Northern Express Staff & Contributors | Author
A Fresh Perspective
May 21, 2022
If you think you’ve seen it all above the bridge, think again. Even some of the Upper Peninsula’s most visited sites get a new look when you see them from a different angle. From trains to rafts to steam-powered hoists, we found five unique ways to help you don those rose-colore…
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Now Hiring! Up North Jobs
May 14, 2022
Welcome to our Spring 2022 “Now Hiring” section sponsored by Hagerty! Here you’ll find more than 90 jobs now open across northern Michigan, some seasonal, some part-time, some full-time.
Explore away!
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Could Camp Grayling Grow?
May 14, 2022
The Michigan National Guard military training complex at Camp Grayling could be getting bigger. Twice as big, in fact. The 148,000-acre camp is looking to make the move to 320,000 acres by requesting access to land managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Camp Grayling is al…
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Where to Eat Now: Your Spring Restaurant Guide
May 7, 2022
Loosen your waistbands and tuck in your napkins—it’s time to take a look back at the eateries featured in Northern Express since our last Restaurant Issue. While the menus may have changed, the great food and hospitality have not. And with the weather warming up, you ma…
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Calling All Race Hosts and Promoters!
May 7, 2022
This one is for the runners, the swimmers, the bikers, and the paddlers. It’s even for those brave and wild souls who do triathlons. (We bow to you, even if we don’t understand you.) Do you want to see your upcoming race included in Northern Express’ summer race calendar i…
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Have an opinion? Write about it!
April 23, 2022
Northern Express is seeking one or two new guest opinion writers for 2022 and beyond. Our opinion columnists are passionate, experienced writers who are connected to our communities and also have an understanding about how northern Michigan’s issues fit into larger national a…
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Farewell to the Advice Goddess
April 16, 2022
After 20 years of helping us with our biggest—and weirdest—questions about life, the Advice Goddess is retiring her pen. Northern Express was one of the first papers in the country to publish Amy Alkon’s column all those years ago, and she went on to be syndicated…
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Your Northern Michigan Staycation Guide:
March 26, 2022
Not all of us are headed for warmer climates this spring break, and if you’re sticking around the North, you can still create a little getaway magic here at home. Reporters Rachel Pasche, Geri Diezte, Craig Manning, and Lynda Wheatley give us the scoop on what to do, where to eat, and…
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Celebrate the Wearin’ of the Green: St. Patty’s Events Across the North
March 12, 2022
Welcome to the magical time of the year where St. Patrick’s Day, Mardi Gras, and spring all come together to create a flurry of events around northern Michigan. Whether you’re seeking green beer, green beads, or the return of greener grasses, we’ve pulled together 10 event…
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Northerners You Need to Know
March 5, 2022
Every year, Northern Express reporters scour the North to find 20 average folks dedicating themselves to a not-so-average existence—people who parlay their passions into something bigger than themselves. Here, our picks for the unsung but undoubtedly fascinating people wh…
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Feb. 12, 2022 Sweet’s Bar & Grill Sept. 18, 2021 Please be seated for this abbreviated version of the restaurant profiles we've featured since our Summer Restaurant Issue. Bon appetit! July 17, 2021 Please be seated for this abbreviated version of the restaurant profiles we’ve featured since our Spring Restaurant Issue. Bon appetit! Bella Italian Kitchen and Market July 17, 2021 The Dunesville Music Festival, held at Harmony Pines, between Interlochen and Lake Ann, will be held July 23 through 25, and it is expected to be much, much more than dozens of music acts in a pine-dotted meadow … there’s camping (through Monday, July 26), live art, body hoopin…
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May 8, 2021 Please be seated for these abbreviated versions of the restaurant profiles we’ve featured since our last Restaurant Issue. Before you do, one warning: We’d like nothing better than for our readers to support local restaurants like these featured here, but before popping in a…
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March 6, 2021 Abra Berens Feb. 13, 2021 Please be seated for these abbreviated versions of the restaurant profiles we’ve featured since our last Restaurant Issue. Before you do, one warning: We’d like nothing better than for our readers to support local restaurants like these featured here, but before popping in anywh…
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Aug. 1, 2020 Hagerty July 25, 2020 Please be seated for the abbreviated versions of the restaurant profiles we've featured since our last RestauranTour issue. Bon Appetit! May 23, 2020 Wayne Richard "Dick" Smith: Living History “I was born in Petoskey, and my great-grandfather S…
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Where to Eat Now
Honor
Meet Bill Sweet, an outgoing guy who — along with his wife and partner in entrepreneurial optimism, Toni — opened Sweet's Bar & Grill in Honor last summer. The spot? Inside the former Sleepy Bea…
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Where to Eat this Fall
Grand Traverse Salad Co.
Traverse City
It’s not a straight line from the gas station to rest…
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Where to Eat this Summer
Frankfort
You might say Ed Carella was destined to ope…
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Yes, Virginia, Dunesville is Happening July 23–25
Where to Eat this Spring
Fascinating People
The Bestseller
Abra Berens (pictured above) grew up on a farm south of Holland and began cooking at Zingerman’s Deli while attending the University of Michigan. Then it was off to cooking school in Ireland; back in the states, she spent eight y…
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Where to Eat Now
Jobs Across the Region
Traverse City
Art Director and Manager
Hagerty, the leading provider of classic car insurance, valuation tools, and roadside service for people who love cars, has an opportunity for an Art Director and Manage…
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Where to Eat Now
THE EMPIRE VILLAGE INN
The Empire Village Inn has been a fixture in the tiny tourist village on Lake Michigan f…
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Meet Brittany Adams — and 19 Other Fascinating Northerners
Dick Smith cultivated his interest in northern Michigan history the old-fashioned way: He lived it.