Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree!

Thanksgiving is in the past, snow is on the ground, and Team Elmer's has placed the gorgeous holiday tree and Santa house in downtown Traverse City. Join us this weekend at the corner of Cass and E. Front St. as we welcome Santa himself and illuminate the tree in a festive Holiday celebration for the whole family.

Visit downtown TC this Friday, November 30 for Santa's arrival and the lighting of the tree.

Schedule of events

5 pm: Community Gathering and Holiday Carol Sing-Along at the Holiday Tree

6 pm: Santa’s Arrival

6 pm: Santa Joins in Caroling, Receives the Key to His House (from TC’s Mayor), and Helps to Light the Tree!

6 to 9 pm: Hours for Santa’s “Holiday House”

6:30 to 9 pm: Steel Drum Band Performance

6:30 to 9 pm: Horse and Carriage Rides

And don't miss store sales and specials throughout Downtown Traverse City. Click here for more information

A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall

Earlier this month, UpNorthLive launched a local effort to assist the victims of Hurricane Sandy. The storm, which devastated much of the east coast at the end of October, left thousands of residents in New Jersey and the surrounding areas without power or running water, and UpNorthLive immediately saw the need for aid. They put out a local call for bottled water donations, planning to load up a truck (courtesy of Goodwill Industries of Northern Michigan, with gas money from Schmuckal Oil Company) and head for the east coast with as much supply as they could muster.

Our incredible Northern Michigan community immediately rose to the occasion, donating roughly 20,000 bottles of water and filling the first truck within hours of the notice. Indeed, the support was so overwhelming that the donations necessitated a second truck and driver to carry all of the goods to New Jersey. Team Elmer’s answered the call of duty, donating the second truck, adding cases of bottled water to help the cause, and sending our very own driver, Larry Oster, to assist in the efforts.

Larry made the long journey with 7&4's Nathan Edwards and the rest of the UpNorthLive support team, crossing the 900 miles between Traverse City and the Red Cross warehouse in Somerset, NJ. Once there, the whole group set to work unloading the trucks, re-loading emergency response vehicles, and traveling around the affected areas, delivering Northern Michigan's generous donations to those in need.

Want to follow the entire journey from the beginning? Nate Edwards blogged the whole thing and you can read his account here.