Traverse Traveler Community

Downtown Traverse City Holiday Events

Celebrate the Spirit of the Season in Downtown Traverse City

There’s nothing quite like strolling the streets of Downtown, popping in and out of shops while snowflakes drift to the ground. With Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, there’s no better time for holiday shopping. Downtown Traverse City wants to make sure you enjoy the holidays, so they’re getting ready to kick off the season with the Arrival of Santa, followed by special shopping nights and festive events all season long.

Here are all the details you’ll need to enjoy a festive holiday season in Downtown Traverse City.

Annual Tree Lighting with Santa and Light Parade

Saturday, November 23rd

Downtown Traverse City’s seasonal magic lights up on Saturday with the excitement of Santa’s Arrival, the Tree Lighting, and the Light Parade. Spend the evening with Santa and enjoy shopping throughout downtown.

This Downtown Traverse City Holiday Event includes a community sing-a-long of your favorite holiday carols until Santa joins the Traverse City Mayor and special guests for the Tree Lighting. Enjoy the excitement as the Light Parade rolls in with stunning floats, live performances, and of course, Santa himself.

Santa’s House

Take your little ones to meet Santa this holiday season! He will be in his cozy house on City Center Plaza at the corner of State and Cass Street throughout the holiday season. Make sure to bring your letters for Santa and your sweet tooth when you visit. Check out the hours for Santa’s House here.

Black Friday & Small Business Saturday

November 29th & 30th

Support local and enjoy seasonal savings! Shop great deals on Black Friday & Small Business Saturday in shops, restaurants, and more in downtown Traverse City. It’s the perfect chance to check off your holiday list, enjoy local dining, and make a positive impact by supporting the community.  

Ladies Shopping Night

Thursday, December 5th

Grab your friends and enjoy a festive night out at downtown Traverse City’s annual Ladies’ Night! From 5 to 9 pm, participating stores will offer exclusive specials, refreshments, prize drawings, free gift wrapping, and more. 

Men’s Shopping Night

Thursday, December 12th

Gentlemen, the evening is finally yours! Celebrate and shop with friends during Men’s Night Downtown Traverse City from 5 to 9 pm.  The gents can enjoy hors d’oeuvres and specials at many restaurants and merchants will be offering in-store specials, gift wrapping, and drawings.

Merry Marketplace

November 9th – December 14th

Get into the holiday spirit at Crooked Tree Art Center on the historic Sixth Street in Downtown Traverse City! Their Merry Marketplace features unique gifts and art from artists across Michigan. It’s the perfect place to find one-of-a-kind holiday presents while supporting local. Explore more holiday events and plan your visit here.

Holiday Performances

The City Opera House has several festive performances. Kick things off on December 7th with the Gilded Christmas Gala. Keep the holiday spirit alive with the Good Lovelies Christmas Tour, enchanting candle-lit concerts, and a Magical Motown Christmas. Discover more events and book your tickets here. 

The Old Town Playhouse knows there’s no better way to get into the Christmas spirit than curling up for nostalgic holiday movies. Don’t miss the Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon from December 13th to the 21st. Check out their full lineup and grab your tickets here.

Enjoy festive music in a beautiful setting at The Alluvion. They have a calendar of events filled with heartwarming concerts, including a special performance by jazz icon Bob James. For tickets and more details, visit their events page. 

Where to Park or Catch a Ride

Getting around Downtown Traverse City should be hassle-free! For drivers, convenient metered parking is available throughout downtown, with options to pay by coins or phone with the ParkMobile app. If you don’t want to worry about running out of time, try parking at the Larry C. Hardy and Old Town Parking Decks.

Don’t want to pay for parking or riding? Catch a ride on the Bayline Bata bus which runs past Traverse City’s East Bay hotels into downtown Traverse City. Find their ride schedule here.  

Celebrate with Small Business this Holiday Season

We hope you’ll find some fun Holiday events in the Traverse City community this season. With over 200 merchants in the downtown region alone you have plenty of options to support local businesses, and shop small this season.

By |2024-11-21T12:30:46-05:00November 21st, 2024|Community, News & Events, Things to Do|0 Comments
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Two Northern Michigan Tourism Bureaus Unite for a Regional Approach to Marketing

Traverse City Tourism, northern Michigan’s largest destination marketing organization has formed a merger with the Benzie County Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. Traverse Traveler has worked closely with both communities since our inception. So we’d like to give you some perspective on how this regional approach to marketing affects the hospitality industry in northern Michigan. We’ll talk about how the merger impacts hotels and travelers. And we’ll share some perspective from the local business members of both organizations.

Tourism Bureaus Unite

Let’s Start with a Regional Approach to Marketing

When we first went into business with our little card displays in 2001 one thing was certain. We knew our marketing was going to represent businesses all around Traverse City, including those in Benzie and Leelanau county. While Traverse City had the most hotels—an important factor since our distribution is based in the hotel lobby—some of the best restaurants and attractions to visit lie off the beaten path, in the small towns that surround the city. So we took a regional approach to marketing. We have displays in all three counties and promote businesses all across the area. I think we had the right idea.

Since 2001 we have worked with hotels, restaurants, and attractions across Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, and Antrim county. We’ve learned that travelers who stay in one community are here to enjoy and experience northern Michigan. That itinerary doesn’t stop at the county line. Guests that stay in one town are more than willing to drive 40 minutes to enjoy a fabulous meal, explore our parks and beaches, shop for souvenirs and wander through our historic towns. But when it comes to our destination marketing organizations (DMOs), whose job it is to market this region nationwide as a vacation destination, lines had to be drawn in the sand. Until now.

When 2 + 1 = 2

As of March 1, 2020 two of our region’s DMOs will become one. The Benzie County Area Convention and Visitors Bureau announced they will be merging with Traverse City Tourism. This merger not only impacts the Benzie CVB members but the Benzie Chamber as well. The Benzie Chamber and Benzie CVB shared staff, offices and a Visitor Center at the corner of M-115 and US-31 in Benzonia. This merger will bring two organizations together and leave one to stand alone.

In the fall of 2019 Mary Carroll, the Executive Director of the Benzie CVB and Benzie Chamber president announced she was leaving. This left the boards with big decisions to make about the future of their organizations. The Benzie Chamber selected Rick Coates to lead their organization starting in January 2020. In a letter to Benzie Chamber members announcing the merger, he shared their perspective,

“Tourism, along with agriculture are the largest economic drivers in Benzie County. Many of our businesses in Benzie are directly impacted by the tourism economy. This transition will serve as a great opportunity to strengthen our tourism industry which is vitally important to the economic health of Benzie County.”

At this time the Visitors Center in Beulah will remain open at the Chamber office in Benzonia. The Chamber will refocus its efforts on the economic development of Benzie county businesses. Lodging members of the Benzie CVB, who voted by referendum to support this union, will see some changes.

The room assessment percentage in Benzie county, a fee which is levied to lodging properties to fund the marketing organization, will increase from the current 2% to 5% to match that of Traverse City Tourism. All assessments and the responsibility for marketing the Benzie CVB members will shift to Traverse City Tourism in March.

In a press release from Traverse City Tourism, director Trevor Tkach shared some insight into the new marketing efforts.

“Collaborating with Benzie County allows us to tell bigger stories about our area’s greatest attractions, like skiing, fishing, golf, trails, watersports, and more.”

Affect on Local Business

We spoke with several of our Benzie County partners in hospitality to get their perspective on this regional approach to marketing and found overwhelming support for the merger.

Steve Campbell, owner of Harbor Lights Resort in Frankfort, is also a board member for the Benzie CVB. 

“As a lodging property in Benzie County, we are very excited about this partnership with Traverse City Tourism.  It allows our county to leverage the power and reach of TCT to help tell the story of Northwest Michigan not just on a state level, but more regionally, nationally and internationally.  This is now more important than ever given the uncertainly of Pure Michigan funding.  I am confident that the entire area will benefit from the increased exposure, not only from a tourism standpoint, but the potential long term impact on the economy.  Job creation in the tourism industry is one aspect, but long term, the more people that are exposed to this region, the greater the potential to attract more home buyers, entrepreneurs to start or move businesses here, etc.  I think this is all very positive.”

There are more than just the lodging properties who will be impacted by creating a larger regional CVB. Restaurants, retailers and attractions also stand to benefit from the increase in marketing that comes with greater resources. Riverside Canoes is located on the Platte River in Benzie county, inside the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Owner Kyle Orr sees the upside potential for Benzie county businesses.

“I think it’s an excellent opportunity for Benzie county businesses to scale our marketing. By partnering with TCT we gain a larger audience. And the additional dollars collected by the room tax should benefit the Benzie economy greatly, just as the Pure Michigan dollars do for all businesses. We know first hand how many people come from Traverse City to visit us for day trips. This is a win-win for all local economies.”

Impact on the Traveler

Travelers staying in Benzie county will notice the fee assessment increase this season, rising to 5%. That’s the cost of a large ice cream cone on a typical room rate, but for weekly vacation rentals, the hike will be more noticeable. The benefits to both travelers and businesses in the region comes in the form of access to information. Traverse City Tourism will be a broader resource for lodging choices and attraction information. And member properties will have a much larger marketing machine in their corner selling the benefits of Benzie county to travelers from across the globe.

How Can We Help

Traverse Traveler has a variety of marketing opportunities for local businesses to reach travelers staying in hotels. Since Traverse City Tourism will have more buying power to bring visitors to the region, we’re here to make sure they can find out about all this region has to offer.

  • Restaurants, wineries and breweries can feature their menu in our Dining Guide.
  • Our little card displays located in the hotel lobby are the first choice for guests wanting grab-and-go inspiration. And maps. They love the maps.
  • Our visitor channel that plays in-room engages guests through storytelling videos that entertain and inform.
  • The Traverse Traveler app includes all you need to know to navigate the region. It’s all-inclusive so every business has a chance to be seen.

As we mentioned at the start, Traverse Traveler has always had a regional approach to marketing. We represent businesses across Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau and Antrim county on ALL of our marketing platforms. We look forward to working with more Benzie county businesses who would like to reach travelers staying in Traverse City. And vice versa, we will continue to expand our distribution of content in Benzie county. We want to ensure their guests can learn about the amazing businesses that make up our little tip of the Mitten state.

By |2024-12-06T07:09:30-05:00February 5th, 2020|Community, News & Events|0 Comments
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Garth Trek Video Shares a Dog’s Perspective on Frankfort

The film Garth Trek | A Lost Dog’s Adventure in Frankfort is the story of what happens when a dog gets lost in Frankfort and spends the day searching for his owner. This is the revised rendition of the film that took home our Traverse Traveler Choice Award at the 2018 Frankfort48 Film Contest.

We thought you might enjoy the story of how a dog named Garth wandered his way onto the Traverse Traveler visitor channel.

The Frankfort48 Film Contest

Each year, the Garden Theater hosts a contest for young filmmakers. They have 48 hours to write, shoot, edit and submit a 3-5 minute film, with a few surprise elements chosen by organizers. Since we love working with young talent—and we love Frankfort—this seemed like the perfect project to support.

We were honored to join the judging committee and select a winner for the Traverse Traveler Choice Award. Along with a prize package, our winner was offered the opportunity to create and edit a commercial promoting the Frankfort48 Film Contest. The commercial will air on the Traverse Traveler Visitor Channel to promote the 2019 Frankfort48 Film Contest.

Garth Trek turned out to be a crowd favorite, judging by the applause. We loved the concept of the video, and who wouldn’t love Garth? So, we gave T.J. the chance to direct a revised version and put Garth in the spotlight again. Check out the original film on YouTube.

Revising Garth Trek for the Traverse Traveler Audience

The Traverse Traveler visitor channel plays in over 3,000 hotel rooms throughout the Traverse City region. Our programming is designed to educate and entertain hotel guests, as well as provide guidance to area businesses and attractions. We recently added properties in Benzie County to our network and thought this would be a great way to introduce viewers to Frankfort.

To tell this story for our network we had three challenges for the filmmaker:

  1. Retain the original storyline
  2. Showcase businesses and locations that would attract travelers to Frankfort
  3. Shorten the length to under 3 minutes

To retain the original storyline T.J. kept key shots from the original Garth Trek that we fell in love with. Then we added many new locations and adventures to local hotspots. Finally, we gave Garth a voice. The narration helps travelers watching on our in-room visitor channel follow along with his journey.

TJ and Garth meet Traverse Traveler

To showcase businesses and locations of interest to travelers, we sent Garth to some of our favorite spots in Frankfort including:

We think our award-winning director T.J. Taylor, and his team, have earned another round of applause. And a special thanks to their canine star, Garth.

By |2024-12-04T11:46:33-05:00April 7th, 2019|Arts & Culture, Community, Things to Do|0 Comments
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Pure Michigan Tourism Conference Summary

The Pure Michigan Governor’s Conference on Tourism was held in Traverse City last week. Representatives from convention and visitor bureaus and hospitality professionals from across Michigan gathered to learn about the state of our tourism state.

We had a legislative report from a panel of lobbyists in Lansing. Our keynote speaker addressed the State of the American Traveler. And Dave Lorenz provided an update from Travel Michigan including plans for this year’s Pure Michigan campaign. 

Since I know many of our clients missed out on attending I thought I’d share a recap of the event. Here are some of the hot topics, statistics and strategic plans discussed at the Pure Michigan Governor’s Conference on Tourism that caught my attention.

Pure Michigan Legislative Report

Panelists: Michael Krombeen, Partner, Midwest Strategy Group; Matt Sowash, lobbyist, Michigan Legislative Consultants; Justin Winslow, President & CEO, Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association; Evelyn Zois Sweeney, Legislative Consultant, Muchmore Harrington Smalley & Associates. The panelists discussed topics of legislative interest to the hospitality industry and weighed in on the current climate in Lansing.

Pure Michigan Funding

Governor Whitmer’s proposed budget includes cuts to funding for Pure Michigan. Panelists agreed this is too early in the budget talks to be certain of funding dollars for this year. Lobbyists from Michigan Legislative Consultants agreed they are going to educate and push for as much Pure Michigan funding as they can.

Post-Labor Day Start

This is not only an issue of economic importance, but a workforce issue as well. Currently over 165 districts have waivers for pre-Labor Day start. Legislative discussions are exploring alternative schedules. These include allowing Tues-Thurs classes in August, as well as options for year-round classes.

Snow Days

Legislation has been proposed to allow schools options to deal with the increasing number of snow days. Possibilities include tacking on additional hours to the school day, and snow day forgiveness for Governor-declared emergency days.

Short Term Rentals

Panelists discussed addressing short-term rentals in terms of regulation. The primary goal is to ensure everyone is paying into the same taxes & assessments. They are also seeking some form of registration, possibly by directly licensing platforms, such as AirBnB.

Auto No Fault

This is becoming a hot-button issue for the hospitality industry as employees struggle to afford insurance. Panelists discussed the likelihood of making significant changes this year, with mixed opinions.

State of the American Traveler

Keynote speaker; Erin Francis-Cummings, Destination Analyst

Erin’s presentation, “The State of the Global Traveler – Drawing Wanderlust to Michigan,” presented statistics and trends to watch in 2019 among travelers. Here research reflected the mindset of global travelers, indicated some key demographics to focus on, and gave insight into the changes we’re seeing. Here are a few takeaways that illustrate the current state of the industry.

  • The bad news:  Leisure trips are down from 4.2 trips annually to 3.8 trips, and budgets are down 5.6%. Personal finances, work and the cost of travel are the primary reasons for the decrease.
  • The good news:  Travel is still listed as the second most important leisure activity, just under spending time with friends and family. For younger travelers, however, travel competes with a lot more activities.
  • 4 primary traveler types: Generation Z, the National Park Traveler, Family Travelers and Aspiring Michigan Travelers.

Generation Z

The youngest travelers are that of Generation Z—ages 15-24. To reach this audience you’ll need video. You can find them on Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat. Believe it or not, they already make up 13.9% of the travel market.

National Park Travelers

This audience tends to be young and travels with their children. They use all types of planning resources. Primary interests include culture and food. They make up 31% of American travelers.

Family Travelers

Representing 47% of American travelers, this is clearly a popular target audience. This group is largely made up of women who frequently travel outside the U.S. This is a very social audience with 50% using Facebook to post both before and after their trips. They like AirBnB and are drawn to cultural and culinary experiences.

Aspiring Michigan Travelers

This is an ethnically diverse audience, largely made up of millennials and Generation X. They like to research travel destinations through travel apps, social media and tourism bureaus. Online video is important and influential.

Only 16% of American travelers aspire to visit Michigan. So how can we compete with other states and attract more travelers to Michigan? (Can you believe we fall behind Ohio!) The number one reason a destination remains top of mind to visitors is because they’ve been there before. The influence of friends and family impacts 65% of travelers. To grow our Michigan brand we need to gain loyalty. We need our visitors to continue to share their love of this region with friends and family—especially if they’ll share it on their social channels.

Michigan Cares for Tourism

This 501c3 non-profit is made up of volunteers from the tourism industry who want to give back to projects across the state of Michigan. They tackle small projects throughout the year and host an annual multi-day volunteer event in a select location. This year’s project is in our own backyard.

Michigan Cares for Tourism is seeking volunteers for the 2019 event at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse in Leelanau State Park, September 16-17, 2019. There are enough projects for 325 volunteers! To register visit michigancaresfortourism.org. C’mon Traverse City, let’s send some volunteers to help our neighbors. It’s a good excuse to hang out in a park on a Monday and Tuesday in the fall.

To kick off the conference, MC4T held an event at Munson Manor where volunteers donated toiletries, cooked food and tackled painting projects. Check In Michigan, the organization behind the Pure Michigan Governor’s Conference on Tourism, donated $10,000 to MC4T, with donations made on behalf of the conference speakers.

Pure Michigan Campaign Update

Dave Lorenz, Vice President of Travel Michigan made his annual trip to the stage to provide an update on the state of our tourism state. He delivered a report on the investment and returns of the 2018 Pure Michigan campaign. Next, he shared a few highlights and top performing projects which earned significant results. And we wrapped up by hearing about some focus points for 2019. Here are a few of the takeaways.

Measurable Results from the $16.5 Million Advertising Investment in Pure Michigan in 2018

  • Influenced 6.4M person-trips
  • $2.5B in visitor spending
  • $153M generated in state taxes
  • $9.28 return on investment

Want to check out all the details? Here’s a link to the Pure Michigan Advertising Effectiveness Study. You can find more about what Travel Michigan is doing for you on Michigan.org. At the bottom of the page click Travel Industry and then look for Research.

Social Media Summary

Nick Nerbonne, MEDC Digital Media Director responsible for Pure Michigan’s social media accounts provided some additional insight during one of the social media sessions. Facebook engagement is down, however user base is still growing. Instagram engagement is up by 75%, due in part to the popularity and use of Instagram stories.

Pure Michigan has been exploring some longer-format feature videos to provide in-depth experiences. They include interviews that explore why people are passionate about these activities.

Two hugely popular social media campaigns were hashtag projects that drove user-generated content. The #FallFilter invited fans to share fall photos. Pure Michigan selected 5 photos each Friday and reposted them. Another campaign debuted on billboards in Chicago seeking images at #LongLiveSummer. The digital billboard published user photos from that hashtag, sharing them on billboards for all to see.

Top social media post subjects in 2018 from Pure Michigan included images of the Mackinac Bridge, fall foliage, wildlife, ice waterfalls, Vernors lighthouse cans and blue ice on the Straits of Mackinac. Favorite fan subjects to share were sunsets, fall colors and Michigan lakes.

Pure Michigan Ad Campaigns and Projects

Pure Michigan partnered with influencers and publications last year to grow its brand awareness. Ginger Zee, meteorologist on Good Morning America and a Michigan native, was part of a social media promotion. They also teamed up with Outside Magazine for an engaging online experience that involved video creation, a landing page and an interactive trail map.

Other notable projects included the Pure Michigan 18 – featuring 18 signature golf holes across the state in a season-long invitation to share your experience playing that hole. And an Urban DNA video series with Jason Hall was created to boost the state’s appeal for travelers seeking a world-class city experience.

We wrapped up with some sneak peeks into plans for 2019. Pure Michigan intends to focus more on digital platforms, targeting millennials, promoting the Upper Peninsula and highlighting our Dark Sky Parks.

Accessibility Takes Center Stage

One other significant takeaway that made me very proud is our state’s focus on accessibility. If there was one buzzword of this year’s conference that would be it. All three winners of the Stars of the Industry award for tourism innovations were programs and organizations supporting accessibility. Pure Michigan is embracing the opportunity to make our state more friendly to people with disabilities. And I for one couldn’t be happier to see it.

With three days of meetings, events and networking there was a lot to take in at the Pure Michigan Governor’s Conference on Tourism. It was great to see the new conference center at the Park Place Hotel, and the remodeled Governors’ Hall at the Grand Traverse Resort & Casino. Traverse City Tourism played host to a bustling crowd of tourism professionals from across the state. And I even had a chance to meet a few people who mentioned they tuned in to our channel and saw me on TV!

Now it’s time for us all to return to the business we live every day: celebrating the reasons we choose to call Pure Michigan our home.

By |2024-12-06T05:25:02-05:00March 12th, 2019|Community, Lodging, News & Events|0 Comments
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5 Michigan Lighthouses to Visit on National Lighthouse Day

National Lighthouse Day dates back to 1789. On August 7th many moons ago, Congress approved an act for the establishment and support of lighthouses, beacons, buoys, and public piers. It was not until 200 years later, in 1989, that this important Act received its day of recognition. Happy National Lighthouse Day! Celebrate today and visit a lighthouse not too far away with our list of 5 Michigan lighthouses to visit.

Old Mission Point Lighthouse

Old Mission Point Lighthouse

Located on the 45th Parallel, the Old Mission Point Lighthouse is a popular park and playground along the shore. Pack a picnic and spend the day. There are beautiful hiking trails surrounding the lighthouse. It’s also a museum open for tours and in search of volunteer keepers to serve as tour guides. The lighthouse is open daily from May to October, except for Tuesdays, and weekends in November, depending on weather.

Directions: take M-37 to the end of Old Mission peninsula, approximately 22 miles from Front Street in Traverse City.

Point Betsie Lighthouse

Point Betsie Lighthouse

The oldest operating light in Michigan—and perhaps the most photographed—Point Betsie is a must-see on a visit to Benzie County. It’s a great spot to hunt for fossils like Petoskey stones and Charlevoix stones. The lighthouse is open Wednesday-Monday for tours in the summer.

Directions: take M-22 to Point Betsie Rd, 4 miles north of the blinking light in Frankfort.

South Manitou Island Lighthouse

South Manitou Island Lighthouse

Guiding ships safely through the Manitou Passage, the South Manitou Island Lighthouse is an important beacon in Lake Michigan. It’s part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, with tours that take you to the top for an incredible panoramic view of National Lakeshore. Open for tours in the summer months, free of charge.

Directions: Get to South Manitou Island by ferry from Leland. The lighthouse is located 0.6 miles from the ranger station and dock.

Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum

Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum

At the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula, you’ll find the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum. For a glimpse into our maritime history, take the tour, or better yet, ask about their guest lightkeeper program. The lighthouse and museum are open from the end of March through the end of October and weekends in November.

Directions: 9 miles north of Northport inside Leelanau State Park (entry fee charged)

Frankfort North Breakwater Lighthouse

Frankfort North Breakwater Lighthouse

The Frankfort Lighthouse marks the entrance to Betsie Bay, a popular port for fishermen and sailors. You’ll find kids jumping from the pier in the summer, surfers riding the waves well into the fall and storm-watching along the north and south piers when the wind is high. Plus, it’s a spectacular spot to watch the sun say goodnight to Lake Michigan.

Directions: Take M-22 past the blinking light to Main St, then west through downtown to Frankfort Beach.

We Love Our Lighthouses

There you have it—5 Michigan lighthouses to visit on National Lighthouse Day. The importance of lighthouses is hard to ignore, especially when you consider at one time, the beacon of light could be seen across almost all of America’s shoreline.

Have you visited any northern Michigan lighthouses? Let us know your favorite in the comments below.

See you on the beach!

By |2024-12-04T07:00:17-05:00August 7th, 2018|Community, Day Trips, News & Events, Things to Do|2 Comments
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New Award Added to Frankfort48 Film Contest

Frankfort48 Film Contest logo

We are excited to sponsor the Traverse Traveler Choice Award at the Frankfort48 Film Contest. The 2nd annual event will take place June 21-23, 2018 at the Garden Theater in Frankfort. This unique contest offers teams of all ages and experience levels a chance to share a story of their creation using the power and beauty of film. We’re proud to showcase this region in film on our Traverse Traveler Visitors Channel everyday. That’s why we jumped at the chance to get involved in the Frankfort48. If you love movies, love making videos, or just love Frankfort, you’ll want to read on.

Here’s How the Frankfort48 Film Contest Works

Participants have 48 hours to create a 3-5 minute film celebrating the beauty of northern Michigan. The Frankfort48 Film Contest is open to teams of any size or age, amateur or professional. Registered teams will be given three required elements that must appear on screen: a character, a prop and a line of dialog. They will have from 9am on June 21st to 9am on June 23rd to develop a concept, scout locations, film, edit and submit their film via Vimeo. That’s 48 hours of frantic fun in Frankfort!

The contest awards will be determined by an experienced panel of celebrity judges including Michael Bofshever, Jamie Donnelly and Stephen H. Foreman. Members of the Visitors Media team will participate in the judging to select the winner of the Traverse Traveler Choice Award.

What’s at Stake

The Frankfort48 Film Contest cash prizes include:

1st Place: $500 plus 2 VIP passes to the 2018 Frankfort Film Festival

2nd Place: $250

3rd Place: $100

Traverse Traveler Choice Award

The Traverse Traveler Choice Award winning film will be featured in a promotional ad for next year’s Frankfort48 Film Contest. The ad will air on our Traverse Traveler Visitors Channel, playing in over 3000 hotel rooms in the greater Traverse City area. We’ll put together a special prize package for the winning team along with the opportunity to take part in the ad creation.

2017 Frankfort48 Film Contest photo

2017 Frankfort48 Film Contest Participants

Join us for the Public Screening

On Saturday June 23, 2018 at the Frankfort Garden Theatre the contest entries will make their debut on the big screen. We want to encourage the public to join us at the screening. Check out the amazing short films these teams can pull together in just 48 hours. It’s a testament to the power of film, the dedication of creative minds, and the beauty of northern Michigan… a place we’re lucky to call home.

How to Enter

To secure your entry visit the Frankfort48 website. To download the entry form with all the details click here. It’s only $25 per team to participate in the Frankfort48 Film Contest. If you’ve got the crew, the stamina and the creativity to pull it off, we can’t wait to see what you come up with.

Here’s a look at last year’s first place film, When it Rains:

By |2024-11-28T13:34:41-05:00June 8th, 2018|Archive, Arts & Culture, Community|0 Comments
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In Season: Traverse City Cherries, Michigan’s Power Fruit

Cherry Festival is over, but the cherry season has just begun. Local cherries are the gems of the northern Michigan summer. Each year, we anxiously await the arrival of Traverse City cherries— the ruby fruit that brings visitors to the area and keeps many of our businesses running.

Whether you like sweet cherries by the pound, tart cherries for your pies, dried cherries for snacking, cherry wine, or cherry products, you can find it in the Cherry Capitol of the world…Traverse City.

Cherry Fun Facts

  • Michigan grows 75 percent of the US crop of tart cherries and about 20 percent of sweet cherries.
  • Northern Michigan is responsible for 90 percent of the state’s sweet cherry production.
  • There are close to 7000 cherries on the average tart cherry tree, enough for 28 pies.
  • The World Record for spitting a cherry pit is 93 feet 6.5 inches, held by “young gun” Krauss, son of 10-time record holder “pellet gun” Krause.
  • It takes 100 cherries to produce an 8 oz. glass of cherry juice.
  • Ease arthritis pain and inflammation naturally with cherry juice, thanks to the anthocyanins, which give tart cherries their color.
  • Michigan cherry wine is made primarily from Montmorency cherries.
  • Peninsula Cellars is the only area winery to produce a white cherry wine, made from the Emperor Francis cherry.

U-Pick Farms & Farm Stands

Some of my favorite childhood memories are from roaming the U-Pick farms. We’d lug around our galvanized buckets and climb the rickety old wooden ladders to carefully select the largest, juiciest, ripest cherries. When the buckets were full or too heavy to carry, we’d know it was time to go home. It took a long swim in the lake to get rid of the purple stained fingers, but it was worth the memories.

For a list of local U-Pick farms where you can find Traverse City cherries, check out LocalDifference.org.

Buy Traverse City Cherries

If you’re looking to pick up some fresh cherries on your visit up north, there are plenty of options. A drive along the Old Mission or Leelanau Peninsula will offer several roadside opportunities to buy direct from the grower. And you can’t beat the scenic views along the way. Eating fresh-washed cherries from a roadside stand always makes my summer to-do list.

For those of you who prefer your cherry products without the pits, Benjamin Twiggs in Traverse City has everything you could ever need. From cherry-themed merchandise to cherry products of all kinds, you’ll find all your cherry dreams come true at Benjamin Twiggs, the oldest cherry purveyor in Traverse City. And they’ll even ship if you’re craving a taste of Michigan from far away.

Tips and Tricks

  • Cherries with the stems attached will stay fresh longer.
  • To remove cherry stains from fingers and clothing, try a little lemon juice, and rinse with water.
  • For an inexpensive cherry pit remover, try placing a metal pastry tip on your finger and pushing them out. A bobby pin or a bent paper clip can be used to scoop out the pit and only leaves one hole.
By |2024-12-05T15:33:18-05:00July 18th, 2014|Community, Food & Drink, News & Events, Travel Tips|1 Comment
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