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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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OUR SIMPLE RULES: Keep your letter to 300 words or less, send no more than one per month, include your name/address/phone number, and agree to allow us to edit.

That’s it.

TIME FOR SERIOUS REFLECTION The events of the last few days compel me to write this letter, perhaps as an outlet for my frustration.

We have seen a president who got away with it and was supported by a Senate who knew he did it, and yet, that didn’t matter. I believe in loyalty, but only insofar as my loyalty supports what is admirable. Can anyone call this president admirable? Not even one member of my staunch Republican family.

As I watched the State of the Union address, I was consumed by fear for our democracy.

From the “pie in the sky” lies which could have filled a notebook to the presentation of the Medal of Freedom to – Rush Limbaugh? Really?

Ironically, those meritorious Americans who were showcased during the address only accentuated the failings of the president. He could never measure up to any of them. And, by the way, how dare he speak of children?

I am confident that this sad and dangerous period in our history will be brief. We can rid ourselves of this despot and his selfish, greedy, yes men.

It’s called the VOTE. Caralee Giuntoli, Traverse City LESSONS LEARNED It was not necessary for witness testimony at the recent Senate impeachment trial, as enough testimony was presented at the House investigation. Even some Republican Senators agree that the President committed the acts he is accused of, they just don’t agree that the acts amount to “high crimes and misdemeanors.”

Rather than continue to debate the justice/ injustice of a trial that now lies as road-kill in the rear-view mirror, allow me to summarize the lessons learned from our recent schooling in government: 1. Though it would be inappropriate behavior, it is not illegal for a sitting president to withhold congressionally approved foreign aid for personal or political gain. 2. Though it would be inappropriate behavior, it is not illegal for a sitting president to obstruct Congress during an investigation.

No one should complain if a future president exercises these newly sanctioned rights, or even decides to push the boundaries of power still further.

Mike Neumann, Traverse City BIG DIFFERENCE Make no mistake: It is a lie that Trump won the majority vote. He actually won with

the Electoral College. It’s a very different vote.

Wake up, America.

Ellen Brill, Traverse City What are they thinking?

We should all be intensely offended by this past week’s Republican performances.

Republicans in general, and Congressional Republicans in particular, have extended a glaring middle finger to the entire nation.

They have essentially told their 12-year-old in the White House not to worry, “We’ll take care of you, just like your Daddy always did.”

Republican lawmakers and Trump supporters have, over the last 5+ years laid waste to civility, decorum, the rule of law, and the checks and balances on our federal government that have helped the country navigate more than 200 years of existence.

Worse yet, they seem to have collectively lost touch with reality. And they assume we’ll all fall in line and see things their way. They care more about the toddler’s tweets coming from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue than they do fact-based reality. It makes me cringe and shudder when I think what might come in the remaining months of this disastrous presidential experiment.

Richard When, Elmira Leader of the Cult The Feb. 10 issue letter from Alisha Davidson, “The Death of Democracy,” was spot on. Under the power of the Orange Monkey, we are no longer a nation of laws. We are worshippers of a cult personality.

We will eventually dismantle the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These historic national documents that dictate and outline a rare and exceptional system of government unprecedented in human existence will be weakened and possibly eliminated by cult followers of Trump and the National Curse.

I’m happy that I am old. I don’t want to see the final act of this mentally ill circus barker with his constant siren call of dismantling all that remains of our American democracy.

Bret Albright, Traverse City Not the President for Me Trump may have been acquitted, but the House’s vote to impeach him will last forever. So, that means a mark will be on his record, regardless. I don’t know about you all, but I’d rather a president of the country I live in, never have a mark or have gotten themselves into a situation where a trial ever needed to happen.

I’d hope to have an honest, trustworthy human being who understands their duty to their country and upholds the values of one nation honorably and perhaps inspirationally.

One who leads and acts in a professional manner, living by the golden rule and understanding that because so many humans look up to them; they must provide the best leadership example they can. I understand that as humans we have flaws, but we can only strive to learn & move forward from our mistakes. I look at our “leader,” and I don’t vibe with him, simply because of the aforementioned.

Also, I would like to see our financial resources being directed into our schools instead of more supplies for war. While I do support our military, I’d rather never have to bury my brother or watch his family grow up without a father.

There will always be corruption in politics because some humans are simply bad people.

Others are ignorant to the corruption, but I am not naive. I will remain hopeful that one day we

CONTENTS

will elect a leader who is inclusive to the entirety of America. Who praises the different colors that make up this beautiful country and who fights for people who might come from places and cultures that look different but are accepted just the same. We all deserve to feel welcomed and free. Long story short, Trump is not the Crime and Rescue Map......................................7 Struggles of a Mom and Pop Pot-shop Owner....10 president for me.

features

Taste of India....................................................12

Heather Spaleny, Traverse City Restaurant Roundup.......................................16 Fake Trial For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction — unless you’re Donald Trump. As the impeachment “trial” without witnesses ends, some Republican senators hope their leader has finally learned an elementary school civics lesson, while others could care less because they “won” something.

No amount of physical evidence would have swayed his game-show audience of jurors, and he will never admit to any wrongdoing or mistake. He never has.

This die is cast. We now have a president running our country without any regard to oaths, ethics, or laws. He’s freely able to engage in corruption without consequences.

Whatever past, present, or future drug deals, executive orders, or sins he commits will be washed away by those who believe themselves to be somehow immune or saved simply by standing in his shadow.

Unbridled power now resides in the hands of a select few whose sole vision is to remake this country according to their own particular set of beliefs, and they will bear none of these tragic costs. There is a saying about sowing the wind and reaping the whirlwind that comes to mind. History is littered with examples of countries that trod this same tyrannical path on the way to their eventual destruction.

When the rule of law disappears, cruelty as a deterrent soon appears, and is then followed by revenge masquerading as justice. This is how Liberty dies.

To paraphrase poet and cleric John Donne: America, “Send not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.”

Note to Self.....................................................18 Staying Power.................................................20 Only the Stories Remain..................................22 Tater Time......................................................24

dates................................................28-31 music Four Score.....................................................34

Nightlife.........................................................36

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

Spectator/Stephen Tuttle....................................6 Modern Rock/Kristi Kates................................33 Film................................................................35 Advice..........................................................37 Crossword...................................................37 Freewill Astrology..........................................38 Classifieds..................................................39

John Hunter, Traverse City Open Letter to Jack Bergman Here is what I learned from the comments in your recent newsletter regarding the impeachment trial and what you believe is important for First District residents. You believe that what is important are the local projects that you boast about each week. You do not believe that the flagrant disregard of our constitution, rule of law, or mockery of the concept of a trial is important. Or that the Senate’s loss of virtually all credibility in this country and around the world is important.

That it is not important the GOP House and Senate just signaled to Trump that he has a green light to do whatever crazy and or illegal stuff that he wants. Or that it is not important that, while some of your constituents are barely getting by, Trump spends $3.4 million on a private Super Bowl party, and tens of millions each year on golf — all from taxpayer money.

You are correct that the impeachment was an ugly chapter. It was and will remain so forever in our history. Yes, the wonderful local projects you boast about are important to First District residents. However, while you may not think it important, do not think for a minute that what Trump (and the GOP) is doing to our democratic principles and processes is not important to us. It is of utmost importance.

Our very existence as a democratic nation is at risk.

Northern Express Weekly is published by Eyes Only Media, LLC. Publisher: Luke Haase 135 W. State St. Traverse City, MI 49684 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 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, Alex Tank Kristi Kates, Meg Weichman, Janice Binkert Al Parker, Craig Manning, Bill O. Smith 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.

Peter Raphael, Maple City

Northern Express Weekly • february 17 2020 • 3

this week’s

top ten Giant Hog Spotted Throughout Region

No, it wasn’t some new mutation of an invasive species that was seen rolling down the roads of northern Lower Michigan recently. It was an 18foot, 800-pound hog, made of rebar and hardened spray foam insulation, to protest attempts by lobbyists and state legislators to end Michigan’s term limits.

“The pig symbolizes the gluttonous attempt by the Michigan legislature to keep feeding at the public trough on the taxpayer dime,” said giant pig handler Jeff Tillman in a press release about the media stunt.

Tillman is state coordinator of a group called Don’t Touch Term Limits.

Tillman said he is concerned about a lawsuit filed in November by former legislators and lobbyists that seeks to overturn term limits in Michigan.

“We want politicians to know the people of Michigan love our term limits,” he said, citing a recent poll that found 69 percent of voter oppose removing the limits.

The giant pig spent Feb. 11 traveling the region, stopping first in Traverse City, then in Charlevoix, Petoskey, and Indian River.

2

the tap pack Inspired by the “Rat Pack,” The Tap Pack is a high energy, tap comedy show featuring five of Australia’s finest young tap dancers. They bring cool classics with a fresh twist to Corson Auditorium, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Sat., Feb. 22 at 7:30pm. $42 pit, $37 orchestra. tickets.interlochen.org

4

Where was your last great biscuit moment? Somewhere south of here would be a reasonable guess. Now you can simply head to Suttons Bay to have a memorable, potentially addictive biscuit experience close to home. Next door to Mundo’s coffee shop, Alicia Manson and Lyndsey Egli of Gold Baby Biscuits are taking a modern tack on the Southern classic with satisfying flavor and delicate texture. Each biscuit is fluffy, miraculously moist, and, of course, golden.

These two transplants from Chicago expertly pair fresh-baked biscuits with the perfect toppings.

Tradition pointed us to the biscuit with butter and jam, a combo with subtle saltiness and fruity sweetness. For a savory take, we opted for the Lil’ Zipper (shown above), a sandwich layered with scrambled egg, white cheddar, and aromatic basil mayo on an “everything biscuit”, a seeded revelation so creative yet logical, you’ll wish you’d invented it. Winter hours are lean, so check online and plan ahead for your take-out action. Careful: You might just get hooked on the best biscuit in northern Michigan. Seek out Gold Baby Biscuits at 206 N. Saint Joseph St. in Suttons Bay. www.goldbabybiscuits.com

4 • february 17, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly

next in fashion

For those who think that after 18 seasons (and even a return to Bravo) reality heavyweight Project Runway has lost its luster, there’s a new fashion design competition show that truly reinvigorates the format.

Hosted by eternal cool girl Alexa Chung and Queer Eye breakout Tan France, the show brings together established pros, with legit credentials from around the world to compete for a $250K in cash prizes. And the difference in talent level really shines through, with contestants serving up some serious looks in both menswear and womenswear. The focus here is truly on the fashion and not petty drama, with insightful exchanges between hosts and contestants. But don’t worry, even without trumped-up reality conflict, there are plenty of highly watchable personalities you’ll be rooting for. Streaming on Netflix.

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Environmental Nominations Wanted

Know someone who has been dedicated to an environmental cause in the past year?

The Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council would like to hear about it.

They’re looking for nominations for their annual Environmentalist of the Year event.

Nominations can be submitted in the following categories: student, educator, grassroots group, journalism & communications, business, public service or public office, professional, volunteer, general and agriculture.

NMEAC will hold its 32nd Annual Environmentalist of the Year Awards and Celebration on Friday, April 24 from 5:30 to 9pm at the Dennos Museum and Milliken Auditorium. The guest speaker will be Bryan Newland, tribal chairman of the Bay Mills Indian Community, and music will be provided by Seth Bernard.

Nominations can be made at www.nmeac.org.

Stone Hound Brewing

Stuff we love HGTV’s Possible Takeover of a Northern Town Bear Lake and Manistee are competing but rooting for each other as well. Both are among the cities vying for a place on an upcoming series, Home Town Takeover, a six-episode special event slated to air on HGTV in 2021. The series will follow Ben and Erin Napier, the hosts of the network’s hit show Hometown, as they lead a crew to renovate and restore a downtown. Both Manistee County cities submitted entries, including photos, videos, and documentation about their history, charm, and need for some TLC. Kathryn Kenny, the executive director of the Manistee Visitors Bureau, said the CVB worked to help both entities with their pitches. “We have lots of drone video and photos. Bear Lake is one of our coastal communities, and we’re always willing to help,” she said. The materials submitted were chosen to tell the story of the towns’ history and how they are both striving to keep their historic charm yet remain vital.

Craft beer is coming back to Acme.

Ever since Bravo Zulu Brewing closed its doors in 2016, Grand Traverse County’s east side beer drinkers have been left high and dry. That drought will end this spring thanks to Stone Hound Brewing Company, a new brewery slated to set up shop in the building previously occupied by Acme Coin Laundry at 3593 Bunker Hill Rd. Brent Faber, the founder and owner of Stone Hound, says the goal is to have the brewery open by April — though he notes that May “might be more realistic depending on how quickly the buildout goes.” In the meantime, lifetime mug club memberships are for sale now at stonehoundbrewing. com. Each $150 membership will include a members-only glass, discounts on growlers and growler re-fills, early access to special releases and events, discounts on Stone Hound merchandise, pint discounts on member’s nights and more. Faber also says that 10% of all lifetime membership purchases will be donated to Norte, TART and the Northern Michigan Mountain Bike Association.

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Bottoms up Bier’s Inwood Brewery Updraft A few miles south of Charlevoix on US-31, Bier Art Gallery’s red schoolhouse entices travelers with the promise of northern Michigan art. Those who are more beverage-attuned, however, might glimpse a simple painted sign pointing the way to Bier’s Inwood Brewery.

Tyler and Anna Bier opened the brewery in 2018, just a stone’s throw from the gallery. The renovated farmhouse interior is bright and thoughtfully planned. Large windows reveal Lake Michigan to the west and an orchard valley to the east. Charming owls hide inside a custom backsplash behind the taps. And the beer choices … ? As varied as the sights. There were 10 styles represented on our visit, from classic American IPAs (Wobbly Pot & Bell Ringer) to a gently tangy Berliner Weise (SauerBier) to a chocolaty Porter with a touch of coconut (Raven). Our pick is Updraft, a Scottish Export Ale at 6% ABV. It’s deep amber in color and robust with roasty malt notes, well suited to the season’s pervasive slate-grey skies. For a bite while you sip, Bier’s bakes up pizzas sourced from Charlevoix’s Flour Girl, as well as chips and salsa from Lynda’s Tacos. The brewery hosts live music most weekends. Visit this winter for the windswept serenity; return in summertime for refreshment on the ample lawn overlooking Lake Michigan. Find the fresh beer and views at 17959 Ferry Road, just south of Charlevoix. www.biersinwoodbrewery.com, 231-675-7632

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Northern Express Weekly • february 17 2020 • 5

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Kalkaska County is now a Second Amendment sanctuary county. Gun owners there will now be safe from an intrusive government and so-called red flag laws, universal background checks, and prohibitions against semi-automatic long guns and high-capacity magazines.

As a bonus, their declaration says their county prosecutor has the discretion to simply ignore any such unconstitutional laws.

Except none of that exists. Michigan has no red flag law, there are no universal background checks, and no prohibition against so-called assault rifles. So Kalkaska County Commissioners have taken a bold stand against ... nothing.

What has made Kalkaska gun-rights advocates so paranoid they believe a declaration protecting them from rules that don’t exist is required?

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Though the numbers fluctuate depending on what weapon was used in the latest mass shooting, about 60 percent of American support such a ban. Both New York and Connecticut have passed statewide bans, and federal appellate courts have upheld both.

In the case District of Colombia v. Heller, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that private gun ownership, absent militia membership, was protected by the Second Amendment. But they left the door wide open for Congress or individual states to create restrictions on most everything other than an outright ban.

What has made Kalkaska gun-rights advocates so paranoid they believe a declaration protecting them from rules that don’t exist is required?

THURSDAY

FRIDAY FISH FRY

We once had a ban on so-called assault weapons, those long guns cosmetically designed to look like military weapons. From 1994 through 2004, the sale of both the weapons and high-capacity magazines were outlawed, bans never overturned by the courts. The George W. Bush administration and Congress allowed the law to expire.

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6 • february 17, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly

Red flag laws, also known as extreme risk protection orders (ERPO), allow police, or in some states, family members or other members of the public, to petition a state court to temporarily remove firearms from someone that court deems a danger to themselves or others. Currently, 17 states and the District of Colombia have such laws, though each is slightly different.

The weapons can be removed briefly or for up to a year. Thousands of such orders have already been issued in states with the laws. They popped up in response to our epidemic of mass shootings, a problem those orders don’t actually resolve. It is far more likely to be used when someone is threatening suicide — nearly 60 percent of gun deaths are suicides — or in domestic violence situations. The idea is to remove weapons while someone gets the counseling they need.

According APM Research, about 77 percent of the country support or strongly support such laws. Federal district courts in both Indiana and Connecticut have ruled the laws constitutional though no case has yet made it to the appellate level, much less the Supreme Court.

Universal background checks try to weed out potential gun owners with histories of behavioral and mental health issues, or most felony convictions. According to both the Gallop Poll and Pew Research, support for such background checks hovers at or near 90 percent.

Gun dealers already have to submit gun ownership applications to the FBI for background checks, but Congress, always fearful of the National Rifle Association, has failed to act on several attempts to expand that to include gun shows and individual sales.

Since then, our top court has refused to even hear any case involving anything but handguns, allowing lower court rulings that uphold restrictions to stand. There is no constitutional prohibition, at least so far, against restricting the kinds of weapons, magazines, or ammunition individuals can use.

That’s the real point: The federal courts get to decide what is constitutional and what is not.

County commissions aren’t really in a position to make such a decision, nor are individuals who are positive they get to decide, a position ironically far outside the actual Constitution.

We give law enforcement significant discretion to do their jobs — maybe we’ll get a ticket, or maybe we’ll just get a warning. Maybe they’ll pull over that car that slowly rolled through the stop sign, or maybe they’ll let it go.

Likewise, prosecutors have significant discretion as to whether or not you’ll be charged with a crime and what crime that might be.

Plea bargains, also part of prosecutorial discretion, are common practice, lest the entire judicial system becomes impossibly unwieldy.

But neither law enforcement nor prosecutors nor individual citizens ultimately get to decide what’s constitutional. We leave that decision to the judiciary and, ultimately, the Supreme Court. If Michigan, or any other state, passes red flag, background check, or assault weapon laws, and the Supreme Court rules them to be constitutional, then they are, and we rightfully expect those laws to be enforced. (Yes, the same holds true for immigration laws.)

If those who are sworn to uphold the law, or take an oath to defend the Constitution, find themselves unable to do so, they should resign. Self-proclaimed constitutional experts don’t get to overrule our federal courts.

Crime & Rescue POLICE: MAN STEALS HOUSE A Metro Detroit man is accused of moving into an unoccupied seasonal cottage in Charlevoix County, changing the locks, putting up a new mailbox, and making himself at home.

When the downstate owner received an alert that someone might have entered her Bay Township property, she called police, and Charlevoix County Sheriff’s deputies checked on the place.

There, they arrested 55-year-old Jeffrey Donius on a home invasion charge. Deputies said Donius had moved most of the owner’s belongings outside and had also cased other properties in the area. They also said they recovered some stolen property and suspect that Donius may be responsible for another break-in in Evangeline Township.

Anyone who suspects they might have been a victim in the case should call the department at (231) 547-4461.

INMATE DIES OF SUICIDE A Traverse City man who hung himself in the Benzie County jail died several days later in the hospital.

The 41-year-old had been arrested on a probation violation Feb. 5 in Grand Traverse County and was taken to jail in Benzie County.

During a regular cell check, at 8:42pm Feb. 8, corrections officers found him hanging in his cell. They immediately began life saving measures, including CPR, and he was rushed to Munson Medical Center by Benzie County EMS. Sheriff Ted Schendel said in a press release that the incident would be investigated by the Michigan Sheriff’s Association Mission Team.

FOUR HURT IN SNOWMOBILE PILEUP Four people were injured when a group of snowmobiles crashed into a trailgrooming tractor.

The crash happened on Kalkaska Snowmobile Trail 76 along Six Point Road just after noon Feb. 8.

The chain-reaction crash happened when the lead snowmobile in the group crested a hill and was unable to stop before colliding with an oncoming tractor, which was grooming the trail, Kalkaska County Sheriff Patrick Whiteford said.

That snowmobiler was ejected. A second driver was able to get off if his snowmobile before impact, but he was struck by a third, which left him pinned. A fourth snowmobile crashed into the pileup.

The four riders — all Ohio residents were taken to Munson Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

MACHETE THREAT LEADS TO JAIL A Benzonia man was arrested for allegedly threatening his girlfriend with a machete.

Cole Dale Porter, 40, faces charges of felonious assault and domestic violence in Benzie County following an investigation by the Michigan State Police.

Troopers were dispatched to a welfare check on Ash Street in Benzonia at 3am Feb. 2 after a woman texted a friend to say that her boyfriend had threatened to kill her. The woman, who was not injured, told police that she and Porter had argued, and that he threatened her with a machete.

Porter had left the residence, but he returned during the investigation and was arrested, according to a press release.

by patrick sullivan psullivan@northernexpress.com

TWO ARRESTED IN LSD CASE Police made two arrests following a nine-month investigation into LSD trafficking in Gaylord.

Officers from Straits Area Narcotics Enforcement said in a press release that they noticed an increase in the availability of the drug over the past year.

That prompted an investigation, which led to the arrest of two 23-year-old suspects Feb. 6 in Gaylord — Marcus Tyler-Layne Clark and Hailey Elizabeth Dahlstrom. Clark faces charges of delivery of LSD and Dahlstrom is charged with possession of Adderall and possession of LSD. Investigators said the case has links to Leelanau County, where officers from Traverse Narcotics Team executed a search warrant at the home of a suspect at the same time as Clark and Dahlstrom were arrested in Gaylord.

TWO JAILED FOR METH Police got a tip about someone dealing methamphetamine, made a traffic stop, and arrested two men on drug charges.

The Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s interdiction team got a tip Feb. 6 about a 37-yearold South Boardman man who was believed to be dealing the drug in Garfield Township; deputies said they learned that he would be the passenger in a car driven by a 56-year-old South Boardman man whose license was suspended.

Deputies stopped that vehicle on M-72 in Whitewater Township and a search turned up two baggies believed to contain meth and Suboxone. Both suspects were arrested on charges of possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine.

Sheriff Dale Clarmont said in a press release that investigators learned that Jullette was familiar with the trailer and knew that it would be uninhabited; when police checked on the property, they found Jullette’s vehicle and footprints in the snow.

Police had been searching for Jullette for most of the day; deputies had been called to a home in Inverness Township at 2am that morning to investigate an attempted murder that Clarmont described as “family related.”

Deputies learned that the suspect, a 30-yearold Cedar man, had called a female friend to ask for a ride and that when she arrived, he asked her to stay and pretend that she was the driver who had crashed.

Deputies tracked down the suspect in Centerville Township about an hour later and arrested him. He faces charges of leaving the scene of a crash and driving on a suspended license and he could face more penalties for violating his probation.

MAN FLEES CRASH, GETS ARRESTED Leelanau County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a man who they said crashed his car while he was drunk and attempted to get a female friend to claim she was the driver.

Deputies responded to the crash Feb. 12 at just before 10pm at the intersection of Maple City and East Valley roads in Kasson Township Someone called 911 to report that the driver in the crash had been drinking and fled the scene.

emmet cheboygan

ATTEMPTED MURDER SUSPECT JAILED A 54-year-old Cheboygan man was arrested for attempted murder following a manhunt.

Cheboygan County Sheriff’s deputies and the Michigan State Police Emergency Response Team arrested David Roger Jullette ll at 7pm Feb. 10 in an abandoned trailer where he was hiding.

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Leelanau

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missaukee

crawfor D

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Northern Express Weekly • february 17 2020 • 7

ZONING AND ITS TIE TO THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING SHORTAGE opinion

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Two Republican leaders and two Democratic officials put their heads together to form a joint task force with the goal of fostering better outcomes for those in the criminal justice system and for the communities in which they live. A diverse group, including conservative think tank the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, members recently found themselves in rare agreement on some critical reforms for local jails, along with new guidelines on pretrial incarceration. Other stakeholders include all three branches of government, the Michigan Association of Counties, and the Michigan Sheriffs Association.

Michigan, like many states, has experienced a “law and order” policy shift that has resulted in unnecessary and harmful over-incarceration, particularly for minor nonviolent crimes.

Prosecutors have been abusing their powers to lock up people who have yet to have their day in court — a practice that can destroy the life of a defendant.

Michigan’s Chief Supreme Court Justice and task force member, Bridget McCormack, explained the need for reform this way: “Even short stays in jail can actually increase recidivism, so we learned about our jail population. There’s this large number of people who are cycling through our jails for short stays, maybe a day, three days, a week, but long enough to disrupt their lives.

You can lose your job, you can lose your kids, in a couple of days in jail.”

Some of the offenses are so minor it’s shocking to find the defendants behind bars. In 2018, the third most common reason for lockup in Michigan was driving without a license.

The Prison Policy Institute finds that, nationally, approximately 70 percent of people in local holding facilities are not convicted of any crime.

They are held at a tax payer price tag of about a half-billion dollars. But the larger cost has been hiding in plain sight: communities pay by breaking individuals and their families.

The task force found that county jails impact many more Michigan residents than state prisons, often with poor outcomes. They concluded that jail time translates into increased criminal activity. Incarceration of a parent has a deeply detrimental impact on children, and the resulting problems bleed over into the community through school systems and child services programs.

Michigan jail populations have exploded in recent years, even though crime in the state is at a 50-year low. In short, we are locking up too many of our citizens.

The courts are slowly coming around to a more vigorous support of the basic constitutional protection of due process. As it stands now, petty crime is a rich man’s game. Too often, the key deciding factor in whether a defendant serves time is his or her ability to pay court costs. There is no get-out-of-jail-free card, but both the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments offer protections that would consider court costs a means test — a violation of due process.

8 • february 17, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly

Unfortunately, Michigan provides a poverty of guidelines for incarceration, both pretrial

and post-conviction, leaving prosecutors and judges to make sentencing seem arbitrary, biased, and capricious as it varies from court to court and judge to judge.

Additionally, local jails, especially in rural areas, lack the resources to recognize and deal with the estimated 25 percent of inmates suffering from mental health issues.

The task force offered a robust set of recommendations.

At the top of their list is to stop suspending and revoking driver’s licenses over offenses not related to safe driving and to make most trafficrelated violations a civil infraction instead of criminal. The loss of license can lead to loss of employment. Also important: refraining from automatically arresting people for minor warrants and offenses that could be better handled through other means. The task force also advocates for a more proactive training process of law enforcement professionals on mental health issues. They recommend an increased use of pretrial release on personal recognizance bonds.

While they want to ensure speedy trials, dockets may struggle to keep up. The recommendation would still allow the court up to 18 months to provide due process, but with fewer people being processed in the courts, wait times might decrease.

Some other suggestions include establishing more reasonable probation and parole guidelines that will forestall reincarceration over technical violations, such as missing an appointment. The task force also wants local courts to reduce fines based on ability to pay.

They want to see that those serving time are free from the financial burden of paying for their own incarceration. That concept may rub many the wrong way, but poverty can be very expensive — keeping otherwise productive community members in what is effectively a debtor’s prison, serving time well beyond the original sentence.

The task force did not appear to address the serious problem of coerced plea bargains in which defendants are offered deals to cop a guilty plea in return for a lesser sentence.

Again, this goes back to the due process issue; plea deals are typically offered to defendants of scarce financial means. The offers come right on the heels of an arrest — before the pretrial discovery process is even started. That means public defenders are often put in the position of cutting a deal for a defendant who might not even be guilty.

Nationally, 95 percent of defendants accept the extortative plea offer, even though among those who go to trial, 49 percent of accused are exonerated in manslaughter cases, and 66 percent are cleared of drug charges. We are locking up innocent people.

We still have more work to do.

Amy Kerr Hardin is a retired banker, regionally known artist, and public-policy wonk. You can hear and learn more about the state of Michigan politics on her podcast, www.MichiganPolicast.com.

Annals of Hygiene The Times of India reports that Soni Devi, 20, of Vaishali district, petitioned the state women’s commission on Jan. 9 for divorce from her husband of two years, Manish Ram, 23, complaining, “My husband stinks as he won’t shave and bathe for nearly 10 days at a stretch.

Moreover, he doesn’t brush his teeth. He also doesn’t have manners and follow etiquette. ...

Kindly get me rid of this man; he has ruined my life.” Commission member Pratima Sinha told the Times, “I was taken aback by her silly reasons,” but nonetheless, the commission will give the husband “two months’ time to mend his ways. If his behavior is not found satisfactory even after that, we will ... refer the matter to the family court for separation.”

Manish reportedly promised to mend his ways.

Irony Sauntore Thomas, 44, of Detroit, presented three checks at his bank on Jan. 21 that he had received as settlement in a race discrimination lawsuit against his former employer, according to the Detroit Free Press. Instead of accepting the checks, TCF Bank in Livonia, where Thomas was an established customer, summoned police and initiated a fraud investigation. Thomas’ attorney, Deborah Gordon, told the Free Press, “Obviously, assumptions were made the minute he walked in based on his race.” Thomas finally closed his existing accounts, left the bank and deposited the checks at a different bank without any trouble. The next day, Thomas filed a lawsuit against TCF Bank alleging race discrimination and asking for unspecified damages and an apology from the company.

Overreaction The moral of this story: Don’t hog the bacon.

Gregory Seipel, 47, of Ludlow Falls, Ohio, was arrested on Jan. 30 after being accused of attacking a man with a knife during an argument over bacon, WHIO-TV reported. The unnamed victim told Miami County Sheriff ’s officers he had made bacon that morning for breakfast, and Seipel took issue with the amount he had eaten. The argument escalated until Seipel allegedly grabbed the victim by the back of the head and held a razor blade to his neck, cutting him. Seipel was charged with felonious assault and was held on $50,000 bond.

Valentine’s Greetings If you’d like to get a special gift for an ex this Valentine’s Day, Centre Wildlife Care in Port Matilda, Pennsylvania, has just the thing. In exchange for a donation to a fund for restoring local bat populations, the rescue organization will name a mealworm after your ex, and Betsy the large brown bat will eat it. Donate more than $45, and you’ll receive a personalized video of Betsy devouring the treat. “Essentially, people will be naming the mealworms after someone they don’t like,” Executive Director Robyn Graboski told WTAJ, “and we will feed them to the bat.”

If you have lifetime commitment on your mind this Valentine’s Day, Domino’s Australia wants to help out. The pizza chain announced a contest on Feb. 3 in which the winner will receive a diamond-encrusted engagement ring in the shape of a pizza slice worth $9,000, Fox News reported. Fans can enter with a 30-second video detailing “how you will involve pizza in your proposal,” according to the company. Good luck!

Life Imitates a TV Drama Two chemistry professors at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, were

formally charged on Feb. 3 with manufacturing methamphetamines and possession, KTHV reported. Terry David Bateman, 45, and Bradley Allen Rowland, 40, both associate professors, were arrested on Nov. 15 and had been on administrative leave since Oct. 11, after the science center on campus was closed because of a chemical odor. It reopened on Oct. 29 after testing, but in the meantime, according to court documents, faculty members reported to the Clark County Sheriff ’s Office the two were acting in a way that indicated “these persons were involved in some type of illegal activity.” The suspects had also lost weight and were “extremely guarded” about who was in their laboratories and when. (Should have sprung for the RV.) Unintended Consequences In the fall of 2018, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement launched Fortify Florida, an app intended for students to anonymously report suspicious activity. Since then, more than 6,000 tips have been received statewide, but school officials are feeling mostly frustration, reports WFTS in Tampa. Indian River County Superintendent Dr. David Moore said students will “talk about the flavor of the food in the cafeteria.” Pasco Superintendent Kurt Browning said, “The number of kids entering bogus tips is consuming a great deal of resources. ... There’s a coyote in my front yard,” was one example.

Indian River Country authorities spent hours investigating a report of a student planning to shoot up a high school, only to find out it was a revenge report for a recent breakup. Florida lawmakers are considering a bill to allow authorities to track tipsters’ IP addresses and prosecute those who submit false information.

Compelling Explanation Ottawa, Ontario, businessman Bruce McConville, 55, who ran for mayor in the last election with a tough-on-crime platform, has gone to great lengths to avoid paying his ex-wife the spousal and child support he was ordered by the court to provide. The Ottawa Citizen reports McConville has long defied several court orders involving his finances, finally telling Superior Court Justice Kevin Phillips he withdrew over $1 million (Canadian) from six bank accounts, but he no longer had the cash.

“I burnt it,” he told the incredulous judge, who replied, “I don’t believe you, I don’t trust you, I don’t think you’re honest,” and on Jan. 28 sentenced McConville to 30 days in jail, after which he’ll face penalties of $2,000 for each day he fails to provide a full account of his finances, including where the $1 million-plus in cash is.

The fines will be paid directly to his ex-wife.

“You cannot thumb your nose at the court as you have done,” Phillips warned.

Inexplicable David Baird of Yukon, Oklahoma, took up arms against his neighbor, John Stafford, after Stafford went on a bizarrely violent rant on Feb. 5, KFOR reported. Stafford assaulted the neighborhood for 12 hours, throwing feces into the Bairds’ yard and trying to break down a fence using a Roomba vacuum cleaner. As he and his family took shelter in their home, Baird warned Stafford: “If you break through this fence, I will have to shoot you.” Finally the bomb squad and SWAT team were called in, and Stafford barricaded himself inside his home, making six calls to 911 during the ordeal. “I am going to run you guys into the f-ing ground,” he said during one. “OK, have a nice night,” the dispatcher replied. Eventually officers released cans of pepper spray to budge Stafford from his house. He was charged with planning an act of violence.

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1120 CARVER STREET, TRAVERSE CITY 231 946-0789 Northern Express Weekly • february 17 2020 • 9

STRUGGLES OF A MOM AND POP

POT-SHOP OWNER A veteran marijuana dispensary owner talks about how the industry has changed over the years and the challenges he faces today.

By Patrick Sullivan Stephen Ezell has been in the legal pot business as long as than just about anyone in northern Michigan. He’s lived through the awkward, clumsy legalization of, first, medical and then, recreational marijuana.

Ezell said that his business, Interlochen Alternative Health — a medical marijuana dispensary Ezell hopes to one day be licensed to sell recreational marijuana — survives a regulatory system that favors big business over mom and pop stores like his, which he runs with his wife, Barbara, and son, Jordan.

Northern Express sat down with Ezell to talk about the evolution of the marijuana business and about how a small-time operator like himself can manage to survive.

Northern Express: You’ve been in the marijuana business longer than a lot of people.

Stephen Ezell: I was one of the original

people who got involved in it in Traverse City, yes. I’ve been involved in it since 2010.

Express: How did you get into it?

Ezell: My wife and I moved up here — we were from northwest Indiana — and we moved up here and were living in Acme when my wife came down with ovarian cancer. She discovered a little lump. They did a biopsy, and it was malignant. Right away she had to go to University of Michigan for surgery, and they set it up so she would get her chemo treatment up here. We were living by some people that were medical marijuana patients — it was kind of early in the program; it started in ’08 — and it kind of piqued my curiosity, so I started doing some research. When you’re confronted with a situation like that, you’re pretty much willing to try anything.

Express: And you found out that marijuana could help your wife …

10 • february 17, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly

Ezell: I was able to track down some gummies, some medicated candies. She had already been through three or four chemo treatments. She would come home and be fatigued, nauseous, and she’d basically just have to lay around for a day, and the next day she’d feel a little bit better, and in about three days she’d be fine. So, I started giving her one of the gummies — each one was 50mg of a combination of THC and CBD. I saw a dramatic improvement in a matter of three weeks. Literally, I would pick her up and take her home, and she would mow the lawn, or I’d drop her off at Meijer’s to go shopping.

People can say whatever they want to say.

I’ve heard hundreds of naysayers. But I’ve seen it; they can’t convince me otherwise.

Express: And from there you decided to go into business?

Ezell: Back in ’09 or early 2010, there was a group that met once a week in Traverse City called the Grand Traverse

Compassion Connection. I started attending the meetings, and I met a bunch of people in the industry. I saw an opportunity to get into business. I was actually contemplating doing it with another person, but they had a criminal record. I used to work for the U.S. Postal Service, and I retired after 40 years — never been arrested, had a clean record.

Finally, it just became clear: Why don’t I just do it myself? And so that’s what I did. We opened a dispensary in Traverse City, and we were there for about a year, and we also had one in Acme. And then we were shut down.

They came in and shut everything down.

Express: The marijuana industry was kind of getting mixed messages from the state in those days.

Ezell: It’s been that way, and it still is.

They were saying we were operating — in a legal gray area, they called it. The marijuana act had passed back in ’08, but there was no provision within the act to allow for

dispensaries or brick-and-mortar stores.

The original program was what they called a “caregiver” program — which meant you could be a caregiver and have up to five patients — but there still was no provision, in their eyes, for a brick-and-mortar store.

Express: Under that interpretation of the law, there never seemed to be a means of getting the drug into the hands of the medical marijuana patients who needed it.

Ezell: Well, it worked in other parts of the state, I’ll put it that way.

Express: It depended on what the local authorities wanted to do.

Ezell: Exactly. That’s what it all came down to. Whatever county you were in, if the prosecutor in that county wanted to turn his blind eye to it, they allowed them to flourish, and if the prosecutor in your county was opposed to it, they would issue cease and desist letters and shut everything down. That was ultimately what happened.

Express: So, your first businesses got shut down. But that wasn’t the end of it.

Ezell: Another year or two went by, and I was starting to get more actively involved again, and there was no place available in Traverse City, and so I came out here to Green Lake Township. My wife’s a big fan of Bud’s Coffee Shop [an eatery located in Interlochen]. I met the Green Lake Township zoning administrator, and I went in and talked to her about the possibility of doing it here, and she went into her file cabinet and pulled a letter from the township attorney that said it was in a gray area, so you could not operate a dispensary in Green Lake Township. So that was that. And then, I’d say maybe a few weeks later, I was at Bud’s, and the zoning administrator happened to be walking out, and I waved at her, and she came over the car and said, “Stop into my office. I’ve got something you might be interested in.” And she said the township attorney had softened his stance on the marijuana thing.

Express: So that’s how you ended up in this location in Interlochen, next to what used to be Ric’s grocery store. When did that happen?

Express: This was around the time when the state recognized the caregiver system was not working, and they tried to make accommodations for people like you …

took a calculated risk and put in our $5,000 [application fee].

Ezell: Yes. It was the Marijuana Facilities Licensing Act, which was passed, I want to say, in late 2016. And that cleared up all the gray area. And so, we went through the whole licensing process. It took forever. Expensive as hell. Every time you turned around there was a $6,000 non-refundable application fee to the state. You had to hire a lawyer.

You had to hire a CPA to do a capitalization background check on you. Everything. Only my wife and I were on the application, so it couldn’t have been simpler — but 933 pages is what we submitted to the state. And it took them forever to review it all. Ultimately, you go before a board. We passed four to one — one naysayer on there. That gets you to step two. Step two is when you actually have your facility. They walk through and tell you you’ve got to do this, you’ve got to have security, you’ve got to add cameras. Fire alarms. We’ve got 920 square feet here, and we’ve got 16 cameras. We were jumping through all those hoops. And we finally got everything up to snuff, and they finally issued our license on Dec. 4, 2019, only to find out at that point in time, there was no weed available. [Because there were few licensed growers.]

Ezell: And on the day of the drawing, there were 72 [applicants]. The way it was explained to us was that somebody threatened them with a lawsuit or something, and so they changed right in midstream and allowed multiple applicants per address. And we were there the day of the drawing, and that place over on Garfield, The Cured Leaf, they had at least six or eight applications for that address alone. So, we went from 38 percent chance down to about a 14 percent chance.

Express: So that was over two years that you were shut down. How do you get supplied now?

Ezell: We can only buy from licensed growers. They are throughout the state. I don’t even know them. There’s a website you can go on. It’s all got to be tested. That’s $500. Then you’ve got to pay to have it brought from point A to point B by a third-party secured transporter — that’s another $500. And basically, when we got that license, I made 30 phone calls before I was able to track down anything.

Express: How is it going now?

Ezell: It’s gotten better. And it will continue to get better, because there are more licensed growers that are up and running.

Express: That was quite a struggle to go through just to be able to reopen your business. What do you think of the way Traverse City has approached medical marijuana under the new rules?

Ezell: That was in 2013. I started looking and happened to find this place here that is owned by Brad Oleson, the Oleson Corporation, and so when I broached the subject, he said, “Well, we’re a corporation, we meet once a week, and I’ve got to run it by the old man.” He said he didn’t think so, but he’d try. A week later I get a call from Brad, and he’s laughing. He said, “I brought it up, and the old man thought it was funny as hell.” He said go for it. I signed a lease, and we opened up here probably a month or so later.

Ezell: They had their whole lottery thing.

It was a disaster. Traverse City, as long as I’ve been up here, has always promoted ‘buy local, shop local,’ blah, blah, blah. And basically, they gave away 13 very valuable licenses, and all 13 went to people from outside the area. I felt I was just as qualified as anybody, but it was a lottery, and they draw names out of a hat, essentially.

Express: But that wasn’t the end of your troubles.

Ezell: Correct. And I understand the whole lottery thing, and I don’t mean to make it sound like sour grapes, but here’s the part that bugged me — we went to the city hall, and we spoke to an assistant city clerk, and she told us, me and my attorney, that they were going to allow one applicant per address. So, let’s say for example there’s 709 Garfield [Avenue]. that’s in qualifying zoning — they would only allow one application with that address. So we sat down with a prominent realtor in Traverse City and scoured the zoning map and determined that there was 35 or 36 potential locations.

Now they’re going to give out 13 licenses.

Thirteen out of 36, that’s 38 percent, so we

Ezell: We opened in May of 2013. And we operated until October of ’17 — four and a half years. And one afternoon on a quiet day like today, they walked in. Six or eight cops, and they had a cease and desist letter. And basically, their statement was, “If you guys want to operate, you’re going to have to go through the state licensing process.” And so that’s what we did. We started getting our application together, and it was so complex. I was naive and thought I’d be able to do it myself. In reality I ended up having to hire a lawyer, and it cost me $20,000 just to get the application in.

Express: Your name was in the hat, but you didn’t get drawn?

Express: $5,000 is a lot of money.

Express: It sounds like you don’t think the marijuana rules are set up so a little guy — a mom and pop store – can succeed.

Ezell: In Traverse City, we were looking for a qualified location. There were [betterfunded-out-of-town] that were going around, they were using realtors, and let’s say you had a piece of property that qualified, and let’s say you were wanting to sell it for $300,000.

The [others] were coming by and offering $500,000. They were bumping up prices. It was unbelievable. And there’s numerous examples of that. And a lot of those people who bought property or signed lease agreements at those elevated rates didn’t get licenses either. Who can do that? Keep in mind: Every marijuana place downstate operated from day one and were never shut down. So, if they had a dispensary in Ann Arbor or a dispensary in Ferndale, they’ve been making money since day one. Are they not at the advantage when they can come up here with a suitcase full of cash and bump up the prices? And that’s exactly what happened.

Express: So, despite your concern that the system is rigged against the little guy, you feel like you’re in a pretty good position right now?

Ezell: I do feel like I’m in a good position, and I feel like I’ve earned this position. I haven’t bought this position, do you know what I’m saying? I mean, we did our due diligence. I never operated for a minute without local permission. We’re going to be successful, we’re going to deal with Green Lake Township, we’re not going to hire lobbyists. We’re going to go in by ourselves like we always did, and we’ll get it done, and we’ll be successful here, I have no doubt whatsoever. It’s just been frustrating, getting started, and the way that it’s all played out. It’s just been a ball of confusion from the beginning. Like even right now, people come in here thinking it’s a recreational store, even with that [medical marijuana] sign on the door and that sign over there. They will actually argue with you.

Express: I guess it is hard to understand: Marijuana is legal, you’ve got it; why can’t they have it?

Ezell: I get it. Believe me, I understand that fully. And another thing that again penalizes us here in Grand Traverse County, and I’m not exaggerating, half the people that come to the store since we’ve opened, their [medical marijuana] cards have expired.

Now, if you’re a card holder in this area, and everything’s been closed for two years, why would you go renew your card? Why would you spend $200 to renew your card when there’s no place to go? Half the people that are coming in here, their cards have expired, and we can’t sell to them.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Northern Express Weekly • february 17 2020 • 11

TASTE OF INDIA One family making other families happy with their food.

While its cuisine is exotic by northern Michigan standards, Taste of India’s location — namely, the food court at Grand Traverse Mall — is quite the opposite. However, judging by the number of customers who line up daily at the ordering counter to feast on everything from Tikka Masala to Aloo Gobi, those seemingly contradictory factors have not hurt business at all.

By Janice Binkert This is a story about a restaurant, but it is much more than that. It is about family, community, positivity, and adaptability. In the end, though, it all comes back to food, which is a defining element in the heritage of Golan and Jina Rabbani, owners of the Taste of India.

And the journey that led them to northern Michigan is as intriguing as their menu.

THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY Golan and Jina Rabbani came a long way to start their new life in Traverse City — namely, more than 8,000 miles from their home in Bangladesh. Having decided that it was no longer safe to remain in their native country due to egregious human rights violations, they emigrated to New York with their young son and daughter in January 2015.

As a lawyer in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, Golan Rabbani was a leading figure in the legal sector, fighting tirelessly for an end to the ongoing human rights violations, and actively protesting against them at great personal risk. “It’s very hard for me to keep silent when I see injustice,” he said.

In addition to his law degree, Rabbani has a master’s degree in social work and was a key figure in establishing the Youth Forum, the

largest non-political organization of its kind in Bangladesh, whose main goals are employment, empowerment, and entrepreneurship for young people. And as one final move to help his community and fellow citizens before he and his family left Bangladesh, Rabbani established an orphanage in Dhaka, which now houses 120 children.

Rabbani acknowledged that leaving his homeland was very hard, “but finally, my wife and I decided that, for our son and daughter, if we wanted to give them a good life, a secure life, and a good education, we needed to go.

Here in America, I have the freedom to write, to speak out, to express my opinion, so I can still work to support the causes I believe in.

And we all can feel safe.”

But how do you go from being a human rights lawyer to a restaurateur? “In Bangladesh, we had a big house, and the whole family lived there,” said Rabbani. Not just my wife and I and our children, but my brother, my sister, and our parents. You know, our Bangladeshi culture is very family oriented — we love to be with each other. We don’t like to live individually or be isolated from each other. And food is a very important part of our culture, too. So we not only live together, we also cook together, we eat together. There is always a crowd at dinnertime, and every meal is a celebration.

We are born and brought up that way.”

12 • february 17, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly

PURSUING BEAUTY AND PURPOSE The move to Traverse City came about quite unexpectedly but seems almost to have been predestined. From their arrival point in New York, the Rabbanis made their way to Port Huron, Michigan, where Golam has a cousin. They might have ended their journey and settled there permanently if not for a friend of his cousin who showed the family “lots of beautiful photos” and told of “many wonderful things” about northwest Michigan.

“And I thought, ‘We really should go there and see this,’” said Rabbani. Besides family, food and social activism, he admits that there is something else he is passionate about: “I love beautiful places,” he said. “I am a little bit choosy, because I have visited more than 40 countries in the world, and I have seen incredible beauty in Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Morocco, Egypt — but this area is very beautiful, too. So we started looking around to see if there was any chance that I could get a job up here in social work or law.”

Rabbani applied for and received a social worker’s license from the State of Michigan and quickly found an opportunity to work with Traverse City branches of the national organization Justice for our Neighbors and the international organization Young Peacebuilders — the latter of which he worked for two years as the South Asia regional

manager. He also applied to the Michigan Bar Association to get permission to practice law, he said, but acknowledged that he’ll first need to pass two bar exams before he’s able to practice again.

“I may take the time to do that at some point,” he said, “but for now, I just felt I needed to start earning a good income right away, so I support my family and the community.”

And so, in January 2019, the Rabbani family developed another plan: their own restaurant.

WHY INDIAN CUISINE? “We researched a lot, we wrote menus, we looked for a location, and we did online surveys of local residents. To our pleasant surprise, all of the feedback was positive. Everyone surveyed wanted us to introduce an Indian restaurant here in Traverse City, and many of them even offered to help us do it.”

The decision to feature Indian instead of Bangladeshi cuisine, Rabbani explained, was because the two are virtually the same, and most people are at least somewhat familiar with Indian fare. When a vacant food court space opened up at the Grand Traverse Mall in September 2019, the Rabbanis jumped on it.

They signed the lease in October, got the key in November, and spent the next two months readying the space — cleaning, designing the

House-made Naan

Aloo Gobi

kitchen layout, buying equipment, and passing all the required inspections. On Jan. 2, 2020, Taste of India opened for business.

The menu, which is divided into meat and vegetarian categories, is displayed in brightly nuanced color photos above the ordering counter. In India, people tend to refer to many dishes as curries, but that doesn’t mean they contain curry powder as Americans know it.

For easterners, it means some combination of classic Indian spices like bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cumin, star anise, turmeric, fenugreek, and cloves (each cook has his or her own “secret” mix). And for the Rabbinis, that means going to some great lengths to craft theirs.

“We don’t have a direct import license, so we have to drive to Detroit every two weeks to buy those spices and other key Indian ingredients, because the charge for shipping the amounts we need are too high,” said Rabbani.

JUST LIKE HOME The food at Taste of India is as authentic as it can get. Everything is made in house (including the spice combinations and the naan bread) from recipes that the Rabbanis and their relatives used to cook daily in Bangladesh. And each step of the process is very time- and labor-intensive.

Butter Chicken (chicken with butter, onion, garlic, cashews, tomatoes, cream, and spices) is currently a top seller, said Rabbani, as is Aloo Gobi (a vegetarian potato and cauliflower curry).

Other selections on the menu currently include Tikka Masala (chicken with red chilis, ginger, garlic, tomato sauce and spices), Vegetable Biryani (mixed vegetables with rice and spices), Chana Masala (chickpea curry with rice), and Bangaleer Dal Vat (a very traditional lentil curry with rice and a bit of smashed potato that is, as the name suggests, actually a Bangladeshi specialty).

Samosas (savory fried pastries with a filling of potato and peas), a classic Indian appetizer, are also offered. Each “combo” box includes one curry dish as well as three or four other items, including such things as vegetables, rice, fresh naan, or chicken pakora (dusted and deep-fried chicken fritters). Note: The menu changes from time to time, so it’s best to call ahead if you have a favorite dish to make sure it is available.

Rabbani welcomes feedback from Taste of India’s customers, and the question he hears most is how “spicy” or “hot” the food is. “And I tell them, we do use a lot of spices — that is inherent to Indian cooking — but our food is more about complex flavors than heat. And for those who are concerned that the spice levels might be more than they can handle, we are happy to give them a small sample before they order. And by the way, we have a lot of mild items, too.”

THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING What the Rabbanis have created with Taste of India reflects the culture they grew up in.

“Our philosophy is: ‘One family can make other families happy with their food,’” said Golam. “I want to run this business so that it also does good for the community. What I earn, I don’t need all of it for myself or my family. I need enough to have a house and food and necessities, and for our children’s education, but the rest I want to use to help make others’ lives better.

“I could have chosen to go somewhere else in the world with my family, but I believe we came here for a reason. And we all speak English, so the transition has been easier. Also, my dream has always been for my son and daughter to have the chance to go to the best

Tikka Masala

universities in the United States — even before we had to leave Bangladesh. My wife and I want them to have the best education possible so that they can someday do something to help other people, wherever that may be in the world.”

As to the challenges of beginning a new life in a very different country and city, as well as a four-season climate, Rabbani said, with his ever-present positivity: “Traverse City is a great place to live. Ever since we moved here, we have met the most wonderful people. They are kind, friendly, and welcoming, and they have always tried to help us adapt to the culture and lifestyle here. We feel like all of our new friends are just our extended family. Granted, getting used to the northern Michigan weather was not very easy for us at the beginning, but the good thing is, both our kids are very fond of winter and snow now, and that has helped Jina and me cope with the freezing temperatures, too!”

TRAVERSE CITY

231-929-3200 • 4952 Skyview Ct.

CHARLEVOIX

231-237-0955 • 106 E. Garfield Ave.

Taste of India is located at the Grand Traverse Mall Food Court, 3200 South Airport Rd. West in Traverse City. Open 11am to 8pm Monday– Saturday and 12pm to 6pm Sunday. For more information, call (929) 346-2200 or visit tasteofindiatc.us.

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LEARNING BY DOING

While Rabbani’s background in law and social work might suggest that he had no experience in the restaurant business when he started Taste of India, that’s not actually true. “When I was president of the Youth Forum in Bangladesh, we did a lot of large events — often 300 to 400 people — and I had to manage all the food (costing, inventory, sourcing, receiving, storing), sometimes cook the food, and sometimes distribute it, too,” said Rabbani. “That was the best kind of experience, very hands-on.

If someone wanted me to do a large catering job here, I think I could handle it with no problem after doing all of that.

And we may introduce catering with Taste of India sometime in the future, but first we have to build a team for it.

Right now, it is a family business — I’m working here along with my wife, my son when he has time, my brother, my cousin Sharif Rahman, who is one of our cooks, and our other cook Brand Temple, who is local.”

Northern Express Weekly • february 17 2020 • 13

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ADD SOME SPICE TO YOUR LIFE

Northern Express Weekly • february 17 2020 • 15

Please be seated for these abbreviated versions of the restaurant reviews we’ve featured since our last RestauranTour issue. Bon Appetit!

TUCKER’S Northport Tucker’s of Northport is a big, friendly restaurant first, and a lively entertainment center second. Its namesake was a friendly, beloved golden doodle — and servers even provide special water dishes outdoors for their four-footed guests. But the original concept of Tucker’s was to offer something to do and somewhere to dine year-round for families, locals and people visiting Northport. The sports bar side of the restaurant fits the bill for entertainment, with big-screen TVs, live music, karaoke, trivia, bowling and a large arcade, while the more formal dining side of Tucker’s is separate, with an inviting fireplace. At 12,000 square feet, Tucker’s can accommodate groups and events of all types and sizes — from a quiet dinner for two to large special occasions. And their catering department handles all the details for those special events.

On the Menu: The restaurant’s menu changes twice a year, for fall/winter and spring/summer, keeping the dishes within the seasons as much as he can. Appetizers are hot tickets at Tucker’s, with many so generously sized they can almost be a meal, including items like Tucker’s house-smoked wings, Boom-Boom shrimp (lightly beerbattered and fried with a sweet and spicy sauce on the side), nachos, or whitefish dip.

Another bestseller is the chicken tenders, which are marinated in buttermilk, lightly breaded and deep fried, served with fries and ranch or barbecue dipping sauce. In the entrée category, one dish that rates high with Tucker’s guests is the Chicken Marsala; another is Thai chili-glazed salmon served with rice and vegetable stir-fry. Guests who are gluten-free, vegan, or vegetarian will also find plenty of choices on Tucker’s menu, including the Beyond Burger.

Find It: 116 South Waukazoo St., Northport, (231) 386-1603, www.tuckersnp.com.

CLAM LAKE BEER CO. Cadillac This tap house and brewery, located right on the main drag of S. Mitchell Street in downtown Cadillac, is a popular local hangout spot no matter the time or day. In the winter, it’s a goto stop for skiers and snowmobilers. In the summer, vacationers flock in to sample brews

from the establishment’s 40-tap beer list. As long as there’s sun or snow, Clam Lake Beer Co. is hopping, with its “industrial chic” aesthetic outlining the restaurant space and paying tribute to Cadillac’s history as a bluecollar industrial town. Historic local photos, blown up and printed on metal, make for a brick-and-metal aesthetic that sets the tone for the whole restaurant.

On the Menu: Beer is the core calling card of Clam Lake Beer Co. On the traditional end of the spectrum is Clam Lake’s signature beer: The 106, so named because the brewery’s address is at 106 S. Mitchell St. The 4.2 percent ABV ale most appeals to light beer drinkers, including fans of domestic standbys like Bud Light or Miller Light. Elsewhere, though, the brews skew unique and flavorful.

One example is Cinnamon Toast Crunch, a brown ale brewed using the General Mills cereal of the same name. The dishes are also inspired, including the house favorite soup, New England Clam Chowder, and avantgarde pizzas from the brick-fired pizza oven.

The pizzas, in particular, are famous among Cadillac locals for being a bit “out there,” such as the bestselling Chicken Dill Pizza. It not only includes grilled chicken, tomato, garlic aioli, and a multi-cheese blend but also adds one a hefty dose of dill pickles.

Nearly as popular is the Sausage Goat Cheese Pizza, a staple that has been on the menu since day one.

Find It: 106 S. Mitchell St., Cadillac. (231) 775-6150, www.clamlakebeerco.com THISTLE PUB AND GRILLE Thompsonville The Thistle Pub and Grille takes its name from the prickly purple thistle, which has been the national emblem of Scotland for nearly 800 years.

The Scottish themed restaurant is a nod to the heritage of Crystal Mountain’s president and CEO, Chris and Jim MacInnes.

Colorful mounted tartans and tapestries adorn the burnished wood-paneled walls of the dining room, the bar menu features a good selection of single malt Scotch whisky as well as a Scottish ale (Crystal’s Twisted Thistle), and the repeating strains of Celtic music playing in the background add to the atmosphere.

On the Menu: Scottish delicacies — those more familiar to northern Michigan diners, such as shepherd’s pie, salmon, Scotch eggs and lamb — do show up as features from

16 • february 17, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly

time to time. But the menu is primarily northern Michigan-oriented specialties.

The menu at Thistle Pub & Grille changes seasonally; the current menu is a reflection of the winter season, and includes a diverse selection of dishes like beetroot hummus; Thistle fries (with truffle butter, Parmesan cheese, and roasted garlic aioli); jumbo lump crab cake; kale and arugula salad; Thistle’s award-winning sirloin chili; and blackened pub-steak Dorsi, served with cognac beurre rouge and arugula greens.

Among the dessert offerings from Thistle’s pastry chef are Michigan apple crisp and brown butter cake. Thistle’s lunch menu is very similar, but in lieu of large entrées, there are more sandwich options.

Find It: 12500 Crystal Mountain Dr., Thompsonville (in Crystal Mountain Resort), (800) 968-7686, www. crystalmountain.com/dining.

NORTH PEAK BREWING COMPANY Traverse City Located in a historic threestory yellow brick structure that has been a landmark in Traverse City since 1904, when it was built to house the Big Daylight Candy Factory.

North Peak Brewing Company established its own place in the town’s history in 1997 when it opened as one of the town’s first microbreweries. And today, the culinary experience that its restaurant offers has advanced to a point where it is as big a draw as its craft beer. The industrial, vintage look of North Peak’s interior is underscored by exposed aluminum spiral ductwork running across its high ceilings and by its zinc bar and tabletops. The original brick walls — accentuated by special lighting — wooden doors, booths, and barstools; and tall, mullioned windows add to the distinctive atmosphere.

On the Menu: North Peak’s culinary concept was based on having food that would go well with beer, but about 50 percent of the dishes on the menu also include a beer component. Two of the most popular starters are the cheddar fondue (white cheddar cheese, brown mustard and Siren Amber Ale, accompanied by jumbo Bavarian pretzels) and the beer-steamed mussels. North Peak’s pizza dough is made with ale, and the pizzas are baked on a granite slab in a 500-degreeplus hearth oven — a technique that forms a thin, crisp crust. Perennial favorites include

the white chicken and the wild mushroom pizzas, but the Thai shrimp is rapidly gaining a loyal following among pizza lovers, too. Other menu choices include the protein bowl with quinoa, baby spinach, fresh vegetables, and feta cheese; the herbed fish and chips; and the Diabolical chicken, an ale-braised chicken with white cheddar mashers and seasonal vegetables.

Sandwiches and burgers are top picks for both lunch and dinner.

Find It: 400 West Front St., Traverse City.

(231) 941-7325, www.northpeak.net PARK STREET CAFE Traverse City The cozy Park Street Cafe is a welcome oasis for gourmet coffee drinks and highquality breakfast and lunch offerings — and it’s conveniently located right outside the west entrance of the Hardy Parking Garage, within steps of Traverse City’s main Front Street business district. The cafe is always happy to welcome customers who have time to linger, offering both table and booth seating (even an outdoor patio in summer). And for those who need to answer emails or simply want to sit and read the latest news or sports on their laptops while they sip or dine, free WiFi is available.

On the Menu: Baked goods and pastries — a Park Street Cafe specialty — are made fresh every morning. The muffins arrive in flavors like cranberry orange, blueberry, and others, as the mood strikes the cafe. Raisin scones and three different croissants — plain, dark chocolate twist, and raspberry cream cheese – are also on the menu. Currently, the most popular item in the breakfast section is the All-American burrito (choice of meat, egg, choice of cheese, potato, and a side of salsa); another recent breakfast addition that’s catching on with customers is the cafe’s take on poutine: tater tots, scrambled eggs, sausage gravy, and white cheddar cheese curds. The Frenchie (ham, brie, sliced apples, mixed greens, and strawberry fig jam on a white sub bun) is the No. 1 sandwich pick in the lunch category, with the pork, ham, and salami Cuban coming in a close second. Salads are also available, and any salad can also be made as a wrap. The cafe usually offers at least two house-made soups of the day, too.

Find It: 113 South Park St., Traverse City.

(231) 421-1747, www.parkstreetcafetc.com

THE LOCAL Elk Rapids The Local will be able to celebrate its fiveyear anniversary in 2020, after having opened in June 2015, serving a breakfast-and-lunch menu of comforting American fare in a small 42-seat diner-like setting. The Local is also the definition of a “local haunt.” While Elk Rapids sees a lot of tourist traffic during the summertime, The Local always retains a friendly atmosphere where it feels like everybody knows everybody else. The restaurant boasts a small, tight-knit staff and an environment that strives to be friendly, caring, and welcoming to all. The restaurant also boasts an open kitchen, with a window behind the bar from which staff can converse with customers even while whipping up an omelet or fixing a sandwich.

On the Menu: The Local’s menu strategy is to take familiar breakfast staples or lunch sandwiches and tweak them “just a smidge.”

Case-in-point is the restaurant’s single most popular dish: the banana bread French toast, starting with fresh-baked banana bread, serves up three substantial slices, dredged in cornflakes to create a nice crunchy outside with the warm banana bread inside. On the lunch side, look for the “Elk River,” Wentworth’s twist on the classic Reuben sandwich. The sandwich features all the trademarks of a Reuben: the shaved corned beef; the swiss cheese; the sauerkraut. But The Local’s version substitutes Russian dressing for fry sauce — a concoction of ketchup, mayo, and pickle juice — and replaces the trademark rye bread with homemade cheddar jalapeno bread. The Meguzee Point, The Local’s version of a Monte Cristo sandwich, is another popular pick.

Find It: 145 Ames St., Elk Rapids. (231) 498-2190, www.thelocalelkrapids.com OLD MISSION’S PENINSULA GRILL AND BAD DOG DELI Traverse City Located almost smackdab in the middle of Traverse City’s 19-mile-long Old Mission Peninsula, the Peninsula Grill can fairly be described as “off the beaten path” for the majority of Traverse City residents — let alone for those around northern Michigan. But the explosion of wineries on the peninsula has morphed the area into a destination for wine tours and bachelorette parties, ramping up Peninsula Grill’s day-to-day traffic, too.

In the same building as Peninsula Grill is another one of Old Mission’s most beloved culinary destinations: Bad Dog Deli. Known for its made-to-order sandwiches, which come stacked with premium ingredients like Boar’s Head deli meats and out-of-this-world chipotle mayo, Bad Dog Deli has established its own following over the years.

On the Menu: While Old Mission’s growing stock as a wine and food destination has certainly changed some things for Peninsula Grill, though, other things have stayed the same. Longstanding customer favorites — like the cherry chicken salad, the chicken penne pepper-jack soup, and the fried pita chips served with artichoke dip — have stuck around despite the restaurant’s twice-annual menu refreshes. The signature beer — the “Motorboater,” an IPA brewed in partnership with Right Brain Brewery — remains on tap.

A popular cold-weather drink is the Johnny Java, a mix of coffee, Bacardi 151 rum, Kahlua, and Godiva chocolate liqueur, topped with whipped cream and served in a sugarrimmed glass. The bartender sets the 151 on fire as part of the preparation process, making

it just as fun to watch him craft the cocktail as it is to drink it. It’s become a signature of the Peninsula Grill bar, in part because patrons will see the pyrotechnics from the dining room and request their own Johnny Java out of pure curiosity.

Find It: 14091 Center Rd., Traverse City.

(231) 223-7200, www.tcpeninsulagrill.com PALETTE BISTRO Petoskey Opened just short of a decade ago in downtown Petoskey, Palette Bistro’s ambiance is described as “casual upscale dining,” and its cuisine as “Mediterraneaninspired.” For those in a hurry, Palette is one place where they can have a good meal at lunchtime and be in and out in 30 minutes or less. The restaurant and staff also continually team up with nonprofit organizations, make donations, volunteer, support local farms and artists, and are always looking at ways to be earth friendly and sustainable, working with local purveyors whenever possible.

On the Menu: The menu’s signature dish is paella, which the kitchen prepares in both a seafood version (shrimp, scallops, mussels, house-made chorizo, peas, arborio rice, sherry, saffron, and smoked paprika) and a vegetarian version (peas, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, broccoli, arborio rice, sherry and smoked paprika). The restaurant’s salmon from John Cross Fisheries in Charlevoix also gets a Mediterranean-influenced presentation, currently leaning toward the Middle East. The restaurant also does woodfired pizzas, additionally utilizing their stone oven for a variety of different dishes, such as roast chicken and our paella. When it comes to Palette’s sweet side, there are two particular desserts that the restaurant is known for: crème brulee and cheesecake, in varying flavors. One favorite is the (gluten-free) baked chocolate pudding with butterscotch sauce.

Find It: 321 Bay St., Petoskey, (231) 3483321, www.palettebistropetoskey.com.

SUNNYSIDE Boyne City Primarily a breakfast and specialty sandwich eatery, Sunnyside (formerly the Water Street Cafe) relies on classy breakfast fare — a model that has endured the seasonal ebb and flow of hungry tourists. Seating about 65, the establishment can have very busy mornings, creating an all-hands-on-deck atmosphere; customers seem to feel at home in the 2,500-square-foot interior, where, despite golden chandeliers warmly illuminating the historic building’s gorgeous pressed tin ceiling, the fare isn’t intended to be fancy — just solid quality food served in an inviting space.

On the Menu: Hearty, rock-solid breakfast fare and tasty, creative sandwiches patrons love make up the bulk of the menu. Time-tested breakfast favorites like classic Eggs Benedict, Quiche Lorraine, buttermilk pancakes, and stuffed hash browns are all deftly prepared and served in ample portions. On Sunday mornings, the Cafe rolls out its alwayspopular breakfast buffet; those uninterested in such morning victuals may select something from the restaurant’s entire menu, all of which is available throughout the buffet hours. Lunch options put the restaurant’s specialty sandwich in the spotlight: The beefy Black Angus Patty Melt is rich with tasty Swiss cheese and savory caramelized onions.

The sandwich packs quite a punch when partnered with the homemade onion rings, the breading on which is the stuff of legend.

Find It: 113 Water St., Boyne City. (231) 497-5050, www.sunnysideboyne.com

Northern Express Weekly • february 17 2020 • 17

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note to self After retirement from Interlochen, cellist spreads his musical wings with debut album

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Crispin Campbell plays well with others.

His cello repertoire is outside the normal realm of orchestra and chamber music groups, including rock, jazz, Gypsy and classical.

In fact, his debut album, About Time, features three exemplary jazz musicians: pianist Steve Stargardt, drummer Randy Marsh and bassist Jack Dryden.

The title refers to the fact he’s long considered recording an album, but between teaching at Interlochen and performing with musicians in a variety of settings around the region and elsewhere, it just never happened.

Until now.

“I’ve been talking about doing a solo CD for 25 years,” said Campbell, a native Californian who began playing cello at age nine. “I’ve always been busy teaching and doing other things. Since leaving Interlochen one and a half years ago, it was time to bring it to fruition.”

He performs Feb. 20 at Ramsdell Theatre in Manistee and Feb. 23 at the Grand Rapids Art Museum, alongside Marsh, Stargardt and Dryden. Those CD release shows are when and where his album will first be available; after that, it will be for sale at CDBaby and Amazon and streaming on Spotify.

While the recording hews closer to jazz than anything else, Campbell doesn’t consider himself a jazz musician.

“I wouldn’t call myself a jazz musician, but I love the freedom,” said Campbell, whose online bio describes his playing as “between the classical art song and Stephane Grapelli, with a dash of Frank Zappa.”

“My roots were very much in the music of our time, the 60s and 70s,” he said. “I love tunes, I love melodies.”

18 • february 17, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly

So perhaps it makes sense that on this recording Campbell eschews Mozart or Borodin in favor of Jimmy Webb and Henry Mancini. Not rock, but “Wichita Lineman” certainly has a strong – and familiar – melody.

Choosing his accompanists wasn’t a difficult task for Campbell.

“These guys are great. I’ve known them all for years, played gigs with them,” he said.

“I love what each brings to the table, their musical abilities, their way of listening, lots of experience in different (musical) worlds.”

One might question having an acoustic bass in a group which already has a cello.

Campbell explains that frees him to not have to function as much on the lower end but use what he calls the “colors” in the instrument’s tenor range to create the melodies.

“Cello traditionally plays the bottom in chamber and orchestral music. I’m treating the cello as a vocalist. To play melodies I need a bottom end. Jack’s the best bass player I know of,” said Campbell.

While the music is treated in a jazzy way, Campbell said he still thinks of it as chamber music.

“Chamber music is the way musicians communicate with each other, have musical conversations,” he said. “That’s jazz and chamber music at the highest level.”

In addition to innovative takes on “Wichita Lineman,” Mancini’s “Slow Hot Wind” and “Nature Boy,” made famous by Nat King Cole, the recording includes tracks by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Sun Ra. Mandolinist Don Julin is featured on his original “Collateral Damage,” a moody tune that was part of the repertoire of the Neptune Quartet, which featured Julin and Campbell (“Nature Boy” was often part of the group’s sets as well). Latin

percussionist Rob Mulligan and Interlochen guitar instructor Matt Cochrane guest as well.

Campbell said the concerts at Ramsdell and the one following in Grand Rapids will feature the core quartet.

“The quartet will be able to stretch out. It’s live and spontaneous. The recording is different — I needed the recording to get some gigs,” he said. “Now we can have some fun.”

Drummer Randy Marsh said the experience of recording the music was enjoyable, but he too is really looking forward to performing live.

“The recording is the ballpark of what you’re going to hear,” he said.

As an example, he pointed to “Wichita Lineman.”

“I took a cautious approach on the recording. Now we’ve had a chance to develop.

It’s been really fun and interactive,” he said.

“I’ve got a rhythm thing I’m going to change the approach on.”

Campbell said he also intends to perform with the group in the Traverse City area. The date and venue have yet to be solidified, though he expects it to be sometime in April or May. He’s also already looking ahead to future recordings and performances.

“Maybe some folk-inspired and unaccompanied cello things. I like multitracking, and the cello voice works great for a lot of folk tunes,” he said.

On his to-do list is working with other musicians.

“I want to explore other instruments and musicians,” he said. “It always depends on who’s available.”

The CD will first go on sale at the Feb. 20 concert. It will subsequently be available at various retail sites. Tickets for the concert range from $15 to $30, available at RamsdellTheatre.org.

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Northern Express Weekly • february 17 2020 • 19

Staying Power

Doesn’t matter how good the food is. A restaurant isn’t worth its salt without a smart, efficient, and highly skilled staff who knows how to hustle, smile, and make even a casual night out special. Here, we highlight just a few of the folks who are the longtime lifeblood of one of the region’s biggest (and most demanding) industries.

Our aim? To learn two things: What drew them in, and what keeps them coming back night after night.

By Ross Boissoneau Abigail Steffens Petrova was 16 when she started. Amber Holmgren was 14. Dave Jambor started in high school, but had wanted to be in the industry since he was a little kid. Tara Williams loved the flexibility as a college student. Dane Porter started making pizzas for Mike Ilitch when the late founder of Little Caesar’s was just getting started.

For many people, their first job is in the restaurant industry — busing, washing dishes, greeting and seating customers, or the like. Many people start there, but some stay on, making a fulfilling career of it, or coming back after trying something else. What is it about the restaurant and hospitality industry that hooks people?

We talked to some longtime industry folks around the region and came away with a lot of similar answers for the lure: It’s the feeling of service. It’s the fast pace. It’s about making and keeping people happy. It’s sitting down at the end of a busy night and knowing you’ve served 200 people — and the next day you’re going to do it all over again.

Dave Jambor Multi-unit manager, Kosch Gaylord For Dave Jambor, the path to overseeing operations at two Gaylord restaurants and an event center has taken 27 years. Jambor does a little bit of everything at Alpine Tavern and Eatery, Crave Restaurant, and Otsego Grand Event Center. “I spend time at each,” he said. “I’ll do a wedding one day, make pizza the next.”

Not only will you find him coordinating an event one minute and then heading off to the kitchen, he might also be working as a host or training staff. “I’ve got a hand in menu development, marketing, the business end of the business, making sure costs are in line.”

Quite a stretch from washing dishes (though he’ll do that, too), his entry into the restaurant industry began early. A buddy in high school hooked him up with an Italian café at 16. He’s since worked as a bus boy, host, server, bartender, and even at a restaurant supplier — Gordon Food Service — for seven years.

The draw, for Jambor, began at Red Lobster. As a youngster out for dinner with his family, he became enamored of the place. “I said, ‘I’m gonna work here someday.’

I ended up at that same Red Lobster 15 years later.”

He’s now spent a decade in different positions working for restaurateur Gary Kosch, who owns several restaurants in the Detroit area and across northern Michigan, and he isn’t interested in another path — or slowing down.

“My mother was an RN for 30-plus years, and she always went back to the ER. She was an adrenaline junkie. Me too. I like the action and the people. I’m not one for sitting still.”

20 • february 17, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly

Amber Holmgren Manager, A. Papano’s Pizza, Beulah Amber Holmgren started her career one day late. Her twin sister, Nicole, got to make pizza on her first day at Papano’s. The next day, Amber began, too — but cleaning the pizzaria’s bathrooms and doing dishes.

Despite her less glamorous start, here she is at Papano’s 19 years later. She’s taken a few breaks, working at a couple different ice cream shops and joining the Navy, from which she was granted a medical discharge.

But always she’s ended up back at Papano’s in Beulah.

“Life and school took us away, and when we came back to the area, Andy [owner Andy Miller] needed help,” Holmgren said. The plural reference is apt; Nicole once again works at A. Papano’s as well.

Holmgren said those who come in are typically in a good mood, which makes her job easier. “People are happy when they get food. I have regulars who come in three or four days a week to grab a slice and say hi. I’ve made friendships through work,” she said.

As the mom of a four-year-old and a three-month-old, flexibility is important, but it’s the relationships she’s made working at Papano’s that have made it more than a job. She and Nicole both have become close with owners Andy and Becky Miller and their family.

“I watched their kids. Now Blake and Payton [the Millers’ 16- and 13-year-old children] have watched my oldest. How cool is that.”

Abigail Steffens Petrova General Manager, Stella’s, Traverse City “I started at Ponderosa Steakhouse at 16, and came to Stella’s at 17,” said Steffens Petrova. “A friend said I’d be good at hosting.”

Guess the friend was right. Steffens Petrova hosted at Stella’s for years, until her boss insisted she move to another position. “Paul [co-owner Paul Danielson] came to me and quite literally fired me. He said I needed to do something else. So I started bartending.”

Inspired by the new vantage point, Steffens Petrova began reading about and researching the different facets of the restaurant industry, even attending some classes Trattoria Stella offered. “They pay us to come in and learn about wine, spirits, beer, hospitality.”

She clearly learned her lessons well; Danielson tagged her to manage the Franklin when it opened in 2014. That lasted until a few months ago, when she moved back to Stella’s for another top role. “The GM here left, and Paul came to my house while I was making a quiche,” she said.

She had a new job before the quiche was out of the oven.

She said her attachment to the restaurant industry started at home. “Cooking with my mom, entertaining people — I love the feeling of taking care of people. That’s what hospitality is. Here, it’s kind of like people are at my house,” she said.

“Restaurants are sales, but it’s way more fun to talk about the tannin wine or the sear of a scallop.”

Dane Porter Director of Operations, Magnum Hospitality “I started at 15 in Pontiac when Mike Ilitch only had two or three Little Caesars,” said Dane Porter. From there it was on to working his way through other restaurants before moving north, where he began working with Schelde Enterprises.

Restaurateur Howard Schelde owned and operated several restaurants over the years, including Auntie Pasta’s at Logan’s Landing, the Cove in Leland, Bower’s Harbor Inn and the Bowery, and TraVino’s. “I moved up through the ranks to run several of them as manager,” he said.

Porter then moved on to Magnum.

“Jim, Fred, and Mary had also worked for Schelde’s,” Porter explained, referencing Magnum founders Jim Cartwright, Fred Moore and Mary Palmer. “I did some part-time bartending, and a few months later I was talked into managing Pearl’s.” That was in 2001, and he’s been with Magnum ever since.

He said the restaurant industry means closely interacting with customers and the staff, and he still enjoys it some 40 years on. “Most of us [in the industry] have gone off and tried other things. Once you get it in your blood, it’s always there,” Porter said.

“It’s something new every day. At the end of a hard August night, there’s nothing better than the feeling of accomplishment. I love what I do.”

Tara Williams Beer Manager, Clam Lake Beer Company, Cadillac Tara Williams was something of a late starter. She didn’t begin working in the industry until college. Now, 17 years later, she’s back in her hometown at a job she loves.

“I moved to Grand Rapids for school and started at Vitale’s [a popular Italian restaurant],” she said. From there she moved on to a neighborhood bar on Michigan Street, then brewpubs Hop Cat and Logan’s Alley.

She’s always enjoyed the positive energy and atmosphere. “People coming in are in a good mood,” she said. “I get to talk to tons of people who are already happy. They’re going skiing, traveling. I get to spend a few minutes in somebody’s vacation.”

She also enjoys the regulars, and even sees familiar faces at her former employers’ when she stops in. “I haven’t worked there [the Grand Rapids bar] for eight years, but I walked in last week and knew half the people at the rail.”

As bartender and beer manager, Williams keeps her eye on the industry while making sure she balances the offerings of the bar’s 40 taps between Clam Lake brews and those from other craft beer breweries across the state and the country.

“The craft beer industry has grown as I’ve been in the industry. That’s a big part of my interest.” She’s also working on her cicerone certification, an educational program of the beer industry similar to sommelier certification in the wine industry.

“If I wasn’t in it, I’d miss it a lot.”

NEED A LOCAL ATTORNEY? Find one in our Attorney Directory at www.GTLABA.org

Are you an attorney but not a GTLA Bar member?

Join Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Antrim Bar Association to be in the Attorney Directory and for other benefits.

INTERLOCHEN ARTS ACADEMY SINGERSONGWRITERS Friday, February 21

Enjoy an evening of original songs encompassing a variety of styles and instrumentation.

REMEMBERING PATSY CLINE: a benefit for city opera HouSe Sunday, February 23

A tribute to the iconic music legend, Patsy Cline, featuring Judy Harrison and ReBooted. Proceeds benefit COH.

DANú St. patrick’S celebration

Tuesday, March 10 Playing to standing-room-only concerts throughout Ireland, Danú delivers high-energy performances and a glorious mix of ancient Irish music and new repertoire.

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

Northern Express Weekly • february 17 2020 • 21

ONLY THE STORIES REMAIN Northern Express honors the 75th anniversary of Iwo Jima

By Bill O. Smith The island is mostly deserted now.

Abandoned, for all practical purposes.

Forgotten, except for the stories.

Like the story of General “Howlin’ Mad” Smith, or Lieutenant Jack Lummus, or Sergeant John Basilione, or Corpsman John Bradley.

Or Ray Dollings. Major Dollings was a spotter in one of the 2,700 sorties that dropped more than 5,800 tons of bombs on Iwo Jima on Feb. 19, 1945, in the black hours just before the invasion. Over his radio, men heard Dollings sing a combat-adapted version of a tune from the musical that was all the rage on Broadway, 10,000 miles away: Oh what a beautiful morning, Oh what a beautiful day, I’ve got a terrible feeling Everything’s coming my way…

Shortly after the chorus, his plane spiraled from the sky and crashed into the water among the assault boats coming in. One of the boats picked up the bodies of Dollings and his pilot. The singing major’s first child, a girl, had been born eight days earlier.

The assault boats were headed for a desolate pimple of an island, eight square

miles of sand, clay, dust, humpbacked hills, stunted trees, razor-sharp kuna grass, and reeking sulphur. But Iwo Jima – translation “Sulphur Island” — was a strategic stepping stone to the shores of Japan, and so it was also home to three airstrips, a radar tower, and 22,000 soldiers of the Japanese Imperial Army.

General Holland M. “Howlin’ Mad” Smith, Allied commander for the invasion, remembered the early hours of Feb. 19 this way: “We thought the massive barrage would blast any island off the military map, level every defense, wipe out the garrison.

But nothing of the sort happened … like the worm that becomes stronger the more you cut it up, Iwo Jima thrived on our bombardment.”

At dawn, the first 26,000 of 70,000 Marines came ashore. They met little resistance — nothing like D-Day in Europe.

Troops moved quickly inland, where they were suddenly caught in the most murderous conflict endured by Marines in all of World War II. The Japanese were not on Iwo Jima; they were in Iwo Jima. Thousands of Japanese were moving underground, operating from an extensive network of caves, tunnels, landmines, and pillboxes.

Marines found themselves under attack from every direction — no front lines, no room for maneuver, or for flanking attack

22 • february 17, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly

or for deception. The orders came: “Move straight ahead. Take your losses. Get it done quickly.”

But it could not be done quickly.

Back at the White House, initial details came in by wire within hours. According to journalist Jim Bishop, “It was the first time in the first time in the war, through good news and bad, that anyone had seen President Roosevelt gasp in horror.” In the first 18 hours alone, 2,312 Marines died.

In 35days, more than 6,800 Marines lost their lives — far more than the 15-year total of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Thousands of survivors understood that only a few feet of earth, or a few inches, separated the living from the dead.

First Lieutenant Jack Lummus, Easy Company, 27th Marines, was one who fought the battle of inches. Lummus had swarmed several pillboxes, killed the occupants, and led his men over 200 yards of heavily mined enemy ground. At one point his men lost sight of him in the haze. When they spotted him again, according to one, “We thought he was standing in a hole.”

Lummus was shouting, “Keep coming!

Keep coming, dammit — don’t stop now!”

But everybody had stopped for a moment, staring at their leader. A land mine had blown off the lieutenant’s legs. Several surgeons, unable to stop the bleeding of

the former All-American end from Baylor University, reported these words from the dying lieutenant: “I guess the New York Giants have lost the services of a damn good end.”

Lummus was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously. Twentyeight Marines would earn the Medal of Honor on Iwo, more than one-third the Marine total for the entire war.

Sergeant John Basilone had already won his Medal of Honor at Guadalcanal. His tour was over, but Basilone was a skilled machine gunner, and he told his wife, “A lot of the men have never been overseas before — I can’t stay back and let them go.”

In an interview decades later, his wife, Lena, still grieved: “He didn’t have to go. He could have played it safe.”

Sergeant Basilone and several of his men were killed by mortar fire in the assault on Mount Suribachi. Suribachi Yama (translation: grinding bowl mountain) was high ground — the volcano at the southwest tip of Iwo Jima. Suribachi is best known to the world as the place where six soldiers were immortalized when an Associated Press photographer captured them raising the American flag on the summit. The men were, however, all too mortal. Three of the six would be dead within days.

The only flag raiser who lived to old age

was Navy Cross recipient John Bradley. Of the famous flag raising, the corpsman’s wife would later say, “He only spoke to me of Iwo Jima once, on our first date … I asked him about the flag-raising. He had a lit cigarette and he started playing with his silver lighter, looking at it, distracted … he spoke for seven or eight disinterested minutes. That was it — the only time he talked about it in our 47-year marriage.”

John Bradley himself once told his son, “I was at a certain place at a certain time. None of us are real heroes — we all just jumped in and lent a hand. The heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who never came back.”

Sergeant Howard Snyder never came back. In civilian life, Snyder had managed a five-and-dime store in Huntington Park, California. He had married just a few weeks before his regiment left the states for Hawaii, and he took pride in showing photographs of his pretty brunette bride. During the early period of overseas training, he spent much of his spare time reading a book called “Making Marriage Succeed.” After surviving four previous campaigns in the South Pacific, Sergeant Snyder was killed by a single shot from a cave sniper.

Lieutenant Eugene Petersen met Marian Smith on the El Capitan out of Chicago in 1942. When the train reached Los Angeles, they agreed to write. In one of the hundreds of letters exchanged over the next two years, Petersen wrote, “One of the best things that ever happened to me was to notice how men work in combat. There is perfect teamwork.

Everybody is really giving forth 100 percent.”

Petersen survived Iwo. He and Marion were married over fifty years. They settled on Mackinac Island, where Gene served as Superintendent of the Mackinac Island State Park Commission from 1966-1985.

One “perfect team” included six Navajo radio operators. Working around the clock and all around the island, they sent and received more than 800 undecipherable messages without an error. Major Howard Conner, 5th Marines, said during the battle, “We cannot win this island without the code talkers.”

As the days wore on, Marine casualties rose toward the 26,000 total. Soldiers coped with carnage in different ways. The lucky Marines who survived the assault on Suribachi amused their mates by displaying makeshift “for sale” signs: “Surbachi Heights!” “Ocean View!” “Cool Breezes!” and “Free Fireworks Nightly!”

Others constructed something entirely different. A Catholic altar was made from a pile of water cans; a Protestant altar from a Jeep radiator. The communion “rail” was a mounded line of black volcanic gravel. Men found peace where and how they could, often ignoring the chaos around them.

Hope, heartache, heroism — all simmered together on Iwo Jima, for Allied and enemy alike. Of the 22,000 Japanese on Iwo, fewer than 1,000 survived. Near the end, the Japanese commander General Tadamichi Kuribayashi sent this radio message: “We have not eaten or drunk for five days. The battle is approaching its end. But spirits are high. Since the enemy’s landing, even the gods would weep at the bravery of the officers under my command.”

Fifty years after the battle, Lieutenant W. E. Bilderback recalled, “One night on Iwo Jima, a lot of Japanese soldiers were killed.

The next morning, one of my sergeants told me he had taken a letter off one and asked if I would like to have it. I said yes, I would.

Fifty years later, on a trip to Maui, I had the letter translated by a lady at the hotel. It said,

“My dear husband, when you left home it was a cold day with white clouds, but now spring has come, with green leaves. How fast the time flies … Every morning when I say a prayer for you, Nariko also imitates me with his little hands together. We think of you often and pray a lot for you … Nariko would also like to play for you, on his violin.

Goodbye, from your wife, Yoshi Sakuma.”

“I detested the Japanese at the time this letter was written. But this letter,” Bilderback said, hesitating, “the dead soldier didn’t want to be on Iwo Jima either.”

In the six-week battle, about 28,000 soldiers had died, young men who would never grow older than the framed picture on the bureau of a loved one back home. In the months that followed, more than 24,000 American pilots and crews landed on Iwo Jima. “Whenever I land on that island,” said one B-29 pilot, “I thank God and the Marines who fought for it.”

In late March of 1945, a memorial service was held on the island. Standing among thousands of plain white crosses that dotted the barren landscape, Rabbi Roland B. Gittelsohn honored the fallen of Iwo Jima with one last story: “Here lie officers and men, Negro and white, rich men and poor… together. Here are Protestants, Catholics and Jews … together. Here, no man prefers another because of his faith or despises him because of his color. Here there are no quotas of how many from each group are admitted or allowed. Among these men, there is no discrimination. No prejudices. No hatred.

Theirs is the highest and purest democracy.”

Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Petersen, on their wedding day February 2, 1946. The Petersens met on the El Capitan train bound for California in 1944, almost a year to the day before Lieutenant Petersen would rush onto the shores of Iwo Jima. Petersen was headed for Camp Pendleton, and Miss Smith for Los Angeles to bid farewell to her brother Army Air Force Lt. Franklin Smith, who would soon be lost over Rumania. After the war, the Petersens settled on Mackinac Island, where Gene was to become Superintendent of the Mackinac Island State Park Commission from 1966-85. His book, “A Chance for Love,” shares hundreds of letters the couple exchanged during the last two years of the war. They were married 55 years, and both are interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

Special thanks to the sources the inspired and informed this story: Bart, Edmund’s “Never in Doubt: Remembering Iwo Jima”; John Bradley’s “Flags of Our Fathers”; Eugene

Petersen’s “A Chance for Love: World War II Letters of Eugene Petersen and Marion Smith”; Bill Ross’s “Iwo Jima: Legacy of Valor”; and Richard Wheeler’s “Iwo.”

Three unique Petoskey restaurants.

EndlEss ways to warm up this winter.

mussEl monday $19 all you Can Eat sCalloP TuEsdays PasTa WEdnEsdays $19 Pasta, Caesar salad, garlic Bread BounCE BaCK THursday dine in and receive a certificate of equal value to use within 30 days fisH fridays 231.348.3321 mondays (starting 3/2) Two for one Entrees $2 TuEsdays — drafts & sliders WinEsday WEdnEsdays Big steak night & Bogo $1 Wine by the glass fridays Prime rib & 10pm Karaoke saTurdays live music 10pm 231.347.0101 HousEmadE EvEryTHing & HousE-roasTEd CoffEE Breakfast, lunch, dinner

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Northern Express Weekly • february 17 2020 • 23

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Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms Chef Josh’s Bruschetta Crispy Provolone Sticks Bell’s Beer Cheese Dip

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24 • february 17, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly

Tater Time

In nation that’s gone low-carb crazy, a century-old family potato farm in Elmira continues to crank out 70 million pounds of potatoes per year — every one of which goes to feed spud-lovin’ people across the USA.

By Al Parker Just north of Alba and south of Elmira, a foot-thick blanket of crisp snow covers the dormant fields of Kitchen Farms, a 5,000acre potato-growing operation that straddles both sides of US -131.

The fields are quiet and will remain so until spring when planting begins.

But inside the farm’s processing and packing plant, tons of potatoes are tumbling along a briskly moving conveyor belt where they are washed, sorted, and bagged or boxed. While there is a computerized sorter, workers still do much of the sorting by hand, culling out potatoes that are imperfect. Large machines bag the spuds by size and type.

Last year the farm produced about 70 million pounds of potatoes, according to owner Don Kitchen.

About one-third are whites, one-third russets, and one-third yellows with just a tiny bit of reds. Within those broad categories, Kitchen Farms actually raises 26 different varieties of spuds.

“Potatoes are the mostly widely eaten food in the world,” said Kitchen. “We don’t export any of our potatoes, they are all for consumption in the U.S.” The farm’s potatoes are known as “fresh” in the industry, meaning they are not processed. They are marketed mainly to groceries and restaurants. Contrary to Up North legend, no Kitchen Farms spuds are turned into McDonald’s French fries, or any other form of processed potatoes, Kitchen said. They are sold as whole potatoes, in bags ranging from 1-pound to 50-pounds.

Meijer stores are the farm’s largest Michigan customer, selling potatoes under the Meijer brand and the Kitchen Farms brand. But the company also ships its potatoes to clients along the East Coast, New York, Georgia, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, and the Carolinas.

Kitchen Farms is very much a family success story. Don is president, succeeding his father Bill, who passed away in 2017.

Don’s wife, Sarah, is the office manager, handling personnel issues. Their 18-yearold son, Dylan, is learning the business, as is their daughter Hailey, 15.

The operation began 110 years ago as a small 80-acre family farm founded by Don’s great-grandfather, Robert. He grew potatoes and other crops, but also had cows, horses and sheep. Over the years, more acreage was added, and by 1961, Kitchen Farms was raising corn and other crops on some 900 acres.

In the early 1980s, the other crops were eliminated, and the focus turned to potatoes.

Now it occupies about 5,000 acres, though the number planted with potatoes is only about 1,200 acres each year, in accordance with the crop rotation schedule.

(Land not planted in potatoes is planted in alfalfa to nourish and protect the soil.)

Each year in May, some 2,600 potato plants will be sown per acre. That’s more than 3 million plants across the 1,200 acres.

“We have good, sandy soil and use lots of water,” explained Kitchen. “From planting to harvest, 100 to 110 days is optimal. The hardest thing about growing potatoes is dealing with Mother Nature. Rain, hail, extreme heat, insect problems, it’s all up to Mother Nature.”

During the summer growing season, it’s hard to drive north or south along US 131 in Antrim County without noticing the squadrons of sprawling pivot sprinklers that water the potatoes. Moisture level is critical throughout the spud growing cycle and the sprinklers keep the ground moist during dry spells.

Technology has helped make Kitchen Farms a success, according to Kitchen.

“We’ve added new high-tech wash lines, a potato polisher and an optical sorter that is computerized,” he explained. “We have four tractors that all have auto-steer, where the operator punches in the coordinates for a straight line from point A to point B on a computer and the tractor stays within a half-inch of either side of the line. It’s totally hands-free for the operator who only needs his hands on the computer keyboards. The tractor picks up eight or 10 satellites as it goes.

“We do what we can do,” he adds with a laugh. “We have no fancy robots like GM.” The harvest begins in September and runs well into October. A fleet of military surplus trucks, each weighing 28,000 to 30,000 pounds, hauls the spuds from the

field to farms’ storage facility. Most of the crop is stored in wooden boxes, stacked in a series of sprawling warehouses where the temperature is strictly controlled to keep the spuds as fresh and crisp as possible.

Storing the spuds is a balancing act, with the temperature at about 36 degrees and humidity of about 98 percent.

At the heart of Kitchen Farms is a fulltime team of about 26 to 28 employees. That number swells to almost 50 between when the harvest starts in September and continues with processing and shipping into July.

“We couldn’t do it without our workers.

Have a very good core group,” said Kitchen.

“And we’re always looking for good people.”

What about the bad rap that potatoes sometimes get about being high in carbs and a fattening food?

“Potatoes are one of the healthiest vegetables,” said Kitchen. “It’s just they way they are prepared. If you deep fry them or slather them with mayonnaise in potato salad, that’s not so good. But it’s not the potato; it’s what gets added to it.”

So what’s his favorite way to enjoy a potato?

“I eat whites and yellows,” he said. “Just dig one out of the ground in July, boil it and put some butter on it. That’s the best!”

TATER TIDBITS According to the National Potato Council, a medium-sized potato has no fat, no cholesterol and contains only 110 calories. Here are some other nutritional spud facts: Sodium Free – Low sodium diets help to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.

Vitamin C - Don’t just think of oranges anymore as a great source of Vitamin C. By eating one medium sized potato, you will receive 45 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin C — a great antioxidant.

More Potassium than Bananas - A medium-sized potato contains 18 percent of the recommended daily value of potassium - essential for maintaining proper muscle function.

Good Source of Fiber – The 3 grams of fiber in one medium-sized potato is 8 percent of the recommended daily value. Diets high in fiber are beneficial for a healthy digestive system and may reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. Consuming adequate fiber also makes you feel fuller, helping to reduce snacking between meals.

Carbohydrates – A medium-sized potato contains 26 grams of carbohydrates, only 9 percent of the recommended daily value. Complex carbs are a great source of energy for the body.

Antioxidant – Potatoes have one of the highest overall antioxidant activity among vegetables.

Antioxidants protect key cell components by neutralizing the damaging effects of “free radicals.” Spuds also contain glutathione, an antioxidant that may help protect against some cancers.

Northern Express Weekly • february 17 2020 • 25

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NORTHERN SEEN 1. The crew from Lume, the recreational marijuana store in Honor, prior to the first day of business.

2. Courtney Kane, Beth Barbaglia, and Kris Hoxie at the Habitat for Humanity homes and hope breakfast.

3. Dave Knight, Nick Baldwin, Mike Erway 4. Record-Eagle editor Nathan Payne, left, talks with authors Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas Kristof at the National Writers Series. WuDunn and Kristof wrote “Tightrope: American’s Reaching for Hope” about the struggles and issues facing the working class in the United States.

5. Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn sign copies of their book, at their sold-out National Writers Series event Jan. 31.

6. Winter Walk Wednesdays with Munson staffers, Ty Schmitt and Waddles the Penguin

26 • february 17, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly

Northern Express Weekly • february 17 2020 • 27

feb 15

saturday

GLEN LAKE WINTERFEST: Festivities start at 7am with ice fishing on the Glen Lakes for participants in the Perch Fishing Contest. All participants will bring their biggest catches from Big & Little Glen Lake to the Sportsman Shop at 1pm, & winners will then be crowned. Head to Boonedocks for a wintertime deck party. The Chili Cook-off kicks off at noon. $5-$10 per person. visitglenarbor.com/ event/glen-lake-winterfest-2020

---------------------KALKASKA WINTERFEST: Featuring breakfast, Sled Dog Races, a craft show, IWPA Dog Weight Pull, a luncheon & more. kalkaskawinterfest.org

---------------------9TH ANNUAL ALPENFROST: Gaylord. Featuring the Frosty 5K (begins & ends under the pavilion in downtown Gaylord), a moonlit snowshoe hike through the grounds of Otsego Resort & much more. gaylordmichigan.net/the-whitestuff-weve-got-it-heaps-of-it/festivals-events

---------------------COMMUNITY YOGA FOR EVERY BODY: 9am, 206 S. Oak St., TC. Love your body through gentle movement & breath. Mats & props available. Donation based class. Find on Facebook.

----------------------

BENZIE COUNTY DEMOCRATS MONTHLY MEETING: Benzie County Democratic Party Headquarters, 9930 Honor Hwy., Honor. Meetings on third Sat. of the month, with 9:30am coffee klatch, 10am community announcements, followed by featured speaker. benziedemocrats.com

---------------------CLIMATE ADVOCACY WORKSHOP: 9:30am, Traverse Area District Library, TC. Learn how you can help build political will for effective climate solutions. Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) is a non-partisan, grassroots organization. Free. 5leversgt.eventbrite.com

---------------------10TH ANNUAL BENZIE COUNTY WATER FESTIVAL: Today features the Betsie Bay Frozen 5K; watercraft & display at Benzie Shores District Library; LEGOS: Build your own boat, watercraft or sea creature at Benzonia Public Library; & Wonderful Water: Stories, facts & fun activity hour at Betsie Valley District Library. facebook.com/BenzieCountyWaterFestival

---------------------BOYNE CITY’S CHOCOLATE COVERED BOYNE: Downtown Boyne City. Merchants & vendors will offer treats & some in-store specials. Join in the Dessert Contest from 11am-1pm to sample this year’s entries. Free. boynecitymainstreet.com

---------------------INDOOR SIDEWALK SALES: Downtown Charlevoix, Feb. 14-17 at participating stores.

---------------------ROMANCING THE RIESLING: Visit the ten wineries along the Old Mission Peninsula Wine Trail to taste their top Rieslings. Each wine is paired with a small bite. Designated Driver tickets are available for $25. When you purchase your ticket, you will choose your starting winery location. 231-223-7355. $30. ompwinetrail.com/ event/romancing-the-riesling

---------------------VETERANS FOR PEACE MEETING: 10amnoon, Horizon Books, TC. horizonbooks.com/ event/meeting-veterans-peace-1

---------------------PETOSKEY WINTER CARNIVAL: Petoskey District Library, 10am-2pm: Cardboard Sled Workshop. Make your cardboard sled to take to the Winter Sports Park for the Cardboard Sled Race. Petoskey Winter Sports Park, 10:30am7pm: Char-Em C. League Hockey Game, Bumpjumping Competition, Youth Sledding Competition, figure skating performance, Carboard Challenge XXV, & more. petoskeydowntown. com/downtown-events/winter-carnival-lew54

---------------------TEDDY KNAPE FEST: 10:30am-4:30pm, Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville. Held slopeside, near the Crystal Clipper. Featuring the Silver Raffle & Gold Raffle. Enter for your chance to win some prizes, plus enjoy tunes

with a live DJ. Benefits adaptive winter sports which allows special needs participants the ability to ski. crystalmountain.com/event/teddy-knape

february

---------------------GALLERY TALK: 11am, Charlevoix Circle of Arts, Exhibit Gallery. Photographer Bill Higgins presents “Winter Photography in Northern Michigan.” Learn about the benefits of photographing in winter, gear survival tips, personal survival tips, & shooting strategies for capturing winter landscapes. Free. charlevoixcircle.org/gallery-talks

---------------------WINTER FEST AT POND HILL FARM: 11am9pm, Pond Hill Farm, Harbor Springs. Featuring trailside tasting, Snowman Explosion, live music by One Lane Highway, drinks, wine & beer tasting, Gnome House Hunt, cross-country ski, snowshoe, Fat tire bike or hike miles of groomed trails, sled hill, animals & more. pondhill.com

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send your dates to: events@traverseticker.com

---------------------WINTERLOCHEN: Visit the Interlochen Arts Academy campus for a variety of familyfriendly indoor & outdoor activities such as crafts, snow games, arts demonstrations, Winterlochen Parade, sustainable sculpting class, “postcard poem” writing workshop & more. Join the Arts Academy Dance Company at 2pm for a free performance of “The Sleeping Beauty.” Free. tickets.interlochen.org

---------------------ANNUAL KIDS FREE ICE FISHING DAY: 124pm. Emmet County Parks & Recreation is partnering with volunteers from Friends of Oden Fish Hatchery Visitor Center to host this event at Camp Pet-o-se-ga located in Alanson. For kindergarteners through 8th graders & their parents. If the outside temperature (including wind chill factor) is below zero degrees, the event will be held on Sun., Feb. 16. Find on Facebook.

---------------------100 YEARS OF POLISH INDEPENDENCE: ZAKOPANE 1918: 1pm, Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts, Manistee. Featuring Dr. Kate Wroblewski, lecturer & assistant director of undergraduate studies in the University of Michigan history department. Kate wrote her dissertation on “Migration to the Self: Education, Political Economy, and Religious Authority in Polish Communities, 1880-1929.” This lecture is an event that takes place within the art exhibit “100 Years of Polish Independence: Zakopane 1918.” The exhibit opens on Feb. 15 at 1pm, with the lecture at 2pm & the reception from 3-5pm. Exhibit runs through March 27 from 10am-5pm on Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri., with the exception of Feb. 15.

Free. ramsdelltheatre.org/art-exhibits

---------------------BEAVER DAM OLYMPICS: 1-3pm, Otsego Resort, Gaylord. Golf, beer pong, cornhole, plank skis. $50 per team. otsegoclub.com

---------------------ELK RAPIDS 3RD ANNUAL “IT’S CHILLY” COOK-OFF: 2-5pm, Downtown Elk Rapids.

River St.: 15+ local businesses compete for title of “Best Chili.” Memorial Park outdoor ice rink: Elk Rapids Hockey players will be giving free skate lessons. Elk Rapids District Library: Build your own s’more & enjoy a sledding party. Chili Cook-off tickets: $5. Ice skating & sledding events are free; bring your own skates & sleds. Find on Facebook.

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THE SLEEPING BEAUTY, ARTS ACADEMY DANCE CO.: 2pm, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Corson Auditorium. Free. tickets.interlochen.org

---------------------AUTHENTIC CREATIVE EXPRESSION – DEEP PLAY FOR THE SOUL: 3pm, New Moon Yoga, Studio #4, TC. InterPlay’s combination of drama, movement, sound, storytelling & connection. $15-$25 suggested donation (but no one turned away for lack of funds).

231-774-6146. soulwayshealing.com/interplay

---------------------ONESIE BAR CRAWL: 3-9pm, Downtown TC. Wear your onesie as you mingle through multiple TC bars enjoying exclusive drink specials. Tickets include flashing LED glasses, a souvenir cup, drinks & a bar crawl mug.

Participating bars will be listed on the lanyard you receive at registration. $25-$35. eventbrite.com

28 • february 17, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly

Newcomers FlyLiteGemini bring Indie folk, rock and blues to the 12th Annual Great Indoor Folk Festival, Sun., Feb. 23 from noon to 5:30pm in The Mercado at Building 50, The Village at GT Commons, TC. More than 75 musicians from northern MI’s folk, bluegrass and acoustic music scene will perform on eight stages, including a satellite stage at Left Foot Charley and Higher Grounds. Free. thevillagetc.com/12th-annual-great-indoor-folk-festival GT ART BOMB FEBRUARY PROM: Right Brain Brewery, TC. 80’s themed. 4-6pm: Mykl Werth Movement’s dance group, followed by DJ music. Find on Facebook.

---------------------HEARTS TO GRANT WISHES: 4pm, TC Eagles, 409 W. Fourteenth St., TC. Featuring dinner, Chinese auction, 50/50 raffle, live entertainment & more. Admission is free. Dinner tickets are $10 presale & $12 at the door. Benefits Make-A-Wish® Michigan. michigan.wish.org

---------------------BLISSFEST FOLK & ROOTS MINI CONCERT SERIES: 7:30pm, Red Sky Stage, Bay Harbor. Presents traditional & contemporary gypsy jazz with the Jimmy Grant Trio. $15 advance; $20 door. redskystage.com

---------------------LOVE THROUGH THE AGES BY AGED TO PERFECTION READERS’ THEATRE: 7:30pm, Old Town Playhouse, Schmuckal Theatre, TC. Six short plays take you from memories of the 17th century to the 21st.

An evening about Time and Tide and Post-it Notes. Donation. oldtownplayhouse.com

---------------------LOVE, LOSS & WHAT I WORE: 7:30pm, Old Town Playhouse Studio Theatre @ the Depot, TC. A play about women’s love/hate relationships with their wardrobes. $17 plus fees. oldtownplayhouse.com

---------------------THE CHOIR OF MAN: 7:30pm, Great Lakes Center for the Arts, Bay Harbor. Known across the globe as “the ultimate feel-good show,” The Choir of Man offers over 90 minutes of exciting vocals, harmonies & choreography. They perform radio hits, classic rock, pub tunes, folk, Broadway & more. $45, $40, $35, $30. greatlakescfa.org/event-detail/the-choir-of-man

---------------------LAITH AL-SAADI: CURE FOR THE WINTER BLUES: 8pm, City Opera House, TC. Laith AlSaadi returns with his authentic blend of blues, soul & classic rock. In 2016 this Ann Arbor-based blues/rock musician won a spot in the finale of NBC’s “The Voice.” $29.50, $36.50, $49.50, $55, $65, $75. cityoperahouse.org/laith-al-saadi

---------------------TONY ORLANDO: 8pm, Little River Casino Resort, Manistee. This singer, songwriter

& network TV star now has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, two Platinum albums, two Gold albums, & 15 Top 40 Hits. $30, $40, $45. lrcr.com/event-calendar/concerts/tony-orlando

feb 16

sunday

KALKASKA WINTERFEST: (See Sat., Feb. 15)

--------------

INDOOR SIDEWALK SALES: (See Sat., Feb. 15)

--------------

11TH ANNUAL HAVE A HEART VALENTINE’S BENEFIT: 12-8pm, Emmet County Community Center, Petoskey. Food, drinks, silent auction, entertainment from James Greenway, Craig Cottrill, The Pistil Whips, Yankee Station, Northern Nites, Crooked and Easy Picks. Benefits Brother Dan’s Food Pantry. $15; free for 14 & under. Find on Facebook.

---------------------2020 MACKINAW CITY BRIDAL SHOW: 122pm, Audie’s Restaurant, Mackinaw City. Featuring dozens of local wedding professionals.

Enjoy refeshments & samples & enter to win prizes. Free admission for brides & their guests.

---------------------6TH ANNUAL RUBY ELLEN FARM VALENTINE SNOWSHOE/SKI TREK: 1pm, 5946 South Center Hwy., Leelanau County. Guided around rolling terrain in open fields, orchards & woods. Hot beverages & treats in the tractor house shop, with wood heat. Museum tours available after the Trek. Sledding hill available. Bring your own equipment. Free/donations welcome. rubyellenfarm.org

---------------------PAINTBALL BIATHLON: 1pm, Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville. A combination of paintball & cross-country skiing. For ages 8+. Start times are 1-3pm. $15/person. crystalmountain.com/event/biathlon

---------------------SKI THE VINES FOR TART: 1-5pm. A loop around the vineyards of Shady Lane Cellars, Suttons Bay will be open & groomed for those interested in skiing or snowshoeing between noon - 4pm. Ski & snowshoe rental will be

available to rent. Enjoy chili & soup, wine, hot chocolate & coffee. All donations for chili & soup, as well as a portion of wine sales, go directly to support TART Trails. shadylanecellars.com

---------------------LOVE THROUGH THE AGES BY AGED TO PERFECTION READERS’ THEATRE: 2pm, Old Town Playhouse, Schmuckal Theatre, TC. Six short plays take you from memories of the 17th century to the 21st. An evening about Time and Tide and Post-it Notes. Donation. oldtownplayhouse.com

---------------------LOVE, LOSS & WHAT I WORE: 2pm, Old Town Playhouse Studio Theatre @ the Depot, TC. A play about women’s love/hate relationships with their wardrobes. $17 plus fees. oldtownplayhouse.com

----------------------

TRAVERSE AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY LOCAL HISTORY PROGRAM: 2pm, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. TAHS Board President Stephen Siciliano will present “Abraham Lincoln’s Presidency Through the Eyes of the Political Cartoonists of His Day.” Free. traversehistory.wordpress.com

---------------------10TH ANNUAL WINE & CRAFT BEER TASTING: 3-6pm, R.A. MacMullen Conference Center. Hosted by the Friends of the Roscommon Area District Library. At least ten wines & multiple craft beers, selected by John Bennick of Fifth Street Wines & Market in Roscommon, will be available for sampling. Warm & cold hors d’oeuvres prepared by Fred’s of Roscommon & chocolates will be served along with coffee, tea & pop. 989-281-1305. $25 ($30 at door).

---------------------BEETHOVEN SQUARED: 3pm, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Corson Auditorium. Van Cliburn International Piano Competition gold medalist & frequent Traverse Symphony collaborator Ralph Votapek returns to perform Beethoven’s first & last Piano Concertos: Piano Concerto No. 1 & Piano Concerto No. 5. $22.50-$61.50. traversesymphony.org/concert/beethoven-squared

---------------------PARTNER YOGA: 3pm, New Moon Yoga, TC. The third Sunday of every month enjoy stretching together. All levels welcome. Bring your own beverage to make it even more fun.

Donation based. newmoonyogastudio.com

feb 17

monday

WINTER WATER QUALITY SYMPOSIUM: 8am, Hagerty Center, NMC, TC. Learn about the latest research on Swimmer’s Itch prevention, enteric bacteria testing, snail-parasite distribution in MI & more. Results of testing from several local lakes, including Glen Lake, will be discussed. Four scientists will speak between 8am & noon. Must register: reimink@ hope.edu Free. glenlakeassociation.org

---------------------INDOOR SIDEWALK SALES: (See Sat., Feb. 15)

---------------------MUNSON HEALTHCARE HOSPICE GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP: 10am, Munson Healthcare Hospice House, TC. Meets 1st & 3rd Mon. of every month. Join a friendly environment where grief & loss are understood. Free. munsonhomehealth.org

---------------------ANTRIM AREA WOMEN DEMS MEETING: Noon, Short’s Brewing Co., Bellaire. Featuring a ‘’mock’’ caucus in preparation for the March 10 Presidential Primary. Cost for the luncheon is $14. RSVP: chrisandglennh@gmail.com.

---------------------FREE COMMUNITY DINNER: 5-6:30pm, First Presbyterian Church, Fellowship Hall, Elk Rapids. 231-264-8167. erfpc.org

---------------------RIDE OR RUN FOR BEER AT BLUE TRACTOR: 6pm, Blue Tractor, TC. Choose between a 3 or 5-mile run led by Running Fit - TC & a bike ride through Hickory Hills area led by Hagerty Cycling Team. Afterwards you will be

treated to two 50% off beer tickets at the Blue Tractor. Lights are required for both the run & the ride & helmets are mandatory for all cyclists. Free. Find on Facebook.

feb 18

tuesday

COFFEE @ TEN, PETOSKEY: 10am, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Gilbert Gallery, Petoskey. With CTAC Guild Show Exhibiting Artist Kurt Anderson. Free. crookedtree.org

---------------------PEEPERS PROGRAM: WINTER SLEEPS!: 10am, Boardman River Nature Center, TC. For ages 3-5. Includes stories, crafts, music & discovery activities. Each program ends with an outside portion. Pre-register. $5. natureiscalling. org/event/peepers-program-winter-sleeps

---------------------GET CRAFTY: Great Lakes Children’s Museum, TC. Animal Silhouettes: Glue animals & trees to page protectors. Watercolor paint a piece of white paper & slip it inside the page protector. Held from 11am-noon & 2-3pm. greatlakeskids.org

---------------------MUNSON HEALTHCARE HOSPICE GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP: 2pm, Peninsula Community Library, TC. Held the first & third Tues. of every month. munsonhealthcare.org/homehealth/munson-home-health

---------------------CINEMA ARTS: “A STAR IS BORN” (1937): 6pm, Oliver Art Center, Fisher Classroom, Frankfort. Free; donations welcome. oliverartcenterfrankfort.org

---------------------CITIZENS’ CLIMATE LOBBY MEETING: 6-8:30pm, Central United Methodist Church, third floor, TC. If you’re new to CCL, please arrive at 5:45pm to learn about advocacy for national policies to address climate change. citizensclimatelobby.org

---------------------“OUR ADULT CHILDREN WITH ASPERGER’S”: 6:30pm. A meeting for neurotypical parents & other family members of adults with Asperger Syndrome - diagnosed, undiagnosed, or self-diagnosed. The exact TC location is provided when the neurotypical family member contacts Nan Meyers at 231-631-8343 or nwmints@ gmail.com before noon on the meeting day.

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INTERNATIONAL LECTURE: “JOURNEY TO AFRICA”: 6:30pm, NCMC, HES 312, Petoskey. Join NCMC professor Larry Cummings on a trip to Zambia, Malawi & Zimbabwe. He will share photos & a firsthand account of his travels. 231-348-6613. Free.

----------------------

Q BROTHERS: 7:30pm, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Dendrinos Chapel & Recital Hall. These internationally acclaimed theatre artists blend theatre classics with hip-hop rhymes to create original, fast-paced comedic performances. $28 full, $14 student. tickets. interlochen.org/events/q-brothers/february18-2020-730pm

feb 19

wednesday

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SUPPORT GROUP MEETING: 6:30pm, Foster Family Community Health Center, Rooms A & B, TC. The speaker will be Beth Dole, a clinical exercise physiologist. 248-930-4170.

---------------------INTRO TO WATERCOLOR PAINTING FOR BEGINNERS & INTERMEDIATE: 1-3pm, Interlochen Public Library, Community Room. For adults. Learn techniques professional painters use. Bring your own watercolor brushes, paints & paper. Sign up: 231-276-6767. Free.

---------------------CUPCAKE DECORATING: 2pm, Helena Township Community Center, Alden. Ruthann Dexter, owner of Ruthann’s Bakery in Bellaire,

demonstrates the art of cupcake decorating with her signature Butter Cream Frosting. Sign up: 231-331-4318. Suggested $5 donation.

---------------------HEART-HEALTHY EXERCISE DEMONSTRATION: 5pm, Cheboygan Community Medical Center, 3rd floor conference room.

Free. mclaren.org

---------------------DUAL BUSINESS AFTER HOURS: 5:307:30pm, Nub’s Nob, Harbor Springs. Presented by the Petoskey Chamber & Harbor Springs Area Chamber of Commerce. Dress for the 70’s. $10 members; $15 not-yet members.

---------------------DOCUMENTARY: ALICE’S ORDINARY PEOPLE: 6:30pm, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. Documentary film maker, Craig Dudnick, will introduce his film “Alice’s Ordinary People,” which is about the work of civil rights activist, Alice Tregay, of the Chicago Freedom Movement. The film will be followed by a question & answer period with Mr. Dudnick. Free. tadl.org/event/ civil-rights-program-alice-tregays-story-withfilmmaker-craig-dudnick

---------------------“THE GUN SHOW”: 7pm, Historic Elk Rapids Town Hall. This play is produced by the Michigan Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence. It’s a one act, one actor play that centers on the question, “Can we talk about this?”. It was written by award winning playwright E.M. Lewis & tells the story of America’s relationship with guns through the prism of her own personal experiences. RSVP: kathybirdsall3@gmail.com Free.

---------------------EXPLORING THE W.C. KIMBALL: A MANITOU MYSTERIES SHIPWRECK ADVENTURE: 7pm, Dennos Museum Center, Milliken Auditorium, NMC, TC. Journey to the waters off the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in northern Lake Michigan & join author & shipwreck hunter Ross Richardson in exploring the histories & mysteries of the Manitou Passage. $10 advance; $15 door. mynorthtickets.com

feb 20

thursday

INTERACTIVE STORYTIME: 11am, Great Lakes Children’s Museum, TC. Featuring “The Pout-Pout Fish”

by Deborah Diesen, followed by a craft or activity. greatlakeskids.org

---------------------BENZIE BUSINESS AFTER HOURS: “MARDI GRAS BENZIE STYLE”: 5-7pm, Grow Benzie, Benzonia. Music & dancing, festive hors d’oeuvres, 50/50 raffle, door prizes, & a $100 Member Raffle. $5/person.

---------------------BELLAIRE BUSINESS AFTER HOURS: 5:30-7pm, Short’s Brewing Co., Bellaire. $3.

---------------------THE NORTHLAND WEAVING & FIBER ARTS GUILD MONTHLY MEETING: 5:30pm, TC Senior Center. The topic will be Art Park project planning & technique practice. Bring supplies to the meeting for hands on fun & to test out for a trial run. northlandweaversguild.com

---------------------INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS FORUM: #FULLSTOP: 6pm, Dennos Museum Center, Milliken Auditorium, NMC, TC. Protecting Children & Ending Human Trafficking in the 21st Century. Featuring Eirliani Abdul Rahmn, a former Singaporean diplomat, executive director of YAKIN, author of “Survivors: Breaking the Silence on Child Sex Abuse.” tciaf.com

---------------------LOVE, LOSS & WHAT I WORE: (See Sat., Feb. 15)

---------------------THE CRISPIN CAMPBELL QUARTET: 7:30pm, Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts, Manistee. Cellist Crispin Campbell leads his quartet into the world of soulful jazz, upbeat Gypsy Swing, Latin sambas, & original compositions.

Campbell is joined by veteran musicians Steve Stargardt, piano, Jack Dryden, bass & Randy Marsh, drums. $15-$30. ci.ovationtix.com

feb 21

friday

DISCOVERY DAY: 9am1pm, NCMC, HESC Building, Petoskey. Learn about nursing & public safety careers.

For students in grades 11 & higher. Lunch is included.

Register. my.ncmich.edu/ ICS/Forms/Discovery_Day_Registration.jnz

---------------------39TH ANNUAL SNO-BLAST: East Jordan.

Featuring a Sno-Sculpture Contest, Crowning of the Belle of the Blizzard & Winter Knight, Blessing of the Sleds, Taco Dinner, Antique Snowmobile Show & much more. ejchamber. org/events/winter/sno-blast

---------------------DISCOVER WITH ME: 10am-noon, Great Lakes Children’s Museum, TC. Fascinate your fingers & play in a sensory bin... beans, rice & more. greatlakeskids.org

---------------------MICHIGAN SNOWMOBILE FESTIVAL: Gaylord, Feb. 21-22. This year’s stops include Beaver Creek Resort, Treetops Resort, Paul’s Pub, Big Buck Brewery, Belle Iron Grille, Porter Haus, Mama Leone’s, Corwith Station, The Keg Bar & Elkhorn Grill. gaylordmichigan.net/event-detail/michigan-snowmobilefestival/?glm_event_from=2020-02-21

---------------------MUNSON HEALTHCARE HOSPICE GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP: 11am, Munson Healthcare Home Health Office, 324 Meadow Dr., Grayling.

Held the third Fri. of every month. munsonhealthcare.org/home-health/munson-home-health

---------------------WINTER LUNCHEON LECTURE: S.S. EDMUND FITZGERALD: 11:30am-1pm, NCMC, Library Conference Center, Petoskey. Featuring Bruce Lynn, executive director of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society & author. $12; includes lunch. ncmich.edu/community-events/lectures-events/winter-2020-luncheon-lectures.html

---------------------BEN SHARKEY: 7:30pm, Cheboygan Opera House. Detroit’s Ben Sharkey brings his fusion of old school cool, contemporary jazz, soul & pop. 231-627-5432 or www.theoperahouse. org $20 adults, $10 students, $15 veterans.

---------------------LOVE, LOSS & WHAT I WORE: (See Sat., Feb. 15)

---------------------INTERLOCHEN ARTS ACADEMY SINGERSONGWRITERS: 8pm, City Opera House, TC. This performance is part of the 10th Anniversary Season of Performing Arts at City Opera House. $20, $15; students, $10. cityoperahouse.org/iaa-singer-songwriters

---------------------KHALIF WAILIN’ WALTER: 8pm, Dennos Museum Center, Milliken Auditorium, NMC, TC. Enjoy a journey through funk, soul & rock, together with Chicago blues. Before the show, ticket holders can visit the museum. Afterwards, meet the artists & enjoy light refreshments. $25-$32. mynorthtickets.com/events/ Khalif-Wailin-Walter-2-21-2020

feb 22

saturday

COMMUNITY YOGA FOR EVERY BODY: 9am, 206 S. Oak St., TC. Love your body through gentle breath/body movement. Donation based class. Find on Facebook.

---------------------39TH ANNUAL SNO-BLAST: (See Fri., Feb. 21) ---------------------HIKE FOR HEALTH AT DUNCAN BAY: 10:30am, Duncan Bay Nature Preserve, Cheboygan. Join Little Traverse Conservancy staff on a winter hiking excursion to the overlook on the shores of Lake Huron. After the hike, meet to order lunch at Nourish in downtown Cheboygan. Pre-registration is requested by calling 231.347.0991. Free. landtrust.org

Northern Express Weekly • february 17 2020 • 29

Schedule your FREE site assessment for solar energy at your home, farm or business

888-90-SOLAR

MICHIGAN SNOWMOBILE FESTIVAL: (See Fri., Feb. 21)

---------------------SIGNS OF RIVER OTTER: 1-2:30pm, Grass River Natural Area, Bellaire. Learn some signs that river otter have been nearby & take a walk on the trails to see if you can spot some for yourself.

Also look for signs of other elusive mammals like bobcat, coyote or mink. $5. grassriver.org

---------------------CELEBRATION OF WELL-BEING: 3-6pm, New Moon Yoga, TC. Enjoy free class demos, refreshments, discounted class packs & enter a raffle drawing to win a 1 year paid membership. Free. newmoonyogastudio.com

Northern Express / OUTLINED 3/8 page

( 5.1" x 9.16" ) FEBRUARY 2020

---------------------6TH ANNUAL GUNS-N-HOSES BENEFIT HOCKEY GAME: 6-10pm, Centre Ice Arena, TC. Watch local firefighters face off against police officers in this annual game to raise funds for a selected family in need. $5. gtgunsnhoses.com/guns-n-hoses-hockey-game

---------------------GOPHERWOOD CONCERT: EMILEE PETERSMARK: 7pm, Cadillac Elks Lodge.

Known as part of The Crane Wives, Emilee will be performing solo with her unreleased collection of songs. $7-$15. mynorthtickets. com/events/emilee-petersmark-2-22-2020

---------------------LOVE, LOSS & WHAT I WORE: (See Sat., Feb. 15)

---------------------THE TAP PACK: 7:30pm, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Corson Auditorium. This comedy ensemble mixes tap dance with swing music & witty banter. They are inspired by Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra & Sammy Davis Jr. $42 pit, $37 orchestra. tickets.interlochen.org/events/ tap-pack/february-22-2020-730pm

---------------------LIVE FROM CHARLEVOIX: JILL JACK: 8pm, Charlevoix Cinema III. $25. livefromcharlevoix.com CATS: THE JELLICLE YELLICLE BALL: 9:30pm, State Theatre, TC. One night only. $7. stateandbijou.org/movies/cats-jellicle-yellicle-ball

feb 23

sunday

LOVE BODY: 10:30am, Table Health, GT Commons, TC. Women can join to chat about Love Body, what it means, the power of community, women as collaborators rather than competitors & more. Free snacks.

Free. lovebodywisdom.com/engage.html

---------------------2020 TC RESTAURANT WEEK: Feb. 2329. Participating restaurants will offer three course meals for $25 or $35. Reservations encouraged. downtowntc.com/traverse-cityrestaurant-week

---------------------CHILI COOK-OFF: 11:15am, Presbyterian Church of TC. Presented by The Children & Youth Ministries. $10 per person or $30 per family.

---------------------12TH ANNUAL GREAT INDOOR FOLK FESTIVAL: 12-5:30pm, The Mercado @ Building 50, The Village at GT Commons, TC. More than 75 musicians from northern MI’s folk, bluegrass & acoustic music scene will perform at the festival, offering CDs of their music for sale. Featuring eight stages, including a satellite stage at Left Foot Charley & Higher Grounds. Newcomers this year include Kevin Johnson, Eliza Thorp, Bruce Matthews, Bob Fawcett, Troll for Trout, FlyLiteGemini, Buckrooster Highground, Boundarywater & several Interlochen Student Singer Songwriters. Returning performers include Crockett, Smith, and Armstrong, New Third Coast, Runaway Mule, Saldaje & many others. Free. thevillagetc.com/12th-annual-great-indoor-folk-festival

---------------------30 • february 17, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly

“ARMOR OF LIGHT” MOVIE SCREENING: 2pm, The Garden Theater, Frankfort. The Northern Michigan group of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America will host a free movie

screening & community discussion around gun violence in our communities. every.tw/2RoXohc

---------------------REMEMBERING PATSY CLINE - A BENEFIT FOR CITY OPERA HOUSE: 3pm, City Opera House, TC. A tribute to the iconic music legend, Patsy Cline, featuring Judy Harrison & ReBooted. $22, $32, $50; students, $15. cityoperahouse.org/remembering-patsy-cline

---------------------GLCO SUNDAY SERIES: VIOLIN, HORN, PIANO TRIO: 4pm, First Presbyterian Church, Petoskey. Free. glchorchestra.org

ongoing

ACORN ADVENTURERS: Fridays, Feb. 7-28, 10am, Boardman River Nature Center, TC. For ages 0-4. A mix of guided & self-guided outdoor activities that allow young explorers & their grown-ups to explore, engage with, & experience the outdoors. Register. natureiscalling.org/acorn-adventurers

---------------------BOYNE CITY’S INDOOR FARMERS MARKET: Saturdays, 9am-noon, Feb. 1 - May 9.

City Hall, Boyne City. boynecitymainstreet. com/farmers-market-welcome

---------------------CORNHOLE LIVE!: Tuesdays, Feb. 11 - Mar. 31, State Street Market, TC. Weekly cornhole tournament with live commentary by ref Chwaz. Registration starts at 6:45pm; games begin at 7:05pm. The first 12 teams will be registered for places in the double elimination bracket. Find on Facebook.

---------------------FLY TYING SERIES: Tuesdays, 5:30-7pm, Feb. 11-25, Elk Rapids Library, Meeting Room. Eric Crissman will teach three different trout flies with info about each fly. Learn how to make a Black Stonefly Nymph, Hendrickson Dry Fly, & a Rabbit Strip Leech Streamer.

Class is limited to 8 people; call the library at 231-264-9979 to register. elkrapidslibrary.org/ news-events/february-fly-tying-series

---------------------GENTLE YOGA FOR ADULTS: Tues. & Fri., 10am, Interlochen Public Library. Focus on breathing, gentle repeated movements & stretches. Bring your own mats, water & towels. Free. tadl.org/interlochen

---------------------KIDS ON SKIS IN THE WOODS EVERY SUNDAY: Sundays, 11:45am, Timber Ridge Resort, TC. Presented by Norte & Vasa Ski Club.

A group ski for families. The use of Timber Ridge Resort will be free for the entire Winter Vasa Domingos Ski Season. elgruponorte.org

---------------------NEW SNOWSHOE HIKES: Saturdays, 1pm, Jan. 4 - Mar. 14. Choose from two ranger-led snowshoe hikes to explore the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore park. “Snowshoe Saunter” is for beginners & “Snowshoe Trek” is for more experienced snowshoe hikers. Meet for an introduction at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center, Empire.

These hikes are free, but participants do need a park entrance pass or have an annual pass to participate. Reservations are required whether participants borrow snowshoes from the National Lakeshore or have their own. facebook.com/sbdnl

---------------------SNOWSHOE WEEKENDS: Rove Estate Vineyard & Tasting Room, TC. Held every Sat. & Sun. through March at 11am. Bring your snowshoes or cross-country skis. These are not guided tours.

---------------------STORYTIME: Fridays, 10:30am through March 20, Leland Township Library. Stories & more designed to promote joy & growth in literacy. Children ages 0-6 & their caregivers welcome. lelandlibrary.org

---------------------THE VINE TO WINE SNOWSHOE TOUR: Saturdays, 11am, Feb. 15-29, Big Little Wines, Suttons Bay. Led by a guide, you will enjoy a casual snowshoe hike starting & stopping at three wineries along the way. The private vineyard trail connects Suttons Bay Ciders, Ciccone Vineyards & Big

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Little Wines. This guided tour starts at Big Little Wines. The tour includes your snowshoe & pole rental, a catered warm lunch of chili & soups, & a wine purchase pick up service. grandtraversebiketours.com/vine-to-wine-snowshoe-tour.html

---------------------TRAIL TUESDAY: Held Tuesdays through winter at noon. Antrim Conservation District Office, 4820 Stover Rd., Bellaire. Enjoy a hike through the Cedar River Natural Area. 231-533-8363.

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VISUAL ARTS STUDENT EXHIBITION: Runs through Feb. 15 at Interlochen Center for the Arts, Herbert H. & Barbara C. Dow Center for Visual Arts. Browse artwork by Interlochen Arts Academy students at the Juried Student Exhibition, which represents the various forms of media that Interlochen’s Visual Arts Department encompasses, including ceramics, sculpture, painting, drawing, metals, digital arts, photography, printmaking, & fibers. academy.interlochen.org

---------------------“GUILD MEMBER SALON SHOW”: Feb. 8 Mar. 28, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Galleries, Petoskey. This invitational exhibit showcases work created by current CTAC Artist Guild Members. Over 100 artists from 34 cities are participating in this event. crookedtree.org

---------------------2020 WINE LABEL ART COMPETITION: Mission Point Lighthouse, in conjunction with Bowers Harbor Vineyards, is sponsoring this competition to design the bottle label of the 2020 season Mission Point Lighthouse Wine.

It is the 150th Anniversary of Mission Point Lighthouse. The winner will have his or her name & artwork featured on a special release of Bowers Harbor Vineyards Pinot Grigio for one year & will receive $250 cash. Art submission deadline is March 17. missionpointlighthouse.com/special-eventsweddings.html

---------------------MUST LOVE BLUE AT BLK\MRKT ART SPACE, TC: Eleven artists offer works focusing on the color BLUE, Feb. - March. Meet the artists at a reception, Feb. 23 from 4-6 pm.

Hours: M-Sat., 7am-5pm; Sun., 9am-3pm. instagram.com/blkmrktartspace

---------------------CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER, TC: - CALL FOR ARTISTS: ART FAIR: Artists & artisans are invited to apply for the 60th annual Crooked Tree Art Fair, now through Feb. 15. crookedtree.org/call-for-artists/crookedtree-art-fair - YOUTH ARTS EXHIBIT: Celebrating the work of area K-12 art students & educators.

On display through March 14. crookedtree. org/event/ctac-traverse-city/2020-youth-art

---------------------DENNOS MUSEUM CENTER, NMC, TC: - 40 CHANCES: FINDING HOPE IN A HUNGRY WORLD: Featuring the photography of Howard G. Buffett. Forty photographs document the world hunger crisis as part of a global awareness campaign. Runs through April 26.

- ERGO SUM: A CROW A DAY: On Aug. 1, 2014 artist Karen Bondarchuk set out to mark the passing time that her mother – diagnosed with dementia in 2010 – no longer could. For 365 days, she produced a crow a day on a hand-cut, hand-gessoed panel, remembering her mother as she once was & grieving her loss.

Runs through May 24.

- PULPED UNDER PRESSURE: THE ART OF HANDMADE PAPER: With traditional hand papermaking at its core, this exhibit underscores important contemporary issues steeped in history & craft. Runs through May 24. Hours are 10am-5pm daily & 1-5pm on Sundays. dennosmuseum.org

---------------------GAYLORD AREA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS, GAYLORD: - BLACK & WHITE WITH A HINT OF COLOR EXHIBIT: Runs through Feb. 29.

- CALL FOR ENTRIES--INSPIRED BY THE MASTERS: Inspired by the Masters Exhibit will run March 4 - April 11, 2020. All Michigan

artists 16 years old or older (including parttime residents) may enter this exhibit. Entries can be of any medium but must be in good condition & of the artist’s own creation. Art work will be accepted from Feb. 5-29 during normal business hours (11am-3pm, Tues.-Fri. & 12-2pm, Sat). Maximum entries: 4 pieces due to space limitations. gaylordarts.org

---------------------- FUNDAY MONDAYS: Held every Mon. through April 27 at 10am. Try a different art or craft each week. All supplies provided. gacaevents.weebly.com

---------------------HIGHER ART GALLERY, TC: - OPEN CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: “CITIZEN’S COPING” - ARTISTS RESPOND TO 4 YEARS OF AN ADMINISTRATION: Higher Art Gallery is the incubator to new Non-Profit Art Organization: Project Civilization which is having its first Open Call to All Artists for its Annual Juried show. Deadline to apply & enter submission is: 9/1/2020. Show Opens: 10/9/2020. higherartgallery.com/calls-for-art - CALL FOR ARTISTS: “SENSE OF HOME” ANNUAL COMMUNITY FUNDRAISER EXHIBIT: Presented by Higher Art Gallery to benefit Pete’s Place, which is a branch of Child & Family Services & is TC’s only homeless youth shelter. The open call for this show has a theme of art called: “To Comfort.” Artists are asked to respond with pieces that invoke comfort, a sense of home & what brings you comfort. The deadline to submit images is Aug. 1, 2020. higherartgallery.com/calls-for-art

----------------------

NORTHPORT ARTS ASSOCIATION, NORTHPORT: - NORTHPORT PHOTO EXHIBITION: CALL TO ARTISTS: Now through April 30: Photographers of all skill levels are invited to submit their work to the Northport Photo Exhibition, which will take place from May 22-31. $30/ member; $40/non-member. northportartsassociation.org/all-happenings/2020/5/22/northport-photo-exhibit-2020 - DARK SKIES: CALL FOR ARTISTS: Jan. 18 - Feb. 28: Submit up to three pieces in the medium/media of your choosing that celebrate the night sky. northportartsassociation.org/allhappenings/2020/4/16/call-for-artists-dark-skies - PLEIN AIR: CALL TO ARTISTS: Jan. 18 Feb. 29. Northport’s 2020 Plein Air event takes place from Sat., July 25 at 7am through Sun., July 26 at 8:30pm. Sat. & Sun. Paint Out: $30/ member; $40/non-member. Dark Skies Paint Out: $15/member; $20/non-member. northportartsassociation.org/all-happenings/2020/7/25/ northport-2020-plein-air-paint-out - ARTS! FOR KIDS WINTER SATURDAYS: Saturdays, 1pm, Feb. 1 - Mar. 21, Village Arts Building, Northport. Experience different media at three different art stations. Kids make creative art choices, interspersed with teacher directed lessons. northportartsassociation.org OLIVER ART CENTER, FRANKFORT: - PRINTMAKING & INVITATIONAL EXHIBITION: This exhibition features three printmakers: Andrew Jagniecki, Lauren Everett Finn & L.C. Lim. Runs through March 13. Hours are 10am-4:30pm, Mon. through Fri., 10am-4pm, Sat. & 12-4pm, Sun. - ‘MAKE MINE ABSTRACT!’ INVITATIONAL & OPEN CALL EXHIBITION: Featuring artists Skye Gentle, Carol C Spaulding & Susan Thompson.

OAC is asking artists to submit up to two pieces of artwork for display. Cost is free for art center members & $5 for non-members. Artwork drop off is March 14-15 & the exhibition runs March 20 April 17, with an opening reception from 5-7pm on March 20. oliverartcenterfrankfort.org

Deadline for Dates information is Tuesday for the following week.

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Northern Express Weekly • february 17 2020 • 31

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32 • february 17, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly

Fall Out Boy Falling Into Tour Fall Out Boy are now in outlets with their second greatest hits collection for Island Records, which they’ve dubbed Greatest Hits: Believers Never Die – Volume Two. This collection was just released and serves as promo for the band’s upcoming global tour, which will kick off on June 13 in Paris, France.

In addition to the plethora of FOB hits on the set, fans will also hear “Dear Future Self (Hands Up),” a surf-rock-meets-reggae track that the band recorded with Wyclef Jean, whom they say they’ve always been fans of.

Fall Out Boy’s last studio album was August 2018’s Lake Effect Kid EP; no word yet on when they’ll be back in the studio again…

OneRepublic have returned, too, with a new single co-penned by Brent Kutzle, Casey Smith, Zach Skelton, Tyler Spry, and hitmaker Ryan Tedder. The track, called “Wanted,” was also released with an official music video as directed by Christian Lamb of Black Dog Films. This is the band’s second new single from their latest album, Rescue Me; the other recent release you’ll be hearing from them is “Start Again,” a single featuring Logic that’s been included on the soundtrack for the Netflix drama 13 Reasons. OneRepublic will be spending much of their spring on tour in Europe, beginning in March…

MODERN

Falllout Boy

ROCK

BY KRISTI KATES

If you’re a fan of musical artists like YBN Nahmir, Tyler the Creator, Vince Staples, and Lil Yachty, then you’ll be glad to see this new joint venture between mega label Warner Records and Masked Records, the latter being a new boutique label founded by hip-hop entrepreneur Roger Gengo (founder of the Masked Gorilla website and Unmasked concert series.) Warner are reportedly planning to expand their roster in part by tapping into Gengo’s abilities to help break out artists like 2KBaby and Denzel Curry, and help performers’ careers grow.

The deal also marks the 10th anniversary of Masked Gorilla, which Gengo founded when he was still a teenager…

The legendary Elton John will be honored with a set of Royal Mail stamps in the U.K. to mark the performer’s 50 years in the music business. John is the second solo musician to get stamps in his likeness following David Bowie’s stamps in 2017. The primary sheet of Elton John stamps feature images of a selection of his album covers, including Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Songs from the West Coast, and Honky Chateau; a secondary “miniature stamps” sheet will showcase images of John’s live performances…

LINK OF THE WEEK Post Malone has expanded his current Runaway tour further into the year, adding

more dates in February and March across North America – including a stop in Michigan - with Swae Lee and Tyla Yaweh as opening acts. Shows include Grand Rapids, Michigan (Feb. 12), Toronto (Feb. 14), Philadelphia (Feb. 21), and Las Vegas (March 14); get the full schedule and ticket info at postmalone.com…

THE BUZZ Mavis Staples will be performing on Feb. 15 at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor…

Grand Rapids Southern-rock influenced roots band Paradise Outlaw have released

their album Shadows, with lead singles “Steel Drivin’ Man” and “Voodoo Cadillac”…

Grand Rapids roots band Jack Droppers and the Best Intentions have just released their latest single, “Found My Way”…

Fellow Michigan outfit Boy From School have also released a new album – called White Hot Light, the set focuses on synthesizer riffs and ‘80s-inspired pop-rock tunes… and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.

Comments, questions, rants, raves, suggestions on this column? Send ‘em to Kristi, modernrocker@gmail.com.

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Northern Express Weekly • february 17 2020 • 33

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34 • february 17, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly

Tones and I – The Kids Are Coming – New Elektra

The voice of Aussie pop performer Toni Watson, aka Tones, is definitely not for everyone; the most-spot on description of her sound is “drinking a bottle of lemon juice before you sing.” But she does have an ear for a hook, so if you can get past her baby-doll vocals, you might be compelled to distract yourself by dancing to the title track’s big, brassy chorus; the fear of failure anthem “Never Seen the Rain”; and her breakthrough single, “Dance Monkey.”

Halsey – Manic – Capitol

Ashley Frangipane’s – aka Halsey’s - third full-length set has already spawned a five-times-Platinum single in “Without Me,” but the rest of the set might not do that well commercially. It’s full of overly introspective tunes that are wincingly uncomfortable at times (no surprise that one of her guests on the set is the queen of ’90s angst, Alanis Morissette.) Whether Halsey’s fixated on fitting in (“929”), her appearance (“3 a.m.”), or relationships (“I Hate Everybody”), the album’s mental state is as messy as its unfocused mix of R&B, country, pop, and heavy rock sounds.

The reel

by meg weichman

birds of prey downhill

A

foreign film might have won the Academy Award for Best Picture (Parasite), but Hollywood still thinks mainstream audiences can’t overcome — as director Bong Joon Ho puts it — “the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles.” And so comes directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash’s (The Way, Way Back) remake of the dark Swedish comedy Force Majeure.

Ruben Östlund’s original film was a masterful look at the fragile male ego — gripping and subtle and brilliant. And through a process of adaptation for American audiences, you get a film with big stars, but that goes soft. Here, the comedy takes a broad, friendly, and much less incisive approach.

But the premise remains essentially the same. A well-to-do American couple (Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell) and their two tween boys are taking a ski vacation in the Austrian Alps when a near-death experience causes their trip to take a very different turn. (In the face of what appeared to be an oncoming avalanche, Dad Pete basically grabbed his phone and ran, leaving his family alone.) But differences from the original aside, there are still a lot of very strong ingredients at work, with the film offering some penetrating moments of truth — and even more moments of laughter.

While DC Comic’s Suicide Squad was a film I think we all would rather forget, we can also probably agree that the only thing worth saving from that cinematic disaster was Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn. And while I personally would prefer to never see a “Daddy’s Lil Monster” Halloween costume ever again, she’s become such an overly sexualized omnipresent pop-culture icon that she’s clearly ripe for her own expanding spinoff.

And while the refreshingly less serious tone of said spinoff, Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, doesn’t end up doing a whole lot to add depth to the Harley Quinn character (if anything it’s more of an emancipation of the DCEU and not Harley), it certainly brings a feminist perspective to the comic book movie, and it’s a heck of a lot of fun. And at only 109 minutes, when it comes to this notoriously over-bloated genre, what do you really have to lose?

With a madcap energy, the film combines a nutso appeal with gory violence. The first act can be a lot to take in as Harley breathlessly and manically sets up the film. This, along with her super thick Brooklyn-accent and general unlikability, makes the chipper and cheery psychopath very off-putting at first.

But the charismatic Robbie really leans in to everything you don’t like, and with her beguiling charm, she will wear you down.

Harley, as she explains, is fresh off a breakup from “her puddin’,” aka Gotham’s most wanted supervillain, the Joker. And she understandably goes through some postbreakup blues, cutting her hair (bangs), getting a pet (a hyena), and her own place (a flop above a shady Chinese restaurant). But unique to her situation is the realization that everyone in Gotham hates her, and without her protective ties to the Joker, it’s now open season on Harley Quinn, forcing her to confront her past sins.

One of the many people out to make Harley pay for her misdeeds is Roman Sionis, aka Black Mask (Ewan McGregor), a trust-fund kid who runs a crooked club and is after a diamond that holds the key to the hidden fortune of a massacred mafia family.

That diamond, however, ends up in the hands — and then digestive track — of teenage pickpocket Cassandra (Ella Jay Basco).

Harley ends up partnering with Cassandra, and because both have a huge bounty their heads, the entire city goes looking for them.

So while there’s lots of fighting and intrigue, and probably a little too much going on plotwise, what this film is really about is a badass girl gang coming together. In addition to Harley, we have a cop who’s basically living in an ’80s-era crime show (Rosie Perez), a crossbow assassin out for vengeance (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and singer/driver Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), all of whom find themselves drawn into aiding Cassandra.

The film takes a very Deadpool-esque irreverent and hyperactive approach, with Harley constantly breaking the fourth wall and addressing the audience. The action sequences, however, feel like they are breaking new ground. The fight choreography is truly inspired, with distinctly female details like a memorable mid-fight hair-tie assist, the use of confetti-spraying stun guns, and a rollerskating chase sequence that is perfectly on point. (John Wick director Chad Stahelski consulted on the fight sequences, and he clearly brought his A-game.)

the assistant

P

erhaps the first truly great movie of the #MeToo era, The Assistant follows one day in the office for the young female assistant of a high-powered Hollywood mogul who is clearly a stand-in for disgraced accused sexual predator Harvey Weinstein. And while I will never be able to shake his victims’ testimony in Untouchable (the documentary about his rise and fall) for me The Assistant was even more effective in condemning not just the Harvey Weinsteins of the world, but everyone else who allowed it to happen and the systems and structure under which this behavior thrives. Director Kitty Green, known more for her documentary filmmaking in work like Casting Jon Benet, takes the focus off the idea of the “bad man.” You don’t even see or really hear “the boss” and we don’t know his name. Instead the focus is on Jane (the incredible Julia Gardner, fresh off a Golden Globe win for Ozark) on what at first seems like a rather standard day at the office. Her experience builds through some of the subtlest of details to something completely damning, ultimately revealing why it took so long for someone like Weinstein to be exposed.

The candy-colored and glitter-drenched design of the film is fresh and exciting and takes you to a literal funhouse. The costuming is exquisite, with Harley serving up several iconic looks.

The plotting, however, is more than a little messy, but comes together at the end, if only to set up the film for potential sequels.

Director Cathy Wan has created a totally feminist superhero movie, though to call any of the protagonists superheroes doesn’t feel quite right. And since this is such a completely goofy girl’s movie with a dash of bloody brutality, it perhaps flies in the face of what DC devotees want from their Harley Quinn.

The film is a major step forward for the DCEU’s efforts to add more levity and fun to their universe, but following a lackluster box office, it’s somewhat telling that the studio, one week after the film’s release, chopped down the title to Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey.

The comic book bros and fanboys might still not respond to the film, but at the same time, I think that’s precisely why this gal enjoyed it so much.

Meg Weichman is a perma-intern at the Traverse City Film Festival and a trained film archivist.

just mercy

A

familiar legal drama, the filmmaking of Just Mercy is predictable and formulaic, but the real-life story of the man who defends death row inmates is nothing less than extraordinary. Director Destin Daniel Cretton adapts the memoir of world-renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson into a moving film that focuses on the early days of his landmark career. Stepping into Bryan Stevenson’s heroic shoes is Michael B. Jordan (Creed, Black Panther). Fresh from graduating at the top of his class at Harvard Law, Bryan rejects the route of high-powered, high-paying corporate law in order to move to Monroe County, Alabama, where he starts the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit that takes on cases of death row inmates. There he’s introduced to Jamie Foxx’s Walter McMillian, a man whose case just doesn’t add up. Even though there was no DNA evidence, no motive, and he had an alibi, Walter has been convicted of brutally murdering a white teenage girl. While the film doesn’t offer viewers much new in the way of narrative or artistry, it’s a heartfelt and genuine work that features strong performances, high production values, and a powerful message we cannot ignore.

Northern Express Weekly • february 17 2020 • 35

nitelife

feb 15 - Feb 23 edited by jamie kauffold

Send Nitelife to: events@traverseticker.com

Grand Traverse & Kalkaska

ACOUSTIC TAP ROOM, TC 2/15 -- Corbin Manikas, 8 2/20 -- Community Jam, 7 2/21 -- Les Dalgliesh, 8 2/22 -- Chris Michels, 8 CHATEAU GRAND TRAVERSE, TC TASTING ROOM: 2/19 -- Wine Down Wednesdays: BINGO Edition, 6 FANTASY'S, TC Mon. - Sat. -- Adult entertainment w/ DJ, 7-close GT DISTILLERY, TC 2/15 -- The Duges, 7 2/22 -- LYNN & the Moonshine Runners, 7-9 HOTEL INDIGO, TC 2/15 -- Brett Mitchell, 7-10 2/21 -- Windy Ridge Trio, 7-10 2/22 -- Blake Elliott, 7-10 KILKENNY'S, TC 2/14-15 -- Protea, 9:30 2/18 -- Levi Britton, 8 2/19 -- The Pocket, 8 2/20 -- 2Bays DJs, 9:30 2/21 -- Soul Patch, 9:30 2/22 -- Off Beat Band, 9:30

LEFT FOOT CHARLEY, TC 2/17 -- Open Mic Night w/ Rob Coonrod, 6-9 2/21 -- Shawn Butzin, 6-8

2/17 -- Here:Say Storytelling, 7 Tue -- TC Celtic, 6:30 Wed -- Jazz Jam, 6-10 2/21 -- Luck Dragon ft. Joe Latimo, 8 2/22 -- Flylite Gemini, 8

PARK PLACE HOTEL, TC BEACON LOUNGE: Thurs,Fri,Sat -- Tom Kaufmann, 8:30

TURTLE CREEK CASINO, WILLIAMSBURG 2/22 -- Tim Thayer, 6

SAIL INN BAR & GRILL, TC Thurs. & Sat. -- Phattrax DJs & Karaoke, 9

UNION STREET STATION, TC 2/15 -- Electric Red, 10 2/16 -- Karaoke, 10 2/18 -- TC Comedy Collective, 8-9:30 2/19 -- DJ Ricky T, 10 2/20 -- DJ JR, 10 2/21 -- Happy Hour w/ Blue Footed Booby; then The Marsupials 2/22 -- DJ Coven, 10 2/23 -- Head for the Hills Live Show, 10am-noon; then Karaoke, 10pm-2am

STATE STREET MARKET, TC Thu -- Open Mic Night, 6-9 TAPROOT CIDER HOUSE, TC 2/16 -- Kids Open Mic, 1 2/21 – Jazz Cabbage, 7-9 THE DISH CAFE, TC 2/18 -- Open Mic Night Hosted

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THE WORKSHOP BREWING CO., TC 2/15 -- Aaron Johnson, 8

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Otsego, Crawford & Central

HELLO VINO, BELLAIRE 2/18-19 -- Doc Woodward, 7 2/23 -- The Winery Comedy Tour, 7

Mon Feb 17- $5 martinis, $5 domestic

ERNESTO'S CIGAR LOUNGE & BAR, PETOSKEY 2/15 -- 3 Year Anniversary wsg Jelly Roll Blues Band, 8-11

Leelanau & Benzie

Antrim & Charlevoix BEE WELL MEAD & CIDER, BELLAIRE 2/21 -- 78s for the People, 7

LEO’S NEIGHBORHOOD TAVERN, PETOSKEY Thurs — Karaoke w/ DJ Michael Willford, 10

Waire, 10

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36 • february 17, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly

WIFI

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the ADViCE GOddESS Flee Infestation

Q

: Disturbingly, I’ve had two close female friends “ghost” me in five months. I’ve known each for 15 years. (They don’t know each other, and one lives out of state.) I’ve tried repeatedly to contact each, asking “Did I do anything to hurt or offend you?” No response.

I just want the truth so I can move on.

— Baffled

A

: There comes a time when you wish someone would treat you with a little more kindness, like by screaming out all the reasons you deserve to be left for dead and have your face eaten off by raccoons.

Even more painful than being dumped by a friend is being dumped by a friend and having no idea why. Lingering questions we can’t answer are mental weevils. Their fave food is our peace of mind, which they gnaw through at random moments. In scientific terms, psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik found that when we have unfinished business, the mind remains in a “state of tension” until we get closure.

BY Amy Alkon

actually experience can implant it in memory, turning it into an experience we swear we had.

So, the more you reflect on the plausible reason, the more it might pass for the actual one.

Finally, you could try to make peace with the mystery. When “Why did they ditch me?” swings around, have a stock answer at the ready: “Hey, self, remember I’ve decided to accept that I just can’t know, and I’m good with that.” Comforting as it would be to finally get answers, sometimes the kindest thing you can do for yourself is not only give up hope but crush it, burn it in a trash can, and then flush its ashes down the toilet.

Mop! In The Name Of Love

Q

: Why are men okay with living in gross conditions? The guy I started dating is a sweetheart, but his place is absolutely disgusting (including the kitchen and bathroom). He doesn’t even notice it. Why do women seem to have a higher standard for cleanliness than men?

— Dismayed

Questions that are both unanswered and unanswerable eat away at us because of the way our memory is engineered. Psychologist Robert Bjork explains that we encode information into memory by first taking it in, then taking a break from it, and later going back and retrieving it. Each “retrieval” is a “learning event,” burnishing the info more deeply into memory. So, each time you pull up this unanswerable question, “Why did these friends ditch me?” you move it a seat or two closer to the front row of your consciousness.

A

To shove it back to the crappier seats, consider the apparent function of nagging questions: pushing us to figure things out. (We can’t learn from our mistakes unless we know what they were.) Though “Why did they ditch me?” will likely remain a mystery, there are constructive questions you can answer, like, “Am I generally a good friend? Are there ways I fell short?”

Evolutionary psychologist Diana Fleischman explains that women have faced recurring issues over evolutionary history that may have led to “heightened pathogen disgust sensitivity.”

These include women’s temporary declines in immunity during the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. “Women also must protect children and infants who are vulnerable (to) disease.”

Additionally, women are “uniquely able” to pass infections on to their offspring during pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding.

Also consider whether you have shared values.

We like to believe this is the basis of our friendships. However, I love the finding by psychologist Mitja Back that we tend to form friendships through “mere proximity” — like being next-door neighbors — though we’ll congratulate ourselves for “choosing” so wisely... well, until we find out who they voted for.

Another way to cut the spin cycle is imagining a plausible reason each disappeared on you (like clashing values) and accepting it as THE reason. Psychologist Elizabeth Loftus finds that recalling an event we were told about but didn’t

: Some men do wait a while to clean the bathroom -- like until they go from needing a bottle of Mr. Clean to needing a bottle of Mr. Arson.

Science suggests you’re right in observing that men, generally speaking, are less disturbed by gross living conditions. Study after study finds higher “disgust sensitivity” in women, meaning women tend to be more icked out by signs of pathogens — bacteria and microorganisms — and indications of possible infection or disease.

Let the guy know you’re a woman with needs: clean sheets and towels, a clean bathroom and kitchen, and general housekeeping at his place.

Suggest options (rather than telling him what to do): He could clean the place himself; however, hiring a cleaning service (especially for the first go-round) might be a good idea. Professionals have vastly higher standards for cleanliness, while he seems to be waiting for a sign to scour the place — like the crud on the coffee table growling at him when he sets down his beer.

“Jonesin” Crosswords "Decade in Review, Part 5" fun stuff from 2018 & 2019. by Matt Jones ACROSS

1 Lip enhancer 6 Go through flour 10 Pale 13 Blue ___ (butterfly species) 15 ___ Shamrock McFlurry (McDonald’s debut of 2020) 16 Ingested 17 Company that launched Falcon Heavy in 2018 18 Game that generated more digital revenue in 2018 than any game in history, per the Hollywood Reporter 20 “Nashville” director Robert 22 Word before eye or twin 23 “The ___ Squad” 26 Air traffic org.

27 Like some soft coats 29 Blue, in Barcelona 31 “So the theory goes ...”

34 Host who retired from “Inside the Actors Studio” in 2018 36 On the nose 39 What goes around?

40 “That’s mildly funny,” online 41 Aquiline bird 43 “King Kong” and “Citizen Kane” studio 44 Song that topped the Billboard Hot 100 for a record 19 weeks in 2019 47 Detroit-born fashion designer 48 Crossword puzzle, without the clues 49 Part of some pirate costumes 52 Fighting a bug, perhaps 54 Indefinite quantity 55 “___ y Ahora” (Univision newsmagazine) 56 Amy’s “Parks and Recreation” role 59 It held up a banana in Maurizio Cattelan’s 2019 artwork “Comedian” 62 ESPN personality who retired in 2019 after being with the network since its inception in 1979 66 Little ___ (protagonist of Punch-Out!!)

67 Omen 68 Make angry 69 2001 Will Smith role (or a princely 2019 role opposite Will Smith 70 Oil of ___ 71 “Well, you’re not looking ___ yourself ...”

DOWN

1 Sports execs, for short 2 Cut off, as branches 3 Pop singer and “The Masked Singer” (U.K.) panelist Rita 4 Animal advocacy org.

5 Knickknack perch 6 Den furniture 7 Monopoly token replaced by a cat in 2013 8 Two-___ (buy one, get one deal) 9 “Paw Patrol” watcher 10 Forfeit voluntarily 11 Lofty storage area 12 Hockey Hall of Famer Cam 14 Jamaican stew ingredient 19 It may be pressing 21 Broadway hit based on a Roald Dahl book 23 Senior’s focus 24 Jason Bateman Netflix drama 25 Flying Disney character 27 ___ Schwarz (toy store that reopened in 2018) 28 Bedding purchase 30 Luau wear 32 Parking units 33 Gateway Arch site 35 Thing in a ring 36 Ancient Greek market 37 Type of M&Ms renamed “Milk Chocolate” 38 Partner of Abe, Thomas, and George 42 Buenos Aires loc.

45 Highly volatile fuel, for short 46 Words repeated after “Whatever” in a Doris Day song 47 Landed 49 “Top Chef” host Lakshmi 50 = 51 Big name in bags 53 Pride participants?

56 Org. for Madelene Sagstrˆm and Park Hee-Young 57 “___, meeny, miney, mo” 58 Spain’s longest river 60 Chinese menu name 61 Be off 63 ___-di-dah 64 Anton ___ (“Ratatouille” restaurant critic) 65 Nevertheless

Northern Express Weekly • february 17 2020 • 37

NEW LISTING!

NEW LISTING!

lOGY

aSTRO

NEW LISTING! Unique Northern Michigan lakefront home.

Marsha Minervini

Thinking of selling or buying?

Thinking of selling?

Making What Was Making What Was Call now a free market Oldfor New Again Old New Again evaluation of your home.

Somerset Maugham reached the height of success. Four of his plays were being performed concurrently in four different London theaters. If you were ever in your life going to achieve anything near this level of overflowing popularity or attention, I suspect it would be this year. And if that’s a development you would enjoy and thrive on, I think the coming weeks will be an excellent time to set your intention and take audacious measures.

philosopher Baruch Spinoza (1632–1677) developed a vigorous and expansive vision.

That’s why he became a leading intellectual influence in the era known as the Enlightenment.

But because of his inventive, sometimes controversial ideas, he was shunned by his fellow Jews and had his books listed on the Catholic Church’s Index of Forbidden Books. Understandably, he sometimes felt isolated.

To compensate, he spent lots of time alone taking wide-ranging journeys in his imagination. Even if you have all the friends and social stimulation you need, I hope you will follow his lead in the coming weeks—by taking wide-ranging journeys in your imagination. It’s time to roam and ramble in inner realms.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “Absolute

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You can find it here, in this new construction 2 BR / 2 BA home, in the village of Maple City. Island kithcen and open concept layout with master suite and bath, this home has an egress unfinsihed basement ready to finish, for even more future space. Add another bedroom, or bath! 2 car detached garage with covered walk thru to the house. Adorable and affordable in Leelanau County! $229,900 MLS 1868753 NEWER BUILD IN MAPLE CITY Looking for your first home? This could be it! Come see this brand new construction home, located in the village of Maple City in Leelanau County. 2 BR / 2 BA, with full unfinished egress basement for an additional bedroom and bath if you desire. 2 car detached garage with covered walk thru, ans an open concept layout with island kitchen! All brand new and waiting for it’s first family! $224,900 MLS 1868754 CHARMING LEELANAU FARMHOUSE Charming circa 1890 farmhouse, currently operated as the Sleeping Bear Bed and Breakfast, this five bedroom, five bathroom home, has been nicely upgraded over the years and would make a great family home. Wonderfully appointed gourmet kitchen, wine cellar, new boiler system in 2017. Wonderful yard with beautiful gardens and outdoor living/kitchen areas, also available with the Sleeping Bear Bed and Breakfast business component. $360,000 MLS 1869220 or $394,900 MLS 1869221

231-334-2758

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38 • february 17, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly

BY ROB BREZSNY

PISCES (Feb 19-March 20): In 1908, British playwright W.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Sagittarian

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FEB 17 - FEB 23

reason expired at eleven o’clock last night,” one character tells another in Henrik Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt. I’m happy to report that a different development is on the verge of occurring for you, Capricorn. In recent days, there may have been less than an ideal amount of reason and logic circulating in your world. But that situation will soon change. The imminent outbreak of good sense, rigorous sanity, and practical wisdom will be quite tonic. Take advantage of this upcoming grace period. Initiate bold actions that are well-grounded in objective rather than subjective truth.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Renowned

Aquarian composer Franz Schubert (1797–1828) created more than 700 compositions, some of which are still played by modern musicians. Many of his works were written on and for the piano—and yet he was so poor that he never owned a piano. If there has been a similar situation in your life, Aquarius—a lack of some crucial tool or support due to financial issues—I see the coming weeks as being an excellent time to set in motion the plans that will enable you to overcome and cure that problem.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Do you feel ready

to change your mind about an idea or belief or theory that has been losing its usefulness?

Would you consider changing your relationship with a once-powerful influence that is becoming l e s s crucial to your life-long goals? Is it possible you have outgrown one of your heroes or teachers? Do you wonder if maybe it’s time for you to put less faith in a certain sacred cow or overvalued idol? According to my analysis of your astrological omens, you’ll benefit from meditating on these questions during the coming weeks.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): When she was

alive more than 2,500 years ago, the Greek poet Sappho was so famous for her lyrical creations that people referred to her as “The Poetess” and the “Tenth Muse.” (In Greek mythology, there were n i n e muses, all goddesses.) She was a prolific writer who produced over 10,000 lines of verse, and even today she remains one of the world’s most celebrated poets. I propose that we make her your inspirational role model for the coming months. In my view, you’re poised to generate a wealth of enduring beauty in your own chosen sphere. Proposed experiment: Regard your daily life as an art project.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Have you ever

dropped out of the daily grind for a few hours or even a few days so as to compose a master plan for your life? The coming weeks will be an excellent time to give yourself that necessary luxury. According to my analysis, you’re entering a phase when you’ll generate good fortune for yourself if you think deep thoughts about how to create your future. What

would you like the story of your life to be on March 1, 2025?

How about March 1, 2030? And March 1, 2035? I encourage you to consult your soul’s code and formulate an inspired, invigorating blueprint for the coming years. Write it down!

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian

novelist William Makepeace Thackeray (1819– 1875) is famous for Vanity Fair, a satirical panorama of 19th-century British society.

The phrase “Vanity Fair” had been previously used, though with different meanings, in the Bible’s book of Ecclesiastes, as well as in works by John Bunyan and St. Augustine. Thackeray was lying in bed near sleep one night when the idea flew into his head to use it for his own story.

He was so thrilled, he leaped up and ran around his room chanting “Vanity Fair! Vanity Fair!” I’m foreseeing at least one epiphany like this for you in the coming weeks, Cancerian.

What area of your life needs a burst of delicious inspiration?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Who loves you best,

Leo? Which of your allies and loved ones come closest to seeing you and appreciating you for who you really are? Of all the people in your life, which have done most to help you become the soulful star you want to be? Are there gem-like characters on the peripheries of your world that you would like to draw nearer? Are there energy drains that you’ve allowed to play too prominent a role? I hope you’ll meditate on questions like these in the coming weeks. You’re in a phase when you can access a wealth of useful insights and revelations about how to skillfully manage your relationships. It’s also a good time to reward and nurture those allies who have given you so much.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Doom and gloom

dominate the forecasts made by many prophets.

They experience perverse glee in predicting, for example, that all the rain forests and rivers will be owned by greedy corporations by 2050, or that extraterrestrial invaders who resemble crocodiles will take control of the U.S. government “for the good of the American people,” or that climate change will eventually render chocolate and bananas obsolete. That’s not how I operate. I deplore the idea that it’s only the nasty prognostications that are interesting. In that spirit, I make the following forecasts: The number of homeless Virgos will decrease dramatically in the near future, as will the number of dreamhome-less Virgos.

In fact, I expect you folks will experience extra amounts of domestic bliss in the coming months. You may feel more at home in the world than ever before.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I don’t require everyone I learn from to be an impeccable saint. If I vowed to draw inspiration only from those people who flawlessly embody every one of my ethical principles, there’d be no one to be inspired by. Even one of my greatest heroes, Martin Luther King Jr., cheated on his wife and plagiarized parts of his doctoral dissertation. Where do you stand on this issue, Libra? I bet you will soon be tested. How much imperfection is acceptable to you?

ScORPIO

(Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio comedian John Cleese co-founded the troupe Monty Python more than fifty years ago, and he has been generating imaginative humor ever since. I suggest we call on his counsel as you enter the most creative phase of your astrological cycle. “This is the extraordinary thing about creativity,” he says. “If you just keep your mind resting against the subject in a friendly but persistent way, sooner or later you will get a reward from your unconscious.” Here’s another one of Cleese’s insights that will serve you well: “The most creative people have learned to tolerate the slight discomfort of indecision for much longer, and so, just because they put in more pondering time, their solutions are more creative.”

NORTHERN EXPRESS

CLASSIFIEDS

EMPLOYMENT

OTHER

3RD SHIFT CUSTODIAN OPENING AT NMC Full time, great pay and benefits!

Responsible for cleaning offices, laboratories, cafeteria, floors and more.

High school diploma or GED required. www.nmc.edu/jobs $14.85 per hour + $.55 shift premium 9 pm-5:30 am SundaysThursdays EOE nmc.edu/nondiscrimination

NEW MOON YOGA OPEN HOUSE!: Celebrate our 4th year with us! Enjoy FREE class demos, delicious refreshments, discounted class packs and enter a raffle drawing to win a 1 year paid membership!

New Moon is located 10781 E. Cherry Bend Road in Traverse City. Massage $59: February special @ Bodies in Motion. $59 hr massage by appt Denise 941-232-2265

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EXECUTIVE CHEF OPPORTUNITY at Crystal Mountain Crystal Mountain is seeking a talented Executive Chef to lead our culinary operations in multiple restaurants and food venues, as well as our banquet facility. https://www.appone.com/MainInfoReq. asp?R_ID=2836150&B_ID=83&fid=1&Adid= 0&ssbgcolor=D3B989&SearchScreenID=73 73&CountryID=3&LanguageID=2

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COTTAGE FOR RENT: TC Cottage for Rent, Beautiful 1 BR, Nice Setting, Fully Furnished, All Utilities Included, Wired for Cable & Internet, Washer/Dryer, Move-In Ready, $1,200 Per Month; 231-631-7512.

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RARE SEQUOIA REDWOOD TABLETOP FOR SALE: Beautiful one of a kind 108”x 41”x 1.875”, $3,500. OBO 534-3250 (231) Text. Would look great in home, business, pub, winery etc. 1 side with live edge, underneath unfinished.

ENGINEERING: CPM Acquisition Corporation is seeking a fulltime Product Engineer at our offices in Traverse City, MI. The Product Engineer will work with specialized twin extruder products. This position requires a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Mechanical Engineering or a related field and 5 years related (progressive, post-baccalaureate) experience. Must also have 12 months of demonstrated ability (which may have been gained concurrently) with each of the following: (1) researching, designing, evaluating, installing, operating, and maintaining twin screw, equipment, systems and processes; (2) creating and writing of project documentation including machine configuration & specifications; process flow diagrams; piping and instrumentation diagrams & interlock logic; (3) troubleshooting extruder failures and end product related issues and recommend remedial actions; (4) leading the mechanical assembly of twin screw extruders, including leveling; alignment; interlock and safety checkouts & dry checkout; and (5) providing specialized training for the operation and maintenance of twin screw extruders. Up to 40% domestic and international travel required. Please apply by sending your resume to carmichaelr@centuryextrusion.com.

RESORT MAINTENANCE: Looking for a motivated and dependable individual for our maintenance department. Resort maintenance experience preferred and must be able to work a flexible schedule, including weekends and holidays. Starting wage $14.00/hr. Bring your resume and apply in person at 1265 US-31 North, Traverse City, across from the State Park.

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WEBSITES 50% OFF FOR NEW CLIENTS: Monthly payment options, CMS(Content Management Systems) Call 734.606.9441

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MINI GOLDEN DOODLE PUPPIES: UTD on Shots, Wormed and very healthy! Call 231832-1562 for more information.

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THE SUMMIT, IN THE WOODS: 1BR 1BA (TC Old Mission): Great furnished cot-tage, all utilities paid, close to TC, $1365, 231-590-5599

BLACK TIE LIMOUSINE SERVICE NOW OPEN: Black tie limousine service is now available for your transportation services.

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MASSAGE $59 February special @ Bodies in Motion. $59 hr massage by appt Denise 941-232-2265

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Northern Express Weekly • february 17 2020 • 39

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