silver bells 2007 by Michphotog

The 25th Annual Silver Bells in the City will take place on Friday, November 20, 2009 from 5-9 p.m. in downtown Lansing.

Silver Bells in the City, which attracts 120,000 attendees, annually features an Electric Light Parade followed by the lighting of Michigan’s official Christmas tree and a firework show (weather permitting) over the State Capitol.

The entire evening is also filled with free family entertainment including free admission to Lansing’s cultural institutions, horse-drawn wagon rides on Washington Square, and performances by more than 50 local arts and cultural institutions throughout downtown Lansing.

Watch the 4 part video series Silver Bells in the City in Lansing Michigan by Barman6 on YouTube!

It's Lansing's Birthday! by Eridony

2009 is the Sesquicentennial of the City of Lansing. The Lansing 150 Grand Finale is next Friday (Nov 20) immediately following Silver Bells in the City from 8-11 PM in the Lansing Center. This event concludes Lansing’s year long Sesquicentennial Birthday Party and will include free entertainment and a free reception.

As part of the celebration they are holding an "I AM LANSING" contest. Area residents, businesses and organizations can submit photos, videos and/or essays about Lansing and judges will decide the Best Lansing Story. The winner will receive a $500 cash prize and you can enter until midnight this Friday! Head over to lansing150.com for all the details!

The City of Lansing history page (and the City of Lansing) begins:

In the winter of 1835, two brothers from Lansing, New York plotted the area just south of downtown Lansing, naming the territory "Biddle Town." Most of this land was in a floodplain and underwater for much of the year. Despite the condition of the land, the brothers returned to New York to sell the plots to unsuspecting individuals wanting to test their fortunes in a new land. The group of settlers arrived to Mid-Michigan only to find their plots submerged under several feet of water. Nevertheless, many in the group chose to stay and established what is now Metropolitan Lansing. They christened the town "Lansing Township" after their home village in New York.

You can get a ton more great old photos of Lansing from Seeking Michigan, check out a sweet view of Lansing from the Lansing standpipe in the late 1800s on Michigan in Pictures and learn lots more about Lansing at absolutemichigan.com/Lansing!

Photo: Bird's eye view of the city of Lansing (Mich.); 1866. Courtesy Seeking Michigan.

The contest is now complete and the winners have been notified.

If you did not win tickets they are still available for purchase online. Reviews of the tour have been very positive, so if youare a fan we suggest you don't miss Daughtry's first arena tour!

Their most recent release Leave This Town continues its impressive streak of success. The album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, has sold more than a half million copies in it's first five weeks. The album's first single, "No Surprise," reached No.1 on the Hot A/C chart. It is the band's fourth #1 hit, a rare feat for any recording artist.

After finishing a sold out club tour, Chris Daughtry stated the band is busy preparing for the upcoming arena tour. "We dreamed about how it would feel playing these songs to packed arenas, and we're excited to get our chance," Chris says, "We have a great show planned and can’t wait to hit the road to share it with our fans."

Check out the video for daughtry's latest single "No Surprise"

Check out many more videos on Daughty's Official YouTube Channel

Join Daughtry on Facebook and MySpace

Michigan Wine & Spirits Competition

Be among the first to try winning wines from the 2009 Michigan Wine and Spirits Competition and taste the breadth of quality from Michigan's vineyards. Sip a glass of wine while chatting with winning winemakers to learn more about their wines.

The Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center will host the 32nd Annual Michigan Wine and Spirits Competition, and a public Gold Medal Reception unveiling Michigan's top wines, on Thursday, August 6 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. This year marks Kellogg's ninth year hosting the competition, which will bring together wine experts to judge their way through nearly 400 Michigan wine entries. Best of Class wines will be perfectly paired with delicious foods prepared by the Kellogg Center's chefs. Other double gold, gold and silver medal wines will be available for sampling, along with a generous array of culinary treats. The Gold Medal Reception is expected to bring out an audience of 350 supportive consumers, industry members and industry associates. Tickets for the Michigan Wine and Spirits Competition Gold Medal Reception are $40 per person and are available through the Kellogg Center at 517-432-4000.

The festival encourages cross-cultural understanding of our diverse society through the presentation of musicians, dancers, cooks, storytellers and craftspeople whose traditions are rooted in their communities.

The festival includes nearly 100 musicians or dancers in groups, who perform at least twice and sometimes as many as four times over the weekend. Also featured are traditional and other food vendors, craft vendors and many other individual artists/demonstrators. There are five performance stages (including one with a 2,400 sq. ft. dance floor), a children's hands-on activity area, crafts demonstrations, and crafts marketplace. In addition there are special programs every year, which feature some aspect of traditional culture.

Observes GLFF founding director Marsha MacDowell, "The folk festival is a unique celebration of the histories, traditions, and cultures of the many peoples of the world, and while we have a focus on Michigan and the Great Lakes, we also present artists from around the nation and world. This is one of the few venues in the country to regularly showcase award-winning state and national artists, including recipients of the Michigan Heritage Awards and the National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship Awardees. "

This award-winning event is one of the region's premiere arts programs and a summer-time high note -- and is expected to draw more than 90,000 visitors throughout the weekend to celebrate culture, tradition and community. GLFF was named the state's top public humanities program by the Michigan Humanities Council and the event received an artistic excellence grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to help produce this year's activities.

Festival hours are: Friday, Aug. 7, 6 - 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 8, noon - 10:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 9, noon - 6 p.m. For more information, call the MSU Museum at (517) 432-GLFF (4533) or learn more at http://www.greatlakesfolkfest.net and on Facebook and Twitter.

Admission to the MSU Museum's Great Lakes Folk Festival is free (donations are encouraged).

Get a feel for what the festival is like by checking out this flickr slideshow!

View Larger Map

This year's festival will take place Friday, August 7 (4pm-12:30am), and Saturday, August 8, 2009 (2pm-12:30am), in the streets of Old Town, surrounded by the best of the Capital City's art galleries as well as unique retail stores and grand architecture. Vendors line the streets offering ethnic food, beverages, art, clothing, and crafts, and nearby galleries and boutiques open their doors during festival hours.

Check out the 2009 Lansing JazzFest Line-Up!!!

Lansing JazzFest continues to grow thanks to the contributions of its sponsors and volunteers.

“Buy Local, Buy Fresh — Select Michigan” Farmers' Market

It’s summertime in Michigan, and that means it’s fresh produce season! You are invited to a special “Buy Local, Buy Fresh -- Select Michigan” farmers’ market on the east lawn of the State Capitol. This year's event takes place on Thursday July 23rd.

The market is held at the Capitol, and with 50 vendors signed up to participate, this year’s market will be bigger and better than ever! Local farmers and specialty food producers from across Michigan will offer their locally grown, processed and manufactured products for sale, including fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, honey, wool products, grains, beans, jams, jellies, baked goods, lamb, Lake Superior whitefish, flowers, plants, specialty foods, and much more.

Buying locally means you receive fresher, high quality foods, and these local purchases support our farmers, agri-businesses, rural communities, and our state's economy. In fact, if every Michigan household spent just $10 per week on Michigan-produced food, it would generate nearly $40 million each and every week. Whether this is your first trip to the Select Michigan farmers market, or you are a return shopper, come and experience the benefits of local foods firsthand.

The farmers’ market is sponsored by the Michigan Department of Agriculture; Michigan Food and Farming Systems; and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service, with additional support from the Michigan Farmers’ Market Association, the Food Bank Council of Michigan and Michigan farmers and specialty food producers. If you have questions, please contact Jeanne Lipe, Michigan Department of Agriculture, at 517/373-9790.

For a listing of community farmers’ markets, local on-farm markets, and u-pick establishments in our state, visit www.michigan.gov/mda-upick. The Michigan Farmers’ Market Association also has a listing of community farmers’ markets on its Web site at www.farmersmarkets.msu.edu.

Michigan Film Festivals

TCFF 2008 by tcfilmfest

Mitten Film Project & Festival
1st Tuesday of every month, Royal Oak

The Mitten Movie Project is committed to showcasing world class movies in Detroit, headquarters of the MiniDV Revolution.

Waterfront Film Festival
June 2009 in Saugatuck
Outstanding independent films from all over the United States are screened in casual, intimate settings every June in the resort village of Saugatuck. The Waterfront Indie Screenplay Competition is seeking screenplays that can be produced for under 5 million dollars, and that can be shot in Michigan. More about the Saugatuck Waterfront Film Festival from Absolute Michigan.

Detroit Windsor International Film Festival
June 25-28, 2009 in Detroit

The Detroit Windsor International Film Festival takes place at venues all around Detroit and Windsor and seeks to engage the community in the growth of the film culture of the region and to promote storytelling through film, video, games, the web, music and other channels through panels, workshops, special events, a job fair and (of course) screenings of all kinds of films!

Traverse City Film Festival
July 28-August 2, 2009 in Traverse City

The festival presents fulls days of the best independent, foreign, and documentary films available in several indoor movie houses and free, classic movies on a giant, inflatable outdoor screen overlooking Grand Traverse Bay. Panel discussions with directors, writers, actors, and other members of the film industry are offered daily.

Ann Arbor Film Festival
March 2010 in Ann Arbor
Established in 1963, this internationally-renowned festival showcases independent and experimental film and video and is the oldest of its kind in North America. Each year the festival attracts entries from artists worldwide and screens more than 100 films. Every year they select a four-hour program of awarded and highlighted films for the Ann Arbor Film Festival Tour that travels around the country from March through December to college classrooms and auditoriums, art theaters, and museums.

American Dreamz by East Lansing Film Festival

East Lansing Film Festival
March 2010 in East Lansing
The ELFF was created in 1997 in cooperation with the City of East Lansing and Michigan State University, and is the largest and most diverse film festival in Michigan to screen independent and foreign feature, documentary, short and students films from around the world. The festival also holds the Lake Michigan Film Competition that gives cash awards to the filmmakers whose film was either filmed, produced, or financed in the states that border Lake Michigan.

Find out more about the 2008 East Lansing Film Festival right here on Absolute Michigan.

So we present to you:

Be A Tourist In Your Own Town brought to you by the fine folks at the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau. Consider organizing one in your area!

About Be A Tourist In Your Own Town

Fifteen years ago, the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau created this event to increase community awareness of it's attractions and the tourism industry's impact on the area. So once again the doors are open for you to explore culture and creativity in mid-Michigan.

As Lansing celebrates its 150th anniversary, take this opportunity to enjoy attractions that highlight both Lansing’s unique history as well as its innovative and progressive future. This year they have included old favorites such as Impression 5 Science Center, Potter Park Zoo and the Michigan Historical Museum, and added new hot spots like the FRAG Center, MSU’s Breslin Center, WKAR Studios and taste the new “Capital City Sundae” ice cream flavor at the MSU Dairy Store. You can view a complete list of the participating places to go and things right here.

How it Works:

For only $1 you can purchase a “passport” which allows you FREE admission to more than 60 area attractions, local businesses, and special activities on May 30, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. **Ages 3 and under do not require a passport. Get from place to place with CATA. For only 50 cents you will receive a stamp which will allow you to ride the Be A Tourist routes for the rest of the day for no extra charge.

Check out a slideshow of the Lansing area from the Absolute Michigan Flickr pool!

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Old Town Commercial Association (OTCA) Festival of the Sun. For the past decade, Festival of the Sun and, more recently Festival of the Moon, has brought together friends, families, and neighbors from all over Michigan to the heart of Old Town. Celebrating the beginning of the summer season, revelers take part in Mid-Michigan’s premier wine, beer, and food sampling event and enjoy live music throughout the weekend.

"Old Town and the Festival of the Sun have both grown tremendously over the past ten years. A couple years ago the OTCA launched the Festival of the Moon and just last year, the Festival of the Sun expanded - almost doubling in size - to accommodate the large crowds. It's so exciting to see these festivals continue to grow, attracting more people to Old Town and raising money to continue the revitalization efforts," said past Festival Director Shannon Rolley.

Festival of the Moon will be held on Friday, June 26th from 6-11 p.m. This year’s festival continues the tradition of offering Bell’s Beer on tap and will include music by Thriving Ivory, Suburban Euphoria, and Alco. Attendees will receive a keep sake beer tumbler to use while sipping on select Bell’s Beers.

Festival of the Sun will be held on Saturday, June 27th from 2-10 p.m. Vistitors will be able to taste wine and food from all over Michigan and dance the day away to music provided by Ritmo, The Dewaynes, The Lash, and Hot Club of Lansing on the main stage or relax with a drink by the acoustic stage with music by The Pantones, Nervous but Excited, and Daughters of New Grass. Tickets include a complimentary “throw back” wine glass with designs from the past ten years.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.festivalofthesun.com or www.festivalofthemoon.com

• 230 artist exhibitors from all over the U.S. and Canada
• 8 emerging artists affiliated with Michigan universities, colleges or art schools.
• Free performances on two stages highlighting a wide variety of music.
• Free arts activities for children and families.
• An international-style food court offering flavors from around the world.

East Lansing is a charming University town with a wide variety of shops, restaurants, galleries and the beautiful Michigan State University campus across the street. The East Lansing Art Festival is produced by the Art Festival Board of Directors under the auspices of the East Lansing Arts Commission/City of East Lansing.

The East Lansing Art Festival is held the weekend preceding Memorial Day weekend. The festival operates 10am-6pm on Saturday and 10am-5pm on Sunday.

Michigan State University Arts and Crafts Show

Celebrate spring at the Michigan State University Arts and Crafts Show on May 16th and 17th. In its 45th year, the show has more than 325 artists from across the nation and offers something for everyone.

The MSU Arts and Crafts Show is one of the largest arts and crafts shows in the state. This year’s show includes many returning favorites as well as brand new artists. There will be a broad range of exhibitors selling handmade items. Items include; candles, furniture, jewelry, home and yard décor, aromatherapy, clothing, children’s toys, painting, photography, pottery, sculpture and much more.

The Arts and Crafts Show is held outside on the grounds of the MSU Union. This show is held on Saturday and Sunday with over 300 exhibitors displaying items in a park-like setting on the MSU campus. Most exhibitors utilize portable structures for their displays. The UAB office can provide current booth fee prices. The East Lansing Art Festival is staged one block north of campus with over 225 exhibitors. More than 60,000 people annually attend these two outdoor shows.

The show takes place on the grounds of the MSU Union, near the corner of Grand River Ave. and Abbot Rd. in East Lansing. The show hours are Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission to the show is FREE!

Certain groups opposed this bill. Companies that made bottles and cans were against it because they were afraid they would lose their jobs. Stores did not like the bill either, because they would have to set aside space in their stores for returned bottles and cans. Although most Michiganians favored it, lawmakers ignored Jondahl’s bill.

In 1976, the Michigan United Conservation Club (MUCC) took action through an initiative. An initiative gives people the power to propose laws, enact laws, or reject laws by placing them on a ballot. In order to get the issue on the ballot (called a proposal), the MUCC gathered 400,000 signatures. That’s twice the number they needed. The first person to sign the petition was Governor William Milliken, who wanted Michigan to become “a model state” in the fight against pollution.

On November 2, 1976, voters went to the polls. About 2 out of 3 voted yes. By doing so, voters made a new law. Today, Michigan is the only state with a ten-cent deposit (as opposed to a nickel in other participating states). A full ninety-six percent of eligible containers are recycled. According to the MUCC, more than a half million tons of waste are diverted from landfills every year because of Michigan’s Bottle Bill.

For more great stories on Michigan’s past, look to Michigan History and Michigan History for Kids magazines. For more information or a free trial issue, call (800) 366-3703 or visit www.michiganhistorymagazine.com.

Article By Christine Schwerin

Photo and tile by Sporck Tileart

ballin' by Beth☮♥♬

With the 2009 Final Four taking place in Detroit, it's probably fitting that both the University of Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans have received NCAA Basketball Tournament bids

It's the first NCAA tournament bid for the Wolverines since 1998, a #10 seed in the South Region with a draw of Clemson (23-8). UM takes a record of 20-13 into the 6:10 PM game on Thursday (Mar 19).

The Spartans (26-6) secured the #2 seed in the Midwest region. This is the 12th consecutive bid and they will face Robert Morris in the opener. Despite a disappointing loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten tourney, they are expected to do well after playing one of the toughest schedules in the country.

More UM & MSU Links (add more in the comments below!)

• Green & White from the Lansing State Journal and mLive's UM Wolverine's page.
• University of Michigan and Michigan State at rivals.com
• Michigan State & University of Michigan and at ESPN's Clubhouse
• The blogs: MGoBlog & Spartan Tailgate
• YouTube: Michigan State Spartans opening video & University of Michigan team celebrates with fans on Selection Sunday

Lake Michigan Film Competition

One attraction is the Lake Michigan Film Competition, which offers cash awards to filmmakers whose film was at least 1/4 shot, produced or financed in the states that border Lake Michigan: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The categories for the awards are Feature, Documentary, Short Film and Student Film with a special award given by Message Makers to "The Most Promising Student Filmmaker" that includes a shooting and editing package worth over $10,000!. The Lake Michigan Film Competition (LMFC) was designed to encourage, foster, and help promote filmmaking in the Lake Michigan region. It is part of every East Lansing Film Festival.

Discovering the Short

Discovering the Short shows a selection of short films from the 2006 East Lansing Film Festival appeared on WKAR-TV and was produced by MSU students led by former student Randy Flick and faculty member Robert Albers of the MSU Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media.. The "short film" has long been the point of entry into the art of filmmaking and every year the East Lansing Film Festival offers aficionados a chance to view high quality short films made by professionals from all over the country.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Watch more of Discovering the Short on YouTube.

More Links...

ELFF 48/5 contest entries - filmmakers write, shoot, edit, and premiere an original five-minute production in a mere 48 hours.

For much more on the ELFF, check out the ELFF Facebook page, elff.com, the ELFF MySpace Page, the ELFF on Flickr, the East Lansing Film Festival's B-Side Community. You may also be interested in MichiganFilm.org, a web site that highlights independent films from Michigan filmmakers and seeks to network those filmmakers and actors together.

More Michigan Film Festivals on Absolute Michigan's Michigan Film Festival Page.

Ann’s archery success led to her being featured in Life, Seventeen and Sports Illustrated. She also appeared on national television programs, including those hosted by Ed Sullivan and Dick Van Dyke. At about the same time, she was diagnosed with Type 1 juvenile diabetes. Diabetes was not considered to be a dire health risk, although it required a daily insulin injection.

In the early 1960s, Ann moved away from competitive archery and concentrated on a lucrative show business career that included traveling throughout the Midwest and Canada with a popular automobile show called Thrillcade--a surreal combination of an old-fashioned circus, auto stunt show, music concert and NASCAR event.

Despite these many successes, Ann began experiencing vision problems. She was suffering from the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, a condition that caused small veins behind the eye to rupture and bleed. Ann’s life changed again in the mid-1960s when she became a highly successful talent agent for Detroit-area rock and roll groups.

In the spring of 1969, Ann suddenly lost her sight in both eyes. She was fitted with binocular-style glasses that enabled her to see a bit more clearly, but her health gradually deteriorated. In early March 1971, she collapsed and fell into a coma. Four days later, Ann Marston died.

For more on this and other intersting stories on Michigan's past, see the current issue of Michigan History magazine, which is available on most newsstands, or call 1-800-366-3703 or go to www.michiganhistorymagazine.com.

Lance says that this photo is part of a series of HDR shots for a photo class and asks that you take the time to view it on black.

You can see more including a stunning shot of the Capitol in his HDR set (slideshow). Other sets include Lomo, TTV and Polaroid.

Dr. Frost will speak about her book, particularly bout the Blackburns’ experience of freedom and re-capture in Michigan. She will explain the legal debate in Canada that resulted in a refusal to extradite the Blackburns to all but certain re-enslavement. The Blackburn case was the first serious legal dispute between Canada and the United States regarding the Underground Railroad. The impassioned defense of the Blackburns by Canada’s lieutenant governor set precedents for all future fugitive-slave cases.

Mark Harvey and the Archives staff have assembled a collection of legal documents from the Blackburn case that will be on display on the first floor of the Michigan Historical Museum all weekend, Feb. 7-8. These items include copies of affidavits sworn in Louisville by those seeking to regain custody of the couple; copies of warrants issued in Wayne County for the arrest of the Blackburns under the federal Fugitive Slave Law of 1793; and documents sent to Territorial Governor Porter explaining why they were refusing Michigan’s request for extradition. This case helped to establish Canada as the ultimate haven for men, women and children who escaped slavery in the American South.

Copies of "I've Got a Home in Glory Land" will be on sale in the Museum Store and Dr. Frost will be available to sign copies of her book following the presentation.

The Lansing City Pulse has a feature interview article with Dr. Frost in the Feb. 4, 2009 edition.

Untitled by Blackbeard Ben

This morning I found kind of a cool video showing all 43 Presidents and President-elect Barack Obama. It was pretty neat watching the march of familiar faces like Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Lincoln and FDR peppered with the less familiar John Tyler, Chester Arthur and two-time President Grover Cleveland and then to see at the end a face that was not the same shade as all the others. It reminded me of this poster by Patrick Moberg. More than that, it said to me that times are changing - that we will see the office of President held by a woman, by a Latino, and by people of so many races that one day, the color of the wrapping paper might not matter at all.

To me, that is the promise of America: we are who we live our lives to be, and not what we look like.

At Wikipedia you can learn about the number 44. It is apparently a happy number, and is the number of Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson, Floyd Little, Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Jerry West and George Gervin (and Rick Mahorn). In less glamorous sports news, it's also the number of years William Clay Ford Sr. has been chairman of the Detroit Lions ... number of playoff wins over that time? Just one.

As far as I can tell, today's inauguration will be the first to be massively webcast, and those of you who are working may want to tune in via CNN/Facebook or the Presidential Inaugural Committee web site to watch online and also see all kinds of maps and schedules for the days activities. Flickr's most recent inauguration and most interesting inauguration slideshows will probably be pretty interesting as well. If all that's too old school for you, you can check out the Inauguration on Tumblr, and Mike Wendland points out Current/Twitter's plan to let you tweet about the inauguration on TV. If it's not old school enough, check out "I do solemnly swear" ...Presidential Inaugurations from the American Memory at the Library of Congress.

Just before dawn on the 7 degree morning that is January 20, 2009 here in Leland, Michigan, I am doing much the same thing that I have on Tuesday mornings for the last 11 years: poking around the Michigan internet, looking for things I can share with my neighbors.

Today, I think I'd like to share with you my excitement not for the inauguration of Barack Obama. Athough I am pretty excited about that, I'd most like to share my belief that despite the grave local, national and international challenges on political, military, economic and environmental fronts we are facing, we are a can-do people, and by whatever God or gods or goddesses we do or don't believe in, we - meaning all of us, together - are going to do something about it.

What do you think?

Pete Meade is from Lansing. He says this photo offers a slightly different view from last week's snow storm. You can see more of his snow shots right here and get this photo gigantilicious-size too!

His photo sets include Winter, Autumn, Mackinac Island, The Asylum and Americana (view slideshow).

Check out Pete's Flickriver too!

Traveling the historic sites of Michigan just got a lot easier. The Historical Society of Michigan’s Historic Michigan Travel Guide provides information on hundreds of local historical destinations. The Guide is available for retail sale at all 92 Michigan Meijer stores across the state, any local bookstore or on-line from the Historical Society of Michigan.

To order securely on-line visit http://www.hsmichigan.org/travelGuide.php .

To find your closest Meijer store visit www.meijer.com The Historic Michigan Travel Guide is located in the check-out aisles alongside the display of local and regional maps.

The Guide provides key information travelers need to know about hundreds of historic locations, including operating hours, admission fees, highlights of exhibits and collections. Meijer, the Michigan based supercenter retailer, provided the funding to allow the Historical Society of Michigan to update its Travel Guide after nearly 30 years since its last edition. By selling the Guide, Meijer hopes to get this valuable tool into the hands of Michigan customers and visitors alike as they travel across our state.

Next time you visit Meijer take a look at the Historic Michigan Travel Guide as you check out. It makes a wonderful gift to anyone who values Michigan’s rich history!

Check out the Absolute Michigan Holiday Gift Guide for other great ideas!

The 192-page, hard cover, book is filled with gorgeous food & other photography that sweeps you across the magical mitten, the great state of Michigan. From north to south and east to west Chef Villegas covers the great agricultural heritage of the state in his sumptuous recipes.

Fork in the Road clearly goes hand-in-hand with "unkle e's" TV persona, capturing his funny and energetic personality. The recipes, written in clear, easy to follow instructions will appeal to the serious cook as well as the novice. Chef Villegas puts his own creative spin on traditional, natural, organic and wholesome Michigan cuisine. The book is organized roughly by the regions of the state: Freshwater, The Fruit Belt, Middle of the Mitt, The Thumb, The U.P., and The Great Lakes Pantry.

In Eric's travels throughout the state, he meets Michigan's growers, bottlers, producers, and farmers and purchases their products to use these ingredients in his recipes. Whether on TV or in the book, "unkle e" rambles on about all things related to food. Chef Eric gives his insights into the culinary foodstuffs of the great state of Michigan and cooking tips to help you "gastronauts" know step-by-step how to prepare the recipes - all of this and more delivered in his spirited "unkle e" way!

For more information, contact Shira Klein at 734-913-9447.

Fork in the Road cookbook orders can be placed at Huron River Press or by calling 734-913-9447. They accept VISA and MasterCard.

Check out this and many other great Michigan based gift ideas in the Absolute Michigan 2008 Holiday Gift Guide!

Thistle Stop by photoshoparama

The 24th annual Silver Bells in the City takes place this Friday (Nov 21) in downtown Lansing. The event features a parade of lights, the lighting of Michigan's Christmas tree and (weather permitting) a fireworks show. It's also free and attracted more than 120,000 people last year! Click that link to learn more and see a cool video from 2007.

Yesterday we got our first snowstorm of the season, with up to a foot of snow falling in parts of the state. The Muskegon Chronicle breaks it down for west Michigan and shows a video of snow (in case you forgot what it looks like). Up in the UP, there's no need for that as they received a bunch overnight:

"Here at the office we had just about 6 inches," said Mike Dutter, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Negaunee Township. "We certainly had reports out towards Trenary of 19 inches since 10 p.m. last night."

Of course, they race outhouses in Trenary so you never know whether to believe them or not.

Snow Bound by siskokid

That chill wind we feel in Michigan isn't just from Mother Nature. The possible collapse of the Big Three and the US auto industry has been howling like a blizzard for the last week. Over on Michigan in Pictures we have a post that seeks to gather interesting articles and opinions on just what should be done regarding the collosal mess that is the US automotive industry. One of the links that we found is a web site that was created by GM called GM Facts & Fiction. It has a lot of information about the economic impact of the auto industry and we've included a video from the site below.

One person who spends a great deal of time on this is Michigan's Governor. In Economy Is Only Issue for Michigan Governor, the New York Times takes an in-depth look at Gov. Granholm, her job and her detractors - worth a read indeed.

One thing's for sure - winter is on the way. You can warm up (cool off?) with the Snow slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool.

Watch some other videos of the Josh Davis Trio and many others on Scott Allman's YouTube channel! (Make sure to watch them in high quality mode)

About Josh Davis
Raised between the steely clamor of Detroit and the stillness of Michigan's pristine Upper Peninsula, Joshua Davis is a rare combination of both city and country. These distinct yet complimentary faces of Davis's home state of Michigan are lovingly melded in his songwriting.

Joshua writes songs, plays acoustic and electric guitar, National steel, mandolin and clawhammer banjo, tries to juggle, has a not-so-secret penchant for prestidigitation and a BA in theatre from Michigan State University.

Alongside touring nationally with Steppin' In It, he plays intimate solo shows, stripped down duo shows, and concerts backed by his roots-rock band featuring bassist Dominic John (Steppin' In It), Mike Lynch (Larry McCray band) on Hammond organ, and percussionist Mike Shimmin (Millish).

After six years and three albums as the primary songwriter of Steppin' In It, Davis released his debut solo record, Fool Rooster in 2005. The album secured the album of the year slot on WDBM's cult-favorite show, "Progressive Torch and Twang". The album features all original songs (many co-written with long time collaborator Aaron Allen)and a who's who of Michigan musicians.

He lives in Lansing, MI with his wife and daughter where he is successfully balancing touring, husband/fatherhood and finishing up writing tracks for a follow up to Fool Rooster, to be recorded in the winter of '08.

The four-day event on the MSU campus will reach across the university to the local community and beyond to showcase films on important environmental issues that will inform, entertain and inspire.

Highlights will include feature films, family-friendly films, documentaries, student productions, special guests, and much more. This open community event will encourage dialogue about the environment, while showcasing our community's green points of pride.

Fallen Beauty by lorainedicerbo

Welcome to 'The Week' for October 20-26. This is where we will be posting comments such as news items, interesting blog posts, cool video and media, coming events, new web sites added to Absolute Michigan and other items of note.

We invite you to do the same!

Temps are dropping and most areas have already experienced their first frost with snow coming up in the forecast. With this change in weather it is a great week to check out the The Michigan Story Festival in Mt. Pleasant on October 24 - 25. The two-day Michigan Story Festival offers a complete showcase of the power of storytelling in all its art forms. Michigan Story Festival is one of the only storytelling festivals to integrate the stories of many cultures and traditions. There is also the History, Mystery & Haunting: THE WHITNEY RESTAURANT in Detroit on October 25th for an evening to be remembered! First enjoy a three-course meal at this beautiful, 5-star restaurant. Later, Kathleen Tedsen and Beverlee Rydel, authors of "Haunted Travels of Michigan" will tell the Whitney story and, in association with paranormal team HIGHLAND GHOST HUNTERS, will share their experience and evidence collected during a two-night investigation. You may be in for a surprise! Photographs, Video & Audio Presented. A ghost hunt will follow.

Also be sure to check out our massive Michigan Haunted Houses, Mazes & Attractions page that features all kinds of haunted houses, corn mazes and scary attractions from all across Michigan.

Also, this Saturday the Michigan State University Spartans travel to Ann Arbor to play the University of Michigan Wolverines at The Big House. Check out our Michigan vs Michigan State Football Rivalry page for a ton of information on this much anticipated annual football game!

Celebration events are scheduled for Ishpeming, Lansing, and Marquette during September and October.

The Lansing City Pulse has more on this in their feature Anatomy of a Murder, turns 50

The defendant was acquitted of first degree murder 50 years ago. To try him again would be double jeopardy, which is unconstitutional. And your honor — did we mention that he’s a fictional character? Objections overruled.

The people of the state of Michigan will never rest the case against Lieutenant Frederick Manion. It’s way too much fun. In spring 1958, “Anatomy of a Murder,” a quirky, racy, philosophical best-seller by a fly-fishing Michigan Supreme Court justice began a six-month run at the top of the New York Times bestseller list, until something even quirkier, racier and more philosophical — Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita” — toppled it in late September.

The following year, “Anatomy” became a full-scale cultural icon, inspiring a hit movie directed by Otto Preminger, with James Stewart, George C. Scott and Duke Ellington in featured roles.

The naughty-pine crime drama also gave Michigan’s Upper Peninsula its headiest (and only) hour of glamour. Author John Voelker (writing as Robert Traver) set the tale in his “remote and raffish” home peninsula, drawing on per sonal experience as a U.P. defense attor ney. A year later, he urged Preminger to drag cast and crew to the shores of Lake Superior, resulting in one of the most off beat and effective location shoots in film history.

The Hollywood wildfire burned out in Ishpeming 50 years ago, but the book and its reputation still tower like old growth.

Also see:
Anatomy of a Murder: JUSTICE EQUALITY A Trip Through Our Nation's Legal Justice System

Anatomy of a Murder at Wikipedia

gothic splendor by dnj_Brian

Nathan Bomey of the Ann Arbor Business Review has an interesting piece showcasing how Michigan's three research universities have a direct and significant impact on our state's economy.

One of every $50 earned in the state of Michigan can be attributed to the economic impact of the state's three research universities, according to a new report.

"The economic impact of them is growing even at a time when the wages in the state are declining and the state budget support is declining," said Patrick Anderson, CEO of East Lansing-based Anderson Economic Group, which conducted the study.

The University Research Corridor - which consists of the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University - registered a net economic impact of $13.3 billion in 2007, up 3.5 percent from 2006, the report concluded.

Continue reading: State's universities drive economic development in the Ann Arbor Business Review at mlive.com

Farmer's Market @ the Michigan Capitol

The Michigan House of Representatives passed a resolution last week naming Thursday, September 18, 2008 the fourth annual “Buy Fresh, Buy Local – Select Michigan Day,” and to celebrate, there will be a special “Select Michigan Day” farmers market from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the east lawn of the State Capitol.

More than fifty local farmers and specialty food producers from across Michigan are gathering at the Capitol to offer their locally grown, processed and manufactured products for sale. Come by to experience the bounty of Michigan’s agricultural harvest and get fruits and vegetables picked fresh from the field and orchard, eggs, honey, wool products, grains, cheeses, beans, jams, jellies, baked goods, lamb, Lake Superior whitefish, flowers, plants, specialty foods, and much more to fill your bag or basket and take home.

“Plans for this Select Michigan farmers market have been going on for months, but having the House of Representatives pass this resolution really speaks to the importance of agriculture and local food to our state,” said Elaine Brown, Michigan Food & Farming Systems (MIFFS) Executive Director.

This is the fifth farmers market that MIFFS and the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) have partnered together to sponsor at the Capitol. Other market supporters include the Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA) and the Food Bank Council of Michigan (FBCM), who is kicking off their Michigan Harvest Gathering that morning at the market. Vendors and buyers alike are invited to donate fresh produce at the FBCM booth, where it will go to food banks serving those in need. Everyone should have access to fresh, healthy local food, and this is your opportunity to help make sure that happens. Learn more at www.fbcmich.org.

Along with the House designation of “Buy Fresh, Buy Local – Select Michigan Day,” which was introduced by Representative Goeff Hansen, Governor Jennifer Granholm is expected to proclaim this week as “Select Michigan Week” in celebration of Michigan agriculture, as she has done in past years. Michigan is the second-most diverse state in agricultural production in the nation, behind California, offering more than 200 different agricultural products. That diversity makes agriculture one of the strongest industries in the state, and it’s growing all the time.

Buying local food supports local farmers, communities and the economy and delivers fresher products from within the state with fewer “food miles” rather than importing product from across the country or abroad. If every Michigan household spent just $10 per week on Michigan-produced food, it would generate nearly $40 million each and every week. And shopping at farmers markets means connecting with the farmers who produced your food in your own community.

Thursday is also the kick-off for the Michigan Harvest Gathering, so when you buy local, you can also give locally.

For more information about this event or local food, contact MIFFS at (517) 432-0712 or miffs@msu.edu. You can visit us online at www.miffs.org to learn more about “Select Michigan Day” and local food activities around the state, like “Eat Local” challenges in Lansing, Mount Pleasant, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, the Canton Township Select Michigan Market, the 2008 Grape Escape in Muskegon and the Southwest Michigan Harvest Festival in Scotts at Tillers International. Or visit www.farmersmarkets.msu.edu to find a farmers market where you live to celebrate in your own community and household.

The farmers market is sponsored by the Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan Food and Farming Systems, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service, with additional support from the Michigan Farmers Market Association, the Food Bank Council of Michigan and Michigan farmers and specialty food producers.

Click here for a complete list of vendors.

2008's BluesFest is scheduled for Friday, September 19 and Saturday, September 20. The festival takes place in the streets of Old Town, surrounded by the best of the Capital City's art galleries as well as unique retail stores and grand architecture. Vendors line the streets offering ethnic food, beverages, art, clothing, and crafts, and nearby galleries and boutiques open their doors during festival hours.

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