Press Release – Wine Tasting Will Help Feed Animals

13 04 2009

From a Cascades Humane Society Press Release –

Wine Tasting Benefit to Feed Animals

Jackson, Michigan – Each year almost 1000 animals are fed and sheltered at Cascades Humane Society while they wait to find new homes. Each animal is vaccinated, spayed or neutered and micro-chipped. “The average cost per animal for testing, medical care and sheltering costs almost $500 but only a small portion of this is recovered in adoption fees,” said Debra Carmody, Executive Director. “Fortunately, we have a group of Friends who coordinate numerous events to raise money for the animals.”

Friends of Cascades Humane Society are hosting a Wine Tasting Party and Silent Auction at Daryl’s Downtown on Friday, April 17 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm. Funds from this event will help cover the cost of food for the animals. Tickets are $40 each or $70 for two.

Cascades Humane Society connects animals in need with people who care by providing a number of services, including adoptions, low-cost spay and neuters, Pet Food Pantry, lost/found, and humane education programs.

For ticket information, call Cascades Humane Society at (517) 787-PETS.


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Categories : Food News, Jackson, Michigan, Press Releases

Quality Dairy – Michigan Avenue

12 04 2009
  • 2400 E. Michigan Avenue
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 319-4125
  • Website
Quality Dairy on East Michigan Avenue in Lansing.

Quality Dairy on East Michigan Avenue in Lansing.

After less than four hours of sleep, I needed more Pepsi.  I don’t do coffee, so another 44 oz Pepsi is the next best thing.  I had just picked up a breakfast sandwich from GrandRiver Coffee Cafe and they didn’t have any regular cola, so I had to make other arrangement.  Sure, I could have went to the QD on Michigan Avenue in East Lansing, but how would the QD tour roll on if I did that?

The next closest Quality Dairy is on East Michigan Avenue at North Foster Avenue.  It’s another corner location, but it’s also a mini-strip mall.  It shares a building with another business. 

It was a hopping Saturday morning at the Quality Dairy.  The store was packed with people picking up coffee, doughnuts, and their morning paper.  I actually missed the fountain soda machine at first.  I was expecting it to be in the middle of the room, but it was all the way on the far wall.  Conveniently enough, right next to the doughnut case. 

The funny thing about this Quality Dairy is the logo’s on the machine.  The Pepsi logo is from the 80’s.  It was probably five logos ago.  I had a little chuckle.  The rest of the logos were also from days long gone.  I filled up my cup and then glanced at the doughnuts.  As good as they looked, I had already ate and was trying to get by on the cheap.  I already spent more money than I would have liked to in two days of working, so I kept walking and paid for my pop which was actually cheaper than the one I bought at Speedway earlier in the day.


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Categories : Grocery, Lansing, Michigan, Reviews

GrandRiver Coffee Cafe

12 04 2009
  • 515 W. Grand River Aveninue
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (866) 356-5301
  • Website
  • Menu
GrandRiver Coffee Cafe in East Lansing.

GrandRiver Coffee Cafe in East Lansing.

I hate it when I have to work on four hours sleep.  Hell, I was lucky if I got that Friday night.  I worked in Ann Arbor and got home around 12:30 AM.  Saturday morning, I had to be at MSU at 6:00 AM.  By the time I had a quick meal and showered, it was closer to 1:30.  That leaves just about four hours until I had to get up and get going.  It was rough.  Really rough, but at least everyone I worked with was in the same boat.  We were all a little cranky Saturday morning.  By the time lunch (actually breakfast) came around, I was really needing a Pepsi.  I knew I didn’t want to go sit down somewhere and have a huge breakfast since that would just add to my sluggishness.

I’m not much of a coffeehouse person, but I thought I would be able to get something light.  I was just going to go to  Biggby but on my way, I remembered a local coffeehouse just down the street.  I drove by the Biggby and found my destination.

GrandRiver Coffee Cafe is on Grand River Avenue in East Lansing a few blocks from downtown.  It’s a rather large building for a local coffee house.  There were a few cars in the parking lot when I pulled in and when I made it inside, it looked like most of those people were taking advantage of the free wi-fi.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : breakfast, Cafe, Coffee, East Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Old College Field

12 04 2009
  • 248 Jenison Field House
  • East Lansing, MI 48824
  • (517) 353-0816
  • Website
Old College Field on the campus of Michigan State University

Old College Field on the campus of Michigan State University

My long stretch of baseball/softball continued at Michigan State University’s Old College Field.  This was a new facility for me.  I’ve been to soccer at DeMartin Field next door and I’m really looking forward to taking in a game at the newly remodeled McLane Baseball Stadium, but I’ve never seen a softball game at MSU.

The day started bright and early Saturday morning at the softball diamond which is between  behind Jenison Field House and the Red Cedar River.  Parking is located at Jenison and you have quite a hike to get back to the softball diamond.  The field is situated between the soccer field and baseball diamond.

Old College Field gets it’s name from the days when MSU football actually played on the area.  It retained the name Old College Field even though most of the football stadium was actually where the baseball diamond is now.  In 2008, the whole area underwent a face lift and the field was moved and home plate now faces the Red Cedar River. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : East Lansing, Entertainment Venues, Michigan, Reviews

Cottage Inn Pizza – Holt – Revisited

11 04 2009
Cottage Inn Pizza on Cedar Street in Holt.

Cottage Inn Pizza on Cedar Street in Holt.

J converted me.  I used to be a deep dish pizza guy, but where she grew up on the South Side of Chicago, thin crust rules.  Over time, she broke me down and now all I want is a thin and crispy pie.  We haven’t had a whole lot of luck finding those in Mid-Michigan.  It’s not because no one does it.  It’s because we never looked.  When you call and just order a large pizza, most places give you the same crappy not quite thin, not quite thick crust.  If you ask, you just might get a good pizza.

That’s the case with Cottage Inn.  We went almost a year without realizing they do a thin crust.  When we first started checking out the local and regional pizza places, Cottage Inn was up first.  The pizza was good, but I said it was ” still too much like the other chains.” 

I don’t know why, but for some reason, J actually decided to look at the menu one weekend when I was working.  She saw an option for thin crust, so that’s what she ordered.  She took one bite and fell in love.  It reminded her of home.  In Chicago, if you order a thin crust pizza, the pizza is cut into squares, not triangle and that’s how Cottage Inn cuts their thin crust.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Holt, Michigan, Pizza, Restaurant, Reviews

Quickie Burger & Dogs

11 04 2009
  • 800 S. State Street
  • Ann Arbor, MI 48104
  • (734) 222-4555
  • No Known Website
  • Menu

I’m going to be honest.  I had absolutely no intention of having a burger for lunch.  Hell, I was on my way to get “organic pizza,” but I got sidetracked by a sign in the window.  A sign that read “Voted Best Burger in AA 2009.”  They might as well have a 13 year old kid on the corner daring me to stop.  How could I pass up a chance to have Ann Arbor’s best burger.

Quickie Burger & Dogs is a really small corner shop on State and Hill near the University of Michigan campus.  I had passed the store a few times in the past, but I never gave it a second look until I saw the sign. 

The intersection at State and Hill is really busy on a Friday afternoon.  There is on street parking all around the area and I ended up going around the block to find a meter.  After popping in a few quarters, I walked back to my destination. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Ann Arbor, Burgers, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Ray Fisher Stadium

11 04 2009
  • 1114 S. State Street
  • Ann Arbor, MI 48104
  • (734) 647-2583
  • Website
The entrance to Ray Fisher Stadium on the campus of the University of Michigan

The entrance to Ray Fisher Stadium on the campus of the University of Michigan

Being a former college baseball player, I’ve always been jealous of the guys who get to play in the Big Ten.  When I was a Senior in high school, I went down to Champaign to pitch my case to “Itch” Jones.  I wanted to play Big Ten baseball.  Coach Jones told me in no uncertain terms that I wasn’t good enough to play in the Big Ten.  He suggested junior college and see if I got better. 

I didn’t take his advice.  I went to a NAIA Division I school, played a year and a half and got cut halfway through my sophomore season.  I could have went back to juco, but I gave up on a baseball and focused on my education and getting out of college as fast as possible. 

Even though we were one of the top NAIA teams in the country, we shared our field with one of the local high schools.  It was our field, but it was on their property.  The field was ok, but it doesn’t compare to the minor league ballpark the team plays in now. 

I tell you all this because I get chills every time I walk on the grass at Ray Fisher Stadium in Ann Arbor.  The field is part of the Wilpon Baseball/Softball complex.  It sits in the middle of the athletic complex on State Street.  The field is surrounded by Yost, Schembechler Hall, the track and field complex and Alumni Field.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Ann Arbor, Big Ten Tour, Entertainment Venues, Live Entertainment, Michigan, Reviews

Lansing Taco Bell to Donate to Boys & Grils Club

9 04 2009

Who would have thought Twitter was a good place to find stories.  This was posted quite a while ago on the Lansing Taco Bell Twitter page.

On April 23rd, ALL Lansing, Michigan Taco Bell will be giving 15% of their sales to Boys and Girls Club. Give for Graduation!


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Categories : Food News, Lansing, Michigan

Wake Up To Jazz

8 04 2009

From www.eljazzfest.com/…

Wake Up to Jazz and Support the 2009 SSJF

Join us for a Louisiana-style brunch fundraiser catered by East Lansing’s Gumbo & Jazz Restaurant on Sunday, April 19 from 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at MSU Federal Credit Union New Headquarters. A musical performance by MSU Jazz Orchestra I with Rodney Whitaker will be part of the fundraiser celebration. Tickets are $50 for individual, $90 a couple, $325 for a table of eight or $40 for Friends of East Lansing Jazz. Download a reservation form.


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Categories : East Lansing, Food News, Michigan

Lugnuts Opener and a Coffee Coupon

8 04 2009

I saw the following on Paramount Coffee’s Twitter Page.

Lansing Lugnuts season opener tomorrow! Come park at Paramount (right across the street!) and get an online coupon ^_^

If you’re going anyway, why not get something out of the deal?


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Categories : Food News, Lansing, Michigan

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