Entries by editor

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Meet Me at the Loaf: Leelanau Historical Society celebrates Sugar Loaf stories

The Leelanau Historical Society, in partnership with Here:Say Storytelling, will present Meet Me at the Loaf: A Celebration of Sugar Loaf in Stories. The Jan. 29 event at Solon Township Hall near Cedar will feature memories and voices connected to one of Leelanau County’s most beloved landmarks: Sugar Loaf Mountain. Doors open at 5:30 pm, offering guests the chance to reconnect with old friends, neighbors, and fellow “Sugar Loafers.” The storytelling program begins at 6:30.

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Art that turns INward

Winter in Leelanau County draws life inward. In a place so deeply defined by outwardness—by land, water, and expanse—the shift, nevertheless, feels instinctive, even necessary. The season arrives not only as weather, but as a kind of inversion, reshaping both landscape and psychology. Which makes the Glen Arbor Art Center’s (GAAC) first exhibition of 2026, INteriors, so timely and so entirely relevant. The concept for INteriors was developed by Sarah Bearup-Neal, gallery manager of GAAC, whose curatorial instincts invariably have a way of calibrating exhibitions with the emotional temperature of the season. Ever the wizard behind GAAC’s most resonant ideas, Bearup-Neal had been pondering winter itself: what happens when cold and darkness bends attention toward introspection, and how that shift might be reflected, challenged, and expanded through the arts.

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Front Porch Suttons Bay holds community giveback weekend to support Leelanau Laundry Project

The Front Porch, a locally owned kitchen, gift & gourmet shop in downtown Suttons Bay is proud to host a special community giveback event in support of the Leelanau Laundry Project, a grassroots initiative providing free access to clean laundry for local families in need. From Thursday, Jan. 22, through Sunday, Jan. 25, customers who bring in laundry supplies of any kind—detergent, bleach, stain remover, laundry pods, and more—or make a monetary donation to the Leelanau Laundry Project will receive 20% OFF their entire purchase at The Front Porch that day.

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Benzie seeks funds to open Wellness and Aquatic Center

People running around the track. Pickleball and basketball. Swimming lessons and water aerobics. These are some of the activities that will take place at the Benzie Wellness and Aquatic Center, located at the former site of Crystal Lake Elementary in Benzonia. That’s the hope and the plan, but the reality is still years away. “We anticipate the capital campaign … for two or three years, with construction in 2029 and opening in 2030,” says Diane Tracy, vice president and development chair of the non-profit BWAC board.

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“It’s Up to Us.” Leelanau Indivisible holds Jan. 17 demonstration in Suttons Bay

The public is invited to join Leelanau Indivisible on Saturday, Jan. 17 (MLK Weekend) for a demonstration against the Trump regime’s policies, from 11 am until noon in downtown Suttons Bay. Join demonstrators after the march for an Afterglow Gathering at Hop Lot Brewing Company.

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Chasing Snow: Northern Michigan ski resorts adapt to a warmer world

It’s been a soggy couple of years for skiers and snowboarders. So, what keeps us coming back? From crockpot warming stations to cutting-edge snow-making technology, Northern Michigan ski resorts pull out all the stops to keep winter lovers happy—and stay one step ahead of Mother Nature. Resorts need about 72 hours of temperatures that stay below 28 degrees to lay a base and open terrain for skiing. “The ski industry in Michigan happens because of snowmaking. There’s no other way to say it,” said Ben Doornbos, general manager at Nub’s Nob near Harbor Springs. “Our product is the snow.”

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Grand Traverse Band warns members of encounters with ICE agents

With daily reports flashing from major Midwestern cities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attacks on immigrants and communities of color, the Grand Traverse Band (GTB) of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians took the unprecedented step today of issuing an advisory to its tribal members to coach them on how to handle encounters with ICE agents. GTB chair Sandra Witherspoon told the Glen Arbor Sun that, while she has heard rumors of increased ICE activity in northern Michigan, she has no concrete evidence of a stepped-up presence in the coming days. Nevertheless, out of an “abundance of caution,” she said that tribal government decided to issue the advisory. Today’s advisory from the Grand Traverse Band encourages tribal members to carry their GTB Tribal ID card and to calmly identify their citizenship status if confronted by a federal agent. It also mentioned racial profiling practices now permitted under the Trump regime.

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Starting from and Staying with the Nature of Place

Author, activist and bioregionalist Stephanie Mills gave the following address as the keynote speaker at the 18th annual Freshwater Summit in Traverse City on Oct. 30, 2025.  (Mills will appear with artist and community organizer Seth Bernard at the Grand Traverse Circuit from 6-8 pm on Jan. 14 for a program titled “Starting From and Staying With the Nature of Place.” The event is sponsored by the Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation and TitleTrack.)

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Data center opposition represents “fight to unite the working class”

On Nov. 17, citizens packed a meeting at the Garfield Township Hall in Kalkaska County to oppose a proposed data center on Department of Natural Resources (DNR) land. Seth Bernard, an accomplished Northern Michigan musician and activist, found himself high-fiving and hugging local conservatives with whom he had previously argued on Facebook about politics and cultural issues. Bernard, who lives near a pristine wetland—a few miles from the proposed site—found common ground with his Trump-supporting neighbors in their vehement opposition to data centers and mistrust of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

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Cross-country moonlight Sonata … at midnight

This reflection on a nocturnal Alligator Hill ski was first published in our Winter 2000 edition. The alligator’s new look, following the Aug. 2, 2015, storm, prompted us to revisit these words.

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