The first phase of the long awaited Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail — between the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb and downtown Glen Arbor — is nearly complete. Pavement stretches nearly half the way from the Dune Climb to Glen Haven, but the remainder of the trail is already formed and tamped down. The trail’s grand opening is scheduled for June 20. In the meantime, check out this narrated video of a bike ride Saturday along the trail.
This GlenArbor.com story was sponsored by Becky Thatcher Designs, combining the natural textures of stone, the colorful depths of faceted gems and the luster of pearls with silver, high karat gold and platinum.
The accolades and attention continue to bless Leelanau County — and our summer season is still over seven weeks away.
A University of Wisconsin study published today named ours as the third healthiest county in the United States — behind Los Alamos County, N.M., and Colorado’s Douglas County. That means we’re the fittest Americans east of the Mississippi River!
Leelanau leapfrogged Ottawa County in southeast Michigan for the claim to the healthiest county in the state. Ottawa won in 2011. View the statewide results here.
The rankings uses factors including health behavior, clinical care, social and economic factors and physical environment. Measures also include the number of fast food restaurants in a county (Leelanau County has none!) and physical inactivity levels.
The study was conducted by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. To view the rankings, visit www.countyhealthrankings.org.
This GlenArbor.com story was sponsored by the Yarn Shop.
Leelanau County is the third healthiest country in the nation, according to a new University of Wisconsin study, so chances are, you and your neighbors are fairly active people.
But are you as active as these guys? Did you surf, skateboard and snowboard all on the same day — in late March? Doubtful.
Check out this cool video by extreme athlete and Homestead snowboard instructor Jake Therrien. He, Reiss Skrocki, Luke Darling, Reese Spaulding and Ian Van De Perre all took Empire and Glen Arbor by storm.
Rangers offer free hikes (with Park entrance pass)
From staff reports
Whether you are a new or frequent visitor, spring is an excellent time to enjoy Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Explore the farmsteads of Port Oneida, look for signs of spring, learn about the birds migrating back to the area and hike along magnificent trails. A Ranger-led hike in the park can be a great way to spend the afternoon. Join Park Rangers as they share some of their favorite places during Saturdays at the Lakeshore this spring.
Every Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. a Park Ranger awaits you at the Philip Hart Visitor Center in Empire to introduce a topic and then lead a car caravan a short distance to where the walk will begin. Each week features a different topic and location. Hikes last 1 to 1 ½ hours and are no longer than 1 ½ miles. Dress for the weather.
April 7 The Best of Both Worlds
Experience the best of both worlds at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Rangers will take you to a place where history and nature both share the spotlight.
April 14 What’s the Point of the Dunes?
Explore the Sleeping Bear Point Trail and learn why the dunes are here.
April 21 Picture Yourself at Sleeping Bear Dunes
For the official start of National Park Week, join a Park Ranger for a hike with some magnificent views. Bring your camera to capture the scenery.
April 28 National Junior Ranger Day
Join Park Rangers for a day of fun exploring, learning about and protecting Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Events start at 10 a.m. and the swearing in ceremony is at 3 p.m.
The Saturdays at the Lakeshore program is held every Saturday from now until mid-June when summer programs start. Hikes are free. Participants need only purchase the park entrance pass or have an annual pass displayed in their vehicle to join in the fun. Please call (231) 326-5134 extension 328 to make reservations and for details, or visit www.nps.gov/slbe. Also, “Like” the Park’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sbdnl.
About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 395 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.
Runners and walkers will take the starting line in Glen Arbor on Saturday, June 16, for the inaugural Glen Arbor Solstice Half Marathon & 5k. With something to offer both hardcore endurance junkies and recreational athletes, the 13.1-mile race and 3.1-mile run/walk is expected to draw 400 participants.
“Glen Arbor is the perfect setting for an event like this,” said race director Eric Houghton. “The combination of Northern Michigan charm and stunning scenery should make this a memorable race for locals and visitors alike.”
The half-marathon course will take athletes around Big Glen Lake in a clockwise loop. Runners ascend Inspiration Point on the south side of Big Glen Lake where they will experience one of the most spectacular views of Leelanau County before returning to downtown Glen Arbor for the finish. The 5k course is flat and fast, and will take runners and walkers through tree-lined roads on the edge of downtown Glen Arbor.
Registration is $55 for the half marathon and $30 for the 5k before April 1. A portion of the proceeds from this event will go to the Glen Arbor Park Commission.
The Glen Arbor Fire Department will offer a pasta dinner for athletes the night before the race for $10 a plate or $30 for a group of four when purchased in advance. After the race, participants and their families are invited to relax at the Glen Lake Chamber of Commerce’s BBQ & Brew Festival — which returns after a one-year hiatus.
More information and registration details can be found at enduranceevolution.com or by calling (231) 342-3570.
Endurance Evolution is a Traverse City-based event management company specializing in triathlons and run- ning races. The company has put on the Traverse City Triathlon on Old Mission Peninsula every August since 2009. In 2012, Endurance Evolution will host five races: Runaway Hen Snowshoe Scamper; Traverse City, MI; February 25, 2012 Glen Arbor Solstice Half Marathon & 5K; Glen Arbor, MI; June 16, 2012 Spartan Sprint Triathlon; Haslett, MI; August 5, 2012; Traverse City Triathlon; Traverse City, MI; August 19, 2012; Marathon & Half Marathon; Leelanau County, MI; October 7, 2012
The county’s best-kept winter sport secret isn’t skiing, snowboarding, or the best ice fishing hideaway: it’s the weekly Zumba classes at the Empire Township Hall. The 5:45-7 p.m. Wednesday evening sessions, led by Amy White of Maple City, carry a zippy, warm exuberance that enfolds students coming in the door on a chilly, blusterous night. On a recent post-holiday, pre-snow evening, an amazing 30 women showed up to salsa, samba and reggaeton their daily cares away (10-15 students is more common, according to the veteran teacher). At just $5 per session, with those under 18 free (currently sponsored by the Empire Community Foundation), the international aerobics dance sensation has found a firm footing in Leelanau.
The Zumba craze began accidentally some dozen years ago in Colombia, when aerobics instructor Alberto Perez forgot to bring his usual dance-mix tapes to a class he was leading. He decided to substitute some salsa music he had on hand, and was inspired to incorporate some basic Latin dance steps into the traditional aerobics format. As he later expanded his repertoire to include Cumbia, merengue, mamba, cha-cha, and other up-tempo, ethnic dance moves, the new hybrid fitness craze spread across the Americas. By 2001, the Zumba brand was created; 2005 brought collaboration with national fitness organizations American Council on Exercise and the Aerobic Fitness Association of America, creating standards for workouts and certification for instructors. Since then, Zumba has exploded across the cultural scene; its offerings include routines for seniors, children, strength training, aqua-Zumba, and even a Wii Fit video-console format. For at least the past three years, seemingly regular-looking community members have been Zumba-ing up a storm behind steam-obscured windows in gyms and community centers across Leelanau County.
In her day job as a Glen Lake High School teacher, Amy specializes in life skills classes that have evolved dramatically over the 30 years of her career as an educator there, moving from “home economics” to a health-based curriculum that includes nutrition, fresh-food cooking, and fitness, including Zumba.
“I went through the [official Zumba] certification to teach it at Glen Lake. I did it for about a year and a half before I was convinced that this would work for other people, too. I’ve only taught this for about thee years,” she says. “The first year, I did it with K.B. Sutton,” before going solo at the township hall (she has also taught at The Homestead resort, and in the summer, offers a second, day class at the Township Hall).
“Everyone needs a little lightness,” says the teacher whose high energy, encouraging smile, and short, dark pigtails recall 1950s Hollywood star Annette Funicello.
“Dance is just so joyful! It’s an evening class — they’ve been at work all day, they drag their bodies over there — sometimes they’d rather be home on the couch — after about 10 minutes, you see smiles and energy. It’s so fun to see people, kids latch onto it!”
She describes her class format: “We do about an hour and 15 minutes of full-blown workout and stretching. A certain percentage of the official Zumba formula is supposed to be all different ethnic kinds of dance. And most don’t have yoga. The stretching is always shortchanged in cardio classes. This gives us time for our muscles and brains to talk to each other.” She leads about 45 minutes of upbeat dance routines, then guides students through a series of gentle yoga poses to warm down.
The students, most of them women (occasionally a man will attend), get to socialize a bit as well, before and after the workout. A wide cross-section of the community shows up here, and a current high schooler may find herself doing mambo, salsa, merengue, and hip-hop alongside a 50-something artist, a retiree, a 20-year-old college student, a community leader, a grandmother, an arts maven. And with no mirrors to reflect self-conscious eyes or awkwardness, people can check their inner critic or fashionista at the front door, and enjoy moving their bodies with the abandon of kids again.
One amusing requirement is that students wear a hip scarf (Amy supplies a boxful), sewn all over with small metallic, jingly discs.
“Some people are a little resistant at first, little self-conscious,” she laughs. “It’s really about playing, part of the ‘joyful noise,’” she stresses. “Even my high school students will put them on, including the boys — the girls egg them on!” Recently some of the girls approached her with the idea of creating an after-school Zumba event for elementary students this spring, modeled loosely on the peer/self-empowerment program Girls on the Run.
“It’s more like we’re just dancing together. To have it be all ages is really fun for everyone. I really like the town hall [idea] — a place to come together,” White says.
Kathy Ricord of Empire Township has been attending for about two years. “It’s so much fun! I’ve met tons of nice women. I love the workout, too; it’s a really nice break in the week.” She adds, “I think we have somebody from every decade [in class]!”
Amy concurs, “My mother, 81, does her thing in one corner, and over there, a 16-year-old’s shaking her booty!” Her mother, Mary Horney, also takes the Zumba Gold class on Thursday mornings at the Township Hall. Led by Marta Hubbell, the workout is geared towards seniors, and those with mobility issues or just starting a fitness routine.
“My mom is an incredibly hard-working woman, gardener, very active all her life. I grew up in a city, in Grand Rapids, but my mom grew up on a farm. We used to go out to the country to pick peaches, bring them home and can them. She’s really influenced me.”
Amy brings a lifetime of skills and passion to her teaching, both in Zumba and at the high school. She came to Glen Lake as a freshfaced, 21-year-old graduate of Central Michigan University, and later earned her MA from Michigan State. She states that she tries to live what she teaches about cooking fresh food and staying active.
“I’m like everybody else — I eat my junk food!” she laughs. “It’s a real effort to cook from scratch; sometimes, you might have to just cook ahead on weekends. I teach more based on a Mediterranean diet — healthy oils, whole grains. The old food pyramid and how it’s changed has really confused people! Change can be overwhelming: what we ‘should’ be doing in fitness.”
She continues, “I’m very impassioned about nutrition and health. I couldn’t do what I do! I know how I feel when I eat crappy; you do, too. The older you get, the more you need to move, watch how much we can drink, how much water — it’s resilience you need to have! The concept of modeling, whether it’s your own kids or your students, speaks 10 times louder than words.”
She concludes, “It’s truly a reciprocal relationship. When I’m up there and dancing to the music, I see the people smiling and dancing — I feel things like stress and everything else just falling off me! You get so much more with this group — hope — kind of a nice feeling — community. Share the Zumba!”
This GlenArbor.com story was sponsored by the Glen Lake Manor, where you can take in the view of Little Glen Lake while enjoying dinner at the Manor.
This winter will feature open skating on a new rink in Glen Arbor. Located in the Lake Street Woods (behind Leelanau Coffee Roasting and the Cottage Book Shop), the 40′ x 60′ sheet of ice will be open to skaters of all age.
Spearheaded by Lee Houtteman, “it will be a true family-style skating rink. We’ll have some lights and music, and just bring folks together for some fun,” says Lee. “All ability levels are welcome, we will have milk crates on the ice to help the younger kids get started.” Ed Connolly, Lee Houtteman, Glen Arbor Athletic Club, Cherry Republic, and Leelanau Coffee Roasting are the lead donors, with several others helping out to pay for the site preparation, boards, and plastic liner.
Skating will occur from when the ice freezes until it melts in the spring. Lights, music, and overall skating times will be developed as demand is recorded. Stephanie & Bob Sutherland will keep an eye on the rink, and encourage folks to park on Pine Street and walk down the lane to the rink.
“Leelanau Coffee Roasting will try and adapt to the hours if there is demand–we usually close at 3 p.m. on Friday and Sunday,” says Michael Buhler. “Coffee, hot chocolate, and the bathrooms will all be available, but we can’t have skates inside the cafe,” he adds.
If you’d like to submit feedback on skating and Cafe hours, you’re welcome to contact Mike in the Cafe, or via email: mike@coffeeguys.com
Explore Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on snowshoes this winter. Join Park Rangers for a guided snowshoe hike this holiday season and every Saturday throughout the winter. The first hike of the season will be on Thursday, December 29 at 1 p.m. Thereafter, regularly scheduled Saturday snowshoe hikes will start up again on Saturday, January 7 at 1 p.m. Meet at the National Lakeshore Visitor Center in Empire. If you do not have your own, snowshoes will be loaned out at no charge.
Inside the Visitor Center, Park Rangers will first provide basic snowshoeing instructions and then everyone will travel by car to the trailhead or area of the National Lakeshore pre-selected for that day. Once there, the Park Ranger will help participants learn about the park’s unique features and winter’s effect on them by exploring and discovering clues on site. Be prepared and plan to be outside until about 3 p.m. Dress in layers and wear waterproof boots to be most comfortable.
Not only is snowshoeing easy, fun, and good exercise, it is also an activity that can be enjoyed by all ages. The Park Ranger-led hikes are mildly strenuous, yet they proceed at a leisurely pace for only one and a half miles at the most.
Since the National Park Service has a supply of snowshoes for use within the National Lakeshore, participants need only purchase the park entrance pass or have an annual pass to join in the fun. Reservations are required. Park Ranger-led snowshoe hikes are limited to 30 participants.
For more information, please call the National Lakeshore at (231) 326-5134, extension 328, for details and to make reservations or visit the website at www.nps.gov/slbe. Also, check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sbdnl.
This GlenArbor.com story was sponsored by Synchronicity, showcasing the original work of 95 outstanding Michigan artists in a wide variety of media.
This coming February, Glen Arbor Sun founding editor Jacob Wheeler and Traverse City filmmaker Aaron Dennis (whose father Jerry was featured in our latest edition) will follow a team of American and Palestinian athletes as they run the West Bank, from Hebron to Jenin (129 miles over five days) to raise awareness about the struggles facing olive farmers in Palestine. The “Run Across Palestine”, a project of On The Ground aims to reestablish sustainable olive growing practices in a place where the economy, culture and identity are rooted in the ancient tree. 45 percent of the agricultural land in the West Bank is used for growing olives, employing 100,000 Palestinians. The money raised by the run will go to fund the replanting of olive trees uprooted in recent years, and to fund scholarships for the children of the farmers.
Wheeler and Dennis will produce a seven-part documentary web series entitled “The People and the Olive”, telling stories of hope and perseverance in the West Bank. These videos will be posted with accompanying blog reports and will appear on On the Ground’s website, as well as on GlenArborSun.com, on TheUpTake.org and in the progressive Jewish magazine Tikkun. After the completion of the run, these videos will be compiled and expanded into a short documentary. This film will be available on DVD and will premier in Traverse City, Michigan.
To fund their trip, Wheeler and Dennis are appealing for financial support via an online Kickstarter campaign. They aim to raise $5,000 by Jan. 24. The actual Run Across Palestine begins Feb. 4 in Hebron and ends Feb. 8 in Jenin.
“The olive tree plays a very important role as a symbol of our perseverance,” said Run Across Palestine coordinator Vivien Sansour. “Planting an olive tree is a huge message of hope. When you plant an olive tree, you’re planting a vision for the future.”
This GlenArbor.com story was sponsored by the Sylvan Inn, nestled in the tall pines at the edge of Glen Arbor.
Here’s an open letter from Rick Desrochers of the newly formed Sugar Loaf Mountain Club, thanking the local community for helping clean up the ski hill in advance of the long-shuttered mountain potentially opening up to cross-country skiing and ice climbing this winter.
To Everyone,
All I can say at this moment is WOW… I cannot thank all the volunteers 22 of them at that, for what they are doing and the difference they are making.. Not only to volunteer for the Sugar Loaf Mountain Club, but also the difference that you are making in the surrounding area.. Yes I do have a hard time sometimes when I thank the volunteers for coming out and to say a big thank and they turn around and say “No We Thank You”.. This is what a true community is about; to come together for something they believe in.
We are about starting over, kind of hitting the reset button on Sugar Loaf, when the forefathers of Sugar Loaf hiked up to the top, they had a dream in 1948 and that was to have activities on a mountain for Leelanau County. That dream is what we are about and bringing back a beautiful place to the surrounding communities. People talk about the past, but if people talk just about the past, they will not look towards the future and what the future has to offer.
Now I also would like to say a special “Thank You to Deering’s Market in Empire Michigan for donating items for the volunteers. I wanted to read something to the volunteers that came out from Phil and Sue of Deerings Market…” Thank you to all the volunteers for your hard work and dedication in believing in something that has meant so much too all the communities” So if you are down in Empire, stop in and say Hi… This is about the surrounding communities and trying to make a difference. It really makes me so proud and honored to know that people are trying to make a difference; with that some updates.
What our volunteers accomplished on Nov. 12
1. Tube run is coming along really great- just have one more day of weed whacking and will be finished and waiting on snow.
2. The volunteers also got the top of Awful Awful, Wufle and the Wall completed, did a little bit on Devils Elbow too.
3. Our website is coming along, should be just a little bit longer.
What we are working on next Saturday, Nov. 19
1. Awful Awful at mid point.
2. Cleaning at the bottom of the hill
3. Finishing up the tube run
4. Marking out the Cross Country Ski Trail
And here’s a glowing response that Sugar Loaf owner Kate Wickstrom posted on the Friends of Sugar Loaf Facebook page:
Dear Friends and Residents
Over the past year, I have had the distinct pleasure of meeting and working with Eric Luthhardt and Rick Desrochers and discussing plans for re-opening the resort. Two months ago, we were introduced to Erik Zehender, who has assisted in taking our dream of seeing something happen at the Loaf, over the top!!
Together, we are taking the steps necessary to bring an array of activity, back to the mountain. The support and efforts from our community, has been overwhelming. The volunteers that come to help clean up and prep the mountain, is astonishing. We could not be doing this without each and every one of you.
There have been many hurdles over the past 6 years, that have prevented the resort from opening, but we have chosen to put the dark and painful past history of the resort behind us. This is a new time. A new day.
We are taking small steps and building from the bottom up and we look forward to opening day, in the near future.
Warmest Regards,
Kate Wickstrom
This GlenArbor.com story was sponsored by On the Narrows Marina, now run by the McCahill family of Colorado.
The first phase of the long awaited Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail — between the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb and downtown Glen Arbor — is nearly complete. Pavement stretches nearly half the way from the Dune Climb to Glen Haven, but the remainder of the trail is already formed and tamped down. The trail’s grand opening is scheduled for June 20. In the meantime, check out this narrated video of a bike ride Saturday along the trail.
