Craig Manning | Author

Northern Michigan’s Most Iconic Eats, 2022 Edition

May 7, 2022

Sometimes, an entrée on a restaurant menu is just a meal, but every once in a while, it becomes mythic. You know the type of dish we’re talking about: the ones you tell all your friends and family about; the ones you try (and usually fail) to recreate at home; the ones that y... Read More >>

Dredging in Paradise

April 30, 2022

Who owns the lakeshore?

That question is at the heart of a contentious debate in Hayes Township that could have huge implications for the future of Lake Charlevoix. On one side of the debate, you’ll find local residents, watershed protectors, and environmental advocates. On ... Read More >>

The Great Marijuana Miscalculation

April 16, 2022

What a difference three years makes.

Rewind, for a moment, to the spring of 2019, when it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Traverse City would become the epicenter of cannabis commerce in northern Michigan. All the dominoes were falling, seemingly at the perfect time, to mak... Read More >>

State of the State Parks

April 9, 2022

Thirty percent: That’s how much the traffic at Michigan’s state parks increased from 2019 to 2020. So says Ron Olson, the parks chief for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR). It wasn’t a fluke, either: Olson tells Northern Express that parks ... Read More >>

A Hoppy Medium

March 12, 2022

If you’ve been looking for a local alternative to your favorite sparkling water brand—be it LaCroix, Perrier, or Bublé (sorry…Bubly)—Beards Brewery has you covered.

Since opening its doors in 2012, the Petoskey-based brewery has made its name on cle... Read More >>

Unstacking the Deck

Feb. 26, 2022

Every nine minutes.
 
That’s how often child protective service agencies in the United States substantiate a claim of child sexual abuse (CSA), according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN).

In total, one in every nine girls and one in e... Read More >>

I Propose

Feb. 5, 2022

Contrary to popular belief, Valentine’s Day is actually not the biggest day for proposals and engagements. According to wedding planning website The Knot, the most popular day of the year to ask someone to spend their life with you is actually Christmas Day, followed closely by Chri... Read More >>

Two K’s 2020 Heirloom Ice Cider

Jan. 8, 2022

You’ve heard of ice wine, but what about ice cider? With ice wine, winemakers harvest grapes that have frozen while still on the vine. When grapes freeze, their water content turns to ice; not the sugars or other dissolved solids in the grape. That means frozen grapes give way ... Read More >>

Don't Call it a Comeback: Up North's Indie Bookstores Defy Odds

Dec. 18, 2021

Independent bookstores weren’t supposed to make it to 2021.

For decades, this embattled segment of the retail marketplace has faced one existential threat after another 

First, it was the invasion of big box bookstores like Borders and Barnes & Noble, sneaki... Read More >>

Let's Shred!

Dec. 11, 2021

As we write this, snow is cascading from the sky and blanketing every surface in sight, suggesting that the long, strange autumn of 2021 might be permanently in the rearview. It’s the moment each year that confounds drivers, gives kids their first “snow day” of the seaso... Read More >>

Our Go-to Guide to Up North's Holiday Art & Craft Markets

Nov. 20, 2021

2021 might just be the toughest season ever for holiday shopping.

Lately, that’s the general wisdom being shared by retail experts and splattered across the headlines of national media outlets like CNBC and USA Today. The culprit is the supply chain, which is still suffering... Read More >>

Unwell Up North: Northern Michigan's Mental Health Crisis

Nov. 13, 2021

If you’ve tried finding a therapist for yourself or your child lately, you’ve probably had a hard time. That’s because northern Michigan doesn’t have the capacity to handle the huge spike in demand for mental health care services that COVID-19 triggered, local ment... Read More >>

The Worst Year on Two Wheels — and Foot

Nov. 6, 2021

On Aug. 24 this year, a 16-year-old girl died after being struck by a semi-truck while riding her bike in Interlochen. She was on her way to work.

On Sept. 6, a 76-year-old woman was killed after being hit by a pickup truck. It was 10am, and she had been walking along Traversefiel... Read More >>

One For The "Record" Books

Oct. 16, 2021

Let’s dance.

That’s the invitation that  authors Janet Borgerson and Jonathan Schroeder are extending to readers with their new book, titled Designed for Dancing: How Midcentury Records Taught America to Dance and out this month on MIT Press.

Read More >>

Unconventional Farming

Oct. 2, 2021

It started more than 100 years ago, as a quaint family farm. Today, it’s one of the hottest family-friendly hangout spots in northern Michigan.

Such is the epic story of Jacob’s Farm, a 40-acre slice of gorgeous agricultural property off M-72, just minutes from Travers... Read More >>

The Other Side of the Boom

Sept. 25, 2021

Zach Endres and Taylor Peterson are in tough spots. As you read the headlines almost daily about booming Traverse City home sales and housing shortages, Endres and Peterson are living the reality, in the thick of the housing hunt. And to hear their tales of the past 12-18 months, you hear... Read More >>

Home Stage Advantage

Sept. 25, 2021

In music theory, an “accidental” is a music note that is foreign to the given scale or key in which a piece of music is written. By raising or lowering a musical pitch outside of the normal melodic pattern of a scale or key, an accidental can create unexpected deviations or st... Read More >>

Dropping the Gloves

Sept. 4, 2021

What’s northern Michigan’s biggest claim to fame when it comes to hockey?

Ask most hockey fans in the area – die-hards and casuals alike – and you’ll probably a hear a couple common answers: the fact that NHL legend Gordie Howe once called Traverse Ci... Read More >>

Now Hear This: Michigan's Best 2021

Aug. 7, 2021

Is it just us, or are Michigan bands and songwriters raising the bar in 2021?

Maybe it’s the fact that lots of artists held back works that were supposed to come out in 2020, in hopes that 2021 would allow for a return to gigs, tours, and normal album promotion campaigns. Or... Read More >>

Break on Through: Michigan Rattlers' and the Will to Keep on Rockin'

Aug. 7, 2021

 

“I felt the storm coming, it was coming for you and I/I felt the storm coming that night.”

So goes the chorus to “The Storm,” the song that opens the sophomore full-length album from Petoskey-born-and-bred roots-rock band Michigan Rattlers. I... Read More >>