September's Top Ten Great Ideas

Michigan Flywheelers Antiques Engine & Tractor Show

September 9 - 12
Michigan Flywheelers Museum
269-637-2010
www.MichiganFlywheelers.org

Antique steamers, old engines & tractors, consignment auction, large outdoor flea market, nightly entertainment, log cabin display, daily equipment parades, kids' activities, great food, cake walk!

Women’s Wellness Cruise

September 10 - 13
Traverse Tall Ship Company
800-678-0383
www.TallShipSailing.com

Today’s women are pulled in many directions, giving so much to those in their lives, but often ignoring their own needs in the process. The “Women’s Wellness Cruise,” September 10-13, aboard the Tall Ship Manitou offers an opportunity for women – mothers, daughters, sisters and friends – to take the time to concentrate on themselves.

Relax and revitalize in an environment of fun and friendship as you ply the sparkling waters of northern Lake Michigan aboard the Schooner Manitou. Led by professional facilitators, you will focus on mind, body and spirit through yoga, meditation, massage, nutrition and discussion. You will be able to shape your experience to match your needs and wishes. The cost is $735 per person, based on double occupancy in a two-bunk cabin, and includes all meals, overnight accommodations and special activities. Space is limited to 20 individuals; advanced reservations are required.

Other Tall Ship Cruises:

• September 17 – 20: Wine Tasting: $685 pp
• September 24 – 27: Great Lakes Folk Music: $685 pp
• October 1 – 4: Astronomy Cruise: $685 pp

Living History Civil War Event

September 11 - September 12 • 10 am
Lakeshore Museum Center
Muskegon
888-843-5661
www.LakeshoreMuseum.org

Visitors will meet members of Company F and have an opportunity to tour the camps of the north and south and learn about life there and in a Civilian Camp. The Company will conduct a drill demonstration with marching and use of Civil War musketry. Curators from the Museum’s Education Department will present a Civil War Activity for children. On Sunday, an Ecumenical Service will be held based on revival services that were held for both armies during the war.

Music will be performed on Saturday by the Dodworth Saxhorn Band, a recreation of one of America’s first all-brass bands. The ensemble of up to 17 members dresses the part, performs music from that period on original instruments and uses drama, poetry, dance and audience participation to help bring America’s musical past to life. Workshops will be offered along with a formal concert.

Detour Art

September 16 – November 7
Muskegon Museum of Art
Musekgon
231-720-2570
www.MuskegonArtMuseum.org

Detour Art highlights art and images by visionaries, untrained artists, and folk creators found along the back roads of America. It honors the creative spirit that is at once traditional and whimsical, spiritual and irreverent, earthy and sublime. The exhibit is an informative introduction to contemporary American folk art, and echoes the collector's passion and intrigue in creative expression off the beaten path.

Outsider art, visionary art, or folk art is a pure root art form, consider it visual blues or jazz. It's the spirit of both the art and the artists that captivates. Like the Delta Blues, contemporary folk art also shares the desire for strong narrative of the artist's life and times.

The artists represented within this show (and in every town across the country) are a testament to triumph over odds. Many of their stories follow a similar path: a life struggle, then purpose found through expression and the creation of art. Creativity pays little attention to convention, geographic boundaries, race, gender, age, or approval. It is generally a triumphant journey.

RELATED PROGRAMS

Thursday, September 16
Opening Reception & Lecture
5 pm Reception
6 pm Lecture by Kelly Ludwig
The public is invited to the Detour Art opening reception and lecture.Refreshments will be served. The event is free.

Sunday, September 19 • 2 pm
Cinema Sunday Film: Valerie and her Week of Wonders (Valerie a týden divu)
Director: Jaromil Jireš, 1970 (77 mins.) Czech with English subtitles Free with Museum Membership or with Museum Admission.

Thursdays, October • 1 pm - 3 pm
Open Tours
Drop in Thursday afternoons in October to tour Detour Art with MMA docents. Reservation is not required.

October 9 • 10 am - 3 pm
Wild Things Super Saturday: Free Family Fun Day
Watch out! Things will get wild and crazy on this Super Saturday. Enjoy Where the Wild Things Are on the MMA's big screen, create your own Wild Things mask, and discover wild art as you tour Detour Art. Film shown at 10 am and 1 pm.

2010 International Boat Show

September 17 - 18
Bay Harbor
888-BAY-HARBOR
www.BayHarbor.com

You’re invited to feast your eyes on the crystal blue lakes of Northern West Michigan and over 120 classic and wooden boats in a myriad of styles. ACBS offers extraordinary opportunities each year at the Boat Show to explore renowned destinations and boating opportunities. Each year, this fantastic event attracts a new and unique display of vintage craft. Never the “same old” boats at this show! You’re sure to have a difficult time finding a favorite, but will appreciate them all.

Blues, Brews & BBQ

September 18
St. Joseph Today
St. Joseph
269-985-1111
www.sjtoday.org

Bid a fond farewell to summer with soothing blues, local brew and spicy bar-b-que. The Howard Band Shell and Port Street play host to the second version of this event. The infamous cornhole tournament also returns to the streets of St. Joseph.

Hockeytown North

Players from the Detroit Red Wings and the Dallas Stars mix it up on the ice during the 2009 NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City.

September 18 - 21
Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau
800-TRAVERSE
www.traversecity.com

For most of the year, this resort community on Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay is best known for golf, sailing, fishing, beachcombing and other outdoor recreation. But for two weeks in mid-September, the most exciting action here seems to be happening indoors.

Each autumn since 1997 – except during the year of the lockout -- the Detroit Red Wings have held their fall training camp at Traverse City’s Centre ICE arena. For that brief time, Traverse City is transformed into “Hockeytown North,” where hundreds of fans from the U.S. and Canada come to watch and meet as many as 70 team members in what may be the sport’s most “up close and personal” series of events.

But hard-core hockey aficionados insist that the real action takes place a week earlier, when the Wings and seven other NHL teams hold their annual prospects tournament in Traverse City -- a four-day round-robin of competition that gives fans a chance to watch tomorrow’s hockey stars in action.

The camp’s popularity may have something to do with the scenic beauty and casual “Up North” atmosphere of the Traverse City area. But it’s also at least partly due to the relaxed and friendly nature of the events themselves. Fans who travel to Hockeytown North can easily find themselves staying in the same hotel or sharing a table at a local nightspot with members of a visiting team; it’s easy to strike up a conversation, and even easier to get an autograph.

The Red Wings training camp, which begins Sept. 18, features as many as 60 players divided into three separate training teams. During the first three days of the camp, players work out and play intrasquad games, culminating in a traditional “Red & White” game on Sept. 21. Tickets for all the events are priced deliberately low ($15 for daily workouts, $25 for the Red & White game.)

The NHL prospects tournament that precedes the Red Wings camp (this year it’s Sept. 11-15) is even less expensive – a mere $8 per day. Started in 1998 with four teams, the tournament now includes hot prospects from seven teams in addition to Detroit: the Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues, representing five of six divisions of the Eastern and Western Conferences of the NHL.

3rd annual Biketemberfest

September 24 - 26
Boyne Highlands
Harbor Springs
800-GO-BOYNE
www.Boyne.com

Grab your bike and a few friends and head to Boyne Highlands September 24-26. This weekend is packed with non-stop fun and the most amazing 46 mile ride in Northern Michigan for beginners and experts alike.

This is not a race! Instead it’s a collection of outdoor enthusiasts who want to enjoy a little physical exercise together in one of the most beautiful areas in the state of Michigan. The ride begins and ends at Boyne Highlands Resort. We will ride up and down the rolling countryside, through forests and farmland, and will be overwhelmed by breathtaking views of Lake Michigan from atop 400’ high bluffs. We stop approximately half way at a unique place Legs Inn where we have a leisurely lunch and swap stories. The ride continues through farmland, hardwood forests, and gently rolling hills with a stop at the Moose Jaw Junction Bar before ending up back at Boyne Highlands Resort. As an added bonus, Boyne Highlands will have a chairlift open all weekend. Put your bike on the chairlift and catch a ride to the top of Boyne Highlands ski area for spectacular views of Lake Michigan and Little Traverse Bay. There are scenic downhill trails for the inexperienced and extremely hard core trails for the adventurous.

A two night package is available with lodging at Boyne Highlands Resort includes lodging Friday and Saturday night, breakfast each morning, the bike ride, Saturday lunch at Legs Inn, lift tickets Sunday, event registration and two parties.

Apple Cider Century Bicycle Tour

September 26
Harbor Country CVB
Harbor Country
888-877-2068
www.VisitHarborCountry.com

Routes of 15,25, 37, 50, 62, 75 and 100 miles will be offered and all routes will have rest stops, refreshments, energy drinks, bike repair and first aid personnel on duty. An all you can eat spaghetti dinner will be served at the completion of your ride and a pre-ride Ice Cream Social with entertainment will be offered, “free to all registered riders” Saturday evening. Only the first 5,000 entries received on or before September 26 will be accepted.

ColorFall

Through October 31
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
Grand Rapids
888-957-1580
www.MeijerGardens.org

This annual celebration of autumn at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park highlights thousands of flowering chrysanthemums in both interior and exterior venues. ColorFall tours of the gardens, trees and sculpture collection are a visual delight. Harvest at Michigan's Farm Garden includes heirloom vegetables, herbs, maize, gourds and giant pumpkins. Floral displays by leading area florists and a variety of seasonal demonstrations round out this botanic gala of color.

Admission:

• Adult 14–64: $12
• Senior 65 & older: $9
• Students with ID: $9
• Children 5–13: $6
• Children 3–4: $4
• Children 2 & younger: Free