Enjoy a Lakeside Chat with the Grandson of Ernest Hemingway

 

Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winning author (and Walloon Lake’s most noted summer resident) Ernest Hemingway came from a family of creative types and has since left a legacy of writing that extends for generations. Among those is his grandson, John Patrick Hemingway, author of Strange Tribe (The Lyons Press, 2007) – a memoir that details the turbulent, love/hate relationship between his father, Dr. Gregory Hemingway, and his grandfather, the Nobel Laureate Ernest Hemingway.

As part of a weekend-long Walloon Lake Writer’s Retreat Weekend at Hotel Walloon, the public is invited to a FREE event – A Lakeside Chat with Author John Patrick Hemingway – on Friday, April 14 at the Talcott Event Venue in downtown Walloon Lake. Doors will open at 7pm with a cash bar featuring a Pilar’s Rum Hemingway Daiquiri (see recipe below), along with select wine and beer; the discussion will begin at 7:30pm and a book signing will follow.

Throughout the weekend, the Canadian/American writer and journalist will lead writers in a series of workshops, readings and other creative exercises meant to inspire personal storytelling. Last year’s inaugural Writer’s Retreat was led by Ernest’s great granddaughter (and John’s niece), Cristen Hemingway Jaynes, author of Ernest’s Way.

In addition to his memoir, John Hemingway has published a number of short stories in magazines and literary reviews such at The Saturday Evening Post and Provincetown Arts and has also written for many fishing and hunting magazines such as Showboats International and Ducks Unlimited. His first novel, Bacchanalia: A Pamplona Story (2019), takes place in Spain during the Fiesta de San Fermín, a nine-day event that was made famous in the1920s by the publication of his grandfather’s work The Sun Also Rises.

Ernest Hemingway was just three months old when he made his first trip from his hometown of Oak Park, IL to Walloon Lake where his parents – Clarence and Grace (Hall) – had purchased property along the North Shore. Ernest spent time every summer until 1921 at the family’s beloved Windemere cottage there, the simple cottage still owned by descendants today. The woods and waters in and around Walloon Lake shaped Hemingway’s life in many ways and it was a place he always held dear to his heart. It was here that his 1972 posthumously published book, The Nick Adams Stories, is primarily set.

To inquire about availability for the “Walloon Lake Writer’s Retreat ” please contact Hotel Walloon at 231-535-5000.

HEMINGWAY DAIQUIRI

INGREDIENTS

  • 1.75 oz Papa’s Pilar® Blonde Rum
  • 0.75 oz fresh Lime juice
  • 0.5 oz Ruby Grapefruit juice
  • 1 tsp Maraschino liqueur
  • 1 tsp Sugar (Papa went without)
  • 1 peel of Grapefruit (as little white pith as possible)

Shake all ingredients and pour into a Coupe glass.
Garnish with a dehydrated Grapefruit slice.

*If you want to make it how Papa drank it, double the rum and make it a Papa Doble!

Recipe and photo courtesy of Papa’s Pilar

Ernest Hemingway Writers Retreat at Walloon Lake this March

 Dream of getting away to write? What could be better than Hotel Walloon. After all, if it was good enough for Ernest (Hemingway that is), then it should work for anyone who wants to hone their writing skills and just needs to find inspiration, stimulation, ideas, and time away.

Hemingway, after all, is Walloon Lake’s most famous summer resident–his family still has a cottage on this beautiful lake in northwestern Michigan. And even better, Hotel Walloon has invited Hemingway’s great granddaughter Cristen Hemingway Jaynes to to lead the writers’ workshops and activities during the Walloon Lake Writer’s Retreat this March 4-6.

Jaynes is the the author of Ernest’s Way: An International Journey Through Hemingway’s Life which is a guide and literary exploration of the cities where Hemingway visited or lived. In the book, published by Pegasus Books, Jaynes shows us theses destination both as they were when the author of such best sellers as For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Sun Also Rises, and Farewell to Arms, was there as well as now.

The Walloon Writers Retreat begins Friday evening and runs until Sunday early afternoon.  Participants can enjoy both collaborative and solo writing sessions during the weekend.  Packages start at $350.00 and includes a hotel room, retreat costs, an autographed copy of Cristen Hemingway Jaynes’s book, a Hemingway Tour hosted by the Michigan Hemingway Society, and visits to distinctive locations around this quaint Village that will help write and foster inspiration.

Hotel Walloon on the Shores of Walloon Lake Where the Hemingway Family Summered


Hotel Walloon is located in Northern Michigan and is a privately-owned AAA Four Diamond property.  Hotel Walloon is a luxury boutique hotel that hosts 32 unique guest rooms.  Amenities include complimentary valet service, a private bar exclusively for hotel guests and four complimentary food offerings during the day including; a continental breakfast, fresh snacks, and an assortment of hors d’oeuvres in the evening, followed by a dessert display. 

Places for Inspiration

There are lots of cozy nooks for writers as well as comfortable lounges near large fireplace. Guests can avail themselves of the billiards room, 24-hour fitness facility, and outdoor heated spa whirlpool.  Within a short walk are the Barrel Back Restaurant as well as lovely Walloon Lake Inn.

Up North Michigan

Hotel Walloon is part of the Up North experience is located between three great Northern Michigan cities known for their vibrant downtowns, lovely historic areas, and beautiful waterfronts–Charlevoix, Boyne City, and Petoskey. 
 

Hemingway as a very young writer at Walloon Lake

YOU’RE INVITED TO A SPECIAL CENTENNIAL WEDDING RECEPTION FOR ERNEST AND HADLEY (RICHARDSON) HEMINGWAY

Get set for the wedding of the last century when, as part of its year-long HEMINGWAY HOMECOMING celebration, the Village of Walloon Lake hosts its “Hemingway Centennial Wedding Reception.”

Tickets for the event are now available for its “Hemingway Centennial Wedding Reception” on Friday, September 3 at the Talcott Center. The event, benefitting the Michigan Hemingway Society, is being held on the 100th anniversary of Ernest Hemingway’s wedding to Hadley Richardson. A special appearance by the newlyweds Ernest & Hadley is one of the highlights of this commemorative evening.

The evening begins at 6 p.m. with a Hemingway themed Happy Hour that features a cash bar and such spirits as wine from Walloon Lake Winery, Two Hearted Ale from Bell’s Brewery and spirits from Michigan’s Wise Men Distillery and Papa’s Pilar, a brand endorsed by the Hemingway Foundation.

Dinner, featuring foods from the Pinehurst Inn in Horton Bay (the same place the real Ernest and Hadley said “I do) will be served by Wine Guys Catering in Petoskey at 7 o’clock. Menu items the inn’s famous fried chicken, poached local fish, cabbage salad, tomato pudding, sweet potatoes with apples, Parker House rolls and Velvet cake for dessert.

Throughout the evening, attendees are invited to bid on a variety of unique Hemingway and Walloon Lake themed items and experiences, with live auctioneer Scott MacKenzie of Boyne City.

For those interested in an after-hours party, a cash bar with signature cocktails as well as cigars – available for purchase on-site from Ernesto’s in Petoskey – will be offered on the Talcott patio until 11 o’clock.

Tickets for the “Hemingway Centennial Wedding Reception” are $125 per person, $200 per couple or $1000 for a VIP sponsored table for eight guests (with space limited to 200). Tickets can be purchased online here: https://hemingwayweddingreception.eventbrite.com.

On Saturday, September 4, village officials will dedicate a series of historical signs in Circle Park downtown, which tell the story of early visitors and residents to Walloon Lake (first called Bear Lake, then Tolcott/Talcott) – from the trains, passenger steamboats and resorts – as well as several pieces specific to Hemingway, in partnership with the Michigan Hemingway Society.

Ernest Hemingway was just three months old when he made his first trip from his hometown of Oak Park, IL to Walloon Lake where his parents – Clarence and Grace (Hall) – had purchased property along the North Shore. He spent time each and every summer until 1922 at the family’s beloved Windemere cottage (including his 1921 honeymoon). The cottage is still owned by descendants of the Hemingway family.

Details for all upcoming events will be posted on the village website at WalloonLakeMi.com or online www.Facebook.com/WalloonLakeMi

Walloon Lake YouTube (The Nick Adams Stories Discussions)

Hemingway Daiquiri

We don’t know if Ernest drank these at his first wedding, but they are said to be one of his favorites so in case you want to toast this great American author, celebrate with one of his cocktails.

Hemingway Daiquiri

  • Ice
  • 2 ounces white rum
  • ¾ ounce fresh lime juice
  • ½ ounce fresh grapefruit juice
  • ½ ounce maraschino liqueur
  • 1 lime wheel, for garnish (optional)

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the lime wheel and shake well. Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with the lime wheel