THINGS DON’T LOOK promising for Johnny Dogs in Munising.
For Sale signs have been posted in front of the building, and John Flanders, who owns the business but not the building, is still recuperating after two heart surgeries this summer. He’d earlier told his customers that the business would be closed for a few months.
Now, with the building up for sale, you have to wonder what the future is for Johnny Dogs, one of the most famous and beloved restaurants in the U.P.
Folks at the Boot Lake Bar and Grill in Manistique are pitching in to help with Flanders’ medical bills. They’re holding a barbecue fundraiser today (Sunday) for him.
Tough luck for Flanders, and for Munising. And for all of us who’d come to love his tasty and often exotic culinary creations.
BELIEVE IT OR not, the legal dispute between the Cognition Brewing Company and the Mather Inn in Isheming, where Cognition is located, has still not been fully resolved.
Frustrating for both parties.
As a result, Cognition owner Jay Clancy is still surveying other possible locations for his brewery. He was recently checking venues in Marquette. Nothing definite, though.
He wants to stay at the Mather Inn where he’s invested a bundle of money but…the legal stuff is wearing him down.
A shame. Cognition has built a substantial reputation for such a small brewery.
SO WHAT’S HAPPENING with the old hospital site that the Veridea Group is buying and converting into a mixed use development?
Well, actually, the deal is not done yet.
“The due diligence phase is not completed yet,” says Karen Olsson, a Veridea spokesperson. “It’s a very complex project and it’s taking a lot longer than we expected.”
Maybe, she says, in the next several weeks we’ll get news that the sale is finally complete and Veridea can begin the actual work on the site.
It’s 21 acres in the center of Marquette, and Veridea envisions it as a space for offices, residences, retail shops, and lodging for visitors, along with public spaces.
A huge project that will transform the neighborhood just off of Third Street and next to NMU.
But first, the deal has to be signed.
ANOTHER LIST THAT sings the praises of Marquette.
This from Reader’s Digest: “12 Small Towns That Are About to Become More Popular.”
Yep, Marquette’s right there along with Whitefish, Montana and Park City, Utah and Ashland, Oregon.
The article touts the restaurant scene, the craft breweries, and the extreme skiing at Mt Bohemia. Huh?? Mt. Bohemia? Right out our back door?
And then there’s this line: “With an average home price of $180,000, moderate winters, and individuals wanting to get back to a simpler life, watch out for Marquette.”
Moderate winters? Yeah, if you’re relocating from the Arctic Circle.