Entries by editor

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Investing in clean energy, from Washington, D.C., to Leelanau

The U.S. Senate has passed its historic climate change legislation, and the House of Representatives is expected to soon follow suit and send to President Biden to sign the bill. The political victory comes not a moment too soon, with a rapidly warming planet striking communities with one climate-related disaster after another. Leelanau County, too, is enjoying the momentum of the clean energy movement. Earlier this summer, Leelanau Energy launched its “Energize Leelanau Challenge” initiative to locate clean energy or energy efficiency projects in the county that are shovel-ready and that benefit communities, and help fund them with seed money totaling between $250 and $15,000 per project.

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Port Oneida Fair features plays by Anne-Marie Oomen

Prolific local poet, memoirist, essayist and playwright Anne-Marie Oomen creates an enduring sense of place and history. From her memoirs about growing up in Oceana County (100 miles south of Leelanau), to poems that capture the magic of the Sleeping Bear Dunes and the western Michigan lakeshore, to history plays that re-create local characters and bygone times, Oomen’s work is always infused with images of the hills and the forests, the barns and the orchards, and the dirt and the compost of her native land. This summer two of Oomen’s history pieces will be performed as part of the Port Oneida Fair, sponsored by Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear and the Port Oneida Fair Committee with a grant from the Michigan Humanities Council.

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You know you’re a Michigander when …

“Nearly four decades have passed since I first set foot in northern Michigan,” writes author Tim Mulherin in this humorous essay. “In that span of time, I’ve advanced from agog newbie to repeat tourist to seasonal visitor and property owner. Nonetheless, throughout my time Up North, I’ve noticed there are certain common traits in being a card-carrying, fully certified northern Michigander, and they have nothing to do with possessing a driver’s license issued by the Michigan Department of Motor Vehicles.”

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Port Oneida Fair returns to Sleeping Bear Dunes

The Port Oneida Fair returns to the Port Oneida Rural Historic District of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Friday and Saturday, August 12-13, following a two-year COVID-19 hiatus. Beginning at 10 a.m. each day, and running until 4 p.m., visitors are invited to step back in time to actively experience life as it was in this once active community of robust farms of the late 1800s and early 1900s. The fair promotes the preservation of rural traditional skills, crafts, landscapes, and communities of the Upper Great Lakes Region through education and artistic expression.

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Harbormaster Edie Aylsworth at the helm in Suttons Bay Marina

The Suttons Bay Marina and Park is located just steps east of the engaging village of Suttons Bay on West Grand Traverse Bay. Here, where the attraction to water means just about everything to visitors and locals alike, you will find Harbor Master, Edie Aylsworth overseeing the ongoing operations of this 174-slip marina. It is a highly responsible position, and one she has been entrusted with well. As Harbor Master, Edie is the person officially designated to enforce the regulations of the harbor, the one who makes final decisions as to ensure the safety of navigation in nearby waters, the security of the harbor itself, and the correct operation of the marina’s facilities. It really can be compared to the nautical version of an air traffic controller, and one just as responsible for keeping peoples’ lives safe.

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Norte brings youth cycling to Glen Arbor

Norte, a youth cycling program dedicated to inspire kids to be leaders, expanded into Glen Arbor a few years ago and continues to execute its goal of teaching young people and community members about bikes and other ways to enjoy the outdoors. Norte’s core staff “Team Orange” is a group of skilled cyclists, mechanics, directors, and coordinators, who help by coaching or managing. You may have seen the train of young riders out and about around Glen Arbor or on the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. This summer, Norte has bike camps in Suttons Bay, Glen Arbor, Elk Rapids, and Traverse City. The camps are for adventurers between the ages of 5 and 12.

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Leelanau picker presents Vintage Leland

Longtime Leelanau County resident, Kris Noble, unveils her 50-year collection of one-of-a-kind wares at her recently launched upscale resell and consignment shop in Leland. Vintage Leland showcases a combination of vintage picks and consigned items from around the area.

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National Lakeshore looks for algal blooms on North Bar Lake

Chris Otto, a water resources biologist at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, is keeping a close eye on North Bar Lake in late July and early August—often the warmest time of the summer—for greenish algal blooms and signs of cynobacteria at the popular swimming destination.

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Miriam Pico Younce plays Old Art Building

The Old Art Building in Leland will host acoustic songwriter and singer Miriam Picó Younce and her husband Ryan Younce on Thursday, Aug. 4, at 7 p.m. for a free evening of positive, inter-generational music. This family-friendly performance includes some cover tunes along with an array of Miriam’s originals. We caught up with Miriam to ask about this concert, about her inspiration and muse, about the various artistic mediums she marries in her work, and about her perfect northern Michigan summer day.

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Four Spaniards, 9 Bean Rows, and one giant clay oven

Sometime in late August, Jen and Nic Welty, who own 9 Bean Rows bakery on M-204 between Lake Leelanau and Suttons Bay, will use their new, state-of-the-art, wood-fired clay convection oven for the first time. The oven, which measures 12 feet in diameter, occupies 144 square feet, weighs 70,000 pounds, and emits exceptional radiant heat, was built on-site by a team of four Barcelonians during one week in mid-July.

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