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Affordable Hostess Gifts Expert Cheese Plate Tricks Tariff Trouble for Wine Lovers NORTHERN MICHIGAN’S WEEKLY • december 02 - december 08, 2019 • Vol. 29 No. 46

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2 • december 02, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

COMING DECEMBER 16, 2019

WINTER FUN GUIDE

express

CONTENTS

NORTHERN

features Crime and Rescue Map......................................7

The Golden Age of Shipwreck Hunting..............10 A Present and Your Presence..........................12 Sacré Bleu....................................................14 Say Cheese.....................................................15 Park Street Café............................................16

northernexpress.com

Winter fun guide

dates................................................19-23 music

Four Score.....................................................26 Nightlife.........................................................28

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

Spectator/Stephen Tuttle....................................6 Modern Rock/Kristi Kates................................25 Film................................................................27 Crossword...................................................29 Advice..........................................................29 Freewill Astrology..........................................30 Classifieds..................................................31

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NORTHERN MICHIGAN’S WEEKLY • DECEMBER 10 - december 16, 2018 • Vol. 28 No. 49 Photo courtesy of Boyne Mountain

Reach 94,000 readers in this special upcoming issue!

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, Jillian Manning, Craig Manning, Steve Tuttle, Kristi Kates, Janice Binkert

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this week’s

top ten Snow Festival Canceled, But Events Go On

After 35 years, Cadillac’s North American Snow Festival has been called off, but don’t sob into your neck warmer just yet. Many of the most popular attractions will live on as standalone events.

Despite the cancelation, several events of the early-February festival will be rescheduled and go on independently, including the chili cook-off, the fishing tournament, a polar dip, and the Miss Cadillac pageant.

While no official reason for the cancellation was announced, the event’s Facebook page hinted that a lack of participation and unpredictable weather in recent years contributed to the decision.

For details and updates, check the North American Snow Festival Facebook page.

josh davis The Voice finalist Joshua Davis will bring heartfelt stories of family, friends and traveling on the road, along with original and cover songs to the Old Art Building, Leland on Fri., Dec. 6 at 8pm. Davis is currently touring in support of “Live From The Robin.” This concert will benefit the Leelanau Children’s Center. $20 advance; $25 door. mynorthtickets.com

4

Hey, watch it!

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series

Among the newly launched Disney+ streaming service’s original offerings is an inspired gem of a show that feels exceedingly fresh for anything to come out of the Disney young-adult-verse, one that even manages to have significant crossover appeal for those whose lives weren’t changed by Zac Efron’s performance of “Bet on It.” High School Musical: The Musical: The Series has a mindboggling title and very meta setup. It’s about a group of high schoolers who attend the school where High School Musical was filmed, doing High School Musical: The Musical as their school musical. If that sounds like insufferable corporate franchise extending nonsense, miraculously enough it manages to be quite the opposite, as the mockumentary-style show winks at and charms you along the way. Earnest, clever, a little subversive, and incredibly self-aware, the talented cast of newcomers makes this high school comedy really sing.

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4 • december 02, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

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NMC Students Plan Climate Strike

Students at Northwestern Michigan College plan to take part in a global movement this week.

As part of a climate strike, they’ll gather at 1pm Friday, Dec. 6, at the health and science building on NMC’s main campus.

Briana Dones, a Western Michigan University student studying freshwater science and sustainability through NMC’s University Center, helped organized the protest. It’s one of at least five planned across Michigan and hundreds planned across the country.

The strike is a means to express anger over lack of action taken on climate change.

Dones said everyone is welcome, and she hopes to see 200 people take part.

“It’s time to wake up, it’s time to speak out,” Dones said. “I think the thought is for it to be a youth-led climate strike, but as far as the strike itself, we want everybody that can possibly be involved.”

Stuff we love Sirens and Santa The new Peninsula Community Library might have opened its doors just this fall, but it’s already on Santa’s radar. The big guy will arrive via Peninsula Township fire truck at 5pm Saturday, Dec. 7, to visit with kids until 7pm. While the wee ones wait, an orchestral trio of Central High School students will play merry music. Everyone’s invited to sing carols, make crafts, nibble on cookies, and cozy up with some special holiday books.

Peninsula Community Library is located at 2893 Island View Rd., on Traverse City’s Old Mission Peninsula. (231) 223-7700, www.peninsulacommunitylibrary.org.

Art Snake at Ramsdell Twelve years ago, several Onekama area artists decide to showcase artwork to the public in their homes and studios on a summer weekend, and mapped out a route for visitors to “snake” around Portage Lake.

In the years since, the annual Art Snake has grown in popularity and expanded beyond the bounds of the Portage Lake area. Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts is showcasing some of the diverse works of painting, sculpture, printmaking and fabric arts created by 17 Art Snake artists at “Sno Snake Sho,” Dec. 6-21. Ramsdell Executive Director Xavier Verna said the renovated space at Hardy Hall has been inspirational to several local artists. Previous exhibits have included art snake artists Richard Kooyman and Jamey Barnard, while Verna cited a conversation with fellow art snake artist Leslie Laskey as instrumental in helping him realize what Hardy Hall could be. “Art snake to me, personally, is a celebration of that vision and the community,” he said. The exhibit opens Thursday, Dec. 5 at 10am, and a reception is being held on Friday, Dec. 6 at 6pm.

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Bottoms up Hallow-Giving Honey Oatmeal Pumpkin Ale from Brewery Terra Firma Fall is almost over. In fact, in northern Michigan, it effectively is over, judging by the amount of snow we’ve already had. If that’s the case, then there’s not much time left to enjoy fall beers, and what kind of beer screams “autumn” more than a good pumpkin ale?

Surprisingly, not many northern Michigan breweries offer a take on the pumpkin beer. Thank goodness, then, for Traverse City’s Brewery Terra Firma, which is currently still serving up the Hallow-Giving Honey Oatmeal Pumpkin Ale on tap at its brewery location (2959 Hartman Road, (231) 929-1600). Terra Firma is Michigan’s only agricultural production brewery, which means it grows the vast majority of its ingredients on site and then uses brewery waste to benefit its crops. The Hallow-Giving is a shining example of what an agricultural brewery can craft: It’s brewed with real pumpkins (both those grown on Terra Firma’s property and at the neighboring Robbins Family Farm), along with honey from Terra Firma’s own hives and a blend of spices that truly evoke fall. The result is a smooth and satisfying beer that tastes like crisp, cold autumn nights. Or maybe it just tastes like the pumpkin pie your family served at Thanksgiving dinner. Either way, we’re fans. Grab a pint for $5.

Northern Express Weekly • december 02, 2019 • 5

BOYCOTTING EVERYTHING on december 7th Winds of December 2PM: TUBACHRISTMAS (FREE) & 3PM: ENCORE WINDS Presents

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by Stephen Tuttle We are in an epidemic of boycotts, or at least attempted boycotts. These are bipartisan efforts, with both the left and the right mightily offended about something and offering up a long list of targets. The strategy is simple: Don’t buy these products, don’t shop at these stores, and don’t invest in these stocks.

The issues that generate boycotts are varied, but the three most popular these days are President Trump, guns, and issues impacting the LGBT community.

The left would like us to boycott everything that could be considered even remotely favorable to President Trump, including at least one company, Louis Vuitton, whose crime was that an executive at the luxury brand had his picture taken with the president. Add any company that might be against stricter gun control efforts. And those companies who have not yet included benefits for members of

Amazon, a number of banking institutions, the National Football League, and their two favorites, Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-A. The right is equally afflicted but with a longer list and more difficult task.

A website called www.investingadvicewatchdog.com provides a list of stocks and their products conservatives should avoid. Let’s see ... Grubhub, Ancestry.com, Ben and Jerrys, Nike, Starbucks, Marriott, Hertz, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook ...

It all starts to get a little tricky when there are so many things for both sides to avoid. This is especially true for the right, who organize their boycotts online and through social media, which means they’ll probably have to use one of their own targets to do it. And when it comes to LGBT issues, they’ll soon have to boycott every company.

It all starts to get a little tricky when there are so many things for both sides to avoid. This is especially true for the right, who organize their boycotts online and through social media, which means they’ll probably have to use one of their own targets to do it.

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the LGBT community and their spouses and children. A particular flashpoint seems to be public restrooms and transgender people.

The right is precisely 180 degrees opposite on all three issues. They would like us to boycott any company whose executives have criticized or opposed the president, as well as stores that stopped selling Ivanka Trump’s clothing line. For them, add any company executive favoring any kind of additional gun control. And they are quite obsessed with the whole transgender restroom thing, so we should boycott stores like Target because it allows transgender employees and customers to use the restroom of their choice.

(The word boycott comes from an actual person, Captain Charles Boycott, an English land agent overseeing property in Ireland. In 1880, after a year of crop failures, local farmers could not pay their rent. When Boycott began evicting people from their homes and land, local residents shunned him completely. They would not speak to him, acknowledge him, sell goods or services to him, and wouldn’t even allow him to receive his mail. In today’s parlance, they boycotted Boycott.)

Some of this boycotting erupts quickly, and it doesn’t take much to precipitate an online call to demonize another company. Sometimes we get the rare double boycott. The left wants you to boycott companies that advertise on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show, and the right wants you to boycott any company that stopped advertising on the same show.

The left targets the usual suspects: companies they allege pollute, mistreat, or underpay workers; fail to offer protections for LGBT employees; have salary equity issues; lack ethnic diversity; or openly support the president.

They have, at various times, targeted Walmart,

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) prepares an annual report called the Corporate Equality Index (CEI) evaluating corporate policies as they apply to fair treatment — hiring, promotion, benefits for partners and families, etc. — of LGBT employees. They found fully 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies now have gender identification protection as policy, up from just three percent in 2002. And 97 percent of all companies now have non-discrimination policies for LGBT employees, up from just five percent in 2002.

Among those scoring perfect marks on the CEI were Facebook, Microsoft, Google, and Apple. If you have to boycott them, organizing the boycott will certainly be troublesome.

Boycotts have a long and sometimes successful history. The Birmingham bus boycott of the early 1960s brought attention to the Civil Rights fight. The grape boycott of the late ’60s and the lettuce boycott of 1970 led to improved labor conditions for farm workers and the first recognition of their unions.

Those successful boycotts have in common a sympathetic cause and a singular focus. Current boycott efforts, on both the left and the right, are targeted so broadly against so many companies and products it has become daffy.

For example, if your cause is boycotting companies and their products because they offer equal benefits to the LGBT community, how do you avoid nearly 90 percent of all American companies?

And if you’re on the left, going after Walmart or Amazon, how’s that working out?

Pick a target with a righteous cause instead of just a political difference, and maybe we’ll follow. We can’t boycott everything.

Crime & Rescue MAN FINED FOR HARMING CAT A 29-year-old Boyne City man who tried to save money by using a home remedy to fix a house cat was ordered to pay a fine and serve 100 hours of community service at the Charlevoix Humane Society.

Travis Jon Nelson was sentenced Nov. 22 following an October guilty plea to attempted torturing of an animal.

Nelson admitted that he used a metal twist tie to attempt to castrate a house cat belonging to his girlfriend’s mother. Nelson said that he had seen this procedure used on farm animals and thought that it would save money on neutering, according to a prosecutor’s office press release.

Another family member became alarmed and took the animal to a vet when it became clear the cat needed medical care. Animal clinic staff alerted the county animal control officer.

The judge in the case noted that it did not appear Nelson meant to harm the cat; rather, his lack of common sense had caused serious injury. Nelson was ordered to pay the cost of the cat’s medical care — $1,874 — and get approved by the humane society to provide community service there.

SEMI-AMBULANCE CRASH HURTS TWO Two people suffered injuries when a semi hauling logs crashed into an ambulance.

Manistee County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the intersection of Healy Lake and 13 Mile roads in Springdale Township at 4:30pm Nov. 23.

Deputies determined that the driver of the semi was unable to stop at the intersection, causing the semi to crash into the ambulance, which was on a non-emergency run with a patient to Munson Medical Center in Traverse City.

The ambulance overturned, and the semi struck a utility pole. The patient was transferred to another ambulance and taken to Munson. A medic in overturned ambulance was also injured and taken to Munson Manistee. The truck driver was not injured.

MAN PULLS GUN, GETS ARRESTED A confrontation over a minor collision at a gas station escalated, leading to one man’s arrest after he pulled a gun on another man.

Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a 36-year-old Traverse City man on felonious assault charges after they were called at 5pm Nov. 22 to the Speedway gas station on US-31 South, near South Airport Road.

The dispute began when a 46-year-old Lake City man backed up and bumped into the other man’s vehicle with his Jeep. The older driver then drove toward the south end of the parking lot, causing the other man to believe he was attempting to flee.

The younger man, who had a concealed carry license, pulled out a semi-automatic pistol and yelled at the driver, pounding on the passenger side window with his hand. The Jeep driver drove to another parking lot and called 911.

Neither vehicle was damaged. Deputies arrested the 36-year-old for pulling his gun during the incident.

PEDESTRIAN KILLED ON FRONT STREET A man who’d been forced by police to leave a bar an hour earlier stepped out in front of traffic and was killed.

A pickup truck struck Mark Anthony Smith after he stepped into the westbound lane of Front Street near Barlow, said Traverse City Police Chief Jeff O’Brien.

Smith was not in a crosswalk when he was struck.

The 42-year-old Cadillac man was taken to Munson

by patrick sullivan psullivan@northernexpress.com

Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

O’Brien said investigators believe Smith was under the influence of alcohol prior to the crash, which happened at just before 7pm Nov. 23.

Officers had come into contact with him an hour earlier after he put his arms around a pregnant woman at the State Street Market, a few blocks away.

Police were called and removed him from the building after determining no one wanted to press charges.

The driver who struck Smith, a 61-year-old Rapid City man, had not been drinking, and there was no evidence he was speeding. He was not cited in the incident.

BATTERIES STOLEN FROM RV LOT Staff at Nature & Me RV arrived at work to discover that someone had disconnected and removed a dozen batteries from campers parked in the dealer’s lot.

Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s deputies were called to investigate on the afternoon of Nov. 22; Sgt. Chris Oosse said the thefts likely occurred sometime the previous night.

The batteries — worth over $1,000 — were taken from campers parked on the north side of the business located at the intersection of US-31 South and Rennie School Road.

SUSPECT THREATENS POLICE A man who was under investigation after he was pulled over in a car that stank of marijuana put up his fists and threatened to fight the trooper who was investigating him.

State police made a traffic stop on the afternoon of Nov. 19 near the Home Depot north of Cadillac. The driver, 21-year-old Hayden Rose of Manton, explained that he didn’t have a driver’s license.

Noting a strong odor of marijuana and suspecting that Rose was under the influence, the trooper asked Rose to get out of the car, which eventually he did while raising his fists and threatening to fight. The trooper arrested him.

A passenger, a 23-year-old Manton woman under whose name the vehicle was registered, was cited for allowing an unregistered driver to operate her vehicle.

MAN STRUCK ON M-72 A man dressed in dark clothing suffered serious injuries when he was struck by a vehicle on M-72 on the long hill outside of Traverse City.

Leelanau County Sheriff’s deputies responded at 1:45am Nov. 26 to M-72 at Benzonia State Road.

A 60-year-old man who was standing in the middle of the two westbound lanes stumbled into the far-right lane and was struck by a westbound Honda driven by a 50-year-old Traverse City man.

The driver stopped and tried to help the other man; the older man was taken to Munson Medical Center with serious injuries. The driver was not cited.

TWO INJURED IN WELL EXPLOSION Two men were injured in an oil well explosion in Missaukee County.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to an oil well explosion at 11:30am Nov. 26 in Norwich Township.

A crew had been servicing a well when it exploded; two men, a 65-yearold from Kalkaska and a 56-year-old from Gaylord, suffered burns and sought their own treatment at Munson Grayling.

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AGEISM IN ACTION: FROM “OK, KIDDO� TO “OK, BOOMER� opinion

bY Mary Keyes Rogers Ageism is not attractive coming off the tongues of those demanding I become “woke.� This Baby Boomer would like to state the obvious, that ageism is no different than racism, sexism or any of the other discriminatory “-isms.� To know my age tells you nothing about who I am.

Because you see, recently I’ve been called out more than once as being conversationally unworthy and effectively dismissed. It happened: An “OK, Boomer,� lobbed by a younger person with their head cocked and an exaggerated eye roll, brought awkward moments of silence.

“OK, Boomer� hits me with the same punch today as “OK, Kiddo� felt 30 years ago, when at 26-years-old I served as executive director of a suburban Detroit chamber of commerce.

That familiar rush of the raw anger from being dismissed for my youth now comes flooding back as my ability to grasp the cultural context of the matter at hand is called into question because I am over 50 and a member of the Baby Boomer generation.

Because of my age, I found that, in addition to simply doing my job, I had to prove my intelligence, competence, and leadership ability at every single staff and board meeting, city and county commission meeting, and while representing the chamber’s membership throughout metro Detroit.

At 26, I could appreciate the age-based doubts; I accepted age discrimination as my burden. At 56, being dismissed stings. It is insulting. So, how do we over 50, the Baby Boomers and late GenXers, prove ourselves?

We simply ask not to be dismissed.

During those first few months on the job, I worked under a microscope of scrutiny in a decidedly old boys club. As I introduced new ideas on how we could reshape our mission and deliver services in a very different way, members of the old guard could take their pick between my gender or my age in deciding which would make the easier target for knocking me down and diminishing the value of my ideas.

Person by person, I had to earn respect. Each and every word out of my mouth offered an opportunity for comfortable naysayers to take me down. I understood that people questioned my call for changes and doubted my ability — simply based on my age.

Over time, I proved myself. Over time, I could let my defenses down and focus on the work at hand.

And then, out of the blue, it would happen.

An “OK, Kiddo,� lobbed by a much older person with their head cocked and an exaggerated eye roll, would bring an awkward moment of silence to a public meeting. My progress would be catapulted back to square one. And more of my time and energy would need to be spent on the effort to prove myself.

Fast forward 30 years. I’d say I’ve paid my dues, respectfully deferring to older and wiser men and women. I feel confident at 56 that my own experience and demonstration of a servant-leadership style has established a personal track record of respecting other’s experiences and opinions. I am not entrenched.

Apparently, I have grown complacent in thinking that I can join a team and focus on the work at hand.

8 • december 02, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

At 26, I could appreciate the age-based doubts; I accepted age discrimination as my burden. At 56, being dismissed stings. It is insulting. So, how do we over 50, the Baby Boomers and late GenXers, prove ourselves?

We simply ask not to be dismissed.

The “OK, Boomer� slur assumes that those of us born prior to 1965 are living comfortably in single-family housing, our retirement is fully funded, and that we are debt free.

Additionally, we are guilty of only being concerned about ourselves and prefer the old school method of everything.

I am every bit as outraged as my younger friends by the current state of affairs. Since we were kids ourselves, my fellow Baby Boomers and I introduced ecology, battled against pollution, and demanded social justice, women’s rights, income parity — this list goes on and on. We share the battle scars and significant victories.

You can bet that in 1990 I was sorely tempted to say, “Your way doesn’t work, Old Man!�

But I knew that if I was to make any headway with bringing new ideas to the table, I needed to choose my words more carefully, because I needed as many soldiers as I could muster.

I’m sure it is frustrating that we might need to be enlightened to the experiences of younger people or require a tech tutorial. But if young people truly want to be heard, to be considered, don’t stoop to namecalling to get our attention. Do not “OK, Boomer� me.

If, as a member of the X, Y, or Z generation, you want to make headway on any public issue, please learn the art of coalition-building first.

OK, Kiddo?

Mary Keyes Rogers has held paid and volunteer leadership positions in numerous non-profit, community and business organizations. She mentors midlifers on personal and professional transitions and hosts The Experience 50 Podcast for Midlife. mary@experience50.com

ng issues surprised by who’s reading this right now?

Curious Tradition Animal Help Now, a group that assists in "animal emergencies," has gathered almost 160,000 signatures on a petition to repeal legislation allowing "Possum Drops" in North Carolina. In a number of communities in the state, the custom of putting an opossum in a transparent box, suspending it in the air and then slowly lowering it to the ground is a feature of New Year's Eve celebrations. Organizers in Brasstown told the Raleigh News & Observer they ended its Possum Drop after the 2018 event because it's "a hard job to do, and it's time to move on," but they maintained that the tradition does "absolutely nothing to harm" the animal.

Animal Help Now, however, is continuing its campaign against the state statute that makes it legal for people to treat opossums however they wish between the dates of Dec. 29 and Jan. 2.

Bright Ideas -- Maybe they're betting no woman will reveal what she weighs in public, but the Fusion Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is offering women free drink credits based on their weight.

For example, a woman who weighs 150 pounds would receive about $18.50 in free cocktails.

Anil Kumar, spokesman for the club, told Insider that while they have a scale behind the bar, they will also accept a woman's word about what she weighs. "They can just write the weight on a paper and give it to the bartender discreetly," he said. "Very simple, no strings attached. We wanted the ladies to surprise their partners and

friends that it's good to gain weight!"

-- A 16-year-old boy was detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents on Nov. 17 after an agent saw him hiding in brush about a mile north of the Otay Mesa Point of Entry near San Diego.

Authorities said the teenager had a remote-control car with him, along with two large duffel bags stuffed with 50 packages of methamphetamines, weighing more than 55 pounds and worth more than $106,000. Border Patrol spokesman Theron Francisco told The San Diego Union-Tribune that authorities believe the car was used to carry the bundles across the border, making many trips through the bollard-style fence from the south side and driving to the teen on the north side. The boy was charged with drug smuggling and held in Juvenile Hall.

Yeah, No If you're passing through the seaside city of Fukuoka, Japan, here's a tip for a cheap hotel: A night in room No. 8 at the Asahi Ryokan will cost you just $1. And your privacy. In return for the low rate, your entire stay in your room will be livestreamed on YouTube. Hotel manager Tetsuya Inoue told CNN on Nov. 20 that while the world can watch the room's guests, there is no audio, so conversations and phone calls can remain private. Also, the bathroom is out of camera range. And, of course, guests can turn out the lights. "Our hotel is on the cheaper side," Inoue said, "so we need some added value, something special that everyone will talk about."

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Northern Express Weekly • december 02, 2019 • 9

WELCOME TO THE GOLDEN AGE OF SHIPWRECK HUNTING

Better, more affordable technology has put the tools needed to search for shipwrecks into the hands of regular folks. Shipwreck hunter Ross Richardson’s latest find in the Manitou Passage proves we are in shipwreck hunting’s golden age.

By Patrick Sullivan The era of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes ended Nov. 10, 1975, according to Michigan historian and shipwreck hunter Ross Richardson. That was the night that Lake Superior, churning with 50 mph winds and brutal 35-foot waves, trapped and then swallowed the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, much like it did to 240+ other ships that sank beneath its storied sea lane in the 150 years before. Since the loss of the Fitzgerald, improved weather forecasting and bigger vessels have made the sinking of ships on the Great Lakes a rarity.

But while the era of shipwrecks on the Great Lakes might be long behind us, the era of shipwreck hunting has never been better.

There’s been plenty of evidence of that this year: In August, shipwreck hunter Bernie Hellstrom of Boyne City announced the discovery of two schooners, the St. Andrew and the Peshtigo, which collided on Lake Michigan in 1878 and sank near Beaver Island.

Next, Richardson announced a stunning find he made in the Manitou Passage: an intact schooner that sank in 300 feet of water in 1891 with four men aboard.

Richardson said he expects shipwreck hunters will go on discovering shipwrecks for the next decade, but this heyday won’t last forever.

“The improvements in technology and the affordability, and just the amount of lake bottom that we’re able to cover now quickly, we’re going to see the rate of discoveries accelerate,” Richardson said. “And probably in the next 10 years, almost all the shipwrecks are going to be found, so it’s going to be the end of the shipwreck hunting era.”

“SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT DOWN THERE” Richardson specializes in historical mysteries.

He’s written two books, “The Search for the Westmoreland,” about his discovery of that shipwreck, and “Still Missing,” an account of Richardson’s theory that notorious hijacker D.B. Cooper was actually a grocery store manager from Grayling.

Richardson’s latest shipwreck discovery, the W.C. Kimball, posed a mystery of its own.

The hunt began as a chance find in September 2018, one that raised as many questions as answers.

It began when some cousins visiting Richardson from Georgia asked to see the Manitou Islands.

Richardson took them out on Lake Michigan in his 20-foot boat, launching from Glen Arbor.

Richardson had been off and on looking for a shipwreck called the Hurd, thought to have sunk in the Manitou Passage in 1871. So on the way to the islands, he flipped on his side-scan sonar, a device he refers to diminutively as a fish finder and one that he said represents the kind of technical advance that has put once unthinkable technology at the fingertips of anyone interested in shipwreck hunting..

Richardson, however, has an edge over novice shipwreck hunters; he’s dedicated his life to studying where to look. He also knows, more or less, the areas in Lake Michigan that have already been searched — which is exactly why, when a blip appeared on his screen that day, he knew it was worth closer inspection.

“We were kind of watching it, and then this little target went by — I mean, really insignificant, not big at all — but I marked it down, and I said, ‘Oh that’s kind of interesting. I’ll have to go back and look at that,” he said. “I went back about a week later — we were out again, going to the Manitous with friends — and I ran over the area and got a little more detailed look and realized there was something significant down there.”

On the radar screen, the rudimentary image showed Richardson the first glimpse of something substantial hidden 300 feet below the waves — something not only big but also standing upright, seemingly reaching toward the surface.

“I’ve never heard of anything coming off the bottom 90 feet,” he said. “Twenty, 30 feet off the bottom is really significant. Ninety feet is amazing.

And one of the scans showed what appeared to be a mast coming up 90 feet.”

10 • december 02, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

NOT WHAT IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE Because it was early September when Richardson first spotted the underwater anomaly, his window to get underwater and check it out in person was closing fast. By October, weather that would allow that kind of dive would likely be gone. Even in good conditions, though, 300 feet was too deep for Richardson, who said he’s only comfortable going down to 180 feet.

Luckily, he had a proxy — a friend in Wisconsin who had agreed that, if something important should ever come up in Richardson’s searches, he’d consider doing the deep dive on Richardson’s behalf.

Clearly, Richardson’s friend, Steve Wimer, recognized this find as something important.

He jumped at the chance to do the dive, and within days had made his way to Michigan.

On Sept. 30, the pair reached the water above the wreck.

“We were really running out of time and just had a one weekend window to pull this off,” Richardson said. “We just got lucky and were able to align the planets and go out there and get this thing dived.”

The day was overcast, and because it was early fall, what sun could penetrate the clouds was concentrated to the south. Under those conditions, not a lot of ambient light reaches 300 feet below the surface. Wimer relied on lights he had brought down with him to get a better look at the wreck.

When Wimer emerged back at the surface, he was excited; Richardson moved quickly to record their conversation on a GoPro. “It’s all intact. I’ve got a picture of the stern. I couldn’t read a name or anything there,” Wimer said. “I’ve got pictures of each side of the bow where it looks like there’s a smooth part where there would have been a name, but I couldn’t read anything.”

Wimer, who was astonished at how well preserved the vessel was, estimated it to be less than 100 feet long.

“It’s just a cute little wooden schooner,” he said.

Richardson responded: “It doesn’t sound big enough to be the Hurd. The Hurd would have been pretty darn big.”

Richardson knew immediately he had a mystery on his hands.

“THIS ONE CHECKS THEM ALL” Just as he realized he had a mystery to solve, Richardson and his team also recognized they were dealing with something special. The wreck was in better condition than any of them had ever seen.

“Usually when a ship wrecks, it’s exactly that — it busts up, it breaks apart. There’s a reason it sank,” he said. “This is so perfectly preserved, there’s hardly any damage to it.”

Cal Kothrade, a Milwaukee-based shipwreck artist and underwater photographer, accompanied the team on a return visit to the site in May. He makes shipwreck artwork by working with photos that allow him to create an image that adheres to exactly what is underwater.

Kothrade said he’s photographed shipwrecks in all of the Great Lakes and he’s never seen one like this.

“This is absolutely, by far and away, the most intact,” he said. “Helm, cabin, masts standing up, bow sprit in place, anchor in place. … There’s a lot of things on the wish list. Most of the time, wrecks will check some of those boxes. This one checks them all.”

The vessel appears as though it was gently deposited on the lake bottom. Its sails eventually decayed away, leaving the rigging to fall onto the deck, and a lifeboat that had been attached to davits on the stern had broken away and sat on the floor nearby, its oars still stored inside.

There was no name on the vessel, which is today covered in quagga mussels, but

Richardson knew that its condition offered clues that could unlock its identity.

He now knew its length, 60 feet, that it had two masts, and he had photos of a wellpreserved and distinctive bow sprit.

“It had a clipper bow. There was a couple things that really stood out about this vessel.

It had a really sleek, clippered bow,” he said.

“Most Great Lakes schooners had more of a prowed bow — big, wide; they were big tanker trucks, is what they were, for hauling grain and ore around. This one was very sleek, almost like a sportscar. So that’s a bit unusual.”

A STUMBLE ALONG THE WAY After some initial research, Richardson thought he figured out what his find was.

He believed he’d found a vessel called the Emily, lost in 1853.

Paul Ehorn, a fellow shipwreck hunter and someone Richardson considers a mentor, visited Richardson last winter, and the two studied the photos of the shipwreck together.

Ehorn noticed something the others had missed — some of the lines that laid with the rigging on the deck were iron rope, a cablelike material that was not used on the Great Lakes before the Civil War. That would be a problem for Emily timeline.

“We sat down and looked at the pictures and he said, ‘Yeah, that’s iron rope,’” Richardson recalled. “And I said, ‘But Paul, that’s impossible, because this is a preCivil War schooner,’ and he says, ‘No look, dummy. That’s iron rope.’”

Richardson looked closer and realized his friend was right. He had messed up.

Which meant he was back at square one.

And nothing in the historical record of ships believed to have been lost in the Manitou Passage fit what Richardson had found.

“I was really struggling with this one, so I decided to sit down and look through the database, the Metzler Database,” he said.

He set out to examine the 6035 records in the online database that is a catalogue of virtually all the vessels that once plied the Great Lakes. He was determined that, one by one, he would rule out each one until he found what he was looking for. It took three weeks of searching.

For Richardson, this kind of research is a big part of the fun of shipwreck hunting.

“Shipwreck hunting is not just finding a shipwreck. It’s figuring out what it is and then coming up with a history,” he said.

He went through all of the entries, and anytime he came across one that looked like it could be a possibility, he had to pull up newspaper articles to learn more details.

“It’s in alphabetical order. Finally, when I hit the Ws, the ship named the W.C. Kimball popped up, and I was like, ‘Oh!’ It was the right size. It had a clipper bow. It was built in Manitowoc,” Richardson said. “And they said it was thought to be lost off of Point Betsie. Well, that means they don’t know for sure where it is.”

As Richardson turned to newspaper reports and visited local historical societies, every detail he found only strengthened his resolve that the shipwreck he found is the Kimball.

The Kimball was headed from Manistee to Northport and Traverse City, a course that would take her through the Manitou Passage. It was lost on May 8, 1891.

And then Richardson found a picture of the Kimball.

“It quickly went to the No. 1 spot as the most interesting vessel, and then there were pictures available,” he said. “A fantastic image of it sitting there at the dock — they even had the sails opened up for some reason, but it was just sitting there. A perfect profile shot, which is rare to get.”

Richardson and his counterparts studied the underwater photographs of the shipwreck and compared those to the image

Ross Richardson

of the Kimball and everything lined up; there were no discrepancies.

The mounting evidence added up to something like a fingerprint match.

“That’s part of the fun about shipwreck hunting. Everybody loves a good mystery and putting things together. That’s the fun part when you get one like this. What the heck? It ends up being this obscure vessel.

I’ve never heard of it, and I’m a pretty nerdy guy when it comes to shipwreck history.”

Richardson’s find will ensure that the W.C. Kimball is no longer obscure, which means that the Kimball has come full circle, because the Kimball would not have been obscure to the people of northern Michigan following its loss in 1891.

THE FATE OF THE W.C. KIMBALL The Kimball’s crew consisted of Captain James Stevens, Charles C. Kehl, William Wolfe (grandson of the founder of Northport), and Henry Budd. Stevens and Kehl were part owners of the Kimball. All four men were from Northport.

The Kimball existed to make deliveries, and its owners would have wanted to get it out on the lake as soon as the ice cleared that spring.

“It was a small coastal schooner, so it would be the equivalent of a U.P.S. truck today,” he said.

They set off on the season’s first run from Northport to Chicago with a load of potatoes.

In Chicago, a twist of fate saved one life and cut another one short. One of the four Northport men who made up the crew, Budd, fell at the pier and broke his leg. He made the trip back to Manistee aboard the Kimball but was in too much discomfort and transferred to a steamer to return to Northport from there.

That left the Kimball a man short.

“The other three crewmen left behind picked up a young Norwegian immigrant who was on his way to visit his uncle in Suttons Bay,” Richardson said. “They picked him up as an additional crewman. He probably didn’t speak much English. He probably wasn’t an experienced seaman.

They just needed someone to help unload the boat. A very inexperienced guy who just wanted to earn his way to go see his uncle.”

The Kimball departed Manistee that early May day with the three men from Northport and the immigrant from Norway aboard, laden with salt and shingles. They set off to the north into a worsening storm, never to be seen again.

Days later, some wreckage was found in the Manitou Passage and off of Point Betsie.

That Point Betsie debris was the basis for listing the location of the shipwreck off of Point Betsie when, in fact, it went down 25 or 30 miles to the north.

“One thing about shipwrecks today, when you read the historical accounts, if they’re where they’re supposed to be, they would have been found already,” he said.

“Everything that’s being found these days aren’t where they are supposed to be.”

Forest fires raged across northern Michigan that May, and some residents believed they might have had something to do with the tragedy.

That’s how the May 21, 1891 Grand Traverse Herald explained the loss: “There have been no severe storms on the lake for several days, but the smoke from the burning forests has hung in a dense cloud over the water for the last week or ten days, and it was supposed the Kimball was run down by a passing steamer while both were enveloped in this cloud of smoke.”

But many other newspapers around the state noted that on the day the Kimball was lost, there was a strong northern gale.

Richardson said he believes that a sudden ice storm is the best explanation for what happened to the Kimball.

“There had to be a reason for that vessel to be so perfect, for it to sink as close to shore as it is, without them trying to access that lifeboat,” he said. “I think one by one that crew was washed off in this ice storm.”

In May, when Lake Michigan is still frigid, a powerful storm could have coated the Kimball in ice. The railing is two feet high, so the waves that covered the vessel in ice could have also swept the men overboard. Meanwhile, that ice could have gradually built up to overwhelm the Kimball, pulling it underwater.

A SACRED, UNDERWATER PLACE Richardson’s hypothesis — that the crew was washed overboard — means he does not believe there are human remains at the shipwreck site. None were discovered in the dive. However, out of respect for those who were lost, Richardson said they nonetheless regard the area as a gravesite.

Because of that, and because the Kimball is the only intact 18th Century shipwreck that Richardson is aware of, he and the team do not plan to return to the site and intend to keep its location secret.

“People would want to see this wreck, and I’m afraid they would damage it,” he said.

Northern Express Weekly • december 02, 2019 • 11

A Present and Your Presence

7 Hostess Gifts Under $40 2

5

1. For the Clueless Chef Is your friend’s version of a homecooked meal a bottle of wine and takeout?

Is her party always catered (yum!) or a mismatched potluck (not so yum)? Help her up her chef game with the Kitchen Starter Kit ($40) from Isabella’s Copper Pot in Gaylord. Wrapped in a festive oven mitt, the kit includes a paring knife, spatula, peeler, dishcloth, and what’s called a “jar pop,” aka a handy tool that will help her defeat even the most stubborn lids, so she can get at those chips and salsa ASAP. And who knows, maybe you’ll inspire a 2020 resolution to become the next top chef.

Find it: www.isabellas-copper-pot. myshopify.com/, (989) 731-9700

2. For the Mother-in-Law Whether you’re best friends or mortal enemies, the MIL always needs a gift. Keep it classy—and Michigan-themed—with a Petoskey stone ornament ($18) from Grandpa Shorter’s in Petoskey. The shop is famous for its Petoskey stone products and carries a line of ornaments in different shapes and styles.

(They also have stone pendants available, if your mother-in-law is more of a jewelry gal.)

Each stone is unique and handcrafted by local

By Jillian Manning ’Tis the season for holiday parties! As you run to and fro in the snow, you’ll need the perfect gift for your hostess, and while there are dozens of great bottles of wine to choose from around town, we challenge you to get a little more creative. Below, check out seven gifts you can find at shops across northern Michigan that say thanks for having us with a personal touch.

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artists, so your MIL will feel the love.

Find it: www.grandpashorters.com, 1-866-SHORTER 3. For the Foodie She has the Cheese Lady on speed dial.

She can walk through Burritt’s with her eyes closed and still fill her basket with the perfect meal. She can’t possibly be wowed with a food gift…or can she? Spice things up with the “Heat of the Night” gift box ($29.95) from Spice & Tea Merchants in Traverse City. Smoked Paprika, LaMesa Dark Chili Powder, New Mexico Green Chili Powder, and Aleppo Pepper can add spice and flavor any dish, from soups to chicken, pork, and fish. If she can’t handle the heat, she can stay in the kitchen with one of their other sets, like Chocaholic or Taste of Asia.

Find it: www.spicemerchants.biz, (231) 947-7423 4. For the Tree Hugger Go green for your eco-minded hostess this year. No, we don’t mean you have to get her a kitchen-top composting bin (because let’s be real—she already has one). Instead, head to At Home in Suttons Bay for a set of recycled glass champagne flutes ($24). These

12 • december 02, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

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hand-blown flutes are made in Columbia from recycled glass and have a subtle green tint your hostess will love. Pair with a bottle of local bubbly — MAWBY’s Green feels like the right choice — and enjoy!

Find it: www.athome-suttonsbay.com, (231)-271-4664

5. For the Coworker You Don’t Really Know The problem: You’ve been invited to a work party hosted by someone you only know through coffee pot chitchat. You might not know your hostess well, but you do know she likes coffee. The solution: Leelanau Coffee Roasting Co.’s “The Basic Treat” combo ($28), complete with three of their 100+ coffees and—wait for it—their delicious Chocolate Coffee Bark. Let me repeat: Chocolate.

Coffee. Bark. (Yes, this may be more exciting than the actual coffee.) Take a drive to their cafe in Glen Arbor and sip your own cup of joe while you stroll the snowy streets.

Find it: www.leelanaucoffee.com, 800424-JAVA 6. For the Lumber Jane Your outdoorsy pal is throwing a campfire shindig despite the single-digit

temps. You bundle up and bring her hand-cut wooden candle coasters ($10) from Traverse City Candle Company. But wait, you have a few more dollars to spend, so you also choose the Tunnel of Trees candle ($24) inspired by fall foliage with notes of apple, oak, and sandalwood. Traverse City Candle Company does all online sales, so you don’t even need to get out of your pajamas to snag the perfect gift.

Best of all, a portion of the proceeds will go to Safe Harbor emergency shelter.

Find it: www.traversecitycandleco.com

7. For the Hostess with the Most-ess What do you get the hostess who has it all?

Her kitchen is spotless, her décor scheme is on point, and her wine cellar is fully stocked, but one thing she’ll always need is…soap. Wait, soap? Really? Yep, as long as it comes from Wildflower Soapworks in Elk Rapids. Go for the Local Lakes Sampler Pack ($20), which includes four bars—Pure Michigan Sand & Waves, Elk Lake Sunset, Torch Lake Blue, and Lake Michigan Breezes. These natural, handcrafted soaps look amazing, smell amazing, and are made from amazing ingredients sure to please even the most discerning hostess.

Find it: www.wildflowersoapworks.com, (231) 264-8000

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Northern Express Weekly • december 02, 2019 • 13

SACRÉ BLEU!

Why your favorite European wine/cheese/ whisky/coffee is about to get pricier.

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By Craig Manning If you’re planning to put imported wine on your holiday table this season, it could cost you.

Thanks to a series of tariffs imposed on select products from the European Union (EU), U.S. consumers are likely to pay more for Scotch whisky, Italian cheeses, German coffee, and more. On the list of products affected by the tariffs are all French, German, British, and Spanish still wines (e.g., not sparkling) that are under 14 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) and sold in bottles or boxes smaller than two liters. The tariffs, which went into effect Oct. 18, could have a significant impact on wine distributors and retailers in the United States — as well as on the prices that U.S. wine enthusiasts pay for varietals from renowned wine regions like Bordeaux and The Rhône.

Wine and Planes: How a Battle Between Two Aerospace Giants Triggered a Trade War Ryan Rozycki, a certified sommelier and assistant manager at Traverse City’s Blue Goat Wine Shop, says the tariffs — which add 25 percent to the cost of the aforementioned products at customs — are Trump Administration retaliations against the EU for subsidies granted to the European aerospace company Airbus.

“I don’t understand the logic,” Rozycki said.

“I don’t understand how the taxing of this stuff would affect Airbus.”

As it turns out, this particular set of tariffs is the latest shot fired in a long-running war between Airbus and its United States-based rival, Boeing. For years, each company has argued that the other was receiving government subsidies that were noncompliant with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. In 2004, the U.S. filed a complaint against the EU with the WTO, alleging that government subsidies from EU nations were giving Airbus an unfair competitive advantage over Boeing. Soon thereafter, the EU filed a similar complaint against the U.S. In 2010, the WTO ruled that both the EU and the U.S. were guilty of granting illegal subsidies to their respective aerospace giants.

That ruling was followed by years of appeals, with both countries claiming to have become compliant with WTO rules and subsequently challenging one another’s assertions.

The squabble has come to a head over the past two years. In 2018, the WTO ruled that the EU had failed to halt a practice of granting illegal low-interest government loans to Airbus, and that the EU’s noncompliant practices had unfairly cost Boeing at least five key sales campaigns between 2011 and 2013. Then, this past summer, news broke that Airbus was positioned to pass Boeing as the world’s biggest plane-maker.

The WTO ruling opened the door for the U.S. to impose tariffs on EU countries as a retaliation for the lost Boeing sales. Those tariffs were authorized by the WTO on Oct.2 and affect $7.5 billion in European goods.

Some of the tariffs are on Airbus parts and

14 • december 02, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

products specifically, but those only add an extra 10 percent at customs. The 25 percent tariffs have been reserved mostly for consumer goods, such as cheese, olive oil, and wine. (The WTO also ruled this year that the U.S. was still granting Boeing at least one illegal subsidy, which could lead to EU tariffs on U.S. exports as early as next year.)

The Impact on Wine Even without a 25 percent tariff, the wine industry’s three-tiered system for import and distribution means that the customer ends up paying considerably more for a bottle of wine than what the winery spent to produce it. First, a supplier or importer arranges the shipment of wines from foreign wineries and pays the shipment costs to get them to the United States. Second, a distributor purchases the wines from the importer and works to sell them to restaurants, wine shops, and other retailers. Third, the retailer purchases the wine from the distributor and puts it on the shelf (or on the menu) to sell it to the customer.

Rozycki says standard margins for importers, distributors, and retailers are 45 percent, 30 percent, and 30 percent, respectively.

By adding 25 percent at customs, the tariffs could theoretically send prices for all EUproduced still wines skyrocketing, as each part of the distribution system would retain those same percent-based margins. So, if a bottle cost the winery $5 to produce, it would already have increased in price to about $18.55 with the importer, distributor, and retailer margins figured in. Post-tariff, that bottle would be on the shelf for $23.19. The price increases would be larger for more expensive wines: Someone accustomed to buying a Spanish wine in the $30s would see the price jump into the $40s or $50s; a German wine in the $70 range would push into the $90s; a specialty $200 bottle of French wine would cost an extra $50; and so on.

Rozycki says he’s heard that some distributors are planning to cut their margins and eat some of the cost of the tariffs, at least to start. That would allow gradual price increases on the end-consumer level, instead a quick outof-nowhere price jump. Since many consumers are likely to be unaware of the tariffs or what is going on, Rozycki thinks the gradual method is the smart approach. “If you just immediately go from $14.99 to $21.99, I think there are a lot of people who are going to say ‘Nope, not going to do that.’”

But according to Travis Tache, who works with the Michigan-based wine distribution company Woodberry Wine and holds an Advanced Sommelier certification, there is only so much distributors can do to shield customers from these increases.

“This is an industry that runs on slim margins to begin with, so there is not always a ton of wiggle room for an importer or distributor to solely absorb the cost,” Tache said.

He added that “keen purchasers are negotiating terms with producers overseas to mitigate price fluctuations, so as to not impact the end consumer at all, or at least as little as possible.”

It’s also worth noting that the tariffs don’t apply to any wine that was through customs before 12:01am on Oct. 18. Rozycki says some of these wines are still in warehouses, including high-demand vintages like 2015 or 2016 Bordeaux, or anything produced over the last few years in The Rhône. There’s a race among retailers and restaurants to get their hands on those wines and “stock up,” with hopes of waiting out the tariffs and seeing if the status quo changes. There is a belief, for instance, that a change in presidential administration in the 2020 election might impact trade negotiations.

For now, one if the biggest impacts will be on restaurants and retailers that order their wines on a “Direct Import” (or DI) basis.

Typically, with wine imports, the distributor will purchase a certain amount of wine and then hold it in warehouses with the goal of selling it on to restaurants and retailers over time. In a DI situation, the distributor approaches wine buyers at restaurants or retailers in advance and essentially takes preorders. This model can be beneficial for both parties: The distributor doesn’t end up sitting on a ton of wine they need to sell, while the wine buyer gets better pricing.

“The caveat here is that the DI orders come on container ships,” Rozycki said. “You are usually placing your orders around March or April, and then it has to cross the ocean, go through customs, and get shipped to the distributor. Because of how long it takes, some of those wines still haven’t arrived yet, and as a result, they are going to be 25 percent more expensive. There are more than a few restaurants and retailers who have straight up said: ‘Listen, I’m sorry, but I can’t afford to pay for these wines anymore’ when the DIs showed up.”

Due to the tariffs, both Rozycki and Tache expect that non-EU winemaking regions will grow their market share. Countries like Italy, Portugal, Chile, Argentina, and South Africa are unaffected by these tariffs and are all known as top-tier wine producers. Domestic winemakers — including those in California and right here in Michigan — could also benefit from the tariffs.

“There’s an opportunity for local wines to start making their way around to other parts of the country,” Rozycki noted. “If someone is looking for a stellar Riesling and they can’t get it from Germany, they’re going to say ‘Well, where else can I get a stellar Riesling?’ And Michigan is one of those spots.”

However, while Tache acknowledges that higher prices could push consumers away from the wines of European giants like France and Spain, he’s ultimately hopeful that the situation won’t be as dire as many predict.

“Some estimates have put cost increases to the end-consumer at 35 to 50 percent higher than before,” Tache said. “I don’t believe this is an accurate representation of what will take place. Prices may increase a bit here and there but all levels of the indus try are working hard to prevent this, as it’s in all of our best interests to do so. This is still a fluid situation we are all navigating, and with any luck, the tariffs will be gone soon.”

A quality cheese plate — about $6 at The Cheese Lady — allows you to cut smaller pieces of cheese easily, wasting less and offering more flavor.

Sue Kurta of Boss Mouse Cheese suggests mixing an inexpensive cheese with a variety of helpers: jam, olives, dried fruit, and more.

Say Cheese How to build the perfect cheese plate

By Craig Manning “Holiday fact: Everybody loves a cheese platter.”

That’s the wisdom of Sue Kurta, owner and cheesemaker at the Kingsley-based Boss Mouse Cheese. We happen to agree with her: Not many things are more essential to a festive holiday gathering than a carefullyput-together cheese platter. But what’s the secret to building a perfect cheese plate, and what cheeses should be on your shopping list this holiday season?

To find the answer, we asked Kurta (and several other cheesemakers and cheese shops from throughout northern Michigan) to share their top cheese plate tips and recommendations. Here’s what we learned.

GET DIVERSE WITH YOUR CHEESE SELECTION (BUT NOT TOO DIVERSE) The key to the perfect cheese plate is to offer a diverse selection of cheeses without giving your guests too much to choose from or keep track of. “We have a simple rule we follow for the best cheese selection,” said Tina Zinn, co-owner of The Cheese Lady in Traverse City. “We say no more than four to five cheeses. My daughter’s golden rule is ‘something old, something new — so, something old definitely could be an aged cheddar, an aged manchego, an aged gouda. Something two years or older is what I usually think of. For new, fresh cheeses such as brie or camembert, or even a very young gouda. Something Goat — or sheep, or flavored. And lastly, something bleu.

Anne Hoyt, who owns the Suttons Baybased Leelanau Cheese with her husband,

John, recommends a similarly diverse selection that includes one hard cheese, one soft cheese, one goat cheese, and one blue cheese.

START WITH A CROWD-PLEASER Every cheese plate should have at least one cheese that just about anyone could like.

Recommendations from our cheese experts include the Prairie Breeze Cheddar from Iowa’s Milton Creamery, described as “a well-aged cheddar with a crystalline crunch”; the Fromager D’ Affinois, a brie-like soft cheese from France; and the BellaVitano, an affordable parmesan-inspired cheese from Wisconsin.

REMEMBER THAT IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT THE CHEESE While including a fancy or exotic cheese on your cheese plate can be a real conversation starter, Kurta notes that even familiar and affordable cheeses can shine so long as you pay attention to the other aspects of the cheese plate.

“Even a block of very inexpensive cheese from the grocery store can get a lot of help from the go-withs on a cheese platter,” Kurta said. “Much like the Thanksgiving meal itself, it’s all about the sides. A chunk of inexpensive cheddar, pepper jack, or Swiss cheese can get a lot of help from a jar of jam or chutney, a small dish of honey or honey comb, salted nuts, cornichons and olives, pickled vegetables, any type of fresh fruit, and any variety of dried fruit — be it apricots, figs, prunes, or raisins. Creating unique taste combinations with the various parts of a cheese platter is the delicious fun

of it, and cheese is the perfect starting point.”

PLAN AHEAD FOR OPTIMAL TEMPERATURE For Dave Omar of Traverse City’s Saltless Sea Creamery, temperature is one of the most important facets of a successful cheese platter. It’s also a detail that is easy to overlook, especially in the midst of a chaotic food prep schedule. “Cheese is best served at room temperature, so remember to take your selections out of the fridge about an hour before serving,” Omar said. “You’ll enjoy improved texture and flavor at no extra cost.”

THINK ABOUT PRESENTATION The best cheese plates aren’t just a smorgasbord of deliciousness; they are also aesthetically pleasing works of art.

Fortunately, Hoyt says it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to arrange a cheese plate that looks as good as it tastes.

“This is simple,” Hoyt said. “Find a fun board, put your blocks of cheese on first, arrange your cut pieces around them, and add some dried fruits and crackers and nuts as palate cleansers. Make it fun and easy to eat, that’s our motto.”

HAVE THE RIGHT UTENSILS ON HAND Speaking of making everything on the cheese plate easy for your guests to eat and enjoy, having the right utensils is a must.

Kurta says a combination of knives, small spoons, toothpicks, and pretty napkins “invite guests to create their own taste combinations from the ingredients on your cheese platter.” Hoyt notes that cheeseserving utensils don’t need to be anything

fancy, and that a standard paring knife will do the trick for most hard cheeses.

For cutting and eating cheese off the block, Zinn recommends purchasing a quality cheese plane — something customers can find for about $6 at The Cheese Lady shop on Front Street.

“It works amazingly well and is very affordable,” she said. “I say it will pay itself back in about a pound of cheese, as you will enjoy the flavors of the cheese more and not eat as much as fast as when you cut it up into big pieces.”

MAKE A PLAN FOR SERVING SOFT CHEESES Soft cheeses vary in consistency and can sometimes be difficult to serve. Case-inpoint is Saltless Sea Creamery’s Snowdrop, described as a “beautifully soft, triple-cream style robiola.” For serving this type of ultrasoft and creamy cheese, Omar recommends taking a different approach than the standard cut-and-slice: “Instead of slicing into wedges and having oozy cheese run onto your cheese board, cut off the top of the wheel and invite guests to scoop the cheese right out of the rind.”

GET FESTIVE Set your holiday cheese plate apart by picking up a cheese or two that is only available this time of year. Zinn says the goto holiday cheese at The Cheese Lady is the “Cranberry LeRoule,” described as “a fresh French cheese rolled out like a pastry, coated with dried cranberries, and rolled into a pinwheel.” “When we add Effie Oat Cakes with this cheese, it is better than cheesecake,” Zinn said.

Northern Express Weekly • december 02, 2019 • 15

California Club

PARK STREET CAFÉ A GOOD THING IN A SMALL PACKAGE

Just in time for the holidays, this package could be exactly what you’ve been wishing for. Wrapped up right now in festive garland and lights, the cozy Park Street Café is a welcome oasis for gourmet coffee drinks and high-quality 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.

By Janice Binkert Are you headed downtown sometime soon for a busy day of Christmas shopping?

Park in the adjacent garage and then fortify yourself with breakfast at the Park Street Café before starting your quest. Or do you work downtown and need a jolt of caffeine and a pastry to get you started in the morning, or maybe a quick bite of something fresh and delicious during your (much-too-short) lunchtime to get you through the rest of your day? Choose from the grab-and-go options in the café’s deli case or call in an order for pickup or delivery. Maybe you’re spending the day in the city with your children or grandchildren and hoping to find a kidfriendly place for a snack or a meal that suits both your taste and theirs? You’re in the right place here, too. The Park Street Café might be small, but what it delivers in quality and service is super sized.

MARATHON WOMEN Carolyn Weeks and Christine Skibowski are the force behind the Park Street Café.

“We’re both runners, and we met each other a few years ago training in a group for the Bayshore Marathon,” said Skibowski. “We got to chatting — preparing for a marathon, you spend a lot of time together — and by the time the race was over, we had become friends.”

Two years ago, Weeks launched Metal Arts & Home Decor on Park Street, and Skibowski started working with her there

soon afterward. At the time, there was a candy shop just two doors away in the same building, and the women often discussed how they thought that particular space and location could be better utilized.

“We both felt that there was an untapped market niche in this part of town for a quick service café and coffee shop, albeit one that would focus on quality food and drink,” said Skibowski.

Eventually, the two began talking about the possibility of doing something in that direction themselves. And then fate stepped in.

“On a cold winter day this past January,” Skibowski recalled, “Carolyn was at her home getting ready to leave on vacation, and I was on my way to work at her store, when I saw a sign on the door of the candy shop that led me to believe they would be closing down soon. So I sent Carolyn a text, basically saying, ‘Should we jump on this?’

And her answer was an emphatic ‘Yes’! It just somehow made sense to us, so we jumped in with both feet, and from January to early August, we went all out to get it up and running.”

Indeed, planning and starting the café was another kind of marathon for the duo.

But they had barely crossed the finish line and opened the doors to their new venture before they took off again, rallying to support the Traverse City Ironman event on Aug. 25.

“We opened at 4am that day so the competitors would have a place to get something to eat before the race,” said

16 • december 02, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

Skibowski. “We made sure we had plenty of oatmeal and bananas and other things that we knew would be good for them.” Running was on the menu again recently, with a TV broadcast of the New York Marathon shown at the café on Nov. 3.

When Weeks is not at the Park Street Café or Metal Arts Home & Decor, she serves as operations manager of Legacy Financial Services Group in Traverse City, the investment company she co-owns with her husband, Derek. Skibowski handles medical malpractice coverage for physicians with the Somerset Group. The main office is in Troy, but she is based in Traverse City.

“The restaurant business is new to us,” she acknowledged. “Neither of us had any experience in the field when we started, but we’re smart business ladies, and we knew we could figure it out.”

BACK TO SCHOOL It was a pretty bold move nevertheless, considering that both women fully intended to stay engaged in their primary careers in addition to operating the café. “It has been intense but fun,” said Skibowski. “We did a ton of research and organizing ahead of time.

We went to barista school in Ann Arbor for a week and learned a lot there, and we solicited all the help and advice we could get from some very qualified people in the food industry. We did a lot of traveling to shows and meeting with chefs, and we worked very hard to learn about sourcing ingredients and finding the best suppliers — even if it was for

something as simple as the ham for a ham sandwich. We tested about a dozen kinds to try to find the very best one. We absolutely believe we’re above average with all of the products we chose to carry.”

Baked goods and pastries — a Park Street Café specialty — are made fresh every morning. “At this time of year, the only people working the kitchen are Carolyn and I and my brother Dan,” said Skibowski, “and we rotate shifts on the baking: One of us comes in about an hour and a half before we open [that would be 5:30am] to make what we need for the day. Our muffins — cranberry orange, blueberry, and others, as the mood strikes us — are really good, and we have some phenomenal scones. There’s a raisin scone that’s just to die for. And we feature three different croissants — plain, dark chocolate twist, and raspberry cream cheese. I also have a recipe for a pumpkin bundt cake that will show up in our bakery case sometime soon.” (Note: If you have a favorite bakery item, it’s wise to come in early for it; they go fast!)

A fairly large digital menu above the ordering counter can be changed as needed, which is good, because Weeks and Skibowski already have a lot of ideas for new things they want to do. 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). “We do a lot of avocado toast, too,” Skibowski said.

A recent breakfast addition that’s catching on with customers is the partners’ take on

poutine (tater tots, scrambled eggs, sausage gravy, and white cheddar cheese curds).

GRAB AND GO – OR STAY AWHILE The Frenchie (ham, brie, sliced apples, mixed greens, and strawberry fig jam on a white sub bun) is by far the No. 1 sandwich pick in the lunch category, with the Cuban (pulled mojo pork — the mojo sauce is made

by Carolyn’s husband — plus ham, Genoa salami, Swiss cheese, yellow mustard, and sliced dill pickles on Cuban sweet bread) coming in a close second.

As for salads, the requisite Traverse City cherry chicken salad (grilled chicken, cherries, feta, pecans and mixed greens, served with cherry vinaigrette) and the California Fields salad (turkey, bacon, avocado, heirloom tomatoes and provolone, served on a bed of mixed greens with your choice of dressing) are the biggest sellers. Any salad can also be made as a wrap. The café usually offers at least two house-made soups of the day, too. Recent choices have included vegan minestrone, smoky poblano cheese, pumpkin with apple and bacon, and tomato bisque.

The refrigerated grab-and-go case is stocked every day with items like salads, veggie cups with hummus, grapes and cheese cups, parfaits, and the café’s soon-tobe-famous oatmeal bake (with organic fruits and maple syrup), which is cut into squares to make it conveniently portable. Just add yogurt or milk and heat it up at home or at the office. Bottled and canned drinks are available in separate cooler cases, including a huge selection of Red Bull (who knew they made so many varieties?).

“They just added a new one — plum — for Christmas,” said Skibowski. “They are hugely popular. Whatever form of caffeine you need, we’ve got you covered!”

COFFEE HAPPY HOUR The Park Street Café has come up with a novel idea, and one that’s sure to attract a loyal following in downtown Traverse City: Every day between 1pm and 3pm, they invite one and all drop in for Coffee Happy Hour. Enjoy any coffee on the menu for $1 off, whether it’s a mug of unadulterated hot black coffee, a nitro cold brew, mocha, espresso, red eye, latte, cappuccino, macchiato, Americano or cortado — regular or decaf. With so many choices, your only problem will be deciding what to order. “We chose a local Traverse City roasting company, Mundos, to supply our coffee,” said Skibowski.

“They buy ethically sourced single-origin coffees from around the world, and they made a special Park Street Café blend just for us, which we also sell here by the bag. We really believe it’s some of the best coffee we’ve ever had.”

Sandwiches are noticeably absent from the grab-and-go case. The reason: freshness and temperature. “We do a lot of pressed paninis and grilled sandwiches, which we serve warm,” Skibowski explained. “But even with cold sandwiches, we prefer to prepare them right when they’re ordered for optimum flavor and texture.”

The Park Street Café strives to make it easy for downtown business owners and their employees to make the most of their sometimes-limited lunch breaks. “We know people don’t want to spend their time waiting in line. They can order breakfast or lunch and pay online, and we’ll have their food ready when they come in to pick it up,” said Skibowski.

“We’ve also started delivering within the downtown Traverse City area, and we signed up with GrubHub. There are a lot of options for our customers, and we’re working very hard to provide quick service for those who need it.”

That said, Weeks and Skibowski are 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. “The experience of having the café has been great so far,” said Skibowski. “The people we’ve met here have been wonderful. Traverse City is such a special place, and we love being part of the downtown community. We wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

Park Street Café is located at 113 South Park St. in Traverse City. Open Monday through Saturday 7am–4pm, Sunday 8am–2pm.

Breakfast is available until 11am on weekdays and all day on weekends. (231) 421-1747, www.parkstreetcafetc.com

Italian sub and house-made cookie

KIDS’ STUFF As any parent would attest, the names of the items on the Park Street Café’s children’s menu are spot on: “I don’t know” (peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich), “I don’t care” (turkey or ham sandwich with American cheese), “Whatever” (mac’n’cheese), “I need a nap” (basic grilled cheese) and “I don’t want breakfast” (scrambled egg, a slice of bacon and toast) make it more interesting for kids to pick what they want, and getting caught up in the fun, they might actually eat what they order!

Northern Express Weekly • december 02, 2019 • 17

Give the gift of Stafford’s. Always a perfect fit!

Stafford’s gift cards can be used at any Stafford’s location - Bay View Inn, Crooked River Lodge, Perry Hotel, the Pier or Weathervane Restaurants.

Use them for dining, lodging, gift shop purchases and more.

Taste What’s

2019

Come visit our extensive tasting room Fresh extra-virgin olive oils Aged balsamic vinegars Gourmet items for the pantry Cooking classes that inspire

STAFFORDS.COM

December 7 // Sat 7:30pm Adults $20 // Students $5

h o l i d ay

Possible

Stop by any Stafford’s establishment, choose a denomination and your Christmas shopping is done!

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NorthportPerformingArts.org

18 • december 02, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

TRAVERSE CITY

•

PETOSKEY

•

ANN ARBOR

FUSTINIS.COM

•

HOLLAND

nov 30

saturday

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY: East Jordan. Starts with a mini kick-off breakfast from 8-10am. Stop by the Chamber Office, grab a “tote bag” filled with coupons, goodies, etc. & then shop East Jordan.

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

BROTHER DAN’S HANDMADE HOLIDAY CRAFT SHOW: 9am-4pm, Emmet County Fairgrounds, Petoskey. Benefits Brother Dan’s Food Pantry. 231-348-5479. $2/person or a non-perishable food item. Find on Facebook.

---------------------CHRISTMAS AT THE MUSEUM: 10am-2pm, Leelanau Historical Society Museum, Leland.

Featuring pop up exhibits, a Christmas display & more. leelanauhistory.org

---------------------CHRISTMAS IN THE VILLAGE ARTISAN MARKET: 10am-4pm, Village Arts Building, Northport. Gifts available from over a dozen artists & craftspeople. There will also be carriage rides & tree lighting in Northport. Free admission. northportartsassociation.org

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

FRIENDS OF LELAND TOWNSHIP LIBRARY HOLIDAY PUZZLE & GAME SALE: 10am2pm, Leland Township Library, Munnecke Room. A wide array of gently used puzzles, games & children’s books will be available at low prices. Find on Facebook.

---------------------GLEN ARBOR HOLIDAY MARKETPLACE: 10am-3pm, Glen Arbor Town Hall. Featuring locally made goods from 30+ artisans. Meet Santa from 11am-1:30pm.

---------------------SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY - BELLAIRE: 10am-6pm, Downtown Bellaire. Stop by the Welcome Station & then shop small.

---------------------WINTER FANTASY ART SHOW: 10am-4pm, Historic Elk Rapids Town Hall. Mixed-media art, fine craft & local specialty goods. All items handcrafted. Free admission. pillywigginsgarden.com/winter-fantasy-2019.html

---------------------LEFTOVER TURKEY TRAIL RUN: 11am, Running Fit, 3301 S. Airport Rd., TC. Gather at Running Fit on S. Airport, TC & then travel together to run the trails at Miller Creek Nature Preserve. Also bring leftovers from Thanksgiving to share with other runners.

---------------------RIGHT BRAIN BREWERY’S HOLIDAY MINI MARKET: 11am-4pm, Right Brain Brewery, TC. Featuring holiday home decor, live music, local vendors & brews. rightbrainbrewery.com

---------------------STUFF THE TRUCK: 11am-1pm, Bill Marsh Ford, Gaylord. Bring a new, unwrapped toy or make a cash donation to Toys for Tots. Enjoy photos with Santa, Christmas coloring, holiday treats & more.

THE ALPHABET EXPERIENCE: 11am & 3pm, City Opera House, TC. Parallel 45 puts on 26 micro-plays—for every letter of the alphabet—performing all 26 in under one hour.

Plus, the show order is determined by the audience. No two shows are alike. $19.50; 12 & under, $14.50; premium, $28. cityoperahouse. org/the-alphabet-experience

nov/dec

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

30-08

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

send your dates to: events@traverseticker.com

AUTHOR SIGNING: 12-2pm, Horizon Books, TC. Lynne Rae Perkins will sign her book “Winter Cake.” horizonbooks.com

“ELF THE MUSICAL”: 2pm & 7:30pm, Old Town Playhouse, TC. Adults: $28; youth: $15 (plus fees). mynorthtickets.com

---------------------FIRST LIGHT CELEBRATION: 5pm, Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville. See Crystal Mountain set aglow with lights, along with singing holiday carols & the lighting of the Christmas tree. crystalmountain.com/event/thanksgiving

---------------------HOLIDAY ILLUMINATION: 5-8pm, Downtown Alden. Tree lighting, caroling, refreshments.

---------------------HARBOR SPRINGS HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS: Movie at The Lyric, Santa with the firemen, reindeer on Main Street, Christmas Tree Lighting at 6pm, chili, cookies & coffee at the Holy Childhood Parish Hall.

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

STAFFORD’S DOWNTOWN PETOSKEY HOLIDAY PARADE: 6pm. Kids can see Santa before the parade at Stafford’s Perry Hotel.

---------------------FRESHWATER CONCERT: DOC WOODWARD & HIS GUITAR SUMMIT: 8pm, Freshwater Art Gallery/Concert Venue, Boyne City.

Doc’s bringing a six-piece band featuring three MI guitar slingers: Big Daddy Fox, Jon Archambault & Ivan Greilick. 231-582-2588. $30 advance; $35 door. freshwaterartgallery. com/concertCalendar.php

---------------------SIPS & GIGGLES COMEDY SHOW FEATURING BILL BUSHART: 8pm, West Bay Beach, A Delamar Resort, TC. Bill Bushart was voted Funniest Comic in Detroit by the Metro Times & Best of Detroit Stand Up 2019 by Hour Detroit. $20 advance; $25 door. mynorthtickets.com

dec 01

sunday

RECOVERY YOGA: 9:30am, Running Fit, downtown TC. A 50 minute, all-levels class designed to enhance recovery for your athletic performance. Classes will build strength, flexibility, focusing on lengthening tight hamstrings, calves, quadriceps & hip flexors. Must register. Donation based class. eventbrite.com

---------------------OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS AT THE LIGHTHOUSE: 10am-4pm, Grand Traverse Lighthouse, Northport. The keeper’s apartment will be decorated as it would have been

Visit with Santa after the “Parade of Lights” during the 10th Annual Light Up the Night and Soup Cook-Off in Downtown Bellaire on Sat., Dec. 7 from 11am-7pm. Featuring a free kid’s movie, ornament making, “Soup Cook-Off” with 10+ participating restaurants, community tree lighting, caroling, live Nativity, turkey bowling and more. in the Christmases of yesteryear & the keepers’ stories will be told. $5/person & State Park Recreation Passport. Find on Facebook.

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

THE ALPHABET EXPERIENCE: (See Sat., Nov. 30)

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

------------------------------------------SUGAR PLUM FAIRY TEA: 1-3pm, Stafford’s Perry Hotel, Petoskey. Enjoy a festive afternoon with principal performers of the CTAC School of Ballet’s “The Nutcracker.” Each reservation includes lemonades, tea, cocoa, finger sandwiches & treats; a reading of “The Nutcracker” story; & while available, two tickets to a performance of “The Nutcracker” at the Great Lakes Center for the Arts. Tickets

start at $75 (for two). crookedtree.org

“ELF THE MUSICAL”: 2pm, Old Town Playhouse, TC. Adults: $28; youth: $15 (plus fees). mynorthtickets.com

SWEET JOE WILLIAMS & PREACHERS DAUGHTER: 5pm, Sleder’s Family Tavern, TC. This duo has co-written over 30 songs. Enjoy their mix of guitar & singing. Elizabeth Sexton Rivers (Preachers Daughter) performed for almost 20 years with David Chown’s variety band, The Lookout Cats. 947-9213. $20 advance; $25 door.

---------------------IRISH CHRISTMAS IN AMERICA: 7pm, Dennos Museum Center, Milliken Auditorium,

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Northern Express Weekly • december 02, 2019 • 19

SAMPLES | LIVE MUSIC | SANTA & MRS. CLAUS

VISIT

ETNOTWEIRN DOWNTOWN PRIZES

nov/dec SHOP

23-01 FRANKFORT

MAGIC SATUDAY, DEC. 14 • NOON- 6

FANTASTIC HOL I D AY

DEALS

PM

COME ENJOY HOLIDAY SHOPPING & FUN IN BEAUTIFUL DOWNTOWN FRANKFORT

FREE SHOWING OF A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS AT THE GARDEN THEATER AT 2 P.M. & 3 P.M. FREE GIFT WRAPPING IN THE LOBBY ANET & OLLIES BETSIE BAY FURNITURE BIRCH & MAPLE CRESCENT BAKERY CRYSTAL LAKE ADVENTURE SPORTS DINGHY’S RESTUARANT FRANKFORT HARDWARE FRANNIE’S FOLLIES THE HOTEL FRANKFORT & RESTAURANT HULL'S OF FRANKFORT SPONSORED IN PART BY

KILWINS OR FRANKFORT LYNN & PERRIN MERCANTILE CO. PETALS & PERKS POSH BEAUTY BAR STORMCLOUD BREWING CO. SUNBEAMS OF PROMISE THE BOOKSTORE THE CORNER TOY STORE THE GARDEN THEATER DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

Blue Tractor Barbeque

NMC, TC. Featuring lively instrumental tunes on fiddle, flute, uilleann pipes & harp, along with Irish old-style dancing from Samantha Harvey. Before the show, ticket holders can visit the museum. Afterwards, meet the artists & enjoy light refreshments. $25-$32. mynorthtickets.com

dec 02

monday

OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS AT THE LIGHTHOUSE: (See Sun., Dec. 1)

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

THREADS FIBER ARTS GROUP: 10am, New Peninsula Community Library, TC. Local patrons are invited to bring their own needlework or handicraft project & work among friends. Meets Mondays at 10am.

Free. peninsulacommunitylibrary.org

---------------------READING DOG SESSIONS: 3:30pm, New Peninsula Community Library, TC. PCL’s Reading Therapy Dogs, Coco & Lani, love to listen to kids read. They are available on the 1st & 3rd Mondays from 3:30-4:30pm. Bring your favorite book or select one from the shelves to read. Appointments are scheduled in 15 minute increments. Please call PCL to reserve your time slot. Free. peninsulacommunitylibrary.org

---------------------AMICAL’S COOKBOOK DINNER SERIES PRESENTS “RICH TABLE”: amical, TC. James Beard nominees Sarah & Evan Rich share their unique take on modern American cuisine from their Michelin starred restaurant in San Francisco. Call: 941-8888 for reservations. amical.com/richtable

---------------------HOLIDAY BUSINESS AFTER HOURS: 5:307:30pm, Foundry Bar & Grill, East Jordan. Entry by cash donation to benefit Care and Share Food Pantry & Good Samaritan Food Pantry.

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

“A HOLIDAY CABARET” BY THE OTP YOUNG COMPANY: 7pm, Old Town Playhouse, Mary Schmuckal Theatre, TC. This yuletide take on the Broadway Showstoppers will feature songs from the season in a dancefilled musical revue. Adults: $15; youth under 18: $8 (plus fees). mynorthtickets.com

dec 03

tuesday

YOGA FOR EVERY BODY TUESDAY TUNE-UP: 8am, 812 S. Garfield Ave., Suite K, TC. Class is suitable for every body & class size is limited to 8 (please sign up on Eventbrite prior to class). Bring your mat. Donation based class. eventbrite.com

PRICE INCLUDES A PINT OF MICHIGAN CRAFT BEER! FOR A LIMITED TIME ENJOY ONE OF THESE GREAT MAC & CHEESE DISHES! STARTING AT 4PM SUNDAYS–THURSDAYS

Spinach & Artichoke Mac

Sausage & Pepper Mac

FRESH BABY SPINACH, ROASTED CREMINIS, SMOKED GOUDA, PARMESAN, FRIED ARTICHOKE HEARTS... 15 + GRILLED CHICKEN 3

MAXBAUER’S HOT ITALIAN SAUSAGE, HOUSE SMOKED, BECHAMEL, SMOKED TOMATO, ONIONS, BELL PEPPERS, MOZZARELLA, PARMESAN... 16

Fried Mac & Cheese Sticks

Beer Cheese & Burnt Ends Mac

BECHAMEL, SMOKED GOUDA, PANKO, PULLED PORK, BBQ SAUCE... 12

LOCAL ALE, CREAMY SMOKED CHEDDAR BLEND, CARAMELIZED BEEF BRISKET ENDS, MUSTARD DUSTED PRETZEL CROUTONS... 17

B L U E T R AC T OR B A R B EQ U E | 423 U N I O N S TREET | T R AV ERSE C I T Y 2 31 - 922 - 9 515 | W W W. B L U E T R AC T O RCOO K SHO P. CO M

20 • december 02, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

---------------------OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS AT THE LIGHTHOUSE: (See Sun., Dec. 1)

---------------------GET CRAFTY: Great Lakes Children’s Museum, TC. Decorate a gingerbread man ornament to hang up for the holidays. Held from 11am-noon & 2-3pm. greatlakeskids.org

---------------------FOOD FOR THOUGHT: ERIN BEMIS GOOGLE ANALYTICS: 11:30am, Treetops Resort, Oak Room, Gaylord. $15 members. gaylordchamber.com

---------------------GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP: 2pm, New Peninsula Community Library, TC. Munson Healthcare Hospice invites you to join a friendly environment where grief & loss are understood.

Held the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of each month at 2pm. Share your story & learn from others.

Free. peninsulacommunitylibrary.org

---------------------TUESDAYS WITH TIM & GUESTS: 2pm, New Peninsula Community Library, TC. Tim Carroll & other Old Mission personalities share local history & personal stories each Tues. at 2pm.

Call to reserve a spot. Free. peninsulacommunitylibrary.org

TO BE SEEN AND HEARD: 3pm, NMC, Osterlin Building, TC. Join Phi Theta Kappa & NMC to discuss the barriers to success & common misconceptions for those with disabilities both visible & invisible. Free. Find on Facebook.

---------------------AMICAL’S COOKBOOK DINNER SERIES PRESENTS “RICH TABLE”: (See Mon., Dec. 2)

---------------------AAUW HOLIDAY PARTY & SILENT AUCTION: 5:30pm, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, TC. The American Association of University Women, TC Branch will hold its annual Holiday Party. Enjoy a light supper & musical entertainment by Hammer’d, a local hammer dulcimer group. Silent auction proceeds fund AAUW scholarships. Suggested $10 donation. aauwtc.org

---------------------PARKINSON’S NETWORK NORTH EVENING SUPPORT GROUP: 6pm, Foster Family Community Health Center, TC. Christmas potluck. 947-7389. Free. pnntc.org

---------------------TCNEWTECH: 6pm, City Opera House, TC. Five presenters are allowed 5 minutes each to present & 5 minutes of question & answer. Between presenters, the audience is allowed to make brief announcements for things such as job openings, persons seeking employment, & other events happening in the area related to technology. Free; must register. cityoperahouse.org/tcnewtech

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

“A HOLIDAY CABARET” BY THE OTP YOUNG COMPANY: (See Mon., Dec. 2)

dec 04

wednesday

OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS AT THE LIGHTHOUSE: (See Sun., Dec. 1)

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

RECESS OF GIVING: 5-7pm, Fox Lincoln Grand Traverse. Benefits Toys for Tots. Networking happy hour event with food, beverages & prizes. Sponsored by Caliber Home Loans. Bring one new, unwrapped toy. traverseticker.com

---------------------AMICAL’S COOKBOOK DINNER SERIES PRESENTS “RICH TABLE”: (See Mon., Dec. 2)

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

“A HOLIDAY CABARET” BY THE OTP YOUNG COMPANY: (See Mon., Dec. 2)

---------------------HOLIDAY JAZZ CONCERT: 7pm, Charlevoix Public Library. Featuring Katherine Ryan & Charlie Millard.

dec 05

thursday

MANISTEE’S OLD CHRISTMAS WEEKEND: Dec. 5-8. Featuring the Victorian Sleighbell Parade with horse drawn entries, bagpipers, reindeer meet & greet & carolers dressed in Victorian style attire. manisteesleighbellparade.com

---------------------OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS AT THE LIGHTHOUSE: (See Sun., Dec. 1)

---------------------INTERACTIVE STORYTIME: 11am, Great Lakes Children’s Museum, TC. Featuring “The 12 Months of Michigan” by Annie Marie E. Chiaverilla, followed by a craft or activity. greatlakeskids.org

---------------------AMICAL’S COOKBOOK DINNER SERIES PRESENTS “RICH TABLE”: (See Mon., Dec. 2)

---------------------COMMUNITY NIGHT: 5:30pm, Downtown East Jordan. Featuring the Lighted Holiday Parade, shops staying opening late, carolers & more.

---------------------POTLUCK & OFF THE WALL MOVIE NIGHT: Helena Township Community Center, Alden.

Potluck dinner, 6pm; movie, 7pm. Sign up for potluck: 231-331-4318. Free.

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“ELF THE MUSICAL”: 7:30pm, Old Town Playhouse, TC. Adults: $28; youth: $15 (plus fees). mynorthtickets.com

dec 06

friday

ACORN ADVENTURERS PROGRAM: 10am, Boardman River Nature Center, TC. A mix of guided & self-guided outdoor activities that allow young explorers & their grown-ups to explore, engage with, & experience the outdoors. For children under the age of 4. Free. natureiscalling.org/acorn-adventurers

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DISCOVER WITH ME: 10am-noon, Great Lakes Children’s Museum, TC. “Winter Games”: Imagine & pretend together with games & activities focusing on winter. greatlakeskids.org

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

MANISTEE’S OLD CHRISTMAS WEEKEND: (See Thurs., Dec. 5)

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

OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS AT THE LIGHTHOUSE: (See Sun., Dec. 1)

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STORY STEW: 10am, New Peninsula Community Library, TC. Held the 1st & 3rd Fridays at 10am. Stories, crafts & songs fill this hour long program for little ones. Free. peninsulacommunitylibrary.org

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DEC. COFFEE HOURS W/ STATE SEN. WAYNE SCHMIDT: 3-4pm, Fife Lake Public Library. For constituents throughout the 37th Senate District. senatorwayneschmidt.com

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TREE LIGHTING: The Village at GT Commons, TC. Enjoy live music & hot chocolate on the patio outside of Cuppa Joe from 5-7pm. The tree lighting will happen at 7pm when you are joined by Left Foot Charley Winery as they pass by with participants of 10th Annual Presentation of Phil Kline’s Unsilent Night. thevillagetc.com/tree-lighting

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AMICAL’S COOKBOOK DINNER SERIES PRESENTS “RICH TABLE”: (See Mon., Dec. 2)

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INTERLOCHEN AREA CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY: Interlochen’s tree lighting begins at 5pm at Tom’s Food Markets. At 5:25pm follow Santa to the Children’s Christmas Party at the new Interlochen Public Library. Visit with Santa, enjoy music & caroling, hear a holiday story & make holiday crafts. tadl.org/interlochen

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WINTER WONDERLAND DOUBLE FEATURE: 5:30-9:30pm, East Jordan Middle/High School, Community Auditorium. “The Grinch” & “Elf.” There will also be games, an ugly sweater contest, & arts & crafts. Suggested $10 donation.

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

AUTHORS SIGNINGS: Horizon Books, TC. 6-8pm: Richard Smith will sign his books “Great Michigan Deer Tales,” Vol. 1-7, “Black Bear Hunting” & others. 7-8pm: Bob Downes will sign his books “Windigo Moon,” “Bicycle Hobo” or one of his other travel adventure books. horizonbooks.com

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HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE: 6-9pm, Downtown Petoskey Offices.

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

P45 BENEFETE: 6pm, City Opera House, TC. Featuring appetizers, a live auction, performance of “The Alphabet Experience” for grown-ups & more. $125. cityoperahouse.org/p45-benefete

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CHRISTMAS IN KALKASKA LIGHTED HOLIDAY PARADE: 6:45pm, Downtown Kalkaska, 300 block of Cedar St. Featuring the tree lighting followed by the Lighted Parade at 7pm. Santa will be visiting with children after the parade & there will be a bonfire with free cookies & cocoa. 231715-1804. christmasinkalkaska.webs.com

---------------------“ELF THE MUSICAL”: (See Thurs., Dec. 5)

JOSHUA DAVIS: 8pm, Old Art Building, Leland. “Voice” finalist Joshua Davis will bring heartfelt stories of family, friends & traveling on the road interspersed with original & cover songs. He’s currently touring in support of “Live From The Robin.” This concert benefits the Leelanau Children’s Center. $20 advance; $25 door. mynorthtickets.com

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

UNSILENT NIGHT: 6-9pm, Left Foot Charley, TC. A free, outdoor participatory sound sculpture. Bring your own portable musical device & walk around the GT Commons. Live music by Jeff Brown & cider & cookies. Donations benefit Boots for Kids. leftfootcharley.com

dec 07

saturday

4TH ANNUAL VILLAGE TREE DECORATING: 11am, Recreation Center, West Central Ave., Mackinaw City.

An afternoon of tree trimming, Santa Claus & more.

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

CHRISTMAS IN KALKASKA HOLIDAY CRAFT SHOW: 9am-3pm, Kalkaska Middle School. Featuring hand crafted items, lunch, a bake sale, free breakfast with Santa plus kids’ crafts/activities, & more. 231-715-1804. christmasinkalkaska.webs.com

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

HOLIDAY SELF-CARE WITH YIN AND TONIC: 9am, 812 S. Garfield Ave., Suite K, TC. Join Wendy in a 75 minute Yin practice as Samantha, a licensed massage therapist, kneads & soothes your tired muscles as you stretch.

Donation. eventbrite.com

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

19TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY HOME TOUR: Cadillac Garden Club sponsors 4 area homes decorated in the Christmas spirit. Houses will be open from 10am-3pm & can be toured in any order. Contact Brinks Art and Framing, 112 S. Mitchell Street, Cadillac to purchase tickets. $15/$20. cadillacgardenclub.com’

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CHRISTMAS IN ATWOOD: 10am-3pm. Free kids activities, Santa & more.

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

HOLIDAY ART SHOW: 10am-4pm, Almira Town Hall, Lake Ann. Featuring 14 artists. Find on Facebook.

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

d o w n t o w n s u t t o n s b ay

HOLIDAY MERCHANT OPEN HOUSE & HOT COCOA CONTEST: 10am, Downtown Charlevoix. Featuring holiday sales, snacks, giveaways & more. A free movie, “How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World,” will be shown at 2pm at Charlevoix Cinema III. Please bring a canned good to benefit the Food Pantry. The Hot Cocoa Contest will be held from 12-5pm at downtown businesses. Follow the “Cocoa Trail.” charlevoix.org

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

MANISTEE JINGLE BELL JOG 5K: 10am, 550 Maple St., Manistee. runsignup.com/ Race/MI/Manistee/ManisteeJingleBellJog5K

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MANISTEE’S OLD CHRISTMAS WEEKEND: (See Thurs., Dec. 5)

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

OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS AT THE LIGHTHOUSE: (See Sun., Dec. 1)

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

SUTTONS BAY HOLIDAY FESTIVAL: 10amnoon: Help the Friends of the Suttons Bay Bingham District Library decorate for the holidays (cookies, caroling, crafts, letter to Santa).

1:30pm: Free movie for the kids at The Bay Theatre. Featuring “The Polar Express.” 5pm: Caroling at the corner of M-22 & Jefferson.

5:15pm: Santa makes his arrival on the firetruck to light the village tree. Follow Santa to the VI Grill. Share your wish list with him by the fire. Luminary lined streets; most stores open until 8pm.

Feel good.

Look good.

Be good (well ... most of the time).

10TH ANNUAL LIGHT UP THE NIGHT & SOUP COOK-OFF: 11am-7pm, Downtown Bellaire. Featuring a free kid’s movie, ornament making, “Soup Cook-Off” with 10+ par-

Mon - Sat 10 am–6 pm | Sun 11 am–4 pm | Bahles.net

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est · 1876

Northern Express Weekly • december 02, 2019 • 21

ticipating restaurants, visit with Santa after the “Parade of Lights,” community tree lighting, caroling, live Nativity, turkey bowling & more.

---------------------THE ALPHABET EXPERIENCE: (See Sat., Nov. 30)

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

WINTER MINDFULNESS HIKE AT KEHL LAKE: 11am. Look for clues that tell you about the current inhabitants of the woods. Learn concepts of “Mindfulness in Nature.” Free. leelanauconservancy.org

---------------------FARMLAND 5K & FREE FOR ALL BIKE: 1154 Rasho Rd., TC. Run at noon; bike at 1pm. A European style turf grass course awaits you with knee high barriers including straw bales, fallen logs, wood fence & stone fence. Cyclists will take to the running course for six laps of fun competition on any bike you choose. 5K Run: $40; Free for All Bike: $40; Farmland Run & Bike Combo: $55. runsignup.com/farmland5k

---------------------ELSA & ANNA AT THE FILLING STATION: 1pm, The Filling Station Microbrewery, TC. A benefit for Grand Traverse Lighthouse. Join Queen Elsa & Princess Anna for a sing-along & photo op event. $5 per person. grandtraverselighthouse.com

---------------------“ELF THE MUSICAL”: (See Sat., Nov. 30) ---------------------ELK RAPIDS OPEN HOUSE: 4-7pm. Visit with Santa, take a free horse drawn sleigh ride, decorate cookies, mail your wish list to the North Pole, listen to carols & warm yourself by the fires burning brightly on River Street. Free.

---------------------HOLIDAYS ON OLD MISSION: New Peninsula Community Library, TC. Santa will arrive, courtesy of the Peninsula Township Fire Department. Stop by between 5pm & 7pm to enjoy caroling, crafts, cookies & to visit Santa.

Free. peninsulacommunitylibrary.org

---------------------AMICAL’S COOKBOOK DINNER SERIES PRESENTS “RICH TABLE”: (See Mon., Dec. 2)

---------------------HOLIDAY PARTY/BABY PANTRY BENEFIT: 5:30-8pm, Oliver Art Center, Frankfort. Benzie Democrats’ annual Holiday Party, with roast turkey, stuffing & your potluck dish to share.

Donations to St. Philip’s Baby Pantry welcome. Free. benziedemocrats.com

---------------------MERCHANTS HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE: 6-9pm, Harbor Springs. Enjoy shopping specials & the Petoskey Steel Drum Band performing Christmas music.

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

Upcoming Events:

14th Annual

Blissfest Solstice Celebration Dec 21, 2019 At Red Sky Stage, 801 Front St., Bay Harbor, MI 49770

Celebrating 40 Years!

Your Folk & Roots Music Connection in Northern Michigan

40th Annual

Blissfest Festival July 10-12, 2020

Support & Info visit our website: www.blissfest.org Blissfest Music Organization 231-348-7047 | PO Box 546, Petoskey, MI 49770

22 • december 02, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

15TH ANNUAL JINGLE BELL JAM: 7pm, American Legion, River St., Manistee. Held right after the Sleighbell Parade. Four bands, live rock & roll, & a great cause. Cash donation or new toy. Find on Facebook.

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

DARREN MCCARTY SLAPSTICK COMEDY TOUR: After 26 Depot Cafe, Cadillac. Dinner service, 5-6:30pm; show, 7pm. 231-468-3526. $40 each or 2 for $75.

WINTER SONGS & CAROLS: 7:30pm, Grace Episcopal Church, TC. Manitou Winds presents a mix of music & spoken word. Join the ensemble & their special guest, soprano Emily Curtin Culler. Free. manitouwinds.com/ upcoming-performances

---------------------LAITH AL-SAADI: Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts, Manistee. Held after the 31st Annual Sleighbell Parade in Manistee. In 2016, Laith Al-Saadi won a spot in the finale of NBC’s “The Voice.” He brings his blend of blues, soul & classic rock. Show opener by Onekama-native Cousin Curtiss with his original music & harmonica playing. Cousin Curtiss at 7:40pm; Laith Al-Saadi at 8pm. $20-$35. mynorthtickets.com

dec 08

sunday

MANISTEE’S OLD CHRISTMAS WEEKEND: (See Thurs., Dec. 5)

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

DOWNTOWN COCOA CRAWL: 11am-2pm, Downtown TC. downtowntc.com/downtown-cocoacrawl

---------------------THE ALPHABET EXPERIENCE: (See Sat., Nov. 30)

---------------------OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS AT THE LIGHTHOUSE: (See Sun., Dec. 1)

---------------------SUTTONS BAY HOLIDAY FESTIVAL: Noon3pm: Cookie Extravaganza at The Friendship Center. 2:30pm: Community Choral Concert at Suttons Bay Congregational Church.

---------------------GTHC HOLIDAY HIKE: Group hike, ski or snowshoe at Muncie Lakes State Forest Pathway at 1pm, followed by optional dinner at Peegeo’s at 4pm. Supply Rd. east to Rennie Lake Rd., south to Ranch Rudolph Rd., east to the North Country Trail crossing near the yellow End of Pavement sign. RSVP: detour42@ gmail.com by Dec 7. Free. facebook.com/ GTHikers

---------------------“ELF THE MUSICAL”: (See Sun., Dec. 1) ---------------------C.A.R. MEETING: 2pm, VFW Cherryland Post 2780, TC. Following the meeting, you will make ornaments to deliver to the Veterans at the Medilodge of TC. Please bring a dozen cookies to share. Thelma Paul, a bugler with Bugles Across America, will perform. For info, email: legrandetraversesociety@gmail.com

---------------------FAMILY EVENT WITH SANTA & MRS. CLAUS: 3-5pm, Oliver Art Center, Frankfort. Also enjoy holiday story time with Benzie Shores Library, holiday arts & crafts, a hot chocolate bar, & activities with Cognition Discovery Center. Free. oliverartcenterfrankfort.org

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

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

HOLIDAY BAND CONCERT: 3pm, East Jordan Middle/High School, Community Auditorium. Featuring the Jordan Valley Community Band. Free will donation.

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

JAZZY CHRISTMAS: 3pm, Central United Methodist Church, TC. An afternoon of Christmas favorites performed with a jazzy twist featuring the Central Christmas Combo, Trillium Singers, Voices 4 & Sashay. The free will offering will support the Homeless Outreach in TC.

BLISSFEST COMMUNITY DANCE: 7:30pm, First Presbyterian Church, Petoskey. Squares, contras & more. Music by Harbor Hoedown.

All dances taught. No partner necessary. $5/ person, $7/couple, $10/family. blissfest.org NORTHWEST MICHIGAN BALLET THEATRE PRESENTS “THE NUTCRACKER”: 7:30pm, Northport Performing Arts Center.

Enjoy Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece. An experience in the Land of Sweets. Adults, $20; students, $5. mynorthtickets.com

---------------------WINTER JAZZ ENSEMBLE SHOWCASE: 7:30pm, Dennos Museum Center, Milliken Auditorium, NMC, TC. Presented by NMC Jazz Bands & Vocal Jazz Ensemble. $13 adults; $8 students & seniors. mynorthtickets.com

---------------------GT ART BOMB PREVIEW NIGHT: 6:30-11pm, Right Brain Brewery, TC. Featuring live art & acoustic music performances. rightbrainbrewery. com

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

---------------------EMPIRE AREA COMMUNITY CENTER ANNUAL EMERGENCY FUND AUCTION: 3:30pm, Empire Township Hall. Proceeds benefit people in the area who fall upon hard times. 231-326-6120.

---------------------“CHRISTMAS LIGHT”: 4pm, Bellaire High School Auditorium. This concert of seasonal music will be presented by the Antrim County Community Choir. 231-331-6587. Free will offering.

---------------------AMICAL’S COOKBOOK DINNER SERIES PRESENTS “RICH TABLE”: (See Mon., Dec. 2)

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helping hands

WINTER WARMTH CLOTHING DRIVE: The Benzie County Chamber of Commerce, Benzonia is a drop-off point for new, “in the package” socks, from infant booties all the way up.

Look for the festive box in the lobby. Runs through Dec. 11.

---------------------THE GIVING TREE: Held at McLean & Eakin Booksellers, Petoskey, bookstore staff members decorate The Giving Tree with ornaments representing the ages of children at the Safe Home, the domestic abuse shelter serving families in Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet & Otsego counties. Shoppers may select an ornament on the tree which will help guide them in their purchase of an age-appropriate book or gift to donate & place under the tree. Runs through Dec. 15. 231-347-1180.

---------------------FRIENDS ANNUAL HOLIDAY MITTEN TREE: Donate new mittens, scarves & hats to the Friends of Interlochen Public Library, Dec. 2-30. Bring to Interlochen Public Library to benefit those in need within the Interlochen area. tadl.org/interlochen

---------------------PLAY FOR PAWS: Runs through Dec. 16 & benefits the Cherryland Humane Society.

Please bring toys, food, treats, beds, bowls, old towels & blankets to Premonitions Pizza & Arcade, 100 A Cedar St., Suttons Bay. Each person with a donation gets a 30-minute arcade pass to Premonition’s Arcade. premonitionspizza.com

---------------------HARVEST FOOD & SUPPLY DRIVE: Benefits the Women’s Resource Center of Northern MI. Donations include: grocery/supermarket gift cards, non-perishable foods, household goods/paper products, personal care items & financial contributions. Please bring to the WRCNM main office at 423 Porter St. & Gold Mine Resale Shops in Petoskey; & WRCNM offices in Cheboygan, Gaylord & Mancelona.

231-347-1572.

---------------------WINTER GEAR DRIVE: Collecting mittens, gloves, hats, coats & boots for local kids & teens in need. Proceeds benefit EJ kids. Collection locations: South Arm Café, East Jordan Public Schools (Elementary front door), East Jordan True Value, Valley Graphics Printing, Inc. & The East Jordan Laundromat. 231350-0781.

ongoing

YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL ENTRY DEADLINE: City Opera House invites regional high school students to submit an original one-act play—9-12 pages with 4 characters or less—to the 8th Annual Young Playwrights Festival. Finalists are paired with national theater mentors, win $100 & see their play performed on the City Opera House stage. Script entry deadline: Fri., Dec. 13. cityoperahouse. org/ypf

---------------------CTAC ARTISANS & FARMERS MARKET: Fridays, 10am-1pm, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Carnegie Building, Petoskey. Featuring a wide variety of locally grown & handmade goods.

NO MARKET ON NOV. 29. crookedtree.org/ petoskey/market

---------------------FLY TYING SERIES WITH ERIC CRISSMAN: TROUT FLIES: Elk Rapids District Library.

Classes will take place on three consecutive Tuesdays (Dec. 3, 10 & 17) from 5:30-7pm.

Participants will get familiar with the tools & equipment used in fly tying & learn how to properly proportion a fly. Call 231-264-9979 to register. elkrapidslibrary.org

---------------------HARBOR SPRINGS INDOOR FARMERS MARKET: Saturdays, 9am-noon through Dec. 21. Harbor Springs Middle School.

---------------------RUN SABADOS: Saturdays, 9am through Dec. 28. Norte Wheelhouse, Civic Center, TC.

Run in cooperation with Norte, TC Track Club, Michigan Runner Girl & Running Fit. elgruponorte.org

DOWNTOWN

TRAVERSE CITY

art

ANNUAL WINTER MEMBER EXHIBITION: Oliver Art Center, Frankfort. Runs Nov. 30 Jan. 3. An opening reception will be held on Fri., Dec. 6 from 5-7pm. oliverartcenterfrankfort.org

---------------------ART DIVAS POP-UP ART STORE: Runs through Dec. 22 at 342 River St., Manistee.

Featuring artists Terri Barto, Jeanne Butterfield, Mary Wahr, Lynn Williams & Chris Wuchever.

---------------------SMALL WORKS HOLIDAY EXHIBITION: Glen Arbor Arts Center. Runs through Dec. 18. This holiday show features art work 12” x 12” & smaller, all priced at $150 or less. A Holiday Open House will be held on Dec. 5 from 4–6pm. glenarborart.org

---------------------HOLIDAY GIFT MARKET: Jordan River Arts Council, East Jordan. Runs through Dec. 20.

Featuring gifts made by local artists. jordanriverarts.com

SUN & MON 12:30 • 3:45 • 7 PM TUE & THU 12n • 3:05 • 6:10 • 9:10 PM WEDNESDAY 12:30 • 3:45 • 7 PM •••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••

REMEMBER THE NIGHTG

WED 10:30 AM - 25¢ It's a Wonderful Holiday Matinee!

ANNA AND THE ApOcAlYpSER

FRIDAY NIGHT FLICKS - $3 or 2 for $5 - BFF Night!

A cHRISTMAS STORYNR

SATURDAY 10 AM - 25¢ Kids Holiday Matinee IN CLINCH PARK

DOWNTOWN

---------------------BIG GROUP/SMALL WORKS EXHIBIT: Higher Art Gallery, TC. Featuring over 50 artists. This show is dedicated to encouraging the gifting of original art by providing small works at affordable gift giving prices. Show runs through Jan. 1. higherartgallery.com

Don Julin Joe Wilson Jeff Haas Jack Dryden Randy Marsh Monday, Dec. 9th Monday, Dec. 23rd 6-8:30pm

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ANNUAL CIRCLE MARKET: Charlevoix Circle of Arts. Featuring local artists’ & designers’ handmade gifts. Runs through Dec. 23. Open Mondays-Saturdays from 11am-5pm. Closed Sundays. charlevoixcircle.org/exhibit-circlemarket

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

TOM HANKS MATTHEW RHYS

SUNDAY - THURSDAY 1 • 3:30 • 6 • 8:30 PM 231-947-4800

PLEIN AIR PAINTERS OF NORTHWEST MI’S GREAT ART EXHIBITION & SALE: Held Mon. - Fri., 10am-5pm, through Dec. 30 at City Opera House, TC. Fifteen artists will be in attendance with over 100 pieces of art on display. Find on Facebook. www.cityoperahouse.org

221 Garland St, Traverse City

---------------------CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER, PETOSKEY: - READY-SET-GO: YOUNG ARTISTS SPOTLIGHT: Held in Atrium Gallery. A juried exhibit of local student artwork. Runs through Dec. 20.

- PRINT/POP: POP-UP SHOW OF CONTEMPORARY PRINTS: Runs through Dec. 20.

Featuring the work of nine contemporary artists working across the United States. Prints demonstrating relief, screen & intaglio processes will be on display. crookedtree.org

---------------------DENNOS MUSEUM CENTER, NMC, TC: - EXPLORATIONS IN WOOD: SELECTIONS FROM THE CENTER FOR ART IN WOOD: Runs through Dec. 29. Curated by Andy McGivern, this exhibition features 74 objects, a small sample of the work in the collection of Philadelphia’s Center for Art in Wood, gathered over a forty-year period.

- CAROLE HARRIS: ART QUILTS: This fiber artist extends the boundaries of traditional quilting by exploring other forms of stitchery, irregular shapes, textures, materials & objects. Runs through Dec. 29. dennosmuseum.org

Deadline for Dates information is Tuesday for the following week.

Happy EVERY Day! Join us at the LOBBY BAR for Happy Hour every day of the week from 3 - 6pm, seven days a week.

Food specials. $3.50 bottled beer. $4.00 well cocktails or $6.00 house wines.

Live music Friday & Saturday evenings.

Hotel Indigo Traverse City 263 W. Grandview Parkway Traverse City, MI 49684 t: 231.932.0500 Reservations: 877.8.INDIGO (846.3446) hotelindigo.com/TraverseCityMI

facebook.com/hotelindigo @hotelindigo

Northern Express Weekly • december 02, 2019 • 23

24 • december 02, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

Pharrell Finds Something in the Water Pharrell Williams’ multi-day music and culture festival, Something in the Water, which Williams debuted last April in his hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia, is set to return for 2020. The tentative dates: April 24–26. The fest will be divided into two portions: culture (with culinary, technology, environmental, and media happenings) and music. No performers have been announced just yet, although the 2019 edition offered up sets from the likes of Timbaland, Tyler the Creator, Usher, and Jay-Z, so chances are the sophomore edition will present a similar roster …

Perfect for a dark and cold night is the new Disney movie, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, which brings back Angelina Jolie as the title character and adds in new music from Bebe Rexha. Rexha’s “You Can’t Stop the Girl” serves as the theme for the movie and is accompanied by a Sophie Mullerdirected music video. The video, featuring Rexha wandering through a forest, alternates with sunset views and clips from the movie. In addition to this soundtrack effort, Rexha has been touring as opening act for the Jonas Brothers on their current Happiness Begins tour …

A new series in production for HBO’s upcoming streaming service, HBO Max,

MODERN

Pharrell

ROCK

BY KRISTI KATES

might surprise you: Rydell High, a spinoff musical series of the John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John film Grease, originally a stage play itself. The iconic storyline will be converted into “life in 1950s small-town USA told on the scale of a big rock and roll musical.” There’s no word yet on exactly when the series will premiere on HBO Max or who will take on the starring roles …

Beach Slang is wrapping up work on its new album, The Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak City, expected to be ready for release on Jan. 10. The band recently previewed the album, which will also include bass work from former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson, with the lead single, “Bam Rang Rang,” a tune loaded with heavy, static-y guitars and topped off with the raspy vocals of Beach Slang frontman James Alex. The album overall fuses glam rock with punk and prog-rock to make for a pretty quirky mix …

LINK OF THE WEEK Sony is set to release the animated feature Shaun the Sheep: Farmageddon on Dec. 13.

The movie’s soundtrack will feature tunes from Kylie Minogue, The Vaccines, Kieran Shudall, Rat Boy, and more. You can learn more about Shaun the Sheep’s upcoming storyline and hear the accompanying music at www.shaunthesheep.com …

THE BUZZ Manchester Orchestra will be in concert at the Royal Oak Music Theater on Dec. 5 …

Color Me Badd will bring back the early ’90s at the Motorcity Casino Hotel, also on Dec. 5 …

Americana-country singer Lee Ann Womack just kicked off the fall-winter

Acoustic Cafe Folk Series at the St. Cecilia Music Center in Grand Rapids …

Carl Craig will bring his EDM tunes to the Magic Stick in Detroit on Dec. 6… and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.

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

Northern Express Weekly • december 02, 2019 • 25

FOURSCORE by kristi kates

Hovvdy – Heavy Lifting – BDouble Double Whammy 231.932.0510 DOWNTOWN TC • 126 E Front St

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

* some exclusions apply

* some exclusions apply

Gift Certificates Available

Gift Certificates Available

Sketching out an audio picture of life as a teen in the ’burbs, Hovvdy’s third album of faintly naïve indie pop circles around first relationships and the breakup of same. Whether the duo, Will Taylor and Charlie Martin, are looking for the keys to long-lasting love (“Feel Tall” and “Watergun”) or searching their soul (the character sketch of “Mr. Lee” or the childhood reminisces of “Sudbury”), all the tracks are executed in a kind of retro-indie feel, as if they’re looking backward not only for answers but also for musical inspiration.

Busy Signal – Parts of the Puzzle – VP Records

Merging energetic dancehall and unperturbed reggae, Busy has been slowly accumulating anthemic hits in his genre for the past couple of years. He’s now making a bid for even more segments of the chart pie with this set, which takes his existing sound and adds in seasonings of rap and EDM. You might recognize him from his 2012 track with No Doubt and Major Lazer “Push and Shove,” but today, tunes like “Bring Back the Vibes” and “Step Out” are all Busy’s own.

Parallel 45 Theatre’s

THE ALPHABET EXPERIENCE

A COMEDY FOR ALL AGES November 30 - December 1 December 7 - December 8 Tickets: $19.50, $14.50 Parallel 45 performs 26 micro-plays – one for every letter – in under an hour.

Bring the family for a fast-paced hour of laughter, spectacle and absurd delight.

Emeli Sande – Real Life – Capitol With her guest vocal on the British rap track “Diamond Rings” back in 2009, the music career of Sande got a soft start, and she continued to lend her voice to hip-hop artists for nearly a decade. But over the past few years, she’s struck out on her own, dabbling in grime-pop before finally settling on a more pure pop trajectory, adding in hints of world music. With this set, it seems she’s finally found a balance, utilizing her hip-hop roots for strong base beats, while layering pop, quirky instrumentation, and a striking neo-soul approach to her vocals on tunes like “Honest,” “Human,” “Real Life,” and “Survivor.”

THE BERGAMOT HOLIDAY CONCERT Thursday, December 19 | Tickets: $22, $15

Named “The hottest emerging music talent” (People), this indie-folk duo celebrates the holiday with songs and stories of hope and inspiration. Hear favorites like “O Holy Night,” “White Christmas,” “Carol of the Bells” and more.

26 • december 02, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

Sleep On It – Pride and Disaster – Equal Vision

A throwback of sorts, this set from Sleep on It is reminiscent of the early ’90s, when punk pop’s edgiest exports were the likes of Sum 41 and Motion City Soundtrack. These tunes — from “Take Me Back” to the overconfident “Hold Your Breath” — are pretty accurate to that timeline. But the problem is that this approach also makes them sound pretty dated. While some of the lyrics show intriguing introspection, the precise energy that should be present in punk pop seems a little forced here.

The reel

by meg weichman

frozen II charlie’s angels

W 2013’s Frozen was more than a movie; it was a phenomenon. It was the song that you couldn’t get out of your head. The dress your daughter wouldn’t take off. It brought the world the gift of Adele Dazeem memes and even a new queer icon. It was also the movie that, for most parents, felt like an eternal winter of video replays.

And so a sequel was inevitable. But having been hoodwinked by the many disappointing directto-video sequels of my youth during the recent Disney renaissance (see Aladdin: The Return of Jafar, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, and so on), I went into this thinking there was no way the sequel could possibly top the original.

And while that instinct ultimately proved correct, I also found that this enchanting tale still had quite a lot to offer. It’s a darker story, one more insightful and mature than its predecessor. It grows with its fans a bit, confronting change and personal growth in touching fashion. And unlike those cheap sequels I previously mentioned, Disney really upped the ante here (and the budget), resulting in some spellbinding animation.

The film once again starts with flashbacks to when princesses and sisters Anna and Elsa were younger, setting the stage for the adventure that will follow. Their father (now deceased in the film’s present day) regales them with a bedtime story about his long-ago journey to an enchanted forest. He had accompanied his father, then the King, on a mission to celebrate a dam his kingdom’s people, the Arendellians, had built as a peace offering to the indigenous Northuldra people.

But at some point in the midst of the merriment, a fight breaks out. Neither side claims responsibility, and things escalate to a full-on battle. Then a mysterious young woman rescues the prince from the scene, taking him home, where he is crowned king. Since that time, the forest has been sealed off, with no one able to enter or leave.

Back in the present day, Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell), along with snowman Olaf (Josh Gad); Anna’s boyfriend, Kristoff (Jonathan Groff); and reindeer Sven are settling into their life in Arendelle. But whereas everyone else seems quite content, Elsa is troubled by a voice calling her to the enchanted forest. And so Elsa decides to head north. Her devoted sister Anna certainly isn’t going to let her go alone, so the entire groups heads off into the unknown.

Once there, they encounter both the Northuldra and Arendellians, as well as witness the powers of the mystic spirits of earth, air, water, fire that live in the forest. And through the course of their search for this mysterious voice calling Elsa deeper into the forest, they are also forced to confront the truth of what exactly happened to their parents and why.

What I really loved about the film is not

hile I don’t think this was a reboot anyone was clamoring for, Charlie’s Angels is a property that could use some modern redemption. And this film really does make you think about how far we’ve come since 1976 — if not in terms of actual sexism experienced by women, at least in some attempts at better representation in the media. Cheeky and fun, Charlie’s Angels makes some modern updates but never patronizingly so. In this freely feminist and empowering piece of escapist entertainment, you’ll feel the sisterhood stronger than ever before. We have the basic starting point of three gorgeous women working for a private crime-fighting organization.

There’s the two pros: bad girl Sabina (Kristen Stewart) and the tightly-wound Jane (newcomer Ella Balinska). And serving as the audience surrogate into this world of international intrigue is Elena (Aladdin’s Naomi Scott). She’s an engineer working on a green energy source that will change the world. But after discovering a bug in the system that can be used to weaponize the device and kill humans, Elena finds her life threatened and is on the run with the Angels to stop the device from getting in the wrong hands. Even if it’s nothing groundbreaking, the film is certainly better than its connection to Charlie’s Angels movies of yore would have you believe.

structured around some easy villain who represents all things evil. Frozen II is actually more complicated than that. It’s about the metaphorical and literal sins of the father and making amends for the past — how we can try to heal that damage and move forward. ’Cause guess what? The source of Anna and Elsa’s family’s power doesn’t exactly come from their kindness and benevolence. The film criticizes colonialism, presents a very promatriarchy alternative, and even presents some environmental and climate concerns.

But of course, none of this is readily apparent to the children watching this film. The kids are far more involved in the silly antics of Olaf.

Seriously, literally every time Olaf appeared on screen, the giggling of small children erupted.

And strangely enough, for someone afraid of children, this delighted me immensely and eventually charmed me enough to forget how tiresome Olaf ’s existential crisis of sorts actually was.

And it’s not just Olaf. Added to the mix we have an adorable fire-spirit salamander, rock monsters, a magnificent water/ice horse, cute baby reindeer, and a spirited wind spirit named — wait for it — Gale. These are all surefire crowd-pleasers that bring the ooohs and ahhhhs and awwwwes.

The film is more complicated in a lot of good ways, but it also led to a lot of mismanaged subplots and new characters. And the additional subplots and new characters are not well handled. Sterling K. Brown’s (This is Us) turn as Arendelle captain pretty is much wasted. And Kristoff trying to propose to Anna again and again was far from my favorite of the film’s bits. Though in hindsight, I do appreciate the gender-stereotype disruption at play.

This is also a musical, so a fair amount of the focus of this review should be on the music, which, to be honest, didn’t really do it for me.

At the same time though, I want to try and give it the benefit of the doubt as it often takes a little more time for songs to settle in and achieve the iconic status that those of the first Frozen did. But try as they might, these songs just felt like pale imitations (Looking at you “Let it Go” wannabe, “Into the Unknown”) — fine but forgettable. I was, however, living for Kristoff ’s Richard-Marx style power ballad, but not in terms of the musicality; only for its spoton late ’80s early ’90s parody.

The landscapes are truly stunning — dusted in golden fall palette of beautiful jewel tones.

And one of the film’s pivotal action sequences, a dangerous journey through a raging sea, is terrifying in its beauty, a marvel of execution.

So with its mix of pluses and minuses, this likeable sequel certainly won’t disappoint its legions of fans or any families looking for quality entertainment.

ford v ferrari

B

ased on the true story of the Ford Motor Company getting into the racing car business, and getting into it in a big way, Ford v Ferrari brings together car designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and hot-headed live wire driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale) as they work with Ford to beat Ferrari at racing’s most prestigious and grueling event, the 24 hours at Le Mans. Far, far, far from being just a “car-racing movie,” this is a film with a little bit of everything and something for everyone. You've got a Hollywood-couldn't-have-dreamed-itup true story, some of the most thrilling (aka no CGI) car-racing sequences ever committed to celluloid, comedic moments, great bromantic chemistry, stirring emotion, a touching family story, 1960s mid-century cool, the timeless allure of American mavericks, and nostalgic appeal for the American dream.

A true stunner of a vehicle to roll off the Dream Factory’s assembly line, with its big stars, big production value, this is the embodiment of what Hollywood does best — the kind of exhilarating storytelling that transcends generations. This is prestige Hollywood filmmaking that is popular popcorn entertainment as much as it is awards season bait.

jojo rabbit

T

here’s been a great deal of conversation surrounding this ambitious and risky Holocaust comedy about a young boy growing up in Nazi Germany at the end of World War II. Stuff like, Is it too soon? Is the very premise of the film in poor taste? But these reactions seem to come primarily from people who have yet to actually see the film — and who are also kind of missing the point. ’Cause here’s the thing: After seeing the wonderful satire of searing wit and intelligence that is Jojo Rabbit, I can tell you I laughed hysterically and shed tears freely, and its potent anti-hate message, which sadly feels all too relevant today, hit me straight in the heart.

So if there is a discussion I would like to have about this film, it’s about how refreshing it is to see such a truly original and cheerfully audacious film come out of mainstream Hollywood.

The brilliantly creative mind of Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Thor: Ragnarok) brings us a bold, goofy, sweet, and quirky film that is completely within good taste, and is all the more powerful and entertaining for the audience thanks to the storytelling risks he takes, including using Hitler as the young boy’s imaginary friend and hype man.

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

Northern Express Weekly • december 02, 2019 • 27

nitelife

NOv 30 - dec 08 edited by jamie kauffold

Send Nitelife to: events@traverseticker.com

Grand Traverse & Kalkaska

ACOUSTIC TAP ROOM, TC 12/6 -- Chris Skellenger, 8 12/7 -- Rob Coonrod, 8 FANTASY'S, TC Mon. - Sat. -- Adult entertainment w/ DJ, 7-close GT DISTILLERY, TC Fri. – Younce Guitar Duo, 7-9:30 HOTEL INDIGO, TC 11/30 -- Fremont John Ashton, 7 12/6 -- Brett Mitchell, 7 12/7 -- Zeke Clemons, 7 KILKENNY'S, TC 11/29-30 -- 5th Gear, 9:30 12/5 -- 2Bays DJs, 9:30 12/6-7 -- Risque, 9:30 LEFT FOOT CHARLEY, TC 12/2 -- Open Mic Night w/ Rob Coonrod, 6-9 12/6 -- Unsilent Night, 6-9; Jeff Brown, 6-8 PARK PLACE HOTEL, TC BEACON LOUNGE: Thurs,Fri,Sat -- Tom

Kaufmann, 8:30 RIGHT BRAIN BREWERY, TC 12/7 – GT Art Bomb Preview Night, 6:30-11 SAIL INN BAR & GRILL, TC Thurs. & Sat. -- Phattrax DJs & Karaoke, 9 SLEDER'S FAMILY TAVERN, TC 12/1 -- Sweet Joe Williams & Preachers Daughter, 5 THE DISH CAFE, TC Tues, Sat -- Matt Smith, 5-7 THE LITTLE FLEET, TC 11/30 -- 1978 Dance Party, 5 THE YURT: 12/7 -- The Laurel Premo Trio, 6:30-9:30 THE PARLOR, TC 11/30 -- David Martin, 8 12/3 -- Jimmy Olson, 8 12/4 -- Wink Solo, 8 12/5 -- Chris Smith, 8 12/7 -- 6th Anniversary Prohibition Party w/ Jimmy Olson, Blair Miller, Chris Sterr, & Joe Wilson & Friends, 7

THE WORKSHOP BREWING CO., TC 11/30 -- No Shave Nov. Beer'd Benefit w/ Jack Pine, 7:30 Tue -- TC Celtic, 6:30 Wed -- Jazz Jam, 6-10 12/6 – Shawn Butzin, 8 12/7 – Aaron Johnson, 8 UNION STREET STATION, TC 11/30 -- Red Burn, 10 12/1,12/8 -- Karaoke, 10 12/2 -- Chris Sterr, 10 12/3 -- TC Comedy Collective, 8-9:30; then Open Mic/Jam Session w/ Jimmy Olson 12/4 -- DJ DomiNate, 10 12/5 -- The Brothers Crunch, 10 12/6 -- Happy Hour w/ 1000 Watt; then Broom Closet Boys 12/7 -- Broom Closet Boys, 10 WEST BAY BEACH, A DELAMAR RESORT, TC 11/30 -- Sips & Giggles Comedy Show Featuring Bill Bushart, 8pm; View Farewell Party - DJ Motaz @ View, 10pm

LAKE STREET PUB, BOYNE CITY Wed – Mastermind’s Trivia, 7-9

CELLAR 152, ELK RAPIDS 12/6 -- Jeff Brown, 7-10

SHORT'S BREWING CO., BELLAIRE 11/30 -- Brewski Bash w/ The Pistil Whips & Co., 8:30 12/6 -- Cousin Curtiss, 8-10:30 12/7 -- Charlie Millard Band, 8-10:30

ETHANOLOGY, ELK RAPIDS 11/30 -- Matt McCalpin, 8-11 12/7 -- Escaping Pavement, 8-11

Mon Dec 2- $5 martinis, $5 domestic beer pitcher, $10 craft beer pitcher.

with Chris Sterr

Tues - $2 well drinks & shots

8-9:30 TC Comedy Collective then: open mic/jam session w/ Jimmy Olson

BEARDS BREWERY, PETOSKEY 11/30 -- Two Track Mind, 8-11 12/1 -- Hannah Harris & John Warstler, 6-9 12/5 -- Charlie Millard Band w/ Gregory Stovetop, 8:30-11 12/7 -- The Real Ingredients, 8-11 12/8 -- Owen James - Second Sunday Solo Set, 6-9

CITY PARK GRILL, PETOSKEY 11/30 -- Robert Johnson, 10 12/6 -- Annex Karaoke, 10 KNOT JUST A BAR, BAY HARBOR Mon,Tues,Thurs — Live music

STIGG'S BREWERY & KITCHEN, BOYNE CITY 11/30 – Jeff Pagel, 7 12/6 -- The Real Ingredients, 7 12/7 -- Nelson Olstrom, 7 TORCH LAKE CAFÉ, CENTRAL LAKE 1st & 3rd Mon. – Trivia, 7 Weds. -- Lee Malone Thurs. -- Open mic Fri. & Sat. -- Leanna’s Deep Blue Boys 2nd Sun. -- Pine River Jazz

Leelanau & Benzie BIG CAT BREWING CO., CEDAR 12/4 -- Elizabeth Landry, 6:308:30

LAKE ANN BREWING CO. 12/3 -- Barefoot, 6:30 12/4 -- Brain Busting Trivia, 7

DICK’S POUR HOUSE, LAKE LEELANAU Sat. — Karaoke, 10-2

LEELANAU SANDS CASINO, PESHAWBESTOWN BIRCH ROOM: 11/30 -- Stonehengz, 8

IRON FISH DISTILLERY, THOMPSONVILLE 11/30 -- Blake Elliott, 7-9 12/6 -- Blair Miller, 7 12/7 -- Sydni K, 7-9:30 12/8 -- Cheryl Wolfram, 3:305:30

LUMBERJACK'S BAR & GRILL, HONOR Fri & Sat -- Phattrax DJs & Karaoke, 9 ST. AMBROSE CELLARS, BEULAH 11/30 -- The Lofteez, 6

12/5 -- Open Mic w/ Jim & Wanda Curtis, 6 12/6 -- A Very Grinchy Kids Open Mic Night, 5:30 STORMCLOUD BREWING CO., FRANKFORT 11/30 -- Sean Miller, 8-10 12/4 -- Trivia Night Fall Finale, 7:30-9:30 12/6 -- Lynn Thompson, 8-10 12/7 -- A Brighter Bloom, 8-10 THE CABBAGE SHED, ELBERTA Thu -- Open Mic, 8

Otsego, Crawford & Central

Manistee, Wexford & Missaukee LITTLE RIVER CASINO RESORT, MANISTEE RIVER BANK BAR: 11/30 -- Jimmy Dodson, 7-10

RIVER ROCK SPORTS BAR & GRILLE: 12/6-7 – Onager, 10

HAND-CRAFTED O N LY A T Y O U R N E I G H B O R H O O D B I G A P P L E B A G E L S ®

THURSDAY

Trivia nite • 7-9pm

w/DJ DomiNate

FRIDAY FISH FRY

Thurs - The Brothers Crunch

All you can eat perch

Fri Dec 6- Buckets of Beer starting at $8 (2-8pm)

FOOD & DRINK SPECIALS

Happy Hour: 1000 Watt Jam Then: Broom Closet Boys

Sat Dec 7- Broom Closet Boys Sun Dec 8

KARAOKE (10PM-2AM)

THE SIDE DOOR SALOON, PETOSKEY Sat. – Karaoke, 8

MUFFINS

Wed - Get it in the can night - $1 domestic, $3 craft

941-1930 downtown TC check us out at unionstreetstationtc.net

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

ALPINE TAVERN & EATERY, GAYLORD Sat -- Live Music, 6-9

Antrim & Charlevoix BC LANES & THE VENUE SPORTS BAR, BOYNE CITY 11/30 -- Pete 'Big Dog' Fetters, 9

Emmet & Cheboygan

1133 S. Airport Rd. W., Traverse City • (231) 929-9866 www.bigapplebagels.com

28 • december 02, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

WIFI

HAPPY HOUR:

FOR ALL Sporting Events!

Daily 4-7 Friday 4-9 Sunday All Day

231-941-2276 121 S. Union St. • TC. www.dillingerspubtc.com

231-922-7742 121 S. Union St. • TC. www.dillingerspubtc.com

the ADViCE GOddESS Baby Got Backup

Q

: I’ve been dating this really great woman for three months. She’s just decided that she needs to be single right now, despite our forming a pretty strong connection. She explained that she really, really likes me, but she’s never been single for very long and thinks it’s best for her at the moment. I can respect that. She also says we can keep sleeping together if I want. I want to do that, but I’m wondering: Could that ruin our chances of having a real relationship again in the future?

— Wanna Play It Smart

A

: People give you a reason for their behavior.

It may not be the real reason. Like, I’d tell somebody, “So sorry...got a work thing!” and not, “I’d shave off my eyebrows to get out of your 8-year-old’s oboe recital.”

There’s a good chance you’ve been demoted from boyfriend to emergency penis. Research by evolutionary psychologist Joshua Duntley suggests that we evolved to cultivate backup mates — plan B partners we can quickly pivot to in case a partner ditches us or dies in a freak accident. Many or most of us seem to have a backup mate or two — somebody we flirt with regularly or otherwise set up as our romantic fallback, though we aren’t always consciously aware of it.

Maybe you’re all, “Hey, fine by me if she wants to keep me as her sexual service department while she’s shopping around.” Maybe you’re hoping she’ll find other dudes lame in comparison. Totally possible. But if what really matters to you is having a relationship with her, all that availability on your part is not a good look. The problem is “the scarcity principle.” Psychologist Robert Cialdini explains that we value what’s scarce or out of reach, fearing that we’ll lose access to it. In fact, the desirability of the very same person or thing often increases or decreases according to shifts in its perceived accessibility. (Picture Denny’s with a velvet rope and a scary bouncer instead of “Open 24 hours! Seat yourself!”)

Once your value is perceived to be low, there might not be much chance of rehabbing it.

So it might pay to find other sex partners and give this woman a chance to miss you. It ultimately serves your purpose better than turning yourself into the man version of those freeze-dried food packs sold for earthquake or apocalypse prep kits: delicious like seasoned particle board but just the thing while you’re waiting for

BY Amy Alkon

rescue in the remains of your office building with nothing to eat but your arm.

The Truth Fairy

Q

: My boyfriend recently proposed to me. I’ve gotten to thinking that if I’d never worn braces, he wouldn’t have been interested in me. I had a terrible underbite. I always felt very unattractive in regard to my teeth, lip, and jaw region until I eventually had this corrected years ago through braces. I constantly have the nagging thought that my boyfriend could do better — that is, find a woman who is more naturally beautiful, more on a par with his level of attractiveness. Basically, I feel that my braces led to a form of unnatural beauty, a kind of cheating, and I don’t deserve him.

--Distressed

A

: Though some men are put off by fake breasts, it’s unlikely that anybody will find corrective dental work a vile form of deception, like you’re the Bernie Madoff of the perfect smile.

Research in “dental anthropology” (who knew?!) by Peter Ungar, Rachel Sarig, and others suggests the cause of your underbite could be genetic — or it could be environmental (perhaps deficiencies in maternal nutrition during pregnancy).

Sorry. I was hoping for something a little more definitive, too.

Might you and your fiance have a kid with a funky bite? Sure. But unlike in ancestral human societies, we live in a world teeming with orthodontists. Just look for the “STR8TEETH” and “SMILEDOC” plates on cars that cost as much as a small, slightly used private jet.

Allay your fears by being honest: Tell your fiance that you got braces to correct a really bad underbite. A dude who’s attracted to the way you look now is unlikely to dump you upon learning about your supposedly sordid orthodontic history. Looks are vital for attraction, but they’re just part of what matters. A massive cross-cultural survey by evolutionary psychologist David Buss finds that men, like women, prioritize kindness and intelligence in a partner. In fact, these are men’s and women’s top asks. And these are things that can’t be engineered with $7K in oral railroad tracks and years spent covering your mouth when you laugh lest those tiny rubber bands shoot across the room and put out somebody’s eye.

“Jonesin” Crosswords "I Before E?" --which way is it? by Matt Jones

ACROSS 1 Fraud-monitoring agcy.

4 Deprive of weapons 9 Judge's seat, in court 13 Boxer botherer 14 "London Warsaw New York" musician born in Poland 15 "Shepherd Moons" singer 16 2019 debaters, for short 17 "Gloves are off" 18 Unit of gold or silver?

19 Reattaches a tomato to a plant (but in a messy way)?

22 Grammy-winning bossa nova musician Gilberto 23 Source of some milk 24 Big expense in blockbuster films 25 Freudian topic 27 "___ one, think that ..."

30 Drum teacher's session 32 Actor who's all about the money?

35 "Horrors!"

36 Lennon partner 37 "Incoming golf ball!"

41 Autobiographies, two by two?

46 Light benders 49 Part of the mnemonic HOMES 50 Wall-E's love interest 51 Common Market abbr., once 52 Bedroom furniture wood 54 Romanov royal of Russia 56 Roll call on a ship?

62 "Person of the Year" awarder 63 "The Many Loves of ___ Gillis" 64 ___ Yun (performing arts company with ubiquitous ads) 65 Strait of Hormuz country 66 Golf equipment 67 Like mud or slime 68 "99 Luftballons" German singer 69 Nine Inch Nails founder Reznor 70 #1 concern?

DOWN 1 Get out quick 2 Short-term earning opportunities 3 Inexpensive '80s keyboard manufacturer 4 Gaming company behind "Assassin's Creed" and "Just Dance" 5 1949 alliance 6 Professional org.

7 Public uprisings 8 It has a round cover 9 Wally's TV brother, with "the" 10 Hijinks 11 "Us" actress Lupita 12 Entered 13 "Fireside chat" monogram 20 Depilatory brand with "short shorts" ads, once 21 Window shopper, essentially 25 Tiny unit of work 26 Formerly Portuguese Indian territory 28 Natural gas add-in 29 Step in the shower?

31 Online financial services company focused on student loans 33 "House" actor Omar 34 American-born former queen of Jordan 38 Winter footwear 39 Lovejoy on "The Simpsons," e.g.

40 Point opposite WNW 42 In a wild way 43 Emphatic words after "There!"

44 Survival group?

45 Grateful Dead bassist Phil 46 Gel in jellies 47 Bring back on 48 Val Kilmer, in "Top Gun" 53 Boxed soup and bouillon brand 55 He was famous for fables 57 Pro wrestler John 58 Orchestra's tuning instrument 59 Swede's neighbor 60 Cold-___ (zinc-based brand) 61 At ___ cost

Northern Express Weekly • december 02, 2019 • 29

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lOGY

"My greatest asset is that I am constantly changing," says Sagittarian actress and activist Jane Fonda. This description may not always be applicable to you, but I think it should be during the coming weeks. You're primed to thrive on a robust commitment to self-transformation. As you proceed in your holy task, keep in mind this other advice from Fonda. 1. "One part of wisdom is knowing what you don't need anymore and letting it go." 2. "It is never too late to master your weaknesses." 3.

"If you allow yourself, you can become stronger in the very places that you've been broken." 4. "The challenge is not to be perfect. It’s to be whole." P.S. And what does it mean to be whole? Be respectful toward all your multiple facets, and welcome them into the conversation you have about how to live.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You can't

escape your past completely. You can't loosen its hold on you so thoroughly that it will forever allow you to move with limitless freedom into the future. But you definitely have the power to release yourself from at least a part of your past's grip. And the coming weeks will be an excellent time to do just that: to pay off a portion of your karmic debt and shed worn-out emotional baggage.

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

playwright August Strindberg didn't have much interest in people who "regurgitate what they have learned from books." He was bored by stories that have been told over and over again; was impatient with propaganda disguised as information and by sentimental platitudes masquerading as sage insights.

He craved to hear about the unprecedented secrets of each person's life: the things they know and feel that no one else knows and feels. He was a student of "the natural history of the human heart." I bring Strindberg's perspective to your attention, my dear one-of-a-kind Aquarius, because now is a perfect time for you to fully embody it.

PISCES (Feb 19-March 20): "It’s no fun being

s e h s i w Best joyful for a Year!

New

Marsha Minervini

in love with a shadow," wrote Piscean poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. And yet she indulged profusely in that no-fun activity, and even capitalized on it to create a number of decent, if morose, poems.

But in alignment with your astrological omens, Pisces, I'm going to encourage you to fall out of love with shadows. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to channel your passions into solid realities: to focus your ardor and adoration on earthly pleasures and practical concerns and imperfect but interesting people.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In composing this oracle, I have called on the unruly wisdom of Vivienne Westwood. She's the fashion designer who incorporated the punk esthetic into mainstream styles. Here are four quotes by her that will be especially suitable for your use in the coming weeks. 1.

"I disagree with everything I used to say." 2. "The only possible effect one can have on the world is through unpopular ideas."

3. "Intelligence is composed mostly of imagination, insight, and things that have nothing to do with reason." 4. "I'm attracted to people who are really true to themselves and who are always trying to do something that makes their life more interesting."

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): "I'm drowning in the things I never told you." Famous make-up artist Alexandra Joseph wrote that message to a companion with whom she had a complicated relationship. Are you experiencing a similar sensation, Taurus? If so, I invite you to do something about it! The coming weeks will be a good time to stop drowning. One option is to blurt out to your ally all the feelings and thoughts you've been withholding and hiding. A second option is to divulge just some of the feelings and thoughts you've been withholding and hiding—and then monitor the results of your partial revelation. A third option is to analyze why you've been withholding and hiding. Is it because your ally hasn't been receptive, or because you're afraid of being honest? Here's what I suggest: Start with the third option, then move on to the second.

(231) 883-4500 marsha@marshaminervini.com 500 S. Union Street Traverse City, MI 49684

30 • december 02, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

BY ROB BREZSNY

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

400 W FRONT STREET | TRAVERSE CITY | 231-941-7325 | NORTHPEAK.NET

‘Tis the season of gratitude and good will and the time to say, ’thank you’ to my clients, both buyers and sellers, who have trusted me to guide them through their real estate transactions.

DEC 02 - DEC -08

is a method in my madness: I suspect you need an emotionally suggestive nudge to fully activate your urge to merge; you require a jolt of sweetness to inspire you to go in quest of the love mojo that's potentially available to you in abundance. So please allow your heart to be moved by the following passage from poet Rabindranath Tagore: "My soul is alight with your infinitude of stars. Your world has broken upon me like a flood. The flowers of your garden blossom in my body."

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Try saying this, and notice how it feels: "For the next 17 days, I will make ingenious efforts to interpret my problems as interesting opportunities that offer me the chance to liberate myself from my suffering a n d transform myself into the person I aspire to become."

Now speak the following words and see what thoughts and sensations get triggered: "For the next 17 days, I will have fun imagining that my so-called flaws are signs of potential strengths and talents that I have not yet developed."

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): An interviewer asked

singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen if he needed to feel bothered and agitated in order to stimulate his creativity. Cohen said no. "When I get up in the morning," he testified, "my real concern is to discover whether I'm in a state of grace." Surprised, the interviewer asked, "What do you mean by a state of grace?" Cohen described it as a knack for balance that he called on to ride the chaos around him. He knew he couldn't fix or banish the chaos—and it would be arrogant to try. His state of grace was more like skiing skillfully down a hill, gliding along the contours of unpredictable terrain. I'm telling you about Cohen's definition, Leo, because I think that's the state of grace you should cultivate right now. I bet it will stimulate your creativity in ways that surprise and delight you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Poet Juan Felipe

Herrera praises the value of making regular efforts to detox our cluttered minds. He says that one of the best methods for accomplishing this cleansing is to daydream. You give yourself permission to indulge in uncensored, unabashed fantasies. You feel no inhibition about envisioning scenes that you may or may not ever carry out in real life. You understand that this free-form play of images is a healing joy, a gift you give yourself. It's a crafty strategy to make sure you're not hiding any secrets from yourself. Now is a favorable time to practice this art, Virgo.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In accordance with current astrological omens, here's your meditation, as articulated by the blogger named Riverselkie: "Let your life be guided by the things that produce the purest secret happiness, with no thought to what that may look like from the outside. Feed the absurd whims of your soul and create with no audience in mind but yourself. What is poignant to you is what others will be moved by, too. Embrace what you love about yourself and the right people will come."

ScORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "I swear I GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I've got some

borderline sentimental poetry to offer you in this horoscope. It may be too mushy for a mentally crisp person like you. You may worry that I've fallen under the sway of sappy versions of love rather than the snappy versions I usually favor. But there

became a saint from waiting," wrote Scorpio poet Odysseus Elytis in his poem "Three Times the Truth." According to my reading of the astrological omens, you may be in a similar situation. And you'll be wise to welcome the break in the action and abide calmly in the motionless lull. You'll experiment with the hypothesis that temporary postponement is best not just for you, but for all concerned.

NORTHERN EXPRESS

CLASSIFIEDS EMPLOYMENT NMC IS HIRING CULINARY & NURSING ADJUNCT FACULTY NMC is now hiring Adjunct Faculty for Spring Semester. PartTime, Adjunct Nursing Faculty and Great Lakes Culinary Institute Baking & Savory Adjunct Faculty Openings among others!

For pay and more information go to: www. nmc.edu/jobs NMC is an EOE. nmc.edu/ nondiscrimination _______________________________________ TRAVERSE CITY PARKING SERVICES | Seasonal Full-time Maintenance Technician Come join the Downtown team! Traverse City Parking Services is seeking a seasonal full-time maintenance technician, 38+ hours per week. Applicants must submit an application. https://dda.downtowntc.com/ careers/

OTHER MORE THAN A GARAGE SALE Event Centre Sale. Table Linens, floral supplies, vases, candle holders, wedding decor items, antique doors/windows/ball jars, household items, books, clothing, single keg cooler & so much more. Friday 11/22/10:00 - 6:00, Saturday 11/23/9:00 - 3:00. BlueBridge, 1950 Ellis Lake Road, Grawn, MI 49637. chris@bluebridgeevents.com _______________________________________

_______________________________________ NORTHPORT ROOM FOR RENT Private room in Family home in Northport, newly furnished, cable and WI Fi, shared bath, laundry and kitchen, off street parking, non smoking house, single occupant preferred. $450. Plus security , Lindell250@aol.com, 810-348-6396. _______________________________________ 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. _______________________________________ LEARN TO CURL WITH TRAVERSE CITY CURLING CLUB TC Curling Club-Learn To Curl events on Dec 3rd from 8 PM-10:30 PM and December 12th from 9 AM-11 AM. Learn the basics with trained instructors. www.tccurling.org to register.

ESTATE SALE 50 year collection of contemporary art. Regional artists from USA. No reasonable offer refused. Quality items glass, clay. 2 & 3 dimensional. Charlevoix 231-348-5906 anytime _______________________________________ SINGLE, PRIVATE TC OFFICE at $275 month Includes utilities/parking/MB/shared bath. Details: Call/text Mike 231-570-1111

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Northern Express Weekly • december 02, 2019 • 31

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11/26/19 3:51 PM