Traverse City shop owners prepare for Madonna visit - it's Saturday, at the Film Festival

Great stuff. I will be changing my pic below after Sunday.

Good for Madonna to come home to Michigan (her father owns a winery in TC), and special props to Michael Moore, the man behind the Traverse City Film Festival.

By JULIE HINDS • FREE PRESS POP CULTURE WRITER • August 1, 2008

The Cannes film festival has champagne and starlets. The Traverse City version has baby buggies and hot dogs.

The annual film festival that’s in full swing this weekend at the Michigan cherry capital is a family-friendly event, even with this year’s much-anticipated visit by Madonna.

The queen of pop is expected to introduce her documentary about Malawi orphans, “I Am Because We Are,” Saturday night at the State Theatre in downtown Traverse City.

On Friday, the local vendors and pedestrians who packed a blocked-off area of Front Street, said they expect an even larger swarm of visitors today – because of the Material Girl’s star power. . .

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