This has been my strangest week as the editor of Northern Express. A reader wrote to us over the weekend, angry about our coverage of Charlie Kirk’s murder and the suspected killer. That’s odd, I thought, because we had not covered that story. When we went to press last week, it had only been about 18 hours since Kirk was killed, and the suspect wasn’t even in custody.
More importantly, the Express does not break national news, though you’ll see its influence in opinion columns or features about how national events, politics, and topics are affecting northern Michigan. But we’re a hyper-local newsweekly, not an affiliate of the Associated Press
Come to find out, this reader had confused us with another paper. Nevertheless, they threatened to dox us by sending “our” story to a conservative political commentator. And when I called to explain they had the wrong outlet, they didn’t apologize for the mistake, the threat (which they carried out, albeit for the other paper), or their misplaced antagonism toward our team.
It was an all-around demoralizing experience. Ignorance, ire, and selfrighteousness won the day over simple facts.
I’m going to repeat here what I wrote in a column after the Walmart stabbing in Traverse City. “When we are hurt or afraid, we can choose a message of anger. It is a natural impulse and may well be justified. But it’s all too easy to meet an act of senseless violence with more fearful, reactive violence. We spread rumors, jump on the mob-mindset bandwagon, and shout down—or in some cases, threaten—all those who disagree.”
I think we can all acknowledge that walking that path harms far more than it helps.
This week, I also had to tell letter writers on both sides of the aisle that we would not publish letters speculating about the suspect (or his motives) in Kirk’s murder. In fact, according to our Letters to the Editor policy, we don’t usually publish letters that are not A) focused on northern Michigan issues or B) in conversation with other letters, columns, or stories in the Express
But these are exceptional times, so I’m making an exception. Two letter writers captured the rising political temperature in ways that put logic, fact, and humanity over fear, conjecture, and tribalism. I will leave you with their words below.
Jillian Manning | Northern Express Editor
Wake Up and Smell Your Phone, America
For the first time in my life, I am genuinely, deeply fearful that our nation is coming apart at the seams. The abhorrent assassination of influencer Charlie Kirk and its public repercussions bring this into focus.
An insidious force inhabits the atmosphere of our daily lives: the loss of a shared understanding and respect for facts, truth, and reality. With that loss, we overlook core values: respect for human life and our planet, the responsible exercise of individual freedoms, and the rights enshrined in our Constitution.
Without a foundation of shared values, our democracy cannot survive. The dream of America will die not at hands of outside forces, but by our own.
What is the culprit? Social media lives in our phones and laptops, absorbing ever
increasing amounts of our time and focus. While social media can foster community and facilitate the sharing of valuable information, unchecked it poses significant risks to our collective understanding of truth.
Social media platforms cultivate our engagement by arousing and reinforcing our egos and emotions. This feedback loop warps our individual conceptions of right and wrong and produces a universe of “us vs. them” binaries.
The process is imperceptible by virtue of being self-directed as we seek content to satisfy our whims and reinforce our notions of what is important and true. For example, during recent elections, misinformation spread rapidly on social media platforms, leading to confusion and division among voters.
The solution isn’t simple or immediately satisfying. It requires us to use social media selectively and educate ourselves, friends, and loved ones on the necessity of seeking, respecting, and protecting reliable sources of information. These sources are impartial journalism and scientific rigor, not politicians or influencers.
If we would “save America,” save TRUTH.
Ed DeRosha | Williamsburg
Turning Down the Rhetoric
In 1996, Martin Walker wrote a critical biography of Bill Clinton entitled The President We Deserve. I thought about this title recently when our current president responded to the killing of Charlie Kirk.
Even before the shooter was caught, President Trump blamed the assassination on “radical left politicians.” To support his assertion, the president cited the two attempted assassinations on his own life plus attacks on ICE agents, the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and the shooting of Representative Steve Scalise in Washington.
It is noteworthy that the president didn’t mention the Republican Party and MAGA supporters’ violent attack on the U.S. Capitol Police on Jan. 6, the assault on Nancy Pelosi’s husband in San Francisco, the killing of a state politician and her husband in Minnesota, and the burning of the governor’s mansion in Pennsylvania.
It is clear to me that both Republicans and Democrats are responsible for the surge in political violence. In a way, we deserve some of the blame ourselves, as Martin Walker suggests in his book, if for no other reason than that we elected the political combatants.
There is no clear answer to the political violence problem, but we know that further divisiveness won’t help. I am resolved to turn my rhetoric down. Are you?
Gary Petty | Bellaire
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top ten
Fall Fun Up North Tap Into the Trails
Fall festivals are definitely in the air, and headlining this week is Leelanau UnCaged! With continuous live music on the streets of Northport from noon-10pm, Sat., Sept. 27, you’ll find seven stages and 34 acts, plus a water blessing over the bay, art activities, craft vendors, and much more. On the same day is also the Elk Rapids Fall Festival on River St. downtown from noon-5pm and the Harvest Festival in downtown Boyne City from 9am-3pm with children’s games, local harvests, and fall fun!
Hey, read It! Until Alison 4
Is there a better time than September to hit the trails? The days are cool but sunny, the leaves are just starting to turn, and the fall color tourists haven’t yet descended en masse. Cheboygan Area Visitors Bureau and Top of Michigan Trails Council are taking advantage of the season with their Tap Into the Trails fall festival, with events mainly held on Saturday, Sept. 27. There’s a race (10K run and 5K run/walk) along the North Central State Trail and the North Eastern State Trail; a guided bicycle trail ride; an Oktober Fest in Festival Square with beer and cider from seven craft beverage outlets plus live music; and other activities like bird watching and a lighted lantern trail. Visit cheboygan.com/tap-into-the-trails-2024 (yes, that URL is correct) to get all the details!
2 tastemaker Umai Eats’ Crusty Crab Roll
To start, let’s make it clear we’re talking about Crusty Crab and not Krusty Krab (the iconic Krabby Patty-slinging restaurant frequented by Spongebob Squarepants). Now that that’s out of the way, grab your chopsticks and dig in. Umai Eats is a new Traverse City sushi joint in an unassuming building near the Cherryland Center. But looks can be deceiving, because we wound up with a takeout order of some truly beautiful sushi. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but the Crusty Crab ($17) specialty roll was a treat: an avocado roll topped with shrimp, scallops, and imitation crab, plus green onions and kewpie mayo to give that rich umami flavor. We also give high marks to the Midori Tuna, packed with enough wasabi that our sinuses are now perfectly clear. Order online at umaieatstc.com, and pick up at 1338 W South Airport Rd. in TC.
College senior Rachel Nardelli never wanted Alison Petrucci to die. The two had been best friends as kids, with Alison hailing from the well-to-do Allerton Heights end of their small Maine town and Rachel from the working-class Waterbury. In fact, it’s largely because of Alison’s privilege that she’s labeled the “weird” kid their eighth-grade year (though her teacher’s pet tendencies and endless Hannah Montana T-shirts definitely don’t help). So when Rachel’s offered the chance to humiliate Alison in exchange for some cool points, she bites, thereby solidifying each as the other’s archnemesis into adulthood. That is, until they run into each other at a party the evening Alison dies, where a very drunk Rachel might have said and seen some things she shouldn’t have. Plagued by guilt and teenage trauma, Rachel’s forced to confront a terrible truth: Did Alison die because of her? Turf wars meet crime investigation in acclaimed author Kate Russo’s newest literary thriller, Until Alison…and no one’s innocent.
6 Four Adventures, One Preserve
Grass River Natural Area in Bellaire is gearing up for a busy weekend. First up, on Friday Sept. 26, at 10am, they’ll host “Eyes on the Forest,” a free community science opportunity to detect invasive species like highlight hemlock woolly adelgid, spotted lanternfly, and five priority plants. Learn about these species, then head outside and look for them! Next up at 1pm that day is the NMC Fall Mushroom Foray, an extended education program with Northwestern Michigan College that helps you find and identify fall fungi. Later that evening, register ($10) for the Owl Prowl at 7pm, where you’ll take an evening hike to look for the winged denizens of the night. Last but not least, join the GRNA team for their Fall Stream Monitoring from 9-11am on Saturday, Sept. 27, to collect habitat data along Finch Creek. See all the info and sign up at grassriver.org/classes-and-programs.html.
New Trail Now Open
In September, the Little Traverse Conservancy announced the opening of a new universally-accessible trail in the Bay Shore area (between Petoskey and Charlevoix) that offers one of the few trail access points to the lake between Charlevoix and Mackinaw City. The 0.5-mile trail is tucked inside the 56-acre Enji-minozhiiyaamigak: The Place of Peacefulness Nature Preserve. Per a press release, the trail “leads to a platform overlooking Little Traverse Bay. Stairs take you to the cobblestone beach that stretches roughly a quarter mile along Lake Michigan.” The preserve also features a steel tree sculpture, made to look like an indigenous marker tree, that was created by the students of the Industrial Arts Institute in Onaway. All signs throughout the preserve are in both Anishinaabemowin and English. Learn more about the preserve and this new trail by visiting landtrust.org.
Stuff We Love: More Murals!
Fresh off the inaugural Traverse City Mural Fest, we turn our sights north to the Northport Arts Association (NAA), which has put out a call for artists for an exciting new project. NAA is spearheading an installation for five large works of art, “each to be prominently displayed in public buildings throughout the Village of Northport,” per their press release. The murals will be made of approximately 130 glazed tiles that will be arranged either vertically or horizontally with measurements of 5x3 feet or 3x5. The finished murals will be installed at the Leelanau Township Office entrance, Leelanau Township Library, Village of Northport Meeting Room, Northport Public School, and Northport Creek Golf Course. More details—including suggested themes, design styles, and submission guidelines—can be found at northportartsassociation.org. All submissions are due by Oct. 30, 2025.
bottoms up Bos Wine’s Wishflower
When you wish upon a flower—that’s how the line goes, right?—all your wine dreams come true. At least, that’s the case at BOS Wine in Elk Rapids, where the 2024 vintage of their fan-favorite BOS Wishflower white has just hit the bar. Named for the delightfully wishable (and elusive) petals of the dried dandelion, this bright and crisp blend of Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsula fruit features Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Chardonnay grapes finished briefly “on the lees” (aka, in contact with fine yeast sediment), which helps build complexity and adds silky texture. The result is a gorgeously-balanced glass with notes of white florals, wet rock, and citrus, lifted by a delicate but nuanced acidity. We’ll take the whole darn bouquet! Find BOS Wine at 135 Ames St. in Elk Rapids. boswine.com
THE ENEMY IS US
spectator
By steven Tuttle
Nothing Charlie Kirk ever said rationalizes, much less justifies, his murder. Celebrations to the contrary were, and continue to be, reprehensible if for no other reason than a three-year-old little girl and a one-year-old little boy are left without a father.
At the same time, his near beatification by some seems excessive. His death does not erase what many considered offensive comments or positions. There is a certain irony in the fact that some of his most ardent supporters, including Donald Trump, now wish to punish anyone who speaks unkindly of Kirk in the aftermath of the tragedy.
Irony because Kirk, having had his appearances canceled on some college campuses, was a fervent supporter of the First
decades. Kirk said Jews “...control not just the colleges—it’s the nonprofits, it’s the movies, it’s Hollywood, it’s all of it...”
Lately, he tried to connect New York City’s likely next mayor, Zohran Mamdani, to al Qaeda and 9/11. Mamdani, a Muslim born in Uganda and naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2018, was a child on 9/11 and has repeatedly condemned Islamic extremism and violence.
Charlie Kirk would have been happy and eager to debate most anyone on any of these subjects, and he was a smart and wellprepared opponent. It’s not likely he’d have been pleased with the threats of violence now circulating against anyone currently daring to contradict him.
The voices asking for calm and unity are once again being drowned out by the voices of anger, revenge, and violence, accomplishing nothing.
Amendment. One assumes he would have opposed people being fired or ostracized for unpopular speech since he was a victim of that attitude himself.
Hometown Compassion.
Supporting northern Michigan seniors at home. With heart.
Kirk was also a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and said more than once said the solution to gun violence was more guns in the hands of more people. He believed gun deaths are an acceptable price to pay for protecting those Second Amendment rights.
He claimed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had become an “anti-white weapon” and that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an “awful person.” He strongly opposed affirmative action programs and said Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was an unqualified “diversity hire.” He also infamously said on his radio show in 2024, “If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be, like, ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified.’” It made for an unpleasant sound bite for someone claiming to be far from a racist.
(It should be noted that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is a self-admitted affirmative action beneficiary, having been admitted to Yale Law School when they were trying to increase minority attendance. He said it got him into Yale but branded him as being somehow less qualified, which led to his opposition to affirmative action thereafter.).
Kirk was a strong public supporter of Israel but also fell into some antisemitic rhetoric. He believed in “replacement theory,” the unproven notion that Jews and other non-whites are taking over leadership in government and business, replacing white folks in the process. He claimed that “antiwhiteness has been largely financed by Jewish donors” when discussing the George Floyd protests. Then there was this, an old antisemitic trope that has circulated for
So we have yet another sorry chapter in our country’s ongoing history of bipartisan political violence followed immediately by politicians of all stripes cynically attempting to exploit it. The voices asking for calm and unity are once again being drowned out by the voices of anger, revenge, and violence, accomplishing nothing.
Efforts by Trump and others to make this a problem of “the left” have short memories. In the last five years alone, Democratic legislators in Minnesota were shot and one killed, the residence of Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro was set ablaze, a former GOP candidate in New Mexico paid people to shoot up the homes of Democratic candidates, our own governor was the target of a kidnapping plot, and Paul Pelosi was attacked with a hammer.
There is plenty of violence coming from both sides.
Donald Trump will certainly make no efforts to unify us. On Fox & Friends on September 12 he was asked how Americans can “... come back together... to fix this country.” Trump’s response? “I’ll tell you something that’s going to get me in trouble, but I couldn’t care less.”
We aren’t likely to get help from politicians who mostly see a grotesque public murder as an opportunity for some campaign fundraising. And we aren’t going to get any real conciliation from our president, though he made a feeble attempt after being chastised for first saying he didn’t care.
Instead of rejecting the voices of anger and hatred, we keep right on electing them. And, it seems, the angrier and more irrationally hateful they are, the bigger their vote totals.
Cartoonist Walt Kelly, through his character Pogo, said it best in 1970: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
Senior In-home Care
COMMON GROUND AT THE MARKET
GUEST OPINION
by Cathye Williams
Summer is certainly Michigan’s most popular season, but fall always comes in a close second. No big surprise. In autumn light, the air is golden. The woods and hillsides and the view out my window are pure Disney technicolor. My kitchen counters and my Instagram feed are both filled with the last of the local harvest— dark shiny eggplant, bright peppers, squash, and apples…even purple potatoes! There is no blank space anywhere inside or out, just color all around. Every fall I think that the universe is trying really hard to get my attention.
We make our community stronger, cleaner, and safer by being there together, supporting each other. We’re fueling the local economy and our bodies, with fresh nutrient dense food, likely produced using cleaner and more sustainable farming methods.
It’s also an economic reality that some of our neighbors can’t always access fresh local food. That’s where government and community organizations step in with great programs like Double Up Food Bucks, Farm to School, and public transportation to markets. There’s also Food Rescue,
After all, it’s hard for anyone, red, blue, or purple, to experience the wonder of a Michigan harvest and not want to protect it.
It’s news to no one that we are in an extraordinary moment. Whether we are struggling in our daily lives or frightened by the headlines and images in the media, many of us feel that we’re on the brink of any number of awful things: potential disasters in politics, public health, economics, and global conflict.
Podcasters and therapists alike advise us to take a break from the news. They urge us to stop scrolling, and to take care of ourselves and our relationships. To look inward for a moment and breathe. To look for places close to home where we can help and small things we can do.
They shouldn’t be too hard to find. After all, politics is just figuring out how to coexist and share where we live. It goes on every day in our communities. The economy is us working and spending and saving. Public health is trying to stay healthy and wanting others to be healthy too. The environment is the water coming out of our taps, the air going into our lungs, the food we eat, and everything in it.
Looking around my little world, instead of out at the whole big world, might just be the new perspective that I need. That we all need, if just for a minute. So I’m listening to the universe, putting down the phone, and skipping the news. I will try to breathe more, and look and listen and smell.
A trip to a fall farm market seems a great way to try out this new perspective. At the market you can share a little gossip, sign a petition, or pick up a flyer about a food drive or a township meeting. Most discussions here are civil and more likely to focus on the merits of Honeycrisp vs. MacIntosh, or how many tomatoes you still have time to can, than anything else. It’s hard to pick a fight when sampling cheese, or finding the perfect pumpkin, or to hate someone who shares your affinity for really fresh eggs.
On the economic side you’ll be spending some hard-earned cash, while others will be making a living and feeding their families.
where surplus is rerouted to fill needs and reduce waste. We can help by telling our representatives at every level about the benefits all these programs bring to their constituents, including small farms and businesses.
At the market, we are all breathing the same air and likely drinking from the same watershed. We’re all going to take home and eat these fruits and vegetables that were grown in nearby soil. I’d say it’s a safe bet that 100 percent of us would like that air, soil, and water to be clean. Maybe we should talk about that, instead of so many other things.
As you’re deciding on which pie to take home from the market, you and the person next to you might both look up when you hear sandhill cranes flying overhead. Whether you speak of it or just listen, you’re sharing the experience of the birds’ flight together. How that person voted won’t matter as much on this small patch of common ground.
That’s when you’ll be glad you put away the phone, and why you’ll keep the windows down and the radio off for the ride home. You might stop somewhere to sip wine and enjoy the light a little longer, your mind still full of colors and smells and sounds (and plans for all that food).
Soon enough, you’ll be back reading the news and thinking about the huge challenges we face. Hopefully with rest, new perspectives, and some surprising allies we will start to find solutions. After all, it’s hard for anyone, red, blue, or purple, to experience the wonder of a Michigan harvest and not want to protect it.
Explore more at goodwillnmi.vomo.org/ initiative/food-rescue; groundworkcenter. org; canr.msu.edu/grand_traverse/countyextension-office; gtrlc.org; nmeac.org; northwested.org/page/farm-to-school.
Cathye Williams is a local climate activist. She writes from the northern corner of Manistee County.
Defies Categorization
In Manchester, England, a band called Bionic and the Wires is on the cutting edge of fun-guy (fungi) music, Metro News reported on Sept. 2. Jon Ross and Andy Kidd are producing music by attaching sensors to mushrooms and plants to turn their electrical signals into musical notes. The sensors are attached to bionic arms, which strike the instruments. The different organisms create different beats. "It's a really good way to connect with (plants and mushrooms) and a really sort of emotional experience," Ross said.
That's Not How You Play
In a new twist on Ding Dong Ditch, German authorities have identified the culprit of late-night doorbell rings in Schwabach, Bavaria, United Press International reported on Sept. 9. Police were called to an apartment building where several residents complained of the unexpected doorbells, but they couldn't see anyone on their front-door cameras. They suspected that kids were pranking them, but authorities discovered that a slug was crawling across a panel and triggering several doorbells in the process. Officers relocated the slug and declined to press charges.
Animal Antics
A baby raccoon that was dubbed Otis Campbell (after the town drunk on "The Andy Griffith Show") was rescued from certain death by a nurse in Whitesburg, Kentucky, in early September, Lex18TV reported. Misty Combs works at the Letcher County Health Department, right next door to Kentucky Mist Moonshine. She and her co-workers noticed a raccoon running through the parking lot, then heard commotion in a nearby dumpster. The moonshine company "had put some fermented peaches in their dumpster," Combs said, "and I guess the baby raccoons had gotten in." The mother raccoon was frantic, so the RN got busy. One of the babies was rescued with a shovel and ran to its mom, but the other one was face-down in water at the bottom of the container. Combs pulled it out by its tail and started chest compressions, and the animal started breathing again. Fish and wildlife officials transported the drunk baby to a local vet for sobering up, and it was released back to its mother the following day.
Least Competent Criminal
As the Rhapsody of the Seas cruise ship pulled into port in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 7, one passenger disembarked in a most unusual way, USA Today reported. Jey Gonzalez-Diaz jumped ship with his backpack, a criminal complaint alleges, which contained $14,600, two phones and five IDs. Two passing jet skis picked him up, and Customs and Border Protection later detained him near the Puerto Rico Capitol. Gonzalez-Diaz told CBP that he went overboard because "he thought he was going to be taxed duties for bringing in the currency," but it turned out he also had a $16,710 debt with the cruise line, "almost exclusively associated to casino and gaming
expenses," CBP said. Gonzalez-Diaz could face a fine of $250,000, a five-year prison sentence or both.
Questionable Judgment
Sean O'Donnell, 46, of Harris County, Texas, was charged with murder in late August, NBC News reported on Sept. 2. When deputies first responded on Aug. 17 at O'Donnell's home, they found Aaron Pratt, 34, with a gunshot wound to his head. He died from his injuries. Authorities first believed his death was a suicide, but then said "things weren't adding up." Allegedly, O'Donnell and Pratt were taking turns shooting each other in the head with a rifle while wearing a Kevlar helmet (and while being under the influence of alcohol). O'Donnell was held on $300,000 bond.
Can't Possibly Be True
An 80-year-old woman from Sapporo, Japan, is the latest victim of an online "astronaut," the South China Morning Post reported on Sept. 5. The man met the octogenarian on social media and claimed to be aboard a spaceship orbiting Earth. He went on to convince her that his ship was "under attack" and he was running out of oxygen -- which could only be remedied by the transfer of 1 million yen to his bank account so he could buy more. Investigators said her communications with the fake spaceman showed she had developed "romantic feelings" for him.
Recent Alarming Headline
Richard Catrone, 67, of retirement community Belmont Villas in Long Island, New York, was walking his dog on Sept. 9 when 76-year-old Kathleen Schuman emerged from her apartment and shot Catrone in the face with a flare gun, NBCWashington reported. As seen on home security video, Catrone let go of his dog's leash and lunged at Schuman: "My next inclination was to get the gun and I knocked it out of her hand ... I wanted to protect my dog," Catrone said. "She claimed I was the devil, that I tried to murder her." Neighbors said the two have feuded before over Schuman sitting outside with her cat, which was "always upsetting his dog." "I just asked her can you keep the cat inside," Catrone said, "and that started the situation." Schuman was charged with assault and pleaded not guilty; her attorney said she would temporarily live with a relative.
The Neighbors
"Gorilla-obsessed" Adele Teale, 58, is battling the Wakefield, Yorkshire, council where she lives over a 4-foot-tall resin gorilla she installed on a secondstory platform on the front of her house, the Daily Star reported. The "cherished" gorilla, named Caesar, has been deemed "out of character with the surrounding area" and "an obtrusive feature" by the council. "He's nothing more than a garden ornament," Teale said. "He is secure up there -- he has been screwed and glued in place. I own the house, it's mine, so surely I can have whatever I want outside to decorate it. Caesar makes me smile -- he makes me happy."
Raise a Rosé
October 17-19 | Benefiting Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Sip. Stay. Support. Join us for a weekend of events in support of the Munson Cancer Fund. Savor an elegant farm-to-table dinner at Artisan, a sparkling bubbly brunch and much more. Extend the celebration with a Hampton Water–themed guestroom, complete with branded decor and special surprises.
LEARN MORE: DELAMAR.COM | 231-947-3700
Yellow Dr • Traverse City (231) 943-1453 • spanglishtc.com
APPLE OF MY EYE RECIPES Inside the Ingredients
By Nora Rae Pearl
Paula Red, Zestar, Ginger Gold, Jonathan, Northern Spy…
These are just a few names you need to keep a lookout for this apple season in additions to classics like Honeycrisps. Seek out these beautiful northern Michigan varieties at locations with ready-to-grab bags like Royal Farms in Ellsworth. Or, to enjoy the great outdoors and pick your own, visit King Orchards for picking apples fresh off the tree. Then, head to the kitchen to create something savory for dinner and something sweet for dessert with the recipes below.
APPLE ARUGULA SALAD WITH ROASTED GARLIC VINAIGRETTE
A crisp, seasonal salad complemented with creamy blue cheese and sweet candied nuts.
Salad Ingredients
• 4 handfuls local arugula
• 2 apples, thinly sliced
• 4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
Vinaigrette Ingredients
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon mayo
• 1 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
Candied Walnut Ingredients
• 1 generous cup walnut halves
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
To make the candied walnuts: Roast the walnuts at 350 degrees until lightly toasted, about 8 minutes. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, milk, cinnamon, and salt. Cook over medium heat until it begins to boil, occasionally swirling the pan, not stirring. Stop swirling once it boils. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the liquid has turned into a chestnut color and has reached 240 degrees. (Watch carefully as it can burn quickly!) Take off the heat and stir in the vanilla and the walnuts. Spread out on a piece of parchment. Allow to cool until hardened, around one hour.
To make the vinaigrette: In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil and garlic over medium low. Once the garlic begins to sizzle, turn the heat to low and cook until it just begins to get golden. Take off the heat and pour into a heatproof container. Allow to cool slightly, around 10 minutes. Add all the remaining dressing ingredients and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Use immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.
To assemble: Set out four plates. Place a handful of arugula on each. Artfully arrange the apples, followed by the walnuts, and then the blue cheese. Dress to taste, and enjoy!
APPLE ALMOND GALETTE
Nothing showcases sliced apples better than pie crust filled with delicious almonds.
Frangipane Ingredients
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
Crust & Pie Ingredients
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, cut into ¼ inch pieces
• 7 tablespoons cold water
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 apples, thinly sliced
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons sparkling or turbinado sugar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
To make the frangipane: In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Chill until ready to use, up to two days.
To make the crust: In a small cup, combine the cold water and vinegar, set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and the salt. Toss in the butter. Pinch in the butter with your fingers until it is broken into small pebbles and the mixture holds together when squeezed. Drizzle over the watervinegar mixture. Gently knead together the mixture until you have a shaggy dough; add an extra tablespoon of water if needed. Stop mixing once all the dry bits have been incorporated. Turn out the dough onto a large piece of plastic, roll out to a 1-inch-thick disc, wrap and chill for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
To assemble: Cut the dough into six equal pieces. Shape each into a rough ball shape. Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a 7- to 8-inch circle. Dollop the frangipane in the center of each, spread out leaving a 2-inch border. Arrange the apple slices on top of the filling. Brush the edge with beaten egg wash. Fold up the edges, to overlap over the apples slightly. Brush the outside crust with beaten egg, and sprinkle with sparkling sugar.
Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until golden. In a small saucepan, add 3 tablespoons of sugar followed by 2 tablespoons of water over top. Bring to a boil over medium heat for one minute, without stirring. Take off the heat and gently brush over the apples. Enjoy warm with vanilla ice cream.
1 > You just opened up your showroom in the NoBo district. How’s that going so far?
LeBlanc: Everybody has been so welcoming, and since we’re still word of mouth, most of our business has actually come from people working in or visiting nearby NOBO businesses.
2 > It’s not just LeBlanc House that’s brand new to town, you’re new too!
LeBlanc: We’re newcomers here. I’ve made about 18 cross-country trips in my lifetime, but northern Michigan is just so beautiful.
3 > How has living in different parts of the country inspired your style?
LeBlanc: I’ve learned it’s really important to start with ageless, foundational pieces and design out from there with elements that feel true and natural to the area. You wouldn’t design an East Coast beach house the same way you would one here in northern Michigan.
4 > Moving so much probably affected the way you think about what makes a home.
LeBlanc: Absolutely. Growing up, my dad was in the military, and even though our homes were always clean and tidy, we didn’t have much time to decorate before we moved again. Now, I feel it’s very important to create a cozy, intentional home no matter how temporary.
5 > How do you find products that help others create cozy, intentional homes?
LeBlanc: Everything in the store is bespoke but also functional for everyday use, and it’s all things I’d use—or already do—in my own home, like
Tansy LeBlanc’s design journey and timeless Up North style
Tansy LeBlanc, co-owner of interior design firm LeBlanc House, may be new to northern Michigan, but with more than 25 years in the industry, she’s hardly new to design. Here’s what we learned about the latest member of the NoMi small business community.
horsehair brooms and Denby Pottery Company dinnerware from England. I try to stay away from anything you’d get anywhere else, so I’m always scouring estate sales for one-of-a-kind vintage and antique pieces and building relationships with local artisans to expand our northern Michiganmade offerings.
6 > Curating all of that sounds like a lot of work but also a lot of fun!
LeBlanc: Definitely both! It’s hours of hunting.
7 > The other aspect of LeBlanc House is interior and kitchen design services. What is it about design that’s kept you in it so long?
LeBlanc: I’ve always been fascinated by design and aesthetics. It’s my strength and it’s a career I could take with me anywhere.
8 > What inspired you to expand into a brick-and-mortar showroom?
LeBlanc: Having a full design studio within a retail space allows me to showcase my portfolio. Design clients can get an idea of my style from seeing what’s for sale, and customers can learn about my services while they shop.
9 > Home can be a lot of things. How do you help clients create a space where they can thrive and exhale?
LeBlanc: By keeping everything purposeful and stylishly functional. For a home office, you’re not going to get away from the fact that it’s practical. Same for a homeschool room, you might still have a big chalkboard, but you can choose something with vintage character. I help clients give as much energy to those spaces as they do their living rooms
and to create a cohesive style that flows throughout the home.
10 > Having designed in other parts of the country, what inspiration do you take from the Great Lakes?
LeBlanc: The muted hues of the dunes and the aged driftwood at Esch Road Beach inspire my neutrals and the patinas I bring into my designs. Bringing elements of the natural world into the home is important to me, and there’s a lot of that to appreciate here.
11 > Speaking of which, it’s about to get real cold and cozy up here. What pieces do you find yourself turning toward this time of year?
LeBlanc: Soft throws. I like natural fibers, so I’ll start incorporating wool or alpaca blankets with a heavier weight than linen or cotton.
12 > What can people pick up at LeBlanc House for a quick fall refresh?
LeBlanc: Candles and autumn scents are a nice way to change things up. I’ve collaborated with a Midwest candlemaker on a signature NoBo candle inspired by this neighborhood, with a note of tobacco to represent the historic cigar box factory building next door.
13 > It didn’t take long for you to embrace life Up North. As you settle into your first year in business what are you most looking forward to?
LeBlanc: Getting to know the people here, especially locals looking for that little secret spot for items that’ll invigorate their home. I love seeing what people pick out, it’s been really fun getting to know everybody and sharing my style with them.
HOW ’BOUT THEM APPLES?
Michigan apple harvest looking bountiful
By Todd VanSickle
For the fourth consecutive year, Michigan is on track for an above average apple harvest thanks to mild weather conditions, low disease outbreak, and more high-density orchards.
Michigan farmers are estimated to harvest a combined 30 million bushels or about 1.26 billion pounds of apples this year. The announcement was made on Aug. 15 during the USApple Outlook meeting held in Chicago.
“As growers continue to plant highdensity orchards and adopt other innovative growing practices, Michigan’s apple crop sizes will increase, and we will continue to see these larger crops,” said Diane Smith, executive director of the Michigan Apple Committee. “Michigan Apple growers are proud to produce the largest and most valuable fruit crop in our state.”
Last year, the state harvested 30.5 million bushels. All told, there are more than 17.6 million apple trees in commercial production and 850 family-run farms in Michigan, according to the Michigan Apple Committee.
In the next few weeks, northern Michigan apple growers will be busy harvesting this year’s bounty, while leaf peepers and apple pluckers flock to the area for the annual fall pilgrimage.
“Apples are the largest and most valuable fruit crop in Michigan, not to mention a big part of Michigan’s culture,” said Smith. “Ask any Michigander about their fall traditions, and you’ll hear about apple picking, apple cider, and more. Apples are the flavor of fall in Michigan, naturally.”
Altonen Orchards
South of Elk Rapids sits Altonen Orchards off US-31. Its roadside farm stand stays busy this time of year as shoppers zip
in and out with fresh produce and pecks of apples in hand.
The Altonens have been farming the area for more than 70 years, and the farm encompasses more than 330 acres over three locations: Williamsburg, Kewadin, and Eastport. Having multiple growing locations has benefited the Altonens when it comes to inclement weather.
“At various times we lose fruit to a late frost or something,” says co-owner and general manager Kristie Altonen. “So it helps that we have three farms. We’ve spread ourselves out along US-31, so if one farm gets a frost or gets hail, then chances are the other one didn’t.”
Earlier in the growing season, several other farms were affected by hail, but Altonen said they had little damage. She says the farm has been fortunate this year with no major issues of disease, either, like fire blight, a bacterial disease spread through insects, rain, and wind.
“Our apple crop is way better than our cherry crop,” Altonen said. “It is shaping up to be a good year.”
Behind the market on top of a small hill sits Townline Ciderworks and tasting room. Next to the building is an orchard that was planted in 2015 when a windstorm wiped out a block of apple trees. The orchard was replanted with apples specifically used for making hard cider.
It was that year that the family started brainstorming ways to use a large-volume cider press that was being underused after pressing and selling fresh cider for more than 30 years.
“There was a nationwide E. coli outbreak in fresh cider, and we were no longer able to wholesale it,” Altonen says. “We used to wholesale it all over northern Michigan. And then the restrictions changed, and you had to pasteurize to be able to wholesale it. We chose not to, because people believe that
it changes the flavor.”
The Altonens continued to sell fresh cider at their roadside stands, but turned their efforts toward hard cider, too. Townline Ciderworks officially opened its doors in 2015, and today, the company has a full line of hard ciders that don the likeness of family members on their respective cans.
Despite the wide array of beverages, Altonen only uses about 5 to 10 percent of the apple harvest in the production of hard cider. She estimates they press about 15,000 gallons per year. As for what’s being pressed?
Townline has been making cider for the past nine summers, and each season customers’ tastes change.
“Customers are gravitating more to a drier cider this summer,” Altonen says. “We’re getting more requests for lower residual sugar ciders. So you can ferment like bone dry. And people always like anything
that we do that we ferment with whole fruit.”
Aside from cider, Altonen’s apples are used for a variety of products and are sold to several businesses big and small to be used in products like GoGo Squeez and sold at McDonalds.
“We sell way more of our fresh apples,” Altonen explains, adding that their most popular apple is the Honeycrisp. “They’re hard to beat as far as eating wise.”
For families with young children, she suggests Galas because of their sweetness and iconic apple appearance. However, her favorite is the Ginger Gold, which is one of the earliest apples to be harvested in September.
“Their flesh is not too hard,” Altonen says of the Ginger Gold. “They are just smooth tasting, sweet, and tart. They’re really hard to beat. I think they are one of the better apples in our area.”
VerSnyder Orchards
Kevin VerSnyder has an eight-acre orchard just south of Lake Leelanau. He farms mostly high-density apple trees, with an acre of peaches, some plums, and apricots. He lives just a few miles away from his farm, which is on his parents’ property, where he planted his first apple tree in 1999. VerSnyder notes that most of his apples are perfect for fresh consumption, and although he does not offer u-pick apples at his orchard, it is something he would like to “dabble” with more in the future.
The VerSnyder Orchard produces about 240,000 pounds of apples each year. The
farmer says he sells his apples locally at various farm markets, grocery stores and cider makers. However, his biggest buyers are packing houses down state.
“We also got a roadside stand outside our farm that’s really popular,” VerSnyder adds.
His most popular varieties are Honeycrisp, Evercrisp, and Ludacrisp. He describes the Evercrisp as a cross between a Honeycrisp and Fuji.
“You get that really nice crunch of the honey crisp, and the flavor and sweetness of the Fuji,” VerSnyder says. “They keep forever, hence their name Evercrisp. I sell them all winter long at the indoor farmers market at
The Commons. I think I sold out in May or June. Just an amazing apple.”
The Ludacrisp is an open pollinated Honeycrisp, VerSnyder explains. “It has a lot of tropical flavors, kind of like Juicy Fruit gum, or pineapple,” he tells us.
For the most part, the weather hasn’t been too much of an issue for the farmer, with the exception of a few cold spring mornings that reduced the crop for a few varieties.
“We definitely got hit a little bit with some cold,” VerSnyder says. “Evercrisp was a little light compared to what it usually is.”
He adds that heat was also an issue during the thinning stage, which is where excess
fruit is removed to improve size and quality.
“The thinning window was difficult because it got really hot,” VerSnyder says. “We had upper 90s for thinning, so we had to cut our rates back. I know some of us growers over-thinned certain varieties a little bit because of the heat.”
Overall, he believes it has been a good apple growing season and he plans to plant more high-density apples in the future.
“I think we’re on pace to have one of our best years yet,” VerSnyder concludes. “Costs are up and products aren’t cheap, but people were here this summer, for sure. I think the demand is definitely up again this year.”
FACULTY FRIDAYS
By Eric Cox
Black Star Farms Head Winemaker Lee Lutes wasn’t sure what to think. His ringing phone had yanked him from a midnight sleep. Who could it be? Dead-of-night phone calls often portend some grim new development.
But not this time. This was a call from the future— literally—and it brought some of the best news he’d ever heard.
It was 2018, and when Lutes groggily answered his phone, he was greeted by an excited Jim Trezise, who was in Canberra, Australia, some 14 hours ahead of still-sleeping America.
An internationally known wine expert calling from tomorrow isn’t an everyday occurrence, nor was his urgent news mundane.
Aurora Cellars and Black Star Farms on their national and international medals
What Does It Take to Make an Award-Winning Wine?
Trenzise was calling from the prestigious Canberra International Riesling Challenge (CIRC). Black Star Farms’ 2017 Arcturos Dry Riesling, Trezise explained, had just been awarded top honors, taking home Best Wine of the 2018 Challenge, Best Dry Riesling of 2018, and Best American Riesling of 2018.
That’s no small achievement for Black Star Farms, the scenic 160-acre winery south of Suttons Bay. After all, the Canberra competition is the largest, most respected contest of its kind in the southern hemisphere, its results serving as a global benchmark for the Riesling varietal. Five hundred wines are submitted to CIRC annually from all over the world, including top Riesling-producing countries like Germany, France, New Zealand, Austria, and Australia. So contestants are truly pitting their wines against the world’s finest.
When Lutes got the news, he was stunned. It was a major accomplishment for everyone at Black Star Farms, and it helped establish northern Michigan as a top wine-producing region.
A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats
Taylor Simpson, co-owner of Simpson Family estates (parent company of Aurora Cellars and Good Harbor Vineyards on Leelanau Peninsula), is also proud of her winery’s awards. But she’s quick to point out that wine competitions don’t always have practical value for wineries.
Trophies and medals are nice, but according to Simpson, the underlying strategy is to get Michigan wines into wine judges’ mouths. “More wine producers are starting to submit their products to competitions in order to gain more national recognition,” she says.
“But also we know that consumers like awards,” she adds, explaining how competition success can drive bottle sales by guiding new wine drinkers to recommended products bearing a winner’s ribbons, medals, glowing reviews, and other accolades.
In other words, that bling can make sales sing.
More importantly, Simpson says entering wines in national and international wine competitions can and has uncorked much of the world’s interest in northern Michigan wines. “If we don’t send our wines to those competitions, the chances of those judges tasting those wines is slim,” Simpson tells us from her Lake Leelanau winery.
If they notch big competition wins, as many of Aurora Cellars’ wines have, the reputation of the entire region producing them comes squarely into view on a much wider scale. Of course, this recognition is a major boon for northern Michigan’s still blossoming wine industry. Even a single win at one of these big contests can focus many important eyes on its products.
“Receiving top merits on wines grown and produced in the Traverse Wine Coast is exciting for us and helps reinforce the message about the quality being produced in the Michigan wine industry,” Simpson says.
Last year, Aurora Cellars’ 2020 Cabernet Franc earned a silver medal at the venerable San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, after receiving a gold medal at the 2023 Texas Sommelier Conference (TEXSOM) Awards. Additionally, Aurora’s Brut Rose, Blanc de Blanc, and Gruner Veltliner, among others, have earned medals.
Strategies for Success
Entering wine contests isn’t as simple as it may seem. Entry fees and shipping costs, which can be substantial, have to be considered along with other factors. It’s not unusual for producers to spend thousands entering competitions, a significant price tag that must be weighed in a narrow-margin industry.
Black Star Farms winemaker Lee Lutes celebrates the 2017 Arcturos Dry Riesling in the winery's Leorie Vineyard.
Luckily for their wallets, competitors aren’t out to win every award, so wineries like Aurora Cellars and Black Star Farms carefully select their competitions, weighing which ones might be more favorable to their varieties.
Black Star Farms focuses on CIRC because the Leelanau Peninsula, with its mixed glacial soils and northern maritime climate, make it perfectly suited for the Riesling varietal. Plus, having traveled through Australia extensively, Lutes learned that the local judges personally prefer a particular dry Riesling—the kind Black Star Farms tries to produce.
“Our wines are more aligned with a style of Riesling the Aussies really like: more acid forward, a leaner fruit profile, more racy,” he said, noting that the strategy seemed to pay off.
Like Lutes, Simpson personally chooses all of Aurora Cellars’ competitive wines and the contests in which they compete. While Black Star Farms chooses CIRC, Aurora enters the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and TEXSOM.
Shipping wine across the country, or the world, is also part of the competition equation. (If you’ve seen the movie Bottle Shock, you’ll know what we mean.)
“The [award winning] 2017 Arcturos was one of those wines that, when we shipped it to Canberra, I felt it was showing a little young in the bottle, a little tight,” Lutes says as an example. “But, when I got the midnight phone call, I thought, ‘Oh my god! Something must’ve transpired along the way that allowed that wine to absolutely sing that particular day.’
“That’s what it comes down to—how that wine tastes on a particular day, the day it’s being judged,” he concludes. “My hope is that it’s going to reveal itself as something remarkable on the day a judge tastes it.”
But, it doesn’t always work out that way. Jostling during transport, temperature changes en route, and other factors can make or break a wine’s delicate qualities. This injects uncertainty into winemakers’ minds, and sometimes they forgo competing based on minute details.
For example, Black Star Farms reluctantly entered CIRC this year, and may not in the
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future, because the organization changed their shipping policies. It might seem trivial to some, but Lutes thinks the changes could be detrimental to wine quality once it reaches the final destination.
At the Awards
Once the wine is shipped, what’s it like for the winemakers at these competitions? Who attends and why?
For the most part, no one except the contest organizers and judges attend. There are no bleachers or team pennants. And, no, “Corky” the wine mascot won’t be there for selfies or swag giveaways. However, there may be public tastings after the officials have concluded their ratings.
By all accounts, competitions are rigidly organized affairs that feature rows of volunteer judges eyeing, nosing, sipping, and spitting wine for hours.
Both longtime wine industry veterans, Lutes and Simpson have each served as wine judges.
“Judges are selected because of their experience,” Simpson says. “Wine buyers, winemakers, and sommeliers all have experienced palettes and make good judges.”
Lutes echoes Simpson’s take on the rigors of wine judging.
“I judged for 15 years of my career, doing two or three competitions a year,” he says. “They can be exhausting. You’re tasting 60 to 100 wines in a day. You’d do half of them before lunch and the other half in the afternoon. When you’re tasting and spitting all day, it can be fatiguing. But it can be a really good way to provide a winemaker with some positive input.”
Ultimately, winemakers enter competitions (and judge them) for the love of wine, bragging rights, and selling points. But the real beneficiary in these competitions seems to be northern Michigan’s growing wine industry itself.
Simpson sums it up: “We have a region that can grow such high quality fruits, and our wines showcase really well nationally. I think wine judges around the world are starting to realize the quality northern Michigan can produce.”
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GUEST OPINION
by Tess Tarchak-Hiss
In my last mall adventure, I had a dilemma: I found the perfect pair of jeans. A pair of low-rise pants that didn’t sag or drag—I felt extremely Destiny’s Child. The cut was trendy; the style was in; the jeans were mine. Or it could have been, if I didn’t have a moral meltdown about a bunch of bootlegs.
I’ve gotten 90 percent of my clothes from a variety of secondhand sources: Moxie Estate Sales, thrift shops, my mom’s closet (until she angrily hounds it down), the yearly Zany yard sale if I’m in the mood for fighting a nanna for a pair of Orthofeet. I’ve never been disturbed by items from former owners—I’d like to imagine they’re content that their Tommy Bahama shirt is being turned into a crop-top by a teenager.
Not a single person is perfect, so stop treating your financial decisions like they have to be. Consistency is key to a constructive impact—as long as you’re mindful of what your underlying intentions are and acting on those the majority of the time, you’re doing the “right” thing. Nobody’s actions will be exactly aligned with their ethics 100 percent of the time, and that’s normal. Excellence isn’t sustainable—stability is.
The positives of ethical thrifting are transparent from an environmental perspective—it lowers carbon footprints, chemical pollution, water waste, and prevents an uprise in landfill waste. While the underlying message beneath this type of shopping is salient, the key is to walk
Nobody’s actions will be exactly aligned with their ethics 100 percent of the time, and that’s normal. Excellence isn’t sustainable—stability is.
I’ve always loved the eccentric aspect of my style, taken from decades of decaying closets. My relationship with fashion has developed since sixth grade, but in a time when most middle-schoolers felt insignificant and unsure in their skin, I had the rarity of confidence due to my closet. An inflated self-confidence and identity that evaporated this month at the mall in a millisecond due to something so minuscule: a brand-new pair of jeans.
It’s not that I looked aesthetically bad—I was totally giving Lindsay from Arrested Development. However, feeling culpable in purchasing something new led me to criticize my motives. I told myself I could find something for cheaper, something better for the environment, and therefore better for my ego. But in the grand scheme of the world, were these jeans really that big a deal?
I consider myself fairly responsible with my money, mostly due to my mom’s consistent attitude towards budgeting. Thrifting felt like a loophole. I could purchase oodles of jeans that were nothing more than mediocre at Women’s Resource for the price of a single sock at Hot Topic. Move over, dude at the Goodwill—I need another Family Guy shirt.
As my frontal lobe developed, so did my sense of shame. By buying countless corduroys, as cute as they were, I felt as if I was taking away resources for those who actually needed a pair of flares. I didn’t need all that I owned.
Was I thrifting to save money and the planet? Or was I doing it so I could buy increased items? Whenever the “more, more, more” mentality continues to creep up, it’s important to redirect consumerism with gratitude: savor the stuff you find glee in, whether it’s from the Salvation Army or Spencer’s.
the walk, not just talk the talk, especially as thrifting has skyrocketed in popularity among Gen Z and Millennials and is now preached as a form of social currency and eco-consciousness.
For example, if you’re a dude raving about thrifting with the hipster mustache/matcha latte combo carrying a copy of Men Explain Things to Me, you’re bound to be met with a “get a load of this guy.”
I say this from the perspective of a walking cliche: I have bangs and listen to Norah Jones. Before the uptick in thrift-traction, I was tormented for the unfamiliar “emo” way I was dressed, only to then be complimented on my rings years later by the same people who scoffed at my Sleater-Kinney shirt. That said, I’m not going to stop the way I present myself because it’s popular in the present, similar to how I never ceased to be comfortable in my skin in the past.
At the end of the day, thrifting can still be ethical, even if it’s just a baby step toward a more sustainable life. It’s easy to get your Patagonia pants in a twist when debating morals, but the facts all point toward the positive impacts that thrifting has on the planet, regardless of why you do it.
In today’s world, we’re all ready to judge each other for one thing or another. I propose that we—as consumers, as thrifters, as people—should welcome all with open arms, with no sense of judgment.
There are already enough clothes in the world for everyone to share, and more than enough people in the world to make it a better place through small choices.
Tess Tarchak-Hiss is a senior at Traverse City West Senior High. She explores the world around her by writing at her dining room table while listening to Wiz Khalifa.
Remembering Bernie Rink
By Ross Boissoneau
Pop quiz: Bernie Rink was A) The godfather of northern Michigan’s wine industry; B) an art visionary; C) a Renaissance man; D) an old curmudgeon.
Bernie would probably bristle at A, B, and C, but truth to tell, they’re all pretty accurate, including D. So that makes the answer E, all the above.
Doubtless Bernie’s greatest notoriety stems from the fact he was the first person in northern Michigan to establish a working vineyard. He planted his first wine grapes in the mid-1960s, despite the opinion of “experts” who didn’t think the climate would support such grapes.
The Godfather of NoMi Wine
Bernie proved otherwise, and in 1970 planted 15 acres. Six years later, he opened the tasting room at Boskydel Vineyard.
Others soon followed his example. One of the early pioneers of the region’s wine industry is Larry Mawby. When asked if there would even be a wine industry if it hadn’t been for Bernie Rink, he considers. “I don’t know. It wouldn’t have started when it did,” he says. But it did, and it was because of Bernie. “Somebody had to start it. He was the first to say, ‘I’m going to make it a commercial enterprise.’ I can’t speak for Chateau Grand Traverse or Leelanau Cellars [other early wineries], but I don’t know that I would have done it without speaking with Bernie,” Mawby continues. “It was nice at [age] 23 to see Bernie had been growing grapes for a decade.”
Mawby says when he and other early adopters started their wineries, they often turned to Bernie for advice. They then went
their own way and created their own spin on wine. “Nobody did what Bernie did. Everybody took their own path,” he says.
Andy Rink, the youngest of Bernie and wife Suzanne’s five sons (in order: Jim, David, Tom, Chris, and Andy), calls him the catalyst of the region’s wine business. And the boys were the built-in workforce. “We were cogs in our father’s machine,” he says.
Maybe one should add another descriptor to Bernie’s legacy: F) dasher of athletic dreams. His sons had created a baseball diamond next to where the very first grapes had been planted, but it fell to the plowman’s blade when Bernie planted more grapes.
All the better to teach the boys the meaning and value of hard work. “He grew up on a farm in Cleveland, taking vegetables to market. He taught [us] to value and respect hard work, and leave the world better than you found it,” Andy says.
The Art Visionary
Before Bernie dedicated himself to the wine business, he was the librarian—the first librarian—at Northwestern Michigan College. He also founded the college’s Inuit art collection.
“Inuit art was his other passion,” says Craig Hadley, executive director and chief curator at the Dennos Museum Center at NMC. “We get visitors who come to the museum because they know of it.” He says even those who know about it are stunned at the quality and the number of objects of Inuit art. “Visitors are blown away at the scale of the building and the scale of the collection.”
Hadley says the bare walls of the early library begged for some décor that also
served an educational purpose. “The walls needed something. Art could be part of the experience.” Enter: Bernie. “He had the opportunity to shape the library according to his vision for an educational community space,” Hadley adds.
Turns out Bernie was indeed a visionary (see B above). The brochure developed prior to the construction of the museum featured Inuit art on the cover and throughout, and Inuit art was the first item noted in the description of the facility.
How did two such diverse interests coalesce in the plain-spoken farm boy from Ohio? Bernie was a scholar at heart with an indefatigable curiosity. “He was one of the smartest human beings you’d ever meet,” says Andy.
The Renaissance Man
Winemaking was actually a second career for Bernie, one he didn’t begin until he was already in his 50s.
When Bernie retired from NMC, the library’s loss was the wine industry’s gain. He eventually embraced mechanical and technological advancements which enabled him and Andy to do most of the work in the vineyards themselves after his brothers had left the nest, with help from neighbors, classmates, cousins, and other friends.
Asked which Boskydel wines were most memorable, Andy chooses two. “Our Vignole was very popular. De Chaunac was a French hybrid, a great red wine grape that wasn’t so popular or highly sought. It was not a trendsetter, [but] was a great dark red.”
Making you thirsty for some Boskydel wine? There are still a few bottles floating around at retailers that carry tribute bottles
or through online platforms like Vivino or Wine Searcher. In addition, Mawby, Bel Lago, and Good Harbor Vineyards made some wines from Boskydel’s grapes.
But nothing lasts forever. In 2017, Bernie and his sons made the difficult decision to close Boskydel down. No more tasting room, no more wine. Bernie was 91, and while oldest brother Jim and Andy were nearby to help out, they had their own lives. “Dad didn’t have the energy,” says Andy.
Though he and Jim were able to keep things going, they weren’t the essence of Boskydel—it was Bernie that customers came to see. “Dad became the person people wanted. Jim and I were no Bernie,” says Andy.
And despite the growing attraction of wineries, tours, and wine events in Leelanau County, Bernie had never looked to expand the winery into anything beyond the small tasting room. “Dad’s goals weren’t the same as other people. He was not interested in food or events,” Andy says.
The brothers knew that to remain viable, Boskydel would take not only a commitment of time but of finances. “We would have to invest a million or two or take on a partner. We didn’t want to go into a massive amount of debt,” says Andy.
When they approached their father with that reality, he balked at first, but soon grew to embrace the idea of shuttering the winery. “He was shocked, but a couple weeks after, Dad said it’s served its purpose,” says Andy. The Old (and Beloved) Curmudgeon
That sentiment was echoed in a story in the Detroit News on Boskydel’s closure. Bernie was quoted as saying, “This winery has served its purpose. I wanted to figure out
Seven years after his death and nearly sixty since he first planted grapes on Leelanau Peninsula, Bernie Rink’s legacy lives on
Bernie behind the bar at Boskydel. Photo courtesy of the Rink family.
which grapes would grow well in this climate and to make good, affordable wines. And I wanted to keep my boys busy.”
For Bernie, the winery had been more of a science project that provided a means to teach his sons the value of work, as he had learned it on his family farm. “He insisted early on that [he] did the vineyard thing to keep his boys busy and out of trouble,” says Mawby.
Andy agrees. “Dad would have told you it was an exercise in child-rearing. He and Mom, after four boys [Andy was the fifth, coming along eight years after the nextoldest brother], wanted to keep us busy. He wanted to make us into good men, keep us out of trouble. Those are his words.”
It seems to have worked. “None of us are in jail,” Andy says with a laugh.
Andy is quick to credit his mother Suzanne for her part in bringing up five boys and keeping the family and winery going. “Mom was always there. She was an endearing and loving mom and wife, supportive in everything.
“Dad referred to her as the prop root of our family,” Andy continues, referring to the root of a plant that provides stability. “Dad was a curmudgeon, Mom was jovial with hugs, kisses.”
The Land Protector
While the winery is no more, the
property will never be developed. The 55-acre family farm was protected by an agreement with the Leelanau Conservancy signed in 2020. The conservation easement restricts development, even as the land could be sold and continue under private ownership.
Kim Hayes, the Farm Protection Director at the Leelanau Conservancy, worked with Bernie and the Rink family.
“He and one of his sons worked closely with us and the Natural Resources Conservation Service on drafting the perpetual conservation easement protecting the agricultural and natural resource values of the property,” Hayes says. “Bernie passed
away before the transaction closed, but he was instrumental in initiating the project protecting the land he loved so much.”
Conservation easements on agricultural land are typically flexible for ongoing agricultural uses, and related commercial uses, such as winemaking and wine tasting, are often permitted as well. But splitting the property or building other commercial or residential structures is not allowed. Such restrictions are permanent.
Hayes says the property has since been sold, and the owner has replanted the property with new vines, 60 years after the first planting, with plans to eventually make and sell wine from the grapes.
The vineyard today. Photo by Mark Smith.
Andy Rink working in the vines and (later) enjoying the fruits of his labors.
Great Lakes, Great Plants, and Great Ideas
By Kierstin Gunsberg
Summer’s winding down, but for the green-thumbed, that just means it’s time to start plotting next year’s gardens. And at this year’s Great Lakes, Great Plants symposium, five horticulture experts are ready to load you up with ideas on the best—and perhaps most peculiar—combos to try next time around.
The three-day event begins Thursday, Sept. 25, at The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park. Whether you’re clipping your very first perennials or you’re a landscape industry expert, the symposium will have something for every kind of plant lover.
“We really wanted to create an atmosphere where gardeners of all skills, landscapers of all skills, could come together and learn side by side,” says Matthew Ross, executive director of the Botanic Garden and one of this year’s keynote speakers.
A New Season, a New Perspective
Now in its third year, the symposium, which has always been held during July’s stickiest dog-days, moves to early fall when northern Michigan’s gardens are reveling in their last hurrah before the frost sets in.
It’s the perfect time for anyone who hasn’t been through The Botanic Garden in a while to check out its newest installments (like the fun-for-all-ages children’s sensory garden) and take in the campus during harvest season.
“We’ve got late-season pollinators coming through, flowers coming through,” Ross says. “It’ll be a nice time to showcase what we have in the gardens here in our community…late summer, early fall, it’s pretty beautiful here.”
It’ll also make the weekend’s activities, which find the 120 event-goers adventuring beyond The Botanic Garden, a bit less sweltering. Attendees will have the option to bid against each other at two different auctions for rare plants and trees (Thursday),
set out for a regional garden and natural area tour that winds up the Leelanau Peninsula (Friday), and join keynote speakers for an evening of chit-chat and sailing on Grand Traverse Bay (Saturday).
Inside the Cathedral Barn
Before those festivities kick off though, botany experts from all over the country will spend Thursday sharing their knowledge and new ideas inside the 93-year-old Cathedral Barn, starting with “Art in the Garden” led by Arboretum San Antonio CEO Adriana Quiñones. This session will explore how to use sculptures and other art pieces within your garden designs.
“People are going to understand and appreciate the juxtaposition of art and the living landscape,” Ross explains. “You’re going to see beautiful large-scale sculptures and how they’re placed in certain areas to really provide maximum impact.”
Next, horticulture writer (and retired director of Iowa State University’s Reiman Gardens) Ed Lyon takes the mic with “Growing a Midwest Garden.” Known for debunking fears around our unpredictable climate, he’ll show gardeners how to rebel against the idea that we northern Michiganders are resigned to hostas and hydrangeas while sharing how to experiment with species usually reserved for warmer zones.
“[He] has spent his entire career growing unusual combos,” Ross says, “putting plants together that you wouldn’t normally think of being together in the Midwest.”
Afterward, Ross, who says he’s most excited to catch up with his peers and take a few cues from their latest designs, will join the podium with Traverse City’s Brian Zimmerman, owner of Four Season Nursery, for “Stars of the Green Screen.” Think of it as casting your garden—some plants get the spotlight, others are supporting actors.
“I think people are going to go home with a laundry list of plants they want to
The Botanic Garden’s Third Annual Botany Symposium
purchase afterwards,” Ross says. “I always enjoy doing plant talks because you know you’re directly influencing the plants that people are taking home.”
A Wilder Way
The day’s final keynote belongs to Lincoln Park Zoo’s horticulture director, Katrina Quint. Her session, “Designing a Wild Garden,” flips the script on neat rows and Edward Scissorhand-esque manicured hedges.
“She’s going to talk about how to do big, bold designs…and how people can create maximum impact in their garden and really show that wilder side. Letting yourself be free in the garden, explore and have some fun with big, huge, bold plant material,” says Ross.
For Quint, who’s incorporating wispy carex, the blue-flowered Bottle Gentian, and Hoary Skullcap into her recent designs, “wild” means designing around what she calls the bones—existing trees and shrubs— with a bit of curiosity about what a plant or seed might do over the seasons instead of getting too hung up on a finished product.
“It’s all about the form of the plant, so not necessarily having everything that fits in this nice little spot,” she explains.
Quint’s especially keen on using species that spread slowly or reseed themselves and plants that bounce back come spring. Used to the cruel squalls that kick up across Lake Michigan, Quint’s no stranger to designing around winter’s bleakest months. And doing so “still gives your landscape some color variation—different hues of browns and golds through the wintertime, as well as seed heads and sunflowers and other things that are still attached to the plants that give off a bit of aesthetic.”
Cultivating Connections
Hosting an event that celebrates and educates horticulture on The Historic Barns Park campus is a fitting homage to its first iteration as a therapeutic garden space
(among other things) established by Dr. James Decker Munson in the late 1800s. Munson would invite his nearby patients at the Northern Michigan Asylum to work the gardens, believing that time spent in nature could serve as therapy.
Now, Ross, a 2008 horticultural science graduate of Michigan State University who has served as executive director for The Botanic Garden for the last three years, brings his own philosophies to the gardens, with the goal of creating inclusion both in biodiversity and community.
“That’s essentially the role of a garden,” says Ross.
But every rose has its thorn. And as Ross explains, gardens, like so many things that have transcended centuries, have not always been the bright and welcoming places they would seem.
At different points in history, they’ve been used as a barrier between the elite and working classes (royal gardens, for example) and to reinforce colonialism (Indigenous land and ecosystems were swept away by colonists for their own gardens).
“They separated us,” says Ross. “But we want to go back to the story of why they brought us together to begin with.”
Civilization, he explains, was cultivated by the ability to self-sustain through agriculture. Turning back to that with intention and celebrating biodiversity in both the environment and society can be a way to grow relationships.
“The same plants that put a wedge between us are now the tools that we use to bring us all back together,” says Ross. “And that’s why I love gardening. You know, it’s interesting, you get into gardening because you love plants, but you also find out you love the people just as much, if not more.”
Learn more about the symposium and purchase tickets ($182-$242) at thebotanicgarden.org/events.
Cafe Exalt Shifts with the Seasons
Brengman Family Wines leans into fall fare
By Ellen Miller
The Brengmans are a thirdgeneration hospitality family from the Detroit area. “Our grandfather and dad operated restaurants in the east side mostly of the Detroit area and downtown,” says Robert Brengman. “It was pretty cool to be able to go to all those places as a young man and experience and work in them. I left hospitality, but once it’s in your blood, it’s always in your blood.”
In 2000, an uncle moved up to the Traverse City area to plant a vineyard, and the rest is history. “Our son Matt and I, he was eight at the time, helped to plant the first block of riesling grapes,” Robert says. “I couldn’t believe it; I thought I’d have to go to Oregon or Washington to pursue that dream of mine, but it was right here in the backyard. My uncle Tommy educated me: you can grow world class fruit right here.” Brothers Ed and Robert Brengman dove wholeheartedly into the wine business in 2003, purchasing a Crain Hill Vineyard and renaming it Brengman Brothers. This year,
in honor of their 22nd anniversary, they renamed it to Brengman Family Wines
Today, Brengman Family Wines’ vineyard and tasting room sits among the rolling hills of Leelanau Peninsula just outside Traverse City. The winery produces a variety of reds (Pinot Noir, Cab Franc, Merlot), whites (Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Reisling), sparklings, and pinks (not just rosé but their special wild ferment Viva Magenta made with Cabernet Sauvignon and Viognier).
While Robert Brengman is partial to white wines, he notes that September is a good time to shift seasonally to reds. The winery has four new wines from the 2022 vintage releasing this fall, including three reds.
Beyond the Wine
Before you sample the libations, let’s put a little food in your stomach. Nestled inside the winery is Café Exalt, where chef-prepared shareables, small plates, and pizzas await. The cold bar is also a seasonal summer favorite, with oysters, ceviche, poke, and carpaccio available on Fridays and Saturdays.
“The food end of it was always kind of there
for us. We always liked food and wine—they’re parallel, they just go together,” says Robert.
Chef Josh Morrison was brought on board this past spring to bring new energy and ideas to the menu. This year also was the inaugural year of the winery’s vegetable garden, which Morrison has been using in his dishes and letting inspire him. Beyond tomatoes and the like, “we have Italian plums, which I’ve made fermented jus with, some cherry trees that I’ve been harvesting… there’s lots of cool stuff. I’m really excited that they brought me on this past spring. Summer has been amazing and next year will be even better,” says Morrison.
Going forward, seasonality will be the name of the game at Café Exalt.
“Myself and Matt Brengman have goals to increase the vegetable plot by about five times and install an irrigation system,” Morrison enthuses. “Next fall what’s going to happen is I’ll design some menus around what’s ripening around the garden in the time. There will be rotating dishes and items on the menu based on what’s available that week. That’s something that’s really exciting
to me. I grew up growing vegetables with my father and grandmother.”
Last Taste of Summer
With the rapid approach of fall, change is in the air! When the fall color tour ends, Morrison will be switching up the menu. He recommends coming in to try these items before they go away:
Shrimp Scampi: “The scampi is made from scratch and made to order. We don’t make any of our sauces beforehand, and we’re using all our tomatoes and shallots from the garden from now until we run out of them. It’s fresh and light but filling. This one will definitely be going away at the end of summer!” Suggested wine pairing: “The sauce is made with our sauvignon blanc, so while it pairs great with any white, the sauvignon will go best.”
The Brengman Cut: “One I’m really in love with is our coffee rubbed filet mignon. It’s a nice coffee rub and it’s smoked seared to order and served with a honey whipped goat cheese and a blackberry gastrique and some coriander toasted pepitas. I’m debating whether to take
it off because it’s selling so well!” Suggested wine pairing: “The merlot, absolutely.”
Incoming Fall Favorites
When the menu does change, Morrison is excited to share new dishes that will warm guests from the inside out. He also recently hired an in-house baker, who will be making everything in house including baguettes, focaccia, mini sourdoughs, and all the pizza dough.
“We’ll be introducing a hand-crushed tomato rigatoni dish that will have elk sausage, made with our tomatoes that we grow here in the garden,” he says. “It’s going to be perfect with any of our reds, but the
merlot is always my choice for something like an elk with that gamier taste to it.”
A classic on the small plates menu is the Sea Scallops, which currently features white wine sauce, pea puree, carrot tuile, crispy prosciutto, fresh Parmesan, and microgreens.
“We’re also going to be changing the scallop dish to have a little more winter feel to it,” Morrison tells us. “We’re changing that one to have a butternut squash puree with a cranberry gastrique, some fried prosciutto, and dill-infused beurre blanc. It’ll pair very well with our sauvignon blanc.”
In terms of small bites, “I’ll be making a roasted carrot spread with some crispy fried chickpeas and za’atar seasoning,” he shares.
Special to Brengman
In addition to Café Exalt’s offerings, Brengman Family Wines regularly hosts events where attendees can experience unique food and wine pairings.
“These are all professionally paired dishes created by me and executed by my team here,” Morrison says. “The next one coming up is the Truth in Taste Harvest festival [Sept. 19 and 21], with four courses.”
Morrison is excited to play around with seasonal flavors for these fall events. “I’m doing some black tea and wine soaked cedar chip smoked quail and caramelized shallot
He adds that the food and wine series will continue through the winter, with events happening at least once per month. Currently on the calendar is a fundraiser for the Uplift Mara Project on Oct. 10, described as “an evening of mingling and learning from a leading Kenyan changemaker while enjoying live music from TC Sings, a silent auction, a 50/50 raffle, and pairings of award-winning wine and African-themed appetizers.” Tickets are $35 per person.
Find Café Exalt and Brengman Family Wines
Oysters from the cold bar.
Pepperoni pizza with basil pesto.
Calamari in a sofrito sauce topped with fresh herbs.
prepared with elegant simplicity
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“Jonesin” Crosswords
"Oh,
It's Ong" or
is
it awn? by Matt Jones
2. Mai ___ (rum drink)
1. Get from ___ (progress slowly)
5. Simple sandwich
8. Janssen who played a "GoldenEye" Bond girl 13. Gujarat wrap
14. Cookie that has a "List of varieties" Wikipedia page
15. Greg Evans comic strip
16. Young deer named after Ulysses Grant's real first name?
18. Element #18
19. From one edge of the grass to the opposite edge?
Musical homage to Napoleon
Psi preceder
Alias letters 26. Holy swimmer?
Adult
Detonation maker 32. Suggestion to put in more quarters? 34. Starting points of a new car scratch era? 37. 1964 Lennon/McCartney song that's nowhere near the Beck song 39. TV alien
42. Chaotic end (but not beginning)?
43. NYC publisher of Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, and Edith Wharton
47. Prefix for center
48. Cash quantity
50. Leisurely tempo
51. Like some platters with cocktail sauce? 55. Alaska Highway, formerly
14. "Cry 'Havoc!', and let slip the dogs ___" ("Julius Caesar" quote)
17. Armor-busting weapon
20. Shakespeare's "The Taming of the ___"
21. Medevac worker
22. Operated
23. 10th mo.
27. Custard ingredients
28. Puts away, as cargo
30. Colorado NHL team, in headlines
33. Fashion designer Jacobs
34. Indian dish with lentils
35. Symbolic bringers of bad fortune
36. "For real"
37. Driving force
38. Location of letters on a train
39. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" director Lee
40. Aloha gift
41. To and ___
42. Week, in Oaxaca
44. Sauce made with buttermilk
45. Concept
46. Poor performance
49. Attire
52. "Dynamite" singer Cruz
53. General vicinity
54. '80s skating champion Katarina
57. Much fuss
58. Actor Wheaton
59. Ice hockey goal
On July 5, 2013, Kelly Boyce-Hurlbert was struck and dragged while riding her bike on Washington Street. Her killer remains at large.
Tariffs Loom Over the Wine Industry
Local businesses concerned over tariffs, inflation, and global relationships
By Art Bukowski
Tariff talk has been rampant in recent months, with much discussion about how these age-old economic tools applied with vigor by President Donald Trump will impact a variety of businesses across the nation.
Here in northern Michigan, the wine industry is rapidly approaching cherry production as the region’s most iconic agricultural endeavor. Dozens of wineries and a handful of specialty wine and food shops have made the area a hotspot for oenophiles. But those businesses are starting to feel the sting of the new importing and exporting rules.
We checked in with specialty shops and a beloved winery to learn more about the impacts (current and anticipated) of national tariffs on their bottom lines.
Bracing for Impact
Long story short, no one is feeling major impacts—yet.
But everyone we spoke to has varying degrees of unease about the long-term prospects of tariffs. This is particularly true for wine shops, which are known for bringing in great wine varietals (and other treats, edible and not) from across the world.
Sebastian Garbsch is a co-owner The Blue Goat Wine & Provisions, an iconic wine shop in Traverse City near the base of Old Mission Peninsula. He says some of his distributors have already paused selling certain wines based on tariff-induced price increases, and he expects that trend may continue.
“It’s not just that it might cost us more, but we might not be able to get certain wines at all if the importers deem it unprofitable,” he says. “And that stinks, because in many cases we’ve gotten some great organic and biodynamic—but affordable—wines that we now might not be able to get.”
Ultimately, Garbsch says, tariffs make it harder for a shop like Blue Goat to perform to customer expectations in terms of a deep and broad selection of wines.
“At Blue Goat, we try to have the best of local wines and the best of the entire world,” he says. “Now, it feels like the world has gotten a little smaller.”
Kate Stassen owned the famed Riverside Inn in Leland for many years before opening Peninsula Provisions in Lake Leelanau in 2023. This specialty shop prides itself on many imported foods in addition to a wide selection of wine.
Like Garbsch, she’s seen some wines
drop off the list, and she’s had no choice but to pass the higher costs of those that make it through on to the consumer. Stassen believes the full impact of tariffs has not yet been felt due to a variety of factors, including some product that was already stateside before they took effect.
“So far, the biggest increases have been two or three dollars on everyday-priced wines, and that’s definitely not enough where someone won’t pay that,” she says.
“But I think what we’ll start seeing in October and November is when it goes from maybe $16 to $21, and that’s when we’ll start seeing [consumers forced out of their comfort zones].”
Garbsch is also worried things could get worse before they get better.
“It’s really the fear of how much more [impact] there could be if this doesn’t get sorted out sooner rather than later,” he says.
Not Just Tariffs
Garbsch made it clear that consumers should expect to see higher prices these days for many reasons beyond tariffs, which are just the latest blow to a system already strained by inflation.
“Shipping is up, labor is up, packaging is up. Tariffs are just a part of the puzzle.
Our utilities are up tremendously,” he says. “Everywhere you go you’re getting nickeled and dimed, and it’s tougher for small businesses.”
Stassen is already seeing significant hikes on cheeses, olive oils, specialty meats,
Stassen
and more, and she cites the same mixture of factors at play.
“Some of my specialty charcuterie meats and cheeses are American, but they’re going up because their inputs are more expensive or their farm costs are more expensive,” she says. “And then the ones that are coming in are getting tariffed…no matter where it’s coming from, it’s going up in price.”
Garbsch says that tariffs—and to a larger extent, all increased costs—do present a “hidden opportunity” for local, specialty shops like his. Staff there will be the best resource for customers who can no longer get or are priced out of their favorite wines.
“Our job is always going to be to just keep finding those value wines that are made the right way,” he says. “And that might be the advantage we have as small businesses. We have excellent service and can give customers other options. That’s where we shine.”
Stassen agrees. It’s yet another chance to apply their expertise, she says.
“Even if someone always bought an $80 bottle of Barolo, they’re probably not going to buy it when it’s a hundred. They’re still going to want something around $80. So we have to find something to replace that bottle that they loved that’s hopefully as good or almost as good, but is $20 less,” she says. “It will make our job a little more difficult, but that’s ok.”
Out in the Vineyards
Wineries themselves aren’t immune to the impacts of tariffs. Marie-Chantal Dalese, CEO of Chateau Chantal on Old Mission Peninsula, said 10 percent tariffs on European corks are now in effect, for instance. But she’s a bit more concerned about another key component: Glass.
Ultimately, Garbsch says, tariffs make it harder for a shop like Blue Goat to perform to customer expectations in terms of a deep and broad selection of wines.
Fortunately, the problem is mostly in the hands of suppliers to solve (for now).
“We haven’t had dramatic supply chain fluctuations as of yet, but glass is certainly a big one to keep an eye on, as a lot of that is coming from Mexico or China,” she says.
“Some of these producers have already switched to plants in countries with less of a tariff. Those companies are definitely more affected and are trying to play the game of moving around as best they can to avoid it.”
Some local wineries do in fact import foreign wines to supplement their own offerings. Chateau Chantal buys Malbec in bulk from a winery in Argentina that it used to own, and that importing will now
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“It’s something we can’t grow here—one of those big, deeper, dry reds—and so that’s likely going to be hit with a tariff as it comes through,” Dalese says.
Ultimately, Dalese’s biggest fear stems from retaliatory trade actions that could eventually impact her business and those like it.
“The thing that I am worried the most about are the indirect effect of the tariffs, [namely] that Canada shut off all American wine,” Dalese says. “That’s a really big market for a lot of the big players, though probably not for many here in northern Michigan. But any one of us that is distributed has
a distributor that is probably receiving a whole lot of pressure from those big players saying ‘We can’t sell to Canada, you need to move this for us domestically.’”
Local wineries won’t be able to offer the deep discounts and other promotions that the big companies can when they need to move product, Dalese says. What this all means is increased competition and stress in an industry that’s already feeling plenty of it.
“It’s on top of the fact that there is already an oversupply, a glut of wine, and wine sales are down,” she says. “So you combine all those factors and you start to feel the pressure.”
Garbsch
Dalese
FOOD FROM
A Haunted attraction set onboard the historic 1931 carferry, S.S. City of Milwaukee. Navigate through 4 hair-raising decks of this 360-foot-long vessel, each featuring a unique theme designed to terrify. Encounter live actors, eerie props, animatronics, pneumatics, flashing lights, custom SFX, and authentic ghosts that will make your blood run cold.
A Haunted attraction set onboard the historic 1931 carferry, S.S. City of Milwaukee. Navigate through 4 hair-raising decks of this 360-foot-long vessel, each featuring a unique theme designed to terrify. Encounter live actors, eerie props, animatronics, pneumatics, flashing lights, custom SFX, and authentic ghosts that will make your blood run cold.
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Every year brings a new nightmare! We never repeat the same sets or paths, ensuring a fresh and thrilling experience with each visit. Are you ready to brave Manistee s Ghost Ship?
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By Abby McKiernan
When Adrienne Brown-Reasner looks back on the past year, one word comes to mind: resilience.
As the executive director of Up North Pride, she’s steering an organization that’s not just planning events but also carrying the weight of what it means to create safety and belonging in a tough year for LGBTQ+ rights.
“This whole year has been hyper-focused on community building,” Brown-Reasner says. “The best way for us to get through these times and feel like we have someone on our side is by reinforcing that we are here and there are many safe and inclusive spaces that welcome everyone, always.”
That’s no small task in 2025, when the laws and policies impacting LGBTQ+ communities seem to change by the week. “The hardest part has been staying up to date on legislation… especially when things are hidden into other bills or happening in the middle of the night,” Brown-Reasner says. “We’re in a state of constant change and constant unknowns. So we are just focused on creating a stable place and doing what we can do.”
And what they can do is expand presence, consistency, and support. Smaller events like line dancing nights and art nights have popped up across five counties to bring connection to outlying regions throughout
this year. On top of that, Up North Pride now has a new home base thanks to SBK Property Management, who offered office and community space in the former Copy Central building on Eighth Street.
“And once we had the space, people came alongside us to donate everything we needed to fill it, right down to the carpet” Brown-Reasner says. “It has been so incredible to feel such love and kindness from everyone.”
That message of love is woven into the 2025 Pride Week schedule, which feels both familiar and refreshed. Many favorites are back, but with little twists—like Comedy Night. Instead of the usual lineup of four or five comedians, fan-favorite Kristin Key is taking over the stage for a full set. “Kristin has always been our host,” BrownReasner explains. “But this year she’ll be doing a full set—and we’re so excited to see her shine.”
The Sign-Making Party, already a beloved tradition, will bring even more sparkle this year with henna and fairy hair stations. And while the Sunday brunch is taking a pause, Saturday’s Open Space schedule has been expanded to pack in everything from the rally and march to a local music sensation’s (EMM) homecoming concert, a drag show, and a late-night silent disco.
As Brown-Reasner puts it, “We’ve had
really wonderful partners this year who have stepped up to host events and offer support in both big and small ways that have added up. That’s what Pride is all about—showing up for each other through everything.”
And in that spirit, here’s how to show up this September:
QUEER:SAY Storytelling
Date: Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025
Time: 7pm – 9pm
Location: The Alluvion Cost: $15
Kick off Pride Week with a night of hilarious, heartfelt, and jaw-dropping stories. Queer:Say brings 2SLGBTQIA+ voices to the stage for an evening of connection, catharsis, and plenty of laughs.
Sign Making Party
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025
Time: 6pm – 9pm
Location: The Little Fleet Cost: Free
Paint, glitter, markers, fairy hair, henna— the works. This is your chance to get creative while gearing up for Saturday’s march. Bring your energy; supplies are provided.
Intimi Fashion Show & Dance Party
Date: Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025
Time: 7pm – 11:59pm
Location: Hotel Indigo Rooftop
Cost: Varies (see website)
Fashion and celebration meet under the stars. Watch bold looks strut the runway at the Intimi Fashion Show, then dance the night away at a rooftop party. Tickets available for one or both events.
Comedy Night
Date: Friday, Sept. 26, 2025
Time: 7pm – 10pm
Location: City Opera House
Cost: Ticketed (see website for details) Kristin Key returns, this time with a full set of her signature humor. This Pride Week tradition is guaranteed to leave you laughing.
Visibility Rally & March + After Events
Date: Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025
Time: 1pm – Late Night
Location: F&M Park and Open Space Park
Cost: Free
This is the heartbeat of Pride Week.
- Rally at 1pm in F&M Park, march downtown to Open Space
- Resource Fair (2–6pm)
- Drag Show (6pm)
- EMM Homecoming Concert (9pm)
- Silent disco under the stars (10pm)
For the full schedule, volunteer opportunities, and a resource directory, visit upnorthpride.com
Photo by Lil Jes Photography, courtesy of Up North Pride
Saturday
40TH ANNUAL LEELANAU HARVEST TOUR: 8am. Starts with registration at Herman Park, Suttons Bay. Choose from routes of 18, 38 or 70 miles that wind throughout Leelanau County on paved roads passing by farms, orchards, vineyards, dunes, & through quaint villages. Tour fee includes a post-ride Harvest Lunch at North Park. See web site for more info. $35-$75. cherrycapitalcyclingclub.org/lht
PEACE RANCH WILDERNESS 5K/10K RUN/WALK: Peace Ranch, TC. Proceeds benefit the New Veterans Retreat Services & Mustang Rehab Program. 10K starts at 8:30am; 5K at 9am. $0-$35. peaceranchtc.com
MORE THAN FOUR 5.04K RACE: 9:30am, 401 S. Union St., TC. Founded by Conor Rigan. Join to run/walk together. Intended to unite the community to recognize children battling cancer. 100% of net proceeds from the 5.04K will go directly to pediatric cancer research teams & supporting families dealing with pediatric cancer. The length of the run/ walk event is 5.04K, reflecting the fact that only 4% of federal cancer research funding goes to pediatrics. The additional 0.04 kilometers in the race is meant to demonstrate how small 4 percent really is. $10-$35; increases after 8/30. runsignup.com/Race/MI/TraverseCity/ MoreThanFourRaceFoundedbyConorRigan
ART IN THE BARN - FALL: 10am-5pm, Emmet County Fairgrounds, Petoskey. Featuring indoor & outdoor booths with art, crafts, food & more. $3 GA.
SLEEPING BEAR NATURE JOURNAL-
ING: 10am, Glen Lake Community Library, Empire. Join the Sleeping Bear Nature Group for their monthly excursion, led by Penny Krebiehl. Meet at the library first for some discussion & practice, & then depart to observe local flora & fauna. Free. glenlakelibrary.net/events
PETOSKEY WINE REGION PRESENTS HARVEST SHOWCASE: Travel around to the Petoskey Wine Region participating wineries & enjoy a complementary taste with a small bite at each winery. $30. petoskey. wine/event/2025-harvest-showcase
SAY NO TO ISRAEL’S GENOCIDE: 11am, corner of Grandview Parkway & Union St., TC.
Join in showing solidarity with the people of Palestine who are being killed by Israel while our communities pay for the weapons. Demand that the U.S. Government serves America, not Israel. Meet every Sat. mideastjustpeace.net
30TH ANNUAL TASTE OF HARBOR
SPRINGS: Noon-3pm, waterfront at Marina Park, downtown Harbor Springs. Experience the many flavors of the local culinary scene! You’ll be treated with small tastes from area restaurants like Birchwood Golf and Country Club, Fustini’s, Legs Inn, The New York Restaurant, & many others. This event, hosted by the Harbor Springs Area Chamber of Commerce, includes live music by Rivertown Jazz Band, & benefits the Mary Ellen Hughes Culinary Scholarship. Tickets are $35 before 5pm, Sept. 15; & $50 from Sept. 15 forward. VIP: $100 advance; limited to first 100 people. harborspringschamber.com/events/details/30thannual-taste-of-harbor-springs-2025-16409
APPLE SMASH 2025: Noon, Northern Natural Cider House & Winery, Kaleva. Help kick off the apple cider processing season. Enjoy a day of music, fresh cider & donuts, local vendors, an apple pie eating contest, disc golf tournament & more. Music lineup: WSKF at noon; Graham Parsons Trio at 2pm; Bacon at 4pm; & Luke WinslowKing Band at 7pm. Free. facebook.com/ events/1398563891222357
EMPIRE HOPS & HARVEST FESTIVAL: Noon-6pm, W. Front St., Empire. $8/beverage. Commemorative pint glass: $10 (with complimentary pour). There will also be food vendors & live music by Andre Villoch, A to Z Band, & 5th Gearband. $12 online; $15 door. facebook.com/EmpireHopsFestival
AUTHOR JULIE SWANSON: 1pm, Glen Lake Community Library, Empire. Inspired by the author’s own experience growing up in Leelanau County, this story follows fourth grader Jess Jezowski, who has always felt more like a boy than a girl. Though set in the 1970’s, the story explores issues of self-identity that will resonate today. glenlakelibrary.net
BOOK SIGNING: 1-3pm, Horizon Books, TC. Marilyn J. Zimmerman, retired attorney & author of “In Defense of Good Women,” will speak briefly about her newly published & highly praised courtroom drama & will sign books for those choosing to purchase a copy. Free.
VOICES FROM MAPLE GROVE: Maple Grove Cemetery, Elk Rapids. Ten 90 minute performances from 1-4:30pm. Presenting the lives of actual Elk Rapids settlers. “Gravediggers” usher audiences thru 5 graveside scenes in Maple Grove Cemetery. Businessmen/women, laborers, immigrants, & undertakers deliver dramatic, researched
Meet, pet, feed, learn about and take photos of alpacas at Rainbow Valley Farms, TC on National Alpaca Day, Sat., Sept. 27 from 10am-4pm! This free event also offers face painting and yarn spinning, and Noah’s WRC animal rescue will be onsite with rescue animals. Pumpkins and apples will be available from Rennies Orchards. Donations and farm proceeds benefit Noah’s ARC animal rescue. rainbowvalleyfarms.com
stories. Tickets at mynorthtickets.com or onsite days of shows. $20. elkrapidshistory.org
BUDDHIST MEDITATION & MINDFULNESS: 2-4pm, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Grand Traverse, TC. Demo Rinpoche, resident Lama of Jewelheart Buddhist meditation center in Ann Arbor, will offer a public talk on Buddhist meditation. Free.
SISTER ACT: 2pm & 7:30pm, Old Town Playhouse, TC. When disco diva Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a murder, she gets protective custody in a convent! At odds with rigid traditions, she helps the struggling choir. Then the chase is on as Deloris begins to know the power of her new sisterhood. $35 adults; $25 under 18. oldtownplayhouse.com/ performances/mainstage/sister-act.html
THE ART OF WELLBEING OPENING RECEPTION: 3-5pm, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Galleries, Petoskey. Join for the public reception of CTAC Petoskey’s fall exhibitions: “Vibrant Matter: Engaging Energies,” “Process and Practice: Crafting Wellbeing,” & “Art from the heART.” crookedtree.org/event/ctacpetoskey/art-wellbeing-opening-reception
COMEDY IN THE COLLECTION: A MUSEUM-WORTHY VARIETY SHOW: 7pm, Dennos Museum Center, Sculpture Court, NMC, TC. Full Tilt comedy brings their signature blend of improv, sketch, & musical parody. This comedy show uses audience suggestions to launch scenes, characters, & stories created entirely on the spot. $15-$20. dennosmuseum. org/events/community-programs.html
THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL: YOUTH EDITION: 7pm, Elenbaas Performing Arts Center, McBain High School. Presented by Cadillac Footliters Youth. $12-$15. cadillacfootliters.com/tickets
LIVE AT THE GARDEN: SUMMER CONCERT SERIES WITH COUSIN CURTISS: 7:30pm, The Garden Theater, Frankfort. This duo brings “blues at bluegrass speeds” & “rock Americana with a soulful drip.” GA: $27. gardentheater.org/live-at-the-garden
PLAY: “THE HALF-LIFE OF MARIE CURIE”: 7:30pm, The Leelanau School Auditorium, Glen Arbor. Presented by the Glen Arbor Players. A play brimming with wit, wisdom & passion. $10 minimum donation suggested. GlenArborPlayers.org
sept 21
Sunday
45 NORTH VINEYARD WINE RUN 5K: 9am, 45 North Vineyard & Winery, Lake Leelanau. $25-$40. runsignup.com/Race/MI/ LakeLeelanau/NorthVineyardWineRun5k
ART IN THE BARN - FALL: (See Sat., Sept. 20)
BLUE RIBBON RUN: 10am, Boardman Loop Trail, TC. A 4 mile run/walk around the Boardman Lake Loop. Presented by Byte Productions. Raises money for Prostate Cancer Awareness. $30. blueribbonrun.com
PETOSKEY WINE REGION PRESENTS HARVEST SHOWCASE: (See Sat., Sept. 20)
“THE LIGHT WON’T DIM”: 1pm, The Bay Theatre, Suttons Bay. This SunDay event presented by Leelanau Energy includes a free film screening, nibbles & conversation on renewable energy. leelanauenergy.org
VOICES FROM MAPLE GROVE: (See Sat., Sept. 20) -
53RD ANNUAL PRESTIGIOUS AMERICAN GOLD CUP COMPETITION: Flintfields Horse Park, Williamsburg. Gates open early, & the main competition begins at 2pm. All GA proceeds benefit Accelerate the Care. traversecityhorseshows.com/visit $15 GA. app.gopassage. com/venues/8654
AURORA BOREALIS: WHAT IS IT?: 2pm, Helena Twp. Community Center, Alden. Presented by award winning photographer, speaker & member of Michigan Aurora Chasers, Patricia McCleery. Patricia will discuss the science behind the Aurora Borealis, the best time of year to see it in northern MI & how to photograph it with your cell phone. 231-331-4318. Free.
FREE FAMILY FUN DAY: PAPER BUTTERFLIES: 2-4pm, The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park, TC. Discover how easy & fun it is to make paper butterflies using a simple accordion fold perfect for celebrating the magic of migration. Find on Facebook.
SISTER ACT: (See Sat., Sept. 20, except today’s only performance is at 2pm.)
THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL: YOUTH EDITION: (See Sat., Sept. 20, except today’s time is 2pm.)
GREAT LAKES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA:
SUNDAY SERIES: 4-6pm, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Theater, Petoskey. Featuring the Nancy Stagnitta Jazz Ensemble. Free. crookedtree.org/event/ctac-petoskey/greatlakes-chamber-orchestra-september-21 -
MATTHEW LOGAN VASQUEZ HOUSE
SHOW: 7pm, (That’s No) Moon Tower, 1535 S. Norvick Rd., Suttons Bay. Presented by Satellite Sparkle Sessions. Matthew Logan Vasquez (Delta Spirit) is bringing the full moon saloon back! $30-$35. purplepass.com/events/322054-matthew-loganvasquez-sep-21st-2025
monday
MONDAY NIGHT MOVIE: 7:30-10pm, Voorhies Hall, Bay View Association, Petoskey. Featuring “Philomena.” Free. bayviewassociation.org/monday-night-movies
tuesday
PEEPERS PROGRAM: FANTASTIC FOSSILS: 10am, Boardman River Nature Center, TC. Dig into life of the past & discover ancient creatures who once roamed right here in Michigan. For ages 3-5. 60 minute nature program that includes stories, crafts, music & activities. Register. Dress for outdoors. $5/ child; cash only. gtcd.wufoo.com/forms/peepers-registration-fall-2025
AUTHOR TEAGAN OLIVIA KING: 1-3pm, McLean & Eakin Booksellers, Petoskey. Teagan will be celebrating her debut book “Spit
Back the Bones.” mcleanandeakin.com/ event/2025-09-23/teagan-olivia-king-spitback-bones
AUTHOR VISIT: JIM OLSON: 1:30pm, Benzie Shores District Library, Frankfort. The Fate of the Earth’s Commons: Reading & discussion of the book “People of the Dune.” Free. bsdlibrary.org/author-talk-jim-olsen
ARTIST TALK & POP-UP EXHIBIT: 4pm, Dennos Museum Center, NMC, TC. Join for an artist talk & afternoon with artist Brenda Zlamany, whose pop-up exhibition “At the 45th Parallel: 45 Portraits + 4-5 Landscapes” will be on view in the Janis room, Sept. 2325. $0-$10. simpletix.com/e/at-the-45th-parallel-artist-talk-pop-up-ex-tickets-235767
ELECTION CANDIDATE FORUM: 6pm, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. The League of Women Voters Grand Traverse Area will be host a candidate forum for the TC mayor & city commission candidates. Candidates are on the Nov. 4, 2025 election ballot. Free. lwvgta.org
NWS PRESENTS: MARY ROACH: 7pm, City Opera House, TC. New York Times bestselling science writer Mary Roach brings her book, “Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy,” a dive into the world of regenerative medicine. With her signature blend of curiosity, clarity & humor, Roach guides readers through the surreal frontiers of modern medical innovation—from cadaver skin grafts & wearable kidneys to artificial wombs & prosthetic limbs. Includes a Q&A & author signing. Roach will be in conversation with NWS co-founder & #1 New York Times bestselling author Doug Stanton. $16-$32. cityoperahouse.org/node/694
QUEER:SAY STORYTELLING: 7pm, The Alluvion, TC. Start Pride Week with a live storytelling show exploring the hilarious, heartfelt, & sometimes horrifying stories that tell life’s many truths. Tickets available at upnorthpride.com. All ages welcome, parental discrection advised. $15/person. secure. givelively.org/event/loud-and-proud/prideweek-2025/pride-week-2025-queer-say
sept 24
wednesday
KINGSLEY FARMERS
MARKET SALSA COOKOFF: 3pm, Brownson Park, Kingsley. Entry is free to all & entries should be submitted to the Market Booth by 4pm. Tasting is open to all & free. 20+ vendors & live music by Jason Charboneau of Moody Blues from 5-7pm. kingsleyfarmersmarket.com
NAMI CONNECTION & NAMI FAMILY SUP-
PORT GROUP: Noon, Christ Church, lower level, 430 Fair St., TC. NAMI Connection is a support group for people with mental health conditions. You will gain insight from hearing the challenges & successes of others, & the groups are led by trained leaders who’ve been there. NAMI Family Support Group is a support group for family members, significant others & friends of people with mental health conditions. Gain insight from the challenges & successes of others facing similar experiences. Both groups are held on Wednesdays at the same location & at the same time. Free. namigt.org/ support-and-education/support-groups
GENEALOGY RESEARCH VIA NEWSPA-
PERS AT THE LIBRARY OF MICHIGAN: 1pm, Traverse Area District Library, TC. The Grand Traverse Area Genealogical Society meets with featured speaker Matt Pacer presenting. To view the meeting virtually, register for a Zoom link at www.tadl.org. Free. gtags.org
FREE FILM SCREENING: “AN ARMY OF WOMEN”: 5:30pm, Charlevoix Cinema II. Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan presents this film, followed by a panel discussion with representatives from local law enforcement, prosecution, & advocacy organizations. Register. wrcnm.org/anarmy-of-women-film-screening
PRIDE WEEK SIGN MAKING PARTY: 6pm, The Little Fleet, TC. Join Up North Pride & Idea Farm for the annual Sign Making Party to prepare for the Pride Visibility March on Sat. Event will also include music from DJ Dusty Staircase, specialty cocktails, community art activity, & more. All ages welcome, free admission. upnorthpride.com/event/2025/9/24/ pride-week-sign-making-party
VOICES FROM MAPLE GROVE: 7-8:30pm, Historic Elk Rapids Town Hall. Presenting the lives of actual Elk Rapids settlers. “Gravediggers” usher audiences thru 5 graveside scenes. Businessmen/women, laborers, immigrants, & undertakers deliver dramatic, researched stories. Tickets at mynorthtickets.com or onsite day of shows. $20. elkrapidshistory.org
thursday
COFFEE @ 10, PETOSKEY: 10am, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Gilbert Gallery, Petoskey. With Netawn Kiogima, Language Department Director Gijigowi Anishinaabemowin Language Department (GALD). Free. crookedtree.org/event/ctac-petoskey/coffee10-netawn-kiogima-language-departmentdirector-gijigowi-anishinaabemowin
CLIMATE CHANGE FILM SERIES WITH CITIZENS CLIMATE LOBBY: 6pm, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. A facilitated film series about various aspects of climate change & how it affects people & the region. Free. tadl.org/ClimateFIlms
THE JOY OF THE VIOLIN: 6pm, The Garden Theater, Frankfort. Showcasing the instructors from The Benzie Youth String Program. Free. gardentheater.org/upcoming-events -
FULL TILT COMEDY & FRIENDS: 7pm, Eugene’s Record Co-op, TC. Long form comedy improv from the Full Tilt players. Ages 16+. $10 at door. fulltiltcomedy.org
AUTHOR MEL LARACEY: 7pm, Glen Lake Community Library, Empire. Dr. Laracey will discuss his recent book “Informing a Nation: the newspaper presidency of Thomas Jefferson.” The book explores how Jefferson used the media to advance his political agenda, & also raises broad questions of the relation-
ship between the presidency & media today. Copies of the book will be available for sale. Free event. glenlakelibrary.net/events
NERD NITE TC: 7pm, Tank Space, 8th St., TC. Held the last Thurs. of each month. Gather & listen to presentations on anything from rattlesnakes, board games, to synthesizers. traversecity.nerdnite.com
SISTER ACT: (See Sat., Sept. 20, except today’s only performance is at 7:30pm.)
friday
NORTHERN MICHIGAN
HIV SUMMIT: 9:30am-3pm, Hagerty Center, TC. Munson Healthcare’s Thomas Judd Care Center presents the 2025 Northern Michigan HIV Summit. This event will be held in person, with a virtual option. Free registration, lunch included, free CEUs. Keynote speaker is Karen Daley, PhD, RN, FAAN. Must register. munsonhealthcare.org/services/hiv-aids/tjcc-events
EYES ON THE FOREST: 10am, Grass River Natural Area, Bellaire. Hear about two community science opportunities that focus on keeping our Michigan forests free of invasive species. Learn about hemlock woolly adelgid, spotted lanternfly, & five priority invasive plants in Michigan. Free. grassriver.org
HARBOR SPRINGS FESTIVAL OF THE BOOK: SOLD OUT: Sept. 26-28. A celebration of readers, writers, books & the literary craft. Featuring up to 50 nationally published authors & illustrators in sessions including eight genres: fiction, nonfiction, mystery/thriller, poetry, cookbook, picture book/early reader, middle grade, & young adult. hsfotb.org
EAST JORDAN’S 10TH ANNUAL FALL FEST: 4pm, East Jordan Tourist Park. Live music, co-ed softball & cornhole tournaments, face painting, arts & crafts, hay wagon rides, live busker performances, mechinal bull rides, & much more. Trick-or-treating & campsite decoration contests Sat. night. Find ‘Fall Fest - 10 Year Anniversary!’ on Facebook. Free; donations welcome.
HARVEST: A CELEBRATION OF RECREATION & CONSERVATION: 5-7pm, DeYoung Natural Area Farmstead, TC. Presented by the Leelanau Conservancy. Enjoy music, local food & a thought-provoking discussion on the intersection of recreation & conservation. RSVP: leelanauconservancy.org. Free.
STEVE BROWN POETRY READING: 5pm, Oliver Art Center, Frankfort. Former OAC Executive Director Steve Brown brings his two
engaging new poetry collections to life through readings & storytelling. Free. oliverart.org
13TH ANNUAL TC GERMANFEST: 6pm, Trinity Lutheran Church & School, TC. This community celebration will feature festive German food, music & more. $25 per adult. tcgermanfest.org
YMCA CLASSICS UNDER THE LIGHTS: 6-9pm, Turtle Creek Stadium, TC. See classic & custom cars shine under the stadium lights, with food, music, & family fun. Proceeds benefit the Grand Traverse Bay YMCA’s Annual Campaign. $20/car; free to attend. gtbayymca.org/classics-under-lights
FALL DANCE PERFORMANCE: 7:30pm, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Corson Auditorium. Experience an evening of dance courtesy of the Interlochen Arts Academy Dance Division. Enjoy a wide variety of classical & contemporary dance works including ballet excerpts, modern masterpieces, & student& faculty-choreographed works. Adult $17; child - college $14. interlochen.org/concertsand-events/all-events?search=Fall+Dance
SISTER ACT: (See Thurs., Sept. 25)
UP NORTH PRIDE COMEDY NIGHT: 8pm, City Opera House, TC. Featuring returning fan favorite Kristin Key, wsg Nicole Melnyk. $20-$30. cityoperahouse.org/node/711
WITCHES NIGHT OUT - MOVIES IN THE PARK: 8:30pm, Pennsylvania Park, Petoskey. Hosted by Grandpa Shorters. Bring your best witch hat. Free. petoskeydowntown.com/events/witches-night-out
saturday
BETSIE VALLEY TRAIL RUN: 8am, Webber Sports Complex, Thompsonville. Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, 1 Mile Fun Run. See web site to register & for various start times. $15-$85; price increases after Sept. 23. runsignup.com/Race/ Events/MI/Thompsonville/BestieValleyTrailRun
BIRDING WALK: 8-10am, Sportsman’s Park, East Jordan. Meet at the parking area. Explore multiple habitat types. Please bring binoculars. The first area is the platform overlooking the mouth of the Jordan River. The second area is the South Arm of Lake Charlevoix where the Jordan River empties its water. The third is the new Don & Eileen Klein Nature Trail. 231-536-7351.
BOYNE CITY HARVEST FESTIVAL: Downtown Boyne City. This festival is the culminating event of the outdoor farmers market, featuring
children’s games & local harvests. Enjoy fall fun & decorations. Free. boynecitymainstreet.com
MEN’S BREAKFAST: 8am, Old Mission Peninsula United Methodist Church, TC. Men of any age are welcome. Free; donation. oldmissionpeninsulaumc.org
TAP INTO THE TRAILS: 10K RUN & 5K RUN/WALK: 8am, 115 Backus St., Cheboygan. See web site to register & for various start times. $30-$35; price increases after Sept. 26. runsignup.com/Race/MI/Cheboygan/TapintotheTrails
HARBOR SPRINGS FESTIVAL OF THE BOOK: SOLD OUT: (See Fri., Sept. 26)
27TH ANNUAL BELLAIRE HARVEST FESTIVAL: 10am-5pm, downtown Bellaire, Broad St. Scarecrow contest, craft & farm market, square dancing, kid-friendly activities, local food & craft beer, & more. bellairechamber.org/harvest-festival
EAST JORDAN’S 10TH ANNUAL FALL FEST: (See Fri., Sept. 26, except today’s events start in the morning.)
GTARMC ROCK & MINERAL SHOW: 10am-5pm, Cherryland VFW Post 2780, TC. Lapidary arts, jewelry, gems, fossils, minerals & more. $3 donation; children 12 & under free. facebook.com/tcrockhounds
NATIONAL ALPACA FARM DAY: 10am-4pm, Rainbow Valley Family Farms, TC. Meet the alpacas - pet, feed, & take photos. Learn about these animals. Face painting & yarn spinning. Noah’s ARC animal rescue will be onsite with rescue animals. Rennie Orchards will be at the farm with pumpkins & apples. Donations & farm proceeds benefit Noah’s ARC animal rescue. Free. rainbowvalleyfamilyfarms.com
NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY: 10am, Antrim Creek Natural Area, Ellsworth. Join James Dake from Grass River Natural Area for a hands-on nature photography class. Class is free & open to all skill levels; a $5 donation is suggested to support future projects at Antrim Creek.
FALL-O-WEEN: (See Sat., Sept. 20)
LEELANAU UNCAGED: 11am-10pm, Northport. Featuring continuous live music on the streets of Northport with seven stages & 34 acts also including dance, a water blessing over the bay, art activities & vendors, & much more. Free. leelanauuncaged.com
TO ISRAEL’S GENOCIDE: (See Sat., Sept. 20)
BINDERS: Noon-1:30pm, Peninsula Community Library, TC. Create your own
ELK RAPIDS FALL FESTIVAL: This familyfriendly celebration of autumn will feature local vendors, kids activities, live music from Sandi and The Bandits, & much more. Free admission. elkrapidschamber.org/fall-festival
QUILT THE BOARDWALK: Noon-4pm. Start at Friends of the Jordan River Watershed, East Jordan. See the quilts & meet local quilters on the Don & Eileen Nature Trail/Boardwalk.
UP NORTH PRIDE VISIBILITY RALLY & MARCH: Head to F&M Park, TC for the Visibility Rally at noon, & then take to the streets for the Pride March through downtown along Front St. to the Open Space Park. Free. upnorthpride.com/event/2025/9/27/visibility-rally-march
BOOK SIGNING ON THE BOARDWALK: 1-3pm, Don and Eileen Klein Nature Trail, East Jordan.
FALL DANCE PERFORMANCE: (See Fri., Sept. 26, except today’s performance is at 2pm.)
TCLEG FALL FAMILY FEST 2025: 4:306:30pm, Mt. Holiday, TC. Zip line, activities for all ages, food & drinks. Donations will be accepted at the door & donated back to Mt. Holiday. RSVP. Free. tclegofficial.com/events
PRIDE WEEK DRAG SHOW, EMM PRIDE CONCERT & SILENT DISCO: The Open Space, TC. The Drag Show starts at 6pm featuring queens & kings from around the state. EMM performs live for the first Pride Concert at 9pm. Dance under the stars at the Silent Disco beginning at 10pm. Free. upnorthpride. com/event/2025/9/27/visibility-rally-march
BEETHOVEN 5 + AMERICAN 4 SEASONS: 7:30-9:30pm, Dennos Museum Center, Milliken Auditorium, NMC, TC. $27-$65. tcphil. org/concerts
FAMILY IMPROV SHOW & WORKSHOP W/ FULL TILT COMEDY: 10am, Curiosity Place, GT Mall, TC. The Full Tilt Comedy Improv players bring stories, characters & scenes for a show for all ages. Free with museum admission. Must register: greatlakeskids.doubleknot.com/Event/3117027
SISTER ACT: (See Thurs., Sept. 25)
THE INSIDERS: A TRIBUTE TO TOM PETTY: 7:30pm, The Cheboygan Opera House. This Grand Rapids group features six veteran musicians & decades of combined stage & touring experience. They have been runnin’ down a dream since 2017. $25-$40; Veterans, $5 discount; students, $10. theoperahouse.org
sunday
HARBOR SPRINGS FESTIVAL OF THE BOOK: SOLD OUT: (See Fri., Sept. 26)
GTARMC ROCK & MIN-
ERAL SHOW: (See Sat., Sept. 27, except today’s time is 11am-4pm.)
GALLERY WALK + TALK: ART AND HEALTH: 1pm, Glen Arbor Arts Center, Main Gallery. Join a guided conversation of Glen Arbor Arts Center’s current exhibit, HIStory/HERstory: Whose Story?. Free. glenarborart.org/ product/exhibit-history-herstory-whose-story
farmers markets
ALDEN SUNSET MARKET: By tennis courts on Tyler St. Held on Thursdays through Sept. from 2-7pm. Shop for fruit, veggies, gifts, art & much more. The downtown stores will be open late & there will be live music.
BOYNE CITY: Veterans Park. Held on Wednesdays & Saturdays through mid-Oct. from 8am-noon. boynecityfarmersmarket.org
DOWNTOWN PETOSKEY: Howard St., between Mitchell & Michigan streets. Held every Fri., 8:30am-1pm. Local producers offer organic meats, fruits & vegetables, flowers & more. petoskeychamber.com/downtownpetoskey-farmers-market
EAST BAY CORNERS: Thursdays, 2-6pm through Oct. 2. Township Hall, 1965 N. 3 Mile Rd., TC. This market accepts SNAP/EBT benefits & also offers a Power of Produce program for kids ages 5-13. There will be live music, food trucks, & family game nights. eastbaytwp.org/residents/food_security.php
ELK RAPIDS: Cedar St. Parking Lot, downtown. Runs every Fri. through Oct. 3, 8amnoon. elkrapidschamber.org/farmers-market
FRANKFORT: Saturdays, 9am-1pm, Open Space Park, Main St.
HARBOR SPRINGS: Corner of State & Main streets, downtown. Held on Saturdays from 9am-1pm through Oct. 11. Featuring local farmers, artisans, food producers & more. There will be live music on select dates, & also Kids Days. petoskeyarea.com/events/ harbor-springs-farmers-market-2025
INTERLOCHEN: Corner of US-31 & J. Maddy Parkway. Held every Sun. through Oct. from 9am-2pm. Featuring local fresh produce, locally produced food, & natural artisan arts & crafts. facebook.com/InterlochenFarmersMarket
KINGSLEY FARMERS MARKET: Brownson Park, Kingsley. Held every Weds. from 3-7pm through Oct. Featuring 30+ vendors, hot food, live music & free workshops. kingsleyfarmersmarket.com
LONG LAKE TWP.: Haywood Park, 8870 N. Long Lake Rd., TC. Held on Thursdays through Oct. 2, 9am-1pm. 946-2249.
MACKINAW CITY: Conkling Heritage Park. Held every Mon., July 7 - Sept. 29 from 11am-3pm.
MANISTEE: Wagoner Community Center. Held every Sat. through Oct. 4, 9am-noon. manisteekitchen.org/farmers-market
OLD TOWN EMMET: Saturdays, 9am-1pm through Oct. 4, Friendship Center of Emmet County, Petoskey. This market is made up of a group of local farmers, growers, bakers, makers, crafters, & artisans. petoskeyarea. com/events/old-town-emmet-farm-market
SARA HARDY DOWNTOWN FARMERS
MARKET: Parking Lot B, Cass St. & E Grandview Parkway, TC. Held on Wednesdays through Oct. from 8am-noon, & Saturdays through Oct. from 7:30am-noon. dda. downtowntc.com/farmers-market/
SUTTONS BAY: North Park, 601 Front St. Held every Sat. through Oct. 18, 9am-1pm. leelanaufarmersmarkets.com sept 28
BEETHOVEN 5 + AMERICAN 4 SEASONS: (See Sat., Sept. 27, except today’s time is 3-5pm.)
lOGY
SEPT 22 - SEPT 28
BY ROB BREZSNY
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): ): The ancient Mesopotamians believed each person had a personal god called an ilu who acted as a protector, guide, and intercessor with the greater gods. You’re in a phase when your own ilu is extra active and ready to undergo an evolutionary transformation. So assume that you will be able to call on potent help, Libra. Be alert for how your instincts and intuitions are becoming more acute and specific. If you feel an odd nudge or a dream insists on being remembered, take it seriously. You're being steered toward deeper nourishment.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You’re feeling the stirrings of a desire that’s at least half-wild. A surprising vision or opportunity has begun to roar softly within you. But here's key advice: Don't chase it recklessly. Practice strategic boldness. Choose where and how you shine. Your radiance is potent, but it will be most effective when offered deliberately, with conscious artistry. You're being asked to embody the kind of leadership that inspires, not dominates. Be the sun that warms but doesn’t scorch! PS: People are observing you to learn how to shine.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): If humans ever perfect time-travel, I’m going to the Library of Alexandria in ancient Egypt. It was crammed with papyrus scrolls by authors from all over the world. It was also a gathering point for smart people who loved to compare notes across disciplines. Poets argued amiably with mathematicians. Astronomers discussed inspirations with physicians. Breakthroughs flowed feely because ideas were allowed to migrate, hybridize, and be challenged without rancor. Consider emulating that rich mélange, Virgo. Convene unlike minds, cross-pollinate, and entertain unprecedented questions. The influences you need next will arrive via unexpected connections.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In Venice, Italy, floods periodically damage books at libraries and bookstores. Trained volunteers restore them with meticulous, hands-on methods. They use absorbent paper and towels to separate and dry the pages, working page by page. I offer this vignette as a useful metaphor, Scorpio. Why? Because suspect that a rich part of your story needs repair. It’s at risk of becoming irrelevant, even irretrievable. Your assignment is to nurse it back to full health and coherence. Give it your tender attention as you rehabilitate its meaning. Rediscover and revive its lessons and wisdom.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In classical Indian music, a raga is not a fixed composition but a flexible framework. It's defined by a specific scale, characteristic melodic phrases, and a traditional time of day for performance. Musicians improvise and express emotion within that expansive set of constraints. Unlike Western compositions, which are written out and repeated verbatim, a raga has different notes each time it's played. I think this beautiful art form can be inspirational for you, Sagittarius. Choose the right time and tone for what you’re creating. Dedicate yourself to a high-minded intention and then play around with flair and delight. Define three non-negotiable elements and let everything else breathe.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In medieval European monasteries, scribes left blank pages in certain texts. This was not done by accident, but to allow for future revelations. Later readers and scribes might fill these spaces with additional text, marginalia, and personal notes. Books were seen as living documents. I recommend a metaphorical version of this practice to you, Capricorn. You will thrive by keeping spaces empty and allowing for the unknown to ripen. You may sometimes feel an urge to define, control, and fortify, but acting on that impulse could interfere with the gifts that life wants to bring you. Honor what is as-yet unwritten.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In West African Vodún cosmology, the deity named Lêgba guards the crossroads. He is the mediator and gatekeeper between the human world and spirit realm. He speaks all languages and serves as the first point of contact for communication with other spirits. In the weeks ahead, Aquarius,
you may find yourself in Lêgba’s domain: between past and future, fact and fantasy, solitude and communion. You may also become a channel for others, intuiting or translating what they can’t articulate. I won’t be surprised if you know things your rational mind doesn’t fully understand. I bet a long-locked door will swing open and a long-denied connection will finally coalesce. You’re not just passing through the crossroads. You are the crossroads.
PISCES (Feb 19-March 20): In 1977, NASA launched two Voyager spacecraft into the abyss. Both carried a message in the form of a golden record to any extraterrestrial who might find it. There were greetings in 55 languages, natural sounds like whale songs and thunderstorms, music by Chuck Berry and others, plus over 100 images and diagrams explaining how to find Earth. It was science as a love letter, realism with a dash of audacity. I invite you to craft your own version of a golden record, Pisces. Distill a message that says who you are and what you are seeking: clear enough to be decoded by strangers, warm enough to be welcomed by friends you haven’t met. Put it where the desired audience can hear it: portfolio, outreach note, manifesto, demo. Send signals that will make the right replies inevitable.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In Tonglen, a Tibetan Buddhist meditation, you visualize yourself breathing in the suffering, pain, or negativity of other people, then imagine breathing out relief, healing, or compassion toward them. The practice can also be done on your own behalf. The goal is to transform tension and stress into courage, vitality, and healing. I recommend this practice, Aries. Can you turn your scars into interesting tattoos? Can you find mysterious opportunities lurking in the dilemmas? Can you provide grace for others as you feed your own fire?
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In a YouTube video, I watched Korean artisans make hanji paper in the same way their predecessors have for 1,300 years. It was complicated and meditative. They peeled off the inner bark of mulberry trees, then soaked it, cooked it, and pounded it into pulp. After mixing the mash with the aibika plant, they spread it out on screens and let it dry. I learned that this gorgeous, luminous paper can endure for a thousand years. I hope you draw inspiration from this process, Taurus. Experiment with softening what has felt unyielding. Treat what’s tough or inflexible with steady, artful effort. Be imaginative and persistent as you shape raw materials into beautiful things you can use for a long time.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Legendary jazz musician Sun Ra was a Gemini who claimed to be from the planet Saturn. He aspired to live in a state of “cosmic discipline”—not just in his musical training but in his devotion to self-improvement, aesthetic exploration, and a connection to transcendent realities. He fused outrageous style with sacred order, chaos with clarity. I invite you to draw inspiration from him. Put your personal flair in service to noble ideas. Align your exuberant self-expression with your higher purpose. Show off if it helps wake people up.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): In Inuit tradition, qarrtsiluni means “waiting in the darkness for something to burst forth.” It refers to the sacred pause before creativity erupts, before the quest begins, before the light returns. This is an apt description of your current state, Cancerian. Tend your inner stillness like a fire about to ignite. Don’t rush it. Honor the hush. The energies you store up will find their proper shape in a few weeks. Trust that the silence is not absence but incubation. Luminosity will bloom from this pregnant pause.
WEDNESDAYS: D.A.T.E. NIGHT
Free Dessert or Appetizer w/purchase of Two Entrees (Begins 11/29)
THURSDAYS: PASTA NIGHT!
2 pasta dinners & a
WEDNESDAYS:
THURSDAYS:
Grand Traverse & Kalkaska
ENCORE 201, TC
9: 9/20 – DJ Jr
9/26-27 -- DJ Ricky T
IDENTITY BREWING CO., TC
9/22 -- Vinyl Night w/ DJ E-Knuf, 5-8
9/23 -- TC Celtic, 6-8
9/25 -- Beyond Trivia!, 7-9
KILKENNY'S IRISH PUBLIC HOUSE, TC
9:30: 9/20 -- The Ampersands
9/26-27 -- Somebody's Sister & The Good Fellas
KINGSLEY LOCAL BREWING
9/23 – Open Mic Night w/ LaRose Duo, 6-8
9/25 – Trivia Night w/ Marcus Anderson, 6:30-8:30
LEFT FOOT CHARLEY, TC
BARREL ROOM:
9/22 -- Open Mic w/ Rob Coonrod, 6-9
TASTING ROOM:
9/26 -- Tim & Anna, 5-7
MIDDLECOAST BREWING CO., TC
9/24 -- Trivia Night, 7-9
9/25 -- Open Mic Night, 7-9 9/26 -- Jesse Jefferson, 6-9
MT. HOLIDAY, TC
9/26 -- Matt Mansfield, 6-9
NORTH BAR, TC
7-10:
9/20 – Funky Uncle 9/25 – Drew Hale
CELLAR 1914, CENTRAL LAKE
9/20 -- Jelly Roll Blues Band, 5-8
ETHANOLOGY, ELK RAPIDS OUTDOORS, 7-10:
9/20 -- Chris Michaels Band
9/27 -- Charlie's Root Fusion
FIRESIDE LOUNGE, BELLAIRE
9/20 -- Eric Jaqua, 7-10
9/27 -- Clint Weaner, 4:30-7:30
LOST CELLARS, CHARLEVOIX
9/27 -- Dave Cisco, 1-5
MAREK'S HARBOR GRILL, CHARLEVOIX
OLD MISSION DISTILLING, TC
SEVEN HILLS:
9/20 -- Pete Fetters, 6
9/24 -- Jimmy Olson, 7 9/26 -- Blair Miller, 6 9/27 -- Jeff Socia, 7
SAIL INN BAR & GRILL, TC PATIO:
Wed -- Live Music w/ Josh, 6 Thurs, Sat – Karaoke, 9
TC WHISKEY CO. Tue -- Open Mic w/ Chris Sterr, 6-9
THE ALLUVION, TC 9/20 -- Kait Rose & The Thorns, 7:30 9/22 -- Big Fun - Funky Fun Mondays, 6-8:30
9/23 -- Queer:Say Storytelling, 7-10
9/25 -- The Jeff Haas Trio feat. Laurie Sears + Lisa Flahive, 6-8:30 9/26 -- Sugar Bomb & Na Bonsai, 7:30
SPARE KEY WINERY, CHARLEVOIX 1-4: 9/20 -- John Piatek 9/27 -- Randy Reszka
THE DAM SHOP, ELK RAPIDS PATIO, 6: 9/20 – Brett Mitchell 9/27 – Headwaters Band
Manistee, Wexford & Missaukee
BUCKSNORT SALOON, MESICK
9/22 -- Open Mic w/ Vic Trip, 6-9
LITTLE RIVER CASINO, MANISTEE
9/20 – The 1985 Totally 80’s Mixtape Live!, 8
ALPINE TAVERN & EATERY, GAYLORD 6-9:
NORTHERN NATURAL CIDER HOUSE & WINERY, KALEVA
9/20 -- Apple Smash 2025 w/ WSKF, Graham Parsons Trio, Bacon, & Luke Winslow-King Band, noon-10pm 9/25 -- Chief Jam - Open Mic Hosted by Andy McQuillen, 6 9/26 -- The Schrock Brothers w/ Ter-
9/21 -- Luke Woltanski, 5:30-8 9/25 -- Thurs. DJ Trivia, 6:30-8 9/28 -- Chris Smith, 5:30-8
SWEET’S BAR & GRILL, HONOR Mon. – Music Bingo, 7 Fri. – Music Bingo, 8; Karaoke, 10 Sat. – Karaoke, 8
THE FOLDED LEAF, CEDAR 9/20 -- SkyeLea & Nick Carman, 2-4:30
9/24 -- Big Fun Unplugged, 6-8:30 9/27 -- A.S. Lutes, 2-4:30
THE HOMESTEAD RESORT, GLEN ARBOR WHISKERS, 6-9: 9/20 -- The Sundogs 9/26 -- Chris Michaels 9/27 -- Bryan Poirier
Both the name of a Short’s festbier AND an epic party, Rocktoberfest comes to the Beer Garden at Short’s Pub in Bellaire, Sat., Sept. 27! With live music all day, Braxton Hicks & the Contractions are one of several bands performing at this party that rocks from noon-10pm.
CLASSIFIEDS
NMCAA EARLY LEARNING CENTER IN TC - EHS TEACHER: Must have CDA, infant Toddler preferred. 40 hours per week, 41 weeks per year. Continuing education support. $20.75-$21.99 per hour. Accrued time off, paid holidays, health insurance, and summers off! For details and to apply visit www.nmcaa.net. Select Careers/Search Jobs. EOE
NMCAA EARLY LEARNING CENTER IN TC - CLASSROOM AIDE: High School Diploma or GED preferred. 49 hours per week, 41 weeks per year. Professional development opportunities, $14.26-$15.36 per hour. paid time off, paid holidays, health insurance, and summers off! For details and to apply visit www. nmcaa.net select Careers/Search Jobs. EOE.
COMPUTER PROBLEMS?: I'll come to your home or office and make your computer, tablet, phone and TV work! Call James Downer, at Advent Tech. YOUR HIGH TECH HANDYMAN. Call: 231-492-2087
SEWING, ALTERATIONS, MENDING & REPAIRS. Maple City, Maralene Roush 231228-6248
TRAVERSE CITY COTTAGE FOR RENT: 1 BR, Full Bath, Well Furnished, All Utilities Included, All New Appliances, W/D, Parking, Nice Setting,
Month-to-Month to One-Year, No Pets; $1,600 per month. Call (231) 631-7512.
GET YOUR GERANIUMS FOR NEXT YEAR!: The annual Friendly Garden Club geranium sale is now thru 10/1. Skip the crowds next year and order now for Spring pick-up. Details at thefriendlygardenclub.org.
NMC SEEKS TO FILL GROUNDKEEPER POSITIONS Year-round full-time grounds positions are now available ($18.49 - $19.99 hourly with full union benefits). Nmc.edu/nondiscrimination
SERVICE AND WARRANTY CLERK We are looking for a clerk to assist with warranty filing, service writing, tagging boats, and contacting customers. Position is Part-time - M,W,F 24 hours per week year-round.
2050 N KEYSTONE / 4.97 ACRES / FLEXIBLE ZONING / $140,000 Excellent location for development, business or investment with endless potential. https://www.cbgreatlakes. com/listing/MI/Traverse-City/2050-NKeystone-49686/213034664
Octoberfest RECESS
WEDNESDAY • OCT 1 • 5-7PM
4 bedroom, 2 bath ranch home in Bay East Village on Old Mission Peninsula. Situated on a lovely, private half acre lot on a cul-de-sac, just minutes from town, wineries, schools, boat launch, and more. Relax on the patio and enjoy views of East Bay. Bring your kayak or SUP because it’s just a quick walk to 450 feet of shared beach frontage. The interior boasts an open floor plan, hardwood floors, and a bright, sunny kitchen with stainless appliances and granite countertops. The finished basement adds additional living space and bedroom and the oversized 2 1/2 car garage provides extra storage space for your toys. 8122 Bay East Court | $850,000
141 Rivers Edge Drive, #309 | $399,900
1 bedroom, 1 bath condo in the heart of downtown Traverse City located at Rivers Edge. This condo boasts nearly 1,200 sq ft of open living space, large windows allowing for lots of natural light, a cozy gas fireplace, Boardman River frontage, spacious kitchen, an underground parking space, and maintenance-free living.
