Northern Express is a communitycentered paper that covers local people, places, entertainment, and news. We invite letters to the editor that also address issues in northern Michigan, whether that’s local policies, changes in your community, art and education, or hot topics like housing, tourism, and the environment (just to name a few). If it touches northern Michigan, it is something we want to share! We also welcome letters “in conversation” with any stories, columns, and other letters published in Northern Express.
Letters must be civil, 300 words or fewer, and submitted no more than once per month per person. Letters will be edited for clarity, and letters or portions may be omitted due to space or issues with questionable facts/citations or privacy. We do not print letters that have been sent to or published in other media. To have your letter included, please provide your full name and city of residence in northern Michigan.
columns & stuff
Traverse City
Express Weekly is published by Eyes Only Media, LLC.
Publisher: Luke Haase PO Box 4020 Traverse City, Michigan 49685 Phone: (231) 947-8787 Fax: 947-2425 email: info@northernexpress.com www.northernexpress.com
Editor: Jillian Manning
Finance Manager: Libby Shutler
Distribution Manager: Roger Racine
Sales: Lisa Gillespie, Kaitlyn Nance, Michele Young, Todd Norris, Abby Walton Porter, Caroline Bloemer For ad sales in Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Boyne & Charlevoix, call (231) 838-6948
Cover photo: Photos by Megan Renae Studios
Creative Director: Kyra Cross Poehlman
Distribution: Marc Morris, Gerald Morris, Dave Anderson, Joe Evancho, Jason Ritter, Sherri Ritter, Roger Racine, Sarah Racine, Brandy Grames, Rachel Cara, Jackson Price, Lisa Price, Peggy Bell
Listings Editor: Jamie Kauffold
Contributors: Ren Brabenec, Geri Dietze, Anna Faller, Kierstin Gunsberg, Abby McKiernan, Stephen Tuttle, Greg Tasker
Copyright 2024, 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.
SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
Keep your letter to 300 words or less, send no more than one per month, include your name/address/phone number, understand it may be further edited. That’s it.
Email info@northernexpress.com and hit send!
this week’s
top ten
Winter Dance Party Arts, Crafts, and Creative Fun
Feeling funky? May Erlewine is! You know this NoMi singersongwriter as a folk and Americana artist, but since 2016, she’s also been the frontwoman of The Motivations, self-described as “a seven-piece dance-party funk band that dishes up boogie jams and classic soul cuts.” The Motivations are headed to The Alluvion in Traverse City for a Winter Dance Party Dec. 14 and 15 from 7:30-10pm. (Doors open at 7pm.)
While there will be some barstools and chairs available, note that this is a dancing show and not a typical seated event…so wear your comfy dancing shoes! The Dec. 14 show is already sold out, so get tickets while you can; $40 in advance at thealluvion.org/tickets or $45 at the door. Dance all night at 414 East Eighth Street in TC.
Celebrate the season with a holiday-themed workshop at Crooked Tree Arts Center. The Kids’ Holiday Art Camp (Dec. 14 in Traverse City, grades 1-3 at 9:30am and grades 3-5 at 1pm) is a cozy, hands-on way to embrace the magic of the holidays and spend quality time creating. This week, grown-ups can also drop in at the Life Drawing open studio (Dec. 10, 6-9pm), and artists of all ages and abilities can attend Art Able (Dec. 12, 5:30-6:30pm). See more at crookedtree.org/events/traverse-city
4
Hey, watch It! The Day of the Jackal
Eddie Redmayne is always branching out. He’s a multi-Tony-award-winning stage actor. An Oscarwinner for his role as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. He’s starred in the Fantastic Beasts series. He’s played a serial killer in The Good Nurse. He’s modeled for Burberry and Prada. And now he’s stepping into the shoes of an assassin called “the Jackal” in The Day of the Jackal, a 1971 political thriller (with a 1973 film adaption) reimagined for the modern age. The Jackal is being hunted by a British intelligence officer played by Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel, No Time to Die, Bob Marley: One Love), who is determined to bring him to justice. But predator and prey switch back and forth as these two sleuth and shoot their way across Europe. The miniseries is now streaming on Peacock.
It’s our annual Pets Issue, so we’ll take a break from human food for this week’s Tastemaker with the help of our friends at Dog Bakery by Pets Naturally in Traverse City. ’Tis the season, and these pup-friendly snacks are just right to celebrate. The limited edition treats for December include a 5-inch “Beefed-Up” Hanukkah Bone ($5.99), which is coated with yogurt and carob candy to get its beautiful blue hue. There are also 10 Christmas themed options to choose from, ranging from $2.39 for a Santa Paws Cookie to $8.49 for the jumbo size Naughty/Nice Dog Bone. Or go for the win with the Christmas Howl-iday Gift Box ($14.99) with four decorated and 10 undecorated cookies. To order, head to dogbakeryonline.com, call (231) 932-2045, or visit 1117 W. South Airport Rd, Suite A in Traverse City.
Photo by Michael Poehlman Photography
We don’t have five golden rings, but we do have five holiday shows to catch this week! The Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra will perform Handel’s Messiah by candlelight Dec. 12 and 13. (Tickets $35-$65; greatlakescfa.org) Also in the orchestral land, Gaylord Community Orchestra plays their 2024 Christmas concert on Dec. 14 at 7pm. (Tickets: $15; gaylordorchestra.org) Dec. 13-21, Old Town Playhouse in Traverse City puts on The Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon, a holiday rom-com parody. (Tickets: $20$33; oldtownplayhouse.com) Meanwhile, OTP’s Young Company presents a seasonal music revue with “Holiday Cabaret” Dec. 13 and 14. (Tickets: $12-$21; oldtownplayhouse.com) And last but not least is “A Special Christmas,” a full length story production told through dance in collaboration between Northern Lights Dance Academy and Cadillac Classical Arts Company Dec. 14 and 15. (Tickets: $12; dancenlda.com)
If you’ve spent time walking, driving, shopping, or living along Eighth Street in Traverse City near the Wastewater Treatment Plant, you may have caught a whiff of something unpleasant in the air. The City of Traverse City and its partner, Jacobs, announced that several 2025 projects could help squash the stink. These projects include upgrades to the headworks portion of the plant, which “are focused on the area’s most prone to unpleasant odors and will play a role in mitigating them.” The City is also planning an odor control study for next year and is asking residents to be ready to participate to share their feedback. To learn more about the treatment plant, report an odor, and see their annual operations report, head to traversecitymi.gov/ government/city-departments/wastewater-treatment-plant/wastewater-treatment-plant.html.
On Dec. 14, you may see green wreaths and red bows going up in cemeteries in your town. These are the efforts of the folks at Wreaths Across America, a national organization whose mission statement is “Remember the fallen. Honor those who serve. Teach the next generation the value of freedom.” One way they do this is to place wreaths on the graves of veterans around the holidays. Greenwood Cemetery in Petoskey has been participating for over a decade, and over 1,750 veterans are laid to rest on their grounds. Their wreathplacing ceremony will be held at 10am on Dec. 14, with volunteers welcome to help. Donations can also be made through the end of the year to support this project. Learn more about Greenwood Cemetery’s event at gwood.us and about Wreaths Across America at wreathsacrossamerica.org.
We adore this holiday variety pack from Short’s Brewing Company for three reasons: A) the beer is terrific. Whether you’re looking for simple styles (“Thirsty for More,” a refreshing New Zealand-style lager, or “Oh-Kay,” one of the best Short’s IPAs in years) or more adventurous picks (“Junk and Rubbish,” a double chocolate stout brewed with cocoa and marshmallow, or “Silver Tuna,” a festive cranberry orange sour), this box has something for you. 2) The design is genius. Everything from the box to the individual cans pays tribute to the 1990 classic Home Alone, but does so in that familiar Short’s art style that we love so much. And D), It’s the perfect pairing for just about any holiday meal, be it Little Nero’s cheese pizza or a highly nutritious microwavable macaroni and cheese dinner. Trust us: Even your cranky Uncle Frank will love this thing. shortsbrewing.com
Photo courtesy of Northern Lights Dance Academy
spectator
By steven Tuttle
Cryptozoologists, those who study and search for animals whose existence is disputed and cannot be substantiated, are very busy these days as we “discover” more and more unusual critters. Or at least we think we do.
Alabama, for example, has some kind of albino Bigfoot they call the White Thang. Connecticut has what they call Melon Heads that some claim are the mutant, cannibalistic progeny of escapees from a long shuttered mental institution. Alaska has the abominable snowman, sometimes called a yeti, roaming their mountains and valleys. New Jersey has a Swamp Devil, West Virginia has the Mothman, and so on. Altogether, more than two dozen states have their own terrestrial cryptids, and some are even water-based.
Some people believe the monstrous New Madrid, Missouri, earthquakes of 1811 and 1812 (an initial 8.2 magnitude quake followed by a 7.4 magnitude aftershock) chased Bigfoots from hiding and dispersed them far and wide. Whatever the case, these beings have now been reported in every state but Hawai'i.
According to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), thousands of what they consider “credible” sightings have been made over the years. (They consider a “credible” sighting to be one in which the witness provides detailed information about the creature’s appearance, size, behavior, location, and local environment.) There is also a Sasquatch Genome Project, but nothing they’ve tested has thus far proven to be from a unique species.
New York state’s Finger Lakes area has a couple of water critters: Champ or Champie in Lake Champlain who has been “sighted” 300 times over the decades, and Georgie in Lake George that was acknowledged as a hoax way back in 1904 but still generates the occasional alleged appearance.
And, of course, there is plenty of this outside the U.S. Mexico has its chupacabra and Scotland has its Loch Ness Nessie, among the better known. Scotland also has the kelpie or water horse, an especially devious shape shifter.
Closer to home, we have our own alleged terror, the dreaded Dogman. In 1887, two lumbermen working in Wexford County reported they had seen a critter with the body of a dog and the head of a man, and Dogman was born. You’d think we'd have a monopoly on Dogman given the discovery in our own backyard—plus a song and three movies on the subject. Nope; Dogman has been “spotted” in Indiana and Wisconsin, and there have been more sightings in Ohio (17) than here in Michigan (9). In fact, not to be outdone, Wisconsin has their own dogman they call the Beast of Bray Road.
Which brings us to the king, or queen, of unproven beasts, Bigfoot. There was recently a Bigfoot sighting nearby right on the shores of Lake Michigan.
The first actual report of Bigfoot, or something that came to be called Bigfoot, goes way back to 1811 when British explorer David Thompson stumbled across some large footprints near what is now Jasper, Alberta, Canada. Native traditions going back centuries speak of a large creature we would likely call Bigfoot or Sasquatch or any of the other names attributed to a large, bipedal, ape-like creature wandering around the woods and mountains.
According to BFRO, if you want to see Bigfoot, you should head to Washington state, which leads the nation with more than 700 credible sightings and more than 2,000 total sightings. Michigan makes it into the top 10 with 225 sightings. The television series “Finding Bigfoot” filmed here and claimed the area around Houghton Lake was a Bigfoot hotspot.
There is a common thread to all these cryptid sightings, whether they be Bigfoot or any of the others. The same goes for UFOs and alleged extraterrestrial sightings. The problem here is there is never anything we could call proof that any of it actually exists.
Sasquatch, or whatever we choose to call the thing, has been seen all over the place all the time—BFRO reports sightings almost every day. Yet, miraculously, no Bigfoot has ever been hit by a car, never been accidentally or intentionally shot by a hunter, no body or carcass has ever been found, no limbs, no scat, no bones, no blood, no DNA, no fossils, and nothing to confirm the existence of this nearly ubiquitous creature.
We’ve never found any proof of the other critters, either. (Even those supposed whistleblowers who recently testified about our alleged involvement with extraterrestrial aliens and their technology had lots of anecdotal stories but zero actual evidence. )
Aside from the out-and-out scammers, people who report these things certainly believe they saw something, and it looked like Bigfoot or some other cryptid to them. But if these things really exist, some of us hope everyone just leaves them alone. Bigfoot isn’t bothering us, so let’s stop bothering Bigfoot.
KEEP GOING
Guest opinion
by Cathye Williams
No one who knows (or reads) me will be surprised by my disappointment in the 2024 election results. It was just months ago that this column laid out the very real concerns that many people had about Project 2025, the extreme right wing plan which, if implemented, would be a disaster for the future of clean energy and a sustainable planet.
Now we are poised on the brink of those Project 2025 strategies becoming reality, with control of all branches of the government soon to be under the party whose ideals and mission are aligned with Project 2025 and its pro-Big Oil, anti-regulatory aims. Even if we avoid the worst from happening, we are sure to see a halt and even rollback of hard-won climate and economic policies and a continued concentration of wealth and power in fossil fuel corporations and their allies in government.
Arguably the greatest successes of the Biden administration, the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, have jumpstarted energy efficiency and infrastructure projects. This legislation is already creating jobs and building resilience in American communities that were being overcome by the costly damage of floods, wildfires, heat waves, droughts, and violent storms.
Hope persists in the large percentage (6686 percent depending on the proposal) of registered voters who support climate friendly policies (Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Spring 2024. Yale University and George Mason University). In fact, in states with proenvironmental initiatives on the ballot this November, voters passed most of those that would reduce pollution and strengthen our towns and homes against the ongoing impacts of climate change and rejected those that aimed to take us backwards on climate (Inside Climate News, Nov. 2024).
Hope persists in northern Michigan, where Traverse area voters passed a $180 million bond proposal that will improve energy efficiency with upgrades to TCAPS buildings and operations (Record-Eagle Nov. 2024). Up North is also where members of the TC Presbyterian Church felt compelled by faith to protect future generations by installing LEDs, solar panels, and a new heating system. These improvements will save the church thousands annually and keep hundreds of tons of carbon out of the atmosphere, restoring creation for all.
The town’s municipal utility TC Light and Power isn’t waiting to see if elected leaders will do the right thing either. Its recently approved strategic plan was developed through “robust
There are many groups working on climate solutions. Feel welcome to add your talents to lobby, inform, and listen to people who you may not agree with.
The electoral setback could bring a serious blow to these laws that were to be the first of many steps in achieving a livable world. A blow not just for Democrats but for all the people living in the purple, red, or blue places that will continue to bear the very real cost of climate change and extreme weather events.
So how to cool a planet in the face of daunting opposition, greed, and short-sightedness by the incoming administration and Republican majority in Congress? One might look for hope, and find that hope still persists.
It persists in the state and local governments that remain committed to a decarbonized energy future. Forty-five states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and dozens of large metro areas have now developed climate action plans and will have access to billions in grants to reduce harmful pollution, build infrastructure, industry, and viable economies for a clean energy age. Over 96 percent of the U.S. population will be covered by these plans and will benefit from the clean air, improved infrastructure, and good paying jobs they will bring (EPA Press Office March 2024).
Twenty-one states are also hastening to improve the national power grid system by partnering with the federal government as part of the Modern Grid Deployment Initiative (US Department of Energy 2023).
stakeholder engagement” and includes a commitment to 100 percent renewable energy usage by 2040 and “promoting comprehensive environmental stewardship through TCLP operations targeting greenhouse gas reduction” (TCLP press release March 2024).
It is vital that we continue to support elected officials and state and local organizations doing the right thing, whatever their political affiliation. These folks see that climate friendly policies benefit local economies. Clean air and water is good for everyone: businesses, workers, and consumers.
There are many groups working on climate solutions. Feel welcome to add your talents to lobby, inform, and listen to people who you may not agree with. Whether you like to write, talk, march, cook, or connect, there is a role and a need for every type of person on this quest.
Just like Mr. Rogers’ helpers, there are climate champions all around, whether protestors, protectors, or pragmatists. Uplift their work with your time and/or money. Discover and share reliable sources of information to combat fear and misinformation. And finally, communicate respectfully with your representatives about the future you want to see for your children and grandchildren.
Cathye Williams is a local climate activist. She writes from the northern corner of Manistee County.
Suspicions Confirmed
Parents and teachers at Gosho Kodomo-en kindergarten in southwestern Japan thought for sure someone with a footwear fetish was swiping little shoes from cubbies at the school, the Associated Press reported. Police installed three cameras in the school, and on Nov. 11, zeroed in on another culprit: a weasel. "It's great it turned out not to be a human being," said Deputy Police Chief Hiroaki Inada. The stolen shoes have not been found, but the school has installed a net over the cubbies to keep the weasel, who is still on the loose, out.
Ewwwww
Los Angeles is known for many things, but perhaps its most ignominious claim to fame is being the "clogged capital" of the United States on "Brown Friday" -- the day after Thanksgiving, when plumbers nationally go out on emergency calls 65% more often than on other Fridays. Analysis by Yelp showed that plumbing-related searches went up 73% in L.A., followed by 37% in Miami, United Press International reported. Roto-Rooter said the most common problem areas were kitchen sinks, toilets and garbage disposals. Looking for a different type of pizza than the standard pepperoni or sausage? At Pizza Hut restaurants in China, customers are being offered deep-fried frogs on top of their pies, the Independent reported on Nov. 21. The pizza has a thick crust with red sauce and basil, with a whole fried bullfrog on top. The limited-time variety is being offered in a collaboration with Dungeons and Dragons and is called "Goblin Pizza."
Rude
Starting on Jan. 1, the Garden of Remembrance cemetery in Stoke-onTrent, England, will welcome visitors from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, the Stoke Sentinel reported. But should family members want to visit at other times, they'll be required to buy a VIP pass for 5 pounds (or 10 pounds, if they also want to visit the rose garden). "Now I need to pay a membership fee to visit my dad's grave," groused Jode Bourne, whose father, Mark, is buried there. "This is an absolute disgrace." A posted notice says the new rules will make "the site secure for our staff, families and visitors."
A prop gravestone for Ebenezer Scrooge, left behind after a 1984 movie adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" starring George C. Scott, was smashed on Nov. 24, the BBC reported. The cemetery next to St. Chad's Church in Shrewsbury, England, was part of the scene where Scrooge meets the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come; much of the movie was filmed there. Town council clerk Helen Ball said the stone is "in multiple pieces. I think it's one of those things that's very dear to everybody's hearts." She said the council would determine whether the stone could be repaired.
No Good Deed ...
Nigel Carter, 64, of Comrie, Perthshire, Scotland, collected 500 bikes to send to a charity in Sudan that helps people who
need cheap transportation to school or work, the BBC reported on Nov. 22. But a Scottish Environment Protection Agency inspector said the shipment could not leave the port because some of the bikes needed minor repairs, such as oil on chains and new brake cables. Carter said he found it "ludicrous" that the bikes were returned to him. A SEPA official said he had a duty to ensure that Scotland's waste was not dumped on another country, but Carter said the Sudanese charity had picked out the bikes and were happy with their condition. They will likely be returned to the recycling center where they came from and scrapped.
It's a Mystery
George Oliver of Calvert County, Maryland, often walks the beach looking for fossils, NBC News reported. As he strolled along Chesapeake Bay on Nov. 4 during low tide, he spotted a coffin in the water. Inside was a nearly whole human skeleton. Oliver removed the skeleton and dug the mostly submerged coffin out of the water. "When I first found it," he said, "you could not tell that there was human remains. You just thought that it was full of beach sand." Oliver called the sheriff's department, who called an archaeological society. Based on the construction of the coffin and the condition of the body, it's believed to be at least 100 years old. Kelcey Ward, a crime scene technician with the sheriff's office, said the skull showed signs of "a gunshot wound or blunt force trauma of some sort." The remains and coffin will be interred at a local cemetery.
The Passing Parade
Have you ever really loved a car? The Polara family of Padarshinga Village in India REALLY loved their 18-year-old Suzuki Wagon R, Oddity Central reported. They believed the hatchback to be their lucky car, so when it burned its last gallon of gas, they gave it a special sendoff: a lavish burial ceremony attended by more than 1,500 guests. The Polaras had a 15-foot-deep hole dug on their property, then had the car, covered with flowers and decorated with garlands, lowered into it as music played. The ceremony included several rituals and cost the Polaras more than $4,500. "This car was more than just a vehicle," Sanjay Polara said. "It was part of our journey toward success." He plans to plant a tree over the grave as a marker.
News You Can Use
Looking for a torture method even more sinister than sitting across from your politically outspoken cousin at the holiday dinner table? LAD Bible reported on Nov. 21 that an Italian monk, Franciscus Brunus de San Severino, described "goat's tongue" in his 1502 treatise on torture methods -- but it's not entirely clear whether the medieval practice actually took place. It involves soaking the subject's feet in saltwater, then securing them in a stock and letting a goat lick them to the point of peeling and bleeding. The torture method, which may date back to ancient Rome, could have resulted in death from infection.
HOME IS WHERE THE VET IS
Startup wants to bring in-home veterinary care Up North
By Kierstin Gunsberg
“She’s like 80 pounds but thinks she’s a lap dog,” jokes Rachel Berkal of her four-yearold goldendoodle, Penny Lane.
Named after Kate Hudson’s Almost Famous character, the caramel-colored pup was Berkal’s inspiration to create the inhome veterinary care startup Vetr Health with fiancé Sadoc Paredes and his sister/ business partner Ruby Paredes in 2022.
“Penny is the reason why we started Vetr. Without her, we wouldn’t have had the same perspective on the business,” Berkal says. “Of course I always had pets growing up, but she’s our first child, and you just experience all the things differently when you’re directly responsible for their care.”
The Comforts of Home
Like any parent knows, one of those experiences is doctor visits, which can be, well, ruff. Especially because of something Berkal calls trigger-stacking, which happens when the anxiety of wrangling pets into their carrier, sweet-talking them through the car ride, and persuading them inside the waiting room stacks so deep that, “by the time they even get back to see the veterinarian, they are level 10 freaking out.”
Skip the carriers and curbside freakouts altogether, thought Berkal and her business partners, by bringing the vet to cats and dogs in the comfort of their own homes. After a couple years of refining their business model and operating as a pilot, they officially launched Vetr Health in Grand Rapids earlier this year as a membership-based, in-home service that offers annual exams, vaccines, and lab tests.
“We’re a guest in the home. We’re giving them treats and we’re warming them up,” says Berkal, adding that their vets and techs carve out 45 minutes for each appointment. After that first home visit, clients can access Vetr’s telehealth visits.
So far, Vetr Health has enrolled 85 cats and dogs at $50 per month per pet, with discounted rates for additional pets, and plans to expand into Ann Arbor, Metro Detroit, and Traverse City in the coming year. “I would love for that all to happen in 2025,” Berkal says.
The TC Connection
This past September, Berkal and Sadoc loaded up Penny (who goes “everywhere” with them) and headed to Traverse City for the TCNewTech Pitch Competition, where Michigan-based startups showcase their business plans and vie for funding. Vetr Health landed first place and $5,000 to put towards their growth. But breaking into a rural market like northern Michigan won’t be as simple as their plans for downstate regions.
“ There’s a lot more density [downstate] for us to continue to test and to learn about our target customers, our marketing strategy, and how to share what we’re doing with the in-home care,” explains Berkal, who loves to take Penny to hit up The Little Fleet’s pet-friendly space when they are in town. “I think we’ll learn a lot in the next six months after we start getting our toes wet in the Metro Detroit area… downstate is just a better indicator of how much faster we can get up there.”
One reason they’re eager to expand to Traverse City is the influx of work-fromhome employees who moved to northern Michigan during the pandemic. Berkal says these pet owners are a purrfect fit for Vetr Health’s services, as many of their current clients enjoy the convenience of checking “vet visit” off their to-do list without leaving their home office.
Seniors, who make up nearly a quarter of Grand Traverse County’s population, and those with mobility issues are other Up North markets Vetr is aiming their services toward.
“We’re working with a lot of retirement communities and people who are living in assisted living facilities that really appreciate what we’re offering,” says Berkal.
The Partnerships
Traverse City is already home to more than a dozen veterinary clinics, but the Vetr Health founders say they’re not heading north to compete. They’ll actually need to partner with area vets to make their in-home model work since it has its limits—surgeries, even basic ones like spaying and neutering, aren’t something that Vetr can just set up in someone’s living room.
X-rays and imaging are other procedures Vetr relies on their partner clinics for. And while their services put travel-weary older pets at ease and create better accessibility for animals who have trouble getting in and out of vehicles, Vetr has to refer serious diagnoses like cancer to veterinary hospitals.
“[We’re] mostly wellness and preventative care,” says Berkal, adding that they can also handle some injuries and sick-visits. But, “We’re not a replacement for emergency veterinary care.”
For Berkal, who left a career in Corporate America to join the startup world, launching Vetr Health has been kind of like jumping
into the chilly waves of Lake Michigan (something Penny actually loves to do).
“I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. It’s really scary to leave a stable career, stable paycheck to try something when you have no idea if it will work.” But she hopes that besides providing easier access to pet care, Vetr can also become an asset to the veterinary industry, which has faced worker shortages, rising operating costs, and reports of burnout over the last few years.
Looking forward, the founders are exploring a franchise model to address those challenges. A franchise would enable existing veterinary clinics to expand into in-home
and telehealth using Vetr Health’s platform. It would also help to loosen up tight schedules by funneling some appointments over to telehealth. Meanwhile franchisees could reduce certain operating costs, like lab fees, which Vetr curtails by sending tests off to their in-house lab, co-founded by Sadoc and Ruby prior to Vetr’s launch.
“Our goal is to not only improve the lives of pets but to improve the lives of veterinary professionals,” Berkal says. “We want to give them a path to practice veterinary medicine that is going to be better for their mental health, their work-life balance, and for them to make the money that they’re worth.”
YOUR WINTER OUTFIT
Rachel, Sadoc, and Penny exploring the UP.
RAISING DEAF DOGS
Northern Express writer spends the weekend learning how to train four-legged friends who can’t hear
By Ren Brabenec
When I slammed the door of my Jeep and stepped onto the path leading to my friend’s house, the first thing I noticed was that the dogs on her porch didn’t wake at the sound of my car door.
Then I remembered. Katie’s dogs are deaf.
Katie Bott, who lives with her husband on a picturesque East Bay Township parcel affectionately called “The Bott Plot,” specializes in raising and training deaf dogs. The two pups sleeping on her porch weren’t the first dogs she’d adopted, and they certainly won’t be the last.
“Their names are Artemis and Icarus,” Katie had said to me earlier, revealing her penchant for Greek mythology and her admiration for two creatures she’d found worthy of celestial monikers.
As I approached the house, I noticed the dogs had large collars with grayish rectangular devices affixed to them, similar to the beepers I’d seen on hunting hounds in the Upper Peninsula. Later, Katie explained to me that the devices produce remotecontrolled vibrations and, combined with sign language, serve as a training model that easily overcomes canine hearing disabilities.
I ascended the porch stairs, and by then, the dogs had smelled me, got up, stretched, and begun wagging their tails so vigorously their entire rear ends metronomed back and forth, bumping into porch furniture and reminding me of Three Stooges skits. I chuckled as I patted them on the head, learning quickly that deaf dogs aren’t so different from hearing pups.
Not So Different
“It was way past my bedtime in the early stages of the pandemic, and, like everyone else, I was doom scrolling,” says Katie, describing how she adopted the older of her two pups. “I came across an organization
called H.A.N.D.D.S. to the Rescue [Helping Abused Neglected Displaced Disabled Souls]. They’d made a Facebook post featuring thenpuppy Artemis and her littermates, and I just knew it was meant to be.”
Katie wasn’t kidding. On the day of the adoption event in which Artemis and other pups were to be offered to prospective owners on a first-come, first-serve basis, Katie took a thermos of coffee, a camp chair, and a novel to the adoption center and started waiting in line four hours early. (Icarus, who joined the family two years later, was also an adoptee from H.A.N.D.D.S. to the Rescue).
First up, Katie is quick to dismiss some common misconceptions about deaf dogs. “They’re not more challenging to train than hearing dogs,” she says, having trained both. “They just require a different training style.”
Early on in my visit, she demonstrated a few hand signals, signed commands that provide a simple equivalent to “Sit,” “Stay,” “Lie down,” and “Come.”
Second, Katie says deaf dogs are not more aggressive than hearing dogs, another common concern. “Deaf dogs startle more easily than hearing dogs, because they’re missing an important sensory perception,” she says. “But a startled dog doesn’t have to become aggressive. When you condition a dog to become used to being startled, they’re less likely to shoot first—or bite first—and ask questions later.”
Katie described a technique in which she and her husband would safely but intentionally startle their dogs as puppies until the pups became used to the experience
Sadly, deaf dogs are euthanized at a rate much higher than hearing dogs due to a belief that deaf dogs will have a “bad life” otherwise. Katie says this is false and that deaf dogs can be given great lives.
Five minutes with Artemis and Icarus makes that truth abundantly clear.
Challenges and Benefits
As with all pet ownership, there are ups and downs. In this case, Katie says owners must get used to the fact that dogs who can’t hear are at risk of things that hearing dogs would be (mostly) safe from. Deaf dogs are statistically more likely to be hit by a car, to get into a surprise scuffle with wild animals, and to get lost. Also, reprimanding deaf dogs is more challenging, as they cannot hear you, so the traditional “bad dog!” is wasted on them.
But, according to Katie, all of these challenges can be mitigated. “Also, the benefits are too long to list. Deaf dogs aren’t bothered by fireworks, thunderstorms, firearms, traffic noises, raised voices, loud movies, or other dogs barking.”
Katie adds that deaf dogs tend to be big snugglers. She contends some of this is up to the personality of the specific dog and that she lucked out with her current pack of two, but also points out that because deaf dogs cannot place the location of their owner with their hearing alone, such dogs tend to be more attached at the hip, more likely to remain close to or even in physical contact with their owner.
“They just want to be your No. 1 buddy,” Katie says, smiling. “They tend to be more affectionate as a result of their disability.”
Over the course of the weekend, Katie showed me how simple life can be with hearing-impaired pups. For one, the dogs loved a good routine, which made caring for them surprisingly easy. Also, they typically wanted to be within sight of their humans, so they stayed within a reasonable distance. According to Katie, these traits are not unique to Artemis and Icarus and are common in deaf dogs.
Training and Socializing
Training deaf dogs looks a lot like training hearing dogs. Many of the same methods, treats, motivations, cues, commands, expectations, and boundaries
are the same. They’re just implemented with different techniques. “You have to get a little creative,” Katie says.
“Vibrating collars, laser pointers, specific hand signals, good daily routines, a safe environment, and being able to anticipate their behavior go a long way in preventing harm,” she explains.
Deaf dogs don’t necessarily know they’re deaf, and other dogs definitely don’t. For owners, Katie recommends easing deaf dogs into social interactions with hearing dogs. Canine social cues like growling and barking aren’t discernible to deaf dogs. However, once socialized, deaf dogs can be great companions to other dogs.
“Deaf dogs require a close, personal relationship,” Katie adds after recalling an encounter she and Artemis had with a pack of coyotes. “They won’t hear wild animals approaching, so it’s up to you to keep an eye on your pup at all times. If you’re going to let them be outside alone, it’s best to keep them in a fenced yard.”
All of that time and support are part of what helps make the connection between a human and deaf dog incredibly strong.
“There are so many stories I have with the dogs, truly too many to count at this point,” Katie says in closing. “But I think my absolute favorite experience with them is a recurring one, but arguably one of the simplest. It’s when they wake themselves up from a sound sleep, just to see if I’m still there with them. As soon as they know I’m there, they immediately relax and drift back off. They don’t need anything; they aren’t getting up. They just needed to make sure I was still in the room with them. It melts my heart every single time.”
To learn more about adopting or fostering dogs, visit Traverse City’s H.A.N.D.D.S. to the Rescue online at handdstotherescue.com or follow their Facebook page for frequent updates on adoption drives and other events.
NORTHERN MICHIGAN GOES TO THE DOGS
A tail of two pet-centric businesses
By Abby McKiernan
Northern Michigan is going to the dogs—and it’s pawsitively delightful. With two new businesses opening in the last year, River Street Dog in Elk Rapids and K&A Hop Dogs in Traverse City, the region is proving to be a haven for pet owners seeking unique spaces where both humans and their four-legged companions feel right at home.
Though they offer very different experiences—one is a charming pet boutique and the other lively dog-friendly bar—both businesses share common ground: they’re inspired by a deep love of animals, their owners’ travels, and a commitment to fostering vibrant, yearround community spaces.
RIVER STREET DOG: A Boutique for Pets and Their People
For Becky Morin and Anja Gierlach, the journey to opening River Street Dog began with a walk through downtown Elk Rapids. Partners for 23 years, the pair stumbled upon a quaint 375-square-foot space that immediately sparked their imaginations.
“We saw it and thought, ‘Wow, wouldn’t that make the perfect little pet boutique?’” Gierlach recalls. “We couldn’t shake the idea, and eventually, we just decided to go for it.”
Drawing on their shared love of animals and their experiences exploring independent pet shops on their travels, Morin and Gierlach opened River Street Dog in December 2023. It wasn’t long before the shop became a useful resource for the community. Before their arrival, the nearest pet supply store was over 17 miles away, making the boutique a welcome addition for local pet owners.
The business quickly outgrew its original space, and in less than a year, the duo fell in love again with a larger storefront down the road.
The move to 129 River Street has allowed them to expand their offerings, including popular products like 100 percent olive wood chews that are both digestible and splinterfree, as well as interactive “snuffle mats” designed to mentally stimulate dogs by making them sniff out their treats and get creative to get them. They’ve even ventured into pet apparel, with plans to stock a few cat coats as well!
Morin and Gierlach’s mission goes beyond selling pet supplies—they’re dedicated to creating a welcoming space for both pets and their owners. Customers are encouraged to share product suggestions, ensuring the boutique meets the unique needs of the Elk Rapids community.
“From the beginning, we’ve felt embraced by this caring, loyal town,” Gierlach says. “The local support has been incredible, and we’re so grateful for the friendships and connections we’ve made with the village and the Chamber of Commerce as first-time business owners.”
Learn more at riverstreetdog.com.
K&A HOP DOGS: Drinks, Dogs, and a Whole Lot of Fun
Traverse City’s K&A Hop Dogs takes a different approach to pet-friendly spaces, combining a bar with a dog-centric twist. Owners Dan and Joy Goodchild, inspired by the pet-friendly environments they encountered while traveling in the South, wanted to bring a similar concept to their hometown. Named after their beloved dogs Koda, a Great Pyrenees, and Abbey, a Golden Retriever, K&A Hop Dogs opened in 2023.
“Our goal was to create a space where dogs could run free while their parents relaxed and enjoyed a drink,” Joy explains. “But you don’t need a dog to have a good time—just being a dog lover is enough to enjoy the atmosphere!”
The one-acre outdoor fenced area at K&A Hop Dogs gives dogs plenty of room to play, supervised by “ruff-a-rees” who ensure safety and good behavior. Meanwhile, owners can unwind inside, where a full bar offers specialty cocktails, local wine, and 18 beers and ciders on tap. Snack options include bar classics like popcorn, with plans to expand food offerings as the business grows.
Safety is a top priority. All dogs must be registered through K&A’s app, which tracks vaccination records, signed waivers, and membership details. In addition, the business has a strict three-strike rule for pet behavior, a non-negotiable neutering rule, and other guidelines that can be found within the app, creating clear expectations about the space and the experience. These policies and rules have helped the Goodchilds maintain a high standard of care, ensuring every visitor has a positive experience.
As fellow first-time business owners, Dan and Joy credit the SCORE program in Traverse City for helping them navigate the complexities of starting a business. The mentorship and resources they received were instrumental in bringing their vision to life.
Now, K&A Hop Dogs is so much more than just a bar or a dog park—it’s a community hub for pet lovers. “It’s a unique pet-friendly bar focused on a great experience,” Joy adds. “It’s a special place where people and pets can both feel free to relax and play.”
Learn more at kahopdogs.com.
JUST CATS TO THE RESCUE
This East Jordan org helps kitties in need around the state
By Geri Dietze
Animal rescue organizations can be a flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants arrangement, with endless challenges of funding, staffing, and medical care, but compassion and altruism drive these likeminded individuals. Karen Rutkowski, founder of East Jordan’s Just Cats, Inc., a 501(c)(3) founded in 2017, meets the needs of cats and kittens who would otherwise be lost or die from illness or predation.
Since its founding, Just Cats, Inc. has helped over 1,000 animals, including lost cats with chips who are returned to their homes.
Rutkowski brings educational chops, plus technical and practical skills: She spent several years studying in MSU’s veterinary medicine program, as well as years in vets’ practices. Eventually, she realized she had no stomach for it: she loved the animals, but not the humans whose selfishness or ignorance caused unnecessary stress and pain, and she admits to becoming cynical about what humans can do.
Instead, she put her skills to helping the strays and kittens who were least likely to get help. “We don’t see the cream of the crop,” she says. “If we don’t step up, they would die.”
Making It Work
As a foster-based rescue, Just Cats has no central facility.
“[Volunteers] take in the animals, and we work on getting them healthy and then adopted into new forever homes,” Rutkowski explains. (Four of the board members are also foster parents.)
Unlike a typical shelter situation where cats are kenneled together, fostering allows the animals to socialize in a family, making the transition to adoption easier. “We’ve been really lucky, and we have a great reputation,” she says of the process.
Dr. Jeffrey Powers and his staff at Jordan Valley Animal Clinic are a crucial asset in the organization. “We have an account with
them, that they let us pay on [it] when we can,” Rutkowski says. “There is no way we could save as many cats and kittens as we do without their compassion and constant help.”
And, to protect foster families and individuals from burnout, Rutkowski keeps the arrangement open-ended, and “loosely managed,” noting that fostering can be “extremely taxing [and] traumatic.” She wants them to take a break when needed, so that they can come back renewed. “We need our foster families.”
Rutkowski admits that her home is a cat sanctuary for the unadoptable, the ones with behavioral issues or chronic health conditions. But no one is turned away. Among her current charges are bottle babies, those with chronic respiratory problems, and five adults who are “anxious sprayers.” She concedes, “It is what it is.” (An enzyme product called Angry Orange is close at hand. It gets rave reviews on Amazon.)
Just Cats networks with other facilities and agencies, and Rutkowski has traveled to other states to help cats and kittens; for example, Just Cats saved 40 kittens from a kill-shelter in Indiana.
Closer to home, Just Cats works with Antrim County Animal Control and Emmet County Stray Center to help find placements. Adoption events, called “Kitten Cuddles,” take place at Pet Supplies Plus in Petoskey and are very successful in matching felines with their perfect humans. (Can’t make the event? Just Cats will connect the prospective adopter with the foster parents.)
The organization is 100 percent donor funded, and Rutkowski says 100 percent of that funding goes straight to cats and kittens.
“Monetary donations are needed most,” Rutkowski explains, in order to pay for ongoing medical services and to pay down existing veterinarian bills. Or donate the cost of a spay or neuter, and help spread the word! Just Cats also appreciates food and litter donations for the foster families, and new fosterers are always welcome.
Cat Expert Advice
New to the world of cats? Rutkowski has a few things you should know.
1. No, a cat will not steal a baby’s breath. It might not be a good idea to share the crib, but that myth is so 18th century.
2. Another myth is that female cats do not need to be spayed if they are “strictly indoors.” Tell that to the cat. “They almost always get outside and come back pregnant,” Rutkowski says. In many of those cases, the female will be dumped to give birth outside or her kittens will be dumped. (Many of those free kittens in the cardboard box outside the grocery store will have sad endings.)
3. Not all males spray, and many never will. “Any vet will tell you males and females spray equally, for a variety of reasons,” Rutkowski explains. Urinary tract infections, easily treated with antibiotics, are number one. Hormones are number two, so—say it with us—spay and neuter!
4. While we’re on the subject, cats who are not spayed or neutered are the hardest to rehome; plus, all those kittens grow up and produce more kittens, and sadly, it’s not getting better. “Last kitten season was horrendous,” Rutkowski says, due to giardiasis, a diarrheal illness caused by Giardia intestinalis, that is bad for both animals and humans.
5. Domestic house cats cannot survive on their own easily, as they rely on humans for food and shelter. Think of this before taking a domesticated cat to a “farm in the country.” (It’s a bad joke, and more often than not, a death sentence.) Instead, reach out to a rescue organization. The phone call (and usually even the rehoming) is free.
6. Last, Rutkowski says, “We don’t recommend letting cats outside, but we understand that some cats just have to go out.” If this is your cat, remember that after a move, a cat should not be allowed to roam. Cats should stay indoors, or on a leash, for about two weeks, to become acclimated to the new location, so that they can make it home when they do go out.
But, if you do see a cat outside that looks healthy, well-fed, calm, and not anxious for help, it most likely has a home and is within its range—which can be as much as two miles. “Don’t take it,” Rutkowski says, which leaves owners frantically searching. The bottom line: A cat with plenty of attention and stimulation will be happy (and safest) indoors.
Visit justcatsinc.org or call (231) 674-5261 to learn more.
ADOPTED! SUCCESS STORIES
Lucy and Precious, two adult female strays, were spayed, put into foster care, and adopted, which is “hugely successful, because everyone wants kittens.” A woman adopted Lucy for her elderly mother, calling it “the best thing” for her mom; the two are inseparable.
Bottle-kitten Milo was found at one day old. The special-needs tuxedo received life-saving surgery at two weeks (provided gratis by Dr. Powers) and went on to live a very spoiled life for six years in Rutkowski’s home.
One-week-old Jack couldn’t latch on to momma, and was bottle fed until being weaned and adopted by a Just Cats board member.
Little Girl was tossed out of a car on I-75 and required hip surgery. Money was raised in a matter of a few days, and Dr. Powers performed the surgery at a deep, deep discount. “Dr. Powers discounted everything and made it all about the cat,” Rutkowski says. Little Girl’s progress “has been amazing.” She has a forever home, and the adopters are pressing charges. (You know what they— aka Taylor Swift—say: Karma is a cat!)
A (CANDLE) LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL
Riley’s Candles has helped more than 50 dogs get life-saving surgeries
By Anna Faller
It’s no secret that people love their pooches. But what would you do if the unthinkable happened, and you were faced with thousands of dollars in emergency bills to save your fur baby? For many pet owners, it wouldn’t be possible, at least not without some help.
Enter: canine-catered gift shop-meetssocial impact company, Riley’s Candles.
Founded in 2017, the business is the brainchild of Joshua Hart, a former insurance professional, forever animal-lover, and dad to a 15-year-old rescue dog named Riley (aka, Chief Beagle Officer). Its mission? To save the lives of as many dogs as possible by donating proceeds from candle sales—and leashes, petsized scarves, water bowls, sweatshirts, etc.— to finance pricey medical procedures for pups throughout the state
“Pets are such a big part of families, and I see that in other people’s eyes,” says Hart. “It’s really neat to be able to be a part of that.”
Seeing Pet Parents in Need
Our story begins in the early 2010s, when Riley, then just three years old, became paralyzed from the midsection down due to a genetic spinal cord issue.
The prognosis, though serious, was treatable. The only remedy, though, was emergency back surgery that could cost north of $10,000, and the hospital needed half of it down to proceed.
“We didn’t know what to do. We were in a panic, so we maxed out all of our credit
cards, called our parents crying,” says Hart. Eventually, he and his then-partner were able to pay for the surgery that saved Riley’s life.
Over the following decade, though, Riley’s condition paralyzed him another four times, requiring three essential back surgeries, each with a $10,000-$20,000 price tag.
By then, Hart was financially stable enough to foot Riley’s surgery bills up front. All of those hospital stays found him in the company of pet parents facing similar challenges, many of whom were forced to say goodbye to their furry friends due to finances.
“We saw so many terrified people going into that surgery room, knowing they couldn’t afford it,” he notes. “By 2017 after Riley’s third surgery, we were like, ‘what can we do to start raising money for this cause or be able to donate?’”
The answer arrived one day in the form of a turkey deep-fryer and some extra wax.
“My neighbor and I were brainstorming [at the same time] that his wife was starting a candle company. So, I raided the kitchen and we spent a Saturday seeing if we could invent some candles,” says Hart.
The endeavor took off in metro-Detroit, where Hart was then based, faster than a dog with the zoomies. What started as a small passion project soon evolved into candle parties, social media buzz, and bark—we mean word—of mouth.
“People started asking for more candles and where they could get them. It just kind of caught fire,” Hart says.
Lighting the Way
Since then, Hart and Riley have relocated north to Traverse City, and in October 2022, opened a retail location for Riley’s Candles housed in the Flat Cap Ventures property on US-31.
Inside, the shop offers its namesake candles, which are both pet-safe and vegan, alongside a rotating stock of apparel and gifts, as well as a rentable studio for Wags & Wax candle-making workshops, and as of this year, even a nonprofit arm. “It’s really been amazing,” Hart adds.
Here’s how the setup works: On one half of the pie chart, there’s Riley’s Candles, which is the organization’s for-profit face.
This includes the Traverse City storefront and the connected online marketplace (which is undergoing an overhaul, but should be complete in time for the holidays), as well as an ever-expanding presence within the corporate gift-giving space, which Riley’s Candles facilitates through partnerships with publicly-traded companies.
Per Hart, this not only creates the capacity to increase meaningful re-tail effect—it’s through this type of collaboration that the company can fill orders for thousands of candles at once—but has also played a critical role in boosting overall brand awareness.
“It’s been a big win-win for us, because it helps us save so much money and also gets our brand out there nationally, and not just in Traverse City,” says Hart.
Then there’s the impact piece, wherein 20 percent of everything Riley’s Candles sells funnels back into supporting emergency
medical care for dogs.
For the first few years of the company’s life, says Hart, these donations were made directly through the storefront. In April 2024, the team launched The Riley Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and serves as a hub for doggy dollars.
On the ground, its efforts translate to collaboration with veterinary clinics statewide—including a few local institutions, like Oakwood Veterinary Hospital and Bay Area Pet Hospital, among others—which help provide families with urgent services like bridge loans, resources for financing vet care, and even guidance for navigating the labyrinth of pet insurance.
“It’s really anything we can do to help someone save a pup,” Hart says.
Building Momentum
And the results have been nothing short of paw-some. In the last two years, Riley’s Candles has helped save the lives of 56 dogs and counting, and with them, the livelihood of just as many panicked pet parents.
For context, Riley’s Candles contributes, on average, $750-$1,500 per pet. That’s about 15-30 percent of a $5,000 vet procedure, and could account for an even greater sum, depending on insurance coverage. Hart also stresses that many of the families the organization sees are just starting out or grappling with major life changes (i.e., job loss, a new baby, etc.), which only makes that support more important.
“Everything always happens at the worst time,” Hart says. “Those families also have to
put food on the table; so, when we write the check and meet those folks in person, it’s a really touching thing.”
There’s a growing community element to the organization’s dog-saving mission, as 85 percent of its beneficiaries have become donors themselves. It’s the reward of those relationships, Hart says, that keeps the company’s spark ablaze.
“We get a lot of picture and text updates from [the families we’ve helped],” Hart tells us, headlined by yearly photos of kids and pups who get to grow together. “It’s pretty cool to hear that this wouldn’t have happened without Riley.”
Making a Difference
As for the next four years (28 dog years) and beyond? In addition to an all-new
website and merchandise inventory in the works, the next move for the business is to expand its corporate gifting reach, especially, as it relates to the market in northern Michigan.
Though Riley’s Candles already partners with a number of regional vendors— including Cartman in the Morning on Rock105.fm, with whom they co-brand, as well as Kultura Real Estate, FreshTrippin cleaning services, Happy Camper Coffee Co., and even the Traverse City Pit Spitters—Hart underscores an increased focus on businessto-business initiatives, because more candles sold equals more four-legged lives saved (and more opportunities for slobbery kisses!).
“That’s where our focus is right now, and that’s really where we can make the difference,” he adds.
Feliz Navi-Dog! Bark-Worthy Holiday Candles
Though Riley’s Candles offers an extensive line of giftable goods, its flagship product is unquestionably candles—it’s in the name, for dog’s sake! But, not just any old wick will do. Per Hart, the company is committed to creating top-notch candles, complete with non-toxic ingredients and even pet-friendly fragrances.
Of these, Hart highlights Traverse City Cherry as an annual bestseller, as well as several seasonal favorites, like Riley’s Christmas Tree Farm (a eucalyptus-laced blend of woodsy balsam, fir, and cedar) and Spiced Pumpkin Ginger, both of which have seen an uptick in sales in recent months.
He also underscores that Riley’s Candles’ demand is increasingly driven not by scent but by jar design.
“When we started, we thought everyone would buy their candles based on fragrance,” Hart notes. “But as my team’s [pointed out], we’re selling a story.”
WEDNESDAYS: D.A.T.E. NIGHT
Free Dessert or Appetizer w/purchase of Two Entrees (Begins 11/29)
THURSDAYS: PASTA NIGHT!
2 pasta dinners & a bottle of wine for $62
*Now open at 5:00pm!
That story, of course, celebrates dogs—and as he explains, it’s “gone crazy” with buyers. Pet-parent slogans, like “Dog Mom” and “Dog Dad,” have come out as top performers, as have cutesy sayings like “Dogs, Books, & Coffee,” and anything that rips on people (think: “Sorry, My Dog and I Have Plans”).
“It’s all about the dogs,” Hart says. “That’s really what most people are buying for.”
Find Riley’s Candles at 476 US-31 in Traverse City. For more information on Riley’s mission or to shop, visit rileyscandles.com. (989) 350-1693. @rileyscandles
Northern Pets Seen
Northern Pets Seen
Connecting Family and Culture through Food
Bushell’s Kitchen + Cocktails brings Southern and Nigerian dishes to TC
By Greg Tasker
Traverse City enjoys a well-deserved reputation as a foodie destination. No wonder—restaurants embraced the farmto-table movement long ago, and the dining scene is expansive, embracing everything from Asian to Italian.
Still, there’s always room at the table for another restaurant, another style of food. The recently opened Bushell’s Kitchen + Cocktails is the newest guest at Traverse City’s dining table, offering a diverse selection of comfort food staples and southern-inspired dishes, along with classic and specialty cocktails.
The carefully curated menu reflects the African and Southern heritage of proprietor Andre Bushell, who has opened the restaurant and lounge along with his wife and partner, Kelci. It’s the third enterprise for Bushell, who grew up in Flint and began his culinary career at a young age, learning the business from the likes of the late Constantine “Gus” Chinonis, one of the founders of YaYa’s Flame Broiled Chicken, a chain of restaurants in Michigan and Florida.
“It’s where I spent most of my time as a teenager,” Bushell recalls. “I saw him build that legacy for his family. It showed me what restaurants could do for your family and the people you employ.”
Bushell’s Kitchen + Cocktails is the latest partnership for Bushell. His other enterprises include the Foundry Craft Grillery in East
Jordan and Elk Rapids and Dreloco Taco on East Front Street in Traverse City.
Realizing there was a “missing piece” in the Traverse City food scene, Bushell went back to his roots—his grandfather was Nigerian and his grandmother from the South—to create a menu for the 56-seat restaurant on Union Street.
“It’s all about connecting this food to the North,” says Bushell, who moved to the region eight years ago. “This food is connected to my past, my family, my culture. I wanted to bring something to northern Michigan to remind me of my early childhood memories, the love of my family and the love of the traditional foods we ate back then.”
Returning to Family Recipes
That past and the connection to food are reflected in offerings such as southern cornbread, grits, and pork rinds, and the various soul plates, which include fried chicken, pork belly, and shrimp.
“We pretty much do everything in house. Everything is made from our recipes, right down to our bread. We bake the bread in house as a little starter. It’s called Bianca. We make cornbread fresh every day. We try to do it right. We believe we are achieving that with our commitments.”
For Bushell, the collard greens, offered as a side, are a highlight. “I love collard greens. They’re done very well. I taste my grandma’s when I’m making them,” he says.
Another standout is the pork belly, which Bushell sees as an elevated version of pulled pork, a staple of his childhood. The pork belly is braised for six hours, with a depth of flavor because of various spices. The dish, served with cabbage and butternut squash, includes micro greens as a garnish, offering a bit of freshness.
“We use 80 percent local farming when it comes to our menu,” Bushell says, noting
the other commodities come from a big box vendor. “The nuts and bolts of our menu are based on what farmers in the Leelanau area, Kingsley, and Kalkaska provide. We use those farmers to support our menu. It’s very special to do our job with these fresh ingredients and help support these people and hard working farmers.”
Along with an emphasis on farm to table, Bushell’s Kitchen + Cocktails is showcasing a
slice of African-American culture, a cuisine as rare in northern Michigan as fare from South America or Portugal.
“A lot of our dishes resonate well within the African-American culture and the history of that,” Bushell says. “These dishes are curated with local farming ingredients. The menu highlights a lot of food enjoyed in African-American homes. We’ve created some diversity in the local restaurant environment.”
Recreating a Happy Place
Including a cocktail lounge in the mix was inspired by the couple’s trips to Florida.
“One of our happy places is Florida,” he says. “We go to a lot of cocktail lounges there, where you’re immersed in the energy and there is no reason to be anything but happy. We wanted to bring this here. We wanted to create that same vibe in our own space. We wanted to elevate the dining experience by creating an atmosphere that completely changes the feel, the vibe, and connects to the space. “
Bushell’s attention to cocktails matches the intentness of food.
Syrup infusions are made in house. There is a full list of classic cocktails, including Sazerc, Old Fashioned, and Negroni. The specialty cocktails reflect the “connection to the South and some of the things I grew up with,” Bushell says. They include Back Porch, a blend of whiskey, peach, honey, lemon, topped with tea, and a Key Lime Pie Martini. The Key Lime Martini stems from his love of key lime pie as a child.
“I love Key Lime Pie. It was always next to pumpkin pie at our Thanksgiving table. Our martini tastes just like Key Lime Pie,” Bushell says.
Reinforcing Hospitality
Situated in space on Union Street formerly used by other restaurants, Bushell’s Kitchen + Cocktails exudes a casual dining vibe, one that is open and welcoming. Exposed brick walls, simple tables, and purple lounge chairs create a contemporary feel. A neon sign embedded in an array of green lights up a wall with “Kiss My Grits.”
The attention to cuisine and cocktails at Bushell’s is evident, but emphasis on another theme runs through the tidy establishment: hospitality.
“We preach hospitality every single day,” says Bushell. “We are creating an environment northern Michigan deserves. We have been blessed with a chef and a team crew that cares about what they’re doing and they care about the food. And really caring about hospitality is a big piece of that.”
Whether it’s the menu or the hospitality that brings people in (and brings them back), Bushell tells us business has been brisk and growing steadily in the four months of operation.
“We’re seeing a growing response and have been turning people away on Fridays and Saturdays. People are loving it,” he says. “They can feel the love and the quality we’re putting into our food.”
Northern Pets Seen
Saturday
MANISTEE’S VICTORIAN SLEIGHBELL PARADE & OLD CHRISTMAS WEEK-
END: Today includes Flapjacks with Fire Hats, Christmas Craft Bazaar, Jingle Bell Jog 5K Run/Walk, Sleighbell Gathering, Meet the Grinch, free drop-in keepsake ornament painting, free horse & carriage rides, Children’s Parade, Victorian Sleighbell Parade, Sleighbell Fireworks, Jingle Bell Jam, & much more. westmichiganguides.com/manistee-victoriansleighbell-parade-old-christmas-weekend -------------------- --
ELK RAPIDS JINGLE JOG: The Dam Shop, 118 Bridge St., Elk Rapids. Choose from the 5K Jingle Jog (starts at 9am) or the 1 Mile Reindeer Run (starts at 10am). $15-$25. runsignup.com/Race/Events/MI/ ElkRapids/ElkRapidsJingleJog
HOLIDAY TREATS & TREASURES: 9am1pm, Trinity Church, Northport. Northport Women’s Club fundraiser. Featuring holiday treats: cookies, pies, cakes, candies, & find a treasure on the Treasure Table. Cash or check.
CRAFT SHOW ST. MARY’S HANNAH: 10am-3pm, St. Mary’s of Hannah School, Kingsley. Featuring many unique vendors. Canned good donation for entry.
ELK RAPIDS POLAR EXPRESS EVENT: Santa will be in town from 11am-3pm, & his reindeer will also make a special appearance. Kids are encouraged to wear their pajamas to fully embrace the Polar Express spirit. Head upstairs to the Masons Building (entrance near Swim to You) to see the train display. Plus, Art & Connection will be providing a festive take-home craft for the little ones. Don’t miss the scavenger hunt with participating businesses... it leads to a surprise just for kids! Start the day at the cinema, opening at 10am for cookies & cocoa, followed by a 10:30am showing of the holiday classic, “The Snowman.” Free. facebook.com/events/859229962951054
FAMILY DROP-IN: HANDMADE GIFT TAGS: 10am-noon, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Cornwell Gallery, TC. Do-it-yourself activity: Make handmade artful gift tags. Free or for a donation. crookedtree.org/ class/ctac-traverse-city/family-drop-arthandmade-gift-tags-free-or-donation
----------------------
FAMILY STEAM DAY: 10am, Interlochen Public Library. Fun activities for the family & kids of all ages to work with patterns, sequencing, & some coding. No coding knowledge required. 231-276-6767. Free.
HOLIDAY MERCHANT OPEN HOUSE & HOT COCOA CONTEST: Charlevoix. The Holiday Merchant Open House runs all day with sales, snacks, refreshments, giveaways & more. The Hot Cocoa Contest runs from noon-4pm. Follow the Cocoa Trail posters in the windows of participating downtown shops & restaurants. A community movie - “The Grinch” - will be shown at Charlevoix Cinema III at 10:30am. Bring one canned food item or an unwrapped toy for admission. The Hot Cocoa Run happens at 11am. Choose from the 5K or 2 mile run. business.charlevoix.org/events/ details/holiday-merchant-open-house-hotcocoa-contest-14813
JOLLY GINGERBREAD: 10am-1pm, Bellaire Public Library. Create your very own gingerbread house. The library will supply the graham crackers, frosting & decorations. Limited seats; register. bellairelibrary.org
LIGHT UP THE NIGHT - SOUP COOKOFF: A full day of fun in Bellaire! Featuring a Last Chance Craft Fair, 5K Elf Run,
Free Movie Matinee, Kids Free Ornament Making, Soup Cook-Off, Parade of Lights Parade, with Santa making an appearance, tree lighting & much more. bellairechamber. org/2024/11/22/15630/saturday-dec-7thlight-up-the-night-soup-cookoff-schedule --------------------
MERRY MARKETPLACE 2024 - ARTIST POP-UP: 10am-3pm, Crooked Tree Arts Center, galleries, TC. Shop hundreds of unique handmade gifts & works of art from artists all over the state. crookedtree. org/event/ctac-traverse-city/merry-marketplace-2024-artist-pop-dec-7 --------------------
SANTA AT THE LIBRARY: 10am-noon, Bellaire Public Library. Get your picture taken with Santa, & enjoy hot cocoa & holiday fun. bellairelibrary.org
--------------------
FILL THE ECTOS TOY DRIVE: 11am3pm, Five Below, TC. Join the Cherryland Ghostbusters to fill their Ectomobile with toys for Toys For Tots. They will be joined by Cherry Capital Comic Con, cosplayers, Cartman on the radio, & a few surprises. facebook.com/cherrylandghostbusters
-------------------- --
CLIMATE SOLUTIONS MEET & GREET: Noon, The Presbyterian Church of TC, 701 Westminster Rd. Hosted by the Grand Traverse Area Chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby. Tim Pulliam of KEEN Technical Solutions will give a tour of the energy efficiency upgrades happening at the church. This will be followed by a potluck & watch party of CCL’s National Virtual Conference which ends at 5pm. Attend for any portion of the afternoon to check out what the chapter is doing locally & nationally. Free. citizensclimatelobby.org/climate-change-conferences/fall
HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE: Noon-2pm, East Bay Branch Library, TC. Celebrate the holiday season & enjoy snacks, treats, music, crafts, & games. Free. tadl.org/event/holiday-open-house-east-bay-branch-19065
VISIT WITH SANTA: Noon-3pm, Emmet County Fairgrounds, Petoskey. Take a photo with Santa, make crafts to take home, & enjoy hot cocoa & cookies. Entry is free. emmetcounty.org/parks-recreation/ fairgrounds
JAZZ ORCHESTRA: DUKE ELLINGTON’S “NUTCRACKER”: 1pm, The Bay Theatre, Suttons Bay. Presented by Interlochen in Town. Enjoy an evening of different takes on Nutcracker favorites such as “Toot Toot Tootie Toot” (Dance of the Reed Pipes) & “Dance of the Floreadores” (Waltz of the Flowers). The 4:30pm performance is SOLD OUT. $10. interlochen.org/events/ jazz-orchestra-bay-theatre-duke-ellingtons-nutcracker-2024-12-07-0
----------------------
SANTA CLAUS AT KILWINS: 1-5pm, Kilwins Chocolate Kitchen, 1050 Bayview Rd., Petoskey. Santa will be spreading holiday cheer with his sleigh parked right outside the store. Children can tell him their holiday wishes while enjoying a complimentary cup of hot chocolate, made at Kilwins. Free.
THE LOST BRANCH SPORTSMAN’S CLUB BOOK SIGNING: 1-3pm, Horizon Books, TC. Chris Smith, Jake Smith, Jon Osborn & Greg Frey will sign their books that include “Northwest Someplace,” “Another Day Afield,” “Around the Next Bend,” & “Small Water Waterfowling.” horizonbooks.com/event/lost-branch-sportsmansclub-book-signing ----------------------
CHRISTMAS IN THE VILLAGE, MACKINAW CITY: Heritage Village, Mackinaw City. A celebration that combines tradition, community & festive spirit. 2-3pm: Chapel Open House. 2:30pm: Traditional service in the chapel. Free. mackinawhistory.com INDIAN RIVER HOLIDAY BAZAAR: 2pm,
Learn the Science of Santa with Doktor Kaboom! Can Santa’s magic be revealed with a little physics? Journey to Great Lakes Center for the Arts in Bay Harbor on Sun., Dec. 15 at 2pm to find out! Tickets range from $10-$40. https://www.greatlakescfa.org/events/detail/doktor-kaboom-santa
Northland Brewing Co., Indian River. Handmade stocking stuffers & gift shopping. Swag bags, cookie exchange, cocoa & coffee, tacos, craft beer & festive sounds by DJ Franck. facebook.com/indianrivernightbazaar
THE HAUNTING OF EBENEZER: 2pm, The Ramsdell Theatre, Manistee. An acoustic concert retelling of Dickens’ classic tale. $15. ramsdelltheatre.org
LIGHT UP INTERLOCHEN: 3-7pm, Tom’s Food Markets, Interlochen. Photos with Santa, treats & presents for children, carriage rides, live reindeer, s’mores roasted on a fire, coffee, hot chocolate, & a light show with fireworks. Free. interlochenchamber.org
SANTA VISITS/CHRISTMAS TREES: 3-6pm, Jordan Inn, East Jordan. Visit with Santa while you enjoy free cookies & hot cocoa. The Lions Club of East Jordan will also be selling Christmas trees.
“CHRISTMAS LIGHTNESS & LIGHT”: 4pm, First Presbyterian Church, Elk Rapids. A program of secular & sacred holiday music. Featuring a combined choir of area singers directed by Dorothy Clore & Cheryl Knight. A freewill offering benefits Michigan non-profits.
“THE CHRISTMAS JOURNEY”: New Hope Community Church, Williamsburg. Experience the Story of Christmas from Creation to Bethlehem & beyond in a 45 minute tour completely outdoors. Watch scenes come to life as a guide leads you through a woodland path filled with actors, scenery & live animals. Tours run between 5:30-7:30pm, first two weekends in Dec. Free; no tickets required. newhope.cc
GILDED CHRISTMAS GALA: 6pm, City Opera House, TC. Featuring Broadway stars & holiday songs from the Great White Way to Hollywood & more. Includes Hayley Podschun (Wicked, Hello, Dolly), Steel
Burkhardt (Hair, Aladdin), Miguel Ragel Wilson & others. Dinner is included with table seating & is based upon the menu of the very first dinner held at City Opera House in 1892. $50. cityoperahouse.org/node/622
MERCHANTS HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE: 6-9pm, Downtown Harbor Springs. Main & State streets will be closed to allow strolling between stores & enjoying an evening of tradition. The Petoskey High School Steel Drum Band will perform.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL: 7pm, Great Lakes Center for the Arts, Bay Harbor. Renowned stage actor Allen Fitzpatrick returns to present his solo adaptation of Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol.” This story has been represented in over a hundred stage, film, opera, & radio adaptations. In Allen’s version, audiences can use the full range of their imagination as one actor on a virtually bare stage creates 26 different characters. $32-$99. greatlakescfa.org/events/detail/achristmas-carol-2024
FRANKFORT COMMUNITY TREE
LIGHTING: 7-9pm, Rotary Park. Cocoa, Santa, movies at The Garden Theater, tree lighting & horse drawn wagon rides. frankfort-elberta.com
VILLAGE OF THOMPSONVILLE CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING CEL-
EBRATION: Betsie Valley District Library, Thompsonville. Check out the Library Holiday Open House from 6-7pm. Enjoy the Christmas Tree Lighting at 7pm & sing carols & enjoy treats. betsievalleydistrictlibrary. org/news-events/village-of-thompsonvillechristmas-tree-lighting-celebration
BLISSFEST COMMUNITY DANCE: 7:30pm, Alanson/Littlefield Community Building, Alanson. Live music by Peacemeal/ Harbor Hoedown & calling by Larry Dyer. Contras, squares, circles & more. All dances taught. Potluck at 6:30pm; bring dish to pass & table service. $10; $5/student.
MANITOU WINDS PRESENTS WINTER SONGS & CAROLS: 7:30pm, Grace Episcopal Church, TC. Celebrate the beauty of the season with this annual musical tradition in its 10th year. Featuring soprano Emily Curtin Culler. Free. manitouwinds.com/ upcoming-performances ----------------------
ROALD DAHL’S “MATILDA” THE MUSICAL: 7:30pm, The Ramsdell Theatre, Manistee. Presented by The Manistee Civic Players. $10-$40. ramsdelltheatre.org
Sunday
HOLIDAY BOOK FAIR: 10am-2pm, The Village at GT Commons, The Mercato, TC. Join several northern Michigan authors for the third annual Holiday Book Fair. Presented by local writers’ group Traverse City Authors. Highlights include 12 booths featuring the works of regional authors, along with live music by author & musician Bob Downes. Authors will provide 10-minute presentations that may include readings from their books or topics of their choice. Free.
MANISTEE’S VICTORIAN SLEIGHBELL PARADE & OLD CHRISTMAS WEEKEND: Today includes Lakeside Club’s Festival of Trees & Holiday Decor Pick-up, Meet Author Don Hanson, Smitten Party, Lessons & Carols, & more. westmichiganguides.com/manistee-victorian-sleighbellparade-old-christmas-weekend ----------------------
LUNCH WITH SANTA: Noon-1:30pm, American Legion Post 159, Mackinaw City. Enjoy a complimentary lunch, along with cookies, & a visit with Santa.
----------------------
SECOND SUNDAYS ART PROJECT AT THE DMC: 1pm, Dennos Museum Center, NMC, TC. Take part in a vibrant participatory artistic experience every second Sunday of the month. From flower arranging & printmaking to painting & weaving, each session offers a unique & creative activity. $0-$10. simpletix.com/e/second-sundaysat-dmc-tickets-179984
RESCHEDULED LOCAL AUTHOR: JIM MCCORMICK: 2pm, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. Jim will talk about his new book “Story of a Marriage: 50 Years of Christmas Love Letters.” Christmas Eve is not the ideal time for a husband to realize that he had forgotten to buy his wife a gift. Especially when the couple is experiencing their very first Christmas as a married couple. Free. tadl. org/event/local-author-jim-mccormick-andstory-marriage-rescheduled-124-19680
ROALD DAHL’S “MATILDA” THE MUSICAL: (See Sat., Dec. 7, except today’s time is 2pm.)
----------------------
HOLIDAY CONCERT W/ NORTHPORT COMMUNITY BAND & VILLAGE VOICES: 3-5pm, Northport Public School, Auditorium. For tickets visit the web site. $5 student; $15 adult. northportperformingarts.org
“A CHRISTMAS CAROL”: 4pm, The Cheboygan Opera House. Renowned stage actor Allen Fitzpatrick presents his solo adaptation of Charles Dickens’ tale. Fitzpatrick creates 26 different characters on a bare stage. $10-$30 with discounts for students, seniors & Veterans. theoperahouse.org
“CHRISTMAS LIGHTNESS & LIGHT”: 4pm, Church in the Hills, Bellaire. A program of secular & sacred holiday music. A combined choir of area singers directed by Dorothy Clore & Cheryl Knight. Freewill offering.
“THE CHRISTMAS JOURNEY”: (See Sat., Dec. 7)
IRISH CHRISTMAS IN AMERICA: 6pm, Dennos Museum Center, Milliken Auditorium, NMC, TC. This show features top Irish music, song & dance in a performance rich in humour & energy. The 2024 tour features the return of vocalist Caitr ona Sherlock. Enjoy instrumental tunes on fiddle, flute, uilleann pipes & harp, along with Irish old-style dancing from Samantha Harvey. $0-$40. simpletix.com/e/irish-christmas-inamerica-tickets-179243
GOOD LOVELIES: 7pm, City Opera House, TC. This annual Christmas tour brings classic holiday songs, timeless winter selections, & original Good Lovelies material. Caroline Brooks, Kerri Ough & Susan Passmore are a trio of songwriters, multi-instrumentalists, & harmonizers whose nostalgic sound during the holidays crosses between folk-roots, old-time swing, soul & bluegrass. Their Merry Men will also accompany them on stage. $20-$49. cityoperahouse.org/node/578
JAZZ ORCHESTRA: DUKE ELLINGTON’S “NUTCRACKER”: 7:30pm, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Dendrinos Chapel & Recital Hall. Enjoy an evening of different takes on Nutcracker favorites such as “Toot Toot Tootie Toot” (Dance of the Reed Pipes) & “Dance of the Floreadores” (Waltz of the Flowers). $14-$17. interlochen.org/events/ jazz-orchestra-duke-ellingtons-nutcracker-2024-12-08
monday
CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY: Mackinaw City. Visit with Santa during Breakfast with Santa at Audie’s; Christmas Cocoa & Chocolate Crawl; Holiday Open House at McGulpin Point Lighthouse; warm-up by the fire & take a horse-drawn wagon ride; & Colonial Christmas at Colonial Michilimackinac. mackinawchamber.com/event/christmasin-the-city
HEALTH & WELLNESS: BE HEALTHY, BE ACTIVE WINTER WARMTH COOKING WORKSHOP: 3-4:30pm, Interlochen Public Library. Chef Susanne will show a few techniques, & then participants can cook the whole recipe from start to finish. It’s hands-on learning. This free class includes supplemental materials for living your best life. Class size is limited to 12 adults per class. Registration required: 231-276-6767.
TEEN HOLIDAY MOVIE MATINEE: “ELF”: 4-6pm, Petoskey District Library, Teen Space. Teens can join for an afternoon of hot chocolate, candy canes, & Will Farrell as Buddy the Elf! Free. petoskey. librarycalendar.com/event/teen-holidaymovie-matinee-elf-2220
G.T. HUMANISTS MEETING: AI & CYBER-SECURITY: 6pm, Traverse Area District Library, TC. Join the Grand Traverse Humanists as they present digital forensics expert Ken Hartman with a talk entitled, “Personal Security in an AI-Driven World.” Ken will explore the emerging threats posed by AI-driven cyber scams, from phishing attacks & social engineering to the dangers of voice cloning, & teach you how to protect yourself. Free. gthumanists.org
tuesday
PRESCHOOL STORY
TIME: 10:30am, Suttons Bay-Bingham District Library, lower level Community Meeting Room. For preschool children of all ages & their caregivers. Join each Tues. for stories, songs & more. Free. sbbdl.org
FREE OPEN STUDIO TUESDAYS: Noon4pm, Boyne Arts Center, Boyne City. Bring your paints, fiber arts, written arts, sculpting, jewelry, cards, drawing, or other portable mediums. Create & share.
TALKS WITH TIM: 2pm, Peninsula Community Library, TC. Local History chat with OMP resident Tim Carroll. 231-223-7700.
wednesday
GRAND TRAVERSE MUSICALE FREE HOLIDAY CONCERT: 1pm, First Congregational Church, TC. Holiday Selections by Traverse City West Choralaires, directed by Erich Wangeman, & followed by festive High Tea. ----------------------
GAYLORD HOLIDAY AFTER HOURS: 5-8pm, Treetops Resort Convention Center, Gaylord. Please bring a new/unwrapped toy to donate to the Toys for Tots Toy Drive for additional chances to win prizes. Register. $5 members; $10 not-yet members. gaylordchamber.com
GAYLORD VETERAN TOWN HALL & PACT ACT RESOURCE FAIR: 6-8pm, VFW Post 1518, 1200 Gornick Ave., Gaylord. Hosted by the Saginaw VA Healthcare System. Join for a PACT Act presentation, hear from & speak to VA leaders, find out if you are eligible for VA health care, learn about Toxic Exposure claims & other benefit information. There will also be on-site Toxic Exposure Screening, VET Center resources & light refreshments provided.
TRAVERSE INDIVISIBLE: 6pm, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. Join for an update on Lame Duck Session activities & help build teams for 2025. traverseindivisible.org
thursday
CHESS TOURNAMENT: 4pm, Petoskey District Library. Petoskey Chess Club holds chess tournaments each month in the lower level classroom. The Swiss-style tournaments are rated by the U.S. Chess Federation (USCF). Competitors of all skill levels ages 8-18 are invited to participate, but membership in the USCF is required. petoskey.librarycalendar.com/ event/chess-tournament-835
CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION IN SWEDEN: A MUSICAL LECTURE: 4pm, Mills Community House, Benzonia. Presented by Ingemar & Lisa Johansson, who have toured widely as a duo & as Song of the Lakes members. Ingemar writes & sings his songs, & plays guitar & Swedish nyckelharpa. Lisa plays her flute in the style of baroque, blues, & rock with a twist of scandal-Celtic flair. Admission is by donation; $5 recommended. benziemuseum.org
TEEN “WINTER OF READING” CHALLENGE KICK-OFF: 4pm, Petoskey District Library. Enjoy 9 weeks of fun at the library. If you get through just five of the activities, you get a free book & pretzel. Today is the kick-off & features a spinning wheel of winter trivia & hot drinks. Stop at the teen desk & pick up your challenge card (before the end of Jan.). Free. petoskey.librarycalendar.com/event/teen-winter-reading-challenge-kick-2221 ----------------------
BENZIE AREA CHAMBER “OFF THE CLOCK” EVENT: 5-7pm, The Garden Theater, Frankfort. Enjoy fare from Stormcloud Brewing Co., libations, fun & an update on Chamber operations. Wear your most out-
rageous holiday apparel for a chance to win prizes. $5. business.benzie.org/events/ calendar
----------------------
ELK RAPIDS LADIES NIGHT: 5-8pm, Elk Rapids. Stroll through the small businesses & enjoy an evening made just for ladies. Discover exclusive deals, sip on seasonal drinks, & snack on bites. There will be popup shops, surprise giveaways, & a live DJ spinning tunes. For a quieter start, some stores are offering early shopping with tea & cookies (3-5pm) for seniors or those who prefer a more relaxed shopping experience before the jingle-bell hustle begins. Free. facebook.com/downtownelkrapids
HOLIDAY BUSINESS AFTER HOURS: 5pm, Keyhole Bar & Grill, Mackinaw City. Network & mingle while you enjoy holiday cheer & complimentary refreshments, giveaways, prizes & more. RSVP: kelly@ mackinawchamber.com. $5 members; $10 not-yet members.
JUBILEE OF TREES FOR 501C3’S & EAST JORDAN BUSINESS AFTER HOURS: 5-6:30pm, The Boathouse, Lake Charlevoix. The Boathouse will be decorated with Christmas trees that have been decorated & donated by local groups, clubs, churches, individuals & businesses. The trees will be bid on via silent auction with the winning bidder choosing which Chamber member’s 501C3 will receive their donation. This event will also be combined with the Holiday Business After Hours sponsored by EJ. There will be an Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest. Entry by donation to benefit local food pantries.
MEN’S NIGHT: 5-9pm, Downtown TC. Shop exclusive holiday deals at local TC stores (many staying open until 9pm). See web site for participating businesses. downtowntc.com/mens-shopping-night
READER CHEF, JR. COOKING CLASSES: 5pm, Interlochen Public Library. For ages 10-14. Kids will learn a new recipe each month & be able to cook the meal from start to finish. Limited to 12 kids per class. Registration required: 231-276-6767. Free.
CANDLELIGHT: HOLIDAY SPECIAL FEATURING “THE NUTCRACKER” & MORE: 6:15pm, City Opera House, TC. A live, multi-sensory musical experience under the gentle glow of candlelight with the Listeso String Quartet. cityoperahouse.org
----------------------
MESSIAH BY CANDLELIGHT: 7pm, Great Lakes Center for the Arts, Bay Harbor. The Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra presents this concert featuring Handel’s masterpiece, “Messiah.” The Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra Chorus (GLCO) & guest soloists, led by Director Andr Strydom, will join the orchestra led by GLCO Conductor & Music Director Maestro Libor Ondras. The concert also includes Schubert’s “Magnificat” & Mozart’s “Sleigh Ride.” $35, $45, $65; free for students 18 & under & Veterans & active service members. glcorchestra.or/concerts
“THE NUTCRACKER,” INTERLOCHEN: 7:30pm, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Corson Auditorium. The Interlochen Arts Academy Dance Division performs Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s beloved ballet “The Nutcracker.” Featuring original choreography by Director of Dance Joseph Morrissey, & a live performance of Tchaikovsky’s iconic score by the Arts Academy Orchestra. $19-$42. interlochen.org/events/nutcracker-2024-12-12
CANDLELIGHT: A TRIBUTE TO TAYLOR SWIFT: 8:45pm, City Opera House, TC. A live, multi-sensory musical experience under the gentle glow of candlelight with the Listeso String Quartet. $28-$52. cityoperahouse.org/node/606
friday
LUNCHEON LECTURE: “LIFE ON A LONELY SHORE”: FULL: 11:30am1pm, NCMC, Library Conference Center, Petoskey. Author Edward Canfield, D.O. will be joined by Anne Fleming of the Little Traverse Conservancy to talk about a book that was written by two caretakers of Vermilion Point Life-Saving Station, located 10 miles west of Whitefish Point on the Lake Superior shore. This station was founded in 1876 to rescue mariners from shipwrecks caused by storms for which Lake Superior is famous. You can join the waitlist for this event. $15. ncmclifelonglearning.com/event-5772587
“THE CHRISTMAS JOURNEY”: (See Sat., Dec. 7)
2024 VILLAGE OF ALANSON HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE: 5:30pm, Downtown Alanson. The evening will begin with a Chili Cookoff. Various business participants will have chili at their respected store fronts for free. Judging will be at 6pm with the winner revealed at 7pm. Downtown merchants will open their doors to offer warm holiday greetings.
----------------------
CHRISTMAS PARADE OF LIGHTS & TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY: Mackinaw City. 6pm: Parade of Lights proceeds along Central Ave. to Marina Park. The Tree Lighting Ceremony follows the parade in Marina Park. Participate in a Christmas Carol Sing-Along, enjoy cookies & cocoa, & then count down for Santa to light the Village Christmas Tree.
KIT HOLMES: 6-7:30pm, Oliver Art Center, Beck Gallery, Frankfort. This acclaimed pianist & vocalist presents an evening of classic & popular contemporary holiday favorites. Sing along with Kit’s mix of pop, jazz, blues & folk (& a few originals, too!) at the Steinway baby grand. $10 adults; $5 12 & under. oliverart.org
LITTLE TRAVERSE HISTORICAL SOCIETY HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE: 6-8pm, Little Traverse Historical Museum, Petoskey. Fourth graders from St. Francis have made decorations for the museum & they will make a presentation as well. Howard Richards will play Christmas carols on the Hemingway piano & guests are invited to sing along. Santa will be available for pictures. petoskeymuseum.org
MESSIAH BY CANDLELIGHT: (See Thurs., Dec. 12)
OTP YOUNG COMPANY PRESENTS
“HOLIDAY CABARET”: 7pm, Central United Methodist Church, TC. Enjoy a holiday music revue to celebrate this past year & ring in the new. Adults: $21; youth under 18: $12. oldtownplayhouse.com/ young-company/performances/holidaycabaret-2024.html
“THE HOLIDAY CHANNEL CHRISTMAS MOVIE WONDERTHON”: 7:30pm, Old Town Playhouse, TC. Christmas is a time for magic, traditions, & watching too many original TV holiday rom-coms. Now you can enjoy the sugar rush of six Christmas shows at once, LIVE on stage. Disguised royalty, evil city slickers, movie stars & more have a snow-bound meet-up at a charming inn to find the connections they crave in this hilarious parody. Adults: $33; youth under 18: $20. oldtownplayhouse.com/performances/ mainstage/the-holiday-channel-christmasmovie-wonderthon.html
----------------------
“THE NUTCRACKER,” INTERLOCHEN: (See Thurs., Dec. 12)
MADONNATIVITY: 7:30pm, GT Circuit, TC. Presented by Mashup Rock & Roll Musical, a travelling troupe of actors aims to create an inclusive holiday themed show, incorporating music by Madonna & mixing in pop culture. Everything seems to be going wrong. Learn about the importance of community & connection even in the darkest of times. $15-$30. mashuprockandrollmusical.com/upcoming-shows-tickets
ROALD DAHL’S “MATILDA” THE MUSICAL: (See Sat., Dec. 7)
saturday
TUBACHRISTMAS WITH JERRY YOUNG: 2pm, Kirkbride Hall, GT Commons, TC. The Traverse City Philharmonic invites tuba & euphonium players of all ages to perform. This is a creation of Harvey Phillips, one of America’s great tuba players. It is celebrated all over the world. Free concert. Register to perform: $10. tcphil.org/ free-community-outreach-events/
14
TRINITY LUTHERAN ANNUAL CHRISTMAS COOKIE EVENT: 9am, Trinity Lutheran Church & School, TC. Begins with almost 23,000 cookies: traditional decorated sugars & old world favorites. Preorders for the small & large variety packs are open until Dec. 6. Call Diane Ford at 231-3573614 or Charlene Lutes at 231-499-9259. tctrinity.org
BEULAH CHRISTMAS MAGIC: town Beulah. Includes the Darcy Library Friends Cookie & Bake Sale held at the Beulah Trailhead, Benzonia Public Library Holiday Party at Mills Community House - Upper Level, free family activities at the Beulah Trailhead, free horse-drawn wag on rides, Moonlight Madness, Christmas Magic Lighted Parade, Christmas Light & Music Show, & more. clcba.org/wp-content/ uploads/2018/03/Christmas-Magic-BeulahPoster-scaled.jpg
CHRISTMAS IN THE VILLAGE: lage at GT Commons, TC. Featuring an indoor farmers market from 10am-2pm, shopping specials & stocking stuffers un der $20 from Mercato merchants, visits with Santa, kids crafts & letters for Santa from 3-6pm, $3 tunnel walks from 3-5pm (ages 12+ only), & Traverse Symphony Orches tra Tuba performance (free) from 2-3pm in Kirkbride Hall. thevillagetc.com/christmasin-the-village-2024
DOWNTOWN PETOSKEY HOLIDAY PA RADE: 10am, Pennsylvania Park, down town Petoskey. Featuring the Petoskey High School Marching Band performing, Santa Claus, creatively decorated floats, & local organizations coming together to spread holiday cheer.
HEALTH & WELLNESS: BE HEALTHY, BE ACTIVE FAMILY COOKING CLASS: 10am, Interlochen Public Library. Partici pants will be shown a few techniques, & will then cook the whole recipe from start to finish. It’s hands-on learning. This free class includes supplemental materials for living your best life. Class size is limited to 6 families per class. Registration required: 231-276-6767.
DOORS OPEN 6:30 • MUSIC 7PM • $40 ADVANCE • $45 AT THE DOOR OPEN DANCE FLOOR SHOW LIMITED SEATING
High-octane roots rock with soaring vocals, haunting melodies and energy to spare.
See why Drew was named Best New Act in Country Music by the Country Showdown National Finals, 2016, at the Ryman Auditorium.
ALLUVION DEBUT! Featuring special guests, unreleased material, a new album and even a few holiday tunes.
FRIDAY DEC 20 • MUSIC 7:30 PM • $20 ADVANCE • $25 AT THE DOOR PREMIERING TUESDAY, JANUARY 7
THE LAUNCH OF A BRAND NEW COMMUNITY ARTS PROGRAM SUPPORTING EMERGING LOCAL MUSICIANS. BE AMONG THE FIRST TO EXPERIENCE OUR REGION’S RISING TALENT!
MUSICIANS APPLY AT WWW.THEALLUVION.ORG/SHIPYARD
DOORS 5:30 PM • MUSIC 6:00 PM • TICKETS BY DONATION 30-MINUTE PERFORMANCES FROM
CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY: 11am-1pm, TC Elks Lodge #323. For kids ages 0-12. Featuring fun activities, games, lunch, crafts, & a visit from Santa. Free.
COCOA & CHOCOLATE CRAWL & HORSE DRAWN WAGON RIDES: Mackinaw City. 11am-3pm: Cocoa & Chocolate Crawl. Sip, shop & sample as you complete your Cocoa & Chocolate Crawl Passport by
COCO SCREENING -- COLLECTIVE SELF CINEMA SERIES: 1pm, Dennos Museum Center, Milliken Auditorium, NMC, TC. Rated PG. Explore complex feelings through Collective Self Cinema, a partnership with Care-O-Van. Enjoy a movie & take home guided mental health resources. For a deeper experience, sign up with Care-OVan for guided sessions with professionals after the film. $0-$5. events.humanitix.com/ collective-self-cinema
SANTA CLAUS AT KILWINS: (See Sat., Dec. 7)
“A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS” - A CHRISTMAS STORY PRODUCTION TOLD THROUGH DANCE: 2pm & 6:30pm, Cadillac High School Auditorium. Presented by Northern Lights Irish Dancers & Cadillac Classical Arts Company. “A Special Christmas” is a full length holiday production based off of the classic story by Leo Tolstoy. Tickets available in advance at the NLDA, or at the door, while supply lasts. $12. dancenlda.com/performances/a-special-christmas
“THE HOLIDAY CHANNEL CHRISTMAS MOVIE WONDERTHON”: (See Fri., Dec. 13, except today’s times are 2pm & 7:30pm.)
“THE NUTCRACKER,” INTERLOCHEN: (See Thurs., Dec. 12, except today’s times are 2pm & 7:30pm.)
MADONNATIVITY: (See Fri., Dec. 13, except today’s times are 2pm & 7:30pm.)
OTP YOUNG COMPANY PRESENTS “HOLIDAY CABARET”: (See Fri., Dec. 13, except today’s times are 2pm & 7pm.)
SANTA VISITS/CHRISTMAS TREES: 3-6pm, Jordan Inn, East Jordan. Visit with Santa while you enjoy free cookies & hot cocoa. The Lions Club of East Jordan will also be selling Christmas trees.
PERRY HANNAH HOUSE HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE: 4-7pm, Perry Hannah House (Reynolds Jonkhoff Funeral Home), TC. Tour the home decorated for the holidays including 35 trees of all shapes & sizes collected over the decades from friends, family & community events such as Festival of Trees. You are invited to bring a nonperishable item for the Father Fred Food pantry or an unwrapped Toys for Tots toy. TC Celtic will perform at 4pm. Derek Woodruff will present a short holiday floral arranging program at 5pm. Les Dalgliesh will play his guitar in Perry’s former bedroom on the second floor. Tour guides will be located throughout the home to answer questions. Free. Reynolds-Jonkhoff.com
DOWNTOWN CHARLEVOIX LADIES NIGHT: 5-8pm, Downtown Charlevoix. Shops & restaurants will offer specials, prizes & goodies. Free gift wrapping at most locations.
WINTER SOUNDS CONCERT: 5pm, Michigan Legacy Art Park, Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville. A family-friendly celebration of the season, with hot cider, a winter hike through the woods & an outdoor performance from TC West Middle School Madrigal Singers. Arrive early to allow for the 1/4 mile hike to the amphitheater. $10 adults; kids free. michlegacyartpark.org/events/winter-sounds ----------------------
“THE CHRISTMAS JOURNEY”: (See Sat., Dec. 7)
BAYSIDE TRAVELERS HOLIDAY CONTRA DANCE: Bethlehem Lutheran Church, TC. Potluck dinner at 5:30pm; Beginner Dance Workshop at 7pm; dances from 7:3010:30pm. Please bring a dish to pass & your own drink & table service. At some point in
the evening will be the traditional White Elephant Dance. Bring a wrapped gift, to be exchanged many times during the dance. Music provided by Laurel Premo & Michael Beauchamp-Cohen with dances called by Pat Reeser & Dave Goodwin. No partner or experience necessary. Questions? Email: baysidetravellersdance@yahoo.com. Donations only. dancetc.com
DEAD POETS SOCIETY - OPEN MIC POETRY: 6pm, Blessed Be Tea and Apothecary, TC. Theme: Winter Solstice. Share your verses or simply enjoy the poetic talents of the community. Suggested donation: $5-$10. Recommended for ages 15+. blessedbetea.com
“THE NUTCRACKER,” CHEBOYGAN: 7pm, The Cheboygan Opera House. Capture the spirit of Christmas with Northwest Michigan Ballet Theater’s presentation of a holiday tradition & classic. Featuring original choreography by NMBT Artistic Director Thomas Morrell. $15-$25. ci.ovationtix.com/36618/producti on/1216210?performanceId=11535933
ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914: 7pm, City Opera House, TC. Out of the violence of World War I, a silence, then a song. A German soldier steps into No Man’s Land singing “Stille Nacht.” An a cappella chorale, “All Is Calm” is a true story in the words & songs of the men who lived it. Presented by Peppermint Creek Theatre. $10-$35; Veterans & active military & family, free. cityoperahouse.org/node/596
ROALD DAHL’S “MATILDA” THE MUSICAL: (See Sat., Dec. 7)
HOME FREE’S “ANY KIND OF CHRISTMAS” TOUR: 8-9:30pm, Little River Casino Resort, Manistee. All-vocal country group Home Free mixes Christmas classics with Nashville-dipped pop hits & country standards. $40-$80. lrcr.com/event/home-freesany-kind-christmas-tour
SAWYER BROWN HOLIDAY SHOW: 8pm, Odawa Casino Resort, Ovation Hall, Petoskey. Country music band Sawyer Brown is known for hits including “Step That Step,” “Some Girls Do” & “Thank God for You.” $40$50. odawacasino.com/entertainment
sunday
CHRISTMAS IN THE VILLAGE: The Village at GT Commons, TC. Featuring shopping specials & stocking stuffers under $20 from Mercato merchants, visits with Santa, kids crafts & letters for Santa from 11am-2pm, & $3 tunnel walks from 1-3pm (ages 12+ only). thevillagetc.com/ christmas-in-the-village-2024
SUGAR PLUM FAIRY TEA: 1-3pm, The Terrace Inn, Petoskey. Boys & girls of all ages will enjoy an afternoon of festive activities with principal performers of the Crooked Tree Arts Center School of Ballet’s “The Nutcracker.” Each reservation includes tea or lemonade, sweet & savory treats, tea sandwiches, a reading of The Nutcracker story & a ticket to a performance of “The Nutcracker” which takes place Dec. 21 at 3pm & 7pm, & Dec. 22 at 3pm at Great Lakes Center for the Arts in Bay Harbor. $50-$100. crookedtree.org/event/ctac-petoskey-ctacschool-ballet/sugar-plum-fairy-tea
“A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS” - A CHRISTMAS STORY PRODUCTION TOLD THROUGH DANCE: (See Sat., Dec. 14, except today’s only time is 2pm.)
“THE HOLIDAY CHANNEL CHRISTMAS MOVIE WONDERTHON”: (See Fri., Dec. 13, except today’s time is 2pm.)
“THE NUTCRACKER,” INTERLOCHEN: (See Thurs., Dec. 12, except today’s time is 2pm.)
DOKTOR KABOOM! THE SCIENCE OF SANTA: 2pm, Great Lakes Center for the Arts, Bay Harbor. The Doktor Kaboom Holiday Extravaganza! Join Doktor Kaboom as he attempts to recreate all of Santa’s wonders using basic physics. No holiday icons are damaged in this show! This experience is enjoyable for all ages, especially those in grades 2-5 & families. $10-$40. greatlakescfa.org/events/detail/doktor-kaboomsanta
OTP YOUNG COMPANY PRESENTS “HOLIDAY CABARET”: (See Fri., Dec. 13, except today’s time is 2pm.)
----------------------
ROALD DAHL’S “MATILDA” THE MUSICAL: (See Sat., Dec. 7, except today’s time is 2pm.)
----------------------
TADL SUNDAY STORIES WITH MISS KATE: 2pm, Traverse Area District Library, Youth Story Room, TC. Recommended for ages 4+. No registration required. Free. tadl.org/events
“THE CHRISTMAS JOURNEY”: (See Sat., Dec. 7) ----------------------
MADONNATIVITY: 6:30pm, GT Circuit, TC. Presented by Mashup Rock & Roll Musical, a travelling troupe of actors aim to create an inclusive holiday themed show, incorporating music by Madonna & mixing in pop culture. Everything seems to be going wrong. Learn about the importance of community & connection even in the darkest of times. Pay what you can for admission. mashuprockandrollmusical.com/upcoming-shows-ticket
art
“CHRISTMAS IN THE VILLAGE ARTS BUILDING”: Northport Arts Association. A Special Holiday Art Exhibit. Runs through Jan. 4. Open Tues. through Sat., noon-4pm. Closed Dec. 24-25 & Jan. 1. northportartsassociation.org/events-exhibits ----------------------
“JUST GREAT ART”: Runs through Dec. 20 at City Opera House, TC. This art exhibit features work by local plein air artists Sue Bowerman, Kurt Bullock, Jeanette Dyer, Lori Feldpausch, Rita Harrington, Ruth Kitchen, Dorothy Mudget, Joyce Petrokovitz & Marilyn Rebant. It’s open Mon. through Fri. from 10am-2pm during normal box office hours & evening events. cityoperahouse.org ----------------------
CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER, PETOSKEY:
- “BRIGHTLY COLORED, TIGHTLY WOUND”: Runs Dec. 10 - Jan. 18 in Atrium Gallery. This exhibition explores how traditional crafting techniques are being reimagined to push the boundaries of art & design through bold textures, vibrant colors, & unexpected materials. Featuring: Stacey Campbell, Heather Mecali, Victoria Marcetti, Jasmine Petrie, & Kayla Powers. crookedtree.org/event/ctac-petoskey/ brightly-colored-tightly-wound - OPEN STUDIO, PETOSKEY: Saturdays, 10am-1pm in the Visual Arts Room. Free drop-in art studio for the whole family. New projects are offered weekly. crookedtree.org - “GHOST STORIES”: Runs through Dec. 7 in Atrium Gallery. This exhibit invites the viewer to consider the nature of a memory, storytelling, & its relationship to the human experience. Featuring Ronna Alexander, Nik Burkhart, Nancy Adams Nash, Egan Franks Holzhausen, TJ Schwartz, & Ann Willey. crookedtree.org/event/ctac-petoskey/ghost-stories ----------------------
DENNOS MUSEUM CENTER, NMC, TC: - “A BEAUTIFUL MESS: WEAVERS & KNOTTERS OF THE VANGUARD”: The
eleven artists in this exhibition transform rope, yarn, clay, wire, & extension cords into wall hangings & sculptures that range from minimal & hyper-organized to expansive, organic installations. Runs through Jan. 5. Open Tues. through Sun., 11am-4pm. Closed on major holidays. dennosmuseum. org/art/upcoming-exhibitions/index.html
- “KATRINA BELLO: SKY INTO STONE”: A solo exhibition by Katrina Bello featuring charcoal & soft pastel drawings created around the time of her Tusen Takk residency in 2023. Runs through Jan. 5. Open Tues. through Sun., 11am-4pm. Closed on major holidays. dennosmuseum.org/art/ upcoming-exhibitions/index.html
- A STYLE ALL OUR OWN: CANADIAN WOODLAND ARTISTS: Runs through May 25. In the early 1960s, young Indigenous artists from the Great Lakes region created a unique style of painting known as the Woodland School of Art. Early members of this prolific art community included Norval Morrisseau, Carl Ray, Roy Thomas, Sam Ash, Jackson Beardy, & Daphne Odjig. Perhaps the best-known of the group is Norval Morrisseau, who is often referred to as the Father of the Woodland School. Open Tues. through Sun., 11am-4pm. Closed on major holidays. dennosmuseum.org/art/now-onview/canadian-woodland-artists.html
- CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE CERAMICS FROM THE HORVITZ COLLECTION: Runs through Sept. 28, 2025. An array of works by contemporary Japanese ceramic artists, this is a sampler of the great diversity of styles, forms, glazes, & ages. These artworks are drawn from the curated collection of Carol & Jeffrey Horvitz, some of the leading collectors of Japanese contemporary outside of Japan. Open Tues. through Sun., 11am-4pm. Closed on major holidays. dennosmuseum.org/art/upcoming-exhibitions/index.html
GLEN ARBOR ARTS CENTER:
- OUTDOOR GALLERY EXHIBIT: MARGO BURIAN + ORDINARY MAGIC: Leelanau County artist Margo Burian’s collages have been chosen for display in the Glen Arbor Arts Center’s 2024-25 Outdoor Gallery exhibition, an annual, invitational exhibit. Burian’s collages are rooted in the idea of Ordinary Magic, or delight. They were reproduced on five, 5-foot-square, weatherresistant aluminum panels created by Image 360 of TC. Runs through April 20, 2025. Check web site for hours. glenaborart.org
- SMALL WORKS HOLIDAY EXHIBITION: The 2024 Small Works Holiday Exhibition is an annual showcase of 2D + 3D work that offers small, original art at affordable prices; $150 or less. It runs through Dec. 19 & fea tures more than 100 works of art. glenabo rart.org
- WILD THINGS: Held in the Lobby Gallery. This exhibit is an homage to the natural world, & the creatures in it, as expressed in the collages by Benzie County artist Claudia Keglovitz. It runs through Dec. 19. Almost every aspect & element of Claudia’s com positions are created from recycled, reused, & found materials. See web site for hours. glenarborart.org/exhibits
OLIVER ART CENTER, FRANKFORT:
- ARTVENTURE: OAC ANNUAL WINTER MEMBER EXHIBITION:
3. Showcasing the work of more than 100 area artists, all members of OAC. Paintings, sculptures, ceramics, glass, fiber, photogra phy, wood & more will be on display. OAC is open Tues.-Sat. from 10am-4pm, & Sun. from noon-4pm. OAC will be closed on Dec. 24-25 & Jan. 1. oliverart.org
Mention this ad and get 15% off one item (some exclusions apply)
22. Featuring the handmade work of more than 30 local & regional artists & crafts people. Gift items include ornaments, jew elry, ceramics, cards, wearable art, prints, paintings & photography. Oliver Art Center is open Tues. - Sat. from 10am-4pm & Sun. from noon-4pm. It is closed on Mondays. oliverart.org
Grand Traverse & Kalkaska
ENCORE 201, TC
12/7 -- DJ Jr, 9
12/12 – Men’s Night with Peril, 6-10
12/13-14 -- DJ Ricky T, 9
IDENTITY BREWING CO., TC
12/10 -- TC Celtic, 6-8
12/12 -- Beyond Trivia, 7-9
KILKENNY'S IRISH PUBLIC HOUSE, TC
12/6-7 -- Lucas Paul Band, 9:30 Mon -- Team Trivia, 7-9 Tue -- The Will Harris Trio, 8 Wed -- The Pocket, 8 Thu -- DJ Leo, 9:30
12/13-14 -- Equality Show Band, 9:30
KINGSLEY LOCAL BREWING
12/10 -- Open Mic Night, 6-8 12/12 -- Trivia Night, 6:30-9
LEFT FOOT CHARLEY, TC BARREL ROOM:
12/9 -- Open Mic w/ Rob Coonrod, 6-9
LIL BO, TC Tues. – Trivia, 8-10 Sun. – Karaoke, 8
MIDDLECOAST BREWING CO., TC
12/13 -- Rolling Dirty Trio, 6-9
NORTH BAR, TC 7-10:
12/7 & 12/11 -- Jesse Jefferson
12/12 -- Drew Hale
BOYNE CITY TAP ROOM
7:
12/7 & 12/14 -- Patrick Ryan
12/12 -- Adam & The Cabana Boys
12/13 -- Patrick Ryan & Josh Raber
BRIDGE STREET TAPROOM, CHARLEVOIX
12/10 -- Patrick Ryan, 7
CAFE SANTÉ, BOYNE CITY
12/9 -- The Shifties, 6-9
12/13 -- Chris Smith
12/14 -- Wink Solo
OLD MISSION DISTILLING, TC SEVEN HILLS:
12/7 -- Tower of Bauer, 5 12/11 -- Jimmy Olson, 6 12/13 -- Blair Miller, 6 12/14 -- Chris Smith, 6
SORELLINA'S, TC SLATE RESTAURANT: Thurs. -- Tom Kaufmann on Piano, 5-8 Fri. & Sat. – Tom Kaufmann on Piano, 6-9
TAFFEL TOWN LODGE, FIFE LAKE
12/15 -- Braxton Hicks & The Contractions & Stonefolk, 3-6
THE ALLUVION, TC
12/9 -- Funky Uncle - Funky Fun Mondays, 6-8:30
12/12 -- The Jeff Haas Trio feat. Laurie Sears + Lisa Flahive, 6-8:30
12/14 -- May Erlewine & The Motivations Dance Party - Night 1: SOLD OUT!, 7:30-10
12/15 -- May Erlewine & The Motivations Dance Party - Night 2, 7-9:30
THE HAYLOFT INN, TC
12/6-7 & 12/13-14 -- Sandy & The Bandits, 7:30-11
THE LITTLE FLEET, TC 12/11 -- DJ Dusty Staircase, 3-11
THE PARLOR, TC 8-11:
12/7 -- Chris Sterr
12/10 -- Jesse Jefferson
12/12 -- Jimmy Olson
12/13 -- Blue Footed Booby 12/14 -- Mal & Mike
THE PUB, TC
12/7 -- G-Snacks Acoustic, 9-12
12/9 -- Karaoke Monday, 8-11
12/11 -- Zeke Clemons, 7-10
12/12 -- David Martón, 7-10
12/13 -- Jeff Linsell, 8-11
12/14 -- Rolling Dirty Duo, 7-10
THE WORKSHOP BREWING CO., TC
12/10 -- Open Mic w/ Zak Bunce, 6:30
12/11 -- Jazz Show & Jam feat. Ron Getz Trio, 6
12/12 -- DJ Trivia, 7
12/14 -- Brett Mitchell, 8
12/15 -- Full Tilt Comedy Presents: Comedy Mixtape #19, 7
TURTLE CREEK CASINO & HOTEL, WILLIAMSBURG
9-1:
12/7 -- Protea
12/13 -- DJ Mr. Markis
12/14 -- The Ampersands
UNION STREET STATION, TC
12/7 -- DJ Prim, 10 12/12 -- DJ 1Wave, 9
12/13 -- Happy Hour w/ The Time Bombs, 6; Soul Patch, 10 12/14 -- Chirp, 10
Antrim & Charlevoix
ETHANOLOGY, ELK RAPIDS
12/13 -- Pajama 'House' Party w/ DJ Franck, 7-11
FIRESIDE LOUNGE, BELLAIRE
12/7 -- Matt Mansfield, 6-9
12/13 -- DJ Bingo, 6-8
JAX NORTHSIDE, CHARLEVOIX
12/11 -- Trivia Night, 7
MAMMOTH DISTILLING, BELLAIRE
12/11 -- DJ Trivia, 7-9
PROVISIONS WINE LOUNGE, BOYNE CITY
12/10 -- Nelson Olstrom, 6
SHORT'S PUB, BELLAIRE
12/11 -- Braxton Hicks & The Contractions & Stonefolk, 6:309:30
12/12 -- Trivia Night w/ DJ Trivia, 6:30
SHORT'S PULL BARN, ELK RAPIDS
12/13 -- Music Trivia Night: Presented by Elk Rapids Band, 7
Manistee, Wexford & Missaukee
LITTLE RIVER CASINO RESORT, MANISTEE
12/14 -- Home Free's "Any Kind of Christmas" Tour, 8-9:30
NORTHERN NATURAL CIDER HOUSE & WINERY, KALEVA
12/12 -- Chief Jams - Open Mic Night Hosted by Bee Jay & Nathon from Barefoot Music, 6-8
12/13 -- 90's Night w/ Andy & Mike of The Cassettes, 6 12/14 -- Lynn Callihan, 6
Send
All-vocal country group Home Free brings their “Any Kind of Christmas” Tour to Little River Casino Resort in Manistee on Sat., Dec. 14 from 8-9:30pm. Enjoy hearing Christmas classics mixed with Nashville-dipped pop hits and country standards. Tickets range from $40-$80. lrcr.com/event/home-frees-any-kind-christmas-tour
Leelanau & Benzie
BLACK STAR FARMS, SUTTONS BAY
BISTRO POLARIS, 6-8:
12/7 -- Izzy Joy
12/14 -- Jakob Abraham
CICCONE VINEYARD & WINERY, SUTTONS BAY
12/15 -- Rhett & John, 2-4:30
FRENCH VALLEY VINEYARD, CEDAR
12/12 -- Luke Woltanski, 4
IRON FISH DISTILLERY, THOMPSONVILLE
12/7 -- The Feral Cats, 5:30-
7:30
12/8 -- Keith Scott, 3:30-5:30
12/13 -- Jakob Abraham, 5:307:30
12/14 -- Blair Miller, 5:30-7:30
12/15 -- Caroling with The Benzie County Community Chorus, 3-5
LAKE ANN BREWING CO.
12/7 -- Rock Hat, 6:30
12/12 -- Trivia Night w/ Host Tom Kaspar, 7
SHADY LANE CELLARS, SUTTONS BAY 12/13 -- Friday Night Live w/
Emmet & Cheboygan
Michael Hozz, 4-7
ST. AMBROSE CELLARS, BEULAH
12/7 -- John Piatek, 5-8
12/8 -- "The Haunting of Ebenezer", 4-5:15
12/12 -- Open Mic Night, 6-9
SWEET’S BAR & GRILL, HONOR Mon. – Music Bingo, 7 Fri. – Music Bingo, 8; Karaoke, 10 Sat. – Karaoke, 8
BOYNE VALLEY VINEYARDS, PETOSKEY
2-6:
12/7 -- Two Track Mind 12/14 -- Chris Calleja
CITY PARK GRILL, PETOSKEY
12/10 -- Trivia Night, 7-9
12/13 -- Annex Karaoke, 9:30
NOGGIN ROOM PUB, PETOSKEY
12/7 -- Charlie Witthoeft, 7-10
12/11 -- Singo Bingo, 6:30
THE GREENHOUSE - WILLOW/ PRIMOS, CADILLAC
12/11 -- Trivia & Music Bingo Night w/ Shawny-D, 6-9
ALPINE TAVERN & EATERY, GAYLORD 6-9: 12/7 -- Brian Curran
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I don't recommend burning wood to heat your home. Such fires generate noxious emissions harmful to human health. But hypothetically speaking, if you had no other way to get warm, I prefer burning ash and beech wood rather than, say, pine and cedar. The former two trees yield far more heat than the latter two, so you need less of them. Let's apply this principle as we meditate on your quest for new metaphorical fuel, Sagittarius. In the coming months, you will be wise to search for resources that provide you with the most efficient and potent energy.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): During the rest of 2024, life’s generosity will stream your way more than usual. You will be on the receiving end of extra magnanimity from people, too. Even the spiritual realms might have extra goodies to bestow on you. How should you respond? My suggestion is to share the inflowing wealth with cheerful creativity. Boost your own generosity and magnanimity. Just assume that the more you give, the more you will get and the more you will have. (PS: Do you know that Emily Dickinson poem with the line “Why Floods be served to us — in Bowls”? suggest you obtain some big bowls.)
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The term "cognitive dissonance" refers to the agitation we feel while trying to hold conflicting ideas or values in our minds. For example, let's say you love the music of a particular singer-songwriter, but they have opinions that offend you or they engage in behavior that repels you. Or maybe you share many positions with a certain political candidate, but they also have a few policies you dislike. Cognitive dissonance doesn't have to be a bad or debilitating thing. In fact, the ability to harbor conflicting ideas with poise and equanimity is a sign of high intelligence. suspect this will be one of your superpowers in the coming weeks.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): "Amazing Grace" is a popular hymn recorded by many pop stars, including Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, and Willie Nelson. Created in 1773, it tells the story of a person who concludes that he has lived an awful life and now wants to repent for his sins and be a better human. The composer, John Newton, was a slave trader who had a religious epiphany during a storm that threatened to sink his ship in the Atlantic Ocean. God told him to reform his evil ways, and he did. I presume that none of you reading this horoscope has ever been as horrible a person as Newton. And yet you and I, like most people, are in regular need of conversion experiences that awaken us to higher truths and more expansive perspectives. I predict you will have at least three of those transformative illuminations in the coming months. One is available now, if you want it.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “Thinking outside the box” is an American idiom. It means escaping habitual parameters and traditional formulas so as to imagine fresh perspectives and novel approaches. While it’s an excellent practice, there is also a good alternative. We can sometimes accomplish marvels by staying inside the box and reshaping it from the inside. Another way to imagine this is to work within the system to transform the system—to accept some of the standard perspectives but play and experiment with others. For example, in my horoscope column, I partially adhere to the customs of the well-established genre, but also take radical liberties with it. recommend this approach for you in 2025.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The world's longest tunnel is over 35 miles long. It's the Gotthard Base Tunnel in the Swiss Alps. I'm guessing the metaphorical tunnel you've been crawling your way through lately, Capricorn, may feel that extensive. But it's really not. And here's even better news: Your plodding travels will be finished sooner than you imagine. I expect that the light at the end of the tunnel will be visible any day now. Now here's the best news: Your slow journey through the semi-darkness will ultimately yield rich benefits no later than your birthday.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Would you like to avoid wilting and fading away in January, Aquarius? If so, I recommend that during the coming weeks, you give your best and brightest gifts and express your wildest
and most beautiful truths. In the new year, you will need some downtime to recharge and revitalize. But it will be a pleasantly relaxing interlude—not a wan, withered detour— if in the immediate future you unleash your unique genius in its full splendor.
PISCES (Feb 19-March 20): My treasured Piscean advisor, Letisha, believes it's a shame so many of us try to motivate ourselves through abusive self-criticism. Are you guilty of that sin? have done it myself on many occasions. Sadly, it rarely works as a motivational ploy. More often, it demoralizes and deflates. The good news, Pisces, is that you now have extra power and savvy to diminish your reliance on this ineffectual tactic. To launch the transformation, hope you will engage in a focused campaign of inspiring yourself through self-praise and self-love.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): If you were walking down the street and spied a coin lying on the sidewalk, would you bend down to pick it up? If you're like most people, you wouldn't. It's too much trouble to exert yourself for an object of such little value. But I advise you to adopt a different attitude during the coming weeks. Just for now, that stray coin might be something like an Umayyad gold dinar minted in the year 723 and worth over $7 million. Please also apply this counsel metaphorically, Aries. In other words, be alert for things of unexpected worth that would require you to expand your expectations or stretch your capacities.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The Taurus writer Randall Jarrell compared poets to people who regularly stand in a meadow during a thunderstorm. If they are struck by the lightning of inspiration five or six times in the course of their careers, they are good poets. If they are hit a dozen times, they are great poets. A similar principle applies in many fields of endeavor. To be excellent at what you do, you must regularly go to where the energy is most electric. You’ve also got to keep working diligently on your skills so that when inspiration comes calling, you have a highly developed ability to capture it in a useful form. I’m bringing this up now, Taurus, because I suspect the coming weeks will bring you a slew of lightning bolts.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): My upcoming novels epitomize the literary genre known as magical realism. In many ways, the stories exhibit reverence for the details of our gritty destinies in the material world. But they are also replete with wondrous events like talking animals, helpful spirits, and nightly dreams that provide radical healing. The characters are both practical and dreamy, earthy and wildly imaginative, well-grounded and alert for miracles. In accordance with your astrological potentials, I invite you to be like those characters in the coming months. You are primed to be both robustly pragmatic and primed for fairy-tale-style adventures.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): In December 1903, the Wright Brothers flew a motorized vehicle through the sky for the first time in human history. It was a very modest achievement, really. On the first try, Orville Wright was in the air for just 12 seconds and traveled 120 feet. On the fourth attempt that day, Wilbur was aloft for 59 seconds and 852 feet. believe you're at a comparable stage in the evolution of your own innovation. Don't minimize your incipient accomplishment. Keep the faith. It may take a while, but your efforts will ultimately lead to a meaningful advancement. (PS: Nine months later, the Wrights flew their vehicle for over five minutes and traveled 2.75 miles.)
“Jonesin” Crosswords
"Wakey Wakey!" --don't sleep on the clues, either. by Matt Jones
ACROSS
1. Sound designed to wake you up
6. Sweetie ___ (term like "darling" or "Baez")
9. "Hey, over here!"
13. Put your prioritizes toward 14. Quartz division
15. Chain that may sell Linzer
16. Zin ___ (stuck)
17. Only state with a three-word capital city
18. Unlike products of Aziz?
19. Hauler bound to wake you up in the morning
22. Fitz as a fiddle, for instance
25. Poet's palindromic "before"
26. "Thanks for ___ memorizes"
27. Word after "lazyaway" or "lesson"
28. Hailed czars
31. Felt like yelling "zowie," but for longer
33. Where GAZ, PAZ, and WIZ are located
34. Singer McEntire
35. Miracle-___ (garden brand)
36. It may wake you up energetically
42. Insect in colonizes
43. Letters before a URL
44. The day before
45. "I hear Yaz!"
48. Rappers' feud
49. "I've ___ zit before"
50. Securities trader, for Shortz
51. Onze, in Spanish
53. They grow into large trezzes
55. Animal noise that'll wake you up on a farm
59. Pitchfork point
60. Native Zandezan
61. Landlocked Asian republic
65. "Law & Order: SVU" actor
66. Accessorizes
67. Prez-Nintendo console
68. "___ Bridges" (TV show with Johnson and Marzin)
69. Word before nail or nob
70. Caffeine pill brand to keep you awake (or, when respaced, instructions on how to handle many of the clues)
DOWN
1. "Queen Sugar" creator DuVernay
2. Theorizes Getz tested here
3. "Greatest" boxer
4. Welcomed, as the new year
5. Rizzo award in 2016
6. Pocket bread
7. Since who-knows-when
8. Early anesthetic
9. Fezline noise
10. Sherlock Holmes, notably
11. ZZ Top lip feature, informally
12. Had discussions
14. Zazzle ordering site
20. Not so long ago
21. React at the end of Hot Zones, perhaps
22. San Antonio player
23. "Casablanca" character Lund
24. Queenly address
29. "Alizas" network
30. Use the tub
32. Relative of romazine
34. Lapse
35. Was a success
37. Chinese steamed bun
38. Suffix with "Manhattan" or "Brooklyn"
39. ___-reviewed journal
40. Like shares that are split halfsizes
41. Two-digit playing cards
45. Maze of Canadian comedy
46. Beethoven's Third Symphony
47. Ribeye alternatives
48. Brunezzi's island
49. Johannesburg township
52. Mister Zed's sound
54. Host after Jazzy
56. Adam's third son in the Zotz
57. Bozo/Bozo reminder?
58. Buzzy on a lot
62. Word meaning frizzed, in Thai cuisine
63. The ZA before + might mean this
64. Dick Cheney's daughter
NORTHERN EXPRESS CLASSIFIEDS
PAID PT WORK TRAINING FOR SENIORS
AGE 55+: Are you ready to work? Paid Part-Time Positions Are Waiting to Be Filled. Receptionist, Cashier, Retail and Customer Service, Custodial, Sorting and Stocking. Applicants must be age 55 and over, unemployed, seeking work and meet program eligibility. Call the AARP Foundation SCSEP Program to find out if you qualify, 231-252-4544.
COMPUTER PROBLEMS?: I can fix your computer, tablet, tv and phone. I'll show you how to use it. If it can't be fixed I can help you replace it with the right device for you. I'll come to your home or office. Call Janes Downer, Advent Tech. Your high tech handyman. 231-492-2087
SEWING, ALTERATIONS, MENDING & REPAIRS. Maple City, Maralene Roush 231228-6248
