Ross Boissoneau | Author
Paul Reiser Returns to His First Love
April 20, 2019
Paul Reiser is no stranger to audiences. He’s successfully navigated television, from My Two Dads to Mad About You to Stranger Things. He’s appeared in movies, such as Aliens, Beverly Hills Cop, and Whiplash. He’s writt…
Read More >>
Let the Sculpture Challenge Begin!
April 13, 2019
If the budding trees and increasingly blue skies don’t inspire you to head out for a spring stroll, maybe this will: April 27 is International Sculpture Day, a singular day the International Sculpture Center created to get people seeing sculptures and thinking about the artform and it…
Read More >>
Trombonist Billy Gauthier Started a Jazz Band in 1978.
April 13, 2019
Over the course of its 40 years of existence, Northwestern Michigan College’s Big Band has seen conductors come and go (and sometimes come again). Scores of musicians have passed through its ranks. It’s even spawned another big band, while performing music by a host of the genre…
Read More >>
Must-have Items for Spring
April 13, 2019
It’s spring (some days, anyway), and rumor has it summer is right behind. Once stripped of our bulky parkas, hats, and boots, what will we need to stay in step with the styles and update ourselves in accordance with the warmer weather? We asked several stores across the region to pick…
Read More >>
Putting a Ring on It?
April 6, 2019
One ring to rule them all? Not any more. National trends, backed up by local experts, point to variety — more colors, more stones, and more shapes— being the spice of engagement and wedding rings these days.
According to wedding-everything site The Knot, pear, o…
Read More >>
Beyond the Ballroom
April 6, 2019
Northern Michigan is famed for being a great setting for weddings. But beyond its familiar township halls and many beautiful resort ballrooms, there are a number of ceremony and reception sites of all sizes and styles that not everyone knows about. We went to work digging up a list of alter…
Read More >>
Joe’s Empire Ale & Joe’s Friendly Root Beer
March 30, 2019
The preponderance of brewpubs and craft brews has so impacted local bars and restaurants that many have had specialty beers made and branded specifically for their establishment. Joe’s Friendly Tavern in Empire goes that one better. Not only does it offer Joe’s Empire Ale ($5 pe…
Read More >>
Spring (& Summer) Revivals
March 30, 2019
For vacationers, northern Michigan offers a host of things to do: Festivals, music, biking and hiking, boating, golfing, swimming. But if you just want to get away from it all — or learn how to do so — there are any number of people and places willing to help.
M…
Read More >>
East Meets West Meets … North
March 30, 2019
Used to be that things like yoga and acupuncture were considered unconventional, — even downright weird, with no proven benefits. Today, those and other alternative therapies might not quite be mainstream, but they’re regarded as legitimate means of treating or preventing diseas…
Read More >>
If They Only Had an App …
March 30, 2019
Spark in the Dark is hoping to provide more than just a spark. Hopefully it’ll ignite a blazing fire — if it can secure an ACT grant through USA Today. The local nonprofit is vying with other organizations from around the country for part of $2 million in grant monies.
B…
Read More >>
One-Tank Road Trips
March 16, 2019
No, it won’t be 80 degrees and you won’t be on the beach. But there are plenty of things to do and enjoy if your break means staying home, or at least nearby. These options for a daytrip/daycation are all within 2½ hours of Traverse City.
For starters, he…
Read More >>
Spring Break in Your Own Backyard
March 16, 2019
You’ve sprung ahead, and now you’re looking to spring somewhere nearby.Not to worry. The region offers plenty of fun. Sure, you can do the usual: Traverse City Children’s Museum, Kilwin’s chocolate factory tour in Charlevoix, bowling…
Read More >>
“Electric Folk” To Sit Down and Listen To
March 9, 2019
The Scottish band Heron Valley is performing for the first time in the region on March 17 at Crooked Tree Arts Center.
The group is comprised of six friends from Argyll: piper/guitarist/whistle player Euan McNab; banjo player and drummer Nick Hamilton; keyboardist Arlene Mackechnie;…
Read More >>
L’Chayim Breakfast Bagels
March 9, 2019
Fast-food breakfast? No thank you — not when you can get a freshly baked hot bagel sandwich to kick off your day. The crunchy crust of the bagels (made in-house, of course) keep the heat in, so the last bite is every bit as warm and tasty as the first. As for the other kind of heat, t…
Read More >>
StrongBrew: NITRO Cold Brew Coffee & Chai Tea
March 9, 2019
Coffee in a can? Why not? Troy Daily has added two new products to his StrongBrew beverage line: StrongBrew NITRO Cold Brew Coffee and Elevated Cold Brew Chai Tea have joined the original StrongBrew Cold Brew Coffee. NITRO Cold Brew Coffee is infused with nitrogen bubbles, but doesn’t…
Read More >>
Sober St. Patty’s
March 9, 2019
You don’t need to be Irish to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day, and despite what the North’s many packed pubs and bars indicate each year, there are other ways to celebrate the holiday without guzzling a gallon of green beer. Here are our picks for getting in the Irish spirit befor…
Read More >>
Greens from Northport, All Year Long
Feb. 23, 2019
Baby basil. Tiny little leeks. Miniature radishes, super-small cilantro. Linda Szarkowski grows those and more at her facility in Northport. She shares the bounty of Green Spirit Living Microgreens with eager culinary adventurers around the area, at farm markets, through her CSA, and at var…
Read More >>
Feeling the Burn
Feb. 23, 2019
Few things are more devastating for a business than a fire. The double whammy of loss of property and loss of income can completely destroy a business. And when it’s a community hub like a bar or restaurant, it can impact the town as well. From Kalkaska, where Dingman’s Bar was …
Read More >>
Regina Carter Bringing Ella Fitzgerald Alive at City Opera House
Feb. 16, 2019
Renowned violinist Regina Carter has found inspiration in what might appear to be an unusual place: a vocalist.
Though in the case of a jazz musician, it’s hard to get much better inspiration than from Ella Fitzgerald.
Carter’s latest album,Ella: A…
Read More >>
The Lazy Novice’s Guide to Ice Fishing
Feb. 16, 2019
When’s the best time to fish? Some will say a calm day. Some will suggest early morning; others, evening.
But many will tell you one of the North’s sweetest secrets: The best time to wet a line is in the dead of winter. No waves, no boats, and little to no noise…
Read More >>