As a concerned Michigander with family in the Upper Peninsula and a passion for the Great Lakes, I write again about the planned Line 5 tunnel. Enbridge maintains the image of neighborly care through ads, but I recommend questioning this, and viewing other perspectives, such as from flowwateradvocates. org, groundworkcenter.org, and freshwaterfuture.org.
I understand no means of transporting oil and natural gas guarantees complete safety, we currently still need oil, propane, and plastic, and want them cheap, especially given costs, aid cuts, and winter storms. However, Enbridge’s products still primarily go to Canada. We would shoulder paying for harms to human health, ecosystems, and other hazards, along with any spill or explosion risks and what’s involved in refining fuel and plastic feedstock may bring. I urge you to consider carefully whether what they provide is worth the cost.
People demanding work, energy and goods delivered safely and cheaply can and should also call for maintaining needs we hold in common with all living things in the Great Lakes. I thank those who commented on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ latest assessment. We can follow many other avenues, like:
Calling senators and representatives to revive the Railway Safety Act (S.576), and supporting the Michigan Electric Vehicle Alliance (michiganeva.org). Requesting subsidies to research, develop and market viable plastic alternatives. Calling state and local lawmakers and attorneys to urge companies responsible for pollution to meaningfully prevent, repair and compensate any harm caused in our state and common waters. Business owners can pledge support to balance out those with stake in continued operations. And we can message our governor and EGLE to back up those requests.
Times have shown we can’t afford complacency; keep watching and speaking out!
Emily Baker | Traverse City
Love Thy Neighbor?
We all treasure peace. We want the best for our families and communities. We love our neighbors. It’s only when leaders exercise hate with impunity, our hearts can begin to question our natural desire to love and accept. When people are asked to do the unthinkable to “preserve” our own, hate can become contagious, and “fear of other” grows. Ignoring what’s happening to hurt others makes us complicit.
In my travels, I’ve met people who live quite differently than I do. Truth is, my own DNA spans continents, making me an immigrant nearly everywhere I go, including the USA. Of course we cannot open our borders to everyone, but for those hoping to build a better life, and those fleeing brutality, surely a warm welcome and a promise for protection, is the least we can do. After all, for our ancestors, this was the promise of America. We must protect those among us who have made the courageous decision to leave their home countries behind. Can you put yourself in their shoes, giving up everything? Who
among us can say our ancestors didn’t make that same difficult choice?
Love thy neighbor. Let’s end this hateful purge.
Betsy Alles | Frankfort
In Response to “Not Quite Peacemaking”
In this holiday time, “peace on Earth” is just a lame, meaningless saying because there’s no money, power, land, or glory in being a peacemaker! My childhood was destroyed by family screaming at each other over the Vietnam War, a war of lies and for profits like all in my life done by this country, leaving me with distrust for leaders and military missions. So when the Iraq War came about, we protested it in Seattle 50,000 strong.
Wanting to be like Jesus, I fought back with music, art, and in person. I suffered as a protester doing it lawfully, but courts came after me so my good name, career, well-being, and purpose were destroyed. Later, I always plead guilty to all charges, for courts are only about who you are, never the crime! I only suffered, with my message destroyed, or shut up. Same as Jesus did, I took a silent approach—very dumb, I know now.
So be careful protesters, or your life too will be destroyed if done alone, loud, and righteously against money, power, and corporate interests. Fighting for peace rewards only idealism. Can’t believe now our war with Venezuela is a lie, distraction, and power grab, but peace in America never exists, and if you fight for it, you will be destroyed too.
So “peace be with you” is only an ideal that will never exist and quit using Jesus for wars! Merry Christmas.
Bradford Krull | Traverse City
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
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Located in The Mercato in The Village of The Grand Traverse Commons American classics prepared and served with elegant simplicity. Enjoy a classic brunch cocktail, bubbly, wine or beer.
top ten
Menorah in the Square
The Chabad Jewish Center is bringing the Festival of Lights to Traverse City on Sunday, Dec. 21, starting at 5pm in Rotary Square (203 S Union St.). This open-to-thepublic celebration honors Chanukah, which began at nightfall on Dec. 14 and ends with nightfall on Dec. 22. The Menorah in the Square event will feature festive music, fresh donuts and warm cider, family-friendly fun, and, of course, a menorah lighting. There will also be a chance to put your childhood Lego skills to use as the community works to build a menorah out of canned food items that will later be donated to local homeless shelters. Cans can be dropped off at the Chabad Jewish Center ahead of time. RSVPs are encouraged at menorah.jewishtc.org, where you can also help sponsor the free event with small or large donations.
2 tastemaker
Michigan Bee Co.’s Creamy Honey
Creamy honey, you say? Sign us up! This made-in-Michigan honey brand comes not in a squeeze bottle but a jar (and, as you can see, ours is already half-empty). Dip in a knife—or a spoon, if you’d prefer to cut out the middleman—and you’ll get a warm-butterlike consistency that spreads beautifully on your morning toast or pumpkin bread. The ingredients are simple: pure, raw honey. According to the label, this honey is “blended in small batches,” “never filtered,” and “only minimally heated.” And the result is exactly what you’ll want for your next cup of tea or dinner party charcuterie board. We found our jar at a local Meijer. Learn more about the company, scout honey-themed recipes, and read up on their honey-making processes at mibeeco.com.
MRKT Shopping
Shop the latest from local makers and vendors at the Holiday MRKT Share at Warehouse MRKT in TC Saturday, Dec. 20, from 10am-3pm. Just a few options include picking up some decorated sugar cookies, hot cocoa, and coffee bombs from Crum Cakes Bake Shop; handcrafted cocktail infusions and gourmet sugars and salts from Tipsy Sips Craft Cocktails; and beach-inspired, bubble glazed pottery from Leelanau Pottery Company. Other vendors include Wild Wanderers Apothecary, Schyler the Potter, Wanderlust Fashion, plus more. Find Warehouse MRKT on Facebook.
Hey, Read It! Five Found Dead 4
When Aussie twins Joe and Meredith Penvale board the historic Orient Express, they’re looking forward to a journey steeped in old-world grandeur and literary infamy. That is, until the disappearance of the neighboring passenger sets an Agatha Christieesque nightmare in motion, leaving a cabinet soaked in blood, no body, three aliases, and a likely toupée. To make matters worse, the latest COVID variant has also infiltrated the train, quarantining two passenger cars and stretching the staff’s resources to the brink. Together with the suspiciously numerous members of law enforcement aboard, the twins suddenly find themselves embroiled in a chaotic scheme to catch their killer—but they’ll have to give Poirot a run for his money to make it out alive. USA Today bestseller Sulari Gentill offers a fresh take on the locked-room mystery in her newest novel, Five Found Dead. Ingeniously plotted and propulsive with a pinch of wry humor, it’s the perfect read for a snowy day in!
Beginner Olympic
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Men and Ugly Sweaters
Those two things don’t always go together, but on Dec. 19, you’ll see both out and about in Petoskey and Harbor Springs! Petoskey welcomes dudes for their annual Men’s Night Out from 5-8pm with savings, prizes, and light bites at participating businesses, followed by an after party at Malted Vinyl, starting at 8pm and complete with a raffle drawing. See more at petoskeydowntown. com/events/mens-night-out. Just north, the wooly wear will be out in full force at Pond Hill Farm, where Ugly Sweater Bingo Night runs from 6-8pm. The holly jolly evening features farm prizes for bingo winners, holiday tunes, and plenty of food and drink from the Pond Hill kitchens. Come for the free bingo, stay for a pizza and a beer…and to judge who among you truly has the ugliest sweater. Visit pondhill.com for details.
Camp Greilick Now Open
It’s been a long road for the century-old Camp Greilick, which, after several dormant years, was acquired by Grand Traverse County in August 2024 and has been a hotbed of restoration activity ever since. In the last year-plus, the county has been working toward numerous reconstruction projects on the trails, disc golf, human foosball court, and more. This fall, they completed a site plan review with East Bay Township, a waterfront cleanup, and then jumped into wayfinding and safety signage installation. December marked the completion of the first phase of the park’s rehabilitation, and the park is now open for lowimpact outdoor adventure with the trails and disc golf available for public use. Stay tuned on what’s next at gtcountymi.gov/2779/Camp-Greilick-Updates, where you can sign up for newsletter updates.
Show Off Your Tackiest Knitwear & Bling (kudos for extra lights!)
Grab a Passport & Sip Merrily at Participating Locations
End the Trail at JAX Northside for Giveaways & Festive Fun!
Stuff We Love: Alpacas for All
Stuck in a gift-giving rut? Think alpaca. We hopped on the Etsy site for Benzonia’s Northern Blessings Alpacas and let our imaginations run wild. For a white elephant gift, consider the useful (and adorable) 2026 wall calendar ($28) that features fuzzy friends from the farm captured by Dave Speckman Photography. For a crafty friend, check out yarn options in a dozen colors and textures. For stocking stuffers, opt for cozy socks, gloves, and hats. From there, you’ll find everything from blankets and scarves to dryer balls and ornaments. We were especially taken with the plush alpaca toy made with real alpaca wool! Check out the shop at etsy. com/shop/NorthernBlessings and learn more about the farm—which often does pop-ups and alpaca photoshoots—at northernblessingsalpacas.com.
There’s nothing like a cozy drink to complement a winter flick—even better if it matches the theme! Enter: the Christmas Movie Night coffee flight at Petoskey Farms. Brewed in homage to a quad of holiday classics (bonus points if you can name them!), this seasonal sip features Cheboygan Coffee Roasters espresso as four fun-sized lattes: there’s the Fragile – Must Be Italian, a mocha spiked with Northwoods peppermint syrup; the soul-warming butterscotch and cinnamon notes of It’s a Beaut, Clark; the Cottonheaded Ninny Muggins, which combines pure maple syrup and vanilla with a pinch of sea salt; and the aptly-named KEVIN!, a pumpkin spice number with fluffy whipped cream. Try them with your choice of milk (oat, almond, whole, or breve), or grab your favorite as a full size. Don’t forget the popcorn and festive PJs! Tune in at 3720 Atkins Rd. in Petoskey. petoskeyfarms.com
Photo courtesy of GT County Parks
We Help Neighbors Find Home
OF AIRPORTS AND GRAVEL
spectator
By Stephen Tuttle
No doubt the entire Grand Traverse region is popular with visitors and prospective new residents. Additionally, people already here travel more, and some now telework from home but have to zoom off to meetings someplace other than their home office. The result is our little airport just keeps getting busier and busier.
Founded in 1929 as Ransom Field on what is now mostly Memorial Gardens off South Airport Road, it moved to its current location in 1936 as Traverse City Airport, eventually becoming the Cherry Capital Airport (TVC).
This expansion does not come without controversy or opposition. Another terminal, more air carriers, and more flights means a bit more intrusion into surrounding neighborhoods. Literally on the chopping block are trees at Oakwood Cemetery, allegedly in the way of expanding general (private) aviation. The cemetery, founded in 1861, is considered one of the most beautiful in the state, but will be less so when any of its mature trees are amputated. (Some might argue more planes and fewer trees isn’t so good for our environment, either.)
TVC is incredibly convenient at just a couple miles from our business district,
In general, airports are an intrusive necessity, occupying enormous chunks of land while providing a convenience for all of us.
It is now the third largest airport in Michigan by any measurement (only Gerald Ford in Grand Rapids and Detroit Metro in Detroit are bigger/busier), approaching 800,000 passengers annually on 10-13 daily flights from seven different carriers depending on the time of year. If you have flown lately, you know the days of arriving casually and being one of the few to pass through security are long over.
Which is why the airport now is expanding, creating a new terminal to accommodate the growth. It will be expensive, and not everybody thinks it’s a swell idea.
Formed in early 2021, the Northwest Regional Airport Authority is governed by six members appointed by the Grand Traverse County Commissioners and three by Leelanau County Commissioners. The nine members have significant power for an unelected group, including the ability to create ordinances and, importantly, condemn surrounding land through eminent domain. They hope to pay for the estimated $120 million expansion costs through grants from the Federal Aviation Administration and the issuance of up to $71 million of bonds backed by the full faith and credit of Grand Traverse County.
In general, airports are an intrusive necessity, occupying enormous chunks of land while providing a convenience for all of us. More people are now flying to more places than ever before. According to Statista, the U.S. now has 19 major air carriers doing at least $1 billion worth of business annually, another 37 small or medium carriers, and about another 20 that are small and very localized.
Our airport forecasts more travelers in the coming years and is actively seeking additional carriers. The increased demand is not completely organic. Cherry Capital has at least one employee whose primary job is to solicit other airlines to come call TVC home, while Traverse Connect offers some financial incentives for carriers starting service here.
and that can also be a problem. The current airport expansion plans surely will not be the last unless the area suddenly stops growing. Otherwise, in 20-25 years, the need for more expansion will exist, and the airport will begin to legally consume parts of the city. The airport will eventually have to move, and that planning should begin now. It will be expensive, it will be annoying, it will generate angst aplenty, but TVC cannot exist in perpetuity in its current location.
Meanwhile, in Banks Township in Antrim County, they are attempting to eliminate zoning altogether. There might be dots to connect here.
A gentleman owns a relatively small—30 acres—gravel mine and would like to make it six times bigger at 183 acres. That effort was stopped by the planning commission citing local zoning rules. Keep in mind a gravel mine is considerably more than just scooping up small rocks. There are waste products including overburden (the dirt covering the gravel) plus fine sand and clay and what’s called gravel wash mud, not to mention silica dust, a known health hazard.
Unable to expand the mine, the owner ran for the township board and won, and he and two other new members voted to simply eliminate zoning, arguing private property rights trumped any concerns. Such a repeal requires public hearings and public votes, but the vote of the township board starts those balls rolling.
No zoning would mean no restrictions on expanding the gravel mine (or lots of other zoned restrictions), but the mine owner says his running for the board and then supporting the zoning repeal are not connected to his mine interests. You decide if there are dots to connect.
Maybe one of the expanded flights will pass over an enlarged gravel mine, newly visible from the air.
LET’S CHANGE TRASHY TRADITIONS
GUEST OPINION
by Cathye Williams
From the last Thursday in November until the ball drops in Times Square, it’s estimated that we Americans create 25 percent more waste than normal—approximately 25 million more tons of garbage. It comes from consumer goods, gift packaging/shipping, food scraps (including over 300 million pounds of Thanksgiving turkey scraps alone), and extra electricity use for all those pretty lights. In short, we give and get too many things that no one needs and that never get used. We make a feast but never finish it.
The problem is that most of this waste will end up in a municipal solid waste landfill (MSWL). Once there, paper and food scraps
the receiver more years of enjoyment. Shop brick and mortar and as local as possible. Online purchases are twice as likely to be returned, and due to costs to the retailer, often end up landfilled.
Find interesting things to wrap and decorate your gifts with like reusable bags or colorful cloth scraps or ribbons that can be reused many times. Nature offers gift wrapping too, with pine cones, plant vines, milkweed down, or pressed flowers and leaves from another season.
Whether sitting down to a hearty buffet or a fancy plated dinner, have a plan and
Take a little time to reflect on the way you “do” Christmas. Is it aligned with your values? Does the stress outweigh the joy?
decompose rather quickly, emitting methane and other greenhouse gasses. Landfills are responsible for about 14-17 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and food waste accounts for a whopping 58 percent of the methane coming from MSWLs (EPA 2022).
Plastics in toys (they are 90 percent plastic according to the World Economic Forum in 2024), decorations, and disposable foodware are also a big part of the holiday waste stream and a whole other problem. They degrade into “forever chemicals,” which leach into our soil and water, and eventually into us.
So what do we do, quit Christmas? Nooooo. The richness and diversity of holiday traditions that families and friends share are food for the soul. Faith services and community events bring us out in the cold dark of December, candles lit, voices raised. We need that now more than ever. We don’t need to stop celebrating—we need to celebrate smarter. How?
Create new giving traditions. Many families have moved from piles of gifts around the tree to exchanges—one special gift to get and one to give for each person. Without all the frenzy, more thought will go into those gifts, making them more dear and less likely to end up in a landfill. Fun games, such as the now ubiquitous “white elephant” exchange, add a little competition and laughter.
Try gifts that require no wrapping: experiences. Get out to a movie together or attend an area concert or play (also a gift to local artists). Take a cooking class or have a great meal at that one place you’ve been meaning to try. Movie tickets, park passes, gym memberships, “coupons” for a date, or girls’ nights out—there are many options to create memories that will outlive anything bought at the mall.
Plant a tree, save a bee, or give any gift in someone else’s name for their favorite cause. When you do buy, look for handmade, local gifts or choose durable items that won’t have to be replaced over and over, giving
a shopping list and stick to both to avoid overbuying. Fewer leftovers are more easily used up, sent home, served again, or made into one (not seven) more delicious meals.
Keep your Christmas tree out of the landfill too. Most municipalities will use them for mulch, erosion control, and wildlife habitat. And the lights? Take Clark Griswold as a cautionary tale and go with less. Upgrade to LEDs, get a timer, and buy better lights, so you won’t need to replace them as often.
Turn off ads whenever you can. Holiday marketing is relentless from Halloween on. Using our data, giant retailers and Big Tech work together, bombarding us with images and sounds that convince us we need things we don’t. Anything deemed this year’s “must have gift” likely isn’t.
Practice gratitude and kindness a little every day. Studies show that these acts reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. Meanwhile, shopping, especially at high volume times, increases those feelings. A calmer you will make better buying—or not buying—decisions.
Take a little time to reflect on the way you “do” Christmas. Is it aligned with your values? Does the stress outweigh the joy? Get feedback— you may discover that others in your circles are ready to try something new.
Keep in mind that the mega corporations and tech companies that drive the holiday buying frenzy are all part of the same system that keeps wages and benefits low, unions weak, and healthcare costs high, while corporate execs and their boards become more wealthy and powerful. If the message of Christmas is truly “peace on earth and goodwill toward all,” then it can and should be a time for us to use our buying power to say “NO” to giving them more.
Cathye Williams is a local climate activist. She writes from the northern corner of Manistee County.
Holiday Tradition Bakers Inside the Ingredients
By Nora Rae Pearl
Traditions are what we keep coming back to in the colder months, and this year we are going to give you two twists on holiday pie favorites that will become new traditions for years to come.
While we all have our favorite apple and pumpkin pies, we’re shifting our attention to pecans, pears, cranberries, and chocolate. For chocolate, we recommend shopping at the Grocer’s Daughter in Empire for their 70% Cacao Bars. (Make sure to grab a truffle box or two to put under the tree while you’re there.) Seek out Joanne Westphal’s Old Missiongrown D’anjou Pears for their sweet flavor and juiciness—they will pair (pun intended) perfectly with the tart cranberries and toasted pecans in your newest pie. And remember, whipped cream is always a welcome guest at the table!
CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE
Guaranteed to steal the show on any dessert table.
Crust Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, chilled, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons cold water
• 1 egg white
Filling Ingredients
• 3 cups pecans
• 6 oz. 70% cacao chocolate, cut into chunks
• 2 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk (reserved from crust)
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
To make the crust: In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and powdered sugar. In a small bowl, whisk together the water and egg white. Add to the flour-butter mixture. Gently mix
together until a dough forms; add a tablespoon more of water if too dry. Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a 12- to 13-inch circle. Carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Crimp edges to your liking. Set aside.
To make the filling: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pick out 1 1/2 cups of the prettiest pecan halves (this will be for the top of the pie) and set aside. Roast the remaining 1 1/2 cups of pecans for 6-8 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly browned. Let cool, then finely chop.
Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, add the chopped pecans, chocolate chunks, and flour. Toss until well mixed, set aside. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until well combined and semi-fluffy, about two minutes. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the remaining filling ingredients, whisk until well combined. Pour over the chocolate-nut mixture, fold together until combined. Pour into the prepared crust. Arrange the saved pecan halves over the top. Bake for 5055 minutes, until the filling has puffed and no longer jiggles. Allow to cool to room temperature before slicing.
PEAR CRANBERRY TART
Perfectly tender pears meet bursting cranberries and orange-scented pecans inside this beautiful tart.
Crust Ingredients
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Filling Ingredients
• 1 cup pecans, toasted
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 4 tablespoons soft butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Zest of 1/2 an orange
Topping Ingredients
• 5 medium sized pears
• 1/2 cup whole cranberries
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
To make the crust: In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter, toss to coat,
then break it into small pebbled sized pieces with your fingers (or a pastry cutter). In a small cup, mix together the water and vinegar. Drizzle over the flour-butter mixture. Mix gently until the dough comes together; add a tablespoon or two more of water if too dry. Press out onto a piece of plastic to a 1-inch thick disc. Wrap and refrigerate at least two hours, or up to three days.
To make the filling: Process the nuts in a food processor until they are finely ground. Add the brown sugar, pulse until combined. Add the remaining ingredients, and process until smooth. Set aside.
To assemble: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel, half, and core the pears. Cut into 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices, set aside. Roll out the crust on a lightly floured surface until it is a 12-inch circle. Spread the pecan filling over the center in an even layer, leaving a 3-inch inch border. Artfully arrange the pear slices. Sprinkle over the cranberries, pushing them slightly into place. Fold up the crust, overlapping over the filling. Brush with egg. Sprinkle with cardamom sugar. Bake 45-50 minutes until nicely golden. Allow to cool to room temperature before slicing.
Welcoming the Winter Solstice
Rituals, rites, traditions, and events for the shortest day of the year
By Anna Faller
With the winter solstice quickly approaching, it’s hard not to notice how dark each day feels. Astronomically, this is because the North Pole is nearing its farthest point from the sun. Culturally, though, the winter solstice, also known as Yule (a term with roots in Old Norse), is also a time of celebration, marked by storytelling, feasts, and community gatherings throughout the globe.
“Yule as we know it comes from the word Jól or Jul, which literally translated, means ‘the wheel,’” explains Bellamy Black, professional witch and owner of Blessed Be Tea & Apothecary in Traverse City. “It’s the beginning of the [new] year’s wheel turning, so we’re seeing this cycle of rebirth.”
Jeanie Williams, holder of the dance at Northern Michigan Ecstatic Dance, says we’ve been programmed to associate the early winter months and holidays with hustle and bustle, from cooking and cleaning to hosting, buying presents, and preparing for holiday parties.
“It’s a jangly time,” she notes, “and it doesn’t feed what we’re here to do.”
She believes the winter solstice—which historically followed a months-long harvest and led into longer nights and cold weather— lends itself to cultivating quieter, slower experiences. In other words, the winter solstice should actually be the opposite of “jangly,” with connective endeavors like volunteering and community gatherings at the fore.
“For as long as humans have been around, communities have gathered at these potent times of the year,” Williams says. “[It’s about] remembering where you are in your community; that you’re part of something. That helps us feel more human.”
For many of us, finding meaning in the bleak midwinter first requires a mindset shift. So let’s talk solstice celebrations, modern rituals, and practical ways to welcome the winter.
From the Inside Out
Black tells us that the solstice provides a natural opportunity to be more present, both in terms of the energy we project (“How can we be kinder to our fellow human?” she asks), as well as that which we invest in ourselves through rest and introspection.
She suggests starting with practices that
promote guilt-free rest, like blending herbal teas, lighting candles, and stringing up fairy lights—anything that brings you comfort and joy as you sink into hibernation mode.
“I consider the winter solstice to be a time to appreciate, to nurture, and to explore that subconscious parts of ourselves,” Sarah DiViasmeņi, owner of Poetess and Stranger in Petoskey, adds. “It’s a phenomenal time to appreciate how far you’ve come and dream about the future.”
DiViasmeņi says that pursuit is all about “enriching the interior,” prioritizing gentle activities that strengthen the mind and soothe the soul. This could include reading or journaling, as well as meditative activities like crafty DIYs or the alchemy of cooking.
“You’re building a colorful universe inside,” she explains. “I think that’s worthwhile, especially in our northern climate, where it’s gray and gets darker earlier, to keep your spirits up.”
From an external standpoint, Williams also suggests being present for sunrise and sunset each day (even better if you habit-stack that time with singing, praying, or meditating!). Connecting with nature and your community,
she says—dancing around a bonfire, for instance, or walking outside—are also key to staying grounded in the transitional time between autumn and winter.
Loving the Darkness
But, how do you approach the solstice in a positive light when everything feels so, well, dark?
The first step is to take care of your mind by taking care of your body. This begins with the basics: fueling up with healthy foods, staying hydrated, or even temporarily stepping away from substances like alcohol. Getting outside to soak in the daylight, even if it’s only for a minute or two, is also a biggie, not only for some fresh air in your lungs, but also the boost in the vitamins and balancing chemicals critical to staving off Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
And for when you’re really in a funk? Changing up your environment (think: taking a dip in the tub, getting out of the house, or even hanging upside down off the couch for a few moments), making new connections through classes and events, and if you have the bandwidth, giving back to
Members of Northern Michigan
your community, are all surefire tools for winter survival.
“Now is the time to be giving more than anything else,” Black notes. “Giving of your time and your energy, and when you’re spending money, spending it locally and hitting those small businesses that are conscious of supporting the community.”
If all else fails, the darkest stretch of the year is only about six weeks. Though it feels long, it’s a surprisingly short swath of time, so we might as well do our best to embrace it.
“I think you just have to say, ‘I’m into it, and I’m doing this,’” Williams says. “You just have to love the darkness.”
How to Celebrate
As for solstice day festivities? There’s no right or wrong way to observe Dec. 21, though all three women highlight the day as
an ideal time for peace and contemplation.
Both DiViasmeņi and Black make use of an altar, for example, which could house anything from crystals and incense to holiday lights or evergreen boughs. Lighting candles, whose flames represent life and rebirth, is also a popular practice, as is traversing a Waldorf Solstice Spiral to symbolize finding light on the year’s darkest day.
Other winter solstice rituals could include making medicines or tincturing herbs, as well as wintry activities like making bird feeders, pomanders for abundance (aka, oranges studded with spices), or holiday simmer pots, all of which feel broadly traditional, but with an added layer of intention.
“Even just sitting and thinking is enough,” DiViasmeņi adds. “Meditation and contemplation are the best [practices] for me that I do.”
the solstice:
December 19
• Candlelight Hike at Mt. McSauba (5pm, Charlevoix)
December 20
• Annual Winter Solstice Party at Blessed Be Tea and Apothecary (Traverse City, 6-8pm), Psst—be sure to check out the shop’s newly-established nonprofit organization, Conscious Community Coven!
• Winter and the Blues, Art on Union Gallery (11am, Traverse City)
• Lighting of the Bridges, Grass River Natural Area (6pm, Bellaire)
• Winter Solstice Celebration, Farm Club (4-7pm, Traverse City)
December 21
• Winter Solstice Day of Dance, hosted by Northern Michigan Ecstatic Dance (8am8pm, Traverse City)
• Solstice Silent Disco, Dennos Museum Center (6pm, Traverse City)
• Holiday Cheers and Beers, Short’s Pull Barn (12-3pm, Elk Rapids)
• Fire and Seed Winter Solstice – Fifth Annual Community Celebration, Northern Natural Cider House & Winery (3pm, Kaleva)
A Northern Michigan Tradition Since Day One Northern Tradition Since
Day One
Ski the slopes at mt holiday — opening December 20!
Scan to plan your visit to Mt. Holiday
At Munson, we meet you where you are. From emergencies and elective surgeries to recovery and routine care, we’re here and near. To see you well. To cheer you on. With full-spectrum care that supports big wins. Small victories. And meaningful milestones. So you can do what you love best in the place you call home. Learn more at: munsonhealthcare.org/commitment
Here are a few other local events to help you ditch the winter blues and reset for
Ecstatic Dance gather together by the lake in honor of the solstice. Credit Margaret Alexander
Emily F., RN Munson Healthcare
ICE-COLD CAMARADERIE
These groups of cold plungers aren’t just in it for the thrill, but for the community
By Art Bukowski
One by one, vehicles rolled into a bayside parking lot caught somewhere between a cold fall night and a day that had yet to fully arrive.
And one by one the dads got out, yawning, smiling, and shaking hands with others who had arrived at Bryant Park for what’s become a sacred ritual. Many had just dropped their kids off at school, others had deliberately scheduled their morning meetings just a bit later that day.
These “Dippin’ Dads,” as they call themselves, gathered around Keelan McNulty as he read from The Daily Dad: 366 Meditations on Parenting, Love, and Raising Great Kids by Ryan Holiday.
“Do Not Be Afraid,” that day’s reading, encouraged these dads to stay strong and present in their parenting journey.
“As fathers, we need to be involved in our children’s lives not just when it’s convenient or easy, and not just when they’re doing well—but when it’s difficult and thankless, and they’re struggling,” McNulty read aloud, getting choked up in the process. “That is when they need us most.”
Then they stripped down to their bathing suits, marched into Grand Traverse Bay, and sat chest deep in the frigid water for five full minutes. After the dip they toweled off and scattered in different directions, most of them already looking forward to the next week’s plunge (and lesson).
“Anybody can go to a bar and sit around and have a beer together,” says Steve Karapetian, one of the dads. “But sitting out
in icy cold water like that takes the communal aspect of it to a different level. We’re doing something different and doing it together.”
The dads are one of several local groups— and countless individuals—who have taken up the habit of cold plunging in the bay (or in tubs of ice water, in some instances). There is plenty of quality evidence to suggest various health benefits from this practice, but the social aspects are the strongest pull for many.
Taking the Plunge Together
As these things often go, the Dippin’ Dads started with a few and grew to many more as word spread. Brandon VanDerKolk, McNulty, Karpetian, and Jim Cooley started what has grown to a group that ranges up to a dozen or so people, depending on the day. They go Mondays and Fridays in the school year, with many of them trying to hit at least one day a week.
“For the most part, we’re all dads with young kids. Most of us are trying to figure out how to parent well, and how to be better husbands and better people. So a lot of our conversations focus on that,” VanDerKolk says.
When you’re actively plunging, it’s best to be chatting to keep the mind distracted. This particular environment, as it turns out, has a way of opening the mind to the most meaningful of conversations and ideas.
“I think going in and putting yourself in that vulnerable position opens you up to that,” Karapetian says. “There’s been a lot of great conversations that happened out there that probably wouldn’t have happened in a lot of other places just because you’re in a
different mindset.”
You don’t have to like the cold. You just have to put up with it to reap the other benefits.
“A lot of people in the group do things that are intentionally hard for themselves, and this is a very small dose of that that you can start your day with,” Kinney says. “It makes you put yourself in that place of doing something you don’t necessarily want to do, doing something hard, and then everything else the rest of the day feels easier.”
It also doesn’t have to be all that tough. Everyone can make it as hard as they want it to be.
“We’re super safe. So if it’s really windy and wavy, we don’t expose ourselves as long,” McNulty says. “We don’t go deep. And we’re not pushing any limits, telling anyone they have to stay in for a certain amount of time. If you want to get out after a minute, get out.”
There are some established mental and physical benefits to cold plunging, but that takes a back seat for these gentlemen.
“We went down that rabbit hole a year or two ago about the physical benefits of it,” Karapetian says. “But I think that’s a byproduct. It’s secondary to the camaraderie it’s creating.”
And while there’s a lot of reasons to cold plunge, the one thing they’re not doing it for is attention.
“We’re not doing this for likes. There’s no phones. We’re not posting it on Facebook or something,” McNulty says. “It’s clean, it’s healthy, it’s wellness.”
Five Years Old Again
Over at the beach by the Grand Traverse County Senior Center, a group of women meets every Sunday morning for an identical purpose: A frigid plunge in the company of friends.
This informal, nameless group began as an offshoot of the Swell Seekers, a local openwater swimming group. Some members of that group began cold plunging so the first swims in the spring weren’t so shocking.
Now, the group is made up of plenty of women whose only ambitions are those weekly dips. Among other benefits, this plunge is a chance to forget about life’s troubles and just have fun for a little while.
“There have been moments when it’s been super cold and windy, and you’re jumping in the waves—it’s just pure joy, like you’re five years old again,” says Staci Haag. “It’s giggling, and it’s ridiculous, and you’re so happy. And it looks beautiful even when it’s freezing out.”
These ladies feel a rare energy after these weekly plunges.
“I think that getting in very cold water consumes your entire body, brain, and everything about you in a way that makes you concentrate and focus in a really positive way, that then I think has repercussions on your brain for the rest of the day, something resembling euphoria,” TJ Andrews says.
Like their Dippin’ Dad counterparts, these women also crave the bonds they make in the process.
“It’s one of those shared, hard experiences where you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, we did that,
and we’re coming back next week, and we’re doing it again,’” Ashlea Walter says.
Fellow plunger Terri Hanson agrees.
“It’s definitely a bonding experience, just doing it all together with like-minded people, getting in there and supporting each other,” she says. “And for me, I know if I can do this, I can do the hard stuff.”
Going as a big group is also a great way to enjoy this practice while staying safe.
“We’ve had some moments where we realized how fragile you are. … If you’re in a strong current or if there’s giant waves, and suddenly you go under, and your hands and your head get cold, you will very, very quickly start to shut down,” Andrews says. “You need people around you.”
Adding Some Heat
Passersby on the busy U.S. 31 corridor at Traverse City State Park have probably noticed a sauna sitting there several months of the year. Perhaps they’ve even noticed people exiting this sauna during the frigid winter months and wading into the ice-cold bay for a plunge.
That’s MI Sauna, an operation run by dentist-turned-sauna operator Dan Sarya, who not long ago decided more people needed to experience the benefits of a wellrun sauna, especially when combined with the bay’s icy waters. Sarya is Finnish, so sauna culture—which has deep roots and is widely practiced in Finland—is in his blood.
He’s now had scores of customers come for extended (often 90 minutes) sessions where they alternate between a very hot sauna and a very cold bay. Sarya can go on and on about the medical benefits, but like everyone else is also eager to talk about the social and emotional benefits. The shared bonds last long after the session is over, he says.
“ The neat thing about it is you always feel good afterwards, so when you do something to somebody and you have fun doing it, every time you see that person you’ll have a good memory and you’ve made a new friend,” he says.
One of Sarya’s regular customers is Tawny Hammond, who is there as many as five times
a week. She was skeptical at first, assuming she’d dislike both the heat and the cold.
“I was really tentative, but I went and it blew my mind,” she says. “I liked it right away…and I got hooked.”
She’s seen a “marked difference” in her mental, emotional, and physical health, she says. But she’s also made a great deal of new friends.
“We’re living in times of discord and dissension. Everywhere we look there’s a lot of ugliness. And here you are half clothed in your bathing suit sitting in a sauna. You’re sitting there vulnerable. And there’s like a sacredness around it where people are kind to each other,” she says.
Hammond will continue this practice not only for the health benefits, but for those social perks as well.
“I’ve probably made some of my best friendships going to sauna. There are people that you connect with on a deeper level,” she says. “You learn things, you bond, you share information. It’s almost like reading a newspaper, only it’s like connecting with individual community members.”
O, Christmas Tree!
How the iconic holiday centerpieces are chosen each year
By Rachel Pasche
’Tis the season for big, brightly lit trees in downtowns across northern Michigan. Whether you’re driving through town on your way to visit family for the holidays, stopping into your favorite shop to grab gifts for loved ones, or enjoying dinner out, odds are you’ll encounter a stately evergreen situated at the heart of town, bedecked in colorful lights and ornaments.
We spoke with the people who make these enormous decorations possible and are responsible for orchestrating the festive function each year. The stats are impressive: these trees weigh thousands of pounds and require hundreds of light strands and large crews of people to make it all happen.
Traverse City
Matt Bright, Traverse City Parks Division Supervisor, chooses a tree each year based on several factors: available donations, height (he looks for trees between 30 and 50 feet tall), width (to ensure traffic can get around the tree, though this year, the tree too wide and that section of Cass is closed), location for ease of transportation, and whether the tree is going to be taken down soon anyway for threats to property or disease.
The “perfect tree” has come from a different location for the past 21 years. Typically, the tree selected is a blue spruce, mainly because they’re easy to find in the area. Other common tree varieties chosen are Norway spruce or firs. This year’s tree is 45 feet tall, just over 30 years old, and weighs around 3,800 pounds.
“It takes a lot of people, planning, and equipment to make it all happen,” Bright says. “Elmers has at least two equipment operators on-site for at least five hours, plus supervisors and planners involved ahead of time. The cutting down, hauling, and placing of the tree will usually take the rest of the crew five to six hours. Elmers donates their time and equipment for this event.”
Two Parks employees with two bucket trucks decorate the tree with string lights and a star on top. This usually takes two or three days and around 4,000 lights, depending on the size of the tree. After the holiday season, the Parks department is responsible for taking down the tree as well. Most of the tree is chipped up, and the chips are used on nature trails.
Manistee
Sammie Lukaskiewicz, executive director of the Manistee County Tourism Authority, says this year’s tree, an enormous blue spruce, comes from Leslie Edikauskas, the former Mayor Pro Tem of Manistee. Edikauskas planted the tree 40 years ago when he and his wife bought their home. In response to a Facebook post calling for the tree, Edikauskas replied he would donate the tree, which stands 33 feet tall and weighs a whopping two tons. The towering evergreen will be put up and decorated with 5,000 lights, nearly 50 red bows, and a large star on top. Set up and decoration is done by the City of Manistee Department of City Public Works, who will also take the tree down afterward.
Petoskey
This year, the city of Petoskey replaced the tree in town used as the centerpiece for the annual Christmas decorations. The previous tree, a grand 40-foot evergreen, was in poor shape and the city has deliberated for some years whether to create a manhole and bring in a new tree each year, as other towns do, or to plant a new tree. Ultimately, the city decided the most sustainable option was to plant a new tree, a 20-foot blue spruce donated by the Louis A. Hoffman Nursery of Harbor Springs. The moving and planting of
Northport's Christmas tree towers tall with thousands of lights.
the new tree was done by Matthews Nursery of Harbor Springs, which generously donated time to the cause. Amy Tweeten, Downtown Manager of Petoskey, anticipates the tree will use around 3,500 lights this year.
Northport
The “North Pole” of Leelanau County, Northport kicks off the holiday season by decorating the enormous tree outside of The Mitten Brewery. The tree stands around 50 feet tall and is decorated with over 5,000 multi-colored lights, plus enormous colorful ornaments that make the tree the spotlight of downtown during the winter. The tree is
WEDNESDAYS:
D.A.T.E. NIGHT
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or Appetizer w/purchase of Two Entrees (Begins
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decorated by the Northport Nutcrackers and the Northport Tree Lighting Committee. Since the tree is planted, it stands year after year, a distinguishing landmark in the town.
Gaylord
Gaylord is set to continue the tradition of building the annual Ice Tree, a chilly monument that dates back to 1957. Crafted using scaffolding, ice, and carefully determined water pressure, this magnificent monument decorates Downtown Gaylord all winter long. The size of the tree is determined by the weather, so it’s never set in stone how large the Ice Tree will be around Christmastime.
Fireworks and holiday lights brighten the skies in Manistee.
In years past, the Gaylord Ice Tree (aka Cold Faithful) has been as tall as 35 feet.
An aerial view of Petoskey's downtown tree. Photo by Brandon Schadler.
Goals
Gavin Rivers Weisenburg, 21, of Allen, Texas, and Tanner Christopher Thomas, 20, of Argyle, Texas, were indicted on Nov. 20 in U.S. District Court for a bizarre plot to carry out a coup on Gonave Island, near Haiti. The New York Times reported that the men hatched their plan in 2024; both were learning Haitian Creole, and Weisenburg joined the North Texas Fire Academy to learn "command-and-control protocols." He flunked out in February 2025. Thomas joined the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in Maryland, and both men planned to recruit homeless people from around Washington, D.C., to assist in the coup. After sailing to and gaining control of the island, Weisenburg and Thomas planned to kill all the men and make the women and children sex slaves. The would-be conquerors could face up to life in federal prison.
Perspective (or Lack Thereof)
On Nov. 7 at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, Corey Johnson, 35, of Alexandria, Louisiana, tried to exit the short-term parking lot, but he wasn't able to pay the fee. People magazine reported that Johnson at first refused to move his Jeep out of the exit lane but later agreed to pull aside while he worked out payment. Around 10 p.m., while Johnson was still stuck in the parking lot, the airport's Aviation Communications center received a threatening phone call, suggesting a bomb would be detonated if the operator did not "page Hassan." The center received another call around 10:35, saying he wanted "Hassan" "to bring the bomb to level three." Deputies pinged the phone making the calls and traced it back to Johnson; by 11 p.m., he was under arrest. On Nov. 20, Johnson was indicted for willfully conveying a bomb threat. He could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine -way more than the parking fee.
Raccoons Gone Wild
An ABC liquor store in Ashland, Virginia, had a break-in early on Nov. 29, but it wasn't a robber. The New York Times reported that a raccoon fell through the ceiling of the store, then set about trying a wide variety of alcohol: rum, moonshine, peanut butter whiskey, vodka and, of course, eggnog. "It broke several bottles and consumed the spirits," said Carol Mawyer, PR manager for Virginia ABC. When police and animal control responded, the blotto beast was passed out face-down on the floor of the bathroom. The raccoon woke up after about 1 1/2 hours and showed no signs of injury. It was released back into the wild.
No good raccoon deed goes unpunished, as a man in Cherokee County, Georgia, learned during Thanksgiving week. CBS News reported that the unnamed man saw the injured animal in the road and stopped to help it, wrapping it in his coat and holding it against his chest as he drove to the Chattahoochee Nature Center more than an hour away. At some point, the raccoon became loose and bit the man on his face and hands. At the center, employees urged him to go to the hospital; meanwhile,
the raccoon was euthanized and tested for rabies. Result: Positive. "Please take a minute and assess the situation before attempting to capture wildlife without direction," the center posted.
Suspicions Confirmed
Police in Auckland, New Zealand, are holding a man in custody, presumably awaiting a certain biological development, after he was accused of swallowing a $19,000 Faberge egg pendant on Nov. 28, the BBC reported. Officers went to Partridge Jewellers and arrested the 32-year-old man, who has undergone a medical assessment. Talk about crap duty: "An officer is assigned to constantly monitor the man," Inspector Grae Anderson said. "At this stage, the pendant has not been recovered." The egg is set with white diamonds and blue sapphires and has an 18-karat-gold miniature octopus inside.
Government in Action
Rankin, Pennsylvania, got its first snowfall this week, but it was less than prepared, KDKA-TV reported. Alas, Rankin has only one public works employee -- and that employee isn't licensed to operate a snowplow. Still, borough resident Marcus Clay cut them some slack: "They didn't do too bad. It was better than it was last year." Borough council member Walter Sewell hopefully noted, "We're working through it." The city subcontracted with some local businesses, and in the spirit of the season, even residents chipped in, shoveling and salting their own blocks. It takes a village.
Workers' Comp?
The perils of working ... outside. On Dec. 2, as Jessica Tyson, 32, filmed a segment for a current affairs show in Auckland, New Zealand, a low-flying bird struck her in the face, United Press International reported. Tyson shared the clip to social media, commenting, "POV Just trying to do your job when nature has other plans. Everything is fine, just got a little scar above my eye." She's looking forward to indoor assignments from now on.
Utility lineman Werner J. Neubauer responded to a prickly situation in Cochise County, Arizona, United Press International reported on Dec. 1. A bear was stuck at the top of a utility pole and was in danger of being electrocuted, Neubauer said. He shut off electricity to the pole and used a bucket truck to get to the bear's level, where he poked at it with a fiberglass stick until it slid back down the pole.
Bright Idea
Magician and molecular biologist Zi Teng Wang of St. Louis, Missouri, came up with a fun idea a few years ago: He implanted an RFID chip in his hand and used it to perform magic tricks, Yahoo! News reported on Nov. 28. But the tricks faded and other uses fizzled out, and Wang went on with his life. "When I went to rewrite the chip, I was horrified to realize I forgot the password that I had locked it with," he said. "I'm still locked out of my own body's tech, and that's inconvenient but hilarious." Ah, techie humor.
Santa’s Supper
December 20 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Celebrate the season at Santa’s Supper, featuring a plentiful holiday buffet with carving stations, classic trimmings, and decadent desserts. Enjoy a special visit from Santa, photo opportunities, and cheerful activities like reindeer food making, holiday crafts, and a North Pole Mail Station.
artisantc.com
Pajama Party
WHAT? I DIDN’T CATCH THAT
GUEST OPINION
Richard Fidler
“I left the clothes in the dryer.” … “What?”
“I said I left the clothes in the dryer.” … “What’s on the dryer?”
Loudness and tonal quality of voice matter. Shouting is not helpful. A voice slightly elevated over normal is best.
Thursday, December 26th
Friday, December 26th
8am-5:30pm
8:00 am – 5:30 pm
(Raised voice) “I said I left the clothes in the dryer.” … Silence.
“Forget it.”
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Ongoing discounts into the New Year
Ongoing discounts into the New Year
downtown Suttons Bay 231-271-5462
Dialogues like that are common in households with hearing-impaired housemates. I should know: I am hearingimpaired. My impairment is quite severe. I have bilateral Meniere’s Disease, a condition characterized by balance issues, tinnitus, and hearing loss. I have a cochlear implant in one ear and a hearing aid in the other, those devices providing the only access to the soundscape around me.
Because so many hearing receptors were destroyed by the disease, I cannot make out simple melodies in the music I loved before the impairment began. Apparently, too many receptors tuned to different frequencies are missing to capture the continuity of the tune.
Most hearing-impaired persons are not afflicted as severely as I am: the range of disability begins with mild hearing loss and extends to near-total deafness. Consequently, some descriptions and suggestions in this piece will apply to some persons better than others.
Dead-end dialogues like the one described above stir up feelings of frustration and anger between impaired listeners and speakers. The hearing-impaired person asks why the unimpaired person can’t work harder to help someone with a disability, while the person with normal hearing asks why the hard-of-hearing person cannot pay attention and listen better.
Rather than waste precious energy accusing the other person of laziness, it makes more sense to figure out ways of improving communication. A speaker with normal hearing can adjust her behavior to improve
The speaker and listener should be in the same room, face-to-face if possible. Often, persons with impaired hearing cannot pinpoint the source of a voice. Did it come from the kitchen or the laundry room? The speaker can signal the listener to get her attention: “Brenda, I’m in the laundry room…”
Rather than blurting out a sentence rapidly, the speaker can speak slowly in an even voice. The speaker can provide context: “Brenda, the dryer in the laundry: Did you know clean clothes are in it?”
The speaker can avoid talking whenever background noise competes with the message being conveyed: washers, vacuums, TV, traffic noise, background music, wind blowing into a hearing device.
Likewise, a hearing-impaired listener can take steps to facilitate communication. The listener must give his full attention to the speaker. No use of cell phones or other devices that capture attention. If conditions are too noisy, the listener must inform the speaker to put off immediate communication until a quieter time arrives. And if/when it happens, the listener must confess that he did not understand what was said to him.
The last point is a difficult one for the hearing-impaired listener. Frequently, there is just one word he did not understand, so it makes sense to allow the speaker to go on in hope that she will say something that sheds light on the missing unit of meaning. In the dialogue above, the speaker might add, “We need to take them out and fold them,” that addition cluing the listener that the missed word was “clothes.”
Most people with a hearing disability do not want to interrupt conversations constantly with “What? Can you repeat that?” because doing so might end the conversation prematurely. Too many “whats” dampen dialogue.
B oth speaker and listener should pay attention to the beginning of incomprehension. For some, an immediate exposing of incomprehension is the best response (“I don’t understand”), while others might prefer expanding conversational gambits to include more repetition and providing more context rather than stopping the flow with a request to repeat or explain. Over time, both parties will develop skill in interpreting the cues each person provides.
Speaking and listening can be emotionally exhausting for both parties, and it is natural for frustration to build after a volley of “I didn’t catch that” confessions. As tension rises, the best solution is to take a break from talking and listening. Read a book, cook a meal, sweep the floor, write a note, hold a hand, give a hug. There are other ways of communicating besides speech that do not depend upon good hearing.
Whatever the difficulties encountered in a strained dialogue, speaker and listener should acknowledge the patience and effort required by their opposite. “Thank you for your attention.” “Thank you for your patience.” Such simple spoken courtesies can ease the anguish of not being understood. We must not forget their power.
Richard Fidler is a former public school teacher for the Traverse City Area Public Schools. Having written about the history and natural history of the area, he awaits the release of his first book of fiction, Now Boarding: 21 Flights of Fancy.
FARM TO GLASS WITH ETHANOLOGY
“Beverage is agriculture” says co-owner Nick LeFebre
By Rachel Pasche
When Elk Rapids distillery Ethanology committed to locally-sourced ingredients for their products, it seemed like they’d have an uphill battle ahead. But eight years into the business, one hundred percent of the plants and honey they use still comes from within a 50-mile radius. Talk about being rooted in northern Michigan.
“Growing up in the area, there was a constant exposure to the food from our region. Whether it was picking asparagus from the ditch, stopping by a roadside farm stand for sweet cherries, fresh beans, and corn, or picking apples, I grew up understanding, intrinsically, that this is what we do in northern Michigan: we grow food,” says Nick LeFebre.
With a menu that includes bourbon, vodka, gin, cordial, and an invention of their own called Mel, Ethanology owners Nick and Geri LeFebre wanted to create a farmbased experience.
“We have every single ingredient in this area to produce remarkable spirits and can simultaneously support our neighbors and local family-owned farms. Why source ingredients from anywhere else? Why live anywhere else?”
Their Partners
All botanicals, fruits, and grains found in Ethanology’s spirits come from local sources, all within driving distance of the distillery.
“Farming is about taking what the land gives you each year. We are taking that philosophy all the way through to the final distillate,” LeFebre says.
Ingredient sourcing and selection is the first step in Ethanology’s process. Factors
like proximity to the distillery, availability, processing, freshness, and uniqueness are identified before the distillers reverseengineer a new creation.
“We ask ourselves, ‘What do we want the product to smell and taste like?’ From there, yeast strain [and] fermentation protocols are then established. What type of spirit or category would this fit into? If none, then we create a specialty product. Is the base distillate suitable for barrel maturation? If so, how long? Etc. It all starts with the raw ingredient,” LeFebre says.
Here are a few of the partners who supply those raw ingredients:
Sierra Bingham, a certified herbalist, runs Bear Earth Herbals, an herbal salve and tea company. Many of the herbs found in their products are wild-foraged or come from her farm. (What can’t be grown or foraged is often bought from other local farmers.) Bear Earth Herbals supplies Ethanology with the botanicals found in its Eros Gin. These foraged ingredients include Michigan juniper, staghorn shumac, yarrow flower, and burdock root, to name a few.
Cherry Ke Inc. in Kewadin manages over 3,000 acres of farmland across five counties. Cherry Bee Farms is part of Cherry Ke, and produces the raw honey that Ethanology uses for its signature and proprietary Mel, a honey alcohol unique to the distillery. Described as something akin to a cognac or Japanese single malt, Mel is completely unique and crafted entirely from cherry blossom honey.
“We started with a question: What should a honey-based spirit smell, taste, and look like? Nothing in the world existed like Mel. So we created a spirit that we thought needed to exist,” LeFebre says.
Shooks Farm is located in Antrim County and grows non-GMO corn and fruit used in Ethanology whiskeys, ryes, brandies, and infused spirits. Shooks Farm traces its origins back over 100 years to Vet and Tina Shooks. The farm is now entering its fourth generation, operated by their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, with over 1,200 acres and crops that include cherries, corn, wheat, rye, soybeans, and wine grapes.
Valley View Farm, owned by the Boyer family since the 1970s, has experience growing ingredients for craft beverages. like barley, wheat, oats, corn, and hay.
The red winter wheat serves as the base of Ethanology’s vodkas, gin, and some whiskey varietals, while the barley is used in various whiskey mashes.
There are other farms and growers that supply Ethanology with limited-release items or experimental products.
For example, the current Amarum Pirum cordial Ethanology offers contains three different lavender varietals from Lavender Hill Farm in Charlevoix, Chinook hops from Michigan Hop Alliance in Omena, fennel and quassia from an independent botanical supplier, and Bartlett pear from King Orchards in Central Lake.
“At the bottom of your glass is a farm. Beverage is agriculture. It is important to know the origins. Each product we make is derived from one farm, from one variety of grain, fruit, or honey, and harvested from one field, orchard, or apiary in a single season,” LeFebre explains.
Working with ingredients sourced locally means there can be some slight variations in batches year to year. That is, LeFebre says, “the point of making something with your bare hands.”
In addition to their local touch, Ethanology is proud to be the first distillery in Michigan and the eighth in the United States to achieve a B-Corp certification.
Certification is done through the nonprofit B Lab. Per their website, businesses that meet the criteria “are leaders in the global movement for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy.”
“We put in the work, opened up the entire business for scrutiny and criticism,” Nick LeFebre says. This certification required Ethanology to change its corporate bylaws and create new considerations for stakeholders, the environment, and the community. The ultimate goal is to balance profit, purpose, and responsibility.
Foraged Michigan juniper and other botanicals from Bear Earth Herbals.
Connecting to the Past and Guiding the Future
Little Traverse Bay Bands on preserving indigenous identity
By Eric Cox
The first time Danielle Gibson heard the thump of live powwow drums she felt a calling, a tug that pulled her toward the rhythm and ignited a desire to dance.
“Something within my spirit made me feel like I needed to be out there, dancing,” she says. “Later, I had a dream that I was in an arena and was in a jingle dance.”
The jingle dance is part of the Ojibwe healing tradition, with the jingle dress’s cones sending waves of healing sound as the dancer shuffles and twirls.
Fast-forward 11 years and Gibson, a citizen of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBB), is now an active jingle dancer, having realized the colorful vision she’d had more than a decade ago. Gibson says she didn’t set out to protect one of her tribe’s traditions—she was called to it.
Knowledge and Traditions
Yet, preserving tribal traditions isn’t always that easy. Many aren’t guided by visions, and the work of safeguarding important cultural practices is left to tribal government, elders, and the Native community at large.
“It can be difficult to preserve traditions among historical and modern-day challenges,” says LTBB Cultural Services
Specialist Theresa Chingwa. “There’s boarding school trauma, land displacement, poverty, systemic racism, and cultural pressures of assimilation.”
Those obstacles haven’t deterred the LTBB from fielding a spectrum of projects aimed at protecting historical Odawa traditions in music, dance, food, arts, language, and more.
“Tribal citizens are resilient and eager to revitalize historical knowledge, traditions, languages, beliefs and values as it’s a central aspect of our cultural identity,” Chingwa says. “[We are] connecting generations to their past and guiding their future.”
Through a variety of ongoing programs, the Tribe has created a solid foundation of cultural knowledge and customs they hope will endure. For example, the Gijigowi Anishinaabemowin Language Department (GALD) promotes the preservation and revitalization of Anishinaabe language and culture. GALD develops Anishinaabemowin publications, learning materials, educational language programs, and language documentation.
“GALD is very interested in connecting with elders, and members who speak our native language,” the Tribe’s website says. “Even if it is only a few words, we’d like to hear from you.”
Chingwa says such public outreach efforts help expand the tribe’s lexicon and draw
citizens closer to their heritage. “The wisdom of our elders is a valuable resource for traditional knowledge, language, and history,” she tells us. “There’s a wide range of ongoing efforts and initiatives involving cultural collections for community access, language apps, digitizing traditional stories, oral histories, and children’s books, to name a few.”
Indeed, the Language section of the LTBB government website features an array of tools anyone can use to learn the OdawaAnishinaabe language. Users can hear and see selections in Anishinaabemowin, and it’s even possible to slow down the recordings in order to better hear and understand pronunciations. Users have their choice of many cultural collections and connections to other Native American portals and services.
Other language department services include access to teaching materials, online courses, and language immersion events.
Additionally, the LTBB’s Aankwadong project is creating a two-year, four-semester, online language program, to be delivered at the high school and college level, as well as a community class.
Lost and Stolen Language
Preserving native languages has become a major challenge, not just for the Little Traverse Bay Bands, but for indigenous peoples generally. According to Harvard University’s
Pluralism Project, an ongoing study that documents the changing religious landscape in the United States and globally, most Native American languages are endangered, if not extinct, in large part due to the assimilation pressures of the 1800 and 1900s.
“And yet this is also a moment of profound rebirth of Native languages, cultures, traditions, and life ways,” the Pluralism Project’s website says, pointing out an unusual dichotomy. “Though many Native people still speak their original tongue as their first language, many have lost the ability to speak their languages.”
The Pluralism study cited 1990 census data which revealed, “70 percent of Navajo children in Arizona between the ages of five and 17 spoke the Navajo language at home. Among Lakota Sioux children the same age, the figure was 15 percent. Among Ojibwe children, the number was closer to 4 percent. Among most Native communities, however, the numbers are, sadly, even lower.”
Further, a 2023 Bureau of Indian Affairs study revealed that approximately 167 Indigenous languages are spoken in the U.S., and it’s estimated that only 20 will remain by 2050.
While those may be alarming statistics, it’s important to note the bright spots, just as The Pluralism Project does: “While some languages and cultural traditions are
The Gijigowi Anishinaabemowin Language Department (GALD) teaches at many levels. There is a parent group to teach parents with young children 0-6 basic daily language to speak to their children at home. GALD also presents language and culture to CMU students during the summer at Beaver Island. They also hold game nights for families and collaborate with Bay Mills Community College Immersion Program.
in danger of being relegated to the pages of ethnologists’ books, the more surprising fact is that many Native communities enjoy a thriving original language and vibrant cultural traditions.”
Elders and The Next Generation
The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians are a good example of that. While they strive to revitalize their indigenous language, they’re equally interested in preserving traditional foods, music, arts, and dancing.
Danielle Gibson’s calling to the jingle dress illustrates these heartfelt efforts to share and, thereby, protect and prolong Native traditions. Becoming a jingle dancer
isn’t as easy as simply buying the necessary regalia and learning the dance. There’s a rich story and deeper meaning, meaning that can only be properly interpreted and appreciated by consulting tribal elders.
And it’s through these handed-down customs and the generational sharing of knowledge that sacred traditions like the jingle dance are made durable.
“You want to take your tobacco and seek out elders,” Gibson explains. “Ask them about things you don’t understand and they’ll share information.” She used social media to acquire some needed regalia and leaned on elders’ advice for creating her own jingle dress and bead work.
“None of my family are powwow people,
and I had no idea how to sew,” Gibson confesses. “Making your own outfit is normal, so I got more involved in the powwow. I picked up my own sewing machine and the different materials, and I went out and basically taught myself sewing and beading.”
Now, with years of jingle dancing behind her, Gibson is creating a new jingle dress for someone who’s physically small, but large in spirit: her daughter, the next generation to ring out the jingle dance’s healing vibrations.
“She’s picking up on it and she’s only three,” Gibson says.
Such transfers of knowledge and rituals between generations is critical for all cultures, but particularly important to Native Americans.
“While each tradition is profoundly rooted in its emergence from the very landscape which became America, all have shared the common challenges of life under colonization, especially dispossession and forced assimilation,” the Pluralism Project concludes. “So while traditional ways of life vary greatly, all Native communities have shared the common challenge of balancing those traditional ways of life with the changes necessary to survive in a new world on their own terms.”
The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians aren’t just surviving; they’re actively building bridges between the past and present, using their own language and customs to pave the way.
Danielle Gibson
Cozy Up at Babcia’s Corner
This hidden gem in Traverse City offers authentic pierogi and other Polish delights
By Geri Dietze
Pierogi is special in so many ways: It’s Polish comfort food, a centuries-old tradition, and it even has its own patron saint. (St. Hyacinth is credited with distributing the beloved dumpling during times of famine or siege in 13th-century Poland.)
There’s no danger of the pierogi becoming a lost art, at least in these parts, thanks to Zack and Amy Henley, grandson and daughter, respectively, of Mary Karbowneczk, in whose memory Babcia’s Corner was created. (Babcia, pronounced “bob-cha,” is Polish for grandmother.)
Mary Karbowneczk immigrated, first to Toronto, and then to the U.S. from Poland in the late 1920s, leaving behind the chaotic, tenuous politics and uncertainty of life resulting from the fall of empires post WWI. A shipboard romance, en route, resulted in marriage, and Mary and her husband settled among the thriving Polish neighborhoods in Detroit, where they raised four children steeped in the Old-World traditions, including her pierogis.
Her grandson Zack Henley nurtured the idea of sharing Babcia Mary’s pierogi with the rest of us, but it wasn’t until 2020, when COVID provided the opportunity, that Zack, together with his mother Amy, and a handful of grandkids, made Babcia’s Amazing Pierogi a reality in summer 2021.
Not Just a Noodle
Not to say that it was easy. Pierogi is often referred to as a simple dough, made from flour, hot water, and salt, with a variety of fillings, but the reality is far more complicated. “Every family in every region had its own [dough] tradition,” Amy Henley says. “It’s not just a noodle.”
Indeed, Babcia’s Amazing Pierogi dough is a finely-tuned, multi-generational mix of sour cream, butter, eggs, and flour.
And the fillings—traditionally derived from whatever was available, like other rustic European dishes—are just as good. The Henleys narrowed their product to three signature flavors: Farmer’s Cheese (similar to a dry cottage cheese) with chives and fresh garlic; Sauerkraut and Mushroom, made with portobello mushrooms; and Potato and Cheddar, with oven-roasted redskin potatoes, cheddar cheese, and caramelized onion with garlic. (Zack spent three months working on the Potato and Cheddar recipe to get it just right.)
It should be known that these treasures come in at 5 to 6 inches across, with 1/4 cup of tasty filling. In contrast to the old days, when babcias everywhere crimped their pierogi by hand, the Henleys use convenient pierogi presses for consistent size and in order to keep up with demand. Depending on the season, Babcia’s sells about 500-700 pierogies weekly, but demand increases during the holidays when it is not unusual to sell one or two thousand per week.
Ingredients for both the dough and the fillings come from a variety of local and regional producers: Pasture-raised eggs from area farms; Cream Cup Dairy in Bear Lake (Moomers was used, early on, before they switched focus to ice cream); Great Lakes Garlic in Kingsley; and red potatoes, when in season, from Kitchen Farms in Elmira. Red potatoes have more flavor, according to Amy, and she made sure that the potatoes “passed my taste test.”
There are lots of other good things cooking, depending on the time of year, like seasonal fresh fruit dessert pierogis and homemade breads, including poppy seed, caraway, and pumpernickel, plus Chalka braided bread. Special orders include Polish wedding bread for the traditional Bread and Salt blessing. And, ask about their Hot Bundles for parties and game days.
Don’t forget paczki, (baked, not fried)
in delicious flavors, including maple cream cheese. “I like to play with flavors,” Amy says. And, she searched high and low for the perfect Angel Wings (Chrusciki) made by Kuzera bakers in Livonia. “They melt in your mouth.”
An Inspired Connection
The Henleys originally rented kitchen space at Buzzelli Foods to make the pierogies, which were then carried by Hansen’s Grocery Store in Suttons Bay and both Oryana locations in Traverse City. Later, the Henleys were able to set up a small shop in a corner of Buzzelli’s with a freezer and product displays.
After looking for a storefront of their own for about a year, they had the opportunity, in late 2023, to take over the Buzzelli retail site, and today, the folks from Buzzelli’s rent space for their cheese-making in an advantageous full-circle sort of way. The little corner inside Buzzelli’s provided the store name Babcia’s Corner: Home of Babcia’s Amazing Pierogi. In addition to Babcia’s retail site, plus Hansen’s and Oryana, Babcia’s Amazing Pierogi is found at Oleson’s and Lakeview Hill Market in Traverse City and Grand Traverse Sauce in Elk Rapids.
The store is a mix of all things Polish, from convenient 1/2 dozen bags of frozen
pierogi in their signature flavors to grocery items sourced from the best purveyors of Polish food, both in Detroit and Chicago. Look for sauerkraut, pickles, herring, soup starters, tomato paste and ketchup (Polish tomatoes are revered for their sweet, meaty texture), as well as Kowalski’s Polish meats, direct from Hamtramck, plus snacks, cookies, and candies.
There is seating available for about eight patrons inside, but Zack says that most of the business is take-out. The current menu features pierogi and kielbasa coins as a meal or as sides, kielbasa dog with or without sauerkraut, and soup of the week.
Patrons will also find a beautiful offering of Polish pottery, plus gifts and collectibles, and Amy’s stuffed felt “Pagogi,” in a variety of sizes, including ornaments. (Her granddaughter couldn’t say “pierogi.”) “They sell out pretty quick,” she adds. You can also expand your horizons with Polish language lessons over dinner—taught by Traverse City immigration lawyer Agnes Jury, who moved to the U.S. from Poland when she was 12—every other Wednesday.
Find Babcia’s Corner at 1110 E. Hammond Rd., Ste. 4, Traverse City. (231) 600-8082; bapgoodness.com
Saturday
COOKIE WALK & CRAFT
FAIR: 9am-2pm, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Interlochen. All proceeds benefit local & world missions. redeemerofinterlochen.com
NORTHERN MICHIGAN TRINITY LU-
THERAN & SCHOOL ANNUAL CHRISTMAS COOKIE EVENT: 9am, 1003 S. Maple St., TC. Featuring 23,000 hand-decorated traditional sugar cookies, old world favorites & more. tctrinity.org
DOWNTOWN PETOSKEY HOLIDAY PARADE: 10am, Pennsylvania Park, downtown Petoskey. This community event will fill the streets with festive floats, lively music, & cheer. Featuring the Petoskey High School Marching Band. petoskeydowntown.com/events
FREE KIDS COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS
MOVIE: Gaylord Cinema West. Presented by Gaylord Rotary. 10am: Meet Santa. 11am: Movies start & include Elf, The Christmas Chronicles, & The Muppet Christmas Carol (choose 1 of 3). Free for ages 3-13; donations for others. Wear your favorite cozy pajamas. Free gift for first 300 children.
HOLIDAY MARKET AT CASTLE FARMS: 10am, Castle Farms, Charlevoix. Explore a variety of vendors offering unique gifts, handmade crafts, holiday decor, treats & more. castlefarms.com/events/holiday-market
HOLIDAY-CHRISTMAS THEME STORY
TIME: 10am, Alden District Library. Miss Bri will read stories with a Holiday-Christmas theme & do a simple craft with kids. 231331-4318. Free.
OLD MISSION WOMEN’S CLUB HOLIDAY COOKIE FUNDRAISER: 10am, Peninsula Community Library, TC. Runs until cookies are sold out, so come early. Boxes will be provided with gloves to choose your own cookies. Large assortment of holiday cookies, candies, truffles, quick breads & even doggy treats. All proceeds benefit local nonprofits. Entry free; $15/lb. for cookies. oldmissionwc.org
DIY NEEDLE FELTED ORNAMENT WORKSHOP: 10:30am-noon, Suttons Bay Bingham District Library. All materials will be supplied. This program is geared towards adults & adult/child duos. Space is limited & registration is required; email: information@ sbbdl.org to reserve your spot. Free. -
CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY: 11am1pm, TC Elks Lodge #323. Open to the public. Free for ages 0-12. Games, crafts, treats. Please bring a toy for Toys for Tots. facebook.com/TCElks323
CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY: CHRISTMAS COCOA & CHOCOLATE CRAWL: 11am3pm, Mackinaw City. Also take a horsedrawn wagon ride compliments of Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry from noon-3pm.
FAMILY HOLIDAY CRAFTING DAY: 11am2pm, Oliver Art Center, Frankfort. Make holiday crafts including cards, candles, printmaking & paper crafts. All supplies included. Meet Mrs. Claus & her elves too. Free. oliverartcenterfrankfort.org -
SAY NO TO ISRAEL’S GENOCIDE: 11am12:30pm, Grandview Parkway + Union St., TC. The ceasefire in Gaza has not stopped Israel from killing Palestinians every day. Join MidEast:JustPeace in a weekly demonstration to demand our representatives stop taking money from the Israeli lobby, stop serving Israel above America, stop shipping
weapons to Israel, & to stop the starvation & killing in Palestine. mideastjustpeace.net
SWEET EXCHANGE: Noon-3pm, The Little Fleet, TC. A community cookie exchange. Bring 2–3 dozens of the same homemade cookies to share, sample, & send some love out into the world. Snack, sip, & swap while putting together cookie bags for Munson Hospice House Nurses. Go to web site to sign up & for more info. thelittlefleet.com/ events/sweet-exchange
THE GREAT NORTHERN CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL: Noon-9pm, 1902 Resort & Retreats, Wolverine. Featuring the Snowy Pines Merchant Market, rotating daily activities, photos with Santa, gingerbread house contest, food truck village, live music, The Great Christmas Feast & more. Find on Facebook.
HEATHER SHUMAKER BOOK SIGNING: 1-3pm, Horizon Books, TC. Heather is the author of “Saving Arcadia: A Story of Conservation and Community in the Great Lakes.” horizonbooks.com/event/2025-12-13/heather-shumaker-book-signing
“THE NUTCRACKER,” INTERLOCHEN: 2pm & 7:30pm, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Corson Auditorium. Marvel at the wonder & magic of the holiday season as the Interlochen Arts Academy Dance Division performs Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s beloved ballet The Nutcracker. The timeless story of Clara, her enchanted Nutcracker, & their journey through the Land of Sweets. The 2pm performances on Dec. 13-14 are SOLD OUT. $19-$42. interlochen.org/concerts-andevents/all-events?search=The+Nutcracker
ROALD DAHL’S MATILDA THE MUSICAL: 2pm & 7:30pm, Old Town Playhouse, TC. Matilda is an extraordinary girl, unloved by her cruel parents, impressing her teacher, & raising the ire of her school’s mean headmistress. But Matilda’s courage & cleverness could be the school pupils’ saving grace! $35 adults; $25 youth under 18. oldtownplayhouse.com/ performances/mainstage/matilda.html
CHRISTMAS IN THE VILLAGE: 3-6pm, The Village at GT Commons, TC. Featuring visits with Santa, kids crafts, TC West Orchestra performance, $5 tunnel walks & photos with The Grinch, & more. Admission is free. thevillagetc.com
GLCO PRESENTS FAMILY HOLIDAY POPS CONCERT: 3pm, Great Lakes Center for the Arts, Bay Harbor. Celebrate the season with beloved carols, festive holiday favorites, chorus & CTAC Nutcracker ballet dancers. $35-$65; free for students 18 & under, Veterans, & active service members. glcorchestra.org/concerts
THE BENZIE COMMUNITY CHORUS: DECEMBER UP NORTH “THAT ONE YEAR...”: 3pm, Frankfort United Methodist Church. Help celebrate fifty years of heightening the spirit of the season through the power of music. Free/ free will offering. benziechorus.org
A COLONIAL CHRISTMAS: 4-7pm, Colonial Michilimackinac, Mackinaw City. Storytellers recount the various traditions of historic residents, a retelling of the first Christmas at Mackinac in 1679, & the church at Ste. Anne’s prepared for Christmas Mass as it would have been in the 18th century. Create crafts to take home & head out on the Parade Ground for historic games. $15 adults; $10 ages 5-12; free for ages 4 & under. mackinacparks.com/ event/a-colonial-christmas-2
FAMILY MOVIE DAY: “ELF”: 4pm, The Garden Theater, Frankfort. Singing & dancing preshow, followed by the movie. Free entry with donation of nonperishable food for
BACN. $1 popcorn, juice boxes & snacks. gardentheater.org/comingsoon
CHRISTMAS MARKET ART & CRAFT
FAIR: 5pm, downtown Gaylord. Held in partnership with the Downtown Gaylord Christmas Stroll & Gaylord Arts. Peruse vendors under the Pavilion on Court for gifts & goodies. gaylordarts.org
THE CHRISTMAS JOURNEY: 5:30pm, New Hope Community Church, TC. Experience the Story of Christmas from Creation to Bethlehem & beyond on a 45-minute outdoor walking tour through the woods. Guided groups will encounter live actors, animals, & immersive scenes bringing the first Christmas to life. Dress warmly & wear appropriate footwear. Free. newhope.cc/journey
DEAD POETS SOCIETY - OPEN MIC POETRY: 6pm, Blessed Be Tea and Apothecary, TC. While the group focuses on poetry, also welcome are writers, musicians, & all performance artists, sharing both mainstream & original works. Held the second Sat. of each month. Recommended for ages 15+. Presented by The Conscious Community Coven. Free; suggested donation: $5-$10. blessedbetea.com
THE 4TH ANNUAL CHRISTMAS AT THE OLD ART BUILDING: SOLD OUT: 6-7:30pm, Old Art Building, Leland. A Variety Show Spectacular. Hosted by Andrew Dost, this retro-inspired performance includes caroling, comedy & holiday cheer. Featuring a wide assortment of talented musicians, a jazz combo, sketch comedy, & more. Enjoy cookies, cocoa, & a cash bar. To be added to the waitlist email: info@oldartbuilding.com. $40. oldartbuilding.com/events/christmas-at-the-old-artbuilding-a-variety-show-spectacular-2025
GAYLORD COMMUNITY ORCHESTRA & CHOIR CHRISTMAS CONCERT: 7pm, Gaylord High School, Gornick Auditorium.
$20; students are free. zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/christmas-concert-14
SEASONAL CONCERT W/ DAVE CALENDINE: 7pm, The Music House, Williamsburg. Enjoy a concert/sing-a-long of seasonal music with Red Wings & Tigers organist Dave Calendine. $25 online; $30 door. mynorthtickets.com/events/ the-music-house-is-proud-to-present-aspecial-concertsing-a-long-of-your-favoriteseasonal-music-with-red-wings-and-tigersorganist-dave-calendine-12-13-2025
COUNTER METHODS - EVOLUTION: 7:30pm, City Opera House, TC. Presented by Boyne Country Sports. A snowboard & ski film premiere. See up & coming snowboarder Nahli Curtis pursue her life goal of finding success in the mountains. Evolution is a documentary ten years in the making, showcasing what it’s like to grow up riding the limited terrain within the midwest & the effort it takes to be ready to master the mountains of the western ranges. Connecting with other like-minded winter athletes & riders throughout the season is the backbone of the story. $20. cityoperahouse.org
DOWNTOWN SOUND: CHARLIE MILLARD BAND WITH LARA FULLFORD & DANE TOLLAS: 7:30-9:30pm, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Theater, Petoskey. Enjoy a dynamic blend of indie, Americana, & rock influences. $10-$40. crookedtree.org/events-andexhibitions/events/downtown-sound.html
NMC CONCERT BAND CHRISTMAS CONCERT: 7:30pm, TC West Senior High School Auditorium. The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year Christmas Music performed by the NMC Concert Band. Patricia J. Brumbaugh conducting with local guest conductors also. Tickets at the door or discount on advance purchase tickets starting at $10 from web site. simpletix.com/e/nmc-concert-band2025-holiday-concert-tc-w-tickets-234533
Bringing their Celtic Invasion to festivals and shows across North America are The Tartan Terrors… stopping this time at The Cheboygan Opera House, Thurs., Dec. 18 at 7pm, presenting “A Celtic Christmas.” Blending the energy of a rock show with humour and step dance, The Tartan Terrors have played big stages like Market Square, Saint John, New Brunswick with Scott Helman and The Beaches. Tickets: $10-$40. theoperahouse.org
One Size Fits All!
FRANK & MARILYN - A CLASSIC CHRISTMAS: 8pm, Leelanau Sands Casino Showroom, Peshawbestown. Step into the golden age of Hollywood as Frank Sinatra & Marilyn Monroe return to the spotlight for a Christmas tribute. $50. leelanausandscasino.com/events
Sunday
CHRISTMAS IN THE VILLAGE: (See Sat., Dec. 13, except today’s time is 11am3pm.)
HOLIDAY CRAFT FAIR & AUCTION: 11am2pm, The Presbyterian Church of TC, 701 Westminster Rd. Presented by MidEast: Just Peace. Featuring fine art, gift certificates to local shops, wineries & restaurants, & handmade crafts. Free admission. mideastjustpeace.net
THE GREAT NORTHERN CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL: (See Sat., Dec. 13)
FREE FAMILY FUN DAY: 1-3pm, The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park, TC. Make pinecone owls & other natural crafts. All materials provided. No registration required. thebotanicgarden.org/events
GREAT LAKES CINEMA SERIES: “ARTHUR CHRISTMAS”: 1pm, Great Lakes Center for the Arts, Bay Harbor. Santa’s clumsy son & Grandsanta race to deliver a misplaced gift before Christmas is over! $5; $3 ages 5 & under. greatlakescfa.org/events/ detail/arthur-christmas-1
HOLIDAY MUSIC: TCAPS CHORAL-AI-
RES: 1pm, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. Free. tadl. org/choralaires
the holidays to escape their complicated love lives. $5. greatlakescfa.org/events/detail/the-holiday
HOLIDAY MUSIC-CHERRY CAPITAL MEN’S CHORUS: 3pm, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. Free. tadl.org/ccmc
WITH THE HOLIDAYS IN MIND: 3-4:30pm, TC Philharmonic Center, Cherryland Center. Featuring the Encore Symphonic Winds. Free. tcphil.org/events/encore-symphonicwinds-dec-2025
TAYLOR SERIES - FREE HOLIDAY RECITAL: 4pm, Christ Episcopal Church, Charlevoix. Experience the warmth & spirit of the holiday season in an intimate setting with a true chamber orchestra. glcorchestra.org/ concert/taylor-series-free-holiday-recital
THE CHRISTMAS JOURNEY: (See Sat., Dec. 13)
DMC CONCERT: MR. SUN: 6pm, Dennos Museum Center, Milliken Auditorium, NMC, TC. Mr. Sun has taken the inspiration of Duke Ellington’s re-interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s Suite as an opportunity to re-invent this multi-faceted work through the lens of the American String Band. Mr. Sun consists of fiddler Darol Anger, guitarist Grant Gordy, Scottish bassist Aidan O’Donnell, & mandolinist Joe Walsh. $25-$30. simpletix.com/e/mr-sun-tickets-228063
THE BENZIE COMMUNITY CHORUS: DECEMBER UP NORTH “THAT ONE YEAR...”: 7pm, Frankfort United Methodist Church. Help celebrate fifty years of heightening the spirit of the season through the power of music. Free/ free will offering. benziechorus.org
SECOND SUNDAY ART PROJECT: 1pm, Dennos Museum Center, NMC, TC. Take part in a vibrant participatory artistic experience every second Sun. of the month. From printmaking to painting & weaving, each session offers a unique & creative activity. $0-$10. simpletix.com/e/second-sunday-artproject-tickets-227579
CTAC SCHOOL OF BALLET’S SUGAR PLUM FAIRY TEA: 1:30pm, Inn at Bay Harbor, Sagamore’s Restaurant. Includes an afternoon of festive activities with principal performers of the Crooked Tree Arts Center School of Ballet’s “The Nutcracker,” including: Clara, Nutcracker, Snow Queen, & the Sugar Plum Fairy. Each reservation includes tea or lemonade, sweet treats, tea sandwiches, a reading of “The Nutcracker” story & a ticket to a performance of “The Nutcracker.” $50; free for infants. crookedtree.app.neoncrm.com/np/ clients/crookedtree/event.jsp?event=21091
“A CHRISTMAS CAROL” AT THE LEELANAU SCHOOL: 2pm, The Leelanau School Community Auditorium, Glen Arbor. Featuring music & a sing along, a dramatic reading of “A Christmas Carol,” & cookies & punch. Local actors include Don Kuehlhorn & Drew Gibson. Free. Register on web site. leelanau. org/scrooge25
“THE NUTCRACKER,” INTERLOCHEN: (See Sat., Dec. 13, except today’s only time is 2pm.)
ROALD DAHL’S MATILDA THE MUSICAL:
(See Sat., Dec. 13, except today’s only time is 2pm.)
GREAT LAKES CINEMA SERIES: “THE HOLIDAY”: 3pm, Great Lakes Center for the Arts, Bay Harbor. Two women, one in England & one in Los Angeles, swap homes for
monday
‘TIS THE SEASON TO STARTUP: CELEBRATION, PITCH, & MARKETPLACE: 5pm, The Workshop Brewing Co., TC. Celebrating the startup community. Food, drinks, music, & a market featuring local startups. Five founders. Five minutes each. One $5,000 winner. Free. 20fathoms.org/event/tis-the-season-to-startup-celebration-pitch-and-marketplace
HOLIDAY SING-ALONG: 6:30pm, Peninsula Community Library, TC. Join David Baumann in this sing-along & enjoy nibbles. Hosted by Friends of PCL. Free.
tuesday
QUEER TALES BOOK CLUB: 7pm, Traverse Area District Library, Nelson Room, TC. Chat about books that are by &/or about LGBTQIA+ people. Reading is not required, & everyone is welcome. Meets on the third Tues. of the month. This month’s book is “Make Room for Love” by Darcy Liao. Free. tadl.org/event/queer-tales-book-club-17697
wednesday
THE GREAT NORTHERN CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL: 5-9pm, 1902 Resort & Retreats, Wolverine. Featuring the Snowy Pines Merchant Market, rotating daily activities, photos with Santa, gingerbread house contest, food truck village, live music, The Great Christmas Feast & more. Find on Facebook.
-- - -HOLIDAY REChurch, spirit of setting with glcorchestra.org/
concert/taylor-series-free-holiday-recital
-- - -Sat.,
-- - -Dennos NMC, TC. Duke ElTchaikovsky’s Suite multi-faceted String Anger, Aidan $25-$30.
-- - -CHORUS: DEYEAR...”: Church. Help spirit of Free/ SEASON TO CELEBRATION, MARKETPLACE: BrewCelebrating the music, & a founders. Free. 20fathoms.org/event/tis-the-season-to-start-
-- - -Peninsula Baumann Hosted by BOOK Traverse Nelabout about required, the third book is Free. tadl.org/event/queer-tales-book-club-17697
WOMEN IN TECH MEETUP - TC: 5pm, Earthen Ales, TC. For those working in, or interested in, the tech industry & tech-related roles. Casual, fun, & easy to drop into. Open to all. Registration requested. Free. 20fathoms.org/event/ women-in-tech-meetup-traverse-city-11 -
THE ACCIDENTALS & KABOOM STUDIO ORCHESTRA: SONUS BOREALIS HOLIDAY ALBUM RELEASE: SOLD OUT: 6:30-9pm, Dennos Museum Center, Milliken Auditorium, NMC, TC. mynorthtickets. com/events/sonus-borealis-release-w-theaccidentals-and-kaboom-studio-orchestra-12-17-2025
HERE:SAY PRESENTS: LET’S DANCE: 7pm, The Alluvion, TC. Storytellers tell true, first-person stories about a time in their lives that they danced to the rhythms of life. $15 at door. heresaystorytelling.com/storytelling-ev ents?view=calendar&month=12-2025
thursday
FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY MONTHLY MEETING & CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON: 9:30am social time & 10am meeting at Helena Twp. Community Center, Alden. 11:30am lunch at Short’s Brewery, Bellaire. RSVP by Dec. 16: 231-331-4318.
MEN’S NIGHT OUT: 5-8pm, downtown Elk Rapids. An evening of local deals, sips & treats as participating shops stay open late to help you shop. You can also ask your loved ones to drop off their holiday wishlists at participating stores.
THE GREAT NORTHERN CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL: (See Weds., Dec. 17)
THE TARTAN TERRORS: A CELTIC CHRISTMAS: 7pm, The Cheboygan Opera House. Bringing their Celtic Invasion to festivals & shows across North America, The Tartan Terrors blend the energy of a rock show with humour & step dance. They have played big stages across North America, including Market Square, Saint John, New Brunswick, sharing the stage with Scott Helman and The Beaches. $10-$40. theoperahouse.org -
ROALD DAHL’S MATILDA THE MUSICAL: (See Sat., Dec. 13, except today’s only time is 7:30pm.)
-
SOUNDS OF THE SEASON: 7:30pm, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Corson Auditorium. Enjoy a wintry mix of seasonal songs & stories by Interlochen Arts Academy’s music, theatre, & interdisciplinary arts students. The festivities conclude with a holiday sing-along & a special appearance by the jolly big man with a bag. $19-$36. interlochen.org/concerts-and-events/ all-events?search=Sounds+of+the+Season
friday
THE GREAT NORTHERN CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL: (See Weds., Dec. 17)
HOLIDAY GALA: 6pm, The Garden Theater, Frankfort. With performances from Sam Cronin, Andrew Dost, Courtney Kaiser-Sandler, Tim Jones and The Up North Get Down, Skyelea, Carly Wagner, & more. $35 GA. gardentheater.org/comingsoon
CANDLELIGHT: CHRISTMAS CAROLS ON STRINGS: SOLD OUT: 6:30pm, The Village at GT Commons, Kirkbride Hall, TC. A live, multi-sensory musical experience featuring the Listeso String Quartet, under the gentle glow of candlelight. $44-$66.50. feverup. com/en/traverse-city-mi-us
ROALD DAHL’S MATILDA THE MUSICAL: (See Thurs., Dec. 18)
SOUNDS OF THE SEASON: (See Thurs., Dec. 18)
THE HOLIDAY SPECIAL: 7:30pm, The MATCH, Cherryland Center, TC. Featuring The Haunting of Ebenezer, an original, acoustic retelling of the classic A Christmas Carol, presented by Stone Fruit Collective. Mashup Rock & Roll Musical will join for a second act of holiday songs & even a sing-along. $20 advance; $25 at door. mashuprockandrollmusical.ludus. com/index.php?sections=events
KAMIKAZE COMEDY: 8pm, Right Brain Brewery, TC. Local comedian Joshua Paul is headlining with feature Alana Gonzalez. Both comics have been featured at the TC Comedy Festival & have performed all over the state. Host is John Reed. Doors open at 7pm. $10 online; $15 door. square.link/u/gyu9iCF2?src=sheet
saturday
RUN LOCAL SHOP LOCAL
5K: 9am, 100 S. Lake St., Cadillac. Race route: Lake St., Chestnut St. to North Shore Condos & back to Lake St. $20 for under 18; $25 all others. runsignup. com/Race/MI/Cadillac/RunLocalShopLocal
HOLIDAY MRKT SHARE: 10am-3pm, Warehouse MRKT, TC. Shop the latest from local makers & vendors. Just a few options include picking up some decorated sugar cookies, hot cocoa & coffee bombs from Crum Cakes Bake Shop; handcrafted cocktail infusions & gourmet sugars & salts from Tipsy Sips Craft Cocktails; & beach-inspired, bubble glazed pottery from Leelanau Pottery Company. Other names include Wild Wanderers Apothecary, Schyler the Potter, Wanderlust Fashion, plus more. Find Warehouse MRKT on Facebook.
LEGO CREATION EVENT: 10am, Helena Twp. Community Center, Alden. Kids of all ages welcome. LEGO creations will be displayed in the Alden District Library. 231-331-4318.
noted, all shows 7:30 pm & all shows $30 unless noted, all shows 7:30 pm & all shows $30
Michael Dease City Life Quintet featuring Geoffrey Keezer & Billy Kilson
The Bill Sears Quintet
Keith Hall Brazilian Jazz Trio with Chico Pinheiro
Branford Marsalis Quartet: Belonging
Anthony Stanco "In The Groove: Live At The Alluvion" Album Release
Randy Napoleon + Waking Dream Jordan VanHemert Septet
NORTHERN FESTIVAL: & ReFeaturing Merchant photos with food truck Feast
LGBTQ+ SENIORS COFFEE MORNING: 8:30am, Up North Pride Community Center, TC. Start the morning off with a cup of Higher Grounds coffee. Free. upnorthpride.com/ event/2025/8/22/lgbtq-senior-coffee-morning-d64jj-2xte9-gj8t6-5mkrr
PETOSKEY MEN’S NIGHT OUT: 5-8pm, downtown Petoskey. Whether you’re a lastminute shopper or simply eager to finish your holiday shopping in style, this event is for you. petoskeydowntown.com/events
FIRESIDE CHAT: SHARON WADE: 11am, Gaylord Area Council for the Arts Gallery. Sharon will discuss her creative journey & how the 100 Days Project has become a tool for creative exploration & output. Also enjoy hot chocolate at this event. gaylordarts.org
THE GREAT NORTHERN CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL: (See Weds., Dec. 17, except today’s time is noon-5pm.)
A Northern Michigan Tradition since 1964 Choose from a variety of holiday gift boxes
Downtown Traverse City • 231-947-4841 murdicksfudge.com • 1-800-238-3432
CTAC SCHOOL OF BALLET’S “THE NUTCRACKER”: 3pm & 7pm, Great Lakes Center for the Arts, Bay Harbor. Featuring stars of Miami City Ballet, Taylor Naturkas & Alexander Peters. $15-$150. greatlakescfa.org/ events/detail/the-nutcracker-2025
THE ACCIDENTALS WITH KABOOM COLLECTIVE – HOLIDAY ALBUM RELEASE CONCERT: 3pm, Castle Farms, Charlevoix. Celebrate the season with The Accidentals & the 27-piece Kaboom Studio Orchestra as they perform their brand-new 13-track holiday album live. $30-$100. castlefarms.com/events/ live-music-the-accidentals-with-kaboom-collective-holiday-album-release-concert
DOMINIC FORTUNA’S HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR: Hotel Indigo, TC. Dominic Fortuna & his Holiday Crew are bringing back the show that wowed audiences at the Williamsburg Dinner Theater. Includes a holiday buffet dinner, signature holiday drink, & festive entertainment, laughter & nostalgia. Choose from two shows: 4-6pm or 7:30-9:30pm. $92.50. mynorthtickets.com/events/dominicfortunas-holiday-spectacular
LIGHTING OF THE BRIDGES: 6pm, Grass River Natural Area, Bellaire. Enjoy a 1/3 mile winter stroll on the boardwalk to the dock with the bridges lit up with lights, & then warm up with a campfire & hot cocoa at the pavilion. Inside the Center will be a variety of holiday crafts to make. $5/person. grassriver.org
LIVE NATIVITY: 6pm & 7pm, Ellsworth Christian Reformed Church, Ellsworth. Dress warmly as you participate & join inside for refreshments following the performance. Free.
YULE PARTY: 6-9pm, Blessed Be Tea and Apothecary, TC. This night is all about warmth, community, creativity, & stepping into the winter season wrapped in comfort & intention. Enjoy Yuletide crafts, a mini ritual, tarot readings, bake sale fundraiser, & much more. Festive attire encouraged. blessedbetea.com
BLISSFEST WINTER SOLSTICE GATHERING: 6:30pm, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petoskey. An annual celebration of the return of the light featuring cocktail hour with local favorite Mr. Jake, a raffle & auction to support the year round work of Blissfest Music Organization, & a headlining performance by Dead at Winery—all hosted by Seth Bernard. $30 GA, $12 ages 13-17, & free for 12 & under. showclix.com/tickets/wintersolstice25
CHRISTMAS CAROLS AT MOUNT CARMEL CENTRE: 7pm, Mt. Carmel Centre, Gaylord. Sing along to celebrate the Season of Christmas in the 125-year-old Mt. Carmel Centre adnorned in holiday splendor. Free; donations welcome.
A CHRISTMAS TRIBUTE TO THE EAGLES: 7:30pm, City Opera House, TC. Featuring all the top hits of the Eagles woven in with favorite holiday classics. $46.50-$79. cityoperahouse.org
HOLIDAY GALA: (See Fri., Dec. 19, except tonight’s time is 7:30pm.)
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: 7:30-9:30pm, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Corson Auditorium. Guest Conductor Jason Altieri leads the TC Phil & Jeffrey Cobb’s NMC Choruses in a festive program of holiday favorites. Wsg TC native, soprano Hanna Brammer. $27$65. tcphil.org/concerts
ROALD DAHL’S MATILDA THE MUSICAL: (See Thurs., Dec. 18)
THE HOLIDAY SPECIAL: (See Fri., Dec. 19)
CANDLELIGHT: CHRISTMAS CAROLS ON STRINGS: 8:45pm, The Village at GT Commons, Kirkbride Hall, TC. Live, multi-sensory musical experience featuring the Listeso String Quartet, under the glow of candlelight. $44$66.50. feverup.com/en/traverse-city-mi-us
sunday
HOLIDAY MUSIC WITH PIANIST/VOCALIST PETER BERGIN: 1pm, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. Free. tadl.org/bergin
CTAC SCHOOL OF BALLET’S “THE NUTCRACKER”: (See Sat., Dec. 20, except today’s only time is 3pm.)
FIRE & SEED-WINTER SOLSTICE COMMUNITY EVENT: 3-8pm, Northern Natural Cider House & Winery, Kaleva. Celebrate the return of the sun! Enjoy Yule Poetry by Morgan Leigh Kelsey of The Bewitching Bluejay, Ancient Sequoia Tree Music by Tom Wall of Cosmic Knot, & a Fire Performance by Chelsey & John Fitzpatrick. Free. facebook.com/events/1181119173942441
HOLIDAY MUSIC: TLC HANDBELL CHOIR: 3pm, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. Free. tadl. org/handbells
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: (See Sat., Dec. 20, except today’s time is 3-5pm.)
NOTEABLE CHAMBER CHOIR CONCERT: “A CELEBRATION OF LIGHT”: 4pm, Harbor Springs High School Performing Arts Center. Director Jamie Platte & pianist Cynda Coleman lead the new group of well known area singers. Tickets, $18; available on website or at door. noteablechamberchoir.com
MENORAH IN THE SQUARE: 5pm, Rotary Square, downtown TC. Join to light a giant Menorah in Rotary Square with music, doughnuts, hot apple cider, & people coming together. Free. Jewishtc.org/menorah
TC TRACK CLUB JINGLE BELL RUN: 5:30pm, Park Place Hotel & Conference Center, TC. Enjoy this nighttime, non-timed 5K holiday run that tours favorite neighborhood streets bordering downtown TC that are adorned in holiday lights & decorations. Wear your festive holiday costume. Following will be complimentary cookies & hot cocoa. Register. $20; free for TC Track Club members. runsignup.com/Race/MI/TraverseCity/jingleBellRun
SOLSTICE SILENT DISCO: 6pm, Dennos Museum Center, NMC, TC. Grab a pair of wireless headphones that give you the option to decide your musical vibe as you head to the dance floor or mingle in the galleries. Super Nuclear will be in the house lighting it up! $5-$20. simpletix.com/e/solstice-silentdisco-tickets-228032
THE HOLIDAY SPECIAL - PAY WHAT YOU CAN: 6pm, The MATCH, Cherryland Center, TC. Featuring The Haunting of Ebenezer, an original, acoustic retelling of the classic A Christmas Carol, presented by Stone Fruit Collective. Mashup Rock & Roll Musical will join for a second act of holiday songs & even a sing-along. This is the Pay What You Can performance; minimum of $5. mashuprockandrollmusical. ludus.com/index.php?sections=events helping
- MACKINAW CITY: Church of the Straits youth group is accepting monetary donations along with new winter coats, boots, dec 21
snow pants & socks. All donations stay local. The monetary donations go towards a youth shopping trip to purchase needed winter items for children in need. Drop off at Church of the Straits, Mackinaw City, or St. Anthony Padua, Mackinaw City. Runs through Dec. 14. 231436-8682.
- FIFTH ANNUAL STROLLING LIGHTS
FESTIVAL: Crystal River Outfitters Recreational District, Glen Arbor. See the Strolling Lights Festival Trees that were purchased, helping the Empire Area Food Pantry, which serves those who are struggling to put food on their tables. Monetary donations can also be made online. With the funds that are raised from this festive tradition, Crystal River Outfitters Recreational District hopes to increase the amount of protein, flour & sugar on hand, as well as helping four-legged family members who often go unfed. Runs through New Year’s. crystalriveroutfitters.com
CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER,
PETOSKEY:
- 2025 HOLIDAY BAZAAR: Held in Galleries. A showcase of original art available for purchase during the winter holiday shopping season. This juried exhibition includes knits, jewelry, pottery, ceramics, notecards, prints, ornaments, artwork & more. Runs through Dec. 18. See web site for hours. crookedtree.org/event/ctacpetoskey/2025-holiday-bazaar-petoskey
- PORTRAITS OF PLACE: Held in Atrium Gallery. Presented by CTAC’s Kitchen Painters, this is a vibrant exhibition celebrating the beauty, spirit, & shared stories of northern Michigan. Runs through Jan. 10. See web site for hours. crookedtree.org/events-andexhibitions/exhibits/portraits-of-place.html
CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER, TC:
- GUILD POP-UP EXHIBIT: MARILYN REBANT: Held in Libragallery through Dec. 18. Marilyn Rebant’s Eclectic Vision celebrates the beauty of inspiration in motion. Each piece captures shifting moods, subjects & mediums as they arise. See web site for hours. crookedtree. org/events-and-exhibitions/exhibits/guild-popup-exhibit-marilyn-rebant.html
in a world assembled & reassembled, juggling toys buffeted by current events. Runs through Jan. 4. Check web site for hours. dennosmuseum.org/art/now-on-view
- ICE INTO OCEAN: ARCTIC TRACINGS: This exhibition is the result of a seven year collaboration between Cy Keener & Justine Holzman, exploring how ice shifts & reshapes the landscapes of the Arctic. Through large scale drawings, images, & installation, the exhibit investigates the nature & movement of ice & water across this remote environment. Runs through Jan. 4. Check web site for hours. dennosmuseum.org/art/now-on-view
- BENEATH THE SURFACE: TRAINING TOMORROW’S WATER STEWARDS: The Great Lakes Water Studies Institute at NMC is advancing freshwater, groundwater, & marine science through cutting-edge technology, education, & research. This exhibit highlights NMC students’ hands-on work with remotely operated vehicles, sonar mapping, & groundwater sampling. Runs through Jan. 4. See web site for hours. dennosmuseum. org/art/now-on-view
WINTER AND THE BLUES: Art on Union Gallery, TC. Enjoy seasonal sips & sweets as you explore the local artwork that reflects the calm, light & quiet of winter in northern Michigan. Runs through Dec. 24. Open Tues. through Sat., 11am-4pm. artonunion.com
CHARLEVOIX CIRCLE MARKET:
Charlevoix Circle of Arts. A festive holiday marketplace featuring an array of handmade goods, original artwork, & locally produced specialty treats, all created by Michigan artisans. Runs through Dec. 30. Check web site for hours. charlevoixcircle.org
- MERRY MARKETPLACE 2025: HOLIDAY ART MARKET: Runs through Dec. 13 in Cornwell Gallery. Shop hundreds of unique handmade gifts & works of art from artists all over the state. See hours on web site. crookedtree.org/event/ctac-traverse-city/ merry-marketplace-holiday-art-market
DENNOS MUSEUM CENTER, NMC, TC:
- DEWEY BLOCKSMA: ROUNDTABLE: Blocksma’s artwork is a gathering of figures & ideas, real & imagined, informed by medicine & art. Common themes include: puzzle heads, violin women, fake computers, Dutch cowboys, porcupines, & much more, all with-
- DOUG CANNELL: “SELECTIONS FROM BACKSTORIES”: An introduction to Doug Cannell’s works that merge sculpture, installation, & storytelling into layered experiences. Cannell creates objects that resist easy definition. Runs through April 3. See web site for hours. dennosmuseum.org
- IMPRESSIONS OF AN ERA: PRINTS FROM THE DENISON MUSEUM COLLECTION: This selection of prints, created between 1970 & 1990 by nationally & internationally recognized contemporary artists, reflects two transformative decades in contemporary printmaking. Artists include Dee Shapiro, Barbara KohlSpiro, KUDO Muramasa & James Rizzi. Runs through May 31. See web site for hours. dennosmuseum.org
GLEN ARBOR ARTS CENTER:
- SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT: MIXED MEDIA PAINTINGS BY CAROL C SPAULDING: Held in Lobby Gallery. Enjoy this small group of new mixed media paintings that runs through Dec. 17. See web site for hours. glenarborart.org/exhibits
- 2025 SMALL WORKS HOLIDAY EXHIBITION: An annual showcase of 2D + 3D work that offers small, original art at affordable prices... $150 or less. The exhibition runs through Dec. 17 & features more than 100 works of art, 12x12 or smaller, by 19 artists. See web site for gallery hours. glenarborart. org/events/all-events
HIGHER ART GALLERY, TC:
- 8TH ANNUAL ART TREE & ORNAMENT SHOW: Runs through Dec. 31. Featuring hundreds of handmade ornaments. See web site for hours. higherartgallery.com
- LOCAL ARTIST MELONIE STEFFES SOLO EXHIBIT: WILDER ALTERNATIVES: Runs through Dec. 25. Featuring Steffes’ whimsical imagined realism oil paintings. See web site for hours. higherartgallery.com
OLIVER ART CENTER, FRANKFORT
- OAC HOLIDAY ARTISAN BOUTIQUE: Find gifts from regional artists showcasing a variety of ready-to-gift handmade items, holiday cards, ornaments, accessories & more. Runs through Dec. 24. Tues. - Sat.: 10am4pm; Sun.: noon-4pm. Oliver Art Center is closed on Mondays. oliverart.org
- WINTER MEMBER EXHIBITION: Runs through Jan. 2. OAC member showcase is an all-media exhibit just in time for holiday gift-giving. Hours are Tues. - Sat., 10am4pm; Sun., noon-4pm. Closed 12/24, 12/25 & 1/1. oliverart.org
ENCORE 201, TC
9:
12/13 & 12/19 -- DJ Ricky T
12/20 -- Santa Baby Night w/ DJ Ricky T
IDENTITY BREWING CO., TC
12/18 -- Beyond Trivia!, 7-9
KILKENNY'S IRISH PUBLIC HOUSE, TC
9:30:
12/12-13 -- Risque
12/19-20 -- The Off Beat Band
KINGSLEY LOCAL BREWING
12/16 – Open Mic Night Hosted by Kevin & Sierra LaRose, 6-9 12/18 – Trivia Night w/ Marcus Anderson, 6:30-8:30
LEFT FOOT CHARLEY, TC BARREL ROOM:
12/15 -- Open Mic w/ Rob Coonrod, 6-9
TASTING ROOM:
12/19 -- Randy Reszka, 5-7
MARI VINEYARDS, TC
4-6:
12/12-13 -- Ron Getz
12/19 -- Dave Baumann
12/20 -- Jim Hawley
MIDDLECOAST BREWING CO., TC
12/14 -- Clint Weaner, 11am1pm Wed -- Trivia, 7-9
12/18 -- Hot Flat Pop, 6-9
12/21 -- Brady Corcoran, 11am1pm
NOCTURNAL BLOOM, TC Thurs. -- Thurs. Night Trivia, 6
NORTH BAR, TC 7-10:
12/18 – Drew Hale
12/19 – Funky Uncle 12/20 – Brady Corcoran
OLD MISSION DISTILLING, TC SEVEN HILLS:
12/13 -- Blair Miller, 6-9
12/19 -- The Fridays, 7 12/20 -- Chris Sterr, 6
RIGHT BRAIN BREWERY, TC
12/19 -- Kamikaze Comedy w/ Joshua Paul & Alana Gonzalez; Host: John Reed, 8
TC WHISKEY CO. Tue -- Open Mic w/ Chris Sterr, 6-9
12/18 -- The Jeff Haas Trio feat. Laurie Sears + Lisa Flahive wsg Claudia Schmidt, 6-8:30 12/20 -- Bob James & DiSimone Family Holiday Concert: SOLD OUT, 7-9:30
THE HAYLOFT INN, TC
Antrim & Charlevoix
7:30-11:
12/12-13 -- Sandy & The Bandits
12/19 -- Off Duty
12/20 -- Empire Highway
THE PARLOR, TC
12/13 – Reese Keelor, 9-11
12/16 – Jesse Jefferson, 8-11
12/17 – Rob Coonrod, 8-11
12/19 – Chris Sterr, 9-12
12/20 – Rolling Dirty Duo, 9-12
THE PUB, TC
12/15 – Karaoke Mondays, 8-12
12/17 – Zeke Clemons, 8-11
12/18 – Music Bingo, 7:3010:30 12/19 – Rolling Dirty Duo, 9-12
THE WORKSHOP BREWING CO., TC
12/13 -- Zach Watson, 7
12/14 -- Full Tilt Comedy - Comedy Mixtape, 7 12/16 -- Open Mic w/ Zak Bunce, 7
12/13 -- Striatus String Quartet Holiday Show: SOLD OUT, 6 12/20 -- Christmas Show w/ Mike Ridley - 6 & 7:30
North Bar, TC will offer funk/soul/jazz fusion from Funky Uncle, Fri., Dec. 20 from 7-10pm, who pays tribute to the styles of 70’s Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis electric fusion bands, plus much more!
Emmet & Cheboygan
lOGY
DEC 15 - DEC 21
BY ROB BREZSNY
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): According to legend, the genius composer Mozart heard entire symphonies in his imagination before he wrote down any notes. That’s a slight exaggeration. The full truth is that he often worked hard and made revisions. His inspiration was enhanced by effort and craft. However, it’s also true that Mozart wrote at least five masterful works in rapid succession, sometimes with remarkably few corrections on the manuscript. They included his last three symphonies (Nos. 39, 40, and 41). I predict you will have a Mozart-like aptitude in the coming months: the ability to perceive whole patterns before the pieces align. Trust your big visions!
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Every 11 years, the Sun reverses its magnetic polarity. North becomes south, and south becomes north. The last switch was completed earlier this year. Let’s use this natural phenomenon as your metaphorical omen for the coming months, Leo. Imagine that a kind of magnetic reversal will transpire in your psyche. Your inner poles will flip position. As the intriguing process unfolds, you may be surprised at how many new ideas and feelings come rumbling into your imagination. Rather than resist the cosmic acrobatics, advise you to welcome and collaborate with them.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The sculptor Louise Bourgeois was asked why she worked so often with the image of the spider. She said it was a tribute to her mother, who was deliberate, clever, patient, soothing, helpful, and useful—just like a spider. In the coming months, I invite you to embody her vision of the spider. You will have the wherewithal to weave hardy networks that could support you for years to come. Be creative and thoughtful as you craft your network of care. Your precision will be a form of devotion. Every strand, even fragile ones, will enhance your long-term resilience.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): ): Researchers studying music theory know that dissonance— sounds that feel "wrong" or create tension— is in part culturally determined. Indonesia’s gamelan music and Arabic maqam scales are beautiful to audiences that have learned to appreciate them. But they might seem off-kilter to Westerners accustomed to music filled with major thirds and triads. Let’s use this as our starting point as we contemplate your future in 2026, Libra. Life may disrupt your assumptions about what constitutes balance and harmony. You will be invited to consider the possibility that what seems like discord from one perspective is attractive and valuable from another. My advice: Open your mind to other ways of evaluating what’s meaningful and attractive.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the Sonoran Desert of the southwestern United States, Arizona bark scorpions are hard to see at night. Scientists who want to study them can find them only by searching with flashlights that emit ultraviolet light. This causes the scorpions’ exoskeletons to fluoresce and glow a distinct blue-green or turquoise color, making them highly visible. Let’s use this scenario as a metaphor for you. In the coming months, you may reveal your best brilliance under uncommon conditions. Circumstances that seem unusual or challenging will highlight your true beauty and power. What feels extreme may be a good teacher and helper. urge you to trust that the right people will recognize your unique beauty.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In Greek mythology, Proteus was a sea god famed for his ability to change his shape endlessly to evade capture. But now and then, a persistent hero was able to hold on to Proteus through all his transformations, whether he became a lion, serpent, tree, or flame. Then the god would bestow the gift of prophecy on the successful daredevil. I suspect that in the coming months, you will have an exceptional power to snag and grasp Proteus-like things, Capricorn. As a result, you could claim help and revelations that seem almost magical.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In Florence, Italy, the Accademia Gallery houses several of Michelangelo's sculptures that depict human figures partially emerging from rough blocks of marble. They seem to be caught in the process birth or liberation. These works showcase the
technique Michelangelo called non-finito (unfinished), in which the forms appear to struggle to escape from the stone. In the coming months, Aquarius, foresee you undergoing a passage that initially resembles these figures. The good news is that unlike Michelangelo's eternally trapped characters, you will eventually break free.
PISCES (Feb 19-March 20): To prepare you for 2026, I’ve gathered three quotes that address your most pressing need and urgent mandate. I recommend you tape this horoscope to your bathroom mirror. 1. “We cannot live in a world interpreted for us by others. An interpreted world is not a hope. Part of the terror is to take back our listening, to use our own voice, to see our own light.” —author Elaine Bellezza. 2. “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson. 3. “The ability to tell your own story, in words or images, is already a victory, already a revolt.” —Rebecca Solnit.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Nine hundred years ago, Sufi philosopher Al-Ghazali provided rigorous advice that’s not very popular these days. "To understand the stars," he said, "one must polish the mirror of the soul." Here's my interpretation: To fathom the truth about reality, you must be a strong character who treasures clarity and integrity. It's highly unlikely you can gather a profound grasp of how life works if your inner depths are a mess. Conversely, your capacity to comprehend the Great Mystery increases as you work on purifying and strengthening your character. Everything I just said is good advice for all of us all the time, but it will be especially potent and poignant for you in the coming months.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The sound of a whip cracking is a small sonic boom. The tip breaks the sound barrier, creating that distinctive snap. In my astrological reckoning, Taurus, life has provided you with the equivalent of a whip. During the coming months, you will have access to a simple asset that can create breakthrough force when wielded with precision and good timing. I’m not referring to aggression or violence. Your secret superpower will be understanding how to use small treasures that can generate disproportionate impacts. What's your whip?
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Some Japanese potters practice yohen tenmoku. It's a technique used to create a rare type of tea bowl with shifting, star-like iridescence on deep, dark glaze. The sublime effect results from a process that's unusually demanding, highly unpredictable, and hard to control. Legend says that only one in a thousand bowls achieves the intended iridescence. The rest, according to the masters, are “lessons in humility.” I believe you can flourish by adopting this experimental mindset in the coming months. Treat your creative experiments as offerings to the unknown, as sources of wonder whether or not your efforts yield stellar results. Be bold in trying new techniques and gentle in self-judgment. Delight in your apprenticeship to mystery. Some apparent “failures” may
CANCER (June 21-July 22): A fair-weather cumulus cloud typically weighs over a million pounds and yet floats effortlessly. Let’s make that one of your prime power symbols for 2026, Cancerian. It signifies that you will harbor an immense emotional cargo that’s suspended with grace. You will carry complex truths, layered desires, and lyrical ambitions, but you will manage it all with aplomb and even delight. For best results, don’t overdramatize the heaviness; appreciate and marvel at the buoyancy.
“Jonesin”
Crosswords
"Piece Out"-get on board. by Matt Jones
ACROSS
1. Ludacris genre
4. Boorish ones
9. Cornfield birds
14. Old French gold coin
15. Couldn't avoid it
16. Like notebook paper
17. Adam Scott/Ken Marino comedy series about caterers
19. "RRR" setting
20. Resigned noise
21. Hotel professional
23. Yankee nickname beginning in 2004
26. Furnace feeders
27. Northernmost Oregon city
30. Wimbledon unit
31. Recognize from a picture, perhaps
34. It runs Down Under
37. Affected mannerisms
38. Night before
39. Quark's place
40. Secret agent
41. Place to repair a two-wheeler
45. Foot, in Latin
46. Melodic passages
47. Word after occupational or speech
51. Make over
52. Very perceptive
54. Get ___ the crack of dawn
57. Extremely
58. Persevere
61. "To reiterate ..."
62. Riverbank critter
63. "Educated Guess" singer DiFranco
64. Sagal of "Married... With Children"
65. Actress Davis of "The Babadook"
66. Abbr. stamped on a bounced check
DOWN
1. Agents
2. Palm berry
3. Middle ground
4. A little short
5. Wee fellow
6. What those with anosmia cannot detect
7. USAF stealth planes
8. "I was ___ prepared for this!"
9. Sachin Tendulkar's sport
10. Small creek
11. More advanced, in a way
12. Fish dams
13. Badlands Natl. Park site
18. Judo moves
22. Dance recklessly
24. Sphere
25. Crafty letters
27. Aliases, for short
28. Little cut
29. "Hey, wait ___!"
32. Dartmouth or Brown, e.g.
33. Hyperpop band 100 ___
34. Cuisine with doro wat and shekla tibs
35. Io, for one
36. Diamond officials
39. Paired together
41. Prepare
42. "Babette's Feast" author Dinesen
43. 8 1/2" x 11" paper size, briefly
44. "Able was I ___ I saw Elba"
45. "The Dick Van Dyke Show" surname
47. Arkansas River city
48. Try to swat
49. "Orange" tea
50. Chucks, slangily
52. Drink brand with a bunny mascot
53. Brooklyn team
55. Miller and Richards, for two
56. Pre-weekend sentiment
59. Louvre Pyramid architect
60. Test for college srs.
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