Iconic Art’s Tavern sells to Barb and Paul Olson

, ,

When Tim Barr walked out of Art’s Tavern late on Saturday night, it represented the final time he closed Glen Arbor’s iconic establishment as its owner. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Barb and Paul Olson will officially become Art’s fourth owners since Prohibition. The storied venue will reopen on Wednesday. “The first question people have asked me is ‘Will you take credit cards?’ Nope. ‘Will you change anything?’ Nope,” Paul Olson told the Sun. Everything will remain: the pennants on the walls and ceiling, the Christmas decorations, the retractable pool table, the shot ski. All of it. It’s been so much fun to tell people who get Art’s that we’re buying it. The people who get the history, the special place it is. Art’s is an iconic restaurant. I just want to be its steward.” Read more about Art’s history and previous owners Tim Barr and Bonnie Nescot’s legacy in Glen Arbor.

Read more
/by

Locals Lake Leelanau. Where everybody knows your name

,

Customer service is important to Tony West. So too is history, making sure that the area’s residents and accomplishments are recognized. And food: don’t forget good food. Put that all together with a career spent in hospitality and you get West’s new restaurant, Locals Lake Leelanau, which is already generating buzz.

Read more
/by

Stepping on toes. Tariffs, boycott of U.S. goods, threaten Farmer Foot Drums existence

,

Pete Farmer doesn’t project the air of someone who might lose his business—what he calls his “identity.” The founder of Farmer Foot Drums, who builds craftsman instruments from a pole barn at his and wife Kate’s property near Cedar, boasts a light, playful energy. He carries the buoyancy of a young athlete, even though the entrepreneur and musician turned 50 earlier this year. But Farmer was clear: the Trump administration’s tariffs on Chinese and Taiwanese goods—and the boycott of products made in the United States resulting from Trump’s policies and threats—might cost him his business.

Read more
/by

The Homestead welcomes new chef Greg Miesch

The Homestead in Glen Arbor is excited to welcome Greg Miesch as its new executive chef. Miesch will oversee the food and beverage programs for the resort’s five restaurants, weddings and receptions, meetings and other special events.

Read more
/by

Lively Market, campground continue growing

,

As the Lively NeighborFood Market on M-72 east of Empire prepares to enter year two, owner Jim Lively continues to build on its success by increasing the store’s stock, as well as making improvements at the campground. Don’t forget the music, and it just recently received word that funding for its solar array has been approved. Lively will host the inaugural Neighbor Fest on May 25. Lively says the free show is a way to give back to the community that has supported the market, including those who donated through the GoFundMe crowdfunding effort. The show will also serve as the monthly fundraising concert for the Empire Area Emergency Fund.

Read more
/by

Wine for wildlife: Dune Bird’s new rosé supports Piping Plover conservation

,

Dune Bird Winery is collaborating with Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes, a nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, to protect the endangered Piping Plover and other resource protection efforts along Lake Michigan’s shorelines. On Thursday, May 1, Dune Bird will release a sweet rosé called Pink Plover. Click here for information on attending the event. The Piping Plover is a small, endangered shorebird which breeds along the shores of the Great Lakes from April to August each year. Almost half of the Great Lakes population nests within the National Lakeshore. Dune Bird’s Pink Plover represents a community commitment to protect one of Michigan’s most beloved and vulnerable species. A portion of every bottle sold will go toward supporting conservation efforts for the Piping Plover and other Friends of Sleeping Bear resource protection programs.

Read more
/by

Bookstore, cultural haven coming to Cedar

,

What would you call a cozy retail shop that sells books, plants and art? Oh, it also hosts music and some craft workshops. Don’t forget the occasional food truck, and whatever else Rachel Zemanek dreams up. Unsure what to call it? Zemanek calls it a snuggery. The dictionary definition is “a cozy or comfortable place,” which is just what she intends it to be. “It combines my love of nature and books,” Zemanek says. You can also call it The Folded Leaf, because that’s what she’s calling it. She named it for the way some people mark their place in a book. The fact that those are also the organs of a plant that provide sustenance is a happy coincidence. The Folded Leaf is located at 9044 S Kasson Street, across from the Cedar Tavern. Cedar’s newest retail entry is scheduled to open April 26.

Read more
/by

Bay Books event promotes cultural acceptance in trying times

,

“The world is held together by tiny friendships.” So explains the wise grandmother character in local author Lynne Rae Perkins’ latest novel “At Home in a Faraway Place.” On March 29, Perkins will be one of two authors featured at an event at Bay Books in Suttons Bay highlighting literary selections for young readers on the opportune topics of immigration and cultural acceptance. The program will open at 10:30 a.m. with Bay Books owner Tina Greene-Bevington reading Thrity Umrigar’s children’s book, “Sugar in Milk.” Described by Running Press as “a timely and timeless picture book about immigration that demonstrates the power of diversity, acceptance and tolerance from a very gifted storyteller” Sugar in Milk made several best book lists and garnered two awards when it was published in 2020.

Read more
/by

The Homestead hosts Ullr Festival

,

The Homestead’s Ullr Festival will continue every weekend through February and potentially into March as well, depending on the weather. Named for the Norse God of snow and winter, the Ullr Festival offers residents and visitors fun on the slopes and additional activities above and beyond slicing through the snow. “We came up with the idea of an Ullr Festival as a way to help non-skiers enjoy their time. It’s also a great way for those who do want to hit the slopes to further enjoy the area and our resort,” said Robert Kuras, owner and CEO of The Homestead.

Read more
/by

Cleveland Township Board stops proposed Maple City Dollar General with zoning, building moratorium

,

At a special meeting tonight, the Cleveland Township Board unanimously passed a moratorium on any applications for zoning or building in the Business 1 and Business 2 zoning districts until Aug. 4, with the option to extend for another six months. The Planning Commission meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 5, has been cancelled. That moratorium stops, for now, a proposed Dollar General development at the corner of Maple City Road and Cemetery Road in Cleveland Township.

Read more
/by