Business Feature

Labor Day bridge walkers continue to afterparty at Glen Lake Manor

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Those who remain up north and walk across the Glen Lake Narrows Bridge at noon on Labor Day Monday will get an extra treat this year. Glen Lake Manor owners Sue and Robert Rife will host an afterparty from 12:30-2 pm at the 120-year-old estate on M-22—0.4 miles west of the bridge. The event might double as a goodbye party of sorts for the Rifes, since the Manor is under contract to sell. The Bridge Walk, a locals’ tradition since 1995 to mark the end of the summer tourism season, takes place this year on Sept. 7. Bridge Walk 2026 t-shirts will be available for sale at the Narrows Bridge.

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Jazz pianist Jeff Haas finds another musical home in Leelanau

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For years, Traverse City pianist Jeff Haas performed in Leelanau County in various locations. Most recently, he played on Wednesdays at the Folded Leaf in Cedar, until the untimely closure of the bookstore and listening room. A chance encounter led to Haas returning to an old home, albeit one with a new name. Beginning Sept. 2, he will be playing Wednesday nights at Faro in Northport from 6-8 pm. “I have a history in Northport,” Haas says, noting he continues to have people asking him when he’ll be playing jazz there again.

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State Savings Bank celebrates 130 years

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This year, State Savings Bank is celebrating its 130-year anniversary. This milestone marks more than a century of helping northern Michigan families and businesses reach their financial goals, while remaining a locally owned, independent community bank. The anniversary also comes with an unexpected twist. For many years, State Savings Bank was thought to have been founded in 1901. However, recently uncovered historical documents showed that the bank first opened its doors in Frankfort in 1896, making this year its 130th anniversary. The bank’s original name was Benzie County State Bank.

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Versatile guitarist returns to The Homestead’s Music on the Mountain series

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They say you can’t go home again, but guitarist Joe Taylor would beg to differ. The South Carolina native returned to the Palmetto State after decades in New York City and hasn’t missed a beat. Now he feels like he’s coming home again, with a date: Aug. 19 at Music On The Mountain at The Homestead. “The fellas and I are really looking forward to it,” he says of himself and his bandmates. “We love the place.”

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Business is good in Lake Leelanau

Summer is here, and for three Lake Leelanau beverage-centric businesses, it’s been worth the wait. The owners of Northern Latitudes, Locals Lake Leelanau and Peninsula Provisions all say things are looking good. Northern Latitudes opened the doors of its new facility last October. Mark Moseler, who owns the business with his wife Mandy, says the project took longer than anticipated, but that’s invariably the case.

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Homestead Resort, Oliver Art Center partner on new gallery

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The Homestead near Glen Arbor is adding to its many attractions by creating an art gallery in the resort’s Welcome Center lobby in partnership with Elizabeth Lane Oliver Center for the Arts of Frankfort. The Homestead’s gallery will display works depicting the region, from the dunes and Lake Michigan to Leland Fishtown, the lighthouse at Point Betsie and more. Oliver Art Center will showcase its members with a rotating exhibit. The two will also collaborate on a plein air event to take place on the grounds of The Homestead this fall.

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Lively Acres host Backyard Blues, Brews & BBQ festival

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Lively Acres is excited to announce the first annual Backyard Blues, Brews & BBQ this August 7-8 at their Backyard event space. Located in the shadow of the Sleeping Bear Dunes, on M-72 a few miles east of Empire, Lively Acres is a beautiful setting for world-class blues music, down-home BBQ and satisfying brews. Tickets are on sale now for the event, headlined by Detroit-based and nationally acclaimed Thornetta Davis, along with other Michigan talent. Lively Acres will serve a home-cooked barbeque meal from local meats and produce, served with northern Michigan beer and wine. The venue has RV and tent camping onsite, a working farm, and a full-service farm market.

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Missing the Manitous

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A visit to the Manitou Islands requires focus and strategy to navigate abundant poison ivy, black flies, mosquitos, and ticks. Although many fall in love at first sight with this pair of remote islands in northern Lake Michigan, part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, some may wonder what the draw is, as they disembark onto either of these windswept, buggy, and vegetation-dense islands, writes Abby Chatfield. With the Manitou Islands all but closed to visitors this year (unless you have a private boat)—as the National Lakeshore rebuilds the docks, we are reflecting on the Manitous with an ongoing series about experiences we’ve had on the islands.

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Affordable bunkhouses debut at Indigo Bluffs

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As the month of June came to a close, four new family bunkhouses were added to Indigo Bluffs RV Park & Resort in Empire. With a queen bed and four bunks, the new 320 square foot accommodations sleep six, a number that campground owner Gary Becker described as “magic” in hospitality. “The three generation vacation,” he said. “Grandparents, parents, children. Figure two plus two plus two.”  Beyond providing an enjoyable place to stay, the campground is concerned with “preserving and defending the opportunity for families to come here,” said Becker. Which is precisely why, at the height of the tourist season in July, the bunkhouses are under $130 a night.

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French Valley Vineyard announces partnership with Leelanau Conservancy to benefit Sugar Loaf

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French Valley Vineyard, part of the Harmony Estate Wineries of Leelanau portfolio, announced the release of two new wines: Sugar Loaf Red and Sugar Loaf White. Created in partnership with the Leelanau Conservancy, the wines support the long-term stewardship of Sugar Loaf, the iconic Leelanau County landmark recently protected from development for generations to come. French Valley Vineyard invites the community to celebrate the launch with a release party on Friday, July 31, from 7-9 pm at French Valley.

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