Jillian Manning | Author
Gaylord’s Saturn Booksellers Announces Closure
March 19, 2022
Saturn Booksellers of Gaylord announced Wednesday (March 16) that the bookshop will close its doors in April. Owner Jill Miner had hoped to find a buyer for the store but instead had to make the difficult decision to end the store’s 29-year run before the lease renewal at the end of...
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Welcome Spring!
March 12, 2022
Sunday, March 20, is the first day of spring, and whether it’s 25 degrees or 45 degrees, we’re celebrating the return of warmer, longer days. (Though let’s be honest—we’re ready to get the temps well above freezing.) The Little Fleet in downtown Traverse City...
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Grand Traverse Pie Company’s Michigan ABC Crumb
March 12, 2022
If you haven’t already had this pie, do you really live Up North? An oldie but a very goodie, the Michigan ABC (apple, blueberry, cherry) Crumb has everything you love in a pie: a flaky, melt-in-your-mouth crust on the bottom; globs of toasty crumb topping; and a delicious blend of ...
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Making Maple Syrup
March 12, 2022
’Tis the season for syrup in Bellaire! The sap is officially flowing, and you can get up close and personal to see the syrup in the making at Grass River Natural Area between 11am and 3pm on Saturday, March 19. At “MapleFest,” GRNA staff will be tapping trees, hanging bu...
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New Name, Same Problem
March 12, 2022
One of northern Michigan’s peskiest, pestiest insects is now operating under a new name. Introducing the Spongy Moth, previously known as the European Gypsy Moth. Why the change? According to a statement from the Department of Natural Resources, the name switch was made by the Entom...
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Make a Splash
March 5, 2022
This Saturday (March 12), Otsego Resort in Gaylord welcomes back Splashdown, the watery celebration that marks the transition from winter to spring. A full day of St. Patrick’s Day-themed activities will be happening around the resort, including live music, a costume contest, and Ir...
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Light the Way at Duncan Bay
March 5, 2022
Join the Little Traverse Conservancy, Cheboygan Brewing Company, and Friends of Island Lake State Recreation Area for a peaceful evening stroll along Lake Huron. On March 12, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., folks are invited to register for a lantern-lit hike at the Duncan Bay Nature Preserve. These...
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A New Season at Great Lakes Center for the Arts
March 5, 2022
Five years ago this summer, the Great Lakes Center for the Arts (aka the Center) in Bay Harbor opened their doors. Since then, they’ve seen more than 75,000 visitors and presented 150 events—no small feat given two of those years were eaten up by the pandemic. They’ve al...
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Michigan Magic
Feb. 26, 2022
Retired elementary school teacher Debbie Watson sat down at her desk in May 2020 and began to write. It was early morning, and she’d just woken from a dream about a girl and a polar bear and a dragon on the shores of Lake Superior. She knew there was something magical brewing in her...
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Therapy Hits the Road
Feb. 26, 2022
Back in November of 2021, Northern Express reported on the growing mental health crisis in northern Michigan. From the stress of the pandemic to bullying on social media, a variety of factors are causing the need for mental health services to skyrocket among children and adults. ...
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Breaking the Ice
Feb. 26, 2022
For 47 years, the Traverse City Figure Skating Club (formerly known as Twin Bays Skating Club) has been producing athletes bound for college teams, national-level competitions, and even the much-beloved “Disney on Ice” show. TCFSC is also the driving force behind the Northern ...
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Carrying on the Tradition
Feb. 12, 2022
What do Double Frosted Bourbon Brownies, Mock Apple Pie, and Prince of Wales Cake have in common? (Besides sugar and appearing together in the sidebar, you clever reader.) They're all recipes from Michigan author Carole Eberly’s cookbooks, which date back to 1977 and have all the no...
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"Steaking" its Claim
Feb. 12, 2022
The No. 1 steakhouse in Michigan — according to MLive (and a vocal cadre of Northern Express readers who named its Tomahawk Ribeye to our first Iconic Eats list — is nestled in Harbor Springs, serving up award-winning Wagyu beef just past the intersection of M-119 and Powell R...
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If You CAN Do, Teach
Feb. 12, 2022
For almost 20 years, Joel Papcun has been preparing the next generation of chefs at Northwestern Michigan College’s Great Lakes Culinary Institute. He has not only trained and graduated hundreds of students into the culinary industry but also opened the institute’s teaching re...
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Great Meals, Hot Deals
Feb. 12, 2022
One of the biggest perks of enduring the colder months in northern Michigan is that we locals can finally get into our favorite restaurants without a wait. Even better, our foodie friends are ea...
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It's a Date: Three Fresh Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day
Feb. 5, 2022
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, Northern Express set out to find some creative new ways to observe the holiday. Say so long to flowers and dinner — from breaking glass to getting sweaty with your partner to catching the performance of the season, here are our top three...
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Green Girl: Kelly Young of Torch Cannabis Co.
Jan. 29, 2022
Kelly Young owns a dispensary, but her goal isn’t to get you high. Instead, at Torch Cannabis Co. in Central Lake, Young promotes a holistic approach to self-care.
“My whole passion has been around helping people get access to [cannabis],” she says. “To lea...
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The Old Mission General Store's Pizza
Jan. 8, 2022
The Old Mission General Store cooks up some of the tastiest pizza in town … 15 miles out of town, on Old Mission Peninsula. (Trust us — it is well worth the drive!) Their New York-style pies have a perfect blend of cheese, sauce, and thin, crispy crust that can be finished wi...
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Right Brain Brewery to Host NM E3 Book Fair
Jan. 8, 2022
There’s nothing we love more than a great team-up. Northern Michigan E3, the Traverse City region’s antiracism taskforce, has partnered up with Right Brain Brewery to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr., weekend with good books, good cheer, and good changes for our community. On...
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Cider Centerpieces
Nov. 14, 2020
Hold my beer (and my wine) because autumn is cider time. Truly, could there be a better place to enjoy cider than the apple Mecca of northern Michigan? You probably know one of the farmers whose apples made it into your glass. You get all the inside jokes that cider makers include when na... Read More >>