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Wine production in Michigan dates back to the 1880s, but it’s only been in recent years that the industry has come to fruition. Now, with close to 40 wineries in four distinct American Viticultural (AVA) regions, the wine industry is flourishing in Michigan.

Future guests and local residents are counting the days until the long-awaited Bay Pointe Inn & Restaurant will open its doors, bringing back to Gun Lake the style of resorting found here in the 1800s. The property offers an intimate and boutique feel, resembling communities such as Mackinac Island and Martha’s Vineyard.

In 2001, the management at The Lodge of Yarrow in Augusta was facing a 20 percent decline in corporate business, attributed to a weak economy, the after-effects of 9/11 and a major October storm that tore up the 300-acre property. Little did they know that the final blow in the “trials and tribulations of three” would actually turn out to be “the third time’s the charm” that has now brought them recognition as one of the best new golf courses in Michigan.

When Angels Crossing opened earlier this summer, it was an answer to a prayer for many Vicksburg residents. The community, which had been devastated by the closing of the Fox River Paper Co. in April 2001, found inspiration in the ideas of a local farmer named Bob Thompson. The golf course and its proposed housing development, which sits on former mill property on W Avenue, has revived not only the land but the morale of the community as well.

Though more businesses are helping their employees with work/life balance, women in the workplace continue to find self-employment more appealing.

Flavored cigars drifted into the American marketplace about ten years ago, with the intent of atrracting more female cigar smokers. Flavors like vanilla and chocolate soon gave way to stronger varieties laced with bourbon, whiskey, creme de menthe and Grand Marnier, which drew attention from male cigars smokers as well.

I dare say the art of networking was mastered, if not invented, on the golf course. When the creators of Mackinac Island’s Waswashkamo, one of the first courses to open in Michigan, completed the task in 1898 they no doubt hosted an outing and talked trading and lumbering over a quick round, followed by cigars and brandy at the clubhouse.

Imagine that wherever you go, gates open without question and services — facials, pedicures, vacations — are rendered without charge. Your life is that scene in The Wizard of Oz in which Dorothy, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion sit in chaise lounges, having their hair curled and nails buffed to a shine. Imagine you have Dianna Stampfler’s job as marketing and media director for the West Michigan Tourist Association, what she calls the best marketing job around.

Ask anyone in this area to name one person synonymous with the Plainwell Trojans and more often than not, you’ll hear “Coach Jack Streidl”. Since 1945, he has been a fixture here, serving 40 years in the school system as a teacher, coach, role model, father figure, friend, colleague and humanitarian.

You do not have to be an executive chef or own a restaurant to serve up a great holiday gathering for family and friends. You just need a little patience, some creativity and a passion for culinary entertaining. I recently sat down with Matthew Pietsch, executive chef at Salt of the Earth – a rustic American eatery, in Fennville, to get some insider tips to holiday entertaining.

The unique conditions created by the Great Lakes provide the ideal setting for growing grapes and crafting them into award-winning wines. Over time, forces of
nature have also shaped Michigan’s shorelines, sculpted towering dunes, carved mile after mile of slow-flowing rivers and peppered the waters with islands of all shapes and sizes.

Imagine driving at speeds in excess of 140 mph behind the wheel of a NASCAR-style stock car with a 600 hp engine. That’s the Richard Petty Driving Experience. Student drivers get behind the wheels of actual race cars and drive on real tracks during classes held eight weekends each summer at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.