In keeping with the national theme for Earth Day 2024, “Planet vs. Plastics,” the Leelanau County Energy Futures Task Force will host a panel discussion in observation of Earth Day in Leelanau entitled: “Microplastics: They’re in Our Air, Water, Land and Us” on Monday, April 22, from 3-5 pm in the Munnecke Room of the Leland Township Library, located at 203 East Cedar Street in Leland.
Glen Lake Restaurant Week, which runs April 26-May 4 and offers diverse culinary options and special prices at restaurants throughout the Glen Arbor region, started with a simple idea proposed by Blu owners Randy and Mari Chamberlain more than a decade ago: why not hold an event in the spring that brings more commerce to the region during the off-season? “I raised my hand, suggested a restaurant week for Glen Arbor, and they nominated me as chairman,” said Randy. “It’s been a nice springboard for us every year. Now we’re nearly fully staffed from Restaurant week through October. It’s been fun to watch the success.” The Chamberlains recently announced their retirement from Blu, effective April 1, with son Brandon taking over as the new owner. Chef Todd M Thompson will manage the kitchen. Thompson and Randy have worked together since the 1990s. Blu reopened for the season on April 12.
North Manitou Light Keepers (NMLK) have announced the launch of the final phase of the Campaign for the Crib. This capital campaign supports restoration of the North Manitou Shoal Light. The goal of this phase is to raise the $300,000 needed to complete major restoration of the historic offshore lighthouse in the Manitou Passage. With this funding, NMLK will install new electrical and plumbing systems, as well as new interior fixtures and finishes. This work will complete the major restoration of the Crib and could be done by the end of 2025. Overnight stays and other experiences, in addition to currently offered day tours, can then be possible for members and the public.
The restored Mill on the Crystal River in Glen Arbor will open its long anticipated dinner service on Wednesday, April 17. The restaurant named “Supper,” which seats 32 people in the building’s lower level, will be open five days a week, Wednesday-Sunday, from 4-9 pm and eventually add Tuesdays for the summer season. Reservations can be made online, no more than seven days prior, at TheMillGlenArbor.com.
This month Northern Latitudes Distillery in Lake Leelanau will release two new spirits—On the Rocks Bourbon Cream Liqueur and Crema Di Limoncello—in paper bottles that are made from 100% recycled paper and have a much smaller carbon footprint than glass bottles. Manufactured in Ontario, Canada, by Kinsbrae Packaging, these will be some of the first spirits released in the United States in these easy-to-recycle bottles.
Riverside Canoes will not need a commercial use authorization from the National Park Service to continue renting canoes, kayaks and tubes on the Platte River at the southern end of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Nor will the business have to share five percent of its gross sales with the Park. On March 1, federal judge Paul Maloney with the Western District of Michigan ruled in favor of Riverside, which will celebrate 60 years of operating on the Platte when it opens on May 1. The National Park Service has until the end of April to appeal. Riverside previous owners fought a long legal battle with the Park after Sleeping Bear Dunes was created in 1970. In 1992 they signed an agreement that allowed the business to continue operating within the National Lakeshore. It’s unclear why the Park sought to revisit the matter in 2022. Officials with the National Lakeshore declined to comment, citing active litigation. “Riverside is an anomaly. The business existed before the Park was there,” said Riverside co-owner Kyle Orr. “We try to provide family fun for generations. But we also recognize that we are stewards of the river. We are not anti-park. At end of day, I just want to coexist.”
“Those fleeting but utterly magical moments where the sun is completely obscured are truly transcendent. I actually teared up as I removed my safety glasses and looked directly at the sun, for the first time in my life, safely. The moon holding court, center stage, a protector for those mere minutes,” wrote Cedar resident Ellen Fred, who traveled to the path of totality yesterday in Ohio. “The last fingernail of sunlight still bright, (as y’all saw in Leelanau), too bright for the naked eye, but after the diamond ring when it becomes a total eclipse, its like a switch was flicked, its dark, you can see several planets either side of the perfect black circle of the moon, and the sun’s corona is a bright white braided swirl of dancing light that gobsmacks the birds, dogs, and people staring at it repeating ‘Wow!! Amazing!’ wrote Norm Wheeler, who traveled to view it from Indianapolis.
Leelanau County sheriff Mike Borkovich flanked Donald Trump at a campaign appearance in Grand Rapids on April 2, where Trump used bombastic, anti-immigrant rhetoric following the murder of Ruby Garcia by an undocumented immigrant in late March. The victim’s family accused Trump of politicizing their pain. He said that he had spoken with the Garcia family, which he did not. At the Leelanau Board of Commissioners meeting on April 9, some constituents are expected to voice their displeasure with Borkovich traveling, in uniform, to stand with Trump.
The sky is the limit at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Join National Lakeshore staff on Monday, April 8, from 12-4 p.m. at the Dune Climb to experience a partial solar eclipse. The eclipse will start at 1:57 p.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. (EST). Maximum solar coverage of 86.7% will occur at 3:11 p.m.
The Leelanau Historical Society will offer a “Researching Digital Newspapers” workshop on Thursday, April 4, at 1 pm at the Glen Lake Community Library in Empire for the public to learn about Central Michigan University’s Digital Michigan Newspaper Portal. The portal is a free website for researching Michigan’s historic newspapers. Click here to register for the workshop.