First Time Attendee at a City Commission Meeting

Happy fall, everyone! The few dustings of snow we had earlier this week are melted for now, but it's clear that the color season has passed and winter is on its way. Lucky for me, I'm a big winter sports enthusiast, so I'm waxing my cross-country skis and getting ready!

In the meantime, though, I've given some thought about what kind of community member I want to be. My husband and I have at least a five-year plan to stay in Traverse City, and we are always looking for ways to get involved as active citizens in the community and pay attention to the important issues at play in our region. With all that in mind, we made a big step in our roll as Traverse City residents: we went to our first City of Traverse City City Commission meeting this week. 

There were some vital things up for discussion at this meeting, and we decided we wanted to hear about them in-person instead of the next day in the local media. It's nothing against the local media; we just wanted to be a part of the conversation and listen to all the details from the commissioners for our own knowledge.

At the meeting, the commissioners discussed the traffic study findings following the recent re-striping of Eighth Street (a major cross-town route), a new building proposal for the Traverse City Area Rowing club at the north end of Boardman Lake, and possible changes to the National Cherry Festival. In different ways, each of these issues are important to the residents and visitors to our city, and it was great to learn about them as the commission discussed these issues at the meeting.

Our main interest in attending the meeting was to learn more about the findings of the Eighth Street re-striping. My husband and I both bike a lot, and having such a vital cross-town route include a bike lane is something we wanted to show our support for and encourage the commission to keep. Much to my own surprise, I stood up and spoke for a few minutes during the final public hearing portion to express my support for the re-striping project, specifically the bike lanes, and thanked the commission for exploring different options for this route. I was mega nervous to get up and speak, but I'm proud of myself for sharing my thoughts!

I honestly didn't know what to expect at the meeting. I've never taken a strong interest in local politics, but attending the meeting gave me a sense of pride for our town and generally made me care more about the kinds of decisions that are being made at the local governmental level. I felt connected to the city in a different way, like I was truly invested in it and the future of our town, and that is very rewarding.

The city commission meets the first and third Monday of every month at 7:00 p.m. at the Governmental Center (near the corner of Eighth Street and Boardman Ave). I highly suggest that anyone in the city or Grand Traverse County attend at least one city commission meeting to learn more about how our local government works and what kinds of issues are being discussed. Get involved!

Student and Alumni Outreach Committee: Bringing new YPs to TC

As the Traverse City Young Professionals group continues growing, we're building up our committees and expanding our reach in the community. One group that really takes this to heart is the Student and Alumni Outreach Committee. These great folks are welcoming and recruiting future YP generations to Traverse City as well as helping to connect homegrown talent to local employers. Interested in learning more about what they do? Read on to find out!

On Thursday, March 6th, a few members of the TCYP Student & Alumni Outreach Team attended the Annual NMC Career Fair at the Hagerty Center. Numerous attendees inquired about the TCYPs. It was good exposure and a great way to let job seekers know how we could help them network in their respective fields. Since the job fair was not limited to patrons under 40, they were also able to promote the TC Chamber, the networking opportunities offered by the Chamber and the job portal on the Chamber website.

The YP Student & Alumni Outreach Program connects with both prospective graduates and current Young Professionals in the area. Colleges and universities can use this program to help provide education to potential graduates on the opportunities Traverse City has to offer. The program is also designed to continue the college spirit for alumni’s through various civic involvement and community events. They also foster professional relationships, as well as build awareness of the resources available to young professionals considering a move to Traverse City.

If you're a current YP, contact Josh or Courtney to learn more about how you can participate in the committee. Let them know if you're an active member of your alma mater's alumni association in TC...it would be great to have you on board to attract recent college graduates to our beautiful region!

Enjoy your weekend, everyone...and keep thinking spring!

Guest Blogger Michelle Elliott: Run, Walk, or Leap into Spring!

We're halfway through March and itching for warm weather, but still stuck with plenty of below-freezing temperatures. Still, it's no reason to stay cooped-up inside! YP Michelle Elliott shares her St. Patrick's Day weekend festivities, where she hung out with over 700 green-clad friends having a great time at the Leapin' Leprechaun 5K race. Check out those great costumes!

St. Patrick’s Day has always been one of my favorite holidays. I know what you’re thinking; it’s because of all the pub-crawls, shamrock shakes and green beer right? Well, not totally. For me St. Patrick’s Day has always been that sign that spring is right around the corner. In the past it has been warm and it has snowed, but regardless, there is typically a party and everyone is having a great time. 

 

This year, I got to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day weekend by working. Yes, working. It’s the nature of the beast if you’re in the event industry. Most of the time you are working while others are playing. I love it. It is rewarding to see all your hard work pay off and witness hundreds of people laughing and joking.  

I work for the National Cherry Festival which organizes the Fifth Third Bank Leapin’ Leprechaun 5K. This fun 5K is held annually on St. Paddy’s day weekend. This year was chilly but we still had over 700 people wake up early to race around town. They definitely dressed to impress in their Irish best.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a St. Patrick’s Day celebration without a gold Guinness at the post-race party. We had a heated tent set up so everyone could warm up and listen to local favorites Don Julin and Billy Strings. It was a brisk morning, but those who came out had a good time.  

There were plenty of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations around town this past week. If you are ever curious about what to do visit the Ancient Order of the Hibernians website.  They have an entire event calendar dedicated to all the Irish festivities in Traverse City. 

"What is Art, Anyway?" Lecture Series at The Box

When I was moving back to Traverse City after attending college in Ann Arbor, I was wary about what kinds of "academic" opportunities would be available, if any. Lucky for me, TC has grown in all kinds of ways since I was in high school, and there are plenty of learning activities and speaker events out there. 

As a History of Art major, I was thrilled to hear that the Art Center of Traverse City was hosting a six-week lecture series called "What is Art, Anyway?" They have different panels slated for each week to discuss what art is, and based on some of the speakers they have lined up (graffiti artists, gallery owners, and even this past years' ArtPrize winner!), it is geared up to be a great series.

 
The other part of this series that was particular exciting to me was the location: The Box. Back in its day, The Box was a cigar factory. Much later in its life, and just prior to the major renovations that converted it into a beautiful event space, it was the gym I went to for years. I'd not been inside The Box yet, and I was itching to see how the space was converted from a place where I took Spinning lessons and read way too many magazines on elliptical machines.

I wasn't the least bit disappointed: The Box is gorgeous. It's an open layout that doubles as a living and entertaining space. The space is modern but intimate, and the tone is very cozy and warm. I loved the high ceilings, wood floors, and magnificent kitchen. I'll look for any excuse to visit The Box again!

I went to the first art lecture, which included three artists: Ann Loveless (the 2013 ArtPrize winner), Del Michel, and Bob Purvis. There were a ton of people there, and even though I was among the younger attendees, I would highly recommend the lecture series to people of all ages and educational backgrounds. The audience actively participated and lots of great questions and conversations were thrown into the mix.

 It was great to get the perspective of three different (and successful) artists from our area. They talked about the growth they've made as artists, the moments they first knew they were artists, and took questions from the crowd about their work, vision, and what art means to them as artists. Plenty of folks from the audience had their own opinions about art, too, but it did make for engaging dialogue. All in all, it was a really enjoyable lecture and I'm looking forward to attending another one before the end of the series (plus, it means another visit to The Box).

If you're looking to attend this lecture series, you can learn more about each week's lecture here. Personally, I think their graffiti, street art, and tattoo art lecture looks really interesting, and it's definitely geared towards a younger generation. Keep your eyes peeled for other great speaking events in our area...if you're an academic, you'll find plenty of opportunities to keep your mind sharp in TC!

Guest Blogger: Cindy Evans Snowshoes at the Commons

Happy Polar Vortex Part II, everyone! Our guest blogger this week is Cindy Evans, who works at Grand Traverse Industries and lives in the Traverse City area with her husband and two children. Cindy took on winter (and a lot of hills) during her recent snowshoeing adventure at the Grand Traverse Commons. Read on for some advice about snowshoeing the Commons and a lot of pretty winter eye-candy that will encourage you to get out and explore this season! - Mo

I love Traverse City; I have always loved the area and its charm. This city has so much to offer in terms of opportunities to be active and ways to enjoy its unmatchable beauty in all seasons.

A few years ago I had found myself really disliking the winter season and the fact that I wasn’t out enjoying it either. I decided that I was going to find a way to get out there again and change my perspective because, moving was not an option that either my husband, myself, nor my family was going to consider. I looked on the community events page and thought, well what can I do? My children were young, my husband has a reconstructed knee so his activities are limited, I had suffered from Asthma as a result of contracting the H1N1 flu, and honestly, I was not in great shape after having two children and a few too many pounds I hadn’t done anything about. So needless to say, choices were limited.

One day someone at work told me about guided snowshoeing at the Sleeping Bear Dunes and that equipment was provided if you didn’t have your own. So I called my husband and asked him to sign us up: I wanted to give this a try. This was a great opportunity to see if I could do it before investing money into equipment of my own. That one trip was all it took, and I found this was the perfect activity for my family to be able to participate in together, while also being something I could do while not being in the best shape. I will say that after that first trip I was hooked, and it was the spark I needed to get back to enjoying our majestic winters. I was able to lose some that weight and start feeling better, in part, due to our many winter adventures snowshoeing.

One of my favorite areas to hike with my family in the fall is the trails in and around the GrandTraverse Commons. Since I hadn’t been snowshoeing there yet, I thought I would give it a try. I headed out this past Saturday after the big storm that dumped more than six inches of snow and left us in very low temperatures. I didn’t take my kids since it was so cold, but I am a diehard, right? I can do this, why not!

I was surprised to see that there was more activity on the trails than I had thought there would be, and once I got moving the cold was not a factor. The Village is nestled among 480 acres of preserved parkland, and has a vast array of trails. Thetrails are well marked and have maps at the access points. It’s a great place to get out and meet others along the trail. You will come across frozen creeks, old historic buildings, and see lots of wildlife. If you love to take photos of nature or unique settings, this is the place for you. There are moments to enjoy some solitude and quiet, and just to pause and listen to the wind in the trees. Some trails lead to some old abandoned historic buildings that are now the canvas for local graffiti artists. (Warning: if you are with children there is inappropriate language and images that come with this graffiti work, so just beware.)

I started out on the Tangle Wood trail, which is a fairly easy trail with some rolling hills and a moderately packed pathway from use. The trail meanders through the woods and past a creek. This would be a good place to start if you’re only looking for a short hike. I then headed over to the Cistern Spur trail because I wanted to get some pictures on the higher elevation and of the big round abandoned cistern that is hidden in the woods there. There is an easier path to get to the same area but I opted for the short cut, which includes going up the very steep hill to get there more directly. I don’t believe that was a great idea for snowshoeing but, I will claim frozen brain for that decision. I did slip a few times and needed to use the rail so I didn’t fall or slide down, but after much determination, I did make it to the top, a little….ok, a LOT…out of breath. But I made it, and the view was worth it.

In areas I could see down across the Village and the sights were just amazing. I could have opted to take the easy path down, but I decided I just wanted to see if I could ski down and not fall, knowing full-well this was not how snowshoes were meant to be used. Again, frozen brain mixed with a little stupidity. I do not recommend this because it could lead to injury. Matter of fact, it most likely will lead to injury. I did however have a blast skiing down the trail and, will boast I did not fall but I am sure if my chiropractor ever saw this blog it would make him cringe. I assure you my form was not good, and it was very dicey at moments.

Whether you like to snowshoe with a group or by yourself, the Commons is the ideal place to go. You can head directly out of the trail and over to Higher Grounds for a warm up with coffee or grab a bite to eat at the various eateries. You can adventure into the Mercato to warm up and enjoy some great shopping, or take a stroll and view the artwork along the walls. There is something for everybody here. Click here for a map of the trails.

Also worth mentioning is the Experience 231 app. This app has all the hiking, biking, bird watching, x-country skiing, paddling, and snowshoeing trails in the area. It allows you to enter search criteria such as distance, or experience level; it will pull up all the trails that meet that criteria. It also gives some information on the trail and its surroundings, along with distance from your location. I found some new places I didn’t know about and it’s worth checking out since it’s free. I hope to see some of you out on the trails, and happy snowshoeing!

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)

You, Me, and NMC! - Annual Drive

Hi everyone! Sorry for the short hiatus on my postings (thank you to John for being a trooper and getting content out this last month! You're the best!). I was pretty busy getting married, which was fantastic, beautiful, and also something I am very happy to tuck away in the "memories I will keep forever" file in my brain instead of stressing about it. But, now I'm back!

Last year I had the opportunity to participate in the Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) Annual Fund donation drive through my employer. Essentially it's a time when community members come together and gather funds through a series of telephone fundraising nights. We reach out to former NMC alumni and people in the area to give to NMC and help bolster scholarship funds, make higher education more affordable, and retain valuable educators in our town.

I am excited to be apart of my employer's fundraising team again this year for the 2013 annual campaign, called You, Me and NMC! My Northwestern Bank colleagues and I were invited to an campaign kick-off event this week at NMC's Great Lakes Maritime Academy. I was already excited about meeting other campaigners at the kick-off event, but I truly relish any chance to visit the Maritime Academy. I mean, look at this place!

The NMC Maritime Academy sits right at the base on West Bay, close to downtown and shining like a true gem. If anyone else who's lived in TC for many years remember the old Maritime Academy building (essentially a giant beige brick that sat, literally, right alongside the road and obscuring the panoramic view of the water), then I hope you feel the same pride and awe that I do every time I pass the Maritime Academy now. It is positively breathtaking. As a resident of TC I am thrilled that so much consideration was given to the beauty of the views and scenery of this prime location in TC. Don't believe me? Check out these views...straight from Lobdell's restaurant where we had dinner for the kick-off event.

I mean, it's decent (!!!). Oh, yeah, and the food was delicious, too.

Sara Noverr Harding and Bill Marsh Jr., the co-chairs for the campaign this year, spoke about the annual fund and this year's mission to reach out to everyone in the community who has been affected by NMC in some way. As it turns out, this is pretty much everyone in the area. NMC is a school, but it is so tightly woven into our region that it's hard to not have it impact life up here. I volunteer weekly at the Dennos Museum Center, located on the NMC campus; Sam is starting his MBA through the NMC University Center next month; I am looking to take classes on web design and gardening through their Extended Education program. So, NMC certainly makes a difference in my life!

Sara Noverr Harding and Bill Marsh Jr.

Additionally, there was a great video about this year's campaign that highlighted student stories and the mission behind both NMC and the annual fund. It was informative and well-done (I wish I had a link to share it with you). Plus, some of the students that were featured in the video made it to the kick-off event and we could chat with them and hear their stories one-on-one, which really helps put a face to what we'll do during our telethons. Realizing that the small actions we make and the little bit that we can give of our time, money, or resources impacts people living in my hometown is why I participate in the annual campaign. I was glad we could meet some of the people who benefit directly from what we do!

If you'd like to get involved in the annual fund campaign, you can click here and learn more. Or, if you'd simply like to share your story about NMC (if you're feeling creative, see if you can even do it in six words)! I am looking forward to getting to know my Northwestern Bank colleagues through the campaign and helping NMC in the process. Here we go!

Part of my NW Bank team...woo!