Percussionist Lori Fithian brings her collection of hand drums and percussion instruments to the Manitou Music series on Saturday, August 27, from 1-3 pm at the Glen Arbor Arts Center, located at 6031 S. Lake St., in Glen Arbor.
Vacasa, the largest rental company in North America, has purchased Leelanau Vacation Rentals in Glen Arbor from Ranae Ihme. The changeover will take place at the end of August. Most of the local staff will stay on, and Ranae and Bob Ihme will continue to own and run Glen Arbor Outdoor and LVR Realty, which they have renamed Leelanau Vacation Realty. The Ihmes and Vacasa will operate out of the same building across the street from the Glen Arbor park.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who faces a reelection campaign this fall, spoke to supporters in the Cherry Public House beer garden on August 17. The event was organized by the Michigan League of Conservation Voters and by Cherry Republic. Nessel spoke about shutting down Pipeline 5 and protecting abortion rights.
The Sleeping Bear Gateways Council (SBGC) is hosting its annual meeting as a virtual event on Zoom at 5 p.m. on Thursday, August 25. The session will feature updates on the group’s projects as well as comments from leadership of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. All individuals with interest in the Sleeping Bear area are invited to join the meeting.
The 40th annual Cedar Polka Fest returns to the “community that cares” in the heart of Leelanau County, August 25-28. The festival celebrates Cedar’s rich Polish history, lasts four days and nights, and attracts nearly 10,000 people for family fun. Visit the Polka Fest to eat, drink, and dance the nights away.
How is Empire still Empire? It’s one of the main hubs for the Sleeping Bear Dunes, it has epic beaches, and it’s right along one of the most beautiful stretches of road in the entire region. Yet, the town of Empire remains solidly quaint, comfortable, and relaxed. Sure, the crowds come through, and the beaches get busy, but the town simply swells with the ebb and flow, and returns to its steadfast self. There have been small additions with big, positive impacts over the years, but it’s truly remarkable how Empire has stayed a classic northern Michigan beach town. And for families with kids, it’s a place where they can be active, get dirty, and start fostering those uniquely vibrant lakeside memories.
Dickinson Gallery of Empire, a working studio/gallery, is, simply put, magnificent. The gallery is owned by Grace Dickinson Johnson, who has taken over the helm from her father. Once you step inside, the very essence of Sleeping Bear Country jumps right out at you. Scores of breathtaking photographs are displayed there, proof of Fred and Grace’s years of photographic excellence capturing Leelanau’s beauty for all who venture inside. Dickinson Gallery is situated in a lovely wooded glen right across the road from her great-grandparents’ home, writes Sandy Bradshaw in our August 11 edition of the Glen Arbor Sun.
Late this month, Traverse City native Jake Bright will attempt a nearly 7-mile solo swim from Sleeping Bear Point to the South Manitou Island Lighthouse. If all goes well, his will be the first swim across the Manitou Passage that follows USA Swimming’s open-water rules. The date of his feat will depend on weather conditions, but he hopes to make the journey between Aug. 22 and Sept. 3.
LivelyLands is a family-friendly boutique music festival featuring three days of carefully curated live music from favorite national and regional artists, camping, local food, beer, wine, late-night song circles, and community campfires. The three-day festival returns August 19-21 to “Backyard Burdickville” on M-72, east of Empire.
Here’s the story of Leland Public School reclaiming and reviving its school on North Manitou Island, which Abby Chatfield wrote in our August 11 edition of the Glen Arbor Sun. The first school on North Manitou was made of logs in 1895 and held 36 students. A new school was built in 1907 with a wood frame and front porch but was shut down in the 1940s as the island’s permanent population dwindled. Decades later, when Leland Public School discovered they owned this one-acre property, considered the home of Leland School District’s first school, all that still existed was the decaying framework of a one-room schoolhouse. Fast forward more than 25 years. Nick Seguin, a first and second grade teacher for Leland since 2009 who graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Natural Resources, spends his summers working as a guide for Manitou Island Transit. While hiking on North Manitou Island, Seguin came across the old school site, recognizing it by a crumbling foundation. Intrigued, he began to study plat maps and rediscovered the property deed, realizing that the land still belonged to the Leland School District.