Happy Not So Many People In Traverse City........I Think

Well after a very busy, warm, crazy, hectic summer, all of us locals can finally relax and have our cities, counties, and roads back.  It is nice to have the summer fudgy business, but it also the best time of year when they depart, and we can all go out and play.  Happy Fall everyone and happy not so many people in Traverse City!!  So far, the month of September, and the first week and a half of October have been wonderful with nice fall weather and a few showers, which is always okay.  The apples are tasting better than ever and there is always a sea of orange up and down Old Mission Peninsula with Pumpkins for sale.  Who does not love Pumpkin Season?  Even as kids, we loved everything about pumpkins, from carving, to roasting the seeds, to pies, soups and everything in between.  It meant that Halloween is coming as well as the annual feast at Thanksgiving.  Even though the weather is getting colder, you have to admit, from the 1^st day of fall until New Year’ Day, it is one of the best times of the year. 

I had a little help from Hattie who is a Marketing Committee member for the YP’s tell us what one of her favorite things to do in the fall. 

Sunday Funday – The weather may be changing but outdoor activities are endless! One of my personal fall favorites is the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail in Empire. Just a mere 25 minutes out of busy Traverse City, the Sleeping Bear Heritage trail allows you to bike through some of the most beautiful natural areas this state has to offer. The trail takes you from the quaint town of Empire, over rolling hills, through covered forests, around large dunes, as well as showing off some of the most beautiful coastal beaches on Lake Michigan’s shoreline all before coming to an end just north of Point Oneida. The Heritage trail also provides you the opportunity to step back in time by going through all of the different historical sites that Glen Haven has to offer. The trail in total is 13 miles long, but there are ample opportunities to stop and rest along the way. This trail will only get prettier as the colors start to change, so I highly suggest putting it on your fall bucket list! More info and a trail map can be found at sleepingbeartrail.org.

 

Well there you have it, a great Fall Activity that everyone should definitely go take advantage of to enjoy the wonderful color change that will be happening in the rest of October. 

One of my favorite things to do in the fall is to pick and eat apples.  In my opinion, nothing beats the taste and the sound of biting into a Michigan apple.  I am lucky enough to be married to my wife who has family farms in Northport that boast some of the greatest apples.  I also have a great friend by the name of Charlie Hathaway, who grows some mighty fine SweeTango apples as well.  Charlie and his wife Kelsey take their crunchy apples to the Sarah Hardy Farmer’s Market so be sure to visit their stand.  They are for sure Young Farming Professionals.  What a great way to help out other young professionals than by supporting the Hathaway Family.

Another great adventure that is a must do on everyone’s list is head to Gallagher’s Farm Market on M-72 for their fresh Pumpkin Donuts.  I know there are several places to get a Pumpkin donuts, and they are good, but they really do not compare to the ones they create every morning in the fall.  And while you are there, you can pick up apples, pick apples, pumpkins, squash or whatever else catches your eye.  What a great way to spend a Saturday morning on your way out to Heritage Trail or even Sleeping Bear Dunes or if you are crazy like my wife and I, donuts for the people that help renovate your porch.  If you have been to Gallagher’s in the past, then you know what is directly across the street; Jacob’s Corn Maze.  The Corn Maze is a fall tradition for several locals, so if you have not taken part in the great adventure, you should put that on your to do list this fall. 

There are so many fun adventures available to all of us this time of year that we should all get outside with friends, family, or fellow YP’s and take advantage of.  We live in one of the best places on Earth, and we should enjoy every bit of it.  I have not had anyone respond to any blog that I have published yet, but I challenge you all to do something “cool” this fall, take pictures, and email me (adamr@tcsb.com) and tell your fellow YP’s what you did so we can make sure we do it this year as well or next. 

OCTOBER MYNORTH.COM FEATURE ARTICLE:
As always, my people at MyNorth.com have some great Fall articles that relate with several topics in this month’s blog.  This article includes several pumpkin patches that are a must visit.  Take the kids, spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, parents, fellow YP’s and whomever else you please to one or all of these great pumpkin patches.

10 Northern Michigan Pumpkin Patches (& Corn Mazes, too!)

 

October Updates

TCAPS Update 

Teams Compete in VEX Robotics Competition

On Saturday, October 1, 2016, Traverse City West Senior High School’s Titan Robotics program hosted an early season VEX robotics competition at Aero Park Labs in Traverse City. Thirty-seven teams traveling from as far away as Illinois, Grand Rapids and Alpena, came to compete for one of four state qualifying championship spots. The Titan Robotics Design Group 3767X won the tournament with alliance partners from Petoskey and Grandville. Additionally, Team 3767X won the Design Award and was ranked first in the Robot Skills Challenge. With the tournament win, Titan Robotics Team 3767X secured their spot at the February 2017 VEX State Championship. The Traverse City Central High School VEX program is new this year. TC Central and TC West each had three teams participating in the competition over the weekend and will continue competing in tournaments across the state throughout the fall and winter.  

 TC Central High School Presents Beauty and the Beast

Beginning on November 11, 2016, and running through November 20, 2016, Traverse City Central High School presents Beauty and the Beast. Based on the Academy-Award winning animated Disney feature, the stage version includes all of the memorable songs from the animated film plus a few new songs written especially for the Broadway musical. You are invited to “Be Our Guest” at the Central High School auditorium as this classic French fairy tale is brought to life. To purchase tickets, visit: https://mynorthtickets.com/.

TCAPS Teaching Assistant’s Artwork on Display at ArtPrize

Janelle Dahlberg, an artist and an employee at TCAPS’ Old Mission Peninsula School, is participating in her 6th year at ArtPrize. Her work is currently on display in the Gerald Ford Museum and is a recycled painting titled, Water Phenomena. Everything in the piece is recycled, even incorporating discarded laminate strips from years of cutting out art projects for students. Dahlberg’s piece is #63134.

TCAPS Music Teacher Shares Teaching Strategies with University Students

 

Emerick Dee, a music teacher at TCAPS, was invited to visit Texas State University as a guest of Dr. Lynn Brinckmeyer who is Professor of Music, Associate Director for the School of Music and Director of Choral Music Education. Dee’s work in the middle school choral classroom is included in the research work Dr. Brinckmeyer is doing about effective teaching strategies. Dee talked with the university’s music education classes and shared what he does in his choral classroom to help these future music teachers grow their instructional practice.

Traverse City Area Public Schools and the Traverse City Education Association Ratify Three Year Contract Agreement

Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) and the Traverse City Education Association (TCEA), which represents the district’s approximately 540 professional teaching staff, have ratified a three year contract agreement that will begin September 1, 2017, and run through August 31, 2020. A contract extension for the 2016-17 school year was previously agreed to last December. The agreement includes a 1.5 percent increase in pay each year, as well as step increases. It also includes moving to new insurance plans that are expected to create a cost savings for the employee and cost containment for the district. TCEA membership ratified the agreement on Monday, October 3, 2016. The TCAPS Board of Education ratified the contract agreement at a special meeting held at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 5, 2016

 

 

City of Traverse City Update

 

November, 8, 2016 General Election – the close of registration for the November 8^th election is October 11^th; contact your local clerk for details. To view your ballot or to check your registration status, visit www.michigan.gov/vote. For an information video regarding the voting process, visit http://www.traversecitymi.gov/news.asp?aid=418.

 

Fall Leaf Collection - The City of Traverse City will begin picking up leaves on Monday, October 24^th on the west side of town, moving east. Please take note that this free service is offered by the City to City residents and includes leaves only. For details, visit our website at http://www.traversecitymi.gov/news.asp?aid=413.

 

Seeking Volunteers! The City is currently looking for volunteers to serve on various boards and committees. If you are interested in becoming involved with your local government, visit http://www.traversecitymi.gov/news.asp?aid=406.

 

Traverse City Community Giving Catalog – For those looking to sponsor a park bench, flowers in a park or even a biker rack, check out the City’s giving catalog! http://www.traversecitymi.gov/downloads/gift_catalog_2016.pdf

 

Grand Traverse County

 

Deer Bow Hunting Permitted on Power Island  Grand Traverse County Parks and Recreation has opened Power Island for bow hunting this fall.  Details on hunting regulations and obtaining a permit are available online at www.grandtraverse.org or by calling 231-922-4818.

Civic Center Playground Named  The new playground at the Civic Center will be called the Campbell Community Playground in memory of Bruce Campbell Falconer, a Traverse City community leader who passed away in 2015.

Clean Up Green Up, a free community-wide recycle, re-purpose and reuse event put on by Michigan Green Consortium in Traverse City will be Sunday, November 6 from 9:00 until 3:00 at American Waste, 280 Hughes Drive, Traverse City.  Details

Fall Color Tour in Traverse City! Guest Blogger Aly Jarosz

Guest Blogger Aly Jarosz takes us on a fall color tour of Traverse City and makes a new friend called Bacon! :)

 

The sun is setting on our Traverse City summer, and although the warm weather has followed us into October, the trees are begging to change, and the nights have become much cooler. We’re getting ready for the much anticipated color tours, and the bountiful harvest of fall in Northern Michigan. Expect the evenings to creep up much sooner, as our days to become much shorter, and for the temptation of caramel-coated apples to lurk around every corner.

The landscapes that line each our trails have already been sprinkled with color, and pops of orange, yellow, and burgundy take center-stage amongst the greenery. Not only can you see the colors of fall, you can almost smell this crisp, nutty, aroma in the cool breeze as well.

I’ve been welcoming this change by taking long drives out to Old Mission Peninsula, and returning to the Empire Bluffs, with my dog Khloe, one last time before the snow falls. Living in this area lends such beautiful scenery. We are so fortunate to have the opportunity to take a drive along the shoreline, whenever you want to experience the changing seasons and darkening colors of fall.

My one-stop-shop for all of my fall favorites, is Gallagher’s Farm Market! They are located on East Traverse Road, making it my first stop for fresh produce, crisp apples, sweet treats, and choice-pumpkins every year.

As Khloe and I embarked on our hiking adventure at the Empire Bluffs, we made sure to drop in and say hello to an old friend.

It was hard to choose a favorite, but I carefully selected my pumpkins for carving, a big bushel of apples, and even stopped to see an old friend, before I was on my way.

It doesn’t matter how old I am, I look forward to seeing the intricate designs of Jacob’s Corn Maze every year. Jacob’s Corn Maze is conveniently located right across the road from Gallagher’s.

It became so nostalgic to see all of these welcoming signs of fall that I couldn’t help but share my evening with you, in hopes that you would be able to make a visit as well! After all, this masterful maze may have been set-up to stump 8-year-olds, but my friends and I love to compete, and we usually end up treating it as if it were some mad-dash race to the finish!

I found my first fall color tour of the year to be exhilarating. Seeing backdrops of treetops hug every winding corner of the road creates an entirely new experience every time. I’ll be looking forward to pumpkin carving with my friends and family, and homemade apple crisp pie now too!

Dining Out in TC: The Little Fleet and Bardon's Wonder Freeze

When it's 75 degrees in late September up here in Traverse City, people are OUT. I mean, like, really out. Sam and I don't dine out very often (we enjoy the frugality and recipe flexibility of cooking our meals probably five or six days a week), but when it's this gorgeous outside, we deserve to treat ourselves.

Our instinct when it's warm and sunny outside is to go to The Little Fleet. This business venture is already a gold mine in a place like TC but the entire venture is so tastefully and beautifully done. The atmosphere is serene yet social, quirky but comfortable. It is easily one of our favorite places to go in town, and we make an event of it because it's so nice to just sit down and relax.

The bar serves up drinks and the parking lot is open for food trucks of all kinds to pull up, park, and serve up deliciousness. Already it is one of the most popular places in town, and for very good reasons. It is hard to describe it as anything other than just totally awesome.

Both inside and outside boast a warm and welcoming ambiance. We were lucky enough to visit on vinyl night (BYOV and they'll spin it while you drink and dine!), so the tunes were as good as the food.

I've stuck to The Anchor Station almost exclusively, because their falafel is fantastic. If I could, I wouldn't eat anything else ever. There is only one other place in town that I know makes a killer falafel, but The Anchor Station's dish is definitely up there.

On this particular night, though, I had finished a tough workout and was positively famished, so I went all-out on a French Onion Grilled Cheese from EZ Cheesy. Sam picked up the falafel (seriously, it's so good even a omnivore chooses to eat it over meat) and an order of fries, and our feasting began. I am a shameless food-sharer--my best guy friend nicknamed me Mo "Are You Going To Finish That?" Stych--so I was glad I could grab a few bites of Sam's felafel...and though I wasn't as willing to give up precious bites of my grilled cheese, I did share with him. 

After fully stuffing ourselves, we decided it was likely going to be the last warm day we will have until autumn settles in and the ice cream shops close. So we hit-up an east-side staple on our way home (and yes, it actually was "on the way home," so it was practically a necessity): Bardon's Wonder Freeze.

I have been visiting Bardon's for as long as I can remember: after little league games, during lunch when I was in high school, on the drive home if it was scorching hot, or following a long day soaking in sunshine at the beach. It is at a popular crossroads close to town, and it's nearly a guarantee to see someone you know there. Sam and I always split a "flurry," changing the mix-ins every time. We plop ourselves down at our favorite picnic table on the north side of the building and watch the cars pass while we talk about whatever's on our mind. It's amazing how many great conversations emerge when you're sharing ice cream with someone you love; I think that must be a universal truth.

Get out and enjoy the rest of these warm Indian summer days while you can!

(This post was based on a post originally published on my personal blog)

What Traverse City YPs are Thankful For

When you ask someone living in the Traverse City area what they're thankful for, you're likely to hear the following:

"My wonderful family."
"Being lucky enough to live in such a gorgeous and thriving place"
"To have a job that I enjoy"

While those are all valid and extremely important things to be thankful for (and believe me, none of us take them for granted -- I'm thankful for all of the above every single day), they're, to put it bluntly, expected. So, we reached out to some of our Young Professionals to offer some more personal and creative "things they're thankful for."

So, enjoy the following answers from your local Young Professionals while you spend time enjoying the things you're thankful for. 

"I’m thankful for when I’m transitioning my business for bigger and better things, that other businesses, non-profits, and friends I’ve met through work have offered to step up and help me pack and move KidzArt to our new location over their Christmas breaks. Taking time that normally goes to their family to help their community family. I’m so blessed to work with amazing organizations that believe in what I do and support me unconditionally."
-Kate Daggett, KidzArt

"I'm thankful that each day I get to make an impact on someone's life.  From helping people determine their dream job to giving people the encouragement to finish that last math requirement, I leave work everyday knowing I've made a difference."
-Shannon Owen, Northwestern Michigan College

"I am thankful to have a boss who not only taught me how to use my brakes when driving in snow(after I drifted us into the division of Grandview Parkway and Union...more than once), but also one who has taught me at least six ways to tie my scarves, let me know that I will probably freeze if I did not purchase outerwear that goes down to my knees, that Gobblers are the best turkey sandwich ever and who surprises me with gifts like obnoxious colored nail polish and Hello Kitty Make-up holders."
-Meaghan Jameson, Events North

'I’m thankful for the red-brick paved streets in the old town section of TC.  I just think it’s good character - If it were up to me, all the streets downtown would be brick."
-Warren Call, Huntington

"I am most thankful for three things (in no particular order):

1.       Mary’s Kitchen Port

2.       Frozen yogurt

3.       Meeting Allison Beers when I moved to Traverse City!"

-Kelly Schramski, Traverse City State Bank

"I'm thankful for Shorts microbrews. Where else can you find such unique, tasty concoctions with memorable hand-drawn labels and silly names to enjoy with loved ones during the holiday season?"

-Andrew Kohlmann, Signs Now

Well, there you have it! I hope that your Thanksgiving is wonderful and that you have some great things in your life to be thankful for (whether it be your job or your favorite microbrew)!

Wait...it's Fall?!

This time last year I was starting classes at University of Florida while working 40 hours a week at a local Fitness Center. Now, I'm smack-dab in the middle of Wedding Season and actually starting to see a few leaves turn...which never happened in Florida. Our leaves are green all year long. All. Year. Round.

Honestly, the only reason that I ever knew it was "Fall" in Florida was because football season started and Starbucks started selling Pumpkin Spice flavored coffee. Being in an area where the temperatures start dropping and trees turn a different color is so exciting and new for me! I know that fall is literally JUST beginning, but these sort of new experiences make me appreciate living here even more so.

As I mentioned, Fall also means that Wedding Season is in full swing. As I'm sure you realized, Traverse City is the perfect location for a destination wedding. Who wouldn't want a Northern Michigan wedding? We have so many wineries and event spaces to offer, numerous hotels and resorts, and a plethora of fabulous local restaurant options for Rehearsal Dinners.

While I may not have my own wedding approaching anytime in my near future, there is just something about weddings that makes me so thankful that planning and executing them is a part of my job. I can tell you from experience that pulling off a perfect wedding and receiving a "thank you" hug from a stunning bride once the reception has concluded is definitely one of the best feelings in the world. It's one of the reasons I love what I do- making people happy is one of the most fulfilling things in life...and it's a part of my job.

So to sum up what I'm trying to say here is that while I may be extremely busy and seeing all of my younger friends going back to school and enjoying some Gator Football, it is absolutely a "good busy."
To me, the start of Fall in Traverse City represents only great things: new experiences, a fulfilling career, and a confirmation that change is a good thing.