Image for Event Calendar is of a brown plow horse with white markings on its nose, underbelly, tail and feet, standing in a snowy pasture backlit by the sun with a wooded hillside in the background as well as some wooden and other fencing. File photo by Freshwater Reporter, 2020.

Event Calendar-Manistee & Mason

Event Calendar for Manistee and Mason counties — and sometimes beyond. Tell them you saw it in the Freshwater Reporter! 

PHOTO:  Spotted in northern Manistee County, this brown beauty seemed to pose for the camera. Freshwater Reporter file photo taken by Pam Dohner Adams during newspaper deliveries, Dec. 6, 2020.

Email event items to us at any time for our online calendar.  Our next printed calendar covers Jan. 8 – March 11 and the deadline is Dec. 23.  Email items to: editor@freshwater-reporter.com. If your event isn’t listed on our calendar, you didn’t email it to us!

ALWAYS check with the venue (call ahead) before making plans to attend any of these events. Despite our best efforts, errors may occur. 

Advertisement for Gasoline ReFind a Vintage Shopping experience. Located in Bear Lake closed for the season. Shop with us online by clicking on this ad and visit us when we reopen March 15, 2025. Phone 231-238-3801. The ad has a vintage cartoon of a friendly pig's head in green. Above it are the names of the shops owners: Lynn and Scott Brown. There is a photo of the store's front porch and vintage items on it.North Channel Brewing advertisement shows a stack of onion rings, a pint of beer between two plates of food, one a sandwich and fries and the other of nachos or a Mexican looking dish and they are set beside the river. A third photo shows a section of the front of the brick brewery on 86 Washington Street in Manistee. The message is Craft Everything. Food, beer, wine and spirits. Click on this ad to be taken to their website.Roadside Cabins. Modern Amenities. www.highway31cabins.com. Highway 31 Cabins conveniently located along US highway 31 between Ludington and Manistee. 10400 North U.S. Highway 31, Free Soil, Michigan. Call 231-464--5351. Click on this ad to be taken to their website.

EVENT CALENDAR 

Click on the links in GREEN to be taken to the hosting organization’s website or for ticket information.

ONGOING EVENTS (Scroll below for Daily Events)

Now thru Dec. 23

Winter Artisans Market, Frankfort
Unique, handmade gifts from regional artisans. Oliver Art Center, 132 Coast Guard Rd.

Now thru Dec. 31

Sparkle in the Park, Bear Lake
5-10pm, Free/donations gladly accepted. Drive through 50 or so Christmas displays with over 80,000 lights. Hopkins Park Campground, 7727 Hopkins Dr. (just off US-31).

Now thru Jan. 3

Fall Art Show, Arcadia
Free. Works by local artists. Pleasant Valley Community Center, 3586 Glovers Lake Rd.

ARTventure: Winter Members Show, Frankfort
Free. Oliver Art Center, 132 Coast Guard Rd.  Artist talk Jan. 3, 1-3pm.

Thru Jan. 5

Audubon Christmas Bird Count
Find a Christmas Bird Count circle near you at: https://gis.audubon.org/christmasbirdcount

Now thru Jan. 31

Small is Beautiful Miniature Art Exhibition, Ludington
Free. Ludington Area Center for the Arts, 107 S. Harrison St.

DECEMBER DAILY EVENTS

20

Live in Concert: Drew Hale, Traverse City
7:30pm. Tickets: $20 ADV, $25 DOOR. Doors open 7pm. Special musical guests join Drew. At The Alluvion, 414 E. 8th St. Tickets: https://mynorthtickets.com/events/alluvion-presents-the-drew-hale-band-12-20-2024

SOLD OUT Holiday Gala, Frankfort Garden Theater, 301 Main St. Info:
7:30pm. $37 per person, $302 table. Holiday cheer, festive dancing, live music performed by special guests and Benzie County residents. Tickets:  https://gardentheater.org

21

Fire & Seed Winter Solstice Celebration, Chief
3-8pm. Crafts, spiral walk, food, market & music. At Northern Natural Ciderhouse & Winery, 7220 Chief Road.

Winter Solstice Luminaries in the Cemetery, Kaleva
4pm. Free. Kaleva St. across from Maple Grove Cemetery. Info: kalevamichigan.com/upcoming-events

The Haunting of Ebenezer, Frankfort
6pm. $25, $20/members. A modern musical folk retelling of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”. Oliver Art Center, 132 Coast Guard Rd. Tickets: oliverart.org

24

Ski with Santa, Thompsonville
10am-4:30pm.  A community event during which Santa hits the slopes this day. At Crystal Mountain, 12500 Mountainside Dr. For more info:CLICK HERE or call the Snowsports Desk at 888-968-7686.

31

New Year’s Eve Ball Drop, Ludington
9pm. Street party with live DJ, bar, live music in the pavilion, ball drop & fireworks at midnight. Downtown Ludington, 100 Ludington Ave.

JANUARY DAILY EVENTS

4

Lantern-lit Hike, Ludington
6-8pm. At Ludington State Park. Trail will run for about three-quarters of a mile along the south side of the river while park improvements take place. Bonfire afterward with free hot chocolate and marshmallows at the amphitheater. Parking limited near the Skyline Trail/amphitheater lot. Access from the road, south of the bridge on M-116 over the Big Sable River where barricades are set. Visit https://friendsofludingtonstatepark.org

18

Lantern-lit Hike, Ludington
6-8pm. At Ludington State Park. Trail will run for about three-quarters of a mile along the south side of the river while park improvements take place. Concurrently on this date is a Book Walk hosted by the Mason-Lake-Oceana Great Start initiative. Placards with pages from a book will line the trail for reading. Bonfire afterward with free hot chocolate and marshmallows at the amphitheater. Parking limited near the Skyline Trail/amphitheater lot. Access from the road, south of the bridge on M-116 over the Big Sable River where barricades are set. Visit https://friendsofludingtonstatepark.org