Features

The New GT County Senior Center Gains 13 Times More Members in 2025 than in 2024

More space, more programs, more seniors

By Art Bukowski | Oct. 4, 2025

Has the new Grand Traverse County Senior Center been a big hit? Consider these numbers: Since around the time the new and improved bayfront facility opened in February, it’s gained about 4,000 new members. In all of 2024, by comparison, they gained 307 members. “I think this shows how important this is to our community,” says Lacey Edgecomb, director of the Grand Traverse County Senior Center Network. “We know our senior population … Read More >>

Second- and Third-Act Entrepreneurs

Meet the NoMi startup founders who prove it’s never too late to launch a great idea

By Kierstin Gunsberg | Oct. 4, 2025

In the last decade, northern Michigan has grown its reputation as an entrepreneurial hub for college grads and their startups, thanks to events like the TCNewTech pitch competitions and incubators like 20Fathoms and Grove Community Incubator. But twenty-somethings aren’t the only ones bringing new ventures Up North. According to the Kauffman Foundation, nearly a quarter of new entrepreneurs are between the ages of 55 and 64. And, true to the adage “with … Read More >>

ShareCare Leelanau

Bridging the space between independence and isolation

By Abby McKiernan | Oct. 4, 2025

Growing older in Leelanau County often means living with both beauty and challenges. The lakes and orchards are close at hand, but so are long stretches of rural roads, limited public transportation, and family members who may live hours away. For some, everyday tasks—getting to a doctor’s appointment, picking up groceries, staying connected—can become more complicated with age. In a 2024 study by Michigan Medicine and the University of Michigan, one in … Read More >>

Elder Law Up North

Attorneys shed light on six legal issues seniors face in northern Michigan

By Ren Brabenec | Oct. 4, 2025

Northern Michigan’s population is aging. Various factors have contributed to the demographic shift, such as out-migration of younger adults, below-replacement fertility rates, and an influx of Baby Boomers seeking retirement in the region. As reported in our sister publication, The Leelanau Ticker, Leelanau County’s over-60 demographic now exceeds 40 percent of the total population, the highest rate of any northern Michigan county. Grand Traverse County—one of the few counties in the region … Read More >>

Forty Years in the Making: The Pan-Detroit Ensemble

Don Was brings his new band to Traverse City

By Ross Boissoneau | Oct. 4, 2025

Don Was has an appreciation for the past, but he doesn’t live there. That’s one way to describe the music of the Pan-Detroit Ensemble, the band he is bringing to The Alluvion Oct. 8 to kick off its first-ever tour. Was describes this band as a “nine-piece soul jazz group,” and its sound recalls some of the music that influenced Was when he was growing up in Detroit. That includes CTI and … Read More >>

Which Witch? Four Magical Events

Oct. 4, 2025

Grab a broomstick, witches, because we ride at dawn! Tuesday, Oct. 7, or Thursday, Oct. 9, join Up North Arts, Inc. of Cadillac for Spooky Stitches: A Witch Hat Workshop. From 6-8:30pm, attendees will learn how to make the perfect seasonal hat—no prior sewing experience needed! All materials supplied; registration is $70-85; upnorthartsinc.com. Once your new hat is ready for a test run, fly off to either Elk Rapids or Gaylord for … Read More >>

A Night of Low-Stakes Karaoke

Stuff We Love

Oct. 4, 2025

Want to sing like no one is listening…except a few of your closest friends? Head to TC’s Underground Karaoke, located under The Coin Slot next to Eugene’s Record Co-op. Here’s how it works: Grab up to 10 of your pals and book a room (Thursday through Sunday, 6pm-midnight). Rates range from $70 for two hours to $105 for three hours and include multiple microphones and a huge catalog of your favorite tunes … Read More >>

Happy Fall, Y'all! Two Harvest Celebrations

Oct. 4, 2025

Fall produce is in! Farm Club hosts its annual Apple Days on Oct. 11 (free from 12-4pm; find them at 10051 S Lake Leelanau Dr.). They’ll have an old-school crank cider press on hand along with a variety of more than 20 apples—wild, heirloom, familiar, and new—to taste along with hot and hard cider, apple cake, and donuts. Learn more at farmclubtc.com. Meanwhile, Frankfort will be celebrating from 9am-5pm with their Fall Festival … Read More >>

Apples to Apples in Charlevoix

By Jamie Kauffold | Oct. 4, 2025

It’s apple season Up North! Follow U.S. 31 and the changing leaves to Charlevoix’s 46th annual Apple Fest, Oct. 10-12. Try out the apple pie eating contest and watch the Dancing Witches while music plays all over town. And be sure to bring a sturdy tote bag to hit up the apple orchards stands, arts & craft show, farmers market, and much more…all in downtown Charlevoix this weekend. See more at business.charlevoix.org/events/details/46th-annual-apple-fest-14833. Read More >>

Film Review: One Battle After Another

5 Stars

By Joseph Beyer | Oct. 4, 2025

As I sat down in the AMC IMAX to experience Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest, One Battle After Another (should we call it an opus yet?), I truly didn’t know what to expect. And that’s how I also recommend you see it; so the following review shall contain no spoilers but will hopefully make you curious enough to watch this edgy, political thriller on the big screen. It’s hard to say whether this parable … Read More >>