Todd VanSickle | Author

Your Guide to the Fresh Coast Film Festival

April 25, 2026

After a decade of success in the Upper Peninsula, the Fresh Coast Film Festival will celebrate its 10-year anniversary by expanding to Traverse City.

The TC edition will run from April 30-May 3 with a full lineup of 50 documentary films at seven viewing venues around the Boardman La… Read More >>

Detour Season: Interlochen US-31 Reconstruction Begins

April 11, 2026

Interlochen is preparing for the summer, but instead of bracing for the arrival of tourists, many along US-31 are expecting detours and an onslaught of heavy machinery as a major Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) project kicks off this month.

Meanwhile, the business commu… Read More >>

Are Breweries Going Bottoms Up?

March 7, 2026

Let’s face it: adults aren’t drinking like they used to. Add in rising costs, a pandemic, and a saturated market, and it becomes a real buzz kill for craft breweries.

Last year, 434 craft breweries closed and 268 opened in the United States, according to the Brewers Asso… Read More >>

Serving Up a Winning Hand

Feb. 7, 2026

Right Bower Kitchen & Coffee owner Victoria Levinsohn recently returned from El Salvador. The trip was intended to be a vacation, but it turned into business.

“It wasn’t planned this way, but El Salvador is a very renowned coffee growing country, so I was able to do … Read More >>

Finding Autism Answers Up North

Jan. 24, 2026

Jonathan Timm will never forget his first client as a behavior analyst.

“My first client was so challenging,” Timm says. “He was a preschooler. I think three years old.”

Timm recalls sweating and nervously giggling trying to make a connection with the… Read More >>

I Tried Infusion Therapy, and Here’s What I Learned

Jan. 3, 2026

A snowstorm whitewashed the view of Little Traverse Bay as I sat in a leather recliner with an IV in my left arm at Revive Infusions located in Petoskey’s historic train depot in Penn Plaza.

In front of me a television played a continuous loop of a crackling fire on a mountain… Read More >>

Distillery Ups and Downs of 2025: Craft Spirits Industry Is Shifting, but Not Shaken

Nov. 29, 2025

In late October, scores of people bellied up to the bar to sample a variety of spirits made at Northern Latitudes’ new 11,300-square-foot distillery, bar, and restaurant in Lake Leelanau, just a short walk to The Narrows. Throughout the day, a steady drove of customers stopped in to s… Read More >>

Frank’s 231 Takes Midwestern Food Up a Notch

Nov. 8, 2025

“It feels good.” Those were the three words muttered after taking my second bite at Frank’s 231 located at 1779 Garfield Road in Traverse City.

The restaurant’s chef, Dan Compton, has mastered the art of texture and taste in his dishes that are made primarily… Read More >>

Toy Store Trouble Ahead? Local Shop Owners Urge Early Holiday Buying

Oct. 11, 2025

Whether you were good or bad this year, expect more tariffs in your stocking come December. At the start of the second Donald Trump presidency earlier this year, the administration imposed sweeping tariffs on a wide range of products made outside of the United States.

From January t… Read More >>

How ’Bout Them Apples? Michigan Apple Harvest Is Looking Bountiful

Sept. 20, 2025

For the fourth consecutive year, Michigan is on track for an above average apple harvest thanks to mild weather conditions, low disease outbreak, and more high-density orchards.

Michigan farmers are estimated to harvest a combined 30 million bushels or about 1.26 billion pounds of a… Read More >>

Last Stop for Antiques Roadshow?

Aug. 9, 2025

On July 1, Antiques Roadshow made its last stop of the season at Charlevoix, but recent cuts to federal funding for public broadcasting have some worried it might be the end of the road for many PBS programs.

For almost 30 years, Antiques Roadshow has featured gues… Read More >>

Douglas Lake Bar: A Destination Restaurant

Aug. 9, 2025

You won’t see any billboards or flashy advertisements for the Douglas Lake Bar & Steakhouse as you make your way to this hidden summer gem 20 minutes south of the Mackinaw Bridge and just six miles west of I-75.

“It is really a destination restaurant,” says fro… Read More >>

Welcome to Somebody’s Gallery!

July 26, 2025

A little over 10 years ago, Julie Stoppel was shopping in Petoskey’s Gaslight District when a friend pointed out a building that she thought would make a good location for an art gallery—something Stoppel had always dreamed of owning and operating.

“What I wanted t… Read More >>

Cadillac, from Timber to Rails to Trails

June 14, 2025

George Mitchell had a vision when he dreamed of developing what is known today as the city of Cadillac, but he may not have imagined that it would become a top destination for recreational trail users in the state.

Today, Wexford County has hundreds of miles of trails, including mor… Read More >>

The Pit Spitters’ Cherry on Top

June 14, 2025

Traverse City Pit Spitter baseball fans now have the option of adding a cherry on top of anything. Per Traverse City Pit Spitter General Manager Jacqueline Holm, “For an extra 50 cents, we now have a button on our cash register that you can get a cherry on a hot dog, a beer, nachos, a… Read More >>

A Bird's-Eye View of Skegemog Raptor Center

March 22, 2025

Photo by Tyler Franz

On a cold, rainy April day in 2021, James Manley received a phone call about an injured bald eagle near a small lake in Wexford County. At the time, he was in the process of creating the Skegemog Raptor Center (SRC) and was awaiting approval of its 501(… Read More >>

Free College? Read Between the Lines

Sept. 4, 2021

Jim and Wendy Rowe are basic EMTs with the Frederic Township Fire Department. They love their job and caring for people.

They see a significant part of the healthcare industry moving toward paramedicine, where paramedics make house calls to deliver care to the elderly and sick &mdas… Read More >>

Smooth Sailing

Aug. 28, 2021

On Wednesday nights, the waters of West Grand Traverse Bay churn with Grand Traverse Yacht Club teams racing for inter-club glory.

The eye-catching boats – a fleet of 14 Melges 24s – are known for their easy set-up and high performance on both inland lakes and big open w… Read More >>

4 Rivers. 4 Adventures. Go!

June 12, 2021

Northern Michigan is a kayaking mecca — and for good reason. The region’s myriad waterways offer a variety of adventures for all levels of kayakers, and an opportunity to rent one of these boats is as ubiquitous as it is to buy. (A visit to your local Meijer or sporting goods st… Read More >>

There's Gold in Our Timber

May 22, 2021

You’ve probably seen the high demand for lumber and its skyrocketing prices of late. Or maybe, like folks driving along M-72 between Williamsburg and Grayling in the last year, you noticed a large swath of forest has vanished. With mega South American company Arauco’s openin… Read More >>