It is hard to
believe a few weeks ago some of us were either playing golf, doing yard work,
watching some of our flowers come up after their winter sleep or even just
sitting outside taking in some Vitamin D from the sun. It was going to be a great start to spring,
then April happened. Just love seeing
snow in April in Northern Michigan. But
life goes on, and we are kicking ourselves for taking off our snow tires too
early. With all that said, April is here
and bring on a new blog post with some great info and events happening in the
area. I challenge everyone to attend one
YP event as well as one or even 2 events that are happening around the
area. One of my favorite things to do is
have Brunch on a Sunday morning followed by a lovely drive to Interlochen to
enjoy an amazing concert put on by the Traverse Symphony Orchestra. They are led by Maestro Kevin Rhodes, who
does a phenomenal job with our local musicians all while giving us an amazing
experience. I highly recommend everyone
to attend the event on April 17th!
The
Young Professionals of the Chamber have a few events that will be happening in
the month of April that everyone should plan on attending. The first event takes place April 7th
from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at Right Brain Brewery on 16th Street. This is a great Social Event for all YP’s to
relax, chat, and mingle all while having an amazing beverage from the great
people at Right Brain Brewery. Be sure
to bring your business cards and be ready for drinks specials and amazing door
prizes. This is a great opportunity to
meet fellow YP’s in the area and to create a great social network, which may
come in handy one day.
Business
After Hours is the next event on the Calendar happening April 20 at Team
Elmer’s from 5pm to 7pm. This is a great
opportunity to network with other local businesses and professionals of all
ages. You never know who you may end up
sharing a cocktail with at this event.
It is a great chance to get your name out there to other business
professionals and see how many amazing businesses are located in our beautiful
city.
The
morning of April 21st will highlight the YP Monthly Meeting at the
TC Chamber from 8am to 9am. I look
forward to this gathering every month whether we have a guest speaker or spend
time talking about the community and how us YP’s can make a positive impact by
getting involved in everything we can around our area. It is also a great chance to meet other YP’s
and hear about what everyone has cooking up in their lives. If you are new to the area or are not
originally from Traverse City, it is a great way to meet fellow
professionals.
There are other events that are taking place in Traverse City during the month of April. We are all itching for that warmer spring weather and getting out of the house to attend one of these events is a great way to be active in the community and hopefully soaking up that warmer weather. Here are a list of events happening around the area.
Willow
Hill Elementary School’s Battle of the Books Winners Receive Limo Ride with
Joshua Davis
TCAPS
Board of Education Coffee Conversation
If you are able to volunteer for either night, please sign up at this link (http://tinyurl.com/tcwexitinterview) or contact Kate Heydlauff (the event coordinator) at HeydlaufKa@tcaps.net. If you are not able but have co-workers or know others who may be interested, please feel free to share this opportunity.
TCAPS Calendar Reminders
The
final event for April takes place Tuesday, April 26th which involves
free popcorn!!! You guessed it,
Volunteering at the State Theatre on free popcorn night is a great way to spend
a Tuesday evening after work. Plus, you
also receive 2 free movie tickets for volunteering from 5:15 to 7:15. It is a great way to help out our wonderful
State Theatre, which is very special to Traverse City.
There are other events that are taking place in Traverse City during the month of April. We are all itching for that warmer spring weather and getting out of the house to attend one of these events is a great way to be active in the community and hopefully soaking up that warmer weather. Here are a list of events happening around the area.
-TC Boat and Outdoor Show at the Civic Center
– April 8-10. For more details visit http://www.traversecityboatshow.com/about.html
-Indoor Farmer’s Market at The Grand Traverse
Commons from 10am-2pm Every Saturday. For
more details visit http://www.thevillagetc.com/events-attractions/farmers-market/
-7th Annual Traverse City Chocolate
Festival at the City Opera House from Noon-4. For more information visit www.TCChocolateFestival.com
-Beethoven Fireworks Traverse Symphony Orchestra at
Corson Auditorium April 17th at 3pm.
For ticket information visit http://traversesymphony.org/
-TART
Trails Work Bee April 23 from 10am-12pm. Celebrate Earth Day networking and
volunteering in various locations along the trail. This is a great event to be outside and
burning calories to make the TART Trail the best trail in the world. For details visit http://traversetrails.org/event/tart-trails-work-bee-2/
Well ladies and gentlemen, that is all I have for
the month of April. I challenge each of
you who read through this to get more involved in the community, get to know
one another and most of all have fun and enjoy our beautiful area. If anyone has any comments, suggestions, or
questions, please respond to the blog.
I am always up for comments and discussion. Next month will highlight Agriculture!!! Please follow the YP's on Facebook and LinkedIn for even more fun happenings and information.
Below are the updates from around the area from TCAPS, City of Traverse
City, and Grand Traverse County.
TCAPS APRIL 2016
TCTA
“Warm Toes” Sock Drive Collects 2,500 Pairs of Socks…and Counting!
Today,
Traverse City Area Public Schools tallied the results of the Traverse City
Transportation Association sponsored “warm toes” sock drive. The fundraiser
collected a total of 2,500 pairs of socks, including generous donations from
the Michigan Education Association, Hagerty, Meijer, Chemical Bank,
Coordinating Council, Cherry Central Coop, North Bay Produce, and TCAPS
families and members of our great community. The socks will be given to school
social workers to hand out to students who need them and any extra socks will
be donated to Child and Family Services.
TCAPS
Robotics Programs Continue to Shine
Traverse City Area Public Schools' FIRST Robotics Teams
Off to a Great Season
Teams from both Traverse City Central High School and
Traverse City West Senior High School competed at an event in Escanaba over the
weekend. TC West's Titan Robotics Team won the “Chairman’s Award,” the
competition's most prestigious award. And, TC Central's Raptors Team 1171 won
the "Imagery Award." There is plenty more competition yet this season
as both the Raptors and Titan Robotics prepare to compete in the Traverse City FIRST Robotics District Competition.
The event will be held at Traverse City Central High School April 7-9, 2016.
View a preview of this year’s FRC game, FIRST STRONGHOLD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqOKzoHJDjA.
Two
TCAPS Vex Robotics Teams Advance to World Championships
Two TCAPS teams also qualified for the VEX
Robotics World Competition in Louisville,
Kentucky. An elementary team, the RoboRunners VEX IQ, and a high school team
from West Senior High School, made up of Titan Robotics members Ty Ebling and
Granite Winowiecki, both earned a place at the VEX World Championships. Both
teams are now raising money to support their trips to Louisville in mid-April.
If you are interested in donating, visit www.tcaps.net/donate.
As
part of March is Reading Month, TCAPS’ Willow Hill Elementary School held their first in-house Battle of the Books.
Fifty-four students in 4th and 5th grade formed a total
of 11 teams. Students read six books to prepare for the battle. The winning
team won a limo ride to Incredible Mo’s with special guest singer/songwriter
Joshua Davis!
The next TCAPS Board of Education Coffee Conversation will be
held on Thursday, April 28th at Horizon Books from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Come join in the
conversation!
TC West Mentor Opportunity
Each
spring, all TC West Senior High School students participate in student-led
conferences to showcase their growth over the course of the previous year. Last
year, we changed the curriculum to offer our Senior students an interview with
professionals from our community. It was a huge success. We would like to
continue this tradition but we are in need of volunteers. We feel that this
opportunity will give our seniors a valuable, real-world experience and help
them with their communication and presentation skills. Community
professionals will volunteer for a 3-hour block of time (4:30 p.m. -7:30 p.m.)
on Wednesday, April 27th or Thursday, April 28th. The interviews
will be scheduled in 20-minute increments and the questions and format have
been prepared for you in advance. Seniors have spent the last few months
preparing for this interview.
If you are able to volunteer for either night, please sign up at this link (http://tinyurl.com/tcwexitinterview) or contact Kate Heydlauff (the event coordinator) at HeydlaufKa@tcaps.net. If you are not able but have co-workers or know others who may be interested, please feel free to share this opportunity.
·
April 28 - Board of Education Coffee
Conversation
·
May 30 - Memorial Day, No School
City of Traverse City Update – April, 2016
Spring Leaf & Brush Pickup – The City will
begin spring leaf and brush pickup on April 11th on the east side of
town, moving west. This service is offered to City residents only. For more
details, visit www.traversecitymi.gov.
Eighth Street Planning and Design Charrette – Have a voice in
planning the future of Eighth Street! A project kick-off meeting is scheduled
for April 21st, time to be determined. Stay tuned into www.traversecitymi.gov/plancurrentproje.asp for further
details.
Overnight Parking in Traverse City – To help
accommodate your guests, vehicles may be parked on the streets overnight
starting April 15th on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday nights. For
further details, contact 231-922-0241.
Elections Inspectors Needed! If you are
interested in being a part of the Election process and working in a precinct on
Election Day, please contact the City Clerk’s Office at 231-922-4480. Election
Inspectors typically work from 5:45 a.m. until roughly 10:00 p.m. on Election
Day and are paid for their time.
Grand Traverse County Update
New Passport Hotline A new passport hotline provides 24 hour
information to potential travelers on the requirements for applying for a
passport so applicants can be prepared when they apply. The passport hotline
can be reached at (231) 922-4735, option 1.
Household Hazardous Waste
Drop-Off Dates Announced HHW drop-off events will
be held from 1:00pm - 7:00pm on the following Thursdays: April 21, May 12, June
23 and August 25. One Saturday drop-off event will be held on October 1 from
9:00am - 2:00pm. Appointments are
required for all HHW events and can be made beginning April 1st by using the
online scheduling system at www.recyclesmart.info or by calling the
RecycleSmart hotline at 231-941-5555.
Clean Out Your Files
Week: April 15 - April 22 This is a no-cost
opportunity for businesses to recycle unwanted paper material. American Waste
will be providing the use of a recycling container at the Sara Hardy Downtown
Farmers Market parking lot at the corner of Cass & Grandview Parkway.
Accepted material includes newspapers, magazines, old files, office paper and
unwanted mail. This container of paper material will not be shredded.
Earth for Earth Day:
Compost Give-Away Get your free compost!
Saturday, April 23, 2016 from 8:00 am to noon (or until gone). Self serve, self
haul compost is yours FREE at the Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers Market parking
lot (Union Street and Grandview Parkway). Compost is courtesy of the City of
Traverse City & Grand Traverse County RecycleSmart. Bring your own shovel
and container.
Save the Date for The
Groundwork Get Local Party!
Saturday, May 21st, 3 -
10PM at The Little Fleet
Meet us at The Little
Fleet for the ultimate local party! Pick up your Get Local Passport and collect
Groundwork stamps as you explore family-fun activities that celebrate our local
farms, food, businesses, transportation and clean energy. Then taste what
homegrown dishes the food trucks are cooking up—a celebratory reflection of
Groundwork's commitment to getting more locally grown food into schools and
institutions. When the sun sets, find your friends and strike a pose for a
photo shoot like no other, and dance the night away to the rollicking music of
The Go Rounds! Good times guaranteed.
