Local Personality

Windy’s Landing horse rescue, a sanctuary for the “least chosen”

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“When I walk up the grassy drive toward the barn at Windy’s Landing, it’s the miniature horses Doc, Roxy, and Toby that catch my attention first,” writes Bronwyn Jones. “They graze contentedly in their small pasture but also startle a bit if you approach them on their blind side. They are three of five 1-eyed miniatures all sent to auction by their previous owners due to deformities and blinding infections or cancer in one of their eyes. They’ve been recently rescued from a Michigan kill pen by Nancy Parshall, founder of Windy’s Landing, a newly incorporated horse rescue and animal sanctuary in Lake Leelanau.”

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Leelanau baking star Sorge debuts cookbook

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Martin Sorge didn’t used to like cherry pie. Then the northern Indiana native spent a summer during college building sets at Interlochen Arts Academy’s theater department. He tasted the Grand Traverse region’s culinary pride and has been hooked ever since. “I get it now,” Sorge said. Sorge, who won the Great American Baking Show in 2023 and splits his time between Chicago and Leelanau County, debuts his first cookbook, “Great Bakes: Modern Classic Recipes from the Midwest,” at a National Writers Series event on Friday, Aug. 21, at 4 pm at Artemis Books & Goods in Traverse City’s warehouse district. The event is part of the Traverse City Food and Wine Festival, which runs Aug. 19-23.

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Boyds thank community for Larry’s Dunes & Dogs fundraiser

The Boyd family would like to extend their appreciation to the many people who assisted in making the Larry’s Dunes & Dogs inaugural event on July 2 a success. The fundraiser was held in honor of Lawrence Boyd IV, a Traverse City parking services employee who last November was shot and killed on the job.

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Upcoming fundraiser helps 5Loaves2Fish continue feeding community

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Throughout the week, 5Loaves2Fish travels around the area, serving meals in Traverse City, Suttons Bay, Lake Leelanau, Northport and Leland. “We meet people where they’re at,” said co-founder Michelle White. And it’s Josh Miller, the executive chef of the operation, who is tasked with cooking the meals. “He’s for sure a chef,” said Bill. “Executive is a bit fancy.” Sometimes, Bill continued, cooking at 5Loaves2Fish can be a “wild card. Fifty people will show up to Veteran’s Park one day, and the next 70 will come.” “So, we set up for 80,” said Miller. “We bring the extra food back or send it somewhere else.”

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Jabo Bihlman next up at Music On The Mountain

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For Jabo Bihlman, music is a calling. The Traverse City guitarist, singer and songwriter performs at clubs, wineries, and on Aug. 5 at Music On The Mountain at The Homestead. But he also works with television networks and streaming services. He’s a producer and engineer at his home-based recording studio. And he tours nationally and internationally. Not bad for a kid who hated guitar. “I had a couple lessons when I was 10 or 12 and hated it. I was a jock—in high school I played football and pole vaulted.”

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Nation of immigrants: Sleeping Bear naturalization ceremony rose above caustic political debate

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Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore hosted a naturalization ceremony on July 21, 2016, for 20 new United States citizens, who hail from 15 different countries. They are white, black and brown; their names and native country religions are Protestant, Catholic and Muslim. Like American immigrants for the last 238 years, they are hardworking, creative and devoted to their new nation.

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Friends of Leelanau Township Library Writers’ Series host Robert ‘Carlos’ Fuentes

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Friends of Leelanau Township Library in Northport announce their final evening in the Writers’ Series Tuesday, July 28, at 7 pm. Just in time for the cherry harvest, Lansing author Robert ‘Carlos’ Fuentes will discuss his recent book, The Vacation:  A Teenage Migrant Farmworker’s Experience Picking Cherries in Michigan.

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Foothills Café and Motel seeks the ‘right buyer’ to carry on its legacy

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You know the overused adage, “All good things must come to an end”?  Though admittedly cliché, it’s with that very sentiment Shari Bernstein, the owner of The Foothills Café and Motel in Maple City, concludes her 16-year journey at the property she calls “magic.”  “There’s an old oak tree, an old maple tree,” Bernstein smiled. “It feels… It’s got a vibe.” But, alas, “We are all ready for our next chapters, filled with new opportunities, growth and experiences, where we can slow the pace and be present,” Bernstein wrote last fall in a Facebook post. “That’s why we are selling.” She and her family listed the “double whammy” that is the motel and cafe in December. And because winter is famously quiet in these parts, Bernstein “didn’t expect interest until people started coming up for the season.” So far this summer, there’s been “a lot of interest.”

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Of Stars and Flowers: Alyssa Smith’s Meditations on the Earthly and the Infinite

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When writer Katie Dunn stepped into Alyssa Smith’s Traverse City studio in for a preview of her upcoming exhibition, “Of Stars and Flowers” at V Gallery in Omena, she entered a space that felt both serene and animated. Perched high above the world outside, the studio carried the steady cadence of creation: paintings leaning against walls, ceramic pieces resting nearby, and carefully arranged collections of plants, dried flowers, and gathered objects. The windows were flung open, allowing birdsong to drift through the room—something Smith spoke of with affection, describing the sounds of nature as a constant presence and source of inspiration from her elevated vantage point.

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Sleeping Bear Surf updates look, holds same dedication to the water

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When Sleeping Bear Surf opened its doors in Empire in 2004, it was billed as the state’s first surf shop. Today it still stakes its claim as the state’s only full-service surf shop, serving as a hub for Great Lakes surfing and general water merriment, with sales, rentals and classes. And with a 20-plus year history, manager Ella Skrocki decided it was time for a reset. “As I choose the state of evolution, it felt like I needed some new energy,” she says.

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