Get your buns and meat sauce ready: for the third year in a row the Town of Plattsburgh has declared July “Michigan Month.”
Michigan Month has nothing to do with the upper Midwest and everything to do with a food item unique to Plattsburgh. If you compare a “Michigan” to a coney dog you might upset locals who find the Brooklyn dog a bit of a weenie compared to the lush thick meat sauce that’s poured over hot dogs in special buns.
Town of Plattsburgh Supervisor Michael Cashman read from a proclamation adopted by the town board.
“The Michigan has been an iconic food and a local favorite for more than 90 years. And whereas July 20th is National Hot Dog Day and America consumes over 150 million hot dogs on Independence Day, and whereas the Michigan is forever buried in the regional culture, therefore be it resolved that the Town Board does hereby declare once again July as Michigan Month in the Town of Plattsburgh.”
This is the third year the town has declared Michigan Month and Cashman says the idea is bringing more attention to the area.
“Last year we built up the program by doing some special things. The Pomeroy Foundation, their Hungry for History, we were able to install one of those markers. We continue to see lots of things on social media specifically going there, taking family photos. But we also had an inaugural Michigan Mile fun run. We saw big crowds and visitors actually from across the state. Last year we heard from people all over the country about this. The Michigan really connects with people to the Town of Plattsburgh and the greater region.”
During Michigan Month participants get what is called a passport to try out all the Michigan stands in the town. The lure to visit each, Cashman explains, is getting a free limited-edition t-shirt.
“There’s two ways to obtain a t-shirt. One is by participating in the Michigan Passport Program where you go to the four different restaurants. You get it stamped. If you’re one of the first 25 individuals to come back with a fully stamped passport you will get an exclusive t-shirt. The rest of the run of the shirts will be sold after the first 25 passports come in.”
Last year the town hoped to produce a Michigan Festival this year. But a key organizer had to pull out due to personal issues and Cashman reports that the town is now hoping to eventually partner with a group to co-coordinate an event sometime in the future.
“The two conditions that we have in that partnership is it has to be hosted here in the Town of Plattsburgh somewhere and the second part of it is we would like, if we can, for it to benefit the Battlefield Memorial Gateway project which is a project that is honoring our veterans.”
The Michigan Fun Run returns this year on July 19th and the town also plans to distribute Michigan recipe cards.
