Rick Coates

Dining Rick Coates Petoskey is the latest to contribute to Michigan’s growing reputation as “The Great Beer State.” Just six weeks ago Beards Brewery opened on Howard Street in downtown. Later this week, a new venture, Petoskey Brewing, is expected to open in the Old Brewing Building on M-119 (around the corner from La Senorita).

Features Rick Coates Recently, I was asked what I thought about service in Northern Michigan and I responded, “it depends on the day.” One day I experience exceptional service, the next day I have a less than satisfactory experience. I wrote an article five years ago giving Northern Michigan a C-minus grade for its service industry.

Features Rick Coates Sleder’s Family Tavern has been a Traverse City tradition for the past 130 years. Everything from “Kissing The Moose,” to their burgers, to great service and their music on the porch series have made them a popular destination for locals and visitors alike.

Features Rick Coates Republican State Representative Mike Callton (87th District, Barry County) was originally opposed to Michigan’s Medical Marijuana Act. His district is part of Michigan’s “conservative corridor” and having a medical background (he is a chiropractor and has a private practice in Nashville, Mich.) he wasn’t so sure that legalizing marijuana for medical purposes was a good thing.

Features Rick Coates This week thousands of athletes around Northern Michigan will begin their fall high school sports seasons. But there is rising concern about the direction and future of youth and high school athletics in our country.

Features Rick Coates Academy Award winning actress Susan Sarandon granted Rick Coates an exclusive pre- Traverse City Film Festival interview. The interview may be heard in its entirety on the Omelette & Friends Show Tuesday, July 31 at 7:30 am and again on Wednesday August 1 at 9 am.

Features Rick Coates Now in its fourth year, the Traverse City Wine & Art Festival was looking for something a little bigger for this year. They found it in Rusted Root. The roots-rock jam band will headline this year’s festival.

Features Rick Coates

Since its inception in 1951, the Artcenter Traverse City (ACTC) has played a crucial role in supporting the visual arts in the region. But as with any non-profit organization focused on the arts, the challenges are many.

Features Rick Coates

Most towns wouldn’t want to be famous for their flies, but the Village of Kingsley is so proud of theirs that they are hosting a festival to celebrate.

That’s because this isn’t a housefly or a deerfly, but the Adams, the most famous and important fly among trout fishermen in North America.

Features Rick Coates

This weekend the largest picnic in Northern Michigan will take place. Northwestern Michigan College will hold its 57th Annual Barbecue, Sunday, May 20, on the main campus “under the pines” from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Just how large is the NMC BBQ? It takes 500 volunteers to coordinate all the activities and to feed the 10,000+ expected to attend.

Features Rick Coates When a group of middle school students in Vancouver took tin lids from their lunchroom and started tossing them at trees on the playground, they had no idea they were starting a new sport that would become known as disc golf. Those kids eventually built what they dubbed a “tin lid golf course,” on their school grounds and played most days.

Features Rick Coates Northern Michigan is rooted in Irish heritage. Just look at some of the county names: Antrim, Emmet, Wexford, Roscommon and Crawford all have Irish roots to them.

So this time of the year, our region is loaded with events that pay tribute to the people who settled this region in the late 1800’s. Here is an overview of events happening throughout Northern Michigan...

Features Rick Coates The term “Silent Disco” seems more like an oxymoron than the latest entertainment craze. Yet crowds have been jamming the Silent Disco tent at several festivals in the area ever since Porterhouse Productions introduced the concept to the region a couple of years ago at the Traverse City Microbrew & Music Festival.

Features Rick Coates Sherman Poppen leaned back in his chair and a big smile came to his face as the Gold Medal was placed around the neck of Shaun White during the 2010 Winter Olympics. While the redheaded White is the international face of snowboarding today, Poppen is the grandfather of the snowboard.

Features Rick Coates Ask any musician and they will likely tell you there was that one make-or-break audition that forever changed their career. That was the case for bassist and former Traverse City resident Chuck Jacobs 33 years ago this month, when an impromptu audition for country music superstar Kenny Rogers took place.