Entries by editor

Christmas letter: We Shall Be a New Species

“Outside my window a crescent moon is slowly descending toward the snow-covered trees outlining the bend in the river. If my eyes aren’t deceiving me, the moon appears to become more orange the closer it gets to the earth,” writes Leelanau author Kathleen Stocking in this Christmas letter. “So much to know, so little time. We are all on the same path, just in different places, not only in the stages of one’s present existence—young, middle-aged, old—but in all the generations who have come before and might come later. This wild, unwieldy world. So much grief. The pandemic. The homeless under bridges. The Ukrainians, without bridges. The horrible wars.”

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The Homestead resort upgrades skiing, food

The Homestead resort, located just east of Glen Arbor, recently completed a three-vear plan to upgrade its on and off-mountain ski offerings. The Homestead ski hill opens at 9 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 26. All chairlifts are open and ready to go. As part of their efforts to support the community, the Sleeping Bear Dunes Visitors Bureau in partnership with The Homestead have provided 10 season passes and rentals for members of the LIFT Teen Center based in Suttons Bay.

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Snowshoe hikes return to Sleeping Bear Dunes

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is bringing back their free ranger-led snowshoe hikes this winter. Whether you are an experienced snowshoer or have never tried snowshoeing, the National Lakeshore invites you to join a ranger-led snowshoe hike to explore the park. The park is kicking off the winter season with two holiday hikes at 1 p.m. on Dec. 29 and Dec. 31 for all experience levels.

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Glen Lake graduate engineers New York Times Daily podcast

Rowan Niemisto never took classes in audio engineering. He graduated from Glen Lake High School in 2011, then the University of Michigan in 2015 with a bachelor’s in Sociology. But as a kid he was always fooling around and getting fatherly instructions in his dad Patrick Niemisto’s Holy Wah! Studio near Maple City. And now he engineers The New York Times podcast “The Daily” with hosts Michael Barbaro and Sabrina Tavernise. It is one of the most popular podcasts in the United States.

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Boy in the blue jacket

“Depending on how you look at things, it was either pure chance or divine intervention,” Chet Janik laughed as he described how he was able to leave Communist Poland as a young boy and immigrate to Cedar, Michigan. “Without the town supporting my great uncle, and without the kindness of the consular official, I never would have grown up here.” Reflecting on his life in the United States and his career as he winds down his time as Leelanau County’s longest serving administrator, Chet narrates the journey with vivid details.

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Realtors help new Glen Lake superintendent find local home

It’s a well-known story. Finding an affordably-priced home in Leelanau County is difficult. For Glen Lake School, finding the right superintendent has also been a challenge. Jason Misner started on the job in August. The local community wanted to make sure the Misner family stayed. That meant finding them a home. Up stepped local realtors, who gave them a head start and opportunity to make an offer before a potential bidding war began on the house previously owned by the late John Peppler.

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Septic regulations won’t hurt sales, realtors say

Leelanau County’s decision to require septic inspections when a home is sold could be a boon to the environment. While opposed by the Michigan Association of Realtors, local agents seem to be in favor of it and doubt that it will negatively impact sales. “I’ve been a fan of that (regulation) for years,” said John Martin of the Martin Company. “It’s a great opportunity to upgrade old or failing systems. I think it’s the right thing to do.” “I don’t think it will have a lot of (negative) impact,” added Rob Serbin. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all.”

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Leelanau Conservancy, Shimeks protect fourth-generation farm

If you’ve driven around Leelanau, you’ve likely passed the Shimek farm. A quintessentially Leelanau picture, the farm stand, red barn, and silos at the bend of M-72 have inspired painters and photographers for decades. The Leelanau Conservancy recently announced that this beloved view will forever be an inspiration and a farm. With support from the Regional Conservation Partnership Program of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Conservancy has successfully protected 232 acres of the Shimek family farm with a conservation easement.

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Andrew Dost brings Christmas mischief, fun to Leland’s Old Art Building

Andrew Dost, the Frankfort native and Grammy Award-winning member of the indie rock band Fun., whose hit single “We Are Young” topped the charts for six straight weeks in 2012, will headline a sold-out Christmas Variety Show at the Old Art Building in Leland on Friday, Dec. 23. Read our full interview with Dost, who talked about why he returned to northern Michigan, therapy dogs and his beloved Pitbull named Carly, his love for cooking and foraging, his support for LGBTQ activism, and what he envisions for future Christmas variety shows at the Old Art Building. Spoiler: Dost wants fun, silly pet tricks including rats dressed in basketball jerseys all going after a meatball.

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Sleeping Bear walkabout

Mike Ramsdell, a filmmaker from Brighton, Mich., took his son Asher, age 11, and nephew Ryan, 13, on a “walkabout” in the Sleeping Bear Dunes on a brisk Dec. 3. Ramsdell takes each of his children on a walkabout when they turn 10, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the adventure for Asher and Ryan.

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