Ross Boissoneau | Author

Local Competitors Gear Up for Ironman 70.3 Michigan

Sept. 7, 2024

It draws participants from across the globe, but the Frankfort Ironman triathlon—Ironman 70.3 Michigan, officially—also draws heavily from here in northern lower Michigan.

Who are these brave souls who leap into the waters, cruise down the roads, and race along the trail… Read More >>

The One-Two Punch of Significant Strikes

Sept. 7, 2024

For Chris Franks, it’s all about giving back—and punching back. Through his gym Significant Strikes and its sister nonprofit, Grand Traverse Community Enrichment, Franks is looking to help people learn to defend themselves, get in better shape, and gain self-confidence.

Kurt Elling & SuperBlue: A Good Time Every Night

Aug. 24, 2024

Kurt Elling and his band SuperBlue just returned from a tour of Asia, including dates in China and Japan. So his upcoming shows on Aug. 31 at The Alluvion in Traverse City could be just another night, another show.

But Elling doesn’t see it that way, and he doesn’t take … Read More >>

The Proof Is in the Proofing

Aug. 10, 2024

It’s obvious from the photos that Viv is hard-working, but then again, so is everyone at a bakery. Even a 1957 Volvo.

Greg Carpenter’s restored ride isn’t the secret ingredient for the breads or pastries he and his crew make at Crooked Tree Breadworks of Petoskey. … Read More >>

Jazz Hands: At the Piano with Bob James

Aug. 3, 2024

There aren’t many musicians who have found success for as long as Bob James. Nor are there many with his musical gifts or openness. He’s played straight-ahead jazz, soul jazz, fusion, smooth, acoustic, electric, and is stunningly (at least to him) one of the most sampled artists… Read More >>

"It's a Ton of Work to Grow Food"

July 20, 2024

People got used to Zoom meetings during the pandemic, and now we conduct business of all kinds with a kitchen, library, bedroom, or other surroundings in the background. (Plus the occasional interruption from children and pets.) Still, it’s a bit out of the ordinary for someone to ask… Read More >>

Halyards for Healers

July 13, 2024

The lure of Grand Traverse Bay entices people to do more than dip their toes in the water…for Brendan O’Donnel, it inspired him to move his entire life Up North.

“That’s what drew me to northern Michigan years ago,” he says of the region’s freshw… Read More >>

Hemingway in Horton Bay

July 13, 2024

It’s a birthday party for one of America’s great authors, and everyone’s invited! On July 21, the Horton Bay School will host a party for Ernest Hemingway, born that day in 1899. Attendees will also learn about a new garden at the Bay Township Hall which will be home to th… Read More >>

A Bridge Through the Genres

June 29, 2024

Try to define the sound of Lake Street Dive. Go ahead, just try. There are some jazzy overtones, but it sounds like pop music. There’s a bit of a country lilt to vocalist Rachael Price’s voice, but also a resonance straight from earthy 1960’s soul. The band has done songs … Read More >>

Summertime, and the Music Is EVERYWHERE

June 8, 2024

More music than you can shake a rainstick at—that’s northern Michigan in the summertime. Indoors, outdoors, all around the towns and cities, you’ll find bluegrass, classical, rock, and country, with experimental and totally traditional sounds. There are national touring ar… Read More >>

Local Vet Is Still Flying High

May 18, 2024

If you're looking for Keelan McNulty, you might find him on a bike escorting kids to school. Unless he's the guy piloting a helicopter. Or maybe driving around in that brightly-colored van. Wait, isn’t that him greeting kids and parents in the school drop-off line?

The correct… Read More >>

Net-Zero Living

April 27, 2024

One-, two-, and three-bedroom units, pocket neighborhoods, and net-zero homes. Those are among the attributes of Evergreen TC, a residential development coming to the west side of Traverse City.

Evergreen TC is headed by Realtor Sue Kelly, green building expert Max Strickland, and b… Read More >>

The Garden Theater’s Green Energy Roof

April 20, 2024

In 2018, Garden Theater owners Rick and Jennie Schmitt and Blake and Marci Brooks looked into installing solar panels on the roof of the Frankfort landmark. Just one problem: The engineer told them the roof was so compromised it could collapse from the weight of a heavy snowfall. That led t… Read More >>

The Legacy of Marian Gyr: Environmentalist, Patriot, and Local Icon

March 16, 2024

You could say Marian Gyr took the road less traveled, but you’d need to apply that saying both literally and figuratively.

She was a fierce advocate for numerous causes, going her own way despite whatever the prevailing winds were. A world traveler, she lived in Europe and Can… Read More >>

Young People Doing Big Things: Six High Schoolers Making Their Mark

Feb. 24, 2024

You don’t have to be an adult to change the world. Just look at Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, and the like and all that they accomplished while in their teens.

Locally, there are plenty of young people doing their part to stand out from the crowd. Beyond academic or athlet… Read More >>

Meet Maud Miller Hoffmaster

Feb. 10, 2024

A celebrated painter. An illustrator. A teacher. A building designer. A nomenclator.

Wait, what? Yes, Maud Miller Hoffmaster is credited with creating a well-known name, the term “litterbug.” And she was all those other things as well, yet the former Traverse City reside… Read More >>

Friendly Venues for Hugh Pool

Feb. 10, 2024

Brooklyn guitarist/vocalist Hugh Pool is performing three dates locally this week and next. Half of the popular blues duo Mulebone, he’s playing Common Good Bakery in Traverse City Feb. 17, Peninsula Township Library Feb. 19, and at the home of James Walker in Suttons Bay Feb. 20. Unl… Read More >>

On the Move with Mobile Crisis Care

Jan. 27, 2024

A recently developed collaborative program is providing those facing a mental health emergency in Grand Traverse County an option beyond first responders or a trip to the emergency room.

“If someone is in a mental health crisis, they should be talking to a mental health clinic… Read More >>

Shoulder Season Celebrations in 2024

Jan. 6, 2024

Winter isn’t just coming—it’s here. While the fire may indeed be so delightful, that’s no reason to stay inside, sip hot cocoa, and brood until April. Not when there are restaurants, shopping, ski hills, movies, plays, laughs, and music to be found. If you’re h… Read More >>

Blissful Sounds at Crooked Tree

Jan. 6, 2024

Crooked Tree Arts Center and Blissfest Music Organization are teaming up once again for their Downtown Sound series, a slate of shows held at the downtown Petoskey art center. The music runs the gamut, from folk to blues, jazz to Celtic, with stops in between and all around.

Monica … Read More >>