6th Annual Great Lakes Cider & Perry Festival Planned for September 7 at Uncle John’s Cider Mill

Craft cider is more popular now than ever before and to celebrate this growing Midwest passion, the 6th Annual Great Lakes Cider & Perry Festival returns to Uncle John’s Cider Mill at 8614 N US 127, St. Johns – just north of Lansing.

More than one hundred different ciders and perries from dozens of producers from throughout the region will be available for sampling on Saturday, September 7 at this annual gathering, presented by the Great Lakes Cider & Perry Association.

General festival admission runs from 2-7pm. At $15 per person, regular admission includes a commemorative glass and 10 sample pours. Group tickets are also available for general admission ($25 for 2 tickets | $40 for 4 tickets | $75 for 10 tickets). Tickets for the may be purchased online here. All profit proceeds from the festival benefit the Great Lake Cider & Perry Association (est. 2008).

Entertainment this year includes the Jagwire Country Band (1-5pm) on the Cider Mill Porch followed by 16-year-old Taylor Taylor from 5-7pm at the Tasting event.

Jagwire Country was formed by Dan Hullihen and features several talented, local musicians and singers including Randy Wooley on drums; Jaxie Hartman on bass guitar and vocals; Del Shorts on lead guitar and vocals; Martin “Luther” Hutchinson on rhythm guitar, lead guitar and vocals; and Hullihen on steel guitar and vocals. The band has developed a small following in the mid Michigan area, playing music for dancing – everything from waltz to line dancing, with some up tempo two-step numbers as well as some old rock and roll.

Taylor Taylor is a 16-year-old native of Lansing, MI with African American and Colombian roots. She has been cultivating her jazzy-pop style with classical guitar skills, warm and charismatic vocals and songwriting lyrics, which reveal her intelligence beyond her years. This singer-songwriter enjoys performing at venues around the state and has won several singing and talent competitions. Highlights of her career so far have been performing in Nashville, TN for various songwriting showcases, including the Bluebird Cafe, opening for Radio Disney's, Shane Harper and releasing her first EP in 2012. While Taylor stays busy with school, sports, music lessons and volunteering, her passion is to perform. Taylor is a genuine, humorous and all around great young lady. She believes a philanthropic mind and love for music can change the hearts for those who listen.

Individuals interested in volunteering at the event should contact Mike Beck at 989-640-2763 / mjbeck@ujcidermill.com.

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The Great Lakes Cider & Perry Association (GLCPA) is a nonprofit organization formed to showcase and promote fermented apple and pear beverages and to help educate consumers and producers about them. Our members include both commercial and non-commercial producers, as well as affiliate members located outside the region. Come join us at one of our events and discover some of the finest North American ciders and perries!

Kent Harvest Trails Offers Fresh Local Foods & Family Farm Fun Throughout Greater GR Area

Twenty farms in the Greater Grand Rapids area are participating in this year’s Kent Harvest Trails, providing families the opportunity to enjoy loads of country fun. Activities and tours begin mid September and run through the end of October (although farms may actually open sooner and extend their season into early November, weather permitting).

Families can take tractor- or horse-drawn wagon rides through the orchards or to the pumpkin patch, visit with animals in the petting zoo, wander the corn maze and make a scarecrow to take home. Enjoy a fresh baked donut and watch as apples are pressed into sweet cider. Visit the farm markets for local produce or head out to pick your own fruit. Then, shop for baked goods, fall plants, home decorations and seasonal gifts. Admission for many farms is free, although there may be charges for certain activities.

Participating farms this year include At the Barn, Blok Orchards, Bos Greenhouse and Farm, Ed Dunneback & Girls Farm, Frozen Creek Floral & Farm, Fruit Ridge Hayrides, H & W Farms, Harder & Warner Nursery, Heffron Farms, Heidi’s Farm Stand, Honey Creek Farm, Klackle Orchards, Koetsier’s Greenhouse, Orchard Hill Farm, Paulson’s Pumpkin Patch, Post Family Farm, Robinette’s Apple Haus & Winery, Schwallier’s Country Basket, Sietsema Orchards & Cider Mill and Steffens Orchards & Market.

An updated map of participating farms, including directions and dates/hours of operation, will be posted online in mid August at KentHarvestTrails.org. Printed brochures will also be available for free at area Family Fare Supermarket or D&W Fresh Market locations starting the second week of September.

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Artist Studios, Galleries, Farms & Restaurants Featured in Arts & Eats

Dozens of West Michigan Arts & Foodie Destinations Spotlighted in this Self-Guided Agri-Cultural Driving Tour, October 20-21

More than 60 West Michigan artist studios, galleries, farms and restaurants – nearly double the number from last year – are participating in the 2nd Annual Arts & Eats weekend, Saturday, October 20 and Sunday, October 21, throughout portions of Allegan, Barry and surrounding counties. The tour is made possible with support from Hastings Mutual Insurance Company.

“With the addition of the Allegan County Tourist Council as a primary planning partner this year, along with the Barry County Tourism, Council, tour stops now extend from M66 west, all the way over to the Lake Michigan shoreline,” says Ginger Hentz, Barry County Tourism Co-Chair and Barry County MSU Extension Educator.

Arts & Eats is a free self-guided driving tour of artist studios, eateries featuring locally-grown food, and farms that feature the best in Michigan specialty farm products. Travelers are encouraged to explore the back roads to visit participating farms, art studios and central venues, which are open both days from 10am to 5pm. Restaurants are open during normal business hours; many will kick-off the tour the night before (October 19) serving especially prepared menu selections prepared with locally grown and purchased foods.

Art enthusiasts can visit more than two dozen different galleries, studios and central venues to view the works of local painters, potters, photographers, sculptors and other artisans. Artists welcome guests to their studios, while galleries feature some of the most talented local art for the tour. Those who do not have a public studio are displaying works at five different central venues spread out throughout the tour area.

New this year are two “Public Art” sites – one in Allegan at Baker Allegan Studios and the other at the old County Courthouse in downtown Hastings. This program, under the direction of Toby TenEyck, artist and professor with Michigan State University department of Sociology, will engage all travelers passing through the area to make their artistic mark on a common canvas.

Participants can also experience local foods both at the farms where the food is grown and area restaurants. Nine area farms that grow the food that we eat or that grow the fiber we wear are participating this year. This tour is a unique opportunity for people to visit farms that may not normally be open to the public.

Savor amazing seasonal fare at some 14 participating restaurants, where chefs use their creative culinary talents to pull together fabulous menu items – featuring local products – for tour-goers.

According to organizers, the tour has multiple purposes including raising awareness and appreciation of the region’s rural areas, and educating people about the economic, environmental, and health benefits of buying and consuming locally grown foods. Another purpose of the tour is to support Michigan artists as entrepreneurs and also to connect farmers with local restaurants which can provide locally grown foods.

“The idea driving Arts & Eats is to invite tourists to explore rural artists, agricultural venues and restaurants, all the while soaking in our beautiful fall scenic landscape,” Hentz says. “It also supports the area’s rich agricultural and arts communities, which are economic drivers to our local economy.”

Arts and Eats was introduced last fall by the Barry County Tourism Council and this year welcomes the Allegan County Tourist Council, along with other partner organizations, including the Barry County Chamber of Commerce, Hastings Public Library, Michigan State University (MSU) Extension, Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, Promote Michigan, Thornapple Arts Council, and area artists, studios, and eateries. The premier sponsor is Hastings Mutual Insurance.

A listing of participants, as well as a PDF of the official tour map are online here. The tour guide/map are available at all the sites the days of the tour, as well as at participating venues throughout the month of October.