Entries by editor

Old Art Building hosts third annual Variety Show Spectacular

Holiday festivities continue this month at the Old Art Building in Leland as they host their third Annual ‘Christmas at the Old Art Building – A Variety Show Spectacular’ on Saturday, Dec. 14. Hosted by Andrew Dost, this retro-inspired performance will include caroling, comedy and holiday cheer. Imagine Lawrence Welk, Dolly Parton, and the Muppets collaborating to put on a festive show. The evening will feature a wide assortment of talented musicians, a jazz combo, sketch comedy, and more.

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Leelanau School hosts holiday cheer

The Leelanau School, the private school located just north of Glen Arbor on 1 Old Homestead Rd, invites the community to join in an evening of holiday cheer on Friday, Dec. 13, from 7:30-9:30 pm. Stop by the school’s auditorium for music and sing-along at 7:30, a dramatic reading of A Christmas Carol at 8 by local actors Don Kuehlhorn and Drew Gibson, followed by cookies and punch at 9. The event is free, but reservations are requested by visiting leelanau.org/scrooge.

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Leelanau locals plant seeds, grow cultural exchanges in Guatemala

Twenty years ago, when Paul Sutherland joined the board of Safe Passage, which launched a school for the children of the Guatemala City garbage dump, he also helped kickstart what has become a dynamic and ongoing relationship between Leelanau County citizens and Guatemala. In the decades since then, local schools have sent students, and teams of volunteers have joined cultural exchange trips to the beautiful, yet economically unequal, Central American nation. Since the COVID-19 pandemic abated, Guatemalan nonprofit Planting Seeds has hosted “service learning” groups from Northwestern Michigan College as well as Leelanau Investing for Teens (LIFT) and Leland High School. Planting Seeds co-director and Illinois native Mac Philips will visit Leelanau County this weekend to raise awareness about the nonprofit and build support in northern Michigan. He’ll visit Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate on Saturday, Suttons Bay Congregational Church on Sunday, and students in Suttons Bay and Leland.

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Glen Lake School pumps brakes on affordable housing initiative in nearby forestland

Glen Lake School will not consider turning 180 acres of forestland which it owns on Benzonia Trail into affordable housing—at least not yet. School Board members were to hear presentations at the meeting on Monday, Dec. 9, concerning the property which is currently managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Informational presentations were scheduled that would feature forestry and conservation director Ellie Johnson explaining how Glen Lake’s forest can be used under current DNR provisions, as well as a session from the Sleeping Bear Gateways Council, which was approached by Glen Lake School in summer 2023 to consider how the land in question could be used for affordable housing—an acute and dire need in Leelanau County, where home prices have surged. Instead, Glen Lake superintendent Jason Misner announced that the board would hear no such presentations.

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Blanketed in snow, it’s time to winter play in Leelanau

Winter arrived in a hurry after Thanksgiving, and Leelanau County is covered in fluffy snow. Here’s the downhill and cross-country skiing, sledding, hiking and tubing report, as of Wednesday, Dec. 4. Drive safe, stay warm, and enjoy!

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Missing pony Lorelei found safe

Here’s a feel-good story for the day of gratitude. Lorelei, the two-foot-tall mini pony who went missing from Empire Hills Farm on Wednesday, Nov. 20, after the gate was accidentally left unlatched, was found safe on Sunday morning, Nov. 24, successfully wrangled on the second attempt by Brandon Morse and brought back home. Five other ponies were found and returned the day they escaped. Dozens of concerned citizens in Leelanau and Benzie Counties joined the effort to find Lorelei. In the end, however, it was fellow horses, and nature itself, that coaxed her to safety. The pony had just gone into heat and was attracted to the geldings, the male horses, who took part in the search for her.

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In defeat, Lois Bahle praises accurate and secure vote recount

The recount performed by the Leelanau County Clerk’s Office yesterday in the race for District 3 of the County Board of Commissioners concluded with no changes. Republican Will Bunek’s seven-vote win over Democrat Lois Bahle stood. “I owe it to my constituents and to myself with only a seven-vote difference,” Bahle said earlier this month. “The recount process is also a way to show that the system works. We can have faith in it.” Bahle echoed that sentiment today. “The count process is an amazing demonstration of the organizational skill of Clerk Michelle Crocker,” Bahle told the Sun.

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Glen Arbor celebrates Thanksgiving weekend with Artisan Market, PJ Party, Bed Parade, Tree Lighting

Kick off the holiday season in Glen Arbor this Thanksgiving weekend with a warm welcome to the annual Holiday Artisan Market, plus two of Glen Arbor’s favorite quirky traditions, the “PJ Party” and the “Bed Parade,” for a weekend full of local creativity, community, and holiday cheer.

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Leelanau Conservancy unveils new logo

The Leelanau Conservancy has unveiled its new logo, which offers a peek through trees and toward a grassy hill with sand dunes, open Lake Michigan, and an island or peninsula in the background. The new logo retains its oval—a nod to the shape of the old logo, which served the Conservancy for 36 years. The old logo featured a ship sailing by sand dune cliffs. “The new refreshed logo feels familiar for our audiences, keeping an alignment with the current logo, but removing elements that do not represent our services,” the Conservancy stated in a press release. “The refresh also captures the scenic character of Leelanau—the ‘peek’ through the trees makes you feel like you are here, in Leelanau.”

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Suttons Bay school celebrates Native American Heritage Month with Spirit Week

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, Suttons Bay Public Schools celebrated the rich history, culture, and contributions of Native American communities through a special Spirit Week. This meaningful event, held from Nov. 18-22, featured themed dress-up days and activities aimed at fostering pride, awareness, and unity among students and staff. Students embraced their creativity and cultural appreciation by participating in themed days such as “Rock Your Mocs or Crocs” and “Rock Your Ribbon Skirt or Shirt”. The week provided an opportunity to spotlight and honor the diverse Native American traditions represented within our student body.

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