Iconic Bicentennial Barn property for sale again

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Leelanau’s iconic Bicentennial Barn is for sale once again. The 1890s farmhouse and barn on a 4-acre property on the corner of M-22 and Bohemian Rd was purchased in February 2021 by Greg and Heather (Nachazel) Ford, who over the last three and a half years “have been pouring their love into the farmhouse and have dealt with the structure, roof, and windows—all the unromantic things,” said Ranae Ihme of Leelanau Vacation Realty, which lists the property for $665,000. The Fords are moving out of state and “passing the baton to someone who can complete the process and put the ‘frosting’ on it.”

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Fountain Point’s successful music series continues with Djangophonique

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The sounds of music have been wafting across Lake Leelanau this summer, and there’s one more chance to catch a show at Fountain Point, though with a change from the original plans. The annual Accidentals Famgrove party originally planned for Aug. 11 is being moved to French Valley Vineyard due to some timing issues around licensing. That show will now take place Oct. 12, and tickets purchased for the original date and location will be honored at that show. There will still be an Aug. 11 show at Fountain Point. It will still feature the Gypsy jazz of Djangophonique and the indie-folk stylings of Spencer Lajoye. Best of all, that show will now be free. Series coordinator Amber Buist says it’s a way of saying thanks to those who have attended the shows this year and potentially bring in people who haven’t.

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Jelinek Apiaries offers natural liquid sugar

Nectar, Ambrosia, and Nature’s Liquid Gold are ancillary names for one of nature’s most valuable substances known as honey. Boasting endless health and cosmetic benefits, a spectrum of colors ranging from water-white to dark amber, clarity levels of clear to opaque depending on filtration and pasteurization, and flavor profiles from delicately mild to bold depending on location and type of plant the bees pollinated, honey has earned its treasured reputation. To all this, business owners Andrew Jelinek and Robert Herman have embraced the time-honored vocation of beekeeping for Jelinek Apiaries since 2014.

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Foothills Cafe embraces family at the foot of the hill

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When I was a young girl, my father and I would get breakfast some mornings at The Foothills Cafe, writes Abigail Webster. It was a special thing we would do. My father and I have polar opposite interests so he made it important we find things to do just the two of us. I always remember those trips fondly. And that includes the good food. We hadn’t been in some years, so I wanted to go and see how the place was doing. I looked around the cafe. The place I knew when I was a child. It was mostly the same: the light green walls with white trim, and the red door frame. One new thing was some photos on the wall. There was one of a man sitting in a chair. And another looking the same. The two men used to be regulars at Foothills Cafe. They have now passed away. Shari, the owner who took over full control of the Foothills early this year, knew them. She even told me what their orders were.

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“How do you want to be when you’re 80?” asks fitness guru Stacy Jago

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The verdant rolling terrain and sparkling blue waters of Leelanau County beckon full-time and seasonal residents alike to lace up their running shoes and hiking boots, clip into their road bikes, dust off their clubs and racquets, and hoist their kayaks in search of exercise and recreation. So why, with all the resplendent natural beauty and enviable outdoor temperatures of this area, would anyone dedicate three hours a week indoors in a gym? The answer comes as a question posed by fitness expert and personal trainer, Stacy Jago, owner of Sleeping Bear Bay Club in Maple City. “Well…how do you want to be when you’re 80? How about 90?” An avid outdoors woman herself, Jago elaborates, “So we can hike and bike here, we get outside and that’s great. But if you don’t have the strength and mobility, which are two different things, you may not be able to continue those pastimes as long as you’d like.”

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Lively NeighborFood Market hosts grand opening weekend

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Leelanau’s newest market will host its grand opening celebration this weekend on Friday, Aug. 9, and Saturday, Aug. 10. The Lively NeighborFood Market is co-located with  Backyard Burdickville Campground, formerly the Empire Eagle’s Campground, and features local produce, meat, dairy, prepared food, flowers and gifts. The market opened in July, and this weekend they invite the public to stop in for shopping, special events, and opportunities to connect.

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Goats and chickens and elderberries, oh my

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It’s part farm, part café, part farm market, part AirBnB—and all a dream come true for Samantha Fall. Fall, the owner of Elderberry Farms Estate, has a varied background. She is also a long-time agriculture enthusiast. She worked at Michigan State’s campus farms while earning her degree in communication. After graduating, she started her own mini-farm outside East Lansing, complete with dairy goats, chickens, produce, soap- and lotion-making. She was also a long-standing fan of elderberries.

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Bardenhagen’s farm stand worth a stop

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What are the little purple, pink, yellow, and ruby red balls found on the corners of the roads throughout the peninsula this time of year? Spilled cherries. Big trucks and small trucks hauling tanks of freshly harvested cherries are everywhere. It’s July and this means it’s cherry season. For all of us following or waiting behind these trucks carrying tanks with water spilling over the sides, it is a good reminder to be a little more patient while driving in the area. These hardworking farmers are doing their best to harvest and deliver the delicious stone fruit to processors as quickly as possible. Most local farm stands are bursting with colorful displays of all cherry varieties, usually picked the same day they are stocked. One such place in the Leelanau Peninsula that is an essential stop for any farm stand devotee is the Bardenhagen Farms farm stand located at 7881 Pertner Road. Part of our series on local farm stands in Leelanau County.

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Five out of five kids recommend golf at Glen Arbor’s new River Club

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Glen Arbor’s newest attraction is not your average putting course experience. Many of you have been to the River Club already, but for those of you who haven’t, here is a review, courtesy of 11-year-old Martin Ludden and four other kids between ages 8 and 11. During our two visits to River Club so far, there have been families on most of the course’s 18 holes, but they move quick. It’s a fun vibe, and with people talking and laughing it feels almost like a community treasure hunt. Plus, you can finish and start a new game. With your day-pass wrist band the place offers unlimited minigolf while your parents eat and drink, relax by the river or listen to live music!

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TLC Farms—so much more than a tomato shop

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Driving south from St. Wenceslaus Church on Setterbo Road is a hidden gem: TLC Farms. Looking from the road, there is a farm house, barns and outbuildings, and a couple of greenhouses. Writer Rebecca Carlson’s advice, pull into their small parking lot and walk back towards the greenhouses. The visitor will be rewarded by the Tomato Shop, which is so much more than a tomato shop. It is a free-standing, permanent structure farm stand for TLC Farms. Clearly, current owners and caretakers Joe Vanderbosch and his wife Anne Cunningham tend their greenhouses, produce “from seed to end product,” and customers with lots of tender loving care. Part of our series on farm stands in Leelanau County.

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