Fun and games always seem to follow Bob Sutherland. The Cherry Republic owner frequently walks around Glen Arbor sans shoes; his weekly “Orchard Report” emails describe sons Colebrook and Hawthorn playing in the Sleeping Bear Dunes, and cherry pit spitting contests are an important part of the visit to Cherry Republic’s campus.
Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will host a training meeting on Saturday, May 19, at 1 p.m. for Adopt-A-Beach, BARK Ranger, Adopt-A-River, and Adopt-A-Trail volunteers.
After a year’s hiatus for construction, the Glen Arbor Arts Center’s Artist-in-Residence program resumes in May. This program of working residencies was established in the 1990s, and now attracts applicants from throughout the United States.
The Glen Arbor Arts Center’s “Little Artists” get up close and personal with insects in May, to learn where they live and how they live. The May “Little Artists” series begins Friday, May 18, 9:30 a.m.
Free to enter, this year’s Empire Asparagus Festival recipe competition on Saturday, May 19, is open to anyone who loves asparagus. Participants create asparagus dishes for the public to sample while competing for cash prizes.
The quirky local festival featuring the pungent green stalk returns to Leelanau. The Empire Asparagus Festival returns for its 15th delectable year.
The Glen Lake Library in Empire will once again host an Ode to Asparagus poetry contest as part of the upcoming Empire Asparagus Festival.
The Glen Lake Library will host a concert by Kora player Sean Gaskell on Friday, May 11, at 7 pm. The Kora is a traditional 21-string harp native to West Africa.
Camile’s Body Shop Studio of Maple City has partnered with White Tiger Martial Arts of Traverse City to offer a free Woman’s Self-Defense class geared toward all women ages 12 and older. The class will be held on Saturday, May 5, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Camille’s Body Shop Studio, 821 E Valley Rd in Maple City.
Cherry Republic will raise a glass to Michigan’s wine industry throughout the month of May by celebrating its wide selection of cherry wines with special tasting events at each of its retail locations. Special volume pricing on wine (10 percent off quartets and 20 percent off cases) is also available.