Glen Arbor Arts Center’s Little Free Art Gallery brings art to the masses

There is a phenomenon—albeit a very small one—sweeping the country, and it has made its way to Glen Arbor: the “Free Little Art Gallery” (FLAG). It was the ingenious idea of Glen Arborite, Michele Aucello, to install one on the grounds of the Glen Arbor Arts Center (GAAC). Founded in May 2021, Aucello branded the micro-gallery: the “Little Free Art Gallery.” Despite the differentiating nomenclature, its purpose and spirit are indistinguishable from that of the countless FLAGs in existence: “Make Art, Take Art, Love Art.” The concept is gaining traction everywhere.

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Through cancer and trips to war, White family marches on

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Leelanau County resident Bo White knows the rails and roads into Ukraine. A former Air Force pararescueman, Bo has traveled to Ukraine four times since the war began in February 2022. A month into the war, he helped evacuate wounded Fox News reporter Benjamin Hall from a Ukrainian hospital. Bo’s handshake is a vice grip, but his wife Nicole is just as strong. Together they own Dune Bird Winery, which opened on M-22 north of Leland in late 2021. And they showed strength and resilience during their son Forrest’s 3.5-year battle with leukemia. “I’ve always been grateful that I can appreciate my husband, my family, and my life as a gift. It’s not guaranteed,” said Nicole. “A lot of us pretend that we can be safe. But I’ve never been able to pretend that. I’m grateful for what I have.”

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Joshua Davis headlines April 15 concert at Leland’s Old Art Building

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Tickets are still available for Leelanau County resident Joshua Davis’ concert on Saturday, April 15, at the Old Art Building in Leland. “There are so many reasons I love the Old Art Building besides the fact that it’s a quick drive for me,” Davis told the Glen Arbor Sun. “I love the history of the building. I love the community that supports it. I love that it embraces all mediums of art, and the sound (there) is killer. It’s one of those really special venues.”

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Leelanau Indivisible, League of Women Voters host virtual event featuring impact of local journalism

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In the age of 24 hour news and hyped headlines, local journalism tackles stories that directly impact our day-to-day lives. Join Leelanau Indivisible and the League of Women Voters of Leelanau County on Saturday, April 8, at 10 a.m. for a virtual conversation via Zoom to learn how local media is relevant now more than ever.

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Bay Theatre in Suttons Bay hires Graham Powers as general manager

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The Bay Community Theatre in Suttons Bay announced in a press release that it has hired Graham Powers as its new general manager. Powers comes to “The Bay” from Fort Wayne, Indiana, bringing with him five years’ experience in both hospitality management and operations management, most recently within the Parkview Health System.

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Manitou Music poster reminiscent of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”

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The Manitou Music series is one of the most enduring and significant programs of the Glen Arbor Arts Center (GAAC). Each year, to commemorate the music series, the GAAC selects a painting representative of Leelanau County and the surrounding area for its annual poster. This year the honor has been bestowed upon Randi Ford, a landscape artist based in Grand Rapids. Ford’s painting, entitled Path Through Time (2021), is a vibrant and lyrical rendition of the Arcadia Dunes and its surrounding azure waters. Ford’s love of nature—northern Michigan and Lake Michigan, in particular—is abundantly clear from her acrylic works. Ford exclusively paints landscapes. The outdoors provides deep and endless inspiration. Her intention is to capture the energy and spirit of nature, and share it with her audience.

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Exploring sacred Crystal River

The first time Michael Brennan stepped into the river in January 2022 it was 10 degrees and snowing, but he’d made a promise to himself at the first of the year to visit the Crystal River at least once a month. “I’ve been coming to the Leelanau Peninsula for 30 years. This is my spiritual home, but that year I made a commitment to the river. I wanted to learn more about it.” “River Sacred—Uncovering the Crystal” is the self-published booklet that was created from Michael’s year in the Crystal River. It’s part photography, part poetry, part scrapbook, but it reads more like a Sundance short documentary.

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Corey Smith prepares to manage The Mill opening this spring

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The much anticipated reopening of the historic Brammer gristmill on the Crystal River is near, though owner Turner Booth and the Fernhaus hospitality group have yet to name a date. On March 1 they introduced The Mill’s general manager Corey Smith on social media. Smith, a native of South Haven and a University of Michigan graduate, returned to the mitten state and joined The Mill team last May after working in real estate in New York City and hospitality in Hudson, a town in upstate New York.

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Glen Arbor Fourth of July Parade organizer Stan Brubaker dies

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Stan Brubaker, the unofficial organizer and grand marshal selector for Glen Arbor’s “anything goes” Fourth of July parade, died on Monday, March 6, at age 95 at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City. According to his daughter Kristi, longtime family friend and former Glen Lake fire chief John DePuy will take over parade duties. This will be the 60th year of the parade.

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Ukrainians in Northern Michigan experience an anniversary of pain and mourning

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For Diana Grebennykova, a Ukrainian who lives in Traverse City near the border with Leelanau County, February 24—the one-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion of her home country—is an “anniversary of pain and mourning.” Diana and her husband Viktor Grebennykov, the former coach of the Lake Leelanau Rowing Club, have lived in Northern Michigan since 2019. They are raising two young children here. Diana’s mother, Liubov, moved in with them in April after she left Kyiv on the morning of the invasion.

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