Suggestion Box: Your Weekend Guide To Fun In The Near North

Let The Celebration Begin

Suggestion Box: Your Weekend Guide To Fun In The Near North
​By N3 Entertainment Committee

It’s The Weekend Folks!

There’s a lot going on in our area. Fremont’s Harvest Festival is happening so you can take in some fine hay art sprinkled all about the town and Friday’s Art Hop also in Fremont  features works on display  at several local merchants as well as the NCCA Artsplace where at 5pm the winners of the Fall Photo Contest will be announced. There’s a Harvest Festival Party at the fairgrounds Saturday night featuring...

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...comedian Jeffrey Michael from 6-7pm and the ever-popular Braunschweiger Blues Band from 8-11pm and a seriously good magic show Sunday afternoon when the Dogwood brings in the exciting enchantment of Nelson Illusions at 3pm.

And then there is Trail Town, our ‘can’t miss’ pick this week as selected by the  N3 World Headquarters Executive/Custodial staff.

Ok White Cloud, get ready for some serious revelry this weekend.

Last year’s inaugural Trail Town Celebration brought out a good crowd each night  comprised of both residents of the fine city that serves as our county capital as well as visitors from throughout the region and this year the TT folks have doubled down with two days chock full of fun, fitness, food, festivities, frivolity and foam (beer tent).

The White Cloud Campground is the hub of TT activities and Friday night at 6pm the fun begins when the beer tent, the music, and the ever-popular haunted village all join to kick off this year’s 2 day celebration of the natural wonders our area is so very blessed to enjoy.

If you have ever enjoyed  the infectious sound of Fauxgrass I need not say a word because you are already planning on being there Friday night but if you have not? Check them out  by listening to “Clinch Mountain Backstep”. Lovers of bluegrass type music will be sold and lovers of just plain good musicianship will want to see this talented troupe perform live in the lodge.

The Haunted Village was a huge hit last year and the horse and wagon rides to this creepy little temporary town were packed with kids and their parents who took in the pre-Halloween haunting haven.

Friday’s can be a bit hectic  so if you want to start in on the action and are a bit pressed for time, put away the pots and pans and eschew the lines at the fast food joints because good eats await at Trail Town. Just gather up the fam, make your way to the campground and get ready to chow down.

And the beer tent will feature selections from our own Newaygo Brewery featuring the seasonal debut of their Oktoberfest Lager a much anticipated autumnal favorite among aficionados of craft beers.
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Saturday?

Let’s start with fitness.

There’s a kayak race down the White on an absolutely gorgeous stretch of river from the White Cloud Rotary Park to the Flowing Well a very doable challenge for all levels of paddlers and there is same day registration, but get there early because the race itself begins at 10:30am and on-site registration for this and the trail runs will begin at 9am.

The rave reviews over the scenic beauty to be found on the Trail Run will more than likely see the return of many runners who took on the course last year and word of mouth between runners being what it is expectations are high for a great turnout for the 5+10k races taking place Saturday at 2pm.

Saturday from Noon-3pm there will be free kids activities in the campground area and a nature walk that will highlight the wonder of that famous flowing well the Cloud is known for. The Haunted Village Wagon rides will commence at 6pm and run until 10pm. Once again the food vendors will be on hand to provide the edibles so no need to plan the day around mealtimes.

At 4pm the beer tent opens to coincide with the time many runners will have completed their races and perhaps be looking to slake their thirst with something other than the water they’ve been hydrating with all afternoon.

The suds will flow once again until 10pm and for more musical merriment, last year’s hands down favorite Sasha Evans will be bringing her smooth silky sound to the lodge from 7-10pm. Ms. Evans provides the perfect punctuation point to what promises to be a weekend that celebrates our natural wonders, our community, and the pleasures to be had from good food, good drink, good music and good company.

To be sure, Trail Town honors the wonderful pathways that wind through our woods as well as the watery trails  that make their way through our area, but it also puts a bit of a welcome spotlight on this colorful town known as the gateway to the North, the front door of the National Forest and  the place where (as we all know from the sign) the pure waters flow.

Come join in and make sure you tell the TT folks you read about their doings  in N3 because if you do you will undoubtedly receive….. absolutely free……….
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The same warm welcome you would if you didn’t mention us.

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