One, two, three, four.

Get my shoes on at the door.

Five, six, seven, eight.

Feels great.

I'm gonna sign up to do and guys aren't gonna do about to do what they do.

Yeah.

Look at this guy with the beautiful color about the and just for me he's gonna share it with another I got to show to get.

I want to finish.

I'll take a look at that beautiful morning that turns to a beautiful evening.

Look at the big beautiful.

And if you want to see that, come along with me.

That's right.

Hello and welcome to Experience Michiana.

I can't wait for next week's show when you get to see me do Jazzercise.

The Spirit Fingers.

What movie was that in?

A You have of energy when you come to Jazzercise, but that's for next week's show Can't wait to show you guys because I can watch.

I'm going to want to do this, too.

I can look in your living room, but we have a great show for them this week.

Yes, we do.

We have an electric vehicle exhibition that's on at the Innovation Park.

There's also a nighttime bike ride down on Winona Lake.

Okay.

And then we're headed to the Hummingbird Lounge.

And all I want to tell you, if you're going to get your drink on the are I needed after Jazzercise today, we're out the Hummingbird Lounge and New Buffalo where I'm about to meet Courtney.

And we are so excited because we know this is going to be a very unique experience because hummingbirds are unique They're the smallest bird in the world that wings don't flap They rotate and they drink about five to eight times an hour, which is exactly what we're about to do, because we heard the drinks up and this place are sweet.

Courtney I'm so glad you could make it.

I'm excited for this experience.

I know, Ben, we are excited, and I must say this place looks very classy.

It is very classy.

And this is like a proper cocktail bar.

What does that mean?

Great question.

Thank you for asking.

So what that means is we care about everything that goes into the cocktail experience.

So to give you some examples, we spent a lot of money on really nice glassware that improves the drinking experience.

We have a fifteen thousand dollar ice machine that makes perfect one by one square cubes.

So you set out the top of your drink will taste the same as the bottom of your drink.

We cut all of our garnishes to order.

We use premium spirits.

We make everything that we use in our glass, in our cocktails we use in-house.

Wow.

So fresh juices, premium spirits, quality glassware, the best ice we can get.

That's what a proper cocktail bar is to us.

And then, of course, smily friendly people to guide you on your cocktail adventure and the cocktails is really what inspired you to open the Hummingbird Lounge, because there really is no other place like it in this area.

That's true.

There are a couple of places that have great cocktails for sure, but not one that's really focused primarily on providing a cocktail experience first.

Well, we do have a couple of local brews.

We have some wines as well, because not everybody enjoys a cocktail.

We also have a pretty good selection of spirit free cocktails.

But the cocktails are where it all starts here at the Hummingbird Lounge.

And now you guys have been open since April, so just a few months now.

What has been the most popular cocktail that you have come in for?

So that's the one that I want to make for you.

First, it's called our smoked pineapple margarita.

So so what we do is we take fresh pineapples, cut them into strips, we dust them with a little little chili dribble, gives them a special color, kind of a savory, a little bit of heat, not much.

And then we put them in a smoker for about a half, about a half hour.

We let them cool.

We juice it.

And then we use that as the orange liqueur element in a traditional margarita.

So fresh lime juice and fresh lemon juice, a little get a little bit of agave.

The smoked pineapple juice and premium and aiyo tequila.

And and that's that's the small pineapple margarita that's been our most popular drink by far.

Well, I do feel like I should get an extra cocktail because you opened up on my birthday and we're going to celebrate a well.

So right now we're at the bar.

Yeah.

And you have a lot of different spaces and they all have their own unique flavor to it.

Yeah.

Yes.

So it's a beautiful old Victorian house is sort of the backdrop for the Hummingbird Lounge.

And certainly that advice to some of the design in the interior decor elements to this space.

But it is kind of chopped up into little nooks and crannies around the space.

So we we've added some banquettes along the windows here to create a more cozy, maybe a date night environment.

We added this bar.

This did not exist before we purchased the property, can't have a bar without a bar in the other room with a little fireplace lounge.

We have a small private events space upstairs for eight to 10 guests.

And then we have a large garden area, a deck and lots of outdoor spaces as well.

The idea being that depending on how your day is going, you may want a quieter, more secluded cocktail, experience or you may just want to have a great cocktail out on a patio I've heard there's a lake near here.

So it seems like a little seems like it just seems like a great space for outdoor cocktailing.

Now, why the hummingbird?

What's the name?

Well, so as luck would have it, when we were speaking to our real estate agent, we were in the backyard of our business partner, Mike, and Sarah's in a tiny hummingbird, visited us and my business partner, Mike has somewhat of a short attention span.

So he started calling attention to the hummingbird.

He starts Googling things about hummingbirds.

And the first thing out of his mouth is, hey, do you know that they drink all day?

Now, of course, they drink all day for their brains are going crazy.

So we started sending each other's messages back and forth I found a couple of articles from the Audubon Society.

He found a couple of articles.

And we started to have this sort of internal joke about hummingbirds.

And as we started to do our research, we realized how very popular this little creature is.

And they make a pretty amazing journey.

So we said, OK, well, the merchandise and in the design will look great.

We've we've got our mascot.

We've got the hummingbird, you know, but in all actuality, our customers are the hummingbird.

Right.

We built the place where they're going to feel comfortable.

And if they want to start drinking earlier in the day, they could do that.

It's early in the day.

So that's why we're ready to fight.

If we combine to make your dream come to consume.

You saw.

So every single car I have here does so menu tense.

So luckily this church Adobe is doing, really doing.

And then we use a little bit of an oil substitute to drink a little bit.

You'll see that.

Master.

In the piece, you tell a story, this tells this character, can we do that just so that we can do a show?

That.

You're comparing apples to apples to apples.

Thank you.

Cheers, cheers, cheers.

Here we go.

Wow.

Oh, can I do basic research without this?

This is awesome.

Thank you.

Mmm.

And it's that smoking taste makes it every day and they really tell you to try a little bit more and give it a little something unique.

Regular Margarita's are delicious on their own.

But this I think the combination of the pineapple and the peppers and a little bit of small tear gas.

Now, this is the village.

This is the proper cocktail space.

But there's a little bit more of a laid back space, too.

Yeah, we call it the rollaway bar.

I say we take our drinks and go check it out.

Can we get a few more before we go?

Yes, we do.

So we do.

So cocktails to go.

Also know you could get a bag and then you can wander around the streets of New Buffalo with an open cocktail.

Just.

Yeah, we're working on that.

But you can get them to go see if you're going to someone's house or you're going to a pool party or whatever.

You can take some cocktails with you.

That's fantastic.

That sounds great.

OK, so can we go in?

Can we take the cocktails?

Yeah.

All right.

We're in what ifs.

All right.

Let's do this face is much more casual.

I love it.

Being open to the outside.

You can just roll up.

And that's kind of the name of the space, right?

The rollaway bar.

That's true.

So this is the roll away bar.

My family opened a bowling alley on the east side of Michigan seventy five years ago, and they let me borrow their furniture.

borrow is the keyword.

The idea.

Right.

And so if I ever saw the place, I have to bring it back.

OK, a long negotiation.

Will we get some furniture for this?

Furniture was originally installed in the bowling alley in 1946.

It's been in storage since the 70s.

But take it out of storage.

Give it some love.

Couple of coat of paint.

And here we are in the rollaway bar It's beautiful, though.

Create the ambiance of the outdoor space and all of the spaces are unique.

I have to tell you, standing at the bar, seventy's brings back a lot of memories and memories.

So what are you going to make for us here?

So this is our most popular outdoor drink, our garden drink It is called the Blueberry Bramble.

So what we do, we take fresh blueberries from McLoud Farms just north of here.

OK, what what?

Pineapple.

A little bit of vinegar and some sugar.

We put it in the fridge for about a week, bring it all out of the fridge, juice it.

And we put it in the middle of just a beautiful vodka soda.

So no one cocktail in America right now like refreshing flavors in this case.

It's going to make it a little purple.

Can you give it a little fruit element?

It's beautifully balanced.

The vinaigrette helps take some of the sweetness out of the drink.

Just light and refreshing.

Perfect for the garden.

Things like.

Andre?

Things are tough to get recovering the bill and what this does to flash their drink, we're going to try to get it up you.

This is the blueberry Bramble It's my drink.

Right.

For years.

And there's this of this goes well with your menu, too.

What are your prices of hours Wednesday through Sunday, five p.m. to 11?

This is open on weekends.

So Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays will open the rollaway bar.

We're actually getting a few TVs installed the next week, AC a unit.

So this could be a game day location.

If you want to hang out somewhere and watch a football game or watch a little golf on TV.

When a TV to the garden as well.

And where can people get more information?

Yeah.

So the best place to find us is at each word lounge on Instagram.

You'll see what's going on on a daily basis or w WW that each bird lounge dot com.

Right.

Right.

Well, thank you so much for that tour and of course, for drinks.

And I'm here at the bar.

One more.

All right.

hoosiers I know we like to drive.

And there is good news on how you can experience sustainable Michiana and drive sustainably.

Coming up here in Michiana we have the Electric Vehicle Expo, so you'll want to check that out for a variety of reasons.

First, did you know at a recent executive order has the plan for half of all electric vehicles to be electri in the next 10 years?

So you might want to find out how you can experience that as a driver, but also go check out the expo.

So I want to find out about the expo, but also why you might want to drive an electric vehicle.

So we're going to start out talking with Leah Thill plug in in her own electric car But really, she's with Maycock and she has one of the organizers of this event.

So thanks for talking about it.

Yeah.

So we're really excited to bring this event to the area on September 25th.

That's the same Saturday as a sunburst race over on campus from 10 to one.

We'll have a variety of electric vehicle owners out here with their own vehicles to allow you to ride along or even test drive their vehicles and just learn about the benefits, what it's like, how they're fun to drive.

And then the following week on during Goshen, first Fridays on October 1st, from five to seven, 30, there will be another electric vehicle expo in Goshen If you miss the one in South Bend, or you could go to both or you could go to both.

So why So as a sustainable experience, does it cost to go to this event?

No.

The event is free.

It's free.

It's fun.

Anyone can stop by and check out the vehicles.

So what are people going to learn at these events about?

I guess we'll get to see electric vehicles like this one What else?

Yeah.

So I think people will learn about the diversity of vehicles that are actually out there right now.

Plug in hybrids, all electric vehicles.

Truly family size vehicles like minivans.

We even hope to have the new Ford Mustang Mach E here.

So there will be really affordable use, smaller range vehicles.

They'll be longer range vehicles, something that will work for everyone.

It's no longer just small little vehicles that go, you know, 70 miles.

There's there's a big diversity right now and what's available and more to come in the next few years.

So you're going to learn something about that experience, what it's like.

There's going to be a little bit about the culture of electric vehicles.

I know there's pretty avid group of drivers in the area, but also the financial piece.

Is it too expensive to buy one?

Does it cost a lot to charge one?

Those kinds of pieces.

Could you talk a little bit about what we might hear about?

Sure.

Yeah.

So the cost of electric vehicles has definitely come down.

It's no longer just a luxury item.

Vehicles can be on par with similar vehicles that are not plug ins.

And so that's something people not buy it may not be aware of in some vehicles still have a seven thousand five hundred dollar tax credit that really helps bring down the cost of the vehicle.

So that's that's really exciting.

So I know you're not organizing this event alone.

There's a lot of people involved in this to make it happen.

Sure.

So along with Maycock, we are partnering with Endi Energy, the South Bend Office of Sustainability, of the Notre Dame offices of Sustainability, as well as the nonprofit South Shore Clean Cities, which is part of a Department Department of Energy program.

That's great.

All right.

Well, I want to hear from ND Energy and learn more about the energy aspect of electric vehicles.

So thanks Hey, Ginger.

Hi.

This is the cutest car.

And this is what really comes to mind when I'm thinking electric cars and probably a lot of folks, too.

But I know there is more to it than this.

That's adorable.

So tell me you're with ND energy, so you must know something about that energy piece.

Sure.

Electric Vehicle Expo.

So this is an event for the National Drive Electric Week that will also take part of Indy Energy's Energy Week.

And so the transportation emissions are about one third of our carbon emissions in the United States.

And so anything we can do to eliminate, eliminate those exhausted emissions like go into electric cars helps in every way.

So in terms of energy use, why bother?

Sure.

So it helps cut down on gas emissions.

So you're lowering any carbon emissions that are going up and can help us meet our climate goals by driving electric.

So fewer emissions.

That's great for the environment.

It's also good for our health.

We don't have to breathe that in.

And I suspect it's also just good.

A good communit investment or good research investment.

I mean, what's driving ND Energy's interest in this event in the energy, wanting to help sponsor this drive electric events?

Because we're really looking at how we can educate the public on being more sustainable in society.

And we're also looking at how we can electrify everything And so electrifying everything goes and eliminates emissions from all sectors.

And so, you know, we can go beyond electric cars.

So what if we had electric planes, electric trains?

And so electric cars are really the kick point in the way that all individuals can be involved.

So if it's not using gas to drive a car, it is using electricity.

So how is that better?

Because that's still energy.

It's still energy, but it's also leaving gas in the ground.

And so, you know, we're not if we're not burning carbons, that's that's always better.

And so then we can look at electrifying the grid.

And so I can look at the changing the way the grid is electrified.

And so, you know, if we're able to move off of fossil fuels and away from coal and have more solar and wind and renewable energy, then the grid is better.

And so then you're eliminating carbon emissions all around.

So this is just part of a shift to not plugging into fossil fuels to drive a car, but plugging into the sun, plugging into the sun, everything that's renewable.

All right.

So I know we've got not just cute little cars that not everyone wants to drive, but we actually have some electric car drivers here in the lot that you brought in that we have brought in.

Probably chat with them, too.

So, OK, so this looks like just a regular car.

I'm going to talk to the owner about what's going on with this Oh, Steve, this is your car and this is electric.

Yes.

So I suspect I know why you're driving this car.

It probably has something to do with the environmental impact or lack thereof of electric cars.

Yeah, primarily.

I bought it for the environmental benefits.

It is a Prius, but it's a plug in hybrid Prius.

So it has both electric and a gas engine.

It I drive at 80 percent local, so I bought it to reduce carbon and local emissions.

And is that what you're finding is the case is that you're actually using more of the electric feature and having fewer less of an environmental impact with this car?

Correct.

I calculated I drive it locally, all electric.

And then I but I have the gas engine only for longer drive.

So I don't have to worry about charging and charging stations.

So you have options with this one and you're having kind of a regular driving experience, I suspect, with what looks like a normal car.

It's a it looks like a normal car, but it's fun.

It's fun to drive high acceleration.

And I really love driving it.

So it's better to drive than a gas guzzler as far as I'm concerned.

OK, so it makes sense.

Very good.

And you're parked next to a much larger vehicle over here.

Scott, you drive an electric minivan.

This is a thing.

That's right.

How is this possible?

I mean, can you really take the city where it seems like it would?

Take a lot of energy to haul this around town, let alone leave town.

Not really the.

I actually live in Florida and I do snowboard thing between South Bend and Florida in an electric minivan.

No, not exactly.

It's just like Steve, the previous guy was talking about.

It's called a a plug in hybrid electric vehicle, HGV.

So like Steve, I've got an engine and an electric battery in there, too, and I'm motor.

So when the battery runs out, which is the way these things operate, that switches the engine.

And that's all I'm able to go to Florida.

So are you charging along the way?

Is that.

That's a good question.

That's a very good question.

Yes, you can.

But it doesn't run exclusively.

I like I only go three or four miles, so I stop on the way down to Florida.

Charge for a little bit like at restaurants, motels, places like that's called opportunity charging.

You get a little bit of a charge continue down the road, and that helps on my overall miles per gallon.

So as a driving experience, is this costing you more money?

Is it costing you more time to drive this thing?

I can't deny it.

Yes, it does take more time, because when you plug in, you have to with my vehicle to charge the battery completely from zero one takes about two hours.

But that doesn't mean that I have to do that.

I just get a little extra on the way down to Florida.

Fascinating.

All right.

Well, a lot to learn about at the electric vehicle expo here in Michigan, how you're experiencing sustainable Michiana, how you can be a part of the electric vehicle crew here.

Yeah, because of the group.

Yeah.

All right.

Go out.

Check it out.

You're going to learn something new and get excited about those cost savings, the health benefits and the social benefits of being part of this group, as well as a producer of the show.

I'm always out looking for things that we can go experience, physically go experience.

It's also great when we can do that with the community so we can experience these things with the community around us.

And on top of that, it's even better when that goes for a good cause.

And we have all three of those things represented in something called the nocturnal community bike ride.

And here to tell us about it is Matt Metzker.

Matt, thank you for joining us.

How are you doing?

I'm doing just fine.

Thanks for having me.

So nocturnal is something that grew from something else and is now a community bike ride.

But tell us about it.

What what is nocturnal and what are you guys trying to do by building this community?

Yeah, like you said, a nocturnal did start off probably 12 years ago.

And what we did is it was a large variety of different events, you know, of everything from running to biking to like a Tough Mudder kind of event.

And then what we found out is that that is extremely hard to put on it since we have kind of a limited amount of time.

We thought, well, what can we do to bring the community together?

Something that anybody from a seasoned athlete to somebody the family could do.

And so what we we decided on was a something that be kind of unique to kind of a niche kind of a thing.

And that was a night bike ride.

And what we're asking people to do is just check out their bikes with glowsticks reflectors, like it is quite a scene.

It's really neat to see this all happen.

And it's something where people just absolutely love it.

The whole community comes together and it's just, you know, and I think you also asked about what's the purpose of it.

This one is specifically to help the fellowship mission's addiction addiction recovery hub.

And so what we're likely to do is have people that are struggling with addiction be able to join in with normal people, which we all have our own shortcomings.

And some of them are just more obvious than others.

So we're saying, hey, everybody come together, we're going to ride.

And then at the end of the ride, we go to somebody's house and we take donations.

And with whatever cash we get, put in an envelope and go knock, knock, knock on their door.

And we say, here, this is our chance to share love to our neighbors, which we're supposed to do.

So we're and they don't know we're coming.

That's a really fun thing about it.

So it's just a huge mass of people.

And bikes show up.

We surprise them with the cash.

There's somebody in need.

It's not just a random person.

I mean, they got to have it.

We've carefully vet the people were giving it to.

So we we knock on the door, say here is this, use it in a wise way, and then we're off and we finish up the ride.

Generally out of the door prize or to to give away.

And that's basically the gist of nocturnal.

So Nocturnal this year is coming up on October 9th.

And you guys are starting about seven thirty pm.

Is that a gatherer time or is that the time you guys are taken off?

We'd like to take off.

We want RAICES to show up or show up at 7:00.

It does get hectic.

You know, you can imagine with hundreds of bikes around it, you just there's a lot of chaos.

So we do like to have some sort of.

I'd recommend coming at 7:00 because we'd like to leave.

We have a police escort.

So we have police that will lead the way and that every intersection we shut down the intersection so you can let this mass of bikes through.

And the plan is this year, you're going to ride around what, on lake?

The entire lake.

So it's about it's about a five mile ride.

And we can imagine that we we start to stretch out over about a mile long.

So it's so cool to see it with all these lights flashing and blowing.

And it's just it's such an experience.

Now, if people are new to riding, from what I understand, they could be all levels, like you said, whether it would be the competitive people or somebody just hop out for the first time, they want to be part of a community.

For those people who wonder, well, what happens if I have a flat tire, you know, along the way, what what do we do then?

You've got to answer for that, that we absolutely do.

We have a chase vehicle.

It's at a flatbed.

It's for hauling cars normally.

But they say they said, hey, we'll pick up anybody who has a flat tire, the chain brakes, or they just say, I'm too tired to pedal.

That does happen periodically.

I mean, it's super like you said.

It's a very slow where it's not a race.

It's like we want everybody to stay as close as we can together because it's easier for the police, you know, to ge people through intersections.

So we do have a lead vehicle that will keep everybody at a very, very comfortable.

Slow pace this way, you can just soak in the environment.

People staying out of their porches in waves.

It's just it's a very festive, very festive atmosphere and so much fun.

So do you guys have prizes for like the best decked out bike with lights and stuff like that?

You know, we will.

We don't have the price rise yet, but we will.

We have that.

We come up with just some random we like we like to have a very low key and very fun.

And so, yes, we'll come up with you know, we'll come up with some random Brightwell last and some things to give away and we'll come up with reasons to give them away.

But yes, that is true.

Well, I imagine it is quite a sight for people to see this group along the way of bikes all decked out .

And it really is that community, because you're doing it for someone else.

At the end of the day, how do people find out how to participate in this?

And then the simplest way to do it is just to go to Eventbrite dot com and then just search nocturnal and they'll take you they'll give you all the details.

So it's got all the details there.

And then also, I can give you the the link, if you like, but it's a kind of a long link and it's not easy, friendly ones to go to.

So that's just the simplest way.

So if you guys at home are interested in that, we'll make sure to have that link on the Experience Michiana website as well, and we'll get you over to them.

Matt, thank you so much for you and all the people, because I know it's not just you that put in your time to make something like this happen .

So it's you and those donors and those volunteers.

It really does take a community to put a community event on.

Sure does.

It sure does.

We have a very bike trail in Warsaw.

I went to like everybody just chips in and help this.

So it's so nice.

All right.

Well, thank you so much.

Remember, that's the nocturnal community bike ride.

If you want more information, visit experience Michiana dot org.

I've always wanted to do that nocturnal bike ride.

It looks like so much fun.

The only thing is do that first, then to the Hummingbird Lounge, don't drink first, and then do the bike ride.

I don't know.

Don't ask me for advice on that one.

And don't forget, next week, though, you're going to get to see me here at Jazzercise.

And if you've got any other things that you think we need to experience, just use the hashtag experience.

Michiana.

I'm out of here.

Juice.

This WNIT local production has been made possible in part by viewers like you.

Thank you.