Entries by editor

Republican votes rise, Democratic votes fall in Leelanau in 2024 Michigan Primary

Significantly more Leelanau County residents voted on the Republican than on the Democratic side of the ballot in yesterday’s Michigan presidential primary election — the opposite of the results from the 2020 primary election. Voter turnout yesterday in Leelanau was 35 percent of eligible voters, compared to 39 percent in 2020. That being said, Biden won more votes (2,803) than Trump (2,567) yesterday, which could prove instructive once the campaign eventually becomes a two-way race. It’s unclear how many votes for Haley yesterday were Democratic-leaning voters who switched ballots in order to vote against Trump.

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Martha’s Leelanau Table offers culinary inspiration

While she might favor a beret, Martha Ryan actually wears many hats: Chef, restaurateur, cooking instructor, tour guide. They’re all based around Martha’s Leelanau Table, her popular Suttons Bay restaurant. Many of her regular customers accompany Martha on tours of Europe. “People like to travel with me,” she says, noting that while the trips are not billed as culinary tours, they invariably include stays in hotels with and stops at various restaurants, cafes and the like.

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Sleeping Bear Dunes hosts Maple Sugaring Days

It is maple sugaring time in northern Michigan, and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is hosting its second public maple sugaring event. Maple Sugaring Days will be at the Dechow and Olsen farms in the Port Oneida Rural Historic District Saturday, March 2, and Sunday, March 3, each day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Experience the process of making maple syrup from start to finish and learn how maple sugaring has evolved over the last 400 years. Maple Sugaring Days is presented by the National Lakeshore in partnership with Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear, and in collaboration with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians’ Natural Resource Department. On Saturday, March 2, join a Community Pancake Breakfast from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., just down the road from Port Oneida at CQ’s Cabin in the village area of The Homestead Resort.

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Op-ed: The Palestinian side of the story

“In Michigan’s primary election tomorrow, Democratic-leaning voters can either vote for President Biden or they can vote ‘Uncommitted’—with the goal of urging his administration to change course on the unfolding genocide that is occurring in Gaza with the ongoing complicity of the U.S. government toward Israel’s military,” writes Leelanau County resident and co-founder of MidEast:JustPeace Gina Aranki in this op-ed for the Glen Arbor Sun. Based on her personal experiences and trips to the Middle East, Aranki, a first-generation American of Palestinian parents, offers “The Palestinian side of the story.” Tomorrow’s vote has no bearing on how one votes in the November general election.

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Old Art Building’s Blue Lantern Tea series counters information malaise

“Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.” Those are the prescient, portending words of Gertrude Stein, the American 20th century expatriate, novelist, art pioneer, and culturalist extraordinaire. Her words are still deeply salient—a century later. Divisiveness is easy currency—globally, nationally, locally. We have become, regrettably, media saturated and disconnected. The Leelanau Community Cultural Center at the Old Art Building (“OAB”) in Leland, most fortuitously, has provided a counterpoint — an antidote of sorts — to this malaise: the Blue Lantern Tea Room program — a reimagination of the historic, communal salon experience.

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Cherry Republic supports local farmers during National Cherry Month

In a significant move to bolster the agricultural community, Cherry Republic announced that during National Cherry Month in February, 2 percent of all sales from its six stores and online will be donated to the Farm Stress Program, supporting the mental health and wellbeing of Michigan farmers. “This February, every purchase at Cherry Republic is not just a tribute to the iconic Michigan cherry, but also a direct support to the heart and soul of our agricultural community — our farmers,” said Sara Harding, vice president of Marketing and Impact at Cherry Republic. The donation to the Farm Stress Program is a cornerstone of Cherry Republic’s campaign to spotlight the importance of mental health among farmers. The program, with MSU Extension, provides free resources including teletherapy, educational presentations, farm financial analysis, and business management strategies, among others.

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Homes still pricey as Leelanau inventory remains tight

Steady and tight. Perhaps those are the bywords to describe the real estate market in 2023 in Leelanau County. Overall, the market continued to slow down from the pace of 2020 and 2021. While residential real estate sales in Leelanau County for 2023 bested those of 2022, those totals lag behind the number of homes sold at the height of the pandemic. There were 377 sales for a total volume of $273,320,611 in 2023. That topped the previous year’s 358 for $268,182,620, though the average sale price dropped slightly, at $724,988 last year from $749,113 for 2022. Those numbers tell a different story than those of the peak years of 2020, 2021 and 2022.

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La Becasse holds Caribbean night, Feb. 29

On Thursday, Feb. 29, at 6:30 pm, La Becasse, the French restaurant in Burdickville, will hold its almost annual celebration of the food (and rhum!) of the Caribbean, with a special nod to the island of Guadeloupe–timed just when we start really needing a warm-weather escape–even if it’s just for an evening (and in Burdickville). Typically five courses (details available soon), with paired drinks–our last event started with a Punch Planteur and ended with Rhum Coco, and featured wine pairings in between. Break out your Caribbean attire and come prepared for fun!

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Creative Collaborators of Leelanau: Fernhaus Studio’s Kelsey Duda

Leelanau County has long been a haven for artists and creatives, and the region is rife with individuals, businesses, and organizations working together towards common goals. For Kelsey Duda, co-founder and creative director of Fernhaus Studio, a hospitality group based in Traverse City, the region’s creative culture and collaborative community was a large part of what drew her to move to northern Michigan in 2020. In the three years since, the hospitality group has taken over Riverside Inn in Leland, Outpost (formerly Brew) in Traverse City, and perhaps most notably, restored The Mill in Glen Arbor, opening it in the spring of 2023 as a cafe. This summer, Fernhaus opened Millie’s in Glen Arbor, a pizza and ice cream shop where Riverfront Pizza was previously.

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Sleeping Bear Dunes to visit schools with inflatable planetarium

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is excited to share that the park’s Interpretation and Education division now has an inflatable planetarium dome to enable immersive experiences related to the night sky, the Great Lakes ecosystem, and more! The dome was recently purchased as part of a grant from the National Park Foundation. A vertically mounted laser projector with a fisheye lens enables detailed 360-degree images and video to be projected on the inside, while a fan provides constant air pressure to keep the dome inflated.

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