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Rediscovering the magic of the Big Chief
John B. Marek is a storyteller with dirt under his nails who weaves tales inspired by a lifetime immersed in nature. His insightful essays and award-winning fiction delve into the complexities of sustainable living, the heart of rural communities and the thrill of...
Dual tragedies
John B. Marek is a storyteller with dirt under his nails who weaves tales inspired by a lifetime immersed in nature. His insightful essays and award-winning fiction delve into the complexities of sustainable living, the heart of rural communities and the thrill of...
Cruising the Great Lakes
John B. Marek is a storyteller with dirt under his nails who weaves tales inspired by a lifetime immersed in nature. His insightful essays and award-winning fiction delve into the complexities of sustainable living, the heart of rural communities and the thrill of...
Legacy of the moped lives on
John B. Marek is a storyteller with dirt under his nails who weaves tales inspired by a lifetime immersed in nature. His insightful essays and award-winning fiction delve into the complexities of sustainable living, the heart of rural communities and the thrill of...
Dixie Jim’s uncontested summer
John B. Marek is a writer, farmer, outdoorsman and recovering economic developer. You can find his books at johnbmarek.com. Maumee Bay State Park was still relatively new in the summer of 1994. An impressive complex with a golf course, lodge and conference center,...
Drive-in, revisited
John B. Marek is a writer, farmer, outdoorsman and recovering economic developer. You can find his books at johnbmarek.com. Four years ago, during the throes of the pandemic, I wrote a piece exploring the potential resurgence of drive-in movie theaters. Back then, it...
The 40-minute philatelist
John B. Marek is a writer, farmer, outdoorsman and recovering economic developer. You can find his books at johnbmarek.com. Like many kids, I cycled through several hobbies. I was into building plastic models for a while, meticulously gluing together swift fighter...
A celebration of harvest and heritage
John B. Marek is a writer, farmer, outdoorsman and recovering economic developer. You can find his books at johnbmarek.com. If you polled growers about their favorite holiday in the garden, I'd venture many would say the Fourth of July. While Easter typically falls...
Pig butchering? Announcing SchmikkelCoin
John B. Marek is a writer, farmer, outdoorsman and recovering economic developer. You can find his books at johnbmarek.com. When I first heard about internet "pig butchering" scams, I took the terminology a bit too literally. I initially thought they involved...
My summer kit
John B. Marek is a writer, farmer, outdoorsman and recovering economic developer. You can find his books at johnbmarek.com. The other day, I realized that this is the first summer in 45 years that I do not have a "real" job. Of course, between writing, managing my...
Anyone have a good gasoline recipe?
John B. Marek is a writer, farmer, outdoorsman and recovering economic developer. You can find his books at johnbmarek.com. Living in a rural area often comes with a sense of self-reliance. We fix our own fences, mend our own clothes and grow a good portion of our own...
Grease is the way we are feeling
John B. Marek is a writer, farmer, outdoorsman and recovering economic developer. You can find his books at johnbmarek.com. To kick off our Memorial Day weekend, my wife and I went to a free showing of the movie "Grease" at Primal Brewery. It was a good time, with a...