Entries by editor

Labor Day’s meaning lost amidst beach supplies

By Jacob R. Wheeler Sun editor and occasional columnist What is marked in your calendar for Labor Day Monday: a day on the beach; a barbecue on the deck; a cocktail party in the garden? How about 12 hours toiling on the assembly line in a hot factory? Or maybe you’d like to march in […]

Leelanau County on the Cheap: Focus, Empire

By Ashlea Turner Sun staff writer This is a new column devoted to budget travelers who enjoy fresh food and quality time spent off the beaten path in Leelanau County. While following this advice, the savvy traveler will spend less than $25 a day (including tax and tip) on food and have plenty of adventures. […]

Zebra mussels are here to stay

By Christina Campbell Sun staff writer It was only a matter of time. For years, Glen Lake has been the last holdout against the Leelanau County zebra mussel epidemic. But this summer, swimmers are seeing native Glen Lake clams coated with the mussels. These massing molluscs have now infected every main recreational lake in the […]

Personal Watercraft: lake lice or a harmless thrill?

By Christina Campbell Sun staff writer What do you think of when you hear “Personal Watercraft?” A Jet Ski®? A Sea-Doo®? A Wave Runner®? A shallow-draft, aquatic craft propelled by a water jet drive and capable of achieving planing speeds? Or do you just cover your ears and wait for the whine to dissipate?

Heart of a hobo beats inside 90 year-old Honor Man

By Jane Greiner Sun staff writer Almost as soon as I met Clive Haswell, 90, of Honor, he quoted a little poem. I had asked him about his hobo days and he said it brought this to mind: The skunks they have in Wyoming Smell just as bad as ours. The odor sneaks into the […]

Observatory sees heavenly bodies

By Norm Wheeler Sun staff writer “What’s the most amazing thing you’ve ever seen with this telescope?” asks a visitor to the Leelanau School’s Lanphier Observatory. My stock answer is another question: “You mean in the sky, or on the beach?”

Portrait of An Artist: Greg Sobran

By M. Leth-Soerensen Sun staff writer Entering the Sobran gallery on the west side of Glen Arbor one is offered a feast for the eye. There one comes face to face with impressionistic paintings of local scenery marked by their brilliant colors. Tropical Key West and images from France and Italy also adorn the walls […]

Coyotes roam Alligator Hill; Incidents With Dogs Reported

By Jane Greiner Sun staff writer Mary Sutherland frequently walks her dog along the foot of Alligator Hill just off Forest Haven Road where she lives. On a recent walk in the woods beside Forest Haven where the pavement ends, her son Bob’s dog, Mabel, bounded up the hill on its own even as her […]

“In the Voice of the Olsen House”

By Anne-Marie Oomen Sun staff writer The following story, told from the perspective of the house, was read at a public reception held by Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear on Thursday, August 7 at the Olsen farm, located north of The Homestead on M-22 in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

“Roughin’ It” in the Sleeping Bear Dunes

By Torin Yeager Sun staff writer There are times in one’s life when a sudden thirst for adventure arises from deep down in one’s soul. This is generally known as a mid-life crisis, but at age 15, I certainly do not feel middle-aged. I haven’t been lacking for adventure lately, but a little more excitement […]