Traverse City Wine & Art Festival by M'Lynn Heartwell

Mike Brenton from the Lansing City Pulse attended the wine fest. In Sampling the Champs he writes about the festival and the Michigan Wine and Spirits Competition:
This year's Best of Class and Judge's Merit winners included six wines from Leelanau Peninsula and Old Mission Peninsula and an Ice Wine from Fenn Valley Vineyards, south of Holland. It is a testament to the quality grape growing and winemaking in the Traverse City Region...

Complete competition results are posted at www.michiganwines.com, but it is helpful to taste wines before purchasing.

Fortuitously, the Traverse City Wine and Art Festival held its inaugural celebration on Aug. 22 at the Grand Traverse Commons. Twenty-two area wineries and several diverse restaurants rimmed the edges of a circus-sized tent, while wine devotees sampled many of the Gold Medal and Best of Class wines. Forming a perimeter around the tent was a juried fine arts show, featuring many artists recognizable from the East Lansing Art Fair. On a stage off to the side, Okemos' own Thom Jayne & the Nomads entertained the crowd, along with other bands.

Buckwheat Zydeco at the Beer Fest II by Andy McFarlane

Absolute Michigan's Cherie Spaulding braved the downpour at the beer festival. In If you brew it she reports:

What occurred at The Village Saturday afternoon was no small feat. Had the sun simply offered her face in typical August fashion, hosting a Microbrew & Music festival would have been worry enough. Add to the challenge: rain, rain, rain. Still, not a grim face in the crowd. Smiles protruded from hooded hatters toting biodegradable koozies thermally insulating samples of amber ale and chocolate stout. Huddled and gathered beneath large and small tents, attendees dodged rain drops pelleting the lawn. Despite Mother Nature's drab set decoration, Traverse City's Microbrew & Music Festival proved to be a brilliant affair, as folks flooded the lawn of the old State Hospital grounds, sipping suds in the (sometimes) pouring rain...

After Saturday's event, the only hard evidence we have is that nothing--not even cool wet weather--will stop Michiganders from their microbrews, music and good eats. And yes, they seemed happy. Northern Michigan's thirst to celebrate with friends and family can neither be quenched or denied. Rain or shine--if you brew it, they will come!