Community Calendar

Join Kellie Chase to transform fabrics into patchwork quilts for kids facing serious trauma. Quilts for Kids is a non-profit organization. Materials provided. RSVP!

Ever wondered how Michigan ended up with the UP and it's interesting shape? Did you know there was a (mostly) bloodless Toledo War in our state's history?

Plan to join us in person for this event or register here to view from home on Zoom.

The Elk Rapids Cinema, located in the historic Chalfonte Theatre, will host a special community screening of the groundbreaking documentary All Too Clear. The event is presented as a fundraiser for Green Elk Rapid's environmental education and conservation initiatives.

All Too Clear: Beneath the Surface of the Great Lakes is a visually stunning 90-minute documentary that unveils one of the most dramatic ecosystem transformations in North America. The film explores how quadrillions of invasive quagga mussels are reshaping the lakes at a scale not witnessed since the last Ice Age—stripping nutrients from the water, threatening native species such as lake whitefish, and creating vast “biological deserts.” Ironically, this ecological collapse has made the lakes clearer than ever, allowing cameras to reveal freshwater environments with an oceanic level of detail.

5:00 PM – Doors Open / Meet & Greet
6:00 PM – Film Screening
Talk Back Discussion immediately following

For more information, please visit www.elkrapidscinema.com.

All Too Clear Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQa9vm2iCek

Virtual presentation by Chris Gillcrist through the National Museum of the Great Lakes about history of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Mr. Gillcrist will explore a brief history of shipping on the Great Lakes that lead up to the impressive Edmund Fitzgerald.

Join us three times a year to discuss nonfiction books concerning mental and physical wellness. Facilitators for the discussions will be professional mental health providers courtesy of Head and Heart Therapeutic Services and Open Space Counseling.

This month's book is The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love by Sonya Renee Taylor

The Annual Artist Guild Member Salon Show is one of our most anticipated exhibitions of the year—an expansive, energetic display celebrating the talent and diversity of Crooked Tree Arts Center’s Artist Guild Members. This special membership category is designed for individuals who identify as practicing artists, whether emerging, mid-career, or established.

This year’s Salon Show will feature 120 artists and more than 200 works of art spanning every medium—painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics, fiber, printmaking, mixed media, and more. True to the historic “salon” style, the gallery walls will be filled floor-to-ceiling, creating an immersive viewing experience that reflects the breadth and vitality of our region’s creative community.

The exhibit rotates annually between CTAC–Traverse City and CTAC–Petoskey, offering Guild Members across Northern Michigan the opportunity to participate. The Salon Show showcases not only the artistic range within our membership, but also the depth of connection between artists, audiences, and the arts ecosystem they help sustain.

Visitors can expect a vibrant, community-centered exhibition that shines a spotlight on the artists who contribute so much to CTAC year-round—as instructors, exhibitors, mentors, and makers.

Come celebrate the talent, passion, and creative spirit of our Artist Guild Members in this extraordinary annual showcase.

Show will be on view 1:00am - 4:00pm daily from January 16 thru February 21, 2026!

"Between Us" explores connection, distance, and everything that exists in the in-between. This exhibition invites artists to reflect on how we reach for one another — and ourselves — across emotional, physical, and imagined spaces. Whether through intimacy or absence, care or tension, humor or vulnerability, the show looks at the invisible threads that link us and the quiet gaps that keep us apart.

Show will be on view 1:00am - 4:00pm daily from January 16 thru February 21, 2026!

A shy hobbit discovers his true potential in this play presented by OTP youth performers. Bilbo Baggins unexpectedly joins a group of dwarves on an epic quest to reclaim a stolen treasure from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Their travels take them through dangerous lands, facing trolls, goblins and giant spiders. Along the way, Bilbo finds he is brave, a good friend, and ultimately plays a pivotal role in the battle for the treasure.

Kentucky singer/songwriter Joan Shelley has a warm and mellifluous voice which she applies to songs that evoke both American and British folk traditions. With melodies that are often quiet but full of drama, her observant music often bears a dark and bittersweet quality as on releases like 2015’s Over and Even, the album that marked the beginning of a long collaboration with guitarist Nathan Salsburg (the two are now married). i.am.james will open the show.

Join TART Trails for a fun, family-friendly day of winter trail activities at the 16th annual Winter Trails Day at Timber Ridge Resort.

We’re teaming up with the Record Eagle, Vasa Ski Club, Brick Wheels, NMMBA, Suttons Bay Bikes and Timber Ridge Resort to offer FREE trail access, and FREE fat tire bike, cross country ski and snowshoe demos!

There will be a limited number of cross-country skis, snowshoes and fatbikes to try out on the trails. TART volunteers and members of the Vasa Ski Club will provide free introductory ski lessons, TART volunteers will lead snowshoe hikes and NMMBA volunteers will provide fat tire bike demos.

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