Glen Arbor Wines hosts Mother’s Day art show, cheese demo, live music

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Celebrate Mother’s Day weekend on Saturday, May 11, at Glen Arbor Wines from 4-7 p.m.  The business on Lake Street, just north of M-22, will feature a mini-art show, “Reflections of Sleeping Bear,” where guests can meet the talented exhibitors: artists Linda Alice Dewey, Morgan Fisher, Maryann Barnes and photographer Eric Raymond. Local photographer Gracie Dickinson will also show her vintage maps and photos of Leelanau County. In addition, Leelanau Cheese will demonstrate the delicious art of melting locally made raclette from 4-6 p.m., and musician John Piatek performs from 5-7 p.m.

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Bel Lago, French Valley celebrate sustainable viticulture

In a significant stride towards sustainable viticulture, Bel Lago Vineyard, Winery & Cidery, along with Bel Lago North Farm and its sister winery, French Valley Vineyard, announced the attainment of the prestigious SIP (Sustainability in Practice) Certification this past February. This accolade highlights Bel Lago’s commitment to eco-friendly winemaking, its community, and patrons.

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Leelanau’s newest cherry farmers laud farm diversification

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First generation cherry farmers are an anomaly in Leelanau these days. As far as Sarah and Phil Hallstedt are aware, the Hallstedt Homestead Cherries was the “last in before doors slammed and prices dropped.” They knew most of the challenges involved with cherry farming in the early 2000s, when they began to look for the right piece of property to start their retirement career as farmers, but at the time it did not deter them. They performed a business case with MSU extension, local growers and fruit distributors from around Michigan. As Phil put it, “We felt we had a good business plan, but that was in 2006. We fell in love with the fruit and the community, and we are just stubborn.” Click here to read Abby Chatfield’s story, which appeared in our April 11 print edition.

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V Gallery fills Tamarack Gallery void in Omena

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Hillary and Matt Voight are proprietors of a new Omena art gallery called V Gallery, which is located in the former Tamarack space and is set to open this May. In 2023, the Leelanau art community entered a void in representation as three prominent art galleries closed their doors. One was Tamarack Gallery, founded by David and Sally Viskochil more than 45 years ago and beloved by art lovers from around the world. “As I walked through the door to meet Matt and Hillary, I knew I was experiencing a unique moment in time, a mere blip between the old guard and the new generation representing art here in Northern Michigan,” writes Abby Chatfield in this story the Sun published in our April 11 print edition.

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Black bear enters Empire chocolate shop, devours bag of sugar

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A black bear has visited Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate in Empire on five consecutive evenings this week, rummaged through a dumpster and spreading garbage around the village, and pulling open the back door and devouring a 50-pound bag of sugar. On Tuesday night, April 16, around 10:30 pm, the bear entered the beloved chocolate shop for no more than 20 seconds, stole the sugar and returned to the sidewalk to eat it. It touched nothing else in the shop, not even the small, chocolate bears on display by the checkout counter.

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Glen Lake Restaurant Week celebrates 10 years: founders Randy and Mari Chamberlain announce retirement from Blu

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Glen Lake Restaurant Week, which runs April 26-May 4 and offers diverse culinary options and special prices at restaurants throughout the Glen Arbor region, started with a simple idea proposed by Blu owners Randy and Mari Chamberlain more than a decade ago: why not hold an event in the spring that brings more commerce to the region during the off-season? “I raised my hand, suggested a restaurant week for Glen Arbor, and they nominated me as chairman,” said Randy. “It’s been a nice springboard for us every year. Now we’re nearly fully staffed from Restaurant week through October. It’s been fun to watch the success.” The Chamberlains recently announced their retirement from Blu, effective April 1, with son Brandon taking over as the new owner. Chef Todd M Thompson will manage the kitchen. Thompson and Randy have worked together since the 1990s. Blu reopened for the season on April 12.

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Lively family launches NeighborFood Market

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Food, folks, farm and fun—plus a festival or two. Those are all part of the plan at the Lively Farm, a.k.a. Backyard Burdickville, f.k.a. the Eagles property on M-72 just east of Empire. Lively NeighborFood Market is set to debut Memorial Day weekend, pending any surprises with the buildout or weather. The brainchild of Jim and Kelly Lively is the latest addition to the property, which has also served as home to the LivelyLands music festival and the Lively Farm, a CSA farm.

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The Mill’s restaurant “Supper” opens for dinner service

The restored Mill on the Crystal River in Glen Arbor will open its long anticipated dinner service on Wednesday, April 17. The restaurant named “Supper,” which seats 32 people in the building’s lower level, will be open five days a week, Wednesday-Sunday, from 4-9 pm and eventually add Tuesdays for the summer season. Reservations can be made online, no more than seven days prior, at TheMillGlenArbor.com.

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Northern Latitudes unveils spirits in enviromentally friendly paper bottles

This month Northern Latitudes Distillery in Lake Leelanau will release two new spirits—On the Rocks Bourbon Cream Liqueur and Crema Di Limoncello—in paper bottles that are made from 100% recycled paper and have a much smaller carbon footprint than glass bottles. Manufactured in Ontario, Canada, by Kinsbrae Packaging, these will be some of the first spirits released in the United States in these easy-to-recycle bottles.

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Victorious in National Park lawsuit, Riverside Canoes celebrates 60 years

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Riverside Canoes will not need a commercial use authorization from the National Park Service to continue renting canoes, kayaks and tubes on the Platte River at the southern end of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Nor will the business have to share five percent of its gross sales with the Park. On March 1, federal judge Paul Maloney with the Western District of Michigan ruled in favor of Riverside, which will celebrate 60 years of operating on the Platte when it opens on May 1. The National Park Service has until the end of April to appeal. Riverside previous owners fought a long legal battle with the Park after Sleeping Bear Dunes was created in 1970. In 1992 they signed an agreement that allowed the business to continue operating within the National Lakeshore. It’s unclear why the Park sought to revisit the matter in 2022. Officials with the National Lakeshore declined to comment, citing active litigation. “Riverside is an anomaly. The business existed before the Park was there,” said Riverside co-owner Kyle Orr. “We try to provide family fun for generations. But we also recognize that we are stewards of the river. We are not anti-park. At end of day, I just want to coexist.”

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