On Aug. 22, 2018, Livonia, Mich., resident Sara Ianitelli visited Sleeping Bear Dunes for a girls’ hiking excursion. She and a cousin walked the Empire Bluff trail and paused for a yoga pose with a mesmerizing view of Lake Michigan below.
Maggie Maclellan (above) has been working at Art’s Tavern in Glen Arbor for 14 years (except for the winters when she left). An Empire local, Maggie has worked as a bartender, waitress, and hostess at Art’s, and this year she worked 70 hours during the Fourth of July week. “Generally I work 50 hours a week, and that’s not bad. That’s typical.” This summer Art’s has been short “maybe 20 people,” Maggie says. Usually we employ 60-70 through the summer; this year it’s around 40 or 50,” says Maggie as summer winds down: “I would like some time off. I’m gonna go camping one night, just by myself.”
The Leelanau Historical Society will host a virtual program on Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. featuring a presentation by Nicole M. Watson on the history of the Grayling fish in Michigan, current Grayling research, and potential management implications of the preliminary findings.
More than 40 years ago, Enerdyne, an extraordinary science-nature oriented shop, opened in the village of Suttons Bay. Its proprietors are Professor Dick Cookman and his wife, Pat Cookman. “Science and nature delights for the creative and curious humans of all ages,” is their motto. The Cookmans have lived by that credence in both providing products that make learning fun for all who enter this unique and enterprising place. It is a treasure trove cornucopia for all.
The Glen Arbor Arts Center’s (GAAC) iconic Manitou Music series has been captured in a new compilation CD. Jack Conners, the former Manitou Music Series director and owner of Perfect World Studios in Traverse City, has curated and produced a selection of eclectic and inspired music from the Manitou Music 2013-2018 concert seasons.
Parenting Communities of Leelanau County announced it will host its first community-wide event for families with young children. This fun, family-friendly event is happening Wednesday, September 1, at Herman Park pavilion in Suttons Bay. A simple pizza dinner will be offered from 5:30-6 pm, followed by Miriam Pico who will perform a bilingual interactive music program for kids and families from 6-7 pm.
On Friday, Aug. 27, the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department issued a Public Health Order requiring universal masking in grades K-12 for all school districts within the department’s two county jurisdiction of Benzie and Leelanau counties. Schools in the district, including Suttons Bay, Lake Leelanau St. Mary, and Benzie Central, had planned to open the school year with a masks-optional policy—prior to the Health Department’s public order on Friday.
The Glen Arbor Sun caught up with Melanie and Tim Griffith as they were preparing the week’s meal deliveries for their successful and dynamic new catering company, Mel & Fell. Read about their journey.
Late August is the time when Peshawbestown in Leelanau County typically hosts its annual Pow Wow, a vital part of Native culture. A social gathering, it’s a time to dance, to feast, and to share stories. Vendors sell their crafts, children dance and spectators gather and watch the dancers move to the beat of the drum. The colors swirl and the Native pride is palpable. These photos featuring past Pow Wows were taken by Minnie Wabanimkee, a Native artist and photographer.
The Glen Arbor Arts Center (GAAC) is canceling the August 27 opening reception for its new exhibition Everyday Objects. The ongoing challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic have made large, indoor gatherings difficult. In deference to public health and safety, the tradition of opening receptions will resume when the pandemic has passed.