Jonesville MI Haunted House

The best haunted house in Southern Michigan is open Friday and Saturday nights from dusk until past midnight through Halloween. Darksyde Acres has a Jonesville address but is located 10 minutes away in Mosherville, MI. $20 admission allows visitors to walk through three haunted buildings to be entertained by professional actors who will sneak up behind you, suddenly appear around corners, and will literally come out of the woodwork.

The mazes, make-up, and mayhem along with well-done backdrops, gift shop, bonfire, refreshment stand, and paintball gallery combine for top-notch entertainment on weekend nights in Jonesville, MI. Yes, the Zombie Paintball Arcade allows the opportunity to shoot a creature with a paintball gun.

The extra large waiting area is indoors, so the weather does not matter. Head out for a good scare at a reasonable price. A highlight of the Halloween Season in South Central Michigan.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Hillsdale County Fair

The Hillsdale County Fair is billed as "the most popular fair on Earth".  It is definitely a must-see event during the last week of September. The food draws many fans. From hot dogs and corn dogs to elephant ears and caramel apples, everybody has a favorite. We go there for the Fiske Fries. They are greasy and good.

When the weather is nice, the midway is packed with gamers and riders. The buildings are always well-attended, whether they are occupied by merchants, prize-winners, or animals. The grandstands bring in hundreds of fans to watch live entertainment including professional wrestling, horse pulls, demolition derbies, and the Saturday night headliner--this year it's country-western star Josh Turner.

Come for the food, come for the animals, or come for the entertainment. This fair is made popular by the residents of Hillsdale County who gather here year after year for a fun time with friends and family.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Wedding Cake Decorator in Hillsdale MI

Hosting another Thousand Dollar Wedding tomorrow. Picked up the cake today. We have a great local baker and decorator. The bride is happy.

Quote of the day "I can't wait to marry this man."

 

 

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

MI B&B Murder Mystery Dinner Party

The first Murder Mystery Dinner of the fall at the Munro House B&B in Jonesville is history. But there are 3 more murder mysteries scheduled in November plus the traditional New Years Eve Murder Mystery at the Munro House.

The event starts with the assignment of characters and dressing for the role. The costume consists of a funky hat and an accessory from our costume closet to define each person's identity. Our hostess assigns roles based on personality and extrovertedness. The game is played while a 5 course meal is served. The guilty party is divulged over dessert. The event generally takes about 3 hours.

A selection of Michigan wines is served with dinner. Our favorites are from the St Julian Winery.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Al Fresco Dining at Cafe Azzurri in Hillsdale MI

We love riding our motorcycle on pleasant evenings like the one we had yesterday. Daytime temperatures in the mid 70's with the local time and temperature at the bank showing 66 degrees when we got home. It was a perfect evening for dining outdoors on Lake Baw Beese in Hillsdale. The Cafe Azzurri in Hillsdale is on the grounds of the Hillsdale Country Club and is open to the public. This fine dining restaurant was our choice on this night.

We both chose the catch-of-the-day flounder special. Lori opted for battered and fried while I preferred breaded and baked. A bonus to any meal at this fine dining restaurant is the big salad that comes with each entree. We shared a tossed bowl of lettuce filled with fresh tomatoes, sweet peppers, and croutons. A small loaf of fresh baked bread is served with sweet honey butter. The portions are generous and reasonably priced.

Our dining experience lasted past dusk and into the evening. We rode our Goldwing back home to complete a perfect end-of-Summer celebration before we retired to the quiet comfort of our Munro House Bed and Breakfast less than 15 minutes away.

Mike Venturini

Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Free B&B Lodging Offer from Stash Tea

The Stash Tea Company prints a Buy One Get One Free Bed and Breakfast Guide that contains a BOGO offer that is good at numerous B&Bs across the country. Details to obtain the guide are available online. The Munro House in Jonesville is one of many participating bed and breakfasts in Michigan.

There is always a nice variety of Stash Teas available to guests at the Munro House B&B in Jonesville. I have a weakness for the Moroccan Mint Tea, while my massuese highly recommends green teas for health and wellness.We usually stock 10 or more teas from the classic Earl Gray to fruit flavors and exotic chai variations and infusions. We prefer the pre-packaged tea bags while loose teas, specialties, and gifts are also available online. I have a weakness for the Moroccan Mint Tea, while my masseuse highly recommends green teas for health and wellness.

The Stash Tea Company is an online seller of natural, herbal, and caffeine-free teas. Many people have found that tea has a calming effect that helps them relax. Essential oils produce the aroma of the tea, caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, and polyphenols (not tannins) account for the much-publicized antioxidant and anti-disease properties. 

Mike Venturini

Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Kalamazoo House Bed and Breakfast in Kalamazoo Michigan

We attended a business meeting at a Bed and Breakfast in Kalamazoo Michigan. This location was chosen because of its central location to the attendees. The Kalamazoo House is located downtown next to the art museum and had plenty of room for our group. Eight of us overnighted--some with our spouses--and enjoyed the hospitality of the innkeepers, Terry and Laurel.

Our half-day onsite meeting was followed by a meet-and-greet party attended by an additional twenty or so people. There was plenty of room for us to mingle while enjoying pizza and wine. We retired to our spacious rooms where I stayed up late watching Monday Night Football in my room on a flat screen TV while playing Words with Friends and checking my email via free wireless Internet. We slept under luxurious sheets on comfortable mattresses.

Breakfast was chosen from a menu left out the night before. I picked Terry's Southern Comfort egg dish that included hash browns, scrambled eggs, veggies, sausage, bacon, and cheese in a ramekin with home made jam and toast on the side. Fresh cut fruit was served up front with coffee and a variety of juices. We prepared ourselves for the remaining half-day of meetings and left with a very pleasant memory of our hosts, the meeting place, and their great old house.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Michigan Fall Colors Getaway

The Munro House in Jonesville celebrates Autumn with a Fall Colors Getaway Package. The package includes 2 dinners, 2 massages, and 2 nights bed and breakfast and is available through mid November. The massages are done onsite and the dinners are an easy 2 block walk to our favorite restaurants in Jonesville--Saucy Dogs Barbeque and Olivia's Chop House.

Fall colors in Southern Michigan usually begin to turn in early September and are complete in mid November. Typically, Fall Colors are at their peak sometime in October. Everything is dependent on Mother Nature. Colors begin to change rapidly after the first frost and are sped along by continued frosts, rain, and high winds. Plan ahead for particular weekends or come on short notice during the week.

The package is available every day of the week. The massages are done after the first breakfast to allow time for the day to warm up for an afternoon of cruising the backroads of Hillsdale County and the lake areas among the Irish Hills. Any day with sunshine is a good day to be out enjoying the changing colors of the leaves, the harvested fields, and the reflections of waterways. Bikers welcome.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

12 Angry Jurors at Sauk Theater in Jonesville

"Twelve Angry Jurors" is live on stage at the Sauk Theater in Jonesville, MI through October 24. It is the stage version of the classic movie "12 Angry Men" that was popular in the 1950's. Twelve diverse characters are on stage for almost the entire production deliberating a murder case. They interact with each other asthe open-and-shut case is questioned by one juror who confronts the other jurors on the validity of the facts of the case that might create reasonable doubt."

Two more shows on September 23 & 24 at 8 p.m. plus a bonus matinee on Saturday at 2:00. The Sauk is a 250 seat theater in downtown Jonesville celebrating its 50 anniversary.

Mike Venturini

Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Another Thousand Dollar Wedding

Mike & Kris got married at my house today. I performed the ceremony in the parlor of the Munro House. A simple yet elegant ceremony with just a few witnesses was done in the mid afternoon inside the oldest house in Hillsdale County. The couple worked out a deal with the Grosvenor Museum across the street to have additional photographs taken inside another beautiful mansion in downtown Jonesville. The event concluded with the cutting of the cake and a champagne toast. An affordable wedding is always an option on any day of the week at the Munro House in Jonesville.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Home School Tour Underground Railroad Site

2 families of home schooled children made an appointment to tour my house today. The youngsters seemed fascinated with my stories of early Michigan history, progress in Jonesville, the tale of the Privy Digger, and my tour of the oldest house in Hillsdale County. The Munro House has a connection to the Underground Railroad. The kids enjoyed a walk through the tunnel that slaves may have used on their trip to freedom and a description with photos of our Secret Room in which runaway slaves had allegedly spent time on their way to freedom in Canada. I give a 45-60 minute tour for a nominal fee that children and adults seem to enjoy.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Ozzie, the Scottish Terrier Host

Guests often leave gifts and occasionally send gifts after having a good experience at the Munro House. Franny and her family left our house and saw a chocolate Scottie Dog at a gift shop. They immediately thought of the youngest member of our family and official four-legged host, Ozzie. They mailed the chocolate figure to us and we are deciding on when to eat it. It will not last forever in our collection of Scottish Terrier figurines, so it will be consumed soon.

Thanks Franny!

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Special Talk Like a Pirate Promotion

Avast, me hearties! Talk like a Pirate when ye claim yer room and drop yer anchor with us fer the days of September 16 and 17. We'll send ye a car-r-r-rd to get yer dinner for 2 at ye Saucy Dog's Bar-r-r-rbeque on Friday and dinner for 2 at Olivia's Chop House on Saturday at no extra char-r-r-r-r-rge. Wear yer eye patches, dew rags, and hooped earrings to look the part, as I'll be havin' a rip roarin' good time with me buxom beauty on the morn o' check-out.  For we be celebratin' early the annual September 19 International Talk Like a Pirate Day.  Acquire me treasure on any room priced at $149 and up. Limit 2 land lubbers per room.

Ye can make yer reservation online, but to get the dinners, ye must call me directly at 1-800-320-3792 and make sure ye talk like a pirate to get yer dinner car-r-r-rds.  A few day's notice is required. Can't be combined with any other booty or treasure. We'll swab the poop deck with all ye mutinous dogs who try. Ar-r-r-r-rr!

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Beach Bar Restaurant Clark Lake MI

We took a ride on the Goldwing to the Beach Bar on Clark Lake near Jackson, Michigan. Some friends told us to check it out on several occasions but we never got around to it, until recently. It's about a half hour drive from our house and is located on a beautiful lake. The parking lot was full--that's always a good sign. We went inside and found adults and children dressed very casually in shorts and beach wear.

The menu took me by surprise as they promote everything to be fresh. They prepare nothing that is frozen or fried. On this night there would be no cheeseburger and fries for us. We found that their Tomato Soup is a signature item, so we ordered a cup. Seafood Bisque was the night's special, so we had a cup of that, too. The soup was very good, but the bisque was spectacular.

Lori ordered the Reuben while I had a Chicago Dog. We shared them both and found that the dog was good, but the sandwich was excellent. In addition to the deli style foods, there was also pizza on the menu. The majority of patrons had ordered pizza, so next time, pizza will be our choice. The Beach Bar is open every day in the Summer but is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays in the off season.  It is worth the half hour drive from Jonesville to enjoy a good meal in a remote location at a reasonable price.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Quilting Retreat in Hillsdale

Another quilting project is near completion. Lori Venturini enjoys patronizing Trevathan's Sweep and Sew Shoppe in Hillsdale MI, because they host quarterly "12 hour sews". About 20 quilters get together and commandeer Trevathan's classroom in downtown Hillsdale on a Saturday. The pattern is a mystery and the colors are drawn from a hat. A motivated quilter can complete the project in 6-8 hours, while novice quilters could take 10 hours or more to sew all the pieces together.

After the completion of the pattern, Lori chooses to send her project out for the final work of inserting a fill, attaching a backing, and sewing the quilted pattern. A special sewing machine with a long arm makes the completion of the project easy. To do the same work on a standard short arm sewing machine takes significant additional time. It is worth her while to have a local quilter with the right machine do the job quickly and efficiently.

Quilters of all ages and both genders enjoy each other's company while using their own machines in the classroom setting.  Instructors with helpful hints are available to assist in doing the project correctly. Some quilters bring in their vintage Singer Sewing Machines, while others have the newer Janome brand, and others have the top of the line Berninas. This event is also known as the "Almost All Nighter" and is a regular event at Trevathan's. We are fast approaching our goal of creating 8 quilts for Christmas presents this year. Family Facebook friends know what they are getting, but don't know which one.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Olivia's Chop House Jonesville MI Restaurant

It is wonderful to have a great restaurant just 2 blocks from our house. Olivia's Chop House is an easy walk from the Munro House B&B in downtown Jonesville. They offer steaks, seafood, and pasta in an upscale casual restaurant. Basically, we send all of our guests there. Partly for convenience, but mostly because the food is consistently very good, the service is consistently very good, and we think Jonesville is a gem in Southern Michigan so we try to keep people here. The bottom line, is that we like doing business with people who are good at what they do.

Olivia's currently is promoting Ribfest. We chose ribs/shrimp and ribs/steak on this night. The half rack of ribs was a very generous portion of tender meat that was easily removed from the bone, the shrimp were skewered and broiled, and the steak was just right. The sides of baked potato and green beans were plentiful and prepared just right. We always have a good experience at Olivia's Chop House.

The grill shuts down most nights by 10:00 p.m. On Friday nights, they offer dancing from 11:00-2:00 a.m. A live band or a DJ will provide music. Their catch phrase is "We can't dance either". It has provided something to do for local folks in a classy environment.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Hillsdale Kiwanis Flag Program

The Hillsdale Kiwanis Club has organized a flag program that provides an American flag for participating homes or businesses throughout Hillsdale County. A crew of Kiwanians visit participants before patriotic holidays and put a flag on the property during the days preceding the holiday and then collect them a few days after the holiday and store them until the next event. A nominal annual fee covers the delivery, removal, and storage of the flag on an annual basis.

I decided to purchase 2 flags. The Kiwanis volunteers came in on the Thursday before Labor Day to install ground sleeves that support the flags in my yard. These sleeves are installed below the grass line so when the lawn gets mowed, there is no danger of clipping the sleeve or dulling the blades. They told us they would come back to collect them after 9-11 and reinstall them in time for Veterans Day on 11-11-11. It is an opportunity to be patriotic, support this local service organization, and to beautify the county.

The current annual plan costs only $30. The flags are delivered for Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day and Veterans Day and are stored in-between these holidays. Downtown businesses without a yard can participate, too, by ordering a flag with a weighted donut to give support on the sidewalk.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast