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February 2014
Our 110-year-old lighthouse standing up to the icy Lake Michigan waves! Photo by staff photographer, Jamie Garvison.


In This Issue
Girl's Afternoon Out!
Lodging Specials and Packages
Snowy Day Activities!
February Events
Girl's Afternoon Out!
February 22, 2014
11am-2pm

 

 

Join Fenn Valley Winery for a fun afternoon as Chef Christine Ferris demonstrates easy to follow cooking techniques. These fun events are a great way to be entertained while learning some culinary skills.

 

Sit back, relax and let a professional chef teach easy to understand techniques for expanding your knowledge in the kitchen. These events also touch on wine and food pairings, a constant theme at Fenn Valley.

 

Tickets are $30 per person, which includes lunch, wine, tax and tip. Reservations required and accepted here.

 

 

 
 
Lodging Specials 
Packages!
Choose from one of our romantic bed & breakfasts, historic inns, family-owned hotels and resorts, or even rent a cozy cottage. Check out our fabulous Specials & Packages at www.southhaven.org for great savings!

 


Quick Links
Thank you Instagram friend @tara12891 for capturing & sharing this icy shot of our favorite lighthouse! South Haven, Pure Michigan.
Instagram friend @daddeo1 recently explored our icy South Pier. Thank you for sharing your adventures with us!
Natural sand art in South Haven captured by Jamie Garvison!
Who is excited about ice Breaker 2014 in downtown South Haven?? January 31 is almost here! Thank you Instagram friend @alexandra_york for this photo from last year's festival!
Brrr! The polar vortex brought below zero temps & LOTS of snow to the South Haven Area this January. We're still receiving phone calls about the local sledding hill though! In case you're interested, it's at the corner of Water Street & St. Joseph Street. Thanks Instagram friend @jtotovino for sharing this frosty photo!

Celebrate the snowy winter weather by bundling up and playing outside like Henry here! Instagram friend @deidrakibler shared this photo of a fun day at Kids Corner in South Haven!
Snowy Day Activities!



Remember the delight of catching snowflakes on your tongue? The comfort in a cup of steaming cocoa after frolicking in the snow? Van Buren County is the ideal place to recapture winter's enchantment. Bundle up and make way for unforgettable winter fun!

Lighted for night skating, South Haven's ice rink is professionally groomed and provides open skating hours nearly every day throughout the season.

Downhill skiers, boarders and tubing enthusiasts find prime facilities at Timber Ridge Ski Resort in Gobles. Lean into winter at Bittersweet Ski Resort where 20 runs accommodate all levels of skiers and a terrain park offers boarders thrills and challenge.  Cross-country skiers and snowshoers enjoy the peaceful beauty of winter along the Kal-Haven Trail. The 34-mile long trail is also a popular snowmobile pathway linking Kalamazoo and South Haven. The trail traverses woods, farmland, streams and rivers. Snowmobilers are welcome to enter South Haven where they find respite and refreshment.

From the season's first flake to the springtime melt, winter escapades across Van Buren County offer exhilarating experiences for the young and young at heart.
 
 





To request an Official Visitors Guide with a complete listing of lodging members contact us at 269.637.5252/1.800.SO.HAVEN.

 

YouTube Channel!  

 
Thanks Instagram friend @sherlockphoto for this shot!
Be sure to check out our YouTube Channel & send us your favorite South Haven video footage! 
 
Greetings!

    Happy New Year! What are your travel plans for 2014? We'd love to hear about them! If you're not already, get social with South Haven/Van Buren County Convention & Visitors Bureau. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.
    If this year flies by like the last, it's important to take time for what matters most - making memories with family and friends. That's where we can help. Feel free to call us anytime! The friendly and knowledgeable team at the South Haven/Van Buren County CVB is here 12 months a year to answer your questions. Call 800-So-Haven or email [email protected]. Take time now to plan those special getaways in 2014. Even though it's only January, coordinating schedules, locking in dates and booking your lodging now can save you time and money later.  Here are some of the most popular festivals and events you won't want to miss in South Haven and Van Buren County in 2014: 

 

Waterfront Film Festival,
June 14-19

 
Harborfest, June 19-22
 
51st Annual National Blueberry Festival, August 7-10

Paw Paw Wine & Harvest Festival, September 5-7
 
Bangor Apple Festival, October 4

Women's Only Weekend, November 7-9

 

 

Your friends, 

 

South Haven/Van Buren County 
Convention & Visitors Bureau

269.637.5252/1.800.SO.HAVEN 
[email protected] 
www.southhaven.org 
Ice Breaker 2014 in Downtown South Haven!
 


January 31-February 2, Times Vary.    
    West Michigan's predominant and growing winter festival is showcasing dazzling ice sculptures, a Chili Cook-off, Pub Slide, horse drawn wagon rides, kid crafts, and many more exciting, fundraising events for local communities.  

    A major highlight of the event is the sculpting of more than 50 blocks of ice, weighing 300 pounds each, into incredible works of frozen art. The Ice Sculpting competition has three divisions - professional, amateur and student. While admiring all the amazing ice displays along the way; make sure to enjoy the Pub Slide, with food, drink & entertainment specials offered at participating bars and restaurants all weekend long.  

    The streets of South Haven will also be blazing on Saturday due to the chili cook-off, along with the Boy Scouts "Heat the Streets" offering 3 fire pits open for s'more roasting! The Professional Chili Cook-Off provides downtown South Haven restaurants & bars the opportunity to vie for the coveted "Con Carne Trophy." You can contact the South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce at 269.637.5171 for more information or check out the full schedule of events and activities located on our homepage at www.southhaven.org!

Coastline Children's
Film Festival
 


January 31-February 9, Times Vary. 

You don't have to be a kid to enjoy this event. In collaboration with the City of South Haven, Moore Theatres, and Carol Hodgman, the South Haven Center for the Arts will feature the best of the New York Children's Film Festival at the Michigan Theatre, along with a live performance by Larry Schanker on piano accompanying a classic silent film. It's just in time to go to Ice Breakers and then stop by the Michigan Theatre to warm up with a free film. Click here for the schedule. 
The Un-Party in
Downtown South Haven 



January 1-February 2. 
    Buy a ticket for $20 & you are entitled to special deals at participating downtown stores during the months of January & February!  Also, your ticket  enters you into FABULOUS drawings for 2 "Basket O' Local Business" goodies! The drawing will take place on February 2 during Ice Breaker 2014.  Instead of spending time & money at a party, treat yourself to a trip downtown & support our local establishments!
    The YDC/PAL UN-PARTY supports area youth programming & SoHa DIGS the KIDS! NOTE; YDC/PAL is a local non-profit youth organization providing the following programs to kids in South Haven, Bangor & Covert: before school programs, after school programs in South Haven & Bangor, Summer park programs & mentoring to over 450 youths each year!! 
Blending Party with St. Julian Winery  



February 8, 7pm.

    Each year our winemaker Nancie Oxley tastes the grapes that make up our Meritage wine and determines the best blend for that vintage. But did you ever wonder what it would taste like with a different blend of the three grapes? Perhaps a blend that you created yourself? You're the winemaker of the night at this special event to be held in our Dundee tasting room. 
      Come and taste different vintages of the Braganini Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. You'll also taste the 2005 and 2009 vintages of the Braganini Meritage. Knowing how these three wines taste individually, you'll then create your own unique Meritage. Will Nancie agree with you for the next vintage, or will you influence her? $15 Non-Wine Club Members, $12 Wine Club Members, RSVP by February 5, 2014. 

 

The Fur Ball - Dancing with the Stars at Beach Haven Event Center
 


February 22, 6pm-Midnight. 

Enjoy an exclusive menu presented by Taste, win fabulous silent and live auction items, and cheer on your favorite local celebrity in the Celebrity Dance Competition where YOU are the judge! All to benefit Al-Van Humane Society!

 

 

Indoor Farm Market at Foundry Hall
 
    
Saturdays through April, 11am-3pm. 
If you love the South Haven Farmers' Market in the summer, you'll love this! The Indoor Market was created last year and is a vibrant, fresh, and exciting part of our community. Be sure to reap the benefits and pleasures of freshly picked products as well as handmade items.  Purchase produce and baked goods from your favorite Farmers' Market vendors during the winter season at Foundry Hall!  
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