Entries by editor

Chamber seeks volunteer marshalls for 4th of July parade

The Glen Lake Chamber is requesting volunteers to be parade marshals for the big Glen Arbor 4th of July parade. We need volunteers to bring brooms to the parade to sweep back the candy from the street to the kids along the parade route as well as assisting along the route from Glen Haven into town. We need approximately 50+ people. Please contact Tim Barr from Art’s Tavern directly at (231) 499-2787 for more information, to sign up to volunteer, and to get a parade marshal shirt.

Artist in Residence Collection on view at Community Library

The Glen Arbor Art Association (GAAA) will exhibit recent works donated by artists who have participated in the GAAA’s Artist in Residence program during the past two years at the Glen Lake Community Library at 10115 East Front Street in Empire. The paintings are on view in the library’s community room through September during library hours.

Sandmeyer exhibits at Art Association

Paintings by Susanne Sandmeyer of Chapel Hill, North Carolina are currently on display at the Glen Arbor Art Association. Susanne grew up in Leelanau County and she studied art at the University of North Carolina. She has been painting and showing her large-scale abstract oils in Michigan, Minnesota, and North Carolina for over 20 years. Her show may be viewed Monday-Friday, June 18-29, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. There will be a Meet & Greet for Susanne this coming Friday, June 22, 6-8 p.m.

National Park Foundation awards Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail grant

The Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes have been selected to receive a 2012 Active Trails Grant from the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks. Now in its fourth cycle, the National Park Foundation’s Active Trails program promotes national parks as venues for community engagement, and encourages healthy living through various forms of recreation and volunteer service on land and water trails. The $18,000 grant will enable the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes to purchase signage for the first segment of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail (SBHT), and to develop a “Trail Ambassador” volunteer program to assist in patrols and maintenance of the SBHT. The SBHT will be officially opened on June 20 at a 1:30 p.m. ribbon cutting event.

Vintage cars to visit Empire

On Friday, June 22, approximately 80 vintage automobiles will take part in “The Trophy Run” portion of the 2012 Great Race. These autos, the oldest being a 1907 Renault and the youngest a 1967 jaguar E Type will stop for a lunch break on Front Street in downtown Empire.

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New Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail empowers young and old, enabled and disabled

Phase One of the Heritage Trail, a paved, 10-foot-wide multi-use trail, which runs from the Dune Climb to Glen Arbor, is the first leg of what supporters envision will one day be a 27-mile trail from the Leelanau-Benzie County Line running north to Good Harbor Bay. Though it has been operational for over a month, the Heritage Trail’s official grand opening is scheduled for June 20 at 1:30 p.m. at the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb.

Cedar, Maple City boasts new tastes and treasures

When a line forms in front of the window at Cedar’s corner ice cream stand, summer isn’t far behind. (Let’s hope it orders a Blue Moon, not a Flurry.) It’s mid-June, and the shelves and kitchen cupboards of local businesses hold some surprises. The Sun caught up with some owners and managers and asked them to share what’s new. Their replies might whet your appetite and kickstart your summer shopping.

Remembering Mollie Weeks

Former business owner, social worker, community activist and nature lover Mollie Weeks passed away last month at age 78. Weeks, who is survived by her husband, political syndicated columnist and author George Weeks, left a lasting legacy in Glen Arbor.

Midsummer

On a hot, sunny midsummer’s day, when Lake Michigan is still cold, a thick fog bank develops just off shore as the day heats up. Then an afternoon wind usually blows the cold mist inland, dropping the temperature and watering the near shore plants. Blooming in a riot of color in sheltered areas, typical dune flowers near Pyramid Point shown here are coreopsis, wood lily, ragwort, hairy puccoon, smooth rose interspersed with juniper and buffalo berry bushes. Wild strawberries are ripe in late June and grow right out of the sand with the other flowers. For a rare Midsummer Day treat — roll a wild strawberry up in a rose petal, and pop into your mouth!

Endurance running on the solstice

Our town hosts the inaugural Glen Arbor Solstice 5K and Half Marathon on the morning of June 16. The event, organized by local athlete Joel Gaff, will take runners on a 13.1-mile run around picturesque Big Glen Lake, followed by a 3.1-mile run just south of Glen Arbor. We asked Gaff to tell us about his project, Endurance Evolution, and why it’s coming to Glen Arbor (as well as Empire for another marathon in October):