The Locals: Todd Gyulveszi – Tour Guide of Antrim County

Todd giving us a tour at Grass River

Todd Gyulveszi’s has a pretty sweet day job: organizing the festivals, events, and tours for everyone’s favorite Antrim County craft-beer maker, Short’s Brewing Company. If you have ever had a chance to go on a brewery tour there, led by Todd, you know first-hand the amount of knowledge this man holds in his head about Short’s history, culture, and the brewing process. Us Northern Michiganders, as well as those who travel from afar, have Todd to thank for his role in organizing the many outdoor events that Short’s puts on. Among these are the Short’s to Short’s 27-mile paddle (Todd’s personal favorite), Shanty to Short’s run, Short’s Fest, and Summer Kick-Off Party. Todd also runs the many beer festivals Short’s attends, including The Great American Beer Festival, the Michigan Summer & Winter Beer Festivals, UP Beer Festival, the Detroit Beer Festival, & Suds ‘n Snow (another favorite) at Timber Ridge.

Part of the culture at Short’s, as they phrase it, is “a driving passion for recreation.”  Enjoying the playground that is the natural surroundings of Antrim County isn’t just encouraged, it’s almost mandatory. You could say Todd and this culture line up, but that would be an understatement. Todd spends at least an hour and a half outdoors every day doing what may be referred to by some (Todd included) as recreating, others as exercising, and still others as killing oneself.  Physical activity is important to Todd.  He wrestled competitively until age 35 and also hopes to compete in the senior U.S. National Biathlon Championship. Yes, Biathlon: the awesomest and (to some) most random Olympic event ever just behind synchronized swimming. So when you’re out on the trails and you feel that cyclone whip by you, a la the Tasmanian Devil, that’s just Todd flying by on his skis or mountain bike.

Todd’s efforts and passion for Antrim County and the surrounding area go beyond his day job. He puts his degree from Lake Superior State in natural resources (and apparently the 48 hours he is gifted with each day) to use as a board member with Grass River Natural Area, Green Elk Rapids, White Pine Stampede, Paddle Antrim, the Elk Rapids 4B committee, and a volunteer for NMMBA (Northern Michigan Mountain Bike Association). We are pleased to be able to say that as of yesterday Todd is also a board member of the Bellaire Chamber of Commerce. When we asked to meet with Todd for this bio, he offered to give us a personal tour of Grass River Natural Area. In fact, Todd’s excitement about Grass River rubbed off on us. Keep your eyes posted for a whole post on Grass River, one of the first nature preserves in Michigan.

So how did Todd land in Antrim County? You could say the path was a winding one. He grew up in Southgate, south of Detroit, but fell in love with northern Michigan at a young age when visiting his parents’ friend Albert’s place on Otsego Lake. Prior to making the official move to the area, he owned a border cheviot farm in Stockridge and then a bookstore in Brighton. He moved to Traverse City when offered the job as sales director of Mackinac Island Press and eventually landed in Bellaire, where he may be to stay given the positive changes he’s seen in the area.

When asked about the changes, a list is easily rattled off that includes, “the continued growth and expansion of my employer and the creation of jobs by Short’s, the building and completion of the Grass River Natural Area Education Center, the building of the Glacial Hills trails by the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, everything ISLAND is doing, Pete Bigford  being named COO and his leadership at Shanty Creek…”.  We have a feeling this list could go on and on.

When Todd’s not spending time outdoors, you might find him in the kitchen. He loves to honor his Eastern European heritage by preparing traditional Hungarian meals. He owns over 200 cookbooks. Some of his specialties are chicken paprikas, dumplings (gombocs), letcho (a ratatouille-like stew with lots of peppers), and curried lamb meatballs (which doesn’t necessarily mean he turned those cute cheviot fuzzballs into meatballs…at least in my mind’s happy place).

If you see this smiling face around town, thank him for all he does for the area and congratulate him to his new position on the Board of Directors of the Bellaire Chamber. But don’t be surprised if you leave the conversation being sold on the idea of paddling, biking, skiing, or at a bare minimum eating gombocs and letcho up in Antrim County.

Want to join Todd out on the trails? He suggests Hansen Hills, VASA, and Forbush Corner for skate skiing. Or if you prefer two wheels to two skis, you’ll find Todd mountain biking at Glacial Hills or doing “out and backs” on the VASA getting ready for Iceman.