G etaways
Summer 2006 shines with th
western Michigan attractions and festivals.
Megan Swoyer • Special to the Jewish News
here's an orchardful of
reasons to head to north-
west Michigan this sum-
mer, but the no. I lure is the
July 1-8 National Cherry Festival
in Traverse City.
Thanks to cool spring breezes,
fertile soil and a rolling land-
scape, Michigan is first in the
world in tart-cherry production
and sixth in the world for sweet
cherries, earning Traverse City
the "Cherry Capital of the World"
title. Now that's worth celebrat-
ing.
Tasty Cherry Festival
Festivalgoer Wendy Rose Bice
celebrates the fruit by finding a
spot along the blue-blue Grand
Traverse Bay and nibbling on
homemade cherry-flavored
burgers and cherry jam. The
Bloomfield Hills resident, her
husband and three children also
enjoy the air shows.
"We've been coming to the fes-
tival for years:' says Bice. "I have
lasting memories ... sitting on
the bay and relishing the sunshi
... and the food, all made with
cherries."
The 80-year-old festival and
its organizers have entertain-
ment down pat. This year, expect
children's events, cherry-farm
tours, tasting tents, a carnival,
multiple parades, Blue Angels air
shows, beachside competitions,
live entertainment and more.
"We love going to northern
Michigan and so we tend to
sequester ourselves away. But
when we go during the Cherry
Festival, it's fun to step out of the
wilderness and into a really top-
notch, country-like festival:' says
Bice. "You're aware that it's a huge
festival, but it has a small-com-
munity kind of feel."
Add a dose of charm to your
northern Michigan visit with
a look-see at Castle Farms in
nearby Charlevoix. An historic
landmark, the facility features
magnificent French Chateaux-
style buildings, exquisite gardens,
courtyards and more.
Originally part of a 1,600-
acre farm built by Albert and
Anna Loeb (Albert was a Sears,
Roebuck executive), it brought to
life the couple's dream to build a
model farm that is reminiscent
of those with stone barns in
Normandy.
These days, community events
and festivals abound. Mark your
calendar for the Castle Farms
June 10-11 Fine Art Show, featur-
ing such artists as Brenda Klein
and Rebecca Levinson; and the
July 29-30 Fiber Arts Festival,
where visitors can see firsthand
how sheep are shorn.
Continue with the old-fash-
ioned theme by booking a
room at Charlevoix's Inn at
Grey Gables, an attractive, two-
story, 1887 inn that is a short
walk from lakes and beaches.
Its restaurant is housed in an
1875 Victorian home. The inn
was built as one of the original
"cottages" in the century-old
Belvedere Club, a summer colony
on the south side of Round Lake.
Get out and explore the small
towns that dot the picturesque
region and time your visits with
small-town festivals and fanfare,
including the June 10 Leland
Wine and Food Festival (noon-6
p.m., 231-256-7820); the June
118th annual Antique Car Show
in Acme at the Music House
Museum (a fascinating attraction
in itself, 231-938-9300); the June
13 Tea Party at Leland Village
Green (3 p.m., 231-256-9665);
and Alden's Strawberry Festival
(June 19, 231-377-7297).
Craving culture? Enjoy "Rodin:
Bronzes at Dennos:' through Aug.
6. Selections from the Iris and B.
Gerald Cantor Foundation, this
exhibition showcases 30 bronzes,
plus an educational exhibition
on the bronzing process (Dennos
Museum Center, Traverse City,
231-995-1055).
More information: National
Cherry Festival, (231) 947-4230,
(800) 968-3380, www.cherry-
festival.org ; Castle Farms, (231)
237-0884, www.castlefarms.com ;
Grey Gables Inn, (231) 547-9261
(restaurant), (231) 547-2251
(lodging), www.greygablesinn.
com, www.bedandbreakfast.
com/michigan/inn-at-grey-
gables.html; and Traverse City
Convention & Visitors Bureau,
(800) TRAVERSE, www.mytra-
versecity.com .
Outdoors In Benzie
When Tobi Hitow Karch wants to
get away from it all, she just goes
to work. The Interlochen resident
heads to the Michigan Legacy Art
Park at Crystal Mountain resort
in Thompsonville.
Not typical for a resort, the
on-site park features sculptures,
paths, a concert area and more.
The attraction pleases art, fitness
and nature buffs.
"The Art Park provides a
wonderful escape notes Karch,
who grew up in Southfield. "Its
lush, forested hiking trails are
filled with the soothing sounds
of nature. The trails are lined
with more than 35 larger-than-
life sculptures, all focused on
Michigan — history, art and envi-
ronment."
The park is just one of several
lures in lovely Benzie County.
This peaceful pocket of north-
west Michigan rates as a favorite
in the state for outdoors enthu-
siasts who like to peddle and
paddle away their vacation.
The Betsie River invites canoe-
ists to its easy-to-navigate waters,
while glistening Crystal Lake lives
up to its name with clear waters
and a pristine public beach.
Below, from left: Otterness sculptures this summer in Grand Rapids, clay art at Meijer Gardens, Michigan Legacy Art Park in Thompsonville, a working carousel horse at
the Public Museum of Grand Rapids.