February 15, 2017
As you meander around Downtown Petoskey this weekend and explore the Petoskey Winter Carnival, be sure to surround yourself with the contentment of cheese, gourmet food, wine, beer, some shopping, and don’t forget the dessert. All things cozy will be on display at the Carnival beginning with a Progressive Dinner at 6:00 p.m., Thursday, February 16th. Taste local fare from world famous American Spoon, shops such as Petoskey Cheese, restaurants Pour Public House and Palette Bistro, and polish off the appetite with cookies and cupcakes from Simply Sweet by Jessica.
“We’ll be having a cheese tasting with education,” notes Katie Potts of Petoskey Cheese. “There are a few openings for the dinner, but they’re going fast!”
Follow the crowd from Lake Street on to Mitchell winding up at Simply Sweet by Jessica where you’ll be treated to, “Cupcakes and cookies,” says Jessica Stubbs owner and connoisseur of everything sweet. “We’ll also have coffee.”
As I talked to Jessica, a regular customer, Kathy, interjected: “The smells in here are fabulous.” Who could disagree with Kathy while staring at assorted cupcakes, cookies, candies, and sniffing the alluring aromas from the backroom bakery.
Wake up Friday refreshed, shop, take lunch, then be ready to walk in and out of chocolate heaven beginning with the “Chocolate Frolic” from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. From Mitchell Street, down Howard Street, back and forth on Lake Street and even down to Bay Street you’ll find cacao in all forms.
Make sure you duck in and see Robin at her newly renovated Sunglass Shoppe on Lake Street and ask her about the handcrafted cabinets she and her father built. Robin will be glad to share her craftsman skills as she points to the newly restored Hollywood Theater ceiling hovering over her fine woodwork.
As a hint, finish on Bay Street at the Tip of the MittWatershed so you’ll be close to the Perry Hotel where local Hemingway Society President and historian, Chris Struble, will make a warm night chilly starting the “Ghost Walk” at 8 p.m. Make sure to ask about Frank.
Saturday is an outdoor bonanza. A “5k/1k Fun Run” (or walk), that starts at the gazebo in Pennsylvania Park near the City Park Grill, home of the famous bar where Ernest Hemingway would sit and contemplate life when the restaurant was then known as the “Annex”. The original mahogany bar has been impeccably maintained. You’ll even find ole’ Ernie staring down at his “secondchair from the end.”
Spend the day in Pennsylvania Park for a broomball tournament, ice carvings, and an Ice Bar Celebration tended by the Tip of the Mitt Watershed staff. Proceeds go directly to the Watershed assisting with the preservation of our northern watershed and the overall health of the Great Lakes.
Finally, on Sunday from 12 Noon to 3 p.m., it’s the parents taking a backseat while the kids drive their way through the park on snow shoes, through Snow Art and Snowman Building with the YMCA, and eventually back into the shops where kid’s specials and activities abound. Make sure you visit Symons General Store, still glowing after their 60th Anniversary, and sample the candy just like past generations have since 1956.
Whenever you arrive at the Winter Carnival in Petoskey, you’ll find the town abuzz. Be a part of it and enjoy the sunset over the break wall before basking in the glow of a late dinner and entertainment around town. Welcome to the warmth of the North.
