Starting Friday, March 5, restaurants and bars are allowed to be at 50% capacity up to 100 people with an 11 p.m. curfew. Because seating capacity is limited, reservations are required or encouraged at most restaurants. Dine-in customers must wear masks until seated at their tables and are required to provide their contact information when they enter.

> Restaurant managers with updates may email jim@harborspringschamber.com.

Harbor Springs Restaurant Week continues through Sunday, March 7. The event is sponsored by the Harbor Springs Area Chamber of Commerce with 10 local restaurants offering a wide range of specials ranging from $10 to $35.

Good news - restaurant capacity increases from 25% to 50% starting Friday, March 5!

Everyone is invited to join us at 8 a.m. Thursday, March 18, for our virtual State of the Community event. This can't-miss event is organized by the Harbor Springs Area Chamber of Commerce and presented by sponsor Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

After weeks of advocacy, Northern Michigan Chamber Alliance leaders are encouraged to see COVID restrictions on businesses loosening.

The Harbor Springs Area Chamber of Commerce needs your help. Our beloved gazebo at the waterfront near the Pier restaurant, is in disrepair.

We have an amazing way for to help and have your name or a loved one's name forever memorialized in the walkway to the gazebo.

Tip of the Mitt SCORE is proud to bring a free webinar to the business community on Making The Most of Your Website in 2021. The webinar will be held on Tuesday, March 16, from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Register in advance by clicking here.

North Central Michigan College will host an international lecture on the realities of the U.S. immigration system. Rev. Wayne Dziekan will use his field experience as an immigration advocate and his work on Catholic social doctrine to share insight on common questions related to this complex subject. The free lecture will be held via Zoom at 12 p.m. on March 16. Pregistration is required.

“Why don’t the estimated 11 million people in the U.S. without legal status bother to get papers? What are some real solutions to unauthorized immigration? These are some of the most misunderstood questions concerning the topic of immigration in the U.S.,” Dziekan said.

Ordained since 1994, Dziekan is a Roman Catholic priest with the Diocese of Gaylord and a member of the Hispanic Ministry of the Diocese in Traverse City. He has been an immigration advocate for most of his ordained life, becoming passionate about the immigration dynamics he was witnessing in Northern Michigan and nationwide.

Financial assistance for college courses and/or job training is available through the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan (WRCNM). Qualifying students may receive financial assistance to cover the cost of tuition (college courses and/or job training), textbooks and childcare while attending classes. In addition to educational scholarships, individuals are supported with career exploration, academic advising, job search, and resume development. For more information, contact WRCNM Educational and Employment Services Coordinator Stacey Burns at (231) 348-6699 or visit wrcnm.org.

North Central Michigan College’s popular Luncheon Lecture series will present its final program, Beethoven and the Ode to Joy, in a virtual format on Friday, March 19. The presentations are free, however pre-registration is required.

Orchestras across the world had planned to celebrate the 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven in 2020 before COVID-19 struck. Although he is often hailed as a hero who overcame deafness to compose some of the greatest music ever written, there is much more to his story. Amanda Sewell, Ph.D., music director for Interlochen Public Radio, will survey his life and music, focusing on some less well-known facets, including his long affair with a married woman known as “Immortal Beloved.” Sewell has written a biography of Wendy Carlos, the composer of “Switched-on Bach” published by Oxford University Press.