Top Ten

this week’s top ten

Take a Hike, History

It’s (finally) starting to feel like spring around here, and just in time. On Friday, May 6, the Harbor Springs Area Historical Society is hosting a “Natural Harbor Springs” walking tour starting at 1pm. Doug Fuller, former director of stewardship at the Little Traverse Conservancy, will take hikers on a guided tour through the natural history of Harbor Springs to learn about the bluffs, sand spits, and water features that make this part of the North such a gorgeous place to live and visit. Along the way, you’ll travel through the trails of the Naas, Mauger, Raunecker, and Leslie Nature Preserve. Keep in mind, this 3-mile hike takes a little less than three hours to complete, so you’ll want to wear your comfy shoes and pack snacks and water for the walk. Visit harborspringshistory.org/events or call (231) 526-9771 to register ($10 per person). Slots are filling up fast, so if you can’t make the May 6 date, they’ll be back on the trails May 20 for a second tour!

2 tastemaker Cooking for Kiddos

Put your kids to work in the kitchen at Vita Bella Italian Kitchen and Market’s Kids Cooking Class in downtown Frankfort on Sunday, May 1, at 11am. They’ll learn how to cook homemade pizza and pasta—fresh sauce included—so you can bring easy recipes home! Cost is $30, and kids under 12 must have an adult present with them. Reserve your spot at vitabellakitchen.com/classes.

4

Hey, watch It! Severance

In case you needed a reason to subscribe to Apple TV+ other than to catch historic Oscar Best Picture Winner CODA, let it be Severance. From actor-turned-director Ben Stiller comes a funny, chilling, and captivating look at perhaps the ultimate attempt to achieve work/life balance. A psychological thriller of corporate horror, it follows Mark (a brilliant Adam Scott) who has undergone a procedure that separates his work memories from his outside self. Mark and a compelling gang of oddball co-workers including John Turturro, Christopher Walken, and Patricia Arquette begin to question what their outer selves are really like and what exactly the company is up to. Slowly building to some of the most satisfying and unsettling episodes of television of the decade, this is a television workplace unlike anything you’ve ever seen.

5

Moomers’ Super Kid!

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s…SUPER KID! It’s the latest flavor to come out of the kitchen at Moomers Homemade Ice Cream, and its April debut is no accident. The Traverse City-based cool spot crafted the heavy-on-the-sprinkles concoction for kids in recognition of National Child Abuse Month. Moomers been dedicating proceeds of each scoop sold to Traverse Bay Children’s Advocacy Center, the nonprofit that provides free abuse-prevention training to organizations, plus intervention and counseling services to child abuse victims around the North. The only thing that could make this ice cream any better? Pie. And cookies. And muffins. Thankfully, Grand Traverse Pie Company is also in on the cause, donating to TBCAC 25 cents of every single baked good sold in April. Before April ends, pitch in for the kids in your community: Visit Moomer’s at 7263 N. Long Lake Road in Traverse City (open 11am to 9pm daily) and GT Pie, which has two locations in Traverse City, 525 West Front St. (open 8am to 6pm Monday through Saturday) and 101 N. Park St. (open 9am to 4pm Tuesday through Saturday). 4 • april 25, 2022 • Northern Express Weekly

6 Your Weekend Is

Booked

Saturday, April 30, is Independent Bookstore Day, a national celebration of the hometown stores that connect us with the written word. These are the shops that bring authors to your town, find that rare book you can’t get on eBay, and employ literature lovers in your community. Independent Bookstore Day is the perfect time to stock up on your summer beach reads or thrillers to read around a late-night bonfire. Bookstores across the North will have various giveaways, prizes, raffles, and discounts to encourage folks to shop local and dive into a good story. For ease of shopping, here is a non-exhaustive list of bookstores open April 30 in our region: Horizon Books (Traverse City and Cadillac); Brilliant Books (Traverse City); McLean and Eakin (Petoskey); Between the Covers (Harbor Springs); Round Lake Bookstore (Charlevoix); Leelanau Books (Leland); Bay Books (Suttons Bay); Cottage Book Shop (Glen Arbor); The Bookstore (Frankfort); Happy Owl Bookshop (Manistee). Check with your town’s bookseller to see how they are participating.

Stuff We Love: Shrinking Shrink-Wrap Pollution

Have an opinion? Write about it!

Northern Express is seeking one or two new guest opinion writers for 2022 and beyond. Our opinion columnists are passionate, experienced writers who are connected to our communities and also have an understanding about how northern Michigan’s issues fit into larger national and global conversations. We’re looking for an array of backgrounds, perspectives, and politics to make sure our columns reflect the people and conversations in our community. (We’d love to find someone who lives outside the Grand Traverse region, as we have that beat well covered!) Keep in mind, these columns aren’t about you or your work, but about broader issues and questions affecting our area. If you think you have the writing chops and the time to write 4-5 columns per year, send an email to info@northernexpress.com with your name, town, writing credentials, and a brief writing sample or relevant links to show us your work. We look forward to your opinion!

Dear Mom,

H

Now offering thoughtful gifts for Mother's Day. Buzz in or shop online!

A sure sign of spring: boats around the North breaking free of their shrink-wrap cocoons. Before you start stripping off your lake baby’s plastic winter-wear this year, consider checking in first with Dr. Shrink, the “global shrink-wrap giant” based in Manistee. For just $7, you’ll get a recycling bag ripe for the stuffing with marine shrink-wrap that you can deliver directly to a registered drop-off location near you. Rather than heading into a landfill, that wrap will be destined for a new life, perhaps as composite decking. You must first register for the 2022 Recycling Run Marine Plastic Recycling program (free). The form to register and order your bag, as well as a very simple how-to video, are all available at dr-shrink.com. The program, which runs until June 1, is part of a partnership between Michigan Recycling Coalition, EGLE, Bay Area Recycling for Charities, and Emmet County Recycling, any of which can point you to a participating drop-off location.

bottoms up MI Brew’s Bee’s Knees

While warm weather in northern Michigan is only starting to arrive, there’s no reason we can’t all be on a white sand beach if we squint hard enough, and the image gets a little clearer when accompanied by a handmade cocktail. This is where Grayling’s Michigan Brew comes in. Founded in 2021 by Centre Street Café’s Scott Mersereau-Kempf and management veteran Matthew B. Shaw, this specialty coffee shop-meets-craft bar features rotating beverage menus built around Michigan-made ingredients. From their freshly-concocted spring selections, the Bee’s Knees cocktail is a no-brainer. A botanic twist on a barroom classic, this sweet-and-tart beverage begins with the white floral and citrus blend of High Five Spirits’ Petoskey Stone Gin. Finished with fresh-squeezed lemon juice and Northwoods’ lavender simple syrup, this springtime essential is served with dehydrated lemon and locally-grown lavender. Top it off with a raw honey stick, and all that’s missing is the cocktail umbrella—and maybe some sun. $11 at Michigan Brew. 106 E. Michigan Avenue, Grayling, (989) 348-2739, mibrewgrayling.com