(upbeat music) - [Tom] On this awesome episode of "UTR," we find cool things to do in the Soo.

From aquatic knowledge and downtown flavor to Yooper treasures, and a new restaurant with a fresh start, you'll see why Michigan's oldest city still has some new stories to tell.

Get ready to explore the cool people, places and things that make Sault Ste.

Marie my kinda town.

(upbeat music) (intense music) (upbeat music) (audience cheering) (upbeat music) (water sloshing) - [Narrator] The Stahls Motors and Music Experience features a collection of automated music machines, neon signs, gas pumps, and 150 years of automotive history.

More info at stahlsauto.com.

- [Tom] We've been around the world.

- [Jim] But there's one place we keep coming back to.

- [Tom] And the more we explore... - [Jim] The more we realize it's the place to be.

- I'm Tom Daldin.

- I'm Jim Edelman.

- And this is... - [Tom and Jim] "Under the Radar Michigan."

(upbeat music) (air whooshing) - Sault Ste.

Marie may be Michigan's oldest city, but the story started long before there was even a Michigan.

For more than 2,000 years, native people gathered here and called it Bahweting, a.k.a "The Gathering Place."

The French name Sault Ste.

Marie came along in 1668, and centuries later, people still love gathering here.

The St.

Marys River links Lake Superior and Lake Huron, and totally sets the rhythm for life in the Soo.

Giant freighters, the famous locks, the International Bridge, and a downtown full of local personality all come together in a place that feels historic without being stuck in the past.

You'll find Sault Ste.

Marie at the northeastern edge of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, right across the river from its Canadian namesake.

It's where two countries, two Great Lakes, and one very busy shipping route meet at the same intersection.

So, let's see what there is for me and you to do in the Soo.

(air whooshing) We're surrounded by freshwater, and it seems simple, but it's full of life, science, and surprises.

This place let me get close enough to actually pet it.

Located right on the St.

Marys River, the Lake Superior State University's Center for Freshwater Research & Education opened in 2021.

It's an 18,000-square-foot home for Great Lakes research, student learning, and community outreach.

And this isn't science that stays locked in a lab.

Students conduct experiments, work alongside professionals, all while visitors can explore the Great Lakes Discovery Center and even meet a lake sturgeon in the touch tank.

To find out how it all comes together, I talked with Executive Director Ashley Moerke.

I got to believe that the first stop for every kid coming to the center is they rush here, right?

- [Ashley] Yeah, we hope so.

- Yeah.

I mean, what a spectacular way to learn about the most magnificent fish, I believe, in the Great Lakes is up close and personal like this.

So tell me, how does something like this get going?

I mean, this has got to be attributed all to you, right?

- Oh, certainly not all to me, but certainly to a team of really amazing people that have a passion for the Great Lakes.

And so, you know, our facility was born out of a need.

You know, if you look at where we are, on the shores of the Great Lakes, you know, I always say that there's no better place than at the nexus of three of those Great Lakes.

And so we really saw that there was a need to teach people about how important this resource is and how cool this resource is.

- Right?

I mean, there's so much work that goes into the research and the study.

- Yeah, and we talk about a lot to our students about how these waters are working waters, right?

So it's not just about protect it and conserve it, and we can't use it.

We recognize that the Great Lakes are the backbone of our economy, particularly in Michigan.

And so we want people to understand that there's a way to blend those two: to protect it for really cool creatures like the sturgeon, but also to ensure that we can use it to sustain and build a growing and thriving place for all people.

- It's been a fish I've been fascinated with, you know?

And then I learned that they did the poacher watching along the Indian River.

- Yeah.

- And just because you want them all to have this extra, you know, leg up to surviving.

And I find that so fascinating.

I find the history of the fish and the way it was revered by the Indigenous peoples.

It just is... It's a dinosaur, right?

I mean, it's been around for a long, long, long time.

- Yeah, and that's, you know, why we showcase the lake sturgeon is because they are culturally significant to Indigenous people on the lands that we are on, and that's an important story to tell.

And also, it's that they tell a story of the legacy of contamination and pollution.

But lastly, they're just cool.

I mean, where do you get to see a five or six or seven-foot fish, you know, anywhere in the freshwater environment?

So it's pretty unusual.

- That is amazing.

Unless you find one of those freakish big northern pikes.

- Yeah, or muskie maybe.

Yeah.

- Exactly.

What are some of the projects that you're working forward to that, you know, you can tell us about?

- Yeah, sure.

- [Jim] In 50 words.

- Nothing is top secret.

- [Jim] Okay.

Good, good, good, good.

- But, you know, our mission is really around educating the public, which you see in our Discovery Center here, but it's also about training the next generation of scientists and helping facilitate research so that we can protect the waters here into the future.

So we have a lot of active research.

Some of that is on invasive species.

We have a lot of projects working at sturgeon management in the wild.

So what are the sturgeon populations looking like?

How are they using habitat, and where are they using that habitat?

We also have projects that are looking at how we are operating the compensating gates and how that's affecting our fishery.

We're looking at the effects of oil on freshwater.

So there's a lot of concern with Line 5, yet surprisingly, most of the research on oil is actually done in marine environments, not in freshwater.

So we lead out of this facility with the Coast Guard Great Lakes Center of Expertise.

We lead a consortium of researchers from U.S.

and Canada that are addressing those questions.

So some really exciting work that is applicable to how we ensure that this resource stays great into the future.

- One of the reasons we're here is to pet a fish.

- Yeah, you got to pet it.

- I'm gonna hug a fish.

I'm just gonna reveal that to you right now.

- Just be kind to it.

- Oh, I'll give them a nice big hug.

So let's see if we can get a fish to come up.

- Okay.

- I'm gonna roll my sleeves up so I don't take too much water with me, you know, and I think the bathing suit- - [Ashley] Oh, here.

Here.

I think you... Yeah, see?

- Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It is... - It's like a little slimy leather here.

- Yeah, it's more like a catfish.

It's a catfish.

Maybe not as slippery as a catfish.

- Mm-hmm.

Yeah, they don't have the scales like, you know, you'd seen a- - Right, right.

Or, you know, a carp with the big giant scales.

- Mm-hmm.

Right.

- [Jim] Well, after meeting the researchers, seeing the labs, and getting up close and personal with a lake sturgeon, I walked away with a whole new appreciation for what lives beneath the surface.

At the Center for Freshwater Research and Education, they're not just studying the Great Lakes; they're training the next generation of people who'll protect them.

(air whooshing) - Downtown Sault Ste.

Marie is right next to the St.

Marys River and the amazing Soo Locks, where you'll find tons of great local restaurants, candy shops, gift stores, and historic sights all along a beautiful and fun walk.

But there's so much to do here.

Where do we even start?

Now, have you ever wondered how we find really cool places on "UTR"?

Well, we usually hook up with somebody who knows where they all are.

And today, we hook up with the incomparable, the one and only, Linda Hoath.

Yep, Linda is an amazing person because of her endless energy and enthusiasm for the Soo.

And people here absolutely love her because she personifies the passion we all have for this great city.

I love Portage Street, the main street here, 'cause it's got so much on it.

- Oh, my gosh, this is one of my favorite places to be.

I love coming down here.

I live here, but I come down in the summertime.

I'm here all the time.

- Yeah.

- You know, and this is a part of all of us that live here.

- All the shops, the restaurants, the locks are right there.

It's awesome.

So what's the first place you're gonna take me?

- I'm gonna take you to the Fudge Du Locke.

- Fudge Du Locke.

- I love Fudge Du Locke.

And my favorite is chocolate.

I don't care what anybody says.

But I have somebody really special I want you to meet.

- Oh, awesome.

Okay.

Oh, Fudge Du Locke.

Let's go in.

- Yes.

We're here to see one of the original, the original fudge maker from 1964.

This is Tony Bosbous.

- Tony, so you're one of the original, or the original fudge maker?

- I am the first.

Well, Gary was the first.

- Right.

- The owner.

And he taught me how to do it.

- Back to 1964?

- [Tony] Yeah, I was a senior in high school.

- [Tom] Obviously, fudge is good for you because you look awesome.

(Linda and Tom laughing) - [Tony] Well, thank you.

Thank you.

- Yeah, so I keep hearing that the fudge here is so much better than everybody else's because it's smoother, it's creamier.

Why is that?

- It must be the ingredients.

- Yeah.

Not the maker?

- Well, you have to know what you're doing.

As you can see, the shine on it is really good.

- Yeah.

- So we didn't play with it too much because every time you go around, it breaks it down.

So you have to be ready when it's ready.

So that looks pretty good.

- Well, I love on the wall here how you have all the phases of making.

It's like how you make fudge.

I feel like if I could take this home, it's kind of big to get in my car, but... So explain the whole process.

Take sugar... - It takes a number of different kinds of sugar.

- Yeah.

- And I used to guard that with, you know, your life for the most part, but it takes, you know, we have corn syrup, sugar, cream.

All the ingredients are healthy type of thing as long as you don't eat too much of it.

- Right, right.

- And I've been eating it for 62 years and took out my original teeth.

(Tom and Tony laughing) - [Tom] So what's your favorite fudge?

I got to ask.

I mean, you've been making it since 1964.

- [Tony] Chocolate, chocolate nut was always the favorite and it still is, but they're peanut butter with the... - [Tom] Chocolate?

- Peanut butter cup is not my favorite, but it's a lot of people's favorites too, but dark salted caramel is good, you know?

But I still like chocolate nut and I still... - Well, that's how you spell good.

- Yeah.

- F-U-D-G-E.

- That's good.

Yeah.

That's good.

- That fudge was amazing.

And Tony, what a sweet guy.

- Oh, he's one of the best.

- Pun intended, by the way.

- Pun intended.

- Oh.

(laughs) - Yeah.

- Yeah, so now we're gonna walk down Portage Street again.

- Yeah.

- Which, again, is the main street with all the restaurants and all the, you know... - And you just think of what Portage Street means.

This is where they used to portage the ships before the locks came here.

- Oh.

- Portage Street.

- Gotcha.

- But you can see all the shops here.

The Bells own this one, you know, and they own the next one.

- Plus here we are.

It's mid to late September and people forget, you can still come up here and watch the ships come in and go through the locks.

It's like it's gonna be 70 and sunny today.

It's beautiful.

Now, you grew up here, right?

- Yes, I did.

- And you're still here.

- And I'm still here.

This is my hometown, dream job, you know, family, friends.

We're a big family up here.

- Yeah.

And this is... People who haven't been up here before, I always tell them you got to get up to Sault Ste.

Marie just because it's such a welcoming... It's like a comforting place.

Plus, you're on the water, you get to see the big ships and the giant, you know... It's an awesome place to be.

- It is an awesome place to be.

And I tell you what, I left when I was young 'cause I had to get out.

- We all do that.

We all... - Yeah.

- Yeah, right.

The grass is greener.

- I only left for a year.

And then I came back and this is where I needed to be.

You know, this is my home.

These people are my family.

I said the people down here on Portage are, you know... They're actually like the Fudge Du Locke we were just at.

- Yeah.

- Well, they're open till December 21st.

So we are opened up and still.

And then in the wintertime, you've got shops down here that are still open.

So it's not as if- - Oh, yeah, this is a four-season destination, totally.

- Four season, always.

- Totally.

But yeah, I mean, last night we went on the... There was the mystery cruise.

That was incredible.

But just being on the water in a beautiful town like this, winter, spring, summer, fall, it's just a great place to bring your family.

- Yeah, it's a wonderful place.

- Now, what's the next place we're gonna go to?

- Well, here we go.

We're going to go to Cultured Pop.

Kathy Twardy, dear, dear friend of mine, from here, and she does the best popcorn ever.

- Oh, it's popcorn?

- Right here.

So right here, guys.

Hey, look at right here.

- I love popcorn.

Let's go in.

- Let's go in.

You got to meet Kathy.

- I'm gonna taste all the flavors.

So Kathy, Linda's told me all about you, but enough about you.

Now, popcorn.

No, seriously.

I mean, popcorn, I've just decided is a superfood.

- One of your favorite foods.

- Well, it's a superfood.

- Yeah.

- And obviously, it's your X-Men power because you're the... - I'm the popinator.

- Popinator, get to the butter.

How did you get into popcorn?

- You know, this space... It's kind of a funny story.

This space became available, and my husband and I came down to look at it, and my landlord is Carol McClellan, who owns the fudge shop.

And she said, "Don't you want to have a store here?"

And I said, "No, I really don't.

I already have a store."

And she said, "No, you want a store here.

You have six weeks to open."

- That's one way to become an entrepreneur.

- Right?

- It's like, "You want to have a store.

You want the pop in there."

- You're gonna be... And, like, my husband said, "Well, what would you do in here?"

And I said, "I could make popcorn."

He said, "We've been married for 20 years.

You don't make popcorn."

Well, I figured it out.

- Later that same day, I'm making popcorn.

- So here we are 10 years later.

- Yep.

Popcorn store.

I love what you're doing, by the way.

- Thank you.

- You even have, like, olive oils and stuff.

- Yeah.

Yep.

So the popcorn I start with a Michigan-grown, non-GMO heirloom corn, because I have a background in nutrition.

And then- - [Tom] So it is superfood.

- [Kathy] I only pop in coconut oil, which already makes it healthy.

- [Tom] That's what my wife does.

- And then I do all of the seasonings myself.

I only use Himalayan sea salt, so it really is a very healthy food.

And actually, Linda, she can eat mine where a- - And the Himalayans.

- And the Himalayans.

- Yeah, they can eat.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- But so how many flavors do you have?

- I have all those flavors up here.

- [Tom] Oh, my gosh!

- [Kathy] Yeah.

- [Tom] Tomato basil.

- Tomato basil.

Yeah, this one is dragon fruit and lime.

So it's naturally purple in color 'cause dragon fruit powder is purple.

- Oh, my gosh, look how purple- - Isn't that pretty?

- Where's the liver and onions?

I asked if they made liver and onion fudge, too, and they didn't.

I don't understand why.

- They don't.

That's so weird.

- Yeah.

But so this is lavender flavor?

- This one's dragon fruit and lime.

- I knew that.

- I gave you some honey lavender that I call flower power.

- Are you a hippie?

I'm an old hippie.

- I am a hippie.

- I used to be a hippie.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

Go for it.

- Oh, wow.

- Isn't that good?

- Holy cow.

- Yeah, you can take this one, too.

- Totally?

- Yeah, totally.

Yeah.

- I tricked her.

- He ate out of the bag so that I can't sell it.

- Well, that's a good point.

It's like... Yeah.

This memory here, in 10 years was... Tom from "UTR" ate out of this bag.

You want it?

I'm good.

I don't think I need it.

Well, this is awesome.

Yeah.

Linda said you were awesome.

- Good.

- And you are.

- Well, thank you.

Yeah.

- [Tom] Oh, my gosh, Linda.

Kathy was so nice.

- I know.

Isn't she wonderful?

- [Kathy] Thank you.

- [Tom] Yeah.

- She's fabulous.

Thanks, Kath.

- So where are we going now?

Is it far?

Because my feet are starting to get tired.

- Well, guess what?

It's right there.

- Oh, my gosh.

- Right there.

So you don't have to go so far.

- What is it?

- It's the Yooper Trading Co., and we're going to meet Brad Blair, the owner.

He's wonderful.

- Brad Blair?

- He's really great.

- Didn't you... You've met him before.

- Maybe I have.

Let's go see.

- [Linda] Let's see.

Yes.

- So Linda here says you're a really nice guy.

Then she's right there, so it's got to be the truth.

- Must be if Linda said so.

- [Tom] This store is amazing.

- Thank you.

- It's like everything you would ever want to be a Yooper is here.

- [Brad] Yeah.

- [Tom] I mean- - That was kind of the goal, putting this together.

We wanted something that stood out a little bit from the regular tourist shops down here.

Nothing wrong with those.

We have one of those next door, too, but yeah, we wanted something with really that Northwoods feel to it, and that people coming to town could experience the Yooper lifestyle.

- Right.

Plus the quality of stuff here is above and beyond.

This is a really nice place.

- Thank you.

- And I always call the Upper Peninsula our own Out West, our own Big Sky Country, and people don't realize till they get up here what an amazing place this is.

And to take some of it home with you... I've already seen about 15 things I want here.

So what inspired you to open this place?

- You know, I was just looking for something a little different, and at the time I think the Soo was going through a bit of a renaissance in its tourist district.

And you know, the UP is such a fantastic place, and I've been blessed to be born and raised here and be a local Yooper, a native.

And I think a lot of people don't realize that the UP is a third of Michigan's landmass, but there's only 3% of the population that lives here.

So you've got a lot of that outdoors lifestyle, very laid back, very slow pace of life, which is great.

Once January, February hits, it scares a lot of the tourist crowd off.

But they come right back in May when things get opened up again, snow's gone, and everything comes to bloom.

- Well, plus you can get Michigan-made stuff here.

You can get stuff that's been made up here in the Soo.

You can get unique, one-of-a-kind things that are actually handcrafted by people as opposed to going to a big box store and getting something that was made on a different continent.

I mean, it's, like, this is real stuff.

And I mean, you even have... You even have Bigfoot socks, which look how I can... I'm gonna have to buy these because, oh my God, feel this, Linda, how thick these are.

- [Linda] Oh!

- [Tom] I know.

- You're gonna be warm.

- Yeah.

- When the winter weather rolls in, that's huge.

If they keep Bigfoot warm, they'll work for you, too, Tom.

- And I have big feet, so it works.

You know, it's worth the drive.

People always say, "Oh, the Upper Peninsula is so far away."

I know a lot of people that in the time that they spend sitting and watching a football game, they could be up here.

- Yeah.

- So, I mean, if the game's not on, get in your car and get them to Sault Ste.

Marie, 'cause there's so many amazing shops and restaurants and natural beauty and, I mean, there's the freighters and the water and there's the kayaking.

There's just so much to do up here, so... And you can buy whatever you need for it right here.

- That's right.

(bright music) - [Tom] Oh, boy, Linda.

- Look at us.

Look at us.

- Oh, I can't believe it.

We got half the UP in these bags.

(Linda laughing) - [Linda] This is the best.

(air whooshing) - Well, as you've come to expect on "UTR," it's time to eat.

And for that, we've hired a professional: me.

- And me.

I'm hungry.

Let's eat.

- In June 2026, the Del-Mar Restaurant officially opened in downtown Sault Ste.

Marie.

Owners Brent and Lynde Blair transformed this two-story building into a restaurant with event space below and even six apartments above.

The menu serves up homemade favorites with Italian and American-inspired dishes, but this place is also part of a bigger story.

It's bringing people together and breathing new life into the heart of downtown.

To find out what it took to get the doors open, not to mention what I should order, I sat down with Lynde Blair.

So take me back to the beginning.

You've grown up in the Soo.

You've seen this building go through a lot of changes, right?

- Yep.

- What was the moment that you said, "This has to be a restaurant"?

- Well, honestly, we were looking for a building for a restaurant.

And when I first was presented this one, I literally said, "No way.

It's too big.

It's so run down.

It's way past repair."

And I was told, "No, it's actually not.

The bones are great."

And so we came and took a look, and we were pleasantly surprised, and we enjoyed what we could make the first floor into.

And then we had to really think about what could we do with the lowest level.

And then that turned into our private event space.

- [Jim] Right.

- So all the pieces just came together.

So I'm very glad that it was presented to us, because it is a beautiful building in the downtown of Sault Ste.

Marie.

We wanted to save what we could from the original when it was built in 1950, and one of the last pieces is in the lowest level is it's about 50-foot long bar, and it's got some curves to it.

And, of course, it was all rotten, and we restored it all, but it's a beautiful piece that was original in this building.

So that would've been really the only thing that was left that we could restore, but any surprises, there really wasn't.

- Oh, okay.

Take me back in time.

What was this main floor?

Was it a restaurant and hotel?

- Yeah, so, when it was originally built in 1950, actually, there was a wall right in this area because this was restaurant and that, which that door, was motel entrance.

- Ah.

- So to go up to your motel room was the door right behind us.

- [Jim] Okay.

- Yep, so you had motels upstairs, and then you had their two-floor restaurant.

- When I came in, the smell of the tomato sauce just hit me.

- You can smell it.

Yep.

- And it smelled like grandma's house.

- Yeah, it does actually.

- Yeah.

It smelled like my grandma's house on a Sunday.

- Yep.

- I think those places, they grab hold of your soul, and they just make you want to sit down and eat.

- [Lynde] Yep.

- And not stop.

- Right.

That comfort food.

- [Jim] Yeah.

- Yeah.

Yep.

- So tell me about some of the dishes.

So what are your standouts?

- So if you go for the Italian side, our Italian sampler gives you a little taste of three different options.

So that's a good seller.

People really enjoy because you get your variety.

You have our chicken parm.

So we bred our own chicken in-house, which the chicken has a very nice taste.

- [Jim] Yeah.

- [Lynde] A shrimp scampi.

I love a good shrimp.

- [Jim] Meatballs got a good- - [Lynde] Meatballs.

Our homemade meatballs.

Yep.

Yep.

- Any old building, you're just a steward, right?

You're actually going to be sending this off to the next person in great shape.

And they walk around and they look at the photos.

They look at the history.

And I think that is where you just got to raise a glass of our, you know, our beer and our wine and just say congratulations because this is a phenomenal build project.

- It was.

- And, you know, I am so happy to get to talk about this with you.

Well, I came to check out one of downtown's newest restaurants and left with a full stomach and one more reason to come back to the Soo.

The Del-Mar is serving up homemade comfort, a fresh downtown gathering spot, and a whole lot of local pride.

And that's one delicious combination.

Sault Ste.

Marie gave us so many reasons to come back, we may need a longer show.

Michigan's oldest city has a ton of history, and something new happening around every corner.

But it's the people here who keep finding fresh ways to move the Soo forward.

So get in the car and get up here, because this place is, well... Soo good to be true.

You know, fresh water is full of surprises.

It's got life, it's got science, and it's got just this... (Jim laughs) Well, with all things... I keep changing it.

- And today, we hook up with the incomparable, the one and only, Linda... I said Linda Blair.

I don't know where that came from.

Hi.

(clears throat) - And for that, we've hired a professional: me.

- Let's eat.

(upbeat music) (audience cheering) (upbeat music) (water sloshing) - [Narrator] The Stahls Motors and Music Experience features a collection of automated music machines, neon signs, gas pumps, and 150 years of automotive history.

More info at stahlsauto.com.

(bright upbeat music) (gentle music)