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Northern Lights and Light Tower
Promote Michigan Blog
Dianna Stampfler

Celebrating Michigan’s Irish Communities

Irish immigration to Michigan dates back to the early 1800s, with a heavy increase between 1845 and 1855 during a period of famine in Ireland, lasting well into the 1920s. Starting first in Detroit, the Irish made their way north and westward, landing throughout both the Lower and Upper Peninsulas where they found work in factories, fishing villages and copper mines. Nearly one-third of Michigan’s foreign-born population was from Ireland in 1870. Today, only about 10% of the state’s 9.9 million population is of Irish descent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Thanksiving
Promote Michigan Blog
Dianna Stampfler

Giving Thanks for Life in Northern Michigan

It was Thanksgiving of 2009 when it really sunk in for me…spending five days alone in Empire for the holidays and being at peace with it. This year, I will celebrate Thanksgiving in Walloon Lake at “Mi Storybook Cottage” – where I am blessed and thankful once again for being able to live in such a beautiful place, making a living doing what I love and having the support of my family and friends.

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Promote Michigan Blog
Dianna Stampfler

Digging Up Michigan’s Historic Ghost Stories

I’m intrigued by legends of historic sites that house such unsettled souls. I’ve researched, written and presented on “Michigan’s Ghostly Beacons” for nearly 20 years (and am actually working on a book on this topic). I’d say about two dozen of Michigan’s 120+ beacons have haunted stories attached to them. In anticipation of Halloween, I started digging around looking for other sites rumored to be haunted…here’s what I came up with!

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News Releases
Dianna Stampfler

Hybrid Marquette Wine from Walloon Lake Winery Awarded Dry Red “Best of Class” at 40th Annual Michigan Wine Competition

Over the past 40 years of the Michigan Wine Competition, it is rare for a hybrid red grape to rise above all other dry red competitors. Yet, that is just what happened this year when Walloon Lake Winery’s North Arm Noir was named “Best of Class,” receiving a Double Gold Medal in the Dry Red category. The introduction of Marquette marks the dawn of a new era of cold-hardy red hybrid wine grapes; more often resembling traditional Vitis vinifera wines than those from existing hybrid cultivars.

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News Releases
Dianna Stampfler

Author & Retired Kansas City Star Editor Steve Paul Headlines Michigan Hemingway Society Conference

The Michigan Hemingway Society is once again hosting its annual literary and history conference, October 6-8 at The Terrace Inn in the Northern Michigan Chautauqua community of Bay View. This year’s keynote speaker is Steve Paul, the author and editor of several books including Hemingway at Eighteen: The Pivotal Year that Launched an American Legend, due out this fall.

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