entertainment

Harbor Springs concert series brings the music to Northern Michigan

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 The annual summer series Street Musique returned for its third week in downtown Harbor Springs on July 15. 

Hosted by the Harbor Springs Chamber of Commerce, Street Musique allows a weekly variety of Michigan-based artists to perform on the streets of downtown Harbor Springs every Thursday throughout the summer. All of the artists and performances are curated and managed by Blissfest, an organization from Petoskey that hosts its annual music festival of the same name in Harbor Springs. For fans and viewers, Street Musique offers a great way to enjoy an evening and explore new artists, but for Caroline Barlow, the volunteer and outreach manager at Blissfest, it’s all about building a stronger community. “It’s really community driven,” said Barlow. “We’re here doing work for the community year-round, not just the festival and we want to show the community that.

Arts & Entertainment

Root Doctor plays for hometown crowd at Summer Solstice Jazz Festival

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For 23 years, the Summer Solstice Jazz Festival has brought live jazz music and education to the East Lansing community, showcasing both nationally recognized and local artists. The 2019 festival served more than a gathering of bands. For its closing act, Root Doctor, it served as a homecoming celebration. “We’ve been playing for 30 years in the area,” said band manager Marge Mooney. “We have a lot of family and a lot of friends that we’ve acquired through playing in the area, so it was exciting to have us back in town.”

This year marks the 30 year anniversary of the band, which formed in Lansing in 1989.

News

Brick-and-mortar art festival livens up Williamston alley

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Going back to its roots, Williamston had its first inaugural Alleyfest which included musicians, artists and glassblowers, creating an old-fashioned festival reminiscent of the antique shops littering Williamston’s main drag. The festival was spearheaded by founder Will Long and his partner and co-founder, Matt Mulford. This was a way that Williamston could bring back its brick-and-mortar history. Williamston is known for its antique shops, however, the downtown area now has four vacant buildings and residents are becoming worried Long said. “It’s great for all of our businesses that are downtown and it gives our residents that live in town, something to do,” Tammy Gilroy, Williamston mayor, said.