Traditional Middle Eastern food is hard to find in Southwest Michigan, one exception being Ibrahim Parlak’s stellar Café Gulistan in Harbor Country.

“It’s kind of crazy. All of this is good.” That’s what one diner remarked during the latest BlueStarHighway.com team dinner at Jimmy’s in New Buffalo, Michigan. Sounds like music to co-owner Jim Frye’s ears.

Saturday, October 1st marks the second annual Weko Beach Brewers Festival in Bridgman – a happy (or hoppy, if you’ll excuse the pun) event showcasing a vast array of handcrafted beers produced in Michigan.

Thousands of cyclists are preparing to hit the pavement for this year’s Apple Cider Century, an annual bicycle tour of the orchards, forests and wine country in and around Three Oaks, Michigan.

The late-summer sun may be setting on the 2011 sailing season, but Saint Joseph River Yacht Club has one more party to throw.

How better to bring an end to the summer in Southwest Michigan than a party celebrating one of our most prolific and most-loved crops? I’m speaking of wine, of course. August 27 and 28, Round Barn Winery, Brewery & Distillery in Baroda, MI will host its 19th annual Harvest Party.