” says Clulo. “It’s all part of the equation. Families need to continually stress over and deal with a variety of factors in order to get the basics that they need on a daily basis.” Those choices, Mahoney insists, are what makes food insecurity look different in America than in other countries. “Hunger in the U.S. is different than in many other countries—it’s more about choices people have to make,” Mahoney says. “We have a system that forces poor decisionmaking in a sense. When our families are going to the grocery store, it is much more expensive
to buy lean protein or fresh produce, so they are making good decisions for their finances by buying highly processed foods and frozen items, but things that are not as nutritious. So, my take on hunger in the U.S. is it’s less about calorie intake and it is more about the quality of the food we are feeding to our children and we’re feeding to our seniors.” Summer Bounty Thankfully, there are organizations like Food Rescue of Goodwill Northern Michigan that are part of NFC and supply fresh, nutritious foods with its own transportation to the member food pantries and meal programs of the Coalition. Food Rescue’s mission is to increase access to healthy food and to reduce food waste, and it does that with two to four trucks running routes that deliver over 10,000 pounds of food every day at no cost to the food pantries. While Food Rescue tends to see a modest decrease in the amount of food it rescues during the summer from retail stores because there’s less excess food and stores are busier, it has the opportunity to work with as many farms as possible. “We work with over 80 different farms every year,” says Food Rescue’s director Taylor Moore. “This is the season when we will be working as hard as possible to ensure that anytime a farm has excess produce, we rescue it and deliver it to the pantries. … That’s our responsibility in this system: To make sure we’re doing our part to rescue healthy food and distribute it to those who need it.” Fruits and vegetables are consistently
the most requested and sought after items at food pantries. In 2014, just 13 percent of food pantries in northwest Michigan always had fruits and vegetables. Last year, Food Rescue helped raise that to 84 percent. Moore says that 2026 is the first year where every food pantry in the five-county area has had fruits and vegetables available every time they open their doors. “Our goal is to continue that and make it 100 percent throughout the entire year,” Moore states. “In the summertime, that’s a lot of produce and it’s really important that we have the capacity to store the food, to repack the food, and then to distribute it out. We work in partnership with the food pantries and meal programs to make sure that we’re building our capacity together.” Growing During the Growing Season In order to achieve that increase in
capacity, Moore tells us that Food Rescue has added additional routes, taken food into more rural areas, and expanded its services to farms, adding more cooler space, repacking more food, and adding more trucks. “It’s about mindset shifts, too,” he says. “Working collaboratively, being in alignment with partners. That’s made it all possible. Many, many people are involved.” Moore estimates that Food Rescue is able to serve about 16,000 people who use food assistance programs, and he doesn’t see that number decreasing anytime soon. If anything, he is prepared for it to increase due to the same factors Clulo and Mahoney are seeing. “Food insecurity is such a massive issue that we’re not going to be able to foodbank or food-rescue ourselves out of food insecurity,” Moore says. “It’s a much larger systemic issue that involves childcare costs, housing costs, and healthcare costs.
Your people, your favorite lake, and your ideal pace.
There’s a lot of points of intersection. It’s really important work going on with the food pantries and meal programs and food rescue organizations and food banks across the state of Michigan.” What Lies Ahead “I’m really proud of the work we’re doing, and also it’s a challenging time,” Moore adds. “Food insecurity is higher than when I started 11 years ago,” he tells us. “We’re going in the wrong direction, and that’s surprising to me. And we’re doing more work than ever before, too. It just shows how food insecurity is such a structural issue in our society. And we need to be talking about it in that way—that policy has a significant impact on rates of food insecurity. It’s also surprising to me that what we do as stewards to our community’s resources is not happening in other places and it needs to be happening.
It’s not acceptable to me that anyone in our community goes hungry.” Moore gives kudos to his team’s employees, their volunteers, the pantry workers, and all those who work in the stores that Food Rescue picks up from. Moore also credits his team’s quick turnaround—about 80 percent of food is picked up and delivered within 24 hours—to great relationships and solid, fast communication. “All the work that’s done at the stores to make sure that this good food doesn’t go to waste is huge,” he says. “It requires businesses to make it a priority [to gather the food for us] and their staff have to prioritize it. We get to work with amazing people. We’re in this together.” Learn more about the various organizations in this article at northwestmifoodcoalition.org, benziebacn.org, and goodwillnmi.org/food.
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Northern Express Weekly • august 24, 2026 • 19
The SoundS of SepTember 10 NoMi concerts to add to your calendar
Gabby Barrett will be at Odawa Casino on. Sept. 18.
By Ross Boissoneau Labor Day may signal the traditional end of summer, but there’s still warm weather ahead and plenty to do, and that definitely includes music. While most summer music series are winding down, there are any number of concert venues offering folk and funk, country and classical, metal and musical memories. The pace of locals’ summer is slower, true, but it’s not too late to tune in, turn it up, and drop in at venues far and wide. Welcome to the sounds of September. 1. Start the fun at the Charlevoix Jazz Session Weekend, Sept. 3-5. The festival kicks off on Thursday with Fog Horn Jazz Band, a local 15-piece big band, which performs classic big band charts and swinging favorites. On Friday, the five-piece Swingbone brings back the Great American Songbook and other blues, swing, and jazz favorites. The band features vocalist/ trombonist Jim Grove and a quartet of top-notch Northern Michigan veterans. The festival concludes with Saturday night headliners Cat Daddy. The trio of guitarist Lee Heerspink, organist Clif Metcalf, and drummer Randy Marsh plays the bluesy, R&B-flavored organ jazz popular in the ’60s and ’70s, which never really went out of style. 2. How about a birthday bash? The global Coltrane 100 celebration in honor of the 100th anniversary of legendary saxophonist and composer John Coltrane’s birth is a year-long initiative. It features archival releases, historical home openings, and worldwide musical tributes honoring his monumental impact on music. That includes two shows Sept. 4 at The Alluvion by his son, saxophonist Ravi Coltrane. John Coltrane’s music blended a host of influences into his transcendent
creativity and freedom. Trane is one of the touchpoints of jazz, and son Ravi “has admirably upheld his revered namesake yet also developed a distinct voice,” according to the authoritative website All About Jazz. 3. Go for Goh. Guitarist Goh Kurosawa blends flamenco, classical, Latin, Japanese music, and more into a musical stew that’s all his own. His Sept. 10 show at the Platform at Chalfonte Theatre in Elk Rapids is part of his ongoing Lovetap Tour, which has taken him from California to Japan, Myanmar, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, and across the U.S. Known internationally as the “Musical Wakonyosai”—the Bicultural Music Samurai—Kurosawa fuses percussive fingerpicking, flamenco, and effects into a style that draws from world music, global jazz, folk, rock, and classical traditions. A typical Kurosawa set might move from a Bob Marley song to a Japanese folk melody to Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” 4. It was 1964 when The Beatles first conquered America, and 1964 The Tribute takes audiences back to that magical time. The much-loved Beatles tribute band will play the Ramsdell in Manistee Sept. 11. The band formed in 1984, 20 years after the start of Beatlemania and strives for authenticity in its portrayal, including costumes reflecting The Beatles’ early period or replicas of the band’s Shea Stadium concert apparel from 1965. The group’s set list includes hits such as “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Love Me Do,” “And I Love Her,” “A Hard Day’s Night,” and others, enough to fill two 45-minute sets. 5. America’s first hardcore punk band, the legendary Black Flag, will perform at The Venue in Cadillac Sept. 18. The group appeared in the midst of California’s punk scene in 1976 and its raw, aggressive sound was defined by blistering speed, heavy basslines, unconventional tempo shifts, and chaotic, atonal guitar solos by founder
20 • august 24, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly
Greg Ginn. From early singers like Keith Morris to iconic long-term frontman Henry Rollins, the band’s vocal delivery was visceral, angry, and delivered with total commitment. The band is renowned for its intense and emotionally draining live shows. Today Ginn tours with three 20-somethings, still showcasing raw hardcore urgency. 6. Country’s next superstar Gabby Barrett is on her way. The singer, who finished third on the 16th season of the American Idol, appears at Odawa Casino in Petoskey. Sept. 18. Barrett’s debut single “I Hope” became the first top 10 Hot Country Songs debut by an unaccompanied female singer since October 2017. It became a top three hit on the Billboard Hot 100. “I Hope” headlined her 2020 platinum-selling debut album Goldmine. She’s garnered over 4.2 billion global career streams to date, and her accolades include the Billboard Women in Music Rising Star Award, Academy of Country Music’s New Female Artist of the Year, and the iHeartRadio Titanium Award. 7. Kevin Rhodes and his team of eight vocalists are performing “Laugh out Loud: A Comedy Cabaret” Sept. 18 and 19 at the Traverse City Philharmonic Center – MSUFCU Desk Drawer Foundation Hall. The Broadway-esque show combines witty asides, musical interludes, and more, with Rhodes at the piano rather than the podium. No tearyeyed ballads, no meaningful soliloquies, just fun and frolic, satire, and silliness. Rhodes says he enjoys these types of performances as they were among the first he did as a professional pianist. “The big difference is that back then I was the youngest person directing adults. Now I’m the oldest person in the room of performers.” 8. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear, as Blues Traveler, Gin Blossoms, and Spin Doctors take
us back to the 90s. The Sept. 19 show at Turtle Creek Stadium features three of the biggest bands of the alt/jam scene of three decades ago (really?). The three share an upbeat, guitar-driven radio rock style, with Blues Traveler and Spin Doctors famed for their improvisational jam-band stylings where Gin Blossoms lean more toward straight-ahead alternative power-pop. All three boast platinum sales and Grammy nominations, with Blues Traveler winning one for “Run-Around.” 9. What was once a term of derision is now simply used to describe the revived soft rock style popularized by the likes of Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, and others in the 1970s and 1980s. Relive those glory days and those glorious sounds with Yacht Rock Revue Sept. 20 at Great Lakes Center for the Arts at Bay Harbor. Hailed by Rolling Stone as the “world’s premier soft-rock party band,” it’s a chance to hear hits made famous by the likes of the above plus Hall & Oates, Steely Dan, Little River Band, and a host of others who parlayed melodic hooks, high production values, and stirring harmonies into chart-topping hits. 10. Will your heart go on? It will at “Celebrating Celine with Jenene Caramielo” Sept. 24 at the City Opera House. Caramielo channels the Canadian chanteuse in a show packed with hit after hit. Equally comfortable with pop music, showtunes, or an aria—she studied classical voice before graduating with a BFA in Musical Theater—Caramielo has received acclaim from various quarters. She’s shared the stage with Chicago, opened for the Beach Boys, and sung the National Anthem for Major League Baseball games. In this show she delivers Celine hit after hit, like “Because You Loved Me,” “My Heart Will Go On,” “I Drove All Night,” “The Power of Love,” and more.
aug 22
Saturday BENZIE PETE MOSS IN-
august
VITE OPEN 5K RACE: 8am, 9300 Homestead Rd., Benzonia. $10. runsignup. com/Race/Events/MI/Benzonia/BenziePeteMossIn-
viteOpenRace ---------------------------------SOUNDS OF SILENCE HIKE: 9am, Clay Cliffs Natural Area, Leland. Tune out the noise & soak in the natural world. Join the Leelanau Conservancy for a docent-led hike - with a twist. Walk in silence, giving each hiker space to take in the forest’s sounds, sights, & smells. At a couple points along the hike, take time to share what you noticed. Free. leelanauconservancy.org/events/thesounds-of-silence-at-clay-cliffs ---------------------------------MADE IN CHEBOYGAN CRAFT SHOWS: 10am-6pm, Washington Park, downtown Cheboygan. More than 30 crafters & artists will be displaying jewelry, stuffed animals, blankets, home decor, wooden signs, fresh desserts & much more. facebook.com/madeincheboygan ---------------------------------NATIONAL COHO SALMON FESTIVAL: Homestead Ball Field, Honor. Aug. 21-22. Today includes the Coho Bed Race, bagpipes, Hometown Parade, car show, petting zoo, lumberjack shows, live music by Jelly Roll Blues Band & Split Decision, & much more. facebook.com/HonorCohoSalmonFestival/posts/-the-countdown-is-on-the2026-national-coho-salmon-festival-is-almost-here-and-w/1031315046197768 ---------------------------------TRAVERSE CITY FOOD & WINE: Aug. 1923. Today features Taste Coffee Like a Pro; Golden Hour Wagon Tour at French Valley Vineyard; The Grand Tasting; Silk Roads Flavor Odyssey with Anna Ansari at Aerie & much more. Visit web site for tickets & more info. Events are selling out quickly. tickets. traversecityfoodandwine.com/events ---------------------------------TUNNEL OF TREES ART TRAIL: Celebrate local art & artists along & near the Tunnel of Trees from Harbor Springs to Cross Village in a multi-faceted, family-friendly event. Over 70 artists participating. Maps are available at all galleries in Harbor Springs & the Harbor Springs Chamber of Commerce. Free. goodhartartistresidency.org/tunnel-of-trees-art-trail ---------------------------------DISNEY’S FINDING NEMO KIDS: 2pm & 5pm, Old Town Playhouse, TC. $15. oldtownplayhouse.com ---------------------------------MEET LOCAL AUTHOR GRETCHEN ROSE: 3-5pm, Glen Lake Community Library, Empire. Gretchen has two recently published middle grade adventure books. The award-winning author will read from her books. Both new titles, “Dune Dragons & the Fairies of the Lake” & “The Jingu Magical Garden” will be available for sale & signing. glenlakelibrary.net ---------------------------------“COLDWATER KITCHEN” - FILM, DINNER & DISCUSSION WITH THE FILMMAKERS: 6pm, City Opera House, TC. Presented by Traverse City Food & Wine. This James Beard Foundation Award-winning documentary shares a story about the power of cooking, connection & comeback. For 30 years, chef Jimmy Lee Hill has run a highly regarded culinary training program out of a prison in Coldwater, MI, offering incarcerated men a renewed sense of purpose through the craft of fine dining. See the documentary & enjoy a conversation with the filmmaker & film stars, along with a dessert prepared by the men whose stories are told in the movie. Tickets start at $11.80. tickets.traversecityfoodandwine.com/events/2026/coldwater-kitchen
COMING UP AT
22-30 send your dates to: events@traverseticker.com
Experience the magic of CELINE
DION WITH JENENE CARAMIELO
Elvis Tribute Artist Jake Slater is a main attraction of the inaugural Elk Rapids Wine & Food Festival, Sat., Aug. 29 at the Elk Rapids Harbor Pavilion. Slater takes the stage at 4:30pm, with the festival running from noon-6pm, and Shortstop performing from 12:30-2pm, followed by TC Knuckleheads, 2:30-4pm. Tickets are $35 ($45 day of) and include two drink tokens and a commemorative wine glass. Proceeds benefit the Elk Rapids Community Cupboard and ACTS Food Pantry. elkrapidswineandfoodfestival.com/product/entrance-ticket-drink-tokens/
THE SERIES AT LAVENDER HILL FARM: DAMN TALL BUILDINGS: Lavender Hill Farm, Boyne City. Enjoy this Brooklynbased folk-bluegrass trio. Local Ground artist Ricky Hill opens at 6pm & is known for his unique takes on a wide range of genres & artists, from Louis Armstrong to Taylor Swift. Damn Tall Buildings take the stage at 7:30pm. $34.50-$49.50. lavenderhillfarm. com/individual-show-tickets ---------------------------------THE ACCIDENTALS FAMGROVE FESTIVAL: 6:30pm, Interlochen Bowl. Wsg Emma Zinck, Joanne Shaw Taylor, The Burney Sisters, & A to Z Music. The Accidentals’ sound moves between indie rock, folk, pop, & orchestral textures. Tickets start at $28. interlochen.org/events/accidentals-famgrovefestival-2026-08-22 ---------------------------------DANCE LEGENDS: LITTLE TRAVERSE BAY CELEBRATES GRAHAM100: 7pm, Bay View Association, John M. Hall Auditorium, Petoskey. Presented by Crooked Tree Arts Center School of Ballet. Celebrate an artistic legend, a radical activist, & a pioneer of modern dance: Martha Graham. $5-$50. crookedtree.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/ neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fev ents%2F49800 ---------------------------------SATURDAYS IN THE PARK: METRO SOUL BAND: 7pm, GT County Civic Center, Amphitheater, TC. Authentic Motown, funk, pop, & rock. Free; donations welcome. scullytour.com ---------------------------------MUSIC IN MACKINAW: KELLY MILLER: 8pm, Conkling Heritage Park, Mackinaw City. Enjoy country & pop music.
aug 23
Sunday FORMULA 1
FREE WATCH PARTIES: NETHERLANDS: 9am, The Bay Community Theatre, Suttons Bay. Experience races on the big screen! Includes Formula 1 games. Doors open an hour before the start of each race. thebaytheatre. org/home-page ---------------------------------TRAVERSE CITY FOOD & WINE: Aug. 19-23. Today features Savor the Season: Brunch Sail with Chateau Chantal; Slow Sunday Lunch feat. Chef Tony Vu’s Viet Cajun Low Country Boil & much more. Visit web site for tickets & more info. Events are selling out quickly. tickets.traversecityfoodandwine. com/events ---------------------------------MADE IN CHEBOYGAN CRAFT SHOWS: (See Sat., Aug. 22, except today’s time is 11am-3pm.) ---------------------------------CASTLE FARMS BAND BATTLE: 1pm, Castle Farms, Charlevoix. Five of northern Michigan’s top bands will compete live for a $500 cash prize & an $800 featured performance in March 2027. $15-$25. castlefarms. com/events/castle-farms-band-battle ---------------------------------DOG DAYS OF SUMMER: Aug. 17-23. Ruff Life, Howard St., Petoskey. Today includes a group dog walk with the Ruff Life Crew at 2pm, weather permitting. ---------------------------------A SYMPHONIC CELEBRATION OF HOME: 4pm, City Opera House, TC. Tony Manfredonia joins forces with the Northern Symphonic Winds & a powerhouse string group for an
Plus a season of fun, FROM
Emmy awardwinning comedian
DAVID CROSS
To some s talented eriously
STUNT DOGS! ALL THIS AND MORE! www.cityoperahouse.org
Northern Express Weekly • august 24, 2026 • 21
evening of powerful pieces inspired by the natural beauty of our state. $20-$30. cityoperahouse.org/events/usahome ---------------------------------PETOSKEY’S BAYSIDE MUSIC SERIES: MICHELLE CHENARD: 5-7pm, Bayfront Park, Petoskey.
aug 24
End of summer
cookout Featuring O R YA N A ’s
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22 • august 24, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly
monday E M M E T- C H A R L E V O I X
COUNTY FAIR: 1129 Charlevoix Ave./U.S. 31, Petoskey, Aug. 24-30. Today includes animal shows & more. emmetchxfair.org ---------------------------------THINKING CREATIVELY: 2-4pm, Peninsula Community Library, TC. Adults paint a watercolor with Becky Dykstra. Materials provided. RSVP. Free. ---------------------------------HELP ASSEMBLE LIGHT KITS: 6pm, First Presbyterian Church of Petoskey, Fellowship Hall. Help assemble 100 full solar light kits to be handed out to churches, hospitals & people living in basements of bombed out cities in eastern Ukraine. sites.google.com/ view/firstprespetoskey/home ---------------------------------BAY VIEW MONDAY NIGHT MOVIES: 7:3010pm, Bay View Association, Voorhies Hall, Petoskey. Featuring “Dream Horse.”
aug 25
tuesday E M M E T- C H A R L E V O I X
COUNTY FAIR: 1129 Charlevoix Ave./U.S. 31, Petoskey, Aug. 24-30. Today is Senior Citizens Day & Handicapable Day. Includes a gardening demo at the Community Center back porch, free live music, Cornhole Competition & more. emmetchxfair.org ---------------------------------QUILTS FOR KIDS: 10am-noon, Peninsula Community Library, TC. Join Kellie Chase to make patchwork quilts for kids facing trauma. Materials provided. RSVP. peninsulacommunitylibrary.org ---------------------------------WILDFLOWER WALK: 10:30am, Grass River Natural Area, Bellaire. Take a leisurely stroll through the scenic trails of Grass River Natural Area alongside knowledgeable docent Lyn Petty. Discover the variety of wildflowers & learn to identify their unique beauty. Keep an ear out for the melodies of the birds that call Grass River home. Free; donations appreciated. grassriver.org ---------------------------------“A CONVERSATION WITH MADAM WARDEN”: 3pm, Harbor Pavillion, Elk Rapids. Pamela K. Withrow will join the Friends of the Elk Rapids District Library to share her experiences & the book she wrote about it: “Madam Warden: A Memoir of the First Woman in Michigan to Head a Prison for Men.” $40; includes one drink & light hors d’oeuvres. friendsoftheelkrapidslibrary.org ---------------------------------LIVE ON THE BIDWELL PLAZA: FINDING FEATHERS: 5:30-7pm, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Bidwell Plaza, Petoskey. This duo blends folk, country roots & Americana influences. Bring chairs or blankets. Free. crookedtree.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/ crookedtree/event.jsp?event=26361 ---------------------------------GEORGE THOROGOOD AND THE DESTROYERS - “THE BADDEST SHOW ON EARTH”: 7:30pm, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Kresge Auditorium. With special guest The Marshall Tucker Band. “All-American Rock & Roll Party Band” George Thorogood and The Destroyers still perform classics like
“Move It On Over,” “Who Do You Love?,” & “Bad to the Bone.” You’ll hear songs like “Can’t You See” & “Heard It in a Love Song” from The Marshall Tucker Band. Tickets start at $46. interlochen.org/events/george-thorogood-and-destroyers-baddest-show-onearth-2026-08-25 ---------------------------------CHARLEVOIX CITY BAND CONCERT: 8pm, East Park, downtown Charlevoix. ---------------------------------LIVE AT THE BAY: SONG OF THE LAKES: 8pm, The Bay Community Theatre, Suttons Bay. Don’t miss this TC group’s Great Lakes World Music. thebaytheatre.org/movie/liveat-the-bay-song-of-the-lakes ---------------------------------STRAITS AREA CONCERT BAND: 8pm, Conkling Heritage Park, Mackinaw City. Free.
aug 26
wednesday E M M E T- C H A R L E V O I X
aug 27
thursday E M M E T- C H A R L E V O I X
COUNTY FAIR: 1129 Charlevoix Ave./U.S. 31, Petoskey, Aug. 24-30. Today includes animal shows, Travis Tritt Concert & more. emmetchxfair. org ---------------------------------KID’S CONCERT & BIKE PARADE: 11am, Peninsula Community Library, TC. Kid’s music followed by bike decorating & parade. Free. ---------------------------------REGIONAL BUSINESS AFTER HOURS: 5:30-7:30pm, Legs Inn, Cross Village. Presented by Petoskey & Harbor Springs Chambers. $10-$15. ---------------------------------EVENINGS AT THE GAZEBO: NICK VEINE: 6-8pm, Old City Park Gazebo, Boyne City. ---------------------------------READING & BOOK SIGNING WITH CHAD V. BROUGHMAN: 7-8:30pm, Bos Winery, Elk Rapids. Chad is the author of “The Fall of Bellweather.” Free. crosshatch.org/events/reading-book-signing-with-chad-v-broughman
COUNTY FAIR: 1129 Charlevoix Ave./U.S. 31, Petoskey, Aug. 24-30. Today includes animal shows, the 50th Annual 4-H Market Livestock Auction, Rodeo Night & more. emmetchxfair.org ---------------------------------COFFEE @ TEN, PETOSKEY: PORTRAITS OF CHANGE: INSPIRING ACTIVISM THROUGH ART: 10am, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Gilbert Gallery, Petoskey. Weaver & fiber artist Mary Burns will focus on her exhibits, “Women and Water: Woven Portraits from Around the World” & “Ancestral Women: Wisconsin’s 12 Tribes.” ---------------------------------GTAGS AUGUST GENEALOGY PROGRAM: 1-3pm, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. This program will cover the US Federal Census with Mark Mullinax. Free. gtags.org/events ---------------------------------CEDAR POLKA FESTIVAL: Aug. 27-30. Today includes live music by Bavarski & The Diddle Styx. Tonight is First Responder Appreciation Night. cedarpolkafest.org/events ---------------------------------AN EVENING WITH JULIE BUNTIN: 6pm, McLean & Eakin Booksellers, Petoskey. Julie will celebrate her newest book, “Famous Men.” Wine & cheese will be served. Free. mcleanandeakin.com/event/2026-08-27/ julie-buntin-famous-men
---------------------------------MUSIC UNDER THE PINES OUTDOOR CONCERT: 6-7:30pm, Twisted Fish Gallery, Elk Rapids. Featuring singer/songwriter Jenny Thomas of TC with Will Thomas (drums) & Doug Zernow (guitar). Emily Williams & Maggie Mallery opening. Bring lawn chairs/ blankets & a picnic for this event held on the lawn of the Cottage Gallery. Free. twistedfishgallery.com/event/music-under-thepines-outdoor-conert-featuring-jenny-thomas-will-thomas-doug-zernow-emily-williams ---------------------------------SOUND AND SHORE: MAY ERLEWINE: 6-9pm, Rove Winery, TC. Join Flow Water Advocates for an evening of music, meaning & movement. Tickets include one glass of wine & an expansive charcuterie display from Rove Winery. $81-$108. flowwateradvocates.org/join-us-aug-7-for-an-intimatenight-with-flow-may-erlewine ---------------------------------CHARLIE BERENS: THE LOST & FOUND TOUR: 7pm & 9:30pm, City Opera House, TC. Enjoy this comedian, New York Times Best Selling Author, Emmy-winning journalist, musician & creator of the viral sensation, “The Manitowoc Minute,” a comedic news show about the Midwest, plus much more! $45.75-$95.75. cityoperahouse.org/events/ charlieberens ---------------------------------LIVE ON THE LAKE CONCERT SERIES: CABARET BOREALE: 7-9pm, East Park, Odmark Pavilion, Charlevoix. ---------------------------------BROTHERS OSBORNE: 7:30pm, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Kresge Auditorium. Brothers John & TJ Osborne are bringing a high-energy night of country rock. They have earned GRAMMY Awards & CMA Vocal Duo of the Year honors. Hits include “Stay a Little Longer,” “Younger Me,” & more. Tickets start at $48. interlochen.org/events/brothers-osborne-2026-08-27
aug 28
friday E M M E T- C H A R L E V O I X
COUNTY FAIR: 1129 Charlevoix Ave./U.S. 31, Petoskey, Aug. 24-30. Today includes animal shows, the 4-H Overall Master Showman Show, Monster Truck Throwdown & more. emmetchxfair.org ---------------------------------PADDLE FOR THE PLATTE: PROTECT THE WATERS WE LOVE: 9am-12:30pm, Riverside Canoes, Honor. Enjoy a ride along the Platte River with family-friendly activities along the way. After launching from Riverside’s livery, paddle to the DNR Weir & stop by to learn about the local waters. Fifty percent of all kayak/canoe rental proceeds will be donated to Benzie Conservation District. Register. benziecd.org/ paddle-for-the-platte.html ---------------------------------BIOBLITZ: 10am-1pm, Natural Education Reserve; meet in front of Boardman River Nature Center, TC. Cross the Ottaway Crossing Footbridge & collect natural data of the east side of the Natural Education Reserve. Join GTCD staff & volunteers to record plant, animal, & fungi species using the iNaturalist app, creating valuable data that supports conservation & land management efforts. Free; registration required. natureiscalling.org/events ---------------------------------CEDAR POLKA FESTIVAL: Aug. 27-30. Today includes live music by Polka Generation, The Diddle Styx, Dynabrass & more, & Ultimate Airdogs Splash 1 & 2. cedarpolkafest. org/events ----------------------------------
TEEN CLOTHING SWAP AT IPL: Noon5pm, Interlochen Public Library. For ages 12-18. Clean out the clothes that no longer fit or match your style, & then shop the swap for something new-to-you. IPL is accepting gently used, freshly washed clothing for all seasons, along with bags, hats, & accessories. Donation deadline is Weds., Aug. 26. InterlochenPublicLibrary.org ---------------------------------BOOK LOVERS MIXER!: 6pm, Suttons Bay Bingham District Library. Enjoy light refreshments, try your luck at winning a door prize, & meet other readers. The library will close at 5pm & reopen at 5:45pm for this event. Free. sbbdl.org ---------------------------------CHARLIE BERENS: THE LOST & FOUND TOUR: SOLD OUT!: (See Thurs., Aug. 27, except both shows are SOLD OUT tonight!) ---------------------------------MUSIC IN THE PARK: 7-9pm, Kent Holton Pavilion, Marina Park, Northport. Enjoy funk & rock with the Tundra Tones. Free. ---------------------------------BRAXTON KEITH: 7:30pm, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Corson Auditorium. Enjoy modern energy mixed with old-school twang. Keith’s songs include “Cozy,” “Honky Tonk City,” “Make Up Your Mind,” & more. Opening the evening is rising country artist Cole Goodwin with fan-favorite songs like “When You Get Home” & “Catchin’ On.” Tickets start at $38. interlochen.org/events/ braxton-keith-2026-08-28 ---------------------------------NORTHLAND PLAYERS PRESENTS: STEEL MAGNOLIAS: 7:30pm, The Cheboygan Opera House. This comedic play moves toward tragedy when, in the second act, the spunky Shelby risks her life to go through with a dangerous pregnancy. Confronted with the harshness of mortality, the others draw together to find strength & love in the wake of tragedy. $15-$25. theoperahouse.org ---------------------------------SUMMER GET DOWN AT THE GARDEN: 7:30pm, The Garden Theater, Frankfort. Featuring Vivian Barrett, Andrew Dost, Jenni Rae, SkyeLea, Tim Jones & The Up North All Stars, & more local talent. $25 GA. gardentheater.org/comingsoon
aug 29
For Traverse City area news and events, visit TraverseTicker.com
TOY HARBOR HOLD TIGHT TO THE JOYS OF SUMMER CREATIVE & QUALITY TOYS SINCE 1984 • DOWNTOWN TC 231-946-1131 •
saturday TEEN CLOTHING SWAP
AT IPL: (See Fri., Aug. 28, except today’s hours are 9am-2pm.) ----------------------37TH ANNUAL CORVETTE CROSSROADS AUTO SHOW: 10am-3pm, Mackinaw Crossings Mall, parking lot, Mackinaw City. Parade through town & across the Mackinac Bridge at 7pm. ---------------------------------CEDAR POLKA FESTIVAL: Aug. 27-30. Today includes live music by Bavarski, Dynabrass, Polka Generations, & Scottville Clown Band; Run 4 The Kielbasa, Ultimate Air Dogs, Cedar Polka Fest Parade, & much more. cedarpolkafest.org/events ---------------------------------MACKINAW PREMIER ARTS & CRAFT SHOW: 10am, Conkling Heritage Park, Mackinaw City. ---------------------------------RADIO CONTROLLED AIRCRAFT SHOW: 10am-4pm, Thompsonville Airport. Bring chairs & enjoy a day of flying demonstrations, pyrotechnic displays, a candy-drop for kids & more. The event is hosted by members of the Benzie Area Radio Control Club. Michigan pilots fly a variety of aircraft of all sizes, including fuel & electric-powered fixed wing airplanes, helicopters, warbirds, acrobatic flyers, & military & civilian aircraft pow-
Toby’s Dog House & Two Sons Pizza available daily at our 8th street location!
2 locations! 439 E Eighth St. Traverse City 2770 e silver lake rd Traverse City Northern Express Weekly • august 24, 2026 • 23
ered with real jet engines. Free. ---------------------------------ELK RAPIDS WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL: Noon-6pm, Elk Rapids Harbor Pavilion. This inaugural event is a celebration of local wine, beer, cider, food & community. Enjoy live music by Shortstop, TC Knuckleheads, & Jake Slater (Elvis Tribute Artist). Tickets are $35 ($45 day of) & include two drink tokens & a commemorative wine glass. Proceeds benefit the Elk Rapids Community Cupboard and ACTS Food Pantry. elkrapidswineandfoodfestival.com/product/entrance-ticket-drinktokens ---------------------------------JOIN GRROM FOR A GOLDEN AFTERNOON: Noon-3pm, K&A Hop Dogs, TC. A fundraiser for Golden Retriever Rescue of Michigan. For all dogs over 6 mos. of age. Foam parties, wading pools, & plenty of room for your pup to play. $10/dog; humans without dogs, free. grrom.com/events/a-goldenafternoon-in-traverse-city-krbpz ---------------------------------EMMET-CHARLEVOIX COUNTY FAIR: 1129 Charlevoix Ave./U.S. 31, Petoskey, Aug. 24-30. Today includes Auto Cross Racing, a carnival & more. emmetchxfair.org ---------------------------------LET’S GO FLY A KITE: 3-5pm, Frankfort Beach turnaround. Register at the event. The first 100 participants will receive a free kite to fly. 231-352-7251. ---------------------------------BEYOND LABELS: Carnegie Building, Petoskey. A community conversation to reduce the STIGMA around Substance Use Disorder. 4-5:30pm: Community services available on site. 5:30-7:30pm: Presentation, keynote speaker & panel. 7:30-8:30pm: Appetizers & social hour. Free. crami.org ---------------------------------SUMMER BLOCK PARTY: 5:30-7:30pm, 701 Westminster Rd., TC. Hosted by Mosaic Church & the Presbyterian Church of Traverse City. Enjoy live music, a meal, carnivalstyle games, bounce house fun, giant bubbles & more. Free. tcpresby.org/2026/08/11/ aug-29-summer-block-party ---------------------------------DO DA POST: FISHING LURES & MORE EXHIBIT OPENING RECEPTION: 6pm, Elberta Labor Heritage Center. This exhibition features a wide-ranging selection of Ed Higgins’ work, including his internationally recognized Doo Da Post artist stamps, colorful Fishing Lure Paintings, Firecracker Label Paintings, & original portraits. Free. elbertalaborheritagecenter.org/event/do-da-postfishing-lures-more-exhibit-opening ---------------------------------SATURDAYS IN THE PARK: JEFF HAAS BIG FUN ELECTRIC BAND: 7pm, GT County Civic Center, Amphitheater, TC. Funky jazz/rock fusion with a melodic twist of bluegrass. Free; donations welcome. scullytour. com ---------------------------------NORTHLAND PLAYERS PRESENTS: STEEL MAGNOLIAS: (See Fri., Aug. 28) ---------------------------------NORTHPORT COMMUNITY BAND: SUMMER’S END: 7:30pm, NPAC Auditorium at Northport Public School. Featuring a variety of music from a variety of genres, plus a little Sousa. Tickets range from free to $15. northportperformingarts.org/northport-communityband-summers-end-1
aug 30
sunday CEDAR POLKA FESTIVAL:
Aug. 27-30. Today includes live music by The Diddle Styx, Sunday Mass Under The Big Tent, & The Hagerty Classic Polka Fest Car Show. cedarpolkafest.org/events
---------------------------------SUTTONS BAY CARS & COFFEE: 10amnoon, 5/3 Bank parking lot, Suttons Bay. Held the last Sun. of every month. Free. m.facebook. com/groups/1531439788498838/permalink/1605077057801777 ---------------------------------EMMET-CHARLEVOIX COUNTY FAIR: 1129 Charlevoix Ave./U.S. 31, Petoskey, Aug. 24-30. Today includes a carnival & more. emmetchxfair.org ---------------------------------BLUES AT ALDEN DEPOT WITH NICK VEINE: 2pm, Alden Depot Park & Museum. Nick presents a musical & historical survey of the acoustic blues from the turn of the 20th century until World War II. Bring a chair. Free. ---------------------------------NORTHLAND PLAYERS PRESENTS: STEEL MAGNOLIAS: (See Fri., Aug. 28, except today’s time is 2pm.) ---------------------------------THE CHERRY CAPITAL MEN’S CHORUS CELEBRATES 60 YEARS: 4pm, City Opera House, TC. “From zero to sixty in the blink of an eye!” Featuring Forefront & The Four Man Fishin’ Tackle Choir. GA: $30. cityoperahouse.org/events/ccmc60 ---------------------------------PETOSKEY’S BAYSIDE MUSIC SERIES: THE HAZEL JAMES BAND: 5-7pm, Bayfront Park, Petoskey. ---------------------------------THE ROCK ORCHESTRA: ARENA OF FIRE: 7:30pm, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Kresge Auditorium. This band of 14 classical musicians combines classical music & metal. Tickets start at $38. interlochen.org/ events/rock-orchestra-arena-fire-2026-08-30
ongoing BIKES & BEERS: Held the last Weds. of ev-
ery month, as long as weather allows. Meet at Nocturnal Bloom, TC at 6:30pm for a group ride followed by beers. All riders & abilities welcome. On Aug. 26 you’ll be venturing off the pavement, so bring your mountain bike. See web site for map & more details: nocturnalbloombrewing.com/events/bikes-andbeers-pe4jp ---------------------------------BOYNE CITY’S STROLL THE STREETS: Downtown Boyne City. Held Fridays from 6-9pm through Sept. 4. Enjoy live music, children’s activities, & much more. ---------------------------------LELAND COMMUNITY SUNDAY NIGHT SING: Sundays, 7:30pm through Aug. at Leland Country Club. A summer tradition for over 100 years. Join to sing your favorites with scores of your closest friends. “Leelanau, Leelanau, land that I love!” facebook. com/share/g/1BXL9Pu9bo ---------------------------------NORTE: BIKES FOR ALL: Tuesdays, 10:3011:30am through Aug. at Norte Clubhouse, GT Civic Center, TC. Open to anyone, regardless of age or ability. Offering adaptive bikes specially modified to accommodate individuals with special needs, disabilities, or mobility challenges, so that everyone can enjoy the thrill of riding. norteyouthcycling.org ---------------------------------BALANCE BIKE MEET UPS (ER): Wednesdays, 10:30-11:30am through Aug., Rotary Park, Elk Rapids. Held for first-time riders. These low-key, drop-in affairs are fun for everyone. No need to bring your bike; Norte has plenty to lend out. For riders ages 2-5. norteyouthcycling.org/calendar/balancebike-meet-ups-traverse-city-7z4k7-ps3n57xkbm-je4by-3g2fj ---------------------------------BALANCE BIKE MEET UPS (TC): Wednesdays, 10:30am-11:30am through Aug., Norte Clubhouse, GT Civic Center, TC. Held for first-time riders. These low-key, drop-in af-
24 • august 24, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly
fairs are fun for everyone. No need to bring your bike; Norte has plenty to lend out. For riders ages 2-5. norteyouthcycling.org/calendar/balance-bike-meet-ups-traverse-city7z4k7-ps3n5-7xkbm-je4by-3g2fj
---------------------------------THURSDAY AFTERNOON INTERLOCHEN FARM MARKET: Thursdays, 2-7pm through Aug. 2112 J. Maddy Pkwy., Interlochen.
art farmers markets 2026 - HARBOR OF CREATIVITY INVIBELLAIRE FARMERS MARKET: 102 S. TATIONAL EXHIBIT: Village Arts Building, Maple St., Bellaire. Fridays, 8am-noon through mid-Oct. localdifference.org/partner/ bellaire-farmers-market ---------------------------------BOYNE CITY FARMERS MARKET: Veterans Park, Boyne City. Featuring an array of goods from local small-scale farmers, artisans & entrepreneurs. Held through mid-Oct. on Weds. & Sat., 8am-noon. boynecityfarmersmarket.org ---------------------------------DOWNTOWN PETOSKEY FARMERS MARKET: Fridays, 8:30am-1pm. Located on Howard St. between Mitchell & Michigan streets. facebook.com/PetoskeyFarmersMarket ---------------------------------EAST BAY CORNERS FARMERS MARKET: Thursdays, 2-6pm through Oct. 29 at East Bay Twp. Offices, TC. Shop fresh local produce, baked goods, handmade items & more while connecting with neighbors & supporting regional farmers & small businesses. Special events each week. eastbaytwp.org/ residents/food_security.php ---------------------------------EMPIRE FARMERS MARKET: Saturdays, 9am-1pm through Aug. 29 at 10234 Front St., next to post office, Empire. leelanaufarmersmarkets.com ---------------------------------GLEN ARBOR FARMERS MARKET: Tuesdays, 9am-1pm through Sept. 15, behind Glen Arbor Twp. Hall, 6394 W. Western Ave. leelanaufarmersmarkets.com ---------------------------------HARBOR SPRINGS FARMERS MARKET: Downtown Harbor Springs. Held every Weds. & Sat. from 9am-1pm; Wednesdays through Aug. 26, & Saturdays continue through Oct. 10. Featuring local farmers, artisans, food producers & more. Select dates will have music & Kids Days. petoskeyarea.com/events/ harbor-springs-farmers-market-2026 ---------------------------------HONOR FARMERS ARTISTS & MAKERS MARKET: Maley Park, Honor. Held on Tuesdays through Aug. from 9am-2pm. ---------------------------------LELAND FARMERS MARKET: Immanuel Lutheran Church Parking Lot, Leland. Held on Thursdays through Sept. 3 from 9am1pm. ---------------------------------LONG LAKE FARMERS MARKET: Haywood Park, TC. Runs every Thurs. through Oct. 1 from 9am-1pm. Held near the bocce ball courts. ---------------------------------NORTHPORT FARMERS MARKET: 105 S. Bay St., Northport. Held every Fri. through Sept. 18 from 9am-1pm. leelanaufarmersmarkets.com ---------------------------------OLD TOWN EMMET FARM MARKET: 1322 Anderson Rd., Petoskey. Held on Saturdays through Oct. 10 from 9am-1pm. facebook. com/oldtownemmetfarmmarket ---------------------------------SARA HARDY DOWNTOWN FARMERS MARKET: Saturdays, 7:30am-noon; Wednesdays, 8am-noon. Runs through Oct. at Rotary Square, downtown TC. dda.downtowntc.com/farmers-market ---------------------------------SUTTONS BAY FARMERS MARKET: North Park corner of M22 & M204, Suttons Bay. Held every Sat. through Oct. 17 from 9am1pm. leelanaufarmersmarkets.com
Northport. Presented by the Northport Arts Association. This popular exhibit is a mustsee for painting enthusiasts. Gallery open noon-4pm, Tues.-Sun., 8/16-9/12. Free. northportartsassociation.org/events-exhibits ---------------------------------THE FLOW OF THE RIVER - KRISTEN EGAN SOLO EXHIBIT: Runs through Sept. 1 at Higher Art Gallery, TC. Help welcome back Gourd sculptor, Kristen Egan in her 6th Solo Exhibit here. higherartgallery.com ---------------------------------ROOTS: Jordan River Arts Council, East Jordan. This exhibition explores history, heritage, & the experiences that define us. The works reflect personal, cultural, family, & environmental connections—examining how traditions, places, & pivotal moments influence identity & creativity. Runs through Aug. 29. jordanriverarts.com ---------------------------------“WOMEN AND WATER: WOVEN PORTRAITS FROM AROUND THE WORLD”: Petoskey District Library, 2nd floor. A traveling exhibition featuring handwoven jacquard portraits by artist Mary Burns that honor women who work with, protect, & advocate for water across the globe. Runs Aug. 27 - Oct. 15. An opening reception will be held on Aug. 27 at 5:30pm in the lower level classroom. See web site for hours. petoskeylibrary.org ---------------------------------GREAT NORTHERN ART EXPLOSION: AuSable Artisan Village, Grayling. Featuring incredible artwork from around the world. Runs Aug. 21 - Sept. 6. A Closing Award Ceremony will be held on Sept. 6 at 2pm. See web site for hours. Free. artisanvillage.org/ event/2026-greatnorthernartexplosion ---------------------------------“FOR THE BIRDS” ART EXHIBITION: Leelanau Twp. Library, Northport. Featuring local & international artists whose work explores diversity among birds & their importance to our shared ecosystem. Runs through Sept. 18. See web site for hours. leelanautownshiplibrary.org/team-1 ---------------------------------CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER, PETOSKEY: - IN MOTION: MAKING ART DANCE: Held in Gilbert Gallery. A juried exhibition of movement inspired visual art pieces, sharing works that address questions such as, “How do artists today show the energy of moving bodies in paintings, sculptures, or films?” Runs through Sept. 5. See web site for hours. crookedtree.org/events-and-exhibitions/exhibits/in-motion.html - CROOKED TREE PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY: Held in Atrium Gallery. This summer exhibition features recent work by members of the Crooked Tree Photographic Society. Featuring intricate details from nature, evocative scenes & moments, & creatively constructed compositions. Runs through Sept. 5. See web site for hours. crookedtree.org/ events-and-exhibitions/exhibits/crookedtree-photographic-society.html - “MODERN MOVEMENT: MARTHA GRAHAM & BARBARA MORGAN”: Held in Bonfield Gallery. Featuring original Barbara Morgan photographs of Graham & her company in the 1930s & 40s. Runs through Oct. See web site for hours. crookedtree.org/eventsand-exhibitions/exhibits/modern-movement. html
CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER, TC: - CHERRY STATE OF MIND: Held in Cornwell Gallery through Aug. 22. This exhibit celebrates the 100th anniversary of the National Cherry Festival & honors the fruit that has helped define northern Michigan’s landscape, economy & identity for generations. See web site for hours. crookedtree.org/ events-and-exhibitions/exhibits/cherry-stateof-mind.html - CONTAINER: Held in Carnegie Galleries. This exhibit explores the many meanings of containment through both sculptural & two-dimensional works. Runs through Aug. 22. Check web site for hours. crookedtree. org/events-and-exhibitions/exhibits/container.html - PAINT GRAND TRAVERSE: EXTENDED EXHIBIT: Held in Cornwell & Carnegie Galleries. Experience the beauty of northern Michigan through the eyes of 31 acclaimed plein air artists from across the country. This extended exhibit features a selection of available artwork created during Paint Grand Traverse 2026. Runs through Aug. 22. See web site for hours. crookedtree.org/ events-and-exhibitions/exhibits/pgt-extended-exhibit.html ---------------------------------DENNOS MUSEUM CENTER, NMC, TC: - “FULL CIRCLE: WASTE PLASTIC TRANSFORMATIONS”: TC raised artist Simon Anton returns to the area with a body of sculpture & design objects built over the last 12 years at his Detroit Studio for his solo exhibit. Anton uses plastic sourced from Detroit neighborhoods, factory waste & the automotive industry. Runs Aug. 28, 2026 - Aug. 8, 2027. An Artist Talk will be held on Aug. 28 from 5-6:30pm, followed by a reception from 6:30-8pm, & Silent Disco Dance Party from 8-11pm. Dennos Museum Center is open Tues. through Sun., 11am-4pm; closed Mondays. dennosmuseum.org/art/upcoming-exhibitions - XAVI BOU: “ECHOES OF FLIGHT”: Artist Xavi Bou invites visitors to reconsider how we see the natural world—& how that way of seeing shapes our relationship to it. This exhibition bridges art, science, & environmental awareness through Bou’s innovative use of digital chronophotography. Runs through Sept. 6. See web site for hours. dennosmuseum.org/art/upcoming-exhibitions - CAROLINE MONNET: “THIS OLD HOUSE IS ALL WE HAVE”: Through the interplay of image & object, Monnet foregrounds the deep entanglement of economy, development, & the natural environment. The exhibition serves as a reminder that economic prosperity & urban expansion have historically been built upon the exploitation of land & the Indigenous peoples who have lived in relationship with it for generations. Runs through Sept. 6. See web site for hours. dennosmuseum.org/art/upcoming-exhibitions - “AMERICANS”: This is a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street & the National Museum of the American Indian, which explores how deeply intertwined American Indians are in the culture of the United States. Runs through Sept. 6. See web site for hours. dennosmuseum.org/art/ upcoming-exhibitions ---------------------------------GLEN ARBOR ARTS CENTER: - POETIC VISIONS OF PORT ONEIDA: PAINTING AND POEMS THAT REIMAGINE: Held in the Lobby Gallery. Enjoy this series of oil paintings & corresponding poems created by Grand Traverse County artist Wendy McWhorter. Runs through Aug. 27. GAAC is open Mon. through Fri., 9am-3pm; & Sat. & Sun., noon-4pm. glenarborart.org/ product/exhibit-poetic-visions-of-port-oneida - “TAKING FLIGHT”: Invitational group exhibition featuring the works of Shanny Brooke (paintings), Cynthia Marks (ceramic vessels) & Michelle Tock York (mixed media sculp-
ture). Runs Aug. 21 - Oct. 29. See web site for hours. glenarborart.org/product/exhibittaking-flight ---------------------------------OLIVER ART CENTER, FRANKFORT: - FIELD OF VISION: Explore the unique artistic voices of artists Mark Mehaffey, Sandra Ackerman, Logan Hudson, & Les Scruggs in Field of Vision. Each artist brings their own style & creativity to the depiction & interpretation of the environments humans interact with. Runs Aug. 29 - Oct. 2 with an opening reception on Aug. 29 from 5-7pm. See web site for hours. oliverartcenterfrankfort.org/ music-series - MY MICHIGAN: Michigan artists Rick Koehler & Stan Myers capture that Up North feeling with contemporary works in oil & watercolor. Viewers will find classic vistas, whimsical local scenes, & a deep appreciation for My Michigan. Runs through Sept. 11. Hours are Mon-Sat: 10am-4pm; Sun: noon4pm. oliverart.org
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Toxic Teammate A teenager in Maumelle, Arkansas, played with a rather toxic teammate during a recent high school football practice. According to an Aug. 12 report from WBAL-TV 11, after playing for about an hour, the student brought his helmet to his coach, explaining that it felt "unusual." Upon examination, a venomous cottonmouth snake was found hiding behind the padding. They called animal control, who had to submerge the helmet in water to get the snake out. "I've removed a snake out of a car vent, in the engine, purses, backpacks -in a helmet? Never," Chris Davis, director of Maumelle Animal Services, said, adding that a bite could have been fatal. [WBAL-TV 11, 8/12/26] Feathery Fire Alarm A family in Fort Bend County, Texas, credits their pet goose with saving their barn after it caught on fire. KHOU-11 reported that in the early morning hours of Aug. 4, Bert Gerber was asleep on his couch when he was awakened by a series of loud honks -- sounds the family hadn't heard before from the 4-month-old aptly named Goosey. Security camera footage showed that their barn was on fire. "I just casually came outside and I saw a fire billowing out of there," he said. Gerber used a water hose to put the fire out quickly, and none of the animals in the barn were injured. [KHOU 11, 8/8/26]
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Raccoon in a Jar A raccoon wandered a Dallas neighborhood for several days with its head stuck in a mayonnaise jar before finally being rescued by animal control workers. NBC DFW reported on Aug. 7 that after many capture attempts, the critter -- which the locals named Mayonesa -- holed up in a tree near an abandoned house while Animal Services officers waited patiently for her to emerge. Once they had safely captured her, they took her to Dallas Animal Services, where they sedated her and gave her fluids before removing the jar. "Aside from dehydration after several days without food and water, she was in remarkably good condition and full of energy," Animal Services said in a social media post. Texas Metro Wildlife will care for Mayonesa before releasing her back to the wild. [NBC DFW, 8/7/26] Plot Twist Jennifer McFadden, the owner of Booklegger, a bookstore in Eureka, California, received a surprising note from an anonymous author, UPI reported on Aug. 6. The apology letter was accompanied by a book, "The Unstrung Harp" by Edward Gorey, and $100. In the note, the author explained they recently found the book in a box in their garage and confessed to having stolen the book from the store about 40 years ago. "I was so happy to find that the store was still in business so I could return the book and tell you how sorry I am for my utter lack of principles," the note said, and asked the store to get in touch if there was "anything further I might do to right this wrong." [UPI, 8/6/26] Crime Report A Shake Shack employee is charged with aggravated assault, kidnapping and armed
robbery after robbing the store where he worked, Yahoo! News reported on Aug. 12. According to the Maricopa County Deputy Attorney's complaint, Keondre Simmons, 33, of Arizona, pointed a gun at two employees, demanded $2,800 in cash from the store safe and locked them in the store's cooler. The employees' description of the robber matched Simmons, and he was arrested days later when investigators who were surveilling Simmons watched him leave his apartment wearing his Shake Shack uniform and return to the store for his shift. A representative from Shake Shack confirmed that Simmons' employment has been terminated and that the company prioritizes the safety of their customers and employees. Simmons is currently in custody on a $100,000 bond. [Yahoo! News, 8/12/2026] Everette Krichbaum, 52, and James Gay, 35, are charged with aggravated battery after wielding a hatchet and a machete, respectively, during an altercation in a Publix parking lot in Panama City, Florida, The Smoking Gun reported on Aug. 7. According to the police report, Gay admitted to parking next to Krichbaum and approaching his vehicle for a confrontation over "prior issues." During the dispute, Krichbaum brandished a hatchet "in an attempt to deter" Gay. In response, Gay went back to his vehicle, pulled out a machete and struck Krichbaum in the face with it. By the time police arrived, they say each man had injuries on his hands, and Krichbaum sustained further injuries after Gay struck him unconscious. The pair were treated at a local hospital before being taken into custody. [The Smoking Gun, 8/7/26] Statue Liberated Greg Gatwood of San Francisco was doing yard work when he came across what he thought was a small stone slab. But as he dug, he discovered the object was actually a 2-foot-wide, 150-pound statue, NBC Bay Area reported on Aug. 10. His partner, artist Judy Gittelsohn, consulted with local experts and is working to determine if the statue is the work of renowned San Francisco sculptor Ralph Stackpole, who died in 1973, or perhaps one of his students. The couple's house is located near what used to be the sculpture department of the California School of Fine Arts -- now known as the San Francisco Art Institute -- where Stackpole taught. [NBC Bay Area, 8/10/26] That'll Stop Traffic Rush hour traffic was shut down for two hours in Washington, D.C., on the morning of Aug. 12 after a suspicious device with exposed wires -- which turned out to be an adult toy -- was reported outside a fire station, WUSA9 reported. A witness said they saw someone place a suspicious package in a trash can near the station in a northwest D.C. neighborhood, and police say that the person who threw the item away approached someone at the firehouse before tossing the contraband. When police arrived, they closed local streets for nearly two hours while they investigated. Eventually the item was determined to be an "electronic sex portable pump device," according to the police report. Police cleared the scene and traffic resumed around 9 a.m. [WUSA9, 08/12/26]
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Northern Express Weekly • august 24, 2026 • 27
lOGY
AUG 17 - AUG 23 BY ROB BREZSNY
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The coming months could be a
legendary turning point you will celebrate in the future: a pivotal time when you finally outsmart an old adversary and untangle a knotted inheritance, clearing the way to pursue your true calling with undiluted devotion. Or, on the other hand, the days ahead could be another round in the long saga of “almost”: a decisive phase when you avoid a challenge that has been begging for your full brilliance, leaving your future without shining clues for how to further decode the ancient riddle. Which destiny will you accomplish, dear Virgo? Will you answer the call to adventure? Or ignore it until it fades away?
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In traditional sourdough baking, a small portion of fermented dough called a starter is saved and refreshed regularly. Some bakeries maintain the same lineage for years. The starter is a living culture of wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria that feed on flour and water, producing acids and gases that leaven the dough and create bread with complex flavor, aroma, and texture. Let’s use this as a metaphor for your life, Leo. What long-running resource can you use to help create situations that will empower you to thrive in interesting ways during the coming months?
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Some of my most
useful revelations arrive in the dark. Once, while hiking in a wooded canyon at dusk, I lost the trail and had to feel my way forward by the sound of the creek. In that blind descent, an insight about a personal riddle I'd been pondering for months appeared unbidden, as if it had been waiting in the shadows for me. As I followed the stream bank to safety, I celebrated by singing Leonard Cohen’s song “Hallelujah.” The moral of the story is that some lessons can be best learned by going down: into the body, into confusing feelings, into the rich compost of mysteries we may be hesitant to explore. How about you, Libra? In my professional opinion, your next pivotal breakthroughs are lurking in the fertile darkness rather than the brilliant heights. I hope you’re brave enough to descend. The treasure is buried, as treasure often is.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In 1912,
Scorpio meteorologist Alfred Wegener proposed the theory of continental drift. It’s the idea that Earth’s continents were once joined in a single supercontinent and have gradually drifted apart to their present positions over millions of years. Most scientists initially rejected his hypothesis because he couldn't explain how the movement occurred. He didn't live long enough to receive vindication, but decades later, his novel hypothesis was fully accepted. I'm pleased to report that your wait will be far shorter, Scorpio. Please keep your faith in the novel ideas and perceptions that others don't understand yet. The world's almost ready for your innovations.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): There
is a kind of lightning called a “sprite.” It’s a ghostly red discharge that blossoms high above thunderstorms. I suspect you may soon experience your own personal versions of this wonder. Fleeting insights may appear in unexpected places. Emotionally rich revelations could arrive out of nowhere. Because the moments could pass quickly, it will be crucial to notice them when they arrive. They could stimulate major shifts in your understanding. Keep your perceptive powers highly attuned.
CAPRICORN
(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Fertility clinics store frozen human embryos. Numbering in the hundreds of thousands, they are suspended in a long, chilly pause, awaiting instructions from the people who created them. This accumulation of potential life on hold makes me think of you. If you would thaw and reclaim the neglected, untouched regions of your own imagination, you would become an even more formidable generator of focused creative power. The encouraging news is that the coming weeks will be an unusually favorable phase to expedite this process.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Some
earthquakes unleash energy in violent bursts, but others are incremental commotions that unfold gradually over days or even weeks. The way they reorganize the Earth’s crust is kinder and gentler. Let’s regard these slow quakes
as an apt metaphor for the initially disruptive but ultimately constructive transformations underway in your beautiful life, Aquarius. You may not see spectacular evidence that change is percolating, but I guarantee that it is. Old structures are in a transitional phase of subtle disarray, creating conditions for new dispensations you can’t imagine yet. My prediction: The
PISCES (Feb 19-March 20): The Sargasso
Sea is the only sea on Earth without a land boundary. It's defined entirely by four strong Atlantic Ocean currents that circle it. Its edges aren’t solid walls but slowly shifting rivers of water. I think this anomalous body of water is always a vivid symbol of your world, Pisces, and even more so these days. Your boundaries are currents, not coastlines. You hold your shape through movement, not through rigid definition. This is more challenging to maintain than solid borders, but it's also a great potential strength. Use it with aplomb!
ARIES (March 21-April 19): On the sci-fi TV
show Stargate SG-1, benevolent aliens known as the Asgard visit Earth to seek assistance from a secret US government team. The ultraadvanced, hyper-intelligent Asgard have been unable to defeat their great nemesis, another alien species called the Replicators. Their hope is that their primitive partners, the humans, might stumble onto some basic, straightforward answer that their own sophisticated minds can’t see. The gamble pays off. One of Earth’s leading physicists, who’s a naive amateur by Asgard standards, devises a rough, unsophisticated strategy that works wonderfully. Treat this as your parable, Aries: Put your faith in simple, uncluttered approaches, and don’t underestimate “beginner-level” fixes.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): During one of
my visits to the annual Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert, I encountered a prankster named Mother Very Superior. This nonbinary performer was dressed like a nun and wore a prominent chastity belt. Wielding a toy whip, they gently lashed me on my shoulders and prayed over me, saying, "I absolve you of all your sins. Therefore, you are now free to commit a raucous slew of new sins.” I hope you get a similar dispensation, Taurus. To be fully available for the rollicking delights you’re eligible for, it would be wise to reduce your karmic debt.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Archaeologists
studying ancient Roman shipwrecks found that sailors deliberately made their vessels heavier by stowing rocks in the hull. This reduced the profitability of their voyages, since it reduced their cargo capacity. On the other hand, it meant they wouldn't capsize during storms. An excellent trade-off! Let’s use this scenario as a metaphor for your life right now, Gemini. I'm going to suggest that you will benefit from adding more ballast. Seemingly burdensome elements could keep you steady if conditions become unruly. Consider this: Not everything heavy is holding you back. Some of it's keeping you strong and stable.
CANCER
(June 21-July 22): During the Baroque era, Cancerian artist Artemisia Gentileschi painted powerful biblical and historical women who killed tyrants and delivered their people from violent domination. By channeling her creative passion into figures of righteous fury, she transformed her personal trauma into psychological power. I invite you to be inspired by Gentileschi as you reconfigure your own story in the coming weeks, Cancerian. Wouldn't it be fun and potent to transform the way you imagine both the past and future plot threads of your destiny?
28 • august 24, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly
“Jonesin” Crosswords "Heart to Heart"--three ways to create a heart. by Matt Jones
ACROSS 1. Religious offshoot 5. Winter hrs. in Oregon 8. ___ curls (arm exercises) 13. Most populous Hawaiian island 14. "___ House" (1982 Madness hit) 15. Mr. Schwarzenegger 16. Thing that comes before another, in olden days (you may know the -or version better) 18. Estonia's neighbor to the south 19. Keyboard symbols forming a heart emoticon (or a shortcut to the emoji) 21. Zombie who directs and sings 22. Wedding vow words 23. "___ bien, gracias" 24. League where you may see a stick shift? 27. Apple device that researchers taught parrots to video-call other parrots with 29. "Go ahead" gesture 30. New World monkey in the Amazon Rainforest (found in AQUA KARINA) 33. Direct deposit pymt. 36. Way to form a heart with your fingers (popularized by K-pop stars) 40. Plate-smashing exclamation 41. Not as restrictive 42. Sprinted 43. "___ Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" 45. Volleyball defense specialist 47. Type of company not to be confused with an LLC 48. Stiffened water, to Stefan or Werner? 51. Express despair, maybe 52. Numerical way to make a heart along a line of symmetry 56. Egyptian writer ___ Mahfouz (1988 Nobel Prize winner in Literature) 57. Australia's women's national soccer team (hinting at a "Waltzing" song) 59. Citrus with blood and navel varieties 60. Q&A session on Reddit 61. Gateway Arch architect Saarinen 62. Sibilant snake sound 63. Yang counterpart 64. Historic 1944 event
DOWN 1. Absorb 2. Member of the British nobility 3. Made happy 4. America's 52nd-largest metropolitan area (and second-largest in Arizona) 5. Opposite of starboard 6. Rice-and-seaweed dish that originated in Japan 7. Tire groove 8. Along with Vishnu and Shiva, creator god in the Hindu trinity 9. Uninvited visitor 10. Typical grouping of Gambel's quail, say 11. "Souls on Fire" author Wiesel 12. Organizer in your pocket, circa the aughts 15. ___-weekly (newspaper category) 17. Device that can charge multiple devices 20. Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung: "The world is still full of bÍtes ___ and scapegoats ..." 24. Highly explosive letters 25. Laugh from St. Nick 26. Ali with a perfect 24-0 record 28. Flat-panel HDTV's resolution unit 31. ___ of things (trivia expert, maybe) 32. "My friends, without further ___ ..." 34. Portended 35. Nicholas II's title 37. Pony Express jobs 38. Cuban Revolutionary Party manifesto signing location Monte ___, D.R. (one letter off from Dumas's "Count") 39. Snoopy ___-Cone Machine 44. Amounts of rosemary 46. Had a ball in an alley? 47. Groups of Spanish sports teams 49. "To whom ___ concern" 50. Great religious leader, in Hinduism 52. Grammy winner Bruno 53. Award now bestowed by King Charles III 54. LycÈe student's acronym for an intl. alliance (it's just the English acronym backwards) 55. Singer-songwriter Bareilles 56. Impeding votes 58. Tempeh or tofu base
Leelanau & Benzie 9 BEAN ROWS, SUTTONS BAY 1-3: 8/23 -- Laura Thurston 8/30 -- Jen Sygit
HOP LOT BREWING, SUTTONS BAY 5-8: 8/28 -- Dune Brothers 8/29 -- Empire Highway
BEL LAGO VINEYARD, WINERY & CIDERY, CEDAR 8/22 & 8/26 -- Andre Villoch, 3:305:30 8/23 -- Rhett & John, 3:30-5:30 8/25 -- Jakob Abraham, 5:30-7:30 8/28 -- Dominic Fortuna, 5:30-7:30 8/29 -- Larry Perkins, 3:30-5:30 8/30 -- Chris Smith, 3:30-5:30
IRON FISH DISTILLERY, THOMPSONVILLE 8/22 -- Chris Smith, 5:30-7:30 8/23 -- Drew Hale, 5-7 8/27 -- Brian Curran, 5:30-7:30 8/28 -- DJ Ras Marco, 5:30-7:30 8/29 -- Brian T. McCosky, 5:30-7:30 8/30 -- Jimmy Olson, 5-7
BOATHOUSE VINEYARDS, LAKE LEELANAU TASTING ROOM: 8/23 -- Bryan Poirier, 4-6:30 8/26 -- The Abbey Road Project, 5:30-8 8/30 -- Pinter Whitnick, 4-6:30
LAKE ANN BREWING CO. 8/22 -- Blind Dog Hank, 3-6; Looking Forward - CSN&Y Tribute, 7-10 8/25 -- New Third Coast, 6:30-9:30
CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN, THOMPSONVILLE LEVEL4 LOUNGE, 8:30-10:30: 8/22-23 -- Carl Pawluk 8/27 -- Drew Hale 8/28 -- Sydni K 8/29 -- Jakob Abraham 8/30 -- Rhett & John DUNE BIRD WINERY, NORTHPORT 3-6: 8/23 -- Highway North 8/27 -- Brian & Ann FRENCH VALLEY VINEYARD, CEDAR 4-7: 8/24 -- Jesse Jefferson 8/27 -- Samba D GILCHRIST FARM WINERY, SUTTONS BAY 8/26 -- Luke Woltanski, 3-6
JACOBSON MARINA, FRANKFORT 8/22 -- Jim Hawley, 3-6
LITTLE TRAVERSE INN, MAPLE CITY 8/28 -- Pat & Chris, 6-9 BEER GARDEN, 4-7: 8/23 -- Joe Wilson Trio 8/30 -- Hickory Creek Revival NORTHERN LATITUDES DISTILLERY, LAKE LEELANAU 8/28 -- Loose Change, 4:45-6:45 RIVER CLUB, GLEN ARBOR 6-9: 8/22 -- Empire Highway 8/23 -- Split Decision 8/24 -- Pete 'Big Dog' Fetters 8/25 -- Levi Britton 8/26 -- Rhett & John 8/27 -- Loose Change 8/28 -- Luke Woltanski Duo 8/29 -- Rock Bottom Remedy 8/30 -- Larz Cabo ST. AMBROSE CELLARS, BEULAH 8/22 -- Ted Alan Duo, 1-4; Keith Scott, 5-8 8/23 -- The Feral Cats, 3-6
8/24 -- Whiskey & Wine, 5-8 8/25 -- Luke Woltanski, 5-8 8/26 -- Jesse Jefferson, 5-8 8/27 -- Truck Driver Bingo, 5-8 8/28 -- Jen Sygit, 5-8 8/29 -- Aaron Dye, 1-4; Blair Miller, 5-8 8/30 -- Billy Blanchard, 3-6 SOUL SQUEEZE CELLARS, LAKE LEELANAU 4-7: 8/22 -- Luke Woltanski 8/23 -- Zinnia Dungjen 8/27 -- John Richard Paul 8/28 -- Snap Band 8/29 -- Jazz Cabbage STORMCLOUD BREWING FRANKFORT PARKVIEW TAPROOM, 6-8: 8/27 -- Jen Sygit
SUTTONS BAY CIDERS 8/23 -- Billy & The Kid, 5:30-7 8/27 -- Thursday DJ Trivia, 6:30-8 8/30 -- Loose Change, 5:30-8 TANDEM CIDERS, SUTTONS BAY Sun -- The Nightcrawlers, 1-4 THE CABBAGE SHED, ELBERTA 8/22 & 8/29 -- Jake Frysinger, 5-8 8/25 -- Todd Aldrich, 5-8 8/26 -- Vinyl Vednesday w/ DJ T.J., 5-8 8/27 -- Open Mic Night, 6:30-9 8/28 -- Gabrial Lundry, 5:30-8:30 THE HOMESTEAD RESORT, GLEN ARBOR WHISKERS, 6-9: 8/22 & 8/27 -- Bryan Poirier 8/28 -- Craig & The Jolly Ranchers 8/29 -- Laura Thurston
Otsego, Crawford & Central ALPINE TAVERN & EATERY, GAYLORD 8/22 -- Nelson Olstrom, 5-8 8/29 -- Brian Curran, 1-4
BIG BUCK BREWERY, GAYLORD 8/22 -- Mike Ridley, 6-9
CO.,
nitelife
AUG 22- AUG 30 Send Nitelife to: events@traverseticker.com Grand Traverse & Kalkaska ALEXANDRA INN, BLUSH: ROOFTOP TERRACE, TC Mon -- Fridays Music (John & Madeline Piatek), 5-7 APACHE TROUT GRILL, TC 8/30 -- Jim Hawley, 6-9 CHATEAU GRAND TRAVERSE, TC 8/22 -- DJ Marco, 5-9 8/27 -- Elizabeth Landry, 5-8 8/28 -- Jimmy Olson, 5-8 ENCORE 201, TC 8/21-22 & 8/28-29 -- DJ Ricky T, 9 IDENTITY BREWING CO., TC TIKI BAR: 8/28 -- Doc Probes, 5:30-8:30 JACOB'S FARM, TC 6-9: 8/23 -- Twilight Tunes 8/27 -- Steve Brown 8/29 -- Friends with Benefits 8/30 -- Boardman River Band KILKENNY'S IRISH PUBLIC HOUSE, TC Mon. -- DJ Trivia, 7-9 Tues. -- The Will Harris Trio, 8-12 Weds. -- The Pocket Band, 8-12 Thurs. -- DJ Leo, 9:30-1:30 8/28-29 -- Pink Violin, 6-9 LEFT FOOT CHARLEY, TC BARREL ROOM: 8/24 -- Open Mic w/ Rob Coonrod, 6-9 PATIO: 8/30 -- DJ Ras Marco, Noon-3 TASTING ROOM: 8/28 -- Nick Veine, 5-7 LIL BO'S, TC THE YARD, 7-10:30: 8/26 -- TC Knuckleheads 8/27 -- Boardman River Band MIDDLECOAST BREWING CO., TC 8/22 -- Jesse Jefferson, 6-9 8/26 -- Trivia Night w/ Steveo, 7-9
8/28 -- Rob Coonrod, 6-9 8/29 -- Rebekah Jon, 6-9
8/27 -- Jimmy Olson, 8-11
NOCTURNAL BLOOM BREWING, TC Thu -- Trivia, 6 NORTH BAR, TC 8/22 -- Dollar Shavey Club, 6-9 8/26 -- Loren Kranz, 7-10 OLD MISSION DISTILLING, TC SEVEN HILLS: 8/22 -- Jeff Linsell, 6:30-9:30 8/23 -- Chris Smith, 7-9:30 8/26 -- Jimmy Olson, 7-9 8/27 -- 2Bays DJ’s, 6:30-9:30 8/28 -- Delilah DeWylde, 6:30-9:30 8/29 -- Wink Solo, 7-9 8/30 -- Bauer Jones, 7-9 TC GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB 8/28 -- Jim Hawley, 6-9 TC WHISKEY CO. - THE STILLHOUSE 8/22 -- G-Snacks, 8-10 8/28 -- Jesse Jefferson & the Ampersands, 8-10 8/29 -- The Groove Suns, 6-8 THE ALLUVION, TC 8/22 -- Will Marsh, 8 8/24 -- Big Fun & Funky Uncle w/ DJ Ras Marco, 7 8/28 -- Bob James “2080” w/ Sam Franz: SOLD OUT, 7-10 THE HAYLOFT INN, TC 8/21-22 & 8/28-29 -- Off Duty, 7:30-11 THE LITTLE FLEET, TC 6-10: 8/22 -- Slow Tako 8/28 -- The Pocket THE PARLOR, TC 8/22 -- Craig & The Jolly Ranchers, 9-12 8/25 -- Jesse Jefferson, 8-11 8/26 -- Rob Coonrod, 8-11
THE PUB, TC 8/22 -- Highway North, 7-10; DJ Producer AJ, 10 8/23 & 8/30 -- David Márton, 7-10 8/24 -- Karaoke, 8-11 8/26 -- Zeke Clemons, 8-11 8/28 -- DJ Vai, 10-1 8/29 -- DJ Producer AJ, 10 THE WORKSHOP BREWING CO., TC 8/22 -- Delilah DeWylde, 8-10 8/24 -- USS Comedy Open Mic, 8-9:30 8/26 -- Jazz Jam w/ Ron Getz, 6-9 8/27 -- DJ Trivia, 7-9 8/28 -- Reminisce Guitar Duo, 5:45-8; Roller, Clawfoot & Cloudlifter, 8-11 8/29 -- Younce Guitar Duo, 7-9 8/30 -- Full Tilt Comedy - Comedy Mixtape, 7-9 THIRSTY FISH SPORTS GRILLE, TC 8/22 -- TC Knuckleheads, 6:309:30 (patio) 8/25 -- Trivia, 7-9; Open Mic Comedy, 8:30-10 8/27 -- Peril, 6:30-9:30 (patio) 8/28 -- YESIMJOHN, 6:30-9:30 (patio); Karaoke, 7-10 (inside) 8/29 -- TC Guitar Guys, 6:30-9:30 (patio) TOWNLINE CIDERWORKS, WILLIAMSBURG 6-8: 8/22 -- Tom Morrell 8/28 -- Chelsea Marsh 8/29 -- Spencer Hollenbeck TURTLE CREEK CASINO, WILLIAMSBURG 8-12: 8/22 -- Coral Stone Band 8/28 -- DJ 1Wave Dance Party 8/29 -- Brett Mitchell & The Mitchfits
FaLL INtO wEDnESdAYs Jeff Haas Don Julin Joe Wilson Jack Dryden Will Harris
EvERy WeDNeSDaY 6-8pM LiVE MUsIC STaRTiNG SEpTEmBEr 2nD
Jeff Haas Bruce Dondero Will Harris with watercolorist Lisa Flahive
Northern Express Weekly • august 24, 2026 • 29
nitelife
Manistee, Wexford & Missaukee Continued...
MANISTEE NATIONAL GOLF & RESORT THE BACKYARD, 7: 8/21 -- The Downturners 8/28 -- Tyler Reed, 7
Emmet & Cheboygan BOYNE VALLEY VINEYARDS, PETOSKEY 8/22 -- Two Track Mind, 2-6 8/28 -- Mike Ridley, 4-7:30 8/29 -- Chris Calleja, 2-6 BRANDY'S HARBORTOWN, BAY HARBOR 8/22 -- Derek Boik, 12:30 8/23 -- Nick Visconti, 12:30 8/24 -- Patrick Ryan, 6 8/25 -- Two Track Mind, 6 8/26 -- Waylon Hanel, 6 8/27 -- Chris Calleja, 6 8/28 -- Jeff Schlehuber, 12:30 8/29 -- Elisabeth Christe, 12:30 8/30 -- Hanna Von B, 12:30 CITY PARK GRILL, PETOSKEY 8/28 -- Annex Karaoke, 9:30 COUNTRY CLUB OF BOYNE, HARBOR SPRINGS 8/28 -- Nelson Olstrom, 6-9 DOUGLAS LAKE STEAKHOUSE, PELLSTON 6-9: 8/23 -- Nelson Olstrom
INN AT BAY HARBOR CABANA BAR, 5-8: 8/23 -- Ricky Hill 8/28 -- SAXU4IA 8/30 -- Adam Engelman INN BETWEEN, INDIAN RIVER 8/27 -- Mike Ridley, 4-7 NOGGIN ROOM PUB, PETOSKEY 7-10: 8/22 -- Underleaf Duo 8/27 -- Eric Jaqua 8/28 -- Todd Aldrich 8/29 -- Sydni K POND HILL FARM, HARBOR SPRINGS 8/22 -- The Galactic Sherpas, 5-8 8/23 -- The Beachbillies, 3-6 8/27 -- Joshua Davis, 5:30-8 8/28 -- The Northern Gentlemen, 5-8 8/29 -- Underleaf Band, 5-8 8/30 -- Sierra Cassidy & Elizabeth Landry, 3-6
THE GREENHOUSE – WILLOW/ PRIMOS, CADILLAC 8/26 -- Trivia & Music Bingo, 6-9
Antrim & Charlevoix SEASONS OF THE NORTH WINERY, INDIAN RIVER 8/27 -- The Darwin Project, 6-9
8/30 -- Mike Ridley
NORTHERN NATURAL CIDER HOUSE & WINERY, KALEVA 7: 8/22 -- Bee and The Brood 8/28 -- Chief Jam-Open Mic 8/29 -- Ben Traverse
THE BEAU, CHEBOYGAN 7: 8/22 -- Hold That Thought 8/28 -- Musicians Playground 8/29 -- Amy Beach THE QUEENS HEAD, CHEBOYGAN 8/27 -- Amanda Jane, 5:30-7:30 THE WIGWAM, INDIAN RIVER 8/27 -- Dominic Fortuna, 7:309:30 8/28 -- Karaoke, 8-11 WALLOON LAKE WINERY, PETOSKEY 8/27 -- The Tweed Tones, 6-8
BLU DOT FARM & VINEYARD, CHARLEVOIX 8/22 -- Hanna Von B, 4-7 8/29 -- Jetty Rae, 4-7 8/30 -- Jelly Roll Blues Band, 5-8 BLUE WATER BISTRO, ALDEN 8/24 -- David Lawston, 5:30-8:30 BOYNE CITY TAPROOM 7: Thurs. -- Adam & The Cabana Boys Fri. -- Josh Raber & Patrick Ryan Sat. -- Patrick Ryan BOYNE RIVER INN, BOYNE CITY 8/27 -- Nelson Olstrom, 7 BRIDGE STREET TAPROOM, CHARLEVOIX Tues. -- Patrick Ryan, 7
CASTLE FARMS, CHARLEVOIX THE CASTLE PUB: 8/26 -- Singo, 6-8 CHLOE'S TAVERN, BELLAIRE 8/25 -- David Lawston, 7-10 ETHANOLOGY DISTILLATION, ELK RAPIDS 8-11: 8/22 -- Myron Elkins & The Dying Breed 8/29 -- Charlie's Root Fusion FIRESIDE LOUNGE, BELLAIRE 8/22 -- Tai Jaxx Drury, 7-10 LOST CELLARS, CHARLEVOIX 8/23 -- Randy Reszka, 1-4 8/30 -- Andy Kline, 5-8
MUSKRAT DISTILLING, BOYNE CITY 8/26 -- Karaoke Night, 9 8/28 -- Sean Bielby, 6-9 SHORT'S PUB, BELLAIRE BEER GARDEN: 8/22 -- Electric Flower Company, 7-9:30 8/23 & 8/30 -- Trivia, 6-8 8/28 -- The Boardman River Band, 7-9:30 8/29 -- The Timebombs, 7-9:30 STIGGS BREWERY & KITCHEN, BOYNE CITY 8/29 -- Nelson Olstrom, 6-9 WATERFIRE VINEYARDS, KEWADIN 8/29 -- Dan Casula, 4-7
NORTHERN EXPRESS
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30 • august 24, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly
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Northern Express Weekly • august 24, 2026 • 31
32 • august 24, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly