Behind the Mitten

“Behind the Mitten” is Michigan’s premiere travel radio show and Podcast, and it has more than 430 episodes. It is co-hosted by veteran journalist John Gonzalez and former chef/beer expert Amy Sherman. The show has been recognized by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters as Best in Category.

On this Podcast, Amy Sherman of Behind the Mitten joins Caleb Gordon of WPHM in Port Huron to preview this weekend's show. Amy talks about Gaylord's Elk viewing area and our interview with Paul Beachnau of Gaylord's Tourism Bureau. They also talk about the local breweries.

This weekend's BTM show also features a segment on Dragonmead Brewery, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and an interview with John Sinkevics of LocalSpins.com, which provides all the Michigan-based music feature on the show.

This interview aired Sept. 23, 2022, on WPHM.

BTM airs on these stations this weekend:

*8 a.m. Saturdays on WBRN - 1460 AM and 107.7 FM in Big Rapids

*8 a.m. Saturdays on Kalamazoo Talk Radio 1360 WKMI

*8 a.m. Saturdays on WILS-1320 AM in Lansing

*10 a.m. Saturdays 95.3 WBCK-FM in Battle Creek

*10 a.m. Saturdays on News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM in Benton Harbor

*4 p.m. Saturdays on WIOS "The Bay's Best!" - 1480 AM & 106.9 FM in Tawas / East Tawas

*Noon Sundays on News, Talk and Sports - 1380-AM WPHM in Port Huron

*1 p.m. Sundays on WSGW-AM (790) and FM (100.5) in Saginaw

*6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM (1300) and (106.9) in Grand Rapids

Follow John and Amy on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/behindthemitten or
Twitter at @BehindTheMitten and Instagram at @BehindTheMitten_.

“Behind the Mitten” is Michigan’s premiere travel radio show and Podcast, and it has more than 430 episodes. It is co-hosted by veteran journalist John Gonzalez and former chef/beer expert Amy Sherman. The show has been recognized by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters as Best in Category.

This week's Behind the Mitten talks fall color forecast, learn about a place where you can literally roll out the barrel, and talk to a Michigan restauranteur who just won a major award. We are joined by Matt Kirkwood, meteorologist for WOOD TV 8, who lays out the timeline for peak leaf color across the state. Dave Cicotte, Director of Sales and Marketing for Brew Detroit discusses their partnership with Detroit City Football Club, and the special half-time activity that involves both barrels and jorts. Yes, jorts. Then Matthew Buskard, who owns local restaurants Bobcat Bonnie's, stops by. He was recently named one of Crain's Detroit top 40 Under 40, which is awesome and amazing.

This segment aired Sept. 17-18, 2022.

Stations:

*8 a.m. Saturdays on WBRN - 1460 AM and 107.7 FM in Big Rapids

*8 a.m. Saturdays on Kalamazoo Talk Radio 1360 WKMI

*8 a.m. Saturdays on WILS-1320 AM in Lansing

*10 a.m. Saturdays 95.3 WBCK-FM in Battle Creek

*10 a.m. Saturdays on News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM in Benton Harbor

*4 p.m. Saturdays on WIOS "The Bay's Best!" - 1480 AM & 106.9 FM in Tawas / East Tawas

*Noon Sundays on News, Talk and Sports - 1380-AM WPHM in Port Huron

*1 p.m. Sundays on WSGW-AM (790) and FM (100.5) in Saginaw

*6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM (1300) and (106.9) in Grand Rapids

Follow John and Amy on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/behindthemitten or
Twitter at @BehindTheMitten and Instagram at @BehindTheMitten_.

“Behind the Mitten” is Michigan’s premiere travel radio show and Podcast, and it has more than 430 episodes. It is co-hosted by veteran journalist John Gonzalez and former chef/beer expert Amy Sherman. The show has been recognized by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters as Best in Category.

Every community in Michigan has something to celebrate, and throwing a festival is a tradition for many towns around the state. We discuss some of the interesting and unique ones you can experience this fall, including the Edmore Potato Festival. Festival president Nicole Hadley joins us to speak about all things spud-tacular at this event that is held each September. Then, Erin Murphy from the West Michigan Tourist Association gives us a run down of a few of her favorites, including the 2022 Fallasburg Art Festival in Lowell, the Michigan Irish Music Festival in Muskegon, the Lakeshore Harvest Ride in Southwest Michigan and the Fenn Valley Vine Wine’d Run in Fennville. We close out the show with a few Oktoberfests, because there is probably one every single weekend this fall, so you are never to far from some delicious German beer and food right here in Michigan.

This segment aired Sept. 10-11, 2022.

Stations:

*8 a.m. Saturdays on WBRN - 1460 AM and 107.7 FM in Big Rapids

*8 a.m. Saturdays on Kalamazoo Talk Radio 1360 WKMI

*8 a.m. Saturdays on WILS-1320 AM in Lansing

*10 a.m. Saturdays 95.3 WBCK-FM in Battle Creek

*10 a.m. Saturdays on News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM in Benton Harbor

*4 p.m. Saturdays on WIOS "The Bay's Best!" - 1480 AM & 106.9 FM in Tawas / East Tawas

*Noon Sundays on News, Talk and Sports - 1380-AM WPHM in Port Huron

*1 p.m. Sundays on WSGW-AM (790) and FM (100.5) in Saginaw

*6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM (1300) and (106.9) in Grand Rapids

Follow John and Amy on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/behindthemitten or
Twitter at @BehindTheMitten and Instagram at @BehindTheMitten_.

“Behind the Mitten” is Michigan’s premiere travel radio show and Podcast, and it has more than 430 episodes. It is co-hosted by veteran journalist John Gonzalez and former chef/beer expert Amy Sherman. The show has been recognized by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters as Best in Category.

This week show is all about Michigan apples! Freshly harvested apples are coming in off the trees from all over the state, and popping up in Michigan farmers markets and stores. With over 24 BILLION bushels of apples harvested each year, Michigan is an apple powerhouse. We talk with Diane Smith, executive director of the Michigan Apple Committee, about this year’s harvest, our race to beat New York every year, and just what makes Honeycrisp apples not just delicious, but also a little bit more expensive. Then, our buddy Scott Newman-Bale, CEO of Short’s Brewing and Starcut Ciders, joins us to talk about hard cider. Amy and Gonzo share a few of their favorite orchards, and what they are looking forward to this fall.

Learn more about Michigan Apples at https://www.michiganapples.com/.

This segment aired Sept. 3-4, 2022.

Stations:

*8 a.m. Saturdays on WBRN - 1460 AM and 107.7 FM in Big Rapids

*8 a.m. Saturdays on Kalamazoo Talk Radio 1360 WKMI

*8 a.m. Saturdays on WILS-1320 AM in Lansing

*10 a.m. Saturdays 95.3 WBCK-FM in Battle Creek

*10 a.m. Saturdays on News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM in Benton Harbor

*4 p.m. Saturdays on WIOS "The Bay's Best!" - 1480 AM & 106.9 FM in Tawas / East Tawas

*Noon Sundays on News, Talk and Sports - 1380-AM WPHM in Port Huron

*1 p.m. Sundays on WSGW-AM (790) and FM (100.5) in Saginaw

*6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM (1300) and (106.9) in Grand Rapids

Follow John and Amy on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/behindthemitten or
Twitter at @BehindTheMitten and Instagram at @BehindTheMitten_.

“Behind the Mitten” is Michigan’s premiere travel radio show and Podcast, and it has more than 430 episodes. It is co-hosted by veteran journalist John Gonzalez and former chef/beer expert Amy Sherman. The show has been recognized by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters as Best in Category.

We start off this week with Gonzo and Amy going over the details for the 2022 Mackinac Bridge Walk, which takes place on Labor Day. From what to bring, what not to bring, and a few tips on transportation, BTM will help you be ready to knock this off your Michigan bucket list. Then, we revisit our segment with Shelby from the S.S. Badger and share their fall schedule. Our friends from Marshall stop by to talk about a few upcoming festivals, and the myriad of museums you can check out in this charming Michigan town. To close out the show, we discuss a few of our favorite ice cream spots from around the state that we've been visiting this summer. Let us know your top spot for ice cream and we'll be sure to add it to our list!

Learn more about the Mackinac Bridge Walk at https://www.mackinacbridge.org/events/walk/.

Learn more about the Marshall Historical Society 57th annual Home Tour at http://www.marshallhistoricalsociety.org/.

Learn more about the S.S. Badger Car Ferry Boat in Ludington at https://www.ssbadger.com/.

This segment aired Aug. 27-28, 2022.

Stations:

*8 a.m. Saturdays on WBRN - 1460 AM and 107.7 FM in Big Rapids

*8 a.m. Saturdays on Kalamazoo Talk Radio 1360 WKMI

*8 a.m. Saturdays on WILS-1320 AM in Lansing

*10 a.m. Saturdays 95.3 WBCK-FM in Battle Creek

*10 a.m. Saturdays on News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM in Benton Harbor

*4 p.m. Saturdays on WIOS "The Bay's Best!" - 1480 AM & 106.9 FM in Tawas / East Tawas

*Noon Sundays on News, Talk and Sports - 1380-AM WPHM in Port Huron

*1 p.m. Sundays on WSGW-AM (790) and FM (100.5) in Saginaw

*6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM (1300) and (106.9) in Grand Rapids

Follow John and Amy on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/behindthemitten or
Twitter at @BehindTheMitten and Instagram at @BehindTheMitten_.

“Behind the Mitten” is Michigan’s premiere travel radio show and Podcast, and it has more than 430 episodes. It is co-hosted by veteran journalist John Gonzalez and former chef/beer expert Amy Sherman. The show has been recognized by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters as Best in Category.

On this week’s show, we kick off with Caleb Gordon, the program manager of 1380 WPHM, one of Behind the Mitten’s proud radio partners. Caleb was born and raised in Blue Water Country, which you might know by its alias, The Thumb. He shares some things you must see and do when you visit and gives us the scoop on some pretty great freebies in the area to take advantage of. Then, get ready for Michigan’s premiere beach beer fest, Burning Foot, which takes place on August 27 in Muskegon. Founder Allen Serio gives us the scoop on what to expect at this awesome event. Brain Haik from Grand Rapids Beer Tours joins us to discuss what it’s like to employ Amy and John, why these beer tours are so much fun, and also shares some of his musical side projects with us. Caleb comes back to finish the show.

Learn more about WPHM at https://www.wphm.net/.

Learn more about Burning Foot at https://burningfoot.beer/.

Learn more about GR Beer Tours at https://www.grbeertours.com/.

This segment aired Aug. 20-21, 2022.

Stations:

*8 a.m. Saturdays on WBRN - 1460 AM and 107.7 FM in Big Rapids

*8 a.m. Saturdays on Kalamazoo Talk Radio 1360 WKMI

*8 a.m. Saturdays on WILS-1320 AM in Lansing

*10 a.m. Saturdays 95.3 WBCK-FM in Battle Creek

*10 a.m. Saturdays on News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM in Benton Harbor

*Noon Sundays on News, Talk and Sports - 1380-AM WPHM in Port Huron

*1 p.m. Sundays on WSGW-AM (790) and FM (100.5) in Saginaw

*6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM (1300) and (106.9) in Grand Rapids

Follow John and Amy on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/behindthemitten or
Twitter at @BehindTheMitten and Instagram at @BehindTheMitten_.

“Behind the Mitten” is Michigan’s premiere travel radio show and Podcast, and it has more than 430 episodes. It is co-hosted by veteran journalist John Gonzalez and former chef/beer expert Amy Sherman. The show has been recognized by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters as Best in Category.

On this podcast, John talks to Fred Sitkins of the Inland Seas Education Association, which is offering public sail opportunities on their 77-foot Inland Seas Schooner on Aug. 17-19 and Aug. 25-27 in Suttons Bay.

They are known mainly for their educational opportunities for school-age children.

Their motto: "Inspiring a lifetime of Great Lakes curiosity, stewardship, and passion in people of all ages."

Learn more at https://schoolship.org/.

This segment aired Aug. 13-14, 2022.

Stations:

*8 a.m. Saturdays on WBRN - 1460 AM and 107.7 FM in Big Rapids

*8 a.m. Saturdays on Kalamazoo Talk Radio 1360 WKMI

*8 a.m. Saturdays on WILS-1320 AM in Lansing

*10 a.m. Saturdays 95.3 WBCK-FM in Battle Creek

*10 a.m. Saturdays on News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM in Benton Harbor

*Noon Sundays on News, Talk and Sports - 1380-AM WPHM in Port Huron

*1 p.m. Sundays on WSGW-AM (790) and FM (100.5) in Saginaw

*6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM (1300) and (106.9) in Grand Rapids

Follow John and Amy on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/behindthemitten or
Twitter at @BehindTheMitten and Instagram at @BehindTheMitten_.

“Behind the Mitten” is Michigan’s premiere travel radio show and Podcast, and it has more than 430 episodes. It is co-hosted by veteran journalist John Gonzalez and former chef/beer expert Amy Sherman. The show has been recognized by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters as Best in Category.

On this podcast, John and Amy take you behind the scenes to the very first Great Lakes Beer Festival taking place Aug. 20 at Dow Diamond Stadium in Midland. They talk with festival planner Edward Fritz about what to expect at this new festival. They can reveal that there will be over 70 breweries taking part, lots of house-made stadium food specialties to taste, and one heck of a corn-hole tournament taking place out on the baseball field.

Learn more at https://www.greatlakesbeerfestival.com/.

This show aired Aug. 6-7, 2022.

Stations:

*8 a.m. Saturdays on WBRN - 1460 AM and 107.7 FM in Big Rapids

*8 a.m. Saturdays on Kalamazoo Talk Radio 1360 WKMI

*8 a.m. Saturdays on WILS-1320 AM in Lansing

*10 a.m. Saturdays 95.3 WBCK-FM in Battle Creek

*10 a.m. Saturdays on News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM in Benton Harbor

*Noon Sundays on News, Talk and Sports - 1380-AM WPHM in Port Huron

*1 p.m. Sundays on WSGW-AM (790) and FM (100.5) in Saginaw

*6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM (1300) and (106.9) in Grand Rapids

Follow John and Amy on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/behindthemitten or
Twitter at @BehindTheMitten and Instagram at @BehindTheMitten_.

“Behind the Mitten” is Michigan’s premiere travel radio show and Podcast, and it has more than 430 episodes. It is co-hosted by veteran journalist John Gonzalez and former chef/beer expert Amy Sherman. The show has been recognized by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters as Best in Category.

This week's show is presented by the Great Lakes Beer Festival in Midland, which is Aug. 20 at Dow Diamond. More info at https://www.greatlakesbeerfestival.com/.

Segment 1 - Nate Fuller, executive director of the Sarett Nature Center in Benton Harbor tells us what to expect when you visit, as well as why you want to explore the popular butterfly house. A Fall Festival is planned for Aug. 27. Learn more at https://sarett.org/.

Segment 2 - Muskegon CVB's Bob Lukens tells more about why people love to visit the Lakeshore, especially later this month for the annual Shoreline Jazz Fest, Aug 26-28. Learn more at https://visitmuskegon.org/.

Segment 3 - We learn more about the Inland Seas Education Foundation, which is offering public sail opportunities on their 77-foot Inland Seas Schooner on Aug. 17-19 and Aug. 25-27 in Suttons Bay. Our guest is executive director Fred Sitkins. Learn more at https://schoolship.org/.

Above the Mitten: John and Amy talk about the 2022 U.P. State Fair, which is Aug. 15-22 at the U.P. State Fairgrounds in Escanaba. Learn more at https://www.upstatefair.net/.

Segment 4 - Little Luxuries business owner Nicole Doud joins the show to talk about her debut book, which is perfectly suited for the little ones - "ABC’s of Mackinac Island." It's available at her store, as well as her husband's store, Doud's Market. It's available online at https://littleluxuriesofmackinac.com/products/abcs-of-michigan-6-5.

This show aired Aug. 13-14, 2022.

Stations:

*8 a.m. Saturdays on WBRN - 1460 AM and 107.7 FM in Big Rapids

*8 a.m. Saturdays on Kalamazoo Talk Radio 1360 WKMI

*8 a.m. Saturdays on WILS-1320 AM in Lansing

*10 a.m. Saturdays 95.3 WBCK-FM in Battle Creek

*10 a.m. Saturdays on News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM in Benton Harbor

*Noon Sundays on News, Talk and Sports - 1380-AM WPHM in Port Huron

*1 p.m. Sundays on WSGW-AM (790) and FM (100.5) in Saginaw

*6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM (1300) and (106.9) in Grand Rapids

Follow John and Amy on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/behindthemitten or
Twitter at @BehindTheMitten and Instagram at @BehindTheMitten_.

“Behind the Mitten” is Michigan’s premiere travel radio show and Podcast, and it has more than 430 episodes. It is co-hosted by veteran journalist John Gonzalez and former chef/beer expert Amy Sherman. The show has been recognized by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters as Best in Category.

On this podcast, John and Amy talk to reps of the Michigan Irish Music Festival, which is Sept. 15-18 at Heritage Landing in downtown Muskegon.

Marketing Director Laura Holmes and Board President Chris Zahrt share their excitement for this year's event, which is considered one of the top Irish music festival's in the country and features more than 25 bands on multiple stages. The festival also features Irish food, culture and beverages.

This year MIMF will offer discounted pricing on single-day tickets, four-day passes, and kids, 12 and under remain free. Patrons can save $5 – $10 on any single-day ticket when they purchase online. New this year, Sunday will be our Discount Day: GET IN FREE 10:30 am – Noon and stay through 6 pm.

Learn more at https://michiganirish.org/.

Learn more about Muskegon at https://visitmuskegon.org/.

This show aired Aug. 6-7, 2022.

Stations:

*8 a.m. Saturdays on WBRN - 1460 AM and 107.7 FM in Big Rapids

*8 a.m. Saturdays on Kalamazoo Talk Radio 1360 WKMI

*8 a.m. Saturdays on WILS-1320 AM in Lansing

*10 a.m. Saturdays 95.3 WBCK-FM in Battle Creek

*10 a.m. Saturdays on News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM in Benton Harbor

*Noon Sundays on News, Talk and Sports - 1380-AM WPHM in Port Huron

*1 p.m. Sundays on WSGW-AM (790) and FM (100.5) in Saginaw

*6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM (1300) and (106.9) in Grand Rapids

Follow John and Amy on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/behindthemitten or
Twitter at @BehindTheMitten and Instagram at @BehindTheMitten_.