HGTV - Special Filmed in Traverse City - Hosted by Carter Oosterhouse

Carter Comes Home

Carter Osterhouse is hosting a special HGTV show this 2009 Holiday season called "Carter Comes Home." Carter will be helping some folks that are in need of some restoration help her in Traverse City. One project will be to help and area woman who adopts and cares for children with special needs. The second project will be to help the Traverse City Fire Station on Eight Street renovate its 1960s kitchen into an area that they can use to give host to the community.

Traverse City Winterfest a Success!

TRAVERSE CITY, MI – Even during an ordinary season,
February is a busy time in this northern Michigan resort
community of skiers, snowmobilers and snowboarders.
But thanks to a rare conjunction of events, the 2009
President’s Day weekend (Feb. 13-16) promises to take
things to an entirely new level.
For the first time, Traverse City’s annual February winter carnival -- the Cherry Capital
Winter WonderFest -- coincides with the North American Vasa Festival of Races, which
draws hundreds of cross-country skiers and fans to the area each year. Winter
WonderFest has grown rapidly in size and scope since its 2007 startup, with more than
50 indoor and outdoor events scheduled between Friday evening and Monday
afternoon. And the North American Vasa is a perfect complement to its atmosphere of
casual merrymaking.
Now in its 33rd year, the Vasa is a hugely popular event among Midwestern ski racers –
thanks largely to the beauty of the course, which snakes through the pines and
hardwoods of the Pere Marquette State Forest. The main competition, which features
12K, 27K and 50K races in both freestyle and classic modes, will take place on
Saturday, Feb. 14, while its companion event – the Gran Travers Classic (6K and 16K)
is scheduled for Sunday.
This winter, those skiers and their supporters won’t have to look far for opportunities to
entertain themselves between races. The Third Annual Cherry Capital Winter
WonderFest encompass a rich menu of concerts, competitions, films, fireworks, food
tastings and children’s activities -- most of them concentrated on the scenic 900-acre
grounds of the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, just a snowball’s throw from the Vasa
racecourse.
“The Winter WonderFest has grown into a community-wide celebration in just a couple
of years, and we see it continuing to grow thanks to the multiple venues we’ve created,”
said Resort general manager Grant Channing. “They provide variety for the weekend’s
activities and show a strong commitment from our partners.”
The centerpiece of the festival is a “Winter Fun Zone” with ice skating, pony rides,
inflatable play structures, rides on ponies, dogsleds, snowmobiles and horse-drawn
sleighs, sledding, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing and a selection of competitive
events that range from the familiar (the Running Fit Frosty 5K foot race and a kid’s
snowshoe race) to the unlikely (a “frozen fish toss” and a “Polar Plunge” event where
daring swimmers jump into an icy pond to raise money for charity). There are bonfires,
films, live music, fireworks, and lots of festive food and beverages.
But the festival has spread to other venues, including the nearby Mt. Holiday Ski Area –
where there’ll be such offbeat competitions as a snowboarding “rail jam” event, a
mountain bike race down the ski hill and a “Cardboard Bobsled-o-Rama” in which
competitors must use sleds made only with cardboard, tape and paint.
“How could we not get involved?” asked Mt. Holiday general manager Rick Van
Tongeren. “Everybody who’s heard about this thing is just extremely excited. I went into
the bank the other day and the clerks all came running up asking me how many sleds
they could enter.”
A full schedule is also in place in Traverse City’s charming 19th century downtown
shopping district, where there’ll be a “Save the Bees” dessert reception (with local
honey and live entertainment by Grammy Award winning vocal troupe Sweet Honey in
the Rock) in the elegantly-restored City Opera House , ice carving and snow sculpture
displays, a “frozen bed race” through the streets and the popular “Soup r’ Bowl”
competition in which participants slurp up soups created by local chefs and cast ballots
for their favorites.
“Winter WonderFest truly demonstrates the four-season nature of our destination,” said
Brad Van Dommelen, president of the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“Traverse City is much more than just the great beach town many people think of, and
this event is a great way for visitors to be introduced to a different side of our
community.”
A portion of the Winter WonderFest proceeds support the programs of Special Olympics
Michigan.

Horse Shows on the Bay - "Lingo": Dressage

Dressage
Dressage is a path and destination of competitive horse training, with competitions held at all levels from amateur to the Olympics. Its fundamental purpose is to develop, through standardized progressive training methods, a horse's natural athletic ability and willingness to perform, thereby maximizing its potential as a riding horse. At the peak of a dressage horse's gymnastic development, it can smoothly respond to a skilled rider's minimal aids by performing the requested movement while remaining relaxed and appearing effortless. Dressage is occasionally referred to as "Horse Ballet." Although the discipline has ancient roots, dressage was first recognized as an important equestrian pursuit in the West during the Renaissance. The great European riding masters of that period developed a sequential training system that has changed little since then. Classical dressage is still considered the basis of trained modern dressage.

Horse Shows by the Bay - A Series of "Learning the Lingo"

SHOW JUMPING
Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping" is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows are limited exclusively to jumpers, sometimes jumper classes are offered in conjunction with other English-style events, and sometimes show jumping is but one division of a very large, all-breed competition that includes a very wide variety of disciplines. Jumping classes may be governed by various national horse show sanctioning organizations, such as the United States Equestrian Federation in the USA. However, international competitions are governed by the rules of the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI).

Horse Shows by the Bay - Admissions and Scheduled Events

Horse Shows by the Bay - Admissions & Scheduled Events

Spectators are welcomed to our feature events which are scheduled on weekends and include the Grand Prix + exhibitions, family day activities and fundraisers.

Adminssion to most feature events is $5.00

Kid's Day
Saturday, July 11 from 10am to 3pm
Proceeds will go to the Grand Traverse & Leelanau County 4H program

Doggy Costume Parade
Sunday, July 19, at 2pm
Parade prceeds go to A.C. Paw Animal Rescue

Polo Tournament
Sunday, August 2nd from 12 noon to 3pm
VIP Ticket proceeds to benefit Munson Hospital Foundation

Horse Shows by the Bay is held at Fintfields a half mile north of M-72 just East of US 31 North.

Horse Shows By The Bay - Equestrian Festival - Traverse City

HORSE SHOWS BY THE BAY - An Equestrian Festival
Lodging: Peninsula Bay Resort Condominiums on East Bay

~Some Back Ground and History about this overwhelmingly successful Traverse City annual event.

The Horse Shows by the Bay began in 2004 and is also referred to by some as Horse Shows by the Bay Equestrian Festival. This is a most prestigious annual event that spans several weeks during the summer in beautiful Traverse City in Williamsburg. The horse show events takes place at the Flintfields Horse Park. Horse Shows by the Bay attracts thousands of the nation's best horses and riders who compete within International Olympic disciplines of show jumping including dressage. There are even ranked events for show hunter and equitation rider! Interestingly, Horse Shows by the Bay is produced by Traverse City residents Dean and Alexandrea Rheinmeimer. They have over 20 years experience producing and managing equestrian events nationwide.

Horses and riders at the Horse Shows by the Bay are of the utmost best in the nations. The event carries the highest ratings possible governed by the United States Equestrian Federation. The event is also acknowledged by the World Championship Hunter Rider Awards Program, the International High Performance Hunter Derby Program, the United States Hunter - Jumper Association, the United States Dressage Federation and the Young Jumper Championship Program. The Horse Shows by the Bay hosts whopping 1,400 horses! Their owners and riders compete to win points towards national titles and year end awards. A staggering $385,000 dollars in prize money is awarded during the festival and at the last tally has brought more that $30 million dollars in tourism revenue to the Traverse City area.

More on where it all takes place: Flint Field Horse Park. Flintfield Horse Park is made up of 80 acres and is a complete horse show complex. It's located just off Bates Road about a half mile North of M-72 East in Acme Township. Flintfield is most impressive. Built specially to house the horse show, it was designed to accommodate more that 1,000 stalls, has 5 show rings, warm up rings, a wonderful spectator pavilion, offices, a lane for vendors and a very nice campground.

When and What: The shows start on Wednesdays and finish on a Sunday. There are featured events on the weekends which include: Grand Prix & Exhibitions, family day activities and charity fundraisers.

If you have never been...you really should consider spending the better half of a day browsing the Flintfield Horse Park during the Horse Shows by the Bay. Even if you have really never thought too much about horses, I bet you find yourself amazed with the magnitude of this event. It's really something else...

If you are looking for lodging while either participating or attending the Horse Shows, we have accommodated several attending guests. Northern Shores Vacation Rentals, LLC. is located in downtown Traverse City and offers exclusively Peninsula Bay Resort Condominiums on East Grand Traverse Bay, only minutes from both the Cherry Capital airport and Flintfield Horse Park. Visit our website here: http://www.visitnorthernshores.com/ for more information.

Traverse City Vacationer™ - Sports a New Look...

It was back in 2005 when I was working the Internet pushing Peninsula Bay ever further out into the cyber arena that I came to realize I wanted something more. Sure, we had a pretty nice website from the get-go, thanks to a connection with a very talented Internet guru in Ann Arbor instructing at U of M. To get off the ground running, we employed some of the bigger vacation rental websites such as vacationrentals.com, etc. We still do use a handful of vacation rentals sites to this day - you can never have "too much" exposure and the Internet has been a wonderful means of sharing our project - Peninsula Bay Resort Condominiums.

What I did notice is that there are lots of vacation rental websites out there but few specialize in one local geographical area...say for instance "Traverse City." I was off and running...hence the Traverse City Vacationer™. A vacation rental website dedicated to Traverse City and it's immediate area. No need to wade through state after state - city after city... just a one stop shop. I figured what can it hurt? I was able to build the site (this is the 3rd version) and was able to host it beside our main site on our server. What was thought as just another avenue to finding Peninsula Bay Condominiums has turned into a pretty catchy website now hosting many tens of properties in the area.

My optimization stats for VisitNorthernShores.com show our biggest referring website to be... yes the Traverse City Vacationer™. This had evolved somewhat to my surprise...I didn't really think that spending most of my nights up til the wee hours of the morning mulling over the Internet searching for optimization avenues would pay off as they have. I've learned a lot ,but I' m no expert - although I must say, I feel rewarded for my efforts and am pleased. Google still remains our strongest referring search engine and with good reason.

The Traverse City Vacationer™ will continue to change and evolve over the years, I have plans for it, but its mission will always be to service those looking to find accommodations here in this special place in so many hearts called: Traverse City

2nd Annual Valentines Day Chocolate & Wine Event

2nd Annual Valentines Day Chocolate & Wine Event
2pm to 4pm
Location: Red Ginger

Get an early start of Valentine's Day with a special pairing of Chocolate and Wine from local growers and chocolatiers. Mingle with Mimi Wheeler from Grocer's Daughter Chocolate in Empire. Sip wine with Larry Mawby, Brian Ulbrich from Left Foot Charley and Lee Lutes from Black Star Farms.
Tickets are $15 and can be pruchased at Red Ginger located on Front Street in downtown Traverse City.
Phone: (231) 944-1733

"Jeff and Tim, Tim and Jeff" - Classical Guitars - Horizon Book Store

"Jeff and Tim, Tim and Jeff" Classical Guitars Performance
When: Saturday, February 21
Time: 8:30pm to 10:30pm
Where: Cuppa Joe's in Horizon Books - downtown Traverse City

Jeff Winkler - talented classical guitar player will be playing in the downstairs reading area at Horizon Books in downtown Traverse City. Jeff is local Traverse City artist with fingers that will amaze you. He loves his classical guitar and those that have seen him, know it loves him back. Jeff plays a variety of songs including several Spanish works. Accompaning Jeff is Tim Harding who will be showing off his Jazzy & modern guitar cords...

So grab a "Cuppa Joe" and had downstairs for a warm environment of listening enjoyment!

Peepers Program: Animals who sleep or Hibernate in Winter

Peppers Program: Animals who sleep or hibernate in winter.
Time: 10am to 11am
Location: Boardman River Nature Center

Join the Grand Traverse Conservation District for the new Peepers Program at the Boardman River Nature Center! This fun and educational program is designed to foster the exploration of nature in preschoolers. Peeper's will take place every Tuesday morning from 10-11am. Preschoolers will explore nature and seasonal nature themes with experienced early childhood educators and naturalists. Each morning will include indoor and outdoor activities-so dress for the weather.
Fee: $3 per child or $45 for entire session. For more information, or to register your little peeper, call (231) 941-0960

Traverse City - Stargazing a Public Viewing!

Stargazing- Public Viewing
8pm to 10pm
Location: NMC's Rogers Observatory

Students from the NMC Astronomy Club and Grand Traverse Astonomical Society are hosting an opportunity to Stargaze in order to expose more people to astronomy. They have scheduled weekly viewing nights to commemorate 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy. Programming will be different each week. Souvenirs like a "star finder" map of the sky will be available.

The Northwestern Michigan College Rogers Observatory is located at 1753 Birmley Road in Traverse City.
Phone: (231) 995-2300

Artcenter Traverse City - New Member Show

Artcenter Traverse City New Member Show
Location: Traverse Bay Area District Library
February 9-28, 2009

To welcome its newest members, Artcenter Traverse City has reserved the Traverse Bay Area District Library's gallery for the month of February to host an all-media show. This exhibit will feature the work of new members who have joined Artcenter from January 2007 through January 29, 2009.

The Traverse Bay Area district Library is located at 610 Woodmere Avenue.