WaveJet Propulsion, a revolution in water sports, will take Empire by storm on June 21 as part of its 2013 WaveJet Experience Summer Tour. Sleeping Bear Surf & Kayak shop invites people to come and watch WaveJet in action. Numerous boards will be available for demos at the Empire public beach from noon-6 p.m.
The Glen Arbor Art Association hosts an exhibition of work by the Leelanau Women Artists (LWA) June 21-23 at the Art Association, 6031 S. Lake St., across from Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor.
The Leelanau Summer Music Festival opens its 2013 season at the intimate Sala Koncertowa concert hall in Holy Rosary School 2.5 miles north of Cedar with the renowned Verdehr Trio, which will perform on Wednesday, June 19, at 8 p.m.
On the Summer Solstice, Friday, June 21 at 7 p.m., the Cuban salsa band Grupo Aye will perform on the banks of the Crystal River at the Leelanau School, north of Glen Arbor. After entertaining an enthusiastic crowd of all ages there last June, Grupo Aye will return this year to “Rock the River”.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will again be hosting their successful barn restoration workshop June 18-22 at the Thoreson Granary and Corn Crib located off M-22 on Thoreson Road, four miles north of Glen Arbor. This year marks the 17th anniversary of the partnership between the Michigan Barn Preservation Network and the National Lakeshore in developing this series of “hands-on” workshops. The park and the Michigan Barn Preservation Network are providing the skilled labor to put on this workshop.
Endurance Evolution, the local marathon facilitator spearheaded by high school buddies Joel Gaff and Eric Houghton, will hold two races in Leelanau County this month to benefit good causes. On Saturday, June 15, athletes can run the Glen Arbor Solstice Half Marathon and 5K before the town’s BBQ and Brew festival, to benefit the Glen Arbor Park Commission.
Local restaurateurs and northern Michigan breweries will show off their best as Glen Arbor kicks off the summer season with the annual BBQ & Brew Festival on Saturday, June 15 from 2 until 8 p.m.
The Summer Singers, sponsored by the Glen Arbor Art Association, are looking for new singers to join the group. The choir of 60 plus singers under the direction of Northport resident, Patrick Kuhl, rehearses every Tuesday beginning June 18 from 7-9 p.m. at the Glen Lake Reformed Church in Burdickville. A concert, part of the Manitou Music Festival, will be held Tuesday, August 13. There are no auditions. All are welcome. For more information, call Karen at (231) 334-3730.
Nancy Allen has written the textbook she says she needed when she was teaching cooking. Her 933-page book, Discovering Global Cuisines, complete with recipes and photos, overviews of culture, history and geography from all over the world, is the result of five years of unflagging endeavor. The work required not just sitting at a computer terminal for endless hours, but actually preparing the food and trying out the recipes with her friends and neighbors and also testing them in places like Meadowlark, a long-standing organic subscription agriculture farm on the Leelanau Peninsula.
Empire’s Asparagus Festival this year drew the attention of Japanese food importer Tsukasa Miyakawa (pictured here with Miser’s Hoard owner Paul Skinner), who intends to purchase locally-grown asparagus and import it to Japan. Miyakawa visited Skinner in Empire on June 3. His company imports approximately 800 tons of frozen asparagus each year, and looks to grow that market by 250 tons over the next five years, according to Skinner. Northern Michigan may become their new supply source.