Northern Express - September 21, 2026

NORTHERN

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FALL UP NORTH Wineries & wine-inspired recipes • 25+ fall races in northern Michigan Bestselling author Lucy Foley comes to Traverse City

NORTHERN MICHIGAN’S WEEKLY • september 21 - september 27, 2026 • Vol. 36 No.38 Photo by Meg Bowen / Traverse City Tourism

Fresh cuts at the counter.

WELCOME T O DELI FLOWER. BUILD YOUR OUNCE. PAY YOUR PRICE.

N O W AVA I L A B L E

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FOR USE BY INDIVIDUALS 21 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER ONLY. KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN. IT IS ILLEGAL TO DRIVE A MOTOR VEHICLE WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF MARIHUANA. NATIONAL POISON CONTROL CENTER 1-800-222-1222.

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letters CONTENTS

Time for Accountability Rep. John Roth represents Interlochen. Recently, Roth had an opportunity to cosponsor Resolution HR0284 to create a select committee to examine the Interlochen Center for the Arts and its relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. He declined to do so, even though three fellow Republicans were among the cosponsors. John Roth chose to protect a pedophile from scrutiny. Cathy Albro | Bellaire

Forward into the Past Looking at Antrim County alone, there is a population of 24,698 in 2025. The median age is 51.8, and there are approximately 30 percent older adults. I’m guessing that many of these folks depend on Social Security or Medicare. Most have paid into these programs throughout their working lives. These are earned benefits. Speaker Johnson announced that Social Security and Medicare must be adjusted and fixed to address the national debt, and that Republicans plan to release a specific legislative plan next year. Republicans have increased the national debt by $3.8 trillion since 2025. The programs they valued were ICE, vanity projects, war, the military, anything but a program benefiting Americans. And don’t come at me with ICE is helping us, because most of those people came here to work and paid taxes with no benefits for themselves. Those lost taxes went towards our deficit. We are being told OUR benefits must be cut now so millionaires can pay less taxes. And while Johnson says there is no money for our programs, Congress just gave $4 billion tax dollars to Israel for their security and defense. We pay for their security and defense so Israelis can have universal healthcare. No wonder AIPAC spends so much to maintain the status quo. For them. You don’t have to wonder what the Republican legislative plan is for after the midterms. It is in Project 2025 and the Big Bill the republican Congress passed. Fireside Theater said it correctly. “Forward. Into the past.”

features The 2026 Vineyard Recap................................10

The Perfect Pairing............................................15 What the Ancestors Say....................................16 Inside the Ingredients.......................................19 Lucy Foley: The New Queen of Mystery............20 Up North Pride Week 2026.............................23 Spilling the Tea on Decades of Success...........24 Your Fall 2026 Race Calendar.........................26

columns & stuff

Top Ten.........................................................4 Spectator/Stephen Tuttle..................................6 Guest Opinion..................................................7 Weird..............................................................8 13Questions (sponsored content)....................13 Dates..........................................................29 Astrology.......................................................35 Crossword.....................................................35 Nitelife...........................................................36 Classifieds....................................................37 Northern Express Weekly is published by Eyes Only Media, LLC. Publisher: Luke Haase PO Box 4020 Traverse City, Michigan 49685 Phone: (231) 947-8787 Fax: 947-2425 email: info@northernexpress.com www.northernexpress.com Editor: Jillian Manning Creative Director: Kyra Cross Poehlman Finance Manager: Libby Shutler Sales: Lisa Gillespie, Kim Murray, Kaitlyn Nance, Abby Walton Porter, Michele Young For ad sales in Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Boyne & Charlevoix, call (231) 838-6948 Cover Photo by Meg Bowen / Traverse City Tourism

Maureen Lorenz | Kewadin Contributors: Geri Dietze, Matt Dursum, Anna Faller, Ellen Miller, Nora Rae Pearl, Stephen Tuttle, Todd VanSickle

For Traverse City area news and events, visit TraverseTicker.com

Distribution: Marc Morris, Gerald Morris, Dave Anderson, Joe Evancho, Jason Ritter, Sherri Ritter, Roger Racine, Sarah Racine, Brandy Grames, Rachel Cara, Jackson Price, Lisa Price, Peggy Bell Listings Editor: Jamie Kauffold

Copyright 2026, all rights reserved. Distribution: 36,000 copies at 600+ locations weekly. Northern Express Weekly is free of charge, but no person may take more than one copy of each weekly issue without written permission of Northern Express Weekly. Reproduction of all content without permission of the publisher is prohibited.

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this week’s

top ten Fall Festival in Elk Rapids Just a few days after the autumnal equinox—Sept. 22, for those who observe— Elk Rapids will host its Fall Festival downtown on River Street on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 11am-3pm. The free, familyfriendly celebration includes a slate of early fall treats, from fresh cider to caramel apples to cinnamon-coated donuts. There will also be live music, booths from local vendors, and line dancing Sandy and the Bandits. For a Halloween-inspired twist, you can join a tour of historic Maple Grove Cemetery (offered 11am to 2pm), or drive a little ways Photo: Elk Rapid Area Chamber of Commerce south to the Music House Museum at 7377 US-31 in Williamsburg for their Spooky Silent Shorts (performances at 11am and 1pm). Get all the details on the festival—and see more events happening throughout the Elk Rapids area—at elkrapidschamber.org.

2 tastemaker

Jolly Pumpkin’s Sweet Potato Nachos

When you read the description for these nachos on the Jolly Pumpkin menu, you may expect simple, straight-forward flavors: borracho beans, shredded pepper jack cheese, house salsa, and cilantro lime sour cream. You may also expect the cooked-to-carmelizedperfection sweet potatoes to be the star of the show. But actually, the secret lies in those borracho beans, sometimes called drunken beans, which are pinto beans slow cooked in beer and an impressive medley of spices (think: cilantro, onion, garlic, cumin, and chili powder). In some places, the beans even get an extra kick from being cooked in bacon and/or bacon fat, though Jolly Pumpkin’s are vegetarian. This starter plate is big enough for sharing, but you probably will want every savory bite for yourself. Dive in at 13512 Peninsula Dr. in Traverse City. traversecity.jollypumpkin.com

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Saturday Suds in Cadillac

Grab a tasty craft brew or choose from a variety of NA flavors at Cadillac’s Craft Beer Festival, overlooking Lake Cadillac at Cadillac Commons, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2-9pm. Port Huron’s The Gasoline Gypsies bring their Americana rock, along with tunes by The Bootstrap Boys and Silver Creek Revival. Try your hand at yard games, and hit the local food trucks! GA tickets are $30 advance, $35 gate, and include five 5-oz. pours and a festival glass. Brewers include Great Mead Hall, Elder Piper, Dark Horse Brewing Co., Short’s Brewing, Four Leaf Brewing, and many more. cadillaccraftbeerfest.com

Hey, Read It! The Unknown When aspiring actress Marin Keane lands her dream role in a horror flick directed by Hollywood golden boy Ronan Peters, she’s dumbstruck—especially when she learns she has just hours to prepare for an all-hands cast retreat. Nestled in the middle of Vermont’s immense Lake Faraday, the island of New Avalon once housed a coven of witches, whose 1926 disappearance is both the spinechilling subject of local lore and the movie’s very real inspiration. In fact, it’s the incomplete journal of Marin’s character, Daisy, upon which the plot is based…and if the film follows the journal too closely, the cast could awaken a demonic presence that’s been dormant for decades. There’s evil afoot on New Avalon, and whether it’s human or something far more insidious, they’re running out of time to keep history from repeating itself. Bestselling author Riley Sager is at it again in his newest thriller, The Unknown. Expertly crafted and steeped in eerie foreboding, it’s the perfect read to jump-start spooky season!

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6 Halloween Begins

If the decorations around town haven’t been a sign, then consider this your official notice: spooky season is here! Holiday RV Park Campground on Silver Lake in Traverse City is getting in on the fun with their first Halloween Weekend. Friday, Sept. 25, head to the pavilion at 7pm for a night of scary campfire stories (and s’mores, of course). There will also be hay rides offered throughout the evening. Saturday, guests of all scare-levels can get in on the action with pumpkin carving, Halloween arts and crafts, a face painting station, an on-site food truck, and a costume contest! The day concludes with a stroll along the terrifying Scare Trail after dark, or the milder Boo Walk boardwalk. If you can’t make it this weekend, save the date for Oct. 2-4 when the thrills repeat. More info at holidayparktc. com/events.

Stuff We Love: Revisiting Memory How does a memory change when we revisit it? This is the question that Echoes, the newest exhibit at Crooked Tree Arts Center (CTAC) in Petoskey, asks. Twentynine artists tackled the question across an array of mediums to explore how places, Pictured: “Please, Don’t Go…” by Haley Joseph (ceramic, environments, and landscapes linger in our metal, epoxy, paper) thoughts. “Echoes brings together artists who are exploring that space between the place, person, or event itself and the memory of it,” Jennifer Cantley, visual arts director at CTAC, said in a press release. “This creates a particularly personal and engaging exhibition, giving visitors an opportunity to slow down, look closely, and reflect on the memories that have stayed with them over time.” The exhibit will be on view Sept. 18 through Oct. 31 in the Gilbert Gallery. Learn more at crookedtree. org/events-and-exhibitions.

TART Detours If you’re hoping to take in the changing leaves by foot or by bike, be aware that a few key TART Trail legs are under construction this fall. In Leelanau, the Leo Creek Bridge is being installed, and there’s a closed segment of about 0.5 miles on the Leelanau Trail between Eckerle Rd. and W. Fourth St. The detour (pictured; more info at traversetrails.org/ trails/leelanau-trail) is expected to be in place through November. On the TART in Traverse City, there is ongoing work along Parsons Rd. as the sewer main replacement project continues. See the detour routes at traversetrails.org/trails/tart. And closures continue on the Boardman-Ottaway Trail as a result of the April 2026 floods. See the details of the closures at traversetrails.org/trails/boardman-river-trail.

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bottoms up Barrel Back’s Smoked Honey Pear Tea-Ni We don’t normally blow smoke when it comes to beverages, but we’re willing to make an exception for the Smoked Honey Pear Tea-Ni at Barrel Back Restaurant in Walloon Lake. Inspired by the crisp-meets-warming flavor palette of early fall (and to echo the kitchen’s house-smoked meats), this fireside sip just dropped as part of Barrel Back’s Applewood Smoked Autumn menu. Featuring a base of Tanqueray gin infused with Osulloc’s honey pear black tea blend, this transitional ’tini is shaken with homemade honey-vanilla syrup, fresh lemon juice, and a touch of honey, house-smoked with applewood. Bright and fresh, but with a woody depth and gentle sweetness, it’s the perfect pear-ing for autumn (though, the whipped feta with honey, veggies, and pita also makes for a killer combo!). Find it at Barrel Back Restaurant at 4069 M-75 in Walloon Lake. barrel-back.com

Northern Express Weekly • september 21, 2026 • 5

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GETTING WORSE

spectator By Stephen Tuttle Why, my friend asked, do you keep writing about the environment? Because people should know things keep getting worse. Some scientists believe a tipping point has already been reached and our actions no longer have much mitigating consequence—we are heading for an environmental apocalypse no matter what. Others are more hopeful. The current administration in Washington does not believe there is a problem. What does the current data indicate? According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Monitoring and the Copernicus Climate Change Service, global temperatures keep increasing and keep setting records. (Accurate temperature records go back

about 132 years, so broken records happen within that time window. Yes, some pedants will be happy to point out the Earth was much, much hotter tens of millions of years ago, but humans weren’t yet around then.)

And in what surely must seem like an unusually cruel joke, Arizona experienced their hottest summer on record, and that is some accomplishment considering the furnace-like conditions they’ve experienced in the past. It wasn’t the blistering daytime temperatures, though they had plenty of them—it was the relentless heat overnight. This summer Phoenix had an almost incomprehensible 27 days in which the overnight low never dipped below 90. Let’s repeat that–on 27 days the temperature in Phoenix was never below 90 degrees. That means air conditioning running 24 hours a day, consuming enormous amounts of energy while pumping even more heat into the air.

231-348-8100 2200 East Mitchell Rd., Petoskey 6 • september 21, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly

The heat would be tolerable if not for the drought, and the drought is caused by lack of precipitation. It significantly stresses available water supplies while population and demand continue to increase. Water scarcity will very soon be more than a hypothetical, future problem for many in the American southwest, especially the tens of millions relying on the Colorado River. The Colorado River basin, which includes seven states—Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, California, Arizona—30

This past summer tied with the summer of 2024 as the hottest, globally, on record.

This past summer tied with the summer of 2024 as the hottest, globally, on record. August tied with August of 2023 as the hottest month on record, globally. For Western Europe, the United States, and Southeast Asia, it was the hottest summer ever. August turned out to be a scorcher everywhere, and was the hottest month ever for North America and Africa.

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eastern California below the Sierra Nevada, and Arizona are currently the hardest hit, but plenty of other areas are teetering on the brink. Even a tiny piece of the far western Upper Peninsula falls into the “serious drought” category.

The endless heat brings with it additional problems like drought. The U.S. Drought Monitor keeps track of drought conditions filing weekly reports. The news is not so good. About 60 percent of the country is currently in some form of drought condition ranging from “abnormally dry” to “severe drought.” Nearly all of Oklahoma, the Texas panhandle, northern New Mexico, most of Utah, southern Idaho, a good chunk of northern Wisconsin, most of Puerto Rico,

tribal nations, and Mexico, provides drinking water for about 40 million people, irrigation water for 5.5 million acres of farmland, and the dams that impound the river forming Lake Mead and Lake Powell provide electrical power to about 7 million people. But the river is running low, and the reservoirs are running dangerously low. Lake Mead is currently at 26 percent of capacity, a startling 190 feet below its maximum level. If it falls by just another four feet, it will be forced to reduce its hydroelectric output by 70 percent. Lake Powell is 185 feet below its capacity, now at just 22 percent of maximum, and if it shrinks another 27 feet, it will be unable to produce any power at all. California, Nevada, and especially Arizona will face substantial cuts in the amount of Colorado River water they receive starting next year unless El Niño produces huge rain and a maximum snowpack. The heat hasn’t helped the glaciers, either. Nature reports glaciers have lost a stunning 6.5 trillion tons of ice since 2000, helping accelerate destructive avalanches and landslides. With less precipitation and more heat also comes more fire. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, the U.S. is currently fighting 58 major wildfires in eight different geographic regions, but there are a total of 315 fires burning just under two million acres. The total for 2026, so far, is about 54,000 wildfires that consumed about 8.4 million acres. (The fire center counts any fire event that requires a professional response, so they can be as small as a couple acres.) All of this is in the contiguous United States. There are another 454 wildfires still burning in Alaska, which is actually below their annual average. Hotter, drier, less water, and more fires. Are we winning yet?

AN IMPERFECT GUIDE TO ENVIRONMENTAL DILEMMAS AT HOME

STEAK YOUR TIME.

GUEST OPINION by Lauren Teichner As a homeowner, parent of two small kids, and full time professional, I constantly grapple with how to lead an environmentally conscious life. There are many questions that do not seem to have easy answers: When it comes to our lawn, how can I steward our land while creating space for our kids to play? What controls should I use, if any, to tackle the swarms of mosquitos we get in the early summer? Is spraying worth the collateral damage to bees, butterflies, and birds? Even though environmental law is my job, I get overwhelmed at how complicated these questions can become. At work, I hire experts to provide guidance; at home, I don’t have an expert to weigh in on my day-to-day choices.

Sometimes this will mean changing what I do; sometimes it will mean accepting an imperfect choice. The goal is to stay informed, make thoughtful choices where I can, and accept that I will not always “get it right.” This way of thinking is rooted in Indigenous traditions that emphasize relationship and reciprocity with the natural world—taking only what is needed, giving back where we can, and considering how our choices will affect future generations, while practicing gratitude for all the Earth provides to us. This approach also has a surprising practical parallel in Michigan law. (The lawyer in me can’t help but throw this in.) The Michigan

As a homeowner, parent of two small kids, and full time professional, I constantly grapple with how to lead an environmentally conscious life. At one extreme, I could let my environmental concerns outweigh nearly every other consideration. If I go down this path, I see myself transforming our entire lawn into a flowering garden to support pollinators and birds, granting zero green space for our kids to run around. I become the garden-police to my neighbors, demanding everyone do the same. I never turn on our string lights out back to avoid disturbing insects at night. This approach is full of anxiety and can become exhausting. Taken too far, it can make everyday decisions feel impossibly high stakes. At the other extreme, I could prioritize convenience and enjoyment without giving much thought to the environmental impacts of my actions. This is the “business as usual” approach. On this path, I use traditional home lawn maintenance methods—mowing, irrigating, fertilizer, pesticides—focused on cultivating a vast, thick green carpet that feels good on my family’s toes. It provides little to no benefit to the critters and ecosystems around our home, but no matter—out of sight, out of mind. This approach has a cost, too. When we stop supporting the wildlife and natural systems around us, we lose an important connection to the places in which we live, and our role in the bigger, interconnected picture. Perhaps, instead of these two responses, there is a more sustainable way, not so much a solution as an ongoing practice. On this path, I don’t stop asking questions or looking at the data. I keep trying to do better. I accept that I’m making these choices amid competing needs, limited time, and imperfect information. I can reflect on what my family’s goals are, consider the environmental consequences, and look for feasible alternatives that protect natural resources and support habitats.

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Supreme Court reaffirmed this same standard for the State’s environmental review processes in the recent Line 5 decision. Known as the Michigan Environmental Protection Act, this statute requires that we—both individuals and the State—ask these questions if natural resources could be or are impaired by actions. If there are “feasible and prudent” alternatives to those planned, then otherwise destructive behavior cannot go forward. Some ways I can make these adjustments in my own backyard: I can support endangered butterflies and birds by choosing native plant species for my family’s garden on the borders of the lawn, for instance, by planting milkweed for monarchs. I can let my grass grow longer before I mow. I can leave corners of the yard or the area behind the shed undisturbed for ground nesting bees. I can build a mosquito bucket that targets larvae with “dunks” that prevent them from developing into adults, without spraying harmful chemicals. Spending some time considering alternatives before acting is a small way to move beyond “business as usual” without expecting perfection from ourselves, and while channeling integrity, acceptance, and gratitude. The next time my kids are running through our (longer than traditional) grass, they will hopefully spot a hummingbird at our feeder, hear the buzz of the bees at our flower beds, and be proud to show off our cool homemade mosquito buckets to their friends. As Robin Wall Kimmerer writes in the book Braiding Sweetgrass, “all flourishing is mutual.” Lauren Teichner is the principal attorney at Teichner Law, an environmental and land use law firm based in Traverse City.

Northern Express Weekly • september 21, 2026 • 7

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I Do Not Like It, Not One Little Bit It started with some posts and AI-made memes. Now authorities are warning of some strange social schemes. Newsweek reported on Sept. 10 that the Cat in the Hat, the character of Dr. Seuss fame, is at the center of a viral social media trend that has made its way around the globe. Images and videos -- sometimes AIgenerated, sometimes of a real person in costume lurking outside of homes and schools at night -- of the Cat in the Hat are accompanied by menacing text warning of where the "Cat" is headed next and listing specific people or schools as its next targets. Students in Kansas, Georgia, Alabama and Kentucky have been apprehended and face criminal charges for participating in the hoax, and school districts in Pennsylvania, North Dakota and Minnesota have put their communities on alert. In Canada, the online hoax turned into a real nightmare when a teenage girl in British Columbia was chased by someone wearing a Cat in the Hat costume. She arrived home safely, but authorities are still looking for the perpetrator. "People should understand that behavior intended as a prank can have serious consequences when it causes another person to reasonably fear for their safety," said Corporal Devon Gerrits of West Kelowna RCMP. [Newsweek, 9/10/26] Dumpster Diving Gone Awry An alleged dumpster diver had to be rescued from a garbage truck on Sept. 2, the LA Times reported. A driver for Recology, a commercial waste collection company, picked up and emptied a dumpster, and then ran the trash compactor before hearing yelling from inside the truck and calling 911. When firefighters arrived, they couldn't just reach in and pull the man out -- he might have had crush injuries -- or have the driver dump all the trash out, which could have released hazardous material, such as glass, batteries and even vermin. What followed was a two-hour rescue effort. Paramedics were able to get an IV in the man's arm while firefighters carefully removed the trash with pike poles. The man was conscious when firefighters reached him, and he was taken to a local hospital. The extent of his injuries was undisclosed; one firefighter suffered a laceration injury during the rescue but is in stable condition. [LA Times, 9/3/26]

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The Golden Age of Air Travel An unnamed Italian man made it all the way from Miami to Turin, Italy, with a dried crocodile head in his luggage, The Guardian reported on Sept. 8. The Turin unit of Italy's financial police squad said in a statement that the man wrapped the head in brown packing paper in an evidently feeble attempt to keep it from the astute eyes of customs officers. The man was swiftly taken into custody upon discovery of the croc, and is accused of smuggling a specimen belonging to a protected species. If convicted, the man could have to pay up to $270,000 USD or face a prison term of up to one year. [The Guardian, 9/8/26] People With Issues "So this is an interesting case, she thinks the neighbor is having relations with her

husband so she pushes her way into the victim's house and then throws poop on the victim, a bucket of poop," is an actual thing a judge said during a recent bond hearing for Yirsi Machado Rivera, 50, of Miami. NBC 6 reported that on Sept. 8, Machado Rivera was arrested on charges of burglary and battery after attacking her neighbor with a bucket of human feces the night before. Machado Rivera told police that she did, in fact, have such a bucket that she was using while her toilet was out of commission; however, she denies dumping the doody, instead claiming that the neighbor attacked her with a bat. Judge Mindy Glazer ordered Machado Rivera to be held without bond and appointed a public defender. Oh, and leave the poor neighbor alone. [NBC 6, 9/9/26] Rubber Duckie, You're the One Police in Chatham County, Georgia, are looking for an unusual suspect. Among his questionable behavior? "Becoming infatuated" with a rubber duck that he played with for 10 minutes while soaking in a hot tub -- uninvited -- at someone else's home. According to WOTC, video footage from Sept. 1 shows an unidentified male trespassing on private property and going for a dip in the pool before availing himself of the hot tub sometime between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. He also helped himself to over $1,000 worth of beach towels before riding away on his bicycle. "It's obviously not the biggest crime we've dealt with this month, but it has a lot of ick-factor," the local police department said in a social media post. "So, we'd like to find this guy so he doesn't do this to someone else." [WTOC, 9/9/26] Not-So-Speedy Delivery CBS News reported on Sept. 3 that the City of Denton Animal Services in Texas was contacted by employees at a local FedEx office after they discovered an unusual attempted shipment -- 191 tortoises and turtles. The shelter took custody of the animals and contacted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which began an investigation. The turtles and tortoises were then moved to the Dallas Zoo for secure shelter. "This unusual rescue is just one example of how our animal services team supports the community," the animal shelter said. "We're grateful for the strong partnerships with our animal welfare colleagues, who help us coordinate responses in unique situations like this." [CBS News, 9/3/26] Price Check on Corn Snakes Shoppers browsing at the Heron Foods grocery store in Maryport, England, recently got a little more than they bargained for. On Sept. 2, BBC reported that a baby corn snake had been found in the bread aisle. "Crumbs," as the snake was called, was first taken to a local veterinary practice but ended up being put in the care of an animal education organization. Ben Nicholson of Pet Encounter said the organization has rescued more than 20 snakes so far this year. Whether Crumbs had been abandoned in the grocery store or had escaped from somewhere is unclear, but Nicholson said he believes high costs and a lack of education are playing parts in pets being abandoned. [BBC, 9/2/26]

Northern Express Weekly • september 21, 2026 • 9

Photos courtesy of Black Star Farms

The 2026 Vineyard Recap From growing to harvest to glass, here’s what three NoMi wine experts have to say about this year’s grape crop By Matt Dursum Blizzards, floods, wildfire smoke, and changing drinking habits have made 2026 another year of adaptation for northern Michigan’s wine industry. From the vineyard to the tasting room, growers and winemakers are finding new ways to work through the challenges and turn chaos into liquid art. The Growing Season “We’ve had one of these up-and-down growing seasons,” says Lee Lutes, head winemaker at Black Star Farms of Suttons Bay. “With the amount of moisture that we had over the winter and in the spring, once it started to warm up, the vines just grew like weeds.” After bud break in May, northern Michigan’s grape vines used their dormant energy and water to send new growth out from the plant’s old growth, fueled by moist soils and hot, dry mid-summer heat. Throughout the summer, Lutes says Black Star Farms’ vineyard crews worked tirelessly to manage the vines. Too much green growth takes much-needed energy away from fruit

production. It also creates a damp, shady habitat for pests and diseases, which could decimate entire crops if left unchecked. “In years like this, with the amount of moisture and the amount of growth, it’s difficult to keep fruit protected,” Lutes says. “But for the most part, we’ve been able to keep the vines and the fruit really clean.” When vines get unruly, Lutes says grape growers must remove excess foliage around the fruit zone to improve airflow, making it harder for pests and diseases to thrive. On top of managing the growing conditions on the vine, local growers had to work overtime monitoring the ripening process. One of the tricks farmers have in unpredictable years like 2026 is to drop fruit instead of letting every cluster ripen on the vine. “Where we might ordinarily hang four tons of fruit in the white vineyards and three tons in the red vineyards, I think we’re down 25 to 30 percent in both,” he says. “That allows for earlier development of the fruit and a bit more energy from the vine feeding it.” The Harvest Winemakers also have control over

10 • september 21, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly

what styles they produce. In warmer years, grapes can be left on the vine longer. This concentrates the flavors and sugars, producing fuller-bodied, higher alcohol wines, particularly reds like Cabernet Franc and Merlot and dry, still whites like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. In cooler years, winemakers harvest earlier to beat the threat of early frosts. The resulting grapes have lower sugar levels and higher acidity, ideal for making sparkling wines. Lutes says that even with a late start to spring, we’re looking at a warmer year and potentially longer growing season. Even when the weather cooperates, anyone in the wine industry knows that’s not enough to ensure a successful harvest. This year in northern Michigan, wildfire smoke added to the climatic uncertainty. For days, the region’s air quality remained at unhealthy levels, with thick blankets of smoke blocking out the sun. When wildfire smoke is heavy enough, it can cause smoke taint, a condition in which smoke compounds bind to the waxy coating on grape skins and impart flavors of wood smoke and char. Fortunately, Lutes says that

our smoke event was too early in the growing season and too high in the atmosphere to affect the quality of the finished wines. Growing wine grapes in Michigan’s unpredictable climate, especially in years like this, takes precise, manual labor. Lutes says any good winery owes its quality to the farmers handling the vines. “A lot of good wines are made in the vineyard,” Lutes says. “As long as the winery can get quality fruit, making a good wine from it is considerably easier than when you have compromised fruit coming in.” As for the quality of wine this year, Lutes is optimistic. “We’ll have a little less wine this year, but the quality at this point should be good, if not very good.” The Varietals to Look Out For Wine drinkers Up North now know to expect more than just Riesling or Pinot Noir in their glasses. Lesser-known varietals and blends resembling those in Europe are representing northern Michigan’s terroir more than ever. “To me, it’s an exciting place to be in the industry and an exciting place to be as a wine

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a wine drinker,” says Alaina Leech, owner of Lake District Wine and WSET Level 4 Certified wine educator. “Consumers are getting more educated. They’re interested in the things that they need to be. And because of that, winemakers are stepping up their game.” Leech says her customers’ interest in wine doesn’t stop at the label. “Consumers are becoming a lot more educated on biodynamic, organic farming, and are really careful about what they’re putting in their body,” she says. Now more than ever, Leech says people appreciate when wine labels and wine lists inform them how the grapes were grown and which farming practices were used. “I’m seeing these types of questions more than ever before, which I love.” As far as this year’s vintages, Leech says a lot can happen between harvest and bottling. “That’s what’s so fun about Michigan,” she says. “Winemakers are always having to pivot to what they think is going to happen. Michigan wines are different every year. We have to just wait and see what happens.” Leech adds that climate change is lengthening our growing seasons, allowing grape growers to grow more heat-loving grapes. Bold reds like Cabernet Franc, Blaufränkisch, and even Malbec are being grown on Old Mission and Leelanau Peninsulas. The Signs of the Times Michigan’s changing climate is one thing; a changing market is another. Drinking trends continue to shift towards moderation, and wineries throughout our region must offer more than just glass and bottle sales to keep up. “Over the last five to 10 years, everybody is focused on the experience,” says Kyle Brownley, director of marketing at Chateau Chantal on Old Mission Peninsula. Today, visitors to the winery can enjoy a

range of activities and beverages, including non-alcoholic options, as well as curated wine dinners and tapas tours featuring dishes made with locally grown ingredients, complemented with estate-produced wines. At the core of this model, Brownley says, is using wine as an opportunity to be social. “If you want to come out here, grab a glass of wine, a charcuterie board, and just sit out on our patios with some friends, that’s really the best experience you can have on the Traverse Wine Coast.” Many local wineries like Chateau Chantal have started partnering with local restaurants and catering companies to create coordinated experiences. Brownley says that, beyond tapping into shared marketing channels, these collaborations give chefs and wineries the opportunity to try something new. Even as wine sales continue to drop globally, wineries like Chateau Chantal are able to find their rhythm and attract new customers. “The best way we’ve seen to do that is to introduce people to wine through these amazing experiences,” Brownley says. “Showcasing that wine isn’t necessarily just like another alcoholic beverage, but something that’s truly meant to be part of a meal and enjoyed with friends.” This October, the winery will be taking part in the national Come Over October campaign. Launched in 2024 by wine journalist Karen MacNeil and public relations experts Gino Colangelo and Kimberly Noelle Charles, the campaign promotes wine as a way to combat loneliness and strengthen community connections. “It’s really just about, hey, having a glass of wine at home by yourself is great,” Brownley says. “But what’s even better is making that an excuse to invite some people over, open up that bottle you’ve been saving, and sharing it.”

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{ 13 Questions }

The Future of Aging at Home Has Arrived

Janice Rehkopf, Director of Client Services, Comfort Keepers

1 > The last time we checked in with Comfort Keepers was during the pandemic. What did we learn about the impact of isolating seniors for months and months? We’re still seeing an impact, actually. During the pandemic we had a lot of seniors making a transition and having people have to visit through a window, in some cases even for their last breaths. If we had had The Wellness Hub then, we wouldn’t have had that problem. Unfortunately people are still not getting out like they used to. 2 > How have you changed your approach to assist seniors who live alone or with an aging spouse? Our approach has always been one-on-one dedicated care in the home. Over the years we’ve evolved as the world has, and brought in not just caregiver support but a full circle of care, from nursing to technology, wound care and more. There really aren’t any limitations. 3 > What exactly is The Wellness Hub and how does it fit in with caregiving? It just does everything; it’s incredible. It helps bring in care right through their TV without having to learn any new technology. It provides calendar reminders, it can monitor their motion and vitals, and it also gives their families unlimited access so they can video in and say hello anytime. We use it for our folks at the end of their journey but also for those who have dementia and just need extra reminders or care. It’s a gamechanger for care. 4 > When I think of Comfort Keepers, I think of professional caregivers visiting the house offering companionship and help with household matters; apparently, that is a misconception. How comprehensive have your services become, and how do you incorporate caregiver visits both within and outside the Wellness Hub? The Wellness Hub can be a first step for many. Some might just need wellness reminders and family video calls. But there is also engagement content to keep their minds sharp and a calendar of local events they might be interested in attending. Then once they’re ready for more care, we’re just a call away.

5 > Diagnoses of dementia are a growing concern; how can technology assist in memory care? Memory care is a wide spectrum, but often getting into a routine can be important. So the reminders are read to them and also pops-up on the screen. We can also video-in and watch them take their medication. They can still keep their independence a lot longer but with just a little extra help. 6 > What about hands-on medical care like monitoring blood pressure and other vital signs? The hub is paired with our blood pressure, weight or oxygen monitors and we coordinate with their physician. They get a reminder and if their measurements fall outside their parameters, we get an alert and can respond quickly. If they miss a check, we also get an alert then and can help them with it. Or if they’re not sleeping enough. The red flags show up immediately for us and their physician. 7 > Working adults with aging parents are so stressed that they can’t be in two places at the same time. And if they live on the other side of the country, the sense of family connection can get lost. Does this really feel the same as actually being there?

just checking in or Comfort Keepers calling in to make sure they’re up and everything looks great. Then many clients make video calls on their own. When the hub is not in use, a photo slideshow will rotate on their screen, and family members can upload photos or messages that show up. 9 > Is this one-size-fits-all, or can a person only sign up for certain features? All of our services can be used standalone or in combination, just like the hub. No single person or family is the same, so we can layer these services to meet any client’s needs. 10 > What about seniors who are already in an assisted living community? Or living with family? Can this help them to stay where they are? They absolutely can still use and benefit from The Wellness Hub. Even in assisted living we still have family members wanting that connection, and the individual still wants their own independence. 11 > Let’s go back to the safety features. Everyone worries about falls and fires. How does Comfort Keepers offer assistance in the case of an emergency?

Nothing will ever replace the human touch. But what this does is for people not able to be next to their side, it does connect them and bring joy to them and their family members. We had a client who started using our services just for transportation but eventually she started to decline and went on hospice. She had the hub just for alerts but then we started doing wellness calls with her. Her family was spread out all over the world. But on Mother’s Day everyone video called in as a group, and they were able to have a meal with her and it was really, really special. She ended up passing away that night with her entire family all there.

We have an emergency response pendant, which is our alert. It’s a life-saving device that holds all of our clients’ information so EMS knows how to respond. Family members and Comfort Keepers also get an alert. It also detects when someone falls and alerts are sent then as well.

8 > Walk me through a normal day. What might the Wellness Hub actually do for someone?

13 > Now I’m wondering if the Wellness Hub might save money? Is that right? How expensive is this?

Every situation is different, but often we manage the calendar reminders and appointments and rides, and it’s all up on their TV for alerts. The medication reminders or taking their weight reminders pop-up in the morning. Maybe physical therapy coming in at 2pm. They might see a family member video calling in a few times

Depending on your level of care, this could be a very small cost versus having to relocate to a nursing home or assisted living center. In many cases, people don’t need all those services provided early on, so we choose to just give them what they need. So yes, definitely can save their independence, but also some money!

12 > When I hear “technology for seniors,” my first thought is: Are they really going to use this? It’s really simple to use, and once they just see it, they understand there’s no learning curve. It’s a tool for their independence. It’s incredible to just experience it.

Northern Express Weekly • september 21, 2026 • 13

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The Perfect Pairing Sushi and wine combine at the new team-up between Bonobo and Dojo

By Todd VanSickle Traverse City’s newest haunt literally has two bars—wine and sushi. Bonobo Winery and Dojo Sushi have combined forces in a historic TC home and recently opened its doors to the neighborhood and beyond. Although there are two separate businesses operating in the same building, the ultimate goal is to create an experience where the two businesses work together, says Dojo Sushi owner Brent Shafer. “Bonobo brings the wine, Dojo brings the sushi, and each of us focus on doing what we do best.” The Space On a Saturday evening at 115 Franklin Street, a family of four sat at a table with two kids, who could barely touch the floor, eating sushi on the porch. Inside the historic Victorian home and former music school, the sound of Van Morrison occasionally broke through the chatter of guests sipping wine and noshing on sushi. Some wore high heels and cocktail dresses, while others mingled in sweatpants and sandals with a glass of wine in hand. “The overall vibe definitely feels much more upscale, but still relaxed,” says Shafer. Guests can choose to sit in one of three rooms after placing their wine and sushi orders at individual adjacent bars. There is no table service, and numbers are given to guests to keep track of orders. The main room is bright, modern, and welcoming, while the two front rooms are more intimate with darker walls donned in vintage botanical wallpaper and old portraits. Grand Traverse Bay can be seen from almost any

seat in the house. “The space itself is so different from our original location,” Shafer says. “The historic Franklin Street property is so beautiful and the view of the bay is unmatched. I feel we have done an excellent job at preserving the intimate feeling that we achieved in the old classroom; we can still chat with our guests and build connections, but the overall dining experience feels a little more elevated and special.” The Dojo Sushi opened in December 2020 at the Long Lake Culinary Campus before moving in with Bonobo in August. “We had grown out of the space and were ready to make a move,” Shafer explains. “Bonobo reached out to me about a property they were looking at and it felt like a really good fit. Sushi and wine are a natural pair, and being downtown was always the end goal, so we felt like it was an opportunity we would be crazy to pass on.” The restaurant seats about 27, with eight spots at the sushi bar. “Most of it indoors, a few tables outside,” Shafer says of the seating. “We still have a sushi bar where we encourage guests to watch us make their food and talk to us—it’s the best part of the job.” During our visit, a half dozen guests sat shoulder to shoulder at the sushi bar watching four chefs work non-stop putting finishing touches on each order. “Our goal is to run out [of sushi] each night,” one of the chefs told a customer sitting at the bar. “Has it been this busy?” the customer asked as he looked around at the crowded room. “You should have been here last night,”

another chef chimed in. “We broke records, as far as sales go.” The Wine Upon entering the restaurant, guests are first greeted by the Bonobo Winery bar. Bonobo’s main location is on Old Mission Peninsula, and they’ve been in operation since 2015. Bonobo Winery CEO Todd Oosterhouse along with his family—brother, sister, and brother-in-law—also own the Franklin Street house. “We run the place and Dojo operates within that building,” Oosterhouse tells us. “Bonobo runs the alcohol part of it. It’s just an off-site tasting room, if you want to use the legal term.” Wine is offered by the glass ($9-$13) or bottle ($24-$28). Additionally, wine by the bottle can be purchased to go. Currently, Bonobo offers eight different wines at Franklin Street, which is pared down from the flagship location. In addition to wine, Oosterhouse hopes to offer distilled spirits in the future. “Wines from northern Michigan are very food friendly, and we capture that in the winery,” says Oosterhouse. “But this just takes it one step further. The wines that we’ve selected to be down here pair really well with the type of food that [Dojo] is putting out. So, it really helps both businesses. This is more casual, but upscale, in terms of what you’re getting—a great product, but you don’t have to do all the pomp and circumstance to get there.” He adds that the response from the community has been very positive, something he credits both Dojo’s and

Bonobo’s reputation to. “The public really seems to be taking to it,” said Oosterhouse. “Brent had a great reputation where he was and the way he does fresh sushi. It’s just a new hotspot in Traverse City that everyone should come out and enjoy.” The Sushi Dojo has also adapted their menu slightly while they warm up to the new venue. “We’ve kept the favorites,” Shafer says. “We wanted to keep the menu approachable, while still offering a few unique rolls for people who want to explore.” Nigiri and sashimi run about $5 to $10, and rolls start at $12 for classics like the California and top out at $22 for the Seven Spice Tuna. “We are especially grateful for the guests who followed us downtown and helped Dojo grow to the point where this next step was even possible,” Shafer says. He’s looking forward to collaborating with Bonobo and offering more for customers to enjoy. “We are excited about future sushi and wine pairings, special dinners, collaborations, and events that make sense for the space,” Shafer says. “Most importantly, we hope to continue building on the things that have made Dojo what it is today: keep creating delicious sushi and keep building relationships with our guests. We love that they can now sit down in this gorgeous spot with a glass of wine as well.” Find both Bonobo and Dojo Sushi at 115 Franklin St. in Traverse City. bonobowinery. com; eatdojo.com

Northern Express Weekly • september 21, 2026 • 15

What the Ancestors Say Local journalist shares her investigation into Indian boarding schools in new book

By Anna Faller There’s an Anishinaabe belief that the mind, body, and spirit are all interconnected. As such, hurting one inevitably damages the other two. But when you heal one, you also heal the others. It’s exactly this concept that’s at the core of award-winning Anishinaabe storyteller Sierra Biidaaban Nadeau’s debut book, What the Ancestors Say: One Journalist’s Intimate Investigation into Indian Boarding Schools, which will publish on Sept. 29, with a pre-launch party at The Folded Leaf in Traverse City on Sept. 26. “I want to bring attention to Michigan’s history of Indian boarding schools to uplift the voices of the generations that attended them,” Nadeau says. “The better educated we are, the better able we are to move forward.” A Western Michigan University graduate, Nadeau’s educational background is actually in freshwater science and sustainability, a field which, she says, didn’t take her long to discover wasn’t the right fit. When she was approached by a journalist acquaintance about giving writing a try, though, she was wary. “At first I told her no, that I didn’t trust journalists,” Nadeau says. “But she told me there was a program at the Record-Eagle [in Traverse City] about bringing indigenous voices into media by indigenous people. I thought, maybe I need to do this.”

That program was the Mishigamiing Journalism Project, which the paper launched in 2020 in partnership with Indigenizing the News. Through it, Nadeau wrote for six months, before receiving a Report for America fellowship and subsequently breaking ground as The Record-Eagle’s first Native American journalist, as well as the pen behind Michigan’s first indigenous news beat.

It all goes back to May 2021, when the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation announced that a radar sweep had discovered evidence of a shocking 215 unmarked graves at the former site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, Canada. Beginning in the early nineteenth century, the United States is estimated to

"There is a kind of collective amnesia, a forgetting and covering up of the history that brought us to this current moment. These stories of Indian boarding schools and their afterlife, woven with Sierra Biidaaban Nadeau's own family and community history, are a critical read." PATTY KRAWEC, author of Becoming Kin and Bad Indians Book Club

Since then, her work has appeared in various media throughout the state. She’s also a freelance writer, a keynote speaker, and as of 2021, a reporting specialist for Anishinaabe-led nonprofit, Miigwech, Inc. Picking Up the Story It was during her time with the RecordEagle, however, that Nadeau first uncovered her family’s connection to Michigan’s Indian boarding schools.

16 • september 21, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly

have established more than 500 Indian boarding schools under the guise of providing federal resources, like education and housing, for Indigenous communities, while also equipping entrants with the skills to participate in an increasingly European (read: white) society. The reality, however, couldn’t have been further from the truth. During these institutions’ more than 150year legacy in the U.S., survivors’ stories tell

us that their walls hid countless atrocities, including corporal punishment, deplorable living conditions, cultural isolation, and even sexual abuse that indigenous children were made to endure for decades. Per Nadeau, these facilities also functioned as pointed tools of colonialism, stripping indigenous students of their native cultures in the name of assimilation. Though several functioned throughout the state from the early 19th to late 20th centuries (with the last of Michigan’s programs closing as recently as 1983), Mount Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School in Mount Pleasant and The Holy Childhood School of Jesus in Harbor Springs were two of the state’s most notorious. When the buzz surrounding Kamloops died down shortly after the headlines passed, though, Nadeau wasn’t finished talking about it. “Being in the field and also being an indigenous woman, I was tired of seeing our tragedies make front line newspapers, and then [nothing else],” she says. Deepening the Narrative So, she took it upon herself to keep the topic alive in her storytelling, both to increase public awareness as well as foster engagement from non-indigenous communities. It was in the midst of this journey that Nadeau stumbled upon 10 of her relatives, including her great-grandfather Cletus, on

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a roster of Mount Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School’s former students. The discovery was jarring. Though Nadeau knew she was Native American, she grew up with a relative cultural disconnect. “I just didn’t understand what it was to be Anishinaabe,” she says. The process of reconnecting with that indigeneity didn’t fully take hold until early adulthood, when the death of her great-grandmother Helena first urged her to reclaim and preserve her family’s traditions. The boarding school roster sparked a fresh wave of unanswered questions: Why hadn’t her family mentioned that they’d also been victims of Indian boarding schools? How had they kept it hidden for so long, and what did their history actually look like? Healing from these questions and acknowledging that some of them might never be answered is at the crux of the journey Nadeau documents in her debut book, What the Ancestors Say. “I wanted to bring attention to [that] history, especially as it pertains to Michigan, to better educate the greater community and uplift [survivors’] voices,” she adds. Sharing the Truth The book follows Nadeau’s investigation of Indian boarding schools from the Record-Eagle’s newsroom, to the late nights parsing painful history, to the countless pieces of legislation aimed at disenfranchising Anishinaabe peoples and the generations of cultural resilience and practices that nevertheless survived. Structured as an even split between detailed history and firsthand narration, the book chronicles the abiding social, civil, and religious ideologies that led to the rise (and subsequent raze) of the Indian boarding school system in Michigan—among them, Christianity, the dehumanization of native populations, and a series of federal treaties designed to strip them of their ancestral lands. It also introduces readers to the communities that are still affected by the aftermath. Nadeau is also quick to point out that systemic tools of colonialism, like the policies that laid the foundation for Indian boarding schools, affect everybody. “When people think about Indian boarding schools, they’re often looking at just one concept,” she says. “But, it’s actually part of a larger system that also affects nonindigenous people, especially when we look at issues like Line 5 and data centers. These are all tools of colonialism, and everybody suffers from them.” As Nadeau highlights in the book, one surefire way to resist the effects of that system is by keeping community. “That [collective] aspect is deeply rooted in Anishinaabe beliefs,” she says. “I would not have been able to write or research this

book without my community—not just from the love and support I’ve received, but also because my community made me.” Similarly, the currents of resistance that carried Anishinaabe culture, often quietly, across miles and centuries are also the product of standing together. From a modern lens, Nadeau notes, this could look like something as simple as a child performing a dance at a powwow or learning traditional harvest methods, to the larger-scale work of restoring Manoomin (aka wild rice), fighting for indigenous land and water rights, and preserving the Anishinaabemowin language. Moving forward from the stain of Indian boarding schools, then, must also be a community effort. “I think that our resistance is who we are as Anishinaabe people,” she adds.

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Joining the Resistance Though this doesn’t mean that nonindigenous communities are exempt from supporting that resistance, Nadeau is also careful to make the distinction between amplifying Native American voices and speaking for them. “As an ally, I think it’s more about handing us the microphone rather than speaking into [it],” she explains. This is where the importance of continued education comes in, she adds, whether that looks like supporting local libraries, delving further into state history—“there’s a lot of dense [information] in the book, but that’s really just skimming the top of it,” Nadeau says—or staying abreast of current events, like the revised Michigan senate bill 962 (introduced in 2022), which would include the history of Indian boarding schools as part of statewide curricula. Other ways to get involved include amplifying the voices of indigenous activists and storytellers and contributing to related nonprofits. “My intent for the book was for [audiences] to crave more,” Nadeau adds. “I want readers to feel connections with different emotions, whether that’s anger or empathy or finding joy in community. I want them to find that connection and then I want them to decide what their second step is.” About the Event Join Sierra Biidaaban Nadeau at The Folded Leaf in Traverse City for a prerelease launch party and presentation of What the Ancestors Say on Friday, Sept. 26 from 6-7:30pm. There’s also a community celebration of the book hosted by Miigwech, Inc., featuring music, food, and book giveaways, in the works for the first week of October—stay tuned! Find The Folded Leaf at 414 E. Eighth Street in Traverse City. thefoldedlfeafnomi.com

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18 • september 21, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly

Red Wine-Inspired Recipes Inside the Ingredients

By Nora Rae Pearl The 45th parallel brings with it many gifts: beautiful seasons, abundant harvests, and, of course, wine. So why not use what we have at our fingertips as inspiration in the kitchen? Our Coq Au Vin and Flourless Chocolate Cake are a perfect combo for this transitional season between summer and fall. We recommend sourcing a Cabernet from your preferred northern Michigan winery to use in both recipes. Some of our favorites include Aurora Cellars, Black Star Farms, and French Valley Vineyard. For the Coq Au Vin, we also used local Opalcap’s Pearl Oyster Mushrooms and Providence Organic Farm’s Rainbow Carrots.

VEGETABLE COQ AU VIN A wine-infused vegetable medley, served over mashed potatoes. Ingredients • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided • 1 small sweet onion, chopped • 1 tablespoon minced garlic • 1 pound small rainbow carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch thick sticks • 10 oz. mushrooms, 1/4 inch sliced • 1 pound baby potatoes • 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning • Salt & pepper • 2 cups red wine • 1 cup vegetable broth • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried • 2 tablespoons cornstarch • 1/4 cup water To make: In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until hot. Add the onion and garlic. Cook until golden and slightly caramelized, around 10 minutes. In a large bowl, toss together the carrots, mushrooms, baby potatoes, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, poultry seasoning, and 1/2 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Add to the large stockpot, and cook for three minutes. Stir in the red wine, broth, and thyme. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover. Cook until vegetables are tender, 30-35 minutes. In a small cup, whisk together the cornstarch and water. Add the cornstarch slurry to the pot. Stir into the mixture until it thickens like a gravy. Taste and season to your liking. Serve hot over mashed potatoes.

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE Red wine adds subtle richness and depth to this decadent chocolate dessert. Ingredients • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter •12 oz. semisweet or dark chocolate, chips or chunks • 1/4 cup red wine • 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature • Pinch of salt • Powdered sugar • Fresh raspberries To make: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter four 6-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment. Set aside. In a small pot over low heat, melt the chocolate and butter together. Take off the heat and carefully whisk in the wine until smooth. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs with a pinch of salt until very light in color and have tripled in size. Add the chocolate mixture to the bowl. Gently fold together until smooth, do not overmix. Divide between four pans. Bake for 1618 minutes until set. The cakes may drop slightly when they come out of the oven. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then flip out of the pans and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Arrange raspberries on top and dust with powdered sugar to serve.

Northern Express Weekly • september 21, 2026 • 19

Photo by Jesse Dittmar

Lucy Foley: The New Queen of Mystery Bestselling British author takes on Miss Marple (and comes to TC) By Jillian Manning If you’ve walked into a bookstore in the last eight years, no doubt you have seen one of Lucy Foley’s iconic covers: bright, scrawling type against an eerie, atmospheric background. The Hunting Party, The Guest List, The Paris Apartment, and The Midnight Feast have made Foley a household name and a New York Times bestseller when it comes to page-turning thrillers. But did you know she got her start in historical fiction? Or that she’s partnered with the Agatha Christie estate for a new installment of Miss Marple, titled Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel? Or, best of all, that she’s headed to the City Opera House in Traverse City for a National Writers Series event on Sept. 23? Read on for our interview with this generation’s Queen of Mystery. The Christie Connection As any Marple or Poirot fan knows, Agatha Christie wrote incredibly clever, twisty mysteries—66 of them, in fact, plus short story collections, nonfiction titles, and plays— between 1920 and 1974. Her works have been translated around the globe, made into movies and television shows, and celebrated in her own time and the 50+ years since her death. It’s no wonder Foley was a little bit nervous about stepping into those shoes. “It was an honor of a writing career, and also completely terrifying,” Foley admits about being asked by the Christie estate to pen the book. “She [Miss Marple] is so beloved, and Christie is so beloved.” In addition to her own impressive catalog, Foley had written a short story, “Evil in Small Places,” for the 2022 collection Marple: Twelve New Stories. She guesses that the story helped earn her the attention of the Christie team. According to Foley, in Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel, Miss Marple gets to go on holiday—“because she only gets to go on one in the original books”—to the Swiss Alps. The detective is expecting a few days of relaxation in a historic old hotel—“it should be cherry brandy by the fire in the library and enjoying the mountain views and going on horse sleds through the pine trees,” Foley

says—until a fellow guest gets into a gondola alive and is found dead when the doors open again. Of course, Miss Marple must bid farewell to vacation and get on the case.

being built in a place precious to locals, who in turn took up the cause to fight against the development. (Sounds a bit like northern Michigan, eh?)

Blending History & Mystery The new book is set in the 1950s, and Foley jokes that she went “quite method” in her research, watching almost exclusively films from the fifties and even taking a few trips to mountain towns to get a true feel for the setting. “The way people moved and inhabited space [in that time period] really was different,” Foley explains. “People were much more formal in the way they dressed at all times, and all of that probably informed the way that they moved and interacted with each other.” But Foley is used to research, and she’s used to diving into history. Her first three novels were all historical fiction: The Book of Lost and Found (oscillating from the 1920s to the 1980s across Europe), The Invitation (1950s Rome), and Last Letter from Istanbul (1920s Constantinople). All of those stories had a thread of mystery to them, so it was no surprise that she eventually turned to writing whodunnits. Though the actual moment of inspiration was surprising. Foley and her husband were on vacation in a remote part of the Scottish Highlands, staying in a guest house on a sprawling estate, during a snowstorm, and thinking how fun it would be if their college friends could have joined them. (If this sounds like the plot of The Hunting Party to you, you are correct.) That activated “the Agatha Christie fan in me since I was age 12” to start thinking about a closed circle murder mystery. This wasn’t the only real-life experience that triggered a book idea. Foley thought up The Guest List—which follows a weddinggone-wrong on an island—while visiting Inishbofin in Ireland. The Paris Apartment came to her while staying in an apartment in Paris…where it sounded like a body was being dragged across the floorboards overhead. (We do kind of want to go on vacation with Foley now, just to see what she comes up with next…) Even The Midnight Feast was inspired by real-world events, when a luxury hotel was

Plotting or Pantsing For Foley, every good story idea begins with “place and circumstance” or “place and character.” She doesn’t need a whole lot more to start writing. “I was always a pantser, and I used to say that’s the only way I can do it,” Foley tells us, referring to the dichotomy of “plotters” who heavily outline their books and “pansters” who write by the seat of their pants. Granted, that approach did mean she’d have to go back and make a lot of changes. “I’d have these really unwieldy first drafts and lots of plot holes and cul-de-sacs that I’d written myself into. … And I often wouldn’t know who the murderer was, so I’d give everyone a plausible motive, or I’d start out with an idea of who had done it, and then about a third of the way in, it would change, and that was really exciting.” Though this worked well for her first seven novels, Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel was a different story. “With Marple, I think I was so intimidated by the Christie plotting, the like, Swiss-watch perfection of plotting,” she says. “I knew I had to get Miss Marple on the page as close as I could get her to Christie’s Miss Marple, and I wanted to get the plotting right. … I didn’t let myself start writing, and I let a little bit more percolate, and I worked out the shape of the whole thing.” Is she a plotter convert now? “It did make it a lot easier,” Foley says with a laugh. “It was a really well-behaved book. I think I have learned something from this process. Turns out, eight books in, you can still learn.”

20 • september 21, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly

About the Event An Evening with Lucy Foley is presented by the National Writers Series at the City Opera House at 7pm on Wednesday, Sept. 23. In-person tickets range from $43-$53 and include a signed copy of the book; student and teacher tickets are $12; and virtual tickets start at $15.25. Tickets can be purchased through the National Writers Series website at nationalwritersseries.org.

Q&A with Lucy Foley Before we said farewell over Zoom between TC and London, we asked Foley a few lightning round questions. Express: How do you juggle the research part of writing historical fiction? Foley: “Do all your research and do it really thoroughly, but then sort of let most of it sit like an iceberg beneath the water. Don’t just do this whole, ‘look how well I’ve done my research’ and kind of bung it all in there. You have to find a way to almost imbibe it all and then sort of forget it or let it just kind of come out organically.” Express: What is some of your most helpful writing advice for aspiring authors? Foley: “A big one for me is knowing when to step away from the desk. That’s a huge one, especially when you’re trying to work out a kind of knotty plot problem. Probably the worst thing you can do is just sit there and try and think it out, like battle through it. … Go for a walk. Have a long bath. Go to the cinema. “I haven’t been very good at this one, but try and write a little bit as often as you can. I wouldn’t worry so much about word count. But the more often you’re doing it for a specific idea, that means it doesn’t have time to grow a film of dust over it. But also, obviously, it’s that habit thing. It’s that muscle that you’re flexing.” Express: What is your favorite Agatha Christie novel? Foley: “A Murder Is Announced because it’s such a brilliant premise. It’s so creepy—a murder being advertised in a newspaper. I mean, so clever. Wish I thought of it.”

This event is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy, or investment product. The views and opinions expressed by Ed Slott are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Integrated Partners. Investment advice offered through Integrated Partners, doing business as Prout Financial Design, a registered investment advisor. Ed Slott is not affiliated with Integrated Partners or Prout Financial Design.

Northern Express Weekly • september 21, 2026 • 21

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Photo by OB&Co, courtesy of Up North Pride

Your Guide to up North pride Week 2026 Fresh off a recent move, the local organization is ready to celebrate By Ellen Miller When the building Up North Pride occupied on Eighth Street was sold, the organization knew it was only a matter of time before they’d have to move. Thankfully, they’ve found a new home at Commongrounds, where they are able to not only have office space, but also use meeting rooms and community rooms for programming. “It may be a shared space, but it’s consistent. People can get used to it, that stability of where you can find us,” explains Executive Director Adrienne Brown-Reasner. The new location and its communitybuilding atmosphere has already expanded on Up North Pride’s connections. “We can partner with a lot more of the organizations that are in that building,” says BrownReasner. “For example, we worked with Folded Leaf on a new writers circle that started at the beginning of summer.” Community is at the heart of what Up North Pride does. “We’re very fortunate to have so many wonderful community partners,” says Brown-Reasner. “Artemis Books hosts art night every month. Also, we’ve been holding our monthly line dancing night at Suttons Bay Friendship Community Center, which is not only a partnership with a location but is getting us out into Leelanau County a bit more and helping us reach people who don’t get to Traverse City. We also work alongside

the Universal Unitarian congregation for youth group programming, and we have a wonderful partnership with Higher Grounds, who help us get coffee for our monthly senior coffee gathering. We couldn’t do it without all these partners.” Brown-Reasner is committed to letting the community define how Up North Pride grows and what kind of programming they offer. “The more that we’re doing, the more people want us to keep doing,” she reflects. “I want people to tell me what they need our organization to be. Is it just the social piece of it, is it more of that support, do you want to know there’s a space to come and be, or do you want to be more involved in activism pieces? I’m committed to meeting what the community wants us to be doing.” That kind of feedback has led to a shift from Up North Pride hosting three or four big events during the year to hosting yearround support groups, meetups, and 12-15 smaller programs and events every month. Earlier this year, the organization was awarded a seed grant from Rotary to start a parent support group, and on Sept. 1, they were awarded a community partner award through TART Trails for the Rainbow Run. Now, the team is looking ahead to Up North Pride week, which runs Sept. 22-26. “Being able to be together as a community and celebrate that we can do this here … is the whole reason we do this week,” Brown-Reasner says. “To

know there is a place that will allow people to come and be unapologetically who they are, that they are welcomed and supported and wanted, that’s my favorite thing about Pride Week.” Mark your calendars! Here’s how to show up this September: Queerstory When: Tuesday, September 22, 7pm Where: The Alluvion How Much: $15 Queersory is a live storytelling and poetry event of heartfelt, humorous, insightful, and sometimes horrifying stories that tell life’s many truths. The event will feature storytellers and poets from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Sign Making Party & Pride Happy Hour When: Wednesday, September 23, 6pm Where: The Little Fleet How Much: Free! Join Up North Pride at The Little Fleet for the annual Sign Making Party and Happy Hour to make a statement and prepare for the Pride Visibility March on Saturday. Comedy Night featuring Full Tilt Comedy When: Thursday, September 24, 8pm Where: The State Theatre How Much: $20 Enjoy a night of laughs with performances from Full Tilt Comedy and

special guests Jeff Bouthiette and Liz Joynt Sandberg. The Intimi Affair When: Friday, September 25, 7pm Where: Venue Blue at Discovery Pier How Much: Tickets $75, $700 for VIP experience This year, the Intimi Affair Lingerie Fashion Show for the Up North Pride community takes a daring turn...imagine the decadence of the late 18th century colliding with the electricity of modern performance. 21+ only. Visibility Rally, Resource Fair, Drag Night, and Silent Disco When: Saturday, September 26, all day (times vary) Where: F&M Park and Open Space Park How Much: Free! ($75 for VIP experience with Silky) Kick off the biggest day of Pride Week with the largest participant-driven Pride March in Michigan beginning at F&M Park and walking through downtown to the Open Space. A resource fair will be held at the Open Space in the afternoon, followed by the annual drag show (featuring RuPaul’s Drag Race star Silky Nutmeg Ganache this year!) and concluding with a Silent Disco under the stars. For the full schedule, volunteer opportunities, and a resource directory, visit upnorthpride.com.

Northern Express Weekly • september 21, 2026 • 23

Spilling the Tea on Decades of Success What Angela Macke has learned from over 20 years of running Light of Day Organics By Geri Dietze For Angela Macke, tea is a healing journey, a ceremony, a spiritual awakening, and a way of life. But she had little idea of what she was starting back in 2003 when she founded what has become Light of Day Organic Farm and Tea Shop on her Leelanau Peninsula farm. The registered nurse, mother, and tea drinker was searching for a holistic remedy for an autoimmune condition, and to avoid the toxins, including heavy metals and mold, that can contaminate mass market tea. After studying the properties, uses, history, and farming of tea, she began growing her own. Soon, Macke was selling to local restaurants and retailers. That list now includes Oryana Co-op, Omelette Shoppes, Higher Grounds, Crystal Mountain, Lobdell’s at Northwestern Michigan College, Trattoria Stella, The Cook’s House, The University of Michigan, and many more. (Light of Day bulk organic tea is currently found in 40 restaurants.) Realizing “within a year” that she would need more land, Macke added 13.25 acres in 2007, and close to 50 acres in 2016. In fact, she says, “we consistently average growth of approximately…16-19 percent every year.” A Miracle Business Today, Light of Day boasts a collection of 68 sustainably packaged loose leaf teas, blends, matcha, and tisanes that are sold exclusively via their website and at the farm retail shop to keep pricing “as low as possible.” Macke says that all “true” tea comes from one plant—Camellia sinensis—be it white, yellow, green, oolong, black, or red, and “is typically grown where palm trees grow” she explains. This “miracle of agriculture” here in northern Michigan, where there is nary a palm tree to be found, is accomplished in unheated hoophouses. Snow even provides insulation in the off season. The style of tea is determined based on the parts plucked, the time of year they are harvested, and then other factors like oxidation and firing. There are well over a dozen favorites on Light of Day’s menu, including Creamy Earl Grey blend, Matcha (powder and vegan capsules), In the Mood?, Hummingbird Nectar, Heartwarming Cinnamon, and Leelanau Licorice, just to name a few. Over the years, the company’s blends

have been put to some pretty innovative uses. For example, Short’s Brewery produces Hot Loins, a 6.9 ABV experimental aphrodisiac ale, based on Light of Day’s In the Mood? tea blend including ginger, cinnamon, and rosehips, and so much more. It was a 2025 Silver Medalist at the prestigious Colorado Great American Beer Fest event for commercial brewers. Light of Day blends also end up in Patricia’s Chocolate, of Grand Haven, for those tea lovers with a sweet tooth. Newer products include a tea-based kombucha in partnership with Bailey’s Kombucha. And in mid-2027, look for Good to Go, a rich blend supporting men’s health. Down on the Farm More than two decades after the farm’s founding, Macke grows over 100 crops: apples, stone fruits, berries, and olives; asparagus, greens, and garden staples; herbs, flowers, and spices; clover and alfalfa; whole grains; fodder, grassland, and hay; oil crops from flax to sunflower; and organic white, green, black, and oolong tea. Other ingredients are outsourced from certified organic providers: North African Rooibos, for example, and Muira Puama from the Amazon rainforest. It takes nine pounds of leaves, “give or take a few ounces” to produce one pound of tea. So for Macke, harvesting is a daily practice from March to mid-October of gathering five to eight 5-gallon buckets of leaves. Production stages include “withering” on baker’s racks in the shade with a fan; the “art” of rolling and ironing; firing to dehydrate in low temperature ovens, then “careful handling, blending, and packaging to prevent breakage of fragile, precious whole leaf ingredients.” This is a labor of love, for sure, but Macke is blunt about the process: “Hand picking is extremely labor-intensive; I suspect that no one in their right mind would want to work this hard.” But Macke hasn’t taken any shortcuts. Light of Day Organics is the only tea farm in Michigan and one of a handful of biodynamic operations in the state. It’s also the only one in North America with this impressive collection of certifications: USDA Organic Certification, Demeter Biodynamic (the original regenerative farming model), Made in Michigan, and Fair Trade direct-to-farm sourcing.

24 • september 21, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly

Lessons Learned Success comes in many forms: awards and accolades, magazine, book, and TV features, plus the rewards of hosting thousands of guests—approximately 117,000 so far in 2026. (Tea workshops, farm tours, and other events end in September, but mark your calendar for next year’s growing season to get the whole experience.) But Macke counts success in other ways as well: Her sons have committed to guiding Light of Day into the next generation, and she values the many working relationships built over the years, as well as “the joy and peace…that comes from fulfilling work.” Still, farming is not for the faint of heart. “Losing a hoophouse [and the plants inside] due to storms or massive snowfall is heartbreaking,” Macke says. And training a staff (usually between eight and 12 employees) can be challenging because of the depth and breadth of knowledge and skills involved. But she works hard to impart her 24 years of experience, including her Specialty Tea Institute Training, continuous education on historical plant medicine and botanicals, and knowledge of landscape design and architecture. (She also maintains her RN licensure.) But the biggest lesson learned? “Follow your heart, your intuition, your passion,” she says. “[D]on’t wait for permission—just go for it. We all have a unique gift to share.” For Macke, “healthcare and regenerative farming have been my calling and my passion,” she adds. “Light of Day has become

a [community] platform to share the things that matter most.” Visit Light of Day Organic Farm & Tea Shop at 3502 E Traverse Hwy. in Traverse City. lightofdayorganics.com

Reading the Future in the Tea Leaves What’s next for Light of Day Organics? They are currently certifying with True Organic and Michigan Environmentally Certified Farm, part of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). Solar arrays reduce the farm’s footprint, and its website touts that they’ve been “powered by sunshine since 2008.” The addition of hoofed animals will maximize biodynamic fertilization (and provide another reason to visit this beautiful place.) Other plans include the construction of a new residence and worker housing. Plus, the Macke sons are developing Light of Day tea bags to expand its reach and to enter the grocery market.

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Crystal Mountain’s Peak2Peak bike race will be held Oct. 17.

YOUR FALL 2026 RACE CALENDAR 25+ races in northern Michigan

By Northern Express Staff & Contributors Ready to fall into some healthy habits? Fall is the season of big bike competitions, footraces through the autumn foliage, and more turkey trots than you could shake a drumstick at. Here are 25+ races—from 1-milers to 100-milers—to keep you moving as the seasons change.

Traverse City Trails Festival: 28, 15, & 0.6 Mile Bike Races & Balance Bike Race Timber Ridge RV & Recreation Resort, TC bikesignup.com/Race/MI/TraverseCity/TraverseCityTrailsFestival SUNDAY, SEPT. 27, 2026 Blue Ribbon 5K Run/Walk for ZERO Prostate Cancer Right Brain Brewery, TC blueribbonrun.com

>> SEPTEMBER << SATURDAY, SEPT. 26, 2026 Cadillac Craft Beer Hustle 5K 215 S. Lake St., Cadillac runsignup.com/Race/MI/Cadillac/CRAFTBEERHUSTLE SATURDAY, SEPT. 26, 2026 Michigan Adventure Race: Big M Edition - Trekking & Biking Big M Recreation Area, Wellston miadventurerace.com/big-m-rec-area-2026/details SATURDAY, SEPT. 26, 2026 Betsie Valley Trail Run: 13.1M, 10K, 5K, 1M Fun Run Webber Sports Complex (ballfield), Thompsonville runsignup.com/betsievalley SATURDAY, SEPT. 26, 2026

>> OCTOBER << SATURDAY, OCT. 3, 2026 Sleeping Bear Marathon: 26.2M & 13.1M SOLD OUT; & 5K Empire Beach runsignup.com/Race/MI/Empire/SleepingBear SATURDAY, OCT. 3, 2026 Run The Town Pink 5K & 1M Remembrance Walk 480 River St., Manistee runsignup.com/Race/MI/Manistee/RunTheTownPink SATURDAY, OCT. 10, 2026 Port City 5K Run Main St., Frankfort runsignup.com/Race/MI/Frankfort/PortCityRun

26 • september 21, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly

SATURDAY, OCT. 10, 2026 Wolverine State 100: 100M, 100K, 100M Relay Petoskey runsignup.com/Race/MI/Petoskey/WolverineState100 SATURDAY, OCT. 10, 2026 Farmland 5K, 10K & Kids’ Race 999 Rasho Rd., TC farmland5k.com SUNDAY, OCT. 11, 2026 Vineyard at Sunset 5K French Valley Vineyard, Cedar runsignup.com/Race/MI/Cedar/wine5k SUNDAY, OCT. 11, 2026 Wolverine State 100: 50K Petoskey runsignup.com/Race/MI/Petoskey/WolverineState100 SATURDAY, OCT. 17, 2026 Corn Maze & Cherry Orchard 5K Cellar 1914, Central Lake runsignup.com/Race/MI/CentralLake/CornMazeandCherryOrchard5K SATURDAY, OCT. 17, 2026 Rock the Light Trail Run 5K

Densmore Rd., Northport runsignup.com/Race/MI/Northport/RocktheLightTrailRun SATURDAY, OCT. 17, 2026 19th Annual Peak2Peak Mountain Bike Classic Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville crystalmountain.com/events-activities/events/event-calendar/ peak2peak-mountain-bike-classic SATURDAY, OCT. 17, 2026 Flee & Elude 10K & 5K 200 W. Michigan Ave., Grayling runsignup.com/Race/MI/Grayling/FLEEELUDE5K10K SATURDAY, OCT. 24, 2026 Ruck the Mountain & Run the Mountain - 6M Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville runsignup.com/Race/Events/MI/Thompsonville/AevitasRuckChallenge SATURDAY, OCT. 24, 2026 Great Turtle Trail Half Marathon & 5.7M Run/Walk Mission Point Resort, Mackinac Island runmackinac.com/great-turtle-trail-run SATURDAY, OCT. 31, 2026 Morally Grey 5K Run/Walk Magnus Park, Petoskey runsignup.com/Race/Events/MI/Petoskey/MorallyGrey5K SATURDAY, OCT. 31, 2026 18th Annual Traverse City Zombie Run 5K Right Brain Brewery, TC tczombierun.com

>> NOVEMBER << SATURDAY, NOV. 7, 2026 Iceman Cometh Challenge Mountain Bike Race Kalkaska Airport iceman.com

SATURDAY, NOV. 7, 2026 Toy Town Trot 5K Behind Toy Town, Cadillac toytowncadillac.com/events THURSDAY, NOV. 26, 2026 Baker College “Bee” Thankful 5K Veterans Serving Veterans Park, Cadillac runsignup.com/Race/Events/MI/Cadillac/BakerCollegeBeeThankful5K THURSDAY, NOV. 26, 2026 Turkey Vulture Trot 5K & 1M Fun Run Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville runsignup.com/Race/Events/MI/Thompsonville/ TurkeyVultureTrotKMileFunRun THURSDAY, NOV. 26, 2026 Traverse City Turkey Trot: 5K Run/Walk & 5M Flier 123 E. Eleventh St., TC runsignup.com/Race/Events/MI/TraverseCity/TraverseCityTurkeyTrot

>> DECEMBER << SATURDAY, DEC. 05, 2026 Charlevoix Hot Cocoa 5K Run & 1M Fun Run Charlevoix Running Company, Charlevoix runsignup.com/Race/Events/MI/Charlevoix/CharlevoixHotCocoaRunK SATURDAY, DEC. 05, 2026 Annual Elf Run 5K 202 N Bridge St., Bellaire runsignup.com/Race/MI/Bellaire/1stAnnualElfRunBellaire SUNDAY, DEC. 20, 2026 TCTC Jingle Bell Run 5K Park Place Hotel, TC runsignup.com/Race/MI/TraverseCity/jingleBellRun

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BIKETEMBERFEST: The Highlands at Harbor Springs, Sept. 18-20. This morning includes the “Highlands to Harbor” ride & waterfront lunch at Brandy’s Harbortown. Mountain bikers hit the 22 mile trail Mountain Bike Park. A Mountaintop Happy Hour with acoustic music & complimentary brews runs from 4-6pm. A Bonfire Bash takes place in the evening with tunes, mountain views & s’mores. biketemberfest.com ---------------------------------MELGES 24 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: Little Traverse Bay. On Sept. 19–26, the global Melges 24 fleet will converge on Harbor Springs for the International Class’s premier event, the World Championship, hosted by the Little Traverse Yacht Club (LTYC). 2026worlds. melges24.com/en/default/races/race ---------------------------------TAP INTO THE TRAILS 10K/5K: 8am, 115 Backus St., Cheboygan. $30-$35. runsignup.com/Race/Events/MI/Cheboygan/TapintotheTrails ---------------------------------PEACE RANCH WILDERNESS 5K/10K WALK/RUN: 8:30am, Peace Ranch, TC. All proceeds benefit the New Veterans Retreat Services and Mustang Rehab Program. $50$60. runsignup.com/Race/MI/TraverseCity/ PeaceRanchWilderness5K10KRun ---------------------------------EMPIRE HILL CLIMB: 9am, Wilco Rd. Dating back to 1964, this legendary northern Michigan motorsports event brings vintage, modern, & purpose-built race cars to Wilco Road in Empire for an all-out race against the clock. Get close to the action, explore the paddock, meet the drivers, & experience this unique event. Free. empirehillclimb.racing ---------------------------------INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP DAY: 9am, West End Park/Beach, TC. Rolling up our sleeves to protect our shoreline! What is provided: clean-up gear, complimentary Starbucks coffee, tea, plant-based morning snacks courtesy of VegMichigan, & a raffle giveaway featuring eco-friendly goodies. vegmichigan.org/event/traversecity-international-coastal-cleanup-day ---------------------------------PADDLE ANTRIM FESTIVAL: 9am, River Park, Ellsworth. Choose from the Ellsworthto-Central Lake Relaxed Paddle - 7 miles, or the Ellsworth-to-Bellaire Challenge Paddle - 15 miles. Register. A Short’s Beer Garden Party will run from 2-6pm at Short’s Beer Garden, Bellaire. Featuring live music, local brews, food & more. runsignup.com/Race/ MI/ElkRapids/PaddleAntrimFestival ---------------------------------TRAVERSE CITY OUT OF THE DARKNESS WALK: 9am, Clinch Park, TC. Join American Foundation for Suicide Prevention - Michigan Chapter for this walk. AFSP’s OOTD events unite friends, family members, colleagues, & neighbors to raise funds for suicide prevention research, advocacy, & educational programs across the state. afsp. org/traversecity ---------------------------------MORE THAN FOUR 5.04K: 9:15am, 401 S. Union St., TC. Featuring a 5.04K run/walk & Kids 0.04K Dash. $14-$40. runsignup.com/ Race/Events/MI/TraverseCity/MoreThanFourRaceFoundedbyConorRigan ---------------------------------FALL ART BY THE BARN ART & CRAFT SHOW: 10am-5pm, Emmet County Fairgrounds, Petoskey. Jewelry, woodwork, pottery & more. Free admission. blueribbonevent.com ---------------------------------MADE IN CHEBOYGAN CRAFT SHOWS:

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send your dates to: events@traverseticker.com

Packed with 34 live performances across seven stages, including a Center Stage with dance and interactive experiences, the 12th Annual Leelanau UnCaged turns Northport into a car-free celebration, Sat., Sept. 26 from 11am-10pm. Names include Grupo Folklorico Xochiquetzal, Timeless Tappers, Sweet Dee, Little Dipper, Full Cord, Agnes Su, and dozens more, along with a Water Blessing, food, art, and kids’ activities. More info on this free event can be found at leelanauuncaged.com.

10am-6pm, Washington Park, downtown Cheboygan. More than 30 crafters & artists will be displaying jewelry, stuffed animals, blankets, home decor, wooden signs, fresh desserts & much more. facebook.com/madeincheboygan ---------------------------------SAY NO TO ISRAEL’S GENOCIDE & MANIPULATION OF CONGRESS: 11am, Grandview Parkway + Union St., TC. Protest Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people & manipulation of the American government. mideastjustpeace.net ---------------------------------ST. JOSEPH’S FALL FESTIVAL: 11am4pm, St. Joseph Catholic Church, TC. Kids’ activities (games/face painting); wine tasting (21 years & older); food truck, & more. Ticketed-based activities. stjosephtc.org ---------------------------------31ST ANNUAL TASTE OF HARBOR SPRINGS: Noon-3pm, waterfront at Marina Park, downtown Harbor Springs. This event hosted by the Harbor Springs Area Chamber of Commerce showcases the incredible flavors of the local culinary scene with delicious small tastes from area restaurants, live music by Kirby, & fun! Advance tickets: $35 each. VIP tickets: $100 each. harborspringschamber.com/ events/details/annual-taste-of-harbor-springs2026-18765?calendarMonth=2026-09-01 ---------------------------------IN-STORE BOOKSIGNING WITH CINDY L. HULL: 1-3pm, Horizon Books, TC. Cindy will sign her new novel, “Rites of Passage.” horizonbooks.com/event/2026-09-19/storebooksigning-cindy-l-hull ---------------------------------MEET & GREET W/ JIM BOLONE: 1-3pm, McLean & Eakin Booksellers, Petoskey. Author Jim Bolone will celebrate nis new book, “Zombie Seagulls and 13 Other Bite-sized Nightmares!” Free. mcleanandeakin.com/ upcoming-events ---------------------------------9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL: 2pm & 7:30pm, Old Town Playhouse, TC. When three vastly different office workers are pushed to the brink by their sexist, egotistical boss, they

don’t just get mad; they get even. $25$35. oldtownplayhouse.com/performances/ mainstage/9-to-5.html ---------------------------------BARN DANCE 2026: 2-9pm, St. Ambrose Cellars, Beulah. Live music by The Mighty TundraTones, The Fabulous Horndogs, & The Go Rounds. Fresh-grilled food, meads, beer & wine. A portion of Barn Dance sales will benefit Cognition, a children’s center. stambrose-mead-wine.com/events/barndance-2026 ---------------------------------“A SESAME STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE”: 3pm & 7:30pm, The MATCH, Cherryland Center, TC. Mashup’s next all new musical is a puppet filled mashup parody for all ages. $18 - $38. mashuprockandrollmusical.com/upcoming-shows-tickets ---------------------------------DINOSAUR DIMENSIONS: EXPEDITION!: 4pm, The Cheboygan Opera House. A highenergy, family-friendly adventure that brings dinosaurs roaring to life! Featuring animatronic puppets & robotic dinos, wild special effects, & hands-on science experiments. $10-$15. theoperahouse.org ---------------------------------BLUES TRAVELER & GIN BLOSSOMS W/ SPIN DOCTORS: 6-11pm, Turtle Creek Stadium, TC. Known for signature hits like “Run-Around” & “Hey Jealousy,” multi-platinum rock legends Blues Traveler & Gin Blossoms reunite for a co-headlining summer tour, joined by special guest Spin Doctors. $39-$105.50. pitspitters.saffire.com/p/tickets ---------------------------------THE SERIES PRESENTS: SIONAINN LAOI: Lavender Hill Farm, Boyne City. An Irish traditional music duo whose sound is rooted in the rich musical heritage of Ireland. Featuring Hannah Harris on fiddle & voice, & Alberto “Bear” Whitmer on guitar & bodhrán, their performances blend lyrical melodies with driving rhythms. They perform at 7:30pm. Local Ground live music with Full Moon Jam Band runs from 6-7pm. Benefits the Boyne Heritage Center. $18-$40. lavenderhillfarm.com/individual-show-tickets ----------------------------------

Northern Express Weekly • september 21, 2026 • 29

For Traverse City area news and events, visit TraverseTicker.com

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“THE SAVANNAH SIPPING SOCIETY”: 7pm, The Leelanau School, Theater, Glen Arbor. Presented by the Glen Arbor Players. Four women meet by chance, navigate hilarious misadventures, & form lasting friendships. $10 minimum donation requested. glenarborplayers.org ---------------------------------2 PIECE PROMOTIONS: MMA FIGHTS: 7pm, Leelanau Sands Casino Showroom, Peshawbestown. Two Piece Promotions XI: Convergence brings non-stop action to the ring with an elite lineup of fighters. An explosive mix of MMA, Bare Knuckle Boxing, 4oz Glove Muay-Thai, & a premier CJJ Superfight. No age limit. Minors must be accompanied by an adult. $20-$80. leelanausandscasino.com/events ---------------------------------CADILLAC FOOTLITERS THEATRE PRESENTS: “WILLY WONKA, JR.”: 7pm, Elenbaas Performing Arts Center, McBain High School. The delicious adventures of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory light up the stage in this adaptation of Roald Dahl’s tale. Featuring the songs from the 1971 film, in addition to a host of fun new songs. $12-$15. cadillacfootliters.com ---------------------------------LAUGH OUT LOUD: A COMEDY CABARET: 7:30pm, TC Philharmonic Center, TC. Enjoy an all-new comedy show full of Broadway wit & satire in this high-spirited cabaret experience. With Kevin Rhodes at the piano & special guest artists. $46. tcphil.org/events/ laugh-out-loud-a-comedy-cabaret-friday ---------------------------------KAMIKAZE COMEDY - ALEXA STANTON: 8pm, Right Brain Brewery, TC. Joining Stanton will be Joe Curtis. Hosted by John Reed. Doors open at 7pm. For ages 18+. $15 or 2 for $25. kamikazecomedy.square.site/product/alexastanton-saturday-september-19th/MYGJIGW7 LIQBD7CYYDFNCVCW?cs=true&cst=custom

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30 • september 21, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly NE - WELLNESS HUB

PADDLE ANTRIM FESTIVAL: 7:15am, River Park, Ellsworth. Choose from the Bellaire-to-Dockside Morning Paddle - 9 miles, Bellaire-toTorch River Challenge Paddle - 17 miles, or Bellaire-to-Elk Rapids Advanced Expedition 27 miles. Register. The Final Bash will be held at Short’s Pull Barn, Elk Rapids from 2-7pm & feature live music, local brews, food, a closing ceremony & more. runsignup.com/Race/MI/ ElkRapids/PaddleAntrimFestival ---------------------------------IRONMAN 70.3 MICHIGAN: SOLD OUT: 8am, Frankfort. 1.2 mile swim in Betsie Bay, 56.1 mile bike course, & 13.2 mile run. ironman.com/races/im703-michigan ---------------------------------MELGES 24 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: (See Sat., Sept. 19) ---------------------------------FALL ART BY THE BARN ART & CRAFT SHOW: (See Sat., Sept. 19) ---------------------------------MADE IN CHEBOYGAN CRAFT SHOWS: (See Sat., Sept. 19, except today’s time is 11am-3pm.) ---------------------------------SUNDAY SPEAKER & SOLAR TOUR: 1pm, The Friendship Community Center, Suttons Bay. Michigan environmental advocate Peter Sinclair will speak on “No Climate Haven – Michigan’s Warming Impacts and Solutions.” Sinclair is known for making complex climate & energy issues understandable through clear language & engaging visuals. A solar tour will follow from 2:30–4pm, featuring installations at Inland Seas Education Association & a nearby residence. Free. leelanauenergy.org ---------------------------------8TH ANNUAL TC PORCHFEST: Held in

Central Neighborhood from 1-5pm. Generous homeowners offer their porches for local performers to play. This music festival’s lineup & an interactive map can be found on tcporchfest.org & includes names like Agnes Su, Zak Bunce & Friends, Doc & Donna Probes, Frankfort Bossa Nova Project & many others. Bring your family & enjoy a sweet treat from the Anywhere Ice Cream truck, snacks & beverages from Central Grade School’s lawn, & more. ---------------------------------“THE SAVANNAH SIPPING SOCIETY”: (See Sat., Sept. 19, except today’s time is 2pm.) ---------------------------------9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL: (See Sat., Sept. 19, except today’s only time is 2pm.) ---------------------------------CADILLAC FOOTLITERS THEATRE PRESENTS: “WILLY WONKA, JR.”: (See Sat., Sept. 19, except today’s time is 2pm.) ---------------------------------THE SEASON’S GRAND FINALE: 2pm, Flintfields Horse Park, Williamsburg. As the final major event of the season, international riders return to TC to compete for World Cup qualifying points during one of North America’s longest-running traditions in show jumping. $15 & up. TraverseCityHorseShows.com/visit ---------------------------------DOWNTOWN SOUND: GREAT LAKES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA PRESENTS HARP TRIO: 4-6pm, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Theater, Petoskey. This performance includes works that span from late Romanticism to the early 20th century period & Modernism. Free. crookedtree.org/events-and-exhibitions/ events/?page=1&location=petoskey&search= Downtown%20Sound#class-list ---------------------------------YACHT ROCK REVUE - PRIMETIME: 7:30pm, Great Lakes Center for the Arts, Bay Harbor. Yacht Rock Revue, hailed by Rolling Stone as the “world’s premier soft-rock party band,” invites listeners on a nostalgic voyage through the sun-soaked melodies of the ‘70s & ‘80s. Starting at $55. greatlakescfa.org/ events/detail/yacht-rock-revue-primetime

sept monday 21

MELGES 24 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: (See Sat., Sept. 19) ---------------------CANDIDATE FORUM EMPIRE: 7pm, Empire Twp. Hall. The nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Leelanau County is holding a public forum for the candidates in the Nov. midterms for the Village of Empire president of the Village Council, the Village of Empire trustees, & the Empire Twp. trustees. lwvleelanau.org ---------------------------------BAY VIEW MONDAY NIGHT MOVIES: 7:3010pm, Bay View, Voorhies Hall, Petoskey. Featuring “Vindication Swim.” Free. bayviewassociation.org/events/monday-night-movies-2026/?occurrence=2026-09-21

sept tuesday 22

MELGES 24 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: (See Sat., Sept. 19) -------------------WILDFLOWER WALK: 10:30am, Grass River Natural Area, Bellaire. Take a leisurely stroll through the scenic trails of Grass River Nature Area alongside knowledgeable docent Lyn Petty. Discover the stunning variety of wildflowers & learn to identify their unique beauty. Keep an ear out for the melodies of the birds that call Grass River home. Free, donations appreciated. grassriver.org ---------------------------------DIGITAL LIBRARY TOUR: 2pm, Glen Lake Community Library, Empire. Learn about the

many digital collections available with your GLCL card. Library staff will present this introductory tour, showing how to access a wide variety of resources: eBooks, audiobooks, movies, music, magazines & more. Feel free to bring your mobile device or laptop computer & your questions. glenlakelibrary.net ---------------------------------TALK ABOUT IT TUESDAYS: 2:30-3:30pm, NCMC Library, Petoskey. Today’s topic is “AI and Mental Health.” NCMC counselor Joelle Drader will explore potentially helpful AI tools as well as concerns & potential pitfalls associated with this rapidly emerging technology. Free. ncmich.edu ---------------------------------SOLAR PLAY DATE FOR FAMILIES: 4:30pm, Elmwood Twp. Park Playground & Pavilion, Leelanau County. Leelanau Energy features hands-on solar-powered activities, snacks & family fun. BYO picnic. Rain (pavilion) or shine (playground). Co-sponsors: Northern Michigan Climate Families & Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities. Free. leelanauenergy.org ---------------------------------TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME FUNDRAISER: 4:45pm, Northern Latitudes Distillery, Lake Leelanau. Fundraiser for 5Loaves2Fish. Brats, dogs, sides, cookies, music by Tim Wire, games, contest & a dunk tank. Your $55 dollar ticket will help feed more people. nldistillerystore.salesvu.com/?location_id=7188&storeid= 7188&product=2795&category_id=28 ---------------------------------THE RETURN OF THE BALD EAGLE WITH DR. CARL PALAZZOLO: 5:30-7pm, East Bay Branch Library, TC. Welcome wildlife veterinarian, author, & photographer Dr. Carl Palazollo to celebrate the comeback of the bald eagle in Michigan. Learn about our national symbol, what it’s like to be a wildlife veterinarian, & how you can be good stewards to this iconic bird. Free. tadl.org/event/ return-bald-eagle-dr-carl-palazzolo-33942 ---------------------------------COPY THE CONSTITUTION IN COMMUNITY WITH MICHIGAN WRITERS: 6pm, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. Gather to write, read, & think about the words of the Constitution of the United States. tadl.org/copythecon2026 ---------------------------------HESTIA WOMEN’S GIVING CIRCLE LEARNING SERIES: LASTING LEGACIES: THE WOMEN OF LITTLE TRAVERSE BAY: 6pm, Little Traverse Historical Society History Museum, Petoskey. This presentation by Jane Garver, executive director of the Little Traverse Historical Society will explore the roles women played in shaping our communities & the ways trailblazing women influenced the people, places & history of the Little Traverse Bay area. Email questions to: info@hestiacircle.org. Free. hestiacircle.org ---------------------------------“MEET THE CANDIDATES” FORUM: 7-9pm, City Hall, Harbor Springs. On the ballot for Mayor are current DDA Chair Gail Brown & current Council member Jaime Melke. On the ballot for two seats on the Council are current Council member Wendy Reeves, along with candidates John Cupps, Melissa Georges, William McCullough, & Mark Rondel. ---------------------------------CANDIDATE FORUM: LEELANAU COUNTY DRAIN COMMISSION, LELAND TWP. TRUSTEE: 7-9pm, Leelanau County Government Center, lower-level community room, Suttons Bay. The nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Leelanau County is holding a public forum for the candidates in the Nov. midterms. Free. lwvleelanau.org ---------------------------------QUEERSTORY STORYTELLING: UP NORTH PRIDE: The Alluvion, TC. Queerstory is a live storytelling show where you can reconnect through the hilarious, heartfelt, & sometimes horrifying stories that tell life’s

many truths, featuring storytellers from the northern Michigan 2SLGBTQIA+ community. House opens at 6:30pm. Event starts at 7pm. $15. upnorthpride.com/listevents/2024/9/24/ heresay-storytelling-ly5jz-aa532

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sept wednesday 23

MELGES 24 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: (See Sat., Sept. 19) --------------------AFTERNOON CHILL WITH THE CHAMBER: 4-6pm, Harbor Springs Community Food Pantry. Enjoy snacks & take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Food Pantry. Learn about how this important community resource operates & serves up to 100 families each Mon. Donations of non-perishable food items are always appreciated. ---------------------------------YEAR OF THE RIVER SPEAKER SERIES: BOARDMAN-OTTAWAY RIVER WATERSHED: 5pm, Boardman River Nature Center, TC. Join GTCD’s Director of Conservation, Sara Vaughan, to learn about the Boardman-Ottaway River’s current conditions & the conservation work underway to protect & restore this important resource. Registration required. $5. natureiscalling.org/events ---------------------------------PRIORITY LANDSCAPES: HOW WE IDENTIFY & PROTECT “THE BEST OF THE BEST”: 5:30pm, The McMullen Family Conservation Center, TC. Learn how GTRLC decides which land to protect, & how they collaborate with partners to extend their impact, currently at 50,000 acres protected forever. This presentation will be followed by Q&A with Claire Herman, land protection specialist at GTRLC, & Matt Cowall, executive director of the Traverse City & Garfield Twp. Rec. Authority. Free. gtrlc.my.salesforcesites.com/es/event/home/plls09232026 ---------------------------------FALL EXHIBIT RECEPTION: 6pm, Dennos Museum Center, NMC, TC. Doors open at 5:45pm. Each guest receives one drink ticket upon arrival. Members get free admission & double discounts in the Museum Store the night of the event. $0-$10. simpletix.com/e/2026fall-exhibit-reception-tickets-287773 ---------------------------------GET LOCAL: HOW TO BE MORE INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY: 6pm, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. Discover how getting more involved in your community can help make it a better place for everyone. This program will explore simple, meaningful ways to connect with your neighbors, support local organizations, participate in civic life. Free. tadl.org/GetLocal ---------------------------------SIGN MAKING PARTY & PRIDE HAPPY HOUR: UP NORTH PRIDE: 6pm, The Little Fleet, TC. The Sign Making Party is your chance to make a statement & prepare for the Pride Visibility March on Saturday. Free. upnorthpride.com/listevents/2025/9/24/ pride-week-sign-making-party-86jrx ---------------------------------NWS: AN EVENING WITH LUCY FOLEY: 7pm, City Opera House, TC. Don’t miss the Brand-new “Miss Marple Mystery” From Lucy Foley, the #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of “The Guest List” & “The Midnight Feast.” $12-$53. cityoperahouse.org/events/ an-evening-with-lucy-foley

sept thursday 24

MELGES 24 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: (See Sat., Sept. 19) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --- 2026 GREAT LAKES, GREAT PLANTS: 8:30am, The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park, TC. Join the Botanic Garden for northern

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Michigan’s premier horticultural event & fundraiser. Featuring a fresh lineup of lectures, tours, & immersive experiences celebrating horticulture, design, & the natural beauty of northern Michigan. Designed for professionals & plant lovers alike. Ticketed event. eventbrite. com/e/2026-great-lakes-great-plants-tickets-1983281840373 ---------------------------------COFFEE @ TEN, PETOSKEY: 10am, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Theater, Petoskey. “Exploring a Century in Focus: Harbor Springs” with Beth Wemigwase, curator & program coordinator at the Harbor Springs Area Historic Society. Explore the work of early local photographers & discover how photographs serve as important visual records of the community’s history. crookedtree.org/events-and-exhibitions/even ts/?page=1&location=petoskey#class-list ---------------------------------GENEALOGY PROGRAM: 1-3pm, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. Using (mostly) free resources to determine whether your ancestors fought in the Civil War. Contact info: info@gtags.org. Free. gtags.org/events ---------------------------------“WELLNESS IN THE STACKS” COMMUNITY HEALTH SERIES: 5:30pm, Petoskey District Library. Raising Readers & Healthy Kids: The Intersection of Pediatric Health & Early Literacy. Presented by Dr. Kendal Hansen, family physician, Table Health. Discover how early reading actively wires the pediatric brain, acts as a powerful tool for stress reduction & sleep hygiene, & sets the stage for lifelong health. Free. petoskeylibrary.org ---------------------------------CELEBRATING CELINE WITH JENENE CARAMIELO: 7pm, City Opera House, TC. A celebration of Celine Dion’s greatest hits, delivered with soaring vocals, heartfelt emotion, & all the drama worthy of one of music’s most iconic voices. Tier 1, $59; Tier 2, $49; Students 18 & younger, $20. cityoperahouse.org/events/ celebrating-celine-with-jenene-caramielo ---------------------------------COMEDY NIGHT: UP NORTH PRIDE: 8pm, State Theatre, TC. This year’s event features Full Tilt Comedy & other local & regional acts. $20. upnorthpride.com/listevents/2025/9/26/ pride-week-comedy-night-4ym9c

sept friday 25

MELGES 24 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: (See Sat., Sept. 19) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- 2026 GREAT LAKES, GREAT PLANTS: (See Thurs., Sept. 24) ---------------------------------11TH ANNUAL HARBOR SPRINGS FESTIVAL OF THE BOOK: SOLD OUT: Harbor Springs, Sept. 25-27. A celebration of readers, writers, books & the literary craft. Featuring up to 50 nationally published authors & illustrators in sessions including eight genres. hsfotb.org ---------------------------------LUNCHEON LECTURE: BLUEGRASS!: 11:30am, NCMC, Library Conference Center, Petoskey. Combining Appalachian string band music, old-time fiddle tunes, blues, gospel, & Scottish/Irish traditional ballads, bluegrass music is a recent American tradition. Members of “Steel and Wood” will show you how the banjo, fiddle, bass, guitar & mandolin are played to create this sound made famous by Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs. Register. $15. ncmclifelonglearning.com/event-6771494 ---------------------------------WITCHES NIGHT OUT: 5-9pm, downtown Petoskey. Dress in witchy attire & visit participating businesses who offer special activities, promotions, shopping, treats & other opportunities. The Wolfshager Hexenbrut Dancing

Witches will perform in Pennsylvania Park at 5pm, & again at Beard’s patio at 6:30pm. ---------------------------------FALL FEST: 6pm, East Jordan Tourist Park. Live music by Stone Reverie on Fri., & Derailed on Sat.; food trucks, beer tent, early trick-or-treating, tractor rides & more. Find ‘Fall Fest 2026’ on Facebook. ---------------------------------“THE SAVANNAH SIPPING SOCIETY”: (See Sat., Sept. 19) ---------------------------------THE INTIMI AFFAIR: UP NORTH PRIDE: 7-11pm, Venue Blue at Discovery Pier, TC. The Intimi Affair Lingerie Fashion Show for the Up North Pride community: Imagine the decadence of the late 18th century colliding with the electricity of modern performance. $75. upnorthpride.com/listevents/2025/9/25/intimi-fashionshow-dance-party-for-up-north-pride-26fln ---------------------------------9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL: (See Sat., Sept 19, except today’s only time is 7:30pm.) ---------------------------------ALEX LAMBERT: 7:30pm, Great Lakes Center for the Arts, Bay Harbor. Soul-country singer-songwriter Alex Lambert is a Fort Worth-bred artist whose music is defined by country storytelling & timeless soul. Enjoy a distinct sound shaped by classic country, R&B, & pop influences. Starting at $30. greatlakescfa.org/events/detail/alex-lambert ---------------------------------MUSIC: NEW BEGINNINGS: 7:30pm, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Corson Auditorium. Interlochen Arts Academy’s music students take the stage for New Beginnings. Featuring a dynamic mix of classical & contemporary works. $14-$17. interlochen.org/ events/music-new-beginnings-2026-09-25 ---------------------------------KAMIKAZE COMEDY: 8pm, Right Brain Brewery, TC. Featuring Adam Degi wsg Darius Walker. Hosted by Ben Bradshaw. Doors open at 7pm. $15 or 2 for $25. kamikazecomedy.square.site/product/adam-degi-september-24th-25th/TGOWHO2TS74YUVRZ5ON RP5PY?cs=true&cst=custom

sept saturday 26

FORMULA 1 FREE WATCH PARTIES: AZERBAIJAN: 7am, The Bay Community Theatre, Suttons Bay. Experience the thrilling races on the big screen! Includes Formula 1 games. Doors open an hour before the start of each race. thebaytheatre.org/home-page ---------------------------------BETSIE VALLEY TRAIL RUN: 8am. Half Marathon, 10K & 5K start at the Webber Sports Complex in Thompsonville. The 1 Mile Fun Run is held on the ballfield, onto the trail & back. See web site to register & for various start times. $15-$79. runsignup.com/ Race/Events/MI/Thompsonville/BestieValleyTrailRun ---------------------------------MELGES 24 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: (See Sat., Sept. 19) ---------------------------------2026 GREAT LAKES, GREAT PLANTS: (See Thurs., Sept. 24) ---------------------------------11TH ANNUAL HARBOR SPRINGS FESTIVAL OF THE BOOK: SOLD OUT: (See Fri., Sept. 25) ---------------------------------BOYNE CITY HARVEST FESTIVAL: 9am3pm, Lake & Main streets, downtown Boyne City. Children’s games, local harvests, fall fun & decorations. ---------------------------------FALL GENEALOGY WORKSHOP: 9am, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, TC. Free morning of genealogy classes sponsored by the Daughters of the Ameri-

32 • september 21, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly

can Revolution & the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. ---------------------------------FALL STREAM MONITORING: 9am, Cold Creek. Help Grass River collect data through stream monitoring. Teams will collect habitat data & macroinvertebrates at several sites along Cold Creek. After collection you will return to Grass River Center to sort through the samples. Pre-register by RSVPing to Emma: emma@grassriver.org. grassriver.org ---------------------------------FALL FEST: 10am, East Jordan Tourist Park. Live music by Stone Reverie on Fri., & Derailed on Sat.; food trucks, beer tent, early trick-or-treating, tractor rides & more. Find ‘Fall Fest 2026’ on Facebook. ---------------------------------GTARMC ROCK SHOW 2026: 10am-5pm, Cherryland VFW Post 2780, TC. Jewelry, gem, fossil, rock & mineral & more. Vendors, displays, prize drawings. Special area for young rockhounds. $3 donation; children 12 & under, free. facebook.com/tcrockhounds ---------------------------------NATIONAL ALPACA FARM DAY: 10am-4pm, Rainbow Valley Family Farms, TC. Feed, pet, & take photos of the alpacas. Get a great lunch at the BBQ food truck, buy some local apples & pumpkins, face painting, coloring station, yard games, spinning demos, & more. This is an annual fundraiser for HANDDS dog rescue. Free. rainbowvalleyfamilyfarms.com ---------------------------------NATIONAL SEAT CHECK SATURDAY: 10am-1pm, Williams Chevrolet, 2600 N U.S. 31 S, TC. Get your child’s car seat checked for free! Certified technicians will make sure your child’s seat is the right fit for them & that it is installed correctly. No appointment necessary. facebook.com/ events/908056042360996 ---------------------------------ST. ANDREWS FALL BAZAAR: 10am-3pm, St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Beulah. Kitchen & home decor, lawn & garden, arts & crafts, Christmas decor & much more. Proceeds benefit local charities. ---------------------------------COFFEE WITH THE AUTHORS: 11am, Glen Arbor Arts Center. Kalamazoo poet Steve Brown talks about “Fellowship,” a new book of poems that explore sobriety & questions of spirituality & faith. Free. glenarborart.org ---------------------------------ELK RAPIDS FALL FESTIVAL: 11am-3pm, River St., downtown Elk Rapids. Local vendors, kids ‘activities, live music from Sandy and The Bandits, line dancing, seasonal treats like cider, donuts, & caramel apples & more. Free. elkrapidschamber.org/fall-festival ---------------------------------HISTORIC CEMETERY TOUR: Maple Grove Cemetery, Elk Rapids. Join the Elk Rapids Area Historical Society for a guided walking tour of Maple Grove Cemetery beginning at 11am OR at 2pm during the Elk Rapids Fall Festival. Donations accepted. elkrapidshistory.org ---------------------------------NORTHPORT’S 12TH ANNUAL LEELANAU UNCAGED: 11am-10pm, Northport. The village of Northport turns into a car-free celebration of local music, dance, art, kids’ activities & food. Featuring 34 live performances across seven stages, including a Center Stage with dance & interactive experiences all day long. There will also be a Water Blessing at 11am at the Marina Park Pavilion. Musicians include Little Dipper, Funky Uncle, Full Cord, Benzie Playboys, Medicinal Groove & many more. Free. leelanauuncaged.com ---------------------------------SAY NO TO ISRAEL’S GENOCIDE & MANIPULATION OF CONGRESS: (See Sat., Sept. 19) ---------------------------------SILENT MOVIE PERFORMANCE: The Music House Museum, Williamsburg. Step into

the shadows of early cinema. “Silent But Deadly” brings live orchestral music to a program of silent horror shorts with performances at 11am & 1pm. $25 online; $30 door. mynorthtickets. com/events/the-music-house-museum-silentmovie-performance-with-silent-but-deadlyseptember-26-9-26-2026 ---------------------------------TRAVERSE CITY TRAILS FEST: Mountain bike racing or touring at Timber Ridge Resort, TC. Featuring 28 mile or 15 mile options, plus a balance bike race & youth race - .6 mile. Prices range from free - $60. Various start times, with earliest at 9am. Register: bikesignup.com/Race/MI/TraverseCity/ TraverseCityTrailsFestival ---------------------------------BOOK SIGNING ON THE BOARDWALK: 1-3pm, Don & Eileen Klein Nature Trail/ Boardwalk, FJR, 101 Union St., East Jordan. Meet local authors & have your already purchased books signed or purchase books at event & have them signed. ---------------------------------IN-STORE BOOK SIGNING WITH DAVID HARDIN: 1-3pm, Horizon Books, TC. Local author David Hardin will sign his new book, “Water Finds a Way.” horizonbooks.com/ event/2026-09-26/store-book-signing-davidhardin ---------------------------------PRIDE WEEK: VISIBILITY RALLY & MARCH, RESOURCE FAIR, DRAG SHOW & SILENT DISCO: TC. 1-3pm: Visibility Rally at F&M Park before the Pride March through downtown, along Front St. to the Open Space Park, where there will be a Resource Fair from 3-6pm: Local non-profits & area service providers will be on-hand to share info about the services & support they provide for the 2SLGBTQ+ community. 6pm: Drag Show featuring kings & queens from around the state. 10pm: Silent Disco with 2Bays DJs. upnorthpride.com/listevents/2025/9/27/visibility-rally-march-f6fde ---------------------------------CADILLAC’S CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL: 2-9pm, Cadillac Commons. Grab a tasty craft brew or choose from a variety of NA flavors at Cadillac’s Craft Beer Festival, overlooking Lake Cadillac. Enjoy live music by The Gasoline Gypsies, The Bootstrap Boys, & Silver Creek Revival. Try your hand at yard games, & hit the local food trucks. GA tickets are $30 advance; $35 gate & include five 5 oz. pours & a festival glass. Brewers include Great Mead Hall, Elder Piper, Dark Horse Brewing Co., Short’s Brewing, Four Leaf Brewing, & many more. The Cadillac Craft Beer Hustle 5K starts at 1pm at 215 S. Lake St. cadillaccraftbeerfest.com ---------------------------------FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL, POP UP JOB FAIR & CHILI COOK OFF: 2-5pm, Vanderbilt Trailhead Park & Corwith Twp. Hall, Vanderbilt. facebook.com/groups/1536657847996572 ---------------------------------NORTHWEST MICHIGAN BALLET THEATRE PRESENTS: 2026 GALA EN POINTE...DISCO FEVER!: 6pm, City Opera House, TC. Enjoy food by Chef Myles Anton of Trattoria Stella, live & silent auctions, raffles, & dancing. Help honor beloved founder, Thomas Morrell on his retirement after nearly three decades. Tickets start at $100. nmbt. schoolauction.net/disco/homepages/index ---------------------------------“A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM”: 7-9pm, Benzie Area Historical Museum & Research Center, Benzonia. Presented by the Benzie Area Historical Society. Meet many Benzie legends, historical women & men portrayed by museum volunteers. Includes a silent auction. Free. benziemuseum.org ---------------------------------“THE SAVANNAH SIPPING SOCIETY”: (See Sat., Sept. 19) ---------------------------------9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL: (See Sat., Sept. 19, except today’s only time is 7:30pm.)

---------------------------------THE INSIDERS: A TRAVELING WILBURYS TRIBUTE: 7:30pm, The Cheboygan Opera House. A tribute to one of the biggest rock supergroups of all time, headed by Michiganbased songwriter & poet Max Lockwood, & featuring Lockwood’s friends & collaborators—all veterans & stars of Michigan’s music scene. $10-$40. ci.ovationtix.com/36618/prod uction/1282157?performanceId=11837166 ---------------------------------KAMIKAZE COMEDY: (See Fri., Sept. 25)

sept sunday 27

11TH ANNUAL HARBOR SPRINGS FESTIVAL OF THE BOOK: SOLD OUT: (See Fri., Sept. 25) --------------------GTARMC ROCK SHOW 2026: (See Sat., Sept. 26, except today’s time is 11am-4pm.) ---------------------------------“THE SAVANNAH SIPPING SOCIETY”: (See Sun., Sept. 20) ---------------------------------CINEMA SOCIETY TC - SAMPLER EVENT: 2pm, City Opera House, TC. Celebrate the art of filmmaking & meet Andy Friedenberg, industry insider with decades of film experience. $30. cityoperahouse.org/events/cinema-society-tc-sampler-event ---------------------------------PROGRESS IS INEVITABLE - IT BEGINS WITH VISION: 2pm, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. Featuring Dave Hohle, Christian Science practitioner & teacher & member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship. Free. christiansciencetc.com/christian-science-events ---------------------------------SIXTH ANNUAL NORTHPORT TEA DANCE: “90S VS 2000S”: 2-6pm, Willowbrook Mill, Northport. Featuring a performance by Monique Madison and her Kittens, music from DJ Jay, & a hot dog bar. This midday drag show creates awareness & visibility for the LGBTQ plus members of the community. Free/ticketed event. mynorthtickets. com/events/2026-chetcuti-evans-foundationtea-dance-9-27-2026 ---------------------------------YOUNG BIRDERS WALK: 3pm, Reffitt Nature Center, TC. This walk will introduce children of all ages & their parents to the wonder & joy of birds & bird watching. Children 12 & younger should be accompanied by an adult. Limited number of extra binoculars will be available. Free. grandtraverseaudubon.org/ events-2026 ---------------------------------EVENING WITH SCOTT SIMON: 6:30pm, Dennos Museum Center, Milliken Auditorium,

NMC, TC. An evening of storytelling, humor & heartfelt conversation with acclaimed author & NPR host Scott Simon. Scott discusses his new book, “Ulysses S. Cat and Other Animals I Have Known,” published by W.W. Norton & Company. IPR News Director Ed Ronco will join him on stage for the conversation. $30. interlochen.org/events/eveningscott-simon-2026-09-27

art

“HEART OF A TREE, SOUL OF A STORM”: Charlevoix Circle of Arts. A juried art exhibition featuring creative works rooted in a fallen tree & shaped by the 2025 ice storm that changed the landscape. Runs Sept. 25 - Oct. 31 with an opening reception on Fri., Sept. 25 from 5-7pm. See web site for hours. charlevoixcircle.org ---------------------------------“WOMEN AND WATER: WOVEN PORTRAITS FROM AROUND THE WORLD”: Petoskey District Library, 2nd floor. A traveling exhibition featuring handwoven jacquard portraits by artist Mary Burns that honor women who work with, protect, & advocate for water across the globe. Runs through Oct. 15. See web site for hours. petoskeylibrary.org ---------------------------------CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER, PETOSKEY: - ECHOES: REVISITING MEMORY: Held in Gilbert Gallery. Environments, places & landscapes shape our memories & experiences. “Echoes” explores how memories lose their clarity & change as we revisit them. The works on view reflect these varied reminiscences of environments that stay with us & reverberate in our minds over time. Runs through Oct. See web site for hours. crookedtree.org/events-and-exhibitions/exhibits/echoes-revisiting-memory.html - WOMEN + WATER: LIFE BEARERS, TEACHERS, STORYTELLERS: Held in Atrium Gallery. Presented in conjunction with Women + Water at the Petoskey District Library, this exhibition features artwork by women artists reflecting on water, environmental stewardship, & advocacy. Runs through Oct. 17. See web site for hours. crookedtree.org/events-and-exhibitions/exhibits/women-water-life-bearers-teachersstorytellers.html - “MODERN MOVEMENT: MARTHA GRAHAM & BARBARA MORGAN”: Held in Bonfield Gallery. Featuring original Barbara Morgan photographs of Graham & her company in the 1930s & 40s. Runs through Oct. See web site for hours. crookedtree. org/events-and-exhibitions/exhibits/modern-movement.html

CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER, TC: - GUILD POP-UP EXHIBIT: JESSICA KOVAN: Held in Libragallery. “Mama Love” is about taking care of the world & each other. Every living thing was once somebody’s baby. Every parent wants what’s best for their children. Birds are a way of making Kovan’s heart visible. Runs Sept. 9-26. See web site for hours. crookedtree.org/eventsand-exhibitions/exhibits/guild-popup-exhibitjessica-kovan.html - “AMERICANA”: Held in Cornwell & Carnegie Galleries, TC. Artists across the Great Lakes region explore the many meanings of Americana through contemporary & traditional works that celebrate, question, reinterpret, or expand our understanding of American identity. Runs through Oct. 3. See web site for hours. crookedtree.org/events-and-exhibitions/exhibits/americana.html - JON LANGFORD: HONKY TONK HEAVEN: Held in Carnegie Rotunda. One of the founding members of the British first wave punk band The Mekons, & in several bands since & presently, Jon is also a prolific & outstanding painter. Runs through Oct. 3. Artist talk on Sept. 19 at 11am. See web site for hours. crookedtree.org/events-and-exhibitions/exhibits/jon-langford-honky-tonk-heaven.html - TRAVERSE AREA CAMERA CLUB FALL 26’ WINNERS SHOWCASE: Held in Cornwell & Carnegie Galleries. Annual exhibit of the ever-growing Traverse Area Camera Club yearly award winners. Runs through Oct. 3. See web site for hours. crookedtree. org/events-and-exhibitions/exhibits/traversearea-camera-club-2026-award-winners.html ---------------------------------DENNOS MUSEUM CENTER, NMC, TC: - DARRYL BROWN: “BUBBLES OF LOVE”: A dreamscape of both primitive & modern juxtaposed color & a whimsical journey that blends Atavistic Animism with a pure discovery in the moment & from different angles. Runs Sept. 24, 2026 - March 28, 2027. Open Tues. through Sun., 11am-4pm. Closed Mondays & major holidays. dennosmuseum.org/art/upcoming-exhibitions - DRAWING TO MOTION: CONTEMPORARY INUIT ART FROM THE DENNOS MUSEUM: From spiritual & physical transformations to modes of transportation & scenes of daily life, this exhibition provides an intimate view into the hand-drawn & animatedby-hand world of Inuit artists from the late 20th & early 21st centuries. Runs Sept. 24, 2026 - May 30, 2027. Open Tues. through Sun., 11am-4pm. Closed Mondays & major holidays. dennosmuseum.org/art/upcomingexhibitions - MATERIAL WORLD: TEN WOMEN: An invitational exhibition organized by the Muskegon Museum of Art, featuring women art-

ists working with non-traditional materials or using traditional materials in non-traditional ways. Many of the works use found objects common to the everyday household, or bring elements from nature into inside spaces. Runs Sept. 24, 2026 - Jan. 3, 2027. Open Tues. through Sun., 11am-4pm. Closed on Mondays & major holidays. dennosmuseum. org/art/upcoming-exhibitions - “FULL CIRCLE: WASTE PLASTIC TRANSFORMATIONS”: TC raised artist Simon Anton returns to the area with a body of sculpture & design objects built over the last 12 years at his Detroit Studio for his solo exhibit. Anton uses plastic sourced from Detroit neighborhoods, factory waste & the automotive industry. Runs through Aug. 8, 2027. Dennos Museum Center is open Tues. through Sun., 11am-4pm; closed Mondays. dennosmuseum.org/art/upcoming-exhibitions - REFLECTIONS ON COMMUNITY: 75 YEARS OF STUDENT VOICES: This exhibition celebrates NMC’s 75th Anniversary by exploring the college’s history through the eyes of those who experienced it firsthand – students. Runs through Jan. 3. dennosmuseum.org/art/ now-on-view/75-years-student-voices.html ---------------------------------GLEN ARBOR ARTS CENTER: - “AT LEAST A DOZEN FRIENDS”: Held in Lobby Gallery. Margo Burian is known as a painter of quiet, atmospheric landscapes, waterscapes, farmsteads, & rowboats hitched to old docks. Over the years she has been developing a body of work based on collage, image transfer, & mixed media. Her exhibit runs through Dec. 17. See web site for hours. glenarborart.org/product/exhibitat-least-a-dozen-friends - “TAKING FLIGHT”: Invitational group exhibition featuring the works of Shanny Brooke (paintings), Cynthia Marks (ceramic vessels) & Michelle Tock York (mixed media sculpture). Runs through Oct. 29. See web site for hours. glenarborart.org/product/exhibit-taking-flight ---------------------------------OLIVER ART CENTER: - ATMOSPHERES: PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVE LOVELESS: Photographer & Michigan native, Steve Loveless, has been capturing the stunning atmospheres of northern Michigan for decades. This exhibition runs Sept. 26 - Oct. 30. Open Tues. - Sat., 10am4pm; Sun., noon-4pm. oliverartcenterfrankfort.org/music-series - FIELD OF VISION: Explore the unique artistic voices of artists Mark Mehaffey, Sandra Ackerman, Logan Hudson, & Les Scruggs in “Field of Vision.” Each artist brings their own style & creativity to the depiction & interpretation of the environments humans interact with. Runs through Oct. 2. See web site for hours. oliverartcenterfrankfort.org/musicseries

Greetings from

SHADY LANE CELLARS Northern Express Weekly • september 21, 2026 • 33

lOGY Oktob e Par t y r f est 9 /26! (8th st reet lo catio n)

2 locations! 439 E Eighth St. Traverse City 2770 e silver lake rd Traverse City

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the 18th century, Libran philosopher Denis Diderot was instrumental in creating the Encyclopédie. It wasn't the first compendium of the world's knowledge, but it was the most ambitious and comprehensive. In 28 volumes, it assembled contributions from a large number of writers, including leading figures of the French Enlightenment. Robust collaboration was key to its enduring influence. In the coming weeks, Libra, I’m hoping that you, like Diderot, will be an initiator and facilitator of rich cooperation. Conversations, partnerships, and shared projects could generate insights that none of the participants would have discovered alone. By inviting multiple perspectives into the discussion, you will help cultivate a fertile weave of ideas. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Bats navigate by echolocation. They send out sounds and interpret the echoes. But when competing for food, they may also jam each other's sonar, generating acoustic interference that makes navigation harder for rivals. A similar phenomenon occurs in human populations. Some of the noisy talk we hear is other people's jamming signals. Consciously or unconsciously, they're creating interference that may make it harder for us to navigate. Now is a good time for you to learn better how to distinguish between real information and meaningless hubbub. Refine your filters.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Jan Tschichold (1902–1974) was a brilliant typographer who revolutionized graphic design. He left his mark on millions of books. But later in life, he rejected some of his own rules, returning to classical typography and critiquing his earlier work as too rigid. In this spirit, dear Virgo, I will ask you if some of your long-standing rules no longer serve you. Is it possible that some of your own "best practices" may have calcified into unexamined dogma? The coming months will invite productive heresy against your past selves. You're allowed to contradict your earlier convictions. Hint: Your vigorous evolution requires it.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the volcanic

seas around Iceland, underwater eruptions sometimes build entirely new islands that rise from the waves as bare, black rock. During the ensuing years, wind and waves and seabirds seed them with life. Mosses, lichens, hardy plants, and nesting birds slowly transform the raw lava into a living shore. I’m rooting for you to instigate a similar process, Scorpio. My prediction: A development that initially seems stark or unfinished could become fertile ground for growth. Your perceptive instincts will recognize possibilities before they are obvious to others. Be patient with beginnings that look raw.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I invite

you to achieve minor miracles that will enable you to brag at parties about how you created something out of nothing. Not in a loud, egotistical way, but with a sly glimmer in your eye, as if you’re sharing secrets about how reality can be coaxed into generosity if you approach it with imagination and chutzpah. Yes, dear Sagittarius, I'm ecstatic to inform you that now is a favorable moment to turn scraps into usefulness, boredom into invention, and vague hunches into tangible results. Be alert! Be on the lookout! Scout around for raw materials that have been overlooked or dismissed. Half-abandoned projects? Mercurial

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I've got a

rough, tough assignment for you: Dare yourself to be startled by your own exquisite beauty. Be bold and even brazen in appreciating what a marvelous creature you are. Can you summon the necessary audacity? I think you can. Please notice the ways you have underestimated your gifts, minimized your impact, or edited out your brilliance to make others comfortable. Allow yourself to feel the tender shock of recognizing that you’re more interesting and mysteriously compelling than you’ve been trained to believe. PS: This will help you call on even deeper inner resources in the coming weeks.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aquarian writer Virginia Woolf was a fount of interesting ideas. Sometimes she pushed her active mind to track them down and capture them, but on other occasions, she enjoyed gathering gems that arrived as her

34 • september 21, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly

SEPT 21 - SEPT 27 BY ROB BREZSNY

imagination wandered and drifted. These “moments of being” provided her with small treasures while she was walking in nature, taking a bath, or doing nothing in particular. I believe that you are now primed to experience many such pleasurable eruptions of insight. In the coming weeks, pauses and lulls and intermissions will open unexpected portals.

PISCES (Feb 19-March 20): For the low

price of $199, I could expertly dispel that annoying curse you’ve been lugging around. But I would feel sleazy taking your cash when you are fully capable of zapping the curse yourself. So instead I will recommend that you perform the banishing ritual, then write yourself a check for $199. Here’s how. Step 1: Visualize an object that represents the curse. Imagine hurling it into a beach bonfire and watching it burn. Step 2: Bring to mind a person you believe contributes to the curse. Envision a rope that ties the two of you together, waist to waist. Then imagine yourself revving up a chainsaw, slicing through the binding, and declaring, “You have no power over me!” Step 3: Roll on the floor as you laugh and cry tears of giddy release.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the practice

of niwaki, Japanese gardeners shape trees so they look both natural and artfully composed. They prune and style the branches to dramatize the tree’s inherent character. Their goal is to collaborate. I recommend you experiment with a similar approach in the coming weeks, Aries. Try partnering with the living processes in your sphere rather than simply imposing your will on them. Ask yourself: What is trying to flourish here? Can I coax out some useful beauty? How can I coordinate my own intelligence with nature's intelligence?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Your spirit

creatures for the coming weeks are the slow-moving giant tortoises of the Galápagos Islands. They can live for more than a century. They conserve energy, move deliberately, and carry their protection with them. I believe you will benefit from embracing their ways in the coming weeks, Taurus. Refuse to be rushed or pressured, either by others or yourself. Proceed at the precise rate you need to. Your natural strength will thrive through your incremental steadiness. PS: Consider giving yourself a tortoise nickname.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): A master

perfumer composes a fragrance in three layers. The top notes are what you smell first. They're vivid and volatile. The next layer blooms gradually, unfurling the heart notes of the fragrance. Underneath everything are the deep, resinous base notes, which don't fully reveal themselves for hours and cling longest to the skin. Let this be a metaphor to guide your joys and pleasures in the coming weeks, Gemini. Relish the bright top notes that flare and vanish, but persist long enough for the heart to open, and longer still for the deep base notes to emerge. Gather all the rich delights, not just some.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): It’s hard,

scary work for a crab to molt its shell and grow a bigger one. As it waits for its new protection to grow, its soft, tender body is exposed and vulnerable. That’s why it often hides in rock crevices, neither moving nor eating until its armor returns. Your situation, dear Cancerian, isn’t nearly as dire as the poor, defenseless crab’s. But as you power through your own personal molting season, I urge you to enhance your psychic protection. You need to feel extra safe and secure.

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“Jonesin” Crosswords "It's the Pits"--double the disappointment. by Matt Jones

ACROSS 1. Lowest of SATB 5. One of Stephen Baldwin's brothers 9. "Aladdin ___" (David Bowie album) 13. Become troublesome 15. Cowboy's tie 16. Racetrack shape 17. Sport that involves throwing very small rocks? 19. "Much to learn, you still have" speaker 20. Representative's counterpart 21. Garage container 23. Letter after pi 24. A bit hard to believe 26. Old photograph tone 29. Rowing machine target 30. It may come between partners? 31. World Cup shout 32. Introspective query 35. "The Wind in the Willows" character 38. ___ grecque (cooked with olive oil and lemon) 39. Pockets on a plate 41. Made a meal of 42. Alliance agreement 44. ___ of interest 45. Actor Perlman 46. Short trip 48. Allow 49. Belly 51. Fish-eating raptors 53. Bank counter item, once 54. Knuckleheads 55. Earl Grey purveyor 59. State where "MomTok" was popularized 60. Stuff to help you slide past slam dancers? 63. Faith No More lead vocalist Patton 64. Great Lake not changing its name currently 65. Chips go-with 66. Enchilada option, at many Mexican restaurants 67. Provocative 68. Accepted

DOWN 1. Birkin offerings 2. Piece of property? 3. Actor Sebastian 4. "American Beauty" actress Mena 5. Shortened version, but shorter? 6. Mauna ___ 7. Bent pipe shape 8. Spectrum band 9. "___ Green" (1973 sci-fi thriller) 10. Condition caused by lifting alligator pears with one hand? 11. Rival of Federer and Djokovic 12. Stylish elegance 14. Target for some vacuum attachments 18. Stop along the Underground, maybe 22. Lyricist Gershwin 24. Biting works 25. Extreme limit 26. Laundry need 27. "Choosin' Texas" singer Langley 28. Serpent hanging around Georgia orchards? 29. Full of vigor 33. Maple tree output 34. "Can't Get It Out of My Head" rockers 36. Particle in a smasher 37. Say it ain't so 40. Visibly happy or sad 43. Show currently hosted by Kristen Kish 47. "Before," when before 50. Depose 51. Bellybutton type 52. Namesakes of a Salinger girl 53. Wooden pin 54. Word in a Jim Carrey film title 55. The "T" of TMBG 56. Master Chief's franchise 57. ___ buco 58. High point 61. Minecraft material 62. Touchdown points

MEET YOUR FARMER NIGHT! Local Farmers ³ Games ² Refreshments Made In-House Chili & Focaccia $5

SEPTEMBER 25, 4 PM - 7 PM

only at O R YA N A Tenth St. 260 E. TENTH ST.

Northern Express Weekly • september 21, 2026 • 35

Grand Traverse & Kalkaska ALEXANDRA INN, BLUSH: ROOFTOP TERRACE, TC Mon -- Fridays Music (John & Madeline Piatek), 5-7 APACHE TROUT GRILL, TC 9/25 -- Jim Hawley, 5:30-8:30 BRENGMAN FAMILY WINES, TC 9/20 -- Billy & The Kid, 3:30-6:30 9/27 -- BFW Presents: Music for the Soul, 3-7

6:30-9 LEFT FOOT CHARLEY, TC BARREL ROOM: 9/21 -- Open Mic w/ Rob Coonrod, 6-9 TASTING ROOM: 9/25 -- Tim & Anna, 5-7 MARI VINEYARDS, TC 9/22 -- Jerry Byville, 4-6

CHATEAU GRAND TRAVERSE, TC 5-8: 9/19 -- Luke Wolstanski 9/25 -- Brady Corcoran 9/26 -- Drew Hale

MIDDLECOAST BREWING CO., TC 9/23 -- Trivia Night w/ Steveo, 7-9 9/24 -- Open Mic Night w/ Joe Domanick, 7-9 9/25 -- Rolling Dirty, 6-9

FIFE LAKE INN, FIFE LAKE 9/20 -- Braxton Hicks & The Contractions, noon

NOCTURNAL BLOOM BREWING, TC Thu -- Trivia, 6

JACOB'S FARM, TC 9/19 -- DJ Eknuf, noon-3; TimberFellers, 5-8 9/20 -- WSN, noon-3; Miriam Pico & Ryan Younce, 5-8 9/23 -- Justin Wierenga, 5-8 9/24 -- John Richard Paul, 5-8 9/25 -- JH Patton & The Good Companions, 5-8 9/26 -- Manitou Truckin' Co., noon3; Midnight Blue Band, 5-8 9/27 -- Jay Cotter, noon-3; Vertical Limit, 5-8

NORTH BAR, TC 7-10: 9/23 -- Jim Hawley 9/24 -- Drew Hale

KILKENNY'S IRISH PUBLIC HOUSE, TC 9/18-19 -- Risque, 9:30 Mon. -- DJ Trivia, 7-9 Tues. -- The Will Harris Trio, 8-12 Weds. -- The Pocket Band, 8-12 Thurs. -- DJ Leo, 9:30-1:30 9/25-26 -- The Off Beat Band, 9:30 KINGSLEY LOCAL BREWING 9/19 -- Wink Solo, 6-8 9/22 -- Open Mic Night, 6-9 9/23 -- Straight Forward, 7-9 9/24 -- Trivia Night w/ Marcus,

OLD MISSION DISTILLING, TC SEVEN HILLS, 7: 9/19 -- Jeff Linsell 9/25 -- Chris Smith 9/26 -- Bauer Jones TC WHISKEY CO. - THE STILLHOUSE 9/19 -- Locals Summer Dance Party w/ DJ AWOL, 7-10 THE ALLUVION, TC 9/21 -- Big Fun + DJ Ras Marco, 7-9:30 9/24 -- The Jeff Haas Trio feat. Laurie Sears + Lisa Flahive, 6-8 THE COIN SLOT, TC 7-10: 9/19 -- Misadventurer 9/25 -- Silver Creek Revival 9/26 -- Arming the Amish

THE HAYLOFT INN, TC 7:30-11: 9/19 -- Pot Fly 9/25 -- Dance Mix 9/26 -- Somebody's Sister

nitelife

sept 19- sept 27 edited by jamie kauffold

Send Nitelife to: events@traverseticker.com

THE PARLOR, TC 9/19 -- Larz Cabot, 9-12 9/22 -- Jesse Jefferson, 8-11 9/23 -- Rob Coonrod, 8-11 9/24 -- Jimmy Olson, 8-11 9/25 -- Highway North, 9-12 9/26 -- Brady Corcoran, 9-12 THE PUB, TC 9/21 -- Karaoke, 8-11 THE WORKSHOP BREWING CO., TC 9/19 -- Andy McQuillen, 7 9/21 -- USS Comedy: Open Mic, 8-9:30 9/22 -- Open Mic w/ Zak Bunce, 6-10 9/23 -- Jazz Jam w/ Ron Getz, 6-9 9/24 -- DJ Trivia, 7-9 9/25 -- The Pocket, 6 9/26 -- The Fresh Pints of Bellaire, 7 9/27 -- Full Tilt Comedy Presents: Comedy Mixtape, 6-8 THIRSTY FISH SPORTS GRILLE, TC 9/22 -- Trivia, 7-9 (inside); then Open Mic Comedy, 8:30-10 (patio) 9/24 -- Coral Stone Jam, 6:30-9:30 (patio) 9/25 -- Karaoke, 7-10 (inside) 9/26 -- Latino Party TOWNLINE CIDERWORKS, WILLIAMSBURG 9/25 -- Nick Vasquez, 6-8 TURTLE CREEK CASINO, WILLIAMSBURG 8-12: 9/19 -- Somebody’s Sister & The Goodfellas 9/26 -- Vertigo

Popular northern Michigan steel drum player Island Girl (Renee Kuczeski) brings her show to Blu Dot Farm & Vineyard, Charlevoix, Sat., Sept. 26 from 3-6pm!

Emmet & Cheboygan BOYNE VALLEY VINEYARDS, PETOSKEY 9/19 -- Two Track Mind, 2-6 9/25 -- Mike Ridley, 4-7:30 9/26 -- Nelson Olstrom, 2-6 BRANDY'S HARBORTOWN, BAY HARBOR 9/20 -- Jeff Socia, 12:30-3:30 9/24 -- Lavender Lions, 5 9/25 -- Nick Visconti, 5 9/26 -- Chris Calleja, 12:30 9/27 -- Nelson Olstrom, 12:30 CITY PARK GRILL, PETOSKEY 9/25 -- Annex Karaoke, 9:30 NOGGIN ROOM PUB, PETOSKEY 7-10: 9/19 -- Kyle Brown

9/25 -- Holly Keller 9/26 -- Todd Aldrich NORTHERN LIGHTS RECREATION, HARBOR SPRINGS 9/22 -- Trivia, 6:30 9/25 -- Nelson Olstrom, 5:30-8:30 ODAWA CASINO RESORT, PETOSKEY VICTORIES: 9/25 -- Family Tradition, 9 POND HILL FARM, HARBOR SPRINGS 9/19 -- Brian McCosky, 11am2pm; Charlie's Root Fusion, 3-6 9/20 -- Amanda Jane, 11am-2pm; Chris Michels, 3-6 9/25 -- Yankee Station, 5-8

9/26 -- Holly Keller-Thompson, 11am-2pm; Lew Russ, 3-6 9/27 -- Terry Coveyou, 11am-2pm; Luke Woltanski Duo, 3-6 THE BEAU, CHEBOYGAN 7: 9/19 -- Jazz w/ Richard Jacalone, Nathan Towne, Kyle Frazier & Jack Swartzinski 9/25 -- Musician's Playground THE QUEENS HEAD, CHEBOYGAN 9/25 -- Amanda Jane, 5:30-7:30 THE WIGWAM, INDIAN RIVER 9/24 -- Dominic Fortuna, 7:309:30 9/25 -- Karaoke, 8-11

Leelanau & Benzie Antrim & Charlevoix BLU DOT FARM & VINEYARD, CHARLEVOIX 3-6: 9/19 -- Keith Scott 9/26 -- Island Girl

8-11: 9/19 -- The Bootstrap Boys 9/26 -- Luke Woltanski Band

BOYNE RIVER INN, BOYNE CITY 9/24 -- Nelson Olstrom, 7-10

LOST CELLARS, CHARLEVOIX TASTING ROOM: 9/26 -- Harvest Party w/ Dave Cisco, 2-5

ETHANOLOGY DISTILLATION, ELK RAPIDS

MUSKRAT CITY

DISTILLING, BOYNE

9/23 -- Karaoke Night, 9 SHORT'S PUB, BELLAIRE BEER GARDEN: 9/19 -- Silver Creek Revival, 7-9:30 9/25 -- Braxton Hicks & The Contractions wsg Shortstop, 7-9:30 9/26 -- Rocktoberfest w/ Nitro Jen, PseudoSilence, The Bends - Radiohead tribute, Rock Bottom Remedy, & The Daylites, noon-10

Manistee, Wexford & Missaukee NORTHERN NATURAL CIDER HOUSE & WINERY, KALEVA 7: 9/19 -- Lynn Callihan 9/25 -- Chief Jam-Open Mic Hosted by BeeJay Reffitt 9/26 -- John Pomeroy & Angela Caro

THE GREENHOUSE – WILLOW/ PRIMOS, CADILLAC 9/23 -- Trivia & Music Bingo, 6-9

Otsego, Crawford & Central BEAVER CREEK RESORT, GAYLORD 9/6 -- Nelson Olstrom, 4-7

D&K TAVERN, ELMIRA 9/5 -- Helen & Phil, 6-10

36 • september 21, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly

AMORITAS VINEYARDS, LAKE LEELANAU 9/24 -- Billy & The Kid, 5-7 BEL LAGO VINEYARD, WINERY & CIDERY, CEDAR 3:30-5:30: 9/19 -- Jakob Abraham 9/20 -- Nick Veine 9/22 -- John Piatek 9/26 -- Larz Cabot 9/27 -- Clint Weaner BOATHOUSE VINEYARDS, LAKE LEELANAU TASTING ROOM, 3-5:30: 9/20 -- Bryan Poirier 9/27 -- Larry Perkins CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN, THOMPSONVILLE LEVEL4 LOUNGE: 9/19 -- Jesse Jefferson, 7-9 DUNE BIRD WINERY, NORTHPORT 3-6: 9/20 -- Emily Faber 9/24 -- Luke Woltanski 9/27 -- Loose Change FRENCH VALLEY VINEYARD, CEDAR 4-7: 9/21 -- Dennis Palmer 9/24 -- Rob Coonrod HOP LOT BREWING, SUTTONS BAY 9/19 -- Delilah DeWylde, 3-6

IRON FISH DISTILLERY, THOMPSONVILLE 9/20 -- Matt Gabriel, 5-7 9/26 -- Jakob Abraham, 5:307:30 9/27 -- Brian Curran, 5:30-7:30 LAKE ANN BREWING CO. 9/19 -- The Fridays, 3-6; Barefoot, 7-10 9/23 -- Open Mic Night Hosted by Johnathon North, 6:30-9:30 9/25 -- The Boone Doggies, 7-10 9/26 -- The Jameson Brothers, 3-6; Empire Highway, 7-10 LEELANAU SANDS CASINO, PESHAWBESTOWN SHOWROOM: 9/19 -- 2 Piece Promotions XI: MMA Fights, 7-11 LITTLE TRAVERSE INN, MAPLE CITY 9/25 -- The True Falsettos, 6-9 NORTHERN LATITUDES DISTILLERY, LAKE LEELANAU 4:45-6:45: 9/25 -- Jesse Jefferson 9/26 -- Jim Hawley RIVER CLUB, GLEN ARBOR 5-8: 9/19 -- Empire Highway 9/24 -- Loose Change

9/25 -- Mike Moran 9/26 -- Stone Travelbee SHADY LANE CELLARS, SUTTONS BAY 9/25 -- Billy & The Kid, 4-7 SOUL SQUEEZE CELLARS, LAKE LEELANAU 9/19 -- Brian Vander Ark, 4-5:30 9/24 -- Rebekah Jon & John Piatek Duo, 4-7 9/25 -- Rhett & John, 4-7 9/26 -- Snap Band, 4-7 ST. AMBROSE CELLARS, BEULAH 9/19 -- Barn Dance 2026 w/ The Mighty TundraTones, The Fabulous Horndogs, & The Go Rounds, 2-9 SUTTONS BAY CIDERS 9/20 -- Highway North, 5:30-8 9/24 -- DJ Trivia, 6:30-8 9/27 -- Chris Smith, 5:30-8 TANDEM CIDERS, SUTTONS BAY Sun -- The Nightcrawlers, 1-4 THE CABBAGE SHED, ELBERTA 9/24 -- Open Mic Night, 6:30-9 THE HOMESTEAD RESORT, GLEN ARBOR WHISKERS, 6-9: 9/25 -- Bryan Poirier 9/26 -- Elisabeth Christe

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Northern Express Weekly • september 21, 2026 • 37

38 • september 21, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly

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Northern Express Weekly • september 21, 2026 • 39

40 • september 21, 2026 • Northern Express Weekly