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Dune Bird Winery makes breakout debut at San Francisco Chronicle wine competition
Business Feature, NewsDune Bird Winery, the newest member of the Harmony Estate Wineries of Leelanau, announced a standout first showing at the 2026 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, earning a Double Gold and multiple additional medals in one of North America’s most competitive wine judging events. Among nearly 5,500 entries from 950+ wineries, Dune Bird captured top recognition for its Leelanau Peninsula whites—an early milestone for the young label and a major win for Northern Michigan on a national stage. “This is a first win for Dune Bird, and it’s especially meaningful to debut with a Double Gold,” said winemaker Blake Lougheed. “It reflects the focus we put on site expression and precision winemaking in every lot.”
Lively NeighborFood Market hosts farm-to-table dinner series
Business Feature, Upcoming EventThe Lively NeighborFood Market continues its focus on supporting small local farms by inviting area chefs and neighbors to come together around a Farm-to-Table Dinner Series that celebrates the bounty of our region—even in the winter months. On Mondays in January and February the NeighborFood Market is hosting multi-course meals for 26 guests with reservations seated at a beautiful candlelit community table. The guest chefs come from a wide range of backgrounds, but all have strong connections to western Leelanau County.
Suttons Bay Theatre welcomes famed Canadian folk singer Garnet Rogers
Upcoming EventJoin The Bay Theatre in Suttons Bay on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 7 pm as the Winter/Spring “Live at The Bay” season gets off to a remarkable start with Canadian folk singer, instrumentalist, (and author) Garnet Rogers taking the stage. Given his extensive performance history at North America’s most prestigious venues, the Bay is thrilled to to host this great artist here in Suttons Bay.
Meet Me at the Loaf: Leelanau Historical Society celebrates Sugar Loaf stories
Historical Feature, Upcoming EventThe Leelanau Historical Society, in partnership with Here:Say Storytelling, will present Meet Me at the Loaf: A Celebration of Sugar Loaf in Stories. The Jan. 29 event at Solon Township Hall near Cedar will feature memories and voices connected to one of Leelanau County’s most beloved landmarks: Sugar Loaf Mountain. Doors open at 5:30 pm, offering guests the chance to reconnect with old friends, neighbors, and fellow “Sugar Loafers.” The storytelling program begins at 6:30.
Art that turns INward
Local Personality, NewsWinter in Leelanau County draws life inward. In a place so deeply defined by outwardness—by land, water, and expanse—the shift, nevertheless, feels instinctive, even necessary. The season arrives not only as weather, but as a kind of inversion, reshaping both landscape and psychology. Which makes the Glen Arbor Art Center’s (GAAC) first exhibition of 2026, INteriors, so timely and so entirely relevant. The concept for INteriors was developed by Sarah Bearup-Neal, gallery manager of GAAC, whose curatorial instincts invariably have a way of calibrating exhibitions with the emotional temperature of the season. Ever the wizard behind GAAC’s most resonant ideas, Bearup-Neal had been pondering winter itself: what happens when cold and darkness bends attention toward introspection, and how that shift might be reflected, challenged, and expanded through the arts.
Front Porch Suttons Bay holds community giveback weekend to support Leelanau Laundry Project
Business Feature, Upcoming EventThe Front Porch, a locally owned kitchen, gift & gourmet shop in downtown Suttons Bay is proud to host a special community giveback event in support of the Leelanau Laundry Project, a grassroots initiative providing free access to clean laundry for local families in need. From Thursday, Jan. 22, through Sunday, Jan. 25, customers who bring in laundry supplies of any kind—detergent, bleach, stain remover, laundry pods, and more—or make a monetary donation to the Leelanau Laundry Project will receive 20% OFF their entire purchase at The Front Porch that day.
Benzie seeks funds to open Wellness and Aquatic Center
NewsPeople running around the track. Pickleball and basketball. Swimming lessons and water aerobics. These are some of the activities that will take place at the Benzie Wellness and Aquatic Center, located at the former site of Crystal Lake Elementary in Benzonia. That’s the hope and the plan, but the reality is still years away. “We anticipate the capital campaign … for two or three years, with construction in 2029 and opening in 2030,” says Diane Tracy, vice president and development chair of the non-profit BWAC board.
“It’s Up to Us.” Leelanau Indivisible holds Jan. 17 demonstration in Suttons Bay
Upcoming EventThe public is invited to join Leelanau Indivisible on Saturday, Jan. 17 (MLK Weekend) for a demonstration against the Trump regime’s policies, from 11 am until noon in downtown Suttons Bay. Join demonstrators after the march for an Afterglow Gathering at Hop Lot Brewing Company.
Chasing Snow: Northern Michigan ski resorts adapt to a warmer world
Business Feature, Sports/AdventureIt’s been a soggy couple of years for skiers and snowboarders. So, what keeps us coming back? From crockpot warming stations to cutting-edge snow-making technology, Northern Michigan ski resorts pull out all the stops to keep winter lovers happy—and stay one step ahead of Mother Nature. Resorts need about 72 hours of temperatures that stay below 28 degrees to lay a base and open terrain for skiing. “The ski industry in Michigan happens because of snowmaking. There’s no other way to say it,” said Ben Doornbos, general manager at Nub’s Nob near Harbor Springs. “Our product is the snow.”
Grand Traverse Band warns members of encounters with ICE agents
Investigative ArticleWith daily reports flashing from major Midwestern cities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attacks on immigrants and communities of color, the Grand Traverse Band (GTB) of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians took the unprecedented step today of issuing an advisory to its tribal members to coach them on how to handle encounters with ICE agents. GTB chair Sandra Witherspoon told the Glen Arbor Sun that, while she has heard rumors of increased ICE activity in northern Michigan, she has no concrete evidence of a stepped-up presence in the coming days. Nevertheless, out of an “abundance of caution,” she said that tribal government decided to issue the advisory. Today’s advisory from the Grand Traverse Band encourages tribal members to carry their GTB Tribal ID card and to calmly identify their citizenship status if confronted by a federal agent. It also mentioned racial profiling practices now permitted under the Trump regime.