Entries by editor

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It’s always tea time at Light of Day

Angela Macke never wanted to be a farmer. “I grew up on a farm and I knew it was hard work,” she says. So here she is tending to her tea farm, Light of Day. She packages a number of different teas at the Demeter-certified biodynamic organic farm on M-72 west of Traverse City. What happened to change her mind? Why organic? And what the heck is biodynamic and Demeter anyway? Check out the third story in our series on agritourism and solutions to the farming crisis.

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Leelanau Historical Society hosts historian Anna-Lisa Cox

The Leelanau Historical Society and Leland Township Public Library will host acclaimed historian and Harvard fellow, Dr. Anna-Lisa Cox, at the Leland Old Art Building on July 19 at 6:30 pm. A donation of $10 is suggested at the door. Seating is limited, registration required. Click here to register. Cox’s lecture is titled “A Free and Independent State: Leelanau County and its Connection to the American Revolution and the Struggle for Freedom and Equality in Early America.” She is a non-resident fellow at The Hutchins Center for African and African American Research Harvard University.

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How Tim Barr got Art’s liquor license

Art’s Tavern in the heart of Glen Arbor celebrates 90 years this year. Tim Barr (who tourists often confuse with “Art”) bought Art’s from Mike Wiesen on July 17, 2000—smack dab in the busy summer season. He couldn’t afford to wait an extra day, or week, for the liquor license to transfer names, so Tim—together with Tom Reay, a long-time Art’s bartender who had just opened Funistrada restaurant in Burdickville—chartered a plane from Traverse City to Lansing to sign the paperwork late in the afternoon at the Michigan Liquor Control Commission. They flew home and returned to Glen Arbor, where Art’s was packed. “Being my own boss was the number 1 priority,” recalled Tim.

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Honoring migrant farmworker graduates and their families

High school graduations typically celebrate the students. But a special ceremony held by Northwest Education Services (NES) at Creekside School in the Grand Traverse Commons on June 21 honored not just local migrant farmworker graduates but also their hardworking families. A page on the foldout printed program declared ¡Sí se pudo! “Yes they could” with a silhouette of graduates in caps and gowns tossing their tassels overlaying a scene of an apple orchard. Ellos creyeron que podían, así que lo hicieron. “They believed they could, and they did it.” “The motivation for holding a separate celebration was to celebrate the parents as well,” said NES bilingual parent liaison Beatriz Moreno. “Parents go through great struggles and sacrifices to help lead their children to graduation. Many of our parents did not get an education or had limited schooling. This is a thank you to our parents for helping get to graduation.” This was the first year the migrant graduation ceremony was held since 1997, when Moreno, herself, graduated from Leland.

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‭North Manitou Light Keepers host annual rally and Crib cruise‬‬

The North Manitou Light Keepers (NMLK) will host their annual Lightkeeper Rally and Crib Cruise in Leland on July 18. These unique, elegant, and fun events invite people to connect and rally around ongoing efforts to restore and appreciate the North Manitou Shoal Light (the offshore lighthouse known as the “Crib”). “These events are a fun highlight we look forward to each year,” said NMLK President Daniel Oginsky.

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Sleeping Bear Inn awakens

As we peer out the original windows of the restored Sleeping Bear Inn and into Lake Michigan’s rolling blue waves, we imagine a Michigan Transit Co. steamship arriving at the 650-foot dock in Glen Haven, just as it would have in the 1920s, carrying lumbermen, tourists, and fortune seekers who had departed Chicago the previous evening. The visitors disembark, plant their feet on land and gaze with wonder at the shoreline and the Manitou Islands floating in the distance. The Sleeping Bear Inn, the crowned jewel of Glen Haven, reopens to guests later this summer, more than 50 years after it closed when this National Lakeshore was created in 1972. The Inn, which was built in 1866 and served guests through the Michigan lumber boom, the roaring ’20s, and the era of dune buggies, is the oldest hotel in the National Park Service

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Yacht Club hosts Butterfly Nationals

The Glen Lake Yacht Club hosts the Butterfly Class National Sailing Regatta July 16-18 on Glen Lake. According to Holly Reay, the Yacht Club is expecting a showing from seven other clubs around Michi- gan including Leland, Torch Lake, Spring Lake, White, Crystal Lakes, Muskegon and Grand Rapids. Any individual who owns a Butterly boat who is interested in doing the regatta is able to join. There is a Juniors (may not turn 17 on or before July 18) and an Opens category. No affiliation with a club is necessary. The Yacht Club will offer meals, door prizes, and more. Register at GlenLakeYachtClub.com.

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A to Z Music, Accidentals play LivelyLands

LivelyLands, the farm and music venue on M-72 west of Empire, features a night of powerful young women who will take over the world someday. A to Z Music join The Accidentals tonight, July 14, for LivelyLands Summer Sun Sets. It’s their first appearance on the LivelyLands stage, but won’t be their last. A to Z Music are Zinnia Dungjen and Audrey Mason, multi-faceted instrumentalists and vocalists. They are currently attending Interlochen Arts Academy and majoring in Singer-Songwriting. Dungjen and Mason both live in Leelanau County and perform music all throughout the County.

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Glen Arbor Art Fair returns July 17

The Glen Lake Woman’s Club holds their 52nd annual Art Fair on Wednesday, July 17, from 10 am-4 pm. The Art Fair features artists carefully selected to represent a wide variety of one-of-a-kind art pieces for sale at the Glen Arbor Township Hall. The Art Fair highlights artists in many mediums including pottery, painting, textiles, woodworking, and jewelry. Each year, thousands of people shop for that unique piece of art, either for themselves or for a special gift.

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Lively family’s NeighborFood Market opens to public

Food, folks, farm and fun—plus a festival or two. Those are all part of the plan at the Lively Farm, a.k.a. Backyard Burdickville, f.k.a. the Eagles property on M-72 just east of Empire. Lively NeighborFood Market is set to debut Memorial Day weekend, pending any surprises with the buildout or weather. The brainchild of Jim and Kelly Lively is the latest addition to the property, which has also served as home to the LivelyLands music festival and the Lively Farm, a CSA farm.

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