Yes Michigan

Have you ever driven in the left lane on the Mackinac Bridge? Have you walked it on Labor Day, looking at the water 200 feet below?  While the “Mighty Mac’s” steel grating is unnerving for some, it’s kept the bridge safe, sturdy and aerodynamic above the windy Straits of Mackinac for nearly 30 years. When the grates are changed out, the old steel is set on a trailer and hauled away. But where do these Michigan relics go?  They become lamps, knives and keychains. They get shaped into coat hangers, necklaces, and tables. Some Mackinac steel has even made it to the South Pole. In episode seven of Yes Michigan we’ll hear about the many lives of the Mighty Mac, and the creative Michiganders who are repurposing the bridge. We’ll meet a steeplejack who climbs all over the iconic structure, and a mechanic who took a piece of Michigan to the ends of the earth. We’ll explore what the bridge means to those who love it most, and why so many people want to have a piece of their own.

The Detroit Lions redemption arc has captured the hearts of football fans across the country. But did you know there's another football team climbing to new heights in the motor city? Detroit City FC started as an amateur, rec-league soccer team in 2012. A decade later, they reached the second tier of American professional soccer. And with them every step of the way is the Northern Guard: a rabid, rowdy supporters group that embodies the spirit of Detroit.  Join MLive’s Patrick Shea on a trip to Hamtramck, where you get the world in two square miles, and the world’s sport is on the rise.

Jim "the shark" Dreyer swam across all five Great Lakes between 1998 and 2005, setting world records along the way. At age 61, he’s still not finished. His latest challenge is Grand Haven to Milwaukee — his longest swim yet.

Of the 550 recorded shipwrecks on Lake Superior, more than 200 happened near Whitefish Point. When a ship rounds this sandy corner of the eastern U.P., it turns towards the "shipwreck coast," where hurricane-force winds can produce waves up to 30 feet tall. Especially when November comes around. There’s one wreck that looms largest in Michigan memory. The legend lives on: in song and ceremony.

A Traverse City radio DJ writes a song about a “dogman,” and airs it as an April Fools’ Day joke. But then calls started flooding in from around northern Michigan: “That’s no joke. That’s a real thing.”

Today we’re diving into a little known chapter of Michigan history. We’ll hear about timber pirates, and their armed rebellion against the U.S. Government. And we’ll tell the tale of “Roaring Dan Seavey” - the most notorious pirate the Great Lakes have ever seen.

An iconic 1980s jingle lives on in the Michigan psyche. "Yes, Michigan, the feelings forever!" But where did it come from? And what's it getting at?