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Gourmet Michigan products in unique gift baskets. Great tasting jams, dried cherries, chocolates, caramel corn, Michigan fudge, and much more.
Comerica Park Panorama
Originally uploaded by RichardZ.com.
I tried finding a neat old picture of Tiger Stadium for nostalgic reasons. Unfortunately, about all I could find (without searching for hours) were current pictures of the crumbling and peeled paint neglected relic. So, I decided on this great panoramic of Comerica Park.
Read MoreHere are some select events taking place this weekend. There are many things happening around Michigan and these are just a few. Have a great weekend! Listening to the Past - Michigan Historical Museum Hear fun stories from the past from people who were there, learn games from the past and play with the toys that were used 150 years ago, try foods from the past and tour the museum. $5 per child, no charge for chaperons. Hours 10am - 3pm. Phone (517) 241-4060.
Native Americans on the Great Lakes Day - Michigan Maritime Museum, South Haven Explore Native American traditions through song, dance, and stories. Free to the public. Boat Shed and Museum campus from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. Family program. No admission. For more information, call (800) 747-3810.
Annual Ann Arbor Pow Wow - Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor A Native American celebration of spring featuring dancers, drum groups and food and craft vendors. 10,000 spectators from all over the US and Canada. All are welcome. Phone for more detail (734) 647-6999
Kalamazoo Antique Show - Kalamazoo County Fairgrounds A great collection of true antiques will be on display on March 25-26, 2006 with dealers from all over Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Michigan selling their prize items. Show hours are from 9 am to 5 pm on Saturday and 9 am to 3 pm on Sunday. For more details, Please call (517) 784-4608.
Klondike Canoe Race - Oscoda Hardy paddlers set out in the kickoff race of the Michigan Canoe Racing Association season on March 25-26, 2006. Call (989) 739-9231 for more details.
I love maple syrup. My pancakes become rafts floating in a carmel colored pool of sweet sticky goodness. You can keep your jams and other fruit-flavored syrups. I'll take mine with maple, thank-you. Call me old-fashioned or plain. I don't mind. To me, nothing tastes as good on pancakes as pure Michigan Maple Syrup. Yum!
Another breakfast use for maple syrup that I enjoy is putting it on my oatmeal with a little brown sugar. You can probably call me old-fashioned for eating regular oatmeal, too.
Did you know maple syrup was the sweetener of choice for Michigan's Native Americans? They had figured out how to boil it down and concentrate the sweetness. It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. So, in case you thought you could go out in your yard and tap a couple of your maples to save some money, you better think again. You need a large grove of sugar maple trees (called a sugar bush) to collect enough sap for making maple syrup.
Here are some maple syrup facts courtesy of the Michigan Maple Syrup Producers Association:
Hartwick Pines is holding their annual Maple Syrup Day this Saturday, March 25. Read about it in the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
Read about a Milford family that makes their own maple syrup in a suburban setting.
Our state Senate voted to allow our Legislature to oversee any proposals for selling state land and state parks. The DNR has been holding meetings trying to figure out what land to sell, what to keep, and even what to buy. Somebody has to watch what is going on here. Otherwise we have a situation where the fox is guarding the chicken house. I previously wrote about my thoughts on Michigan selling off state parks so I won't go into that again. I am glad that any proposals to sell off state land or state parks must face a public hearing. Although, perhaps the public hearing won't have much bearing on the outcome. Maybe it is just the Legislature throwing us a bone.
Information courtesy of the Lansing State Journal
More and more headlines these days are touting Michigan as the future hub of alternative energy. Having already pioneered the auto industry it only makes sense for Michigan to lead the way as a pioneer in alternative energy sources. This seems to be the next big industry and it looks like we might get in on the ground floor just as we did with autos. United Solar Ovonic LLC will build their new plant in Greenville creating 200 jobs when it begins operations in 2007. Depending on the demand for solar panels and the plant's performance, there could be an additional 1,000 jobs created by building another five plants. This area could use the good news after its major employer, Electrolux AB, closed its doors.
Read the article in the Detroit Free Press
Lansing should count itself lucky. They are home to the first Scalawags Whitefish and Chips restaurant south of Petoskey. If you have ever had the privilege of eating at one of the Scalawags restaurants, you know what I mean. The first location was Mackinaw City. The first time (and every time after) I ate there the fish tasted so good and fresh that you would have swore that the fish jumped out of the lake and landed in the fryer. I must confess that this testimony is coming from someone who really doesn't like fish.
No, really. I don't. This is the only place that I will go out to eat and order fish. Ask my wife, she will tell you that I am not a big fish fan. That is how good Scalawags whitefish tastes.
I try and eat at Scalawags at least once per year. That used to mean I would have to at least go as far north as Petsoskey. That is no longer true. I only need to steer my way over to the town I called home for a few years – Lansing. Well, okay, the restaurant is located in Okemos which is a suburb of Lansing.
Technicalities aside, if you are ever in Lansing, Petoskey, Cheboygan, Mackinaw City, or potentially Traverse City (no official word yet, but they might put one in there) you have to give Scalawags Whitefish and Chips a try. You can usually have dinner for two for under $20.
Check out Scalawags Whitefish and Chips at their website. They are one of the few restaurants I have seen that actually have prices for their menu items posted online. There are also sections with customer comments, maps to their various locations, and if you are interested in bringing Scalawags to your town – an application to purchase a franchise.