Entries by editor

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Fill ‘er up, work your core, launch the boat, taste delicious chocolate

What services are imperative for a small town like Glen Arbor? How about a grocery store, a hardware store, a gas station and an active Chamber of Commerce. Check three of four for Jeff and Georgia Gietzen, the Grand Rapids transplants who acquired Northwoods Hardware three years ago (and became sole owners in 2011), who have also become Chamber leaders, and this spring bought the gas station just north of town. Northwoods Filling Station now boasts vintage 1950s signage, sells gasoline and quick bites, and most importantly stays open 7 days a week, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. That’s a big improvement over having to drive to Empire or Maple City for petrol.

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Misleading Bike Signage

This sign at the eastern edge of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail, as it approaches Glen Arbor, misleads bikers (and everyone else) into thinking they should turn right to access downtown Glen Arbor and its restaurants, shops and galleries. In fact, to reach Glen Arbor, folks should turn left and proceed 0.3 miles on Forest Haven Drive, and then turn right on M-109 (West Harbor Highway) for 0.1 miles. See the Google Map below.

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Federal sequestration wrecking ball hits Sleeping Bear

National Park week, which begins April 20, is typically an opportunity for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to strut its stuff and demonstrate its value to the local community a month before the summer tourism season opens with Memorial Day weekend. During this year’s National Park week, the Lakeshore will hold a water testing demonstration on Esch Road Beach, a swearing-in ceremony for junior rangers, a showing of the film Chasing Ice at the Empire Visitor Center and a star gazing party on Platte Point Beach.

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Trillium Carpet

The cold winter weather of 2013 that lingered well into May has delayed the emergence of our beloved trillium, prolonging their bloom time into June. The large flowered trillium (trillium grandiflorum) has a single, stout stem arising from a deeply buried bulb, three leaves and three big white petals. A Michigan Protected Flower, trillium are fragile and should not be picked, as this kills the entire plant. Besides, they lack fragrance and wilt quickly. In an emergency situation people can eat the leaves and bulb. White-tailed deer also eat trillium, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources predicts that between habitat destruction by humans and grazing by deer, trillium could disappear in the next 30 years. So enjoy the trillium today, and do what you can to ensure their survival for your great grandchildren.

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Empire Asparagus Festival 2013 Poetry Contest winners

Here are the top three entries from the Empire Asparagus Festival’s 2013 Poetry Contest. The winners are Mary O’Neill, R.D. Andrews and Sylvia Duncan

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Center Gallery features “North”

If there’s a theme to painter Jamie Miller’s work, it’s “the itch for northern Michigan”. The scratch for this Ada, Mich., artist’s itch is his aptly-titled exhibition “North,” which opens May 24 at Glen Arbor’s Center Gallery on Lake Street across from Cherry Republic.

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Birding Festival returns to Leelanau

Come join the fun at the 2013 Leelanau Peninsula Birding Festival, May 29-June 2. It’s nesting season in Leelanau where our fields and forests are full of bird songs and activity. For 2013 the festival is adding a bus trip to see Kirtland’s warbler with noted Kirtland’s specialist Jerry Weinrich. Jerry will lead guests to a special access site on Kirtland’s nesting grounds. As a bonus, Birdfest is arranging for the bus to journey just a short way north of the Kirtland’s warbler location to Hartwick Pines State Park for evening grosbeaks, and red-shouldered hawks. Check out the schedule of events for nine other popular field trips including Birding-By-Tall-Ship aboard the schooner Inland Seas and Birding-By-Ear at a new location, Teichner Preserve.

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Biking “The Bear” Tour brings hundreds of cyclists to Leelanau

Beginning on Wednesday, June 12, more than 300 cyclists participating in the 2013 NorthWest Biking “The Bear” Tour will begin the annual five-day tour of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Traverse City, Leelanau County and Frankfort areas. Each day, cyclists will ride a looped route that starts from their base camp at Indigo Bluffs RV Park south of the Glen Lakes. They will visit the following areasto enjoy the scenery, restaurants and tourist attractions of northwest Michigan.

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Wool & Honey hosts yarn, fiber & jewelry show

On May 24-25, Wool & Honey in Cedar will be full of amazing talent from Michigan artists. Hand-dyed yarn and fibers from Yarn Hollow and hand-crafted paper jewelry and art by Quilling Maven. Also, all weekend long there will be demonstrations on how to use JUL Designs Closures to enhance your knitwear. The store will kickoff the fun on Friday evening from 6-9 p.m. and continue the gathering on Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

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Economic investment, community resilience, save 10th annual Empire Asparagus Festival

Years ago, when Paul Skinner traveled around Michigan to acquire antiques for his Empire-based business Miser’s Hoard, he was routinely asked, “Where in the world Empire?” But now, as the annual third-weekend-in-May festival celebrates its tenth birthday, Empire is known far and wide for its eclectic celebration of the green stalk. In fact, four years ago MSN.com named the Empire Asparagus Festival among “the World’s Weirdest Festivals” along with South Korea’s Boryeong Mud Festival and Thailand’s Monkey Buffet Festival.

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