By Holly Wren Spaulding Sun contributor We move back and forth between stone walls under a low ceiling and even lower light. The root cellar is musty, dark with odors of long-stored root crops, new onion starts and leeks, seeds ready for planting. Field maps, shears and clipboards clutter the spare nooks and crannies. Robert […]
By Dan Herd Sun contributor Wine touring in Leelanau County is a religious pilgrimage, involving a group, an ideal, and a passion for the process. It is for this process that we return annually to the Leelanau hills. With church bells ringing on a recent Sunday, we seven seasoned friends gather at Kejara’s Bridge in […]
By Shelley Yeager Sun contributor One must look closely to find it. You almost need to train your eyes to pick it out, much like finding Petoskey Stones on the beach or Morel mushrooms among the dead leaves. You must carefully observe the patterns of leaves and flowers in the woods around you. Once you […]
Ashlea J. Walter Sun contributor Villagers and tourists came out of winter hibernation to celebrate together in Empire on May 20 and 21. The reason? Asparagus, of course. Thankfully, the weather committee for the Empire Asparagus Festival worked hard all winter to ensure a beautiful blue-sky weekend for the Second Annual fete to celebrate the […]
By Jane Greiner Sun contributor Every year I love to watch for the signs of spring: a robin on the ground; a crocus pushing up; the return of the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks; the first Ruby-throated Hummingbird; the first balmy breeze’ the evenings getting longer. Like everyone else, I also eagerly await the Trillium. This year it […]
By Pat Stinson Sun staff writer First, a disclaimer. I am not a member of the esteemed Mycological Society of America, the North American Mycological Association, nor any organized amateur mushroom club. I am the lowliest of wild mushroom fanciers, a two-timing (spring and fall) picker of the rankest sort, perhaps best likened to a […]
By Codi Yeager Sun staff writer Many of us have seen or heard of the Sumac. It flourishes in much of Leelanau County, growing in large clumps of tropical looking green foliage. The Sumac is a small, twiggy tree with large compound leaves that turn bright red and yellow in the fall. The fuzzy branches […]
By Helen Westie Sun contributor “A complete dinner for two dollars?” someone asked. “Where? When?” At the Empire Township Hall at noon on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays is the answer. The catch is that one must be at least 60 years old to qualify for the Senior Nutrition Program, which offers an entré, salad, vegetables, […]
By Norm Wheeler Sun editor Hungry? My, oh my, did you come to the right town! Now just let yer’ belt out a notch, sit yer’self down, and check out these comestibles, my friends. Hot Dogs? Yeah, we got ‘em. You gotch’er hot dog special down at Bear Paw Pizza and Subs, just look at […]
By Norm Wheeler Sun editor Or one could write “Lilacs,” or “Apple Blossoms,” or “Prom Gowns,” or “Temporary Barricades,” or even, as Swift Lathers wrote, “Boiled Dandelions.” Growing up in Oceana County in the 50s, I read The Smallest Newspaper in the World, The Mears Newz, published weekly by Mr. Swift Lathers, of Mears, MI, […]