Events In April You Should Plan On Attending!!

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 17^th!

            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 7^th from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at Right Brain Brewery on 16^th 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 21^st 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. 

 

 

            The final event for April takes place Tuesday, April 26^th 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/

-7^th 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 17^th 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.

 Willow Hill Elementary School’s Battle of the Books Winners Receive Limo Ride with Joshua Davis

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 4^th and 5^th 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!

 TCAPS Board of Education Coffee Conversation

The next TCAPS Board of Education Coffee Conversation will be held on Thursday, April 28^th 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 28^th. 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.

 TCAPS Calendar Reminders

·         April 28 - Board of Education Coffee Conversation

·         May 30 - Memorial Day, No School

·         2015-2016 District School Year Calendar

City of Traverse City Update – April, 2016

Spring Leaf & Brush Pickup – The City will begin spring leaf and brush pickup on April 11^th 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 21^st, 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 15^th 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. 

www.groundworkcenter.org

 

Business After Hours: Opa! Uptown

Hello, everyone! I wanted to check in and share the most recent Business After Hours (BAH) that I went to this week, working the registration table on behalf of TCYP. It was my second BAH event since joining the YPs this past January, and I had a lot more fun this time around because I saw many familiar faces!

This month's BAH took place at Opa! Uptown, which was already great because their food is FANTASTIC. I was really glad that we were able to sneak some nibbles while working, and that everything tasted so good. I've never had a blueberry pierogi before, but I'll be surprised if I deprive myself of having another one over the next few weeks...

The place was packed. It was great to see so many people walking about and enjoying the new digs at the restaurant (they opened up a few months ago) and people were all over the place. No doubt Opa! got some good exposure, because people were raving about the food and service. 

One of my favorite things about Opa! Uptown is the artwork they have around the restaurant. Yes, perhaps it's a bit of a curveball in terms of what most people notice when they go out to eat, but I think their restaurant has some of the coolest, most unique, and intriguing artwork in this town. As a History of Art major in college, I can't help but notice stuff like that! It does so much for the ambience, and it has made a strong impression on my the times I've visited. I love the "wow" factor of each large-scale piece they have...it's refreshing to see a place unafraid to fill their walls with big, bold works of art!

But, of course, my favorite thing about BAH is spending time with my fellow YPs. We had a really fun group working this week, and it's always nice to talk with YPs in a more casual setting where we can really spend time getting to learn more about each other. We spent two hours working the registration table and chatting with various Chamber members, but my favorite conversations were the ones I had with the YPs I was working with that night.

Well, that's all from me. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! Winter is beginning to settle in Traverse, and while we've had a few snowflakes fall there isn't anything sticking on the ground yet...I hope it stays that way until December, but I know how Michigan weather has a mind of it's own. We'll see!

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodnight.

I am ready to admit it: I am comfortable enough in Traverse City to start referring to myself as a member of the Traverse City community. While Florida still has a huge part of my heart, Traverse City is now somewhere that I can call my home. I've adjusted. I've accepted that I will be grocery shopping at Meijer instead of at Publix (aka the world's best grocery store chain). I automatically leave my apartment 3-5 minutes early in winter because I realize that I will need to remove the snow/ice from my car before attempting to drive to work. I know the drink & food specials at local restaurants and I can even give out of towners advice as to where they can chow down on the best local grub.

With that said, it is time to pass the TCYP Blog onto some fresh faces. My story has been told and it is time to introduce you to some other pretty fantastic members of our community and let them tell you how they came to live here and how they are adjusting. I'm sure that they will have plenty to say as far as the goings-on of Traverse City, their new experiences, as well as new TCYP events that occur.

We will still be featuring a guest blogger the first Wednesday of each month, but your new regular bloggers will be John Stocki and Mo Stych, who will be introducing themselves next week. I'll miss my weekly blogs and having the chance to explain the differences in lifestyles between Michigan and Florida (and mention how much snow throws me off guard...often), but I'm excited for you to have the opportunity to get to know some new TCYPs.

Besides, you can always catch me at Business After Hours...or Half-price sushi Tuesday at Firefly.

The Importance of Networking

Before I moved to Traverse City, I had heard of Networking Events. I had seen them in movies. I had even heard talk of some of my peers attending them. They always seemed like swanky after work cocktail parties where everyone knows everyone else in attendance and they all have a fabulous carefree after-work celebration wearing only the best new business attire.

I knew that once I was a part of the working-post graduate world, I too would have to be a part of these networking events. This terrified me. My work clothes only got as sophisticated as the occasional outfit from Banana Republic (which is still absolutely one of my favorite work numbers to date). I was convinced that I would be completely out of my element.

Upon starting my life as a Young Professional, however, I found out that I was slightly misinformed. While I was beyond nervous walking into my first networking night, Business After Hours, I walked out at the conclusion of the event breathing a sigh of relief...and with twenty new business cards in hand.

Macaila, another TCYP, and I at The Cherry Festival YP social event.
Source: National Cherry Festival

Traverse City Networking Events are such an essential part of fitting into the professional community- especially as a younger member of the area. They have provided me with not only a chance to introduce myself to a ton of business owners, but also have allowed me to strengthen the connections I have already started to make by giving me a chance to catch up with individuals I crossed paths with in the past.

These networking nights have given me a chance to establish myself in a new town. True, they can be intimidating at first, but as long as you hold your own and make your presence known, you're golden. You cannot go into an event expecting people to flock to you because you're a fresh face (which was my first mistake...luckily Allison Beers made me aware that this would not work well for me early on). Once I made my introductions, I felt so much more comfortable and was able to chat about work and possible connections with ease.

Networking has given me an easy way to socialize with like-minded individuals and create lasting connections at the same time. I'm a huge advocate of multi-tasking, so clearly I'm a big fan of this...plus, the food is always exceptional. There really is nothing not to like!

Today marks my seventh month living in Traverse City and working with Events North. Thanks to both my job at Events North and networking events like Business After Hours and TCYP Social Events, I usually say hello and stop for a quick chat with someone every time I walk down Front Street.

And let me tell you- It's a great feeling.