A celebration of the season, with warm beverages, a bonfire, winter hike, & an outdoor holiday performance from the Traverse City West Middle School Madrigal Singers. Dress for cold weather, bring something warm to sit on, & arrive early to allow for a 1/4 mile hike to the amphitheater. Concert begins at 5pm.

$10/adult, children free 

On December 24 - 25, you can visit the Wild Tomato and enjoy a delicious buffet with family and friends.

Adults: $44
Kids, Ages 7 - 12: $22
Kids, Ages 6 & Under: $15

Fat Chance is the staple of fat biking in Northern Michigan, and is back again for another legendary race at Crystal Mountain with new and familiar faces.

We return to the new course we featured last year at our new Cross-Country Center. The course will offer 360 degree viewing for spectators. The 90-minute race will have single sections to break up the pack and add some excitement to the race! Helmets are required for rider safety. 

Fat Chance is the staple of fat biking in Northern Michigan, and is back again for another legendary race at Crystal Mountain with new and familiar faces.

We return to the new course we featured last year at our new Cross-Country Center. The course will offer 360 degree viewing for spectators. The 90-minute race will have single sections to break up the pack and add some excitement to the race! Helmets are required for rider safety. 

Join us as we combine airsoft and cross-country skiing into our Airsoft Biathlon! The ski trail will be a one-mile long loop with two target stations. Must be 8 years or older to participate. Medals will be awarded for best overall, best ski time, and most targets hit for both men and women.

Cost:  $25 per person. Includes cross-country ski equipment rental and airsoft equipment.

Time:  Start times will be staggered and available between 1-3pm in groups of up to four people. Start times are every five minutes in groups up to four people. 

Event Location: Cross Country Center

Online Registration: Begins December 12

Check-In: Held at the Cross Country Center located near the Learning Center between 12:30 - 2:30pm on day of event. 

The Frankfort-Elberta Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Easter Egg Hunt is back on this year and schedule for April 16 at 10:00am. Over 3,000 eggs have been found in previous years. The Community Easter Egg Hunt will begin at 10:00 AM SHARP! at Mineral Springs Park in Downtown Frankfort. 

This event is very fast paced, so please be on time and bring a basket or bag for the eggs.

The Frankfort-Elberta Area Chamber wishes to thank The Maples, CnN Property Care, Dinghy's Restaurant & Bar, State Savings Bank, Curtis Insurance Agency, Graceland Fruit, West Shore Bank and Traverse City Tourism for co-sponsoring this event.

Easter Brunch returns to the Wild Tomato on Sunday, April 9. Price includes coffee or tea.

Time: 9 am - 5pm
Date: Sunday, April 9, 2023
Cost: Adults, $49.95 | Kids 7-12, $19.95 | Kids 6 and Under, $12.95

Reservations required. Please call 888-581-9891 .

This four-person scramble includes 18 holes of golf with cart, one beverage ticket and boxed lunch, plus tee gift and prizes! 

Time: Shotgun start at Noon.

Cost: $80 per person. 

Frankfort Elberta Restaurant Week highlights the dynamic and growing culinary offerings along scenic highway M-22 and historic Betsie Bay. With many establishments participating, from fresh baked breakfast treats to full service dining and everything in between, Frankfort Elberta Restaurant Week is a great opportunity to beat the summer crowds and discover what's fresh and hot on this year's menus. 

The event will feature culinary specials from each participating restaurant, available all week. Including a NEW Gift Card giveaway for filling out a short survey.  Multiple entries encouraged!

We invite you to discover the delicious diversity of Frankfort Elberta Restaurant Week.

Play 36-holes of golf in our annual tournament! The entire field of individual players and pairs will be divided into teams for two days of friendly competition featuring a Champions Dinner plus Trophy Presentation for the winners of the Crystal Cup. Scoring will be adjusted based on handicap. Deadline to sign up: May 22, 2023.

SCHEDULE

Friday, May 26: Pairings Party at the Kinlochen Plaza from 5 - 6pm
Saturday, May 27:  Four-ball match (best ball from each pair) on the Betsie Valley course beginning at 7:50am. 
Sunday, May 28:  Singles matches on the Mountain Ridge course beginning at 8:30 am. Champions Dinner and Trophy Presentation following play!

COST

Rate: $219 per person
Betsie Valley Players Pass Holder:  $179
Four Seasons Club Member:  $139

REGISTRATION

To sign up for the Crystal Cup or for more information, please call 231-378-2914 or visit the Kinlochen Pro Shop. Registration closes May 22, 2023. 

Benzonia Township Cemetery by the Grand Army of the Republic Monument. 

The annual community ceremony is held to honor the area’s Civil War veterans at the mushroom-shaped monument made by the E.P. Case Grand Army of the Republic Post 372 veterans in the late 1880s.  In his book “Waiting for the Morning Train,” Pulitzer-prize winning author Bruce Catton recalls seeing Civil War veterans at ceremonies at the monument.

The Benzie Area Historical Society, with the leadership of Susan Case Lutes and Jane Purkis, renewed their annual “laying of the lilacs” tradition more than 20 years ago.  Lilacs grew and continue to grow profusely in Benzie County so this early spring bloomer was used by veterans in their spring ceremony.

William Case and his family will be honored this year with a program presented by Benzie Area Historical Society Curator and historian Jane Purkis.  Senator Case was the author of The Tragedy of Crystal Lake, his 1973 account of the lowering of Crystal Lake 150 years ago this summer.

The Benzie Area Historical Society’s annual “Laying of the Lilacs” will include music again this year with violinist Dorothy Byers.

The public is encouraged to attend, and lawn chairs are suggested.  

Following the program, Purkis will lead a gravestone cleaning workshop, focusing on the graves of veterans.  The Benzie Area Historical Society has launched a county-wide project to train community volunteers how to non-invasively clean headstones..  This is the first of four gravestone training sessions this year.

Each participant will need to bring a “cleaning kit” consisting of a bucket, a natural stiff brush, a toothbrush, a trowel, a trash bag and a plastic or wood “scraper.”  No metal objects may be used to clean the stones.   

Both the Laying of the Lilacs Ceremony and headstone cleaning session will be held at the Benzonia Township Cemetery, Love Rd, Benzonia on Saturday, May 27.  The ceremony begins at 11:00, with the gravestone cleaning session expected to start around noon.  Follow the Event signs.

For more information about the ceremony, program, or cleaning session, please contact the Benzie Area Historical Society by calling (231) 882-5539 or by emailing info@benziehistorical.org.