Entries by editor

Empire gets facelift along M-22

M-22 north out of Empire is beginning to look quite a bit different than this time last year. New businesses and homes are popping up in the corridor that guides travelers out of the village, bringing new life to the quiet town after this pandemic year. Perhaps most startling to returning residents and visitors will be the empty lot just north of Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate. Excavation began last week on the lot, which was previously the site of the Anchor Hardware Store. Jody and DC Hayden, owners of Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate next door, purchased the building in 2019, and last fall, the building was removed to make way for a public garden and picnic area, which will sit atop a much-needed drainage field.

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Through first four months, Sleeping Bear Dunes on pace for another record

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore attracted a whopping 126,797 visitors during the first four months of 2021, which have typically been a quiet time for tourists in Leelanau and Benzie counties. By comparison, the Park received 93,729 visitors between January-April of 2020. That early number suggests another record-breaking year for visitation to the National Lakeshore. Sleeping Bear drew more than 1.7 million visitors for the first time in 2020, as Americans flocked to rural national parks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Percentage of Leelanau County residents receiving first vaccine dose passes 70%—leading the state

Yesterday, Leelanau County passed the 70% mark for all eligible residents age 16 and over who have received their initial dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. “This is a major accomplishment for our county to be the first in the state to reach that level of protection,” said Lisa Peacock, health officer with the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department.

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Empire Emergency Fund receives generous donations, despite pandemic

The Empire Emergency Fund, an initiative of the Empire Area Community Center (EACC) which raises money to pay the bills for locals who have fallen financially on hard times, received donations of more than $20,000 in 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Emergency Fund concerts are tentatively scheduled to resume in September.

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Get our (COVID) shot at Art’s on Cinco de Mayo

Art’s Tavern in Glen Arbor is a go-to spot for burgers, beers and—if you’re in the mood—shots of liquor. On Wednesday, May 5, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. it’s also a great spot to receive free COVID-19 vaccination shots. No appointments are necessary. Staff from the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department will be on hand to administer Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots to anyone age 18 or older.

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Nearly 60 percent of eligible Leelanau residents fully vaccinated against Coronavirus

Fifty-three percent of eligible residents, 16 and older, in Leelanau County are fully vaccinated with either two shots from Pfizer or Moderna or one shot from Johnson & Johnson, according to a Michigan.gov dashboard. That’s the highest percentage of any county in the state. More than 67 percent have received at least one dose.

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Glen Arbor Sun newspaper repurposed as art collage

Newspaper collage artist Catherine Elizabeth picks up the Glen Arbor Sun for our stories and advertisements, but also for her art. “I have been using the same stack of newspapers for my work the past couple of years, and I have managed to make quite a few art pieces from them,” Catherine wrote on Instagram yesterday.

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Glen Arbor Arts Center holds outdoor gallery panel auction

All five panels from the Glen Arbor Arts Center’s (GAAC) inaugural Outdoor Gallery exhibition are now available for acquisition. The GAAC will hold an online auction April 28-30. The 5-foot square artworks are reproductions of original, acrylic paintings by Empire artist Mark Mehaffey, winner of the 2020 Outdoor Gallery competition.

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Cedar River Coffee heralds community revival

Cedar River Coffee Company has opened for business in the former Chase Bank building in downtown Cedar and will host a grand opening on Saturday, May 1. The coffee shop is owned by Cedar resident Cindy Gale, a healthcare supervisor at Munson Medical Center. Cindy’s husband Andy runs Bay Area Recycling for Charities.

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Sixteen-year-old St. Francis student gets 15,000th vaccine dose administered by Benzie-Leelanau Health Department

Josephine Gorman, a 16-year-old student from St. Francis High School in Traverse City received the 15,000th dose of a COVID-19 vaccine administered by the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department. Gorman got the shot Friday, April 23, at Glen Lake School, accompanied by her mother Jennifer.

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