Ross Boissoneau | Author

Building "Delightful Surprise By Design"

April 26, 2025

How do you design a bathroom and a kitchenette in a 400-square-foot dome, where there are no walls or straight lines? Apparently the same way you refurbish an aging farmhouse, or transform a house in Ann Arbor into a forever home that maintains a colorful, playful feeling: by hiring SpotLab… Read More >>

50 Years for Mode’s Bum Steer

April 12, 2025

On April 7, 1975, Bob and Anita Mode opened a bar and restaurant that was to bear their name.

A half century later, Mode’s Bum Steer is still going strong, with their daughter Skylar now running the enterprise. That makes it the longest-running family-owned restaurant in Trave… Read More >>

Opening the Green Door

April 12, 2025

School is in session, but don’t look for kids seated in desks or gathered around a lab table with a set of beakers. The students aren’t reading books or studying with iPads. Instead, you’ll find them washing balls of wool, or brewing kombucha, or carving wooden spoons.

Moanin’ Frogs Makin’ Music

March 8, 2025

Chances are you haven’t seen a band like the Moanin’ Frogs. The concept of a sax sextet dates back more than a century, and classmates at the University of Michigan revived the concept in 2011. “The original intention was to pay homage to sax sextets from the early 1900s,&… Read More >>

Car Talk: EVs, Tariffs, Supply Chain, and Trends

Feb. 22, 2025

Black or blue? Car or truck? Combustion engine or electric? Or maybe hybrid?

Welcome to the ever-changing world of automobiles. What’s hot one year is passé the next, and what’s anticipated to be the next big thing may suddenly take a U-turn. For example, who a de… Read More >>

Interlochen's Rising Stars

Feb. 1, 2025

Interlochen’s evolution from a summer music camp to a year-round institution for the arts has brought youngsters from around the world to the rural boarding school. Academy students study a variety of academic subjects, just like students at any other school. But they also spend time … Read More >>

Chillermaina! Michigan Chillers Turns 25

Jan. 25, 2025

For Johnathan Rand, March 2, 2025, is a landmark date. It’s his 25th birthday, after a fashion.

It was on that date in 2000 that Mayhem on Mackinac Island was published, marking the debut of the “Michigan Chillers” series of scary stories—and the fir… Read More >>

Hitting the Big Time: Major Music Stars Who Trace Their Roots to Northern Michigan

Jan. 18, 2025

Those tuned in to the local music scene know there’s a lot of talent in the region. Maybe more than you realize, as a number of people who have lived, studied, and/or regularly performed hereabouts have made and continue to make their mark on the charts, playlists, and stages across t… Read More >>

Cold-Weather Concerts (and Other Shows to Get You Out of the House This January)

Jan. 4, 2025

Trans-Siberian Orchestra is no longer on the radio, but never fear—January offers its own slate of events, one with no worries about running into Santa, Frosty, or any bobtails with ringing bells. While you could doze in front of the fireplace with that cup of hot cocoa on the table n… Read More >>

A 75-Year Tradition on the Slopes

Dec. 14, 2024

It was the worst of times, it will (hopefully) be the best of times. With apologies to Charles Dickens, that sums up last year and this coming year at Mt. Holiday ski hill in Traverse City.

With warm temperatures and little snow, the action at the longtime ski favorite last winter w… Read More >>

Tinsel Tunes for 2024

Nov. 30, 2024

It’s that time of year again, when the 250 different versions of “The Christmas Song” playing on the radio and in stores are relieved only by Wham!’s “Last Christmas.” Over and over again. But even if it isn’t on the mainstream waves, each year brin… Read More >>

Merry Music: 20+ Concerts, Shows, and Performances to Celebrate the Holidays

Nov. 23, 2024

Ready or not, here come the holidays! And with the yuletide season come special shows and performances, both classic (hello there, Mouse King!) and newer (candlelight concerts anyone?). From churches to theaters and beyond, the magic of December brings people together.

“When I… Read More >>

The Magical World of Holiday Art Markets: 11 Markets and Shows to Put on Your Calendar

Nov. 16, 2024

With Halloween in the rearview, it’s officially the holiday season, and stores have already been stocking their shelves with holiday décor and plenty of toys, clothes, electronics, and more.

It’s not just the retailers that are showcasing gift possibilities. The c… Read More >>

Renewable Roots

Nov. 9, 2024

The name might throw you off, but the Renewable Roots Convention is not about exploring your ancestry. Nor is it about Americana, blues, or other roots music.

No, this conference is all about renewing the earth beneath our feet to benefit the roots of plants and thus the plants them… Read More >>

The Bear of Grayling

Nov. 2, 2024

Fred Bear is a legendary figure in the history of bow hunting and bow manufacturing. Bear Archery, the company he began in 1933, is still manufacturing archery equipment, though it left the Great Lakes State in 1978. It first relocated from Grayling to Gainesville, Florida, before subsequen… Read More >>

Trends, Technology, and Threats at the Ballot Box

Oct. 19, 2024

Commercials running non-stop. Postcards filling mailboxes, urging voters to elect this or that candidate. News reports on TV and social media chock-full of information, and too often, misinformation.

It used to be called the silly season, but as election time nears, what once may ha… Read More >>

Dreams on Parade

Oct. 5, 2024

Tony Danza, actor? Of course, with starring roles on two hit shows—Taxi and Who’s the Boss?—as well as several other television shows, movies, and Broadway plays.

Tony Danza, boxer? He sported an 8-3 record as a professional boxer before turning to acting.

The Active Retirement Shift

Oct. 5, 2024

Ah, retirement. The good life. Just make it to 65 and let that pension kick in. No more alarm clocks or worries about what the boss thinks.

Once upon a time, that was the norm. Today, however, many are working past 65, because they need to or they want to—or both. And when fol… Read More >>

Always Chasing That Runner's High

Oct. 5, 2024

Melinda Mitchell started running in high school. Kelly Slater started when she was nine. Norm Plumstead didn’t start until after college, while Jim Graham started in 1965.

Now in their 50s, 60s, and 70s—putting them in the masters divisions for all races—these runn… Read More >>

Wineries Face Hiring Challenges for the Harvest

Sept. 28, 2024

It seems like everyone has a “Help Wanted” sign in the window these days. Whether in restaurants or retail, accounting or manufacturing, there is a shortage of workers. The farming industry is not immune, including grape harvesting and processing at area wineries.

With a… Read More >>