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Movie theaters began popping up around Michigan more than a century ago, becoming the heart of downtown communities and drawing families out for a night on the town. With the 1980s introduction of cable television, laser discs, VHS and DVDs for in-home viewing as well as multiplex facilities, many small-town theaters began to close. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of restoring these historic movie theaters into different types of public spaces like bars, restaurants, dance studios and even a popular haunted attraction.

The city of Marshall has embarked on a fundraising campaign to raise money to convert a 1.6-acre parcel immediately south of its current Athletic Fields complex into a new community area called Eaton Park. The space, at the intersection of Hanover and Fountain streets, was previously a parking lot for the former Eaton Corporation. The building was demolished in the early 2000s and the land was donated to the city in 2020. Marshall, the county seat of Calhoun County with a population of 6,822, maintains nine additional parks and a riverwalk which are accessible to locals and visitors alike.

Every day, you’re bound to find a festival or special event taking place in one of Michigan’s many cities, celebrating everything from agricultural commodities and cultural arts to maritime heritage and holiday traditions. Even the smallest villages host annual events which appeal to their local residents as well as thousands of visitors who spend money on flea markets, pancake breakfasts, concerts, midway rides, arts and crafts, face painting, pageants, caricature drawings, beverage tents and so much more.

A week or so ago, USA Today named Michigan’s Upper Peninsula the “#1 Place to View Fall Foliage in America” as part of its annual readers’ poll (beating out Door County, Wisconsin; Aspen, Colorado; Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania and Stowe, Vermont, among others). This is the third time in recent years that the U.P. has snagged this sought-after accolade – the others being in 2018 and 2020. As with most of the USA Today “10 Best” polls, a panel of travel experts chose 20 destinations around the country and then readers cast their digital ballots to determine the Top 10.

Well before the official Lake Michigan Circle Tour route was established in 1987, travelers have been looping around the largest lake contained entirely within the U.S., the third largest of the Great Lakes, and the fifth largest lake in the world (by surface area).

When John Mueller purchased the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge in Copper Harbor in 2018, he had grand ideas of not only maintaining and improving the historic resort but enhancing the visitor experience by providing access to the unparalleled natural surroundings of the Keweenaw Peninsula.

Tucked under a canopy of trees, just a stone’s throw from one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi (second only to Niagara), sits one of Michigan’s oldest craft breweries.

When the pandemic hit and halted most in-person events, it created down time for many destinations to begin, continue or wrap up renovation projects and full-blown new builds. Now that corporate and leisure functions are returning to Michigan, event planners and their attendees are sure to see some fresh offerings when it comes to meetings spaces, off premise activities, guest rooms and restaurants.

Sometimes a destination is so special, you’re compelled to uproot your life and relocate there.

Smaller communities around Michigan face unique challenges when it comes to developing ways to draw residents, businesses and travelers to town. While larger urban centers may have deeper pockets, enhanced resources and the support of multiple governmental agencies, small towns often rely more on creative grassroots initiatives and idea sharing with other like-sized municipalities.

It’s a cooperative attitude along with a charming and vibrant historic downtown that make Alma the ideal backdrop for Michigan State University Extension’s Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities (CEC) conference, September 14-15.