Cherry Republic founder Bob Sutherland writes memoir “Here All Along”

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In 1989, Bob Sutherland started Cherry Republic selling T-shirts out of the trunk of his beat-up old Toyota Tercel. He’d park the car under the streetlight at Art’s Tavern and spend summer evenings chatting up tourists at the bar then taking them out to the bungeed-down trunk. They’d hand him $15 for a T-shirt, resplendent with Kristin Hurlin’s original cherry tree and the now-iconic phrase, “Life, Liberty, Beaches & Pie.” In his new book “Here All Along,” which publishes this month and is available at the store, Sutherland shares deeply personal stories of loss, wayfinding, wildness, adventure, and hard sticky work that built Cherry Republic.

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Gazing into a pool of courage

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On the occasion of the nation’s 250th birthday, Leelanau resident and reverend Lucy Waechter Webb shares a journey her family took earlier this year to Webster Groves, Missouri, to celebrate Benny Gordon, Jr, an African-American civic leader who fought Jim Crow segregation and pushed for the opening of the local swimming pool for everyone. Webb’s great-grandfather, “Happy” Appel, the mayor of Webster Groves, denied Black residents access to swim in the city pool. She recently learned about her family’s role in this story when she began asking questions about her ancestry and her people’s relationship to the history of racial violence in this country.

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“Welcome to America,” to belong once again

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On the nation’s 250th birthday, a member of our Leelanau community—albeit one who remains anonymous to protect her immigration status—shares her story of arriving in this land of immigrants. “Welcome to America,” an immigration officer told us at the Fort Lauderdale-Miami Airport. With those words, he stamped our papers, confirming that everything was in order with our process and that, finally, we could enter the country. He had no way of knowing the profound commotion his words had caused within me. That “Welcome to America” lingered, echoing in my ears as we walked down a narrow hallway toward the exit of the crowded airport. With one hand I pulled a small suitcase, and with the other, I held my daughter, who looked just as disoriented as I felt. A few steps ahead walked my husband, quickening his pace alongside our youngest son. I felt a whirlwind of emotions: peace, disbelief, confusion, fear, joy, solace, gratitude, and nostalgia.

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Bicentennial Barn holds July 5 open house

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Leelanau residents and visitors are invited to lock eyes with General George Washington, pay homage to the nation’s 250th birthday, and celebrate an historic Leelanau County barn that is now receiving a new round of tender loving care. Scott and Tamara Stone, residents of southeast Michigan who two years ago purchased the Bicentennial Barn on M-22 and Bohemian Road, 7.5 miles northeast of Glen Arbor, will host a rededication open house on Sunday, July 5, from 11 am until 4 pm.

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Readers declaim the Declaration of Independence

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One might wonder why people are gathered at the post office in Glen Arbor on the Fourth of July when it is closed. The story is the same across Leelanau County, in Omena, in Empire, in Lake Leelanau. Then promptly at 10 a.m. the reason is revealed. “When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another,” booms a voice. “And to assume among the powers of the earth,” says another. “The separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them,” continues a third. Welcome to the Fourth of July in Leelanau County, where nine people—one at each post office—read aloud the Declaration of Independence.

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Celebrate family fun on the Fourth of July

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The joy commences when the parade lines up at 10:30 am in the historic maritime village of Glen Haven; it builds along M-109 as children shout and wave, and it crescendos when the force of floats, classic cars, boats on trailers, and fire trucks arrive shortly after noon to delight the throngs of thousands gathered along the roadside in downtown Glen Arbor. Following the vehicles on foot is a Leelanau County version of a New Orleans Second Line Parade: a trumpeter, a kazoo corps, kids tossing newspapers, Elvis impersonators, environmental nonprofit volunteers, and activists whose handmade signs and electioneering messages remind us that the Fourth of July most certainly is a political holiday—an anniversary of a subversive, dangerous, and revolutionary act that shook the world—and whose founding document boasts a core message that seems more relevant today than ever. This year’s honorary grand marshal is Carol Worsley, a celebrated chef and owner of the Thyme Inn bed and breakfast who has lived at least of part of the year in Glen Arbor for more than 60 years. As per tradition, Worsley will ride in a convertible at the front of the parade.

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New proprietors enliven historic Omena store

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Sitting on a curve of M22 looking onto an idyllic bay, the Omena Bay Country Store has been a landmark in the village of Omena since 1889. This April it reopened under new ownership by Regina and Joe Phillips, a Louisville, Kentucky couple whose family now calls the store home. The Phillips first visited Michigan 8 years ago, when encouraged to take a vacation and explore the beauty of the Great Lakes State by a friend and coworker originally from Saginaw. “We just fell in love,” Regina says, “and anytime we’d get a chance we would come up. We felt immediately at home here and each time we visited it became harder and harder to leave.”

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Beth Bricker is “still standing” and cancer free

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Two years ago Glen Arbor artist and co-owner of Forest Gallery Beth Bricker was diagnosed with stage-4 cancer and given a prognosis of months to live. She underwent chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, but also pursued alternative treatment methods including reiki. Today Beth is cancer free and still standing. “Still standing” is the title of the exhibit currently on display at Lake Street Studios Center Gallery until June 26. The exhibit, which opened on May 29, celebrates the art and wild creativity of Beth—“our iconic townie gallerina extraordinaire”—with the gorgeous collaboration of driftwood sculpture by Naomi Call.

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Iconic Bluebird continues family tradition, now as riverfront restaurant

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The highly esteemed Bluebird in Leland reopened quietly this past fall by owners Skip and Lynn Telgard along with their family and loyal staff. The original Bluebird was the family home as well as the local café. The restaurant is a family tradition, with four generations of Telgards who have brought the business from a two-room little shack to a thriving corner business known far and wide. An iconic and nostalgic place since it was established in 1927, the Bluebird, affectionately nicknamed the “Bird,” takes full advantage of its location on the historic Leland River. Indoors, it gives diners delightful up-close and year-round views of the river through its new wide glass windows.

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Thirty-seven years of service: Mary Patterson and the people behind the badge

Late into her 37th year in law enforcement, Mary Patterson still measures her career the same way she did when she started: by the people she’s helped. “I just like interacting with people. I like helping people… just having an impact and knowing my community—that’s pretty rewarding,” Patterson said. A road patrol deputy with the Leelanau County Sheriff’s Office, Patterson has spent nearly four decades responding to everything from routine calls to life-threatening emergencies. But for her, the job has never been about recognition or pay. “You have to love what you do and know that you’re helping people,” she said. “You’re not going to get rich doing this job.” In a small Northern Michigan community, that kind of work becomes personal. Unlike larger cities, where officers may never encounter the same person twice, Patterson has built lasting relationships with the people she serves.

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