Local Personality

Jazz pianist Jeff Haas finds another musical home in Leelanau

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For years, Traverse City pianist Jeff Haas performed in Leelanau County in various locations. Most recently, he played on Wednesdays at the Folded Leaf in Cedar, until the untimely closure of the bookstore and listening room. A chance encounter led to Haas returning to an old home, albeit one with a new name. Beginning Sept. 2, he will be playing Wednesday nights at Faro in Northport from 6-8 pm. “I have a history in Northport,” Haas says, noting he continues to have people asking him when he’ll be playing jazz there again.

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Can Storytelling Heal a “National Divorce” Between Neighbors?

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Some 226 years ago Thomas Jefferson wrote, “I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” Today, a group of Leelanau County neighbors is now testing whether that idea still holds true: that disagreeing with someone on fundamental issues doesn’t have to mean losing them. The results have come to fruition in a local storytelling campaign titled Community Conversations: Exploring What Matters to Our Neighbors. The initiative examines the values and life experiences of 17 residents of the Grand Traverse Region through personal narratives. Those conversations have evolved into an exhibit of photography portraits paired with each storyteller’s words.

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“You cannot step into the same river twice”

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“As a 13-year-old boy, it took a while to save up to buy the $59.97 canoe kit advertised in Boys Life,” writes Paul Sutherland. “I loved that canoe, and I was soon down at the Crystal River. … Today, after living with my family all over the world, I once again live in Glen Arbor. I love the Crystal River. But it is not the river of my childhood. Heraclitus says, “You cannot step into the same river twice.” Now the river I used to step into is enjoyed many days by hundreds of people in kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards. Most respect the river. But some don’t. On my end of the river near Glen Arbor, I no longer see beaver or even the occasional otter anymore. I have only seen one duck and cranes this year on our end, where even a few years ago ducks and even loons were in abundance.”

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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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