Ross Boissoneau | Author

Benzonia’s Hill Top Soda Shoppe

July 25, 2020

 

I scream, you scream — most of it directed at the road construction on US-31 in Benzonia — but despite the difficulties posed by the orange barrels and plumes of dust outside, Hill Top Soda Shoppe is drawing lines of customers.

You could say that’s e… Read More >>

Starry Nights: Catch the Comet!

July 18, 2020

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s … Comet NEOWISE? That’s right — the comet discovered less than four months ago is now lighting up the northwest portion of the night sky. It will be visible to sky-watchers here on earth through mid-August.

So wher… Read More >>

Empire’s Shipwreck Cafe

July 18, 2020

It’s not a wreck of a restaurant. No, not at all. In fact, the cozy cafe in Empire is downright welcoming. And so far, the sandwiches sporting the names of ships that went down in the Great Lakes have been enough to entice seafarers and landlubbers alike to the restaurant Steve and Je… Read More >>

Live Entertainment North of the 45th

July 11, 2020

 

Down but not out. That could be the motto for musicians and concert presenters across the country. Take heart: The slate of performers scheduled to perform in this area has been decimated due to the coronavirus pandemic, but there are still some cultural opportunities to take… Read More >>

The Other Fly-Tying Legend

July 4, 2020

Most every Northern angler knows the tale of the Adams fly and its creator, Leonard Halladay of Mayfield. The dry fly Halladay crafted in 1922 to imitate an adult mayfly and lure many a Boardman River trout is still celebrated annually in Kingsley, at the Adams Fly Festival. But the Adams f… Read More >>

Days of the Dunesmobile

July 4, 2020

The sand dunes at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore are monuments of nature, 2,000 years old and towering 100 feet in the air. Imagine if you could rocket across the sand in a big old car. What a thrill that would be.

Some folks don’t have to imagine; they just think … Read More >>

Cruise On In: The Best Resorts of Summers Gone By

July 4, 2020

As a prime vacation spot, northwestern lower Michigan is home to a number of different lodging facilities, from rustic campgrounds to high-end condos with nearly every amenity known to mankind. Somewhere in the middle are old-time resorts, which often started as family compounds before open… Read More >>

Events Around the North

June 27, 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic forestalls festivals and large-scale gatherings, traditional Independence Day festivities have been largely abandoned across the country. Even the famous Boston Pops Fireworks Festival in Boston has been canceled — though it’s being replaced by A Boston … Read More >>

Mackinac Island, After the Shutdown

June 27, 2020

Mackinac Island — the four-square-mile spot Condé Nast readers named one of the best islands in the U.S. and that Trip Advisor ranked the No. 1 summer destination in America (both in 2018) — officially re-opened to visitors June 19.

The grand re-open… Read More >>

Required July 4 Reading: “Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom”

June 27, 2020

Pulitzer Prize-winner David W. Blight will be the featured guest at the National Writers Series’ online event 7pm July 5, where he will discuss his book “Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom” with guest host Rochelle Riley.

Blight is Sterling Professor of History… Read More >>

Big Boom Time for Home Fireworks

June 27, 2020

With social distancing sidelining most of the region’s large fireworks shows, many enthusiasts are turning to their local stores to light up the night. We asked some of them to give us insight into what’s new, what are the biggest (sellers) and brightest (best in show), and if t… Read More >>

Meet the Unconventional, Unapologetically Inclusive Jeremy Wicks

June 20, 2020

When he was growing up, Jeremy Wicks didn’t want to be a baseball player. Or a doctor. Or an astronaut.

Nope, he had three career vocations in mind: police officer, teacher, pastor. Now the 41-year-old has done all three, though he’s not done yet. 

Wicks is … Read More >>

Dreamboats

June 13, 2020

You don’t have to have a boat to enjoy Northern Michigan’s bounty of freshwater lakes. But it sure does make a day on the water a lot more fun.

We called boat dealers across the region to find out what’s available right now — among the highest of high-end and… Read More >>

Where to Get Your Art Fix Now

June 6, 2020

The shuttering of Michigan’s economy had perhaps its greatest impact on our restaurants, retail, and — that equally necessary but often forgotten backbone of the North — the arts. Many of the former were able to provide takeout or delivery, but music, dance, and the visual… Read More >>

The Indomitable Joe Maddy

May 30, 2020

Interlochen Center for the Arts has survived everything thrown at it: Near-financial ruin, the Great Depression, the Great Recession, even World War II. Now it’s up against an opponent no one saw coming: the novel coronavirus. And while the Interlochen Arts Festival concerts have been… Read More >>

Waterfront Real Estate Steals

May 16, 2020

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula offers plenty of wide-open spaces. And for those longing to cast a line or drift on an inner tube, the waterfront options are often more affordable than down below the bridge. Best of all, you could own your own cabin or cottage and be on the water by summer… Read More >>

The Empire Village Inn

May 9, 2020

The Empire Village Inn has been a fixture in the tiny tourist village on Lake Michigan for 60 years. Over that time, the VI, as it’s known around town, has transitioned from a bar to a restaurant/tavern to — a grocery store?
 
That’s right. While still known… Read More >>

The North’s Original Workforce Housing

May 2, 2020

Swanky hotels and modest motels dotting our downtowns and shores have long been the norm of the North, beckoning tourists to unwind for a weekend or even a season, since the mid-19th century.

But between the tourists and the townies are another lot — those folks who came here … Read More >>

Up North Real Estate After the Lockdown

May 2, 2020

At the beginning of the year, the real estate industry looked poised for a very good, potentially great year. Interest rates were low, the economy was strong, there was interest in buying and selling — the only cloud on the horizon was the low inventory of homes for sale. Even the con… Read More >>

Bespoke Boats

April 25, 2020

Phil Croff loved fly fishing. As a youth, he first was introduced to it by tying flies. Then at about nine, he began hanging out with a cousin a few years older who fished. A lot, according to Croff. “I learned from him, and my uncle, too,” Croff said.
 
Then the … Read More >>