Revelers Wassail at Tandem Ciders

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Locals know a secret about Leelanau County winters. The season lends reprieve from chaos, re-rooting and grounding us after the busy, crowded summer season. Having this sacred place to ourselves for a fleeting moment allows for deeper camaraderie and connection to place. Tandem Ciders co-owners Dan Young and Nikki Rothwell have hosted a wassail celebration at their tasting room on Setterbo Road north of Suttons Bay since 2009, offering an opportunity for locals to connect with each other under the constellations in the depths of Leelanau’s winter. At Tandem Cider’s 16th annual wassail celebration, buoyant echoes of raucous partiers standing around a bonfire are somehow harmonious with the silence that vibrates from the black, night sky of deep winter. A collection of familiar faces represents a community slow to change, slow to grow, until the Covid migration occurred. These are faces that connect our past to this place we call home.

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Fundraiser continues for The Homestead’s Jamaican workers two months in the dark

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Longtime seasonal residents at The Homestead, John and Belynda Hudspeth, offered this Dec. 26 update for their crowdsourcing fundraiser to support 35 seasonal Jamaican workers at the Glen Arbor resort whose communities were impacted by the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa on Oct. 28. Their campaign has raised $48,000. However, the more than 80 people (including children and the elderly) directly impacted by this fund are only in the very early stages of a massive rebuilding process, write the Hudspeths. Click here to read more and for a link to donate. … In the closing days of 2025, we’re updating key stories that the Glen Arbor Sun published this year.

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The Folded Leaf: A Dream Embraced by Community Connection

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Rachel Zemanek reflects on The Folded Leaf, which opened its doors this Spring in Cedar. Together, with Liz Neddo, owner of Bee Well, and niche jeweler Dana C. Fear, a creative community built on connection was formed. Now, their survival in the town they call home is at risk, following building inspections and a notice that gatherings are not allowed unless the entire building officially changes use.

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Cherry Republic installs Glen Arbor’s first electric car chargers

One of the challenges for those embracing the switch to electric cars is finding a place to charge them when out on the road. Cherry Republic is part of the solution. It has installed Red E Electric Vehicle Fast Chargers at its headquarters in the Village Sampler shopping center in Glen Arbor, offering residents and visitors alike a way to charge their vehicles. Cherry Republic owner and CEO Bob Sutherland says he has wanted to install car chargers for several years. A noted environmentalist, he wants to make sure the company is doing its part to mitigate global warming.

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Holiday week kicks off winter activities at The Homestead

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Old Man Winter arrived early this year, and Ullr is pleased. Mark Lentini, the new mountain manager at The Homestead, says the snow and cold temperatures have helped make the conditions better than ever at this point of the year. The resort is also offering special pricing to kick off the season. The popular four-season resort is opening for ski season the day after Christmas, as long as Mother Nature continues to cooperate.

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Bee Joyful spreads cheer in Country Christmas’ former home

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’Tis the season to be joyful. For Austin and Bethany Jo Bowers, that’s always the case. They opened their Bee Joyful retail storefront late last year on M-72 just west of Traverse City, at the former Country Christmas location. Bethany started the company as a youngster. She started making natural beeswax skin products for her family and friends at her family farm, where her father was a beekeeper. At 14, she officially started her own company, Bee Joyful, selling her soaps and balms at a local farmers market and shops.

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Cherry Republic’s December giving campaign focuses on need for housing

Each December, Cherry Republic launches a “31 Days of Giving” campaign, which in the past has supported farmers, environmental and renewable energy initiatives, and land preservation. During the first week of December 2025, the Glen Arbor-based company reported in a blog post that it is giving to organizations working to reduce the tremendous shortage of housing in Northern Michigan. The problem is particularly acute, especially here in Leelanau. “We are proud to have housing as a priority in our giving this December,” the company reported in a blog post.

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Black Star Farms continues run of awards

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Best wine hotel. Best American Riesling. Business of the year. The accolades continue to roll in for Black Star Farms. Managing owner Sherri Fenton says they are a testament to the staff at the Suttons Bay business fulfilling the vision of her father Kerm. “It’s exciting,” says Fenton. “It plays into the original vision of my father (for) world class customer service.” Earlier this year, The Inn at Black Star Farms was named the Best Wine Country Hotel in the country by USA Today Reader’s Choice Awards. Black Star Farms was first nominated for the award in 2020, when it was named to the top spot. Every year since it has been in the top three, and won the award again this year.

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Harvest with Heart Deer Donation Program feeds Empire Food Pantry

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A collaboration between Buntings Cedar Market, local deer hunters, the Empire Area Community Center (EACC), and the Empire Area Community Food Pantry is supplying high-quality protein to families experiencing food insecurity during this hunting season, which runs the second half of November. A total of 14 deer (and counting) have been donated by local hunters to the Harvest with Heart Deer Donation Program, just a couple day into this year’s rifle hunting season. The initiative is financially supported locally by donations through EACC and its new Basic Needs Initiative Fund, which launched during the federal government shutdown and pause in SNAP benefits. Venison processed at Buntings will be donated to the Empire Food Pantry, which is run out of the Glen Lake Church in Burdickville.

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Crystal River Outfitters Recreational District hosts fifth annual Strolling Lights Festival

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The Strolling Lights Festival within The Crystal River Outfitters Recreational District has become an annual tradition for both families, groups or individuals to join together to decorate a holiday tree in honor of a worthy cause, or to get visitors in the holiday spirit when they light up The District in Glen Arbor. Proceeds from the 2025 Strolling Lights Festival will support the Empire Area Food Pantry which serves all of Leelanau County. This once-a-week Food Pantry, which is hosted at Glen Lake Community Reformed Church on Tuesdays year-round, serves an enormous need in our community to help support those who are struggling to put food on their tables.

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