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Articles by Anna Faller
Right Bower’s Apple Crisp Cold Brew
Bottoms Up By Anna Faller | Oct. 31, 2026 No northern Michigan autumn would be complete without a little escape. For our next venture, find us tucked away at Right Bower Kitchen & Coffee on Old Mission Peninsula, where the freshly-picked Apple Crisp Cold Brew just hit the fall menu.
Baker’s Burrow’s Snickerdoodle Cookies
Tastemaker By Anna Faller | Oct. 24, 2026 As we enter hibernation season, we’ll be stocking up on homemade treats from The Baker’s Burrow in Honor. Filled with small-batch bakes that rotate by season, this self-serve cupboard is a haven for all things quick breads, muffins, blondies, and beyond—but we can be found stuffing our cheeks with the signature Snickerdoodle Cookies.
Finding the Beauty in Horror Novels
Author Teagan Olivia King on fear, strength, and imagination By Anna Faller | Oct. 24, 2026 It’s officially spooky season, folks, which means it’s high time to stack your TBR list with tales of all things terrifying. If you ask Michigan author Teagan Olivia King, however, not all of our favorite horror stories have to be quite so, well, horrible. In fact, we could even be friends with the creatures living under our beds, or at the very least, empowered by them.
OBrien Vineyards’ Ard Ri Pinot Noir
Bottoms Up By Anna Faller | Oct. 17, 2026 There’s something about fall in northern Michigan that has us feeling like royalty. So, we’re pairing the majesty of Mother Nature (and her crimson color change) with the 2024 Ard Rí Pinot Noir from ŌBrien Vineyards in Traverse City.
Running into Winter: Call for Race Calendar Submissions
Oct. 10, 2026 We know it’s only mid-October, but we’re starting to pull together our calendar of winter races for Dec. 21, 2026, and beyond.
Big Data, Weak Holiday
Spectator By Stephen Tuttle | Oct. 10, 2026 In a post to his own Truth Social, our president said if you oppose them it will leave your community “backwards and poor.” Then, in his Time Magazine interview, he doubled down saying opponents would “have no money” and “live in crime-infested squalor.” The cherry atop his negativity sundae was that we will be “controlled by China.” Oh, dear.
Leaving Leaves This Fall
Stuff We Love Oct. 10, 2026 It’s that time of year again, folks, when the leaves start dropping and everything else in your yard goes from green to gold to brown. Rather than going in for a clean sweep or burning debris, local environmental groups recommend two paths forward through the foliage. Option one: Leave it where it lies. Leaves are one of nature’s great fertilizers, especially if you pop them in your garden or landscaping beds.
Spotlight on Frankfort Film Festival
By Jamie Kauffold | Oct. 10, 2026 The 18th Annual Frankfort Film Festival runs Oct. 15-18 at The Garden Theater, with films including A Private Life, starring Jodie Foster as renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner who is convinced one of her patients has been murdered. Other films include South by Southwest Audience Award winner My Dead Friend Zone, Cannes darling Fjord, and favorites from the Express film column like Train Dreams and Cookie Queens.
Things That Go Bump in the Night
Oct. 10, 2026 Spooky season is upon us, and community storytelling group Charlevoices is leaning into the scare with “Things That Go Bump in the Night.” Charlevoices is all about “true stories told live,” creating events where “real people share real experiences, where listeners feel connected and understood, and where our community is strengthened through compassion, creativity, and shared humanity,” per their website. This Halloween edition will be held Oct.
On the Brink, We Must Unite
Guest Opinion By Walt Wood | Oct. 10, 2026 As an independent voter and confessing Christian, I oppose the following: The degradation of our democratic institutions, including a disempowered Congress and corrupt Supreme Court. The violent, masked, paramilitary force known as ICE. Extrajudicial killings of people in boats. The Epstein criminals. The destruction of USAID, and the catastrophic, ongoing results. The incessant assaults on Gaza and Ukraine.
The Boathouse’s Yuzu No Boozu
Bottoms Up Oct. 10, 2026 Looking for a zero proof drink with a view? Scope out the changing colors across West Grand Traverse Bay at The Boathouse, where the fall NA menu is primed to shine. We opted for the Yuzu No Boozu, a very convincingly crafted cocktail that had all the complexity of its alcoholic counterparts but, as the name implies, none of the booze.
Film Beat: October 12, 2026
By Joseph Beyer | Oct. 10, 2026 As the leaves begin falling and the sweaters come out again, we’re using this change of seasons to try something new here at Northern Express. We’ll be featuring picks from our remarkable array of restored arthouses, cultural centers, museums, and our local AMC multiplex. Some might be right in your backyard, and others might require a road trip to a nearby destination, but the goal will be the same: to celebrate NoMi cinema culture.
From a Car Dealership to a Casa Italiana
Grayling’s Matt and Christine LaFontaine on their restaurant, Mimi and Pipi’s By Ross Boissoneau | Oct. 10, 2026 How does a family with no experience in the restaurant business make a go of it? For Matt and Christine LaFontaine, it all comes down to their expertise in the auto industry. While running a restaurant may seem a long distance from selling cars and trucks, changing oil, or resurfacing brake rotors, Matt LaFontaine begs to differ. “We operate a boutique dealership.
Disconnect to Reconnect at Water & Woods
A visit to the new retreat center in Kaleva By Rachel Soulliere | Oct. 10, 2026 In August, Kaleva welcomed its first wellness retreat to the heart of Manistee County. Located at 15271 Makinen Road, Water & Woods offers a wide variety of experiences that focus on nature, healing, and connection. Guests can enjoy winding trails, serene landscapes, individualized programming, and a rich history that owners Jen and Kat LaTosch have dreamed of for years.
Your Fall 2026 NoMi Restaurant Guide
10 eateries you won’t want to miss this season By Northern Express Staff & Contributors | Oct. 10, 2026 This is one of our biggest restaurant roundups ever, and it’s just in time for fall dining! We have sushi, shawarma, sandwiches, and Southern comfort food. We have food trucks, fine dining, and cozy hole-in-the-wall spots that locals know and love. And best of all, we have the scoop on the owners and menus (at least as they were when we last visited) below.
Slabtown Cookie’s Cinnamon Crumble Muffins
Tastemaker By Anna Faller | Oct. 10, 2026 Though they often fall in with breakfast foods, everyone knows that muffins are really cake in disguise, so we’re having our cake and eating it too in the form of the jumbo Cinnamon Crumble Muffins at Slabtown Cookie Co. in Traverse City.
Fall on the Farm
A day in the life at Lakeview Hill Farm and 9 Bean Rows By Anna Faller | Oct. 10, 2026 With the reds and oranges of color-change in full swing, hearty root veggies and leafy greens by the bushel, and pumpkin everything on the menu, we’re pretty sure life doesn’t get better than fall on a northern Michigan farm. “It’s a great time to be here,” says Lakeview Hill Farm co-owner John Dindia. “We’re really excited to continue to serve our community.” But what goes into all of that bounty?
Downtown Sound Returns
Oct. 10, 2026 Crooked Tree Arts Center makes a point of bringing in top talent in the off-season in Petoskey with their annual Downtown Sound concert lineup. The season kicked off in September with The Harp Trio from Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra, and next up are The Proud Naturals, a funky rock band out of Detroit (opener is singer-songwriter Lucy Weisberger), on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 7:30pm. Tickets range from $10-$40. Be sure to mark your calendars for May Erlewine (Nov.
Noble Lounge & Bar’s Hungry for Apples
Bottoms Up By Anna Faller | Oct. 3, 2026 With fall in the air, we’re craving orchard fruit—and the folks at Dexter Hotel’s Noble Lounge & Bar in Elk Rapids have the answer in their Hungry for Apples cocktail. An autumnal take on the French 75, this pomme-y pour layers the baked-fruit backbone of Chicken Cock Old Glory, the rye whiskey blended with Laird’s apple brandy, with house cinnamon syrup (notes of clove, allspice, and nutmeg) and clarified citric Honeycrisp apple juice.
Polish Countryside Kitchen’s Dill Pickle Soup
Tastemaker By Anna Faller | Sept. 26, 2026 We know we’re still on the edge of cozy weather, but it’s always soup season at Polish Countryside Kitchen in Cedar, where the food truck’s Dill Pickle Soup is kind of a big dill.
Getting Worse
Spectator By Stephen Tuttle | Sept. 19, 2026 Why, my friend asked, do you keep writing about the environment? Because people should know things keep getting worse. Some scientists believe a tipping point has already been reached and our actions no longer have much mitigating consequence—we are heading for an environmental apocalypse no matter what. Others are more hopeful. The current administration in Washington does not believe there is a problem. What does the current data indicate?
Wine & Sushi: The Perfect Pairing
Sushi and wine combine at the new team-up between Bonobo and Dojo By Todd VanSickle | Sept. 19, 2026 Traverse City’s newest haunt literally has two bars—wine and sushi. Bonobo Winery and Dojo Sushi have combined forces in a historic TC home and recently opened its doors to the neighborhood and beyond. Although there are two separate businesses operating in the same building, the ultimate goal is to create an experience where the two businesses work together, says Dojo Sushi owner Brent Shafer.
Saturday Suds in Cadillac
By Jamie Kauffold | Sept. 19, 2026 Grab a tasty craft brew or choose from a variety of NA flavors at Cadillac’s Craft Beer Festival, overlooking Lake Cadillac at Cadillac Commons, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2-9pm. Port Huron’s The Gasoline Gypsies bring their Americana rock, along with tunes by The Bootstrap Boys and Silver Creek Revival. Try your hand at yard games, and hit the local food trucks! GA tickets are $30 advance, $35 gate, and include five 5-oz. pours and a festival glass.
Jolly Pumpkin’s Sweet Potato Nachos
Tastemaker Sept. 19, 2026 When you read the description for these nachos on the Jolly Pumpkin menu, you may expect simple, straight-forward flavors: borracho beans, shredded pepper jack cheese, house salsa, and cilantro lime sour cream. You may also expect the cooked-to-carmelized-perfection sweet potatoes to be the star of the show.
An Imperfect Guide to Environmental Dilemmas at Home
Guest Opinion By Lauren Teichner | Sept. 19, 2026 As a homeowner, parent of two small kids, and full time professional, I constantly grapple with how to lead an environmentally conscious life. There are many questions that do not seem to have easy answers: When it comes to our lawn, how can I steward our land while creating space for our kids to play? What controls should I use, if any, to tackle the swarms of mosquitos we get in the early summer?
Red Wine-Inspired Recipes
Inside the Ingredients By Nora Rae Pearl | Sept. 19, 2026 The 45th parallel brings with it many gifts: beautiful seasons, abundant harvests, and, of course, wine. So why not use what we have at our fingertips as inspiration in the kitchen? Our Coq Au Vin and Flourless Chocolate Cake are a perfect combo for this transitional season between summer and fall. We recommend sourcing a Cabernet from your preferred northern Michigan winery to use in both recipes.
Fall Festival in Elk Rapids
Sept. 19, 2026 Just a few days after the autumnal equinox—Sept. 22, for those who observe—Elk Rapids will host its Fall Festival downtown on River Street on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 11am-3pm. The free, family-friendly celebration includes a slate of early fall treats, from fresh cider to caramel apples to cinnamon-coated donuts. There will also be live music, booths from local vendors, and line dancing Sandy and the Bandits.
Lucy Foley: The New Queen of Mystery
Bestselling British author takes on Miss Marple (and comes to TC) By Jillian Manning | Sept. 19, 2026 If you’ve walked into a bookstore in the last eight years, no doubt you have seen one of Lucy Foley’s iconic covers: bright, scrawling type against an eerie, atmospheric background. The Hunting Party, The Guest List, The Paris Apartment, and The Midnight Feast have made Foley a household name and a New York Times bestseller when it comes to page-turning thrillers.
What the Ancestors Say
Local journalist shares her investigation into Indian boarding schools in new book By Anna Faller | Sept. 19, 2026 There’s an Anishinaabe belief that the mind, body, and spirit are all interconnected. As such, hurting one inevitably damages the other two. But when you heal one, you also heal the others.
Spilling the Tea on Decades of Success
What Angela Macke has learned from over 20 years of running Light of Day Organics By Geri Dietze | Sept. 19, 2026 For Angela Macke, tea is a healing journey, a ceremony, a spiritual awakening, and a way of life. But she had little idea of what she was starting back in 2003 when she founded what has become Light of Day Organic Farm and Tea Shop on her Leelanau Peninsula farm.
Your Fall 2026 Race Calendar
25+ races in northern Michigan By Northern Express Staff & Contributors | Sept. 19, 2026 Ready to fall into some healthy habits? Fall is the season of big bike competitions, footraces through the autumn foliage, and more turkey trots than you could shake a drumstick at. Here are 25+ races—from 1-milers to 100-milers—to keep you moving as the seasons change. SEPTEMBER Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026 Cadillac Craft Beer Hustle 5K 215 S.
Revisiting Memory
Stuff We Love Sept. 19, 2026 How does a memory change when we revisit it? This is the question that Echoes, the newest exhibit at Crooked Tree Arts Center (CTAC) in Petoskey, asks. Twenty-nine artists tackled the question across an array of mediums to explore how places, environments, and landscapes linger in our thoughts.
The 2026 Vineyard Recap: The Harvest, The Bottle, and The Experience
From growing to harvest to glass, here’s what three NoMi wine experts have to say about this year’s grape crop By Matt Dursum | Sept. 19, 2026 Blizzards, floods, wildfire smoke, and changing drinking habits have made 2026 another year of adaptation for northern Michigan’s wine industry. From the vineyard to the tasting room, growers and winemakers are finding new ways to work through the challenges and turn chaos into liquid art.
Your Guide to Up North Pride Week 2026
Fresh off a recent move, the local organization is ready to celebrate By Ellen Miller | Sept. 19, 2026 When the building Up North Pride occupied on Eighth Street was sold, the organization knew it was only a matter of time before they’d have to move. Thankfully, they’ve found a new home at Commongrounds, where they are able to not only have office space, but also use meeting rooms and community rooms for programming. “It may be a shared space, but it’s consistent.
Barrel Back’s Smoked Honey Pear Tea-Ni
Bottoms Up By Anna Faller | Sept. 19, 2026 We don’t normally blow smoke when it comes to beverages, but we’re willing to make an exception for the Smoked Honey Pear Tea-Ni at Barrel Back Restaurant in Walloon Lake. Inspired by the crisp-meets-warming flavor palette of early fall (and to echo the kitchen’s house-smoked meats), this fireside sip just dropped as part of Barrel Back’s Applewood Smoked Autumn menu.
Halloween Begins on Silver Lake
Sept. 19, 2026 If the decorations around town haven’t been a sign, then consider this your official notice: spooky season is here! Holiday RV Park Campground on Silver Lake in Traverse City is getting in on the fun with their first Halloween Weekend. Friday, Sept. 25, head to the pavilion at 7pm for a night of scary campfire stories (and s’mores, of course). There will also be hay rides offered throughout the evening.
Hey, Read It! Shelter Dogs
Sept. 12, 2026 Can you imagine releasing your fourth book before you’re in high school? Or raising more than $14,000 for your local humane society? Amelie Anastasia from Petoskey has done both. This young animal welfare advocate has just released Shelter Dogs, a story about 13 shelter dogs (and one shelter cat), inspired by true stories of rescued animals from northern Michigan and across the country.
Every Kitten Counts at Kelly’s Kritters
Only one in four outdoor kittens survive in northern Michigan without human intervention and care By Rachel Soulliere | Sept. 12, 2026 It was only 3pm, and Kelly’s Kritters was preparing to turn away their seventeenth kitten of the day, a heartbreaking reality for a kitten rescue that exists exclusively to give cats a second chance. It turns out, the better Kelly’s Kritters cares for kittens in need, the more they see how many kittens in northern Michigan need saving.
75 Years of the Little Traverse Bay Humane Society
Behind the scenes at the Harbor Springs shelter By Anna Faller | Sept. 12, 2026 At the Little Traverse Bay Humane Society (LTBHS) in Harbor Springs, their answer, whenever possible, is yes: yes to adoption, yes to sustainable solutions, and most importantly, yes to the dogs and cats in need throughout northern Michigan. “We use our values to determine solutions every day here at the shelter,” says senior director of advancement Jessica Mendezona.
Pet Sitting 101
Finding the right care for your four-legged family By Lourin Sprenger | Sept. 12, 2026 For pet owners, going on vacation can come with anxiety, leaving you wondering who will take care of your pets while you’re away. Finding someone you trust to care for your animals can be just as important as choosing the destination itself. We asked two local pet sitters how to vet (pun intended) candidates to watch your furry friends.
Ironman Returns to Frankfort
By Jamie Kauffold | Sept. 12, 2026 Heads up for those planning to travel in or near Benzie County this Sunday, Sept. 20! If you want to cheer on the 2,000 athletes competing in Ironman 70.3 Michigan in Frankfort, or have to travel in this area, visit ironman.com/races/im703-michigan/traffic-impact for a traffic impact report and vehicle detour routes. Roads to avoid include Main St., M-22, Frankfort/Furnace Ave., and surrounding approach roads.
SunRise Cottage Bakes’ Peaches and Cream Scone
Tastemaker By Anna Faller | Sept. 12, 2026 Does it get better than sinking your teeth into a northern Michigan peach on a late summer day? Only if that peach is one of many studded into a freshly-baked treat. Enter: the Peaches and Cream Scone from SunRise Cottage Bakes in Cedar.
The New Sushi Truck on the Block
Streamline Sushi wraps up first summer in TC By Art Bukowski | Sept. 12, 2026 Drive down Eighth Street these days and you might catch the sun gleaming off a vintage Streamline trailer parked next to Cordwood BBQ’s brick-and-mortar location. Inside is the sushi man. We’re talking about Eric Kolden, who has a long history of slinging this classic Japanese staple around town.
Where to Take Fido
Nine dog-friendly spots around northern Michigan By Sara Bagley | Sept. 12, 2026 Don’t want to leave your pup at home on the next family field trip? The great news is that you might not have to! We’ve put together a list of places in addition to local dog parks, hiking trails, and restaurant patios that are excited to welcome you both for a fall outing. 1.
Phoxy’s Milkshake
Bottoms Up Sept. 12, 2026 At Phoxy’s Phillies & Grindage food truck, you’re going to be tempted to order entrees and shareable appetizers like the Original Cheesesteak, a Coney dog basket, fried pickle chips, or loaded Philly fries. We fully support this approach, but we’re also here to recommend that you save some room for dessert.
Building a Sustainable Model for Trails
Guest Opinion By Brian Beauchamp | Sept. 12, 2026 The Grand Traverse region is a place most clearly defined by water and the natural features of our sugar sand beaches, cold water streams, inland lakes, and wooded hillsides. Another feature that has come to define our region is the access provided to these spaces through sustainable trails that immerse us in the landscape and bring our senses alive. A hiking trail through one of our area’s many nature preserves offers a certain quietude.
Tap into Trails 2026
Sept. 12, 2026 Ready to run, bird, bike, and generally have a great day in the great outdoors? Cheboygan’s Tap into Trails event is back Saturday, Sept. 19, starting at 8am when the 10K race (followed by the 5K at 8:15) kicks off in Festival Square and takes runners and walkers along the North Central and North Eastern state trails. From there, expect live music in downtown, join up with a birding stroll in the Duncan Bay Nature Preserve, or take the kiddos to the Children’s Trail.
Compost Crawl Across Michigan
Sept. 12, 2026 Sept. 13-26, the entire state is going to the worms with the Great Michigan Compost Crawl. Put on by Landscape for the Lakes, Michigan Organics Council, and the Michigan Recycling Coalition, the educational programming aims to help residents learn more about the composting process and get started with piles of their own! Get involved in the crawl with SEEDS, a nonprofit based in Traverse City.
“Frame the Theme” Call for Art
The Folded Leaf Foundation plans benefit auction Sept. 12, 2026 Traverse City-based nonprofit The Folded Leaf Foundation (sister organization to the bookstore founded in Cedar) is issuing a call for artists for their first-ever benefit auction, Frame the Theme.
Saving Macie
Stuff We Love By Geri Dietze | Sept. 12, 2026 After years in an enormous Louisiana puppy mill, never setting foot on grass, never seeing the sun, Macie the poodle/shih tzu arrived in northern Michigan with trauma intact, but Boyne City’s Linda McGeorge was determined. “For the first six months she hid, didn’t make a sound, and wouldn’t accept a touch from me,” explains McGeorge.
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