Jonesville Michigan Riverfest Festival

Small towns all across the country have annual festivals that celebrate the things these places have to offer. Jonesville, Michigan, is my small town. Our annual event is called Riverfest.


The St. Joe River flows South to North through Jonesville. A long gone mill had constructed a dam that still limits the flow of water through town. The river flows steadily and is a popular place for fishermen, kayakers, and canoe enthusiasts.


The Jonesville Riverfest festival centers around canoe races that are open to the public on our river. There are categories by age, sex, and experience, along with a corporate challenge. Contestants may bring their own canoe or rent one from the festival officials.


Additionally, there is a sidewalk sale, arts & craft venders, pancake breakfast, 3-on-3 basketball tournament, classic car show, and lots of food. The most popular food stand is the barbeque chicken and pork chop dinner hosted by the volunteer fire department.



The Munro House Bed and Breakfast is just 2 blocks from the finish line of the canoe races and offers special event pricing during this weekend. Besides being a comfortable B&B Inn, the Munro House is rich in history and the owners love to tell the stories of the early pioneers, the history of Jonesville, and the legends of the house being used as a station on the underground railroad.


Plan your trip to Jonesville Riverfest on the weekend following Mother's Day in May.




Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"

Great Guests at Michigan Inn

Breakfast isn't over at our house until the guests say it's over. We normally offer breakfast between 8:30 and 9:30 on weekends. A late comer still has 90 minutes to have a leisure breakfast until our 11 a.m. check out.

Today, it was almost 11:30 before all of our guests had left the table, and after noon before they all left the inn. The conversations were thought-provoking, interesting, and fun. Our final 4 were a couple of girlfriends from Detroit and Chicago who met here as a halfway point, and a European couple who were traveling through from Boston to Chicago on a business move.

Lori and Lori were enjoying time away from work and kids and took advantage of sleeping in for a change. Rebecca and Sebastian were taking the long way to their new home--8 days from Boston to Jonesville is truly the long way.

The spirit and energy from these four provided lively conversation for the entire meal. We didn't solve any world problems, but we learned a lot about each other's customs, benefits, and health care. I-Phone photographs and videos were shared as we witnessed our first Scottish wedding, courtesy of this great technology.

Another day, another tableful of the nicest people in the whole world who shared a meal at the Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville, Michigan.

Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"

Lodging when Visiting Allen Michigan

Allen, Michigan, is the "antique capital of Michigan". It is located in the northwest corner of Hillsdale County at highways 12 and 49. The village of Allen has a population of about 225. It seems that everyone is an antique dealer. Many of the businesses in Allen are homes turned into antique stores. There are several antique malls about a mile outside of the village limits. One of them boasts over 400 dealers.

The Allen Antique Barn, Allen Antique Mall, Capitol Antiques, Hog Creek Craft and Antique Mall, Preston's Antique Gaslight Village, and Primitive Connection combine for over 1,000 booths of antiquities and collectibles. All are clean and climate controlled for comfortable shopping nearly every day of the year.

Allen has no hotels or motels. Jonesville, just 5 miles East of town has the nearest lodging facilities. The Munro House Bed and Breakfast is the most comfortable lodging in town and is located near a dozen restaurants from home cooking to fast food to fine dining. A historic home with incredible history, a tour of the home and interesting stories are always included with an overnight stay. Open 7 days a week, the Munro House has hosted guests from all 50 states and over 60 foreign countries.

Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"

Lodging when Visiting Litchfield Michigan

Litchfield is a city of about 1500 people in south central Michigan. The main road through town is highway 99. This highway is mostly traveled by locals, so if someone isn't specifically going to the Litchfield area, they will probably choose an alternate route to get to their destination.

There is a lot of industry in Litchfield. Their industrial park is the envy of cities that are much larger. Tenneco, Hi-Lex, and Metaldyne are just a few of many factories located in Litchfield.

It is surprising that hotels, motels, and fine dining restaurants did not sprout up to support the workers in these factories--and the people who come to visit them. There is no accredited lodging establishment in town.

Jonesville is just 10 minutes away. The Munro House Bed and Breakfast is the closest lodging facility. Business travelers can expect a comfortable room, free wi-fi internet, a big breakfast, and a corporate rate at the Munro House. There are also 10 restaurants within a mile covering a variety of tastes. Fast food, diner food, bar food, pizza, barberque, Mexican, Chinese, and fine dining are all in town, some a short walk from the Munro House.

But not everyone who comes to Litchfield is travelling for business. Family reunions, graduations, funerals, birthdays, and anniversaries happen everywhere. So when out-of-town guests need a reasonably located place to stay for a day or longer, the Munro House B&B in Jonesville is close, comfortable, and convenient. Discounts are available on many dates throughout the year, and an extremely reasonable bereavement rate is always available to funeral attendees.

There are many small towns in America that just can not support a decent hotel or motel. That is when the savvy traveler will seek out a bed and breakfast. They are almost always a step up in service and hospitality and are reasonably priced when the location and all of the amenities are factored in.

Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"

Lodging Near North Adams Michigan

North Adams is a village of about 500 people in south central Michigan. The main road through town is North Adams Road and Knowles Road. These roads are mostly traveled by locals, so if you aren't specifically going to North Adams, you will probably choose an alternate route to get to your destination.

There are no accredited lodging establishments in town. Visitors going to North Adams for business, pleasure, weddings, or funerals will find the nearest lodging in Jonesville, just 10 minutes away. The Munro House Bed and Breakfast is the closest lodging facility. Business travelers can expect a comfortable room, free wi-fi internet, a big breakfast, and a corporate rate at the Munro House. Couples attending weddings and funerals will find the Munro House B&B most comfortable, convenient, and accommodating.

There are also 10 restaurants in downtown Jonesville covering a variety of tastes including fast food, diners, bars, pizza, barbeque, Mexican, Chinese, and fine dining are all in town, some a short walk from the Munro House.

When out-of-town guests need a reasonably located hotel, motel, or place to stay for a day or more when visiting North Adams, the Munro House B&B in Jonesville is close, comfortable, and convenient. Discounts are available on many dates throughout the year, and an extremely reasonable bereavement rate is always available for funerals.

Many small towns in America just can not support a chain hotel or motel. That is why savvy travelers often seek out a bed and breakfast as an alternative lodging choice. B&Bs are almost always a step up in service and hospitality from traditional hotels and motels. Most are very reasonably priced when you factor in the location and all of the amenities.

Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"

Michigan Inn Caters to Romance

When it comes to romance, the Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville, Michigan, has some good ideas for your romantic weekend getaway. The keys are privacy and intimacy.

The privacy part is easy, because Jonesville is in South Central Michigan about an hour due South of Lansing at highways 12 & 99. When many people plan a getaway, they go where the crowd goes--Mackinac, Traverse City, South Haven, and Saugatuck. In my opinion, those locations are more touristy than romantic. You can mix the two, but a true romantic getaway involves the kind of privacy that can be found in a small town, away from the crowds, and away from the kids. Just time together, one-on-one, with your mate.

Intimacy can be achieved when there are few distractions. A small town like Jonesville may fit perfectly, as there are no amusement parks, tourist traps, or long lines. There are things to do and excellent restaurants at a slower pace. This small town Michigan inn caters to romance and can give you suggestions and make all the arrangements for a wonderful getaway with just one phone call.

A sample weekend itinerary includes:

FRIDAY

• 3-6 pm -- Check-in and tour of our historic home
• 7 pm -- Casual dinner for 2 at Johnny T's Bistro
• 9 pm -- Video movie and relaxing Jacuzzi tub for 2 in your room

SATURDAY

• 8:30-9:30 -- Enjoy our country style breakfast
• 10 am -- One hour massage for both of you in a private room
• 1 pm -- Lunch at Saucy Dog's Barbeque
• 2-5 pm -- Browse hundreds of dealers in Allen, the Antique Capital of Michigan
• 7 pm -- Casual dinner at the best restaurant in the county--Chicago Water Grill
• 9 pm -- After dinner movie at Premiere Theater

SUNDAY

• 8:30-9:30 -- Enjoy our country style breakfast
• 11 am -- Check out and farewells

OPTIONS

• Dozen Roses Floral Arrangement - nothing says "I Love You" better than roses
• Chocolate Truffles - Indulgent, sexy, romantic
• Spa Services - Manicure, Pedicure, Facial - Pamper her, and guys like it, too!
• Golf - Spend time outside on a beautiful local course

We organize a lot of getaway packages at the Munro House. You can pick from our list of packages or we can create something special, just for you, on any day of the week--with several price tiers. A wonderful romantic getaway is just a phone call and 15 minutes away.

Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"

School Tour Underground Railroad & History of Jonesville Michigan

We own the Munro House Bed and Breakfast in downtown Jonesville, Michigan. It happens to be the oldest house in Hillsdale County and is said to have once been a station on the Underground Railroad. We have performed countless hours of research to find out more about the original owners, the legacy they have left, and the effects on the community, the county, and the state.

Over the years, we have put together some interesting, historically accurate stories that we tell to our guests. Robin Wormser, a teacher at Williams Elementary School in Jonesville found out about our entertaining tales and asked if we would be willing to take on the entire 4th grade and give them a tour of the house and tell them about life in Jonesville back in the mid 1800's. We agreed.

Upon discovering that there are generally over 100 kids in fourth grade, we decided that they would need to be split up into groups of 20-30 for this annual field trip.

Depending on time constraints, we offer a 30 minutes to one hour tour. We talk about Benaiah Jones, the founder of Jonesville and George Munro, an early pioneer, entrepreneur, and the original owner of our house. We show them the differences between our original Salt Box house and the new addition that is Greek Revival style.

We tell stories about settlers moving west along the Sauk Trail and how they picked places to settle. We talk about runaway slaves folowing the Underground Railroad to Canada and how they found out the the Munro House was a safe haven.

We take them into what is left of our tunnel. We have pictures of a secret room in our house where it is alleged that over 400 runaway slaves hid for at least one day on their trek to freedom.

We enjoy interacting with the children and providing them with an informative and interesting field trip. This year, we had 4 groups of about 30 kids (plus chaperones) tour our house over 3 days. We arrange a day and time and eagerly await their arrival. We give a quality, informative, and fun tour of our great old house. Any group is welcome to contact us and arrange for a private tour at a mutually agreed upon day and time.

Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"

Romantic Bed & Breakfast in Michigan Knows Romance

What is romance? What is romantic? These terms mean different things to different people. For some people, romance is dinner, flowers, and a night at home alone. For other people romance is quiet time, away from the kids, far from home with the one you love. A romantic getaway could be one-on-one time with your lover on the golf course, in a restaurant, or in a nice room in a small town inn.

Any combination of these things can be a romantic getaway. The Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville Michigan has many getaway packages that are romantic. Our most popular one is simply called the Romantic Getaway Package and includes flowers, chocolates, dinners, massages, and two nights bed and breakfast.

The romantic getaway starts with a choice of rooms. Choices may include a room with a fireplace or double Jacuzzi tub. Couples away for romance enjoy the flicker of the fire as a backdrop. The double Jacuzzi tubs are a prelude to love. Our in-room tubs are made for 2. Our "magic potion" fills the tub with bubbles when the jets are engaged. After the room is chosen, the rest of the planning is in our hands.

Upon arrival, an itinerary is provided along with a selection of decadent chocolate truffles and a dozen roses floral arrangement in a glass vase. Dinner reservations are made for that evening at 1 of our favorite local restaurants. Breakfast is always included with an overnight stay. On the second day, a one hour massage is scheduled in a private room in our house. After a one hour rubdown, a dip in the tub and/or a nap is typical behavior after our massage therapists put you into a fine state of relaxation. The rest of the afternoon is yours to spend any way you like--at the movies, at the antique malls, at the ice cream parlor, or the fun park. A second dinner reservation is made at another of our favorite local restaurants and breakfast is served the following morning.

The Chicago Water Grill is our favorite restaurant and always our top choice for guests to enjoy. It just happens to be just 2 blocks away--a short walk--and has food selections that are consistantly very good and service that is consistantly very good. With choices that include steaks, seafood, chicken, and pasta, there is a nice selection of food for a fine dining experience.

These are the top 10 popular romantic things to do in Jonesville, Michigan

10. Golfing
09. Ice Cream
08. Antique Shopping
07. Chocolates
06. Roses
05. Fireplace
04. Double Jacuzzi Tub
03. Massages
02. Dinner
01. Bed and Breakfast

We can arrange for a getaway package that includes all or some of the top things to add some romance into your weekend getaway.

Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"

Military Discount at Michigan Bed and Breakfast

My brother "Geno" was in the Army National Guard back in the 60's. Luckily, he stayed stateside during the end of the Vietnam era. My son "Dup" entered the Air Force National Guard at the new millennium and was just minutes from going to Iraq when he was sent home due to a medical concern that made him undeployable.

I recall the anxiety that goes along with having a loved one being put in harm's way. Soldiers have dangerous jobs to do and their compensation is below what I think they are worth. When I am out and about, I do what I can to thank people in uniform for their sacrifice of time away from home and the constant danger they experience while being on duty in a foreign land. Sometimes it's just a handshake and a sincere thank you, sometimes it's a meal paid for by me, anonymously, and during military holidays, it's a substantial discount to stay at my bed and breakfast--the Munro House in Jonesville, Michigan.

The Munro House Bed and Breakfast offers a military discount for Armed Forces Day (third Saturday in May), Memorial Day (last Monday in May), Flag Day (June 14), Independence Day (July 4), Patriot Day (September 11), and Veteran's Day (November 11). We decided to offer the discount for the days around the holiday also. Currently, veterans can get a room for $99 per night at the Munro House that is regularly $149, or more, when they stay 2 nights.

We decided to offer the special lodging price for veterans and active duty military as well. We just ask our guests to bring proof of military service when they check in to get the reduced price. Some retired folks from the WWII era brought a picture of themselves in uniform as proof, some current active duty soldiers checked in wearing their uniforms. Both were proof enough for me.

We have had foot soldiers, pilots, special forces personnel, MPs, and flight instructors as guests. Many were visiting family in the Jonesville-Hillsdale area. Some were just taking time off in our great small town in south central Michigan.

A special site to see is the Jonesville Veterans Memorial on Highway 12 on the east edge of town. It honors the branches of the military including Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marines.



Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"

Venturini-Douglas Family Tree

There are a lot of people who enjoy tracing their family history. They used to spend years tracing their ancestry the old fashioned way--through public records. That was effective, but very time consuming. My family's records were in far away places in another language, so my efforts were easily thwarted.

My wife, Lori, was a Douglas before she married me and became a Venturini by marriage. The Douglas Clan was from Scotland. The Scots kept very good records, and members of Lori's family spent many years and many vacations with one thing on their agenda--to trace the family tree as far back as possible. They were quite successful as they went all the way back to the 1100's. They found a direct relationship to some famous people and events in history. Her genealogy track traced them to the loser of the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates. A relative was hung during the Salem witch trials. Her family came to America on the Mayflower. Someone also fought alongside Robert the Bruce in a Holy Crusade.

It is pretty cool to look at the history of your family and how it may or may not have affected your life today, or how they may or may not have played an important role in history. uncovering famous or colorful characters make the task of tracing a family tree a lot more fun.

I was always disappointed that my ancestors could not be traced back any further than my grandfather. My surname is Venturini. I am of Italian origin. There are some relatively famous Venturini's in America today. Tisha Venturini played on the U.S. Women's World and Olympic champion soccer teams. Another Mike Venturini is a top animator at Pixar--the company that makes those excellent cartoon movies. But we could never find a link to these or any other people with the same last name because we could not get past my grandfather.

Aside from my brothers and their families, we could find no branch that connected us to any of them in any way. It was if my grandfather had no link to anyone in history--not even his parents! It just seemed odd, especially with the ease of use of many ancestry websites and the knowledge contained in the world wide web.

I had always been told that in Italian, Venturini meant "adventurer". I assumed that there must have been a great traveler or explorer hiding somewhere in the family tree. We kept digging, but still got stuck at grampa Frank, because he was an "only" child and my dad was his "only" male offspring.

Then one day, my wife, discovered that people with the name Venturini had one thing in
common. The name did not translate as "adventurers", but "wanderers". They all shared the same last name because it was the name that was given to everybody in Italian orphanages!


Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"

It's a Pirate's Life for Me

Every now and then we intentionally do something silly. Most of these ideas are born out of an idea that just appears. Sunday was a perfect day to have some fun.

My wife, Lori, had an appointment with her physical therapist right after we served breakfast at the Munro House. She also had a few errands to run. This left me behind to clean the house after a full night of guests.

As is typical behavior for me, I get 90% done, then catch up on my internet stuff, then finish my work. On this day, I was checking out my Facebook account, when I read that my friend Eddie had changed the language on his Facebook page to US Pirate. I thought, "Arrr!" and decided to change my language, too.

The information bar selections changed from "Home, Profile, Friends, and Inbox", to "Home Port, Me, Me Hearties, and Bottle o' Messages". "What's on Your Mind, and Share" became "What Be Troublin' Ye and Divvy Spoils to All Ye Mateys". This was just too much silly fun to not want to become a pirate for a day.

I started talking to myself in pirate--reciting terms I remembered from old movies and cartoons while using "arrr" a lot. I quoted a line from a Cheech and Chong album--"tie that scurvy dog to the yard arm"--that was fun to say. I recalled Captain Hank's answering machine "Me can't come to the phone for me be busy floggin' me first mate on the poop deck". Ooooh, this was going to be fun.

Then I searched for "how to talk like a pirate" on the internet and found some cool websites including youtube videos to help with meaning, diction, and pronunciation. It didn't take long to get into the pirate spirit and I was growling, groveling and talking crudely with a decent vocabulary in just a few short minutes.

This was also the day that me mates had planned to go to see a movie. We wanted to see "Wolverine" and just had to choose which show time would work for us all. I was posting to my facebook account in pirate when Jeramie replied "Are we going as pirates today, that would be great." That was all the incentive I needed. I replied, "AYE!" I scoured me house for some pirate garb. I found a maroon cloth napkin that I made into a head band and blacked out a triangular shaped post-it note for an eye patch. Me looked everywhere for anything resembling a parrot that I could put on my shoulder. Alas, none be found. Then, I came across a small brightly colored stuffed animal that at quick glance could be mistaken for a parrot, so I duct-taped the dog to me shoulder.

About that time, Lori called. She had some stuff to pick up at Wal-Mart. I told her it was going to be a pirate day and she was all-in. She got excited and said she would find us some pirate stuff.

Around Halloween, this would be an easy task, but alas, the first week in May could be a challenge. I suggested a triangle hat--fat chance, a handkerchief or a dew rag from the notions department, big hoop earrings from jewelry, an eye patch from the pharmacy, a length of rope to make belts from the... rope department??? and anything else she could find.

The lass did a great fine job, she did. Aye, she found a pair of hoop earrings--one for each of us--and a couple of pirate dew rags. Me found some left-over Halloween tattoo sleeves--one set for ladies and one for gentlemen. Me put on me gold Super Bowl ring, turned a black piece of foam into an eye patch, and me likes me colorful li'l dog on me shoulder. Arrrr!

Me matey, Chad, come to me home port to sail away to the theater unprepared. A travelin' day it be for him and he didn't get the bottle message depictin' the theme of the day.

Alas, me matey could not go to Hillsdale port dressed like royalty, so we buccaneered him up just a wee bit with a head rag. Arrrrr! The day 'tis ripe for the takin'.

Shiver me timbers, being lured to an X-Men movie in pirate garb made no sense at all. Me be sure ye deemed we be scallywags when we breached the theater. Doubloons and pieces of eight were divvied up to enter and purchase a treasure trove of pale grog an' corn an' sweets. Alas, the proprietor asked what size me wanted an' of course me answered, "larrrrrrge!"

Yarrrr! The rest of me hearties dropped anchor with e'er a lusty wench, too. Ye "Wolverine" movin' picture show bewitched me lady into thinking she be part of the mutant X-Men. She disappeared for a wee moment, then lo, she smartly reappeared, with claws comin' out of her fists and daggers in her eyes! Aye, me thinks me buxom beauty be joinin' the ranks of ye buccaneers.

Yo ho ho, what a jolly fine treasure the movin' picture show be. Ye "Wolverine" be a fine buccaneer to plunder with ye gentlemen of fortune. It cost me an' the crew some fine doubloons, but me be grandly obliged to spend me booty with me hearties and ye lasses.

Ye treasure was in the spirit of the day and spendin' it with some true fine seadogs. Arrrrrrrrr!

Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"

Movie Review - X-Men Origins: Wolverine

We went to the movies today to check out the new "Wolverine" movie with Hugh Jackman. I am not a big comic book fan, but I love comic book characters. I appreciate the personal escape that happens when viewing superhero characters and the situations they are thrown into where their morality and pragmatism is challenged. In this decade, the people at Marvel Comics have gone to great lengths to create superior movies with interesting believable characters. I had hoped that "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" would not disappoint.

The story is about a mutant human who discovers at a young age that he has animal-like powers. Cat-like moves and retractable claws are used to his advantage. He spends his life fighting and ends up in a government covert operations squad doing special projects until he realizes that he's being used. Then it's time to get even.

A well told story with very good situations, acting, and action. My comic book friends were disappointed that it did not follow the original story of Wolverine. I didn't read the comic, so I was able to enjoy the movie as a single independent work. I was entertained for almost 2 hours with a very believable story and the lead-in to what is sure to become one of many mutant stories about the multitude of X-Men characters.

It was a fun movie that we will recommend to our guests at the Munro House B&B in Jonesville, Michigan. Five out of five stars. I loved it, and my wife did, too.

Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"