MICHIGAN TRAVEL TIPS
FROM
THE HOLOGLOBE PRESS
(The 7th Edition)by
Victor Edward Swanson,
Publisherwww.hologlobepress.com
RULES OF USE
The material contained within this page is derived from my "fabulous files" of places that vacationers can see in Michigan and Wisconsin, and, in fact, my fabulous files contain information about hundreds of things to see. The material provided is as a public service of Victor Swanson and The Hologlobe Press. Almost all persons and entities, such as radio stations, may freely use the material; neither AAA Michigan nor any employee of AAA Michigan may use, distribute, download, transmit, copy, or duplicate any of the material presented on this page in any way or through any means.
- - - Travel Thoughts for Everyone - - -
And so you're now "bopping along" the road, the headlights of your vehicle bouncing happily off signs, trees, buildings, and the backs of other vehicles on this wonderful evening, and running through your mind is a new song you've captured with your ears upon hearing it only once from that little radio tucked away in the far back corner of your cluttered kitchen counter. Another season has arrived, and you're ready for the festivities. You check to see that you do indeed have that ticket close. And out in the distance is the overall glow created by the hundreds and hundreds of tiny colored lights of your destination.
The fall is the start of another season in Michigan--the theatre season or theater season. Some people might not think much about the start of the theater season or the theatre season, their minds set on the hunting seasons that are going again, and when some people think about the theater season or the theatre season, they probably only think about the main theatres or theaters of the Detroit area or the Grand Rapids area, unaware Michigan has many other theatres or theaters and has many theatre companies or theater companies, and some of the other theatres or theaters are the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts, which is at Muskegon, and the Wharton Center for the Performing Arts, which is at East Lansing.
Look at some of what is scheduled to take place at theatres in Michigan during the 2004-2005 theatre season or the 2004-2005 theater season.
The Saline Area Players have been doing live theatre since the early 1970s, and today they do their productions at Saline Middle School, which is at 7265 Ann Arbor-Saline Road (in Washtenaw County of the Lower Peninsula), and their next production is A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The actors, such as Gary Glover, Brent Lofgren, Leo Babcock, Chrissy Burns, and Danielle Nicholls, are supposed to be on stage on November 18, 19, and 20. In March 2005, audiences are scheduled to be treated to Moon Over Buffalo.
Players de Noc, Inc., is a theatre company that gives performances at the William Bonifas Fine Arts Center in Escanaba (in Delta County), which is in the southern-central region of the Upper Peninsula. The season for the Players de Noc, Inc., has already started, beginning with several performances of An Evening of One-Acts in September and October. A Christmas Carol, a play written by Michael Paller and based on the book of the same name by Charles Dickens, is scheduled for December 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, and 11. Already, Blood Brothers is scheduled for March 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, and 14 (of 2005). In April and May of 2005, the actors of Players de Noc will show off Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers.
The Holland Civic Theatre is based in Holland (in Allegan and Ottawa Counties of the Lower Peninsula). The Christmas Toy Shop is the show that audiences should see on November 26 and 27 and December 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11. Murder by Misadventure, which was written by Edward Taylor, is the scheduled mystery for February 2005.
The Ironwood Theatre is based at Ironwood (in Gogebic County), which is in the far west of the Upper Peninsula. Hometown Christmas is the scheduled production for November 29 and 30 and December 1. The play is something people who might be in the Ironwood area for cross-country skiing for a few days could see on one of the days. By the way, Michael Martin Murphy is scheduled to give a concert at the Ironwood Theatre on November 18, and the theme of the performance is Cowboy Christmas.
Saginaw is in Saginaw County (of the Lower Peninsula), and in Saginaw is the Pit and Balcony Theatre Company. The address to be at for A Christmas Carol, the next production at the Pit and Balcony Theatre, is 805 North Hamilton, and the dates to be at the address are from December 3 to 18. From January 21 to January 30 of 2005, the Pit and Balcony Theatre Company will show off The Nerd, a play by Larry Shue. Other productions are scheduled for January 2005 and March 2005.By the way, on the date that this seventh edition of Michigan Travel Tips was published and posted on the Internet, the Pit and Balcony Theatre Company was yet looking for a person to be the artistic director for the 2005-2006 season.
Some people--at least--are probably unaware some theatres use volunteers as ushers. For example, in the Detroit area, the Fox Theatre and the Detroit Opera House use volunteer ushers. I know a couple gals who do volunteer ushering at some of the theatres in Detroit. In fact, the gals have been doing volunteer ushering work for several years or, maybe, for more than a decade. They do have a complaint about some of the productions--the musical groups almost always have the sound systems turned up too high, which is too bad, since some pleasure of the music gets lost, overpowered by unnecessary volume. By the way, the gals are retired, and their duties as ushers get them out of their houses and allow them to see or at least sample all types of shows, from musicals to rap concerts, for free.
If you know someone who likes to see productions at theatres or theaters and seems unable or unwilling to pay for a season of tickets, you might suggest that the someone see if it is possible to become a volunteer usher at a theatre or theater, and, remember, your suggestion might get someone out and about again, such as a woman whose husband might have recently died and who might otherwise sit around at home, missing out on "bopping about" on the roads and all.
You should have noticed I have used "theatre" and "theater" in this edition of Michigan Travel Tips. Generally speaking, in Michigan, both "theater" and "theatre" are used to describe places that are devoted to live theater productions, though some places not only have live theatre productions but also have concerts or show movies; for example, although the State Theatre, which is in Detroit, has "theatre" in the name, it is a place for concerts, and the Redford Theatre, which is in Redford, has an old-time theatre organ with all the gadgets and such that, when played, make it seem you are hearing an orchestra, and the organ is used, for instance, during showings of silent movies. Of course,, the word "theater" is more likely to be used for places that only show movies.
Here is a closing statement, which you must remember might be old by the time you see it: I do hope the sound is not too loud at the State Theatre when I am there for a concert on November 3 so that I can hear the soft parts and subtle parts of the new songs that I've been bopping along to recently, such as "Closest Thing to Heaven," "Call Me Mellow," and "Last Days on Earth."
Your travel tips in this edition are:
The Detroit Opera House, Detroit, Wayne County, the Lower Peninsula.
The Fox Theatre, Detroit, Wayne County, the Lower Peninsula.
The Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts, Muskegon, Muskegon County, the Lower Peninsula.
The Holland Civic Theatre, Holland, Allegan and Ottawa Counties, the Lower Peninsula.
The Ironwood Theatre, Ironwood, Gogebic County, the Upper Peninsula.
The Pit and Balcony Theatre Company, Saginaw, Saginaw County, the Lower Peninsula.
Players de Noc, Inc., Escanaba, Delta County, the Upper Peninsula.
The Redford Theatre, Redford, Wayne County, the Lower Peninsula.
The Saline Area Players, Saline Middle School, Saline, Washtenaw County, the Lower Peninsula.
The State Theatre, Detroit, Wayne County, the Lower Peninsula.
The Wharton Center for the Performing Arts, East Lansing, Ingham County, the Lower Peninsula.
- - - Public Service Copy for Broadcasters (four pieces)- - -
Number One:
The peak time for live theatre each year is between September
and June, and The Hologlobe Press and (this station) are now
making you are aware of some of live theatre events coming up in
the state soon. The Saline Area Players are staging A Funny
Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Saline Middle School
in Saline on November 18, 19, and 20. The Holland Civic Theatre,
which is at Holland, will have The Christmas Toy Shop on
November 26 and 27 and December 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11. The Pit
and Balcony Theatre Company is based at Saginaw, and this
company will present A Christmas Carol starting in early
December. And the Ironwood Theatre, which is at Ironwood, will
do Hometown Christmas starting November 29. Although you
may not get to any of the productions talked about, you now have
that live-theatre idea in your head again. Enjoy your safe
traveling Michigan!
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Number Two:
After laws are enacted in Michigan and time passes, people
can forget certain laws exist and people who are new to the state
can be unaware specific laws exist. The Hologlobe Press and
(this station) now pass along a reminder about a Michigan
law related to tinting vehicle windows. In Michigan, you are not
allowed to do aftermarket tinting of windows so that all the
windows are covered, making it impossible for, for instance,
state police troopers to see inside your vehicle. You are only
allowed to put tinting material on the top four inches of a front
window, and you are only allowed to put tinting material on the
back window of a vehicle if the vehicle has outside rearview
mirrors on both sides, and, of all the side windows that can
exist on a vehicle, only rear side windows may have tinting
material. Exceptions do exist for medical reasons, though. And
that's one law that exists to help you enjoy your safe traveling!
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Number Three:
Between November and late March, many people who go to
the Upper Peninsula of Michigan go for winter fun, such as
cross-country skiing and snowmobiling, but a few people
probably go for the cultural experience. The 2004-2005
theatre season is the 40th season for the Players de Noc,
which is based at the William Bonifas Fine Arts Center at
Escanaba. Already this season, the Players de Noc have
presented An Evening of One-Acts. The next main production
is A Christmas Carol, a play written by Michael Paller and based
on the book of the same name by Charles Dickens. In March
2005, the production entitled Blood Brothers will be presented.
If you're in the Escanaba area in early December, remember
the Players de Noc have A Christmas Carol for you or, maybe,
for you and your family. And the arts center has exhibits! Be alert
for deer on that trip to Escanaba, and enjoy your safe traveling.
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Number Four:
In Michigan, there are many museums that are closed to
general-public visits in the fall, winter, and spring. For example,
the IXL Historical Museum, which is at Hermansville of the
Upper Peninsula, is only open in the summer. However, people
can sometimes set up special visits or tours at museums that are
normally closed for much of the year. Some museums are not
open in the summer, and one of those museums is the Siegfried
H. Horn Archaeological Museum, which is at Berrien Springs of
Berrien County. Actually, the museum is at Andrews University.
One of the main features of the museum is a collection of
Cuneiform Tablets. Generally speaking, the Siegfried H. Horn
Archaeological Museum is open for at least a few hours on
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. For
information about the hours, contact staffers at Andrews
University at Berrien Springs or contact the "Horn Museum."
(A note to announcers: "IXL" should be pronounced as "eye ex sell" or "I excel.")
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- - - Contact Information - - -
The Hologlobe Press
Postal Box 5455
Dearborn, Michigan 48128-0455
The United States of Americacopyright c. 2004
File date: 10 October 2004
To see the next edition of Michigan Travel Tips,
click on: Travel #8
To see the previous edition of Michigan Travel Tips,
click on: Travel #6
To see the catalog page for Michigan Travel Tips,
click on: Travel
To go to the main page of The Hologlobe Press,
click on: www.hologlobepress.com
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