Random Thoughhts

July 6, 2005

We can‘t begin to imagine the impact that Michael Moore‘s Traverse City Film Festival will have on Northern Michigan later this month. It may take a few years to get its legs, but this festival should have a colossal power in terms of imprinting Traverse City on the world‘s entertainment consciousness.
Who would know anything at all about Cannes, France, if not for its gathering of stars each year? Who would know beans about Park City, Utah, if it weren‘t for the Sundance Film Festival? Places like Telluride, Colorado and Toronto are the focus of worldwide attention each year because of their prestigious film festivals and the works of cinematic art they unveil.
More than 100 media outlets are expected to arrive in town to cover the festival July 27-31. Given Moore‘s celebrity, this festival will focus the world‘s attention on Traverse City from the get-go. Already, rumors are circulating that major stars such as Sharon Stone may be in attendance along with some of the world‘s most innovative directors.
Although the festival is starting with a relatively modest budget of $200,000, one can only imagine that it will grow through the years with the incredible outpouring of local support and enthusiasm. We can already feel those champagne bubbles tickling at the movie star-studded galas to come (or at least smell the popcorn).
And it couldn‘t come at a better time because Traverse City has become a magnet for corporate chain stores and restaurants. Unless we balance this onslaught of consumer culture, we run the risk of becoming just another blah suburban sprawl scene from Anytown, America.
Fortunately, creative new forces such as our wine industry, art galleries and Moore‘s film festival are providing the counterweight this region needs in order to remain a powerful magnet for the tourist industry. Not to mention a richer culture in which to live.
We‘re movie stars now. Look for an interview with Michael Moore and a rundown of festival films in a special supplement in next week‘s Express, and see you at the shows...




Don‘t rain on our parade

‘Tis the time of year when dreary elitists here in Traverse City take pride in announcing to all who will listen that they never attend the National Cherry Festival.
Oh sure, if they were on a guided tour of a place like Blottosylvania in East Europe or perhaps Ittilbungya in Southeast Asia, they’d be first in line to attend its quaint, ethnic folk festival. You’d hear all about it.
But their own quaint, ethnic hometown festival? Never.
Some don‘t like the crowds and the noise; others are too high fallutin‘ to mingle with the masses. For some, it’s literally an ethnic cleansing issue. I’ve heard this comment over and over through the years, accompanied by rolling eyes: “Have you seen the people who come to the Cherry Festival? It’s just a white trash festival.”
I’ve used the “white trash” thing myself on occasion. It’s funny when you’re poking fun at your own heritage, the way some black folks like to use the “n” word.
But as a reason not to attend the Cherry Festival, it gets wearisome, especially when used by those who sanctimoniously claim to support “diversity” in Northern Michigan. It‘s like saying you wouldn‘t go to a fiesta in Mexico because there are too many Mexicans there, or you‘d avoid a parade in Thailand because it‘s mostly full of Asians.
For the record, it’s true that those of us who live in Northern Michigan aren’t always the most well-scrubbed bunch, as seen in the pages of GQ magazine. I’ve been to a few country festivals in the region where some of the locals looked like eugenics experiments conducted by the Klan. That’s the underside of Northern Michigan -- we‘ve got some trashy looking sorts around here, the same as anywhere you go in this world.
But looks are deceiving. I myself try to dress in Polo knit shirts, plaid shorts and penny loafers in hopes of passing as a golfer from Grosse Pointe. But the other 365 days of the year, I veer into white trash territory with my apparel. Sorry!
Trashy looking teenagers? There’s no way to fix them, short of packing them off to Greenland for a few years. Cone-lickin’ tourists with a swarm of kids in tow? Well, at least they’re better dressed than most of us locals.
Cherry Fest bashers, don’t look down your noses. We in Northern Michigan invite everyone to our festival and anyone with any class who lives here tries to make all feel welcome. Simply hold your nose if you must and consider yourself an anthropologist for the week, a citizen ambassador, or a goodwill missionary out to make sure our visitors have a real cool time. Who knows? You might even have a good time yourself.
But please don’t go waving that “diversity” flag or your preppy windsock while sneering at your own hometown festival. It‘s just a wee bit trashy.