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The rainy day fund that won’t go away There’s no easy resolution in sight in an argument over school finances between the Traverse City Area Public Schools superintendent and the region’s intermediate school district. Page 10

NORTHERN MICHIGAN’S WEEKLY • NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2016 Vol. 26 No. 46

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With development limits, real estate prices will continue to rise in the Central and Boardman neighborhoods. Those who can afford it will continue to flock to Traverse City and pay whatever cost as our amenities and features are desirable yet cheap compared to the Hamptons, New England, and the Colorado ski towns, among other places.

Service workers will have no choice but to commute from outlying areas where real estate is more affordable, and there is increasing traffic and congestion. We have set in motion a process that will force developers to jump through a number of undefined hoops hoping they can convince residents to approve their projects. While at roughly 50 percent this year, imagine voter turnout in a nonpresidential election year, or a special election?

CONTENTS

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

The rainy day fund that won’t go away..............10 Adult classes at Interlochen..............................12 New concert series...........................................14 Seen.................................................................15 A tuned-in craftsman.......................................16

views

Do we want a minority of 10-15 percent Opinion............................................................4 overruling the elected commissioners and planning officials with knowledge and ..............................................17-20 experience by deciding what developments they deem worthy of Traverse City?

— Craig Rosenberg

Microchip U.S. jihadists

dates music FourScore.......................................................22 Nightlife...........................................................24

Once again, our government shows its amazing and consistent proclivity for keeping homegrown jihadists within our shores. An article in the Nov. 8 Detroit Free Press described the arrest of 20-year-old Ohio native Aaron Top Five...........................................................5 Daniels for his interest in traveling to Libya to Spectator/Stephen Tuttle...................................6 Weird................................................................8 commit jihad.

columns & stuff

letters

Prop 3: Boulder a bad example

Prop 3: New urbanism can help

I’m writing in support of Christie Minervini’s comments in the Nov. 7 issue of Northern Express. Her thoughts were spot-on regarding the goals of new urbanism.

It was too late to make enough of an impact evidently, but Christie Minervini’s article last week setting the record straight on city planning and new urbanism was well-researched and reasoned. Thanks to her for standing up to the misinformation spread by Grant Parsons on Prop 3. New urbanism is neither new nor intensely urban as practiced in progressive, small communities around the country.

Additionally, Traverse City’s blessed with an awesome planning staff and with hard-working and thoughtful boards and commissions.

Whether you agree with them or not, they still deserve respect for their tireless efforts. They have a thankless job of trying to maintain the delicate balance between the needs and desires of all stakeholders. It’s not easy and becomes even harder when minds are closed and mouths operate in overdrive.

I attended the Congress for New Urbanism in Detroit this year and came home anticipating all that Traverse City could become with forward-looking leadership. The sorts of conversations we’re having here though are the same ones being had across the country. Aging baby boomers are throwing up roadblocks to make it difficult for the burgeoning millennial generation to achieve their desire to work and live in concentrated downtown areas.

After World War II, many cities across our country were devastated by the impacts of sprawl. Bland, disconnected developments stretching as far as the eye can see have torn at the heart of cities at an alarming rate. Autooriented developments sucked the life out of some cities and negatively impacted many more, including Traverse City.

I met a gentleman the other day who held up Boulder, Colo., as the perfect example of what we should emulate for growth. What he failed to realize is that Boulder is the poster child of what not to do. No one in the service industry can afford to buy or rent in their “charming” four-story town. Average monthly rents range from $1,200 for 480 square feet (the size of a dorm room) to $1900 for 900 square feet. We must do better than that for the young people trying to make a life in northern Michigan.

New urbanism is simply a planning tool to counter this threat to the vitality of cities — it emphasizes and builds upon those attributes that help make Traverse City a special place: interconnected tree-lined streets that are also pedestrian and bicycle friendly; varied housing and job opportunities; a healthy mixture of uses which enhance vibrancy and livability; and a plethora of recreational opportunities.

That being said, an affordable housing crisis is challenging Traverse City, and it must be addressed. If our kids and others seeking employment cannot afford to live here, they will move elsewhere or have to commute long distances, neither of which are good for our city.

New urbanism can help address the affordable housing crisis, while making Traverse City a better place to live for all of us, no matter our socioeconomic status or length of residency, and frankly, that’s the way it should be.

— Richard Brown, Traverse City

Anyone interested in learning more should read the work of Jane Jacobs or Jeff Speck’s “Walkable City,” both available at the library. Better yet, learn about building sustainable, equitable living spaces at June’s CNU in Seattle. Challenge yourself to learn more about planning a great community rather than fearing the future.

— Linda Koebert, Traverse City

Prop 3: Beginning of Aspenization

Apparently advocates of Prop 3 support the hospital and Northwestern Michigan College, affordable housing and exciting new development — as long as it’s not in their backyard.

Prop 3 is essentially a no-growth initiative that benefits current downtown property owners.

It is also the beginning of the Aspenization of Traverse City.

We will now put him in prison, feed, clothe and shelter him for an inadequate but costly period of time, and then release him. I don’t know about you, but I would feel more comfortable if this wannabe jihadist was roaming about in the Middle East, rather than turning up in a local shopping mall armed to the teeth.

Here is a better and more effective way of dealing with Mr. Daniels: Fly him and any other traitorous expendables, at no charge, to the Middle East. But first, cancel their U.S. citizenship and surgically implant in them an irretrievable microchip that would allow us to thwart any attempt on their part to return to this country.

Meanwhile, ISIS will be stuck with the cost of their upkeep, and their absence from our country would likely provide job openings for pro-American youths.

This appropriate display of an eager willingness to permanently part company with these losers may provide the necessary element of reverse psychology to reduce the number of spoiled malcontents who would choose the jihadist option to act out their inexplicable anger.

— Bob Ross, Pellston

Trump is right about media

Most people blindly go to the mainstream media for their version of the truth. The mainstream media is biased and corrupt just as Donald Trump has been saying for months.

Every editor of nearly every mainstream media source are the first people that need to be thrown in prison for treason, followed by Hillary Clinton.

That includes local, state and federal media.

The federals always lead and then the state and locals follow as the good little rats that they are who follow the pied piper right off of the cliff to be drowned in the sea. Just like they did in this presidential election.

Yes, we have corrupt officials at every level of government, but it’s the media that puts and keeps them there. It’s time to clean house, and hopefully Trump will start taking out the dirty laundry.

Style.................................................................9 Modern Rock/Kristi Kates.................................26 The Reel.......................................................23 Advice Goddess..............................................25 Crossword.....................................................25 Freewill Astrology...........................................26 Classifieds......................................................27

Northern Express Weekly is published by Eyes Only Media, LLC. Publisher: Luke Haase Editor: Allen Johnson 129 E Front Traverse City, MI Phone: (231) 947-8787 Fax: 947-2425 email: info@northernexpress.com www.northernexpress.com Finance & Distribution Manager: Brian Crouch Sales: Kathleen Johnson, Peg Muzzall, Katy McCain, Mike Bright, Michele Young, Randy Sills, Todd Norris For ad sales in Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Boyne & Charlevoix, call (231) 439-5943 Creative Director: Kyra Poehlman Distribution: Matt Ritter, Randy Sills, Kathy Twardowski, Austin Lowe Listings Editor: Jamie Kauffold Contributing Editor: Kristi Kates Copy Editors: Linda Wheatley Reporter: Patrick Sullivan Contributors: Amy Alkon, Janice Binkert, Ross Boissoneau, Rob Brezsny, Jennifer Hodges, Candra Kolodziej, Clark Miller, Beth Milligan, Al Parker, Michael Phillips, Chuck Shepherd, Steve Tuttle Photography: Michael Poehlman, Peg Muzzall Copyright 2016, all rights reserved. Distribution: 36,000 copies at 600+ locations weekly. Northern Express Weekly is free of charge, but no person may take more than one copy of each weekly issue without written permission of Northern Express Weekly. Reproduction of all content without permission of the publisher is prohibited.

— Gordon Lee Dean, Benzonia

Northern Express Weekly • november 14, 2016 • 3

SO THERE WAS A BIG ELECTION. SO WHAT? opinion

By Isiah Smith, Jr. The election is over, and I’m happy to report that Washington, D.C., the shining city on a hill, and the government that fuels it seem pretty much the same, no better no worse.

official “position.” To “be somebody” in D.C., one must prepare always for the day you’re nobody. And make peace with the certainty of that inevitable fate.

That is both the good news and the bad news — a Trump administration hasn’t had enough time to do any damage. That’ll change.

These streets don’t feel nearly as safe as those in Traverse, but there’s still something special about them. I cannot deny it. Maybe it’s a sense of continuity without community; maybe it’s the promise of change that never happens.

The folks who put their faith in politicians and their promises probably woke up with a morning-after hangover, moaning, “Lord, what have we done?” The unfortunate answer: “not much,” or “we shall see.”

Having worked in the government for a number of years (decades, really) and seen firsthand how little actually gets done on a daily basis, the “not much” answer is a pretty safe bet. In the federal government, the wheels of progress turn slowly.

That’s not to say federal workers don’t work hard, they do. But a lot of that work gets stuck on the gatekeepers’ (political appointees) desks while they flit away the time, dreaming up new ways to put their dubious marks on the voters.

And by the time the gatekeepers and promise makers discover how difficult it is to keep their promises and change the world, their term ends and the process starts all over again.

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There’s only one sure thing in this election aftermath: Donald Trump will be one of the most unpopular politicians in recent history.

As the Peggy Lee song suggests, we may be left asking, “Is this all there is?” If this is all there is, can there be any hope for the republic?

We think about this as we drive across the 14th Street Bridge, across Pennsylvania Avenue, into the heart of D.C., within a stone’s throw from the White House. We find temporary comfort in the words Philip Roth writes in his memoir, “Patrimony”: “I am an optimistic American, and I don’t believe things are destroyed for good by any presidency.” We hope.

And that’s the message we read in the eyes of the people we meet on this city’s streets. Those eyes seem to say, “We’ve seen this movie before; we know the ending, but it will pass.”

Washington is not a town in which one can easily lose one’s self, and it has as much in common with Traverse City as it does with Syria. For starters, Traverse is a place where you can go and almost everyone knows your name after merely a year has passed. Late-night walks in Traverse following a light snowfall unfold without incident; in Washington, people panic at the first hint of snow. An inch of snow or less closes down this city. Snow is considered a naturally recurring part of Traverse living.

525 W. Front St., Traverse City, MI · 231-922-7437 (original) 101 N. Park St., Traverse City, MI · 231-933-3972 316 E. Mitchell St., Petoskey, MI · 231-348-4060

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4 • November 14, 2016 • Northern Express Weekly

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In Washington, however, in the first week of November, the streets are clear, traffic moves — well, sometimes; horns blast, drivers gesture angrily, just as we remember it.

I know these streets so well, I can feel them, taste them, drive them and walk them with my eyes closed day or night. As Toni Morrison wrote in “Beloved,” I “rememory” them. Familiar faces floating by, faint smiles appearing to greet me.

Interest quickly fades: I am not a member of the new or the outgoing administration, and there’s nothing I can do for them. Washington is a place where deals are made, friends betrayed. You are only as important as your last

Or maybe it’s the strength and the durability of the neoclassical architecture style that capture my imagination as I stroll past the White House.

Federal buildings all reflect the styles of Greek revival architecture, which were a major influence during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when many of the foundational buildings of the United States government were constructed.

That is, unless you recall the fate of the Roman and Greek empires.

Occasionally someone who “used to be somebody,” passes us, their faces suffused with shock, surprise and disappointment. Still coming to grips with their sudden irrelevance and precipitous lost of status. Washington gets a bad rap. Haven’t you heard that if you want a friend in Washington, better scurry on down to the pound and adopt a dog? I’ve heard that the city’s dogs, too, have begun to ask, “What have you done for me lately?”

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in “The Crack-Up” that life is a process of breaking down. He added that the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in the mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.

This year, the year of the abominable election, has seen a kind of national breakdown that may last for years. The sheer ugliness of the election feels like a crack-up where we are forced to juggle thoughts of hope and despair, fear and resignation.

Being back in D.C., walking these familiar streets, marveling at the architectural wonders built on the backs of my ancestors, seeing familiar faces and places that are still as intact in reality as they are in my memory, helps to settle nerves rubbed raw from an election season gone wrong. But this city marches on as if nothing either monstrous or magnificent has occurred (secretly we believe we must contend with little of both). This brings some relief; some, but not much.

The feelings that emanates from these buildings this fine November day from these citizens of the Capital City seems to be: So there was a big election.

So what?

The republic will survive this.

Isiah Smith, Jr. is a former newspaper columnist for the Miami Times. He worked as a psychotherapist before attending the University of Miami Law School, where he also received a Master’s Degree in Psychology. In December 2013, he retired from the Department of Energy’s Office of General Counsel, where he served as a Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Administrative Litigation and Information Law. Isiah lives in Traverse City with his wife Marlene.

this week’s

top five

Steve poltz

1 SunFrog opening store in Gaylord SunFrog, the Gaylord-based custom T-shirt company that sells shirts by the millions on the internet, is opening up shop on Main Street in its hometown.

SunFrog’s first retail store is scheduled to open Nov. 18 at 149 W. Main St. in downtown Gaylord.

“At a time and an era when everyone’s racing away from brick and mortar, we’re running toward it,” said SunFrog CEO and owner Josh Kent.

Kent said his company plans to have three or four more stores open by the end of the year and to eventually franchise the concept.

The SunFrog shop will offer a variety of mainly humorous shirts tied to local interests; customers will also be able to order custom shirts that will be produced and shipped from the company’s Gaylord facility within 24 hours.

“It’s going to have a cool vibe, and when you go in there, there will be a really nice energy to the place,” Kent said. “We believe this will be an awesome opportunity for people to own a retail T-shirt store in their own small town.”

tastemakers Rainbow roll at Red Ginger While there’s no shortage of quality Great Lakes-sourced fish in northern Michigan, tracking down superior seafood can require considerably more detective work. At Red Ginger in Traverse City (237 E. Front Street), staff have staked out a reputation for highend seafood — notably sushi — by flying in fresh proteins daily from Hawaii and Japan.

One of the restaurant’s most popular — and visually impactful — items is the rainbow roll. Artfully color-coordinated in overlapping shares of red, pink, green and orange, the California roll — a makizushi with rice on the outside — features crab stick, avocado and cucumber rolled into the center. Atop each sushi piece rests a fresh portion of fish, including ahi (tuna), hamachi (yellowtail), salmon and ebi (shrimp).

Substantial enough for a meal on its own, the rainbow roll also pairs well with the edamame as an appetizer and the restaurant’s signature red dragon martini.

Reservations and information at eatatginger.com.

Musician, songwriter, storyteller and humorist Steve Poltz plays Freshwater Art Gallery, Boyne City at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18. Poltz falls somewhere between Led Zeppelin, Dean Martin, Robert De Niro, Will Rogers, and Richard Pryor and has written many hits with Jewel. Tickets, $25. 231-582-2588.

Star Line takes over Arnold Star Line Mackinac Island Ferry is buying Arnold Line for an undisclosed sum, drawing down the number of ferry operators to the island from three to two and marking the end of a business that’s served northern Michigan since the 19th century.

Star Line will take over the ferry Huron, which has provided the only offseason service to the island since 1955.

Star Line will keep that ferry running during winter months as Arnold ceases operations, the company said in a news release.

The purchase includes five classic ferries, one freight boat, one boatyard, four docks including the main dock on Mackinac Island, along with parking lots and ticket booths in Mackinaw City and St. Ignace.

Arnold Mackinac Island Ferry was founded in 1878. The first ferries were fueled by coal and steam until the middle 20th century, when Arnold switched to dieselpowered ships. Star Line, founded in 1978, is best known for high-speed hydro-jet rooster tail boats.

The other remaining ferry operator is Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry.

MAIN STREET MARKET & BISTRO 148 West Main St.  Gaylord Phone: (989) 448-2133 Facebook.com/MainStreetMarketGaylord 

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Friday and Saturday Nights, 7:00-9:30 Northern Express Weekly • november 14, 2016 • 5

TIME TO EXPLORE ALTERNATIVES spectator by stephen tuttle Traverse City voters have decided they’d like a say before any buildings taller than 60 feet are erected. Now we’ll see who can file suit the fastest claiming this is an illegal intrusion on zoning.

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Now we’ll await what will likely be multiple rounds in court.

There is a fairly simple, at least partial, solution. A majority of voters don’t want new 100-foot buildings downtown or that close to the bayfront. City leaders, who should be at least somewhat responsive to the will of those voters, could rezone those areas to remove all doubt for future developers.

G

140 Y E A R S

The requirement of no more than 60 feet on Front Street stepped down to 45 feet on the blocks closer to the water would do the trick. No exemptions, no exceptions, no special-use permits.

If the charter amendment passes legal muster, nothing will have changed except the additional no-exceptions 45-foot rule. If the amendment is tossed, the city has still responded to the voters’ wishes to maintain the character of their downtown.

It seems unlikely the lack of taller buildings on Front Street will substantially harm our future. Nor does it seem likely workforce or affordable housing downtown will be our savior.

The unfortunate reality is downtown Traverse City is the worst possible place to develop affordable housing. Land on which to build is scarce and unpleasantly expensive.

There isn’t property that can be easily converted to housing. Buying and demolishing already-existing property adds another layer of initial cost. Add in the logistical complications and the additional costs of downtown construction.

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Somebody — the developer, banks, financiers, investors, all of the above — has to spend millions just to get started. The only way they can add affordable housing to the mix and make the project pencil out is with tax breaks. They can’t build without subsidies, and they certainly can’t rent below market rate without more subsidies.

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We can’t even guarantee affordable workforce housing will be used by the downtown

6 • November 14, 2016 • Northern Express Weekly

The lawyers, doctors and other professionals working downtown, who have real careers, don’t need subsidized housing. The folks working 30 hours a week for $9 or $10 with no benefits, not an atypical circumstance in restaurants, boutiques and specialty stores, are likely to be searching for better opportunities they might not find downtown.

The new urbanists believe in a dense urban core with work, entertainment and shopping in close proximity to housing people can afford. That fills their mantra of creating livable, sustainable communities.

All very reasonable and rational, especially if you’re starting a community from scratch.

Changing the character of a place that has

It seems unlikely the lack of taller buildings on Front Street will substantially harm our future.

The new urbanists would be appalled by such decisions. They will predict, as they did during the campaign, the demise of the city’s growth and success if we can’t make downtown build up.

B A H L E ’S L CE

Suttons Bay, Mich.

est. 1876

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This all started because a developer wanted to put a nine-story building hard against Front Street. The proposal included the obligatory parking and some affordable housing units. What ultimately morphed into a charter amendment was opposition to that structure at that location.

workforce. Qualifying for such housing will be based on income, not place of employment. It’s theoretically possible not a single unit of affordable housing constructed downtown will be used by someone working downtown.

already been sustained through a civil war, two world wars, a major depression and numerous recessions during a 170-year-long run might not work as well.

People don’t typically move to this part of the world seeking the quintessential urban experience. What the urbanists call suburbanism — an insult they hiss through clenched teeth — plenty of people call the American Dream. They want a yard where their kids can play, some room to roam, maybe even the extravagance of a few trees and some birds. There is a lifestyle expectation here that will resist social engineering to the contrary.

Providing affordable housing is an extremely laudable goal the pursuit of which by our city commission is commendable. Forcing it downtown not so much.

Instead of asking taxpayers to help foot the bill for downtown housing, perhaps we should expand our horizon to two or three or four miles beyond the urban core. Land is cheaper, logistics are simpler, construction less worrisome, and tax breaks are still available for the developer if so inclined.

Greater taxpayer subsidies for BATA to enhance routes that best serve commuters and other incentives for alternatives to singleoccupancy vehicles bringing people in to work makes more sense than taxpayer subsidies for downtown housing.

Downtown is the least practical and most expensive place for affordable housing. And taxpayers aren’t thrilled with the idea of subsidizing housing in the most expensive neighborhood in town.

We know what we don’t want. Now would be a good time to start exploring alternatives so we can find something we do.

Crime & Rescue ‘I COULDN’T KILL HIM’ A Kingsley man who told his wife he was going to kill his neighbor for spying on him was jailed after he shot the man in his legs, police said.

Benjamin Douglas Schlack broke the window of the camper where his 56-year-old neighbor lived, went inside and shot him in the leg, according to charges. Schlack then returned home and told his wife: “I shot the neighbor. I shot him in the leg because I couldn’t kill him.”

The 49-year-old Kingsley man’s wife told Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s deputies that he thought the neighbor was using a drone to spy on him.

Schlack is also accused of pointing his firearm at his neighbor’s 84-year-old father as he left the camper.

He faces charges of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, first-degree home invasion and assault with a dangerous weapon. Schlack was held in lieu of a $750,000 cash bond.

The incident happened at 8 a.m. Nov. 4. The neighbor was treated at Munson Medical Center.

STATE POLICE SERGEANT CHARGED A former sergeant was arrested following a two-and-a-half-year investigation into money missing from the evidence room at the state police post in Cadillac.

Malcolm Lindsey Irwin faces charges of embezzlement by a public official, a 10-year felony, and embezzlement of between $1,000 and $20,000, a five-year felony.

Irwin, who was arrested Nov. 7, is accused of taking $9,600 from the evidence room sometime between December 2013 and March 18, 2014, according to a statement from the Grand Traverse County prosecuting attorney’s office, which was appointed special prosecutor in the case. The charges against the 52-year-old were filed in Wexford County.

Irwin, who was in charge of the evidence room, had serious financial troubles and was known to have a gambling problem, according to the charges. When asked to retrieve cash evidence for a detective working on a case in March 2014, Irwin behaved strangely and had “an exaggerated physical response when he ‘noticed’ money was missing” from a drawer.

The case was first reviewed by the Wexford County prosecutor’s office, which requested a special prosecutor. Once Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Bob Cooney’s office was appointed, the case was further delayed as two forensic audits were completed.

DEPUTIES: SUSPECT RESISTED ARREST When police arrived at the scene of a car crashed into a power pole on Holiday Road, they found a 28-year-old standing at the scene of the wreck, smelling of booze and holding what may have been a cocktail in a clear plastic cup.

Grand Traverse County sheriff’s deputies determined the Traverse City man was the driver of the car and had a blood alcohol level of .18. The man resisted when police tried to place him under arrest for operating while intoxicated, said Capt.

Christopher Clark.

The man yelled and screamed as he was placed in a patrol car. The suspect kicked out a rear window of the cruiser and bent the frame of the car as they headed away from the scene, Clark said.

At Munson Medical Center, where the man was taken for a blood draw, he was able to spit at a phlebotomist despite having a mask over his mouth.

The man faces charges of operating while impaired, destruction of police equipment, possession of marijuana, resisting and obstructing, obstruction of justice, open intoxicants and assault.

The crash was reported at 9 p.m. Nov. 6.

by patrick sullivan psullivan@northernexpress.com

HUSBAND ACCUSED OF STRANGLING WIFE A woman fled to a neighbor’s house after she was assaulted and strangled by her husband, police said.

The 35-year-old woman suffered bruises on both cheeks and redness on her neck and chest after an assault at her Rose Street home that prompted her to flee to a home on Kelly Street, said Traverse City Police Chief Jeff O’Brien.

The woman told police she had been out drinking with a friend, causing her 36-year-old husband to become angry and attack her when she got home.

The suspect is wanted for felony domestic violence after the incident at 2 a.m. Nov. 6. The man, who has a previous domestic violence conviction, had not been arrested, but O’Brien was confident that his officers would catch up with the suspect.

CHARGES: MAN HAS DIAPER FETISH A man caught with 1,400 images of alleged child pornography in his Garfield Township home told police he has a diaper fetish and likes to dress in a butterfly-patterned onesie.

Richard Russel Farley Jr., 55, faces 10 years in prison on computer and child pornography charges.

The Traverse City man was arrested after state police took a search warrant to his home in February and seized phones, a tablet and a computer.

Farley was arraigned Nov. 4 on the charges and ordered to stay off of the internet as a condition of his bond.

BIRD HUNTER SHOT One person in a group out bird hunting near Buckley was injured in an accidental shooting.

The 53-year-old Interlochen man was taken to Munson Medical Center in stable condition, Wexford County sheriff’s deputies said.

The shooting happened in a field near N. 7 Road and W. 6 Road. Deputies responded at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 6.

WEAVING DRIVER BUSTED Police got complaints about a car weaving all over M-22 and they arrested a driver.

Leelanau County sheriff’s deputies tracked down the erratic Dodge pickup at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 3 near Suttons Bay. The 34-year-old driver appeared intoxicated and smelled of marijuana, deputies said. He admitted to smoking marijuana as he drove home from work, and he was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs.

TEXT SPURS CALL TO POLICE A witness received text messages from a woman who said she was being assaulted by her armed boyfriend, prompting the person to call Grand Traverse 911.

Deputies went to the East Bay Township home at 12:30 a.m. Nov. 5 where they found 23-year-old man exit the house with his hands in the air.

The 21-year-old woman told deputies she’d gotten into an argument with her boyfriend over a text message she received and that she’d been grabbed by the shoulders and held down on a bed.

Investigators determined the boyfriend did not threaten the woman with a handgun during the fight and the woman was not injured.

The man was arrested for domestic assault.

because she was homeless.

In October, Peretiatko’s husband, David Peretiatko, secretly traveled from Las Vegas, where he was wanted for murder, showed up at Peretiatko’s parents’ home armed, and was shot and killed by Peretiatko’s father, James Barron, when he surprised the older man with a gun.

Barron also shot Ashley Peretiatko, but she survived. Investigators determined Barron shot in self-defense.

Investigators believe Peretiatko and her husband conspired to kidnap their two children and murder Ashley Peretiatko’s parents.

Peretiatko originally faced charges of felonious assault, felony firearm and attempted kidnapping.

After further investigation, she now faces a charge of conspiracy to commit premeditated murder and attempted murder.

ESTRANGED DAUGHTER FACES MURDER CHARGES A Traverse City woman whose father shot her and shot and killed her husband now faces murder charges.

Ashley Peretiatko was estranged from her mother and father but returned to her Long Lake Township home of her parents, who had legal custody of her two children

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PEDESTRAIAN STRUCK AND INJURED A pedestrian was hospitalized after she was struck by a car making a left turn in Traverse City.

Kayla Rose Wasserman was legally in the crosswalk when a car driven by 32-year-old Kingsley resident Angela Marie Jackson made a left turn from Woodmere Avenue onto Carver Street and struck her, Chief Jeff O’Brien said.

The 20-year-old complained of pain in her ribs and was taken by ambulance to Munson Medical Center. Jackson was cited for failure to yield. The crash occurred at 6 p.m. Nov. 6.

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roscommon

Northern Express Weekly • november 14, 2016 • 7

The Nanny State New York City officially began licensing professional fire eaters earlier this year, and classes have sprung up to teach the art so that the city’s Fire Department Explosives Unit can test for competence (if not “judgment”) and issue the “E29” certificates. In the “bad old (license-less) days,” a veteran fire eater told The New York Times in October, a “bunch of us” performed regularly for $50 a throw, largely oblivious of the dangers (though some admit that almost everyone eventually gets “badly burned”). For authenticity, the Times writer, a fire eater who dubbed herself Lady Aye, completed the licensing process herself (“as sexy as applying for a mortgage”), but declined to say whether she is awaiting bookings.

Bright Ideas -- A major streetlight in the town of Pebmarsh Close, England, went out of service when a truck hit it a year ago, and despite pleas to fix it from townspeople -- and Essex county councillor Dave Harris -- no action has been taken. In October, Harris staged a “birthday party” on the site, formally inviting numerous guests, and furnishing a birthday cake -- to “celebrate” the “age” of the broken streetlight. (The shamed county highway office quickly promised action.)

-- Prominent British radio host Dame Jenni Murray suggested in October that the U.K. scrap traditional “sex education” courses in school and instead show pornographic videos for classes to “analyze it in exactly the same way as (they analyze Jane Austen)” in order to encourage discussion of the role of sex. Younger students might explore why a boy should not look up a girl’s skirt, but older students would view hard-core material to confront, for example, whether normal women should “shave” or make the typical screeching moans that porno “actresses” make. Dame Jenni said simply condemning pornography is naive because too much money is at stake.

-- At a World Cup qualifier match in October in Quito, Ecuador, police arrived during the game to question star player Enner Valencia about an unpaid alimony complaint, and he saw them waiting on the sideline. Local media reported that Valencia then faked an on-field injury near the end of the match to “necessitate” being taken away by ambulance, thus outmaneuvering the police. (He settled the complaint in time for the next match.)

8 • November 14, 2016 • Northern Express Weekly

Are We Safe?

-- The security firm Trend Micro disclosed in October its “surprise” to find, in the course of a routine investigation, that firms in several crucial sectors (nuclear power, electric utilities, defense contractors, computer chip makers) send critical alert messages via old-style wireless pagers wholly unsecured against hacking. In fact, Trend Micro said the enormously popular WhatsApp message-exchange app has better security than the alert systems of nuclear power plants. (Infrastructure engineers defended the outdated technology as useful where internet access was unavailable.)

-- Life Imitates Art: Security experts hired by the investment firm Muddy Waters (which is being sued for defamation by St. Jude Medical Inc. over claims that St. Jude’s cardiac implant device can be hacked) disclosed in an October court filing that they agree the devices are anonymously and maliciously hackable. They found that a popular control device (Merlin@Home) could be remotely turned off, or jiggered to carry a dangerous electrical charge from up to 100 feet away. (A

similar incident was part of a plot in Season 2 of the “Homeland” TV series, as the means by which the ailing U.S. vice president was assassinated.)

Wait, What?

New York’s prestigious Bronx High School of Science enrolls some of the “best and brightest” students in the city -- some of whom (perhaps rebelling against the “nerd” label) for the last two years have held unauthorized, consensual fistfights (a “fight club”) in a field near the school, according to an October New York Daily News report.

Students at the school (which has produced eight Nobel Prize winners and eight National Medal of Science honorees) then bombarded the Daily News reporter by telephone and Facebook with acrimonious, vulgar messages for placing the school in a bad light.

Too Quickly Promoted Nathan Lawwill, 32, from Lansing, Michigan, was arrested in Tunisia in October after emigrating as a recent Muslim convert, speaking little Arabic -- which did not restrain him (a one-time Christian) from now being the Islamic Messiah, the “gift to Muslims,” “Mahdi to Muslims and Messiah to the Jews.” “I am going to be the center of the world very quickly,” he wrote on Facebook.

He and his brother Patrick were found by police on Oct. 25 “unwashed,” and were detained on suspicion of terrorism.

Least Competent Criminals (1) Ms. Cana Greer, 29, was arrested in Sacramento, California, in October when police responded to a call to help her remove handcuffs she had accidentally engaged while fooling around with a friend. Police, routinely checking her ID, discovered an outstanding felony burglary warrant. As per procedure, officers took her to a fire station for removal of the cuffs -- to make room on her wrists for their own handcuffs. (2) A woman unnamed (because she has not been charged with a crime) almost produced major havoc at the Shuttle Car Wash in Titusville, Florida, in October when, while cleaning her car, she attempted to vacuum gas out of her trunk, causing the vacuum to explode.

Undignified Deaths Mr. Nigel Hobbs, 71, passed away in Dawlish, England, in April, and an October coroner’s inquest heard that his body was found by a neighbor “swaddled” in bed linen and wearing numerous “homemade” dresses and his face covered by stockings pulled tight (but with eye holes). Underneath the coverings, his face was wrapped in polyethylene, including his mouth but not his nose, and cotton or wool was stuffed into his ears and mouth. The coroner assumed the cause of death was accidental asphyxiation.

Recurring Themes Joining some classic cases of sentencing overkill that have populated News of the Weird through the years: In October in San Marcos, Texas, jurors apparently had enough of recidivist drunk driver Jose Marin, 64, who had just racked up conviction No. 8 and so sentenced him to spend the next 99 years in prison and (perhaps more horrifyingly) sober. And in Fresno, California, Rene Lopez, 41, convicted of raping his daughter over a four-year period beginning when she was 16, was sentenced by a Fresno Superior Court judge to prison until the year 3519 (1,503 years from now).

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Northern Express Weekly • november 14, 2016 • 9

The rainy day fund that won’t go away Two school officials are at odds over how to spend tens of millions of dollars held in reserve. One says the practice hinders students’ education, while the other says it’s part of running a responsible district.

By Patrick Sullivan Teachers at Traverse City Area Public Schools and Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District work together every day, collaborating to make sure children get the best education they can provide.

That same harmony doesn’t extend to the top of the two organizations, where two superintendents, Paul Soma of TCAPS and Mike Hill of TBAISD, disagree over use of a rainy day fund.

The intermediate school district is keeping tens of millions of dollars in a fund balance, a practice Soma says is excessive and irresponsible, and comes at the expense of students’ education. Soma is just one of 16 superintendents at TBAISD. He’s the only one who’s publicly challenged the fund balance.

Hill disagrees and says the money is set aside to ensure TBAISD can continue to offer services to 16 school districts across five counties. Hill said a tag of “hoarding” posed by Soma is unfair, and that the district operates responsibly.

A LONG HISTORY Michigan’s 56 intermediate school districts, established in 1962, are supposed to act as intermediaries between school districts and the Michigan Department of Education, which doles out school funding.

Intermediate school districts do a lot of behind-the-scenes work for schools and run special-education programs for children with cognitive disabilities. TBAISD helps out with special education at TCAPS, but Soma says it could and should do much more.

The problem, Soma says, is the intermediate school district holds on to too much of the funding it receives.

Because special-education programing is mandated by law but is only partially funded by the state, TCAPS has to cut into other programs to make up for the roughly $3 million annual shortfall it costs to run special-education programs in the district.

Soma says at TCAPS tight school funding has led to bigger class sizes and worn-out textbooks as money piled up in TBAISD coffers.

Strained special-education funding causes problems across the district, said Jame McCall, associate superintendent of student services at TCAPS. That’s because specialeducation needs must be met whether there is money in the budget or not.

“If I have students who need, let’s say, a one-on-one assistant, that costs $40,000,” McCall said. “I have to provide that one-on-one assistant, even if my budget line is zero.”

That means that the budget gets cut elsewhere. Students have to pay more for sports and other extracurricular activities, and the spectrum of courses offered by the district is diminished.

“There are classes that we don’t offer because of finances,” McCall said. “Let’s say that we had a student or two or three or 15 that needed an advanced German class. Finances will dictate that we cannot offer that class.”

Soma said he spent almost a decade attempting to resolve the disagreement quietly. Hill began building a fund balance at TBAISD almost as soon as he took over as superintendent in 2007, and Soma has questioned the practice from the beginning, long before he was superintendent. When Soma was promoted to superintendent from chief financial officer in 2013, he could not get Hill or the TBAISD board to change its policy.

The dispute simmered behind the scenes for years until the 2013-2014 school year, when the TCAPS board of education voted against approving the TBAISD budget, taking the argument public.

“We did research, and we felt that 30 percent (fund balance) was a very responsible place to be.”

— Michael Hill, Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District “There are a lot of hardworking, fantastic individuals that work for the ISD, so this is not about the vast majority of the staff implementing great programs,” Soma said. “This is fundamentally about leaders at the ISD who are too far removed from the work that’s being done at the local level. That’s what this is about. They need to be more in tune with what it’s like to sit in a staff meeting in which we’re talking about the budget and saying, ‘No, we can’t add to your social studies curriculum this year, again, for the 14th straight year.’”

‘WE WOULD BE AROUND FOR TWO YEARS’ When pressed to defend the fund balance, Hill noted what his agency does with the money it does spend — it operates four special-education programs and a career tech center as well as programs in general education, technology, business, adult education and early childhood education. It sends specialists into schools to ensure teachers are properly prepared and 23,000 students in five counties are getting the best education possible.

Hill said TBAISD could not cover all of the special-education costs at TCAPS. “Well, we could, but we would be around for two years,” he said. “That would deplete our budget, our fund balance, in two years. It’s not sustainable. Then we would be the ones going back to the voters and saying, ‘Will you in-

10 • November 14, 2016 • Northern Express Weekly

crease the special education from from two mills to three mills, please? Because we’re out of money.’”

Soma, however, insists a restructuring of TBAISD finances so districts receive special-education funding each year wouldn’t solve all of his district’s woes, but it would make a meaningful difference.

“There isn’t any reason that we shouldn’t have been able to (replace textbooks) over the course of the last 10 years. … Seeing (those) extra multimillion dollars just continuing to feed into the coffers there, I just kept thinking every year, ‘Oh, at some point they are going to recognize that this money would be better off distributed back to locals to help us with these hard times.’ And it simply hasn’t happened.”

AGREED-UPON DRAWDOWN Hill maintains TBAISD has responded to concerns about the fund balance, and three years ago enacted a plan to draw down the cash reserves.

The fund balance was as high as 62.6 percent in 2012.

It was 59.8 percent in 2014 when the drawdown began, or $36.5 million.

“They asked us to set a target,” Hill said. “We did research, and we felt that 30 percent (fund balance) was a very responsible place to be, because we don’t compete with our local districts for bond funds.”

Hill says his board needs a larger fund balance than school districts because it pays for construction projects as it goes unlike the local districts, which ask voters to approve millages.

Hill said the district looked at other intermediate school districts and found some with lower fund balances and some with higher ones. He said 30 percent would be safe and enable the district to maintain its facilities and tackle new construction projects as they need to happen.

“We just completed a $3.2 million renovation within our special-education department at our life skills center for students with disabilities. A long overdue renovation. We didn’t go out and bond and ask you and other taxpayers, myself included, to pay for that construction,” Hill said. “It comes out of the fund balance.”

Hill said the fund balance enables the intermediate school district to upgrade technology, tackle unexpected expenditures and be prepared for increases in special-education students into intermediate school district programs.

The formula was designed to disburse some excess funds at a declining rate over the years to draw down the fund balance to 30 percent.

As it worked out, TCAPS got around $700,000 the first year and less than half of that last year. TCAPS is expected to get something in between those numbers this year.

“We recommended to all the superintendents, please, do not put that (first year’s) number into your budget, because

given the five-year drawdown recommendation by the school superintendents, each year is going to be less,” Hill said. “That was the nature of the five-year drawdown that the superintendents were adamant that we not crash this into the mountain here. …

And TCAPS put the $700,000 into their budget last year.”

Soma said he doesn’t believe TBAISD is following the formula it set up, and a 30 percent fund balance keeps too much money locked away.

Philip Boone, assistant of director state aid and school finance at the Michigan Department of Education, said the only legislated guideline for fund balances is that if one dips below 5 percent, that triggers state supervision of the school district. There are intermediate school districts that carry 6 percent balances and others that hold onto 60 percent.

Otherwise, Boone said, state school business officials generally recommend fund balances of 10 to 15 percent, though Boone said he can understand why a district would want to have a higher fund balance in order to fund construction projects, if it could swing it.

“We’ve never, as a state, put forth what we thought was an appropriate fund balance,” Boone said.

BUILDING A TYPHOON FUND Jason Tank, a financial adviser with a degree in mathematics whose wife, Jennifer, works for TCAPS, has made it his mission to expose what he believes is unjustifiable stinginess on the part of TBAISD. He said a 30 percent fund balance is indefensible, and Hill and the TBAISD board exaggerate their financial situation in order to be able to stockpile more money.

“It’s like building a typhoon fund, not a rainy day fund,” Tank said. “They are overly conservative multiple times over.”

Tank said he was aware of the funding dispute, but he only got involved after Jennifer, a teacher’s aide at a Glenn Loomis Elementary, came home from a district advisory council meeting concerned about TBAISD finances. “She said, ‘This ISD thing is a big problem. They’re hoarding money.’”

Tank comes from a family involved in education — his grandmother served on a school board downstate, and his father served on the TCAPS board years ago.

Tank soon found himself obsessed with TBAISD’s finances.

“It called for someone to do a deep financial analysis from outside the system,” Tank said. “I could easily look at the data and see it. This is an organization that’s sitting on piles of money. What’s going on?”

Tank attended TBAISD board meetings.

He attempted to interview the superintendents of each of the districts. He contacted state officials and called other intermediate school districts.

“I talked to anyone and everyone that I could to understand the situation,” Tank said. “At the end of an hour and a half meeting with Mike Hill I had reached the conclusion that I am not done researching this and told him that.”

He produced a 14,000-word report, viewable at tbaisdreport.com, that argues the TBAISD should draw down its fund balance and pay the money to the school districts so they can fill in deficits caused by special-education programs. He says that could be a start to fix the problem the state’s special-education funding policy has caused at TCAPS. Once that occurs, Tank believes, the districts could consider going after a special-education funding millage.

Tank’s proposal would cap the fund balance between 10 and 15 percent and immediately disperse $15 million to schools.

So far, his work hasn’t gotten much traction at TBAISD other than a letter Hill sent to employees that argued Tank’s website would only divide the community. Hill touted TBAISD accomplishments without addressing any of Tank’s criticisms.

Tank said the reaction from Hill and TBAISD has been deafening silence.

“It’s as if they don’t care to know the facts,” he said.

SOME DEFENSES In an interview with the Express, Hill defended the intermediate school districts against several of Tank’s critiques.

Tank says TBAISD cherry-picked districts with the purpose of justifying a high fund balance. Hill said it merely looked for districts of comparable size. Tank said TBAISD used inflated budget projections in order to justify Michael Hill sending out less money to the districts under the drawdown plan. Hill maintains it used orthat they should be interested in cleaning dinary budget projections.

Tank said TBAISD has hired a con- up their own shop first.”

Smith noted that TCAPS agreed to give sultant to justify cash reserves for future teachers a new contract that included a construction projects that are considerably more ambitious than any other district in phased-in raise of 1.5 percent. If they can the state. Hill said he wasn’t sure what other afford to do that, Smith said, then Soma districts have planned, but he doesn’t be- should not question TBAISD finances.

“The amount that they’re giving out in lieve that this is true.

Of the consultant, Hill said: “He is very raises is significantly more than the couple credible across the state and the country. hundred thousand that they’re squawking We would not make the investment to tell about in the paper,” he said.

Smith said he hasn’t approved a raise for us what we want to hear. That just doesn’t teachers in the six years he’s been superintenmake any sense.”

Tank said Hill and the TBAISD board dent because budgets have been so tight.

“Do my teachers deserve a one-and-ahave constantly shifted their justifications half percent on-schedule in response to his criticisms raise? Absolutely,” he said. without addressing his re“One of the “But if I can’t afford it toport directly. day or one or two years “The actions of the ISD problems with into the future, then it’s irhave been to dig deeper, hire responsible to do that.” that large of a a financial consultant, and Smith said he’s manhire a PR firm in an attempt aged to keep his district balance is it to justify something that’s solvent through austernot justifiable,” he said. ity, privatization and outdoesn’t create Meanwhile, Tank has sourcing services. decided to run for the any incentive “If the end game of TBAISD board this year, this is that they want though, given his criticism, for efficiency.” some type of millage or that might be a long shot. enhancement millage, The seven-member board — Paul Soma, then be honest about it,” is elected by TBAISD’s 16 district superintendents, not Traverse City Area he said.

McCall, the associate voters — another fact that’s superintendent at TCAPS, Public Schools drawn criticism from Tank. noted that even after the The board is not directly acraise given to TCAPS countable to taxpayers and staff, the district’s teachers is overseen by a board chair, Joseph Fisher, still earn less than teachers at Kingsley or who’s served on the board for 38 years.

Still, Tank hopes to get named to the TBAISD. Elk Rapids Schools Superintendent Steve board somehow. “I believe that people are Prissel said he believes the intermediate capable of seeing what I see,” Tank said. “I don’t think that when you put seven intel- school district does a great job providing serligent, good people together, that you can’t vices to schools and doesn’t believe the agency is holding on to too much cash reserves. come to the right conclusion on this story.”

Even if the fund balance was drawn down to nothing and the money was given ‘NEVER SUPPOSED TO DEPEND ON THIS’ Kingsley Public Schools Superintendent to the districts, that would still be just a Keith Smith said he is fed up with Soma’s one-time payout.

“Where people think this is the end-all criticism. He said most of the other intermediate school district superintendents are for budgets, they’re very wrong,” he said. too. Last year, eight of them walked out of “This doesn’t solve anything.” a TBAISD board meeting while Soma was ANOTHER LEVEL OF DISAGREEMENT speaking, Smith said.

Also at issue is how TBAISD aids its “The districts were never supposed to special-education programs through serdepend on this money or budget this monvices rather than cash payments. ey,” Smith said of the fund balance drawHill agrees that special education down. “It just seems very odd to me that one district has just become very interested doesn’t get as much funding as it needs. But in everyone else’s operations. It seems to me he said TBAISD helps its districts to close

Paul Soma

the funding gap.

“We have 200 itinerant special-education professionals who serve our five counties. These are school psychologists, therapists, occupational, speech, physical, teacher consultants, behavior specialists,” he said.

“Two hundred folks, at 17 and a half million dollars a year in costs, that go out and serve our local districts. All right?”

Of those, 51 are assigned to TCAPS. TBAISD also employs three special-education administrators who serve the district.

They also pay the salary and benefits for an associate superintendent.

Soma said that while he appreciates the work of those professionals, TCAPS would be better off getting cash so that it could run its own programs.

“One of the problems with that large of a balance is it doesn’t create any incentive for efficiency,” Soma said.

“I believe people are working hard. I believe people are trying to do the best that they can do. But when you’re operating from a 6 or 7 percent fund balance perspective, like TCAPS is, we really have to understand the return on the work that we do, the return on investment, the academic return on investment, how meaningful and impactful programs are, what type of business model we’re using. Are we getting the most bang for our buck?”

Soma said that’s not the case at TBAISD: “When you’re operating with 30-plus, 35, 38 percent, and dollars are coming in to add to your fund balance, there’s not an impetus to say, ‘Hey, could this be streamlined?’

And I would tell you that I think that programmatically, there’s some streamlining that could happen at the ISD. … To truly get down to the brass tacks of it or the core issue, we need the resources.”

Hill said he was disappointed to hear that complaint from Soma, and he considers it an insult to his staff.

“If he or anyone else believes that we are inefficient and the services they get are inefficient, then we need to discuss that as professionals, as a regional team. … My first reaction is disappointment, but there’s a process to communicate those concerns, and we’re willing to have it any time,” Hill said.

“If there’s a more efficient model to provide our services, outside of writing a check from (the) fund balance that we have no control on what is the return on that investment back to the district, let’s have it.”

Northern Express Weekly • november 14, 2016 • 11

Adult classes at Interlochen ignite artistic ambitions

By Kristi Kates

I

nterlochen is synonymous with all things artistic for no less than five reasons. Four different divisions of Interlochen — the arts camp, the boarding school, the Interlochen Presents performance series and Interlochen Public Radio — all combine to “ignite a lifelong passion in the arts.” In 2005, it welcomed a fifth division, the Interlochen College for Creative Arts, which focuses on adult continuing education.

“When our current president Jeffrey Kimpton arrived, he talked with adults across the country who were affiliated with Interlochen, whether as alumni, students or parents,” explained Leslie Donaldson, Interlochen’s director of engagements. “We heard from a lot of people who didn’t attend Interlochen as kids because of finances, or because they didn’t think they’d get in if they applied. Many of them expressed a definite interest in coming back to Interlochen as an adult, so we launched these new programs especially for that purpose.”

While the adult chamber music camp at Interlochen has been ongoing since 1953, it was the only program for adults. Now that

camp is included in the rest of the College for Creative Arts offerings, which focus on five different disciplines.

“We offer classes in creative writing; visual arts; music; media, which is audio storytelling; and professional development opportunities, which are primarily for creative entrepreneurs, artists, musicians and K-12 educators,” Donaldson said.

In the creative writing department, you can take classes like The Art of Observation (notebooking for poets), or Deep Revision Writing, the latter being Interlochen’s first residency for adult students.

“That one will be a dedicated writing residency with quiet time to write, mentored by Interlochen staff and including fireside chats and social events,” Donaldson said.

Example classes include visual arts offerings like needle felting or “winter wonderland” landscape painting; music courses like Introduction to Piano for Adults and the popular ukulele three-hour workshop; and media classes like website design or introduction to digital audio with IPR. Several separate video lessons are also available online, and an additional series of dedicated online courses is in the works to round out the class offerings.

12 • November 14, 2016 • Northern Express Weekly

“It can be hard for people to get here (to Interlochen), especially in the winter months,” Donaldson said. “So we’re launching our online programs for adults in February, with classes including blogging, a flash fiction writing course, and more.”

Fourteen adult programs will be offered for all of the winter/spring season, with around 125 students anticipated, most arriving from less than two hours away; those numbers are expected to increase now that the adult programming is being offered year-round. “By comparison, summer adult education classes offer 52 programs, and we enroll around 800 people from as far away as Chicago and Detroit,” Donaldson noted.

One thing you can breathe a sigh of relief about is that unlike Interlochen summer camp or the boarding school, you won’t have to apply, audition, or send in a portfolio to take the adult education classes. “Some courses for absolute beginners might have a minor prerequisites — for instance, you might need basic guitar skills if you’re taking a guitar course,” explained Donaldson. “But for most of the classes, you simply enroll in whatever you’re interested in.”

The start of the winter/spring adult semester begins in early February, with enroll-

ment starting in December (Donaldson recommends you sign up as early as possible).

Costs are as low as $45 for the three-hour ukulele workshop; or up to $1,500 for the writing retreat, which also includes lodging.

The courses reflect the diverse interests of the community and visiting students. “We try to be really mindful of what other opportunities already exist in the area for adult classes, music and art especially,” Donaldson said. “So we try not to step on any toes, and make an effort to offer classes that are unique. It’s all about giving people the opportunity to get that experience of ‘attending Interlochen’ — we just want to help fuel your artistic spirit.”

For more information, or to sign up for adult education classes at the Interlochen College for Creative Arts, visit college.interlochen.org or call 231-276-7387.

ART CENTER’S HOLIDAY SHOPPING MARKET EXPANDS to Traverse City

By Kristi Kates

T

his holiday shopping season, the Crooked Tree Arts Center continues to offer a little extra merriment.

The two-day Merry Makers Marketplace coincides with the downtown Holiday Open House in Petoskey and is kicking off its first year in Traverse City, so it’s poised to be popular in both locations.

“For several years, we held a monthlong holiday bazaar to feature gift items and festive decor,” said Megan Kelto, CTAC associate director. “But last year, we decided to revamp and do the twoday Merry Makers Marketplace, in large part to attract a greater variety of artists and artisans from across the state who may not have been able to commit to the monthlong bazaar.”

THIRTY VENDORS VENDING The events run on the same basic schedule, but different dates.

Thirty vendors will be setting up in Traverse City, and 20 in Petoskey.

“Only a handful of artists will be exhibiting at both events, so people who visit both marketplaces will be able to shop a great variety of items,” Kelto said.

Patrons can also shop the art exhibitions currently on display in the galleries at both locations: “A Walk Through Michigan Seasons” in Traverse City, and the 2016 Juried Fine Arts and Detroit Society of Women Painters and Sculptors show in Petoskey.

Marketplace weekend in each city will kick off with a special

preview for Crooked Tree members only on Friday from 4-6 p.m., with that first peek including wine and light hors d’oeuvres.

“We’ll have cookies, hot chocolate and music throughout all the market days as well,” Kelto said.

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE The vendors are an eclectic list, and the items, many unusual and many perfectly suited to Up North living, are sure to delight your giftee. A few highlights include the abstract paintings and “umbrella art” of self-taught artist Melissa Meadows; the soft sculpture fiber art insects created by Molly Burgess; quirky handmade letter-pressed greeting cards from Papercut Cards’ Kyle Suczynski, Joe Zorwick and Dan Hummel; inspired kiln-fired ceramic art by Christopher Dean; and northern Michigan photography turned into coasters, magnets and ornaments by Jenny McKellar.

“We always love to create opportunities for artists to exhibit and sell their work, and the Merry Makers Marketplace is a great one,” Kelto said. “Plus, shoppers love to give special, one-of-akind gifts and feel good knowing that they’re supporting independent artists and studios.”

Even Santa can’t argue with that.

The Crooked Tree Arts Center 2016 Merry Maker Marketplaces will take place in Traverse City at 322 Sixth Street Nov. 18-19, and in Petoskey at 461 E. Mitchell Street Dec. 2-3. For public shopping hours and more information, visit crookedtree.org.

Northern Express Weekly • november 14, 2016 • 13

NEW CONCERT SERIES BARNSTORMS INTO TRAVERSE CITY

By Kristi Kates Seven years ago, Sam Porter fell in love.

With a barn.

“I did!” Porter laughed. “The cathedral barn is one of the most amazing places for music I’ve ever seen.”

Locals know that Porter takes his passions and runs with them. He’s the man behind Porterhouse Presents Microbrew and Music Festivals in Traverse City, Paella in the Park and a host of other ambitious events.

Next up on his list is maximizing that very same barn’s potential with his newest concert series, kicking off next month.

GARDEN GROOVES The barn was once part of an operational farm just one mile from downtown Traverse City. Today, it’s been remodeled to offer more than 3,500 square feet of event space and shares 56 acres of land with its own elegant botanic gardens.

Built in 1885, The Cathedral Barn’s 30foot ceilings and dramatic roofline make for an impressive venue, both visually and in an audio sense. “I picture it kind of like the Frederik Meijer Gardens amphitheater (in Grand Rapids),” Porter explained.

“Combining those amazing gardens and the lawn, and the property’s capacity for a couple thousand people, starting with four hundred in the barn itself. We’ve spent hundreds of hours working on the vision for the barn with its architect, Ray Kendra.”

SOUND INVESTMENT Now equipped with a brand-new JBL sound system and ready for action, The Cathedral Barn is being positioned as both a traditional venue and a community center.

“I hope folks will come out and help us shake the dust off of the rafters!” Porter said.

Porterhouse Presents is going to help the barn do just that with the upcoming Cathedral Barn and Food series, which launches Dec. 3 with its first event, a special reservedseating show for Michigan singer-songwriter May Erlewine as a release party for her new CD EP, “The Little Things.”

MAY’S DAY “I love May, she’s so talented, and her band is an all-Michigan outfit as well,” Porter said.

“We’re going to step up this show and create a real, full experience for all of May’s fans.”

A paella dinner with flan dessert will precede the concert; reserved seating will be present in front of the stage, with a special area alongside for those wanting to dance without obscuring views of the show.

“We’ve already sold a quarter of the reserved seating,” Porter said, “this is going to be a good one.”

Next up in the series is singer-songwriter Joshua Davis on Dec. 9. Davis recently had a run of national fame on the NBC series “The Voice” on top of his own longstanding music career in Michigan.

“Josh is such a hilarious storyteller and genuine songwriter, and that’s why ‘The Voice’ loved him,” Porter said. “He’s got some new music coming out and, well, he’s got those eyes – at least that’s what my wife said.”

14 • November 14, 2016 • Northern Express Weekly

SECOND STAGES Porter’s ongoing quest to expand entertainment offerings in the Grand Traverse region and beyond only looks to continue improving if venues like The Cathedral Barn are any indication.

He’s currently working to add additional shows to the winter Barn and Food series, and is planning a bluegrass extravaganza for next spring called Fauxgrass, with Billy Strings serving as headliner and the event’s host.

“My dedication to Traverse City is in helping these spaces and these shows get produced in a professional way,” Porter said.

“To set the bar higher, and help build TC’s

second stages. The Dennos and the City Opera House are so great, but realistically they’re untouchable for a lot of smaller artists. So we’re trying to build out some of these other local venues to create something beautiful.”

The Cathedral Barn is located in the Historic Barns Park, 1500 Red Drive in Traverse City.

For tickets and more information on the winter Barn and Food Concert Series (including the May Erlewine/Joshua Davis shows) and next spring’s Fauxgrass event, visit Porterhouse Presents at porterhousepresents.com or call 231-943-2929.

1

2

3

4

5

6

NORTHERN SEEN 1 Dan Tosch, Erica Tosch and Kecia Freed pose during the Boyne Chamber’s Business Expo. The event drew some 1,300 attendees.

2 Holly and Casey McKinney have drinks at 7 Monks Taproom during Alaskan Brewing Co.’s 30th anniversary party.

3 Kathleen Peterson and Stan Sheridan are out on the town with a night at Siren Hall in Elk Rapids.

4 Rick Freundl, Charlie Lakritz, and Beth Pico were prize winners at the Traverse City Ticker’s Recess event at Captain’s Quarters in TC. 5 Greg and April Allen are surrounded by cherry (and Christmas!?) goodness inside Charlevoix’s Cherry Republic store.

6 Karl Hartley and Chef Guillaume of Traverse City’s Bistro FouFou serve up their fare to Chris Mohrhardt during the Traverse City Chamber’s Busines Expo held at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa.

Northern Express Weekly • november 14, 2016 • 15

By Kristi Kates A builder, a woodworker, a guitarist. A table, a chair, a cedar-strip canoe. A chisel, a planer, fine-grit sandpaper. All of these components are the puzzle pieces of a larger whole: the zenith of one man’s skills as he finally discovers what he’s meant to do.

Matt Martin is the owner and craftsman behind Root Guitar Works in Traverse City. His days are spent in his own workshop, where guitar designs and music coexist in his head; he’s a musician who’s stepped back from his own performances to equip the stage for others. And he’s more than OK with that decision.

“I do play music,” Martin said.

“But in the end, I realized I was only good enough to play guitar for fun, so I don’t play out anymore. I knew I wouldn’t be able to put enough into being a musician to be as good as I’d want to be. So this is my

Allen-Kent Photography

16 • November 14, 2016 • Northern Express Weekly

avenue into music.” As a skilled woodworker — part of his living is made via his other company, Martin Restoration, through which he does home interiors — Martin sought something to put his talents into that could be his true focus.

“I’d been woodworking for a long time,” he explained. “And I’d built a lot of different things — furniture, a canoe — but I decided that I needed one thing I could really get better at. Making guitars is a culmination of all of my skills: woodworking, building trades and my interests in music.” So was crafting guitars an easy next step? “Not at all!” Martin laughed. “I bought a book to figure out what I was doing, read, well, most of it — and then just learned as I went along.”

He built his first guitar for his wife, Amy: a sixstring built of Hawaiian koa wood with a spruce top and a mahogany neck made from wood scraps that Martin salvaged from a restoration job. From there, he moved on to building more guitars, some to display and drum up more interest in his work, and others as custom orders. He’s sold about a dozen so far, which may not sound like a lot. But these aren’t your typical guitars; Martin’s stand apart by the virtue of his artistry, making each instrument as individual as its soon-to-be owner.

Most of what he crafts are six-string acoustic guitars, although he’s taken a few ventures into building solid-body electrics and a few bass guitars. His approach, first and foremost, is to let the wood do the talking. “A factory guitar is built to a formula, as if every piece of wood is exactly the same,” Martin explained. “What I have the luxury to do is focus on every piece of wood – all of which are very different – to get the most out of each piece.” He does this by tapping on the wood and listening, using his hands and eyes and years of woodworking skill to decipher where the build will go. “I can cut the wood thicker, sand it thinner, customize different sections,” he said. Even the origins of the wood are carefully considered.

“Tropical hardwoods are dense, and good for the back and sides of a guitar — they help with volume and resonance,” Martin said. “Spruce is almost always the top of a guitar — it has a very high strength-to-weight ratio, and can handle the tension of the strings being pulled across it.”

The neck of the guitar is almost always carved from mahogany, and the fretboard and bridge are made of African blackwood. “It won’t wear away as the guitar is played,” he pointed out.

The steps to build each guitar include finessing the wood, bending the sides, bracing the top and back, putting the “box” together, fitting and carving the neck, and then building in the frets, the spaces by which guitarists find octaves and notes. Premade fret wire is the only thing Martin purchases ahead; everything else he creates from scratch.

And 100 to 120 hours of craftsmanship later, a new guitar is born.

Each is an actual work of art, as evidenced by the care taken with the different colors and tones of the wood, the polish of the finishes, the meticulous precision with which the different parts of the guitar are put together. Martin presents his work with pride, but not ego; he’s confident that he’s good at this, but the impression you get is that he’s more interested in hearing what musicians think.

“I like to sound hole experiment and do things a little differently with these guitars,” he said. “Some of my guitars have the sound hole on the side instead of the top. The way I make the necks is a little different. I sometimes include custom details or inlays. But I don’t want to reinvent the guitar — I just want to maximize it, with clearer tone, more sustain, more volume. I want to offer that same recognizable acoustic guitar sound, but with … more.”

The first client who ordered a custom guitar from Martin refused to play it at first. “He came to get it, I opened up the guitar case, and he just stood there and stared at it,” Martin chuckled. “His friend told me later that he was so happy with it, he’d just lift the lid on the case and look at it. He ended up admiring it for two full weeks before he’d even play it.”

“My goal is to get these guitars into the hands of musicians,” Martin said. “I really like hearing somebody else play them. I can sit and strum and all that, but having an artist play the tool that I’ve made for them, the tool that will enable them to create their music — well, that’s the most satisfying thing for me.”

For more information on Matt Martin’s Root Guitar Works, visit rootguitarworks.com or call 231-492-0357.

nov 12

saturday

INDOOR RIDE TO END POLIO: Nov. 12-19. Presented

by Rotary International District 5500. Vern Gauthier, owner of Fit For You Health Club, is offering free use of his gym to ride or workout during this week, if you are there for this ride. Info: www.ridetoendpolio.org

-------------------“MARY POPPINS”: Presented by the Northland Players at The Opera House, Cheboygan at 7:30pm. Adults, $13 & students, $9. theoperahouse.org

-------------------LAMB’S RETREAT SONGWRITER CONCERT: Featuring Michael Smith, Ronny Cox, Sally Barris, Whit Hill, Michael McNevin & Rachel Garlin. Hosted by John D. Lamb at Birchwood Inn, Harbor Springs at 8pm. $15.

231-526-2151.

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7:30pm. Tickets: $18; $15 seniors & students; $10 ages 10 & under. ertownhall.org

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

12-20

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

send your dates to: events@traverseticker.com

THISTLE & THREAD HOLIDAY GALLERY: 8am-4pm, VFW Hall, 3400 Veterans Dr., TC. Fifteeen MI artisans feature handcrafted items.

Find ‘Thistle and Thread’ on Facebook.

SHOP YOUR COMMUNITY DAY: Downtown Traverse City will be saluting the community with sharing a portion of today’s proceeds with the community’s favorite charities. www. downtowntc.com

-------------------LEE GREENWOOD: The artist who sings “God Bless the USA.” 8pm, Ovation Hall, Odawa Casino Resort, Petoskey. Tickets start at $10. odawacasino.com

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

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

HOW TO BUILD A HOME LIBRARY/BOOK COLLECTING 101: 6pm, Landmark Books, GT Commons, TC. Free. 922-7225.

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FREE DENTISTRY: 7am, Beacon Dental Center, Gaylord. For patients in need. 231-237-5100.

HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE: 10:30am-6pm, The Red Dresser, TC. thereddressertc.com AUTHOR SIGNINGS: Beginning at 11am at Horizon Books, TC. Info: horizonbooks.com

2016 WORLD SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIPS: Test your strength endurance & cardiovascular fitness against some of the top athletes in the world at Concept 2, Harbor Springs, who is hosting a 1000m time trial World Championship, Nov. 11-13. Schedule by calling: 231420-2381. baytennisandfitness.com

-------------------JRAC HOLIDAY ARTS & CRAFTS FAIR: 10am-4pm, East Jordan High School. Featuring over 40 vendors. Admission by donation.

231-536-3385.

-------------------TOAST THE SEASON: Enjoy local wine & fare along the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail from 11am-5pm. Tickets are $75 for couples or $50 for singles & include a featured wine & food pairing at 24 wineries, a souvenir wine glass & a holiday gift. lpwines.com

-------------------ANNUAL SKI & SNOWBOARD SWAP: A chance for the community to sell gently used ski & snowboard equipment at outrageous prices - with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the GT Ski Club. Held at TC West Middle School from 9am-5pm. Drop off is Fri., Nov. 11 from 6-8pm. Info: www.gtskiclub.org/

--------------------------------------FREE YOGA: With Sarah Daniels – Meditation in Action. Yoga-45.com, Gaylord. 989-598-8080.

-------------------INDOOR RIDE TO END POLIO: Nov. 12-19.

Presented by Rotary International District 5500. Vern Gauthier, owner of Fit For You Health Club, is offering free use of his gym to ride or workout during this week, if you are there for this ride. Info: ridetoendpolio.org

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

CONTRA-DANCE: Hosted by the Bayside Travellers Dance Society at Twin Lakes – Gilbert Lodge, TC. 7pm: Intro to Contra-dance.

8-11pm: Contra-dance. Adults, $11; students with ID, $7; members, $9. dancetc.com

Family trio The Shrock Bros write & perform songs in the Americana roots/folk/rock tradition. Joining them on Saturday, November 19 will be Drew “Captain Midnight” Howard & Peter “Madcat” Ruth at the Cadillac Elks Club at 8pm. Presented by Gopherwood Concerts. Advance tickets: $12 adults, $6 students 13-18; & $15 & $7 at door. mynorthtickets.com

TC BEER WEEK/GREAT BEERD RUN: Nov. 11-17. Today includes The Great Beerd Run (5K) at GT Resort & Spa, Acme at 10am. This is an untimed run with on course beer tastings.

Includes a post-race beer tent featuring a Best Beard Contest, race grub, music & beer. 21+. thegreatbeerdrun.com

“MUSIC TO KEEP WARM WITH”: Presented by the Charlevoix Circle of the Arts Armchair Theatre at Charlevoix Circle of Arts at 2pm.

Featuring the music of The Friends of the Charlevoix City Band. Suggested $5 donation. charlevoixcircle.com

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PETER YARROW: Peter’s gift for songwriting has produced songs from Peter, Paul & Mary, including “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” “Day is Done,” & others. 8pm, Dennos Museum Center, NMC, TC. Tickets: $35, $30 for museum members, & $40 at the door. dennosmuseum.org

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HOLIDAY BAZAAR & SOUP LUNCHEON: 8am-3pm, United Methodist Church, Downtown Harbor Springs. Free admission. Soup luncheon: $7 adults, $4 children; preschoolers free. Proceeds benefit the missions of the United Methodist Women.

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VASA TRAIL RUN 5K, 10K & 25K: 9am-1pm, Vasa Trail Head, Williamsburg. Info: runvasa.com TC CHILDREN’S BOOK FESTIVAL: 10am2pm, City Opera House, TC. Offers a sampling of books for the whole family from a variety of MI & national publishers. Featuring kid-friendly activities & crafts. Free. tcchildrensbookfestival.com HOLIDAY ART MARKET: 10am-4pm, Montessori Children’s House, TC. traversechildrenshouse.org

-------------------“ELF, THE MUSICAL, JR.”: 3pm & 7pm, MainStage Theatre, Old Town Playhouse, TC. Presented by OTP Young Company. Tickets start at $6. oldtownplayhouse.com

-------------------IZZY & THE CATASTROPHICS: This American roots group stitches together rock n’ roll, swing, surf, honky-tonk, & bebop. 8pm, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petoskey. Presented by Blissfest. Tickets for members: $15 adult, $7 student. Non-members: $20/$10. blissfest.org

-------------------AGED TO PERFECTION: Senior Readers: 10am, lower level of Old Town Playhouse, TC. Planning & rehearsals of forthcoming Christmas shows. 947-7389.

-------------------“SOUTH PACIFIC”: Presented by the Elk Rapids Players at The HERTH, Elk Rapids at

november

GOOD ON PAPER IMPROV SHOW: 9pm, Ecco, TC. Tickets, $10. Find ‘Good On Paper Improv Show!’ on Facebook.

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nov 13

sunday

2016 WORLD SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIPS: Test your strength endurance & cardiovascular fitness against some of the top athletes in the world at Concept 2, Harbor Springs, who is hosting a 1000m time trial World Championship, Nov. 11-13. Schedule by calling: 231-420-2381. baytennisandfitness.com

-------------------IZZY & THE CATASTROPHICS: This American roots group stitches together rock n’ roll, swing, surf, honky-tonk, & bebop. 4pm, Sleder’s Family Tavern, TC. 947-9213.

-------------------GREAT LAKES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA’S SUNDAY SERIES: With Paul Sonner & Friends: “Three Bs” with a Twist. 4pm, Castle Farms, Charlevoix. Free will donation taken at door. glcorchestra.org

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“SOUTH PACIFIC”: Presented by the Elk Rapids Players at The HERTH, Elk Rapids at 3pm. Tickets: $18; $15 seniors & students; $10 ages 10 & under. ertownhall.org

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STAFFORD’S WEDDING SHOW: Plan your day with a variety of vendors & wedding professionals at Stafford’s Bay View Inn, Petoskey from 1-4pm. $5 at door; brides & grooms welcomed at no charge. staffords.com

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prices - with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the GT Ski Club. Held at TC West Middle School from 10am-1pm. Drop off is Fri., Nov. 11 from 6-8pm. Info: www.gtskiclub.org/

-------------------DIVE DEEP INTO SELF EXPRESSION: Explore yourself & life using drama, movement, sound, storytelling & contact. 3-6pm, TC. $10 suggested donation. 231-421-3120. meetup. com/ InterPlay-TC/

nov 14

monday

“HOMELESSNESS IN TC”: Join the GT Humanists for a presentation & discussion of homelessness in TC. 7pm, Traverse Area District Library, TC. 231-392-1215.

HOLIDAY WINE MARKET SWIRL: Hosted

by Symons General Store at CTAC Galleries, Petoskey from 5-7pm. This celebration will pair 30 wines & appetizers. Also enjoy music by the Crooked Tree Jazz Ensemble. Tickets: $20 advance, $25 day of. crookedtree.org

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

INDOOR RIDE TO END POLIO: Nov. 12-19.

Presented by Rotary International District 5500. Vern Gauthier, owner of Fit For You Health Club, is offering free use of his gym to ride or workout during this week, if you are there for this ride. Info: ridetoendpolio.org

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-------------------TC BEER WEEK: Nov. 11-17. traversecity.com --------------------

CAREER FAIR: 3-6pm, Summit Village, Lakeview Hotel & Conference Center, Grand Ballroom, Shanty Creek Resorts, Bellaire.

Featuring more than 100 positions available in several departments across the resort. shantycreek.com

TC BEER WEEK: Nov. 11-17. traversecity.com

nov 15

tuesday

TOAST THE SEASON: Enjoy local wine & fare along the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail from 12-5pm. Tickets are $75 for couples or $50 for singles & include a featured wine & food pairing at 24 wineries, a souvenir wine glass & a holiday gift. lpwines.com

GT HIKING CLUB PROGRAM MEETING: 7pm, Boardman River Nature Center, TC. A speaker will lead you down the trails in Zion, Bryce, Capital Reef, Natural Bridges & Arches. northcountrytrail.org/gtr/

ANNUAL SKI & SNOWBOARD SWAP: A chance for the community to sell gently used ski & snowboard equipment at outrageous

62ND ANNUAL MANCELONA BUCK POLE: Downtown Mancelona. Cash prizes, raffle drawing, bonfire & more. mancelonachamber.org

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Northern Express Weekly • november 14, 2016 • 17

Mon -

Ladies Night - $1 off drinks

& $5 martinis w/ Jukebox

Tues - $2 well drinks & shots OPEN MIC W/HOST CHRIS STERR Wed - Get it in the can for $1

w/2 Bays DJs

Thurs - MI beer night $1 off all MI beer w/Oh Brother Big Sister

november

12-20

Friday Nov 18: Happy Hour: Shavy & Friends

Then: THE LUCAS PAUL BAND

Saturday Nov 19:

THE LUCAS PAUL BAND

Sunday Nov 20 : NFL Sunday Ticket

THEN: KARAOKE

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

ANNUAL MEMORIAL CEREMONY: 6pm, United Methodist Church, Cadillac. Presented

by Munson Hospice for families to remember loved ones. munsonhomehealth.org

ing nature that is juxtaposed with the high stakes/high stress testing American culture.

7-8:30pm, ELF, TC. Free. thepathfinderschool.org

CENTRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETING: 6:30-8:30pm, Crooked Tree Arts Center, TC. 941-8764.

CREATE HEALTHY, LOCAL FOOD & FARMING ECONOMY: Presented by Local Food Alliance & Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities. 5-7pm, Boyne City Public Library.

--------------------------------------LADIES NIGHT OUT: 6-9pm, Downtown Harbor Springs. Shop at more than 25 businesses & enjoy dinner & drink specials at restaurants. harborspringschamber.com

-------------------CWIB LUNCHEON: 11:30am-1pm, Stafford’s Perry Hotel, Petoskey. Featuring local artist & motivational speaker Martina Hahn. $15 CWIB members & $20 not-yet-members.

231-347-4150.

-------------------COFFEE @ TEN: 10am, Crooked Tree Arts Center, TC. Featuring artist & teacher Conor Fagan. Free. crookedtree.org

-------------------TC BEER WEEK: Nov. 11-17. traversecity.com

“Where Friends Gather” Featuring Super Greek Food in a Relaxed Atmosphere

TUESDAY NIGHT

TRIVIA

2012

starts at 8pm WIN GIFT CERTIFICATES!

214 E Front St • Downtown Traverse City

231-946-8932

nov 16

wednesday

EDUCATIONAL NEEDS IN BENZIE COUNTY: This open public forum will be held from 4-6pm at the Benzie Government Center, County Commissioners Room, Route 31, Beulah. Presented by Advocates for Benzie County.

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TOM KRUEGER CELEBRATES A LIFELONG EXPLORATION OF ART: Nov. 16-19, Leelanau Studios, TC. Featuring pottery, sculpture, & airbrushing. Demonstrating daily from 10am-6pm, including gradual ski conditioning – dryland training; walking with ski poles. Find ‘Leelanau Studio’ on Facebook.

-------------------SIERRA CLUB MEETING: Topics include Enbridge’s controversial Line 5 oil pipeline & the need for the newly elected legislature to invest in Michigan’s crumbling infrastructure. 7pm, Michigan Works Building, 1209 S. Garfield, TC.

-------------------62ND ANNUAL MANCELONA BUCK POLE: (See Tues., Nov. 15)

-------------------ANTRIM COUNTY WOMEN DEMS MEETING: Noon, Blue Pelican Inn, Central Lake. Cost for luncheon is $12.50. chrisandglennh@gmail.com

CHARLEVOIX FARM MARKET: 3-6pm, Charlevoix Public Library.

-------------------CITIZENS’ CLIMATE LOBBY TC: 6:308:30pm, Thirlby Room, Traverse Area District Library, TC. citizensclimatelobby.org

-------------------IAF LECTURE: “Our Separate Ways: The Struggle for the Future of the US-Israel Alliance.” 6pm, Milliken Auditorium, Dennos Museum Center, NMC, TC. Presented by Steve Simon, former White House director for the Middle East. Admission, $10; free to educators & students. tciaf.com

-------------------“SOUTH PACIFIC”: Presented by the Elk Rapids Players at The HERTH, Elk Rapids at 7:30pm. Tickets: $18; $15 seniors & students; $10 ages 10 & under. ertownhall.org

-------------------LEELANAU PENINSULA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BAH: 5:30pm, Chateau de Leelanau, Suttons Bay. leelanauchamber.com

-------------------HS BUSINESS AFTER HOURS: 5-7pm, Northern Lights Recreation, Harbor Springs. $7 members, $12 not-yet members. 231-347-4150.

-------------------ER BUSINESS AFTER HOURS: 5-7pm, Elk Rapids Antique Market. 231-264-8202.

-------------------NOVEMBER GEEK BREAKFAST: A casual monthly community-driven networking event for tech-minded people to discuss topics like social media, digital marketing & more over bacon, eggs & coffee at Bubba’s, TC at 8am. geekbreakfast.org

-------------------STEVE LOVELESS: “My Winning ArtPrize Experience”: Enjoy this Traverse Area Camera Club program at The Presbyterian Church, TC from 7-9pm. tacconline.org

-------------------TC BEER WEEK: Nov. 11-17. traversecity.com --------------------

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“THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA”: With music & lyrics by Interlochen Arts Camp alumnus Adam Guettel. 7:30pm, Harvey Theatre, Interlochen Center for the Arts. Tickets: $17, $15 senior, $10 youth. interlochen.org

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TC BEER WEEK: Nov. 11-17. traversecity.com

nov 17

thursday

TOM KRUEGER CELEBRATES A LIFELONG EXPLORATION OF ART: (See Weds., Nov. 16)

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NORTH VS. SOUTH BREWERY BATTLE: With Short’s Brewing Co., Bellaire & Atwater Brewery, Detroit. 6-8pm, Aerie Restaurant & Lounge, GT Resort & Spa, Acme.

Featuring five “Battle Stations” where brews from each brewery compete against each other with food to pair prepared by the Resort’s chefs.

Guests will vote for the best beer at each station.

Tickets, $25. mynorthtickets.com

-------------------DRAGONFLIES WITH CARL FREEMAN: Presented by the GT Audubon Club at the Boardman River Nature Center, TC at 7pm. grandtraverseaudubon.org

-------------------NATUREPLAY: This film looks at the Scandinavian method of teaching, living & enjoy-

18 • November 14, 2016 • Northern Express Weekly

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ARTISTS FROM INTERLOCHEN: Featuring singer-songwriters Courtney Kaiser & Kyle Novy. 7:30pm, Kirkbride Hall, GT Commons, TC. Tickets: $24, $10 youth. interlochen.org

INTERLOCHEN BUSINESS AFTER HOURS: 5:30pm, Bud’s, Interlochen. $5 donation for members & $10 donation for non-members. interlochenchamber.org

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nov 18

friday

Tom Krueger Celebrates a Lifelong Exploration of Art: (See Weds., Nov. 16)

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INTERLOCHEN FACULTY AT THE RAMSDELL: Featuring singer-songwriters Courtney Kaiser, Kyle Novy, Crispin Campbell & John Driscoll.

7:30pm, Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts, Manistee. Tickets: $20 advance, $25 door; $10 students 17 & under. mynorthtickets.com

-------------------SONGWRITERS IN THE ROUND: With Dan Kelchak, Doug Zernow & Kirby. 8:3010:30pm, Shine Café, Horizon Books, TC. horizonbooks.com

-------------------INSPIRE ART GALLERY OPENING: 5:308pm, in Studio 10 of the GT Regional Arts Campus, TC. Showcasing the work of over 25 local & regional MI artists. 231-486-6900.

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LIFELONG LEARNING CAMPUS DAY: Presented by NMC’s LIFE Academy from 9:45am-2:30pm at the University Center, TC. Select three sessions from 45 choices, which are presented by area experts. Cost, $29. nmc.edu/life-academy

item. Proceeds benefit Brother Dan’s Food Pantry in Petoskey. 231-348-5479.

STEVE POLTZ: 8pm, Freshwater Art Gallery, Boyne City. This musician, songwriter, storyteller & humorist falls somewhere between Led Zeppelin, Dean Martin, Robert Di Niro, Will Rodgers & Richard Pryor. Poltz has also written many mega hits with Jewel. Tickets, $25. 231-582-2588.

CHRISTMAS IN ONEKAMA: Held in Onekama Consolidated School Cafetorium. 10am3pm: Craft show & baked goods sale. 11am: Chili Cook-off. Onekama.info

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

-------------------BEN WHITING IN TRICKS AGAINST HUMANITY: A Magic & Mind Reading Show for Horrible People. Based on games & TV shows from the 80s & 90s through now. 7:30-9pm, Old Town Playhouse, TC. Admission, $20. oldtownplayhouse.com

-------------------“SOUTH PACIFIC”: (See Thurs., Nov. 17) -------------------LUNCHEON LECTURE: “How the Election Was Won.” 11:30am-1:30pm, Iron Horse Café, NCMC, Petoskey. Scott LaDeur, Ph.D., political science instructor at NCMC, will take us behind the headlines to explain how the election was won & lost. $10. 231-348-6600.

-------------------MERRY MAKERS MARKETPLACE: This holiday art fair is held indoors at Crooked Tree Arts Center, TC. 4-6pm: Crooked Tree members only preview & shopping. 6-9pm: Free & open to the public. crookedtree.org

-------------------SWING SHIFT & THE STARS: Be entertained with star couple dances, a live performance by 10-piece swing band “SwingShift featuring Judy Harrison,” & get a few dance lessons. All proceeds from voting & general donations go directly to charities. 7pm, City Opera House, TC. General admission, $25. cityoperahouse.org

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

“THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA”: (See Thurs., Nov. 17)

nov 19

saturday

COMEDIAN JAY HARRIS: Oak Room, The Lodge, Treetops Resort, Gaylord.

Tickets: $15 advance, $20 door. treetops.com

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-------------------MANISTEE COUNTY LIBRARY BOOK HUNTER’S SALE: 10am-4pm, The Book House, behind the Manistee County Library.

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MERRY MAKERS MARKETPLACE: This holiday art fair is held indoors at Crooked Tree Arts Center, TC. 10am-4pm: Free & open to the public. 11am-2pm: Free make-and-take holiday arts & crafts for kids. crookedtree.org

-------------------GOPHERWOOD CONCERTS: Enjoy Americana roots rock with The Schrock Bros. at the Cadillac Elks Club at 8pm. Joining them will be Drew “Captain Midnight” Howard & Peter “Madcat” Ruth. Advance tickets: $12 adults, $6 students 13-18; & $15 & $7 at door. mynorthtickets.com

nov 20 Library, TC.

-------------------SUTTONS BAY HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE: Noon-4pm, Downtown Suttons Bay. Featuring special offerings from area merchants & eateries. suttonsbayarea.com

-------------------BENEFIT DINNER & RAFFLE: Noon-4pm, VFW Post 2780, 3400 Veterans Dr., TC. Help support Ron Wickham who was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. Spaghetti dinner & bake sale. $7 adults, $5 kids; under 5 eat free.

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LTY ea, coll. e Arts, r; $10

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0C.

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30s er 25 .

-------------------BEN WHITING IN TRICKS AGAINST HUMANITY: (See Fri., Nov. 18)

-------------------“SOUTH PACIFIC”: (See Thurs., Nov. 17) -------------------HUNTER SUPPER: 5:30pm ham dinner; 7:30pm raffle. Summit City Grange, Kingsley. $10 adults, $4 4-10 year olds, free for 3 & under. 231-263-4499.

-------------------6TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY CRAFT & GIFT SHOW: 10am-3pm, Petoskey High School gymnasium. 231-373-0292.

-------------------10TH ANNUAL CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY CRAFTS, ART & GIFT SHOW: 9am-4pm, Emmet County Fairgrounds Community Building. Entry fee is $2 or a non-perishable food

CHARLEVOIX COUNTY, MI Tom Bosserd: 734-646-7339

HALDERMAN REAL ESTATE SERVICES, INC. 800.424.2324 | www.halderman.com

HLS# TLB-11916

Owner: Starr Commonwealth

2% Buyer’s Premium

HRES IN Auct. Lic. #AC69200019

TRAVERSE AREA HISTORICAL PROGRAM: “Early Twentieth Century Northern Michigan Holiday Tables & Celebrations.” 1pm, McGuire Room, Traverse Area District

CELEBRATION OF LIGHTS: 6pm, Farr Center, Onekama. Includes the lighting of the community tree, reading of memorial names, & caroling. Onekama.info

sa Art:

Located 5 mi west of Vanderbilt, MI on Magee Rd, 0.5 mi south of Thumb Lake Rd, 5 mi northwest of I-75 Exit #290, Mill St/Old US-127

sunday

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TORCH AREA ARTISANS GUILD’S HOLIDAY ARTS & CRAFT SHOW: 9am-3pm, Helena Township Community Center, Alden.

Free admission.

TWO OPERATING GAS WELLS EXCELLENT RECREATIONAL PROPERTY

“STORM”: Stories of the Great Lakes Shipwrecks. 7:30pm, The Opera House, Cheboygan. Tickets: $15 adults, $10 students. theoperahouse.org

ODAWA CASINO’S 6TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY GIFT & CRAFT SHOW: 11am-5pm, Odawa Casino, Petoskey. Featuring more than 60 vendors. odawacasino.com

INSPIRE ART GALLERY OPENING: 10am5:30pm, in Studio 10 of the GT Regional Arts Campus, TC. Showcasing the work of over 25 local & regional MI artists. 231-486-6900.

HIGH QUALITY FOREST

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sic & Adam chen nior,

ROCK & MINERAL DIY WORKSHOP: 10am, Peninsula Community Library, Old Mission Peninsula School, TC. peninsulacommunitylibrary.org

+/-

WARREN MILLER’S “HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE”: 6:30pm, City Opera House, TC. Tickets, $15.50; students, $8.50. Proceeds from this film will benefit the GT Ski Club. cityoperahouse.org

TOM KRUEGER CELEBRATES A LIFELONG EXPLORATION OF ART: (See Weds., Nov. 16)

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160 TRACTS Acres 2

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uring le ons, org

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ONLINE AUCTION

ONLINE BIDDING IS OPEN DEC. 13 -14 at www.halderman.com

-------------------“SOUTH PACIFIC”: (See Thurs., Nov. 17) ---------------------------------------

helping hands

FOOD FOR THOUGHT STUDENT FOOD DRIVE: Through Nov. 19. Donate in red bins located in Osterlin Library & the Health & Science Building on main campus of NMC, as well as Parsons-Stulen Building, TC. nmc.edu

FINE DINING ON LAKE MICHIGAN

GLEN ARBOR

Open Wed - Sun at 5pm

231.334.2530 - glenarborblu.com

“HUNTERS WIDOWS” WEEK! Daily Specials Nov. 13 - 20th

Stop in for some great bargains and a chance to win daily CASH & PRIZES!

-------------------OLESON’S SAFE HOME DOLLAR DRIVE: Oleson’s Food Stores in Petoskey & Charlevoix are hosting a “Dollar Drive” Sun., Nov. 13 through Thanksgiving Day to support domestic abuse survivors & their children utilizing services at the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan’s Safe Home. wrcnm.org

ongoing

OVEREATERS ANNONYMOUS: No dues, fees, weigh-ins, or diets. Meeting Tues. at 12:15pm; Thurs. at 1:30pm; Fri. at 8am; & Sat.

*some exclusions apply

Quality Women’s Clothing & Accessories OPEN 7 DAYS Shop online at www.hullsoffrankfort.com

Northern Express Weekly • november 14, 2016 • 19

nort

hern

expr

ess.c

ON NEWSSTANDS NOVEMBER 21, 2016

om

NORTH

ERN

Holiday Gift Guide s s e r p ex

at 10:30am. Call Pat: 989-448-9024; Tom: 231590-8800; or Genie: 231-271-1060.

-------------------ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS - YOUNG PEOPLE’S MEETING: Fridays at 8pm, Grace Episcopal Church (basement), TC. www. district11-aa.org/

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ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS - OPEN SPEAKER MEETING: Saturdays at 8pm, Munson Medical Center (basement), TC. www. district11-aa.org/

-------------------AMATEUR RADIO TECHNICIAN CLASSES: Presented by the Cherryland Amateur Radio Club in the training room for New Approaches Center, TC. Meets every Weds. for about 12 weeks, starting Oct. 26. Free, but you must have a copy of the American Radio Relay Leagues Technician Class workbook, version 3. www.cherrylandarc.com

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COMPULSIVE EATERS ANONYMOUS - HOW: Held every Thurs. from 5:30-6:30pm at Friends Church, 206 S. Oak Street - at 5th Street, TC. For more info: traversecityCEAHOW.org

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YOGA 1-2: With Kelly Stiglich 500-ERYT at GT Circuit, TC on Tuesdays at 5:30pm. $10 suggested donation. gtcircuit.org

-------------------OM GENTLE YOGA: With Kelly Stiglich 500-ERYT at GT Circuit, TC on Saturdays at 10:30am. $5. gtcircuit.org

The

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15 29, 20

Vol. 2

INDOOR FARMERS MARKET, THE VILLAGE AT GT COMMONS, TC: Held in The Mercato on Saturdays through April 29 from 10am-2pm. thevillagetc.com

47 5 No.

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M

Still time to reserve ad space!

express

NORTHERN

Reach 102,000 readers in this special upcoming issue!

northernexpress.com

info@northernexpress.com or call 231-947-8787

20 • November 14, 2016 • Northern Express Weekly

NORTHPORT CAR FERRY “MANISTIQUE” & TRAIN FESTIVAL: This exhibit runs through Dec. 18 at the GT Lighthouse Museum, Leelanau State Park, Northport. $4 adults, $2 children 6-18, free for 5 & under. 231-386-7195.

-------------------“PET INSPIRED ART”: Works of local artists at GT Distillery, downtown TC. Runs through Dec. 946-1259.

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MIDWEST TWILIGHT: This painting by Glenn Wolff has been installed on the south wall of the Omelette Shoppe, Cass St., TC. dennosmuseum.org

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PROTECTION: This Woodland Indian screenprint by Jackson Beardy is installed on the east wall of Cuppa Joe, 1060 E. Front St., TC. dennosmuseum.org

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ADOPTION SATURDAYS: Pets Naturally, TC hosts one dog & one cat from the Cherryland Humane Society on Saturdays from 11am2pm. www.petsnaturallytc.com

er City rack er se Nutc Trav -new re of n all futu a e r h fo nd t aring gs a • NOv Prep ildin E K LY ll bu ’S W E er ta N v A o IG IC H attle

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10TH ANNUAL “ART OF RECOVERY: The Human Journey”: Sponsored by Northern Lakes Community Mental Health, this exhibit celebrates the resiliency & healing power of people & features art by professional & novice artists. Held at the G.T. Circuit, TC. Runs through Nov. 14. 935-3099.

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e d i u G t Gif

HOLIDAY GIFT MARKET: Nov. 20 – Dec. 18, Jordan River Arts Council, East Jordan. Featuring over 40 vendors. Admission by donation. jordanriverarts.com

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DEBTORS ANONYMOUS: 12 Step Meeting. Held on Tuesdays from 7-8pm at Munson Community Health Center, east door, Room G, TC. For info, email: tcdajp34@gmail.com

20

art

“MAKING ART TOGETHER”: The Northport Arts Association will host this open studio every Thurs. from 10am-1pm at the Village Arts Building, Northport. northportartsforall.com

MCLAREN NORTHERN MI DIABETES SUPPORT GROUP: Meets the second Mon. of each month from 7-8pm at the John & Marnie Demmer Wellness Pavilion & Dialysis Center, Petoskey. northernhealth.org/wellness

H O L I D AY 15

DEPOT COFFEEHOUSE: Fridays from 6-7:30pm at After 26 Depot Café, Cadillac. Enjoy coffee with dinner or dessert while listening to live entertainment. 231-468-3526.

BLISSFEST JAM SESSIONS: Every Sun., 1-4pm, Red Sky Stage, Petoskey. Bring your instruments or just sing along or listen. www. redskystage.com.

-------------------COLORING CLUB FOR GROWN-UPS: Held on Wednesdays from 12-1pm, Crooked Tree Arts Center, TC. Free. crookedtree.org/tc

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BOXING FOR PARKINSON’S: Parkinson’s Network North meets at 10am every Mon. at Fit For You, TC for these free sessions. gtaparkinsonsgroup.org

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-------------------PLEIN AIR PAINTING EXHIBIT: Presented by the Plein Air Painters of Northwest MI at the City Opera House, TC. Runs through Dec. cityoperahouse.org

-------------------“OTHER WORDS FOR NATURE”: Runs through Dec. 15 at the Cowell Family Cancer Center, TC. 231-392-8492.

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5TH ANNUAL FARM TO FRAME JURIED PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION: Through Nov. 30, Aerie Restaurant, GT Resort & Spa, Acme.

From the seed to the harvest, & from the market to the plate, this exhibit highlights phases of local agriculture & food production. crookedtree.org

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A PRJCT OMNI & WAREHOUSE MRKT EXHIBITION: Selected artists’ work from around the world will be shown & sold in the halls of Warehouse Market, TC through Nov. 30. warehousemrkt.com

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AIR SHOW: Featuring work created by 33 artists who have participated in the GAAA Artist-in-Residence program. Runs through Nov. 26 at Oliver Art Center, Frankfort. oliverartcenterfrankfort.org

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CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER, PETOSKEY: - SOLILOQUY: Detroit Society of Women Painters & Sculptors: Through Nov. 19, Gilbert Gallery. - Back to School: CTAC Teachers’ Exhibition: Runs through Jan. 7 in the Atrium Gallery. crookedtree.org

“JUST FOR US” BREAST CANCER SUPPORT GROUP: Meets the first Tues. of every month from 6:30-8:30pm at the McLaren Northern MI John & Marnie Demmer Wellness Pavilion & Dialysis Center, Petoskey. 800-248-6777.

SONG OF THE MORNING, VANDERBILT: Free yoga classes, Tues. – Fri., 7:30-8:30am. songofthemorning.org

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TRAVERSE BAY BLUES SOCIETY JAM SESSION: Held the third Thurs. of every month from 7-10pm at InsideOut Gallery, TC. traversebayblues.com

CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER, TC: - A Walk Through Michigan Seasons: Featuring landscape artists Alan Maciag, Margie Guyot & Lori Feldpausch. Runs through Dec. 3. crookedtree.org

PETOSKEY FILM THEATER: Showing international, indie, art house & documentary films on Wednesdays, Fridays & Saturdays. Carnegie Building, 451 E. Mitchell St., next to Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petoskey. Donations welcome. For schedule find ‘Petoskey Film Theater’ on Facebook. 231-758-3108.

DENNOS MUSEUM CENTER, NMC, TC: Permanence & Impermanence: Iceland – a Land of Temporal Contrasts. By Jean Larson.

Runs through Dec. 31. - Grandmother Power: A Global Phenomenon: The works of renowned photographer Paola Gianturco. Runs through Dec. 31.

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STARS COME OUT TO COVER ‘HAMILTON’ It’s one of the biggest new musicals to hit Broadway in years, and now the songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” are being feted on a new album featuring cover songs from the smash show.

Celebrity fans of “Hamilton” were easy to find, and many are contributing their own cover collaborations to the album, which has been dubbed “The Hamilton Mixtape.”

On the tracklisting, you’ll find The Roots and Jimmy Fallon (“You’ll Be Back”), Ja Rule and Ashanti (“Helpless”), Sia, Miguel and Queen Latifah teaming up for “Satisfied,” and Regina Spektor dueting with Ben Folds on “Dear Theodosia.”

Also on “Mixtape” are tracks from Kelly Clarkson (“It’s Quiet Uptown”), Andra Day (“Burn”), and another Roots contribution featuring vocals from Busta Rhymes and fun. frontman Nate Ruess. The whole thing will be in outlets on Dec. 2, just in time for a “Hamilton” holiday.

In music-meets-Hollywood news, Leonardo DiCaprio has been tapped to play legendary music producer Sam Phillips in a new movie from Paramount Pictures based on Phillips’ life. The film will draw its source material from Peter Guralnick’s book “Sam Phillips: The Man

260 E. TENTH STREET

|

MODERN

ROCK

BY KRISTI KATES

Who Invented Rock ’n’ Roll,” and the movie will showcase how Phillips came to work with such rock greats as Johnny Cash, Howlin’ Wolf, and Elvis Presley. The movie is being developed by DiCaprio’s own production company and includes Steve Bing and Mick Jagger among its producers. No date has been announced yet for the film’s release.

Kanye West has tacked on more dates for the next leg of his Saint Pablo Tour, which will include rescheduled dates for the shows he postponed after his wife, Kim Kardashian, was robbed in Paris. The new round of dates starts this week in San Jose, Calif., and closes out the year with two nights at the massive Barclays Center in New York, the first on Dec. 30 and the second on the 31st for a celebration of New Year’s Eve. West also scheduled a makeup date for his previously canceled Detroit show, which will now be happening Dec. 22 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Dave Matthews is set to headline the last-minute “Stand with Standing Rock” benefit concert put together to help support the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and its fight at the Dakota Access Pipeline. The concert will take place on Nov. 27 at the

TRAVERSE CITY

| 231.947.0191 |

DAR Constitution Hall in Washington D.C., with more performers and guests expected to join the lineup. Tickets are on sale now at warehouse.davematthewsband.com.

MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK: The 2016 Nickelodeon HALO Awards are set to honor a quartet of youthful community leaders at a special ceremony set to air on Nov. 27 across Nickelodeon’s family of TV channels. Appearing at the event will be pop singers Alessia Cara, Daya, Zedd, Hailee Steinfeld and Jason Derulo, with host Nick Cannon. Get more info and local showtimes at nick.com.

MINI BUZZ: New Year’s Day and Crown the Empire will be sharing a bill at the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac on Nov. 14. … Founding band member and violinist/ pianist Neil Milan has quit Clean Bandit, saying that it took him “a long time” to reach the decision. … It’s all about the swing with the Brian Setzer Orchestra on its way to the State Theater in Kalamazoo on Nov. 16. … Mayday Parade and Modern Chemistry will be at the Shelter in downtown Detroit on Nov. 19.

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

ORYANA.COOP

GATHER AROUND GOOD FOOD. Everything you need for your local, organic, fresh holiday gatherings.

Northern Express Weekly • november 14, 2016 • 21

DOWNTOWN

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

SENSORY FRIENDLY FAMILY SURPRISE FRIDAY 10:45 AM - 25¢ Matinee

ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDYPG-13

FRIDAY NIGHT FLICK - $3 or 2 for $5 - Pants Party!

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DOWNTOWN

IN CLINCH PARK

Traverse CiTy

231-929-3200 • 4952 Skyview Ct.

FOURSCORE by kristi kates

Phantogram – Three – Upstate New York

Duo Phantogram return with their third album, on which their trademark trip-hop sounds are relegated to the foundation of most tracks as the pair focus more on EDM and dance music for the top layer. Whether this is good or bad depends on what you expect from Phantogram, but it’s an ambitious set that pushes their skills in a striking way. “Cruel World” catches the ear off-guard, hiding behind its balladry before breaking out into a full chorus, while the calland-response of “You’re Mine” adds a sense of testing boundaries not often heard in earlier works – it’s a highlight of this one.

Charlevoix

231-237-0955 • 106 E. Garfield Ave.

White Lies – Friends – BMG

www.schulzortho.com

White Lies’ latest is heavy on the ’80s hooks (“Take It Out On Me”) and confident with its anthems, having moved away from dramatic concept albums like 2013’s “Big TV” and onward to more personal motifs of change and romance. While a little more subtlety would have been welcome, especially in the too on-point motif featuring seasons of nature vs. seasons of relationships (“Summer Didn’t Change a Thing”), we’ll excuse the overblown metaphors in light of such emotively painted tracks as the nostalgic “Morning in L.A.” and the plaintive pleas of “Is My Love Enough?”

SUNDAY 1:30 • 4:15 • 7 PM MON - WED 1:30 • 4:30 • 7:30 PM THURSDAY 11:30 AM • 2:15 • 5 PM 231-947-4800

EXPERIENCE INTERLOCHEN Riverside – Eye of the Soundscape – InsideOut Records

Dec. 1 Canadian Brass Join us for a special holiday concert with one of today’s most popular brass ensembles.

The hallmarks of any Canadian Brass performance are entertainment, spontaneity, virtuosity and most of all, fun!

Dec. 8-10 The Sleeping Beauty Just in time for the holidays, Interlochen’s Director of Dance Joseph Morrissey creates an all-new interpretation of the classic storybook ballet featuring the Interlochen Arts Academy Dance Company.

Dec. 15 Sounds of the Season Interlochen’s much-loved and highly-anticipated holiday showcase features the Interlochen Arts Academy Jazz Ensemble and Choir—and your favorite holiday tunes!

tickets.interlochen.org 800.681.5920

22 • November 14, 2016 • Northern Express Weekly

Poland’s favorite ambient instrumentalists are back with another effort featuring experimental takes on electronic music sifted through their filters of trance, prog-rock – and the sorrow of unexpectedly losing their guitarist, Piotr Grudzinski. Given that consideration, the band pushes so much emotion through tracks like the adrift-sounding “Sleepwalkers” and the transformative “Where the River Flows” with its expansive guitars. The impressive reveal is in how well the band manages to keep its balance.

The Pretty Reckless – Who You Selling For – Mercury

“Gossip Girl” actress Taylor Momsen’s band was first thought of as a vanity project when it surfaced back in 2010, starting the group out in the open on the proverbial proving grounds. Six years later, it’s obvious that Momsen is serious about the gig – although the songs are still about as deep as the rumors floating around “Gossip Girl’s” private school. Potential can be heard faintly on tracks like “The Walls are Closing In” and “Back to the River,” but the melodies are so overshadowed by the endless attack of guitar solos and insistent rawk grit that it’s tough to tell how good they could really be.

The reel

by meg weichman

inferno

I

n “Inferno,” the latest in the “Da Vinci Code” franchise from director Ron Howard, beloved national treasure Tom Hanks is the only thing making the movie remotely interesting. You’d think a race-against-the-clock thriller to stop a catastrophic event from happening would be at least sort of compelling, but it isn’t Hanks returns as Robert Langdon, the quick-thinking symbologist who, in the previous installments, unspooled the mysteries of Christ’s bloodline and foiled a papal conspiracy, all using his encyclopedic knowledge of history, symbols and art. Yet he somehow still manages to be incredibly boring as a character. This film puts him up against a geneticist who has secretly engineered a virus that will kill billions, all in the name of preventing the complete destruction of humanity due to overpopulation. The name of the virus? Inferno. And how can Langdon stop Inferno before it’s unleashed on the world? With clues hidden in Dante Alighieri’s “Inferno,” naturally. “Inferno” makes the mistake of putting everything (and therefore nothing) on the line and expects you to take the bait. The clues, set pieces and revelations that should ignite your interest fizzle out, leaving your mind to drift to other, more interesting and more fun stories. “Inferno” is too outlandish to be fun. It takes itself too seriously and suffers as a result. So, if you can’t heft such grandiose subject matter without allowing for some tongue-incheek layers, you shouldn’t even bother. And you, my friend, shouldn’t even bother with “Inferno.”

Modern war films will forever be compared to the first 20 minutes of Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece, “Saving Private Ryan.” Those opening scenes, depicting the U.S. Army’s amphibious landing at Omaha Beach on D-Day during World War II, are some of the most memorable, visceral and jarring images ever put on screen.

No film before it drops the terror of warfare into the viewer’s lap like those scenes do. And one of the things that makes “Saving Private Ryan’s” opening so revelatory is that it precedes any sort of story or plot. It’s strictly establishing setting and tone. Any action after those 20 minutes is tame in comparison, but you’re on edge the whole time because you know just what the film is capable of.

So when “Omaha Beach” — for lack of a better descriptor — shows up an hour and a half into a film (as it does in “Hacksaw Ridge”), and the entirety of what precedes it is laughably bad, it does not achieve the reverence and weight that the filmmaker was probably looking for. In fact, it comes off as exploitive and disrespectful.

“Hacksaw Ridge” is based on a true story, and it’s an important and incredible one at that.

During World War II, a young man from Virginia named Desmond Doss (played by a solid Andrew Garfield) volunteered for the Army. Doss was like any of the millions of young Americans who wanted to serve their country — enthusiastic, capable and patriotic — but his strict adherence to his faith prevented him from ever touching a weapon.

When he was ordered to train as a rifleman, he politely refused, asking to be trained as a medic instead. His commanding officers came close to imprisoning him for disobeying orders, but ultimately his request was granted. And when his unit was thrown into the bloodiest battle of the Pacific Theater, the operation to capture Okinawa, Doss singlehandedly saved the lives of 75 men and became the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

Doss’ story is one of almost supernatural courage, and it should be examined in a way to allow viewers to gain insight into a very compassionate and unique man. And hopefully we would come away from his story with a sense of Doss in ourselves, no matter how meager. But “Hacksaw Ridge’s” director, Mel Gibson (“Braveheart,” “The Passion of

the Christ”), is a man who’s known more for his excess and masochism than subtlety and examination (oh, what Spielberg could have done with this script!)

So essentially anything that isn’t a battle scene in this film is undeveloped (and overacted), and you can tell that Gibson is speeding along so he can get to the good stuff. We meet Doss as a child, see his faith congeal, and see how his abusive father (the painful-to-watch Hugo Weaving) shaped his views on the world. As a young man, Doss meets a pretty nurse (Teresa Palmer) and the two are soon engaged, but their bliss is interrupted as Doss’ sense of duty propels him to enlist over his family’s objections.

It’s all quite melodramatic and cheesy, but then the film dips into parody as Doss finds himself in a barracks with guys nicknamed Brooklyn, Tex, Hollywood and Smitty, where his pacifist views don’t mesh well with his new comrades. He runs afoul of Sgt. Howell, (Vince Vaughn doing a lame R. Lee Ermey impression), and he confounds the company commander, Capt. Glover (Sam Worthington).

All these characters and exposition are merely set dressing for the big bloodbath to come, and it could not feel more hollow and rushed.

Gibson wants you to know that war is hell, and he’s not afraid to show you some truly disgusting and terrifying imagery to get the point across.

Quite honestly, it’s the most graphic war movie I’ve ever seen, but you can tell Mel’s way too into it. Each exploding head, each severed limb, each charred and twisted corpse is presented with a breathlessness borne not of reverence for sacrifice but pure pornography. It’s graphic, shocking and almost gleeful, and all it does is cheapen the message (there’s even a Wilhelm scream mixed into the din of one firefight).

Desmond Doss died in 2006 at age 87. He remained a devout, humble man his whole life, and never traded on his heroism. I think he would be saddened by how his story of compassion, courage and faith was merely the framework on which this schlocky and hokey film was hung. War is hell — that should never be in doubt. But all that hell and horror is nothing without reverence. “Hacksaw Ridge” only has one of those two things, and Desmond Doss deserves better.

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

JACK REACHER 2

“J

ack Reacher”, that film you may vaguely remember hearing about back in 2012, got a sequel. So how is this star-driven crime thriller sequel that no one was really asking for? Pretty much what you’d expect: fine, formulaic, and forgettable. Tom Cruise returns as the titular Reacher, a former military cop turned itinerant vigilante who makes his way across the county from seedy motel to rundown roadside café, fighting injustice “his way.” When he’s not doing his offthe-grid defender thing, he’s flirting over the phone with the woman (Colbie Smulders) who took over his position. When he finally arrives in D.C. to meet her, he discovers that his wouldbe lady love has just been arrested for espionage. Naturally, Reacher breaks her out, and the two fugitives find themselves at the center of a conspiracy plot involving the big baddie of the tarnished GWOT era, a military contractor. The production has a certain level of quality to it, and director Edward Zwick (“Glory,” “The Last Samurai”) has some chops. Yet it lacks personality or distinctiveness, and it fails to kick the fledgling franchise into high gear. For anyone outside of Reacher’s readers (the film is based on the popular 21-novel-strong series by Lee Child), this is simply standard genre fare elevated by Cruise. Because no matter how you may feel about Cruise IRL, his commitment to a role is truly unparalleled. It’s like he really is doing God’s work, and for a few moments — especially after he flashes that trademark smile — you just might be convinced of it too.

THE ACCOUNTANT

“T

he Accountant”, a thriller starring Ben Affleck (America’s least-favorite Batman) is a film that has no idea what it wants to be. Is it a standard thriller?

A corporate espionage whodunit? An Autism message film?

A dysfunctional family saga? After watching it, you won’t be sure, and the sheer number of storylines thrown at you in the two-plus hours it takes to get through it will leave you bewildered and disappointed yet also a little impressed.

Because this is a movie that takes itself so seriously, you will be tricked in to taking it seriously too. Ben Affleck is this accountant, see? And he’s a high-functioning autistic one who’s not only great with numbers but also a trained assassin. Wolff works as a small-town CPA to prevent exposure and lives in a mundane suburban ranch, but when he’s not helping Midwestern housewives, he’s gallivanting around the world performing accounting feats for the world’s shadiest organizations. But instead of helping bleach the books of a drug cartel or terror network, Wolff’s latest job is finding missing funds at a robotics company, which somehow ends up proving just as dangerous. “The Accountant” isn’t a colossal failure, or even one that anyone will remember. It’s just overloaded, underperformed, and asks that the viewer take its word for everything.

Northern Express Weekly • november 14, 2016 • 23

nitelife

nov 12 - nov 20 edited by jamie kauffold

Send Nitelife to: events@traverseticker.com

Manistee, Wexford & Missaukee

• 522 - MANISTEE Tues. -- Karaoke Thurs., Fri., Sat. -- DJ • BUCKLEY BAR - BUCKLEY Fri. -- DJ Karaoke/Sounds - Duane & Janet • CADILLAC SANDS RESORT Porthole Pub & Eatery: Thurs. -- Live music

SandBar Niteclub: Fri. & Sat. -- Phattrax DJs Fri. -- Karaoke/line dancing, 8:30 Sat. -- Dance videos, 8:30 • COYOTE CROSSING - HOXEYVILLE Thurs. -- Open Mic Sat. -- Live Music • DOUGLAS VALLEY WINERY MANISTEE

Sun. -- Live music, 1:30-4:30pm • HI-WAY INN - MANISTEE Wild Weds. -- Karaoke Fri.-Sat. -- Karaoke/Dance • LOST PINES LODGE - HARRIETTA Sat. -- Karaoke, dance videos

Grand Traverse & Kalkaska • ACOUSTIC TAP ROOM - TC 11/12 -- Andre Villoch, 7-9 11/19 -- Andre Villoch, 7-9 Tues. -- Open & un-mic'd w/ Ben Johnson, 7-9 • BONOBO WINERY - TC 11/18 -- Turbo Pup, 6-8 • BUD'S - INTERLOCHEN Thurs. -- Jim Hawley, 5-8 • FANTASY'S - GRAWN Adult Entertainment w/ DJ • GT RESORT & SPA - ACME Lobby: 11/12 -- John Pomeroy, 7-11 11/18-19 -- Blake Elliott, 7-11 • HAYLOFT INN - TC Thurs. -- Open mic night by Roundup Radio Show, 8 Fri. - Sat. thru Nov. -- The Cow Puppies • HORIZON BOOKS - TC 11/18 -- Songwriters in the Round w/ Dan Kelchak, Doug Zernow & Kirby, 8:30-10:30 • LEFT FOOT CHARLEY - TC Mon. -- Open mic w/ Blake Elliott, 6-9 • LITTLE BOHEMIA - TC Tues. -- TC Celtic, 7-9 • NORTH PEAK - TC Kilkenny's, 9:30-1:30: 11/11-12 -- Honesty & Liars 11/18-19 -- Brett Mitchell Mon. -- Team Trivia Night, 7-9; karaoke, 9-1 Tues. -- Levi Britton, 8-12 Weds. -- The Pocket, 8-12 Thurs. -- 2 Bays DJs, 9:301:30 Sun. -- Geeks Who Drink Trivia, 7-9

• OLIVES & WINE - TC 11/16 -- Blair Miller, 6-9 11/17 -- Turbo Pup, 7-10 • PARK PLACE HOTEL - TC Beacon Lounge: Mon. -- Levi Britton, 8:30pm Thurs. - Sat. -- Tom Kaufmann • PARKSHORE LOUNGE - TC Fri. - Sat. -- DJ • RARE BIRD BREWPUB - TC 11/12 -- The Crane Wives, 9 11/14 -- Open Mic/Artist Night, 7:30 • SAIL INN - TC Thurs. & Sat. -- Phattrax DJs, karaoke, dance videos • SIDE TRAXX - TC Weds. -- Impaired Karaoke, 10 Fri.-Sat. -- DJ/VJ Mike King • SLEDER'S FAMILY TAVERN - TC 11/13 -- Izzy & the Catastrophics, 4 • STREETERS - TC Ground Zero: 11/12 -- Girls Night Out - The Show, 9; After Party w/ DJ Sweet-N-Low 11/19 -- LOCASH w/ Drew Hale & The Whiskey Rebels, 8 • STUDIO ANATOMY - TC 11/18 -- Dude Man Sir, The Good Die Young, Parsec, The Droogs, 8 11/19 -- Comedy Night, 9 • TAPROOT CIDER HOUSE - TC Tues. -- Turbo Pup, 7-9 Weds. -- Open mic, 7-9 Thurs. -- G-Snacks, 7-9 Fri. -- Rob Coonrod, 7-9

Sat. -- Chris Dark, 7-9 • THE OL' SOUL - KALKASKA Weds. -- David Lawston, 8-12 • THE PARLOR - TC 11/15 -- Clint Weaner, 7:30 • THE WORKSHOP BREWING CO. - TC 11/12 -- Big Dudee Roo, 8-11 11/17 -- Drew Hale, 7-10 11/18 -- E-Minor & Her Full Band, 8-11 11/19 -- Matt Haeck, 8-11 Mon. -- Rotten Cherries Comedy Open Mic, 8-9:30 Weds. -- WBC Jazz Society Jam, 6-10 • TRATTORIA STELLA - TC Tues. -- Ron Getz, 6-9 • UNION STREET STATION TC 11/12 -- Everyday Junior 11/14 -- Jukebox 11/15 -- Open mic w/ Chris Sterr 11/16 -- 2 Bays DJs 11/17 -- Oh Brother Big Sister 11/18 -- Happy hour w/ Shavy & Friends, then The Lucas Paul Band 11/19 -- The Lucas Paul Band Sun. -- Karaoke • WEST BAY BEACH RESORT - TC Tues. -- Sweetwater Blues Night, 7-9:30 View: Thurs. -- Jazz w/ Jeff Haas Trio, 7-9:30; NMC Jazz Big Band joins on 11/10

Antrim & Charlevoix • BC TAPROOM -- BC 11/12 -- Under the Moon, 8-11 11/18 -- Pete Kehoe, 8-11 11/19 -- Sean Bielby, 8-11 • BRIDGE STREET TAP ROOM - CHARLEVOIX 11/12 -- Jabo Bihlman, 8-11 11/13 -- Chris Calleja, 6-9 11/15 -- Sean Bielby, 7-10 11/18 -- Ben Overbeek, 8-11 11/19 -- Eric Jaqua, 8-11 11/20 -- Pete Kehoe, 6-9 • CELLAR 152 - ELK

RAPIDS 11/12 -- Jim Moore, 7:309:30 11/18 -- Jeff Brown, 7:309:30 • JORDAN INN - EAST JORDAN Tues. -- Open Mic w/ Cal Mantis, 7-11 Fri. & Sat. -- Live Music • MURRAY'S BAR & GRILL - EAST JORDAN Fri. & Sat. -- Live Music • QUAY RESTAURANT & TERRACE BAR CHARLEVOIX Weds. -- Live jazz, 7-10

• RED MESA GRILL BOYNE CITY 11/15 -- Buddha Sweet, 6-9 • SHORT'S BREWING CO. - BELLAIRE 11/12 -- Roosevelt Diggs, 8:30-11 11/18 -- Benjaman James, 8:30-11 11/19 -- Fauxgrass, 810:30 • VASQUEZ' HACIENDA ELK RAPIDS Acoustic Tues. Open Jam, 6-9 Sat. -- Live music, 7-10

24 • November 14, 2016 • Northern Express Weekly

Assembling in the "common pursuit of musical exploration & creativity," Turbo Pup plays various TC venues: Taproot Cider House on Tues., Nov. 15 at 7pm; Olives & Wine on Thurs., Nov. 17 at 7pm; & Bonobo Winery on Fri., Nov. 18 at 6pm. Photo by Myrna Jacobs.

Leelanau & Benzie • BELLA FORTUNA NORTH - L.L. Fri.-Sat. -- Bocce e DeRoche, 7-10 • BLACK STAR FARMS - SB Third Weds. of ea. mo. -- Jazz Café w/ Mike Davis & Steve Stargardt, 7-9 • DICK'S POUR HOUSE - L.L. Sat. -- Karaoke, 10-2 • JODI'S TANGLED ANTLER BEULAH Fri. -- Karaoke, 9-1 • LAKE ANN BREWING CO. 6:30: 11/15 -- North Carolines • LAUGHING HORSE -

THOMPSONVILLE Thurs. -- Karaoke, 9 • LEELANAU SANDS CASINO - PESHAWBESTOWN Tues. -- Polka Party, noon-4pm • LUMBERJACK'S BAR & GRILL - HONOR Thurs., Fri., Sat. -- Phattrax DJs, karaoke, dance videos • MARTHA'S LEELANAU TABLE - SB Weds. -- The Windy Ridge Boys, 6-9 Sun. -- The Hot Biscuits, 6-9 • ROADHOUSE - BENZONIA Weds. -- Jake Frysinger, 5-8 • ST. AMBROSE CELLARS -

BEULAH 11/12 -- B-Side Growlers, 6-9 11/18 -- Jen Sygit, 6-9 11/19 -- Laurie Sears Jazz Duo, 6-9 Tues. -- Speakeasy Open Mic Night, 6-8 • STORMCLOUD BREWING CO. - FRANKFORT 11/12 -- Dot Org, 8-10 11/18 -- Oh Brother Big Sister, 8-10 11/19 -- Ben Pervier, 8-10 • WESTERN AVE. GRILL GLEN ARBOR Fri. -- Open Mic Sat. -- Karaoke

Emmet & Cheboygan • BARREL BACK RESTAURANT - WALLOON LAKE VILLAGE Weds. -- Michelle Chenard, 5-8 • BEARDS BREWERY PETOSKEY Weds. -- "Beards on Wax" (vinyl only night spun by DJ J2xtrubl), 8-11 • CAFE SANTE - BOYNE CITY 11/12 -- Ben Overbeek, 8-11 11/17 -- Nelson Olstrom, 6-9 11/18 -- Mike Boss, 8-11 11/19 -- Davey O, 8-11 Mon. -- Nathan Bates, 6-9 • CITY PARK GRILL PETOSKEY 11/12 -- 3 Hearted, 10 11/15 -- Duffy King, 9

11/18 -- DJ Franck & Oonst Oonst Oonst, 10 Sun. -- Trivia The Annex: 11/19 -- Karaoke, 10 • DIXIE SALOON - MACKINAW CITY Thurs. -- Gene Perry, 9-1 Fri. & Sat. -- DJ • KNOT JUST A BAR - BAY HARBOR Fri. -- Chris Martin, 7-10 • MOUNTAINSIDE GRILL BOYNE CITY Fri. -- Ronnie Hernandez, 6-9 • OASIS TAVERN - KEWADIN Thurs. -- Bad Medicine, DJ Jesse James

• ODAWA CASINO - PETOSKEY 11/12 -- Mother Brothers, 8 11/18 -- Chris Koury, 8 11/19 -- The Brooks Band, 8 Ovation Hall: 11/12 -- Lee Greenwood, 8 • STAFFORD'S PERRY HOTEL - PETOSKEY Noggin Room: 11/12 -- Sweet Tooth 11/18 -- A Brighter Bloom 11/19 -- Alex Mendenall • STAFFORD'S PIER RESTAURANT - HS Pointer Room: Thurs. - Sat. -- Carol Parker on piano

Otsego, Crawford & Central • ALPINE TAVERN GAYLORD 11/18 -- Jim Akans, 7-10 11/19 -- Mike Ridley, 7-10 • DEAD BEAR BREWING CO. - GRAYLING 11/12 -- Reese Janisse 11/18 -- Jake Allen

11/19 -- Lou Thumser • MAIN STREET MARKET GAYLORD 11/11-12 -- Acoustic Bonzo 11/18 -- Zeke Clemmons 11/19 -- Lee Dyer Thurs. -- Open mic, 7-9 • TIMOTHY'S PUB -

GAYLORD Fri.-Sat. -- Video DJ w/Larry Reichert Ent. • TREETOPS RESORT GAYLORD Hunter's Grille: Thurs. through Sat. -- Live music w/ Late Night, 9

the ADViCE GOddESS Mothership Of Fools

Q

: This will sound crazy, but…should I tell my girlfriend, the love of my life, that I was abducted by aliens? It happened a long time ago, and I have no proof — just my own recollection. Yes, it could’ve been a dream, but even so, it changed how I see things and opened me up to new possibilities. My girlfriend is a schoolteacher and probably wouldn’t believe me. Whether she’d still stay with me, I don’t know. I want to be completely honest with her. Is that crazy?

— UFO-napped

A

: Strange how nobody ever manages to shoot video when there’s an alien spaceship in the vicinity — perhaps because they’re too busy recording that guy, two traffic lanes over, who’s picking his nose.

Like you, science historian and Skeptic magazine founder Michael Shermer felt like he had a little meet-’n’-greet with some outer space dudes. However, he realized that his supposed abduction was just the effects of “sleep deprivation and physical exhaustion” because he had just cycled 83 straight hours in a bike-athlon.

This — mixed with a “distant memory” of a TV episode about aliens taking over the earth — made for what Shermer calls “nothing more than a bizarre hallucination.”

Shermer notes that UFOs and alien abductions are “1. unaccepted by most people in astronomy, exobiology” and SETI (the search for extraterrestrial intelligence), “2. extremely unlikely (although not logically impossible), and 3. … largely based on anecdotal and uncorroborated evidence.”

However, Shermer explains, “the human capacity for self-delusion is boundless, and the effects of belief are overpowering” — leading many people to swear that they actually did go on a ride with the little green men. As “evidence,” they’ll tell you they have really vivid “memories” — of, say, the aliens bickering: “Just put him in the trunk of your flying saucer. Nah, got all my intergalactic soccer gear in there. You take him!”

But such “memories” are probably due to what memory researcher Elizabeth Loftus and her colleagues call “imagination inflation.” This describes how repeatedly imagining an experience can, over time, lead us to forget that the particular event — “heyyy, how ‘bout them aliens!” — came out of our imagination or a dream. We can start to believe it really happened.

adviceamy@aol.com advicegoddess.com

For example, Loftus and her colleagues told research participants that a dream they’d revealed to the researchers probably meant that they’d had an upsetting experience before the age of 3, “like being bullied by an older child.”

The participants insisted that they didn’t recall anything like that. Yet, about two weeks later, many reported experiencing the bullying they were simply told about — even offering details on how they were supposedly oppressed by some other 3-year-old.

This makes sense, considering cognitive psychologist Robert Bjork’s finding that “using one’s memory shapes memory” — meaning that the more we recall something the bigger and stronger it grows in our memory. Also, in recalling some event — for ourselves or others — we have a tendency to “decorate,” adding details that can easily get merged into the particular “memory.” We quickly forget that we just threw them in to, oh, put on a good show at the alien abductee party because we were feeling all “my tinfoil hat is so last season.”

Also consider “cognitive dissonance” — the discomfort from simultaneously holding two opposing beliefs, like thinking that your worldview was transformed by UFOs while also thinking that it’s stupid to believe in UFOs. We tend to smooth out the clash by going with whichever belief works best for our ego. So, in your case, to continue believing that you’re intelligent and also not cockadoody in the head, you tell yourself that your memory of your special vacay with the 00100010111 family has to be real.

As for what to tell your girlfriend, what counts is that you had these insights — not the sense that a space alien opened your skull up with some high-tech can opener and dumped them in. If you mention the alien thing at all, explain it in light of the science on how our memory likes to dabble in fiction writing.

While you’re at it, give yourself credit for your insights. It may help to understand our brain’s “default mode” processing. Our mind doesn’t just turn off when we take a break from directed, focused thinking (like reading, studying, or pondering something). Wider neural networks take over and do subconscious background processing — gnawing on ideas and problems we’ve been working on. This can make insights seem like they came out of nowhere. But chances are, yours are a product of your mind and your real-life experience —an explanation that, sadly, lacks the panache of claiming the space dudes were going to use the anal probe on you but weren’t sure whether you could afford the copay.

“Jonesin” Crosswords

"Oh, Be Serious!"--they're seriously in there. by Matt Jones ACROSS 1 Collapsible game?

6 Chris of the “Fantastic Four” series 11 Agcy. of the Department of Health and Human Services 14 Stress, cigarettes, handing car keys to your teen, e.g.

15 1976 Olympics star Comaneci 16 Letters on a tombstone 17 Comedian Mandel, shaped like an oval?

19 Mentalist’s claim 20 “The BFG” author Roald 21 Word on some campaign signs 23 Station posting, briefly 26 Japanese buckwheat noodle 28 Also 29 Barbecue needs 31 Noted streak enders of 2016 33 “___’s Irish Rose” 36 “Who’s the Boss?” role 38 Like some news days 40 Actor Max ___ Sydow 41 Good bud 42 Indecent, or a description of this puzzle theme?

44 Abbr. at the bottom of a business letter 45 Linguistic suffix with morph or phon 46 Vehicle with its own path 47 “All in the Family” daughter 49 “New Look” designer Christian 51 Person of the Year awarder 53 “___ Wedding” (“Simpsons” episode involving a fortune-teller) 54 Place walked into, in classic jokes 56 Cash register part 58 Aloha State goose 59 Winter product also known as rock salt 62 Lacking much flavor 64 “___ G. Biv” (They Might Be Giants tune) 65 Look inward?

70 Crater Lake’s st.

71 “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” refrain 72 Geometrical findings 73 “Game of Thrones” patriarch ___ Stark

74 Hit with a stun gun 75 Justin Timberlake’s former group

DOWN 1 God, to a Rastafarian 2 I trouble?

3 Unaware of office politics, maybe 4 Pancake cooking surface 5 On the blue 6 As a group, in French 7 “Top Gun” actor Kilmer 8 Too cute for words 9 The yellow striped ball 10 Bob of “Fuller House” 11 Side of the coin that comes at no cost?

12 Platter shape 13 Abbr. in an organizer 18 Exclamations of surprise 22 Mauna ___ 23 Suffix after land or man 24 Video game company with a famous cheat code 25 Philadelphia NFLer followed his coach’s orders?

27 Steve who played Mr. Pink 30 “Just a ___ like one of us” (Joan Osborne line) 32 Word with bird or fight 34 Sea off Sicily 35 Prepare for shipping 37 “This won’t hurt ___!”

39 Water source 43 “Taste the Rainbow” candy 48 Pigs, slangily 50 Aries beast 52 Jake’s brother in blues 55 Prepare for another take 57 Country with a tree on its flag: Abbr.

59 Flatten out 60 Feature of some Ben & Jerry’s pints 61 “Return of the Jedi” princess 63 “___ example ...”

66 “Bah!” 67 “Curious George” author H.A. ___ 68 Singer Morrison 69 “Exit full screen” button

Northern Express Weekly • november 14, 2016 • 25

aSTRO

lOGY

Inspire Art Gallery Grand Opening Celebration Friday, November 18 5:30pm-8:00pm and Saturday, November 19th 10:00am-5:30pm

Many artisans will be present both days and fall themed refreshments will be served.

We are located in Studio 10 of Leelanau Studios

(Grand Traverse Regional Art Campus)

10781 East Cherry Bend Rd, Traverse City • 231-421-4472

TOY HARBOR CREATIVE & QUALITY TOYS SINCE 1984

MON-SAT 10-5:30 FRIDAY NITES ‘TIL 9 SUNDAY 11-4 SPECIAL HOLIDAY HOURS

221 E FRONT ST • DOWNTOWN TRAVERSE CITY 231-946-1131 •

BY ROB BREZSNY

ScORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Does the word “revolution”

have any useful meaning? Or has it been invoked by so many fanatics with such melodramatic agendas that it has lost its value? In accordance with your astrological omens, I suggest we give it another chance. I think it deserves a cozy spot in your life during the next few months. As for what exactly that entails, let’s call on author Rebecca Solnit for inspiration. She says, “I still think the [real] revolution is to make the world safe for poetry, meandering, for the frail and vulnerable, the rare and obscure, the impractical and local and small.”

ARIES (March 21-April 19): There is a 97

percent chance that you will NOT engage in the following activities within the next 30 days: naked skydiving, tight-rope walking between two skyscrapers, getting drunk on a mountaintop, taking ayahuasca with Peruvian shamans in a remote rural hut, or dancing ecstatically in a muddy pit of snakes. However, I suspect that you will be involved in almost equally exotic exploits -- although less risky ones -- that will require you to summon more pluck and improvisational skill than you knew you had.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): ): The Onion,

my favorite news source, reported that “It’s perfectly natural for people to fantasize about sandwiches other than the one currently in their hands.” You shouldn’t feel shame, the article said, if you’re enjoying a hoagie but suddenly feel an inexplicable yearning for a BLT or pastrami on rye. While I appreciate this reassuring counsel, I don’t think it applies to you in the coming weeks. In my opinion, you have a sacred duty to be unwaveringly faithful, both in your imagination and your actual behavior -- as much for your own sake as for others’. I advise you to cultivate an up-to-date affection for and commitment to what you actually have, and not indulge in obsessive fantasies about “what ifs.”

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I hesitate to

deliver the contents of this horoscope without a disclaimer. Unless you are an extremely ethical person with a vivid streak of empathy, you might be prone to abuse the information I’m about to present. So please ignore it unless you can responsibly employ the concepts of benevolent mischief and tricky blessings and cathartic shenanigans. Ready? Here’s your oracle: Now is a favorable time for grayer truths, wilder leaps of the imagination, more useful bullshit, funnier enigmas, and more outlandish stories seasoned with crazy wisdom.

CANCER June 21-July 22): Kavachi is an

underwater volcano in the Southwest Pacific Ocean. It erupts periodically, and in general makes the surrounding water so hot and acidic that human divers must avoid it. And yet some hardy species live there, including crabs, jellyfish, stingrays, and sharks. What adaptations and strategies enable them to thrive in such an extreme environment? Scientists don’t know. I’m going to draw a comparison between you and the resourceful creatures living near Kavachi. In the coming weeks, I bet you’ll flourish in circumstances that normal people might find daunting.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Seventeenth-century

26 • November 14, 2016 • Northern Express Weekly

NOV 14 - NOV 20

British people used the now-obsolete word “firktytoodle.” It meant “cuddling and snuggling accompanied by leisurely experiments in smooching, fondling, licking, and sweet dirty talk.”

The coming weeks will be prime time for you to carry out extensive experiments in this activity. But here’s an interesting question: Will the near future also be a favorable phase for record levels of orgasmic release? The answer: maybe, but IF AND ONLY if you pursue firkytoodle as an end in itself; IF AND ONLY IF you relish the teasing and playing as if they were ultimate rewards, and don’t relegate them to being merely preliminary acts for pleasures that are supposedly bigger and better. P.S. These same principles apply not just to your intimate connections, but to everything else in your life, as well. Enjoying the journey is as important as reaching a destination.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Here’s an experiment

worth trying: Reach back into the past to find a remedy for what’s bugging you now. In other words, seek out on an old, perhaps even partially forgotten influence to resolve a current dilemma that has resisted your efforts to master it. This is one time when it may make good sense to temporarily resurrect a lost dream. You could energize your future by drawing inspiration from possibilities that might have been but never were.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): By the time he died

at the age of 87 in 1983, free thinker Buckminster Fuller had licensed his inventions to more than 100 companies. But along the way, he often had to be patient as he waited for the world to be ready for his visionary creations. He was ahead of his time, dreaming up things that would be needed before anyone knew they’d be needed. I encourage you to be like him in the coming weeks, Libra. Try to anticipate the future. Generate possibilities that people are not yet ripe to accept, but will eventually be ready to embrace.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “We all

have ghosts inside us, and it’s better when they speak than when they don’t,” wrote author Siri Hustvedt. The good news, Sagittarius, is that in recent weeks your personal ghosts have been discoursing at length. They have offered their interpretation of your life’s central mysteries and have provided twists on old stories you thought you had all figured out. The bad news is that they don’t seem to want to shut up. Also, less than 25% of what they have been asserting is actually true or useful. But here’s the fantastic news: Those ghosts have delivered everything you need to know for now, and will obey if you tell them to take an extended vacation.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In the film Bruce Almighty, Morgan Freeman plays the role of God, and Capricorn actor Jim Carrey is a frustrated reporter named Bruce Nolan. After Nolan bemoans his rocky fate and blames it on God’s ineptitude, the Supreme Being reaches out by phone. (His number is 716-776-2323.) A series of conversations and negotiations ensues, leading Nolan on roller-coaster adventures that ultimately result in a mostly happy ending. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you Capricorns will have an unusually high chance of making fruitful contact with a Higher Power or Illuminating Source in the coming weeks. I doubt that 716-7762323 is the right contact information. But if you trust your intuition, I bet you’ll make the connection.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Some spiders

are both construction workers and artists. The webs they spin are not just strong and functional, but also feature decorative elements called “stabilimenta.” These may be as simple as zigzags or as complex as spiral whorls. Biologists say the stabilimenta draw prey to specific locations, help the spider hide, and render the overall stability of the web more robust. As you enter the web-building phase of your cycle, Aquarius, I suggest that you include your own version of attractive stabilimenta. Your purpose, of course, is not to catch prey, but to bolster your network and invigorate your support system. Be artful as well as practical. (Thanks to Mother Nature Network’s Jaymi Heimbuch for info on stabilimenta.)

PIScES (Feb. 19-March 20): “Aren’t there

parts of ourselves that are just better left unfed?” asked Piscean author David Foster Wallace.

I propose that we make that one of your two keynotes during the next four weeks. Here’s a second keynote: As you become more and more skilled at not fueling the parts of yourself that are better left unfed, you will have a growing knack for identifying the parts of yourself that should be well-fed. Feed them with care and artistry!

e/ r/ e

NORTHERN EXPRESS

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Northern Express Weekly • november 14, 2016 • 27

28 • November 14, 2016 • Northern Express Weekly