Visit the new delightful bookstore in downtown Lowell during the Girls Night Out this evening from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and at any time you can. It’s located on Main Street next to Station Salon.
Bettie’s Pages opened during the pandemic and survived the lockdown. Owner Nicole Lintemuth is one of the “Unsung Heroes” that fits this year’s GNO theme.
I asked Lintemuth if business was back to normal.
“I don’t know what normal is,” Lintemuth said. “We didn’t have Girls Night Out last year. We were closed during the pandemic.”
You will find all genres here plus charming gifts. My books are here in both, the fiction and non -fiction sections. My new “Greenwich Meridian Memoir” and the Shifting Sands Short Stories series are among the store’s inventory.
“I am so happy that we finally have a bookstore in our town. It’s just as bad as not having a coffee shop,” I said.
I have embarked on my fall author adventures through west and central Michigan. After an exceptional summer with crowds flocking to community events, autumn promises are in the fresh air painting a colorful palette.
I am so grateful that the in person events are making a comeback, they are a lifeline for artists, artisans and crafters. After year-long hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I finally get to introduce my new book “Greenwich Meridian Memoir” to the public at large.
I will be at the Charlotte Frontier Days Arts & Crafts Show in booth 101 from Sept. 10 through Sept. 12 . The arts show is located on the lawn of the Old County Courthouse. Stop by to pick up a book or two.
I will be in the one-room schoolhouse located at 14029 Covered Bridge Rd. NE in the historic village of Fallasburg signing my books and serving as a museum guide. Cross the Covered Bridge and step back some 150 years ago, when the bridge was built. The bridge is celebrating its 150th anniversary next weekend.
Premier Harvest Dozinky Czech and Slovak event canceled
The YELL group members are also members of The Bannister ZCBJ Czechoslovakian Folk Dancers.
By Emma Palova
Bannister, MI- With a population of 100 nestled amidst the wheat fields of Mid-Michigan, the little town of Bannister carries on a proud Czech legacy dating back to 1906.
The first Czech immigrants were recruited by the Ann Arbor Railroad to help construct a river channel along the railroad tracks north of Bannister. Later they worked in the surrounding sugar beet fields. At one time, Bannister had two churches, one bar, an auto shop and a trade dealer. All that remains today is the post office.
“The newcomers to the area felt the need for some type of club or lodge of their own,” Tom Bradley wrote in his “Pamatnik.”
Josef Drtina traveled by horse and buggy from Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Michigan and secured enough members to start a new lodge in Bannister on October 1, 1911.
Although it’s staple event- the “Harvest Dozinky Festival”- has been canceled this year again due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the lodge will have other events such as the upcoming “Walk for Hunger” on Aug. 8th.
“We think we might have our bazaar this year,” said Diane. “I don’t know about the other events. We go day by day.”
Annually, the lodge holds a bazaar on the last Saturday in October. Other events include: a fall dinner, Mikulas and Cert on the first Sunday in December, a mid-winter jamboree in February.
The Bradleys run the temporary Czech and Slovak Bakery in nearby Ashley from mid- November leading up to Christmas during the Polar Express event.
According to the Czech tradition, the bakery offers rohliky and poppy seed rolls.
“We grew up with the tradition, the language, the music and the food,” said Diane.
“This island is for you,” said art fair director Stephene Lapp. “We want you vendors. I can’t wait to meet all the authors and all the vendors.”
Seven Michigan authors will be among the 114 vendors on the island that is connected to the mainland by one bridge only. Lapp expects around 6,000 visitors to the event on July 31st.
There will be also nine musicians and boat rides.
Feature photo: the main characters of the “Greenwich Meridian Memoir” immigration saga spanning two generations at the Frankfort Art Fair on July 4th, 2021. Pictured from left to right: Ludek Pala, Emma Palova, Ella and Vaclav Konecny.
Copyright (c) 2021. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
Lowell, MI – I specifically used the French word metier for specialty or having a knack for something. We are excited to have our French granddaughter Ella here in the USA for the summer after last year’s pause due to COVID-19.
Every day, I learn something new from her and vice versa. Ella is fully bilingual due to her summer stays with us. Previously, she has attended St. Pat’s Summer Care in Parnell, but this year Ella is going to the YMCA at the Cherry Creek Elementary.
In the morning, we brave the construction workers who have invaded the area with huge asphalt trucks and the smell of fresh tar.
“They had the entire pandemic to do this,” Ella said.
I had a little confrontation with one of the workers who accused me of flying through the construction zone.
“Sir, I don’t fly,” I said. “I drive. You can ask anyone who knows me well.”
That being said, it’s good to know that we’re finally going to have our “damn roads” fixed, as Gov. Whitmer would put it. Apparently, it has become a long-awaited priority.
Writing away
Caledonia, MI – So, I got a new gig with the Caledonia Living Magazine by Best Version Media. My new title is Content Coordinator, which is a new word for editor. It’s a monthly magazine with a regular family feature, a business profile and events calendar.
Submit your ideas and news items to me for the magazine.
Frankfort, MI – What better way to meet your next favorite read than on the shores of Lake Michigan at a local art festival.
After a succesful Lakeshore Art Festival (LAF) in downtown Muskegon, where even a tornado watch couldn’t stop Michigan Authors from selling their books, we have somewhat dispersed. But if you check the previous post about the Michigan Authors Comeback in 2021, and go to the authors websites, you will be able to catch up with them.
Lakeshore Art Festival in downtown Muskegon.
I will be in Frankfort on July 4th at the Art in the Park craft show at 517 Main Street from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Stop by to pick up a book or two; I will have Shift Sands Short Stories series, book 1 and book 2 and my newest release “Greenwich Meridian Memoir.” I will also have posters of the cover of “Secrets.”
I will be around Lowell during the Riverwalk next weekend.
July 31- Grand Ledge, Island Fest
Aug. 7- Holland, Art in the Park
Aug. 28- Lowell, Hometown Reception on the Showboat
I also have a virtual booth at the Detroit Book Fest. Check it out at:
Come out this weekend to downtown Muskegon to 4th Street and Clay and you will find a reader’s delight grouped in the Authors Alley; everything from kids books, Christian, fantasy, poetry, short stories, thrillers and horror.
“It’s a festival in the streets,” said author Melanie Hooyenga. “It feels like you’re a part of the community.”
Once, Rutherford changed the main character of the prodigal son to prodigal daughter in his debut novel, Scott knew he had a story screaming to be told.
“The novel practically wrote itself,” he said. “I am a plotter, writing is easy. The real challenge was presenting it to the world.”
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