Tag Archives: Cheeseburger in Caseville

Local Fun & Food

The Best Burger In the Thumb

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[Ed Note: This pub has not been visited in several years. I’m uncertain where Julz is these days. But the Hitching Post is an Oasis during the high crowds at Cheeseburger Festival]

I’m a cheeseburger hound. I’m one of those who never seem to turn down going to some pub to grab a cheeseburger and a beer. At my age the waistline seems to have come more front and center. So I find myself getting more fussy about where I’m going to indulge on one of my favorite peasant foods.

You would think that the annual Cheeseburger festival in Caseville would turn out some of the finest burger on bun concoctions in the area. However the event has swelled to such a size that the rule is quantity not quality and cook it until it resembles a hockey puck. I haven’t had a burger in Caseville in several years.

When the party is in high gear during Cheeseburger festival in Caseville we find ourselves in the little town of Elkton about ten minutes away. There you will find the Hitching Post Inn. The Post is located in a historical hotel that was also once a church. (The stained glass still is place). This is a great Bar Burger joint. The owners are working to establish a solid business and have won over the locals. In 2011 they put in a new bar so updating is constant. This is a great place to come when the crowds in nearby Caseville get on your nerves.

It’s the best cheeseburger in the Thumb…period. Is it up with Michigan’s best? No. My designation of a great bar burger goes to the Shamrock in Utica Michigan.  However the Hitching Post uses fresh local beef and all the staff pitch in and cook. Even the head bartender, Jelzs, can really cook up a bit of paradise on a bun.  The establishment has their own Facebook Page and a loyal group of subscribers. I’m one of them. Menu choice…Blue Cheese Burger.

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Local Fun & Food

Ice Cream Wars in Grindstone City

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It isn’t often that two shop’s offering the same fare open in a small town at the same time. But that is what is happening in Grindstone City. The Grindstone General Store is one of the oldest Grindstone General Storeproprietorship’s in the Thumb. Its well known for its huge ice cream cones served up for kids of all ages. The store also offers items produced by local artists.  What is less known is a relative new comer; Rybak’s Ice Cream and Candy Shop just down the street operating in a historic building, built by Aaron Peer in 1881. Rybak’s offers high end ice cream, homemade candy and assorted gifts from local artists.The shop once Bybak's Ice Creamheadquartered the Grindstone operations which the town is famous. The building has been beautifully restored.

A Great Lakes shipper, Captain Aaron Peer, sought shelter in the area’s natural harbor in 1834. As his crew explored the dense forest and rocky beach for shelter and firewood, the men came across huge flat rocks lying about the shore and forests. Taking samples south to Detroit, they found the stone (part of the Marshall Sandstone Formation) to Rybak's Candy Counterbe impeccably suited for paving streets, replacing Ohio flagstone as the preferred medium. Within a couple years, Captain Peer and his crew took advantage of the stone to sharpen their tools, and began shaping them into grindstones shortly thereafter. A small port grew here as industry took hold in the forest.

In 1836,  Peer purchased 400 acres of land to establish a grindstone Rybak's Ice Cream Shopquarrying and manufacturing operation. The outcropping of Marshall Sandstone that Peer discovered was an abrasive stone with a very fine grit unique to Grindstone City and perfect for grindstones, scythe stones and hones. Worldwide demand soon earned the town the nickname of Grindstone Capital of the World.

RybecsThe town became largely a company-built town, with homes, a grist mill, wharfs, and a booming industry with two quarries. A salt mining operation produced 125 barrels of salt each day during the 1870s, and the first railroad built into Grindstone City.

So next time you get a taste for ice cream, or are sick of Cheeseburgers in Caseville  make the effort to get to Grindstone City. The choices are awesome.

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Cheesburger In Caseville, Local Fun & Food

Best of the Upper Thumb

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For well over five decades the Upper Thumb has been deemed the “Closer Up North” for the Southeast Michigan and Detroit area.  Sandy beaches, great fishing, parks and some of the friendliest proprietors around, Huron County is a great place to steal a weekend away from the “burbs” of Detroit without busting your wallet.  In less than a two hour drive you can be at the tip of the Thumb and sinking your toes into the sugar sand of Saginaw Bay. It’s family friendly unpretentious and considered by many to be an undiscovered Michigan destination.

There are many events throughout the year but the highlight festival of the summer is Cheeseburger in Caseville held in August. When it was first held in 1999 it was purely a local affair attended by only 5,000 locals. Now the event is considered the largest civic festival event in Michigan with over 100,000 visitors during  the 10 day event. Caseville becomes Key North during the event. Bring your Conch Republic passport for diplomatic treatment.

ThumbWind presents the “inside scoop” from locals and those who live here and wish our visitors to have a great time. A new page has been added Best of the Upper Thumb. This local information offers a collection of the “Best Of” for the  all the festivals and unique sites the Upper Thumb has to offer including Caseville’s Cheeseburger festival . This stuff just scratches the surface for a unique trip of fun and adventure.

Best of RibStock in Caseville. Last weekend of June – Ribstock is considered the warm up act for the big August festival. However this celebration of BBQ and country music is quickly becoming a favorite early summer event.

Best Place to Talk Politics During Cheesburger’s “Parade of Fools” – This is the largest event of the festival. It’s also a great chance to meet and great local and national politicians who find their way into Caseville.

Best Gourmet Grocery to Create Your Own Cheeseburger – There are dozens of local restaurants and charity’s who set up for the 10 day event. You may want to make your own. Here is the best place to get all the fixens for your own cheeseburger in paradise.

Best Taste of the Florida Keys in the Upper Thumb – Want to experience a bit of the Keys cuisine without the 1,500 mile car trip and all the bridge hopping? There are many roadside inns along M-53 that can go toe-to-toe with those on A-1-A. The only thing missing is the conch chowder.  Here is a stand out.

Best Bar Cheeseburger in the Thumb – Bar burgers are fun. However you may actually have to leave Caseville to find the best bar cheeseburger in the Thumb.

Best Place to Camp Next to the Beach – The Upper Thumb is a camper nirvana. However there is only one area where you can literally camp steps away on the beach. Find out where.

Best Things to do When Your Bored of Cheeseburger – Ten days of luau shirts, Margareta’s and cheeseburgers sounds like a lot of fun but for kids it can be too much. If you want to step away from the crowds there is plenty to see and do. Check out the suggestions.

Best Stroll During the Festival – See the odd sights and unique sounds and atmosphere found only on the water.

Ora Labora Grave Old Bay Port Cemetery AngelBest Place to Get Totally Scared – The Upper Thumb has been home to native and American settlers for over a millenia. The paranormal activity in one nearby town has been the subject of books, movies and TV shows. You can even stay in a famously haunted inn overnight if you dare.

The Best Place to Dance Polka – If your around after Labor Day the upper thumb has a polka festival that is one of the Great Lakes best.

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Local Fun & Food

The Buck Stops Here Travelling to Michigan’s Thumb

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When I was first launching ThumbWind over five years ago  I was focused on the low water levels of the Great Lakes and the emerging Wind Energy development.However my readership was pretty low. This was my first post that highlighted something neat in the Thumb. Scott’s Quick Stop is great mid-way break if your driving toward the Detroit area. Ice Cream, Gas and Ammo, it’s a unique combination that seems to work. Here is a re-visit of a 2012 post.

Forty-five minutes into our trip back to Detroit from the shoreline of the upper thumb I find a need to stop.  We’ve found a convenient, quirky place to stretch your legs enjoy an ice cream and browse semi-automatic weapons. Scott’s Quick Stop is located north of Marlette on the corner of Van Dyke (M53) and Sanilac (M46) Roads. The truck stop sports a huge parking lot and always has a steady stream of cars. The main draw outside of gassing up is their ice cream. For a couple of bucks you can get two huge scoops on a real waffle cone. While your enjoying your cone you can also browse a huge sporting goods area with guns and ammo of every type. It’s an odd combination but somehow it works.

The other unique draw of Scott’s happens during opening day of deer season. You’ll notice “The Buck Pole” on the side parking lot. During opening day hunters from all over the thumb place their buck for display and compete of prizes. There has been several record setting bucks brought in to Scotts. In 2010 an 18 point was taken near Bad Axe with an unconfirmed score of 198.

So if you’re heading up to Cheeseburger in Caseville or coming back from a day at the beach its worth pulling in to Scott’s Quick Stop if only for a quick look around.

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