Podcasts about frankenmuth

May 6, 2025 ~ Al Zehnder, Chairman and CEO Zehnder of Frankenmuth Splash Village joins Paul W Smith on the Pure Michigan Tour.

May 6, 2025 ~ Paul W Smith broadcasts live from Bavarian Blast in Frankenmuth for Day 2 of the Pure Michigan Tour.

This is the Michigan Golf Live Radio May 3rd edition featuring The Fortress GC in Frankenmuth We're in Michigan's #1 tourist destination - Frankenmuth to focus on The Fortress, the world of Zehnders, and all things Frankenmuth in our season 26 premier show. Listen closely for details on a special contest where you could win your choice of shoes from Footjoy! ---------------- MGL 24/7 Listener Hotline - (989) 272-2383 - we want to hear from you! Subscribe to the MGL/FGN Podcast Watch our videos on YouTube  

April 27, 2025 ~ Host Dave Lorenz discusses Traverse City wineries to check out, plus a preview of the city's National Cherry Festival. Plus, he takes a look at the upcoming Magic City Grill Fest, Bavarian Inn's new Bavarian Blast Water Park in Frankenmuth, and Detroit Tigers youth programs.

EPISODE 694: Behind the Mitten Road Trip -- Bay City to FrankenmuthIn this episode of "Behind the Mitten," hosts John Gonzalez and Amy Sherman celebrate 10 years of exploring Michigan's Great Lakes State. They embark on a road trip from Bay City to Frankenmuth, visiting local attractions like Tummyache candy store and John's Bar. The conversation highlights the importance of community, local businesses, and upcoming festivals in Frankenmuth, including the opening of a new water park. The hosts share their love for Michigan's culture, food, and the joy of road trips.Segment 1: The trip begins at Tummy Ache Candy Store in Bay City, and Amy and Gonzo meet Starr Henning, who co-owns the store with her husband, Michael, and they also operate an ice cream truck called "Starshine." It's a fun first stop!Segment 2: Amy and Gonzo introduce you to the charmingly awesome John's Bar & Party Store located in Munger right on Hwy 15. When we say right on the highway, it's a house that is just steps from the corner of Tuscola and Munger Roads, on your way south to Frankenmuth. Owner Kellie Brown, who co-owns the bar with her mom Mary Ann, and who's parents previously owned it, welcome everyone in this unssuming house/restaurant/bar. Local beef meets that famous griddle for the perfect flavorful sear, pick your patties and toppings and Kellie will get to work like the pro that she is. Everyone here is friendly and welcoming.Segment 3: After their stop at John's Bar, they travel about 15 miles south to Frankenmuth to visit Amy Zehnder Grossi at Michigan on Main, which is a sister restaurant to Bavarian Inn. It's a familiar stop because Amy and Gonzo were good friends of martriarch Dorothy Zehnder, a true Michigan treasure who passed away in 2023 at age 101. As president of Bavarian Inn Restaurant, Amy Zehnder Grossi shares what's new, including the just-opened Bavarian Blast, one of Michigan's biggest water parks. Segment 4: The night ends with a wine and charcuterie experience at Prost! in Frankenmuth. It feels like a big-city restaurant in the Bavarian-themed village. It has a cozy fireplace and lively atmosphere.That completes our Bay City to Frankenmuth road trip!Chapters00:00 -- Celebrating Michigan's Great Lakes State01:11 -- Road Trip Adventures: Bay City to Frankenmuth02:55 -- Exploring Tummyache: A Candy Wonderland12:54 -- John's Bar: A Local Favorite23:08 -- Frankenmuth: A Home Away From Home25:45 -- Bavarian Inn: A Family Tradition28:56 -- Exciting New Developments: Water Park Coming Soon29:48 -- Festivals in Frankenmuth: Celebrating Community33:27 -- Prost: A Cozy Wine Bar ExperienceLearn more about Behind the Mitten at amyandgonzo.com.

Co-Host of "Behind the Mitten" Amy Sherman shares where she and Gonzo will be this weekend including road trippin', the CMU "Celebrate Life" Pow-Wow, candy shops, John's Bar, Prost! in Frankenmuth, wiener dog races, and more on 1320 WILS.

Can a small zoo in Michigan redefine the zoo experience and make a global impact? In this episode of Total Michigan, host Cliff DuVernois sits down with Jeremiah Tietz, the passionate director of Wilderness Trails Zoo. They delve into the zoo's interactive initiatives, conservation efforts, and Jeremiah's unique journey that led him back to Michigan. Discover how this sanctuary near Frankenmuth is creating immersive experiences for its visitors while contributing to worldwide conservation efforts. - Initiatives to Add More Public Interaction: Jeremiah emphasizes the zoo's focus on creating hands-on, memorable experiences for visitors, including a new rainforest building. - Global Conservation Efforts: Wilderness Trails Zoo engages in global species survival plans and has participated in success stories of reintroducing endangered species into the wild. - Jeremiah's Journey and Vision: From growing up with a passion for wildlife sparked at the Phoenix Zoo to becoming a Michigan-based director, Jeremiah aims to create a family-friendly destination that educates and inspires future generations.Links:Wilderness Trails Zoo Website: https://wildernesstrailszoo.org/Address:11721 Gera Rd, Birch Run, MI 48415Subscribe to our Email Newsletter: https://totalmichigan.com/join/Find us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/totalmichiganWatch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@totalmichiganShow Notes:00:00 Introduction and New Initiatives01:14 Meet Jeremiah Tietz01:57 Wilderness Trail Zoo's Mission03:22 Zoo's Size and Scope03:59 Jeremiah's Background and Passion06:22 Veterinary Medicine and Zoo Career12:26 Conservation Efforts and Global Impact15:02 Challenges and Human Impact16:54 Returning to Wilderness Trail Zoo18:47 Future Plans and New Additions22:03 Reptile Rescue and Community Involvement24:21 Collaborative Efforts and Animal Care26:48 Visitor Experience and Goals28:17 How to Get Involved

Kris Kringle's turf. 

What's the most American-made vehicles you can buy? New study reveals them. Michigan dad drowned in icy Frankenmuth river — and mystery surrounds how he got there McDonald's announces new McValue menu, special savings for Michigan customers

Percussionist, Performer, and Educator Olivia Cirisan stops by to chat about performing Ancel Fitzgerald Neeley's “37 across 39 down” at PASIC 2024 (03:15), her master's program at the University of Michigan and her responsibilities and work with chamber duos and gamelan (16:40), growing up (mostly) in Frankenmuth, Michigan, her piano and percussion background, and living with ADHD (37:15), attending the University of Michigan for undergrad, staying there for the master's, and her time auditioning at Mizzou (01:02:10), and finishing with the Random Ass Questions, including segments on self-seriousness in art, her experiences as a woman in percussion spaces, the Twilight movies, Albert Camus, and the Midnight Gospel series (01:20:30).Finishing with a Rave on the 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon (02:02:15).Olivia Cirisan links:Olivia Cirisan's websiteFLYDLPHINVIRIDPrevious Podcast Guests mentioned:Cameron Leach in 2023Megan Arns in 2016Other links:Ancel Fitzgerald Neeley“Everything Now Right Now” - Robert HonsteinLogic ProVariSpeedDavid MinnixJoseph GramleyJonathan OvalleDoug PerkinsIan RosenbaumPaige MaddenLate Night with the Devil trailerTwilight: Eclipse shirt take offThe Office/Twilight Mash UpThe Shining as a Romantic ComedyRemarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby Van PeltFrankenmuth, MichiganThe Myth of Sisyphus - Albert CamusThe Midnight Gospel trailerRaves:Dog Day Afternoon trailer

In this episode, Rebecca and Tori discuss the Amazon MGM Studios film 'Candy Cane Lane' starring Eddie Murphy. We discuss how even though the movie starts out a bit slow, it picks up and mayhem ensues. We rave about the sets and the portrayal of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas.' An enjoyable holiday flick!Frankenmuth, MichiganCandy Cane Lane movie review & film summary (2023) | Roger EbertCollider | Candy Cane Lane ReviewHi Native | "Drip" defintionPlugged In | Candy Cane Lane - 2023'Candy Cane Lane' Review: Eddie Murphy in a Loopy Christmas MovieChristmas Tropes - TV Tropes

Harking back to how Eric got started in the world of Kringling or Clausing.  A look back to the 1980's when it all began. Donna takes to point to interview Eric about his busy activities at this time of year and how it all began. The First Suit, the First Performance.  A trip down memory lane and working with the Downtown Fremont Merchant Association.  Joseph's, J C Penney's, I Lytles, Thing-a-ma-Jigs and more.  Come along as we head into the holidays. Donna Reed and Eric Seemann are both professional real estate agents. Donna lives and works in Tucson Arizona with Keller Williams Southern Arizona while Eric lives and works in San Antonio Texas with Keller Williams Heritage. They are also siblings, and they grew up in a small Northwest Ohio village of Lindsey. Their idyllic small-town childhood laid the foundation for what would become the structure of their lives and careers in real estate. We hope you will join us as we reminisce, reflect, and correlate how our childhood and life in rural Ohio still impacts our dealings with our clients today. Website:  www.realsiblings.com Watch Episodes on YouTube at:  REAL Siblings, It Ain't Easy   To reach out to Donna: Email:  donna@reedtucson.com Phone: (520) 631-4638 Facebook: (2) Donna Seemann Reed | Facebook   To Connect with Eric: Email:  eric@victorsgrouptx.com Phone: (210) 389-6324 Facebook: (2) Eric V. Seemann | Facebook Texas Real Estate Commission - Information About Brokerage Services Texas Real Estate Commission - Consumer Protection Notice  

Jay took his family to Frankenmuth over the weekend and had SO. MUCH. CHICKEN!

November 11, 2024 ~ Frankenmuth's culture is rich with military history. Matt Curtis, owner of the Frankenmuth Woolen Mill, joins Kevin to share their story that dates back to World War I and how they serve the country.

November 11, 2024 ~ Frankenmuth's Holiday Spirit is alive. Jamie Furbush, President and CEO of the Frankenmuth Convention & Visitors Bureau, joins Kevin to share what the city has planned for the upcoming holiday season.

November 11, 2024 ~ Full Show: Kevin celebrates Veterans Day at The Michigan Heroes Museum. John Ryder, Executive Director of the Museum, sits down with Kevin. He is joined by Martha Kaczynski and Jamie Furbush to learn more about what is going on in Frankenmuth. Anthony Bellino recaps the Lions incredible win against the Texans.

CRAFT BEER PODCAST INFO:Join Ken, Wendy, and Rob in a conversation with Brian from Stormcloud Brewing out of Frankfort (not Frankenmuth). Brian sells us all on the trek up to Traverse City to hang out at a cool brewpub (or a taproom if the brewpub is busy). A Belgian-inspired brewery doing easy-drinking traditional styles in a fun and interesting environment. You should see them in the winter!Join us live at our new start time, 8:30pm ET, every other Friday! Live on Twitch, Kick, and Facebook!MICHIGAN SERIES: Having brought in guests from all over the country this past two years, we wanted to still be true to our roots, so we have began the Michigan Series. A series of Michigan Brewery owners, employees, brewers, and sales reps, talking about what is happening here in the state and what is happening at their facilities.Sponsors:Visit Detroit - The Detroit Brew Trail - https://visitdetroit.com/food-drink/breweries-wineries-distilleries/detroit-brew-trail/Zetouna Liquor - https://www.facebook.com/Zetouna-Liquor-Fine-Wine-Cigars-146021445420374/Craftapped (Code BOD for 15% Off At Checkout) - https://craftapped.com/join-page-by-state/Rochester Mills Beer Co - https://www.beercos.com/Join The Michigan Beer Discord - https://discord.gg/vEEDyzwdjTDownload the MI Beer Map - http://www.mibeermap.comSubscribe to Better on Draft - https://plnk.to/BODSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6AlzP1BH0iykayF856bGRc?si=xXZzdd3CTPqgUq_KYTnBKgiTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-on-draft-a-craft-beer-podcast/id1091124740Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/betterondraftUntappd - https://www.untappd.com/user/betterondraftYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/betterondraftInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/betterondraftTwitter - https://www.twitter.com/betterondraftTik Tok- https://www.tiktok.com/@betterondraft

Nov. 3, 2024 ~ Host Dave Lorenz highlights holiday activities, events, and destinations across the state, including popular spots like Grand Rapids and Frankenmuth, and lesser-known areas such as Adrian and Port Huron.

What do you wish I asked this guest? What was your "quotable moment" from this episode? Stevie, the vibrant head witch from Wired Up Shop, enchants us with her journey into the mystical arts. She talks about the quirky nature of time and the warmth of hugs, while also sharing her passion for teaching crystal wrapping and survival skills. Stevie opens up about her experiences balancing a day job in insurance with her creative endeavors on TikTok, where she and her partner Mick showcase their stunning wire jewelry. With roots in Irish Catholicism, Stevie's story is a captivating blend of healing and harmony with nature.Our conversation takes a turn into the whimsical world of plant-based green witchery and the bustling life of family. Stevie humorously navigates the chaos brought on by her children, all while maintaining a spiritual practice that emphasizes personal intuition and conquering imposter syndrome. She finds joy in discovering medicinal plants and prepares for the unexpected. Amidst the trials of family life and the nostalgia of collecting binder cards, her lighthearted approach to witchcraft is both refreshing and inspiring.As we wrap up, we imagine potential podcast guests like Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart, underscoring the importance of genuine hugs and consent at events like Anahata's Purpose. Exciting upcoming events such as the Frankenmuth festival and the Bodacious Bazaar are shared, along with recommendations like the new Campfire Oracle deck and tasty treats from Kitchen 519. Join us in building a vibrant community around Your Average Witch Podcast, where listeners can connect, share stories, and explore their interests in this magical journey.Learn more about Stevie and Wired Up Jewelry here!facebook.com/wiredupjewelrySupport the showSupport the show and get tons of bonus content, videos, monthly spell boxes, and more at CrepuscularConjuration.com!Or become a paying subscriber on Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1777532/supportWant to see if you're a good fit for the show? (Hint: if you're a witch, you probably are!) email me at youraveragewitchpodcast at gmail.comFollow YAW at:instagram.com/youraveragewitchpodcastfacebook.com/youraveragewitchpodcastReview the show on Apple podcastspodcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-average-witch-podcast/id1567845483

This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on Oct. 17. It dropped for free subscribers on Oct. 24. To receive future episodes as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription. You can also subscribe to the free tier below:When we recorded this podcast, Norway Mountain's adult season pass rates were set at $289. They have since increased by $100, but Hoppe is offering a $100 discount with the code “storm” through Nov. 1, 2024.WhoJustin Hoppe, Owner of Norway Mountain, MichiganRecorded onSeptember 16, 2024About Norway MountainOwned by: Justin HoppeLocated in: Norway, MichiganYear founded: Around 1974, as Norvul ski area; then Vulcan USA; then Briar Mountain; then Mont Brier; and finally Norway Mountain from ~1993 to 2012; then from 2014 to 2017; re-opened 2024Pass affiliations: Freedom Pass – 3 days each at these ski areas:Closest neighboring ski areas: Pine Mountain (:22), Keyes Peak (:35), Crystella (:46), Gladstone (:59), Ski Brule (1:04)Base elevation: 835 feetSummit elevation: 1,335 feetVertical drop: 500 feetSkiable Acres: 186Average annual snowfall: 50 inchesTrail count: 15Lift count: 6 (1 triple, 2 doubles, 3 handle tows)The map above is what Norway currently displays on its website. Here's a 2007 map that's substantively the same, but with higher resolution:View historic Norway Mountain trailmaps on skimap.org.Why I interviewed himWhat a noble act: to resurrect a dead ski area. I'll acknowledge that a ski area is just a business. But it's also a (usually) irreplaceable community asset, an organ without which the body can live but does not function quite right. We read about factories closing up and towns dying along with them. This is because the jobs leave, yes, but there's an identity piece too. As General Motors pulled out of Saginaw and Flint in the 1980s and ‘90s, I watched, from a small town nearby, those places lose a part of their essence, their swagger and character. People were proud to have a GM factory in town, to have a GM job with a good wage, to be a piece of a global something that everyone knew about.Something less profound but similar happens when a ski area shuts down. I've written before about Apple Mountain, the 200-vertical-foot bump in Freeland, Michigan where I spent my second-ever day on skis:[Apple Mountain] has been closed since 2017. Something about the snowmaking system that's either too hard or too expensive to fix. That leaves Michigan's Tri-Cities – Midland, Bay City, and Saginaw, with a total metro population approaching 400,000 – with no functioning ski area. Snow Snake is only about 40 minutes north of Midland, and Mt. Holly is less than an hour south of Saginaw. But Apple Mountain, tucked into the backwoods behind Freeland, sat dead in the middle of the triangle. It was accessible to almost any schoolkid, and, humble as it was, stoked that fire for thousands of what became lifelong skiers.What skiing has lost without Apple Mountain is impossible to calculate. I would argue that it was one of the more important ski areas anywhere. Winters in mid-Michigan are long, cold, snowy, and dull. People need something to do. But skiing is not an obvious solution: this is the flattest place you can imagine. To have skiing – any skiing – in the region was a joy and a novelty. There was no redundancy, no competing ski center. And so the place was impossibly busy at all times, minting skiers who would go off to start ski newsletters and run huge resorts on the other side of the country.When the factory closes, the jobs go, and often nothing replaces them. Losing a ski area is similar. The skiers go, and nothing replaces them. The kids just do other things. They never become skiers.Children of Men, released in 2006, envisions a world 18 years after women have stopped having babies. Humanity lives on, but has collectively lost its soul. Violence and disorder reign. The movie is heralded for its extended single-shot battle scenes, but Children of Men's most remarkable moment is when a baby, born in the midst of a firefight, momentarily paralyzes the war as her protectors parade her to sanctuary:Humanity needs babies like winter needs skiers. But we have to keep making more.Yes, I'm being hyperbolic about the importance of resurrecting a lost ski area. If you're new here, that part of My Brand™. A competing, similar-sized ski center, Pine Mountain, is only 20 minutes from Norway. But that's 13 miles, which for a kid may as well be 1,000. Re-opening Norway is going to seed new skiers. Some of them will ski four times and forget about it and some of them will take spring break trips to Colorado when they get to college and a few of them may wrap their lives around it.And if they don't ever ski? Well, who knows. I almost didn't become a skier. I was 14 when my buddy said “Hey let's take the bus to Mott Mountain after school,” and I said “OK,” and even though I was Very Bad at it, I went again a few weeks later at Apple Mountain. Both of those hills are closed now. If I were growing up in Central Michigan now, would I have become a skier? What would I be if I wasn't one? How awful would that be?What we talked aboutBack from the dead; the West Michigan snowbelt; the power of the ski family; Caberfae; Pando's not for sale; when you decide to buy a lost ski area; how lost Norway was almost lost forever; the small business mindset; surprise bills; what a ski area looks like when it's sat idle for six years; piecing a sold-off snowmaking system back together; Norway's very unique lift fleet; glades; the trailmap; Norway's new logo; the Wild West of websites; the power of social media; where to even begin when you buy a ski area; the ups and downs of living at your ski area; shifting from renovation to operation; Norway's uneven history and why this time is different; is there enough room for Pine Mountain and Norway in such a small market?; why night skiing won't return on a regular basis this winter; send the school buses; it doesn't snow much but at least it stays cold; can Norway revitalize its legendary ski school?; and why Norway joined the Freedom Pass.  Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewHello Mr. Television Network Executive. Thank you for agreeing to hear my pitch. I understand I have 10 minutes with you, which is perfect, because what I'm proposing will take no fewer than five years, while simultaneously taking 10 years off both our lives. Because my show is called Who Wants to Own a Ski Area?The show works like this: contestants will navigate a series of logic puzzles, challenges, and obstacle courses. These will act as elimination rounds. We can base everyone at an abandoned ski resort, like in The Last of Us, where they will live while games materialize at random. Some examples:* It's 3 a.m. Everyone is sleeping. Alarms blare. A large structure has caught fire. The water has been cut off, but somehow you're standing in a knee-deep flood. Your firefighting arsenal consists of a bucket. You call the local volunteer fire department, which promises you they will “be along whenever Ed gits up here with the gay-rage door keys.” Whoever keeps the building from melting into a pile of ashes wins.* It's state inspection day. All machinery must be in working order. We present each contestant with a pile of sprockets, hoses, wires, clips, and metal parts of varying sizes and thickness. Their instructions are to rebuild this machine. We do not tell them what the machine is supposed to be. The good news is that the instruction manual is sitting right there. The bad news is that it's written in Polish. The pile is missing approximately seven to 20 percent of the machine's parts, without which the device may operate, but perhaps not in a way compatible with human life. Whoever's put-together machine leads to the fewest deaths advances to the next round.* The contestants are introduced to Big Jim. Big Jim has worked at the ski area since 1604. He has been through 45 ownership groups, knows everything about the mountain, and everyone on the mountain. Because of this, Big Jim knows you can't fire him lest you stoke a rebellion of labor and/or clientele. And he can tell you which pipes are where without you having to dig up half the mountain. But Big Jim keeps as much from getting done as he actually does. He resists the adoption of “fads” such as snowmaking, credit cards, and the internet. The challenge facing contestants is to get Big Jim to send a text message. He asks why the letters are arranged “all stupid” on the keyboard. The appearance of an emoji causes him to punch the phone several times and heave it into the woods.* Next we introduce the contestants to Fran and Freddy Filmore from Frankenmuth. The Filmores have been season passholders since the Lincoln Administration. They have nine kids in ski school, each of which has special dietary needs. Their phones are loaded with photos of problems: of liftlines, of dirt patches postholing trails, of an unsmiling parking attendant, of abandoned boot bags occupying cafeteria tables, of skis and snowboards and poles scattered across the snow rather than being placed on the racks that are right there for goodness sake. The Filmores want answers. The Filmores also want you to bring back Stray Cat Wednesdays, in which you could trade a stray cat for a lift ticket. But the Filmores are not actually concerned with solutions. No matter the quickness or efficacy of a remedy, they still “have concerns.” Surely you have 90 minutes to discuss this. Then the fire alarm goes off.* Next, the contestents will meet Hella Henry and his boys Donuts, Doznuts, Deeznuts, Jam Box, and 40 Ounce. HH and the Crushnutz Krew, as they call themselves, are among your most loyal customers. Though they are all under the age of 20, it is unclear how any of them could attend school or hold down a job, since they are at your hill for 10 to 12 hours per day. During that time, the crew typically completes three runs. They spend the rest of their time vaping, watching videos on their phones, and sitting six wide just below a blind lip in the terrain park. The first contestant to elicit a response from the Crushnutz Krew that is anything other than “that's chill” wins.The victor will win their very own ski area, complete with a several-thousand person Friends of [Insert Ski Area Name] group where 98 percent of the posts are complaints about the ski area. The ski center will be functional, but one popped bolt away from catastrophe in four dozen locations. The chairlifts will be made by a company that went out of business in 1912. The groomer will be towed by a yak. The baselodge will accommodate four percent of the skiers who show up on a busy day. The snowmaking “system” draws its water from a birdbath. Oh, and it's in the middle of nowhere in the middle of winter, and they're going to have to find people to work there.Oh, you love it Mr. Television Network Executive? That's so amazing. Now I can quit my job and just watch the money pile up. What do I do for a living? Well, I run a ski area.Hoppe won the contest. And I wanted to wish him luck.What I got wrongI lumped Ski Brule in with Pine Mountain as ski areas that are near Norway. While only 20-ish minutes separate Pine and Norway, Brule is in fact more than an hour away.Why you should ski Norway MountainYou can ski every run on Norway Mountain in one visit. There's something satisfying in that. You can drive off at the end of the day and not feel like you missed anything.There are hundreds of ski areas in North America like this. Most of them manage, somehow, to stuff the full spectrum of ski experience into an area equal to one corner of one of Vail's 90 or whatever Legendary Back Bowls. There are easy runs and hard runs. Long runs and short runs. Narrow runs and wide runs. Runs under the lifts and runs twisting through the trees. Some sort of tree-skiing. Some sort of terrain park. A little windlip that isn't supposed to be a cornice but skis like one, 9-year-olds leaping off it one after the next and turning around to watch each other after they land. Sometimes there is powder. Sometimes there is ice. Sometimes the grooming is magnificent. Sometimes the snow really sucks. Over two to four hours and 20 to 30 chairlift rides, you can fully absorb what a ski area is and why it exists.This is an experience that is more difficult to replicate at our battleship resorts, with 200 runs scribbled over successive peaks like a medieval war map. I ski these resorts differently. Where are the blacks? Where are the trees? Where are the bumps? I go right for them and I don't bother with anything else. And that eats up three or four days even at a known-cruiser like Keystone. In a half-dozen trips into Little Cottonwood Canyon, I've skied a top-to-bottom groomer maybe twice. Because skiing groomers at Alta-Snowbird is like ordering pizza at a sushi restaurant. Like why did you even come here?But even after LCC fluff, when I've descended back to the terrestrial realm, I still like skiing the Norway Mountains of the land. Big mountains are wonderful, but they come with big hassle, big crowds, big traffic, big attitudes, big egos. At Norway you can pull practically up to the lifts and be skiing seven minutes later, after booting up and buying your lift ticket. You can ski right onto the lift and the guy in the Carhartt will nod at you and if you're just a little creative and thoughtful every run will feel distinct. And you can roll into the chalet and grab a pastie and bomb the whole mountain again after lunch.And it will all feel different on that second lap. When there are 25 runs instead of 250, you absorb them differently. The rush to see it all evaporates. You can linger with it, mingle with the mountain, talk to it in a way that's harder up top. It's all so awesome in its own way.Podcast NotesOn Pando Ski CenterI grew up about two hours from the now-lost Pando Ski Center, but I never skied there. When I did make it to that side of Michigan, I opted to ski Cannonsburg, the still-functioning multi-lift ski center seven minutes up the road. Of course, in the Storm Wandering Mode that is my default ski orientation nowadays, I would have simply hit both. But that's no longer possible, because Cannonsburg purchased Pando in 2015 and subsequently closed it. Probably forever.Hoppe and I discuss this a bit on the pod. He actually tried to buy the joint. Too many problems with it, he was told. So he bought some of the ski area's snowguns and other equipment. Better that at least something lives on.Pando didn't leave much behind. The only trailmap I can find is part of this Ski write-up from February 1977:Apparently Pando was a onetime snowboarding hotspot. Here's a circa 2013 video of a snowboarder doing snowboarderly stuff:On CannonsburgWhile statistically humble, with just 250 vertical feet, Cannonsburg is the closest skiing to metropolitan Grand Rapids, Michigan, population 1.08 million. That ensures that the parks-oriented bump is busy at all times:On CaberfaeOne of Hoppe's (and my) favorite ski areas is Caberfae. This was my go-to when I lived in Central Michigan, as it delivered both decent vert (485 feet), and an interesting trail network (the map undersells it):The Meyer family has owned and operated Caberfae for decades, and they constantly improve the place. GM Tim Meyer joined me on the pod a few years back to tell the story.On Norway's proximity to Pine MountainNorway sits just 23 minutes down US 2 from Pine Mountain. The two ski areas sport eerily similar profiles: both measure 500 vertical feet and run two double chairs and one triple. Both face the twin challenges of low snowfall (around 60 inches per season), and a relatively thin local population base (Iron Mountain's metro area is home to around 32,500 people). It's no great surprise that Norway struggled in previous iterations. Here's a look at Pine:On Big TupperI mention Big Tupper as a lost ski area that will have an extra hard time coming back since it's been stripped (I think completely), of snowmaking. This ski area isn't necessarily totally dead: the lifts are still standing, and the property is going to auction next month, but it will take tens of millions to get the place running again. It was at one time a fairly substantial operation, as this circa 1997 trailmap shows:On Sneller chairliftsNorway runs two Sneller double chairs. Only one other Sneller is still spinning, at Ski Sawmill, a short and remote Pennsylvania bump. Lift Blog catalogued the machine here. It wasn't spinning when I skied Sawmill a couple of years ago, but I did snag some photos:On Norway's new logoIn general, animals make good logos. Hoppe designed this one himself:On social mediaHoppe has done a nice job of updating Norway's rebuild progress on social media, mostly via the mountain's Facebook page. Here are links to a few other social accounts we discussed:* Skiers and Snowboarders of the Midwest is a big champion of ski areas of all sizes throughout the region. The Midwest Skiers group is pretty good too.* Magic Mountain, Vermont, an underdog for decades, finally dug itself out of the afterthoughts pile at least in part due to the strength of its Instagram and Twitter presence.* The formerly dumpy Holiday Mountain, New York, has meticulously documented its rebuild under new ownership on Instagram and Facebook.On NeighborsMy 17-year-old brain could not comprehend the notion that two ski areas operated across the street from – and independent of – one another. But there they were: Nub's Nob and Boyne Highlands (now The Highlands), each an opposite turn off Pleasantview Road.We turned right, to Nub's, because we were in high school and because we all made like $4.50 an hour and because Nub's probably had like 10-Cent Tuesdays or something.I've since skied both mountains many times, but the novelty has never faded. Having one of something so special as a ski area in your community is marvelous. Having two is like Dang who won the lottery? There are, of course, examples of this all over the country – Sugarbush/Mad River Glen, Stowe/Smugglers' Notch, Alta/Snowbird, Timberline/Meadows/Skibowl – and it's incredible how distinct each one's identity remains even with shared borders and, often, passes.On UP ski areasMichigan's Upper Peninsula is a very particular animal. Only three percent of the state's 10 million residents live north of the Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Bridge. Lower Peninsula skiers are far more likely to visit Colorado or Vermont than their far-north in-state ski areas, which are a 10-plus hour drive from the more populous southern tiers. While Bohemia's ultra-cheap pass and rowdy terrain have somewhat upset that equation, the UP remains, for purposes of skiing and ski culture, essentially a separate state.My point is that it's worth organizing the state's ski areas in the way that they practically exist in skiers minds. So I've separated the UP from the Lower Peninsula. Since Michigan is also home to an outsized number of town ropetows, I've also split surface-lift-only operations into their own categories:On last winter being very bad with record-low skier visitsSkier visits were down in every region of the United States last winter, but they all but collapsed in the Midwest, with a 26.7 percent plunge, according to the annual Kottke Demographic Report. Michigan alone was down nearly a half million skier visits. Check out these numbers:For comparison, overall skier numbers dropped just six percent in the Northeast, and five percent in the Rockies.The Storm publishes year-round. Join us.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 66/100 in 2024, and number 566 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

Recorded on a Sunday at the Palm Street Studio with a lot of great food from the Grumpy Griller.  Jobu, phishing, Frankenmuth, Pirate Water and more!  The guys also try to secure a sponsor for once, but we are sure it will not pan out.  

If you're from Michigan, this episode will hit you to your core, just like it did for Lauren & I. You guys…. It's Amy Zhender Grossi. Not only does she share a first name with Amy, but she also shares a name with her beloved family, The Zhenders, the family so many of you have loved from afar each time you visit Frankenmuth, Michigan. She is as real as they come. She's just like us and she's just like you. A mom, a wife, a friend. She has to plan dinners, juggle schedules, get up early to work out, and go to work. Stay fierce friends, and know that you are enough. XOXOA & L Bavarian Blast Reservations: https://www.bavarianinn.com/bavarian-blast-indoor-waterpark/#dipipopup-52678Ways to Listen!https://linktr.ee/themotherloadpod

September 6, 2024 ~ Jill Zeddies Event Coordinator, 2024 Frankenmuth Auto Fest talks about the Covenant Healthcare Ronald McDonald Family Room.

September 9, 2024 ~ Jamie Furbush, CEO Frankenmuth Convention aid Visitor's Bureau talks about the full slate of fall events in Frankenmuth.

What if you could experience the culture and charm of Germany without leaving the United States? Tune into our latest episode as we unravel the enchanting allure of Frankenmuth, Michigan. Imagine strolling through streets lined with Bavarian architecture, indulging in delectable German cuisine, and even attending traditional Lutheran services held entirely in German at St. Lorenz Church. This picturesque town, settled by Germans in 1845, offers a unique cultural getaway right in the heart of the Midwest. It's a treasure trove of history and festivities, all without the need for a passport.But that's just the beginning! Ever heard the heartwarming tale of Christopher Reeves, the real-life Superman, lending a hand to move a TV set? Or wondered where the longest boardwalk in the world is located? Join us as we share quirky stories and fascinating trivia, including a look at Prince's hometown of Henderson, Minnesota, and its tributes to the legendary musician. We'll also transport you to Santa Claus, Indiana, a town as festive as its name suggests. With plenty of personal anecdotes and reflections sprinkled throughout, this episode promises to be both entertaining and enlightening.As we journey through the Midwest, we also tackle essential road trip safety tips to ensure your travels are smooth and stress-free. From vehicle checks to minimizing distractions, we've got you covered. Discover the vibrant murals of Judd, North Dakota, and get a personal account of the adventures and preparations needed for a drive through South Dakota. We wrap up with a motivational note, encouraging you to dream big and explore the diverse cultures and experiences that await. So, gear up for an episode packed with practical advice, inspiring stories, and endless travel inspiration.

Luke Esselman joins the podcast to discuss the successes and challenges of a great week at the Junior High Gathering in Frankenmuth. Show Notes: Contact Luke Esselman luke.esselman@michigandistrict.org Check out […]

Dean Butler, famously known as Almanzo Wilder from Little House on the Prairie, opens up about his new memoir, "Prairie Man: My Little House Life and Beyond." He shares behind-the-scenes stories from the iconic show, reflects on its lasting legacy, and discusses his experiences on other classic TV series like The Love Boat and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Hear about the 50th-anniversary celebration of Little House and Butler's unique perspective on Hollywood, then and now. Show Highlights: Reflecting on Little House on the Prairie: Dean shares stories from behind the scenes and how the show's legacy continues to impact audiences decades later. A Journey Through Hollywood: We explore Dean's experiences on other classic TV shows like The Love Boat, The New Gidget, and his work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 50th Anniversary Celebration: Dean talks about organizing the massive 50th anniversary event for Little House on the Prairie, where thousands of fans gathered to celebrate the beloved series. Memoir Insights: Hear why Dean chose to write "Prairie Man" and what he hopes readers will take away from his candid recollections. Humorous Anecdotes: Don't miss Dean's funny stories, including his surprising experience with Michigan's famous Frankenmuth fudge! Whether you're a longtime fan of Dean Butler or just discovering his work, this episode is packed with nostalgia, humor, and inspiration.   You're going to love my conversation with Dean Butler Buy Dean's Book: Prairie Man IMDB Dean's website Instagram Facebook TikTok Twitter   Follow Jeff Dwoskin (host): Jeff Dwoskin on Twitter The Jeff Dwoskin Show podcast on Twitter Podcast website Podcast on Instagram Join my mailing list Subscribe to my Youtube channel (watch Crossing the Streams!) Yes, the show used to be called Live from Detroit: The Jeff Dwoskin Show   Ways to support the show: Buy me a coffee (support the show) TeePublic Store: Classic Conversations merch and more! Love the books I talk about on the show? Here is my Amazon store to shop.    

Rev. Joel Kaiser, Associate Pastor at St. Lorenz Lutheran Church in Frankenmuth, MI, talks with Richard Schumacher on the role he plays in welcoming new students and families to their Lutheran school. With enrollment increasing during the pandemic, a wonderful opportunity presented itself to evangelize to these new students and families. Kaiser is involved with the school in working with staff and faculty on how to maximize the opportunity to welcome and bring the news of Jesus to these new families and what it means to be part of the Lutheran church.

May 26, 2024 ~ During a special Memorial Day weekend broadcast, Host Dave Lorenz is live from the Bavarian Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth. He discusses sites to see and visit in the city, including the Hero Museum, Bronner's Christmas Wonderland, and local family-owned restaurants.

Not every person could seamlessly tie together the concepts of Step Therapy Reform and the Crap Gap. You just need to leave it to A Couple. Because to us it makes perfect sense to connect: • A bill in the Michigan House of Representatives that will ensure people with Multiple Sclerosis can get the medications they need without detrimental delays to • The stretch between disease-modifying therapy (DMT) infusions when MS symptoms seemingly feel worse. Seriously. We originally thought we were just run down from doing so much over the last several weeks — from traveling to Columbus, Ohio, for a Bruce Springsteen concert to participating in a Walk MS event in Frankenmuth, Dan hurting his back while transferring Jennifer, and everything else we do to make it through each day. Then we realized we each were within several weeks of our scheduled DMT infusion. Could our exhaustion be a direct result of this supposed Crap Gap? Speaking of DMT infusions and the Crap Gap, we capped off our busy few weeks with the virtual MS State Action Day for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society where we addressed legislation for Step Therapy Reform in the State of Michigan (Hint: MS DMTs often are the targets for step therapy). Join us for this conversation where we tackle these topics and offer insights into how our listeners who live in Michigan can get involved in advocating for Step Therapy Reform. Here are links to the sites we discussed in our conversation: • Support Step Therapy Reform – Link for Michigan residents to contact your State Representative urging them to support HB 5339 so individuals living with MS can have access to their doctor-prescribed medications in a timely manner. • What Is the ‘Crap Gap' Between MS Infusions? – MyMSTeam article describing this experience when MS symptoms feel worse in weeks leading up to a DMT infusion. • Talking about the Crap Gap – AnCan Multiple Sclerosis Virtual Support Group, which Jennifer serves as a moderator, recording where members discuss the Crap Gap (among several other engaging topics). • How Springsteen softened this Wolverine to embrace the Buckeye State – Get insights into why Jennifer is emotionally conflicted after what likely is the Bruce Springsteen concert she's ever seen… it just happened to be in Ohio (IYKYK). • Hoyer Lift – Information about the medical equipment we used to transfer Jennifer into and out of bed while Dan recovered from injuring his back. • Stand assist lift devices – Information about the medical equipment we used to transfer Jennifer in the restroom while Dan recovered from injuring his back. • Frankenmuth Walk MS – Learn more about this event and how you can donate to support our team – Team MonsterS. ***** Remember to rate, review and subscribe to A Couple Takes on MS Podcast for two insightful perspectives on this one multifaceted disease.

Fred Edmond, Jr., from Frankenmuth Insurance joins Will today to discuss the "insurance industry," including how their company remains one of the longest-standing in Frankenmuth, scenarios they deal with, technological advancements, and how they cater to their clients. You can connect with Fred here: https://www.fmins.com/https://www.youtube.com/ @FrankenmuthInsurance

May 8, 2024 ~ Frankenmuth Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Jamie Furbush and her husband, Greater Saginaw Hockey Association President Jamie Furbush (yes … they both have the same name!) talk on the 2024 Paul W. Smith Pure Michigan Tour about the Saginaw Memorial Cup ice hockey tournament and the associated efforts that are encouraging youth involvement in the sport. Initiatives include a ball hockey tournament, which aims to make the sport more accessible to all kids, regardless of their skating ability.

This is the debut of Michigan Golf Live Radio on WJR, Sunday, May 5th featuring The Fortress Golf Course and Zehnders of Frankenmuth. Listen in to the 1-hour special that launches our full season of Sunday nights on the Great Voice of the Great Lakes as we bring you inside the world of Zehnders and The Fortress Golf Course - including details on a special contest where you can win your choice of Footjoy Golf Shoes! ---------------- MGL 24/7 Listener Hotline - (989) 272-2383 - we want to hear from you! Subscribe to the MGL/FGN Podcast Watch our videos on YouTube  

Vic Verchereau welcomes Martha Zehnder Kaczynsk, who is the Vice President of the Bavarian Inn. The William (Tiny) Zehnder, Jr. family owns the Bavarian Inn of Frankenmuth. Tiny's family purchased Fischer's Hotel in 1950. Tiny left farming, and he and his young wife, Dorothy (a former waitress at Fischer's), became the managers of the new business. In his autobiographical book, Tiny wrote that “Dorothy and I started the Bavarian Inn with huge debt, and we built up the business with additions over 30 years.” Tiny encouraged many other Frankenmuth businesses to either build or remodel their buildings in the Bavarian style. Over time one of the Midwest's favorite destinations was born. With over 3 million visitors to the town the Zehnder family is busy keeping things new and exciting while keeping the old traditions honored! Vic Vercherereau sits down with Martha Zehnder-Kacynski to hear all about the history, the amazing success and the bold plans for an exciting major expansion. Slip into your swimsuit and gather the family to make some Michigan memories on this edition of Michigan Corners! » Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/ » Subscribe to MBN's YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MichiganbusinessnetworkMBN » Like MBN: www.facebook.com/mibiznetwork » Follow MBN: twitter.com/MIBizNetwork/ » MBN Instagram: www.instagram.com/mibiznetwork/

Dennis goes solo and recaps baseball and softball from the last two days. Yale softball stays hot, Katie Shuboy top notch again!, Saints baseball gets a great pitching effort, Pioneers baseball falls just short against Frankenmuth.

Does you city have a Sister City? Frankenmuth does! In fact, its People to People program has forged strong bonds between the people of Frankenmuth and Gunzenhausen, connecting families across an ocean by their ancestry. Joined by special guest Dan Haubenstricker, our historians elaborate on the significance of the People to People program, and share stories of its local impact. Listen in, subscribe, and leave a review! It's a great way to share our community's history! The Historians in Lederhosen are proudly supported by the Frankenmuth Historical Association. Check out the FHA at www.FrankenmuthMuseum.org.

March 23, 2024 ~ Host Dave Lorenz discusses upcoming events in Frankenmuth, this year's Holland Tulip Time Festival, and all the fun activities that await visitors of the Silver Lake sand dunes.

A dine & dash that happened in Michigan went really wrong.Alan Longstreet isn't doing Frankenmuth right.Beyonce broke a new record in the Hollywood Minute!

Thanks for joining us for the unSeminary podcast. We're happy to be talking with Joseph Berkobien, the Lead Pastor of Frankenmuth Bible Church in Frankenmuth, Michigan. Transitions in leadership can be challenging times for churches. How do you recover and grow after a season of decline? Tune in as Joseph shares the turnaround story of […]

Dec. 17, 2023 ~ Host Dave Lorenz talks about winter activities in the Mitten, including the Labatt Blue UP Pond Hockey Tournament in St. Ignace, Zehnder's Snowfest in Frankenmuth, the 55th Annual International 500 Snowmobile Race, and the Monroe Street Midway in Detroit.

Do not miss the BOOKSTORM HOLIDAY EPISODE! Stroll with us through the quaint Christmas town of Frankenmuth with the USA Today's bestselling author, Viola Shipman! Henri Wegner  will join the unemployed unless she can close a big deal by the Holidays. She returns to to her home town, just days before Christmas, with the secret purpose of convincing her parents to sell their World's Largest Christmas Store! Topics: Christmas memories, happy and sad. Traditions, old and new.  Generational businesses, moving away from home, and what it means to truly succeed.AND a special Holiday Appearance by Wade's husband Gary who shares heartfelt memories and some creative decorating tips!  A sure way to ignite your Holiday Spirit? Open this book!You can find more of your favorite bestselling authors at BOOKSTORM Podcast! We're also on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube!

Dec. 3, 2023 ~ Host Dave Lorenz talks about Bronner's Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, the Festival of Trees at the Muskegon Museum of Art, UP200 & Midnight Run Sled Dog Races in Downtown Marquette, and tips for finding the BEST Christmas tree!

Last Year's Christmas Destination Episode: Episode # New York, NYBranson, MO: https://www.explorebranson.com/https://www.instagram.com/explorebranson/Asheville, NChttps://www.facebook.com/AshevilleCVB/ 12 DAYS OF GINGERBREADhttps://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/asheville-grove-park/things-to-do/gingerbread/national-gingerbread-competitionEVENT: MT. WASHINGTON VALLEY, NH  - The Annual Inn to Inn Cookie Tourhttps://www.countryinnsinthewhitemountains.com/annual-holiday-inn-to-inn-cookie-tour/GRAPEVINE, TX EVENT: Ice! And Lone Star Christmashttps://www.grapevinetexasusa.com/christmas-capital-of-texas/gaylord-texans-lone-star-christmas/ice/https://www.instagram.com/visitgrapevine/Santa FE, NM : EVENThttps://www.farolitowalk.com/Freeport, Maine https://www.visitfreeport.com/ https://www.instagram.com/visitfreeport/Leavenworth, WA https://leavenworth.org/https://www.instagram.com/visitleavenworthwa/Frankenmuth, Michigan iSavannah, GAhttps://visitsavannah.com/https://www.instagram.com/visitsavannah/PENNSYLVANIA: Bethlehem, PAhttps://www.christmascity.org/visit-bethlehem/https://bethlehempa.org/https://www.instagram.com/bethlehemchamber/Jim Thorpe, PA https://www.poconomountains.com/jim-thorpe/https://www.instagram.com/visitjimthorpepa/Wellsboro, PA https://www.visitpa.com/region/pennsylvania-wilds/wellsboroThanks for your ongoing support!Alexa and RoryThe ROAMiesPlease subscribe, rate and share our podcast! Follow us at:http://www.TheROAMies.comThe ROAMies: Facebook and Instagram YouTube and Twitter.GET YOUR TCHIBO coffee and machine HERE!

Nov. 26, 2023 ~ Host Dave Lorenz talks about the USA Hockey Labatt Blue UP Pond Hockey Tournament in St. Ignace, Zehnder's Snowfest in Frankenmuth, the 55th Annual I500 Snow Mobile Race, and the Monroe Street Midway in Detroit.

Jay had a busy weekend at Frankenmuth!

Welcome to the Fore Golfers Network/Michigan Golf Live Podcast Ep 399 - Meet Kimberly Dinh - US Women's Mid Am Champion No amateur golfer in the nation has been on a roll quite like Kimberly Dinh, winner of the 2023 US Women's Mid Am (press release below). The remarkable story of Dinh - a research scientist for Dow - is one you don't want to miss.  To help color in the story even more, we're also joined by her teacher, PGA Pro Kyle Martin The Fortress GC in Frankenmuth, MI. ---------------- Subscribe to the FGN Podcast Watch FGN videos on YouTube Check out our other sports pod: Church Pew Sports TEXT or CALL (989) 272-2383 to share your thoughts, comments, suggestions, and questions     ------------ NATIONAL CHAMPION: Midland's Kimberly Dinh Wins U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur     ELVERSON, Pa. – Midland's Kimberly Dinh rallied from a 3-down deficit by winning six of the final seven holes to claim the 36th U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship Thursday.    The 31-year-old associate research scientist at DOW Chemical and GAM Women's Player of the Year the last two years, beat Kelsey Chugg of Salt Lake City, Utah, the 2017 champion, 2-up in the title match on the North Course at Stonewall.    "In college, I never really played in any USGA events, mostly because by the time the summer came around, I was burned out and I didn't want to travel,” she said. “So having an opportunity to compete in a USGA championship after grad school, after college, has been awesome, and to win it, just incredible.”    Dinh, who trailed in the match from the fifth hole through the 13th, tied the match by winning 12 and 13 with pars and 14 with a birdie. She lost hole 15 with a bogey, then won 16 with a bogey to tie the match again when Chugg made double-bogey.    Dinh then took the lead for the first time at 17 with a conceded birdie-2 on the par 3, and then birdied the final hole with a nine-foot putt to secure the 2-up victory.    “To lose a couple holes pretty quickly was a little bit frustrating, but I just kind of dug deep and never really panicked,” said Dinh. “Kelsey was playing great golf, but both of us were going to make mistakes at some point, so I just kind of had to weather that and keep playing. I said to myself, ‘I'll keep putting one good swing on the ball after another and see where it takes me.'”    Dinh, who hired Stonewall caddie Mark Dalton for the week, was the 16 seed, and Chugg the 14 seed after stroke play qualifying. Chugg, 32 and a five-time Utah Women's State Amateur champion, was in the final match of the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur for the third time, and Dinh for the first time in three appearances at the championship. Dinh had reached the round of 16 and the quarterfinals in her first two trips to the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur.    A former University of Wisconsin golfer, the 2021 Michigan Women's Amateur champion and a two-time GAM Women's Mid-Amateur champion, Dinh said she has learned from her previous golf experiences how to handle being behind.   “I have learned something every time I've gotten to match play, just every time I've played it, I've gotten more comfortable with it,” she said. “I've learned that even if you get down to not panic. I've been in pressure situations and have gotten used to it. I used to struggle with it, but this year I've played with the attitude that I need to enjoy every moment. Like I said, keep hitting the ball and see where it takes me.”    Dinh's emotions bubbled to the surface when she was asked about her family and friends in the gallery, including an aunt who had departed for Indianapolis only to turn around and return as her niece advanced through to the final match.    “I really enjoy them being out following me,” she said. “They have been supportive of me through my entire golf journey.”     For the victory Dinh received the traditional USGA gold medal, custody of the Mildred Gardineer Prunaret Trophy for the next year, exemptions into the next 10 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championships, exemptions into the 2024 and 2025 U.S. Women's Amateur Championships and an exemption into the 2024 U.S. Women's Open Championship. Dinh said Wednesday that the U.S. Women's Open was a bucket list item she hoped to cross off one day.    “I'm super excited but I don't think all of this will sink in until I'm home,” she said.     As for heading home, she said work beckons because she takes vacation days for her golf competitions.    “I have a presentation I have to give tomorrow so I have to at least dial in for that, and then we'll figure out what the rest of the day looks like,” she said and laughed.    Dinh is the first GAM member golfer to win the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur, the third GAM member to win a national USGA title in the last three years and the sixth to win a USGA national championship in the last 21 years.     Kim Moore of Portage won the inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open last summer, and James Piot of Canton became Michigan's first U.S. Amateur Champion in 2021. In 2002 Greg Reynolds of Grand Blanc won the U.S. Senior Amateur, Randy Lewis of Alma won the 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship and Tom Werkmeister of Hudsonville was co-medalist as Team Michigan won the USGA State Team Championship in 2016.    Learn more at 2023 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Golf Championship (usga.org)  Story by Greg Johnson and Mary Jo Green   

We're on location in Frankenmuth for some reason (one last hurrah before college football starts in earnest) and couldn't be more excited about Michigan football being back on Saturday. What to expect, some reactions to Thursday's games, and much, much more on our quasi-preview episode before Week 1.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Athletic BrewingGo to AthleticBrewing.com and enter code LOCKEDON to get 15% off your first online order or find a store near you! Athletic Brewing. Milford, CT and San Diego, CA. Near Beer.BetterhelpThis podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp.If you're thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. Visit BetterHelp.com/lockedoncollege today to get 10% off your first month.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase.LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONCOLLEGE. Terms and conditions apply.eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit. eBay Motors dot com. Let's ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Right now, NEW customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS and get TWO HUNDRED in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED.  Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're on location in Frankenmuth for some reason (one last hurrah before college football starts in earnest) and couldn't be more excited about Michigan football being back on Saturday. What to expect, some reactions to Thursday's games, and much, much more on our quasi-preview episode before Week 1. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Athletic Brewing Go to AthleticBrewing.com and enter code LOCKEDON to get 15% off your first online order or find a store near you! Athletic Brewing. Milford, CT and San Diego, CA. Near Beer. Betterhelp This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp.If you're thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. Visit BetterHelp.com/lockedoncollege today to get 10% off your first month. Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase. LinkedIn LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONCOLLEGE. Terms and conditions apply. eBay Motors For parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit. eBay Motors dot com. Let's ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. FanDuel Make Every Moment More. Right now, NEW customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS and get TWO HUNDRED in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED.  Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on Aug. 16. It dropped for free subscribers on Aug. 19. To receive future pods as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription. You can also subscribe for free below:WhoTravis Crawford, Co-Owner and General Manager of Great Divide, MontanaRecorded onJuly 17, 2023About Great DivideClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Betsy Moran, Shane Moran, Travis Crawford, Rose CrawfordLocated in: Marysville, MontanaYear founded: 1941Pass affiliations: NoneReciprocal partners: 3 days each at Whitefish, Snow King, Mt. Spokane, Bogus Basin, Mount Bohemia, Powderhorn CO, Ski Cooper, SunlightClosest neighboring ski areas: Discovery (2:13), Bridger Bowl (2:19), Montana Snowbowl (2:30)Base elevation: 5,750 feet (at bottom of Wild West)Summit elevation: 7,250 feet (at top of Belmont chair)Vertical drop: 1,500 feetSkiable Acres: 1,500Average annual snowfall: 150 inchesTrail count: 127 (17% expert, 30% advanced, 47% intermediate, 7% beginner)Lift count: 6 (5 doubles, 1 ropetow­­­)Why I interviewed himShould we all have a town bump like Great Divide. At the base: sundecks, steps wound between wooden buildings, bunched lifts rising from the parking lot. Centerpole Riblet doubles, those glorious machines. Up the mountain, a vastness. No fuss. Little grooming. Treed meadows hanging off traverses, flouncing down the incline. Up and over ridges. Narrow cuts through the trees. The kind of place, like Snowbird or Palisades, where runs meld together across broad faces. But without the extreme steepness of those alphas. But enough, pitched just so, a captivating kingdom begging for exploration.There's a homey appeal to a ropetow bump or a Midwestern 300-footer. Like a small-town gas station or a grocer or, as we call convenience stores in Michigan, a “party store.” Hey Fella, we see you there. Welcome. You're part of it. Thanks for it. See ya next time. That's why these places build skiers faster than ants raise pyramids of dirt in your driveway. That sort of casual inclusion invites immersion.It can be tricky to even imagine how such back-slapping could translate to any ski area so large that you can't see the whole thing from the parking lot. Actually achieving it is damn near impossible. Step into the frantic base at Park City or Steamboat or Big Sky or Snowbird and you immediately feel lost in the scale of it, surrounded by tens of millions of dollars worth of high-speed lifts telling you to get the hell out of there as fast as possible. Downhome has a tough time snagging shotgun on a vehicle made to transport 20,000 skiers per day.Great Divide occupies a rare and special place in American skiing: big terrain, tight community. That town-bump energy distilled, preserved, guarded, a launchpad to the rambling terrain above. Montana, of course, is filled with such places: Bridger Bowl and Lost Trail and Maverick and Discovery and Montana Snowbowl and Red Lodge and Turner. Ski areas with the vert and acreage to be monsters, but with the humble lifts and base buildings that communicate the real-life fact of a snowy town square.It is impossible not to love this place. Detach Bro may grumble about the fleet of Riblet doubles. Powder Bro will remind you that Great Divide's 150 annual inches of snowfall is barely a passable week in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Corduroy Bro will wish for more top-to-bottom groomers. But unless your soul has been wrenched from your body by one too many cable news benders, the totality of this place will resonate with you, and leave you full long after you've driven back down the mountain.What we talked aboutWhy Great Divide's skier visits keep going up every year; Great Divide's first-to-open, last-to-close tradition; the art of summertime slope maintenance; how Great Divide manages on just 150 inches per year; the methodical evolution of the ski area; buying the ski area you grew up at; what it means to be a community ski area; the pressure of carrying on a legacy; raising your kids on the mountain; the ownership group that Crawford purchased the ski area with in 2020; the Covid shutdowns and the aftermath; #Goals; modifying centerpole Riblets for MTB operations; Great Divide has two full Riblet lifts sitting in its boneyard – where should they go?; potential expansion; why Great Divide never built the Rawhide Gulch lift that appeared as future construction on old trailmaps; operating a ski area on Bureau of Land Management land and how that differs from operating on U.S. Forest Service land; potential Belmont lift upgrades; how an upgrade to the Wild West lift will allow it to spin faster; a potential new transfer lift; considering a carpet for the beginner area; the history of the unique Rawhide lift; yes, you can outfit centerpole Riblets with safety bars; retrofitting the rest of Great Divide's lift fleet with bars; why the mountain's official trail count has shrunk over the years; the ravages of the pine beetle; fire mitigation; don't ski into that mineshaft; snowmaking and water issues; potential parking additions; a potential new baselodge; Great Divide's $350 early-bird season pass deal and whether they will be able to hold that price; Great Divide's extensive reciprocal lift ticket deals; and the Indy Pass.Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewIn January 2020, Crawford, along with his wife Rose and Betsy and Shane Moran, bought Great Divide from its longtime owners, Kevin and Nyla Taylor. Less than two months later, the world collapsed. Or so it seemed in the moment. And now they owned a ski area, which I guess at the moment probably felt like owning the wagon factory next door to the Model T plant.Three years later, Great Divide just set a record for skier visits for the second consecutive season. The place is working. The Taylors' legacy is secure. Over 35 years, they'd transformed the mountain from a T-bar joint run by a local ski club to the 48th-largest ski area in America. They'd entrusted their life's work to an ownership group that included their daughter, Betsy. Great Divide had survived Covid. Now what?As much as the Taylors achieved, Great Divide is still incredibly raw. The potential to add lifts and terrain is vast. The mountain could use a bigger baselodge, more parking, better snowmaking. Crawford and I discuss all of this. He has ideas. Many will happen. Actualizing each project is a matter of capital, permitting, planning, timing: a new Belmont lift, deeper water rights, an expansion off Rawhide Gulch. Great Divide will not stand still.The question, of course, is how the ski area evolves without shedding its community ethos, its approachability and neighborly gleam. That balance, so hard to attain, is so easy to lose. But Crawford is well-positioned to achieve it. He lives, with his wife and two young kids, on the mountain. His 8-year-old son, he tells us, wakes up on Saturday morning, walks down to the lodge, gears up, and bombs the mountain alone all day long. Spoiling that atmosphere of howdy-get-along would be like tilling up your lawn and planting weeds. He just won't do it.What I got wrongEmbarrassingly, I kept calling the Taylors the “Naylors.” I don't know why. My apologies to Kevin and Nyla Taylor.I kept pronouncing “Helena,” as “Heh-Lain-Ah,” which is how I'd pronounced it since I was like zero years old. But talking to Crawford and other locals made me realize that the correct pronunciation is, “Heh-Leh-Nah.” But everyplace has its micro-regional place-name pronunciations that are impenetrable to outsiders. Have fun with “Muskegon,” “Swartz Creek,” “Frankenmuth,” “Clio,” “Pinconning,” “Roscommon,” “Mackinac,” and “Epoufette” if you're not from Michigan.Why you should ski Great DivideLet's start here: a full-day adult lift ticket for the 2022-23 ski season was $64. That's four cents an acre. Not a bad conversion rate, and worthwhile even if you already have a multi-mountain pass or two tucked in your jacket pocket. And the joint is incredibly easy to get to (well, once you get to the middle of Montana), seated just eight miles off Interstate 15. So situated, Great Divide is a terrific decompression zone as you travel between Whitefish and Big Sky.But go out of your way to get here if you must. The terrain is incredibly fun. Great Divide is not an extreme mountain or an especially snowy mountain, but it is an interesting one, with an appealing balance of semi-technical lines, glades, groomers, and de-stumped meadows that you can bomb with little concern for sharks.Epic and Ikon Pass sales continue to climb. And no wonder why – these are astonishing bargains, punchcards to deep resort rosters that can satisfy any type of skier. This breadth and ease of access is good for skiing. But the passes' popularity likely drives ever-more skiers to a relatively stable number of resorts, fundamentally transforming the experience of skiing the big-mountain West. But there are hacks, a sub-circuit of ski areas that are marketed primarily to locals but deliver terrain and vert that is comparable to – and far emptier than – the better-known ski areas headlining the big passes. Great Divide is one of them. Go get it.Podcast NotesOn Montana's large and underrated ski areasMontana is the fourth-largest U.S. state by area, after Alaska, Texas, and California, but it's home to just 18 alpine ski areas. They may be among the most underrated collection of ski areas in America, however: 12 cover 950 or more acres, and several clock an average annual snowfall of 300 inches or more.On the old proposed Rawhide Gulch liftCrawford and I briefly discuss a proposed-but-never-built lift that would have run up Rawhide Gulch – you can see that on the left hand side of this circa 1993 trailmap, between Jackpot and 4th of July:On the peak that Winter Park will develop I referred to a peak that lay within Winter Park's Forest Service permit area and was slated for development under the ski area's most-recent masterplan. That's Vasquez Ridge, which I broke down in this article last year.On the safety bar on Great Divide's centerpole Riblets The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 69/100 in 2023, and number 455 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Want to send feedback? Reply to this email and I will answer (unless you sound insane, or, more likely, I just get busy). You can also email skiing@substack.com. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

What is your go-to clothing? We all have different styles that we prefer and love. Our Wednesday overnight Frankenmuth trip was a blast. I got addicted to an arcade game and I don't regret it one bit. We also had the pools and water slides to ourselves! Join us as we talk all things!!