By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr., Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Brandi Carlile isn’t hedging.

When the multi-Grammy winner steps onto the field at Super Bowl to sing “America the Beautiful,” Carlile said she’ll perform fully live — with no prerecorded safety net, embracing the same risk she believes audiences take every day simply by showing up.

“The people deserve to have you live,” Carlile told The Associated Press on Thursday. “They need you to be taking the risk they’re taking every day when they walk out into those streets.”

That decision sets the tone for how Sunday’s pregame performers are approaching one of music’s most technically demanding stages. Some play it safe while others are fully present.

Carlile, who will perform before kickoff along with Charlie Puth and Coco Jones, described preparation that extends beyond rehearsals and sound checks. Having previously performed in large outdoor venues — including Elton John’s final tour date at Dodger Stadium in 2022 — she said singing in an open-air stadium introduces noticeable sound delay, where performers can hear their own voices echo back moments later.

“I’ve been preparing for it more spiritually than technically,” Carlile said. “I want to sing that song as more of a prayer than a boast.”

Performing live at the Super Bowl has long required a careful balance between authenticity and logistics. Because of stadium acoustics, broadcast delays and the precision demanded by a globally televised event, artists often blend live vocals with backing tracks or use prerecorded elements to ensure consistent sound quality across the venue and broadcast.

The practice is not new. Whitney Houston’s iconic 1991 national anthem performance was later confirmed to have used a prerecorded track. Katy Perry and other halftime performers have also used a mix of live vocals and reinforcement as part of highly choreographed productions.

The approach is common but the choice remains personal, shaped by an artist’s own philosophy and comfort level.

Jones, who will sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” framed her preparation less as declaration and more as discipline — rooted in respect for the song itself. Rather than focusing on whether a performance is live or supported, she emphasized repetition, rehearsing until muscle memory takes over.

“I try to overly practice,” she said. “When everything is second nature … I’m just a vessel.”

Jones has performed on stadium stages before, including Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and said the scale amplifies pressure but doesn’t fundamentally change her mindset. She studies lyrics — her own and those she covers — to understand the emotion and intention behind every line before stepping onto the field.

From a sound standpoint, Jones stressed the importance of sound monitoring in a massive stadiums. Jones sought guidance from Alicia Keys, who became the first artist to sing the rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” for the NFL in 2000.

“She just told me, ‘Don’t be nervous — be in the moment,’” Jones said. “That meant a lot coming from her.”

Puth, who will perform the national anthem, said he is approaching the moment as a producer as much as a vocalist — a mindset shaped by years of controlling sound from the studio to the stage. Though he has performed in stadiums before, he said each venue presents its own challenges.

“There’s not one stadium that sounds alike,” Puth said.

Known for his hands-on role in his music, Puth said maintaining control over sound is central to his preparation, particularly in a setting where acoustics, delay and broadcast demands intersect. The national anthem, one of the most scrutinized songs in American music, requires restraint as much as power, especially in a stadium setting, the singer said.

“You just make sure you don’t over sing,” said Puth, whose Super Bowl appearance arrives ahead of a busy year. His fourth studio album, “Whatever’s Clever,” is set for release March 27, followed by a world tour that will take him through arenas including New York and Los Angeles.

“The moment you start thinking about everybody else, you’re not locked into the music,” he continued. “And that’s when things don’t sound the way they should.”

For Carlile, the Super Bowl also serves as a bridge to what comes next.

Next week, she will launch the Human Tour, her first-ever arena headlining run. It’s a milestone she described as both thrilling and intimidating. But standing alone on the Super Bowl field, she said, offers a kind of preparation no rehearsal room can replicate.

“It’ll be the scariest thing I do this year,” she said. “So once that’s over, the Human Tour is going to be Disneyland all day long.”

Carlile said what she’s learning in this moment. She’s resisting perfection, staying present and trusting herself during her live performance, hoping she along with Puth and Jones’ performances give viewers some form of inspiration.

“You have to wake up and take a risk with yourself,” she said. “That’s what makes performance beautiful.”

By MARIA SHERMAN, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The 68th annual Grammy Awards will take place Sunday with a dramatically different tone than last year.

The 2025 award show was completely reimagined and refocused to relief efforts following the devastating Los Angeles-area wildfires. In 2026, focus has been placed once again on the music, where Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny and more will go head-to-head.

Comedian Trevor Noah will host for a sixth and final year and history could be made when some of the biggest names in music gather. Here’s some key things to know ahead of Sunday’s show at the Crypto.com Arena.

How to watch the show and red carpet

The main show will air live on CBS beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern on Feb. 1.

The Grammys can also be watched through live TV streaming services that include CBS in their lineup, like Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV and FuboTV.

Paramount+ premium plan subscribers will be able to stream the Grammys live; Paramount+ essential subscribers will have on-demand access the next day.

The premiere ceremony will take place just ahead of the Grammys’ ceremony at 3:30 p.m. Eastern, 12:30 p.m. Pacific at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. It can be streamed at the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel and on live.GRAMMY.com.

The Associated Press will stream a four-hour red carpet show with interviews and fashion footage. It will be streamed on YouTube and APNews.com ahead of the Grammys on Sunday.

Who’s nominated at the 2025 Grammys

Kendrick Lamar leads the 2026 Grammy Award nominations with nine. Lady Gaga, Jack Antonoff and Canadian record producer/songwriter Cirkut follow with seven nominations each.

Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny, Leon Thomas and Serban Ghenea all boast six nominations. Andrew Watt, Clipse, Doechii, Sounwave, SZA, Turnstile and Tyler, the Creator have five each.

Who’s attending and performing at the Grammys

Doechii, Harry Styles, Carole King, Chappell Roan, Charli xcx, Jeff Goldblum, Karol G, Lainey Wilson, Marcello Hernández, Nikki Glaser, Q-Tip, Queen Latifah and Teyana Taylor will present at the 2026 Grammys.

Performers include Justin Bieber, Clipse, Pharrell Williams, Sabrina Carpenter Bruno Mars, Rosé, Tyler, the Creator, Lady Gaga and all eight of this year’s best new artist nominees: Leon Thomas, Olivia Dean, global girl group Katseye, The Marías, Addison Rae, sombr, Alex Warren and Lola Young.

Reba McEntire, Brandy Clark and Lukas Nelson will take the stage for the in memoriam. Ms. Lauryn Hill will pay tribute to D’Angelo and Roberta Flack. Post Malone, Andrew Watt, Chad Smith, Duff McKagan and Slash will honor Ozzy Osbourne.

By MARIA SHERMAN, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Sunday’s Grammys mark a return to normalcy after the 2025 show was altered to focus on Los Angeles-area wildfire relief efforts.

“I think we will see some history-making moments,” Recording Academy CEO and President Harvey Mason jr. told The Associated Press. “With artists being nominated in categories they haven’t been previously nominated in, and a new crop of talent coming through the system this year — I think we’re going to see some really exciting results.”

Here’s how to watch the 2026 Grammys, including how to stream and where you can see music’s biggest stars walking the red carpet.

How do I watch the Grammys?

The main show will air live from LA’s Crypto.com Arena on CBS beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern. Paramount+ premium plan subscribers will be able to stream the telecast live, too. (Paramount+ essential subscribers will have on-demand access the next day.)

The Grammys can also be watched through live TV streaming services that include CBS in their lineup, like Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV and FuboTV.

The Premiere Ceremony will take place ahead of the Grammys telecast, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern from the Peacock Theater. It can be streamed at the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel and on live.GRAMMY.com.

How can I watch the red carpet?

The Associated Press will stream a four-hour red carpet show with interviews and fashion footage. It will be streamed on YouTube and APNews.com.

By Adam Graham, Tribune News Service

It’s almost like a movie.

The Milford Independent Cinema will no longer be closing its doors, its Board of Directors announced Saturday.

On what was slated to be the one-screen cinema’s final day, the theater’s board said the theater can remain sustainable “in the near term,” according to a press release. The news comes following a successful crowdfunding effort that was “nothing short of remarkable,” the cinema’s operators said in a statement.

“We are truly blown away by the support, passion, and resilience of this community,” said the Milford Independent Cinema Board of Directors. “This theater exists because of the people who believe in it, show up for it, and see its value far beyond the screen.”

The theater announced in mid-January that it would be closing its doors at the end of the month, due to “significant and ongoing changes within the film exhibition industry.”

But then the community spoke up, and on Jan. 24, operators shared a message on social media saying that donations were pouring in and that they may be able to stave off closing. “There is hope!” they said at the time.

In recent years, Metro Detroit has seen the closure of several movie theaters and multiplexes, including the AMC Star Southfield, AMC Fairlane 21, Main Art Theatre, Maple Theater, Cinema Detroit and Regal Cinemas UA Commerce Township.

The Milford theater has been open since 1972 and has operated as a non-profit since reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Saturday’s announcement didn’t come with a timeline attached, but operators said the theater will expand its offerings going forward with live events, “new and fun” film series, and new members will be added to its board. There will also be increased volunteer efforts and a new membership program for the theater.

The theater will take a short hiatus, and operators plan to reopen its doors on Feb. 11.

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you,” the Board said in its statement. “Because of you, we are here— and we will continue to show up for this community just as you have shown up for us.”

©2026 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

There was no fat lady singing on Saturday night, Jan. 31, at the Detroit Opera House.

But things were certainly phat.

Part concert and part tribute, “Symphonic PFunk: Celebrating the Music of Parliament-Funkadelic” was a joyous throwdown that treated George Clinton’s famed funk catalog in a new way yet was undeniably a P-Funk throwdown joint.

With an hour and 45-minutes of music divided into two parts, the show needle-dropped into many of the highest points of that enduring body of work as well as a selection of deep digs, with the sold-out crowd of 2,700 dancing, arm-waving and whooping and in a manner decidedly different than, oh, “Madama Butterfly” or “La Traviata.”

The orchestral arrangements, meanwhile, — crafted by “Dancing With the Stars'” music director Ray Chew, who conducted the Detroit Opera Orchestra — largely inobtrusive and certainly eclipsed by the amplified power of the current Parliament Funkadelic lineup.

But when the orchestra did surface through the mix — during songs such as “(Not Just) Knee Deep,” “(I Wanna) Testify,” “Agua Boogie” and “Flash Light” — it added an audible richness and sonic depth to music created mostly at Detroit’s United Sound Systems studio during the 70s.

It didn’t take long for the part to get started as the Mothership and Clinton’s animated visage landed on the video screen and the ensemble kicked into a tight “P.Funk (Make My Funk the P-Funk).

In the flesh, the 84-year-old Clinton was animated and energetic in a dapper suit and fedora as he hyped the crowd along the front of the stage, mugging with Chew and the backing vocalists, including Sheila Brody Amuka in a tall Brides of Funkenstein wig and glittering bikini. Clinton was present for more than half of the 14-song show, occasionally sitting in an office swivel chair on stage and watching the rest from a private box on the Opera House’s mezzanine level.

The concert stayed hot with and without him, of course.

Clinton fronted a muscular rendition of the Parliaments’ 1967 hit “(I Wanna) Testify),” while Rahsaan Patterson joined the collective for “Aqua Boogie” and Labelle veteran Nona Hendryx came on board during “Mothership Connection (Star Child).” Living Colour’s Vernon Reid’s guitar acumen was featured during “Cosmic Slop,” while P-Funk mainstay Michael Hampton shredded on his guitar for “Alice in My Fantasies” and “Maggot Brain.”

A trio of P-Funk alumni — vocalists Sheila Horn and Paul Hill and drummer Gabe Gonzalez — reunited for a “Red Hot Mama” that lived up to its name, while the perennial “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)” did just that. And the roof stayed off as the whole company romped through an extended medley of “One Nation Under a Groove” and “Flash Light.” The encore, “Atomic Dog,” only kicked things up a notch as a dance team from the Omega Psi Phi fraternity worked its way down the aisle and onto the stage for an assemblage that looked epic — and operatic.

Clinton — who’s planning to launch a new Mothership show during the summer, 50 years after he introduced it — noted during the intermission that he and New York-based Chew Entertainment, which produced “Symphonic PFunk,” hope to keep the concept going; representatives of other venues, including the Hollywood Bowl, were there on Saturday to check it out. But there was only one proper place to start it, of course, and the Opera House certainly had the funk in abundance on Saturday night.

Before I tell you why you should watch the new documentary about Mel Brooks, I will tell you that 25 years ago, he told me, “You may be right. I have done everything there is to do in show business. … Everything except to be tall. That’s the one thing I’ve never accomplished, being tall. But I’m looking forward to that.”

He was a relative youngster then, 74 years old, but at a very important point in his life. He was generally regarded as a comedic giant, and why not? He had spent his life making people laugh, first as a Catskills comic and then as part of a glittering writing team (along with Woody Allen and Neil Simon) for Sid Caesar’s pioneering TV programs “Your Show of Shows” and “Caesar’s Hour”; as the co-creator of “Get Smart”; as the 2000 Year Old Man on a series of best-selling comedy albums with pal Carl Reiner; as movie writer, director, producer and actor in such films as “The Producers,” “Young Frankenstein” and “Blazing Saddles.”

But he had not had a critical or box-office hit since his 1977 Hitchcock spoof “High Anxiety.” And there he sat on a cold December day in 2000 in New York, taking a big risk, for many believed that the success or failure of the musical version of “The Producers” he was overseeing would provide the final sentence to his career.

Well, we all know what happened. “The Producers” would open in Chicago, move to Broadway and win a record 12 Tony Awards. The career carried on, and now here is Brooks, as charming, smart and, of course, funny as ever, as the centerpiece of a thoughtfully thrilling documentary now airing on HBO Max. “Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!,” exclamation point more than justified.

It may be a bit long at almost four hours (in two episodes, now streaming), but it is impossible not to enjoy. Its length is forgivable since one can sense the excitement and affection of filmmaker Judd Apatow, who interviews Brooks at length. Apatow, along with co-director Michael Bonfiglio, has previously also captured in documentary form George Carlin and Garry Shandling.

Drawing on ample archival footage and candid interviews, he and Bonfiglio take us back to the beginning with Brooks (born Melvin Kaminsky), the youngest of four boys of a widowed mother in Brooklyn, all of them off to World War II, all safely returned, with Brooks telling Apatow, “War changed me. If you don’t get killed in the Army, you can learn a lot.”

His career moves to the raucous Sid Caesar writers’ room and we do also hear, rather wistfully, from Brooks’ three children and his first wife, former Broadway dancer Florence Baum, before he was off to moviemaking in California in the early 1960s. His granddaughter Samantha is charming.

You will hear Brooks tell a terrific Cary Grant story (one he has told many times over the years on the various late-night talk shows where he has been a frequent guest) but, more tenderly, tales of his courtship and marriage to actress Anne Bancroft. Gene Wilder shares feelings that go far deeper than director and star. And we get details of Brooks’ long friendship with writer-director Reiner, from the early 1960s to their sharing dinners together as widowers every night watching “Jeopardy” on TV.

Bancroft died in 2005; their son, novelist Max, is tender in interviews. Reiner’s wife Estelle died in 2008 and Reiner in 2020. Hearing Reiner’s son, filmmaker Rob, talk about his father and Brooks gives one a chill, knowing this was one of the final conversations before he and his wife Michele Singer Reiner’s December murders.

The number of people with whom Brooks has shared his creative life will impress and perhaps surprise you. There’s Richard Pryor, who did a bit of writing for “Blazing Saddles,” who says, “He’s a loving man. It’s about love with him.”

The late director David Lynch credits Brooks with saving his career by hiring him to direct “The Elephant Man” after seeing Lynch’s “Eraserhead.” In addition to his own movies, Brooks produced such films, through his Brooksfilms, as “The Fly,” “My Favorite Year,” “Frances” and others, taking a rare low profile lest his name lead moviegoers to think they would be seeing comedies.

Naturally, we hear from a large crowd of showbiz folks and all of them — Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, Sarah Silverman, Conan O’Brien, Josh Gad, Robert Townsend, Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane and others — are complimentary. There must be someone in that backbiting swamp that is Hollywood who isn’t a Brooks fan, but such a person is not to be found here.

Whatever your relationship with Brooks beforehand, this film will enrich it. Will you understand what makes him tick? I don’t know, and you won’t care. Just spending time with him is satisfying enough.

His famously quick wit has not lost a step. When Apatow asks, “You lost your father at an early age?” Brooks quickly replies, “No, no. My father died.”

His ability to recall names and places and laughs is, frankly, astonishing. He is not only able to remember but to enjoy, to savor. We should all be so lucky.

In the film, he says, “Sometimes my comedy is just to celebrate the joy of being alive.” And as he has said many times in his many years, he has always used humor as “a defense against the universe.” Few, if any, have done it better.

rkogan@chicagotribune.com

By MARK KENNEDY, AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Some people see the glass as half full and some as half empty. Marc Shaiman is something else entirely.

“I’m not even happy with the glass,” he says with a laugh.

The award-winning Hollywood and Broadway composer and lyricist cheerfully likes to call himself an “Eeyore” and “a card-carrying pessimist” despite many of his biggest dreams coming true.

“Just as soon as something good happens, something bad’s going to happen,” he tells The Associated Press. “I am always waiting for that other shoe to drop, and it inevitably drops.”

His career and personal ups and downs are on full display this winter with Tuesday’s publication of his memoir, “Never Mind the Happy: Showbiz Stories from a Sore Winner,” which is filled with funny stories from a man who has helped fuel popular movies and musicals for decades.

“I’ve been lucky enough to do a lot and I’ve been lucky enough to have an outrageous longevity. I thought, ‘Let me write it down, finally,’” he says.

Tales of Bette Midler, Stephen Sondheim and the ‘South Park’ guys

The memoir charts the New Jersey-born musical prodigy’s rise from Bette Midler’s musical director in his teens to scoring such films as “Sleepless in Seattle” and “Mary Poppins Returns” and Broadway shows like “Hairspray” and “Catch Me If You Can.”

He’s worked with Billy Crystal, Martin Short, Luther Vandross, Raquel Welch and Rob Reiner, sparred with producer Scott Rudin and had a spat with Nora Ephron (“I’m certain she’s in heaven, telling all the angels she doesn’t like harps,” he writes). He also played at the White House and was a force in the early days of “Saturday Night Live.”

There was the time in 1999 that he got legendary composer Stephen Sondheim so high on pot at a party in his apartment that the iconic composer collapsed three times. “I’ve killed Stephen Sondheim,” he thought to himself. (Sondheim asked him to tell the story only after he died.)

He tells the story of hearing Meryl Streep repeatedly working on a song for “Mary Poppins Returns.” Moved, he and his writing partner, Scott Williams, knocked on her door to say how impressed they were by her dedication to rehearse. “Well, guys, fear can be a powerful motivator,” she told them.

“I’m mostly just trying to show how human everyone is — even these bold-faced names,” Shaiman, a two-time Grammy winner and two-time Emmy winner, says in the interview.

Shaiman isn’t above mocking himself, as he does for becoming an inveterate pothead and cocaine user. “I should go into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the only person who put on weight while being a cocaine addict,” he writes.

There are stories about how a misunderstanding over an unpaid bill with Barbra Streisand left him shaken for days and the time he insulted Harry Connick Jr. (Both would later reconcile.)

Then there was the time he found himself dressed in an ostentatious powder-blue suit and feather boa alongside Matt Stone and Trey Parker on a red carpet for “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut” — they were dressed as Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lopez.

One lesson from Shaiman: ‘Show up’

One lesson Shaiman hopes to teach aspiring artists is to go for it: “What you can do is show up. Show up to everything. Say yes to everything because I’m a good example of that.”

He tells the story of Midler organizing a world tour and offering his services but being told she was only hiring local Los Angeles people. So he withdrew all his money from the bank, hopped on a flight from New York and called her from a phone booth: “I’m in L.A. Where’s rehearsal?”

“Even if you don’t get the job, keep your spirit up because someone in that room is going to remember you for another thing. That’s the thing I think to really learn from the book,” he says.

As a sign of Shaiman’s pull on Broadway, the audiobook will feature performances by Crystal, Short, Matthew Broderick, Megan Hilty, Nathan Lane, Katharine McPhee and Ben Whishaw, among others.

“I had included a lot of lyrics in the book and then I suddenly realized, ‘What, am I going to sing them all or speak them all?’ So I started calling friends, some who had sung those songs and some who had sung the demos,” he says.

Crystal met Shaiman at “Saturday Night Live” and quickly hit it off. In a separate interview, Crystal called his friend funny and quick to improvise, with an almost photographic memory of music.

“Look at his range: From ‘Misery’ to the beautiful score from ‘The American President.’ And I brought him in on ‘61(asterisk)’ and then the ‘Mr. Saturday Night’ score,” Crystal says. “He’s just so uniquely talented as an artist.”

Despite being a Tony Award winner in 2003 with “Hairspray” and earning two other nominations for “Catch Me If You Can” in 2011 and “Some Like It Hot” in 2023, Shaiman is flustered by Broadway.

His last two shows — “Smash” and “Some Like It Hot” — earned great reviews but closed early, a victim of high costs and fickle audiences.

“I wish the shows kind of stunk and I could go, ‘Oh, man, that really stunk. People are really not liking this,’” he says. “But when they’re enjoying it?”

Shaiman really has nothing else to prove and yet he laughs that his skin has gotten thinner — not thicker — over the years. He’d like to take it easy, but that’s not what Eeyores do.

“I don’t know how well I’ll actually do with retirement, but I’d like to give it a try.”

By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Woe to the cookie, cake or waffle lover who discovers, often after years of stomach upset, fatigue and skin issues, that the culprit of their health issues is gluten, the protein found in grains like wheat, barley and rye.

Most everything you find in a bakery, grocery store cookie aisle or on the sweet side of a breakfast menu is made with flour. Which means that those with gluten sensitivities or allergies are often out of luck when it comes to sweet treats.

One of my sons has celiac disease so I’m always on the lookout for gluten-free products that don’t include hidden sources of gluten such as soy sauce or malt vinegar and actually taste good, or at least good enough to justify the high cost. (Gluten-free cereals, pasta and snacks can be up to 139% more expensive than their gluten-containing counterparts, according to the nonprofit Celiac Disease Foundation.)

Dilettoso, a gluten-free baking mix brand founded by Italian nutritionist Stefania Dilettoso in 2024, offers a tasty and super-convenient solution for the home cook.

Made with a blend of finely ground organic whole oat and brown rice flours, organic tapioca starch and natural flavorings, its Amore mixes are low-fat, preservative-free and because no sugar is added, fairly low cal (a serving counts just 120 calories).

For many people, texture is just as important as taste in baked goods. Because these mixes are made with naturally absorbent oat flour, the batter retains its hydration and bakes up light and fluffy. When it comes to breakfast foods, that translates into pancakes and waffles that rise beautifully, with an airy, light interior.

They’re available in three kid-friendly flavors — Choco-Lotta, Bella Berry and Vava Vanilla — and can used to make pancakes and waffles with the addition of water or milk (and an egg, if you want the extra protein). They also can be used as a gluten-free base for cookies, brownies, cakes and muffins with the addition of other ingredients.

One 10-ounce box of the Amore mixes — Italian for “love” — makes around 15 4-inch mini waffles or a half-dozen 7-inch regular waffles.

We tried the Vava Vanilla variety, which like the other mixes is leavened with baking soda and cream of tartar.

My toddler grandson gobbled them down just as quickly as the “regular” pancakes he gets to eat on weekends with my husband and me at Eat’n Park. But the real thumbs up came from my son, who said they were “pretty good” for a gluten-free product.

However, their price means they will probably be reserved for special occasions. They were $13.95 per box on Amazon (or $35 for a three-pack and $49.50 for a six-pack). That’s nearly $2 a waffle or 93 cents per mini waffle.

©2026 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The Ark experimented with the format of its annual Ann Arbor Folk Festival on Friday night, Jan. 30, at Hill Auditorium.

And in Greensky Bluegrass, it couldn’t have found a better band to do that with.

For the first night of the 49th annual incarnation of the Ark’s largest fundraising event, the festival eschewed the usual multi-act bill (six will be part of the lineup on Saturday. Jan. 30) with truncated sets and presented a more traditional headliner-with-opening act (Junior Brown). That allowed Greensky, formed more than 25 years ago in Kalamazoo, to do what it does best — take a couple hours and stretch out, mixing tight songcraft with improvisational daring do, its five members improvising and dancing around expansive song arrangements.

It’s certainly worked for the group, whose plugged-in approach with acoustic instruments has made it one of the darlings of the nu (blue)grass world and a large-venue headliner around the world.

But the Greenskyers were clearly stoked to be playing their first Folk Festival, as well as returning to Ann Arbor for the first time since 2013; dobro player Anders Beck told the audience that the group, which headlined at the Fillmore Detroit last August, was actually planned to not play shows this winter and instead focus on making a new album, but that the Folk Festival was a gig on the band’s bucket list.

“It’s good to be playing Greensky Music in Michigan,” he noted.

The troupe’s two-hour, 16-song set certainly reflected that feeling as well as the sea change in approach for the festival, with many Greensky faithful standing throughout while some mainstays noticeably drifted out during the show.

Following a characteristically fiery set from country singer-guitarist Brown — an Ark regular resplendent in his suit and cowboy hat and dazzling as always on his hybrid “guit-steel” double-neck guitar — Greensky set the tone with a fast-paced “Past My Prime,” with mandolinist Paul Hoffman singing and the Beck picking through the first of his many solos during the night and the band’s custom light show immersing itself onto Hill’s walls and ceilings. But the set hit stride as the next three songs — “Monument,” “Streetlight” and a warp-speed “Burn Them” — flowed into each other, their sturdy melodies giving way to improvisational forays by Beck, Hoffman, guitarist-vocalist Dave Bruzza and banjoist Michael Bont, while Mike Devol held things together on his bass.

Likely takeaways for Greensky fans were epic, extended performances of “Whatchoo,”the Traveling Wilburys “Handle With Care” and “Don’t Lie,” as well the dobro-mandolin exchange during “Weather,” a particularly emotive “Windshield” and a playful romp through “Fixin’ to Ruin.” The group also covered fellow Michigander Billy Strings’ “While I’m Waiting Here,” and it encored with appropriate version of Jerry Garcia and David Grisman’s “Drink Up and Go Home.”

Whether it was a successful start for the festival will be the subject of review and discussion in days to come. But, no question, it was another successful — and more than that, really — night with an undeniably upper-strata live act.

The Ark’s 49th Ann Arbor Folk Festival concludes at 7 p.m. Saturday,. Jan. 31 at Hill Auditorium, 825 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor. Amos Lee, Dawes, the Crane Wives, Jon Muq, Rabbitolgy and emcee Ryan Montbleau perform. 734-761-1800 or theark.org.

By HILLEL ITALIE

NEW YORK (AP) — From her house up high in Colorado’s Elk Mountains, author Shelley Read can only look out in amazement at the worldwide success of her debut novel, “Go as a River.”

“There were upward of 30 translations already secured before the novel was introduced in the U.S.,” says Read, a fifth-generation Coloradan who lives with her husband in Crested Butte, in a home they built themselves. “And that is when I was like, ‘Oh my goodness.’ It’s thrilling, scary, magnificent.”

Published in 2023 by Spiegel & Grau, “Go as a River” received little major review attention beyond trade publications when first released and its honors are mostly regional, including a High Plains Book Award and a Reading the West Book Award. But her novel has been a hit in the U.S. and well beyond, appearing on bestseller lists everywhere from North America to Scandinavia and selling more than 1 million copies. Mazur Kaplan, co-founded by producer Paula Mazur and independent book seller Mitchell Kaplan, is working on a film adaptation. Eliza Hittman, whose credits include the award-winning “Never Rarely Sometimes Only,” is expected to direct.

Read’s 300-page novel spans from the 1940s to the 1970s, and centers on a 17-year-old Colorado farm girl’s ill-fated romance with an itinerant Indigenous man and how it haunts and changes lives for decades to come. “Go as a River” proves that some books can break through without high-profile endorsements or author name recognition. It also adds the 61-year-old Read to a special list of first-time authors — from Frank McCourt to Louis Begley — middle aged or older who finally get around to that book they had been meaning to write and receive wide acclaim.

“What she’s done is unusual,” says Spiegel & Grau co-founder Cindy Spiegel. “Every now and then someone comes along who has a vision that they’ve held for many, many years and they really do write it down. Most people don’t.”

A native of Colorado Springs, Read is a graduate of the University of Denver who has a master’s degree from Temple University’s creative writing program. She is a longtime educator who parsed and absorbed so many books, with works by Virginia Woolf and Czeslaw Milosz among her favorites, that one of her own inevitably came out on the other end.

A teacher with a story of her own

For nearly three decades, she taught writing and literature among other subjects at Western Colorado University. During that time, a character kept turning up in her thoughts, the germ of what became her novel’s protagonist, Victoria Nash. There was something about Victoria, an empathetic quality, Read related to. But she had her career and two young children, and “was just trying to keep my head above water as a super busy mom and with a lot of very intense challenges.”

With Victoria unwilling to leave her be, Read began jotting down notes on Post-its, napkins and other papers that might be around. With her husband’s encouragement, she took early retirement and committed to completing her book. She had written stories in her early years, but had never attempted a full-length narrative.

“I had no idea where it was going. I had no intentions about where it was going, because I had never written a novel before,” Read says, speaking via Zoom from her home. “Once I figured out this was going to be a novel, I was like, ‘Oh no!’ I have studied novels thousands of times throughout my life, but I never even considered that I would write one.”

Read stepped down in 2018 and by the following year had finished a manuscript, drawn in part from such historical events as a 1960s flood in Iola, Colorado, and from her lifelong affinity for the local landscape. First-time authors of any age struggle to find representation, but during a 2017 writers conference at Western Colorado University, Read had met Sandra Bond, a Denver-based agent. A “Colorado girl,” Bond calls herself.

“We hit it off immediately,” Bond says. “We have very similar backgrounds in growing up in Colorado.”

Writing is rewriting

Read’s manuscript “knocked my socks off,” Bond remembers, but it wasn’t an easy sell. The second half of the book “didn’t quite meet the standards of the first” and Bond didn’t have the editing skills to fix it. “Go as a River” was turned down by 21 publishers before Spiegel signed it up. Spiegel & Grau, which began as a Penguin Random House imprint and reopened in 2020 as an independent a year after PRH shut it down amid a corporate reorganization, has worked with authors ranging from Ta-Nehisi Coates and Sara Gruen to Iain Pears and Kathryn Stockett.

“I had a feeling Cindy might be able to see how to guide Shelley in revising the second half — what was really working and what wasn’t and why,” Bond says.

Spiegel and Read worked on revisions — the finished version is entirely from Victoria’s perspective; the original draft shifted narrators midway. Meanwhile, the publisher showed the manuscript to the international agent Susanna Lea, who “read it one sitting” and quickly arranged for meetings with foreign publishers. It was mid-July, and she remembers tracking down publishers in Norway and Finland and other parts of Scandinavia at a time of year when book executives usually are on vacation.

“Suddenly, they were all reachable,” she says.

Read is working on a second novel, set in southeastern Colorado, where her homesteader-grandparents lived. Meanwhile, royalties from “Go as a River” allowed her a few indulgences, from installing solar panels on her house to a little travel, not to mention paying off college tuition for her son and building up the family retirement savings.

“Not too sexy,” she acknowledges. “We’re still do-it-yourselfers, & I still drive an old Toyota pickup. The main thing about the royalties is that I get to be a writer for a living, and that is a dream come true.”

By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

PITTSBURGH — Still suffering from a post-holiday drag? After the fun of Christmas and New Year’s, it’s completely understandable if you’re having a hard time snapping back into a routine.

The fact that it’s still getting light too late and dark too early — we won’t set our clocks forward for spring until March 8 — only adds to the funk that is a Western Pennsylvania winter, marked by gray skies, a freezing mix of snow and rain and slushy sidewalks.

After a steady diet of festive desserts, rich and hearty sides and too much alcohol, “everyday” cooking might feel daunting on a busy weeknight. A relaxed holiday schedule has left many of us out of practice in getting dinners on the table at a set time. And if you’ve over-indulged over the past few weeks, you might be trying to eat less to shed those extra holiday pounds.

We get it. It can be tough to get back on track and re-establish home cooking habits, especially when the frozen dinner aisle and takeout make it so easy to compromise. That’s why it’s often best to start the process with baby steps — simple meals that don’t call for lots of ingredients or take too much time (or effort) start to finish.

To help inspire you, we’ve assembled five flavorful recipes that each require no more than six everyday ingredients and only take about a half hour to prepare on the stovetop.

Don’t love washing pans? Me either! All of the following are made and served from a single skillet, guaranteeing easy cleanup.

There is a slight catch: All five dishes assume you have kitchen staples like vegetable oil or extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, garlic cloves, unsalted butter, sugar and various spices already on hand.

All prove, however, that sometimes the simplest dinners are the best ones, and they don’t have to be boring.

Easy Lemon Chicken

PG tested

I’ve made this dish for my family too many times to count, and still it’s a favorite. You can use less butter if you’re trying to cut down on fat and calories. For a gluten-free dish, dust the chicken in cornstarch or almond flour instead of all-purpose flour.

I think it’s best on rice, but kids love their noodles!

2 whole chicken breasts, boned, skinned and halved

4 tablespoons butter, divided

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour

Salt and pepper

2 lemons

Chopped fresh parsley

Cooked rice or noodles, for serving

Wash and dry chicken breasts. Pound them flat between two pieces of waxed paper or inside a resealable plastic bag with a mallet or rolling pin.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Pour flour in a plastic bag, season with salt and pepper, and drop the breasts in to coat. Shake off excess flour.

Turn heat up to moderately high and put chicken breasts in the skillet. Depending on how thin you’ve pounded them, they should cook approximately 3 minutes on each side or until cooked through and still tender. When they’re done, season with salt and pepper, remove to a plate and set aside while you make the sauce.

Add 2 remaining tablespoons of butter to the chicken skillet and melt, scraping up brown bits in the pan.

Juice 1 lemon and slice the other. Add juice and lemon slices to skillet and cook until bubbly, then return chicken to the pan, spooning sauce over. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Serve with rice or cooked noodles.

Serves 4.

— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

Rigatoni with Tomato Cream Sauce

PG tested

Nothing is more comforting in winter than a bowl of pasta with red sauce. Here, crushed tomatoes simmer with cream and grated Parmesan to create a super-fast super-savory sauce for rigatoni. Add a simple green salad and loaf of crusty Italian bread for a complete meal.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 (28-ounce) can whole San Marzano tomatoes

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon concentrated tomato paste

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Salt, to taste

Red pepper flakes, to taste

4 cups cooked rigatoni or penne noodles

In a deep skillet, heat butter until melted.

Add tomatoes to pan, crushing them with a fork or potato masher. Simmer, stirring often, until the tomatoes have broken down, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Stir in heavy cream and tomato paste and cook until the sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese and toss to combine. Taste, add salt and, if you like some spice, a few pinches of red pepper flakes.

Add cooked pasta to pan and toss to combine.

Serve in warmed bowls, with extra Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4.

— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

Pork and Coconut Pineapple Rice

PG tested

If there ever was a marriage made in culinary heaven, it has to be pork and pineapple. This easy recipe pairs bite-sized chunks of sweet, juicy pineapple with tender bites of teriyaki-marinated pork tenderloin. The combo is piled high on a bed of creamy, equally tropical coconut rice.

For pork

1/4 – 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into bite-sized chunks

20-ounce can pineapple chunks, drained, or 1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cubed

Olive oil, for sauteing

For rice

2 cups jasmine rice

1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened full-fat coconut milk

1 1/2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

Generous pinch of sugar

Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Marinate pork in 1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce for 2-3 hours or overnight.

Rinse rice in several changes of cold water until the water runs clear. Use a large fine-mesh sieve to drain any remaining water and place rice in a pot.

Add coconut milk, water, salt and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.

Once it starts to boil, turn the heat down to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook for 5 minutes, then fluff and cover to keep warm.

While rice is cooking, prepare pork. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Add pork, discarding the excess sauce. If you add all the sauce with it, it will steam the meat instead of caramelizing it.

Leave pork undisturbed in the hot pan for a few minutes to get better caramelization. Throw in pineapple and cook for 2-3 minutes so it gets saucy and caramelized, too. If desired, add a few additional tablespoons of sauce after everything is brown.

Portion cooked rice into bowls and top with a scoop or two of the saucy pineapple pork. Finish with chopped cilantro and slices of pickled jalapeño, if you happen to have any in the fridge.

Serves 4.

— Adapted from pinchofyum.com

Skillet Tortellini with Sausage and Cherry Tomatoes

PG tested

Tortellini are great for last-minute meals because they are so easy to cook and go with many different sauces. In this recipe, they are cooked directly in the pan with sweet Italian sausage along with sweet cherry or grape tomatoes.

The original recipe calls for dried tortellini, but I substituted frozen pasta. Fresh basil adds both color and freshness. If you have some grated Parmesan in the fridge, add that, too, for a cheesy finish.

1 pound bulk sweet or hot Italian sausage

2 garlic cloves, sliced thin

12 ounces frozen cheese tortellini

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering.

Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1 cup water, tortellini and a pinch of salt and bring to boil.

Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, about 10-12 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, drizzle with olive oil to taste and sprinkle with basil.

Serves 4.

— Adapted from “Five Ingredient Dinners” by America’s Test Kitchen

Single-Seared Garlic Shrimp Tacos

PG tested

Tacos are a welcome weeknight meal because they don’t take a lot of time or effort. These feature quick marinated shrimp and an easy green cabbage slaw. They’re simple but super satisfying.

Both flour and corn tortillas work; just be sure to warm them on a hot skillet or in the microwave before stuffing them with shrimp and cabbage to keep them pliable.

2 limes

Salt and pepper

2 cups thinly sliced cabbage

1/2 small red onion

4 teaspoons, plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

24 large shrimp (about 1-1 1/2 pounds), peeled, deveined and patted dry

1 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup)

8 corn or flour tortillas, warmed in a microwave or on a hot skillet

In large bowl, whisk juice from 1 lime, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Mix in cabbage and onion. Set aside, tossing occasionally, while you prepare the shrimp.

In medium bowl, stir together 2 teaspoons oil, half the minced garlic, chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add shrimp and stir to combine. Allow to marinate for 5 minutes.

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat 1 teaspoon of oil until shimmering.

Add half the shrimp in an even layer and cook, undisturbed, until deep golden brown on the bottoms, about 2 minutes. Stir, then transfer to plate.

Repeat with another 1 teaspoon oil and the remaining shrimp, but leave shrimp in pan. Return first batch to pan.

Add remaining minced garlic; cook over medium, stirring, until the shrimp are opaque throughout, about 1 minute.

Transfer to a clean plate or bowl.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and cilantro to the cabbage mixture and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide the shrimp among the tortillas (3 to each), top with cabbage mixture and serve with lime wedges.

Serves 4.

— Adapted from “Milk Street Shorts: Recipes That Pack a Punch” by Christopher Kimball

©2026 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Adam Graham

agraham@detroitnews.com

If they came through town, Ken Settle photographed them.

The Rolling Stones, Soundgarden, U2, Guns N’ Roses, David Bowie, Prince, Stevie Ray Vaughn, B.B. King, Kiss, Metallica, the list goes on. And that’s to say nothing of homegrown superstars like Alice Cooper, Madonna and Bob Seger.

For more than 40 years, Ken Settle was a fixture at local concert venues of every size, from small clubs to supersize stadiums. The acclaimed rock photographer died Monday, according to a post on his Facebook page. He was 66.

Settle, known for his poof of blond hair parted in the middle, was born in Trenton and grew up in Westland. He shot Bob Seger when he was just 11 years old, when the longhaired rocker was playing a softball game against the staffers from WRIF-FM (101.1). He asked Seger if he could take his picture and Seger agreed.

A few months later, Settle borrowed his father’s camera and popped off some shots of Creedence Clearwater Revival at Cobo Hall, and it was there that he was bitten by the rock photographer bug.

“I remember walking down the aisle on the main floor of Cobo to get a bit closer to the stage, and I took a handful of fairly blurry, not-so-good photos,” Settle told WCSX-FM (94.7) in 2023. “But the energy and excitement of live music at Cobo Arena was electric and it was such a thrill to try to capture that — even in my little kid’s way of doing so.”

From there, he shot a ton of early Seger shows, when Seger and his band were working their way up the local ladder, and Settle in turn became a staple in photo pits at local concerts from artists of all ranks. His work appeared in Rolling Stone, Creem, Playboy, People, Guitar Player and other publications across the globe, as well as locally in MediaNews Group’s Michigan publications, including The Oakland Press and the Macomb Daily.

“Ken was one of the best shooters ever,” says Scott Legato, a fellow rock photographer who shared photo pits with Settle over the last 20 years. “He was just a great guy. He had a big heart, and he loved his cats.”

In addition to his cats — he had several, and was known for taking in strays — Settle also had an extensive collection of guitars and amplifiers.

“Ken was awesome. Nice guy, always helpful, always great to be around,” says Chris Schwegler, a fellow photographer who shot concerts with Settle for years and considered him a good friend. He says he would talk to Settle two to three times a week and was just texting with him the other day, helping him out with a computer problem.

As a photographer, “Ken knew what looked good for a photo, no matter who the artist was,” says Schwegler. “He knew the shot he wanted to get, and he knew how to get it.”

Settle’s photo archives are vast, culled from thousands of shows, from Nirvana to Nicki Minaj, from Janet Jackson to John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen to Lil Wayne. His photos have been hung in Hard Rock Cafes around the world, and his shots were used in episodes of VH1’s “Behind the Music.”

He captured artists on stage from the 1970s through the 2010s, as photography went from film to digital, as artist rules went from shoot-the-whole-show to just the first three songs. His images are a history of live music in Detroit.

Settle came up shooting film and was a holdout on switching to digital for a long time, and that discipline made him a better photographer, says Legato.

“He had a good eye. He could anticipate the shot and get the shot,” he says. Legato helped convince him to go to digital, he says, but Settle “still had the mindset that he was shooting film.”

Friends say Settle had complained of experiencing shooting pain in recent weeks, but he was hesitant to go to the doctor.

He had slowed down from shooting rock concerts after COVID-19, but was still active on social media, and tributes poured into Settle’s Facebook page following news of his death.

Steve Galli, a fellow rock photographer who had known Settle since the late 1970s, said Settle was one of the best shooters in the business.

“He was known all over. When I started traveling out of state to cover music fests, other photographers would say to me, ‘You’re from Detroit, you must know Ken Settle,'” says Galli. “Photographers from all over the country associated Detroit with Ken Settle.”

When other photographers were gathered front and center in front of the stage at a concert, “he’d be way over on the side, getting an angle no other photographer was getting,” Galli says.

Galli says he remembers being in photo pits waiting for Settle to show up, wondering if he was going to miss the show, only to see him emerge from the backstage area, where he had been shooting portraits of the artists before the concert began.

“We were thinking he missed out, when it was us missing out,” he says.

Settle was always helpful to newcomers, Galli says, and would freely share information and tips of the trade with others.

“He was such a nice person, a really bighearted guy,” says Galli. “Ken was a legend.”

By Melody Baetens, The Detroit News

DETROIT — Change your perspective heading into the new year with a visit to Detroit’s new Museum of Illusions.

The attraction debuted on Woodward in the Himelhoch building near Grand Circus Park in early December. It’s the 67th Museum of Illusions that has opened around the world. Each location features exhibits and artwork specific to the city.

In Detroit, there’s a vibrant mural of what looks like a Motown singer with eyes that are always locked on you, and a “reversed room” inspired by the auto industry. Look for the illusion that makes you look like you’re sitting on — or hanging from — the marquee of the historic art deco Majestic Theatre a few blocks up Woodward.

“We have received the warmest welcome from the Motor City,” said Museum of Illusions CEO Kim Schaefer at a museum preview in December. “We feel like we are truly family here.”

“We’ve been around for a decade now and this is number 67 and we are proud of being all over the globe,” she said, adding that the museum is filled with “nods to the beautiful, vibrant, historic nature of what makes Detroit so special. We’re excited to be here.”

The first Museum of Illusions opened in Zagreb, Croatia, a decade ago, and it has become the largest and fastest-growing chain of privately held museums in the world.

The wheelchair-accessible, hands-on museum is set up like a path, with guests taking about an hour to get through and experience everything, depending on how crowded it is. Visitors are invited to touch, climb and take plenty of photos.

Your camera is as essential to your visit as your eyeballs, because some of the illusions aren’t fully effective until you see your photo. This includes the Beuchet Chair, which places two people in a room for a forced-perspective trick that works best once a third person takes a photo. The museum walls give tips on taking the best photographs.

Others don’t require a camera, like the giant pinscreen, a full-body-size version of the famous desk toy; strike a pose, press yourself into it and then view your impression on the other side. Gaze at the grid illusion and see dancing black spots that aren’t really there. Like many of the installations, the museum offers text that explains the science behind it.

Hold on tight in the vortex tunnel, which is a stationary platform with a revolving tunnel around it that makes you feel like you’re spinning into oblivion. (Just close your eyes to recenter yourself.)

Like any museum, there’s a gift shop, which is a whole Woodward-facing storefront. They sell Museum of Illusions apparel and giftable toys that challenge the mind. The museum is rentable for weddings, birthdays, corporate team building and field trips.

If you go

Museum of Illusions

Open 10 a.m. daily

1545 Woodward, Detroit

moidetroit.com

Admission starts at $24.72

©2026 www.detroitnews.com. Visit at detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Adam Graham, agraham@detroitnews.com

The Milford Independent Cinema is ceasing operations, joining a host of other area movie theaters that have run their final credits in recent years.

The one-screen theater, founded in 1972, will close its doors Jan. 31, operators announced in an Instagram post on Sunday.

“This difficult decision follows extensive efforts to sustain operations amid significant and ongoing changes within the film exhibition industry,” the statement said. “Shifts toward streaming platforms, evolving film distribution models, rising operational costs, and increasing box office fees required to show first-run films have made it increasingly difficult for independent theaters to remain viable.”

The theater’s closing follows the shuttering of other Metro Detroit movie theaters and multiplexes, including the AMC Star Southfield, AMC Fairlane 21, Main Art Theatre, Maple Theater and Cinema Detroit, all of which have closed their doors since 2020. The Regal Cinemas UA Commerce Township closed in September after more than 27 years in business.

The Milford theater requires $70,000 in annual support to cover operating costs, the statement said.

“This decision was not made lightly and is not due to a lack of effort or community support,” the Cinema’s Board of Directors said in a statement. “The Milford community showd up for us time and time again — with attendance, fundraising, and unwavering commitment. We truly tried to evolve with the industry and meet the needs of our community. Unfortunately, we simply did not have enough time or the level of corporate and major donor support required to get where we needed to be.”

Details of the theater’s closing events will be announced in the coming days.

The Milford, which was run by the Henn family from 1972 to 2020 and reopened with new ownership in 2021 after shutting down during the COVID-19 pandemic, is currently showing “Song Sung Blue,” starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as a Midwestern couple who play in a Neil Diamond tribute band.

The theater had mapped out showings for its Film Appreciation Night for the rest of 2026, including free showings of “Fargo” (Jan. 26), “All the President’s Men,” “Trainspotting,” “The Searchers” and more.

If you’re tired of visiting places trod by millions of tourists previously, perhaps you should consider looking in less likely spots this year.

A cheat sheet for that can be found in Afar’s primer, “Where To Go in 2026: Places That Are on the Rise and off the Beaten Path.” The travel-media brand has collected two dozen destinations that serve as a “better way to travel the world: responsibly, creatively and with eyes on places long overlooked.”

Think of Buffalo, N.Y., whose Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor is getting a resurrected jazz club and a pioneering Black radio museum in 2026. Or West Cork, Ireland, a wild and enchanting side of the island that visitors don’t often patronize, or Rabat, Morocco, which is rising as a cultural hub with new museums and a rockin’ summer music festival.

Residents of Northern California might perk up their ears at the inclusion of the Columbia River Gorge, a rugged and waterfall-blessed region in Oregon and Washington that’s within striking range. Here are the first 10 on the list in alphabetical order; for more check the full guide.

Afar’s places on the rise and off the beaten path

1 Adelaide, Australia

2 Albuquerque, N.M.

3 Birmingham, Ala.

4 Bucharest, Romania

5 Buffalo, N.Y.

6 Columbia River Gorge, Oregon and Washington

7 Da Nang, Vietnam

8 East Antarctica

9 Eleuthera, Bahamas

10 Far East London

Source: afar.com/magazine/the-best-places-to-travel-in-2026

Originally, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” was to land on TV screens in mid-2025.

The gods had other ideas.

This third HBO series set in the world that author George R.R. Martin introduced with his “A Song of Ice and Fire” collection of fantasy novels finally arrives this week, mere months before the highly anticipated return of the second, “House of the Dragon,” in the summer.

While “Dragon” is much like “Game of Thrones,” the beloved (until it wasn’t) adaptation of “A Song of Ice and Fire” — an hourlong series chock full of drama, scheming, battles, magic and, of course, dragons — “Knight” is a small-scale, half-hour affair largely grounded in reality while still taking place in the realm of Westeros.

Look at it as an appetizer for the meal that will be the third season of “Dragon.”

“Knight” is based on Martin’s “Tales of Dunk and Egg” novellas, with this first six-episode season an adaptation of 1998’s “The Hedge Knight.” Dunk is the titular figure of that book and the TV series, the towering Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), while Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) is a diminutive boy who comes to squire for him.

Their adventures take place about a century after the events being chronicled in “Dragon” and about 100 years before those of “Thrones.” It is a time when the winged, fire-breathing creatures are thought to be extinct and one of relative peace in the realm’s seven kingdoms — or nine, depending on how you are counting.

Showrunner Ira Parker — who has produced and written on “Dragon” — is the writer or co-writer of each “Knight” installment, helping to lend it an unmistakable consistency.

We are introduced to Dunk as he buries the hedge knight for whom he squired, Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb), and who, Dunk will come to insist, knighted him shortly before dying. Not long after this, we watch as he relieves himself (no, sigh, the second one) behind a tree, the camera still able to catch much of the, um, glory.

Man, it’s great to be back in Westeros!

Unable to conjure a more promising plan, the near-coin-less Dunk decides to ride for Ashford Meadow, soon to be the site of a tournament where he intends to compete in the jousting event. Along the way, of course, he encounters Egg, who asks to be his squire. Dunk initially rejects this idea but soon relents, allowing the lad to be his aide and promising to keep him fed, if not much beyond that, in exchange.

To compete, Dunk must convince others he is a knight — if only a hedge knight, a class of wandering warriors who, we learn, often must sleep in the hedges because no lord will have them. In this pursuit, he meets men with important last names, such as charismatic enjoyer of life Ser Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings) and Prince Baelor “Breakspear” Targaryen (Bertie Carvel), the heir to the all-important Iron Throne in King’s Landing. The latter is unlike some other powerful members of his family — not just because he has short, dark hair but also because he is thoughtful, measured and kind.

Dunk’s life is complicated when he runs afoul of one of Baelor’s nephews, Prince Aerion “Brightflame” Targaryen (Finn Bennett), son of Maekar Targaryen (Sam Spruell), Baelor’s younger brother. Dunk was in the right, of course, protecting a Dornish puppeteer, Tanselle (Tanzyn Crawford), who was having a bit of satirical fun at the Targaryens’ expense, but that matters little considering the power wielded by Aerion.

Egg stands by Dunk, but he will need more formidable allies if he is to survive the trial to come.

“Knight,” with its basic story and Dunk’s relatable values — informed by a late-season flashback episode in which a younger version of the character is portrayed by Bamber Todd during a crucial point in his adolescence in the slums of Flea Bottom — is appealing in its simplicity. That said, even with most episodes around 30 minutes, it could use a bit more excitement and action.

Former rugby player Claffey is a nice find for everyman Dunk, and Ansell (“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes”) brings some clever touches to the complicated Egg. However, there’s more crackle to this series when it involves certain supporting players, including the aforementioned Carvel (“The Crown”) and Ings (“The Gentlemen”).

As has “House of the Dragon,” “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” serves as a reminder of just how well Martin has fleshed out both the geography and overall mythology of Westeros. (Relatedly, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to learn that this series is keeping a little secret, one no doubt already known to many well-steeped in Martin’s world-building.)

While “Knight” is, again, only so filling, you’ll get no objections here that it already has been renewed for a second season, which you’d expect to adapt Martin’s second novella in the series, 2003’s “The Sworn Sword.”

The gods are good.

‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’

What: Six-episode first season of half-hour series set in author George R.R. Martin’s Westeros.

Where: HBO and HBO Max.

When: 10 p.m. Sundays starting Jan. 18.

Rated: TV-MA.

Halsey hasn’t played a venue as small as the Fillmore Detroit since her first show in these parts — nine and a half years ago at Saint Andrew’s Hall.

But rest assured there was nothing small about the New Jersey-born modern pop singer’s show on Saturday, Jan. 17 — the first of two sold-out Back to Badlands dates at the Fillmore, continuing to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her double-platinum 2015 debut album “Badlands.”

Besides offering a generous selection of material (32 songs) from across her catalog, the two-and-a-half-hour spectacle delivered an arena-sized visual punch. Halsey and her three instrumentalists played on a two-tiered stage in front of a floor-to-ceiling high-def video wall that displayed a series of images and animations — and even 3-D imagery (glasses provided as fans entered) during a late-set “Lonely is the Muse,” as fans followed a reclining Halsey floating in front of them.

Halsey herself was the strongest effect, however, prowling and dancing around the stage in a low-plunge black halter-top and low-slug pants and exercising her pipes with extended notes on songs such as “Nightmare” “Without Me.” Fifteen songs from “Badlands” — its original and deluxe editions — were scattered throughout the night, non-sequentially, and the crowd was vociferously happy to hear the likes of “Coming Down,” “Strange Love” and “Garden” for the first time live in many years.

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It was a special night, by any measure, for those used to seeing Halsey in bigger spaces such as Little Caesars Arena and Pine Knob — including a season-opener at the latter last year. And that made some of her attitude for much of Saturday night a bit odd and, truthfully, disingenuous.

Early on, after performing “The Lighthouse,” Halsey dubbed the Fillmore “a weird (expletive) building,” different from other places the tour had played. “There are two shows happening,” she explained, maintaining that it required her to make grand movements and gestures for those in the balcony (“I have to make some (stuff) up on the fly,” she said) that might be off-putting to those packed in front of her on the main floor.

Eh? The former were certainly considerably a far sight closer than those in the back and top of LCA, or on the lawn at Pine Knob. And it’s highly doubtful that anybody down front really minded any of Halsey’s energetic movements. And yet it became a theme for the good stretch of Saturday’s show. At one point Halsey complained about the muted reaction from some “dudes” after she sang into their faces during “Hold Me Close;” “You guys are hard to impress, man,” she groused afterwards. “What do you want me to do?” (She did make a guess, if course. IYKYK.)

And later on, before her Chainsmokers collaboration “Closer” shook the Fillmore, Halsey said that, “I’ve accepted that you guys are tired tonight. You don’t have it; I get that” — even though the evidence right in front of her was quite contrary.

Fortunately she got over it before the end of the main set — or, in her view, the audience raised its game. Halsey did declare her strong affinity to Detroit and Michigan, celebrated in several of her songs (“It’s not like it’s an easy rhyme, y’know,” she quipped). And she rewarded the crowd with “a very special, once-in-a-lifetime Detroit encore” that veered from the tour’s usual program for a half-hour of deeper favorites such as a rocking “3am” (one of two songs on which Halsey played guitar), “Killing Boys,” “Clementine,” “929” and “Bad at Love” before the usual closer “Is There Somewhere.”

“I’ve had a great time with you tonight. Nobody loves you more than I do,” she shouted as the latter finished. The feeling was certainly mutual from the Fillmore crowd, and, despite any reservations she might have expressed earlier, “Badlands” proved to be a nice place for everyone to visit once again.

Halsey performs again on Sunday, Jan. 18, at the Fillmore Detroit, 2115 Woodward Ave. Doors at 7 p.m. Tickets are sold out. 313-961-5451 or thefillmoredetroit.com.

By Jolie Kerr

Special to The Washington Post

January is a great time of year to pick off decluttering projects, big and small. The new year, new you vibe can transform a task you’ve been putting off into one you cannot wait to cross off your to-do list.

And for many people, that overcrowded, overstuffed feeling the home can take on gives way to a burst of energy to get rid of it all.

Parting with your things, however, can be hard even when you’re excited at the prospect of a fresh start. Picking some easy(ish) decluttering projects is a great way to build momentum.

Here are 20 pretty easy things to consider removing from your home, your car or your life, in service of a less-cluttered 2026:

Holiday decorations

Start with the most obvious: As you take down holiday decor, weed out and throw away broken light sets and ornaments. (Will you need replacements? Order them now when you’re thinking of it, and they’re on sale.) Include holiday cards in the purge; keep the ones you want and throw away the rest.

Unwanted gifts

This one pushes the boundaries of “easy.” It can be hard to get rid of a gift that someone put thought and effort into. But if you got a gift you will truly never use, get rid of it. Return it, regift it, donate it, whatever the right move is, make it now. It won’t be easier in July.

Holiday food

It’s time to break up with that tin of peppermint bark, the container of homemade cranberry sauce or the turkey carcass that hasn’t and will never be turned into stock. Use it up now or throw it out.

Ingredients from 2025 that are languishing

If you bought an ingredient for a dish you made once and will never make again, or that you simply ended up not liking, this is the time to remove it from your life.

That one serving platter that exists to cause you trouble

Not everyone will have one of these, but those of you who do know the exact platter in question: It’s too heavy, too wide or too weirdly shaped, and it never quite works for anything other than getting in your way. Make 2025 the last year you deal with this diva! Donate or sell it if you can, and if it’s an heirloom or similarly significant, pass it along to a family member.

Reusable bags

These things proliferate in the night, and we all have too many of them. If you’ve still got a stack of Trader Joe’s bags with receipts from 2024 in them, a stash of plastic bags spilling out of other plastic bags or shopping bags from stores you haven’t shopped at in years, it’s a sign that you do not actually reuse those reusable bags you keep hanging on to.

Automotive detritus

Does your car need to be cleaned out? Grab a trash bag and spend five minutes purging. It will have an almost-immediate positive effect on your life.

Broken, duplicate or unused cooking utensils and small appliances

This one is especially well-suited to people who plan to make changes to their diets or undertake new cooking or baking endeavors in the new year. Donating or selling utensils and small appliances in January is ideal because for every person who vowed to eat less ice cream in the new year, there’s also a person who is making 2026 their year of ice cream artistry.

Anything you don’t like the smell of

Whether it’s a candle, a body wash, a countertop spray or a perfume, the experience of feeling stuck with a scented item that you hate the smell of is so relatable. Free yourself from those stinking shackles! Admit it was a mistake, and cast it off.

Promotional items and/or freebies you got in 2025

Water bottles, koozies, T-shirts, key chains, notepads — promotional items take many forms, and they’re free, which makes it easy to say, “Eh, it was free. Might as well keep it.” But if you didn’t pay for it and you don’t use it, you owe it nothing and it owes nothing to you. Toss, recycle or donate.

Cleaning products you don’t use

A small collection of cleaning agents are all you need to keep a clean home. Stocking a huge array of cleaning products is counterproductive. They’ll get in your way and make it harder for you to keep your home clean! Unwanted cleaning products, including ones that have been opened, are also super donate-able.

Old slippers

Alas, old slippers are not super donate-able, which can make them oddly hard to part with. But when you replace old slippers with new ones, it is time to say goodbye to your old friends. Beware of the role reassignment trap, here: Are those house slippers you bought in 2019 really going to serve as your new outdoor shoe?

Old dog leashes and collars

Leashes and collars are to our dogs as slippers are to us, which is funny to think about! Hopefully, bringing a bit of humor to the purge party will make it easier to admit that those old leashes and collars will not be used again.

Broken luggage

If you returned from holiday travels with broken luggage, repair it or toss it. Deal with it now; it won’t become less broken in the future.

Hair accessories, products or tools from two hair styles ago

Maybe it’s a bottle of purple conditioner from your short-lived platinum blond era or the round brush you bought when you decided to cut bangs or those clips you bought when you admitted the bangs were a mistake and set about growing them out. If it’s intended for a hairstyle you no longer have, it’s clutter that’s taking up valuable bathroom storage space.

Too many hangers

A common reason people struggle to keep their clothes organized is that their closets are simply too jammed up to be functional. Free up some space by paring down your spare hanger collection.

Rags, used sponges and old toothbrushes

All the stuff you reassigned as cleaning tools, if you’re not actually using them, then you’re just storing old, gross trash with your cleaning supplies.

Clothes you didn’t mend in 2025

This can feel like a bummer, because it requires admitting that you meant to do something, and didn’t, and that you’re unlikely to do it in the future. Use January’s “fresh start” energy to make a clean break from those unmended clothes, instead of clinging to a past you’ve grown out of.

Broken electronics you didn’t fix in 2025

Ditto broken electronics.

Empty boxes

Empty boxes — shipping boxes, product boxes, even unused storage containers — take up space and get in the way. Remove them from your orbit! Put the broken electronics and unmended clothes and gross old toothbrushes in them and get rid of all of it at once!

Community activities

• Zenning Your Space wellness workshop is 6-7:30 p.m. Jan. 23, at Wint Nature Center, 9501 Sashabaw Road, Independence Twp. Craft a kokedama (a Japanese moss ball plant) and discover ways to weave natural elements into your environment for relaxation, balance and better air quality, suited for ages 8+, $10/person, preregistration is required; call 248-858-0916, or visit www.oakgov.com/community/oakland-county-parks.

• The Meadow Brook Garden Club meeting is Jan. 23, at Meadow Brook Hall, 350 Estate Drive, Rochester. Coffee and refreshments will be served at 9:15 a.m., program at 10 a.m. featuring guest speaker, Marilyn Trent, founder of Rochester Pollinators, “Petals, Pollinators & Pocket Forests”. Reservations are not required, $5 non-member fee, enter through the De Carlo Visitor Center. For information, call 248-364-6210 or email MBGC@Oakland.edu.

• Oakland County Farmers Market offers free cooking demonstrations, 10-11 a.m. Jan. 24, Feb. 7, Feb. 21, March 7 and March 21, held in cooperation with edibleWOW, at Oakland County Farmers Market, 2350 Pontiac Lake Road in Waterford Twp. Guests can shop for ingredients during market hours, 7 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturdays at the Oakland County Farmers Market. Copies of the recipes will be available at the market and online at www.oakgov.com/community/oakland-county-parks/parks-trails/farmers-market, following the demonstrations.

• Annual Birmingham Youth Assistance  Kids’ Dog Show 2026 is Feb. 1, at Berkshire Middle School Gym, 21707 W 14 Mile Road, Beverly Hills, children ages 4-14, can compete with their dogs. Tickets are $25+ per dog, dogs must be immunized and on a leash. For online purchases, use a computer, not mobile at www.birminghamyouthassistance.org. Registration closes on Jan. 30. To pay by check, print a form from the website.

• Oakland County is accepting applications for the Oakland Together 40 Under 40 Class of 2026, through 5 p.m. Feb. 2. The annual program recognizes 40 leaders younger than 40 who live or work in Oakland County – and who are driving positive change in their communities. Applicants must self-nominate, and be at least 18 years old, born after Dec. 31, 1985. For more information or to apply, visit www.oakgov.com/40under40. For questions, email 40under40@oakgov.com or call 248-858-5400.

Education

• The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Detroit Chapter is offering $2,500 scholarships to Michigan students and apprentices pursuing careers in construction and skilled trades. NAWIC Detroit is hosting a free, in-person scholarship workshop on Jan. 24, at Detroit’s Northwest Activities Center, RSVP at https://forms.gle/Dknj4uwvHixp7Wb18. Scholarship applications are due by Feb. 28, https://nawic.org/nfsf-scholarships.

Expos

• The Troy Public Library will host a Preschool Expo, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Jan. 22, at the Troy Community Center and is seeking organizations to participate. The free event is an opportunity for organizations that provide services to children ages birth to 5 years old in the Troy area, troypl.org for more information or call 248.524.3538.

• The HBA and the Construction Association of Michigan (CAM) to present the Great Lakes Design and Construction EXPO 2026 for residential and commercial designers, contractors, suppliers and service providers, Feb. 3, at the Vibe Credit Union Showplace (formerly Suburban Collection Showplace), 46100 Grand River Ave. in Novi. For registration and ticket information, visit https://miconstructionexpo.com.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day events happening in Oakland County

Festivals/Shows

• Detroit Auto Show is Jan. 14-25, Huntington Place, Detroit, https://detroitautoshow.com, ticket prices vary.

• The Novi Home Show is Jan. 16-18, Vibe Credit Union Showplace, formerly Suburban Collection Showplace, 46100 Grand River Ave., Novi, www.vibeshowplace.com, general admission is $12, ($5 for ages 6-14) parking is $10.

• Winter White Wonderland Party is at 7 p.m. Jan. 23, 135 S Broadway, Lake Orion, hors d'oeuvres, entertainment from DJ Junbugg and dancing, https://www.facebook.com/winesociallakeorion, https://wine-social.com, $49.87+.

• BRRmingham Blast is 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, downtown Birmingham, along South Old Woodward Avenue from Maple Road to Brown Street, featuring a 300-foot zip line, magic shows, marshmallow roasting, inflatable axe throwing, food trucks and warming tent. Free parking in the 333 Pierce Street and the 222 Peabody Street municipal garages, downtownbirmingham.com/park. Zip line participants must weigh at least 40 lbs. and a maximum of 225 lbs. and be at least 6 years of age. The line will close early to accommodate all riders before the end of the event, downtownbirmingham.com.

• Winter Carnival is noon-4 p.m. Jan. 24, Bear Creek Nature Park, 740 W. Snell Road, Oakland Twp., ice skating, sled dogs, snow games, archery shoot, food trucks, weather permitting, https://oaklandtwpmi.gov/winter-carnival, free parking and shuttle service at Rochester Christian Church, 4435 Rochester Road, Oakland Twp.

• Ice Age Giants is 2-3:30 p.m. Jan. 24, at Red Oaks County Park Nature Center, 30300 Hales St., Madison Heights, see and touch fossils from Michigan’s frozen past, explore how DNA studies and replication research may reveal some ice-age genes, program is suitable for ages 8+, $5/person. Register at www.oakgov.com/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/8846/763, or call 248-858-0100.

• Winterfest 2026 is 1-4 p.m. Jan. 25, Oak Park Community Center, 14300 Oak Park Blvd., Oak Park, free carriage rides, live music, Mini Scottish Cows, reindeer, ice carver, crafts, chili, hot chocolate, www.oakparkmi.gov, free admission.

Health/safety activities

• The American Red Cross is in need of blood donations. Those who give now through Jan. 25 will be automatically entered to win a trip for two to Super Bowl LX in February in Santa Clara, California. Donors with types O, A negative and B negative blood are especially needed. To make an appointment, visit RedCrossBlood.org/SuperBowl, or use the Red Cross Blood Donor app or call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767).

• The Dorothy and Peter Brown Jewish Community Adult Day Program, which offers care for metro Detroiters living with dementia, will host a free virtual program on the latest treatments available for treating Alzheimer’s Disease. The live webinar is at 2 p.m. Jan. 29. The program is suitable for caregivers and advocates of people living with dementia. Register for the program by Jan. 27, by email to Joanna Dorfman at jdorfman@jslmi.org or call 248.661.6390 ext. 1, www.brownadultday.org.

• National Radon Action Month is January. Radon test kits for homes are available through the month at no cost to Oakland County residents at Health Division offices: North Oakland Health Center, 1200 N. Telegraph, Building 34E, Pontiac or South Oakland Health Center, 27725 Greenfield Road, Southfield. Hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. (closed, Jan. 19). Contact the office ahead of time if you want more than five test kits, 800-848-5533, epa.gov/radon, oakgov.com/health.

Library activities

• Winter Wonder Library is 6-8 p.m. Jan. 23, Rochester Hills Public Library, 500 Olde Towne Rd., Rochester, celebrity storytime readers, cookies and cocoa, kids and adult crafts, a Yeti scavenger hunt, games, and a brightly lit library garden. The library closes early at 5 p.m. to prepare and reopens its doors at 6 p.m. for the event. No registration is required,  rhpl.org/news.

Museums

• Holocaust Remembrance Day: 7 p.m. Jan. 18, with The Zekelman Holocaust Center, at The Hawk Black Box Theatre, 29995 W. Twelve Mile Road, Farmington Hills, TheHawkTheatre.com, $15 in advance, $20 at the door.

Parks/Outdoor activities

Snow fort making and campfire is 1-2:30 p.m. Jan. 19, at Bloomer Park,  345 John R Road, Rochester Hills, at the Hilltop Shelter, build a fort and deconstruct afterward with talk about “leaving no trace,” includes hot chocolate and a campfire, recommended for ages 7+. Tickets are $7 per person for all ages, children under 12 must be accompanied by a paid adult, register online at www.eventbrite.com/e/snow-fort-and-campfire-tickets-1976877787679?aff=ebdsoporgprofile.

• City of Auburn Hills Winter Solstice Lantern Walk is 6-9 p.m. Jan. 23, (previously scheduled for Dec. 19) at Hawk Woods Park and Campground, 3799 Bald Mountain Rd, Auburn Hills, family event to check out the night sky with a local astronomy group, create a winter craft by a campfire, and walk an illuminated woodland trail, www.facebook.com/CityofAuburnHills, (248) 370-9353.

• Introduction to Classic Cross-Country Skiing, a two-hour class is offered Jan. 24, Feb. 7 or Feb. 28, at Independence Oaks County Park, 9501 Sashabaw Road, Clarkston. The two-hour class includes skis, poles and boot rental. The cost is $35/person/session and each session is limited to 20 participants. Classes meet at the boathouse. Preregistration and payment is required by calling 248-625-2044 Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. or visiting www.oakgov.com/community/oakland-county-parks/events.

• Independence Oaks County Park in Independence Twp. has groomed trails, cross-country skiing rental equipment and restroom facilities. Call the park at 248-625-0877 for current information about hours and equipment availability. For hikers or those with their own cross-country or snowshoe equipment, ungroomed trails can be enjoyed at Addison Oaks north of Rochester, Highland Oaks in Highland, Lyon Oaks in Lyon Township, Orion Oaks in Orion Township and Rose Oaks near Holly, www.oakgov.com/parks/recreation/Pages/Winter-Fun.aspx.

• Winter Park is open Fridays-Sundays, through March 1, at Bowers Farm, 1219 E Square Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills. Timed tubing tickets must be purchased in advance at www.schoolfarm.org/winter-activities, $17+, festive lights during evening hours. Activities include viewing farm animals, hay tower, bonfires, shopping at Farm Kitchen and Farm Store for local products, free admission to the park.

• The Rink at Royal Oak, ice skating at Centennial Commons in downtown Royal Oak, weather permitting, www.therinkatroyaloak.com.

• The Rink at Stine Community Park is open daily through the season, 241 Town Center, at the corner of Town Center and Civic Center Drive at the City of Troy Civic Center Campus, free admission, skate rentals are $3 residents, $5 non-residents, https://rec.troymi.gov/parks___facilities/the_rink/index.php, weather permitting.

• Riley Park Ice Rink in downtown Farmington open through February, 23600 Liberty St., Farmington, www.downtownfarmington.org, open daily, weather permitting, free admission, bring skates, https://farmgov.com/Community/Parks-and-Recreation/Riley-Park-Ice-Rink.

• Huron-Clinton Metroparks in Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne, metroparks.com. Park entrance fees apply. Annual vehicle passes are $40 for residents or $45 for non-residents. Senior citizen pricing on annual passes are available in-person at toll booths or park offices with ID as proof of age.

• Michigan State Parks and Recreation Areas, michigan.gov/dnr. Park entrance fees apply.

Support resources

• For access to local community services, dial 211 (844-875-9211) or text zip code to 898211, for information and referrals to physical and mental health resources; housing, utility, food, and employment assistance; and suicide and crisis interventions, United Way, https://unitedwaysem.org/get-help.

• The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7 confidential support for people who are suicidal or in emotional distress, or who know someone who is. Calls and text messages to 988 route to a 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline call center, www.fcc.gov/988Lifeline.

• National Domestic Violence Hotline, 800-799-7233, available 24/7.

• Common Ground's Resource & Crisis Helpline is available 24/7 - call or text 800-231-1127.

• Veterans Crisis Line, dial 988 and then press 1 to connect to the Veterans Crisis Lifeline. For texts, veterans should text the Veterans Crisis Lifeline short code: 838255.

Submit community events online at https://bit.ly/40a2iAm.