It's summertime in Michigan, so you know what that means: time to catch up with our state parks guru and all-around fun guest Maia Turek. And she's got loads of extra-great information to share, with our state parks celebrating its 100th anniversary.
Heather and Maia kick off the show with talk about a super cool activity and podcast project MRG is involved with -- the Centennial Campfire Storytelling Project, which combines state park stories with the engaging art form of storytelling. As part of the Michigan state parks centennial, the DNR is hosting storytelling events where you'll hear several vetted storytellers share their playful anecdotes and deeply personal memories. These storytelling events will feature up to five storytellers and attendees that want to share two-minute anecdotes. Each event will be recorded and distilled into a podcast shared on social media and on the DNR's website here. The first storytelling event took place in June, at Interlochen State Park and future events include Van Riper State Park in the U.P. on July 20, Belle Isle in Detroit on Aug. 17, and Yankee Springs on Sept. 21.
Maia also shares the allure of geocaching and how the state parks have a special geocaching tour underway (100 new caches are located around the state), special events that are happening around the state this summer (including family-friendly activities like a sand castle contest in Muskegon), and how we all can contribute to a state parks "memory map." There's also the Give 100 fundraising campaign, which encourages folks to support their favorite park for the next 100 years.
Learn more about the state parks centennial here.