Photo by Cherry T-Ball Drop
Downtown Traverse City bustles with party goers for the annual CherryT Ball Drop held on New Year’s Eve. CherryT is a play on words for Charity and the cherry, a symbol of the Traverse City region, which grows about 75% of the nations tart cherry crop each year.
The celebration takes place at the downtown intersection of Front Street and Cass Street. The family-friendly event sees crowds estimated at 8,000 to 12,000 people. The non-profit organization in charge raises money and collects non-perishable food items while people party for a purpose in Traverse City’s own version of Time Square. Attendees are encouraged to make a monetary donation or donate a non-perishable food item.
Outdoor music and entertainment begin about 9:30pm and continue after midnight. Local acts and a DJ on the lit stage help bring in the new year. Right before midnight, the large illuminated cherry is lowered to usher in the coming year. A short fireworks display follows the ball drop.
Manistee National Forest together with the Huron National Forest occupies almost a million acres of land in Michigan’s lower peninsula.
Beautiful color emerges come Fall. Take it all in with an afternoon drive, or stroll, through the many forests of West Michigan.
The colorful attire and crazy antics of the Scottville Clown Band amuse people, but they also have extraordinary musical talent.
Scottville Riverside Park, along the Pere Marquette River, has over 50 modern sites and is popular for camping and fishing.
Dune Rides in your ATV or ORV are popular at Silver Lake Sand Dunes in Michigan, but many rules and regulations apply.
The Traverse City area has several arts and crafts fairs scheduled throughout the year, offering many unique handcrafted items.
The spring/fall runs of steelhead and salmon, the resident brown trout and “brookies” make the PM River extremely popular for fishing.
Along the Lake Michigan shoreline between Ludington and Manistee, you’ll find natural splendor- the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness area.
Take one of the most scenic drives in the nation as you travel across M-22 in Manistee County. A long winding road of adventure awaits!
Michigan has a public ORV trail system for four different riding opportunities–motorcycles, ATVs, ORVs, and scramble areas.
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