Lynda Wheatley | Author

Polish Pierogies and Kielbasa from My Grandmother's Table

Dec. 10, 2021

Missing Grandma this season? If you can’t visit her, you can take some serious comfort in the food coming out of Jozef Zebediah and Nick Easton’s Charlevoix restaurant, My Grandmother’s Table.

Named in honor of Zebediah’s late grandmother, Martha DeMari... Read More >>

Santa ... on Ice??!!

Dec. 10, 2021

Storytime with Santa; breakfast with Santa; parades, tree lightings, carols with Santa. There are so many ways to see St. Nick in the North, but we’re betting Petoskey Ice Arena’s Santa Skate might be the only way to catch him on blades. From 5pm to 7pm Dec. 18, he and some of... Read More >>

Joshua Davis Solo Show at COH

Dec. 10, 2021

Tickets are going fast for Joshua Davis’ just-announced solo performance set for Dec. 17 in Traverse City. The Leelanau local and nationally lauded finalist of NBC’s The Voice (Season 8) has been churning out an album each year since 2015, and his upcoming show at the... Read More >>

Holiday Run-Walk Fun in TC and Glen Arbor

Dec. 10, 2021

It’s a weekend of run, walk, and shop until you drop in Lower Michigan’s pinkie. On Saturday, Dec. 18, you can don your ugliest Christmas sweater for Cherry Republic’s Miracle Mile fun run (register at Cherry Republic Public House in Glen Arbor at 10:30am; the run takes ... Read More >>

TC Central’s Josh Burnham a contender for two national football honors

Dec. 4, 2021

Christmas came early this year for Traverse City Central football phenom Josh Burnham. The national Maxwell Football Club named him one of 16 semifinalists for its prestigious National High School Defensive Player of the Year award. That honor comes on the heels of the announcement that h... Read More >>

Guest Potty Essential: Stink Stoppers

Dec. 4, 2021

As many inhabitants of our crowded pre-pandemic office can attest, one spray of Poo-Pourri Toilet Spray works wonders for eliminating the odors of No. 2. But while a plastic bottle with the word “Poo” on it might be fine for a casual office environment, it doesn’t exactl... Read More >>

Nutcracker Ballets Around the North

Dec. 4, 2021

Would it, could it, should it be Christmas without a performance of The Nutcracker Ballet? We think not. Luckily, you and your little mouse soldiers have options all over the region:

• The Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts has three performances left: two 8pm performances... Read More >>

Famed Celtic-Americana-Roots Duo Switchback in Elk Rapids

Dec. 3, 2021

Ya like a wee bit of the Celtic music, do ya, Lad? Then take a dooter on down to the Historic Elk Rapids Town Hall on Saturday, Dec. 11. The much-lauded Brian FitzGerald and Martin McCormack of the duo Switchback are bringing their multiple-award-winning brand of eclectic Celtic, bluegras... Read More >>

Pro Carolers in Leland Dec. 10

Dec. 3, 2021

Free, open to all, with easy social distancing on a snowy outdoor “stage” illuminated with thousands of lights and decorated trees — the Sashay Quartet’s upcoming holiday caroling performance promises to draw and delight all generations of holiday revelers. The qua... Read More >>

Must-tries for the Modern Mid-lifer

Nov. 27, 2021

Blame Clark Stanley for giving snake oil a bad name. The self-named “Rattlesnake King” launched commercial sales of the stuff‚ initially a mix of rattlesnake fat and herbs, at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He told the audience he had learned of the concoction... Read More >>

Zest’s Dragonfruit Bowl

Nov. 27, 2021

Once you wake up from your Turkey Day tryptophan coma — some time in the afternoon on Saturday, Nov. 27, we’d guess, right about the time this paper hits newsstands and Mom’s back in the kitchen turning several pounds of leftover protein into turkey soup, turkey tetrazzi... Read More >>

Flying Noodle’s Smooth Sailin’

Nov. 27, 2021

Most people automatically assume that pasta is best paired with a bottle of wine. Those people probably haven’t been to The Flying Noodle.

While the intimate Italian pasta house and bar certainly makes it easy to complement their fresh and utterly irresistible pasta dish... Read More >>

Get Stoked, Bro!

Nov. 27, 2021

For those who’ve already had it up to here with tree lightings, hot cocoa, candy canes, and community sing-alongs, the Harbor Springs school ski team is hosting a radical alternative: a movie and pizza night that starts at 5pm Friday, Dec. 3, at the Boyne Highlands Day Lodge Cafeter... Read More >>

Treat Yourself to Spring Flowers Before Snow Showers

Nov. 27, 2021

If appliance stores can have Christmas in July, there’s no reason we can’t enjoy a little garden-season shopping and celebrating now. The Friendly Garden Club of Traverse City is making it possible with a sweet (and sweet-smelling) deal on a bounty of Americana and Calliope ge... Read More >>

9,260 Square Feet of Northport News

Nov. 26, 2021

The grand dame of Northport — the vast and vintage structure that has stood at center stage in the village’s downtown since 1902 — is about to embark on her next act.  Business partners Steve and Carrie Ball of Old Mission Peninsula and Lynden and Meghann Johncock o... Read More >>

New Hope Community Church Live Nativity

Nov. 26, 2021

Buried somewhere under the shopping receipts, wrapping paper, and gifts, there’s a reason for the season many Christmas celebrants believe is too often overlooked. New Hope Community Church is ready with a reminder: The Williamsburg church will host 45-minute outdoor tours along a w... Read More >>

Small Towns, Big Holiday Spirit

Nov. 20, 2021

Sneak peeks of Santa, big parades, little shops, lit-up trees. Lots of caroling, reindeer, cookies, cocoa, and even a camel. Here’s what some of our sweetest northern towns are planning to welcome you and the holiday season this year.

Boyne City
B... Read More >>

Northwest Lower Michigan, International Cover Girl

Nov. 19, 2021

Maybe it’s about time our pretty lil’ region got itself an agent.

Only one year after National Geographic dropped its stunning December issue with a view of Lake Michigan (as seen from Leelanau County’s own Empire Bluff) on the cover, the Essential ... Read More >>

A Homespun, History-rich Festival of Trees in Benzie

Nov. 19, 2021

There are festivals of trees, and then there are Festivals of Trees. Consider this year’s three-day extravaganza (Nov. 26-28) for Habitat for Humanity of Benzie County to be one of the coolest.

A near-20-year tradition, this event last year raised $7,000 for the nonprofi... Read More >>

Frankfort Ironman to Return

Nov. 19, 2021

Most of us look at Thanksgiving as the first major meal of Fat Pants Season. Those of you who look at it as a day to fuel up on lean protein and complex carbs, well … we salute you.

And we’d like to let you and your bulging muscles know that the Ironman 70.3 Michigan ... Read More >>