On Feb. 23, at 1:30 p.m. the Omena Historical Society and Leelanau Historical Society Museum will host Mark Smith for a discussion of the Grove Hill School—one of the first residential schools for Native Americans in the country. The event takes place at the Leelanau Historical Society’s Munnecke Room at 203 E. Cedar St. in Leland.
Greg Mielczarek and his wife, Maggie, a Leland native, acquired the Harbor House Trading Co. from Richard Roberts on Feb. 1. The Mielczareks will officially re-open the iconic spot in the heart of the village on Feb. 24-26 for the Harbor House’s annual storewide sale, during which apparel, paddleboards and other products will be sold at discounts of 50–70%. Roberts will remain the owner of the building.
This winter The Homestead resort is donating free lift tickets and rentals to area teenagers through LIFT, an out-of-schooltime teen center based in Suttons Bay, which is dedicated to empowering local youth to discover their strengths by investing in their evolution, autonomy, and character. “LIFT is grateful to The Homestead for their kindness in donating free skiing and rentals to our teens!” said LIFT Teen Center founder and director Rebekah TenBrink. “Our time on the slopes has been such a blast, and the conversations on the way home are full of adventurous stories and laughs. Participating in this kind of activity is a great bond- ing experience for the LIFT teens, and provides them with an opportunity they may not have had the resources otherwise to do.”
Explore Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore at night on a candlelit winter hike on Saturday, Feb. 18, from 6-8 p.m. at the Dune Climb. Join park rangers and volunteers to explore the park after dark. Arrive anytime between 6-7:30 p.m. to enjoy the full experience. Hike one mile on flat terrain along a candlelit trail. The self-guided hike should take roughly 30 minutes to 1 hour. Bring your sense of adventure, enjoy a trail lit by luminaries, and engage with our knowledgeable rangers and volunteers. The event is free with a park pass.
The Suttons Bay Chamber of Commerce proudly presents the 2023 Yeti Fest dubbed “The Best Yeti Fest This Side of the Himalayas.” The event takes place on Saturday, Feb. 18, from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm featuring a chili cook-off and fun for the whole family.
Glen Arbor’s Winterfest, the anticipated mid-winter event, takes place annually the Saturday of President’s Day weekend. This year’s perch fishing contest has been canceled due to a lack of ice on the Glen Lakes. But the chili cook off will be held on the deck of Boonedocks restaurant in Glen Arbor on Saturday, Feb. 18, from noon-3 pm.
Peninsula Provisions, located in the old Samaritan’s Closet Building in Lake Leelanau, is thrilled to announce their projected opening in June 2023. Owner and proprietor Kate Vilter Stassen, formerly of The Riverside Inn in Leland, and husband Coenraad Stassen, Brys Estate director of Winemaking and Estate manager have always been passionate about wine and food. It was Kate, however, who knew even before the sale of the Riverside in 2021 that owning and operating a wine and provisions shop was the next step in her career.
This weekend, the Friends of Sleeping Bear reported on ski and sledding conditions throughout the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The groomers have been out on both trails. Unfortunately, the lack of snow on the Heritage Trail meant that the south trail does not have classic tracks, but it has been rolled to form a really nice flat corduroy. Skate skiers will love this! Heritage trail north of Glen Arbor had a little more snow, and we did get a set of classic tracks down. Palmer Woods has the best snow conditions in the area. 6-8″ of fresh powder. Nice groom and classic tracks in most places.
French Valley Vineyard, located at 3655 South French Road near Cedar, will host an ice wine picking event for the public on Jan. 31 at 10 a.m. During the event, attendees can join vineyard manager Tomas Moreno and senior winemaker Blake Lougheed in the harvest of riesling grapes for ice wine production.
RIP, Mary Sutherland, a longtime Glen Arbor resident, teacher, feminist and champion for gender equality, who was perhaps best known as the matriarch of a large entrepreneurial, athletic, and public-spirited clan that has had an outsized impact on Leelanau County and the Grand Traverse region. Here is F Josephine Arrowood’s story we published just over a decade ago on the occasion of Mary reissuing her self-help book “Claim Your Self,” which was originally published in 1983. Mary passed away on Saturday, Jan. 28, at age 92, her son Bob, president of Cherry Republic, confirmed.