{"id":2192,"date":"2018-04-03T11:33:10","date_gmt":"2018-04-03T15:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/?p=2192"},"modified":"2018-04-03T11:33:10","modified_gmt":"2018-04-03T15:33:10","slug":"story-updates-a-lot-can-happen-in-a-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/story-updates-a-lot-can-happen-in-a-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Story Updates: A Lot Can Happen in a Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Volume V Issue 7, published August 18, 2017, we featured a Q&A with Jay White, of Land Consulting Services, an exclusive buyer\u2019s agency that was founded in 2014 and based upon the growing national trend for buyers to be exclusively represented in a real-estate transaction. In large part due to White\u2019s keen business sense and great personality\u2014and in small part thanks to our article getting the word out about his business\u2014Land Consulting Services assisted 29 clients to find the right home and closed on nearly $9 million in sales during 2016. This means that White\u2019s business has been able to expand, bringing on two new sales associates this spring. <\/p>\n

The first is White\u2019s daughter, Kari Lawler, born and raised in Frankfort. Lawler graduated from Grand Valley State University, and she also studied European history and art at the University of Salzburg in Austria. After college, she moved to Sun Valley, Idaho, for five years, where she started working for Scott Sports, a global ski and bike company. She has continued to work for Scott for 10 years doing national sales, marketing, and product development\/management. This experience taught Lawler how much she enjoys working with and building relationships with people, so she is very glad to have returned home to the beauty of Northern Michigan, where she is raising her family. She enjoys spending time outdoors, whether skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, biking with fellow Stormcloud Riders, or spending time at the beach with her daughter and their two dogs. She is looking forward to working as a buyers real-estate buyers agent because she has a true joy in helping families to find a home in this area that is so close to her own heart.<\/p>\n

The second new employee is sales associate Kristin Tebo, who grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and graduated in 1987 from Ohio State University with a degree in business and marketing. While her roots are in Ohio\u2014and yes, she is a former Buckeye\u2014Tebo followed her parents to Illinois 30 years ago, where she spent the next 17 years in Chicago, where she met her husband, Steve Tebo (notably, who is currently the chef at Chimney Corners Resort on the north shore of Crystal Lake). In 2006, the Tebos moved to Benzie County to run one of Frankfort\u2019s favorite restaurants, the Coho Cafe, located on Main Street for five years. (The Coho is now owned and managed by Becky DeVries.) For the past 12 years, Kristin Tebo has served as Regional Sales Director for a retail organization. A Midwest girl at heart, she is thrilled to be a Michigan-resident and beginning to work alongside Jay White in support of her real-estate clients. <\/p>\n

Learn more at LandConsultingServices.com<\/a>, or email Jay@LandConsultingServices.com, Kari@LandConsultingServices.com, or Kristin@LandConsultingServices.com, or call 231-631-0574.<\/em><\/p>\n

Renovations to Michigan Shores<\/h1>\n

In Volume V Issue 3, our Susan Koenig wrote about \u201cyouthful vigor on the hill\u201d at Michigan Shores, a self-governing housing cooperative of senior citizens, located on the Frankfort bluffs. Constructed in 1991, the facility celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, and you can read Koenig\u2019s original story here: bit.ly\/29wXvlM<\/p>\n

Since Koenig\u2019s story ran last June, Michigan Shores Cooperative has announced the completion of their first floor renovation. The project\u2019s general contractor was Harris Custom Carpentry, one of Benzie County\u2019s trusted building contractors, and the remodel was managed by owner Fred Harris. The renovation included updating the carpeting in the hallways, dining room, and lobby, as well as fresh paint throughout and wood trim around all of the doors.
\n

\"Michigan<\/a>
Michigan Shores is a housing cooperative in Frankfort. Photo courtesy of Michigan Shores.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nSince opening in 1991, Michigan Shores has not had renovations of this scale. The remodel will transform the space to a more modern concept. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are excited to get our 2nd and 3rd floors done early next year\u201d says Shirley Robert, corporate manager of Michigan Shores. \u201cThe renovation will transform the entire building.\u201d<\/p>\n

Renovations to the 1st floor began in April 2017 and were completed mid-June. The 2nd and 3rd floors are on schedule for the January 2018. <\/p>\n

Nicole L. Bates, Speech Therapist & Novelist<\/h1>\n

In Volume V Issue 3, published June 23, 2016, we featured a Q&A with Nicole L. Bates of Encouraging Expression, her own speech therapy practice, which ranges from one-on-one, in-home appointments locally to virtual, online sessions\u2014you can read that article here: bit.ly\/2bUWUKN. <\/p>\n

But not only is Bates a speech therapist, she is also a writer. (See one of her many stories for us featured in this issue of The Betsie Current, on pages 1 and 8.)
\n

\"Fantasy<\/a>
Empyrean is availble on Amazon. Image courtesy of Nicole L. Bates.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nBates\u2019s first novel, Empyrean, was released in January 2017. Empyrean\u2014a science-fiction adventure and the first book in The Leron Series\u2014is currently available in e-book and paperback through Amazon. A copy can also be checked out at the Benzie Shores District Library in downtown Frankfort. <\/p>\n

Bates says that the response from friends and family has been overwhelming. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m thrilled with the support and enthusiasm from friends who\u2019ve read the story and shared the news with others,\u201dBates says. \u201cIt\u2019s really been more than I expected.\u201d <\/p>\n

The second book in the series Empyrean\u2019s Fall, is available on Amazon<\/a>. To get the latest updates, you can follow her at Facebook.com\/WriterNicoleLBates<\/a> or on Twitter at @NicoleLBates.<\/em><\/p>\n

Benzie Bus, Magical History Tour<\/h1>\n

In Volume V Issue 2, published June 9, 2016, Mitch Kennis wrote about the launch of Benzie Bus\u2019s Magical History Tours, two 30-minute loops\u2014intersecting in Beulah\u2014that featured many of Benzie County\u2019s most famous historical landmarks. The Magical History Tours ran every Monday during the summer of 2016, and you can read Kennis\u2019s original story here: bit.ly\/28Yk7Mm<\/p>\n

Well, the Magical History Tour is back for a second summer, and they have expanded the routes and included new stories, including the tale of the 1919 grasshopper plague that struck Benzie County. The Magical History Tours will enlighten your day with secret mysteries, wild history, and some classic tales. This year, they are again offering two separate tours with the same amount of fun and fascinating information.<\/p>\n

The Thompsonville route begins by exploring the many important foundations of Beulah and Benzonia. The tour then heads to the Benzonia Cemetery, followed by the Betsie River Centennial Lily Farm, where passengers will disembark for a personal tour with the owner. From there, riders will head to the Michigan Legacy Art Park at Crystal Mountain Resort, then to Thompsonville, where the tour explores the history of the pioneers with their lumbering quests. Finally, passengers will head to St. Ambrose Cellars, home of the largest beekeepers in Michigan.
\n

\"Magical<\/a>
Magical History Tour. Shoddy Photoshop job by Jordan B. Bates.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nThe Frankfort route, meanwhile, leads passengers on a journey adjacent the old Ann Arbor Railroad. The tour follows the trail down scenic River Road, with special attractions like Beedazzled, the Crystal Lake Alpaca Farm, and Gwen Frostic\u2019s. Passengers then take a trip into what used to be South Frankfort\u2014today known as Elberta\u2014to explore the history of the old Iron Works and to discuss the hard labors of lumbering in Benzie County. Next, into downtown Frankfort, where passengers will exit for a short walk down Main Street and consider the history of the old buildings, the story of the piers, the death of the beloved Father Jacques Marquette, and the tale of Chicago mobster Al Capone, burrowing through the underground tunnels of Frankfort.<\/p>\n

Both tours include the Benzie Area Historical Museum and The Village of Beulah. The museum highlights the biggest events in Benzie County history such as: car ferries, Bruce Catton, the Grand Army of the Republic, and the brand new exhibit on how World War I affected the area. The Village of Beulah has an overwhelming amount of history, as well, with stories including: Archibald Jones and his comical blunder, the overabundance of smelt leading to the sport of \u201csmelt dipping,\u201d and The Cherry Hut\u2019s wonderful business adventures, just to name a few. <\/p>\n

Benzie Bus and the Benzie Area Historical Museum have partnered up with the help of generous local sponsors to provide this special program. If you would like to be a part of these unique experiences, tours began June 1, 2017, and will continue every Thursday and Friday through October at 12 p.m. And 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 per tour. For reservations, call Benzie Bus at 231-325-3000.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Lot Can Happen in a Year<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2194,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[199,183,48,41,43,204,198,191,44,206],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/JayKristinKari_web.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3TDCr-zm","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2192"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2192"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2192\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2200,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2192\/revisions\/2200"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}