Al Parker | Author
Grow Ops
April 16, 2022
Northern Express is at Heritage Farm Company, a marijuana growing facility in Manistee County where some 2,000 hearty plants are thriving under high-tech lighting and highly-monitored environmental conditions in the farm’s 15,000-square-foot grow room.
Charlie Mc…
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Mud Season
March 26, 2022
Some call it “The Mud Season,” giving the brief window between the end of March and early April the lofty status of a fifth annual season. It’s a term used by ski resorts to describe the time when skiing and snowboarding wind down and golf cranks up. Skiers cope with once-…
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Real Estate Pros Share Their Secrets
March 19, 2022
March Madness is underway on college basketball courts, but it’s also happening here in northern Michigan. It’s that heady, springtime feeling that hits homeowners who are interested in selling their houses. Northern Express reached out to real estate experts across the region s…
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Traverse City's Lil Bo
Feb. 19, 2022
Jenni Scott wipes down the already-gleaming bar, then draws an ice-cold beer for one of her regulars before taking a break to talk about running one of Traverse City’s historic watering holes, Lil Bo.
“It’s been a blast,” the TC native says with a smile. &ldq…
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Book Now for Summer
Jan. 22, 2022
Maybe the white stuff outside your window has you dreaming of a trip to the Caribbean this winter. By all means, we won’t stand in your way. But one thing we find when showcasing some of our best summer travel ideas in our summer issues is this: Most are already booked out a full year…
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The Need for Speed
Jan. 8, 2022
If you’re suffering from the winter blahs, you might want to check out a couple of adrenaline-charged events in January and February.
Keiser Boys Motorsports is hosting the Snowflake Derby at Northern Michigan Speedway in Elmira on Jan. 15. Four weeks later on Feb. 12, this dy…
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Josh Burnham’s Big Week
Jan. 1, 2022
Being born on St. Patrick's Day, you could almost predict that Josh Burnham would be Irish – Fighting Irish, that is.
The Traverse City native, who turns 18 in March, is starting classes at the University of Notre Dame this week, after a stellar football career at the high sch…
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A Michigan Christmas Classic: Honey Baked Ham
Dec. 18, 2021
With a flaming propane torch in his left hand and a scoop full of white sugar in his right, Mike Muzljakovich spends hours every week adding the delicious sweet glaze for which Honey Baked Ham is known to the hundreds of hams he sells weekly at his shop.
After the sugar is carameliz…
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A Night at the Local VFW
Oct. 30, 2021
We’ve all got an opinion about America’s wars, politics, and place in the world. On the heels of the United States’ recent withdrawal from Afghanistan and ahead of Veterans Day 2021, Northern Express thought it a worthwhile time for all of us to pause the bickering and…
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Oct. 30, 2021 A canine-cuddling couple with decades of dog training experience is working hard to provide service dogs to northern Michigan veterans dealing with disabilities. Ron and Diane Monroe established Mission Six Service Dogs for Veterans in 2018 and have provided six dogs for deserving v…
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Oct. 23, 2021 Linda Gottwald's inspiration to start an animal shelter: a little brown dog with a jaunty red scarf. “I first saw Frannie many years ago when I was volunteering at an animal shelter in Oakland, California,” says Gottwald. “She was being dragged into the …
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Oct. 16, 2021 It started life as a common northern Michigan resort cabin, but over the years it's been transformed into one of Benzie County's most popular places for a quality dining experience. The Manitou, out on M-22 between Empire and Frankfort, is a family-owned operation opened in 1979 by …
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Oct. 9, 2021 Jann Norton adjusts her COVID face mask and cheerfully greets some of the first customers of the day at Traverse City's venerable used bookstore, The Bookie Joint. “We have several genres here,” the shop owner explains to a visiting couple. “And everything is at le…
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Oct. 9, 2021 Early in the 20th century, automakers like Henry Ford, the Dodge Brothers and Billy Durant dominated the industry in Detroit and Flint. But there were a handful of optimistic, energetic entrepreneurs in northern Michigan who dreamed of launching their own motor car enterprises. Here's a loo…
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Oct. 2, 2021 The Bay View Wine Trail is growing, enhancing its reputation for quality vintages. The seven-year-old trail is home to 14 wineries and runs from Ellsworth to Harbor Springs, but most are clustered around Petoskey. On a crisp autumn day, the drive alone is a beguiling way to …
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Sept. 25, 2021 With many restaurants closing their doors for good because of the twin disasters of a global pandemic combined with the difficulty of finding staffers, it takes a pretty confident owner to launch a new eatery. Meet Bill Sweet, an outgoing guy who — along with his wife and part…
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Sept. 11, 2021 After living in the Detroit area for two decades, Rebecca and Jason Gill longed for a change. They said good-bye to their long daily commutes, high-stress jobs, and hectic schedules, then planned a relocation to northern Michigan. They sold their house, their lake house and their bo…
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Sept. 4, 2021 A traveling musician for much of his adult life, Brian McAllister never expected to settle in Northern Michigan. “Back in 1997, my wife Laurie and I were planning to go to St. Martin but took a trip up here,” explains the guitar picker with a smile. “We just never …
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June 26, 2021 It's been a long time coming, but the National Cherry Festival 2021 promises to be one of the most interesting in years – combining much-loved classic attractions — like Arnold's Amusements Midway, the Gold Pin Program, and the Cherry Farm Market — and some new activities.…
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June 26, 2021 It could be the setup for a corny joke: A former monk, English professor, and advocate for senior citizens walks into a radio station. It’s a joke that only word geeks — local word geeks, in particular — might understand. “Words to the Wise,” th…
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Home of the Brave
Don't Call it Puppy Love
All In The Family
Closing The Books: The Bookie Joint Closing After Five Decades
Auto Manufacturing Used To Thrive In Gaylord, Traverse City, And Around The North
14 Great Reasons to Hit the Bay View Wine Trail
Sweet's Bar & Grill
All the Warm Fuzzies
Hofbrau Steak House & Grille
Dig In: Cherry Fest 2021
Words to the Wise