Community Calendar

The inaugural Fresh Coast Film Festival: Traverse City (FCFF/tc) brings four days of documentary film to seven venues across the North Boardman Lake District and downtown Traverse City, April 30–May 3, 2026. Presented by the local nonprofit Old Mission Culture Company, the festival features 50+ films celebrating the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest, with nearly two dozen filmmakers attending from 11 states.

Highlights include two evening galas at the City Opera House — the Michigan premiere of the Mary Oliver documentary Saved by the Beauty of the World (May 2) and the northern Michigan premiere of Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching (May 1) — plus artist panels, outdoor tours, student films, and passholder after-parties at local breweries. Day passes $35 | Gala tickets $20 | GA screenings $10.

Price/Price Range: $10–$35
Ticketing Website: TC.FreshCoastFilm.com
Presenting Organization: Old Mission Culture Company
Organization Email: traversecity@freshcoastfilm.com
Organization Website: TC.FreshCoastFilm.com
Designation: Not For Profit

The inaugural Fresh Coast Film Festival: Traverse City (FCFF/tc) brings four days of documentary film to seven venues across the North Boardman Lake District and downtown Traverse City, April 30–May 3, 2026. Presented by the local nonprofit Old Mission Culture Company, the festival features 50+ films celebrating the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest, with nearly two dozen filmmakers attending from 11 states.

Highlights include two evening galas at the City Opera House — the Michigan premiere of the Mary Oliver documentary Saved by the Beauty of the World (May 2) and the northern Michigan premiere of Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching (May 1) — plus artist panels, outdoor tours, student films, and passholder after-parties at local breweries. Day passes $35 | Gala tickets $20 | GA screenings $10.

Price/Price Range: $10–$35
Ticketing Website: TC.FreshCoastFilm.com
Presenting Organization: Old Mission Culture Company
Organization Email: traversecity@freshcoastfilm.com
Organization Website: TC.FreshCoastFilm.com
Designation: Not For Profit

The inaugural Fresh Coast Film Festival: Traverse City (FCFF/tc) brings four days of documentary film to seven venues across the North Boardman Lake District and downtown Traverse City, April 30–May 3, 2026. Presented by the local nonprofit Old Mission Culture Company, the festival features 50+ films celebrating the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest, with nearly two dozen filmmakers attending from 11 states.

Highlights include two evening galas at the City Opera House — the Michigan premiere of the Mary Oliver documentary Saved by the Beauty of the World (May 2) and the northern Michigan premiere of Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching (May 1) — plus artist panels, outdoor tours, student films, and passholder after-parties at local breweries. Day passes $35 | Gala tickets $20 | GA screenings $10.

Price/Price Range: $10–$35
Ticketing Website: TC.FreshCoastFilm.com
Presenting Organization: Old Mission Culture Company
Organization Email: traversecity@freshcoastfilm.com
Organization Website: TC.FreshCoastFilm.com
Designation: Not For Profit

The inaugural Fresh Coast Film Festival: Traverse City (FCFF/tc) brings four days of documentary film to seven venues across the North Boardman Lake District and downtown Traverse City, April 30–May 3, 2026. Presented by the local nonprofit Old Mission Culture Company, the festival features 50+ films celebrating the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest, with nearly two dozen filmmakers attending from 11 states.

Highlights include two evening galas at the City Opera House — the Michigan premiere of the Mary Oliver documentary Saved by the Beauty of the World (May 2) and the northern Michigan premiere of Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching (May 1) — plus artist panels, outdoor tours, student films, and passholder after-parties at local breweries. Day passes $35 | Gala tickets $20 | GA screenings $10.

Price/Price Range: $10–$35
Ticketing Website: TC.FreshCoastFilm.com
Presenting Organization: Old Mission Culture Company
Organization Email: traversecity@freshcoastfilm.com
Organization Website: TC.FreshCoastFilm.com
Designation: Not For Profit

Join Traverse City's AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) Community for a free event with the goal to build greater understanding and empathy for people of different cultural backgrounds through positive engagement and welcoming learning events.

Local AAPI restaurants and chefs will provide the food. Afterwards, head to Milliken Auditorium for a screening of Seoul Switch from director Liann Kaye. The evening's keynote program will feature Masaki Takahashi, Poet Laureate Emeritus of Lansing, Michigan (2022-2024), whose powerful, community-centered work has been featured on platforms including Button Poetry and TEDx.

5:00 | Food in Dennos Sculpture Court
6:00 | Screening of Seoul Switch
6:30 | Program with Spoken Word Poet Masaki Takahashi

Cost: FREE
Audience: All ages, abilities, and interests

🎨🦉🔬 Discover, Explore, Create

Join us every second Saturday for a FREE afternoon of hands-on discovery! Families are invited to enjoy interactive experiences in science, history, and art while exploring the museum’s indoor and outdoor exhibits—including live animals and nature displays.

What to Expect:

🧪 Engaging science, history & art activities
🐍 Animal encounters & museum exploration
🌳 Outdoor exhibits to spark curiosity
🧩 Opportunities for problem-solving & creative thinking
🧠 A space to build critical thinking skills and lifelong learning

Please note: Free Second Saturdays are designed for quality family time. We kindly ask that no large groups attend.

Please Pre-register by "purchasing" a free ticket. This helps us prepare for number of people attending, THANK YOU!

Benzonia Area Community Emergency Fund concert series Bill Staines Remembered, a tribute concert
Songs led by: Chris Skellenger and Friends
Where: Mills Community House, auditorium
When: Sunday May 10
Time: 4:00-6:00

Join us for a tribute to the timeless songs of one of America's greatest troubadours. Bill Staines was an American Folk musician and singer-songwriter who toured all over the United States including right here in Benzie County.

Lyric sheets provided so be prepared, as Bill would say, "to sing yer little hearts out"!

The Benzonia Area Community Emergency Fund will financially assist an individual or a family that has fallen upon hard times. This is done on a one time basis through the payment of a known expense such as a medical, housing or utility bill.

Funds are collected and administered through the Mills Community House Association, a registered 501(c)3 non-profit.

Presentation discussing the Bath School Bombing of 1927

WCMU Public Media and Dennos Museum Center are proud to host Indie Lens Pop-Up, presented by INDEPENDENT LENS, for a screening of “The Grocery List Show," featuring a community tasting with Chef Sam Anglin from the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe.

“The Grocery List Show” is a five-part series that follows "Top Chef” contender Chrissy Camba to five bustling international grocery stores in America and the communities they serve. Over five episodes, special guests and food enthusiasts join Chrissy to shop for ingredients and cook a favorite family recipe, as they celebrate global food traditions over a shared meal.

“Life on the Car Ferries.”
Presented by: Tim Foster
Mills Community House & ZOOM

Ever wonder what it was like to work on the car ferries? Or how about living on one? Join us on May 14th for our upcoming Benzonia Academy Lecture as Tim Foster takes an in-depth look at what it was like to live and work on the boats.

*Please note the start time change to 7 pm, starting with our May Benzonia Academy Lecture through our September Benzonia Academy Lecture.*

Presenter: Tim Foster

A native of Evanston, IL., Tim now resides in Frankfort. He has a lifelong interest in the Great Lakes. He is on the board of the SS City of Milwaukee National Historic Landmark in Manistee and the Benzie Area Historical Museum. He enjoys building scale models and spending time outdoors.

This presentation is part of the Benzie Area Historical Society’s Benzonia Academy Lecture Series, held on the second Thursday of each month. Admission is by donation, with a recommended $5 donation.

To learn more about the May 14th lecture, visit the Benzie Area Historical Society’s website, benziemuseum.org, Instagram, or Facebook page; call the Museum at (231) 882-5539; or email info@benziemuseum.org.