There’s a whole lot going on at the Glen Arbor Park. When the Sun visited May 7 at 4 p.m. for this update, we saw earthmovers trawling back and forth, smoothing the ground for three pickleball courts over by the hardware’s garden center; plumbers working on the bathroom facility in the center of things; a landscape architect shooting pictures over by the adult workout equipment, while workers for the general contractor were busy in the southwest quadrant of the park.
Young entrepreneurs Katy and Matt Wiesen are re-opening their Coastal retail clothing store this spring in a swanky new building on the east side of Glen Arbor.
Fun and games always seem to follow Bob Sutherland. The Cherry Republic owner frequently walks around Glen Arbor sans shoes; his weekly “Orchard Report” emails describe sons Colebrook and Hawthorn playing in the Sleeping Bear Dunes, and cherry pit spitting contests are an important part of the visit to Cherry Republic’s campus.
The quirky local festival featuring the pungent green stalk returns to Leelanau. The Empire Asparagus Festival returns for its 15th delectable year.
Cherry Republic will raise a glass to Michigan’s wine industry throughout the month of May by celebrating its wide selection of cherry wines with special tasting events at each of its retail locations. Special volume pricing on wine (10 percent off quartets and 20 percent off cases) is also available.
This year the Glen Arbor Sun will launch a special 4-page “Get to Know Leelanau” guide, which we’ll include in each of our 12 printed editions between mid-May and Christmas.
A shortage of low-cost housing led Cherry Republic and The Leelanau School to enter into a beneficial partnership in recent days. The Cochran Dormitory on Leelanau School’s campus is being renovated through a $30,000 donation from Cherry Republic which will turn it into a desirable and affordable summer lodging option for employees who work for Cherry Republic and other area businesses.
“You wouldn’t believe the number of families that come to Black Horse Farm, ride in our horse-drawn sleighs and then use the family photo in their Christmas card,” said Tom Cyr, who together with wife Kathy own the horse drawn service company near Empire. “Sometimes they send us Christmas cards afterward. That’s rewarding.”
As the Glen Arbor Art Association transitions into its newly expanded facility at 6031 S. Lake St., it also embraces a new name: the Glen Arbor Arts Center [GAAC].
Just before Christmas, Ian Olmsted and a team from Peninsula Solar completed the installation of 70 rooftop solar panels above the Art’s Annex, the former gas station turned t-shirt shop next to the popular tavern in downtown Glen Arbor. The solar array will generate 30,000 kilowatt hours annually —satisfying 15-20 percent of Art’s energy load.