The 1974 “Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet” advertising campaign is considered the best automobile commercial of all time. Its prophecy rings true today, from the Motor City to Traverse City.

All four products are big hits in northern Michigan this summer. The Traverse City Beach Bums are off to their best start in franchise history, with a Frontier League-leading record of 28-12 (as of Thursday night). The Bums had won four in a row heading into Independence Day weekend. And, star third baseman Jose Vargas last week became the franchise’s all-time hits leader.

The Bums host Rockford tonight (Saturday) at 7:05pm at Wuerfel Park in a Fourth of July spectacle that features a video tribute to area veterans before the game and fireworks show afterward. Any military veteran in attendance is invited to walk on the field before the first pitch is thrown. Tickets for tonight’s game are still available.

Ballpark franks are part of baseball tradition, and the Beach Bums have added a new twist to your grandfather’s wurst. Last weekend Wuerfel Park unveiled a mac & cheese-covered sausage. Or if you’re looking for a healthier hot dog, Oryana Natural Foods Market is running a sale on their chicken bratwursts from Manton-based Nature’s Acres.

“What’s so cool about Natures Acres Chicken Brats?” asks Oryana communications manager Alisha Kuyper. “They are local, non-GMO-fed roaming chickens.”

Hot dogs are also good business for the Traverse City co-op. Sales of those chicken brats are up 66 percent for the last two months versus 2014. Likewise, beef hot dog sales are up 14 percent, turkey hot dogs are up 77 percent, and bratwurst sales are up 107 percent over last year.

Buying an apple pie from the Grand Traverse Pie Company, meanwhile, might please your dinner guests. That purchase is also an altruistic endeavor; proceeds of sales from apple pies this summer will help fund several area food pantries that provide food for Michigan’s school lunch program. Grand Traverse Pie sells hundreds of thousands of 9-inch pies, 6-inch pies and slices at its locations around Michigan.

And to round out the advertising slogan, Chevrolet is enjoying a banner 2015. The automobile industry’s sales have upshifted 5 percent over last year, and Chevy is up 9 percent. Here in TC, Williams Chevrolet posted sales last month that were 44 percent greater than June 2014. Most popular in this region are the Silverado pickup and the all-wheel drive Equinox sport utility vehicle.
But fast cars sell, too. Three new Corvettes recently rolled off the lot in recent weeks.

“It’s a great time, the industry is doing well, and consumer confidence is solid,” says General Sales Manager Tom Gordon.

Happy Fourth Of July!