Local Personality

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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River Club Glen Arbor holds Drinks, Putts & Fire Trucks to benefit Glen Lake Fire Department

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The Glen Lake Fire Department and River Club Glen Arbor plan to hold their first annual community building and fund-raising event, “Drinks, Putts & Fire Trucks,” on Wednesday, June 17, from 4-8 pm at the River Club. The event will celebrate the massive contribution the Glen Lake Fire Department makes to the greater Leelanau County region. The two primary goals are to create closer ties to community members with individual fire department personnel and to raise funds that help the department flourish and stay modern given the vast needs of the community. River Club will donate a portion of their profits for the day to the Glen Lake Fire Department’s general fund along with providing community members a free round of golf on their next visit.

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Suttons Bay grads, “Take the trail that challenges you to grow”

Bekah TenBrink, founder and director of LIFT Teen Center—a free, out-of-schooltime program to support 6th through 12th graders in Leelanau County schools—gave the commencement address at Suttons Bay High School’s graduation ceremony on May 29. Here is the text of her address.

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Community supports Sebastian Smith, an athlete with true grit

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Sebastian Smith, the 37-year-old general manager of The Riverside Inn in Leland, suffered a life-changing accident in February while teaching his younger cousin how to snowboard at Boyne Mountain. A lifelong athlete, he has taught others in his chosen sport, kiteboarding, in locations throughout the world. In a moment that changed everything, Smith fell and fractured his neck. Though the shock and uncertainty following the accident has overwhelmed him and his family, through hard work, determination and inner strength Smith has shown his tenacity and strong spirit. A local benefit for Sebastian will be held on Wednesday, June 10, from 5-8 p.m. at the Hop Lot Brewing Company in Suttons Bay. Tickets are $40 and include dinner. The evening will feature a silent auction and performance by The Broom Closet Boys.

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Paul Skinner helps drive Empire along

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“Come on in,” says Paul Skinner as he opens the door at the Miser’s Hoard. “Don’t mind them. Hush,” he says to Brandi and Gizmo, the Shih Tzu security team. The tall, ungainly building on Front Street in Empire is home to the two tiny guard dogs, Paul and Shelly Skinner, and the Miser’s Hoard, their catch-all store which sells an eclectic mix of gifts, jewelry, furnishings, accessories and antiques—which celebrates 25 years of operation in Empire this year. And more than that, if you want to know the truth. It’s also the headquarters for the Empire Asparagus Festival and the Empire Hill Climb, both of which Paul oversees. That’s quite a bit for one place in the diminutive village in the southwestern corner of Leelanau County. But the Skinners make it work.

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Meet the Fishtown Family

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When most people think of Fishtown, they probably picture the busy thrill of excited summer crowds enjoying Cheese Shop sandwiches, submersed in the authentic atmosphere of a historic commercial fishing village. But Abby Chatfield thinks of a sweet moment there last December, with businesses closed for the season and only a handful of locals gathered around under the falling snow, watching her children and those of other Fishtown retailers circle around a giant red button as they anticipated the honor of pushing it to light up the shanty rooftops, together, in a legendary holiday light display. Each child was honored with a key to Fishtown, inviting them to become the future caretakers of this place that many consider to be the heart of Leland. Fishtown faces numerous challenges today, including threats to its tax-exempt status from powerbrokers new to the community, and the lack of regular commercial ferry service this year to the Manitou Islands. As such, Leland residents are reflecting on what makes Fishtown special and important to their town.

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“Disagreeing without being disagreeable.” Leelanau citizens find Common Ground across political divides

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The comedian and clown Patch Adams was onto something when he said, “Humor is an antidote to all ills.” Leelanau County residents Skip Pruss and Jim White may disagree on politics, but Pruss drew a chuckle from White when he joked, “I’m known as the shit man in Lansing,” during their conversation about septic policy earlier this month. They shared a table and bantered during a Common Ground meeting on May 13 at the Friendship Center in Suttons Bay. The monthly gatherings, which were held from January until May and will resume this fall—prior to November’s national midterm elections—are an attempt to break through the caustic national political divide and give citizens of different backgrounds an opportunity to break bread together, discuss local political issues, and find common ground.

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Migrant farm work booms in Michigan despite feds pay cut

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Every year for the past decade, Jose Abel has traveled more than 2,000 miles from the region of Durango in Mexico to tend to the grapes of Northern Michigan’s famed vineyards. The money the 30-year old earns during the nine months that he spends in Michigan allows him—and thousands of other Mexican workers in our state—to have dreams back home. Now, however, the U.S. federal government has lowered the minimum wage—by as much as $4.50 an hour, or 25 percent, in Michigan—for the exploding number of workers who are here on H-2A visas, like Abel. The decision comes after a couple of years of outcry from some farmers that the cost of labor, transportation, and housing for H-2A workers had become untenable, and that, without locals willing to do the job, small farms would not be able to afford the cost of the harvest season. 

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Hallstedt Homestead shares Leelanau County farm life, land, access and joy

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The Hallstedt Homestead is nestled near the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula, at the southern edge of Northport. Back in 2006, Phil and Sarah Hallstedt bought 53 acres of property on Matheson Road, some 400 miles away from their home in Indianapolis. The Hallstedts searched dozens of properties, but nothing felt quite right. “Then,” explained owner Sarah Hallstedt, “Phil climbed a snowy hill one cold February to see the rolling hills, woods and privacy of the place in the property we now call home.”

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