This weekend brings the classic American holiday, the Fourth of July. It's the time of year when we head Up North, to the lake, to the family cottage, the friend's house, and ready the boat, the camper, the jello salad decorated like the American flag, buy the fireworks, arm ourselves with bug spray and sunscreen and we celebrate what we do best - being Americans.

Here in Michigan, no matter how you celebrate the Fourth of July, consider doing it the Pure Michigan way. We've all heard the Tim Allen voice-overs and the theme song that seems to leave all of us with warm fuzzies inside and chills on the outside. For those of us who live here, we know that Pure Michigan is more than just an ad campaign. It's a state of being, but more importantly, it's a state of mind. 

Times are tough, and we're all hurting in one way or another, but those ads have re-opened our eyes to how great our state really is, even when the Autos falter, the markets crash, and our state budget gets severely slashed and burned. From the radio and tv, we've remembered how special our state really is, how our beautiful our natural treasures really are, and how despite everything else, we really are so lucky to live in this Great Lakes state.

So eat that jello, sing the songs in the car on your way Up North, ready the firecrackers and canoes, sleeping bags and bug spray. Do it all this weekend, celebrate how fortunate we are to be Americans, but take it a step further and celebrate how lucky we all are to be able to celebrate it the Pure Michigan way.