Entries by editor

Being Nice is the real thing

By Jen Semanco Sun contributor Every seventh grader at my middle school was required to take a class called “Guidance.” This class was supposed to help “guide” us through the beginning of adolescence — to teach us how to make good choices, to educate us about our changing bodies, to build our self-esteem. Towards the […]

A jack-in-the-pulpit is a diamond in the rough

By Shelley Yeager Sun contributor One must look closely to find it. You almost need to train your eyes to pick it out, much like finding Petoskey Stones on the beach or Morel mushrooms among the dead leaves. You must carefully observe the patterns of leaves and flowers in the woods around you. Once you […]

Dunegrass revelers prepare to party again

Empire folk festival brings in nationally known acts By Jacob Wheeler Sun editor Just when it looked like Empire’s eclectic annual music festival might brown and die like an undernourished field during a scorching August, the Dunegrass Festival suddenly has a new lease on life. Stephen Volas and Jeremiah Sequoia (great name!) of Grassroots Productions […]

Susan Werner sings her way into Glen Arbor

By Norm Wheeler Sun editor The Manitou Music Festival brings the enormous talent of folk & jazz performer Susan Werner to Glen Arbor for a concert at the Leelanau School on Sunday, July 31, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are only $15, and patrons are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for what promises to […]

Fourth annual Port Oneida fair tells story of rural culture

By Susan Pocklington Sun contributor Each August, amid the pastoral setting of meadows, maples, barns, farmhouses and corncribs, the Port Oneida Rural Historic District awakens from its peaceful slumber and comes alive with activity true to the period when it was a community of robust settlers. Once again visitors are invited to step back in […]

Diamond wreck brings Good Will out of caring townsfolk

By Jed Jaworski Sun contributor “If only those weathered old timbers could talk,” people often remark as they explore the ancient forests, gracefully aging barns and bleached shipwreck timbers along the shores of Benzie and Leelanau counties. Herein is the tale of an aged boat sinking into the muddy headwaters of Betsie Bay, a fishing […]

Queen of Couture is the cutting edge of fashion

By Codi Yeager Sun contributor When people begin trickling, and eventually pouring, into Glen Arbor in time for the lazy, summer months, they come for a number of reasons. Pristine beaches, excellent restaurants, good old, up north fun, and of course, shopping all attract these travelers to our usually quiet town. Visitors and locals, alike, […]

Local artist falls deeper and deeper in love with Provence

By Jo Anne S. Wilson Sun contributor In the winter of 2003, I fell in love. I was living in one of five stone cottages on an old restored lavender farm in the Provence region of southern France. Several weeks ago, I returned from residing for 10 months at that same farm, and I’m still […]

Local profile: Diane’s Hairstyling

By Codi Yeager Sun contributor It’s girls’ day on the town. You choose the hairstyling studio as your destination, and the car fills with lazy summer excitement. From the eager looks upon everyone’s faces, it’s easy to tell that you are imagining how you will look in a few hours. Images of the perfect hairstyle […]

An Anchor from the depths is cause for celebration

By Helen Westie Sun contributor Empire’s biggest event of the year, the Anchor Day festival, will be held, as always, during the third Saturday in July, which falls this year on July 16. The celebration commemorates the raising of the village’s famous anchor from the depths of Lake Michigan in July of 1977, and its […]