Where Water Falls by Mark S. Carlson

Today on The Daily Michigan we're giving away a custom giclee printed image of your choice from photographer Mark S. Carlson. You can choose from any on his website or his artist Facebook page. The 12 X 18" image will be archivally printed on 13 X 19" matte paper, personally signed beneath the bottom, right-hand corner of the image, accompanied by a description label ready to be adhered to the back of the print finished image, then packaged in a heavy cardboard tube and Priority mailed to you!

Mark was born in Lansing and has explored the natural beauty of the Great Lakes State from shore to shore all his life. His work has appeared in magazines & books, and he also conducts guided photo tours all around the Great Lakes region.

To whet your appetite, here's Mark's Giclee printed photos album on Facebook. Many more in his Facebook albums and on his website.

Click here to sign up

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Iron Works #2 - Cranbrook by MikeRyu

Our Michigan February Event Calendar shows that the more the weather tries to keep us holed up, the more ways we find to get out and have fun!! Of course, there's still many, many more and we invite you to fill us in on other February events in the comments.

February Fast Facts - Wikipedia

• Having only 28 days in common years, it is the only month of the year that can pass without a single full moon. 2012 is a Leap Year!
• It has 29 days in leap years, when the year number is divisible by four (except for years that are divisible by 100 and not by 400 in the Gregorian calendar)
• It is the only month of the calendar that once every six years and twice every 11 years, will have only four full 7-day weeks.
• Its birth flower is the Viola (plant) and the Primrose.
• Its birthstone is the amethyst.

February Quotes

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home." - Edith Sitwell

"Surely as cometh the Winter, I know
There are Spring violets under the snow." - R. H. Newell

"February is merely as long as is needed to pass the time until March." - Dr. J. R. Stockton

"Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour." - John Boswell

"February makes a bridge and March breaks it." - George Hebert

Notable February Dates from Michigan History Magazine

• February 13, 1855 The Michigan legislature protects escaped slaves.
• February 24, 1863 Michigan supports the Emancipation Proclamation.
• February 17, 1864 The First Michigan Colored Infantry is mustered into federal service.
• February 21, 1905 The National Ski Association is organized in Ishpeming.
• February 20, 1909 The Hudson Motor Car Company is organized.
• February 2, 1936 Ty Cobb becomes one of the first players selected to enter the newly formed Baseball Hall of Fame.
• February 8, 1985 The Stroh Brewery announces it is closing its Detroit plant.

Michigan Events for February

Also see the Pure Michigan Blog and the UP Travel Calendar for more events!

Ice Climbing - Tannery Falls
by James Marvin Phelps

February 2 - 5
Michigan Ice Fest, Munising
Ice Fest is an annual tradition that features climbing for sure, but it gives attendees a chance to learn and develop skills, hear from some of the masters if the art and to connect with friends and fellow climbers from around the Midwest! Games, winter gear demos, bonfire, sledding hill, raffles, drinks and food are all part of this event. (check out some of the incredible climbs!)

February 2-5
North American Snow Festival, Cadillac
Featuring snowmobiling, downhill skiing, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, snow softball, polar dip, ice fishing, antique sleds, fun run, food, beverages and much more, the annual Snow Festival is a four-day celebration of winter in northern Michigan.

February 4 - 5
Taste the Passion, Leelanau Peninsula
Get a head start on Valentines Day and join the wineries of the Leelanau Wine Trail for an annual weekend celebrating wine, chocolate and love. The event features food & wine pairings at each winery along with special, winter-themed events.

The Swimmers of 2009 Perchville
by sunrisepenny

February 3 - 5
Perchville USA, East Tawas & Tawas City
The 62nd Annual Perchville USA features fishing contests, polar bear dip, a parade and more perch than you can shake a fishing pole at!

February 4
International 500 Snowmobile Race, Sault Ste. Marie
First run in 1969, the annual International 500 Snowmobile Race offers all the thrills of NASCAR on a one-mile ice oval, with drivers reaching speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour. Includes all kinds of snowmobile exhibits and vendors and was proclaimed by Gov. Snyder as Michigan's premier winter sporting event!

February 9 - 12
Michigan Tech University Winter Carnival, Houghton
Events include the famous snow statues, sporting events including skating, curling, broomball, ice bowling, human sled dog racing, the queen contest, a torch light parade, fireworks, the Sno-Ball and much more.

February 10 -12
Midwest Telefest, Porcupine Mountain, Ontonagon
Telefest is the largest gathering of free heelers in the Midwest! Now in its 22nd season, Telefest has evolved into a tradition and is a hallmark celebration of the telemark turn. During Telefest there will be opportunities to try out the latest tele gear, take an instructional course or clinic, compete in races, cut turns in the backcountry, watch a movie, and dance with friends at the party!

Ski Jumping in Michigan by gkretovic

February 11 - 12
Pine Mountain Continental Cup Ski Jumping Tournament, Iron Mountain
For the 73rd year ski jumpers from around the globe will gather in Iron Mountain to try and claim king of the mountain at the 120 meter Pine Mountain Ski Jump. Known around the world as one of the more challenging ski jumping venues, Pine Mountain over time has attracted some of the world’s best. Countries expected to compete in the 2012 competition include Austria, Czech Republic, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Slovenia, Canada, Kazakhstan, Finland, Germany, Turkey and of course the United States.

February 11 - 19
Detroit Boat Show - Detroit
The Detroit Boat Show has been staged every year for 51 years, and is known as the premier boating event in the State of Michigan. The Detroit Boat Show is known as one of the top boat shows in the country in regards to size, sales and attendance.

Dog sled races, UP200, 2007 by e.rabior

February 16 - 20
UP 200, Midnight Run Sled-Dog Championships and The Jack Pine 30 - Marquette
Three UP sled dog races provide a variety of challenges for mushers. The UP 200 is actually 240 miles in length and is a qualifying race for the Iditarod. Over 15,000 visitors come to Michigan's Upper Peninsula (U.P.) to see the U.P. 200! It is a favorite winter event for local residents and out of town guests. The U.P. 200 has a dedicated group of over 500 volunteers from the U.P. and the mid-west region that come together to stage this great event each year.

February 17 - 19
Cherry Capital Winter WOW Fest - Traverse City
Winter WOW Fest is a three-day wintertime celebration chock-full of fun for all ages in the Cherry Capital of the World, President's Day Weekend featuring food, wine, music, ice & snow sculptures, a snowboard rail jam and much more.

February 16 - 19
Frost Bite Winter Festival - Harrison
The 2012 theme is "Vegas!" featuring a Casino Party, Fake Vegas-style "Speed Weddings", night out with the Vegas Showgirls and golf and ice fishing tournaments. The golf tournament takes place on 5 groomed nine-hole courses, where novice and veteran golfers hit brightly colored tennis balls over the snow.

February 17 - 19
U.P. Pond Hockey Championship - St. Ignace
The Labatt Blue UP Pond Hockey Championship features over 150 teams competing for prizes is played on the wild ice of Moran Bay in St. Ignace, part of Lake Huron. The tournament is the only one in Michigan where the 'pond' is actually one of the Great Lakes! Includes and appearance of the Detroit Red Wings Alumni team for an exhibition game on Friday.

Winter Microbrew Fest by farlane

February 18
Traverse City Winter Microbrew & Music Festival, Traverse City
The 3rd annual TC Winter Microbrew fest brings over 40 breweries, wineries, cideries, and meaderies to the Grand Traverse Commons along with local food, beer pairings, heated tents, and a wide range of musical entertainment including fire dancers and silent disco to celebrate winter & brewing and benefit Bay Area Recycling for Charities.

February 18
Romancing the Riesling, Traverse City
Northern Michigan is known for producing top notch Riesling grapes, and this annual event celebrates by sharing some of the best Rieslings the Old Mission Peninsula has to offer. Participating wineries will showcase a Riesling, served in your very own souvenir wine glass and perfectly paired with a food offering. As an extra bonus, guests will enjoy at least 10% off all Riesling wine purchases at the participating wineries throughout the event.

Upper Tahquamenon Falls-Winter
by James Marvin Phelps

February 18
Tahquamenon Snowshoe Race, Tahquamenon Falls State Park
Starting at Upper Tahquamenon Falls, this annual event offers 5K, 10K, 20K and 800 meter Kids Snowshoe races. Many age groups with awards to the top three in each age group for each race.

February 20 - 25
Grand Rapids Beer Week, Grand Rapids
With seven established breweries within the city limits, Grand Rapids is quickly becoming a destination for craft beer culture. GR Beer Week is a celebration of that and will feature beer dinners, rare beer tastings, tap takeovers and other unique events.

February 24
The Great Wine & Food Symposium, Grand Rapids
Escape the snow with an evening of indulgence at The Great Wine & Food Symposium, west Michigan's premier wine tasting event. You'll enjoy gourmet food selections, and your single ticket price includes unlimited sampling of over 300 wines and beers from around the world as classical music drifts through the halls. Order your favorite wine and beer with up to a 40% discount.

February 25
The Outhouse 500 - Coopersville
Join in with the hilarious and wacky fun of the 6th Annual Outhouse 500 on Main Street in Historic Downtown Coopersville! Hosted by the Main Street Merchants Association. Teams parade, then race their uniquely decorated outhouses down Main Street!

February 25
Winter Beer Festival - Grand Rapids
NOTE - this event is (already) sold out!! The Annual Winter Beer Festival takes place at the Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park, just north of Grand Rapids. The Winter Festival is a unique opportunity to sample some of the best beers in the world, all brewed in Michigan. The event includes more than 35 Michigan microbreweries and brewpubs with more than 200 different beers available to sample.

Trenary Outhouse Suessical by CreateWithKim

February 25
Trenary Outhouse Classic - The Outhouse Races - Trenary
The Outhouse Classic is an annual race in Trenary where outhouses are built and raced down the main street. There are categories: speed, presentation, best use of theme, most humorous, best workmanship, and most miles traveled. Families come to the event to watch and to compete, there are two different age brackets making competitions fair. A few years ago nuns came to compete and built the Vati-Can. Make sure to head on up to Trenary for the annual Outhouse Classic. Read Absolute Michigan's Sports that ARE Silly: Outhouse Racing or watch Outhouse Classic Outhouse Race in Trenary, Michigan.

February 29
Leap Year!, all over Michigan
February 29th only comes once every 4 years, so do something special to mark it!

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We continue our Michigan's 175th Birthday Bash giveaway today. What's more, we've had so much fun doing a giveaway a day that we're going to see just how long we can keep things going with our new program called The Daily Michigan that will feature a giveaway a day from the Great Lakes State! It all starts on Monday so tune in!

In celebration of Michigans 175th birthday, we'll be featuring some tweets to #mich175 that we like, paired with photos from our Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr! They'll also be on our Absolute Michigan Facebook page! Reload for updates, share YOUR thoughts in the comments below, in our Flickr group or on our Facebook and Happy Birthday to Mamma Michigan!!

bethanylouise (Reware Vintage)  How's it going, Michigan? Having a good birthday? #Mich175

photo: dunescape by tbug2

MMFlint (Michael Moore) RT @imajoebob You are aware that Corn Flakes were created 2 reduce one's sex drive? I shudder thinking what was behind Fruit Loops.#Mich175

photo: Phototherapy, breakfast cereal and the Battle Creek Sanitarium courtesy Willard Library

epeep yet another reason to celebrate the #mitten :D!!! Fossils of #mastodons have been found in 250+ locations in #Michigan. #Mich175 #mittenlove

Photo: Painting the Mastodon by kafka4prez

freep (Detroit Free Press) Why is #Michigan is called the Wolverine State? Story has to do with being as bloodthirsty and gluttonous as wolverines #Mich175. Get the story at  gulo gulo: The Wolverine and Why Michigan is the Wolverine State on Michigan in Pictures.

photo credit: Gulo gulo by anikarenina

HuffPostDetroit We've been loving your MI facts all day! MT @stabenow: Rosie the Riveter was a real woman from MI who built planes for the war #Mich175 (see Lansing’s Rosie the Riveter: Geraldine Hoff Doyle from Absolute Michigan)

photo: The Real Rosie the Riveter from Seeking Michigan

Sheplersferry @anellah Us, too! "I love Michigan because it has more lighthouses than any other state in the US." #mibirthday #Mich175

Photo: "September Gale" Grand Haven Breakwater Lighthouse is located in the harbor of Grand Haven, Michigan by Michigan Nut (the second most popular photo in the Absolute Michigan pool!!)

hayleyscomment @PureMichigan @stabenow One of my favorite mitten state facts: We are the 2nd most agriculturally diverse state in the country! #Mich175

photo: Carrots by amzakem

MackenzieRauch One of my favorite things about Michigan is fall time. Especially the donuts and cider! Happy birthday, Michigan! #Mich175

photo: happle bokeh wednesday eve! by mlephotos

@glamorousmoms Great things about Michigan..our rising arts and fashion industry, our auto companies and our GREAT talented hard working people! (glamorousmoms.com right out of Detroit)

photo: Detroit Auto Show 2012-6147 by RichardDemingPhotography

@DrinkMichigan Did you know? Frankenmuth Brewery (@fb1862) is one of America's oldest breweries & is known as Michigan's Original Craft Beer. #mich175

photo: Frankenmuth Brewery HDR edit by SL Morrison

@Alexis Shull You helped me develop my love of cherries, wine, lakes, whitefish, automation,music, food, culture & more! Happy Birthday Michigan! #mich175

photo: Traverse City, Michigan Cherry Orchard by Pamela Bevelhymer

Continue in the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr!

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This morning, Jan. 23rd around 0359 UT, big sunspot 1402 erupted, producing a long-duration M9-class solar flare. The explosion's M9-ranking puts it on the threshold of being an X-flare, the most powerful kind. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the flare's extreme ultraviolet flash (shown right or in short movie right here)

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and NASA's STEREO-B spacecraft detected a CME rapidly emerging from the blast site: movie. Analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab say the leading edge of the CME will reach Earth on Jan. 24 at 14:18UT (+/- 7 hours).

That means it's hitting the Earth 11 AM - 6 PM EST, but this level of intensity makes the Northern Lights a real possibility for the next couple of days so definitely LOOK UP tonight and tomorrow if there's any break in the clouds! If the northern lights hit, our Northern Lights Log will light up with reports. You can also learn a lot more about the Northern Lights at Michigan in Pictures.

One person who will be looking up is Shawn Malone of Lake Superior Photo. She takes some of the most amazing northern lights photos. See them at her website and definitely favorite her Facebook page as there's lots of great photos and discussion about the Aurora and other UP topics. Shawn has put together a very cool time-lapse of the aurora borealis peaking out through the fog moving in as the full moon illuminates the Superior shore that ends with a fogbow - enjoy!

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Here's a gorgeous time-lapse exploration of winter on Sturgeon Bay near Cross Village Michigan. Jay Burlage of Milapse writes that it's a great place to get away from it all and enjoy a cold snowy place for a bit. The music track is 'Farlem' by Galdson, and here's hoping this will give you a little dose of wintry pleasure!

As with all his videos, clicking for the full-screen HD view is recommended!

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Dogman, photo courtesy Brauer Productions / Sarah Moore Kuschell

Michigan-based Brauer Productions is releasing the new feature film Dogman next Wednesday (December 14) at the State Theatre in Traverse City.

We caught up with filmmaker & director Rich Brauer to talk about his new movie and the Dogman legend.

Learn more about the legend of the Dogman from Absolute Michigan. Also check out the Dogman trailer and see photos from the set of Dogman on Flickr.

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...at which time the center courtyard section was enclosed by the addition of a geodesic dome roof section weighing 18,000 pounds. The Rotunda reopened to the public on June 16, 1953, as part of Ford's 50th Anniversary Celebration. A highlight of this celebration included 50 huge Birthday candles, mounted and lit along the rim of the Rotunda.

The ultra-modern Rotunda was a huge attraction, becoming the fifth most popular United States tourist destination during the 1950s. In fact, only Niagara Falls, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, The Smithsonian Institution, and the Lincoln Memorial were more popular. Yellowstone, Mount Vernon, the Washington Monument, and the Statue of Liberty all received less visitors.

The annual Christmas Fantasy held during the Holiday season was partially responsible for the Rotunda's popularity, with nearly a half million people visiting during 1953, the very first year it was held. A giant Christmas tree was always a spectacular thing to see, and the Christmas Fantasy became more spectacular each year. Highlights from various years included animated characters from children's stories, a 1/2" per foot scale 15,000-piece miniature circus with 800 animals, 30 tents, and 435 toy figurines of circus performers and customers. In all, nearly 6 million people visited the Christmas Fantasy during the nine years it was held at the Rotunda.

When flames consumed a Christmas fantasy from the Detroit News Rearview Mirror relates that over 6 million people visited the Christmas Fantasy over the 9 years it was held and tells the sad tale of how it burned to the ground on November 9, 1962. You can see some more photos from Ford and see a Ford Rotunda slideshow from Karen Breen-Bondie.  Many of the photos below also appear on Television History - The First 75 Years. They also have a nice aerial of how the Ford Rotunda was located in relation to the Rouge Plant.

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Joseph Fulton put together this amazing tribute to the 29 men who went down with the Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. This video is one of the best I've ever seen on YouTube and I hope you can watch it. More shipping & shipwrecks on Absolute Michigan and also see much more about the Edmund Fitzgerald on Michigan in Pictures including the launch of the Fitz.

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It's been a loooong time since our last Photo Friday on Absolute Michigan, but when I realized I had a photo saved by sharona 315 사론아 (Sharon Lanzetta-Foster) and that she was part of next Saturday's Exposure Detroit November Show, I figured it was an excellent time to dust the feature off!

Check this shot out bigger and see more of her work in sets including Michigan Central Station, Fall Walks and Black & White (slideshow).

Dive into her Flickriver.

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One of the many encounters listed on Steve Cook's great website took place in the summer of 1938. 17-year-old Robert Fortney was fishing on the banks of the Muskegon River near Paris, Michigan when a pack of what appeared to be large feral dogs emerged from the woods:

Fortney remained silent, but the sensitive noses of the dogs quickly picked up his scent. Since he had been small game hunting earlier in the day, Fortney had his loaded rifle nearby. As the dogs approached, they assumed the group posture of a pack on a hunt. Fortney picked up the gun and fired a shot into the air.

The dogs cringed and turned to slink back into the forest, all except one: a huge black dog with unusual eyes.

"They were blue," said Fortney. "What kind of dog has blue eyes?" The big dog and Fortney considered each other for a long moment, less than ten feet separating them. Fortney fired another shot over the head of the strange dog. Then to Fortney's shock and amazement, the black dog stood up on two legs and cast a glare that sent shivers down his spine.

"It reared up on its hind legs and stared at me," said Fortney in a phone interview in 1987. "It may be that I was just scared, but I swear that dog was smiling at me."

Click for many more encounters and also check the website for details on a DVD to be released in 2012. Don't miss another pair of tales from Weird Michigan's Linda Godfrey of the Dogman at Fayette and the Dogman in Washtenaw County & near Bay City.

Profits from Cook's sales of Dogman merchandise support AC Paw, a no-kill animal rescue program that specializes in animals that have been injured, abused, or neglected. Click their logo for details.

The Dogman legend has grown over the years, and soon Michigan filmmaker Rich Brauer has just wrapped up the filming of "Dogman" which will be released soon. In a nice feature in today's Detroit Free Press, Brauer opines:

"Every culture has a mythical woodland creature that they blame stuff on. I don't know what it is about people that they want to blame stuff on something like that. There's an inherent imagination that people have, especially when they go in the woods and start to hear things and their hair stands up on the back of their head. ... It might turn out to be a chickadee on a stick, but up until that moment, it was something huge."

The photo to the right is a scene from the filming - click to read more at the Brauer indie films blog and definitely stay tuned to Absolute Michigan for more on the film. If you have a story of the Dogman, you can share it with Brauer & Steve Cook this Saturday - click here for details & appointments. Here's Cook's song ... Happy Halloween!

Looking for more? “Ghost” on Absolute Michigan brings up a graveyard full of spooky stories including the rowdy ghosts of the Fenton Hotel and the Ghost of Minnie Quay. The Great Lakes State even has its own cryptid, the Dogman. For more on the Dogman and many more scary stories, turn to Linda Godfrey’s Weird Michigan, a compendium of strange tales from all across Michigan.

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northern lights, clare county MI by ats8110

Last night our Michigan Northern Lights Log got over 2 dozen reports from the region of sightings - follow the link to subscribe via RSS. Here's the skinny on last night's Auroral Amazement via Michigan in Pictures...

Michigan was treated to an amazing show of Northern Lights as the skies exploded in red, green, white and even blues and yellows of the best display of the Aurora Borealis in years. Our Michigan Northern Lights Log and Flickr group lit up with photos and reports.

There were places you would expect – Marquette, the Keweenaw Peninsula, Escanaba – but also reports from literally EVERYWHERE in Michigan: Bath, Bellaire, Big Rapids, Blanchard, Clare, Charlotte, Charlevoix, Clark Lake, Coldwater Lake, East Leland, Frankfort, Fostoria, Grand Rapids, Jackson, Lapeer, Leelanau County, Lenawee County, Mecosta, Mikado, Mulliken, Ottawa County, Onsted, Pontiac, Petoskey, Reading, Saginaw, Stockbridge, Tecumseh, Traverse City, Unionville, Whitehall & White Lake. People even checked in with reports from Pittsburgh, Indiana & Ohio.

Definitely click through to Michigan in Pictures for a sweet set of photos of the Northern Lights over Lake Superior. There's also all kinds of great info in the Northern Lights category including . Check out this great video of the Northern Lights from East Martin, MI by lakefxnet:

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The MiMFF started off in 2008 with just a few film submissions and even fewer ticket sales. Thanks to growing support from the Michigan Film Industry, the local community and the hard work of a small group of dedicated volunteers, the MiMFF has grown into one of the most respected small-town film festivals in the state. In fact, a second screening room has been added to the schedule this year to accommodate the large number of quality film submissions, essentially doubling the amount films to be shown. "We are very excited about each and every film that was chosen for this years festival", says Made-In-Michigan Film Society President, Juliane Bagley. "We understand the hard work and level of commitment that goes into making these films and it is an honor for us to be able to present them to our community."

The film festival’s growth is perfectly aligned with the Made-In-Michigan Film Society’s goal to showcase and promote the State of Michigan and as many Michigan- made films as possible while providing a low-cost cultural, experience for the local community. With ticket prices at just $6 for a full a day of films or $10 for a weekend pass, the MiMFF is one of the best entertainment values around. "It is extremely important to us to keep ticket prices low. We understand that Michigan and the Lapeer County area especially have been hit hard with economic woes because we live and raise our families here." says Bagley. "We do the best we can with what we have. You may not see the eye-popping glitz, sparkle and shine of Cannes or Sundance here, but you will feel the small-town hospitality and sincerity. We are fortunate to have a few generous sponsors who recognize the value in what we do not only as the MiMFF but as the Lapeer County Film Office, bringing jobs and revenue into the area. We would not be able to do this without these sponsors and we are very grateful for their support."

In addition to the film screenings, the MiMFF has several other events planned for the weekend including an educational free film workshop geared toward local middle and high school students, a Michigan Filmmaker Panel Discussion and the Festival Afterglow Party. Festival times and a full program schedule including film and activity descriptions is available at madeinmichiganfilmfestival.org. If you are interested in volunteering at the festival or would like to register for the MPI Student Film Workshop please call 810-882-1022 or email juliane@madeinmichiganfilmfestival.org.

We have the trailer for one of this year's films, the Bicyclist, which tells the story of Lester Cribs who has just lost his restaurant and his wife. He leaves behind Grosse Pointe, MI on a 300 mile bicycle trip to the Mackinac Bridge.

The Bicyclist - Official Trailer from Cass Corridor Films on Vimeo.

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Soo Aerial by Marge Beaver

Pasty.com's Day in History for October 4th says that Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan was founded on this day in 1641. Michigan History Magazine expands on this, relating that French Jesuits Isaac Jogues and Charles Raymbault held the first Christian services in Michigan at Sault Ste. Marie on that date. As you'll see in a moment, it's not really possible to get a date for the founding of the Soo, but everyone has to have a birthday, right?

Of course the Soo Locks are the first thing most people think of when they think of the Soo. You can see a webcam of the locks, and while your browser may have a problem with the secure certificate they use, it's a US government certificate and site so you're probably safe. saultstemarie.com relates that that the first lock was built way back in in 1797 by the Northwest Fur Company. It was just 38 feet long and remained in use until it was destroyed in the War of 1812, forcing boats again to portage around the rapids. Read on for much more.

The history page on on the Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan website:

Sault Ste. Marie is the oldest city in Michigan, and among the oldest cities in the United States. Over the course of history, the flags of several sovereign nations have flown over the Sault.

Over 2,000 years ago, Native Americans began to gather here for the wealth of fish and fur found along the rushing waters of the wide, turbulent river that linked the Great Lakes of Superior and Huron. Spring and fall were important seasons for these original settlers, and they called the area “Bahweting,” or “The Gathering Place.”

...In the 1600s, French missionaries and fur traders began to venture into the beautiful territory. The traders began calling the wild area Sault du Gastogne. In 1668, the legendary Jesuit missionary and explorer Fr. Jacques Marquette renamed this burgeoning European settlement Sault Ste. Marie, in honor of the Virgin Mary—the first "city" in the Great Lakes region.

While there is some debate on the exact meaning of "Sault," scholars of early French note that the word translates into jump, referring to the place where one needs to "jump", or put into the St. Mary’s River. This translation relates to the treacherous rapids and cascades that fall over 20 feet from the level of Lake Superior to the level of the lower lakes. Hundreds of years ago, this prohibited boat traffic and necessitated an overland portage from one lake to the other. This is how Portage Avenue, the main street running along the river, acquired its name.

Ashmun Street in 1888 courtesy Seeking Michigan

Some other good sites for area history include Sault Historic Sites,  the History & Culture of the Sault Tribe, and Sault Ste Marie, Michigan in Wikipedia. You can get links to Sault businesses and website and also articles for the Soo at absolutemichigan.com/Sault including Sault Ste. Marie: The Gathering Place, which offers more in depth history and a larger version of the photo above. Other good sites for modern day information are the Sault Area Chamber of Commerce,  Sault Ste Marie at michigan.org, the Soo Evening News and the EUP News blog.

You can see some pictures from the Soo at saultstemarie on Michigan in Pictures. Seeking Michigan has some great old photos of the Soo from the Archives of Michigan, but the best I found were from the Facebook page of I Love Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, particularly the History of Sault Ste Marie Michigan in Photographs and this gallery from Soo photographer Glenn W. Gregg. There's also 200+ Soo photos in the Absolute Michigan group on Flickr.

If you grew up in the Soo (which I didn't) I bet you'll love this video featuring photos & Bob Seger's Main Street from ILovetheSoo. While I enjoyed that one a lot, the one below features some of those great photos from Glenn Gregg.

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A poster for McCay's Gertie the Dinosaur cartoon, 1914 (Click for a larger view).

Winsor McCay, pioneering animator and comic strip artist, was a native of Spring Lake, Michigan. Spring Lake is also where he began his career in art. His father, Robert McCay, and mother Janet ran a grocery store in the village. While it is probable that Winsor was born in 1867 during a visit to his mother’s family in Ontario, McCay stated that he was born September 26, 1871, in Spring Lake, Michigan. He always considered Spring Lake his hometown.

In 1880, the Goodrich steamship Alpena, en route from nearby Grand Haven to Chicago, was wrecked in a terrible storm and sank to the bottom, carrying with it nearly one hundred passengers. At the age of thirteen, young Winsor drew a picture of the wreck on the blackboard of Union School, which he attended on Exchange Street. The illustration was photographed and copies were sold as postcards.

A panel from the comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland (1905-1914)

McCay’s comic strips included Little Nemo in Slumberland and Dream of the Rarebit Fiend. McCay created the very first animated cartoon in America with the release of Little Nemo in 1911 (See video link below).

Many in the animation world hail McCay today as the “Father of Animation.” As a tribute, the highest award that an animator can receive is an “Annie,” which is the Winsor McCay Award for Lifetime Achievement in Animation. When Disneyland first opened in 1955, so the story goes, Walt Disney took Robert McCay, son of Spring Lake native Winsor McCay, on a guided tour. He stopped near the end and said, “You know, this should really belong to your father.”

Winsor McCay passed away on July 26, 1934.

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Untitled by DavidGuthrie

As I took a little drive yesterday in Leelanau & Benzie counties in Northern Michigan I realized that almost overnight, Autumn and fall color had arrived.

A good place to start your fall color touring is with the Fall Color section at puremichigan.org. In addition to color updates, you can get some really nice ideas for Fall Color tours all across the state along with an idea of when color is at its best in each location.

A few more good sites for fall color are the All Things Autumn for West Michigan, the M-22 Color Tour, Exploring the North UP Fall Color and Up North Color Tours for northern Lower Michigan and the UP.

Upper Tahquamenon Falls by James Marvin Phelps

A great place to go for pics of current fall color is the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr. Just dive right in, click for the latest fall color shots or check out the all-time most popular fall color shots.

You also don't want to miss fall from Michigan in Pictures, which includes The Science of Fall Color and our popular Michigan fall wallpaper series!

Check the photo above out bigger and in David's Fallscapes slideshow.

Have a link or a Michigan fall photo to share? Post the link below or on the Michigan in Pictures Facebook!

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Over the eight days and nights of DDF—September 21 through September 28—a variety of Design Happenings will take place across at venues across the city of Detroit. The types of happenings will include studio tours, panels and roundtable discussions, fashion shows, and art battles to name a few.

Detroit Creative Corridor Center established the Detroit Design Festival to connect creative practitioners with one another, expose them to new markets and consumers, and of course put on display the creative talent that will help Detroit become a global center of creative innovation.

Art battles??!! Maybe someone can tell us what those are!

The site lists 85 Happenings, all "unfolded" in their blog. Competitions, presentations, panels, roundtables & lectures (Leon Krier next Tuesday sounds great), performances, benefits (25 chefs!), fashion shows, film screenings, cocktail receptions/dinners/parties, tours of all kinds, of art exhibits like Bordertown (cities and borders), Mind the Gap (public design ideas competition for Detroit's in-between spaces), Woodward Windows (empty storefront windows as galleries) - so many events of so many types at so many venues that it feels like Detroit may be generating some of the same energy that Grand Rapids will be for ArtPrize. Anyone think that the rest of Michigan should jump on board next year and celebrate the positive in all our communities?

Anyway, here's the video from detroitdesignfestival.com and we hope you get a chance to check out (and report on) some of the fun of DDF:

DDF - Fathead from Charlie Kelly on Vimeo.

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The Eyes Have It by pairadocs

Our favorite Michigan art event, ArtPrize, kicks off its third year in Grand Rapids this Wednesday. ArtPrize runs September 21 - October 9, 2011. It's billed as a radically open art competition that is open to any artist in the world who can find space and it is one of the most dynamic expressions of art in the world.

In their excellent ArtPrize 2011 Guide, mLive reports:

The first ArtPrize drew an estimated 200,000 people to downtown Grand Rapids, more than 37,000 of whom cast more than 334,000 votes in the exhibition with work by 1,262 artists. ArtPrize 2010 drew as many as 400,000 people who voted 465,000 times for 1,713 works of art.

...Some 1,582 works of art go on display in 163 venues downtown plus Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park a few miles away.

ArtPrize 2011 poster by Square One Design

Click through for some cool stories on 2011 such as news that Facebook creative director Ji Lee is entering for 2011 and a feature on 2011 ArtPrize venues.

The heart of ArtPrize is the public vote, and you can pre-register right now at ArtPrize.org. FYI, if voting is the heart, than the lungs of ArtPrize are participation and presence, and to activate your account, you have to go to Grand Rapids (which explains the phenomenal support that GR businesses and organizations provide the event).

Some great places to go for ArtPrize media include the ArtPrize Tumblr, the ArtPrize Facebook, ArtPrize Twitter and #ArtPrize on Twitter,  and the  ArtPrize YouTube.

Speaking of YouTube, a few cool videos we found include a check-in at yesterday's ArtPrize artist reception at the B.O.B., an analysis of the public's vote (and taste in art), a tour of ArtPrize neighborhoods, a look at the new ArtPrize HUB, and the cost of ArtPrize to artists. Below is the featured video from ArtPrize's channel, a look at 2010 from Brian Kelly. Hopefully Brian will be kicking out more great videos this year! we hope all you photographers will post your ArtPrize photos in the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr!

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at Mackinac :: a composite from -3 and -43 by Emery Co Photo

Sea Monster of the Straits

The authorities tried hard to convince the public what they saw were only giant catfish, but even the oldest, orneriest cats would be hard-pressed to attain a length of forty-five feet! The owner of a resort along the Cheboygan lakefront reported seeing something of just that size, and two of them, frolicking in the Mackinac Straits on Lake Huron in front of his property, about 600 feet from shore, according to an article in the June 25, 1976 Grand Rapids Press. The day after the resort owner called authorities about it, Cheboygan County Sheriff Stanley McKervey stopped by to have a look for himself. To his surprise, he also was able to observe one of the creatures. "I went down to the beach, and sure enough, I'm looking at something 20, maybe 30 feet long, swimming just below the surface," he said in the article. "I was amazed. I didn't know what it was, but it sure wasn't a publicity stunt."

The sheriff continued watching the creature through binoculars. It only rose about an inch above water level, he said, but any disturbance on shore would cause it to dive deeper again. And that's exactly what happened when the sheriff ordered a couple of deputies to surveil the thing in a canoe. It was gone long before the pair got there. Unfortunately, rough water conditions set in the next few days and no one could go out for another look. It wasn't observed again, and other experts theorized that perhaps it was a giant eel or carp. But neither of those sound like what the sheriff and the resort owner saw!

Lake Leelanau Monster

The story of an early 20th Century sea monster sighting was sent to The Shadowlands Web site by a reader whose great-grandfather was the witness. The boy was fishing for perch one day in 1910 in the shallows of Lake Leelanau in Leelanau County. The lake had been dammed in the late 1800's to provide water power for the local mill and to enable logging. The dam also flooded much surrounding area, turning it into swamps and bogs punctuated by dead, standing trees.

On that particular day, the young great-grandfather, William Gauthier, rowed out to a new fishing spot near the town of Lake Leelanau. Looking for good perch habitat, he paddled up close to a tree that he estimated to stand about five feet tall above the water, with a six-inch trunk. He was in about seven feet of water, and after deciding this would be a good place to stop and cast a line, began tying the boat to the tree.

That's when young William discovered the tree had eyes. They were staring him dead in the face at about four feet above water level. The boy and serpent exchanged a long gaze, then the creature went, "Bloop" into the water. Gauthier said later that the creature's head passed one end of the boat while the tail was still at the other end, though it was undulating very quickly through the water. The writer noted that Gauthier always admitted to having been thoroughly frightened by his encounter, and that the event caused him to stay off that lake for many years.

The writer added that his great-grandfather came from a prominent area family and was very well-educated, and that he knew others who would admit privately but not publicly that they, too, had seen the creature. No sightings have been reported in recent times, but who knows how many people have believed they were passing by a rotting old cedar when in fact they had just grazed the Leelanau lake monster?

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Tannery Falls by trumansnare

One of the regular guests on the Michigan in Pictures photo blog are waterfalls. Go Waterfalling is the go-to site for Michigan waterfall information, and they say that Michigan has over 200 named waterfalls.

The Michigan waterfalls category on Michigan in Pictures has over 60 posts from the big ones like Spray Falls, Bond Falls and Tahquamenon Falls to small and less well-known cascades like Gabbro Falls, Rock River Falls, Black River Falls and one that has (in my opinion) the coolest story associated with it, O Kun De Kun Falls. There's also a writeup (today) of this waterfall, Tannery Falls.

Speaking of waterfalls, here's a cool little video of some waterfalls around Marquette that you might enjoy...

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Be sure to follow Lake Superior Photo on Facebook for her latest aurora borealis photos!

Space Weather says that a category G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storm is expected on August 5th (tonight and tomorrow night) due to the effects of a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) observed early on August 2nd. In plain English, that means we might see the Northern Lights on the 5th! Don't get too terribly excited though - according to NOAA Space Weather who puts out the email alerts that I subscribe to, G1 is the lowest level of a scale that goes up to 5. Don't get depressed either though, as they say that during G1 activity, the Aurora Borealis is commonly visible at high latitudes (northern Michigan and Maine)!

I posted the above on Facebook, and my friend Shawn (who took the photo above) told me that it is also possible for an x flare this week producing an EARTHWARD directed flare that would hit earth probably some time next week which would produce a northern lights display to remember! There was a brief x flare on July 29 - read about it here and see a video from NASA here. The displays in February 2011 were produced by a powerful x flare...

You can see & purchase lots more of Shawn's photos of northern lights through LakeSuperiorPhoto.com and also check out her cool Northern Lights - square format album!

Michigan in Pictures has LOTS more pictures and information about the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) and if you see northern lights, post them to the Northern Lights log on Absolute Michigan! Here's a cool timelapse of Northern Lights from 2010 by Ken Scott!

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We're gearing up for an exciting development in our Festival Summer giveaway, so we're going to keep it short & sweet today with this time-lapse video from photographer Ken Scott. It shows a collection of storms traveling across Lake Michigan, starting with one on the 2010 solstice.

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You can check out the film schedule right here. One of the coolest parts of the festival is the TechFair on Saturday the 25th. It takes place from 11:30-4:00 and features a wide spectrum of educational and professional development activities targeted to both seasoned professionals and aspiring students. It's anchored by an exhibition with leading suppliers of digital tools and techniques for digital cinema, animation, visualization and game development., and includes workshops covering a variety of topics, skills and tools for film and video production, animation, game development and more.

All summer long Absolute Michigan is partnering with some of Michigan's most amazing festivals & events to give our readers FREE tickets and a chance to enjoy the food, music and celebration that is part of summertime in the Great Lakes State!

Our winner has been contacted - to enter every one of the Festival Summer giveaways, just join our email list using the form below!

Absolute Michigan will not share your email address with anyone. Period. Your inbox is safe with us. What we will share with you is a periodic but usually no more than weekly update, possibly including a special offer, potentially a prize or giveaway and definitely some great news about what is working and fun to do in the Great State called Michigan that we love!

You can stay connected with DWIFF on Facebook. Below is a video that gives you an idea of what to expect at DWIFF, and you'll also want to check out Michigan Film Reel's interviews of some of the presenters and attendees in 2010.

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Ray-48 is a retired public elementary school teacher who writes that he's not a technical photographer but loves to work and try.

His sets include Detroit Zoo, Packard Proving Grounds, Water and 25 Most Interesting (slideshow)

Dive into his Flickriver.

Check out the Lilac slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool too!

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Michael Zuhorski writes that he tries not to take photos that state the obvious.

He took this shot in Wyandotte and you can see more of his work in sets including Favorites, Up North/The Great Lakes, Black and White and Night (slideshow).

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Untitled by maggiesonmain

A little movie company called Disney announced that the blockbuster Oz will be filmed in Michigan! The AP reports:

A Sam Raimi-directed prequel to the story of "The Wizard of Oz" — called simply "Oz" — will be filmed later this year at a Detroit-area studio that recently opened on the site of a former General Motors truck plant and office complex.

Raleigh Michigan Studios said Friday the Disney film will be the largest feature to shoot in the state, which has been luring some major film projects in recent years thanks to a program that offered some of the most generous tax credits in the nation.

..."'Oz' was originally written in Holland, Michigan, and so it is fitting that our great state should be part of this new production," said Michigan Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville.

The film also represents a homecoming for Raimi, who grew up near Detroit and attended Michigan State University. He's known for such movies as "Spider-Man" and "The Evil Dead."

While the Michigan Film Incentive that brought this production to Michigan looks to be doomed, a bill was introduced last week to preserve the tax credit.

WOOD-TV has details on the cast for Oz which tells the story of the Wizard's arrival and rise to power. James Franco will play the Wizard with Mila Kunis & Rachel Weisz in the role of Wicked Witches East & West with Blake Lively as Glinda.  You can get the details on casting for extras for Oz: The Great and Powerful from MichiganActing.com.  It will come as no surprise that they are Looking for people age 18+  that are 4' 10" or shorter, but they're also looking for folks that are 6'8"+ as well.

While we don't have a video directly related, but this video of the University of Michigan Marching Band performing the Wizard of Oz last fall is pretty cool!

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Pix Theater Marquee by SCOTTS WORLD

AnnArbor.com reports that the Made-in-Michigan Film Festival now seeking submissions:

The Made-in-Michigan Film Festival (MiMFF) is now accepting submissions for its 4th annual festival, scheduled for October 21-22. The festival will be held at the Pix Theatre in historical downtown Lapeer, Michigan. The MiMFF is accepting films in every category and genre — short, feature, academic, documentary, narrative, comedy, drama, horror, experimental, whatever - just as long as there's a material connection to the State of Michigan. Submission forms and eligibility requirements can be found online at the official website, www.madeinmichiganfilmfestival.org.

Click the "F" for their Facebook page. They have a lot of great information about Michigan films on their blog as well. Here's the trailer for a neat looking short titled Raised Alone:

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Trovarsi (Ryan Kasak) writes: My life experience has taught me that life's truly unforgettable moments are quite forgettable without the reminder of an image. Peering into a photograph has always been an opportunity to reacquaint myself with a moment of my past and with the person I was when that moment occurred. This is the selfish reason for my photography.

Check this photo out bigger and also his sets including Architecture, Street Photography and Detroit (slideshow). See more of his work at Trovarsi Photography.

Dive into his Flickriver.

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Sequence 7408-09
by StacyN - MichiganMoments

Hosted by the Flow for Water Coalition, the Great Lakes Water Studies Institute at Northwestern Michigan College and Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation, the conference will focus on learning about the abuses and threats facing the Great Lakes. The conference will also provide solutions to stop these threats and to protect the citizens, communities, local agriculture, and businesses who depend upon the waters of the Great Lakes Basin.

Friday night's kick-off will feature a presentation by Maude Barlow, internationally recognized water advocate and former Senior Advisor to the President of the United Nations General Assembly. Ms. Barlow is the author of 16 books. Her address will offer a unique perspective on how each of us living within the Great Lakes Basin need to come together to protect the waters of the Great Lakes.

A screening of the award winning documentary "Tapped" (trailer below), an unflinching look at the plastic bottled water industry, will follow Ms. Barlow's presentation and the evening will conclude with an afterglow party in the "Dome" at the Park Place Hotel for networking, live music, and refreshments.

The conference continues on Saturday, May 7, at Milliken Auditorium and Scholar Hall on the campus of Northwestern Michigan College. Registration opens at 8:00 a.m. Welcome and introductions begin at 8:30 a.m.

Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food and Water Watch and one of the world's leading experts on water, energy, food and the environment, will speak at 9:00 a.m. Her address will be followed by breakout workshop sessions on a variety of water-related topics. The event will conclude with an expert roundtable discussion: Solutions for Saving the Waters of the Great Lakes Basin.

"We are incredibly excited to hold this conference here and to be able to have presentations from both Maude Barlow and Wenonah Hauter. They will provide a dynamic wake-up call to everyone interested in protecting our Great Lakes," said Traverse City attorney, Jim Olson, who also serves as Executive Director of the Flow for Water Coalition.

"We take our incredible natural beauty and abundance for granted, but there are very real threats facing the Great Lakes Basin." Olson continued, "If we don't protect these majestic waters now, the Great Lakes could be lost for our future generations. Our goal is to build deep citizen awareness and provide solutions to make sure that doesn't happen."

Tickets & more information are available at www.flowforwater.org or by calling  231-432-0103.

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ArtPrize - Vision by David Spriggs
by Canon Screwdriver (gary syrba)

ArtPrize (Sep 21 - Oct 9, 2011) is a radically different art competition that gives away huge cash prizes, $250,000 to the winner and nearly a half a million dollars total and it's all decided by a public vote! Venue registration has closed and now from April 18 - June 16th, artists can register to participate.

mLive reports that ArtPrize 2010 featured 1,713 artists from 44 U.S. states and 21 countries. Follow that link for a look at what some folks who are returning are thinking about including news that:

Members of the ArtPrize 2010 team that created "SteamPig" are looking at creating an ArtPrize 2011 entry involving a sculpture of a troll near the Blue Bridge downtown over the Grand River.

“We have some concepts for a large, mythical troll to be placed under the Blue Bridge, reaching up to the side with headlights for eyes and grass, trees and moss covering the piece,” said team member Thomas Birks.

They add that it looks like there might be a couple more venues in 2011 and that 55 of them are new venues.

It you're looking for help funding a project, check out the ArtPrize Assistance page.

Here's a great video from Brian Kelly Photography.

ArtPrize 2010 Retrospective from Paul Moore on Vimeo.

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John Grooters

Absolute Michigan  caught up with John Grooters, producer and director of Frontier Boys and asked him a few questions about this Michigan-made movie. One thing that makes the film unique is the fact that the story is actually set in Michigan. Read on for the interview and also check out the trailer!

How did the community of Charlevoix respond to your filming and to the rather difficult story?

The community of Charlevoix was cooperative with the filmmakers of The Frontier Boys on several fronts. We had great support and cooperation from the City Council, City Manager's Office and Mayor Boogie Carlson, from the Charlevoix School Board, from the City of Charlevoix Fire Department and Police Department, as well as from a number of local business and churches. The Sheriff was resistant at first, but when he saw our intention was to depict the town Sheriff in a very positive light, he became a wonderful friend and helper of the film. We think small towns like Charlevoix are often portrayed in films in unflattering lights, and it was one of our objectives to counter that.

We also were welcomed very warmly in Mancelona and East Jordan, and in all Northern Michigan communities we have made enduring friendships. Now that the film has played in Charlevoix, Elk Rapids, Frankfort, Petoskey, Lansing, and Grand Blanc and has opened in Traverse City, Midland and Marquette, it is our goal to have more people come to see the film than actually live in town. I think we're close!

What do think Michigan offers to filmmakers as a setting?

I'm a big fan of our state. I grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona and moved to Michigan as a high school freshman. To this day, I am a fan of all four of our seasons and of our abundance of green grass, black dirt, and blue water. I'm especially in love with the Northern Lower Peninsula, and so it was easy for me to choose Charlevoix as the setting of The Frontier Boys. We chose to film in the doldrums of the late winter; for many it's the ugliest time of the year. However, the weather and the change of season were both integral to the arc of our story. We were telling a story of survival, and a story of hope. The promise of spring is an annual and tangible reminder of hope for us Northerners.

How do you think Michigan has enough assets to continue to grow as a movie industry hub?

The film industry in Michigan was growing and was on the verge of becoming a stable and solid industry. In 2010, Michigan was number two or three in the nation as far as production dollars spent. I hoped that the state would continue to invest in the industry statewide as I believed that it was good for the economic, marketing, and future health of Michigan. Outside the benefits that the Michigan Film Incentive brought to entice the industry, our company was here and producing projects long before the incentives, and we hope to be viable long after them as well. We still offer the hardest-working people with the most honest and fair prices in the business. Our production and post-production company in Holland (Grooters Productions) continues to attract work from all over the country because of our quality and value. And our state's natural resources, diversity and beauty will always be an attraction.

You can watch the trailer below or at the Frontier Boys website.

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