Manistee

Exclusive: Behind-the-Scenes of Frankenmuth’s Pure Michigan TV Ad

May 6, 2013

Pure Michigan’s national advertising campaign kicked off last month, and today we’re launching the 2013 campaign in local markets throughout the Great Lakes region.

Here’s a look at a new television spot from Frankenmuth that you’ll soon see on TV. Detroit will also have a new television spot coming out later this season. Both will air in markets including Southern Ontario and Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio.

You might recall that we gave fans on social channels a first look at the Frankenmuth spot this past winter, and today we wanted to share some behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot. Take a look at the gallery below and let us know what you think!

Other new partners for this year’s campaign are Binder Park Zoo/Battle Creek, Manistee, Mount Bohemia and Tecumseh. Get a first listen of the Manistee and Tecumseh radio spots below.

Additional ads running regionally this season include Games on the Grass, Road Trip, First Tee, Catch Up and Mermaid Tails.

In total, the television and radio ads feature 34 private sector partners and will air in key regional markets and statewide through June. Learn more about the campaign on michigan.org.

Pure Michigan billboards – showcasing Grand Sable Dunes, Marquette Harbor, Miners Beach Falls and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore – will also be featured in regional and in-state markets. Chicago tour buses will also be branded with Pure Michigan again this summer. Learn more here.

What do you think of the latest Pure Michigan ads? Share with us below!

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Manistee’s Annual Tight Lines for Troops Event

April 25, 2013

in Events,Guest Blogger

The 4^th Annual Tight Lines for Troops event is happening in Manistee, Michigan on May 18^th. Today, guest blogger Maralee Cook fills us in on what the day will entail.

Veterans from 165 communities across the state of Michigan will have the opportunity to land a record catch during Manistee’s 4^th Annual Tight Lines for Troops on Armed Forces Day, May 18. Take part in saluting them as they return to port, as well as enjoying a day of special events in downtown Manistee.

Sixty private and charter boat captains will donate their boats, crew and time to host 240 Vets for a day of fishing on Lake Michigan. Manistee County’s Explore the Shores program makes many of the fishing piers, beaches and the city’s Riverwalk universally accessible as well, for those additional 60 Vets who fish the Shore Division. Veterans of WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Panama, the Cold War, plus Vets from conflicts in Bosnia, Kosovo and Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan are expected to join in the fun.

The boats, crew and Vets will head out on Lake Michigan from the Manistee River basin at dawn. While the Vets are fishing, downtown shopkeepers and business people will host a variety of activities and specials for the Vets’ families, including the Farmers Market, entertainment, SOS Cook-Off, Customs ‘N Classics Car Show, Art of the Military Art Exhibit, and more. At noon the fishing teams will return to the channel to make the two-mile trip upriver to Seng’s Marina on Manistee Lake, saluted by the welcoming cheers of thousands of flag-waving onlookers from the piers, Riverwalk and drawbridges.

Charter boat captain and event founder Bob Guenthardt, with the help of Manistee’s Little River Casino Resort, created Tight Lines for Troops to produce an event that would show appreciation and offer an entertaining day of fishing, fish tales and life stories. Manistee area boat captains and crews also have the chance to share their passion for fishing Lake Michigan’s premier fishing destination with Vets who might not otherwise have the opportunity to enjoy the experience.

Over 500 sponsors and volunteers contribute to the success of the program. Veterans pay no charter fees or entry fees. Residual proceeds from donations benefit the Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Manistee County Veterans Endowment Fund and the Veterans Program at Brain Injury Association of Michigan. For more information, call the Manistee County Visitors Bureau at 877.626.4783 or visit www.visitmanisteecounty.com.

Maralee Cook is a freelance writer living in Manistee, Michigan.

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Manistee’s 24th Annual Victorian Sleighbell Parade and Old Christmas Weekend

November 29, 2012

in Events,Guest Blogger,Holiday

Holiday spirit is in the air across Michigan, with many festive events on the horizon – including the Victorian Sleigh Bell Parade & Old Christmas Weekend in Manistee. Today, the Manistee County Convention & Visitors Bureau fills us in on this family-friendly event, which is coming up next weekend.

Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire, I’m Dreaming Of A White Christmas, Yuletide Carols, One-Horse Open Sleigh, Jingle Bells, Pipers Piping . . .

The images from our favorite Christmas holiday lyrics will be joyfully brought to life at the 24th Annual Victorian Sleighbell Parade and Old Christmas Weekend, December 6 to 9 in the City of Manistee in northwest Lower Michigan. There are dozens of events, some beginning the previous weekend, some are daily and some are ongoing. Here’s a sample of what you can expect during that Happy Holidays week.

The highlight of the festival is the Victorian Sleighbell Parade at 5:30 p.m., Saturday December 8. Authentic, true-to-period with Victorian costumes, horse-drawn floats, turn-of-the-century characters and two community Christmas trees, pulled by horse teams down River Street. Follow the Community Christmas Tree to the end of the parade route for the Tree Lighting Ceremony and Holiday Carol Sing-a-Long.

The parade follows a days-long schedule of events that begin Friday Nov. 30 with the opening of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” at the Ramsdell Theatre. Other events include visits with Santa; carriage rides; the Historic River Street Merchant Open House with holiday food and drinks; a Storefront Gingerbread House Competition; Jingle Bell Jog 5k run/walk; Downtown Soup Cook Off; Sleighbell Prince and Princess Pageant; Festival of Trees; Victorian Dessert Concert by the Manistee Choral Society and a special Christmas During Wartime exhibit at the Manistee County Historical Museum.

Don’t miss the “Sled Dog Express” which more than makes up for the absence of Dasher and Dancer and Donner and Blitzen; Cookie Fun; craft show and bazaar; Michigan Audubon Chickadee Christmas at Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary; Sleighbell Chocolate Shop; guided tours of Manistee’s architectural beauties; Manistee Community Band Christmas Concert; Kiwanis Kops; Muskegon Regional Police Pipes & Drums; Annual Jingle Mingle at the Ramsdell Inn; Victorian church services; “Visions of Sugar Plums” art exhibit from Manistee County’s K-12 students and the Guardian Angels Bell Tower Concert.

And that’s not all! While you may not associate Opera with Christmastime, a generous donor has provided the where-with-all for the Ramsdell Theatre to simulcast live in HD Metropolitan Opera Theatre productions with shows Dec. 1, 8 and 15. There are also special events in our charming small towns around the county, like Bear Lake’s Sparkle in the Park, which creates a Holiday Light Show at Waterfront Park. So you can make your list and check it twice, information and the schedule for all of these events can easily be found at visitmanistee.com.

While our architecture and history bring to mind the olden days of this Victorian Port City on the shores of the Great Lake Michigan, there’s nothing formal or stodgy about the fun and festivities ahead or the warmth and hospitality from our citizens and shopkeepers. Come join us. We do small town festivals in a big way. And dress warmly. Most likely, Jack Frost will be nipping at our noses.

Will you be heading to Manistee for their Victorian Sleighbell Parade and Old Christmas Weekend celebration? Share with us below! For more holiday-related events in your community, visit michigan.org.

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Fall Colors in Manistee County Have Peaked!

October 23, 2012

in Guest Blogger,Posts by Region

Fall colors in areas across Michigan have begun to peak, and Manistee County is no exception! Today, guest blogger Maralee Cook, a Manistee resident, fills us in on how you can still enjoy fall in its prime during a visit to her hometown.

Manistee County’s gloriously hot and sunny summer has become a brilliant, colorful autumn. The Great Lake Michigan is a deeper blue, the air is cool and crisp, and from the Manistee Pierhead light you can see north up the coast to Frankfort and south to the Point Sable Light. The trees are topped with leaves in hues you find on an artist’s palette: lemon yellow, gamboge, scarlet, vermilion, crimson, burnt sienna and more. They line the shores of Lake Michigan, the banks of over 270 miles of county rivers, and highways and back roads that carry us past miles of charming towns, farmland and orchards on gently rolling hills. Farm markets and Manistee’s Saturday Farmer’s Market offer bushel baskets overflowing with fall fruits and vegetables. Colorful mums and bright orange pumpkins wait by the hundreds to come home with you and decorate your front porch for Halloween. Come for an autumn drive, bike ride, canoe trip or to play golf or fish. And there are lots of festivals and events during the rest of October, to round out your stay.

Check out visitmanisteecounty.com with paper and pencil in hand, ready to mark on your calendar some of our special events.

West Michigan Juried Art Show at Hardy Hall in Manistee’s Ramsdell Theatre through Oct. 21.
“25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” performed at the Ramsdell Theatre through Oct. 21
Josh White Jr. live at the Ramsdell Theatre Oct. 26
Metropolitan Opera’s performance live in HD of Verdi’s “Otello” Oct. 27 at the Ramsdell Theatre
Manistee’s Ghost Ship each weekend in October
Scarecrow conventions in Onekama and Arcadia all month
Twisted Trails Off Road Park Pumpkin Run and Team Kamikaze
Salmon running at the Little Manistee River Weir
Fishing continues (always!) in the rivers and lakes

Maralee Cook is a freelance writer living in Manistee, Michigan.

Have you visited Manistee County this year? Share with us in the comments section below!

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Our 500th Blog Post: Let’s Take a Trip

January 31, 2012

in Northeast,Northwest,Outdoors,Posts by Region

Michigan celebrated a big birthday in January, and this blog’s 500th post gives another great excuse for cake! In honor of the milestone, we looked at roads less traveled and came up with a 500-mile (OK, 504 miles) “Top O’ The Mitten To Ya” road trip that encompasses all the natural beauty and relaxation of Pure Michigan.

Start in Muskegon, home to Michigan’s Adventure Amusement and Waterpark. If the season’s not right for the “Shivering Timbers” rollercoaster (or Muskegon’s 27 miles of beach), explore life as an old-timey lumber baron at the Hackley and Hume Historic Site.

Heading north will lead you to the beaches, trails, lighthouses and dunes of beautiful Ludington, where you (and your car) can cruise Lake Michigan aboard a real steamship. While a honey badger might not care, the S.S. Badger does.

Next, head northeast to Manistee – home to quaint Victorian shops, the world-class Arcadia Bluffs golf course and Little River Casino. Manistee County is also one of the best places in the world for rainbow trout and salmon fishing.

Again heading north, stop in at the Sleeping Bear Dunes Natural Lakeshore. Encompassing 35 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, Sleeping Bear Lakeshore is also home to an 1871 lighthouse and an extensive rural historic farm district.

Now, head east, with a quick detour north to the wine country of Suttons Bay. You won’t find a parking meter or stoplight, but you will find art, antiques and Ciccone Vineyard & Winery, owned by the family of a little-known entertainer by the name of Madonna.

Head south again for Traverse City. Grand Traverse Bay is a four-season destination, featuring 180 miles of sugar sand shoreline and extensive snowmobile and ski trails. Chances are good you’ll find cherry everything, among other delicious eats.

Continue northeast towards Charlevoix, where you can catch a ride on the Beaver Island Ferry and Petoskey, known for its fresh air, historic architecture and lending its name to Michigan’s state stone.

From Petoskey, head south towards the charming Alpine delights of Gaylord, and Grayling, for canoeing, kayaking, fishing on the AuSable and Manistee rivers, and snowboarding, sledding and ice skating in the winter. Grayling is even a great place for downhill skiing.

Head southwest towards the Traverse City Forest, and on to Cadillac. In the winter, Cadillac offers 200 miles of groomed snowmobile trails and 34 downhill ski runs with over 485 feet of vertical drop. Year-round, Cadillac offers 90,000 acres of state and national forest.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and this trip winds down in Big Rapids. One of Michigan’s better-kept secrets, Big Rapids offers swimming in the summer, gorgeous color in the fall, snowshoe trekking in the winter and lakefront picnic ground in the spring.

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