The coronavirus pandemic and need for social distancing has prompted the cancelation of this year’s Glen Arbor Fourth of July parade, the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb concert, the Manitou Music concert series, and the Port Oneida Fair.
La Bécasse, the beloved French country-style restaurant in Burdickville, east of the Glen Lakes, reopened for curbside pickup last Thursday. This year of the coronavirus pandemic marks La Bécasse’s 40th year in business, and 15 years since Frenchman Guillaume Hazael-Massieux and his wife Brooke acquired it.
Are you home with children/students during the pandemic lockdown and wondering how to have a positive, educational experience that is fun for the whole family? The Life of the Sleeping Bear provides hours of entertaining and educational reading. Filled with iconic photos, little-known facts, and stories, it is both delightful and engaging. Its artistry makes it a wonderful book for casual enjoyment, as well as for more educational purposes.
During the statewide school shutdown prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, the food service staff at Suttons Bay Public Schools are preparing 180 bag breakfasts and lunches every weekday for students who qualify for free- and reduced-price meals. The meals are delivered to the student’s homes in two vans, and with the help of community volunteers.
Social distancing practices have changed the way Michiganders do everything, including bird watching. On Saturday, May 9, at 10 am, Michigan Legacy Art Park at Crystal Mountain Resort and Here:Say Storytelling will team up with artists, musicians, and writers for an online celebration of winged wonders. The event features special guest Joyce Bahle reading poetry by her late friend, colleague, fellow bird lover, writer Jim Harrison.
The Sleeping Bear Gateways Council, in collaboration with the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, has released a Leelanau and Benzie employer survey to identify the need for seasonal workforce housing.
Three of the five Leelanau Farmers Markets this year will offer online ordering and curbside pickup. All five markets will feature face-to-face ordering, with vendor booths spaced further apart, sidewalk chalk indicating where customers may stand, masks strongly suggested, and hand sanitizer available everywhere. “Markets are really community-based, social entities,” said board chair Ginger Bardenhagen. “People love to go there and see their farmers and chat with them. They love to have their coffee and eat their croissants while they buy their peas. It’s going to be a challenge this year to dissuade people from congregating, and convincing them to just buy their produce and leave.”
Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 10, and this year is going to look different from years past. Families won’t be visiting from downstate, favorite restaurants will be closed for Mother’s Day brunch. While it is easy to focus on the disappointments of the current situation, Mel & Fell catering and meal delivery service in Empire hopes to offer some joy in the midst of it, the new venture stated in a media release.
Wandering the forests, dunes and beaches of the 71,200-acre, 35-mile long Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is permitted, provided that you practice social distancing to avoid spreading the coronavirus and that you park on the side of a Leelanau County road or state highway to enter the Park.
Local businesses are showing signs of life, despite the global coronavirus pandemic and statewide shutdown. Art’s Tavern and Blu in Glen Arbor are both open for curbside service, as are Leland’s Riverside Inn and Empire’s Friendly Tavern.