On May 20 and 21, join the Village of Empire for its eighth annual Asparagus Festival in downtown Empire. Help celebrate the arrival of this welcome spring bounty by penning a tribute and submitting it in the 2011 Empire Asparagus Festival Poetry Contest.
The Homestead resort north of Glen Arbor is opening a new beauty salon this summer, and your help is sought in giving it a name. Submit salon names to The Homestead to win prizes such as a hair style, manicure, pedicure, lunch at Cavanaugh’s Deli, dinner at Nonna’s or memberships at the resort’s New Leaf Health & Fitness Center.
The national wedding magazine, The Knot, has named The Homestead resort north of Glen Arbor as the 2011 Best of Weddings pick among wedding venues nationwide. The Homestead, as well as other northwest-lower Michigan wedding destinations including the Inn at Bay Harbor in Petoskey, Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville and Mission Point Resort and the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island were featured in a story today in the Grand Rapids Press.
With a storefront right on M-22 in downtown Glen Arbor, owners of Crystal River Outfitters, Matt & Katy Wiesen are opening “M-22 at Crystal River Outfitters”. This store will feature the full line of M-22 apparel and accessories, plus a wine-tasting bar.
Northwoods Hardware in Glen Arbor will officially open its Back Barn on May 2 with an exciting array of garden related items and outdoor living essentials. Stop by between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. and browse through the “back barn” which the store has cleverly transformed into a gardeners delight.
Sandra Carden, director of UNION/YOGA LLC of Lake Leelanau, is pleased to announce the UNION/YOGA 200 Teacher Certification Graduating Class of February 2011. UNION/YOGA 200-hour, 28-day Intensive Yoga Teacher Certification is approved by the National Yoga Alliance, and fully licensed as required by the State of Michigan. The following graduates have completed all requirements thus recognized as Certified Yoga Teachers.
Life in Japan was turned upside down on March 11. A 9.0 earthquake struck in the north of Japan, followed by a massive tsunami. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, damaged by the tsunami, stands at the brink of nuclear meltdown. Tens of thousands are dead or missing. Entire towns were wiped off the map. In a country that is ostensibly well developed and best prepared to deal with such natural disasters, the authorities and the people appear to be at a total loss.
Residents in the village of Honor have banded together to form the Honor Area Restoration Project (HARP) to restore their home to the magical place they once knew. Formed only seven months ago when three local businesswomen decided to hold a meeting to stop the decline of what they saw as a dying town, HARP has big plans for the small village’s future. HARP knows that in order to get the entire area on board, they have to show villagers they can get things done. And that first step towards a brighter future is putting in a sidewalk that will connect the downtown to the shopping plaza, making the short trip safe to walk or cycle.
The Cottage Book Shop in Glen Arbor reports that, through a generous response to a local book drive facilitated by the Friends of the Glen Lake Community Library, new books will be given to over 240 needy local children this holiday season. But if you haven’t yet participated, the bookshop still has over 50 books — especially for preschoolers.
State representative-elect Ray Franz favors cutting “Pure Michigan” funding by as much as 80 percent, the soon-to-be legislator from the 101st District told the Leelanau Enterprise last week. Franz said he would reduce funding from $25 to $30 million down to $5 to $6 million, while comparing Michigan’s tourism economy to keeping the books at the Onekema grocery store he owns.