Northern Express - Feb. 08, 2021

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NORTHERN

Inside: Valentine Fun to Love

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THE BATTLE OVER MICHIGAN’S WATER

Water advocates fighting a Nestle water-withdrawal permit are frustrated by the environmental regulators under Gov. Whitmer’s watch.

NORTHERN MICHIGAN’S WEEKLY • february 08 - february 14, 2021 • Vol. 31 No. 06 Northern Express Weekly • february 08, 2021 • 1

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Elizabeth Ann Thompson

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Elizabeth Ann Thompson lives in northern Michigan with her husband.

She enjoys hiking, running, and riding horses.

She pairs listening to music and eating comfort food with writing stories about love and relationships.

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letters

Sixth Times the Charm I hope Michigan establishes mail-in voting for the next election. I intend to vote for Jack Bergman six times.

RD J., Gilmore Township Bergman Questionnaire Effectively stopping COVID-19 and constructively addressing the climate and economic crises involve specific programs that also end poverty, racism, and militarism. Here in northern Michigan, many people and groups work with colleges, schools, and elected and appointed officials for needed services and programs. What’s holding us back?

Rep. Bergman has said that those who participated in the invasion of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 “should receive maximum punishment.”

Does Bergman mean only those who entered the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and also those who incited, enabled or condone the “storming of the Capitol” (U.S. or Michigan)?

Certainly, Donald Trump incited and condoned the Capitol invasion by many acts, including his directives to the mob that day, the basis for the latest impeachment.

Rep. Bergman, please, honestly answer these questions and resign: 1. When have you denounced and identified those who invaded the Michigan Capitol in May 2020 and are you ready to do so again?

2. On what basis did you join the Texas attorney general’s absurd request to the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the popular vote here in Michigan?

Charles K., Maple City

Gerard G., Bear Lake

coming february 15

State Was First Step Michigan was a dry run for the U.S. Capitol attack. Last spring, we saw Trump supporters staged multiple protests here in Michigan over the Governor’s orders to fight COVID-19. No one stopped them as they entered the Michigan Capitol, carrying firearms and intimidating legislators and workers.

By summer, these protests escalated into death threats for our governor and other elected officials. By fall, the FBI thwarted a plot by far-right militia to kidnap and kill Gov. Whitmer and overthrow the state government. Because we didn’t stand up to terrorism in Michigan, America watched in horror the attack of our U.S. Capitol.

The time is far past to end this terrorism.

Trump was impeached for inciting the Capitol attack. Our Senators must convict Trump, so he never holds office again.

features Screenwriter Paula Rahn................................7 The Battle Over Michigan’s Water...................10 Stone Hound Brewing Co............................12 Can-Do Couple.........................................13

columns & stuff Top Ten.......................................................5

Spectator/Stephen Tuttle...............................6 Opinion..........................................................7 Guest Opinion.................................................8 Weird............................................................9 Advice.....................................................14 Dates........................................................15 Astrology.....................................................17 Crossword.................................................18 Classifieds...............................................18

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Where to eat now pot store pioneer elmira is tater town NORTHERN MICHIGAN’S WEEKLY • February 17 - February 23, 2020 • Vol. 30 No. 07

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Northern Express Weekly is published by Eyes Only Media, LLC. Publisher: Luke Haase PO Box 4020 Traverse City, Michigan 49685 Phone: (231) 947-8787 Fax: 947-2425 email: info@northernexpress.com www.northernexpress.com Executive Editor: Lynda Twardowski Wheatley Finance & Distribution Manager: Brian Crouch Sales: Kathleen Johnson, Lisa Gillespie, Kaitlyn Nance, Michele Young, Randy Sills, Todd Norris, Jill Hayes For ad sales in Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Boyne & Charlevoix, call (231) 838-6948 Creative Director: Kyra Poehlman Distribution: Dave Anderson, Dave Courtad Kimberly Sills, Randy Sills, Roger Racine Matt Ritter, Gary Twardowski Listings Editor: Jamie Kauffold Reporter: Patrick Sullivan Contributors: Amy Alkon, Rob Brezsny Ross Boissoneau, Jennifer Hodges, Michael Phillips, Steve Tuttle, Craig Manning Copyright 2020, all rights reserved. Distribution: 36,000 copies at 600+ locations weekly. Northern Express Weekly is free of charge, but no person may take more than one copy of each weekly issue without written permission of Northern Express Weekly. Reproduction of all content without permission of the publisher is prohibited.

Victoria G., Traverse City Defund Bergman This letter is to all the individuals, political action groups, and corporations who have contributed to Jack Bergman for Congress. Congressman Bergman promoted a dangerous and false narrative that the 2020 Presidential election was somehow fraudulent. Even after losing 60-plus lawsuits and witnessing 50 states certifying their elections as legitimate, Jack Bergman

CONTENTS

express India

David I., Traverse City

Monster Mash I read Mary Rogers’ latest column [“Peekaboo, America,” Feb. 1 issue], but it sure took an effort. I have lived through four presidential administrations of which I thoroughly disapproved, but I never felt as if those presidents were sitting on a tree limb outside my bedroom waiting to eat me or whatever. How silly.

That having been said, I would like Ms. Rogers, in her next column, to specifically state exactly what it was that President Trump actually did that she finds so objectionable. Standing up for America first, unlike the current president? Putting American jobs first, instead of destroying them by the thousands like the current president? Making us energy independent and net exporters of oil for the first time in decades, instead of trying to destroy domestic oil production and raise energy prices astronomically (seen gas prices lately?) like the current president? Making us respected in the world, instead of a laughingstock like the current president?

Tell me — without name-calling.

of

Fact Check It’s really a disappointment to see a few of your regular wannabe journalists always making sometimes false comments of either former President Donald Trump [and] anyone who supported him from [opinion columnist Stephen] Tuttle, then opinion columnist Amy Hardin gives that white supremacy article of negative rhetoric. It’s time to get back to journalism, not personal opinions.

Anabel D., Mackinaw City

st e

A Few Rules: • Keep your letters civil and 300 words or fewer, one per month • All letters will be edited for clarity • Some letters or portions will be omitted due to space or issues with questionable facts/citations, privacy, publication in other media, etc.

• Include your full name, address, and phone or email • Note: Only your first name, first initial of last name, and city will be published.

We are temporarily suspending publication of letter authors’ full names.

continued to deny reality. Congressman Bergman persisted in supporting the Big Lie by voting to reject the election results a few hours after terrorists stormed the U.S. Capital, ultimately leaving six people dead.

Bergman’s oath-defying actions must have consequences. Those who have funded Jack Bergman need to hold themselves and Bergman accountable by publicly stating their withdrawal of financial support for him. Many responsible Republican and ethics-minded corporate donors have already severed their association with Congresspersons like Jack Bergman.

These Republicans and corporate entities understand that withdrawing funding from those that promoted the false narrative of “election fraud” is the right thing to do. Now is the time to speak up and begin to help heal our damaged nation.

Go to www.Defund Bergman.com to see how you can join citizens across the First District in this effort.

NORTHERN

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3. On Jan. 6, 2021, the same day as the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, when you knew there was no evidence that Michigan or any state had unlawfully certified its election, why did you vote to overturn the election, and thereby condone the insurrection?

4. On Jan. 13, 2021, why did you vote against impeaching Trump, when you heard him incite the insurrection in violation of his oath of office?

5. In what ways do taking money from Enbridge and shooting rockets from Kincheloe protect the Great Lakes?

Resta

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Northern Express Weekly • february 08, 2021 • 3

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Photo Photo courtesy courtesy of of Jasmine Jasmine Waheed Waheed

NMEAC WANTS TO SAVE THE TREES

Members of Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council hope to save some of the 63 trees slated to be brought down as part of the FishPass project in downtown Traverse City.

The nearly $20 million project will transform the park around Union Street dam, replacing the dam with a fish-sorting structure that will allow biologists from around the world to evaluate different sorting technologies to combat invasive species. The project also includes ADAcompliant boat landings, step-stone access down to the river, a new boardwalk, benches, trash bins, landscaping, and bike racks.

NMEAC member Barbara Stamiris said the group hopes to convince the city to once again employ an arborist and she said that even though the project calls for the planting of at least 70 new trees, those won’t be able to replace the old trees that are going to be lost.

“I’d be happy if we could save 10 or 20 of these beautiful old trees,” Stamaris said.

When asked about the trees’ removal, Marc Gaden, Great Lakes Fishery Commission communications director, said this: “The plan has always been to protect as many of the mature trees on the site as possible, including the large willow trees on the south bank.

However, given that some of the trees in the construction area are growing in and on the earthen dam itself, these will need to be removed, along with some other trees and shrubs that fall within the footprint of the project.

“Certainly protecting those that we can is important,” he adds, “and we plan to plant more trees and shrubs on site than what is ultimately removed. In addition, the partners also will present 70–80 trees to be planted throughout the city as a token of thanks for hosting this project of global significance.”

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tastemaker Third Coast Bakery’s Valentine Treats

We think it’s safe to say that Third Coast Bakery in Traverse City loves — like really, really loves — Valentine’s Day. And we’re loving that, because they’re not stopping at these heartshaped pans of cinnamon rolls (shown above; pre-order two days in advance, in-store pickup only, $22). They’re also offering shippable Valentine gift boxes for $19.99. (The Be My Valentine box, for instance, gets you one gooey fudge brownie; one classic chocolate chip cookie; one ‘Eat Your Heart Out Cream Pie,’ two shortbread cookies sandwiched around raspberry buttercream and dipped in fudge and covered in pink sprinkles; and four chocolate raspberry brownie bites). Want to DIY? Order one of their Valentine Cookie Decorating Kits ($34.99), and you’ll get 12 heart-shaped sugar cookies, a container of their creamy vanilla frosting, and one tube each of mini chocolate chips, candy pearls, and pink sprinkles. Call (231) 421-8696 or visit thirdcoastbakery.com to get your gluten-free fix.

4 • february 08, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly

Go Choco-Loco Calling all chocoholics: Chocolate Covered Boyne — a combo of sweet deals at downtown Boyne City shops and even sweeter-chocolate indulgences at downtown eateries — happens Feb. 12 and 13. Treat yourself or your valentine to chocolate fried ice cream at Red Mesa Grill, red velvet cake coated in Belgian dark chocolate at Provisions Market & Deli, free minibars of Kilwin’s heritage chocolate (and mini cups of hot chocolate from their new hot chocolate machine!), a custom mug made in 15 minutes in-store at Up North Imageware, and much more. For the full list of participating businesses visit www.boynecitymainstreet.com.

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Hey, watch it!

In & Of Itself

If you’re missing the magic of live theater, look no further than this astonishing film adaptation of conceptual magician Derek DelGaudio’s hit oneman show, In & Of Itself. With a mysterious nature that took off-Broadway by storm, director Frank Oz (yes, the Muppeteer and filmmaker extraordinaire) brings the inexplicable experience of DelGaudio’s singular storytelling home for those who were not able to nab tickets to its sold-out extended run.

Sure, there are the card tricks and disappearing objects you’d expect from any old magic show, but in DelGaudio’s hands these are mere devices to frame an allegory of illusion and identity that strikes at the very heart of our humanity. To try and explain much more would deny you the pleasure of its fascinating feats. Just watch it. Streaming on Hulu.

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GROUP HOPES TO DEFUND BERGMAN

A group of progressives spread across northern Michigan has organized a campaign to put pressure on their congressman, Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Watersmeet).

Members of the group first wrote and called Bergman’s office and urged him to concede that the 2020 presidential election had been fair and legitimate, but Bergman did not respond, said Owen Goslin, founding member of Center for Change in Cheboygan.

“We really need him to step up and say it was a free and fair election,” Goslin said. “We haven’t had much response from him.”

Goslin said that the group came together even before the election because they were concerned about the tone of politics; since Bergman won’t respond, the group now hopes to put pressure on businesses and individuals that support him and they’ve launched a website, defundbergman.com, where those groups are listed.

“It just really bothered me, speaking for myself personally,” Goslin said. “I could see the influence it was having even on local politics.”

Stuff we love

Beaver Dam Olympics Finally, an Olympics our pandemic-induced couch-potato training has readied us for: Otsego Resort’s annual Beaver Dam Olympics. A four-part relay of sack race, corn hole, beer pong, and plank skis, this one-hour competition pits you and three friends against other teams of four in one of the loveliest snowy settings in Gaylord. Check-in at 1pm; event starts at 2pm and ends at 3pm. $100 entry fee per team. Prizes are available for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams. Visit otsegoclub.com/event/beaver-dam-olympics-2 for more information and to register.

Unchain That Melody You know that infamous scene in Ghost where Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze’s characters enjoy some sensuous clay shaping as a prelude to some Righteous passion? Well, the act is called wheel throwing (not that act, man; the prelude part), and you and your spiritual soulmate can take an introductory shot at it in a 2-hour workshop at ClaySpace TC. (Warning: You’ll each work at your own pottery wheel and will be joined by up to four other students, so save the clay-covered caresses for after class.) The per person cost is $35.00, which includes clay and instruction in wheel throwing techniques, as well as glazing and firing. (Finished pieces will be available at a later date and time.) Open to folks of all experience levels, the introductory workshop — called “Try-It Wheel” — is scheduled 6pm8pm Feb 19, March 5, March 19, and April 9.

Rather stay home? Take part in “Valensteins” on Feb. 12. For $30 per person (age 21+), you’ll get some take-home clay, a voucher for a to-go beverage from Little Fleet, plus a twohour online lesson in hand-building techniques to make your own steins together. Surprise your sweetie by enrolling in either clay class at www.clayspacetc.com.

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Be My Valentine dine inside

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bottoms up Tabone Vineyards’ 2017 Estate Red Though the family owned Tabone Vineyards has been quietly tending to its grapes for nearly two decades, their tasting room didn’t open until spring of 2019. Less than a year later, the world around all of us changed, but it seems this young winery’s patience proved a formidable virtue, as it went on to scoop up two Taster’s Guild golds in May — one for its 2018 Bubbly Chardonnay, a fruit-forward apple-nosed medium dry so delicately light it made us weak in the knees, and the other for its buttery, nutty, almost cookie-like 2018 Estate Chardonnay Oaked. Freshly re-opened this February — with limited indoor service plus igloos and heated patio seating — Tabone wowed us with its 2017 Estate Red, a blend of Baco Noir, De Chaunac, and Marechal Foch grapes grown right next to its patio. Rich, dark, and with a hint of smoke and sweet that pairs well with dark chocolate, we believe it’s the ideal partner for a romantic Valentine’s day. We bet this guy (above) agrees. Walk-ins permitted, reservations recommended — or stay home and have it all delivered. Until the end of February, Tabone is offering penny shipping on all orders. Now that’s love. Find Tabone Vineyards at 14916 Peninsula Dr., Traverse City. (231) 223-4101, tabonevineyards.com.

Northern Express Weekly • february 08, 2021 • 5

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If she’s the future of the Republican Party, the party is in deep trouble.

FEBRUARY 1 - 14

By now, you’ve likely heard of Marjorie Taylor Greene, the new congresswoman from Georgia. Her connection to reality or, for that matter, sanity, is limited.

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by Stephen Tuttle

Taylor Greene has an interesting habit of saying or posting outlandish conspiracy theories and offering “likes” to even more offensive posts, only to walk them back once they’ve been exposed. She was a firm believer in the QAnon idiocy until she claimed she wasn’t, though she continues to reference “the plan.”

(Just so you understand, the QAnon “plan” calls for the military to arrest many left-leaning Democrats and celebrities who will be exposed for their participation in an international cannibalistic pedophile ring. It was supposed

In fact, Taylor Greene has rarely seen a conspiracy theory she didn’t like.

She first claimed the murderous rampage that killed 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, was a hoax. Then she said it was clearly a “false flag” operation designed to strip away Second Amendment rights. (A false flag operation is one in which an act is committed by one party to place blame and responsibility on a different party.)

In fact, Taylor Greene has rarely seen a conspiracy theory she didn’t like. She first claimed the murderous rampage that killed 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, was a hoax. to happen during the Trump presidency since, according to Qanon believers, he was “anointed” for the task. When it didn’t happen, the military was supposed to step in before Joe Biden was inaugurated and ship the miscreants off to Guantanamo Bay to be tried and executed. Or, in another version, just rounded up and executed. Nothing happened because none of it was true.)

But belief in QAnon, past or current, isn’t the worst Taylor Greene’s ideas.

In November 2018, with wildfires burning out of control and dozens dead in California, Taylor Greene speculated that perhaps the fires were being intentionally caused by a satellite or satellites concentrating the sun’s rays and beaming them earthward. Perhaps, she posited, that would help the solar energy industry. Not quite done, she added the old anti-Semitic trope that all of this was financed by the Rothschilds.

She’s not averse to violence, either.

In April 2018, referencing the deal with Iran signed by Obama, one of her online pals said, “Now do we get to hang them? Meaning H&O?” (Hillary and Obama.) Greene’s response? “Stage is being set. Players are being put in place. We must be patient. This must be done perfectly or liberal judges would let them off.”

In 2019, while discussing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Greene said, “She’s a traitor to our country, she’s guilty of treason ... a crime punishable by death is what treason is. Nancy Pelosi is guilty of treason.”

In January of that year, she agreed with a Twitter post that “a bullet to the head would be quicker” as a way to replace Pelosi. In fact, she’s liked several social media posts referencing the murdering of Pelosi.

6 • february 08, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly

But she hasn’t restricted her blood lust to just Pelosi or politicians. Taylor Greene has also liked Facebook posts saying FBI agents involved in the Trump/Russia investigation or FBI leaders who insufficiently supported Trump should be shot or hanged. Those civil servants and Trump appointees are apparently all part of the “deep state” conspiracy.

She even called David Hogg, a survivor of the Parkland massacre, a “crisis actor,” and there is a widely viewed video of her chasing him down a sidewalk while harassing him about gun rights. She also claimed, multiple times, that the shooting in Las Vegas that killed 58 people “obviously” involved more than one shooter.

The problem with Taylor Greene’s various musings and her admiration for the even loonier musings of others, aside from their violent undertone, is there isn’t even a nanogram of truth to any of it. Not surprisingly, her current obsession is the entire Biden-stole-the-election foolishness, which contains as much truth as the rest of her daffy conspiracy theories.

Taylor Greene would be little more than an oddball annoyance in normal political times.

But she has a soapbox and followers; none other than Donald Trump has called her “the future of the party.”

The Republican Party had a certain stability of message for some time before 2016. Controlled by conservatives, they believed in smaller government, lower taxes, a strong national defense, a semi-isolationist foreign policy, and even a balanced budget. It was a solid platform, an honest and honorable political philosophy on which to run, even if the goals were never achieved.

But what is the Republican platform now? If Taylor Greene is the future, is it conspiracies everywhere and death to anyone who disagrees? More blathering about “deep state” fantasies? Has the GOP leadership become so incredibly impotent they’re willing to substitute nihilism for conservatism?

If Taylor Greene is their future, the Republicans have none.

A still from His Killer Fan.

NATIVE NORTHERNER REALIZING HOLLYWOOD DREAMS Tune in to her first thriller film — His Killer Fan — on Lifetime Feb. 19

By Ross Boissoneau Northern Michigan native Paula Rahn is about to realize her own Lifetime achievement: a film she wrote, His Killer Fan, will debut Feb. 19 on Lifetime television.

“I’m super excited. It’s the sixth movie I’ve sold, and the fourth one to air,” she said.

Rahn spent most of her life in the Great Lakes State before heading to Hollywood. “I grew up in Gaylord and went to Traverse City for fun. I lived in Traverse City in my 20s,” Rahn said. She began her writing career while in Traverse City, initially by writing murder mysteries. “Traverse City is very creative. It is where my creativity kicked into gear.”

FROM FINANCE TO FILM WRITING Struck by the writing bug, at age 29 she moved with her dreams to Tinseltown and became … a banker. While she found success in the financial industry, she still longed for a creative outlet. “I was unfulfilled,” she said. “I took a standup class and met Marguerite Henry.”

That meeting would be a turning point in Rahm’s career. Henry worked in the film industry — sometimes producing, sometimes working as a music supervisor — and the two became fast friends. Rahn mentioned in passing an idea for a holiday movie she had in mind. Henry liked the concept and pitched it to a company she was working with. “Two days later, she said, ‘We want to do it,’” said Rahn.

So Rahn set about crafting a film script, something she’d never done. She taught herself

screenwriting, and that idea became her first film. A month later, she threw out another Christmas movie idea to Henry. Henry told Rahn the company wanted that one, too.

That’s when Rahn took a leap of faith, jettisoning her successful financial career in favor of becoming a full-time writer. In 2019, she and her boyfriend moved back to Michigan, settling on the east side of the state, in Tawas.

Despite her success crafting holiday tales, Rahn wanted to expand to other genres. Hence His Killer Fan, her first thriller. It follows the tale of a talented woman who becomes a huge fan of a noted celebrity. Soon, however, the woman’s fandom morphs into obsession. Rahn describes it as a cross between Swimfan and A Star Is Born. Both the protagonist and the antagonist are females, making the film perfect fodder for Lifetime’s largely female viewers.

AN INSPIRATION: CASTLE FARMS Rahn said crafting such a story has been on her mind since she first saw one of her musical idols. “I’ve been thinking about it since the first time I saw Rick Springfield at Castle Farms,” she said.

Henry liked the script idea so much, she suggested the two team up to write it together. Said Rahn: “It’s the first time I’ve collaborated with someone. We wrote it in less than a week. It went so smoothly.”

Smooth timing was on their side in more ways than one: the pair finished the script in 2018, The project went into pre-production in 2019, was filmed in Atlanta in early 2020, and was finished just before the pandemic

shut down film and television production all over the nation.

Rahn is clearly relieved the movie made it to the finish line. Besides playing to a larger audience, the fact her latest effort will air on a major cable channel like Lifetime gives her additional credibility. “I’ll use this to shop agents,” she said.

GOING BIG, FROM HOME And with the burgeoning number of outlets for films these days, the sky’s the limit. “There are more opportunities,” she said, pointing to the likes of Netflix and Hulu. “It’s unreal. You don’t have to rely on the big studios. The Trial of the Chicago 7 by Aaron Sorkin [on Netflix] — to watch that at home was great.”

Home, meaning Tawas. Rahn said when she and her boyfriend decided to move to her home state, she told him to pick a place at random, and that’s how they ended up on the east side. “I wanted to move here [Michigan] and slow down and reconnect.”

Mission accomplished. Now it’s on to more scriptwriting. She and her boyfriend are currently writing a horror film together, but she still has a number of ideas for future Christmas-themed movies.

The influence of northern Michigan is obvious in her writing. “I sneak in a lot of Easter eggs from northern Michigan,” she said of His Killer Fan. “All my Christmas movies are magical settings, like in Traverse City. That’s a perfect setting.”

And that trend will continue as she continues to expand her writing to other

Paula Rahn

styles and potentially other networks. “I’m dipping my toe in a Fargo-esque series set in northern Michigan, and another horror film. All of them have female leads.”

“Growing up, so many movies had a male lead,” she explained. “This is a paradigm shift.

Those are things we are more ready to accept.”

While she’s excited about shifting paradigms and expanding into other genres, Rahn said she’s nowhere near tapped out when it comes to holiday-themed movies. “I have two in mind for Christmas,” she said.

And she admits a future goal is to get one of those holiday films on the Hallmark Channel, known for its Christmas movies.

Hallmark typically debuts between 20 and 25 new holiday-themed movies each year, beginning in late October, and Rahm wants hers to be one of them soon: “The one in pre-production — the goal is Hallmark.”

Northern Express Weekly • february 08, 2021 • 7

TAKE A BREAK FROM THE ECHO CHAMBER opinion

By Cathye Williams Trying to cut down on some clutter, I found myself leafing through years’ worth of back issues of a local magazine that highlights the best our region has to offer. Instead of eliminating piles, however, I found myself staring out my frosty window and daydreaming about my bare toes buried in the warm sand.

. . . s i e v o L Art

Featuring artwork of various media and artists commentary on how their art... is Love

Public officials will only know what you want if you tell them. They can’t read your mind, and they aren’t following you, no matter how clever your TikTok video or well-crafted your Facebook post. No judgment here. I’m as guilty as anyone. Social media scratches an itch that is hard to ignore. And while it does have value for sharing useful ideas and events with people you might otherwise never have reached, it has very little usefulness for communicating meaningfully with your government. Shocking, after the last four years, I know.

Public officials will only know what you want if you tell them. They can’t read your mind, and they aren’t following you, no matter how clever your TikTok video or well-crafted your Facebook post.

ONLINE EXHIBIT February 1 - 28

bottom. Thinking I had found the subject for my next column, I made some calls and prepared to dive into the muck. But as I read and took notes, I began questioning if this is what I really wanted to talk about.

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Every couple of months, I have the privilege to share my opinion on these pages. My focus is environmental issues. Not an expert by any means, I research and try to distill my thoughts into something useful on a topic of concern. I aim to get the facts right, stay hopeful, give an honest viewpoint, and not scare the reader.

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Unfortunately, one particular photo, a stunning aerial shot of Torch Lake, in Antrim County, brought me back to reality. It got me thinking about less flattering photos I’ve seen of that lake in this year’s news, showing how its normally turquoise waters and sugar-sands were turning a greenish murky brown from algae mats populating the lake’s

and accountability. For this we need leaders at every level, local, state, and federal, working for change.

That last one is a bit tough these days.

Everything seems scary, and distractions abound. Science and truth hold little sway for many citizens, which is problematic in light of the challenges we face. As I was thinking of delving into blue lakes and brown goo, my mind wandered. What about fracking, pipelines, climate change, lake levels, erosion, PFAS, lead poisoning, air pollution, plastic pollution, unhealthy food systems, and habitat loss? What about the economic and social justice we need in order for the solutions to health and environmental problems to work? These are daunting, complex, and interrelated problems that need big solutions.

So instead of talking about the goo, I decided instead to talk about the who. Knowledge only takes us so far. We have the knowledge and technology already to solve many of our environmental woes, and more innovation is not far behind. At some point, we need somebody to do something.

Many of us are doing something. The steps we take as individuals to lessen our harm to the environment are important and should be encouraged and continued. They make life better for our families and communities and model good practices that others can follow. However, the big changes we need to clean up and protect our water and air, restore and protect delicate ecosystems, and stabilize the climate require laws, policies,

What is useful? Respectful engagement.

Call them, email them, show up to their community forums or public events. Attend peaceful protests/calls to action, and sign petitions you trust. Write letters to the editor of your local paper and mention those who represent you by name. Tell them what matters to you and why. Arm yourself with some numbers — like the fact that air pollution costs the United States 5 percent of its annual GDP (mostly due to early deaths caused by particulate matter). Or the fact that renewable energy production creates 4–5 times more jobs than coal or gas.

Finally, tell them what you want them to do.

If you’re not sure but want to get specific, most environmental groups advocate for specific policies and legislation at all levels.

Earthshare.org is a good place to start. A little exploring might lead you to a proposal that speaks to your concerns.

No time, you say? Perhaps you might join me in keeping track of the time spent engaging with social media or other online content for a few days. If you’re anything like me, you’ll likely discover time available for something that is more effective. Not online much? Try using some of the time you spend worrying about environmental problems and take one small action as an antidote to that worry.

Perhaps you’ve lost faith in your efficacy. Or you’ve grown cynical about our leaders and their willingness to listen, especially if you’re on a different end of the political spectrum.

Regrettably, you might be right; they may not hear you. But it’s certain they won’t if you’re not speaking.

To find names and contact information for local, state, and federal elected officials and government agencies go to usa.gov.

Cathye Williams serves as a volunteer and media liaison for the Grand Traverse area chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby, www. citizensclimatelobby.com. She writes from Benzie County.

Bright Idea Recompose, a company in Kent, Washington, now offers an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional burial -- human composting. The Seattle Times reported that on Dec. 20, the first bodies were “laid in” -- placed in steel cylinders full of soil, where decedents rest for 30 days, covered with wood chips and straw. After that, they’re moved to a “curing bin” to finish releasing carbon dioxide, and then remains can be returned to family or donated to an ecological restoration project near Vancouver. According to Recompose, the “finished soil is very similar to the topsoil bought at a local nursery.” “This is a very controlled process, completely driven by microbes,” explained CEO Katrina Spade.

“It’s fueled by plant material and monitored in a very rigorous way.” The entire process costs $5,500 and includes an optional service.

Mistaken Identity Lisa Boothroyd, 48, of Rugby in Warwickshire, England, got a shock when the handful of popping candies she ate turned out to be small novelty fireworks used as noisemakers instead. The box of Fun Snaps was shelved among other candies at her local Costcutter store, she told the Daily Mail on Jan. 18, and the packaging was similar, but the result was painful: Boothroyd reported chemical burns on her lips and gums and a cracked tooth. “That moment I crunched down was terrifying,” Boothroyd said. “I felt explosions in my mouth followed by burning pain.” A spokesperson for Costcutter said the Fun Snaps would be “(removed) from the confectionery section with immediate effect.”

A woman in Cajeme, Mexico, identified only as Leonora R., faces charges of domestic violence after repeatedly stabbing her husband when she found photos of him having sex with a younger, thinner woman on his phone, according to police. Local media reported the husband was eventually able to disarm his wife and clarify that it was HER in the photos, which were taken when they were dating. The New York Daily News reported on Jan. 26 that police responding to neighbors’ calls for help arrived and arrested her.

News You Can Use Japanese entrepreneur Shota Ishida, 30, has zeroed in on a way to relieve the anxiety felt by a narrow niche of people: the roughly 1% of the population, he says, who worry about body odor. “It’s something they can’t bring up with friends or family,” he told CBS News, so they turn to his company, Odorate, for a scientific analysis to determine whether they are emitting offensive odors. Customers create a smell sample by wearing a plain white T-shirt enhanced with odor-absorbing activated charcoal for 24 hours, then mail it to Ishida’s lab north of Tokyo. For about $150, Ishida will subject the sample to GCMS analysis (a technology used to identify unknown chemicals) and produce a report, which can include such descriptions as “oldage smell” or “onions starting to rot.” He says about half of his customers are given the all-clear, with no obvious offensive odors.

“Getting the facts is a huge relief for (clients),” he said.

Weird Science In a first for paleontologists, the perfectly preserved anus of a dinosaur has been found in China. Psittacosaurus, a Cretaceousperiod relative of the Triceratops, was about the size of a dog, and researcher Jakob

Vinther of the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom described the discovery as “unique” to Live Science. “It’s like a Swiss Army knife of excretory openings,” used for pooping, peeing, breeding and egg laying. It was not clear to the researchers whether the dinosaur was male or female.

Antisocial Skills Trevor Savok, 20, is suspected of stealing underwear and AirPods on Jan. 17 from a group of young women staying at a Las Vegas area hotel, and leaving behind a note illustrated with a hand-drawn heart in one of their bags reading, “Text me if you want your panties back,” according to court documents. The women contacted Savok, who said he would return the underwear if they sent pictures of their private parts, KTNV-TV reported. Police arrested Savok, who worked at the hotel, and are asking the public’s help in finding more possible victims.

Least Competent Criminal As paramedics in Houston responded to a call on Jan. 21, Renaldo Leonard, 36, jumped into their Houston Fire Department ambulance and drove, emergency lights flashing, about 4 miles to a Jack in the Box, where he got in the drive-thru lane, according to police. The Smoking Gun reported the ambulance was tracked to the restaurant, and Leonard was arrested and charged with felony theft of the vehicle, which is valued at more than $150,000.

Creepy Monica Green noticed a few things out of order when she returned to her home in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, on Jan. 18: The back door was open, the air conditioner was running and a half-cooked meal of chicken nuggets was left in her kitchen. Green called police, who discovered an attic opening was partially removed, but instead of finding someone hiding up there, they determined someone had been living there, perhaps for some time, News.com.au reported. “I felt shocked, terrified, scared,” said Green, a mother of three children.

“Being alone in the home scares me.” Green said she had noticed food missing and her security camera disabled in the days before the discovery, but she thought they were just coincidences or her imagination. Police have not caught the intruder.

Oops The Monroe Township (Michigan) Fire Department launched a rescue mission on Jan. 26 after receiving a call about a goose or duck possibly injured and in distress on the frozen River Raisin. Firefighters suited up and headed out on the ice, WXYZ-TV reported, but realized upon closer inspection that the bird was just a hunting decoy. “It ended up being a good training session, actually,” said Chief Mark Cherney. “In the end, we can sleep well at night. A bird is not suffering.”

Recent Alarming Headlines Police in Rome, New York, responding to an animal cruelty complaint on Jan. 13, arrived at a home to find a man cooking a canine on an outdoor grill, police said. The unnamed man cooperated with police, saying the animal was a coyote -- which would be legal in New York, as hunting and trapping the canines is allowed with a license, WNBC-TV reported. Animal control officers took the carcass to Cornell University for testing to determine its species.

Northern Express Weekly • february 08, 2021 • 9

THE BATTLE OVER MICHIGAN’S WATER Water advocates fighting a Nestle water-withdrawal permit are frustrated by the environmental regulators under Gov. Whitmer’s watch.

By Patrick Sullivan After two years and more than $200,000 in litigation spent to stop Nestlé Waters from ratcheting up the amount of spring water it pumps from a well in central Michigan, water advocates are flummoxed; the state’s environmental regulator shot down their objections.

In late January, Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians filed suit in Ingham County to reverse a decision by the director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy that dismissed MCWC’s case.

EGLE Director Liesl Eichler Clark, dismissed the case on technical grounds, arguing in her decision that MCWC didn’t have legal standing to raise objections and her department didn’t have the legal authority to act on them.

In announcing its lawsuit, MCWC called Clark’s decision “punitive, illegal and totally unjust,” and said it amounts to permission to corporations to take water without any say from citizens, a precedent with potentially disastrous consequences for the state.

“It’s just getting batted around. It’s very discouraging to have that continually happening. “… They’re still busy defending their staff left over from the old administration,” said Peggy Case, MCWC board president. “And they’re busy defending their own personal records and they’re not dealing with what they’re supposed to as an agency.”

Environmental Quality) approved a new permit that would allow Nestlé to increase its withdrawal from an aquifer near the headwaters of two coldwater creeks in Osceola County, from 250 gallons per minute to 400 gallons per minute.

The revelation caused an uproar and opposition delayed the permit’s approval.

At that time, opponents of Nestlé were not surprised that the DEQ under the Rick

“The case keeps getting kicked around and handed to what we call the gatekeepers, the people who are maintaining the status quo and still defending the old machine.”

A CASE OF BAIT AND SWITCH? The latest filing from MCWC — a petition for judicial review of Case’s order — is just the latest development in a saga that began decades ago when Nestlé announced plans to bottle Michigan water. The dispute flared up in 2018 when it was discovered that EGLE (then called the Department of

10 • february 08, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly

Snyder administration would approve the permit. By the time Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took office in 2019, opponents expected that the newly renamed EGLE would be more receptive to their objections.

MCWC challenged the permit on the basis that it had been granted based on

computer models that predicted what the environmental impact of the increased withdrawal would be rather than basing the assessment on real-world data.

Ross Hammersley, a Traverse City attorney who represents MCWC, said what’s so frustrating about Clark’s decision is that it never even addressed the arguments they raised against the Nestle well.

What’s more, Hammersley said, is that early on, EGLE invited the administrative challenge. Hammersley said that if MCWC had simply sued Nestle in state court to begin with, Nestlé could have had the cased dismissed because MCWC hadn’t exhausted all of their administrative options. So, they proceeded through an administrative challenge, which Clark dismissed after two years.

Early on, EGLE asked the parties to submit briefs on the standing issue that Clark would later use to dismiss the case, lulling Hammersley and MCWC into thinking they were on the right track.

“They invited this contest and then after it progressed, they shut it down,” Hammersley said.

In the end, Hammersley said, Clark and EGLE sided with Nestlé.

“I would characterize it as siding with Nestlé for sure,” Hammersley said. “I was surprised, and I know that members and, particularly, the board of MCWC were surprised by that.”

“THERE IS SCIENCE BEHIND OUR PERMIT” An EGLE spokesman, Scott Dean, said the department had no additional comment regarding MCWC’s legal filing or its statement.

“We have nothing new to say on the matter,” Dean said.

Back in November, when Clark released her “final decision” that dismissed MCWC’s challenges on technical grounds, EGLE issued a press release that defended Clark’s decision and maintained that the Nestlé operations in Osceola and Mecosta counties are among the most scrutinized and monitored water withdrawals in the state.

The statement also pointed out that much of the public ire over Nestlé Water is that under Michigan law, Nestlé can tap the state’s water virtually for free even as it sells it as bottled water for hundreds of millions of dollars.

“We appreciate the calls from the petitioners and other members of the public for water withdrawal royalties on bottled water payable to the state, but that is currently outside of EGLE’s statutory authority,” Clark said in the press release.

“EGLE supports the calls from lawmakers to take action to prevent private parties from profiting off our state’s water resources.”

A Nestlé Waters spokesman also had no additional comment and instead emailed Northern Express a written statement that defended the company’s environmental record and praised Clark’s decision.

“We have confidence in the science

behind our permit, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)’s thorough review, and the 18 years’ worth of environmental data collected near the site since beginning our operations in Michigan,” the statement read, in part. “As such, we firmly believe this appeal has no merit and that EGLE’S decision to approve our permit application was appropriate.”

NOT EXPECTED FROM WHITMER Case guesses that Clark didn’t want to consider the merits of her organization’s arguments against the permit because she didn’t want to go up against EGLE staff, whom she inherited from the previous administration.

“I think Clark is motivated by the desire to solidify and defend her staff,” she said.

“The case keeps getting kicked around and handed to what we call the gatekeepers, the people who are maintaining the status quo and still defending the old machine.”

As for Clark’s contention that the legislature should consider charging bottled water manufacturers for the water it takes from the state, Case agrees, but she doesn’t see that happening any time soon, and she believes that EGLE could enforce existing laws to force a company like Nestlé to take less water.

“Well, of course, we think that legislature needs to do something, but this legislature is not going to do anything,” she said, referring to the current Republican-controlled body.

“There are water bills out there that could be passed. There are loopholes to the Great Lakes Compact that could be closed. There’s a lot of legislation that has been sitting dead in committee for years, because the legislature will not bring those things forward.”

In the meantime, Case said, it shouldn’t be up to a rag-tag nonprofit to ensure that a company like Nestlé doesn’t harm the environment in it water bottling operations.

“She [Clark] also told us we should have taken it directly to circuit court, spending another couple $100,000 in circuit court.

We don’t think that it’s our responsibility to implement the laws of the state when it comes to environmental complaints. We think that that’s the responsibility of EGLE,” Case said. “And if people are breaking the law, then it’s the responsibility of the attorney general to go after them. You know, we shouldn’t have to spend a couple of $100,000 to pursue environmental justice. We’re just a little bunch of citizens with no money.”

Jim Olson, an environmental attorney who works for Traverse City-based FLOW or For the Love of Water, and who helped put limits on Nestlé Water’s Michigan operations when they began in the 2000s, said it also concerns him that EGLE is forcing a nonprofit to do the job of protecting the state’s water.

“This was probably expected under the Snyder administration to be honest with you,” Olson said. “It was not what anybody expected under the Whitmer administration and came as quite a shock.”

Nonetheless, Olson said he believes water should be a nonpartisan issue.

“If anything is important to the people of Michigan, I don’t care what party you’re in, it’s water,” he said.

BACK TO FUNDRAISING MODE Meanwhile, as MCWC embarks on a new phase of expensive litigation, Case said the group’s attention must turn to fundraising, despite the challenges of doing

that amid a pandemic.

Case lives near Traverse City, but many members of MCWC live in either Osceola County or Mecosta County, where the well is pumping or where the water is being bottled.

Some members live near two creeks — Twin Creek and Chippewa Creek — that critics charge have already been seriously impacted by the water withdrawal, a fact that Case believes should give MCWC a say on what happens with Nestlé’s permits.

Neighbors have been documenting impacts for years, she said, while Nestlé pumps 150 gallons or 250 gallons per minute, which makes them worry what’s going to happen when Nestlé gets the goahead to pump 400 gallons per minute.

“There’s already been damage,” Case said. “We don’t know what they’re actually pumping out right this minute, but, in theory, they shouldn’t be pumping at 400 yet. They can’t implement that permit until the monitoring system is in place. And I don’t think it is yet.”

But Case said she’s visited dry creek beds and walked into woods where ponds have disappeared.

A well driller who has worked in the area for decades has documented how the aquifer in Evart has in recent years gone down 14 feet and is not being recharged to come back to its historic level, she said.

“We’ve submitted our information and our photographs to EGLE, and we’ve been basically ignored,” she said. “We gave them all these places, these people to contact, and submitted some of the data that we have collected ourselves. They never went there.

If they claim they did, then they should be showing us the results of their investigation.

We haven’t seen any of that.”

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Northern Express Weekly • february 08, 2021 • 11

Stone Hound Brewer Chris Cargill and owner Brent Faber (right).

The Long-awaited Opening of Stone Hound Brewing Co. A saga of pandemic proportions, overcome by sheer perseverance

By Craig Manning In an alternate timeline, Brent Faber would have opened the doors to Stone Hound Brewing Company nearly a year ago. Faber’s intention for his brand-new Acme-based brewery was to hold a grand opening in April or May of 2020, followed by a busy summer slinging craft beers to locals and tourist crowds alike.

2020, of course, had other plans.

“We definitely didn’t hit our anticipated opening date, by any means,” Faber said. “We would have been behind regardless of the pandemic, just with normal construction delays.

We were waiting a long time, for instance, for our final prints from our architects. And then once we finally started getting construction going, that’s when last March hit and we lost a solid two months. We couldn’t have any contractors in the building at all during that first lockdown period. Then, once we were allowed to resume construction, everybody else was allowed to resume construction, too, so all the tradespeople were facing this backlog of work from those two months.”

FROM SOAP SUDS TO BEER SUDS Of course, converting a dilapidated laundromat into a modern craft brewery was probably always going to have its challenges.

Stone Hound occupies the building that used to house Acme Coin Laundry. Faber, a long-time craft beer fan who cut his teeth as a bartender and bar manager at The Filling Station, in Traverse City, started shopping around three years ago for a building where he could start his own brewery; he chose the laundry space in part because he assumed it would have “plenty of electricity, plenty of gas, and plenty of water.”

“Chalk it up to being naïve, or optimistic, or both, but I thought, ‘The things that you need to run a laundromat are similar to what we need to have a brewery,’” he said.

In truth, the building was a mess, with outdated wiring, no diagrams of existing plumbing, a water well that wasn’t up to health department code, and a host of other problems.

Long story short, what Faber expected to be a “plug-in and play” situation ended up being an almost total gut and remodel.

WALK, BIKE, RUN, BEER Now, with all that extra work, stress, and frustration behind him, Faber is glad he chose the location he did. An employee at The Filling Station microbrewery from its 2012 opening until about a year ago, Faber saw firsthand how Traverse City residents embraced the railroadadjacent brewery and made it a second home. He’s hoping something similar can happen at Stone Hound — once the pandemic subsides, anyway.

While the brewery isn’t as close to downtown Traverse City as The Filling Station is, it does have some commonalities with that brewery — namely, the close proximity of the TART Trail.

Just as The Filling Station is an easy waystation for walkers, bikers, or runners who find themselves on or near the Boardman Lake Trail, Stone Hound is just steps away from the eastern terminus of the TART. Faber, an outdoorsman himself, is cognizant of the location and has even set up a lifetime membership program so 10 percent of the brewery’s proceeds will support TART Trails, Norte, and the Michigan Mountain Bike Association.

BRINGING BEER BACK TO ACME Faber also has something that The Filling Station doesn’t: a geographical micro-market all to himself. With so many breweries in northern Michigan — particularly within the City of Traverse City — there aren’t many untapped markets to be found. The Filling Station, for instance, is located within about a half-mile of three other breweries: Rare Bird Brewpub on Lake Street, Silver Spruce Brewing Company on Eighth Street, and Right Brain Brewing, on the other side of Boardman Lake, The Filling Station’s backyard. Acme, meanwhile, hasn’t been the home to a brewery since 2016, when Bravo Zulu Brewing closed its doors. The closest brewery to the Stone Hound site is actually The Filling Station, six miles away.

Faber thinks Stone Hound’s unique Acme location, plus the TART connection, plus a stoplight at Bunker Hill and US-31 that makes for an easy in-and-out, will help position it as something of a neighborhood brewery for the east side of town. The location even ended up influencing the type of beer that Faber and Head Brewer Chris Cargill, decided to make under the Stone Hound brand.

12 • february 08, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly

“I didn’t feel like we really needed to specialize in a style, since we’re kind of out on our own little island,” Faber told Northern Express. “I just want to make sure we have something for everybody. We’re going to try to cover the bases, and as we move along, we’ll see what people really like.”

Stone Hound will have five beers on tap at launch: the Grail Trail Pale Ale, a “fruity and mildly sweet” pale ale; the Boonenburg Brown, a “rich and malty” brown ale with “notes of chocolate, honey, and toffee”; the Headwaters IPA, a “piney and citrusy” IPA with “moderate bitterness”; the Jam Sesh, a fruit ale brewed with blackberry, blueberry, and Aronia berry; and the “Powerline Porter,” a coffee porter made with El Salvador coffee beans roasted by Traverse City’s own Stockist Coffee Company.

The beers hit the middle of the alcohol-byvolume scale (5.8 to 7.2 percent ABV), which Faber says was intentional and also somewhat location-driven.

“We want the majority of our beers to be under the seven-percent mark,” he explained.

“They’re a little more like ‘activity beers’: you can have a couple of them and then jump back on your bike and hit the trail or go to the beach.”

Patrons will also be able to grab a bite to eat at Stone Hound: Faber has leased the building’s kitchen space to the owners of Rad•ish Street Food, a food truck that serves vegan fare from a spot next to The Coin Slot Arcade & Bar in downtown Traverse City. The menu, Faber says, will be “completely plant-based,” with a focus on Mexican food like burritos, tacos, sopas, and taquitos.

A DREAM COME TRUE For Faber, Stone Hound Brewing Company is the realization of a long-held (if somewhat unexpected) dream.

Where the founders of many northern Michigan breweries — from Joe Short at Short’s in Bellaire to Russell Springsteen at Right Brain in Traverse City — got their start as homebrewers, Faber says he’s “never brewed a batch of beer” in his life (though he classifies himself as “a happy taste-tester”). Faber instead pursued the early workings of a career

in the legal field, attending law school at the University of Toledo and passing the bar exam to practice. But those milestones came in the midst of the Great Recession, and rather than dive into a field where jobs were hard to find, Faber moved from Ohio to his birthplace of northern Michigan and took a job at Cuppa Joe in Traverse City, the coffee shop that his aunt, Sandi Daley, owns.

“It was supposed to be temporary,” Faber said. He’s talking about the job and the move to northern Michigan, but he could just as easily be referring to his hiatus from the law, or to his eventual dalliance with craft beer.

Instead, northern Michigan became home, something encapsulated perfectly in Faber’s passion for collecting Petoskey stones. That passion led to both the name of the brewery (“Stone Hound” is a play on “rock hound,” a term affectionately used to refer to rock collectors) and to its most iconic northern Michigan feature: a 28-foot-long bar top with an epoxy river filled with Petoskey stones, other types of rocks, and beach glass. Faber’s entire pre-brewery Petoskey stone collection — 30 pounds worth of rocks — is visible in the bar top, as are some contributions from his business partners.

OPENING DAY? So when can patrons see the Petoskey stone bar for themselves (and try a pint of Stone Hound beer)? Faber says the brewery is just waiting on its final inspections now, the last of which will be an inspection with the Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC).

While he’s not 100 percent sure when all that regulatory red tape will be out of the way — his guess is “in the next two weeks” — Faber knows one thing: Stone Hound will open for business the minute it gets the go-ahead.

“As soon as the MLCC guy gives us our actual license, as soon as we get it in our hands, and [the inspector] walks out the door, we’ll turn on the ‘Open’ signs.”

Keep an eye out for the “Open” sign at 3593 Bunker Hill Rd., or take the easy route: Follow the brewery on Facebook (Search “Stone Hound MI”) and check out the website, www. stonehoundbrewing.com.

Can-Do Couple

Collecting returnables for a romantic cause: their wedding

By Ross Boissoneau “Weddings are expensive,” said Heather Schlegel. She should know; she’s getting married in June. Even in these days of COVID-influenced decisions to pare down the proceedings, it can still be a chunk of cash.

So when Heather and her fiancé, Joe Osborne, decided to get married, they looked for ways to lessen their financial outlay. She got her creative juices going and is making her own centerpieces and bouquets. She bought her wedding dress from a resale shop before it closed due to the pandemic. Schlegel bought the bridesmaids’ dresses on Amazon, and victory: “And they can wear them again!”

But still, the couple needed more funds.

While at work at Oleson’s Market, Schlegel had an epiphany: “I threw out the idea of us collecting cans, because I work in retail and, at the time, [the store’s machines that accept returnables] were closed [due to COVID],” Schlegel said.

She knew people would have bundles of bottles just sitting around, without any way to dispose of them. Would they consider just giving them away to rather than deal with the hassle of accumulating piles? And would they continue to donate after the return machines had been open for a while? It turned out the answer to both questions was yes. “We didn’t think it would’ve been such a good response from people. But it was,” she said.

Many who were tired of returnables piling up were happy to have someone else take care of them. “There’s been a few people that we’ve had to make multiple trips to grab cans,” Schlegel said. “Over the course of six months, we’ve collected $650 in cans.”

That was before last weekend, when she and Joe collected 30 bags — tall kitchen bags mind you — full of returnables. So the funds continue to grow. “We’re very grateful and appreciative,” said Osborne.

The two first met when Schlegel’s best friend introduced them in October 2018. “I texted him first, and we went from there,” she said. The pair started dating two days later, and within six months, they were engaged. “We knew six months in that we wanted to get married.”

Collecting bottles and cans to fund their nuptials went almost immediately from an outside-the-box idea to a fruitful path forward.

“There was no hesitation at the beginning; it was actually a joke between us,” Schlegel said.

“I didn’t think it was nuts,” said Osborne.

“We’ve got kids, so it helps out.” They rely on the income from their jobs for their regular household expenses, while the 10 cents per returnable — all 6,500-plus — is all set aside for their wedding.

While some of her kids help out, it’s often just the two of them. “The kids helped for the first few months, and then I appointed Joe to continue,” Schlegel said with a laugh. “He’ll just be glad when we don’t have to collect anymore.”

While Osborne said it’s easier and more enjoyable for the two to collect and turn them in together, sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. Take those 30 bags: Schlegel ended up turning them in by herself while Osborne was at work. “It took her an hour and a half,” he said.

Rather than relying strictly on word of mouth, the two have turned to the internet to get the word out. Schlegel posts on two Facebook pages — Overheard in Traverse City and Overheard in Kingsley — and uses the Nextdoor neighborhood app. They now have a group of regulars who save their cans to donate.

So do her co-workers at Oleson’s get on her for filling up their machines? No, because most of the time the couple doesn’t return the cans there. “We usually head to Meijer to return them. It’s faster because they accept both cans and plastic in one machine,” said Schlegel.

Osborne added that since grocery stores’ return machines have reopened few months, the number of bottles and cans the couple collects has diminished somewhat, so they’ve simply extended their radius. Schlegel said they’ve made some trips as far away as Benzie County, but at this time of year, the bulk of their trips are nearby.

“It’s mellowed out. We’re staying more local in the winter. In spring we can go out further,” he said.

They haven’t yet decided how much longer they’ll collect the returnables. Schlegel said they’ll probably go at least through May; after that, it’s time to focus on their June wedding. If they do collect longer, though, that’s fine with Osborne.

“I’ll go with Heather if she wants to do it up to the day before,” he said with a laugh.

Osborne said he sees the process as a way to help out people who don’t want to deal with the hassle of returning the empties, and he repeated how grateful he is. “A lot of people are afraid to go out. Rather than put them in recycling, they give them to us. I’m all down for taking them. It’s going for a good cause,” he said.

Have cans to contribute? Email Schlegel at baby_chic344@yahoo.com to set up a pickup.

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231-421-8868 DOWNTOWN TC • 13o E. Front St

A

: There’s a certain kind of man who’s drawn to the sight of half-naked pert breasts, and it’s the kind whose eyes have yet to be plucked out by crows.

DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR DOOR.

This does not change when a man is in a relationship, even if he really, really loves the woman he’s with. But many women believe that the eyes of a man in love wouldn’t wander up and down other women and that being in a relationship should limit where eyeballs are allowed to travel: basically, You can’t have your cake and look at other cake, too.

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It’s important to note that Hansbury overdid it on the testosterone injections at first, giving himself two to seven times the testosterone of the average male. So, the 24-hour porno mind Hansbury describes is probably seriously extreme compared with what goes through your boyfriend’s mind. However, a general idea of what men experience points to why strip clubs for men are big business, while the few strip clubs for women are funny business: places they go not to get rricane Huturned on but to haze a bride-to-be, laughing ic us M iriam r M Outdoo ng Lo in her face at the giant flashing plastic vagina er All Summ 24 they’ve made her wear.

No . hat Vo l. 28 , 20 18 •

Consider that the guy set aside another strong evolved male preference — the longing for sexual variety — to be with you. In other words, being with you means a lot to him.

Sure, he still spends time browsing in the online mall of naked and half-naked women, but browsing isn’t buying. Assess whether he seems to be a good person, a person of character, and a guy who consistently shows you he loves you and has your back. If so, your best bet might be staying out of his browser history and recognizing that a little eye-humping doesn’t mean there will be eyepenis coordination.

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Men’s brains motivate them to stare at sexual eye candy in ways women’s brains do not.

In brain imaging research by psychiatrist and neuroscientist Hans C. Breiter and his colleagues, heterosexual men viewing attractive female faces showed increased activation in the brain’s “reward regions”: areas involved in the anticipation of reward (also activated by food, drugs, and money). The message to the man: “That’s rewarding! Go get it!”

The good news is we are not mental robots, slaves to our urges. In most men, the brain’s “go get it!” message simply leads to more looking, not nooners with the hot-erellas of Instagram. Some women consider looking cheating, and they tell their partner he’s not allowed to eyeball other women. Chances are this doesn’t stop the looking; it just turns men into sneaks and liars and their partner into the enemy they have to keep secrets from.

You don’t say that when your boyfriend’s with you he goes rude and unloving: stops talking midsentence while his eyes hike up some underdressed woman’s boobs. So, maybe you can use the strong biological and physiological basis of men’s girl gawking to keep yourself from taking his Instagram sightseeing personally.

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Ask a man why he eye-humps a woman, and if he’s honest, he’ll tell you it’s because she’s hot. But there’s an underlying (subconscious) reason: “Evolution makes me do it.” Because men only get pregnant in women’s revenge fantasies, they evolved not to seek committed “providers” as partners as women do, but to prioritize physical attractiveness. We all like a nice view, but there’s more to this preference than aesthetics. The features men find beautiful in women — youth, smooth skin, pillowy lips, “neotenous” (aka childlike) features like big eyes, and an hourglass figure -- are correlated with fertility and health. In other words, men evolved to be drawn to women who look like really great candidates for passing on their genes.

Men have perhaps 15 to 20 times the testosterone women do, and this seems to play a major role in how visually powered male sexuality is. An episode of NPR’s “This American Life” featured Griffin Hansbury, who was born female and lived as a lesbian and then underwent sex reassignment surgery.

Transitioning began with testosterone injections. Before starting testosterone, Hansbury would see a woman on the subway and think: “She’s attractive. I’d like to meet her. What’s that book she’s reading?” With the testosterone injections, even noticing nice ankles on a woman flooded Hansbury’s mind “with aggressive pornographic images. ... It was like ... a pornographic movie house in my mind. And I couldn’t turn it off.”

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feb 06

saturday

WHITE PINE STAMPEDE GOES VIRTUAL: Complete at least a 10K or 20K classic or freestyle race at any convenient location between Feb. 1-12. Shanty Creek has also offered their Nordic course for free during that time period as long as the skier wears the White Pine Stampede bib or current race shirt during the race. Registration is $30. A donation of $5 from each entry will be forwarded to Michigan Children’s Hospital & $1 will go toward the Jack McKaig Scholarship Fund. whitepinestampede.org

---------------------FREE KN95 MASKS FOR DISTRIBUTION: 10am-2pm, Birch Street Elementary School, Kalkaska. Held until 2pm or until masks are gone. Distribution will be 10 masks per person, per vehicle, with a maximum of 50 per vehicle, with drive-up delivery of masks. unitedwaynwmi.org/kn95masks

--------------------NEXT GEN VIRTUAL EVENT: “WINGS OF CO URAGE”: An original play with music by Mad River Theater Works, based on Eugene Bullard’s life, the first African-American combat pilot & adventurer. True story. Register. Free. Runs Feb. 3 – March 5. greatlakescfa.org/event-detail/next-gen-virtual-event-wings-of-courage

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SNOW SCULPTURE STROLL: Presented by 5 To One & Norte. Sign up with Great Start to be a sculptor, stroller, or both. Sculptors will receive a free Talking is Teaching resource bag, book, & a yard sign... plus some Norte swag. Runs Feb. 1 - March 15. greatstartkids.com/snowsculpture-stroll/?mc_cid=89f4a634c7&mc_ eid=df24b9efb4

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DOG SLED RIDES: Shanty Creek Resort, Schuss Mountain, Nordic Center, Bellaire. Second Hand Mushers Rescue will give dog sled rides. They are offered every 30 minutes from 11am - 1:30pm. Face masks required. Reserve your spot: 866-695-5010. $65 per ride. secondchancemushersrescue.com/dog-sled-rides.html

---------------------OTSEGO RESORT’S ANNUAL WINTER WINE WALK: Otsego Resort, Gaylord. Check in at noon outside the River Cabin. A winter walk on the snowshoe path from the River Cabin to the Beaver Dam where a bonfire awaits. Enjoy three wine tasting stations paired with light food fare. Walk or snowshoe. Rentals available, but must be reserved ahead of time: 989-732-5181. $35. otsegoclub.com

feb 07

sunday

WHITE PINE STAMPEDE GOES VIRTUAL: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

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NEXT GEN VIRTUAL EVENT: “WINGS OF COURAGE”: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

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SNOW SCULPTURE STROLL: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

--------------------DOG SLED RIDES: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

feb 08

monday

PANDEMIC, THEN & NOW: 7pm. Held via Zoom. Doctor Robert Sharon, an internal medicine specialist who presently sees primary care patients at Mackinaw City Specialty Clinic, will provide an interesting insight into the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918 in northern Michigan & the current COVID pandemic as part of the Mackinaw Area Historical Society’s monthly speaker series.

Meeting ID: 551 997 0204. Passcode: history.

---------------------WHITE PINE STAMPEDE GOES VIRTUAL: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

NEXT GEN VIRTUAL EVENT: “WINGS OF COURAGE”: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

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february

SNOW SCULPTURE STROLL: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

feb 09

06-14

tuesday

GRNA ONLINE PRESENTATION: 6:30-7:30pm. Join Grass River Natural Area Education Director James Dake, author of Grass River’s new Second Edition of the Field Guide to Northwest Michigan, for an online presentation via Zoom to learn about the making of this regional best seller. Reserve your spot. Free. grassriver.org

send your dates to: events@traverseticker.com

---------------------WHITE PINE STAMPEDE GOES VIRTUAL: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

---------------------EVANSTON’S LIVING HISTORY VIA ZOOM: 6:30pm. IStory of a community’s struggle for justice; with roots extending to the town of Abbeville, South Carolina & the horrific lynching of one of its prominent citizens, Anthony Crawford. Free. tadl. org/event/evanstons-living-history-via-zoom

---------------------NEXT GEN VIRTUAL EVENT: “WINGS OF COURAGE”: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

---------------------SNOW SCULPTURE STROLL: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

feb 10

wednesday

NORTHWEST MICHIGAN WORKS! VIRTUAL HIRING EVENT: 9am-noon. This online event will include nearly 30 employers from around northwest MI & will give job seekers the opportunity to learn about current job openings & connect directly to employers.

Register. networksnorthwest.org/news-events/ news/virtual-hiring-event-february-10.html

---------------------WHITE PINE STAMPEDE GOES VIRTUAL: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

---------------------THE CONTENT FUEL FRAMEWORK: HOW TO GENERATE UNLIMITED STORY IDEAS: 9:30-11am. Featuring keynote speaker Melanie Deziel. Must register online. Held via Zoom. Free. grandtraversewoman.com/events/febworkshop

---------------------NEXT GEN VIRTUAL EVENT: “WINGS OF COURAGE”: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

---------------------REACH CUSTOMERS ONLINE WITH GOOGLE: 10am. A free workshop hosted

by Erin Bemis & Cheboygan, Petoskey & Indian River Chambers of Commerce. Register. Free. register.gotowebinar.com/register/683069811925619468

Many ice sculptures will be displayed in both Downtown Harbor Springs and Downtown Petoskey this weekend, beginning Fri., Feb. 12. Stop by Harbor Springs’ Third Annual Ice Fest and Downtown Petoskey’s Winter Weekend. Although some traditional events won’t happen due to the pandemic, there will still be a lot to take in, including shopping, eating and more!

Presented by Arts for All of Northern Michigan.

Featuring Mr. Music DJ. Held via Zoom. RSVP: form.jotform.com/210134988509158?mc_ cid=40db7717d5&mc_eid=31c0d0fd7e us02web.zoom.us/j/83345423453?pwd=Rmh kd0l3Y1NFc1NGeTlvc1RRZ1p2dz09&mc_ cid=40db7717d5&mc_eid=31c0d0fd7e#success

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SNOW SCULPTURE STROLL: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

VIRTUAL ICE BREAKER: LINE 5 TUNNEL - WILL IT BECOME A REALITY?: 12-1pm. A webinar featuring Watershed Council’s Policy Director Jennifer McKay. Free. watershedcouncil.org/attend-an-event.html

feb 11

thursday

PANDEMIC BLUES! AN EVENING OF MUSIC AT 78 RPM: 7:30pm. Virtual program featuring Alex Tank from 78s for the People. Presented by the TADL Sight & Sound Dept. Hosted by Aaron Olson. Explore the power of music from the mid 1920’s through the 1940’s. Free. tadl.org/event/pandemic-blues

---------------------WHITE PINE STAMPEDE GOES VIRTUAL: (See Sat., Feb. 6) VIRTUAL VALENTINE’S DAY DANCE: 6:30pm.

NEXT GEN VIRTUAL EVENT: “WINGS OF COURAGE”: (See Sat., Feb. 6) LIFELONG LEARNING HISTORY SERIES: 7-8pm. History Mystery with Little Traverse History Museum, who received a donation of four boxes that came from a house on Jennings Street in Petoskey that has since burned down.

Register. Free. ncmclifelonglearning.com/ event-4140772

---------------------SNOW SCULPTURE STROLL: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

feb 12

friday

WINTER BIKE TO WORK DAY: Presented by Norte.

Register. Get out there & ride. Take a picture & tag Norte. Join the virtual Winter Bike to Work Day lunch at noon. winterbiketoworkday.org/?mc_ cid=89f4a634c7&mc_eid=df24b9efb4

CHOCOLATE COVERED BOYNE: Boyne City, Feb. 12-13. Featuring a Chocolate Dessert Contest & tasty specials, treats & sales. boynecitymainstreet.com/calendar/event/chocolate-covered-boyne-4

---------------------DOWNTOWN PETOSKEY’S WINTER WEEKEND: Feb. 12-15. Tour over 30 ice sculptures, shop the President’s Day deals, & grab dinner to go, or sit down & dine. petoskeydowntown.com/downtown-events/winterweekend

---------------------INDOOR SIDEWALK SALES: Downtown Charlevoix, Feb. 12-15. Bargains on a variety of merchandise at participating stores. business.charlevoix.org/events/details/indoor-sidewalk-sales-02-12-2021-13141

---------------------WHITE PINE STAMPEDE GOES VIRTUAL: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

---------------------FEBRUARY VALENTINE GIFT TO HEALTHCARE WORKERS: 10am-4pm, Music House Museum, Williamsburg. During February, the Music House Museum will be offering free tours to all on the medical front lines during the pandemic. Open Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays throughout Feb. for tours. Call & make a reservation. musichouse.org

---------------------HARBOR SPRINGS’ THIRD ANNUAL ICE FEST: Downtown Harbor Springs, Feb. 12-14.

Northern Express Weekly • february 08, 2021 • 15

Ice sculptures will be stationed around the city. downtownharborsprings.com/general-2

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one of Michigan’s premiere outdoor activities Michigan fishing - for free! petoskeyarea.com/ event-detail/free-fishing-weekend-1

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FEBRUARY VALENTINE GIFT TO HEALTHCARE WORKERS: (See Fri., Feb. 12)

NEXT GEN VIRTUAL EVENT: “WINGS OF COURAGE”: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

PRESIDENTS’ DAY WEEKEND SALE EVENT & LOOKIN’ FOR LINCOLN SCAVENGER HUNT: Feb. 12-14. Featuring many deals in Downtown TC shops & restaurants. Be Lookin’ for Lincoln in the storefronts for the Presidents’ Day weekend scavenger hunt. Find all of the masked honest Abes & enter to win $200 in Downtown gift certificates. Ballots will be available at all participating locations. downtowntc. com/presidents-day-weekend-sale-event

---------------------SNOW SCULPTURE STROLL: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

---------------------VIRTUAL COFFEE @ TEN: CELEBRATING THE CTAC GUILD MEMBER SALON SHOW: 10-11am. Requires advanced Zoom registration. Free. crookedtree.org/event/ctac-petoskey-ctac-traverse-city-ctac-online/virtual-coffeeten-celebrating-ctac-guild-member

feb 13

saturday

LANTERN-LIT SKI & SNOWSHOE: 6-9pm, Grass River Natural Area, Bellaire.

Enjoy an evening ski on GRNA’s groomed ski trails or snowshoe the boardwalk to the river. GRNA will have a warm campfire at the Center pavilion. A self-guided, openhouse style ski or snowshoe. Bring a flashlight or head lamp. Reserve your spot. $5/person. grassriver.org

---------------------CHOCOLATE COVERED BOYNE: (See Fri., Feb. 12)

---------------------OUTDOOR FAMILY FUN DAY (RESCHEDULED FROM FEB. 6): Tennis Court Park, Alden. Held from 11am-12:30pm OR 1-2:30pm.

Interactive Story Walk, DIY snow sculptures, naturalist activity by Grass River staff, bonfire, snacks, Kids Bag of Books Sale. Space is limited & registration required. Call 231331-4318. Social distancing will be observed & masks required. Free.

---------------------DOWNTOWN PETOSKEY’S WEEKEND: (See Fri., Feb. 12)

WINTER

---------------------SUPER SATURDAY: 10am-noon, Career Tech Center, TBAISD, TC. Drive-thru event. Free tax prep, free lunch (Jimmy John’s), prizes, virtual workshops, & free dental pre-screening.

Reserve your spot: 231-714-4696. nmcaa.net/ calendar.asp?eid=1480

---------------------INDOOR SIDEWALK SALES: (See Fri., Feb. 12) ---------------------FREE FISHING WEEKEND: Feb. 13-14. Two days twice a year, families & friends can enjoy

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HARBOR SPRINGS’ THIRD ANNUAL ICE FEST: (See Fri., Feb. 12)

---------------------NEXT GEN VIRTUAL EVENT: “WINGS OF COURAGE”: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

---------------------PRESIDENTS’ DAY WEEKEND SALE EVENT & LOOKIN’ FOR LINCOLN SCAVENGER HUNT: (See Fri., Feb. 12)

---------------------SNOW SCULPTURE STROLL: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

---------------------DOG SLED RIDES: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

feb 14

sunday

AIRSOFT BIATHLON: Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville.

Combine airsoft & crosscountry skiing into the Airsoft Biathlon. For ages 8 & older.

Begins at Kinlochen. Start times are 1-3pm. Cost is $20/person; includes cross-country ski equipment rental & airsoft equipment. Reserve your spot: 888-968-7686, ext. 4000. crystalmountain.com/event/biathlon

---------------------DATE NIGHT WITH THE DENNOS: 7pm. Enjoy a Valentine’s Day program at home, with a mix of art, music, trivia & prizes. Featuring artworks from the Dennos Museum Center collection, special guests, & a variety of games.

Registration required: $20 per device; $15 Dennos members. shop.dennosmuseum.org/product/ date-night/2505. Option: Use code DENNOS to receive a free growler with your order at Rare Bird Brewery. They will prepare a 3-course meal for two ($50). Visit rarebirdbrewpub.com to place your order on Feb. 13 or 14 in advance of the program to secure your dinner. Pick up only.

---------------------FREE FISHING WEEKEND: (See Sat., Feb. 13) DOWNTOWN PETOSKEY’S WINTER WEEKEND: (See Fri., Feb. 12)

---------------------BEAVER DAM OLYMPICS: 1-3pm, Otsego Resort, Gaylord. Featuring 4 person teams competing in 4 activity relays including sack race, corn hole, beer pong, & plank skis. Check-in at 1pm; event starts at 2pm. $100 entry fee per team.

Prizes available for 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place teams. otsegoclub.com/event/beaver-dam-olympics-2

---------------------INDOOR SIDEWALK SALES: (See Fri., Feb. 12) ---------------------HARBOR SPRINGS’ THIRD ANNUAL ICE FEST: (See Fri., Feb. 12)

---------------------NEXT GEN VIRTUAL EVENT: “WINGS OF COURAGE”: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

HAPPY HOUR DRINK SPECIALS Tues - 4-8pm: The Pocket Mon March 16- $5 martinis, $5 domestic beer pitcher, $10 craft beer pitcher.

Y TUESDA TRIVIA TIO A P ON THE PM 7-9

PATIO AND INDOOR - Sunday-Saturday 11am-10pm (kitchen closed at 9pm)

DRINK SPECIALS (3-6 Monday-Friday): $2 well drinks, $2 domestic drafts, $2.50 domestic bottles, $5 Hornitos margarita DAILY FOOD SPECIALS (3-6pm): Monday - $1 chips/salsa Tuesday - $1 enchiladas Wednesday - $5 potato basket (fries or tots) Thursday - $5 hot pretzels w/ beer cheese Friday - $5 fried veggies (cauliflower or mushrooms) TO-GO ORDERS AVAILABLE - 231-252-4157

11am - 10pm - 221 E State St. downtown TC

PRESIDENTS’ DAY WEEKEND SALE EVENT & LOOKIN’ FOR LINCOLN SCAVENGER HUNT: (See Fri., Feb. 12)

FROM OPEN-CLOSE 9pm-1am: Kung Fu Rodeo

it in the can night -2pm-10pm $1 domestic, Wed Hours- Get Monday-Thursday

$3 craft- w/DJ JR Friday-Sunday noon-10pm Thurs -$2 off all drinks and T Tues$2FebLabatt 9th drafts - openw/DJ micRicky comedy Fri March 20 - Buckets(8-9:30pm) of Beer starting at $8 (2-8pm) Happy Hour: The Chris Michels Band Then: The Isaac Ryder Band

12th: DonRyder SwanBand and (No Covers) Sat MarchFri21Feb - The Isaac the Four Horsemen (6:30-9:30) Sunday March 22 ( 10pm-2am) Sat Feb KARAOKE 13th: Speedball Tucker (6:30-9:30) 941-1930 downtown TC check us out at unionstreetstationtc.net

16 • february 08, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly

SNOW SCULPTURE STROLL: (See Sat., Feb. 6) DOG SLED RIDES: (See Sat., Feb. 6)

ongoing

SNOWSHOES, VINES & WINES!: 12-5pm, Black Star Farms, Suttons Bay. Explore easy to moderate trails, & then warm up with a glass of mulled wine on the Terrace Patio. The Hearth & Vine Café will also offer hot food. Held on Saturdays through winter, plus Jan. 17 & Feb. 14.

Snowshoes available to rent from 12-4pm; $20; must be returned by 5pm. No reservations needed. blackstarfarms.com/snowshoes-vines-wines

---------------------NEW WINTER TRAIL: Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery, TC. Snowshoe, cross-country ski, or hike Brys Estate’s 111 acres. Choose from two winter trail options. Open daily from 11am-5pm.

Keep warm with an insulated mug of Spiked Hot Apple Cider or a glass of wine while you enjoy the trail, or enjoy it post exercise at one of the fire pits in the snowy open space. Winter trails are not groomed & equipment is not provided. brysestate.com/Visit-Us/wintertrail

---------------------GRAND TRAVERSE CONSERVATION DISTRICT’S ANNUAL NATIVE SEEDLING SALE: Held online through March 31. Featuring 32 bare-root tree & shrub species available for purchase. natureiscalling.org/native-seedling-sale

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NATIONAL WRITERS SERIES SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION: Calling 11th & 12th graders!

Submit your best writing through March 1 at the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation website. Four scholarships are awarded each year in fiction, nonfiction, poetry & journalism with $1,000 awarded for each category. Eligible writers must have a permanent address in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, or Leelanau counties & be an 11th or 12th grader during the 2020/21 school year. gtrcf.org/scholarships/national-writers-series-scholarship-application.html

---------------------VIRTUAL 2021 BAYSHORE MARATHON REGISTRATION: Featuring a marathon, half marathon & 10K. Register. Event held on May 29. bayshoremarathon.org

---------------------SENIOR CENTER NETWORK HELPS!: People in the 60-plus age group have become increasingly isolated during the COVID-19 “stay-at-home” order & are challenged by an even greater reliance on technology. The Senior Center, exercise equipment, & books available to be checked out. Call 922-4911 to make arrangements to pick up. The “Little Free Library” located outside the main entrance is open at all times.

There are also “boredom buster” packets with puzzles, fun facts & jokes available. Make an appointment to pick up or have them mailed to you.

Their Telephone Assurance Program provides staff & volunteers available to chat. grandtraverse. org/712/Senior-Centers

---------------------NORTE’S RUN SABADOS: GT Civic Center, TC. A weekly walk or run held on Saturdays.

Meet outside the Wheelhouse at 10am, & then split up & hit the track.

---------------------OLD MISSION SNOWSHOE, WINE & BREW: Sundays, 10:50am-3pm through March 7. Grab your showshoes - or book online & rent a pair for the day - & enjoy wine & beer from the Old Mission Peninsula. Park at Jolly Pumpkin, TC to board the TC Brew Bus & start your trek. The TC Brew Bus will transport you to Brys Estate Vineyard and Winery. From there, you will follow a flagged snowshoe trail across the Old Mission Peninsula to Bowers Harbor Vineyards, & then snowshoe back to where you parked at Jolly Pumpkin. Tickets, $28. tcbrewbus.com/events

---------------------FEBRUARY VALENTINE GIFT TO HEALTHCARE WORKERS: Music House Museum, Williamsburg. During February, the Music House Museum will be offering free tours to all on the medical front lines during the pandemic. Open Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays throughout Feb. for tours. Call & make a reservation. musichouse.org

---------------------SENIOR WOW (WITH OUT WALLS) TIME: Tuesdays, 9am through March 9. A virtual meeting that offers something for everyone - from museum tours to tips for smart money management, & much more. Register. 922-4911. grandtraverse.org/2276/Virtual-Programming

---------------------SUNDAY YOGA FLOW!: Join in for an energizing Vinyasa flow class on Sunday mornings at 11am in the studio space at the Dance Center, TC. Bring your own mat for class. Donation based by cash, check or Venmo. Must sign-up on Eventbrite before class time, & a face covering must be worn. eventbrite.com/e/sundayflow-tickets-137881313721

---------------------THE ENCHANTED TRAIL: Open Saturdays, Sundays & holidays from 5:30-8:30pm through winter at Boyne Highlands Resort, Harbor Springs. The trail totals two miles roundtrip, & features the twinkling of hundreds of lights strewn throughout the path. Guests can walk or snowshoe the trail with snowshoes available for rent. Tickets are $15 per person. Hot chocolate & s’mores are included.

A cash bar is available & beverage tickets can be purchased in advance. Reserve your spot. boynehighlands.com

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VITAL VINYASA FLOW - THURSDAY NIGHTS!: 6pm, Thursdays, Feb. 4-25. Ground, flow, & stretch together. Held in the studio space at the Dance Center, TC. Bring your own mat for class. Must sign-up on Eventbrite before class time, & a face covering must be worn. Donation based class by cash, check or Venmo. eventbrite.com/e/vital-vinyasa-flowthursday-nights-tickets-126746527275

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WEEKLY ZOOM STORY HOUR: Wednesdays, 11am, with Miss Ann. Presented by Interlochen Public Library. Meeting ID 876 3279 3456. Pass Code 364283.

---------------------BELLAIRE WINTER FARMERS MARKET: Held on Fridays from 10am-2pm. Located at both Bee Well & Terrain in downtown Bellaire.

---------------------BOYNE CITY INDOOR FARMERS MARKET: Saturdays, 9am-noon through May 15. City Hall Lobby, Boyne City. petoskeyarea.com/eventdetail/boyne-city-indoor-farmers-market-1

---------------------INDOOR FARMERS MARKET: The Village at GT Commons, The Mercato, TC. Saturdays through April, 10am-2pm. thevillagetc.com/ indoor-farmers-market-7-2-2-2-2-2

art

“DON’T MISS THE BOAT”: Harbor Springs History Museum. Presented by the Harbor Springs Area Historical Society. This exhibit highlights the historic ferries of Little Traverse Bay & features original watercolors & giclees by local artist William Talmadge Hall. Runs through the summer of 2021. Hours: Tues.-Sat., 11am-3pm. harborspringshistory.org/history-museum-exhibits

---------------------DEX R. JONES: STORIED PORTRAITS: Runs Feb. 14 – March 28, Dennos Museum Center, NMC, TC. Influenced by the cultural richness of his Caribbean heritage & Pan-African studies, Dexter R. Jones removes the veil of self-conscious inhibition by eliminating the preconceived sense of beauty & reveals its true splendor in its vulnerable state. Encompassing a mixture of texture, hues, flesh, & heavy contrast in his editorial photography, his expertise in justly capturing women of vast shades is indicative from his strong matriarchal upbringing. Regular admission rates apply. dennosmuseum.org

---------------------CALL TO ARTISTS: JORDAN ART WALK: Submit a sculpture for placement in a new sculpture walk exhibit in East Jordan. The exhibit theme is our relationship to our abundant natural resource of water. This may include but is not limited to water activities, cycles, quality, wildlife, cultural concepts. Submit up to 3 entries digitally by March 31: info@ejchamber.org.

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STAY SAFE FACE MASK PROJECT & EXHIBIT: Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts, Manistee. An exhibit featuring over 400 masks created by community members. This is a live exhibit & it will only be up Fridays & Saturdays starting Feb. 5 & ending on Feb. 27. The exhibit is free & it will be open from 12-3pm. ci.ovationtix.com/35295/production/1036104

---------------------THE COVID 19 WREATH COLLECTION: Dec. 5 - Feb. 21. Presented by Art Rapids.

Bring an old or new wreath to the Walk of Art Park, Elk Rapids & attach it to the fence on S. Bayshore Dr. Give some festive bling to a “Pandemic” fence that goes on & on. Take a photo & tag on Instagram or Facebook: #artrapids.

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CHARLEVOIX CIRCLE OF ARTS, CHARLEVOIX: - FREE “TAKE & MAKE” ART KITS: In conjunction with Charlevoix Circle of Arts’ re|ART exhibit, free children’s Take & Make Art Kits are available for pick up from Feb. 1-27, while supplies last. charlevoixcircle.org - RE | ART: REFLECT, REJECT, REFINE, REMARK: Juried fine art exhibit. Runs Feb. 1 27. Artists are invited to comment visually to the many shifts taking place in this current experience. Juror is Joann Condino of Three Pines Studio. CharlevoixCircle.org

---------------------CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER, PETOSKEY: - “KIDS ON COMMUNITY”: Youth artists were invited to submit artwork in response to the theme of “Community.” Fun, thoughtful & creative interpretations by Michigan youth (grades 3 - 12) are included in this online image gallery.

Runs through June 30, 2021. crookedtree.org/

event/ctac-petoskey-ctac-online/kids-community-online-exhibit - CTAC’S 19TH ANNUAL YOUNG WRITERS EXPOSITION: CALL FOR YOUNG WRITERS: Elementary, middle & high school students who attend schools served by the CharEm ISD (or home school students in Charlevoix or Emmet counties) may submit one work of poetry, prose, or one of each. Winning writers of all age groups receive a medal, journal, & McLean & Eakin Booksellers gift card, while also having their work published in the digital Petoskey News-Review. Middle & high school winning writers receive monetary prizes as well. All first place writers get their work printed in the upcoming edition of the Walloon Writers Review. The Little Traverse Literary Guild will give two $500 “Best in Show” awards – the Hanna-Renkes/Jan Smith Literary Award – to high school students for poetry & prose. Work must be submitted online by a parent or teacher between April 6-19 at 5 pm. The submission page is located under Teacher Resources on the Petoskey portion of CTAC’s website.

Winning writers will be announced May 7 via CTAC’s social media pages.

---------------------CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER, TC: - GUILD MEMBER SALON SHOW 2021 ONLINE EXHIBITION: Runs through March 6.

This show invites all participating artist members to include work in a salon style exhibition.

The resulting display offers a range & depth of stylistic approaches, experience, media, & content. crookedtree.org/event/ctac-petoskeyctac-traverse-city-ctac-online/guild-membersalon-show-2021-online-exhibition - “JUST GREAT ART”: Presented by Plein Air Painters of Northwest Michigan. An online exhibit & sale of over 50 works by regional artists.

20% of the proceeds benefit City Opera House.

Runs through Feb. 28. crookedtree.smugmug. com/Traverse-City/Exhibitions-TC/Just-GreatART/Just-Great-ART/i-fNDV67s GLEN ARBOR ARTS CENTER, GLEN ARBOR: - EXHIBIT: JOAN RICHMOND | PAPER + SCISSORS + GLUE = NEW COLLAGES: Held in Lobby Gallery. An exhibition of 12 new works is on display through April 22. Richmond is more widely known for her distinctive, spare gouache paintings depicting land- & waterscapes. This exhibit includes more than 60 pieces she created during COVID-19 isolation.

The GAAC is open Mon. through Sat., 11am– 2pm. GlenArborArt.org - GAAC OUTDOOR GALLERY: CALL FOR ENTRIES: The Glen Arbor Arts Center is accepting submissions for its 2021 Outdoor Gallery. The exhibition space is the south & west exterior walls of the GAAC’s building at 6031 S. Lake St., Glen Arbor. Original work by a single artist will be selected by a jury, & exhibited from May 2021 to April 2022. Deadline for submissions is February 25, 2021. Open to all media, the selected work will be eye-catching, compelling, colorful & communicate the spirit of the Glen Arbor Arts Center with fresh originality. The selected exhibitor’s original work will be enlarged & reproduced on five, separate, 5 foot x 5 foot square outdoor panels for one year.

A $500 prize will be awarded to the selected artist.

Submissions are online only. To apply visit GlenArborArt.org & click on ARTIST/Calls For Entry.

- YOU ARE T/HERE: An exhibition that asks exhibitors to visually explore & describe what their own, personal “here” or “there” looks like.

Runs through March 25. In addition, an online version of the exhibition may be viewed at GlenArborArt.org.

---------------------NORTHPORT ARTS ASSOCIATION, NORTHPORT: - LOVE IS... ART: Online exhibit featuring art of all media. Runs Feb. 1-28. northportartsassociation.org - MAGIC OF MARCH CALL FOR ARTISTS: Calling artists through Feb. 24. The Magic of March Online Exhibit will emphasize the excitement of spring & the changes we see in nature as well as body, mind, & spirit. It runs March 1-31. northportartsassociation.org

“Jonesin” Crosswords "Quiet Onset" --I can't hear you. by Matt Jones

ACROSS 1 Life force, to an acupuncturist 4 One of the Three Musketeers 10 Consumer protection gp.

13 “___ Wiedersehen!”

14 Like the opening letter of each of the four longest answers 15 “Dog Barking at the Moon” artist Joan 16 Magazine whose website has a “Find a Therapist” feature 19 “Away!”

20 Stunned state 21 How hair may stand 22 Maritime patrol org.

25 “The mind ___ own place ...” (John Milton) 26 Offer on eBay 28 Japanese grills 32 “Common” chapter of history 33 Flavor on a German schnapps bottle 37 Rank between marquis and viscount 39 Bell or whistle?

40 “Peter Pan” henchman 41 Device that records respiration 44 Went nowhere 45 Tightly cinched 46 “How We Do” singer Rita 47 “Fun, Fun, Fun” car in a ‘60s hit 49 British mil. decorations 51 Breezes (through) 52 Scrooge’s comment 55 Filmmaker Ephron 58 Math conjecture regarding a quadrilateral inscribed in a circle 62 “I identify,” in online comments 63 Ear ailment 64 Baseball stat 65 “Bill ___ Saves the World” 66 Hastily arrive at, as a conclusion 67 Celebrity chef Martin

DOWN 1 Pen parts 2 Period of quiet 3 Haunted house challenge 4 Hearth leftover 5 Brazilian beach city, briefly 6 “It was ___ blur” 7 “Feed me or I’ll knock your drink over” 8 “Splendor in the Grass” Oscar winner 9 Piglet’s home 10 High-end hotel amenity 11 Fiber-rich cereals 12 “Cheers” bartender Woody 15 Philosophies that regard reality as one organic whole 17 Lettuce variety 18 “___, With Love” (Sidney Poitier movie) 23 Golden State traffic org. (as seen in an Erik Estrada TV show) 24 Philbin’s onetime morning cohost 25 “It’s Shake ‘n Bake!” “And ___!” (old ad tagline) 26 Pager noise 27 Persian Gulf country 29 Arctic floaters 30 Burning 31 B equivalent, in music 34 Contrite phrase 35 A few feet away 36 Greek consonant 38 Happy fun Ball?

42 Code where B is -...

43 Some TVs 47 Frayed 48 Ecological community 50 “Be My Yoko ___” (Barenaked Ladies song) 51 “Wheel of Fortune” action 52 Eight bits, computerwise 53 One side of the Urals 54 Address abbreviation 56 Country star McEntire 57 Former dictator Idi 59 “Boardwalk Empire” actress Gretchen 60 Battleship score 61 That, in Madrid

Northern Express Weekly • february 08, 2021 • 17

lOGY

FEB 8 - FEB 14

BY ROB BREZSNY

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I’ve adopted some lines

from poet Walt Whitman for you to use in composing a love note. Send it to a person you know and love, or to a person you want to know and love, or a person you will know and love in the future. Here it is: “We are oaks growing in the openings side by side. We are two fishes swimming together. We are two predatory hawks, soaring above and looking down. We are two clouds driving overhead. We are seas mingling, two cheerful waves rolling over each other. We are snow, rain, cold, darkness. We circle and circle till arriving home again, voiding all but freedom and our own joy.”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I’m turning over

this horoscope to psychologist John Welwood.

His words are the medicine you need at this juncture in the evolution of intimacy. Study the following quote and interpret it in ways that help illuminate your relationship with togetherness: “A soul connection is a resonance between two people who respond to the essential beauty of each other’s individual natures, behind their facades, and who connect on this deeper level. This kind of mutual recognition provides the catalyst for a potent alchemy. It is a sacred alliance whose purpose is to help both partners discover and realize their deepest potentials.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Transform yourself with the sweetest challenge you can dream up. Give yourself a blessing that will compel you to get smarter and wilder. Dazzle yourself as you dare to graduate from your history. Rile yourself up with a push to become your better self, your best self, your amazingly fulfilled and masterful self. Ask yourself to leap over the threshold of ordinary magic and into the realm of spooky good magic. And if all that works out well, Sagittarius, direct similar energy toward someone you care about. In other words, transform them with the sweetest challenge you can dream up. Dare them to graduate from their history. And so on.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I invite you to compose a message to a person you’d like to be closer to and whom you’re sure would like to be closer to you. Be inspired by what poet Clementine von Radics wrote to the man she was dating, telling him why she thought they could start living together. Here’s her note: “Because you texted me a haiku about the moon when you were drunk. Because you cried at the end of the movie Die Hard on Christmas eve. Because when I’m sick you bring me fruit, kiss me on the mouth, and hold me even though I’m gross. Because you bring me flowers for no reason but on Valentine’s Day you gave me a bouquet of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Because every time I show you a poem I love you’ve read it already.”

PISCES (Feb 19-March 20): “To heal is

to touch with love that which was previously touched by fear,” wrote author Stephen Levine. I propose you make this theme a keynote for your best relationships in the coming days. What can you do to alleviate the anxiety and agitation of the people you care for? How might they do the same for you? If you play along with the cosmic rhythms, you will have extraordinary power to chase away fear with love.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Author Anton

Chekhov made a radical proposal: ”Perhaps the feelings we experience when we are in love represent a normal state. Being in love shows people who they should be.” In accordance with astrological potentials, my beloved Aries darling, I invite you to act as if Chekhov’s proposal were absolutely true for at least the next two weeks. Be animated by a generous lust for life. Assume that your intelligence will reach a peak as you express excited kindness and affectionate compassion. Be a fount of fond feelings and cheerful empathy and nourishing ardor.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Poet and

filmmaker Jean Cocteau told the following story about Taurus composer Erik Satie (1866–1925).

When Satie died, his old friends, many of whom were highly accomplished people, came to visit his apartment. There they discovered that all the letters they had sent him over the years were unopened. Satie

had never read them! How sad that he missed out on all that lively exchange. I beg you not to do anything that even remotely resembles such a lack of receptivity during the coming weeks, Taurus. In fact, please do just the opposite: Make yourself as open as possible to engagement and influence. I understand that the pandemic somewhat limits your social interactions.

Just do the best you can.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): On behalf of the

cosmic omens, I demand that the important people in your life be reliable and generous toward you in the coming weeks. You can tell them I said so. Tell them that you are doing pretty well, but that in order to transform pretty well into very well, you need them to boost their support and encouragement. Read them the following words from author Alan Cohen: “Those who love you are not fooled by mistakes you have made or dark images you hold about yourself. They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused.”

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CANCER (June 21-July 22): For a while, poet

Alfred de Musset (1810–1857) was the sexual partner of Cancerian novelist George Sand (1804–1876), also known as Aurore Dupin. He said that after intense love-making sessions, he would fall asleep and wake up to find her sitting at her desk, engrossed in working on her next book. Maybe the erotic exchange inspired her creativity? In accordance with current astrological potentials, I recommend Sand’s approach to you. Vigorous pleasure will coordinate well with hard work. As will deep release with strong focus. As will tender intimacy with clear thinking. (PS: I know your options for pleasure and intimacy may be somewhat limited because of the pandemic. Call on your ingenuity and resourcefulness to work the best magic possible.)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo poet Warsan Shire

suggests, “Document the moments you feel most in love with yourself—what you’re wearing, who you’re around, what you’re doing. Recreate and repeat.” This would be an excellent exercise for you to carry out during this Valentine season. You’re in a phase when you’re likely to enhance your lovability and attract extra support simply by intensifying and refining the affectionate compassion you feel and express toward yourself.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I wish the

pandemic would give us a short break so we could celebrate the Valentine season with maximum sensual revelry and extravagant displays of joyful tenderness. I wish we could rip off our masks and forget about social-distancing and hug and kiss everyone who wants to be hugged and kissed. But that’s not going to happen. If we hope to be free to indulge in a Lush Love and Lust Festival by Valentine Season in 2022, we’ve got to be cautious and controlled now. And we are all counting on you Virgos to show us how to be as wildly, lyrically romantic as possible while still observing the necessary limitations. That’s your special task.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Author Raymond Carver wrote, “It ought to make us feel ashamed when we talk like we know what we’re talking about when we talk about love.” That seems like a harsh oversimplification to me. Personally, I think it’s fun and interesting to pretend we know what we’re talking about when we talk about love. And I think that will be especially true for you in the coming weeks. In my astrological opinion, you should be discussing love extensively and boldly and imaginatively. You should redefine what love means to you. You should re-evaluate how you express it and reconfigure the way it works in your life.

18 • february 08, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly

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Northern Express Weekly • february 08, 2021 • 19

20 • february 08, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly