If you seek some wooden shoes...

                           From a postcard folio:  West Michigan, The Water Wonderland State,
                           Dexter Press, West Nyack, N.Y., c.1960.

                  Wearable Wooden Shoes website has a variety of shoes for you to order!
                  The shop is located in Nelis' Dutch Village in Holland, Michigan.

                 shopping.dutchvillage.com/dvwearablewoodshoes/dvwoodshoeshop.htm

                               Holland, Michigan:  Nelis' Tulip Farms, from a postcard folio:
                               West Michigan, The Water Wonderland;  Water Wonderland
                               Card Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, c.1960.

                          Nelis' Dutch Village, Theme Park and Shopping in Holland, Michigan:

                                                        www.dutchvillage.com

Visit the city of Holland, Michigan!  The downtown is listed in the National Register
of Historic Places, and has a beautiful park, and wonderful shops and restaurants.
Heated sidewalks and streets in the downtown retail district make your wintertime
shopping excursions a lot easier!  The world-famous Tulip Time Festival is in May.

Summer visitors enjoy Lake Macatawa, and nearby Ottawa Beach, on Lake Michigan.
Click on the link to the website of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for
information on Holland State Park, and related recreational opportunities.

                www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?type=SPRK&id=458
                                       
NOTE:
The Michigan Secretary of State's office included this notice with the drivers license renewal.
The Recreation Passport has replaced the state park sticker.  Read all about it below, and be
sure to check the "Yes" box on your license plate renewal notice when you get it in the mail,
or visit your local Secretary of State office, or click on the link below for further information.

 

                                                                                                                                                       
                                            www.michigan.gov/recreationpassport
                                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Visit our other postcard blog to see a vintage 1912 postcard from Volendam, Netherlands.

         Pat's Postcard Postings:  My Favorite Postcards from 50 Years of Collecting

                                       www.patspostcardpostings.blogspot.com
                                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                        CIRCUMSPICE MICHIGAN:  Postcards of a Pleasant Peninsula                                                    

If you seek some Michigan cherries...

The World's Cherry Capital, that is what they call Traverse City, with its annual 

        Cherry Festival and Blessing of the Blossoms.  

The Grand Traverse region boasts the greatest cherry production in the world.

                        Beautiful cherry queens, like the one pictured, reign each year in exciting,

                         spectacular and colorful festival events, viewed by thousands each July.                

                                                                        -Color by Phil Balyeat 

-Postcard postmarked 1974; distributed by the Color Postcard Co., Traverse City, Mich.

CIRCUMSPICE MICHIGAN was late in posting for this year's Cherry Festival~ sorry!

The 2012 National Cherry Festival will be July 7-14, 2012, in Traverse City.

                                            visit.cherryfestival.org  

Here's a bunch of cherry-related websites, freshly picked from Google:

~ HISTORY OF THE CHERRY INDUSTRY IN TRAVERSE CITY  

      www.traversecity.com/

~ BENJAMIN TWIGGS ~ Legendary Cherry Products since 1966

      www.benjamintwiggs.com/store

~ CHERRY REPUBLIC

      www.cherryrepublic.com

~ CHERRY STOP

      www.thecherrystop.com

~ U-PICK CHERRIES 

      www.traversecity.com/

The U-Pick website and the History of the Cherry Industry website are courtesy of the

Traverse City Convention and Visitors Bureau.  Type topic into their Site Search.

                                 Sweet and sour cherry tree orchards dot the landscape of 

Benzie County.  Considered an ideal location for cherry orchards,

Benzie County is heavily involved in cherry production.

-Photo by Reynold Stafford

-Published by Northlight Studios, Buelah, Michigan

  -Postcard from the 1970s  

Cherry Pie at the Cherry Hut in Beulah, Michigan has been a tradition since 1922.

-Postcard by Penrod/Hiawatha Co., Berrien Center, Michigan

THE CHERRY HUT

www.cherryhutstore.com  

Cute website!

First time visitors:  don't forget to take your Cherry Hut menu with you.

Step outdoors and have yourself photographed with a Cherry Jerry

face while standing in front of the restaurant!  Hundreds do it every year! 

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                            CIRCUMSPICE MICHIGAN:  Postcards of a Pleasant Peninsula                                           

             

                                               

If you seek some gifted youth...

             Trumpeters in front of Kresge Auditorium, National Music Camp, Interlochen, Michigan
                   Postcard distributed by The Camera Shop, Traverse City, Michigan, 1960s

                 "Oh, sound the call!"  Interlochen Arts Camp is now open for the 2011 season!
                  Interlochen has been "Guiding America's Gifted Youth" since 1928.

                                                         www.interlochen.org

                         Postcard Photo by Al Hyams, "Captured Moments" Photography,
                         Frankfort, Michigan  49635                   -postcard from the 2000s

                    2011 Concerts and Events at Interlochen:  www.presents.interlochen.org

                                                      RECOMMENDED READING:
                                                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                                      

     PINE NUTS, Recollections of Summers at Interlochen

by Thom Feild

Copyright 2006, Thom Feild Design, LLC, 

Printed in Michigan,

Paperback, 157 pp., with map

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                An uproarious and often poignant memoir set in the woods of

                                Northern Michigan, at the most famous and beloved summer

                                arts camp in the world:  Interlochen.  

                                                                                              -back cover of Pine Nuts

                         Click on this link to Thom Feild's website, and read more about Pine Nuts:

                                                             www.pinenutsthebook.com

                         Thom Feild's delightful tribute to the "shrine of the muse divine" features

                         Interlochen's Theatre Arts Department, where Thom spent summers as a

                         camper, and later as an instructor.  It's a nostalgic and fun read, filled with

                         stories "of the theatre clan's backstage business and emotional escapades

                         that make this one truly entertaining playbill".  

                                                                                       -quotation excerpt from back cover

                                      AMAZON is the best place to purchase PINE NUTS.
                               Enter Pine Nuts by Thom Feild into Amazon's website search:

                                                         www.amazon.com/books

                                While at Amazon, read the five 5-star reviews of Pine Nuts:

              "Ahhhh Memories"...  "Pine Nuts left me smiling"...   "lights...campers...Magic!"

              OR... If you are fortunate to be at Interlochen in person:  1) stop in at Scholarship

              (bookstore) and buy a copy of PINE NUTS by Thom Feild;  2) go around the

              corner to the Melody Freeze and pick up a soft serve;  3) find a nearby bench, and

              enjoy a taste of Interlochen.. sprinkled with PINE NUTS!

                                                     Montage of Postcards and a Snapshot 

                                                                      (1940s - 1960s)

                                                                   (click on to enlarge)

                                               Oh, sound the call to dear old Interlochen:

                                                 Land of the stately pine.

                                               Where stalwart hands and loyal ever greet you.

                                                 Faithful to Auld Lang Syne.

                                               Old friends you'll meet,

                                                New ones you'll greet,

                                               A welcome you'll ever find.

                                                So, sound the call to dear old Interlochen!

                                               Shrine of the muse divine.

                    

                                                                       "SOUND THE CALL"

                                                                        Words by T. Henry Francis 

                                                                        Music by Edwin Franko Goldman (1878-1956)

                                                                        Interlochen Bowl March, 1934

                   Photos by Al Hyams -- www.capturedmomentsphotography.com -- card # 107
    Stone Student Center waterfront on Lake Wahbekanetta (Green Lake) provides a beautiful
    recreational setting for the Minnesota Building-- a gathering place for faculty, staff and guests.
    Interlochen Center for the Arts in Northwest Michigan, is home to the renowned Interlochen
    Arts Academy, Interlochen Arts Camp and Interlochen Public Radio.  It is located on 1,200
    wooded acres between Lake Wahbekanetta and Lake Wahbekaness (Duck Lake).

                       The Wishing Well, a popular meeting place on the central campus of the
                                             National Music Camp, Interlochen, Michigan
                                                  
                                                                   -postcard from the 1960s, Mark K., Inc., Findlay, Ohio

                       Proceeds from the Wishing Well benefit the Interlochen Scholarship Fund.                                                                                       

                                                                        

~~~~~~~~~~~CIRCUMSPICE MICHIGAN:  Postcards of a Pleasant Peninsula~~~~~~~~~~                                                                             

If you seek a sleeping bear...

   EMPIRE, MICHIGAN, The park of the village of Empire is beautifully situated between
   Lake Michigan on the West and South Bar Lake on the East.  This favorite recreation spot
   is visited by both resorters and residents.  -Postcard in Ektachrome by Jack D. Rader, 1960s.

Located in Leelanau County, Empire is the gateway to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Links to related websites:   www.empirechamber.com   &   www.leelanau.com

Two online books might be of interest.  Just click and read!

Beautiful Glen Arbor Township:  Facts, Fantasy and Fotos, by Robert D. Rader and the
Glen Arbor History Group, 1977.  Historian Kathleen Stocking writes about the dunes:

              "They change, yet they don't change.  They are like jewels, evocative of
              eternity, of ancient processes in the earth.  Their form changes, but their
              substance does not.  They stay in the memory, those millions upon millions
              of tiny pieces of quartz and feldspar."    -Kathleen Stocking, p. 89. 


                www.manitouislandsarchives.org/archives/ebooks/bgat/bgat-web.pdf

A Nationalized Lakeshore:  The Creation and Administration of the Sleeping Bear Dunes
National Lakeshore, by Theodore J. Karamanski, National Park Service, 2000.

                          www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/slbe/index.htm

     SLEEPING BEAR DUNES   -Postcard from a folio, West Michigan, The Waterwonderland 
     State, published by Dexter Press, West Nyack, N.Y., c. 1960.

We love the Pure Michigan ads at CIRCUMSPICE MICHIGAN, and find ourselves grabbing a
hankie whenever these evocative 30-second spots are aired on radio and television.

View Our Ads - Pure Michigan Travel

www.michigan.org/Topics/Pure-Michigan-Ads/Default.aspx


~~~~~~~~~~~CIRCUMSPICE MICHIGAN:  Postcards of a Pleasant Peninsula~~~~~~~~~~

If you seek a feel-good movie...

                 GOOGLE ME THE MOVIE, by Jim Killeen, 2007.

                    -Postcard designed by the filmmaker's mother, 

                        and sent out as a party invitation, 2009.

A priest, a swinger, and an actor walk into a Texas bar... 

Sounds like the opening line of a joke, but the story is true.  That unlikely trio

was joined by four others-- all named JIM KILLEEN.

Jim Killeen, born and raised in Birmingham, Michigan, studied theater at Wayne

State, and moved to California to pursue his dream of a film career.  He soon 

found himself to be just another out-of-work actor living in Los Angeles.

One night, everything changed when he hatched the idea for a documentary film.

"It all started when I Googled my name... " is the opening salvo for his independent

film, Google Me The Movie.

Jim Killeen Googled six other Jim Killeens, and not only contacted them by phone,

but sought them out on their home turf.  With a film crew in tow, Jim traveled to

Ireland, Scotland, Australia, and all over the United States.  But that's not all folks...

He invited the Jims to join him in Killeen, Texas, for the city's centennial celebration,

and flew them all there, expenses paid.  Not bad for an out-of-work-actor-turned-filmmaker!

They took part in a chili cook-off, went to a rodeo, and were honored by the mayor, who

proclaimed a "Jim Killeen Day".  Now, about that Texas bar...

Google Me The Movie is a funny, serious, and often moving account of the lives of the

Jim Killeens-- what they share, what is unique to each, what is their philosophy of life,

and what makes them happy.  DNA testing was done to find out if they were actually

related to one another.  The results were interesting...

Watch for filmed segments on location in Beverly Hills, Michigan, and East Lansing.

Movie contains discussions of mature subject matter.

                    www.googlemethemovie.com    

                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

CIRCUMSPICE MICHIGAN:  Postcards of a Pleasant Peninsula                                                        

If you seek an inn on the river...

                                    
    ST. CLAIR INN, St. Clair, Michigan, Postcard from the 1960s, L.L. Cook Co., Milwaukee, Wis.
    Entrance and driveway to St. Clair Inn.

The St. Clair Inn, in downtown St. Clair, Michigan, is about 50 miles north of Metro Detroit, and
is a great getaway for lunch or a weekend.

Built in the 1920s, this landmark hotel has vintage English Tudor charm with modern amenities.
Dine outside and watch the busy boat traffic on the St. Clair River.  The St. Clair Inn is perfect
for conferences too.
                                    www.michigan.org/Property/Detail.aspx?p=B16750

    ST. CLAIR INN, St. Clair, Michigan, Postcard from the 1960s, L.L. Cook Co., Milwaukee, Wis.
    The St. Clair Inn with its ideal location on the world's busiest waterway, has become famous
    as the perfect vantage point for viewing America's Lifeline.

Read more about lake freighters by clicking on MIDWEST CONNECTION:

Bringing the Great Lakes to Your Fingertips!

                                  www.midwestconnection.com/glshpng/shipping_home.htm  

                                           Happy Summer!   -CIRCUMSPICE MICHIGAN 

                                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

CIRCUMSPICE MICHIGAN:  Postcards of a Pleasant Peninsula

If you seek Saarinen's genius...

              SAARINEN HOUSE WINDOW (1928-1930), Eliel Saarinen, Architect (1873-1950) 

                              Photograph:  Andrea Eis;  Postcard Design:  Catherine Schrenker

In 1922, Finnish architect Eliel Sarrinen entered a competition to design the Tribune Tower 

in Chicago.  He came in second.  With the money for second prize, Saarinen was able to 

establish himself in the Chicago area, and bring his wife and children over from Finland to 

settle in the United States.

If Eliel Saarinen had won that competition, he would have never accepted a teaching post

at the University of Michigan, or met art patrons George Booth and his wife Ellen Scripps

Booth.  Chicago's loss was Michigan's gain. 

The Booths invited Saarinen to design an educational community on the site of an old farm

in Bloomfield Hills.  Designed in 1925, Saarinen's buildings and beautiful 300-acre campus

was named "Cranbrook".  It is home to the Cranbrook Art Academy, Art Museum, Science

Institute, and private schools for girls and boys.

Visit the Saarinen House, the home Saarinen designed and built as the family residence.  It is 

a classic example of the Arts and Crafts Style, where architecture and interior design converge

into one vision for the perfect living environment-- Saarinen's vision, Saarinen's genius.

Don't miss the surrounding gardens!

www.cranbrook.edu

An exquisite guide to the Saarinen House is presented in PDF form:

www.cranbrookart.edu/museum/images/saarinen/saarinen_guide.pdf

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 CIRCUMSPICE MICHIGAN:  Postcards of a Pleasant Peninsula