Top Ten

this week’s top ten

A Solstice Night Out

Dec. 21 is the winter solstice and shortest day of the year, and instead of burrowing under the blankets, it’s the perfect time to get outside and enjoy the chilly beauty of nature in her winter form. The Grand Traverse Conservation District (GTCD) is celebrating the changing of the season with a campfire and hike evening at their Great Lakes Incubator Farm (1091 N Keystone Rd. in TC). The farm, as reported by Northern Express a few weeks back, will be the demonstration site for a new program geared toward teaching aspiring farmers how to work the land and create a thriving business. From 5-7pm, GTCD will offer tours of the farm—a half-mile hike— followed by a warming fire and cups of hot cocoa. Guests are encouraged to bring their own mugs to help reduce waste! The event is free, though pre-registration is appreciated for planning purposes. Sign up and learn more at natureiscalling.org/events.

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Tom’s Food Markets’ Local Dishes

Ever wish you could fit your favorite restaurant inside the grocery store? You could check off your weekly shopping list and get a few ready-made meals from the local chefs you love. Well, Tom’s Food Markets may have read your mind. Not only are we impressed with the multi-store renovations they’ve been up to—including putting more of an emphasis on local goods from snacks to beer to lavender essential oils—but we’ve also discovered some familiar names in their updated aisles. TC-based White on Rice is providing fresh sushi deliveries at all locations, usually with a mix of rolls like California, spicy crab, vegan, and others. For those south of the 45th parallel, the Polish treats of Petoskey’s Lost Village Pierogi can now be found on the shelves, making you just one frying pan and 10 minutes away from perfection. Tom’s has locations in Traverse City, Northport, and Interlochen; call yours for availability or visit toms-foodmarkets.com. 4 • december 19, 2022 • Northern Express Weekly

Santa on Skis

How can you top skiing with the man in the big red suit on Christmas? Skiing with Santa for free! Head to Schuss Mountain at Shanty Creek Resort in Bellaire from 9am-4:30pm on Christmas Day. Donations of gently-used winter clothing and household items, plus non-perishable foods, will be collected for local food pantries. Details at shantycreek.com/event/ski-free-santa-2.

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Hey, Watch It! Wednesday

If you’re the type to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas at this time of year, you can add a few extra Tim Burton chills and thrills with his latest: Wednesday. As the nursery rhyme predicts, Wednesday’s child is indeed full of woe in this reimagining of the Addams Family story through the eyes of their teenage daughter. After an incident—okay, an attempted murder— involving bullies and piranhas, Wednesday is shipped off to Nevermore Academy to be among the outcasts and monsters like her. Though Wednesday would love to be anywhere but following in her parents’ footsteps at Nevermore, she nonetheless finds herself entangled in a decades’-old mystery and a string of modernday killings happening in her backyard. Actress Jenna Ortega of Disney Channel fame plays the lead role perfectly, balancing her dark, deadpan delivery with flashes of cleverness and even a few tender moments that will have you rooting for the show’s unlikely heroine. Now streaming on Netflix.

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THERE’S ONLY ONE WEEK LEFT UNTIL 2023 AND WE’RE HERE TO HELP YOU MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR

“IS IT A CHRISTMAS MOVIE?” Our first ever movie Monday will answer the question “is it a Christmas movie?” MONDAYDEC 26 ON TUESDAYS, WE EAT TACOS Specials all day on our tacos and the introduction of our new Taco Pizza! TUESDAYDEC 27 AFTER CHRISTMAS BLUES w/ KEITH SCOTT Everyone gets the blues after Christmas so we’re throwing a blues party! Blues music and food and drink specials. FRIDAYDEC 30 NEW YEARS EVE HOT HONEY PARTY We’re ringing in the new year with music from Benzie’s favorite, Barefoot, and releasing our hot honey with special pricing on cases and a special menu! 841 S PIONEER RD • BEULAH, MI SATURDAYDEC 31 WE SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM We’ve teamed up with Hill Top Soda Shoppe to bring you floats and shakes like you’ve never had before! THURSDAYDEC 29 Wii BOWLING TOURNAMENT We’re breaking out the Wii Sports so get your team ready to roll. Prizes for the top scorers! WEDNESDAYDEC 28 @ ST. AMBROSE DECEMBER 2631 SCAN FOR MORE DETAILS FLIGHT SPECIALS ALL WEEK!

6 Holidays Around the World

Ready to celebrate holiday traditions from our corner of Michigan to the other side of the globe? Take the kiddos to the Great Lakes Children’s Museum Thursday, Dec. 22, and Friday, Dec. 23, for the Holiday Happenings Celebrations. This interactive experience is free with museum admission ($8 for children and adults, free for members) and helps littles learn about Christmas, Chinese New Year, Hanukkah, and more. Meanwhile, the rest of the museum’s Great Lakes-focused activities and exhibits will be open and ready for exploration. Reservations are recommended—though walk-ins are admitted if capacity allows—and can be made by going to greatlakeskids.org. The Holiday Happenings Celebrations will be held during all three sessions on Thursday and Friday: 9:30-11:30am, 12-2pm, and 2:30-4:30pm. (The museum is closed for cleaning in the breaks in between.) Find the Great Lakes Children’s Museum at 13240 S. West Bay Shore Drive in Traverse City.

New Guide for NoMi Freelancers

This decade’s work-from-home lifestyle has allowed hundreds of NoMi residents to transition to freelance work. It’s also made it easier for people to move North and keep doing what they love. The only tricky part? Finding ways to reach local customers. To make those connections, Michigan’s Creative Coast, a branch of Traverse Connect, announced the launch of their Freelance and Independent Talent Directory. Freelancers who own small businesses with two or fewer employees can create a listing of their own ($100 for 12 months on the site or $150 for upgraded features and marketing boosts) that features their bio, work samples, references, website, contact info, and more. In turn, the public can submit requests for proposals for various types of work, with categories like copywriting, graphic design, photography, website development, and even ceramics or voiceover work on the list. Head to michiganscreativecoast.com/freelance to learn more.

Photo by HarpeStar

ONE CARD. THREE RESTAURANTS.

OFFER VALID THRU 12/24

Spend $100. Get $120.

FREE $20 Bonus Certificate with Every $100 Gift Card Purchase Stuff We Love: Winter Athletes on the Go

Let’s face it: It’s hard to find the motivation to get outside and run in the winter. (For some of us, it’s hard to find the motivation to run, period.) That’s why we love that a local high schooler, Ava King, decided to organize the Traverse City Northern Lights (TCNL) running club, a peer-led group for high school distance runners in the fivecounty area. If your student is into track or cross-country and using a treadmill for the next six months just doesn’t appeal, then sign them up for some accountabili-buddies with TCNL. The group will meet twice a week at the Civic Center in Traverse City near Howe Arena so teens can train, find new running friends, and stay in the loop on opportunities to participate in indoor meets throughout the winter. (Note: This is not a school-sponsored club.) Get more information and sign up at https://forms.gle/2WFzmN15xX1tSAYS9.

bottoms up Paddle Hard’s River Rampage

We’d be lying if we said that Paddle Hard Brewing’s house IPA didn’t have us longing for sweltering temps, neon pool floaties, and lots of glorious sunshine. (Remember sunshine? We hardly do…) But, are we still sipping it in December? You bet. The second in a threebeer series preceded by the Lazy River Rampage Session IPA, this lighter-than-predicted pale hits all the multi-season high notes with a pine-forward nose and a richly-layered palette, thanks to a brew containing no fewer than seven different hop varieties. We’d pair it with something rich—go for the brewery’s Thai’d Up Paddler pizza, or a hot dog for that full summer feeling—though it’s just as delicious on its own. Enjoy River Rampage on tap ($5), by the six-pack, or 32-ounce crowler at Paddle Hard Brewing’s Grayling location, 227 Michigan Avenue. And don’t miss the 27 other guest and in-house taps! (989) 745-6388. paddlehardbrewing.com