Michigan By The Bottle expands local wine downstate

Taylor and Sam Simpson know wine. They were brought up in the business, and today Simpson Family Estates includes Aurora Cellars, Good Harbor Vineyards and Harbor Hill Fruit Farms. So, too, do Geoff Hamelin and his parents Paul and Marty Hamelin, who have owned and run Verterra Winery since 2007. Now the two families have teamed up to showcase not only their wines but those of more than a dozen other wineries from across the state. They have purchased Michigan By The Bottle. The tasting rooms in the metro Detroit area offer patrons the chance to try wines from all around Michigan. “The mission is to bring Michigan wines to more consumers,” says Taylor. “It’s not limited to the Leelanau Peninsula. It’s all AVAs.”

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Folded Leaf hosts benefit for LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention

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Due to the defunding of the Youth LGBTQ+ Suicide Prevention Hotline, the Folded Leaf bookstore in Cedar will host a benefit concert and silent auction on Saturday, Aug. 2, from 2-6 pm to support suicide prevention efforts in northern Michigan and across the nation. Please join the Folded Leaf for an afternoon of music, conversation, and conscious community involvement to support LGBTQ+ youth.

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Sunset Lodge: Evolution of an up-north resort

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Sitting atop a bluff overlooking tranquil Omena Bay, Sunset Lodge is one of the last original Leelanau Peninsula resorts. It is the early 20th century postcards sent from the lodge to friends and family back home that offer a unique glimpse into early Leelanau Peninsula resort history and life. This is the fourth story in our series on the history of Leelanau County resorts and getaways.

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Saving cherries, saving farms

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Cherries are the calling card of Northern Michigan. They represent our home, just as citrus speaks for Florida, or as lobsters lobby for Maine. Here in the North, orchards define our landscape, U-Picking is a cherished tradition and a slice of pie means “I love you.” But cherry farmers these days face a perfect storm of challenges, from environmental to political. Erratic swings in temperature caused by climate change threaten cherry buds in the spring; cheap foreign imports have undercut prices that U.S. farmers can expect to earn; workers needed to harvest crops have grown scarce due to unaffordable housing prices and restrictive national immigration policies; and the local real estate frenzy has disincentivized growers from staying on their land when they can sell their orchards for millions.

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Arbor Gallery celebrates grand re-opening

Arbor Gallery, located on M-109 in Glen Arbor, is thrilled to announce its grand re-opening celebration on Thursday, July 10, from 5-7 pm to honor its newest owner, Stephanie Schlatter. Following a period of transformation and growth, Arbor Gallery is excited to welcome community members to join in the festivities.

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River Club celebrates one year in Glen Arbor

Since opening a year ago on June 24, and pumping even more excitement into an already thriving downtown, the River Club Glen Arbor minigolf course and outdoor lounge has hosted wedding receptions, corporate events, family reunions, many kid playdates, a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta, the M22 Challenge afterparty, and at least one marriage proposal on the venue’s sky deck. Sheldon and his team built the venue on the banks of the Crystal River large enough to be able to accommodate both special events and everyday customers. “What’s unique about this place relative to the alternatives is that we can handle a massive amount of people and not have it overwhelm the system,” said Sheldon. “You couldn’t go to average bar or small winery [elsewhere in Leelanau County] and do that. Plus, we have live music, and the river, and food. People are discovering that it’s an ideal location if you have a group.”

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Music on the Mountain returns to The Homestead

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This summer, the sounds of blues, bluegrass, pop, reggae, rock and jazz will once again fill the air at The Homestead. The popular Music on the Mountain series is returning for the first time since before the pandemic. The shows will take place at 7 p.m. on alternate Thursdays, beginning July 10 with the Luke Winslow-King duo. They will take place at the top of Bay Mountain, the resort’s ski hill. Patrons can ride the ski lift to the top. The backdrop, with the sun setting behind the sparkling waters of Sleeping Bear Bay, is like no other in the area.

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Jolli-Lodge: “The Inspirational Retreat”

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Not all resorts can claim a connection to a world-renowned, award-winning poet and novelist, but the Leelanau Peninsula resort Jolli-Lodge can. Rebecca G. Carlson features the Jolli-Lodge in her third story in our series on the history of Leelanau County resorts and getaways. Jolli-Lodge is that unexpected surprise at the end of the path. As guests and visitors drive through the gently, rolling hills of the 16-acre property, the most amazing view appears when driving to the main lodge.  Built in 1924, the classic white and green shuttered lodge sits against the sweeping jewel-tones of Lake Michigan. Standing along the 700-frontage feet of shore, the visitor is offered miles of sandy beach along with deceptively close views of both North and South Manitou Islands. It’s breathtaking.

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New owners, same shaggy dog story

Twenty years ago, Diane Lane and John Cusack starred in the movie “Must Love Dogs”. Tori Batson does them one better: She proves she loves dogs every day as the new owner of Wiggle Butts and Waggin’ Tails, which she officially took over in May. Kathy and Dave Crockett opened the Cedar doggie day care and overnight boarding kennel seven years ago as their retirement plan. When it came time to really retire, they began advertising the business for sale. Among the stipulations was an obvious one: Must love dogs.

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Cottage Book Shop celebrates 40 years with author signing

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The Cottage Book Shop in Glen Arbor, which Jenny Puvogel acquired last year, will celebrate its 40th birthday with an author signing on Saturday, June 28, from 5-7 pm. “We will have several local authors signing books under the tent outside—some new books, some older books­—and some light refreshments,” said Puvogel. The author lineup includes: Sue Boucher (Sleeping Bear Dunes Day), M Christine Byron (Perfect Omena Day), Bryan Gruley (Bitter Frost), Mark Lindsay (The Soul of Sleeping Bear), Tim Mulherin (This Magnetic North), Steve Reddicliffe (The New York Times Essential Book of Cocktails), Kit Robey (The Sleeping Bear Wakes Up), Barbara Siepker (Historic Cottages of Glen Lake) and more.

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