News History & Fun in Michigan
Site announcements of changes that affect the Thumbwind website are highlighted.
News and events of Michigan’s Upper Thumb that are worth knowing in the region.
Here are some of the top stories.
The 18th Annual Ribstock Festival in Caseville, Michigan, is a three-day celebration from June 26–28, 2026. It features rib cook-offs, live music, and community activities, showcasing local pride and supporting regional tourism and businesses.
Michigan ghost towns offer a glimpse into the state’s boom-and-bust past. From mining camps and lumber ports to company towns and abandoned villages, these 17 lost communities reveal how industries, railroads and changing economies shaped Michigan’s history and left lasting stories behind.
Sigma, Michigan, rose around 1910 as a railroad lumber town in Kalkaska County. Its depot, camps, shops and holiday crowds show a brief boom built on timber and rail service.
Thumb Brewery will release Collin’s Mild Ale on July 2 in Caseville during a benefit for the Huron County Nature Center. The event includes samples, raffle items, commemorative cups and wildlife education.
The Traverse Regional History Center is taking a different approach to preserving local history. Rather than focusing on artifact collections, the organization is building a regional resource dedicated to storytelling, education, and digital engagement.
Concord, Michigan grew from waterpower, rail service and farm trade. This story follows its old mill, Michigan Central depot, Main Street, schools, baseball team and rural roots to show how one Jackson County village kept its identity through change.
Acme, Michigan, began as a creek-powered mill town east of Traverse City, then shifted to farms, schoolhouses, roadside diners and resort travel. Its story shows how a Grand Traverse Bay community changed without losing its old outline.
The history of Lake Ann Michigan centers on timber, railroads and fire. In 1897, flames destroyed nine blocks, left 75 families homeless and killed an elderly resident trying to save valuables. The disaster changed a promising lumber village into something smaller.
