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Music in Howard City Open Mic Night at the Pizza Cafe happens every Thursday from 6-8pm. The Pizza Cafe is located at 129 east Edgerton Street in downtown Howard City Michigan.

Pizza Cafe' is a family owned and operated business that strives on quality and customer service. Ken L. states, " Have lived in HC for several years now, and decided to try Pizza Cafe’ for delivery. One of the best pizzas I’ve ever had. Crust/dough not too thick or thin. Generous toppings. Just great tasting pizza. Bummed we haven’t tried before now."
SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/klenahan64/posts/pfbid02KnBFUNgdwiubUvUjqttqK8EHG9GnXbRKmaN9KKKi3BWPnQdH9KHZxYCZfsE4DZT8l 

WHAT EXACTLY IS AN OPEN MIC? It's a live show where singers, musicians and songwriters perform.  Young and old share their talent with others.  The skill level can be a novice or professional.  It is all about the music and sharing with others.  It is about gaining experience, having fun and networking with other musicians.  

The music scene in Howard City is full of opportunities, Music in the Park, Music Festival and a variety of events around the area featuring LIVE music.
For more information on the Pizza Cafe go to their Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087756437530  

Discover Montcalm Podcast is produced by Duane Weed.  He started DW Video & Multimedia https://www.dwvideo.com  in 1984. Today he runs the business and teaches Digital Arts at the Montcalm Area Career Center. Connect with Discover Montcalm to tell and share your story. Call 231-250-9624 to learn more and schedule an appointment.

Check out all our past episodes https://discovermontcalmpodcast.com/category/podcast/.
Feature Your Business on Discover Montcalm Learn about upcoming shows, how you can be a guest on the show and maybe even a sponsor.

Contact Duane for more information. Call Duane 231-250-9624 Follow and subscribe FACEBOOK, https://www.facebook.com/discovermontcalmpodcast
INSTAGRAM, https://www.instagram.com/discovermontcalmpodcast or at https://discovermontcalmpodcast.com/ ...

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The Jus Jammin Guys from the Welcome to My Basement Facebook page record in the Howard City area. 
"Jus Jammin" is a term that's often used to describe a musical jam session.  The "Welcome to my Basement Jus Jammin" Facebook page is a page for about "The Jus Jammin Guys" that are music lovers that share their love of music and connecting with others who enjoy classic rock and blues.. The page includes a number of videos performed in the founder, Duane Weed's basement. The Jus Jammin Guy perform music they grew up to, music that has influenced their lives and musical taste.
The guys all grew up with rock and roll music from the 1960's, 70s and 80's.  Back when rock and roll was a cultural phenomenon that gave rise to some of the most iconic and influential musicians of all time. Many people who grew up during this era claim rock and roll music as their own, as it represented a rebellious spirit and a sense of freedom that defined the counterculture of the time. From the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to Led Zeppelin and CCR, these bands pushed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable in popular music, and their music reflected the social and political changes of the era. Today that music continues to inspire and influence new generations of musicians and people all over the world.
The West Michigan music scene is a vibrant and diverse community that encompasses a wide range of genres and styles. From indie rock and folk to hip-hop and electronic music, there is a wealth of talent and creativity to be found in this region.  Duane and The Jus Jammin guys enjoy sharing their music from the Welcome to My Basement facebook page.  Using social media to share with friends, family and people that enjoy the classic rock and blues the guys perform.
The Howard City and Montcalm County music scene is a small but tight-knit community that is passionate about live music and local talent. While the scene is not as large or well-known as other music scenes in Michigan, it has a dedicated group of musicians, fans, and venues that work together to create a supportive and collaborative environment. From open mic nights at local bars to community festivals and concerts, there are plenty of opportunities for musicians to perform and connect with audiences. The scene also benefits from the natural beauty and outdoor recreation opportunities in Montcalm County, which provide a unique backdrop for live music events.  The Jus Jammin guys record most of their videos in a Howard City basement, Duane's basement to be exact.  Duane, a producer/director and owner of DW Video, captures the videos with three to six cameras.  Captures 12 tracks of audio that is then mixed down and added to the multi camera edit. 
The band consists of: Mike Nulph is the bass player, Bill VanOss is on guitar along with Dan Salas on guitar and keyboards and Duane on drums.  Danny also does the mix down of all the tracks at Vida Recording Studio. 
The power of music today remains as strong as ever, with its ability to inspire, uplift, and bring people together in a way that few other things can.  Follow the Jus Jammin Guys at https://www.facebook.com/WelcomeToMyBasementJusJammin to watch all their videos that pay tribute to the many people and groups that have inspired them. 
Discover Montcalm Podcast is produced by Duane Weed. He started DW Video & Multimedia https://www.dwvideo.com in 1984. Today he runs the business and teaches Digital Arts at the Montcalm Area Career Center. Connect with Discover Montcalm to tell and share your story. Call 231-250-9624 to learn more and schedule an appointment. Check out all our past episodes https://discovermontcalmpodcast.com/category/podcast/ Feature Your Business on Discover Montcalm Learn about upcoming shows, how you can be a guest on the show and maybe even a sponsor. Contact Duane for more information. Call Duane 231-250-9624 Follow and subscribe FACEBOOK, https://www.facebook.com/discovermontcalmpodcast INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/discovermontcalmpodcast or at https://discovermontcalmpodcast.com/ ...

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A Conversation about Montcalm County episode 33 ...

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Century 21 Rockgate broker, Jackie Bissonette, located in Howard City, is our guest on episode 32

Jackie  Bissonette   grew up in Bay City until her late 20's when her family moved to Houghton Lake MI. She worked for Consumers Energy at the time in Human Resources and her husband was a chef and running the kitchen of a local restaurant. As her career took off in the HR field, she took advantage of career opportunities and spent the next 21 years in various aspects of HR including employee relations, change management, staffing and recruiting, and coaching managers. During that time Jackie worked for only 2 companies, Consumers Energy for 15 years and Universal Weather and Aviation, a Houston based company for the next 6 years. These job opportunities led to many corporate relocations and when her and her husband finally arrived back in Michigan in 2012, they bought a farm and decided to get into real estate and became a licensed agent. From all of those moves, she had a lot of experience being a buyer and seller so knew what traits to work on as a REALTOR and what traits to avoid. Her HR skills parlayed well with the consultative aspects of real estate so it was a good match for her. From there, she opened Rockgate Real Estate in 2017 and set up an office on M46 in Howard City. That was doing fine and then in November of last year CENTURY 21 contacted her and began exploring franchise opportunities.  A great move to offer her agents the training and technology tools they were seeking. About that same time, Jackie acquired a second building in downtown Howard City where the office is now.  Located at  220 E Edgerton Street in Howard City CENTURY 21 Rockgate is open 9-5 weekdays, reach out and connect at 1 231-937-1077.  You can find Jackie at https://www.facebook.com/c21rockgate and https://www.c21rockgate.com

Discover Montcalm Podcast is produced by Duane Weed.  He started DW Video & Multimedia https://www.dwvideo.com in 1984. Today he runs the business and teaches Digital Arts at the Montcalm Area Career Center. Connect with Discover Montcalm to tell and share your story. Call 231-250-9624 to learn more and schedule an appointment. Check out all our past episodes https://discovermontcalmpodcast.com/category/podcast/ .

Feature Your Business on Discover Montcalm Learn about upcoming shows, how you can be a guest on the show and maybe even a sponsor. Contact Duane for more information. Call Duane 231-250-9624 Follow and subscribe

FACEBOOK, https://www.facebook.com/discovermontcalmpodcast
INSTAGRAM  https://www.instagram.com/discovermontcalmpodcast   or at https://discovermontcalmpodcast.com/ ...

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Farming in Montcalm County

We are going to touch on Farming in Montcalm County, the Agriculture impact on our county. 

Montcalm County, has a huge impact on the state's overall Ag industry.  Today I am going to touch on a few of the farms in Montcalm County.  

Sietsema  has a grain elevator in Howard City which is the tallest building in my small town.  I have been to the top of it and the view is really nice.

The Sietsema family's main operation is out of Allendale and has been around since 1940.
https://www.sietsemafarms.com/

Main Farms out of six lakes has a few locations and covers around 15 thousand or so acres.   They are a fourth-generation family farm that grows potatoes, corn, soybeans, wheat, peas and green beans.  yee haw :-)  Let's feed the area.
 
Today Agriculture plays a vital role in Montcalm County's economy. The county's soil, favorable climate, and access to water resources make it suitable for a variety of farming activities.  This has been a dry year and I am seeing irrigation systems going all around the county.   I remember growing up and staying at my grandparents outside Lakeview and playing in the water that was shooting over the road.    

 Today The county boasts several farmers markets that go directly from the field to the consumer and of course our plates :-)  I was just at the Pierson market on Friday and picked up some good eats.
 - Now that's what I call buy local.   Farmer Markets provides all of us access to fresh, locally grown produce, meat and helps us support the local farming community.  We need our farmers and the hard work they put in everyday.  Thank you

County Line Farms out of trufant specializes in bulk milk transportation and custom forage harvesting.
https://www.facebook.com/CountyLineFarmsService/

Farm Services out of Lakeview offers growers large and small the most efficient and reliable irrigation systems on the market

I see their product right next door to me in my neighbors field.  I call it the neighborhood water park.    https://www.farmservicesinc.com/  

Sandyland Farms between Howard City of Lakeview is not to far from where my grandma and grandpa used to live on Kendaville Road east of Gravel Ridge
 
I remember seeing the Sandyland Farms trucks, tractors and harvesters in the fields when hanging out over the summer with my grandparents.  Today they have some pretty cool technology for growing, harvesting, storing and shipping potatoes all over the US..
 
Carlson-Arbogast Farms is not too far from the DW Video studio in Howard City and I must say, they love beans  :-)   Beans are their specialty.

They have been growing beans for over 140 years and for 6 generations on their Michigan Centennial Family Farm!
 
They ship all  types of beans for retail in 24 oz and 2 lb packages and can be found in local stores, however if you have bigger bean needs, they provide 25 to 2000 pound packaging options.  Not that is a lot of beans.

Weaver Farms, a farm market from Sheridan offers farm fresh goods (beef, lamb, eggs, honey, maple syrup and seasonal vegetables.  Other farmers markets include Howard City, Pierson, Greenville and I am sure I have missed a few.  i was just at the Farmers Market in Pierson on Friday - picked me up some good eats.
 
Let's not forget about the tourism aspect that farming brings to the area. There are places around the county that give tours, have animals, events,  pick your own   and are ideal for all ages,

Montcalm County has an active 4-H and Future Farmers of America or (FFA) provide opportunities for young people to learn about agriculture, participate in livestock shows, and develop skills in various farming disciplines that they will carry with them throughout their lives. I know you can contact Amanda the AG instructor from the Montcalm Area Career Center if you want more information on the FFA in Montcalm County.

I know I have missed many farms around the area,  As I close today, agriculture in Montcalm County holds a strong economic impact on the county.   From Livestock to crops we should all take time and thank a farmer, without them LIFE would be rough.  

Discover Montcalm Podcast is produced by Duane Weed. He started DW Video & Multimedia https://www.dwvideo.com in 1984. Today he runs the business and teaches Digital Arts at the Montcalm Area Career Center. Connect with Discover Montcalm to tell and share your story. Call 231-250-9624 to learn more and schedule an appointment. 

Check out all our past episodes https://discovermontcalmpodcast.com/category/podcast/ 

Feature Your Business on Discover Montcalm Learn about upcoming shows, how you can be a guest on the show and maybe even a sponsor. Contact Duane for more information. Call Duane 231-250-9624 
Follow and subscribe.
FACEBOOK, https://www.facebook.com/discovermontcalmpodcast
INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/discovermontcalmpodcast
or at https://discovermontcalmpodcast.com/ ...