Dune Climb Concert
- At August 12, 2014
- By Brian
- In Brian's posts, Local Happenings
3
There’s plenty of events to attend in our area, but one of my favorites is the annual Dune Climb Concert that’s part of the Manitou Music Festival in Leelanau County. And for the 2014 edition it featured a musical group I’m a big fan of – The Moxie Strings!
We happened to be camping at DH Day the day of the concert (7/13) and so made the 2 mile-ish bike ride down the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail with our bikes laden with snacks & treats (and beer and wine).
The view of Glen Lake from the climb while taking in the amazing talents of the Moxie Strings created an incredibly extraordinary evening. The kids tuckered themselves out running up and down the dunes while the adults relaxed and enjoyed some beverages.
Quick tips for a successful evening:
– Park in Glen Arbor and bike to the Dune Climb along the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. The trail is sweet and you can avoid dealing with the congested parking in the lot at the base of the dunes.
– Music is best taken in at the dunes with food. Pack some snacks. Or if you’re like the people sitting near us, bring a charcoal grill and fire up a BBQ right on the Dune Climb!
– Do NOT forget adult beverages. Since thousands of people climb the dunes each year, please don’t bring glass. We recommend keeping it classy and bringing your wine in a plastic bag (see pic below).
Bonus: we went through enough of our supplies there was room for plenty of firewood on the way back to the campground.
Fun with Moving Light at the National Cherry Festival
The arrival of the National Cherry Festival brings lots of things to downtown Traverse City: cherries, of course, and air shows, concerts, parades, Gibby Fries, and rides. All kinds of rides. I took my camera down to the midway during the festival to capture the fun after sunset.
While the Zipper, Orbiter, and Freak Out were certainly tempting, I decided to enjoy the view from behind the camera.
Which rides did YOU ride at the National Cherry Festival this year?
A Look Through Our Lens – Week of November 14, 2013
- At November 14, 2013
- By Kim
- In Kim's posts, Local Happenings
- 0
Photo descriptions (L to R):
1) A peaceful sunrise over East Bay – Old Mission Peninsula 2) The last leaves standing – Traverse City 3) High winds transporting a cloud of sand at sunset – Empire Beach 4) Treat Farm – Sleeping Bear Dunes 5) A fall light show as sun pierces through the clouds – Lake Michigan 6) The Park Place silhouetted against an early sunset – Traverse City 7) Tamarack leaves covering the boardwalk – Grass River Natural Area 8)
Wisps of clouds over the downtown skyline – Traverse City 9) A sunset over West Bay – Old Mission Peninsula
Instagram contributors this week were Nick Nerbonne and Kim Schwaiger. Follow us here: http://instagram.com/northernmiswag
A Look Through Our Lens – Week of November 7, 2013
- At November 07, 2013
- By Kim
- In Kim's posts, Local Happenings
- 0
Photo descriptions (L to R): 1) A weathered barn with a curtain of gold fall color behind – Port Oneida 2) Sunset over Lake Michigan – Empire Beach 3) A gorgeous blue November day – Empire Bluffs 4) A dramatic sky as the sun descends – Treat Farm 5) A torch of fall color – Leelanau County 6) Miller Hill on a gray day – Glen Arbor 7) A hill of yellows, oranges, and reds – Burdickville 8) Pier remnants on a gray day – Glen Haven 9) A canopy of color – the woods of
Northern Michigan
This week’s photo contributors: Nick Nerbonne and
Kimberly Schwaiger. Follow us here: http://instagram.com/northernmiswag
Breaking: Local Candidates Scrap Election & Host Multi-Stage Bike Race to Elect Winner
- At November 05, 2013
- By Brian
- In Brian's posts, Local Happenings
- 0
Northern Swag learned today from an unverified source that local city commission candidates have challenged each other to a bicycle race to decide the outcome of the election today. With this election’s hot-button issue being how many miles a week do you bike, the candidates, during the middle of a heated debate over carbon versus steel bike frames, decided to settle the score once and for all on the hilly roads of Leelanau County.
Gary Howe, the popular author of the blog My Wheels are Turning, was quoted as he left the debate on his singlespeed that he would “kick everybody’s butt” because he’d been “riding a unicycle since he was 2-years old” and has “quads of steel.”
Candidate Tim Werner was seen here preparing for the event by racing little kids on the VASA Singletrack. He won that 13-mile tuneup race handily, beating 7-year-old runner up “Little” Timmy by just over 5 hours. Timmy wasn’t able to be quoted for this article as he couldn’t stop crying long enough to catch his breath.
Local sources have confirmed that political newcomer, John Reid, who based on his photo in The Ticker, recently gave a humorous and heartwarming toast at his best friend’s wedding, will also be at the start line for the “race-off.”
Rounding out the field will be the remaining candidates, Jody Bergman, Pat McGuire, Ross Richardson, & Jan Warren. Richardson is the dark-horse contender with that burly, manly beard he sports, although with the unexpected cycling race taking the place of the election, it could create some unwanted drag for him on the bike. When it was suggested he shave it for aerodynamic purposes, Richardson responded he’d rather lose the race than shave his whiskers and become, “less of a man.”
Apparently incumbent mayoral candidate, Michael Estes, felt so left out of the competition, he decided to drunkenly drive his car in the bike lane on the opposite side of the road to try and run down any potential contenders.
We caught up with the candidates to inquire about their positions on the ballot initiatives, requests for funding for road improvements and improvements to the local public schools, including a new auditorium. They all agreed, with the exception of one candidate who still uses training wheels, that the only road improvements they would support would be for bike-only pathways that included the banning of all motor vehicles and Huffy brand bicycles within city limits and that the auditorium should be built only if it included a track in order to increase the popularity of track cycling in the area.
