We are very excited to share the news of the brand new Pure Michigan Living with you.  Our good friend and colleague, Joe Borgstrom, explains what the movement is about, and how you can help promote Michigan as not just a travel destination, but as a place to call home.

For the last few years, we here in Michigan have been given goose bumps listening to Tim Allen’s voiceovers of breathtaking images depicting our state in the fantastic “Pure Michigan” commercials. These commercials went national last year and introduced many people across the country to our great state. My friends and family who’ve never experienced Michigan all asked me the same question: “Does it really look like that?” The answer resoundingly is YES!

This campaign has done so much to elevate not only Michigan in the minds of travelers, but has given our residents a much needed ego boost in the midst of the constant onslaught of bad news. We at the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) wondered if there was a way to take that pride and use it to promote our state as a place not just to bring your business or your family on vacation, but as a place to live?  Thankfully, our partners at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Travel Michigan felt the same.

Today, we proudly launch PureMichiganLiving.com, dedicated to covering good news and quality of life stories about our great state. As a part of our launch, we are asking residents of Michigan to share their stories of why they choose to live in Michigan. This “Choose Michigan” campaign seeks to collect 1,000 stories over the next week. Two lucky submissions will be randomly selected and awarded one of two great Michigan getaways donated by Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa of Thompsonville and the Westin Book Cadillac of Detroit.

We hope you share your story of why you Choose Michigan as the place for you to live your life!

Follow Pure Michigan Living on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook to show your support and share your stories with them.  And be sure to leave a comment below to let us know what you think of this new movement!

We hope you are as excited as we are to see Pure Michigan Living take off.  If you are a Michigan resident, please consider submitting your story, and let people know why you have chosen to stay here.

Joe Borgstrom is the Director of Specialized Technical Assistance & Revitalization Strategy for the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Joe oversees the Michigan Main Street Center @ MSHDA as well as the new Pure Michigan Living program. He lives in East Lansing with his wife Kirsten and two kids, Kate and Jack.

From George Zimmermann’s resolution to attend Elvisfest and Dave Lorenz’s goal of going ice climbing, to Kirsten Borgstrom’s promise to try dog sledding in 2010, our team is resolved to travel the state in 2010 and take in as much Pure Michigan as they can.  Today, we’re introducing you to Maria Wygnal, and sharing her goals for 2010.

Maria is a travel marketing specialist with Travel Michigan/Michigan Economic Development Corp.  She grew up in the greater Lansing area and currently lives in East Lansing.  Her interests include travel, social media, graphic design and photography.  She’s also the voice of the Pure Michigan Twitter account, and you can see her out and about at many Pure Michigan events.  Here’s what she had to say when we asked her what her Pure Michigan resolutions were for 2010:

My personal list includes some of the typical blah resolutions, but when it comes to places I want to visit and things I want to do in Michigan… my aspirations are much more exciting! While growing up, my parents took my brother and I on many camping trips in Michigan and, during high school and college, I’ve enjoyed many other trips around the state with friends and family. I always thought I pretty much knew what Michigan had to offer. Over the past nine months, I’ve come to realize I was wrong. Since part of my job at Travel Michigan is creating and editing content for michigan.org and our social media channels, I’ve learned a lot about some of the destinations I’ve been missing:

Maria hanging out near the campfire at Tahquamenon Falls State Park with Lux

• Explore new wilderness in the Upper Peninsula – Last year, I spent my Fourth of July weekend camping at Tahquamenon Falls State Park. This year I’d like to experience one of the U.P. treasures I’ve been wanting to visit ever since I heard about it… Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Ontonagon. As Michigan’s largest state park and only state designated wilderness, the “Porkies” has 60,000 acres to explore and contains the largest tract of old-growth forest in the Midwest. The idea of camping, hiking, canoeing, seeing waterfalls, secluded lakes and towering trees, and having the chance to photograph it all is #1 on my list!
• Visit Michigan’s largest spring – Another U.P. treasure… 200 feet across and 40 feet deep, an amazing 10,000 gallons a minute gush from the fissures of Kitch-iti-kipi (also known as “Big Springs”) at Palms Book State Park in Thompson. An observation raft allows you to view the fascinating underwater features of the crystal clear waters below. My mom said we went there during a family camping trip when I was young, but I don’t remember it. The photos I’ve seen have convinced me it’s worth going back.
• Discover Michigan shipwrecks – From what I hear, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena is a great place to do just that.  And, since scuba diving is on my list of things to learn this year, I’m hoping to see some wrecks on the bottom of Lake Huron! While in the U.P., I hope to check out the Glass Bottom Shipwreck Tour in Munising for the first time as well.
• Visit Hitsville USA (the original home of Motown Records) –Visiting downtown Detroit is always a treat for me because I enjoy the chance to look at amazing historic buildings. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have a favorite old building that I always look for when I’m downtown for a Tigers game. Detroit is rich with history and culture… and one of its most popular tourist destinations is the Motown Historical Museum. It’s hard to believe I’ve never been, so hopefully I’ll get a chance to make it there on one of my trips to the D this year.
• Go downhill skiing – I always get slack for this one since I grew up in Michigan, but I have never been skiing… never. In eighth grade, my class was supposed to take a group trip to one of the ski areas and, for some reason that I no longer recall, the trip was cancelled. My skiing opportunities have been downhill (haha) ever since. Things are looking better for 2010 (thanks to a pretty nifty job). Watch out for me on the slopes!

Have you done any of the things on Maria’s list?  If so, and you have tips or advice to share with her, leave her a comment and let her know.

We hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know some of our talented team here at Pure Michigan.  If you see them out at an event, feel free to stop them and say hello.  And remember, we would love to hear your Pure Michigan New Year’s resolutions – you can share them with us on our Facebook Fan Page, Twitter (using the hashtag #MIspy), or by leaving a comment below.

So far, we’ve shared the Pure Michigan Resolutions for George Zimmermann and Dave Lorenz.  Next up is Kirsten Borgstrom – and she has some great stuff planned for this year!

Kirsten is the media relations manager for Travel Michigan/MEDC. She grew up in Ludington, and currently lives in East Lansing with her husband Joe and kids Kate (5) and Jack (1). When she’s not hard at work (which is very rarely!), her interests include travel, cooking and chasing two kids.  This year, she wants to:

Kirsten, with her husband Joe

• Take more culinary classes, especially those focusing on cooking with Michigan products including morel mushroom, fresh Michigan peaches and blueberries.
• Learn to dog sled. I love being outside during the winter. As a family we go snowshoeing and cross country skiing. This winter we need to turn it up a notch and try our hand at dog sledding.
• Go on a Michigan beer tour. I’ve been on many of the wine tours in the Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas, this year I’m changing it up and going on a beer tour.
• Put my feet in 3 of the Great Lakes, in one day! This summer the family and I are heading to the Upper Peninsula where we can put our feet in the water (or swim) in Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and Lake Superior all in the same day.
• Take in a movie at the Capri Drive-In, one of Michigan’s drive-ins and a top-10 American Drive In.

If you tips or advice for Kirsten on any of her resolutions, please leave a comment and let her know!  And remember, we would love to hear your Pure Michigan New Year’s resolutions – you can share them with us on our Facebook Fan Page, Twitter (using the hashtag #MIspy), or by leaving a comment below.

Yesterday, we shared our Vice President, George Zimmermann’s 2010 Pure Michigan Resolutions.  Today, Dave Lorenz is sharing his Pure Michigan goals for 2010.

Dave is the manager of Public & Industry Relations for Travel Michigan/Michigan Economic Development Corp. He grew up in Cloverville (yes, the one near Fruitport and Nunica) and currently resides in Norton Shores. His interests include travel, running and trying to be a good husband and father.  Here are his resolutions:

Dave Lorenz

• I’m hoping to try my hand, or hands and feet, at Ice Climbing in the Marquette/Munising area. I learned the basics of climbing last winter on a waterfall at the base of Hogback Mountain (great name, huh?) in Marquette. I’m hoping to climb more than 30-feet this year.
• Run at least two Michigan marathons this year. I had a rotten running year in ‘09 - the result of an injured knee and a busy schedule – but I’m hopeful that I will run Traverse City’s Bay Shore Marathon in May after a warm-up in Grand Rapids at the Fifth-Third Riverbank race. In the fall I hope to either run Detroit or Grand Rapids marathons. I have run both in the past and they are both GREAT!
• Get back to Isle Royale National Park, to hike and kayak among the moose and wolves. I’ve hosted travel writers there before but there is so much more to explore.
• I love Detroit! My wife and I are planning to show off the city to a group of friends this spring. You can feel the rhythm of the city over a weekend but I’m hoping to spend more than a few days enjoying the sights and sounds of a great American city.
• We live near the Lake Michigan shoreline and we have gotten out of the habit of taking those occasional weeknight walks along the beach. There is nothing like a twilight stroll as the waves are softly caressing the shoreline (OK…a bit much maybe, but true) and we have so many public access spots, including Muskegon’s Pere Marquette park, and our many state parks like PJ Hoffmaster State park .

If you’ve already done any of the things on Dave’s list, and have some tips or advice for him, leave a comment and let him know.  We’ll be following up with him throughout the year to see how he’s doing on his resolutions. 

We would love to hear your Pure Michigan New Year’s resolutions – you can share them with us on our Facebook Fan Page, Twitter (using the hashtag #MIspy), or by leaving a comment below.

For our team, traveling in Michigan isn’t just a job, it’s a passion.  This week, we want to introduce you to four of our team members – the ones you are most likely to see in the news and out at events.  And since it’s a new year, and time for new resolutions, it seemed only appropriate to find out what Pure Michigan things they have resolved to try in 2010. 

First up is George Zimmermann.  George is the vice president for Travel Michigan at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. He live in Okemos with his wife, Carol, and Boots, the family dog.  When he’s not working, George enjoys sailing and classic cars.  Here are his 2010 Pure Michigan Resolutions: 

George and Boots

•  Attend the Michigan Elvisfest in Ypsilanti, an event that’s been on my list for years, but I have yet to experience.
• Kayak at least one new river or stream in Michigan.
• Get to the 2^nd ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, after their phenomenal launch in 2009 (which I didn’t get to).
• Take another of the guided walking tours of downtown Detroit with the women from Inside Detroit, who know the city – its history and current happenings – better than anyone I’ve met.
• Improve my cross-country and downhill skiing (and by improve, I mean learn how to!).

If you’ve already done any of the things on George’s list, and have some tips or advice for him, leave a comment and let him know.  We’ll be following up with him throughout the year to see how he’s doing on his resolutions. 

We would love to hear your Pure Michigan New Year’s resolutions – you can share them with us on our Facebook Fan Page, Twitter (using the hashtag #MIspy), or by leaving a comment below.

It’s been quite a year for Pure Michigan, and none of it would have been possible without you.  So, to celebrate, we thought we would do an expanded edition of our MIspy roundup.  MIspy will continue in the new year, so remember to keep sharing your pictures, videos, memories, observations, and recipes on our Facebook Fan Page or on Twitter, with the hashtag #MIspy.  Along with MIspy, we have something new and fun that will start in January, so stay tuned…

We want to say thank you to all the MIspy contributors, our guest bloggers, our readers, our Facebook fans, our Twitter followers, and to everyone who has done so much to make Pure Michigan successful.  We hope that you continue to share your Pure Michigan thoughts, stories, pictures and videos with us, and that 2010 brings each of you peace, health, happiness and success.

Our creative Facebook Fans have shared so much with us over the last few months – so much that we couldn’t add them all here.  Thanks to Sharolyn Macomber Metternich, Karl Wertanen, Chris Vernon, Kim Alexander Crudo , Cindy A Ratowski, Thomas Berriman, Matthew Raysok, Allister Reynolds, Ron Frasure, Lydia Robinson, Robert Wilson, Nate Jorgensen, and Michael Rehling for sharing the pictures in this slideshow!

Be sure to check out the Fan Photo Album on our page for even more amazing shots! (hint – clicking on the pictures will take you to Flickr, where you can see a larger image, and the name and description)

It wasn’t just photos that they shared – they had plenty to say too!

Chris Hammond I’m a brit that has been taking my vacations with family in Michigan for the last 2 years now cant think of anywhere else I’d rather go… I do love your state

Christopher Charles Bley i dont live or work in the Mitten right now but Michigan is my Home and it is the greatest most beautiful state in the nation If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you man!

Robin Schmidt I grew up in Muskegon, Michigan and although I’ve been gone for more than 20 years I still miss that beautiful state! I’m so glad I saw this site. It has been wonderful to see some of the pictures posted on here.

John King Can’t beat the fall season in Michigan, So colorful, so beautiful, love taking rides up & around the lakes, back roads, it helps clear the mind.

Becky Davis Michiganders know how to have fun w/winter.

Tam Hamilton Andersson my favorite part of Michigan are all the beautiful lighthouses.

John W. Holmes …and the album of photos here depict the majesty of Michigan!

Jackie DiGiovanni There is always something new to love about Michigan.

Our Twitter followers have also been great at sharing pictures, comments, memories, and advice.  Thanks @leftandright, @_StephanieYoung, @ChiSteven, @rochelleyerrick, @TimChilcote, @ewygnal, @thereason, @mwygnal, @michaelzukewich, and @c2cmom for sharing your pictures!

@MiSkiReport: @PureMichigan Lets keep things moving in a positive direction! 2010 is the comeback year!

@KrisSlager: @PureMichigan I resolve to go out & enjoy MUCH more of our beautiful Michigan!

@stinsonc: skiing, sledding, family joy and fun in america’s winter wonderland @PureMichigan

@chrisayar: Note to self – buy the really big size of maple syrup next time I go to Rock River Farm in AuTrain. It’s delish and is #puremichigan. #MIspy

The torch will be soon be lit for the XXI Olympic Winter Games. Travel Michigan is looking for information about Winter Olympians who have Pure Michigan roots or have trained on our slopes, ice, luge and terrain parks. 

Michigan has played a significant role in training Olympian athletes. The Olympic Education Center on the campus of Northern Michigan University is one four Olympic training centers in the country. Snowboarding was invented in Michigan and added as an Olympic event in 1998. Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is home to one of the first alpine ski areas in the Midwest as well as some of the most scenic Nordic ski trails in the entire Great Lakes region. The Otsego Ski Club has the largest pipe east of the Rockies, similar to the one Olympian snowboarders will perform on in Vancouver.

 If you are a former or current Pure Michigan Winter Olympian or know of someone who is, please let us know.  You can leave a comment below, or use our comment form to send us an email.

Thanks to Bonnie Palmer for submitting this great recipe for her favorite apple crumb pie.  Check out our recipes post to learn how to submit your own!

 Ingredients:

• Deep pie crust
• 1 C sugar
• 4 Tbsp. (or to taste) cinnamon
• ¾ C flour
• 1 stick butter 

For each pie:

One bag of granny smith apples – slice thin and fill pie so apples are piled very high (these will bake down)

Mix the cinnamon and ½ c. of the sugar together and pour evenly over the top of the apples.

Topping (per pie):

Mix the flour, the butter, and the remaining ½ c. of sugar with a pastry mixer or fork and spread and pat evenly over pie 

Line cookie sheets with aluminum foil in case pies overflow.

Cook for 40 minutes at 400 degrees.

Bonnie Palmer is a creative developer for Fluency Media, and a lifelong Michigander.  She currently lives in White Lake with her 4 dogs: Murphy, Myles, Cooper (pictured), Elley.  You can leave a comment below for Bonnie, and let her know what you thought of her pie.

We at Pure Michigan have so much to be thankful for this year, and we wanted to make sure that everyone knows it.  In an effort to show our appreciation for all of you that have given so much to us this year, we sat down with our Vice President, George Zimmermann, and asked him a few questions.

Fall colors reflection from the river. Taken at Bonanza Falls just on the eastern side of The Porkies.

Michigan has had a tough year, but the Pure Michigan campaign has been a bright star in all of the darkness.  What has made it so successful?

Pure Michigan works because it has the attributes of every successful brand – it’s authentic and it’s compelling.   Those of us who know Michigan as a destination – from iconic attractions such as Hitsville and The Henry Ford to our stunning landscapes and waterways – relate to the emotional appeal of the Pure Michigan campaign because we know it to be true.  That is what McCann Erickson, our advertising agency which created Pure Michigan, did so brilliantly.  They captured the magic and majesty of Michigan and its travel experiences and presented them in a way that consumers relate to and connect with at a deep level.

And for Michiganders and all with affection for the state, I think the fact that the state is going through a tough time makes the allure of Pure Michigan even stronger.   We have received countless emails from Michigan residents thanking us for the campaign, often with a message like:  “thank you for reminding me why we love Michigan so much, and why we hang in here even during difficult times.”  Receiving such emails is an added bonus for us at Travel Michigan, knowing our work is having such an impact on Michigan residents at a time when we all need a boost.

What has the explosion in fan support meant to Pure Michigan this year?

The very positive consumer reaction to the Pure Michigan social media network we launched this year is, to me, another example of how Pure Michigan connects with consumers.   I often point out in speeches that our Facebook fans are not signing up to be fans of Travel Michigan, our organization.   They are signing up to be fans of Pure Michigan, and everything Pure Michigan means to them.  And the outpouring of travel suggestions, photos, videos and recommendations from consumers across all of our social media channels is both impressive and gratifying.

Besides your internal team, who else deserves credit for the success of the campaign?

An evening swim at Wampler's Lake in the Irish Hills of Michigan.

We are blessed to have great Michigan business partners which all are contributing to the growth and expansion of Pure Michigan.   Of course the Birmingham, Michigan office of McCann Erickson is at the top of the list, for their work in creating the brand and executing it in award-winning television and radio commercials, print ads and bus wraps, you name it!  But there are a host of others just as important to the effort.  Fluency Media in Ann Arbor is promoting Pure Michigan via search engine optimization, pay per click ad campaigns, email campaigns and a number of our social media channels.   Sojourn Communications, our public relations team, is spreading the gospel of Pure Michigan via a wide variety of media outlets, in-state, regionally, nationally and internationally.    Gammet Interactive helps us organize online e-specials, while Fusion Media is focused specifically on the promotion of golf.

We meet monthly as a group with this creative team of people, to review past results, plan future initiatives and brainstorm new opportunities for Pure Michigan.   These are fun and productive sessions, where new ideas are explored, debated and decided.

Speaking of the Travel Michigan staff…

When I was hired as the Vice President for Travel Michigan at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation in 2001, the Lansing staff of Travel Michigan numbered 26, plus our Welcome Center staff around the state at the 14 Michigan Welcome Centers we manage.  Today, after retirements and budget reductions, the Lansing staff is 13 very busy people.   So, although we are a smaller team than we were eight years ago, these are the people who are making Pure Michigan shine.

What do you see as the future for Michigan, and what role do you think Pure Michigan will play in it?

As we all know, Michigan is at a crossroads.  And as the public and private sectors work diligently to diversify the state’s economy, we believe that tourism and Pure Michigan stand ready to play a significant role in that diversification.  In 2009, we ran the first-ever national promotion of Michigan in the form of a $10 million cable television advertising campaign.  We know for tens of millions of Americans – in the East, West and South, who have never lived in the Great Lakes region, this was their first exposure to how great a destination Michigan is for visitors and vacations.  Those of us who live here or in the region probably know well the national-quality tourism product we have on our two great peninsulas.  But for millions of people outside our region, before this year’s national Pure Michigan campaign, there only image of Michigan might well be based on negative news coverage of the auto industry.  Obviously this is not the kind of media coverage which is likely to result in interest in vacationing here.

Those of us who know Michigan know we are, in fact, one of the best places in America for a summer vacation.  Our combination of vibrant cities, crystal-clear lakes and streams, majestic woods, outstanding golf and outdoor recreation, the ultimate Great Lakes sightseeing experience and moderate summer temperatures give us huge upside potential to attract new visitors, especially those tens of millions of Americans who live south of us and bake and swelter all summer long.

Ludington lighthouse in winter

For these reasons, if the Pure Michigan national advertising effort is funded for 2010 and beyond, we believe the result will be millions of new visitors to Michigan from all of the U.S., visitors who will spend billions of dollars at Michigan businesses, spending which will create tens of thousands of jobs statewide and provide a needed boost in state tax revenues.  The advertising return on investment studies we have commissioned every year since 2004 have proven year after year that Pure Michigan advertising pays for itself and more.   In fact, from 2004 to 2008, for each dollar we spent on out-of-state Pure Michigan advertising, the advertising stimulated enough new travel to Michigan to create $40 of visitor spending at Michigan businesses and put $2.86 back in the state treasury in new incremental taxes paid by those out-of-state visitors.

Pure Michigan is at a tipping point.  There is a proposal before the legislature which will provide a permanent funding stream for Pure Michigan, to maintain the national advertising campaign in 2010 and beyond.  Passage of this proposal will dramatically increase the number of out-of-state visitors who come to Michigan.  It will mean increased revenues for Michigan businesses, more jobs in every county of the state and more income for the state treasury.  And Michigan will finally be recognized for what it is:  one of America’s top vacation destinations.

Overall, if you had to pick the 5 things that Pure Michigan is most thankful for this year, what would they be?

Pere Marqette Lighthouse

We are thankful:

5.  That the beautiful music from the film “The Cider House Rules”  works so well in our Pure Michigan radio and television commercials.

4.  That Tim Allen is the voice of Pure Michigan commercials.

3.  That the creative team of our Travel Michigan staff and our agency partners constantly find new ways to advance the cause of Pure Michigan.

2.  That we had the funding in 2009 to promote Pure Michigan nationally for the first time ever, with a $10 million national cable television buy which resulted in 7,900 Pure Michigan commercials airing nationally, commercials which were seen by an estimated 60 million Americans from coast to coast.

1.  That the “product” we market via Pure Michigan is one we love, Michigan.

The whole team at Pure Michigan would like to thank all of you for your loyalty and support.  We are truly grateful for all of you, and wish everyone a safe and very happy Thanksgiving!

Just in time for Thanksgiving, here’s a great stuffing recipe from historic Cherry Creek Winery’s own Chef Marian.  For more info on recipes and wine pairings, check out Cherry Creek Winery’s website.

We’d love to hear your favorite recipes – to learn how to submit your own recipe to us, check out our Pure Michigan Recipes post.

Will stuff 18 Chicken breasts or one Turkey breast

• 3 cups of multigrain breadcrumbs (not large or fine chunks)
• 1 cup dried cranberries that have been soaked in one cup of Cherry Creek Cellars Cranberry Passion for several hours
• 1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped & sauteed until soft
• 2  8 ozs packages Neufchatel cheese, softened
• 1 tsp thyme
• ½ cup finely chopped almonds
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

1) Drain cranberries, reserving the liquid. Coarsely chop the cranberries.
2) Mix chopped cranberries with the Neufchatel, cranberries, onion, pepper, & thyme. Mix in the breadcrumbs.
3) Sprinkle the reserved Cranberry Passion over the bread mix, folding to blend.
4) Stuff poultry & bake according to directions. Chicken breasts can be wrapped in two sheets of phyllo that have been lightly brushed with olive oil, bake at 375° for 30 minutes.

We want to know what you think – share your opinion with Cherry Creek via Twitter, on Facebook, or by leaving a comment below.