Entries by editor

Take the edge off winter with Northport Performing Arts Center

It’s a community party. It’s a mystery. And it’s a delicious farce. Welcome to the next Cocktails, Canapés, and Comedy theater production, courtesy of the Northport Performing Arts Center. The two-act play Unnecessary Farce involves two cops, three crooks, eight doors and plenty of laughter. The plot revolves around a corrupt mayor who is meeting with his female accountant in a motel, while in the room next door, two undercover cops wait to catch the meeting on video. There’s some confusion as to who’s in which room, who’s being videotaped, who has the money, who hired a hitman and why. Plus, why does the accountant keep taking off her clothes?

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Not a sprint, not a marathon. For Minnesotans it’s a relay race

Report from the resistance to ICE’s invasion of Minneapolis: “We take the bags of groceries—dried beans, rice, cornmeal, plantains, avocados, fruit pulps, meats I don’t recognize and juices with names I can’t pronounce—and load them into the IKEA bags in my trunk. Quickly, in case Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are nearby. Five deliveries today, down to Eagan, out to Woodbury, and a few in St Paul. The car smells like tamales. This isn’t our usual Sunday afternoon Trader Joe’s run,” writes St. Paul resident Julia Wheeler Ludden, who was raised in Leelanau County. “We’ve been coming here for weeks now, picking up groceries to deliver to families “sheltering in place.” Usually reserved for natural disasters, this phrase now applies to many people of color in Minnesota. It’s anything but natural, and yet, two months into the largest federal immigration roundup operation in U.S. history, it has started to feel normal. White folks and brave Black and Brown U.S. citizens deliver a lot of food these days. We all follow the same protocols: Text when you arrive. Don’t knock. Expect dark windows, shades drawn. They’re home.”

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Nightmare on Ice, Miracle on Ice

Remembering a near-death experience on frozen Lake Michigan. It was Super Bowl Sunday of 1984, and the carefree 15-year-old girls wanted to find ice caves. Karen Gros and Bobbi Boos, students at the Leelanau School north of Glen Arbor, walked onto frozen Sleeping Bear Bay in search of tunnels and mammoth formations they expected to find on Lake Michigan. The girls suddenly found themselves on a chunk of ice that broke off from the pack and began floating away from the shore. Suddenly, the ice on which they stood began to disintegrate into smaller chunks.

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Leelanau Coffee’s journey from Empire to Glen Arbor

John Arens reflects on the coffee company—and Glen Arbor mainstay—he and his brother Steve launched 33 years ago. They sold the company early this year to Grand Rapids-based Schuil Coffee Co. Leelanau Coffee opened in 1992 on Lake Street, sharing a 500-square-foot space with another startup called Cherry Republic.

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From one Michigan roaster to another, Leelanau Coffee stays grounded

Thirty-three years after two brothers started the locally loved—and widely recognized—Leelanau Coffee Roasting Co., they sold it.  The acquisition officially took place on New Year’s Day when Grand Rapids-based Schuil Coffee Co. took it over.  Like Leelanau Coffee, Schuil is a specialty, Michigan-based roaster that’s withstood the test of time. In fact, when Garry and Gladys Schuil started the company in 1981, it became the first specialty coffee roaster in the state. Inside the Glen Arbor cafe, things feel unchanged.  “Right now, it’s business as usual and will be for the foreseeable future,” said Mara Miller, the cafe’s manager and one of its longest working employees.

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Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate, Folded Leaf, area students join ICE OUT! nationwide protests

Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate in Empire is closed today, as part of a nationwide “ICE OUT!” day of protest to call attention to the federal agency’s aggressive tactics in Minneapolis, which have resulted this month in the killing of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The Folded Leaf bookstore in Cedar will also close today in solidarity with protests against ICE. Traverse City Area Public School high school students are also planning a walk-out this afternoon to stand in solidarity with Minneapolis and protest ICE.

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The Folded Leaf finds new home at Commongrounds Cooperative in Traverse City

The Folded Leaf, an independent new & used bookstore and community gathering space rooted in Cedar, has announced a new home within Commongrounds Cooperative at 414 E. Eighth Street in Traverse City, marking a transition shaped by reflection, care, and a continued commitment to community. The announcement comes with mixed emotions for many who have found connection and comfort within The Folded Leaf’s Cedar location. Since opening in April 2025, the space has served as more than a bookstore—it has been a place to gather, rest, and feel less alone. That history remains central to the organization’s identity.

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Dune Bird Winery makes breakout debut at San Francisco Chronicle wine competition

Dune Bird Winery, the newest member of the Harmony Estate Wineries of Leelanau, announced a standout first showing at the 2026 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, earning a Double Gold and multiple additional medals in one of North America’s most competitive wine judging events. Among nearly 5,500 entries from 950+ wineries, Dune Bird captured top recognition for its Leelanau Peninsula whites—an early milestone for the young label and a major win for Northern Michigan on a national stage. “This is a first win for Dune Bird, and it’s especially meaningful to debut with a Double Gold,” said winemaker Blake Lougheed. “It reflects the focus we put on site expression and precision winemaking in every lot.”

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Lively NeighborFood Market hosts farm-to-table dinner series

The Lively NeighborFood Market continues its focus on supporting small local farms by inviting area chefs and neighbors to come together around a Farm-to-Table Dinner Series that celebrates the bounty of our region—even in the winter months. On Mondays in January and February the NeighborFood Market is hosting multi-course meals for 26 guests with reservations seated at a beautiful candlelit community table. The guest chefs come from a wide range of backgrounds, but all have strong connections to western Leelanau County.

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Suttons Bay Theatre welcomes famed Canadian folk singer Garnet Rogers

Join The Bay Theatre in Suttons Bay on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 7 pm as the Winter/Spring “Live at The Bay” season gets off to a remarkable start with Canadian folk singer, instrumentalist, (and author) Garnet Rogers taking the stage. Given his extensive performance history at North America’s most prestigious venues, the Bay is thrilled to to host this great artist here in Suttons Bay.

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