2nd Annual Grand Rapids International Wine & Food Festival starts tomorrow!

Thursday, Nov. 12 (5-9pm) | Friday, Nov. 13 (3pm-9pm) | Saturday, Nov. 14 (Noon-9pm)

This pre-holiday show at DeVos Place, Grand Rapids, has doubled in content in just one year and is expected to draw some 10,000+ individuals throughout the three days, making it the largest food and wine festival in the state and one of the premier events of its kind in the Midwest. From the connoisseur who lives and breathes for the finer things in life to the novice looking for an introduction to the world of wine, food and other culinary delights, the International Wine & Food Festival in Grand Rapids delivers a grand experience that is sure to please every palette.

Over one hundred wineries from around the world will provide samples of as many as 1000 assorted wines – including some hard to find, top shelf vintages. Brewmasters and distillers will also to be on hand providing tastes of their hand-crafted beverages. Wine and beer tasting seminars give a 45-minute experience and are limited to 40 individuals per program, with a cost of $15 per person, per seminar.

Chefs from 10 of the area’s top restaurants will prepare and serve samples of their culinary specialties, including Bistro Bella Vita, Cygnus 27, Gill’s at The BOB, Huntington Club, Leo’s, Louis Benton Steakhouse, Melting Pot, San Chez, Tre Cugini and Wildfire Grille. Additionally four select restaurants (Bar Divani, Tre Cugini, The 1913 Room and six-one-six) will be partnered with distinguished wineries and breweries for special Pairings – gourmet multi-course meals served on-site in a casual yet intimate “bar top” setting. Tickets for the Pairings may be purchased at the Festival on a first-come, first-served basis at a cost of $25 per person. Each Pairing is limited to 16 seats; see reservationist on-site.

Esteemed individuals from the culinary world – including Joe Borrello of Tasters Guild International and Angus Campbell of the Secchia Institute of Culinary Arts, as well as New York’s Tony “Wine Chef” Lawrence, Sue Dow, Sheri Steinbach and Chef Eric Villegas – will host seminars, demonstrations and workshops throughout the event.

Gourmet specialty items and high-end accessories will also be available in the Riverfront Marketplace, just in time for holiday entertaining and shopping.

Additionally, culinary and hospitality students from Ferris State University and Grand Valley State University, are given the opportunity to work side-by-side with industry leaders for an unparalleled educational experience.

Turtle Expert to Speak at Binder Park Zoo

Binder Park Zoo and Brigham Audubon Society are welcoming special guest speaker David A. Mifsud, owner and founder of Herpetological Resource and Management, on Wednesday November 11th at 7:00 p.m. for a presentation titled “Conservation of Turtles in Michigan.” This is the second lecture of Binder Park Zoo and the Brigham Audubon Society Chapter of Michigan Audubon Society Fall Lecture Series.

David Mifsud, herpetologist, certified professional wetland scientist and professional ecologist, has been working for over ten years in wildlife biology, wetland ecology, and habitat conservation and management. He has developed Michigan’s first salamander monitoring program as well as a mudpuppy monitoring program. He has overseen numerous projects for nonprofit and governmental agencies, including wetland mitigation design and monitoring, wildlife and habitat management, large scale ecosystem mapping, amphibian and reptile rescue and translocation, and educational outreach.

Although his work includes conservation of all amphibians and reptiles, Mifsud’s greatest pleasure is working with turtles, something that he has been enjoying for over 25 years. Mifsud holds an MS in Environmental Science from the University of Michigan as well as degrees in Biology, Geography, and Environmental Studies from Aquinas College.

The natural Michigan wetlands on Binder Park Zoo grounds are home to many native species of turtles. Come to this month’s lecture to find out what is being done to conserve one of the fascinating animals that can be found right here in Michigan!

A short Brigham Audubon business meeting will start promptly at 7 pm, with the lecture beginning immediately afterward at 7:15 pm. The lecture will take place in the Cross Administration Building (Zoo Office). The event is free to the public.

Peak color ranges from mid-state south.

Online Fall Color Reports provided by the Michigan Audubon Society and the Apple Tree Inn in Petoskey.

Petoskey Area: Overall everything is brown and yellow. The birches are almost bare along the northbound corridor to the Soo. Oak trees are yellow and pale yellowish brown-green. Aspen leaves are yellow, and the last few are fluttering to the ground. Elm are bare except the one or two hanger-ons. There is poor duck migration along the usually busy east coast of the UP. Geese are thinning out. Turkeys are getting hungrier and demanding we put the birdseed feeders out. Chickadees, Nuthatches and a persistent Downy Woodpecker are absolutely devouring every seed that is put out. A rare Robin or two have visited today (the birdbath is very popular this week!) Lots of skunk and raccoon activity. The doe and her young twins have begun to make nightly appearances, nibbling on anything green.

Leelanau County: About 30% of the trees have lost their leaves, another 40-50% or so are yellow/gold with some orange. The color is very dull. The rest -- believe it or not -- have not turned, or are just beginning to turn.Manistee: At or past peak in most areas of county. Lake Bluff is 90% to peak. All colors are showing; oaks turning. Yellows are probably at their brightest

Ludington: Peak color was last week, and last Sunday's heavy frost dropped the walnuts and chestnuts. Apples are almost all picked- colors are yellow to brown.

Kalamazoo, Calhoun Counties: Fall colors are at or just past peak. Oaks finally turned reddish browns. Most trees are holding their leaves, compared to counties just to the north. Rainy and cold weather have limited movement of the wildlife, although it is reported that about 5,000 Sandhill Cranes can be seen at the Michigan Audubon Baker Sanctuary.

Barry, Eaton and Ingham Counties: Cold and sunny days have brought out peak color last week. Oaks finally turned from green to reddish browns. Maples are showing many shades of yellow and light oranges. Wind and rain stripped about 20-50% of the trees of their leaves throughout this region. What leaves remain are showing splendid color.

Van Buren County: The windy wet days have taken a lot of color with it. Most trees have lost many of the leaves, but the yellows are hanging in there. The yellows are some of the brightest seen in years.

This will be the last color report for this year, but WMTA.org will begin their snow reports shortly for the upcoming winter season.

River of Gold

Traverse City’s remarkable Dennos Museum Center has acquired a groundbreaking exhibit of more than 120 exquisitely crafted pieces of Precolumbian goldwork from the ancient cemetery site of Sitio Conte, in what is now central Panama. Entitled “River of Gold,” the exhibition includes large embossed plaques, cast pendants and nose ornaments, gold-sheathed ear rods, and necklaces of intricate beads-as well as polychrome ceramics and objects made of precious and semi-precious stones, whale-tooth ivory and bone.

The story behind the exhibition is almost as compelling as the objects themselves. At the turn of the 19th century, the Rio Grande de Coclé -- a river in central Panama -- changed its course and people began to find precious gold objects on its banks. Stories began to circulate of children playing marbles with gold beads, and by the late 1920s large quantities of gold ornaments were discovered and news of this “river of gold” began to reach the outside world.

In 1940, an expedition from the Penn Museum excavated the site that came to be known as Sitio Conte, and discovered rich and remarkable evidence of a thriving, Pre-Columbian civilization that flourished over a thousand years ago. Very little is known about the ancient societies of Central America, which have long been overshadowed by the more famous Aztec, Maya and Inca civilizations, but the goldsmiths of who created the gold objects found at Sitio Conte were consummate artisans. The plaques and cuffs were crafted from hammered gold sheet. Exquisitely detailed pendants were one-of-a-kind items, formed by the lost wax casting method.

Located on the campus of Northwestern Michigan College, the Dennos Museum Center is regularly recognized as one of the nation’s finest small art museums. In addition to its extensive permanent collections and regular guest exhibitions, it’s known for its hands-on children’s Discovery Center and as home to the 370-seat Milliken Auditorium, whose 2010 program of jazz, blues and world music features such artists as India’s Nritagram Dance Ensemble and Traverse City jazz guru Bob James.

Boyne Mountain’s Solace Spa to Host Astrology Retreat

Under the gorgeous cover of northern Michigan's night sky, celebrate and uncover the mystery of life as it’s written in the stars during Boyne Mountain’s Astrology Retreat, November 6-8. Mary Stewart Adams, an astrosopher, author and storyteller, guides this unique retreat and brings engaging discussions and enthusiasm to the study of the night sky.

“This retreat is informative yet playful,” said Adams. “Each of us is firmly rooted in the harmony of the starry world and the more we understand its rhythms in our own lives, the more at peace we can become.”

Participants explore how astrology shapes daily happenings through cosmic cycles and earthly rhythms. The weekend’s events include a welcome reception, individualized birth horoscope chart, workshops exploring the elements of body, individuality, destiny and relationships, a star gazing party and daily access to Solace Spa’s whirlpool tubs, cedar saunas, steam rooms, relaxation areas and fitness facilities.

The Astrology Retreat starts at $195 per person or $315 including two nights lodging in the resort’s Mountain Grand Lodge. Throughout the weekend, Adams will also offer hour and a half private couples readings based on individual and combined birth horoscope charts. Private readings are $200.