This photo is part of the 5 senses garden sculpture at the Children's Gardenat the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids.

If you've never been to the gardens be sure to put it on your places to visit in 2010. Currently you can check out "Butterflies Are Blooming" which is their most popular annual exhibition and the largest temporary tropical butterfly exhibit in the nation. They also feature a fantastic "Summer Concert Series" and allow patrons to bring their own picnic food and non-alcoholic beverages—in non-glass containers—to enjoy during concerts.

From angela7dreams's Flickr profile:

I am an educator, facilitator, artist and community activist. As a co-founder and associate director of LEAP (Land Empowerment Animals People), I encourage people from all walks of life to come together and share their hopes and desires as well as sorrow and despair about the condition of life here on our planet home.

Be sure to check her amazing photo sets from around the world!

Struttin' by Terry Doyle

The Pere Marquette Chapter of the Michigan Wild Turkey Hunters Association will host the 29th Annual Wild Turkey Hunters Rendezvous and State Calling Championships on Saturday, March 27, 2010 at Baldwin High School (map). The doors open at 8 AM and the program begins at 9 with $5 for adults and children 16 and under free. In addition to the Calling Championships, there will be vendor exhibits, raffles & door prizes and calling and hunting clinics.

These turkeys were captured by Terry last week. You can see more wild turkeys in the Absolute Michigan pool and learn more about these game birds which were hunted out of Michigan by 1900 at the link above or from the Michigan DNR's Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) page.

I'm guessing that this guy won't be at the medal podium, but you never know...

Happy to be Irish today by LindaB.

It's St. Patrick's Day in Michigan and events are happening all around the state. Wear some green today and enjoy some Irish fare in your hometown. If you know of any we missed or would like to add a related event, pub crawl, feast, party etc. please do so in the comments below. Slainté!

St. Patrick's Day Fast Facts: Beyond the Blarney - National Geographic News
St. Patrick's Day marks the Roman Catholic feast day for Ireland's patron saint, who died in the 5th century. St. Patrick (Patricius in Latin) was not born in Ireland, but in Britain.

Many myths surround St. Patrick. One of the best known—and most inaccurate—is that Patrick drove all the snakes from Ireland into the Irish Sea, where the serpents drowned. (Some still say that is why the sea is so rough.) But snakes have never been native to the Emerald Isle. The serpents were likely a metaphor for druidic religions, which steadily disappeared from Ireland in the centuries after St. Patrick planted the seeds of Christianity on the island.

In the United States, it's customary to wear green on St. Patrick's Day. But in Ireland the color was long considered to be unlucky.

Detroit Saint Patrick’s Day Events
The best of the best St. Patty's events in the Detroit area.

Flint Saint Patrick’s Day Celebration
Tuesday, March 17, 11am - 11 pm
Irish Dancing, Food and a whole lotta fun! Visit the website for more details about the celebration!

Bay City St Patricks Day Parade
Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 2:00 p.m.
The parade starts at Center and Park Avenues and disbands at Center and Water Streets. Marching bands, pipe bands, and floats will march down the street led by the 2010 Parade Marshal, Mrs. Helen Salois.

Enjoy some scenes from St. Patrick's Day Parade Detroit

Yes, I'm a toad with a bug on
my nose by firechicktick

Yesterday on Michigan in Pictures, I featured the Northern Green Frog (Rana clamitans). A scant hour later, I got an email from Laura Bien of the Ann Arbor Chronicle letting me know about her article, In the Archives: The Toad Survey of 1910. Her piece is a delightful ramble through the history and present day of frogs & toads in Ypsilanti. In addition to the survey of 1910, she looks at Michigan's 13 species of anuran (frogs & toads) including:

...Blanchard's Cricket Frog (whose name) honors University of Michigan herpetologist and zoology professor Frank Nelson Blanchard, a onetime student of Museum of Natural History director Alexander Ruthven, who also served as UM president from 1929 to 1951.

Regarded in his time as the nation’s leading snake expert, Blanchard identified several new species – and named one for Ruthven, the king snake Lampropeltis ruthveni. After one collecting trip that netted 457 snakes from Lake Michigan’s Hog Island, near the tip of the lower peninsula, a colleague dubbed Blanchard “The St. Patrick of Hog Island.”

Blanchard died in 1937. He did not name his own frog; naturalist Francis Harper did that when identifying it a decade later. Presumably the naming was a tribute, though the criteria Harper listed as identifiers of the animal included a warty head, a fat snout, and a bulky, mottled underbelly.

Blanchard’s Frog is currently a “species of concern” in Michigan, and the state is especially interested in survey volunteers’ reports of its cricket-like call.

You can learn more about Frank Nelson Blanchard on Wikipedia, explore Michigan's Frogs & Toads at the Michigan DNR and help out with the Michigan Frog & Toad Survey!

Grand River - Bike Girl
by Andy Tanguay

In Weekly Chatter: Google gets biking, mile-taxing, People for Bikes, Gary writes: The big news for bicycling this week: Google celebrates the Bicycle route

And, Traverse City is one of the first 150 cities to be included. My first attempt with Google bicycle routes was a little disappointing–it took me several blocks out of my way, similar to the cynical bicyclists perspective. Yet, improvements are coming, and in typical Google fashion they rolled it out in Beta (for more tweaking) and they launched it at the 2010 Bike Summit in Washington, D.C.

I'll break in here with a link to a Google ride from the Mackinac Bridge to Detroit. I tried starting in Copper Harbor but anything north of the Bridge they route to the car ferry in Manitowac (though actually, it looks like a great trip!)

But, let’s remember. It’s all for fun. Even when you're trying to get somewhere. This week People for Bikes was launched in hopes to cover the full gamut of the experience as this PSA expresses…

“If I ride…I will grow a heart so strong, that hospitals will take Tuesdays off…”

I've decided to follow someone at random. She likes peanut butter and gummy dinosaurs. Sarah Killen, your life is about to change.
~Conan O'Brien

On Conan's Twitter page he says "I had a show. Then I had a different show. Now I have a Twitter account." While he boasts a whopping 625,924 Twitter followers, he's only following one. Now Sarah has 24,000 followers (and climbing).

Follow Sara's saga at twitter.com/LovelyButton.

Power: Lake Huron

Langell Boys, frozen in the ice on Saginaw Bay. A series of photos from otisourcat showing the efforts to free her from the ice. Ice has long been a power on the Great Lakes that has locked ships in their harbors (or worse) and even come after those on shore.

Silence: Lake Erie

Daryl's photo of the ice on Lake Erie and demonstrates how winter turns our vibrant lakes to beautiful deserts. See more in his winter slideshow. In addition to quieting the waves, ice can provide an opportunity for animals (and crazy people) to get across to places they wouldn't normally be able to. While this guy walked to Canada on purpose, these fishermen went on an impromptu ice ride.

Motion: Lake Michigan

Photographer/videographer Ken Scott assembled some timelapse clips of winter from the shoreline of Lake Michigan. The movement of the water creates some amazing formations like ice bergs, ice volcanoes and things that you can't quite name ... and you haven't really seen a lighthouse until you've seen what ice can do to a Great Lakes Light.

Breakup: Lake Superior

Jim Sisko, a photographer from the Absolute Michigan pool, does an amazing job of chronicling the ice on Lake Superior. After looking at these, it's a little surprising to see in this NOAA satellite image that the hold of winter is even starting to loosen on Lake Superior.

I hope that the fact you can see the Apostle Islands in that satellite photo is justification enough to send you over to check out the sights and sounds from Marlin Ledin's ride to the Apostle Islands across 150 miles of Lake Superior.

Gray school1 by wardmac

The Detroit Free Press reports that a group called Save Our Schools Michigan (SOS Michigan) is predicting a bleak future for Michigan schools:

Michigan public schools will lay off thousands of employees and more than 100 districts could be insolvent if the state doesn’t find a way to plug a $400-per-pupil funding shortfall in funding next year.

That assessment comes today from a coalition of education groups that urged the Legislature to resolve what they call a school funding crisis by July 1, the start of a new fiscal year for schools.

Save Our Students (SOS), a coalition of 17 associations that represent school and school officials statewide, released results of a survey of 300 of the state’s 540 school districts that paints a bleak picture of 4,000 additional layoffs statewide next year, school closures and elimination of programs.

The survey indicates 47 school districts could deplete their fund reserves this year, and another 60 to 80 could do so next year...

The Detroit News adds a list of more findings from the survey:

• 85 percent report class sizes will increase due to staff cuts and closing schools.
• 83 percent will freeze salaries and benefits for some or all employees.
• 76 percent plan to combine services with other districts to cut costs.
• 56 percent will reduce or eliminate extracurricular activities.
• 53 percent will cancel orders for major capital spending.
• 46 percent will reduce or eliminate bus transportation for students.

I hate to say it, but Michigan's elected officials have been turning a blind eye to this brewing storm for years. Don't believe me? Here's Jack Lessenberry from 4 years ago:

Someday we may find leaders who have the vision and courage to fix it, but in the meantime, we need to avoid destroying public education in our state.

We still haven't found leaders with the courage to make the hard choices, and Jack's still writing.

Michigan Central Station by MikeRyu

On Saturday about 4000 extra people dropped by Michigan in Pictures. The impetus was a New York Times story on Michigan Central Station. Although the Detroit City Council voted to demolish MCS last year, a massive budget hole, a lawsuit, and new council members who aren't quite as bulldozer-happy:

“I don’t want to bulldoze it, then find out later there could have been a viable use for it,” said Charles Pugh, a newly elected member who took over as Council president in January.

Now preservationists, business owners, state leaders and community activists are taking what feels like a last stab at saving the 97-year-old building before it goes the way of New York’s Pennsylvania Station or, more locally, Tiger Stadium and countless other pieces of old Detroit that have fallen to the wrecking ball in recent years. Among the recent proposals have been to turn the cavernous brick, steel and stone facade into an extreme sports castle; a casino; a hotel and office park; a fish hatchery and aquarium; an amphitheater; or a railway station again, with high-speed trains.

Just Another Sofa on the Streets
of Detroit by Cherie S.

While the story didn't have anything new for people who've been following the sad saga of Detroit's largest ruin other than a link to the Michigan Central Station Preservation Society, it does provide a nice lead-in for another national story. Last week in Examining Data That Would Downsize Detroit, NPR reported that with a quarter of Detroit's 350,000 buildings vacant or in shambles, Mayor Dave Bing wants to reshape the city by getting rid of them and relocating residents who live in desolate neighborhoods, saying it's too expensive to provide city services in areas that are like urban deserts. Bing's proposal is based on data collected by demographer Kurt Metzger, director of Data Driven Detroit, who explains the data:

"We had surveyors go out and actually collect information in every single parcel in the city of Detroit. And just to give you the real quick analysis, we found better than a third of the land - and that's of 139 square miles - we estimate better than a third of the land in the city of Detroit is either vacant land right now or contains buildings that need to be torn down. It's amazing. I mean, New Orleans is about 70 square miles. We're talking that better than 40 square miles, better than half of New Orleans is vacant land.

Now, of course its interspersed around the city, so that's where the issues about going into neighborhoods where there's a lot of vacant land. But a lot of one or two homes still left on streets. These are neighborhoods that are going to have to be gone into and trying to think about how do we start to move people into other areas."

An effort like this was discussed in Flint, but according to an article on mLive that contrasts the response of Flint & Detroit to population crash, Flint is no longer planning to do neighborhood relocation.

You can learn much more about Michigan Central Station on Absolute Michigan and Michigan in Pictures, and check out the Michigan Central Station slideshow from the photographers of the Absolute Michigan pool.

Today's Photo Friday is brought to you in part by Alice in Wonderland.

vintage.carousel (Brooke Hren) has sets including Favorites, Viewfinder and (in a seasonal way) Summer, Autumn and Winter (slideshow)

Splash around in her flickrriver ... and don't be late!

Of the 20 beers we tasted, 10 were from Belgium, nine from the United States and one from Canada. It says something about the skill and ambition of American brewers that three of our top four were from the United States.

Our No. 1 beer was the Oro de Calabaza from Jolly Pumpkin, which, like the Good Harbor Ale, is from Dexter, Mich., a small town near Ann Arbor. A cabal of Belgian beer lovers in Dexter?

Perhaps, but these two beers were brewed by the same man, Ron Jeffries, the founder of Jolly Pumpkin, who also finds time to do the brewing for Leelanau. Both of these beers were unfiltered, giving them a hazy appearance, and aged in barrels, but beyond that they are completely different. While the Good Harbor was funky, the Oro de Calabaza was spicy, fruity and floral, with soft carbonation and fresh, vibrant flavors. Same man, different yeasts, at the least.

Congratulations to these great Michigan beers and brewer Ron Jeffries. If you'd like to go in-depth with both of these beers, MyNorth.com has features on Jolly Pumpkin and Leelanau Brewing.

I herein give you a Statement of facts in regard to the accident referred to in my letter. Said accident occurred on the day of the 2nd battle of Bull Run, while on my way with the mail, from Washington, to our troops near Centerville.

I was trying with all my might to reach Berry’s Brigade before the battle commenced, and in order to do so, I took advantage of every near cut that I possibly could, by leaping fences and ditches instead of going a long way round.

When I had accomplished about half the distance between Washington and Centerville, I saw a chance to cut off a mile or more, by leaving the road and taking a short cut, which I thought best to take advantage of, but after having gone a considerable distance from the road, I found myself confronted by a very wide ditch, which I attempted to cross; but instead of leaping across it my mule reared and fell headlong into it, and I was thrown with such force against the side of the ditch, that I was stunned and unable to escape further injury from the frantic efforts of the mule to extricate himself from such an unpleasant position.

There was some water, and deep mud at the bottom of said ditch, and where the mule tried to get up, his feet stuck fast in the mud, and he would fall back and try again. Finally he succeeded in getting out, but how long I remained there I never knew, but the first sound that struck my ear was the booming of cannon, and the first thought that flashed across my brain was “The mail! The mail!”

Read on at CMU.

Voting is underway, and it's a great chance to see what some artists feel Michigan has going for it.

Poster: Handmade Michigan by Joseph Cissel

Lost Landscapes of Detroit

If you have a favorite passage ... or wonder what a piece of footage it, post a comment about it with the time where it appears in the film. We're definitely interested in what people can tell us about this collection of Detroit commercials, file footage, ads and video!

Lillgrund by axelivarsson

Early in February, Grand Valley State University’s Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center and the University of Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute received $1.34 million in state grants to explore the feasibility of offshore wind turbines on Lake Michigan.

Although this study is not yet even off the ground, Scandia Wind and Havgul Clean Energy have already jumped beyond feasibility to propose a massive offshore wind farm. Green Beat notes that Great Lakes wind farms are failing the NIMBY test. The Michigan Policy Network notes that in a rare display of timeliness, a pair of bills are attempting to address industrial wind power in the Great Lakes:

In Michigan, one of our most promising options for renewable energy is electricity generating wind turbines. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Michigan has the potential for 16,560 Megawatts of wind energy, making us the biggest stakeholder in wind energy east of the Mississippi River. Despite that fact, we lag far behind many other eastern states in actual installed capacity. Why is that? Wind energy will last as long as the earth's atmosphere is in place, emits no greenhouse gases, and the average wind turbine generates enough electricity to 'pay back' its energy cost of production and transportation in a few months. What's not to like?

Well, wind energy happens to be generated with turbines on top of very tall towers, with rotor diameters often measuring 100 meters across. These turbines stick out in a natural landscape like a sore thumb, and create considerable noise. They have also been proven to kill birds and bats which fly into the rapidly spinning rotors...

Policy makers are now scrambling to lay down guidelines for how this rapidly expanding industry will be regulated. Senate bill 1067 compels the Michigan public service commission to create rules and procedures for the permitting, site selection, and fee regulation of offshore wind farms. A key piece of this legislation is ‘the preservation of the public trust in lands and waters of the Great Lakes', which means that the needs and wants of wind energy developers must not infringe on the needs and wants of the rest of the Lake's stakeholders. That includes the tourism industry and the cottage owners who bought their property with an unobstructed view of Lake Michigan in mind. House bill 5761 amends the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to provide for a public notice and comment/review process before any aspect of wind farm infrastructure can be developed. In this way, the public has a venue in which to voice their concerns with any proposed wind farm development.

mLive has a lot more about the controversy and legislation. Check it out and let us know what you think about this in the comments. One thing is certain: We'll be hearing a whole lot about wind power in the Great Lakes in 2010.

The photos above are from the Lillgrund Wind Farm, the third largest wind farm in the world which generates .33 Terawatts per year. Have a look at axelivarsson's slideshow, and consider that the wind farm proposed one off Ludington would be almost 5 times that size.

Myles Anton, Trattoria Stella, Traverse City, MI
Randy Chamberlain, Blu, Glen Arbor, MI
Guillaume Hazaël-Massieux, La Bécasse, Maple City, MI
Brian Polcyn, Forest Grill, Birmingham, MI
Alex Young, Zingerman's Roadhouse, Ann Arbor, MI

Michigan also notched nominations for Outstanding Wine & Spirits Professional (Larry Bell of Bell's Brewery in Kalamazoo) and Outstanding Service (Aerie Restaurant & Lounge in Traverse City).

On March 22 the final nominees will be announced live at twitter.com/beardfoundation, with the final award ceremony taking place on May 3, 2010 in New York City.

Established in 1990, the James Beard Foundation Awards recognize culinary professionals for excellence and achievement in their fields and continue to emphasize the Foundation's mission: to celebrate, preserve, and nurture America's culinary heritage and diversity. The annual James Beard Foundation Awards honor the best and the brightest talents in the food and beverage industries, celebrating outstanding achievement in each of the following categories: Restaurant and Chef, Restaurant Design and Graphics, Books, Journalism, Broadcast Media, and special achievement awards. Each category has an individual Awards Committee made up of industry professionals who volunteer their time to oversee the policies, procedures, and selection of judges for their respective Awards program.

Photo by Gary L Howe, courtesy La Becasse

What better way for Finnish (or other) Michiganders to celebrate St. Urho's day on March 16 than to make a solemn pilgrimage to the giant grasshopper of Kaleva? The welded metal sculpture created by students of Lutheran Brethren High School is celebrating its 10th birthday this year, and represents the mythical banishment of grasshoppers from Finland in order to save the grape crop.*

The big hopper can be found in Kaleva's Centennial Park, alongside a Finnish totem pole. While in Kaleva, don't miss the Bottle House built by famed Finn bottler John Makinen in 1941. It stands one block north of Kaleva's downtown on Wuoski Avenue. Makinen died before he could move into the habitable folk art structure, but his family enjoyed living bottoms up for four decades. The Kaleva Historical Society gives tours on summer Saturdays.

Click the grasshopper to see it bigger and also head over to Michigan in Pictures to check out the Michigan Snowhenge!

*If grashoppers should come to your town, seeking your wine grapes, saintuhro.com suggests uttering the phrase: "Heinäsirkka, heinäsirkka, mene täältä hiiteen" (roughly translated: "Grasshopper, grasshopper, go to Hell!").

Lake Freighter ducking into Suttons Bay by jsorbieus

The AP's John Flesher takes a look at a five-year blueprint for rescuing the Great Lakes announced by the Obama Administration on Sunday:

The plan envisions spending more than $2.2 billion for long-awaited repairs after a century of damage to the lakes, which hold 20 percent of the world's fresh water...

"We're committed to creating a new standard of care that will leave the Great Lakes better for the next generation," Jackson said in a statement.

Among the goals is a "zero tolerance policy" toward future invasions by foreign species, including the Asian carp, a huge, ravenous fish that has overrun portions of the Mississippi River system and is threatening to enter Lake Michigan.

Others include cleanup of the region's most heavily polluted sites, restoring wetlands and other crucial habitat, and improving water quality in shallow areas, where runoff from cities and farms has led to unsightly algae blooms and beach closings.

Read the rest of the story in the Traverse City Record-Eagle and get the details on the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan from the EPA. You might also enjoy the Great Lakes slideshow from the photographers of the Absolute Michigan pool. For an idea of the challenges the Great Lakes are facing, I urge you to seek out the amazing film Waterlife by Kevin McMahon. Here's the trailer:

abigail burch (Abby Burch) says that she's always loved photography and loves taking pictures of things, places and people she finds interesting with her still relatively new Canon Rebel Xsi .

You can (and should) check this photo of the Muskegon beach out bigger and have a look at her sets including favorites, nature, city, artprize and cottage (slideshow).

Take a dip in her Flickriver.

In this Absolute Michigan Sponsor Spotlight, we make a brief visit to the Homestead Resort in Glen Arbor, Michigan and take a lesson with their Director of Skiing, Logan Price.

Event dynamo Michael Moore has teamed up with comedian Jeff Garlin to launch the Traverse City Comedy Arts Festival. The inaugural comedy fest takes place this weekend (February 19-21, 2010) and features and impressive roster of established comedians including Roseanne Barr, John Waters, Whitney Cummings, JB Smoove, Mike Birbiglia along with some up-and-coming comedians, films and associated hoopla. View the schedule of comedians and special events & films and order tickets!

The venues that they use for the annual Traverse City Film Festival will be converted to have a nightclub feel and they'll even be doing free, late night shows in the basement of Horizon Books hosted by Jeff Garlin. They'll also be having a free, outdoor showing of the comedy classic Groundhog Day with special live features. All in all, it's shaping up to be a one-of-a-kind experience for Michigan comedy fans!

You can follow blog posts, #comedytc Twitter posts and other media on the TCFF Blog and on Absolute Michigan's Traverse City Comedy Arts Festival page.

Head over to Absolute Michigan's Traverse City pages to get lodging, dining and other visitor information.

Approaching Spring by mayerdavid1978

Our Michigan event calendar for the month of March features all kinds of signs that spring is just around the corner with some cautious reminders that objects around the corner may be further off than they appear.

Quotes

"March is a tomboy with tousled hair, a mischievous smile, mud on her shoes
and a laugh in her voice." - Hal Borland

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade." - Charles Dickens

"Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn." - Lewis Grizzard

"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush." - Doug Larson

"Spring is nature's way of saying, Let's party!" - Robin Williams

Fast Facts
March's birthstone is Aquamarine and Bloodstone. They symbolize courage.

Its birth flower is the Narcissus.

March in the Southern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent of September in the Northern Hemisphere.

Daylight-Savings time occurs on March 14, 2010, at 2:00 a.m.. Time to spring ahead!

Think spring! The vernal equinox occurs on March 20, 2010 at 1:32 PM EDT.

Things to Do, Places to Go

March 1 - April 30
Foremost's Butterflies Are Blooming - Grand Rapids
Foremost's Butterflies Are Blooming is Meijer Gardens most popular annual exhibition and the largest temporary tropical butterfly exhibit in the nation. March 1–April 30, visitors can escape the Michigan winter and mingle with more than 6,000 tropical butterflies flying free in the 15,000-square-foot Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory.

March 4 - 7
Metro Times Blowout - Hamtramck
Metro Times presents the 13th annual BLOWOUT music festival. BLOWOUT showcases over 200 of metro Detroit's most influential, unique and celebrated bands, djs and solo artists. These 200 acts perform at 15 venues over 4 nights creating the largest local music festival in the U.S. Past performers include: Eminem, The White Stripes, The Von Bondies, The Hard Lessons, The Sights, The Go, His Name is Alive, Obie Trice, The Dirtbombs, Detroit Grand Pubahs, Howling Diablos, Paradime, Motor City R&B Pioneers, Blanche, The Detroit Cobras and many more.

March 4 - 7
West Michigan Home & Garden Show - Grand Rapids
West Michigan's largest Home & Garden show is back and better than ever! Over a dozen gardens, three free seminar stages, floral arrangement classes and a standard flower show, plus tons of other attractions you can't miss! With over 350 exhibitors featuring every product and service you'll ever need for your home, garden or landscaping, all under one roof, this is the show to attend!

March 5 - 7
The Michigan Golf Show - Novi
This year marks the 19th anniversary of the largest consumer golf show in the nation.
Come experience the best golf deals in the Midwest. The Michigan Golf Show kicks off the golf season highlighting over 400 exhibitors with great deals on every aspect of the golf game! Retailers! Resorts! Travel Destinations! Over 100 Michigan Golf Courses! And a variety of "hands-on" activities will get you ready for this season.

March 6
Quiet Water Symposium - East Lansing
The Quiet Water Symposium celebrates non-motorized outdoor recreation and a shared concern for our Great Lakes Environment. At the Symposium visitors will find presentations by world famous authors, photographers, and expedition travelers. Other presentations may cover skills, safety, local and distant destinations. There may be presentations on bicycling, sailing, diving, and history.

March 6 & 7
Detroit Kennel Club Benched Dog Shows - Detroit
The DKC is one of just six American Kennel Club benched shows in the United States. The overwhelming majority of dog shows are unbenched, at which dogs are judged at an appointed time, then are free to leave the show grounds. At a benched show such as the DKC, dogs stay on the bench with their owners for the entire day when they are not in the ring. This means that the public has a rare opportunity to meet with just about every breed of dog, chat with the owners, and consult with breeders to discover which breed is right for them. Since almost everyone loves to talk about his or her dog, breeders are more than happy to share information with those interested in their particular breed. And almost all of the dogs enjoy the extra attention they receive from the spectators.

March 13
Annual Great Bear Chase Ski Marathon - Calumet
A laid-back, skier-oriented weekend in Calumet on the beautiful Keewanau Peninsula. You can choose between 26-km and 50km distances including a separate category for 26-km classic skiers. The Junior Bear Chase is a youth Nordic ski race for skiiers up to 16-years-old.

March 13
Brew-Ski Festival - Harbor Springs
Suds and snow. Is there a better combination? Our first annual Brew-Ski Festival features 100+ craft brews, entertainment and an evening of parties. We'll be pitching a big ole' tent at the base of the slopes where you and friends can purchase tickets and sample a variety of brews. The frothy samples are served up by brewery representatives while you enjoy music, brats and spring conditions.

March 12 - 14
Flushing Walleye Festival - Flushing
The event features:

• Outdoor Show Exhibits

• Fish Fry
• Trout Pond
• Outdoor Show
• Firefighter’s Pancake Breakfast
• Guest Speakers
• Texas Hold’em Tournament/Poker Night
• Youth Group
• Chili Cook-off

March 16
St. Patrick's Day Parade - Detroit
Sponsored by the United Irish Societies in metro Detroit, the parade runs along Michigan Avenue in the area known as "Corktown", so called because of the many immigrants that came and settled here from County Cork. The parade travels down a dozen or so blocks passing by historic Tiger Stadium and the Gaelic League/Irish American Club.

March 18 - 21
Lansing Home & Garden Show - East Lansing
The strongest Home & Garden show in the Mid-Michigan area fills the MSU Pavilion on the campus of Michigan State University. Incredible gardens, extensive landscaping projects, a Standard Flower Show and three free seminar stages surround hundreds of exhibits featuring construction, remodeling, kitchens & baths, retail garden centers, pools and spas and home services.

March 18 - 21
Ultimate Sport and RV Show - Grand Rapids
Michigan's finest tradition for the avid fisherman, hunter or outdoor loving family! Over 350 exhibitors will be at the show with the latest outdoor gear, travel information and fishing boats. The features are famous: World Class Taxidermy, Antique Lures, Trout Pond, Woodcarvers, Pellet Range, Fishing Simulator, Rock Wall and Fly Casting Instruction. Nearly 100 fishing and hunting semainrs will be held on 4 stages, including "Lake Ultimate," the 110,000 gallon indoor lake. Michigan sportsmen never miss it!

March 19 - 21
Carnival Weekend at Boyne - Boyne Falls
It's party time once again. Boyne Mountain pulls out all the stops as Mardi Gras moves north for the weekend. How can I get some of those beads you ask, come to Boyne Mountain and find out. Bands, costume competitions, the slush cup and parties all over the resort make this a weekend to remember. You might want to plan on using a sick day for Monday.

March 20
Krazy Daze at Boyne - Harbor Springs
Fun for the whole family awaits during this spring tradition. Kid's events include a Silly Slalom, costume judging, Nastar and more. Is it true they build a pond and let people ski and snowboard across? You bet it's true. So dress up or dress down, just make sure to be a part of the fun.

March 20 - 21
Kalamazoo Living History Show - Kalamazoo
The largest, nationally recognized, juried show in the Midwest devoted to pre-1890 original or reproduction living history supplies, accouterments and related crafts. More than 10,000 historical re-enactors from pre-Revolutionary through the Civil War, history buffs, collectors, and the general public from 18 states and Canada come together for a festive weekend to buy, sell and trade. The event attracts over 270 of the finest craftsman and dealers of living history supplies and related crafts from throughout the United States.

March 23 - 28
Ann Arbor Film Festival - Ann Arbor
The Ann Arbor Film Festival is internationally recognized as a premiere showcase for creative, inspiring, and influential films of all types: avant-garde and experimental, story-based narratives, documentaries, and animation. As the longest-running film festival of its kind in North America, the AAFF is steeped in a rich tradition of ground-breaking cinema.

Did we get them all? Not likely!! Add ones we missed (with links) in the comments below!

The Last Paczki by cseeman

While groundhogs are a sign of spring's approach around the country, the appearance of paczkis in grocery stores in Michigan lets you know that spring is not too far off. Our Fat Tuesday Paczki Day page on Absolute Michigan will load you up with 110% of the USRDA on these sugary treats that are a Michigan tradition.

If you're looking to work off all those extra calories, Seeking Michigan has a cool feature on the real father of The Twist, Detroiter Hank Ballard. Click through to read it and we'll let Ballard take us out with his rendition of The Twist.

Video from the 2008 Winter Beer Festival in Grand Rapids

MightyBoyBrian (Brian Wolfe) says that since graduating from college, his love of photography has gradually intensified and is one of his most potent escapes from the engineering box that he seems to have learned himself into. He says he favors nature and urban shots, but with the new acquisition of a 50mm f/1.8, he's getting more into portraiture.

You can see this photo bigger and check out his sets including The Urban, Nature,  Panoramics and The Top 30 (slideshow).

Dive into his Flickriver!

In our first Absolute Michigan Radio feature co-sponsored by Traverse Legal, we talk with Traverse City Chamber of Commerce director Doug Luciani about Pure Michigan and its impact on Business.

If you're supportive of Pure Michigan, please call your lawmakers today! Here are links to the Michigan House of Representatives, Michigan Senate and Michigan Governor!

Childs Play by Arace

Play: AbsoluteMichigan Radio - TC Area Chamber of Commerce President Doug Luciani on Pure Michigan Campaign Funding
(click title to listen)

With: Doug Luciani

Sponsored by: Absolute Michigan , Traverse Internet Law

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Conversely, opposition to slavery did grow. Michigan was an active participant of the Underground Railroad even before it became a state. In 1836, thirteen former slaves organized the Second Baptist Church in Detroit. Besides allowing African Americans to worship without discrimination, the church also opened Michigan's first school for black children and it was a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Michigan's black population grew slowly but steadily during the years before the Civil War. Famed black abolitionist Sojourner Truth made Battle Creek her home in 1857. At a time when women, especially black women, did not give speeches, Truth used her remarkable speaking skills to promote equality and the need to end slavery. Truth stood six feet tall and had a deep voice. Her listeners were "melted into tears by her touching stories."

As automobiles became Michigan's central focus, tens of thousands of African American moved north, seeking employment in the auto factories. During the twentieth century, the list of African Americans who had an impact on Michigan - and the world - includes world champion boxer Joe Louis, political scientist Ralph Bunche (the first African American to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize), Motown Records' founder James Earl Jones, Congressman John Conyers Jr. and activist Rosa Parks.

For a massive listing of happenings check out: "Black History Month events: February is full of music, exhibits and cultural events celebrating African-American achievement" - via Freep.com

Photo Credit: Visual Materials from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Records (Library of Congress)

Nick writes: Yes, it's true. You don't have to live in Utah to ski the deep stuff. Here's some nice tele turns in a couple of unknown locations in northern Michigan.

The skiers in the video above are using telemark skis, about which Wikipedia says:

Telemark skiing is a term used for skiing using the Telemark turn. It is also known as " free heel skiing." Unlike alpine skiing equipment, the skis used for telemarking have a binding that only connects the boot to the ski at the toes, just as in cross-country skiing...

The Telemark turn came to the attention of the Norwegian public in 1868, when Sondre Norheim took part in a ski jumping competition. Norheim's technique of fluid turns soon dominated skiing, and in Norway it continued to do well into the next century. Starting in the 1910s, newer techniques based on the stem gradually replaced Telemark in the Alpine countries. Newer techniques were easier to master and enabled shorter turns better suited for steeper alpine terrain and skiing downhill. The Telemark turn became the technique of ski touring in rolling terrain.

Speaking of telemark skiing & Northern Michigan, Pure Michigan notes that the Michigan Telemark Festival takes place February 19-21 at The Homestead Resort. The event features telemark demos, clinics for all ability levels and more - call (231) 334-5000 for details.

In the fall of 1925, Ypsilantians, and the nation, were transfixed by the romance of a onetime Lower East Side immigrant kid and a telegraph magnate’s daughter. Her wealthy father, Clarence, the son of Comstock Lode multimillionaire John Mackay, strongly disapproved of his Catholic daughter Ellin’s interest in a Jewish man with what he viewed as a disreputable occupation. Clarence refused to give Ellin his permission to marry. The couple waited in dismay for Clarence to change his mind.

Daily Ypsilantian-Press editor George Handy waited as well for the next tidbit of news—his readers loved the story.

In the fall of 1925, Ypsilantians, and the nation, were transfixed by the romance of a onetime Lower East Side immigrant kid and a telegraph magnate’s daughter. Her wealthy father, Clarence, the son of Comstock Lode multimillionaire John Mackay, strongly disapproved of his Catholic daughter Ellin’s interest in a Jewish man with what he viewed as a disreputable occupation. Clarence refused to give Ellin his permission to marry. The couple waited in dismay for Clarence to change his mind.

Daily Ypsilantian-Press editor George Handy waited as well for the next tidbit of news—his readers loved the story.

When in January of 1926 that news came from New York, it was a bombshell. Ellin Mackay had eloped with and married Irving Berlin.

Handy needed a wedding photograph from New York—and fast—this story was too big to wait for the mail. He called New York.

Half an hour later he had a photograph, thanks to the only modem in Ypsilanti in 1926.

Read on and see the photograph at YpsiNews.com and learn more about telegraphy and photos in Wikipedia!