Promote Michigan Blog – Page 4

Over the past 170-plus years, women have been serving as lighthouse keepers in Michigan…sometimes officially recognized by the U.S. Lighthouse Service and sometimes not. Such is the case with Hansine Henrietta (Anderson) Bergh in Bete Gris. While she didn’t work at the official lighthouse she was known to hang a lantern in the window of her house so that her husband and other fishermen could find their way back home after dark. This story includes information gathered from her great great granddaughter, Nora Dee.

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December 29, 2020 Dianna Stampfler

2021 Milestones for Pure Michigan Businesses

Michigan was founded on January 26, 1837 as the 26th state of the United States of America. Currently home to nearly 10 million people, spread out throughout two peninsulas, Michigan is the Great Lakes State – the Mitten of Plenty – the Wolverine State. Michigan’s early business history is centered in industries that benefited from its proximity to the Great Lakes: fishing, lumbering, mining, fur trapping and agriculture.

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December 20, 2020 Dianna Stampfler

Holiday Classic “White Christmas” Was Likely Written in Charlevoix

Each holiday season, we are inundated with hour after hour of movies about Christmas airing on television and now streaming services. A handful have ties to Michigan, like Prancer (1989) and The Polar Express (2004). But did you know the beloved 1954 classic White Christmas is believed to have actually been written right here in the Great Lakes State?

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November 26, 2020 Dianna Stampfler

Thankful for (Michigan) Celery

Celery is an integral part of the Thanksgiving feast…as one of the main ingredients in homemade stuffing (or dressing, if you prefer). Did you know that Kalamazoo, Michigan is known as “Celery City” because it was the first place in the United States where this vegetable was commercially grown?

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November 9, 2020 Dianna Stampfler

The Power of the Gales of November

While tropical storms and hurricanes continue to attack the region in and around the Gulf of Mexico, the “Gales of November” are stirring up the Great Lakes region just as they have for centuries. This unique weather phenomenon is created when cold, dry air from northern Canada converges with moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, over the still warm summer waters of the Great Lakes.

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October 5, 2020 Dianna Stampfler

Haunted Haute Cuisine

By Dianna Stampfler Dozens of Michigan restaurants acknowledge being “haunted,” but only a handful celebrate their spirited side by hosting

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July 7, 2020 Dianna Stampfler

A Whopper of a Pure Michigan Fish Tale!

In June 1965, the Trout was officially named Michigan’s “State Fish” — joining other noted symbols like the Apple Blossom (named “State Flower” in 1897, the American Robin (Named the “State Bird” in 1931, the Eastern White Pine Tree (Named the “State Tree in 1955), and the Petoskey Stone (Named the “State Stone in 1965).

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May 14, 2020 Dianna Stampfler

The 2020 Census is Counting on You!

I think I first heard the word census during the summer of 1980, when I was in elementary school, and we spent our summer vacation researching our family tree on a cross-state road trip. I’m not sure I recall what it was or what it meant back then, but in recent years – as I’ve found a growing interest in my family history as well as the lives of others while researching for my writing, I have been finding more and more reason to access census data online.

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May 1, 2020 Dianna Stampfler

Raise a Glass to Celebrate Michigan Wine Month!

There is a holiday for just about anything, but this one is well deserved – especially these days. May is MICHIGAN Wine Month…a time to pop a cork and pour a glass of locally made wine from one of the state’s nearly 150 wineries.

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March 3, 2020 Dianna Stampfler

Recognizing Michigan’s State Symbols

On March 3, 1955 (65 years ago), the eastern white pine tree (Pinus Strobus, also known as a “soft pine”) was adopted as the official State Tree of Michigan. This conifer tree can be found in almost every county of the Upper and Lower Peninsula, typically growing in mixed forests and sandy plains. Click here to learn more about this and the other Michigan State Symbols.

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January 13, 2020 Dianna Stampfler

Oh the Places I’ve Spa-ed…

Saturday was spent traipsing around the snow-covered landscape at Treetops Resort in Gaylord, celebrating Michigan Winter Trails Day with the find folks at Great Lakes Winter Trails Council. After a snowshoe hike and a winter rafting trip, I was ready to warm my mind, body and soul with a relaxing massage at the Spa inside Treetops main lodge.

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December 16, 2019 Dianna Stampfler

Family Traditions Are Our Family Tradition

Yesterday we celebrated my family Christmas at my dad’s house on Gilkey Street in Plainwell — the house where his mother was raised and where we lived from when I was about six until moving out on my own after college. My paternal grandparents lived next door at the time – until they sold the house and moved to the cottage at Pine Lake (and also spent winters in Florida).

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September 30, 2019 Dianna Stampfler

Uncovering Michigan’s Haunted History!

In celebration of Halloween, we’ve dug up 31 haunted sites around Michigan worth a visit.