Entries by editor

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Greg Miesch looks back, forward at The Homestead

Chef Greg Miesch knew he had a lot to learn. Despite decades in the hospitality industry, taking the reins of the culinary department as senior manager of Food & Beverage at The Homestead was different than anything he’d done before. It was a challenge he was eager to take on, but he wanted to make sure he understood what worked and what didn’t before he made any big changes. “I didn’t know how a resort of this size truly functioned,” he says. “I didn’t think it was good to go in (and make changes) when I didn’t know what worked.” Now, after a summer spent studying the ins and outs of the resort, he’s looking ahead. That look ahead actually started last month, when he was able to open Nonna’s Ristorante, which features classically-inspired contemporary Italian cuisine.

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Preserve hosts Page to Page: A Writing and Hiking Experience

Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear is offering the return of the program, “Port Oneida Path to Page” on Friday, Oct. 17, from 12-4 pm, for writers at any level, but especially for those interested in creating history-inspired pieces. Participants will explore their creative muse hiking this fall through select farms, woods and fields of the lovely Port Oneida historic region with local poet and playwright Anne-Marie Oomen.

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Glen Arbor Sportsman Shop torn down; rebuild scheduled for 2026

The Sportsman Shop, a popular clothing outfitter and fishing destination next to Boonedocks in the heart of Glen Arbor, was torn down today. Captain Bob Smith, who owns the business together with his sons Wes and Brad, said they plan to rebuild the Sportsman’s Shop by next spring or summer. The Smiths decided to tear down the existing structure after incidents of flooding after the Michigan Department of Transportation changed the grade of M-22. The Sportsman Shop has been in Glen Arbor since 1948.

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Garden Theater holds 17th annual Frankfort Film Festival

The 17th annual Frankfort Film Festival will be held Wednesday-Saturday, October 15-19, at the Garden Theater in downtown Frankfort. Click the link for tickets to individual films. “As always, we strive to show a collection of films that are powerful, thought-provoking, and diverse,” says Garden Theater communications director Nick Loud. “This year’s lineup of award-winning films from across the globe spans genres, languages, and overall themes. We could not be happier to share these movies with you.”

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Odawa artist extends deceased animals’ purpose “in a good way”

On a wall in Hank Bailey’s bedroom is a can’t-miss photographic print on a large canvas. Bailey, an Odawa (Ottawa) elder of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, is the unmistakable subject. He’s in his powwow dancing regalia in a “bending of the knees” pose, as the Anishinaabe word for powwow—Jingtamok—translates. Bailey wrote in the Sun in 2017, “I can say without being ashamed that I have been brought to tears during dances. I have felt so good while dancing it seemed like my feet were not even touching the ground.”

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Glen Lake Library hosts open house, authors

The Glen Lake Library invites community members to an open house on Saturday Oct. 11 from 2-4 pm to celebrate the fifth birthday of its new facility. The Library is hosting upcoming readings by two local authors. On Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 7 pm, Empire resident Ginger Langdon will present her new book, Empire After Dark. On Friday, Oct. 17 at 6 pm, the library will host Glover Davis. He’ll share selections of his poetry from various collections including Academy of Dreams.

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Empire Museum celebrates Heritage Day

The Empire Area Museum celebrates Heritage Day this year on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 1-4 pm with old-time music and old-fashioned arts and crafts and tricks and treats. Treats include Moomers ice cream, free popcorn and samples of homemade maple sugar candy, sauerkraut cake, apple cider and butter made on site. Exhibits include demonstrations of yarn spinning, hand quilting, rug hooking, chair caning, corn shelling, washboard laundering, sauerkraut making and log cutting.

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Belko Peace Lecture features Karen Segal discussing immigration

On Oct. 11, Karen Puschel Segal will speak at Trinity Church in Northport for the 2025 Belko Peace Lecture. Her topic is “The Immigration Challenge in America Today.” Karen had a 20-year career in the Department of State, first as an intelligence analyst of Soviet Affairs and then as a diplomat in Russia. Upon moving to Traverse City, she became Co-Chair and Director of NMC’s International Affairs Forum. Now, Karen leads a local team resettling families from Afghanistan and Ukraine. She knows first-hand how our nation has been dealing with immigrants, including right here in northern Michigan.

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Habitat for Humanity makes waves for new homeowners

Two new families are moving into the New Waves neighborhood in southeastern Leelanau County. The Habitat for Humanity project welcomes Misty VanderMeulen and Jedidiah Spiers and their three children, and Khan and Razma Totakhil and their five kids, with a dedication ceremony Oct. 10. For the Totakhil family, dealing with road construction would be only a minor inconvenience. Their journey to their new home began more than 7,000 miles away. Khan worked with the U.S. military in Afghanistan, and when the Americans left in 2021, he was able to get a visa. He says the opportunity for a better life for his family was the overriding factor in leaving his home country.

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Father-son baseball pilgrimage resumes as Tigers stalk October

Some traditions and rituals return season after season, some wither away, and some are reborn after years of hibernation. Last month, Glen Arbor Sun editors Norm and Jacob Wheeler resumed their annual father-son baseball pilgrimage—this time to watch two games at Comerica Park in Detroit, where the Tigers were trying to stave off the rival Cleveland Guardians and gain a spot in the playoffs. Their roaring, red-hot start to the season had earned them the best record in baseball until July before they collapsed like a dozing cat and squandered a seemingly insurmountable 15.5-game lead over the team from Lake Erie. In this essay, Jacob reflects on their baseball trips and how America’s original national pastime has changed over the decades.

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