Join the fun at Black Star Farms near Suttons Bay for a playful session of goat yoga. Suitable for all experience levels, sessions are led by certified instructors, with 45 minutes of yoga and 15 minutes for photos and goat cuddles. Each ticket includes a cup of goat feed and a voucher for a glass of wine, cocktail or beverage at either the restaurant, Bistro Polaris, or winery tasting room.
“Houses are great, but I think this is real pretty,” Jacob’s Farm owner Michael Witkop said as he stood outside the hilltop Orchard View wedding barn and gazed north across their 10-acre corn maze to the red centennial barn, where workers scurried like busy ants to open the restaurant, bar, and outdoor music venue by early June. Beyond the M-72 corridor, which connects his destination to bustling Traverse City, the hills of Leelanau County hovered in the distance like low-hanging clouds. We’re featuring Jacob’s Farm as part of our series on innovative solutions to the farming crisis. On May 7, Witkop addressed 65 attendees of Michigan State University (MSU) Extension’s first-ever Agritourism Summit, which included a tour of local agritourism businesses that have succeeded in bringing customers directly to their farms—thereby forestalling the fate that has forced tens of thousands of small farms across the United States to close in recent decades.
Visit the Glen Lake Community Library in Empire on Thursday mornings at 11 am this summer for great activities for kids and families. No registration is required: just drop in and join the fun. Click here for the scheduled lineup.
Laura and Bruce Hood have finished their teaching careers at the Leelanau School after 31 years. Bruce delivered an emotional graduation speech at the school’s 93rd commencement ceremony on June 1 that included these words: “I believe our lives, like careers, are made from the moments, the unpredictable times that happen when you are together, that fill in all the time between the milestones, those moments that you will remember for the rest of your life, the ones that shaped who you are and set you on a course for who you will become. Our challenge is to live those moments, to understand them for what they are before they become only memories…” What a bunch of moments and memories these master teachers have shared with more than three decades of students!
The Glen Arbor Players will hold auditions for their second play of the 2024 season, The Dining Room. Director Tom Webb describes the play in which seven actors portray 57 characters in a mosaic of 18 wonderful life stories-humorous, heartwarming, bittersweet, painful and touching. The play was written by A.R. Gurney and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1981.
It’s early April, and Jim VerSnyder is sitting at a big stainless-steel table that’s covered in fish blood at Carlson’s Fishery in one of the historic Fishtown shanties in Leland. He’s got a long, sharp knife in one hand, and with the other, he reaches into a bin filled with ice, pulls out a fish, and plops it on a cutting board, reports Dan Wanschura in this story adapted from a podcast for Interlochen Public Radio. Right now, the value of an average Great Lakes whitefish is around $15. But there’s a project that’s trying to double—even triple that amount in the next several years. And it does that by finding ways to use parts of the fish that are often thrown away. This project is based on a success story in Iceland.
The Empire Asparagus Festival’s “Ode to Asparagus Poetry Competition” on June 1 attracted 25 entries and 100 attendees at the Glen Lake Community Library. The winning poem, as selected by the audience, was “Astrological Asparagus” by Joseph Povolo. Meanwhile, one Empire family swept the Asparagus Recipe Contest held at the Town Hall. Don Cunningham won the People’s Choice Grand Prize for his “Asparagus Benedict” recipe. Carol Cunningham finished second for her “Spargelsalat” (German asparagus salad). Carol’s brother Duane Schmidt won third place for his “Asparagus Peppers” recipe.
What do you call someone who combines activism with health, wellness and mindfulness? Who founded a recording label and an all-things-to-all-people festival, both named for his family farm? Don’t forget to throw in gifts as a singer, songwriter and musician known for collaborating with others from across the musical spectrum, and plying those gifts for the benefit of others. The answer is Seth Bernard. One of Michigan’s favorite musical sons, he is returning to LivelyLands with cellist and good friend Jordan Hamilton in tow. They will open the festival’s new season June 16, a.k.a. Father’s Day. Groove-based world music jam band SoSoHiFi will close the show.
The Northport Arts Association has been presenting an exhibit of its members’ artwork since October 2016. That is when the Village Arts Building was completed and use was granted to the organization by Bill and Nina Collins. Having this beautiful space supports the organization in fostering and promoting all artistic expression throughout the community. This year’s kicks off June 14 with an Opening Reception from 5-8 pm. There will be light appetizers and a cash bar of wine, cider and beer. The exhibit continues June 15-July 5, 12-4 pm, Tuesday-Sunday.
Main Street Gallery and the Old Art Building in Leland announce a celebration of the artists and history of Main Street Gallery on June 14 from 5:30-7:30 pm, with remarks to be made at 6:30 p.m. This event also highlights the opening of the “Artists of Main Street Gallery” exhibit to be held at the Old Art Building from June 14-18. This exhibit will feature fine art from the artists who have shown their work at and fueled the life of Main Street Gallery over much of its history. The exhibit will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.