Here in Michigan, we don’t just embrace fall, we own it.

Between being one the nation’s top apple producers and boasting some of the most dazzling leaf displays in the country, it’s no wonder autumn here is celebrated with a full lineup of festivals.

Today, The ’Gander’s Chaunie Brusie brings us 11 of the state’s best, from pumpkin boat races in Menominee to apple pie contests in Sparta, and cozy cider sipping in Traverse City.

Plus: Legend says ships are known to vanish in what’s known as the Lake Michigan Triangle. Is it true?

Bills banning petition signature payments move forward (WEMU): A Michigan Senate committee advanced bills this week to ban paying petition circulators by the signature and penalize spreading false information about voting. Democrats say the changes are overdue safeguards against fraud, while Republicans warn they could be used in partisan ways. The measures now head to the full Senate.

Bill would require counties to warn of high E. coli levels in water (MI Advance): A bipartisan plan from Rep. Alicia St. Germaine (R-Harrison Township) would require counties to issue “brown alerts” when sewage spills or high E. coli levels are detected in waterways. The alerts, which would be sent directly to residents’ phones, would warn of contamination and health risks. The bill continues to be discussed.

Benson: SOS branches would have ‘hours-long wait times’ under proposed cuts (MLive): Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is warning that proposed House Republican budget cuts—nearly 24% of her department’s funding—would mean layoffs, branch closures, and longer wait times for Michiganders. The House GOP plan, part of a broader $7.26 billion package to redirect funds toward roads and bridges, is still being negotiated ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline to avoid a shutdown.

Because no one should go through life without visiting a festival that involves carving a boat out of a giant pumpkin. (Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash)

By Chaunie Brusie

We found all the fall festivals in Michigan you could hope to visit, featuring everything from pumpkin launchers and fireworks to professional pumpkin carvers and a pumpkin boat race. May the best pumpkin win:

1. Shop and Sip Fall Festival

Fall in Traverse City is a beautiful time. (If you haven’t visited in the fall, you must plan a tour, especially if you’re a wine drinker, because the vineyards come alive in the autumn months.) But the up north fall fun just got even better with a brand-new TC event.

Traverse City Shop & Sip, a premier handmade market, is offering its first Fall Festival at Mount Holiday on October 4th. The specific event details haven’t been released yet, but with peak fall colors, local makers, food trucks, live music, face painting, and more, it’s a Northern Michigan event you don’t want to miss! Oh, and we almost forgot to mention one of the best parts: Cider sipping from local orchards!

2. Michigan Apple Fest

I have incredibly fond memories of attending the Michigan Apple Fest as a kid—the petting zoo was always a hit, and I remember being amazed at the apple-themed attractions throughout the entire day, such as the apple pie-eating contest and the annual apple pie-baking contest.

There’s also plenty of other fun to enjoy through the weekend, including a craft show and artisan marketplace, live concerts and performances, apple trivia, kids’ crafts and games, and family wagon rides out to the hay bales.

A shipwreck of the Frank D. Barker was discovered in northern Door County, Wis., near Rowley’s Bay off Lake Michigan. (USA TODAY Network)

By USA Today via Reuters Connect

Beware when heading out onto Lake Michigan—legend says ships are known to vanish in what’s known as the Lake Michigan Triangle, or do they?

The area of Lake Michigan waters between the shores of west Michigan and Wisconsin includes the Great Lakes’ mysterious region known as the Lake Michigan Triangle, drawing comparisons to the infamous Bermuda Triangle, the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal reported.

While that doesn’t quite hold true, the Great Lakes—and certainly Lake Michigan—have witnessed an estimated 6,000 shipwrecks, including 1,500 in Michigan waters, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. Many wrecks remain on the lake bottom waiting to be discovered.

The Great Lakes represents the world’s largest freshwater system and are a major shipping hub, with maritime travel dating back several centuries and perilous nautical conditions marked by navigational challenges and seasonal weather.

Earlier this week, we shared the story of a report finding that Michigan had the country’s longest power outages in 2023.

So we asked you:

What is your power outage horror story?

Here’s what you said:

“4 days without power after a double ice storm. The temperature dropped. But the sun on all that ice was breathtaking!” — Sue Miller

“Almost an entire deer’s worth of meat went bad in our garage freezer.🤢” — Vanessa Kulisz

Have a question you want me to ask our community? Feel free to send it my way. I might feature it in a future newsletter.

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Karel Vega with stories by Chaunie Brusie and USA Today via Reuters Connect. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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