Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will celebrate the 101st birthday of the National Park Service (NPS) by offering free admission on Friday, Aug. 25. Fees waived include entrance fees and commercial tour fees. Other fees such as reservations, camping, and concession fees are not included.
The first annual LivelyLands is about to kick off, Aug. 25-27, at the 5-acre Lively farm off Bow Road, just one mile south of Big Glen Lake. Headlining acts include Austin favorite The Deer and northern Michigan songster Seth Bernard.
What is Native American Dancing? This question was put to me and I was asked to explain it. What I will speak of is the Hank Bailey version of Pow Wow Dancing. … The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians holds their annual pow wow Aug. 19-20 in Peshawbestown. Visit GTBIndians.org for more information.
Nobody knows the value of sharing creative expression quite like Rebecca Willis. Willis and her partner, Jim, love living in Empire, but found themselves at a loss for space when it came to working on their various art projects. In a decision to improve their situation, the couple found a spot in November 2015 that they originally saw as a personal studio, but additionally opened to the public during the 2016 Asparagus Festival as “JoJo and Bucky’s,” a place where tourists and locals alike can shop while also seeing working artists in action.
“With any business, you have [worry and doubt],” said Steve Nowicki about opening his Shipwreck Café in Empire late this spring. “We had all of our eggs in one basket. We put everything into this and if it didn’t work out we didn’t know what we were going to do.”
The sky is the limit at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Join park rangers and astronomers from the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS) on Monday, Aug. 21 from 1-3:30 p.m. at the Dechow farm in the National Lakeshore’s Port Oneida Rural Historic District to experience the Great American Total Eclipse. At the National Lakeshore, the eclipse will start at 12:57 p.m. and end at 3:39 p.m. Maximum solar coverage of 75.26% will occur at 2:19 p.m. All sky programs offered by the National Lakeshore are free. Participants need only purchase the Park Entrance Pass or have an Annual Pass displayed in their vehicle to join in the fun.
You know a race is going to be special when it is a unique distance. Mostly we see 5Ks and 10Ks, but you don’t see too many 4-Mile races around. Fortunately for us, the Dune Dash 4-Mile Run/Walk is not only unique in distance, but in many other aspects as well.
Traverse City painter Joan Richmond returns to Center Gallery with a new body of work inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s directive to listen “to the still voice of nature.” This show of gouache paintings opens Friday, Aug. 18 with an artist’s reception, 6 p.m. Center Gallery is located at 6023 S. Lake St., Glen Arbor.
Immigration has been in the political crosshairs since the new administration took office in January. In late June I interviewed Leelanau County Sheriff Mike Borkovich about his views on immigration (both legal and illegal), migrant farmworkers in the county, and how he viewed his department’s enforcement role.
The Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail will hold its Small Plates event on Thursday, Aug. 17, from 6-9 p.m. Enjoy a glass of wine paired with a gourmet tapas dish in the tasting rooms during this progressive dinner. Many wineries partner with local chefs to prepare and serve each delicious pairing. Culinary aficionados will enjoy this upscale, gourmet food event.