New businesses, faces on the block open their doors

By Jacob Wheeler Sun editor No, that’s not an outhouse near the Crystal River, steps from Riverfront Pizza. Don’t do your business in there, canoers. That’s actually Hole 6 of Mike Sutherland’s new mini-golf course, The River at Crystal Bend, where an airborne putt into one of the two openings in the outhouse seat might […]

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Foothills restaurant celebrates 50 years

By Pat Stinson Sun contributor In the sixties, if you dined at The Foothills Restaurant near Glen Lake, a baked chicken dinner with relishes, a loaf of bread, salad, potato, vegetable and beverage could set your pocketbook back $3.50. Fast-forward to 2007. A lunch of chicken tenders can still be had for $3.75, but a […]

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New photographer sends a Ripple throughout local art scene

By Corin Blust Sun contributor Jeff Ripple may be “a Florida boy at heart,” but after marrying local Pam Lincoln last July he has begun to embrace the idyllic rolling hills and gentle landscape that characterizes Leelanau County. Ripple’s breathtakingly detailed wilderness photographs are on display at his new gallery and studio, Ripple Effect, on […]

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Knitting yarns in Cedar

Codi Yeager Sun contributor One stereotype has long dominating the knitting world: an ancient, needle wielding grandmother with white hair and inch-thick glasses looking out at society in outright defiance of all the realities connected to true knitters and their yarn habit. Yet one step inside Inish Knits in Cedar reveals that the vibrant, knitting […]

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Friendly serves best burgers around

By Carly Brady and Helen Westie Sun contributors Carly Brady is a reporter for TV 7&4 News) Joe’s Friendly Tavern in Empire recently received the most votes in local television station 7&4 News’ poll for the best hamburger in northern Michigan. The full story is available on 7&4’s website at www.tv7-4.com under the icon “Your […]

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Empire’s Neighborly New Community

By Pat Stinson Sun contributor Norm and Cile Plumstead could easily picture themselves sitting on a front porch in Empire’s New Neighborhood and enjoying the pristine view of the forested ridge from lot number three. Prior to 2004, the couple had lived in cities near Lake Michigan with a similar small-town feel, such as Libertyville, […]

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Family-owned Maple Disposal puts customers’ needs first

By Pat Stinson Sun contributor With one truck and a goal of giving nothing but the best possible service and price, Dave Barron bought Cedar Disposal from Waste Management in the spring of 2002. The solid waste collection corporation, headquartered in Texas, had acquired the company from original owners “Art and Mike” when the pair […]

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Glen Lake grads open ZeroHour Gaming

By Pat Stinson Sun contributor A little more than a year ago, Dustin Sielaff and Jason Lewis, (Glen Lake class of 1998), were just getting their bearings as new business owners on Traverse City’s west side. Fourteen months and a move across town later, the pair has established themselves as the twenty-something, low-key proprietors of […]

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What the spring brought, and what happened while you were away

By Jacob Wheeler Sun editor Jack DeGroot of Grand Rapids didn’t catch any scale-breaking fish in Little Glen Lake the weekend before Memorial Day, but he also didn’t have to leave Glen Arbor to fill up his gas tank for the drive home — and that bit of news was enough to put a smile […]

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Additions to your movie collection

By Josh Burrows Sun contributor Did anyone besides me feel like they missed out on seeing as many films at the Traverse City Film Festival as they would have liked? Never fear, thanks to some generous people you still have a chance to see most of the films from the last two festivals. Not many […]

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