Join Downtown Petoskey Tonight, Friday, June 5th in celebrating the beginning of the summer season! Pennsylvania Park will come alive with the sounds of the Petoskey Steel Drum Band, and Downtown will be bustling with activity as the restaurants and merchants show off their 2015 goods in a Taste of Downtown and a Summer Fashion Show. There will be a drink tent featuring Beards Brewery and Symon's Wine Cellar with ticket proceeds supporting the YMCA of Northern Michigan. For details and the full event schedule, visit. www.PetoskeyDowntown.com.

Tonight's Summer Open House events at Petoskey District Library for Friday June 5th. Join us after hours for special events taking place during Petoskey's downtown summer open house.  Read to one of our PAWS dogs in the children's room or play croquet and eat cotton candy out on the lawn!  Also, join Mr. Ron for a special story time of Theseus and the Minotaur in the Labyrinth.  For more info, call 231-758-3100.

Spring Birding with Little Traverse Conservancy will be on Saturday, June 6th, from 8-10 a.m., join us and the Petoskey Regional Audubon Society (PRAS) at the Ransom Nature Preserve for Spring Birding.  A delightful mixture of habitats are available for a wide diversity of bird species.  Scarlet Tanagers and Indigo Buntings have been regular in the past.  Great-crested Flycatcher nested at this location in the past.  PRAS president, Darrell Lawson will lead the trip and help locate birds and explain their behavior. For more information or to register, contact 231.347.0991 or online at www.landtrust.org. 

Boyne Mountain's 6th Annual Dirty Dog Dash, a 3.1 mile obstacle race, returns on Saturday, June 6th. This year's event begins with a chairlift ride up the Meadows lift and a whole new race route offering new challenges.  Racers face off with a mogul field, traverse rails, climb over hurdles, trudge through water pits and mud, crawl under netting, and slip and slide to the finish line.  After the race, there's an awards ceremony, Loudmouth Soup performs live with 80s and 90s hits from noon to 4 p.m., there's grilled eats to chow down on, and plenty of refreshments to quench the thirst after a hard day's run. A portion of each entry fee supports Emmet County Veteran Affairs.  Visit boynemountain.com for complete details.

Benefit Dinner and Silent Auction Supporting Carl VanderWall and Family on Sunday, June 7th at the Emmet County Fairgrounds Community Building from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. The event will also feature a live auction at 7:00 p.m. Carl, an active DNR Conservation Officer, has recently been diagnosed with an aggressive from of brain cancer. Minimum dinner donation is $5 per person. 100% of the proceeds will go to the VanderWall family and are tax deductible. Find out more information here. Also the youth wrestling team will be going door to door on Sun 7th for cans, a combo fundraiser for Darby Walker and Carl VanderWall families. Darby is 16 with Leukemia find our more information here.

The Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra and Chorus will present Americana, a timeless collection of American pieces, on Sunday, June 7th at the John M. Hall Auditorium in Bay View at 7:00 pm.  Guests are invited to arrive early for an Ice Cream Social hosted by the Northern Michigan Cultural Alliance at Evelyn Hall at 5:00 p.m. and a pre-concert talk with conductor Libor Ondras at 6:15 p.m. Tickets are available at Chamber of Commerce offices, online at www.glcorchestra.org or by calling 231-487-0010; general admission is $20 and reserved seats are $35 or $50.  Students and youth who are 18 and under, military personnel and people with disabilities registered with VSA Arts of Michigan are admitted free of charge.

Walloon Lake Inn presents the Michigan Guest Chefs Dinner on Sunday June 7th. Chefs from around the state have been invited to be a part of an 8 course dinner. Cost is $200 per person for food and wine. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. and event begins at 6:00 p.m. For the full menu and a list of participating chefs look under events on our website at www.walloonlakeinn.com or call 231-535-2999. 

Senator Wayne Schmidt will be holding coffee hours in the 37th District this month.  He will be available to answer questions and provide information and assistance, as well as take suggestions on issues affecting communities and businesses in the district.  No appointment is necessary.  Monday, June 8th at The Villager Pub in Charlevoix and Friday June 19th at North Perk Coffee in Petoskey. Click Here to read Senator Wayne Schmidt's latest newsletter. 

Container Gardening: The Features, Fundamentals, and Fun! Join us at Castle Farms of Charlevoix on Tuesday, June 9th, at 7:00 p.m. for a delightful evening celebrating gardens. Learn how a bit of greenery and color can make a difference to one's home. "Container Gardening: The Features, Fundamentals, and Fun", is presented by nationally renowned horticulturist Rob McCartney. Learn how to select the perfect container with proper dimensions. Explore effective designs, theme, and creative opportunities for use. From patios and porches, to decks, balconies, window sills and more, container gardens add color, fragrance and texture to settings where flower beds and gardens aren't possible. This presentation is free and open to the general public.

Golfers are invited to participate in the North Central Michigan College Foundation's 19th annual Scramble for Scholarships golf outing, Thursday, June 11th, at the Little Traverse Bay Golf Club. Fifth Third Bank is the event sponsor for this year's outing, and all proceeds from the event go to the Foundation Scholarship Fund to benefit students. Registered teams of four players will enjoy a day of golf, lunch and dinner. Each golfer will receive a great door prize sponsored by Tim Bondy Physical Therapy, Aquatic Therapy and Wellness Centers.  Other sponsors include Ferris State University, Colorphonic, Inc. and Harbor/Brenn Agencies. There are openings for teams as well as hole sponsorships and prize donations.  For more information, contact the Foundation at 231-439-6218 or e-mail sdulaney@ncmich.edu. 

Please join Char-Em United Way Celebration Breakfast on Thursday June 11th Odawa Casino in Ovation Hall. Continental Breakfast is at 8:00 a.m. and Presentations and Awards are from 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Event is complementary to our generous donors, volunteers and funded partners. Reservations are requested by June 5th by calling 231-487-1006 or email info@charemunitedway.org

Collars for a Cause Adopt-A-Thon is Saturday, June 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Dave Kring Chevrolet Cadillac! Come adopt a dog or cat from Little Traverse Bay Humane Society and Dave Kring will pay up to $50 towards your adoption fees. There will be fun for the whole family including Hot Dogs, Popcorn, Kilwin's Ice Cream, Face Painting, Giveaways, Raffle Ticket Items, Great Silent Auction Items, plus you can meet the Car Fox! Find your next furry friend at Collars for a Cause!

McLean & Eakin Booksellers welcomes: Susan Froetschel on Saturday, June 13th from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. to sign her novel, Allure of Deceit telling the story of a young inventor and his wife killed in a terrorist attack-leaving behind a will directing a vast fortune toward charities in the developing world. For more information contact McLean & Eakin Booksellers at 231.347.1180 or send an email to www.mcleanandeakin.com

Little Traverse Bay Humane Society and Dave Kring Cadillac-Chevrolet of Petoskey present Collars for a Cause Adopt-a-Thon which takes place on Saturday, June 13th from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Dave Kring Chevrolet-Cadillac located on 1861 U.S. 31 North Petoskey, MI 49770. Dave Kring has generously agreed to donate $50 toward every dog, puppy and kitten adoption. Hot dogs, popcorn, Kilwin's ice cream, face painting, giveaways and raffle ticket items are also available at no cost to attendees. For more information, call 231-347-2396.  

Calling youth grades 6-12. Little Traverse Civic Theatre announces auditions for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - the Musical on June 16th and 18th at 7:00 p.m. at the Crooked Tree Arts Center. For more information about auditions visit www.ltct.org In addition a new workshop,"The Play's the Thing: A Workshop in Theater Arts," is cosponsored by Crooked Tree Arts Center. This is the perfect opportunity for budding actors and actresses to try acting skills and techniques, as well as lighting, sound, set design, construction, costume design, hair and make-up will be explored, giving a well-rounded look at what it takes to put on a play. For more information about the workshop and to register, contact the Crooked Tree Arts Center at 231-347-4337 or visit www.crookedtree.org.

Twilight Tours and Farm to Table Dinner at Castle Farms. Spend a memorable evening at Castle Farms on a summer Twilight Tour and see the Castle after everyone has left. Enjoy the ambiance of the illuminated stone walls and grounds as you hear stories and learn the history of the nearly 100 year old buildings from knowledgeable tour guides. The evening begins with a delicious four-course Farm-To-Table dinner catered by A Matter of Taste (September Twilight Tour features tour prior to dinner). Following dinner, set off on your guided tour. Breathtaking photo opportunities. Twilight Tours offered exclusively four times during the summer season: June 17th, July 15th,
August 12th and September 16th. Reservations required. $50 per person. Phone Castle Farms, (231) 237-0884, ext. 224.

Save the Date for the Little Traverse Bay Quilt Show on Friday, June 19th and Saturday, June 20th at the Emmet County Fairgrounds Community Building

on 1129 Charlevoix Avenue (US-31), on the west side of Petoskey. Admission is just $6. For more information, go to: www.ltbquiltersguild.org and click on the link for the Quilt Show Page.

Mark your calendars for the 13th annual Bay Harbor In-Water Boat Show taking place over Father's Day weekend, June 19th - 21st. The show will feature the finest in watercraft from pleasure boats to mega-yachts and everything in between! Diverse land displays will also be a part of the show. Our sponsors for the event include Walstrom Marine, Dry Harbour Marine, Irish Boat Shop, Fox Motors, Nature RV & Me, Vespa, Airstream and Skipper Buds.  Be sure to bring the kids for the bounce house/obstacle course combos that will be up all three days of the event.  Also enjoy magic and balloon twisting by Jania Taylor on Saturday afternoon. There is free admission into the show. If you need further information, please contact the Harbormaster office at 231.439.2544 or email bhlm@bayharbor.com

HarborActive presents "Wine & Web: Four Courses of Wine and Learning" on Tuesday, June 23rd at 5:30 p.m. at Stafford's Pier Restaurant. Cost is $25 per person and includes four courses of wine with appetizer pairings and four courses of mobile learning covering Facebook, Email Etiquette, Pinterest, and a Mobile Madness open forum. Bring your mobile device and learn apps that will make your mobile use more enjoyable while tasting great new wines. Register online by Friday, June 19th - http://www.harboractive.com/register-wine-web/

Keweenaw Excursions, Beards Brewery and the Charlevoix Marathon have all chosen Hospice of Northwest Michigan as a Charity of Choice and are supporting the upcoming "Hops for Hospice" fundraising boat cruise on their behalf!  Cruise to take place on Saturday, June 27, 2015 from 4pm to 6pm. Tickets are $25 per person, each ticket includes the two hour cruise around Lake Charlevoix and Lake Michigan along with two Michigan Microbrews created by Beards Brewery.  Tickets can be purchased and reserved through the Keweenaw Excursions website at www.keweenawexcursions.com or by calling 231-237-9365.  Families are welcome.  This opportunity is limited to the first 125 tickets sold! A portion of the proceeds from this event will go to Hospice of Northwest Michigan.

Blissfest, Northern Michigan's award winning folk, roots and world music festival, will take place July 10th-12th, at the Blissfest Festival Farm near Cross Village.

The 35th Annual Blissfest is a celebration of music, culture, art and community featuring a world of diverse and innovative folk, world and roots music and dance at the 120 acre Festival Farm in scenic northern Michigan. It is an unequaled weekend of music immersion to be shared with families, friends and music-lovers of all ages. Headlining this year's festival will be Arlo Guthrie with his 50th anniversary Alice's Restaurant Tour.

Event information and links to all the artists are available through the Blissfest website

For more information about the Blissfest visit us on the web at www.blissfest.org or call 231/348-7047.

This summer season Crooked Tree Arts Center will be continuing with its summer concert series. Both the Charlotte Ross Lee Concerts in the Park and the Bidwell Plaza Concert Series will be starting this month. The Charlotte Ross Lee Concert Series will occur every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday at 12:00 p.m. in the Pennsylvania Park gazebo, and the Bidwell Plaza series will occur on Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. on CTAC's outdoor plaza off Mitchell Street. The events provide fantastic music to the community, and allow local artists to showcase their talents. The concerts are perfect for all ages and all musical tastes. Come join in the fun and listen to some awesome tunes, for more information or a list of artists visit www.crookedtree.org

The Fox Charlevoix team was proud to sponsor the Bryan Roloff Memorial Benefit this year. The event marks the 21st year since the passing of Bryan Roloff, a talented guitarist who won the "Hot Licks Contest" in 1993. Two weeks after opening for Foghat/Nazareth in Traverse City, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and died a year later. The memorial, which had eight local bands, a 50/50 raffle, a silent auction and more, is a way to keep his spirit alive while helping others in our community. Fox Charlevoix presented Shirley Roloff, Bryan's mom, with a contribution that will be used to help people with medical needs all over Northern Michigan.

Sandra Lee Photography Studio & Gallery at 318 E Mitchell St in Petoskey is offering local businesses a special photography/marketing package that is sure to give you the exposure you need to take your business to the next level. This package includes professional photography for your business, professional business portraits of each member of your team, and professional images of your products/services. There are many bonuses in this package so call Sandra Lee for your consultation and let her customize a photography/marketing package for your business. Contact Sandra Lee at 231-622-2066, sandraleephotography@hotmail.com, 

www.sandraleephotographystudio.com