Photographing the Glen Arbor Fourth of July parade
St. Louis, Missouri, resident Jacob Kurtz shared his photographs taken in Glen Haven, where the 2024 Fourth of July parade lined up before departing for Glen Arbor.
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Swimming all five Great Lakes in one day
The Niagara Escarpment rises from the Earth east of Rochester, New York. It extends over 650 miles across the top of the Great Lakes basin to Lake Michigan’s western limits on Wisconsin’s shore. The escarpment’s defining feature is its dolomite limestone, dating back to the Silurian age of the Paleozoic era. It has aged well. That’s where we, four northern Michigan men, enter the story, searching for adventure to help us age just as gracefully. Steve Nance, Evan Smith, Timothy Young, and I set off to follow the Niagara and challenge ourselves to swim in each of the five great lakes on the longest day of the year, June 20, the summer solstice.
Paddling for Beryl
Sleeping Bear Surf family and friends celebrated the inaugural Beryl Days on June 28 with a paddleout from the Empire lighthouse. Some carried flowers in their teeth and in their hair. The event honored Beryl Skrocki, who passed in October 2022. Photo by Beth Price
Mulebone returns to northern Michigan
Rootsy blues duo Mulebone—guitarist/vocalist Hugh Pool and flutist John Ragusa—knows the area well. “Glen Arbor is beautiful and holds a special place for Hugh and I,” says John Ragusa, citing the band’s many shows at the Manitou Music Festival. This year the duo’s annual mini-tour includes shows in Leland, Traverse City, Elberta and an appearance at Music in the Park in Northport. Mulebone’s music is an amalgam of country, blues and everything in-between. While it’s mostly originals, they may sneak in a piece by Reverend Gary Davis or Doc Watson. “We cover songs that are traditional blues, folk and country. Hugh writes virtually all the original material,” Ragusa says.
Raptor Sanctuary goes extra mile to save injured birds of prey
On Memorial Day, Kaitlyn Bohnet, 34, the executive director of North Sky Raptor Sanctuary, was notified by a concerned citizen that a near-fledgling red-shouldered hawk had been blown out of its nest in Ludington during a storm the day before. The scene of the unfortunate spill was the caller’s yard. Bohnet swung into action, retrieving the distressed bird. After conducting a wellness check on the crash-lander, she contacted the Pere Marquette Township Fire Department for assistance. Given an aerial lift of some 40 feet courtesy of the department’s ladder truck, Bohnet reunited the young hawk with its family in its maple tree nest, safe and sound. In 2023, North Sky, headquartered in Interlochen, rescued raptors in 29 northern Michigan counties, including Leelanau. Outlining their area of coverage, Bohnet explains, “It’s pretty much from Grand Rapids to the Mackinac Bridge, then everything east to west. So, if there’s a raptor in need, we’re here to help.”
Star party and solar viewing returns to Sleeping Bear Dunes
Mark your calendars. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is thrilled to announce the return of the popular Star Party and Solar Viewing events. Join park rangers and astronomers from the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at the Dune Climb parking lot Saturday, July 13, from 9-11 pm. Rangers will provide information on preserving dark skies, and GTAS will have telescopes set up for visitors to enjoy.
Roadside markets and the Steimel Farm Stand
Beware this time of year when driving around the Leelanau Peninsula. Cars will suspiciously slow down and then veer off the road seemingly for no reason, almost causing accidents. Why? Spotting an animal? A favorite winery? A picture opportunity? Maybe, but most roadtrippers are stopping for the gorgeously arrayed farm stands throughout the peninsula. This side-business allowed farmers to move product at their discretion, set fair pricing, and cut out a middle-man. The farmers make direct connections to the consumer; the farmers can move smaller batches of crops that would not be large enough for a commercial buyer; the farmers can sell crops that may be too ripe for a grocery store; ultimately, the farmers control the freshness of the final product sold at the farm stand. Every time a consumer purchases something from a farm stand it is a reminder of our symbiotic connection to the earth and the farmers growing the food the public at large consumes. One of the hardest working farm stand owners, Al Steimel, appreciates the important relationship between producer and consumer in the Leelanau Peninsula.
Leelanau School opens Charles E. Scripps Creativity Center
The Leelanau School recently dedicated the newly constructed Charles E. Scripps Jr. Creativity Center on its Glen Arbor campus. The Center will house the school’s ceramics studio, newly donated woodworking shop, and new Laser Engraving program. The project was inspired and funded through the generosity of Charles E. Scripps Jr. of Montana, a Leelanau parent and grandparent. Mr. Scripps shares Leelanau’s passion for hands-on and entrepreneurial learning experiences. Applied arts allow students to learn elements of creativity and design while acquiring the discipline required to turn ideas into reality.
It’s always growing season at Lakeview Hill farm
Lakeview Hill Farm is getting ready to celebrate a birthday. On July 6, its farm market will celebrate one year since opening. Chances are owners Bailey Samp and John Dindia will be too busy farming to worry about blowing out candles. After all, farming is hard work. Not just running the new store, but growing and harvesting crops on around their certified organic produce and cut flower farm while they work to extend the growing season through the use of greenhouses and caterpillar tunnels. “We now have six greenhouses and seven caterpillar tunnels on two acres. A quarter acre is flowers,” says Samp. The flower field now backs up to the market. This is the second story in our series on solutions to the farming crisis.
At Glen Lake Beauty Salon, the torch is passed to Sara Sanborn
The beauty salon stands as a pillar in any town, serving as a place for physical edification, but also as a cornerstone of the community. The beauty salon is more than a destination for a great blow-out or a fab mani-pedi. It is a sanctuary of sorts—a place where friendships are forged, stories are shared, and confidence is nurtured. Glen Lake Beauty Salon embodies this concept, offering a panoply of premiere beauty services while also providing warmth to, and solace for, its many patrons. It is a most significant—and very fortuitous—development for Glen Arbor that Sherri Ricard, the beloved owner of the Beauty Salon, sold her business to longtime, devoted partner, Sara Sanborn, in early June. This proverbial passing of the torch has been met with a collective sigh of relief from the community.