* Kelly Wolgamott, Vice President of Travel Michigan

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome back to Michigan's Big Show, starring Michael Patrick Shields.
I'm Kyle Malynn, editor of the Murrs Newsletter. I've spent
a lot of time indoors the last few days because
of the state budget. But when I was able to
go outside, watched a cross country meet on Saturday. I've noticed, gosh,
you know, it's it's October, but the leaves don't really

(00:31):
seem to be changing color quite yet. Well, let's talk
to somebody about that. Kelly Walgemott, vice president of Travel Michigan,
Join us and Kelly, I'm reading something here that the
record heat is causing a very slow change in fall
colors this year. I don't know if you're seeing that
where you are, but down here in Lansing and I

(00:52):
was in Portage over the weekend.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
Still wait for the big bright colors, I know it.

Speaker 3 (01:00):
Thank you so much for having me this morning. And
the overall color throughout the state is really unique this year.
We had a little bit of a cold spell in
September and then it got warm again, and so I
think the leaves are a bit confused. There is plenty
of color in the up I just came from the up.

(01:22):
I was in Marquette and munising into Common Unfalls and
the bright reds are out, the yellow, the orange. They're
still not at peak. They still have probably a couple
of weeks left up in the up before they are
at peak color. But the color is a bit slow
this year, and I think it's really based on this
warm weather that we have been experiencing.

Speaker 1 (01:43):
It's been super hot, and I know that this today
is supposed to be kind of that last day in
the eighties. I think for the whole year we're going
to hear in Lansing. It looks like later this afternoon
we're going to get highs in to the eighties eighty
one to eighty two again, and then we're going to
get a little rain overnight, and then it's going to
be rainy Tuesday, and maybe maybe that will cool things

(02:07):
off and we'll get some colors. But give us the
color report. What do you what? What can you report
for us?

Speaker 3 (02:14):
Yeah, and we do. I just want to, you know,
let your listeners know. We do have a lot of
great resources on Michigan dot org. We have a fall
color map that actually uses software that's given you up
to the minute, you know, color details, around the state
and what you can see and experience. We also have
a Fall Color newsletter that comes out weekly that provides

(02:36):
you a regional perspective of what we're sharing from the
experts in those communities, and it also provides you with
great things to do and experiences throughout the state because
you know, we love October in Michigan with the fall colors,
but there's so much to see and do. When it
talk about outdoor hiking and biking, you can still do

(02:56):
looking at the ski resorts. They have incredible sharelifts so
you can see that fall color at a new height.
The skybridge at Boyne Mountain is an incredible experience. You know,
in October is also Agricrism months and Michigan Apple Months,
so a great time to experience those cider mills, the

(03:18):
corn mazes, and the punkin patches.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
So I understand that you are currently traveling with an
international content creating group out of Germany.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
Is that right? Yes?

Speaker 3 (03:32):
You know, international travel is incredibly important when we talk
about the economic impact travel has to the state, and
we do work to target and inspire travelers internationally, you know,
in the UK, also Germany, and we we're working with
a company called Falka, which is an outdoor gear company

(03:54):
in Germany, the largest company there. And what they do
is they bring content creators into a destination and they
basically film their new product with the destination as the backdrop.
So it's really in a great experience for Michigan where
the first US state for them to explore, and we

(04:16):
have content creators that are just incredibly talented and the
views and the film that I've seen so far is
absolutely stunning. So what will happen is they will take
this film back and then we will be part of
a really dynamic campaign in Germany, also working with a
leading tour operator in Germany to create this special itinerary

(04:40):
in Michigan and to really showcase not only the beauty
of our state when you talk about you know in Marquette,
Sugar Loaf Mountain or Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore, but
also what a fall you know, pure Michigan Day is
all about. So it's really an incredible opportunity to get
medicinal awareness in Germany to a really important traveler group

(05:04):
for the state.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
That'd be really cool.

Speaker 1 (05:06):
Now we don't have an October Fest that they that
they visited up there, did they.

Speaker 3 (05:12):
I know they did not. They did not.

Speaker 1 (05:15):
I wonder if they got did they fill any cracking
of any beers up there.

Speaker 2 (05:19):
While they were up there?

Speaker 3 (05:21):
No, they did not. They did not do that. You know,
you know really, you know, getting out in the sunrise
and the sunset time was that you know, Golden hour
and just the footage is incredible, and you know, it's
really fun to be with this group as well because
they have never been to Michigan and to hear their

(05:42):
impression of our state. We know we have an incredible
state and the beauty of our state, but they're like, wow,
we had no idea that this experience was going to
be like this.

Speaker 1 (05:52):
Yeah, cider mills, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, did you I
don't know if Tony knows this. Did I ever tell
you that my uncle owns a pumpkin patch?

Speaker 2 (06:02):
This is news to me. Yeah. Yeah, and Belding.

Speaker 1 (06:05):
So if you're on for four and Belding, the Pulse
and Pumpkin Patch, my uncle's pretty old now, so it's
actually my second cousins who run it now. But the
Pulse and Pumpkin Patch is where we go and that's
where we're going to be next weekend, gathering pumpkins out
of you know, the big patch they've got there, and

(06:26):
he's got a ton of apples, and yeah, it's a
great spot.

Speaker 2 (06:31):
So there's my plug. Tony's typing it up round looking.
I mean, it's a legitimate business we got going on here, Kyle.

Speaker 1 (06:37):
Yeah, that's where my mom grew up, I spent I've
spent many many days at the Pulse and pumpkin patch.
They used to have a big barn that that we used.

Speaker 2 (06:45):
To play in as kids.

Speaker 1 (06:47):
But you know, those old barns, they've all fallen apart,
so you got the new barns in there, which are
not as fun, but they they're probably gonna hold up
a lot better than the old ones.

Speaker 2 (06:56):
But thanks for the color tour update, Kelly. It's good.
Check it in the well.

Speaker 3 (07:01):
Thank you for having me.

Speaker 2 (07:02):
Have a great day, Kelly Walgemot.

Speaker 1 (07:05):
She is with Pure Michigan, the vice president over there,
talking about the fall color tours.

Speaker 2 (07:10):
This is the great time of the season.

Speaker 1 (07:12):
And you know after the rain on Monday, well later
tonight and Tuesday, we're back to sun so we're going
to be able to enjoy it again later this week.
You're listening to Michigan's Big Show starring Michael Patrick