KALAMAZOO, MI --

A little good can come out of a bad economy.

When Kevin Kluck couldn't find work after graduating from Lake Superior State University with a business degree in May 2010, he sat down with his father, Randy, and proposed an idea. He suggested the two of them write a book about the best bars in the Upper Peninsula, their new home.

Randy Kluck and his wife, Juanita, lived in Hickory Corners for more than 20 years where they raised their seven kids. Kevin is the second oldest and a 2001 graduate of Gull Lake High School.

, so the parents moved to Sault Ste. Marie to be closer to them.

If you go

"Yooper Bars"

What:

New book showcasing 110 bars in Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Where:

Available at

,

, Barnes & Nobel stores and online and select book stores (

In West and Mid-Michigan:

Lowry's Books in Three Rivers and Sturgis; Schuler Books in Lansing, Okemos, Walker and Grand Rapids)

Cost:

$19.95

Website:

Randy Kluck, who has been a sales and marketing consultant for around 35 years, loved the idea, he said during a phone interview from his home. The father-son duo spent around three months planning their book. They started profiling bars in March and completed the final visit around Thanksgiving.

In all, they traveled more than 4,700 miles and featured 110 of the liveliest watering holes in the book,

The book was released in the winter, but Kluck expects it to get more use from Lower Peninsula folks planning their summer vacations. Kluck said there is something special about U.P. bars you can't find down state.

"It's just the community center -- the atmosphere, the entertainment. It's just a social hub," Kluck said.

The 223-page book is broken down into three sections: West, East and Central. Each section begins with a locator map and listing. Each bar is given two pages.

If you want to know which bars have the best fish fry on Friday nights, "Yooper Bars" will have it, said Kluck, a native of Saginaw. From Merriweather to Newberry and several points in between, the book dedicates two pages to each bar, detailing house drinks, the history, the menu and showing a few photos.

"We estimate about 1.5 percent of the U.P.'s population is in that book," Kluck joked.

The book shines the spotlight on Gould City's Michihistrigan Bar and its "World's Best Guest Bartender," named simply "Warhoop," who is known for balancing several bottles of beer on top of each other and delivering them to customers.

It highlights some of the various eating challenges around the U.P., including The Yukon Inn's "Week Long Hotdog Eating Contest."

It also showcases some of the U.P.'s microbreweries, such as

and the

, among others.

Some of the best bar names in the book: Pine Stump Cook Shack & Drinkery in Newberry; The Satisfied Frog in Sault Ste. Marie; Cat-man-do's in Escanaba; Chuck's Remember When in Escanaba; Hoop 'n Holler Tavern in Merriweather, among others.

The book is available online at

, on

and Barnes & Noble stores, and select book stores around the state.

John Liberty can be reached at 269-370-7372 or jlibert1@mlive.com. Follow me on Twitter @JohnTLiberty