In this essay published in our late August edition of the Sun, Empire native Jessica Sharry reflects on moving from Northern Michigan to Finland and back, on practicing yoga, on immigration, on food, and on nature.
Consider Tomas Moreno a matchmaker for Leelanau County’s migrant farmworkers. The soft-spoken, good-natured Texas native and Leland Public School graduate with family roots in Mexico manages 54 vineyard acres north of Lake Leelanau for Bel Lago and French Valley wineries. He interprets for and leads a crew of Hispanic farm workers, indispensable to the harvest, some of whom arrive in northern Michigan on H-2A temporary work visas. Tomas, who turns 41 next month, also recently began making fresh tortillas with his wife Julieta to sell to the local Latino community.
Dickinson Gallery of Empire, a working studio/gallery, is, simply put, magnificent. The gallery is owned by Grace Dickinson Johnson, who has taken over the helm from her father. Once you step inside, the very essence of Sleeping Bear Country jumps right out at you. Scores of breathtaking photographs are displayed there, proof of Fred and Grace’s years of photographic excellence capturing Leelanau’s beauty for all who venture inside. Dickinson Gallery is situated in a lovely wooded glen right across the road from her great-grandparents’ home, writes Sandy Bradshaw in our August 11 edition of the Glen Arbor Sun.
Here’s the story of Leland Public School reclaiming and reviving its school on North Manitou Island, which Abby Chatfield wrote in our August 11 edition of the Glen Arbor Sun. The first school on North Manitou was made of logs in 1895 and held 36 students. A new school was built in 1907 with a wood frame and front porch but was shut down in the 1940s as the island’s permanent population dwindled. Decades later, when Leland Public School discovered they owned this one-acre property, considered the home of Leland School District’s first school, all that still existed was the decaying framework of a one-room schoolhouse. Fast forward more than 25 years. Nick Seguin, a first and second grade teacher for Leland since 2009 who graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Natural Resources, spends his summers working as a guide for Manitou Island Transit. While hiking on North Manitou Island, Seguin came across the old school site, recognizing it by a crumbling foundation. Intrigued, he began to study plat maps and rediscovered the property deed, realizing that the land still belonged to the Leland School District.
John Peppler, a fixture in Glen Arbor for decades and an affable realtor with Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realtors, passed away on August 9 at age 75. He had spent months at Munson Hospital in Traverse City after contracting a tick-borne disease.
The Suttons Bay Marina and Park is located just steps east of the engaging village of Suttons Bay on West Grand Traverse Bay. Here, where the attraction to water means just about everything to visitors and locals alike, you will find Harbor Master, Edie Aylsworth overseeing the ongoing operations of this 174-slip marina. It is a highly responsible position, and one she has been entrusted with well. As Harbor Master, Edie is the person officially designated to enforce the regulations of the harbor, the one who makes final decisions as to ensure the safety of navigation in nearby waters, the security of the harbor itself, and the correct operation of the marina’s facilities. It really can be compared to the nautical version of an air traffic controller, and one just as responsible for keeping peoples’ lives safe.
Longtime Leelanau County resident, Kris Noble, unveils her 50-year collection of one-of-a-kind wares at her recently launched upscale resell and consignment shop in Leland. Vintage Leland showcases a combination of vintage picks and consigned items from around the area.
The Old Art Building in Leland will host acoustic songwriter and singer Miriam Picó Younce and her husband Ryan Younce on Thursday, Aug. 4, at 7 p.m. for a free evening of positive, inter-generational music. This family-friendly performance includes some cover tunes along with an array of Miriam’s originals. We caught up with Miriam to ask about this concert, about her inspiration and muse, about the various artistic mediums she marries in her work, and about her perfect northern Michigan summer day.
“Growing up on a farm was a wonderful experience. I was surrounded by nature and family,” said Remington Rice, a Benzie County native who represents the fifth generation to grow up on the same family farm in rural Michigan. “Of course, not everything was perfect. The men in the family didn’t really talk about stress or how they were doing. I never heard my grandpa say he was stressed or sad; you just kept working and didn’t talk about it. I think there was this belief that if you don’t acknowledge it, then it’ll go away on its own.” Rice joined Michigan State University (MSU) Extension as a health and farm stress educator in August 2021.
In the Grand Traverse region, being on a boat is almost second nature to many, both men and women. Women are truly, and successfully, contributing to our modern-day maritime way of life. No longer considered an exclusively all male domain, even here in the Grand Traverse region women make their own mark captaining boats of all sizes. “One of the greatest things I like to hear is young women wanting to captain a ship,” said Lily Heyns, Relief Captain on both the Tall Ships Inland Seas and Manitou. Get to know Heyns, Heather Jankens, Rebecca Hancock, and Stephanie Watkins in Sandra Bradshaw’s story published in our July 14 edition of the Glen Arbor Sun.