The Empire Area Museum will conduct a series of fun-filled history lessons over four Fridays in May and June at the Empire Township Hall.

“It’s a great opportunity to meet with summer friends, munch some free popcorn and learn about this area’s wonderful heritage,” said museum spokesperson Dave Taghon. “We encourage all newcomers, as well as the old natives, to come out and share their thoughts after each presentation.”

The first program on May 18, during the village’s annual Asparagus Festival, will be “The History of the Sleeping Bear Dunesmobiles.” Presenters wish to extend a special welcome to all past Dunesmobile drivers, many of whom spent summers working for area entrepreneur Louis Warnes at what is now known as the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

The event begins at 6:30 p.m. with a showing of “Empire,” a five-minute promotional DVD produced by the Empire Chamber of Commerce to highlight the beautiful features of the village.

Other lively historical programs in the series begin at 7 p.m. and include:

May 25 “The Wreck of the J.H. Hartzell,” by Brauer Productions

June 1 “Lunds Scenic Gardens,” by Jay Yager Production and Empire Fair Days

June 8 “Many Faces of Old Glory,” Vane Scott’s history of the American flag

A freewill offering will be accepted at the door. For more information, look for posters of scheduled events or call Dave Taghon at (231) 326-5519.

Before the tourism boom of the 1990s, before Cherry Republic and before the crowds engulfed Art’s Tavern, cozy little Glen Arbor had an artist colony that preceded its big bang. The colony began when the late Susanne Wilson, Ananda and Ben Bricker took a risk and bought the old garage on Lake St., turned it into a studio and eventually invited other artists to come to Glen Arbor and practice and exhibit their art in their friendly oasis.

Thirty years later, could the same art revolution happen in Empire?

Sleeping Bear Gallery owner Heather Caverly hopes so. Caverly purchased the Empire Clipper Building across Front Street from the Village Office in January and, together with curator Becky Willis, she aims to turn it into a haven that features artists in residence, demonstrations and lectures and, of course, displays of unique art including metals, wood, glass, fibers, paintings, sculptures, ceramics and photography. Caverly and her husband Mark live in the newly renovated area behind the gallery, and Willis occupies the apartment upstairs.

“I want to provide a space for aspiring artists to have a place to get off the ground,” said Caverly, who works mostly in metals. “This is an environment we love and where we can help other artists demo and sell their work.”

Caverly and Willis worked hard all spring to open the gallery by this weekend’s Empire Asparagus Festival. On Friday, May 18, they’ll feature a demo by three blacksmiths who studied with Caverly at the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit. During the Anchor Days festival in July they plan to feature a hot glass-blowing demo. As soon as she has her own forge, Caverly will offer blacksmithing demos herself. Since she loves to play the guitar, visitors might walk in and find her harmonizing to all kinds of music. Willis, meanwhile, taught jewelry classes in Franklin, Mich., for 23 years.

Heather Caverly first visited this area on her honeymoon in 1979, and has wanted to retire here ever since. She and Mark have two children who live today in Denver and South Lyon, Mich. She met Mark when her father, who was converting an old farm into a golf course, hired him to build the course. Her husband creates beautiful landscapes with his heavy equipment. He is an artist whose medium is dirt, she says. Caverly learned woodworking from her father, and she taught herself to paint and use ceramics. Though she’s always loved art, Caverly didn’t matriculate at CCS until “her last baby was off to college”. She received her degree at age 50.

About five years ago, Heather and Mark took an interest in the Clipper Building, then owned by John & Chris Walter (Chris’ wife Ashlea once ran a beautiful printing press in the building, and she started the Empire Asparagus Festival).

“This building lets us satisfy our unstoppable passion to live here,” said Caverly. “We want to give the Walter family credit for creating this palette. The work they did here before us allowed us to make this gallery. It’s an honor to take over a building that had such tender love and care put into it.”

The Sleeping Bear Gallery in the heart of Empire is open May through October, seven days a week. The gallery opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m., Monday-Wednesday, 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 5 p.m. on Sunday. Visit the gallery on Facebook here.

Don’t miss this weekend’s ninth annual Empire Asparagus Festival, which celebrates the arrival of spring and precedes the official opening of Northern Michigan’s tourism season a week later.

This intimate celebration in the eclectic village has been dubbed one of the world’s weirdest festivals by MSN.com, and it brings out the local yokels after months of near hibernation.

The Empire Asparagus Festival kicks off Friday with a screening of The History of the Sleeping Bear Dune Rides at 6:30 p.m. at the Township Hall. A dance and pig roast (music by the Benzie Playboys, pork supplied by Art’s Tavern in Glen Arbor) follows from 7-10 p.m. Wash down that pork, and find the courage to dance by drinking beer from Right Brain Brewery.

Saturday features at 5K Kick Ass-paragus Fun Run/Walk at 10 a.m. at the Lake Michigan Beach, an Asparagus recipe contest Asparagas cook-off at 11 a.m. at the Town Hall, the Ode to Asparagus poetry contest at 12:20 (check out last year’s winners), and Asparagus Eats, Wine and Beer Tasting under the tent downtown from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Vendors of delicious (asparagus) foods include Scalawags Fish & Chips, Stone House Bread, Norconks Asparagus, Empire Village Inn, Gemmas Coffee Shop & Baked Goods, Joe’s Friendly Tavern, Phils On Front, Art’s Tavern, Deerings Market, BLU, Trattoria Stella, Black Star Farms and Right Brain Brewery. Bo Bossa Swing & Jazz band will provide entertainment.

As you digest your food, enjoy the “GREEN” Parade, Empire’s non-motorized Asparagus Parade, which rolls through town at 3:30 p.m. All are welcome to participate (Walk, Pedal, March, Dance or come on Horse Back), but you MUST salute asparagus. Then at 7 p.m., enjoy the Asparagus Fiesta with local fare provided by Joe’s Friendly Tavern and live music by the Mittenauts.

Polish off the weekend on Sunday morning with the Empire Eagles breakfast from 8-noon at the Town Hall.

Click here for a detailed schedule of events and prices.

The Leelanau Peninsula BirdFest is in its second year. It is a ‘standard’ birdwatching festival in that it is a combination of scheduled, guided field trips and evening keynote addresses. Field trips go to various habitat locations to observe as great a variety of birds possible. Field trips are led by top flight birders who in most cases are capable of identifying birds by sight and sound. Birdwatching festivals generally feature a specific bird or birds, or field trips offering a special experience.

Our BirdFest has all of that. Nine different guided trips offered at various times over a four-day schedule. Birding by Tall Ship is our extra special, and I believe unique, field trip. That is a journey aboard the Inland Seas to Gull Island to observe Caspian terns and a variety of gulls. The trip leader is Dr. Bill Scharf renowned expert on Great Lakes gulls and terns. Among others we also offer pontoon boat birding going up Victoria Creek in the Cedar River Natural Area off south Lake Leelanau, plus a bus trip to the prairie development in Benzie County.

And of course our ‘big money’, big attraction bird (and our brand icon) is the Piping Plover. One of our most popular field trips offers a full education session on plovers conducted by Sleeping Bear National Lake Shore staff and then guided trips to see plovers on the nest on the SBDNLS beaches.

Our keynote presentations are top flight … Friday night Jerry Weinrich … godfather of Kirtland’s warbler restoration; Saturday night Greg Butcher, former Director of Bird Conservation for the National Audubon Society, now Migratory Species Coordinator for US Forest Service International Programs.

We have a Bird and Bug Safari offering for young children on Saturday morning in Suttons Bay and several more offerings that do not require full registration. Our web site, www.mibirdfest.com Complete field trip information and electronic registration are available there.
Registration is $35. That covers most of the field trips and the Friday night keynote. Several field trips cost an additional fee (covering boat rental fees and bus charges,only) … and the dinner and Saturday night keynote are additional as well.

Upon the retirement last summer of Dick DeVinney, the Summer Singers director for many years, Patrick Kuhl, will be the new director of the Glen Arbor Summer Singers. Patrick is a summer resident of Northport where he has been the organist for the Omena Presbyterian Church since 1993. He has also been involved in other Leelanau activities including Artistic Board of Directors for the Depth Foundation (Development of Educational Practices and Theories) and has taught drama and music at the Learning Center in Leland.

He has taught vocal music in Detroit and Troy Public schools for the past 35 years and has a long career accompanying many Detroit Metro choral groups including the General Motors Chorus.

“I am excited to be working with the Summer Singers, a valued community group on the Leelanau. This year’s program will be a celebration of American composers and the 175th anniversary of Michigan’s statehood.”

All interested singers are welcome to join the Summer Singers for rehearsals on Tuesdays beginning June 19 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Glen Lake Community Reformed Church. The Summer Singers free concert is part of the GAAA Manitou Music Festival on Tuesday, August 7 at 7 p.m.

To show our appreciation for those who serve in the U.S. Military, on Saturday, May 19 – Armed Forces Day – the National Park Service will begin issuing an annual pass offering free entrance to all 397 national parks for active duty military members and their dependents.

“We all owe a debt to those who sacrifice so much to protect our country,” said Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Superintendent Dusty Shultz. “We are proud to recognize these brave men and women and hope that a visit to this or any national park will offer an opportunity to unwind, relax, rejuvenate, and just have fun with their families.”

Active duty members of the U.S. Military and their dependents can pick up a pass at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center (VC) in Empire MI between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily. Beginning Friday, May 25, the pass will be available at all fee collection stations located around the park, including; Platte River Campground Office, Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive Entrance Station, Dune Climb Entrance Station, and D.H. Day Campground Office. Also beginning May 25, the VC will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Active duty members of the U.S. Military and their dependents must show a current, valid military identification card to obtain their pass. More information is available at www.nps.gov/findapark/passes.htm.

This military version of the America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass also permits free entrance to sites managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the U.S. Forest Service. The pass is also available at these locations.

“Through the years, military members, especially those far from home in times of conflict, have found inspiration in America’s patriotic icons and majestic landscapes, places like the Statue of Liberty and the Grand Canyon that are cared for by the National Park Service and symbolize the nation that their sacrifices protect,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “This new pass is a way to thank military members and their families for their service and their sacrifices.”

National parks and the military have strong ties going back to the establishment of Yellowstone as the world’s first national park in 1872. The U.S. Cavalry watched over America’s national parks and did double duty, serving as the first park rangers until the National Park Service was created 44 years later. During World War II, many parks were set aside for the training and care of military personnel. Today, dozens of national parks commemorate military battles and achievements.

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 397 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.

With asparagus spears and rhubarb stalks poking up above the ground, schools throughout northwest Lower Michigan are spending their last weeks of school capping off a big year of celebrating and serving locally grown food.

This, in turn, offers a number of opportunities for compelling in-school photos and video of the local Farm to School celebration. These media opportunities include:

Leelanau County
Wednesday, May 23: 10:50 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. Northport Public Schools, grilled asparagus for lunch at the school picnic.

Wednesday, May 23: Stir-fry asparagus for lunch at Suttons Bay Public Schools.

Wednesday, May 23: Bardenhagen Blackberries for Waffle Wednesdays.

Tuesday, May 29: Stonehouse Bread sandwich bar or Wellness Wraps with local 9 Bean Rows lettuce and mustard; and an asparagus dish.

Suttons Bay and Northport Cooking & Garden Activities
More info: Kirsten.gerbatsch@foodcorps.org, 551-427-8630

Tuesday, May 15, 3-6 p.m., Suttons Bay High School: SEEDS Good Grubs Farm & Cooking Club will be cooking up some healthy meals using some of Michigan’s most delicious Spring produce: Rhubarb and asparagus!

Thursday, May 17, 9 a.m. – 1:45 p.m., Suttons Bay Schools: Hosting Inland Seas Project Greenagers for a day of hands-on environmental stewardship, service projects, and hands-on dirty work! Teenagers will be helping out at the Suttons Bay School gardens for the day, learning about compost, gardening, and taking care of our soil while building a compost bin system, planting seeds, and building trellis structures.

Thursday, May 17, 3-5 p.m., Northport School after school program: Out in the school garden!

Monday-Tuesday, May 21-22, 3-6 p.m., Suttons Bay High School: SEEDS Good Grubs Farm & Cooking Club in the school gardens for the afternoon.

Tuesday, May 22, 2-3 pm, Suttons Bay High School: Healthy Cooking Class, learning about herbs and cooking with them

Thursday, May 24, 12:15 – 2:30 p.m., Northport School: Planting seeds in the school garden with elementary school students.

Tuesday, May 29, 8:15 to 9:15 a.m., Northport School: Planting transplants and seeds with Mr. Martin’s middle school science class in the school garden.

Wednesday, May 30, 12 – 1 p.m., Northport School: Planting herb transplants and edible flowers in the school garden with 2nd grade class.

Thursday, May 31, 12:30 – 1:15 p.m., Northport School: Planting Three Sisters Garden in school garden with 3rd grade class.

Antrim County
Wednesday, May 16: Roasted asparagus from Bolt Farm for lunch at Central Lake Elementary.

Thursday, May 31, 11:20 a.m. – 12:20 p.m., Central Lake Elementary, asparagus at the school picnic.

Benzie County
Tuesday, May 15: Asparagus for lunch, Platte River Elementary School, Honor.

Tuesday, May 22, 10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.: Chef Susan Mundt from the Northern Michigan Culinary Arts Community (NMCAC) will come to Frankfort Elementary School in a Chefs Move to Schools initiative in partnership with the Michigan Land Use Institute’s FoodCorps program. Activity: Teaching students how to make a frittata filled with local ingredients including Cream Cup Dairy milk, farm-fresh eggs, and Michigan asparagus. During the cooking, students also will learn about volume and fractions for a fun, hands-on way of learning math.

Tuesday, May 29: Farm field trip planned for Frankfort Elementary School students. Contact Daniel Marbury, FoodCorps Service Member, at 770-653-3805 for details.

Wednesday, May 30: Chef Jim Barnes of Northern Michigan Culinary Arts Community (NMCAC) will visit Platte River Elementary in Honor as part of the Chefs Move to Schools initiative in partnership with the Michigan Land Use Institute’s FoodCorps program. Contact Daniel Marbury, FoodCorps Service Member, at 770-653-3805 for an update on time and theme.

Grand Traverse County
Thursday, May 17: Asparagus stir fry tasting at Interlochen Elementary School.

Wednesday, May 23: Asparagus for lunch: all TCAPS schools.

Wednesday, May 30: Asparagus for lunch, all TCAPS schools.

Please be advised:

Lunches in schools generally are served from 11:30 – 1 p.m., but reporters should call the schools first to make media arrangements.

Other contacts are:
• Daniel Marbury for Central Lake, Platte River Elementary, Frankfort Elementary, Interlochen Elementary, and Suttons Bay and Northport lunchroom, picnic, classroom, and tasting activities. Daniel.marbury@foodcorps.org, 770-653-3805
• Kirsten Gerbatch for Suttons Bay and Northport school garden activities. Kirsten.gerbatsch@foodcorps.org, 551-427-8630
• Dorothy Sirrine for Leland Public School activities, 231-946-4199, 301-938-9708, dorothy.sirrine@gmail.com
• Gary Derrigan, food service, Traverse City Area Public Schools, 231-933-1911
• Sam Hybels, Glen Lake Community Schools, 231-334-3061 ext. 503
• Diane Conners, MLUI & Leelanau Learning Circle, 231-499-3937.

About the Institute
The Michigan Land Use Institute is an independent, nonprofit research, educational, and service organization founded in 1995. More than 3,000 households, businesses, and organizations have joined the Institute in support of its mission to establish an approach to economic development that strengthens communities, enhances opportunity, and protects Michigan’s unmatched natural resources.

Stella's Amanda Danielson

Here are photos from the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association’s (LPVA) spring media reception. Learn more about LPVA and its fine wineries here.

This GlenArbor.com story is sponsored by Center Gallery and Forest Gallery.

Miranda Monroe, a Registered Dietitian and principal of Grand Traverse Nutrition, will share tips for easy and healthy meal preparation using local foods available to everyone in Leelanau County.

Featuring MyPlate meal planning, Miranda will demonstrate, with a little class participation, how to quickly and easily prepare balanced meals — with local foods. Recipes, nutrition and simple cooking tips, with yummy food sampling included.

A series of four, hour-long classes, will be held at the Glen Arbor Athletic Club every other Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

Free introductory class offered Wednesday May 16 at 5:30 p.m.

The prepayment rate of $12 per class; series cost of $48, reserves your spot. Walk-in rate is $15 per class. Sign up for walk-in must be completed by noon the day prior (Tuesday)

Grand Traverse Nutrition and the Glen Arbor Athletic Club are offering a FREE Introductory Class for the community to learn more about how easy it is to quickly prepare balanced meals featuring local foods. Scheduled at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 16 at the Glen Arbor Athletic Club, 6363 Western Avenue (M22), nutritionist Miranda Monroe will provide a preview of her EAT HEALTHY, EAT LOCAL series of four classes. Miranda Monroe is a Registered Dietitian and principal of Grand Traverse Nutrition.

The series consists of four, one-hour classes, held every other Wednesday at the Athletic Club in Glen Arbor. Each class focuses on a nutrition topic and local food. Miranda will demonstrate, with a little class participation, how to quickly and easily prepare a balanced meal incorporating fresh, local ingredients, such as asparagus, strawberries, and more.

For more information about the series of classes and to register for the FREE Introductory Class, call the Glen Arbor Athletic Club at (231) 334-7007.

May 30 Liven Up Your Meals with Veggies featuring fresh, local asparagus
June 13 Protein Power: variety is the key. A focus is on lean protein!
June 27 Focus on Fruits, featuring fresh, local strawberries
July 11 Seasoning without Salt using locally grown Herbs & Spices

This GlenArbor.com story was sponsored by the Foothills Motel, a year-round motel and cafe on the east side of Big Glen Lake.

View the Asparagus Festival’s schedule of events here. Check out the Empire Chamber’s new promotional video below — narrated by famed local writer Anne-Marie Oomen — and don’t forget to submit your entry to the Asparagus Festival Poetry Contest here.

Get your asparagus stalk on!

This GlenArbor.com story is sponsored by Bay Lavender, where Cookie Thatcher prefers to think of her blends of lavender soaps as “flavors”.