Traverse City Film Festival: Just Great Movies!

I'm deep in the fun of the TCFF (Traverse City Film Festival), which is celebrating its tenth year of movie awesomeness. No doubt there are better ways to describe the TCFF than "movie awesomeness," but it's really one of those things you have to experience to understand just how great this festival is for our city. 

I've volunteered at eight of the ten festivals, and I'm proud and excited to be a part of this event every year. My husband and I are managers at the City Opera House for our second year (if you recall, we are also managers there during the Winter Comedy Festival). While we normally manage the concessions stand, we are hospitality managers this year and get to help the film, venue, and festival sponsors to their seats for each film. I like being in the front-of-house and working more with the patrons who come to the movies, but I do miss nibbling on popcorn non-stop...

The TCFF is an extraordinary event. This year, the festival is touting over 160 films (not including multiple screenings of films!) playing at ten venues around Traverse City non-stop from 9 a.m. until midnight for five days. Oh, and that doesn't count Opening Night or all the movies that played in nearby towns before the festival started. Or the months of planing that went into making this years' event happen. WHEW! Just thinking about that kind of orchestration exhausts me.

The festival is so much more than just movies, though. They have a free all-day festival for kids, late-night movies outside on a giant screen at the Open Space, international and local musicians, parties galore, free movies, a film school, conversation panels with awesome people, and for cryin' out loud MOVIES ON A BOAT. I don't care who you are, you will find something to get geeked about at this festival (and plenty of eco-friendly ways to navigate it).

One of my favorite parts about TCFF are the film makers, actors, directors, musicians, producers, and other special guests coming to Traverse City to participate in panel discussions, Q&As after movies, or just to sit town and chat with locals in restaurants or waiting for films to start. There is something indescribably special about watching a great movie and then having a conversation with someone who helped the film come together. Maybe it's the inherent human need we all have to connect and understand each other that makes meeting these people so special to me; I can honestly say it never gets old. I love their stories, and I love the art they create and share with the world. The Film Fest makes these experiences possible for hundreds (probably thousands) of people every year, and that's truly remarkable.

I also love chatting with the patrons about what movies they loved, where they live and how far they traveled to get here, and about their experience at the festival. I know many locals that take the whole week off work to either volunteer and make things happen or watch loads of movies and orchestrate their schedules to squeeze in as many films as possible.

Me, I'm a volunteer through-and-through. I like making things happen and I always make new friends (or get to see lots of familiar faces when people come to see the movies). There is great camaraderie at all the festival venues, and since the very first festival I've loved being a part of everything TCFF stands for and what it gives back to the people in this town. If you're interested in being a part of all this goodness, shifts are still available...and we'd love to have you volunteer! Please sign up!

Already I've seen two wonderful movies, but truth be told, I'm a documentary person. We have tickets to see two documentaries this year and I'm so excited for them! I'm missing a few films I'd like to see due to either working my regular job or working my volunteer position (yes, it is an exhausting week for everyone), but I've faith that these films will be available sometime soon. Oh, that's another perk of having a local film festival: foreign, experimental, and/or indie movies make it to our local library and video rental stores when they're released, and everyone in town wants to see them! People recognize titles from the TCFF and want to see films they otherwise wouldn't get the chance to see (because of schedule conflicts or sold-out shows), and that's really cool. There is a fantastic sense of community built into these films and the power they have to bring disparate groups of people together.

Ok, I think that's enough blabbering. The facts are this: TCFF is awesome. Movies are awesome. You are awesome...so you should volunteer, or watch some great movies, or chow down on popcorn, or do all of the above. Just make sure you come check out this amazing festival in Traverse City...and enjoy the show!

The Botanic Garden and Historic Barns Park

Every once in a while, I stumble across a part of Traverse City that I know a little about but haven’t actually visited. A few weeks ago, that place was the Botanic Garden at the Historic Barns Park. I knew the gardens existed, but I didn’t really know much about them or what they were all about.

Turns out, there is a lot going on up there.

We hadn’t biked up near the Commons area since TART Trails put in the new Buffalo Ridge trail, which is what drew us up near the garden in the first place. Once we saw their beautiful Visitor’s Welcome Center, we knew we had to go inside and check it all out. I’m not one to pass up going into a gorgeous, well-designed building.

Inside, we were greeted by friendly volunteers. One of them, named Mike, asked us if we had time for a tour. Next thing we knew, we walked into a tunnel through a beautiful gate (handmade using only hammer and heat—no soldering—which was absolutely stunning) and onto one of the most informative tours I’ve ever been on.

Not only did we learn all about the farming history and heritage of the Historical Barns property, but we learned all kinds of things that we never would’ve known unless we were graciously hosted by Mike. He knew the ins and outs of the Botanical Gardens and their grand master plan, in addition to all the stories soaked in the history of the property.

For instance, when he took us upstairs to the conference room, we learned that the wood on the walls and in the windowsills came from the floor of the recently-restored Vogue Theatre in Manistee (another Michigan gem on my to-visit list). We learned about the pavilion in the back of the visitor’s center, and how there will be a wedding there this summer and the bride’s mother was so impressed by everything happening at the Botanical Gardens that she’s offered to donate the funds to have the pavilion finished by the time of the wedding. Having an expert on hand—and a very passionate, friendly expert at that—made this one of the best tours I’d ever been on.

Next thing I knew, we were sitting in an off-road golf cart and Mike was driving us all around the grounds. We learned about the old horse barn they’re converting into a walled garden; the impressive rows of trees getting ready to go in at the entrance of the visitor’s center; a sweet labyrinth they are putting in next to the picnic area (it’s already there if you want to check it out, but there will be improvements coming down the road); the plans to renovate the gorgeous cathedral barn, adding in an amphitheater and reception area; and which trees in the field are old apple trees leftover from the farming days. Perhaps most importantly, we learned where Traverse City’s world-famous dairy cow, Colantha, is laid to rest (not sure who Colantha is? Check out the Traverse Colantha Walker Dairy Fest). I learned more on that tour about the farming history of the State Hospital grounds than I have in my past 25 years, and I was totally geeked about it all.

The Botanical Gardens are positioned to be one of the most breathtaking places in all of Traverse City, and they’re already gorgeous. There are some truly wonderful things happening there, and the volunteers are so dedicated and devoted to the project that their enthusiasm is overwhelmingly contagious. I know I’ll be paying another visit to this beautiful property.

If you want to learn more, feel free to visit their website. Their annual memberships are so reasonable and go towards putting their grand plan into work and helps them move forward on their overall vision. I certainly recommend paying them a visit, especially on a sunny day where you can truly enjoy the magnificent scenery and views.

Recap: Winter Comedy Arts Festival

This past weekend was the Traverse City Winter Comedy Arts Festival, and I've never seen our little downtown so populated in the winter! This was the festival's fourth year, and it was an incredible success. Streets were closed downtown to make way for all sorts of wonderful activities--a full ice bar, a ferris wheel, ice skating rink, massive sledding hill, zip line, nearly a hundred ice sculptures--and the entire weekend was a BLAST. There were kids, grandparents, dogs, babies pulled in sleds...and everyone was bundled up in layer upon layer of winter gear to keep warm. But, with all the fun going on downtown, I doubt too many people were paying attention to the cold.

The festival consists of two main parts: free events on Front Street, and an impressive line-up of comedians from all across the country. Comedians this year included some big names: Rosie O'Donnell, Fred Willard, Michael Ian Black, Tig Notaro (my new favorite comedian), Tim Meadows, Stephen Lynch, and many other hilarious up-and-comers. Now that we're halfway through February (and hopefully halfway through our winter), this town really needed some laughter to warm us up. The festival definitely delivered!

My husband and I dedicated our Friday night and entire day on Saturday to manage the concessions stand at the City Opera House. We love volunteering at the Opera House for the Film Festival, and the Comedy Festival holds an equally-fond place in our hearts. People come to the Comedy Festival to have a good time, and volunteering helps us contribute to that good time and make it even better. Plus, if we're lucky, we get to catch the shows! I was thrilled to get the opportunity to catch Michael Ian Black...he has been a long-time favorite of mine, and his stand-up act was hilarious.

The other great perk to volunteering is working with a fantastic crew. All the volunteers that put the festival together work hard and help make it such an impressive event. We always end a festival with new friends of all ages, and with fond memories of our volunteering experience. If you volunteered for the festival this year, thank you!

Unfortunately for my hubby and I, volunteering full-time as managers means that we don't get the opportunity to check out all the awesome activities on Front Street until Sunday, but there was plenty going on downtown the whole weekend. The ferris wheel is always a favorite of mine during the festival. How crazy are we Michiganders for wanting to ride a ferris wheel in winter?! We did miss out on playing the frozen putt-putt course and riding the zip line, which was sad. However, the zip line ran right outside the City Opera House, so we were able to watch kids and adults ride on it all day long...pretty awesome.

That's what I love about this town: we have some weird and crazy things going on all throughout the year, and it keeps life exciting no matter what the season. There are a lot of things I know I wouldn't get the chance to experience if TC didn't allow so many different activities and events to take place in our town, and for that I am very thankful. I can't wait to see what incredible winter adventures we'll experience before summer comes!