(rock music) - [Host] On this electrifying episode of UTR, we hop in a Chevy Bolt and bolt around the state!

You'll see why electric is in, a sports store with more, and a coffee counter that cares in Kalamazoo.

Then it's Marshall on the Move, a Boyne City bakery, and some Sheboygan mead minders.

Get ready to explore Michigan's cool people, places and things in an awesome EV!

(upbeat music) (light music) - [Narrator] Let's catch up.

Not online or over text.

Let's catch up in a place where time isn't measured in minutes, but in moments.

Moments made paddling the day away on a crystal blue waterway or just sittin' around a campfire beneath a canopy of twinkling stars.

It's time to make up for lost time.

This summer, let's catch up with Pure Michigan.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is dedicated to enabling economic prosperity.

The MEDC markets Michigan with a focus on growing businesses and building resilient communities in our state and by Stahl's Automotive Museum.

Thousands of items in the collection, like the 1920 Gaudin dance hall orchestra.

Two stories high, beautiful tone with life-sized golden figures.

Every item has a story.

Learn more at Stahlsauto.com.

- I've been around the world, but there's one place I keep coming back to and the more I explore, the more I realize it's the place to be.

I'm Tom Galdin and this is Under The Radar Michigan.

(upbeat rock music) Now, we all know it's a good idea to lessen our carbon footprints.

So, on this episode, UTR went to Consumers E and got a Chevy B-O-L-T!

Shocking?

Well, I should hope so.

It's an electric vehicle!

That's right, we've only got one planet, so we're gonna be responsible and have a ton of fun all at the same time because in an EV, it's hard not to be.

We're also going to meet some extraordinary people doing incredible things to help move our great state forward.

So, fasten your seatbelt and get ready to breathe easy because this here is UTR's first ever electric adventure.

(electric buzzing) Woohoo!

But before we bolt outta here, so to speak, let's get a few inspiring words from Jeff Myrom at Consumers Energy about this timely traveling technology.

Jeff, I gotta say thank you so much for hookin' us up with this sweet EV because I've never and I apologize, I've never driven an electronic vehicle before and I've always wondered what the experience is like!

So, what can I expect?

- You can expect it's gonna be fantastic.

Most people are surprised.

Ya know, you look at a Chevy Bolt and you're like, "Okay, maybe this is a little small."

But I'm 6'5" and frankly, when you take out the engine and the transmission, I fit in there perfect.

- Wait, so you have to take out the engine and the transmission to fit in it?

- I'll show you how to do that in a moment.

It's really easy, a simple pull lever.

(laughs) Yes!

The acceleration is also impressive.

So, probably shouldn't admit this on camera but one of the first times I drove it, I actually burned a little rubber 'cause I went around a corner and I was not expecting the torque from this smaller vehicle.

- Call the authority.

- Exactly, watch out!

So, the power tends to surprise people.

The inside space tends to surprise people and then, as you get going down the highway, the quiet.

So you're like, ya know what, I really hear the road.

If you're out in a park or something, it's so quiet.

You can hear the birds.

You can put your windows down.

It's really pretty nice.

- Well, how is Consumers Energy part of moving this whole technology forward?

- Yeah, great question.

So, we know that electric vehicle drivers are really concerned about the cost of fueling or charging with an electric vehicle.

So, how we help is we help in a couple ways.

One, we have time use rates 'cause when this thing is charging is when you're sleeping.

So, perfect.

Second thing we can do is we can do a rebate on what's called a level two charger in your garage.

So, it's very much like what you have here in the background but this one is waterproof.

This one's built for the outdoors.

There's some simpler versions that can connect to the Wifi in your house, so they're a bit cheaper than this.

And we have a $500 rebate to help you with that cost.

- Awesome!

Well, if you've seen our show before, you know that we name everything on our show and we do name it, we name it Steve.

Right guys?

If we name something, it's gonna be Steve.

So, this is now Steve the EV that's gonna be going with us and I think it's time for, first, for you to do the walk around and then, Steve and I, we gotta hit the road.

- Sounds great.

This is gonna be a great Steve EV experience.

- Well, with all that being said, now it was time for some EV tech talk with Jeff on how to charge my new ride and how all the dashboard electronic innards work.

Haha, no problem!

After a quick test drive around the neighborhood, I was amped up and ready to enjoy the experience.

To be honest, the learning curve on this car is three, two, one, got it.

It's just like driving a car!

So, with my hands firmly on Steve the EV's wheel, I hit the gas.

I mean, I hit the volts in my Bolt and made a beeline for our first electric adventure.

Speaking of first, our first two stops were in K-A-L-A-M-A-Z-O-O.

(swiping) Well right now, we're in one of Michigan's coolest cities, Kalamazoo, for a guy who's such a good sport, he started a whole movement by getting people to well, move!

I'm talking about Chris Lampen-Crowell of Gazelle Sports, a small chain of locally owned sports stores that will get you moving and a whole lot more.

That's because they believe in more than just a healthy you.

They believe in giving back to the communities they serve so that we're all in a better place.

So, once Chris and I found a place, we started moving.

Our mouths, that is.

You know better than anybody how important it is to move, right?

- Hey, keep movin' is my slogan.

It's been for 50 years, so yeah, absolutely.

- And for 36 years at the store?

- [Chris] 36 years here at Gazelle Sports right in downtown Kalamazoo.

- [Tom] How did Gazelle Sports start?

- Well, Gazelle Sports started with a lot of community love and family love, but we're told we needed a business plan and we needed to go borrow some money from the bank.

We went to seven banks and basically had seven banks say, "Gah, you guys, really great business plan, "but you know we really can't do this kind of a loan "to a small business with two young guys."

- Yeah.

- So we really had to go back to family and friends who helped us with a little capital but more importantly, they helped us get ready to open our doors in 1985.

- Let's talk a little about your story.

Well, first of all, in 1985, I had hair, so you've been doing this a while!

And now you've got five locations around Michigan.

I think what I love about your story is it's not just about selling stuff.

It's about getting the community together to engage with one another.

- Absolutely and you know, in the past, we've probably been blind to, we really need to make sure that everybody feels welcome in running, just like in many businesses and things like that, we know that we're an inclusive oriented group.

Runners are inclusive.

We include any age, right, and any shape.

But what we haven't done well is really look at race and say hey, we wanna make sure that you, ya know, black and brown people, indigenous people, are included in our running groups or our stores or whatever.

So, we've really tried to reach out and a small group of people started, I'm one of seven that is on the Board of Directors for the Running Industry Diversity Coalition, which was a national coalition trying to really help really dismantle some of the systemic racism in the running industry, but also make running communities come together and make safe spaces for anybody to run, particularly ya know, our BIPOP friends that are now, people are running more and they're walking more and they're out hiking more.

So, ya know, whether it's outdoors or running or cycling or kayaking, it's like ya know, Michigan has incredible resources in all of this.

It's not like we just want one slice of the population to be doing it.

- Right.

Steve the EV is calling my name.

So, I got some driving to do.

So, thank you very much.

It's time to hit the road.

Let's face it.

We all need to move more, care more, and connect more.

It makes for a healthier and happier society.

So, if you're looking for a place that'll help both you and your community get there, check out Gazelle Sports.

They'll even help ya look good while you're doing it!

(laughs) Bonus!

Well, we were having so much fun in Kalamazoo, 'cause after all, it is such a great city to live, work, and play in, that we decided to stick around, bolt across town in Steve the EV for a quick and meaningful pick-me-up.

Now, when was the last time you had a cup of coffee that actually meant something?

Not that it just tasted great, but that actually gave back to the community?

Well, grab the cream and the sugar 'cause you're about to have one heck of a caring cup.

Walnut & Park is a pleasant place that not only serves up delicious coffee and sweet and savory snacks, they also give people paying their debt to society a chance at a normal life through KPEP, the Kalamazoo Probation Enhancement Program.

It's here where people on parole or probation get a chance to better themselves and become productive members of the community.

Bill DeBoer is the President and CEO of KPEP and he knows just how much good this program and popular meeting place can do.

I gotta tell ya Bill, it's two o'clock in the afternoon and this place is hopping!

- Yep.

- It's like it's the neighborhood hangout.

Is that by design?

- It is.

When we built this, the vision wasn't to have some sort of drive-through make a quick buck, but to become part of the neighborhood hangout.

It provides a great opportunity for our men and women to make connections with the community, give back to the community in a little bit slower pace that they can learn and grow from there.

- I mean, this place is so much more than a coffee and sandwich shop.

It's actually preparing these people to become a member of society.

- [Bill] Right.

- [Tom] And you've got an actual curriculum here.

I mean, you're not just wanting to make coffee and then, give somebody a fork.

- Yeah, it's a eight-week program that they complete before they get out and then get hired either by us or by other businesses.

- Wonderful twist to this place that I love is, you actually want turnover.

You don't want it to keep you, you want people to.

- Yeah, please hire our people, yeah.

But at some point, I kept seeing these people go and then I need help in my kitchens.

Ya know, we have five residential programs and finally, I said to Department of Corrections, "Please, can I hire one of my graduates?"

She's working in our Muskegon facility today.

She's one of our graduates of the hospitality program and she's doing a great job.

- I mean, truth be told, I've fallen on my face a lot of times in my younger years and I was lucky enough to have people give me a second chance and help me out.

That's why it's so important what you guys are doing but every town should be doing something like this.

- Right and ya know, most employers, particularly in west Michigan, there are a number of employers who are actually targeting ex offenders or returning citizens and saying, "These are good employees."

Some of em don't work out but some of the general population we hired didn't work out.

A lot of em are very smart.

They just have had, situations have occurred over the years and so, we're pretty willing to give people second chances.

- Just do me a favor and don't start teaching people how to be a TV show host because it's not healthy, (man laughing) it's not good for ya, and I mean, it's not that hard to do, so.

What a great concept, cup of coffee, and way to add a little bit of cream and sugar back into the community.

If you're ever in Kalamazoo, stop for a caring cup at the Walnut & Park Cafe.

If you're not, think about doing something similar in your neck of the woods.

Who knows?

You just might change someone's life and there's no better feeling than that.

(swiping) Well, with both our batteries and brains still holding a charge, me and Steve the EV headed back east and checked in on an awesome town we haven't been around in a while.

That's right.

It was time for an official UTR check back to see what's new for you to see and do.

Now, if you've been to Marshall before in south central, lower Michigan, you know that it's one of the prettiest, most historic and most funnest towns around.

You'll find great restaurants, shops, fun stops, great spaces and even a historic tour or two for you to do.

It's the kind of city where, in only a few minutes, you'll find yourself saying, "Ya know, I could totally live here."

But what's changed and what's new since we last cranked up our cameras here?

Well, while Steve the EV spends some time replenishing his batteries at one of Michigan's many convenient charging stations, Amy Crisp from Choose Marshall spent some time with me!

Ya know, Amy, I forgot how much I loved Marshall until we just pulled onto Main Street.

I mean, this town is like a classic slice of Americana.

The architecture, the history.

- Yes.

- It's so pretty around town.

What else is happening now?

- Marshall has been growing so much in the last couple of years.

Some of the exciting things that happened, as of September 2020, Marshall became one of the first cities or towns to go live with the Marshall Social District.

Alcoholic beverages may be purchased from participating venues or restaurants and you are able to take them in to-go cups and visit the downtown.

We could sit right in this park and have a glass of wine or let the kids run around and then, just enjoy the ambience of the downtown.

- Tell me about all the new stuff, the businesses.

- We actually have a new winery in town which is wonderful.

It's family-owned.

It's called Sage Creek Winery and they have everything from dry, sweets, desserts, semi-drys.

They also have a very popular slushy machine.

- You're talkin' my language now.

- [Amy] Yeah, that's a lot of fun.

- They're wine slushies?

- Wine slushies.

- Whatever, I'll try it.

- Yes!

We have a gigantic candy store, which is every child's dream.

- [Tom] Child?

What about me?

- No, they also have the nostalgic candies from when I was little, from when you were little.

They have ice cream, lemonade.

We have this great new store called Glass Act and what they do is they are a stained glass art store.

They can do repairs because we have so many historic homes but they can also do customizations.

They have a whole bunch of artwork that they put out and they're gonna be having classes.

So I am gonna see about joining one of those.

I think Marshall has really grown for families.

We have several events happening all the time.

Kid-friendly, adult-friendly, whatever you want.

- Well, lucky for us, it's gonna take a few minutes to charge up Steve the EV, so why don't you and I go into town and do some more exploring?

- Okay!

- But, why don't we do a throwback to the first time we were here and do some TV magic?

Are you ready?

On three.

One, two, three!

I gotta tell ya, Marshall was prettier and the people were even friendlier than I remembered!

And they're taking great care to preserve their past all while moving into a fun and fruitful future.

So, if you're looking for Norman Rockwell in a nutshell, make your way to Marshall.

Oh and if you don't know who Norman Rockwell is, look him up, then come to Marshall.

Don't worry.

You'll get it.

(swiping) Well, with Steve the EV charged up and ready to rock the road, it was time to get back in the Bolt, give it a jolt, and head northwest to a Boyne City bakery that was callin' my name.

First name, yes.

Last name, please.

Well, you heard right.

We're in beautiful Boyne City on the shores of Lake Charlevoix for a guy who came all the way from France to enhance this little town.

And the bakery and boulangerie of which I speak is Gildas Berrou of Gildas' Lake Street Bakery, a place where cream-filled dreams come true.

Why are we here?

Well, simple!

To find out why he loves what he does and where he lives.

And perhaps for a tasty pastry or two or three.

I know we're not here to talk about your coffee, but it's really good.

Seriously.

- I know, right?

- Yeah, you always know a Frenchman's gonna get you a good cup of coffee.

So, you are from France.

- Yes.

- And you did like your own Tour de France, with baking bread all across France, right?

- Yes, that's correct, yeah.

So, it was like a trade school.

I did my apprenticeship in my hometown.

- [Tom] Because you are a very, I mean, you're famous for your crepes.

Am I saying it right, crepes?

- Crepe, yep.

- Crepe, yeah.

For people who haven't been to Boyne City, how would you describe this place?

- The best little town and hidden gem, I would say.

A hidden gem in northern Michigan.

People are very friendly and welcoming.

They welcome us here when we first open.

The town supported us and still does.

- But you're the bread master.

- Yeah well, here, I was pretty sure it was morning croissant.

- Say it again.

- The croissant.

- You mean crow-ee-sant.

- There you go.

Croissant, so that's our specialty here, the crepe and the croissant.

That's how we started.

We started at the farmer's market back in 2013.

- [Tom] It's an art form, I mean, it's like.

- It's just like everything else, ya know?

You gotta get used to it.

So, the way I make them, like my mother taught me.

I make them on a crepe griddle.

So we call it a billig in Gaelic.

I grew up making them like, I always say Americans grill burgers, people in Britain make crepes the same way you guys do burgers.

So, I grew up making em, so we just spread it out very thin.

Our specialty is very thin, thin and crispy.

So, that's how we'll start.

That's how we do it.

A lot of butter.

- Well, we are so lucky to have you here in Michigan because like I said, you could be anywhere in the world with the talent and the passion you have for this, but we got him.

(Tom evil laughing) - Yeah.

- We're not gonna give you up.

- If anybody travels north on 75, north of I would say Gator, it's just beautiful.

Just pure beauty.

- [Tom] Yeah, you're in paradise.

- Yeah, we like it, you know?

Even the winter.

- Well, it was lucky for me that Gilda and I spoke the same language, baked goods!

Because I ended up loading a substantial selection into Steve the EV.

(Tom humming a tune) Oh!

Oh boy.

I'm sure they're fine.

You know, we are so fortunate that Gilda decided to make his home, his baked goods, and his future right here in Michigan because when it comes to food, we Michiganders know of what we speak and eat!

Mmm, yummy!

(swiping) Well, after replenishing our batteries with a good night sleep at Boyne Mountain Lodge, we powered up Steve at yet another convenient charging station, took a quick and quiet drive around beautiful Boyne City, then headed about an hour northeast to a town on the shores of Lake Huron near the tip of Michigan's mitten that was as much fun to say as it is to visit.

I'm, of course, talking about Cheboygan, a city with a charming and vibrant downtown, plenty of marina to boat around, of course, a convenient place to charge Steve, and a spirit that's moving this town in the right and in a very bright direction.

And speaking of spirits, if you haven't been stung by the mead bee yet, get ready for a hive full of happiness and guess what?

It doesn't hurt or nothin'.

Hive North Mead and Cider Hall is all things honey.

It's also about supporting the community and keeping it creative, connected, and continuing to move forward.

It's a cool and comfortable place with popular local potables and a definite need for mead.

I had a chance to sit down with King and Queen bees, Sam and Christine King, for a tasty mead and some encouraging words about this cool concept.

So, first question is it's pretty straightforward but may be complicated to answer.

How did, how do I say this?

How did a retired teacher and a retired children's librarian end up owning a really cool, funky, hip meadery in downtown Cheboygan.

- It's actually kind of a straightforward story.

We were vacationing in Savannah, Georgia and we were hot and ya know, we'd gone for a long walk.

We ended up at a place called The Savannah Bee Company.

They had a little tasting table.

I was like, "This stuff is amazing!"

This is so good!

It turned out it was mead that was made in northern Michigan.

- [Tom] A lot of people who have never had mead before have no idea what they're missing because everybody thinks because it's made with honey, it's gonna be super sweet all the time and it's gonna be syrupy and it's a completely different experience.

- Yeah, it is.

I mean, you can be very dry.

They can be dry meads, which sometimes, people expect it to be sweet and they taste a dry mead and think ugh, this is not what I had in mind.

Or it can be quite sweet, like some of the meads we have are sweet.

I mean, there's a whole range.

- [Tom] You guys do ciders.

You guys do root beer.

You guys do live music on the weekends, which is very cool.

- [Christine] And we do kombucha.

- [Tom] Kombucha, okay, which is very healthy, I understand?

- Yes, very healthy.

- But correct me if I'm wrong but, this place seems like the kinda place where the community comes to connect and share and sort of get to know each other.

- It definitely is a place where people like to connect and in terms of the live music, we wanna keep it as unplugged as possible, which is almost all the time so that people can still have conversation in here.

- Cheboygan, I mean, you have to love this town, right?

- You do, you do.

You do have to love it.

- Even if you don't feel like it.

(laughing) I grew up here.

- That's what this is for.

You grew up in Cheboygan?

- Oh yeah.

- You've seen a lot of change.

- Yeah, I have, but you do have to love it.

- Yeah, it's mead-thirty.

- (Christine laughs) Cheers.

(glasses tink) - We had an absolutely awesome time getting to know the Kings, great people.

We also had a ton of fun sampling mouth-watering meads and connecting with this cool, eclectic community.

Heck, we even got the chance to see Sam jam on his bonafied bass!

Bonus!

So, next time you're anywhere near Cheboygan, make a honey of a stop at Hive North, because up here, the sweetest things in life begin with bees.

And since EVs rhymes with bees, try on a smaller pair of carbon shoes and take your next adventure in your own Steve the EV.

It's better for you, better for me, and for all the generations yet to be.

So, until next time, drive safe, travel Michigan, and who knows?

You might have as much fun as we do.

Come on, Steve.

Let's see what's around the next bend.

(upbeat music) (gentle music) - [Narrator] Let's catch up.

Not online or over texts.

Let's catch up in a place where time isn't measured in minutes, but in moments.

Moments made paddling the day away on a crystal blue waterway.

Or just sittin' around a campfire beneath a canopy of twinkling stars.

It's time to make up for lost time.

This summer, let's catch up with Pure Michigan.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is dedicated to enabling economic prosperity.

The MEDC markets Michigan with a focus on growing businesses and building resilient communities in our state.

And by Stahl's Automotive Museum.

Thousands of items in the collection, like the 1920 Gaudin dance hall orchestra.

Two stories high, beautiful tone with life-sized golden figures.

Every item has a story.

Learn more at StahlsAuto.com.

(upbeat rock music) (light music)