Keeping the peace: A conscientious objector reflects

By F. Josephine Arrowood Sun contributor Memorial Day traditionally signals the start of summer, festively launching Leelanau County’s flotilla of villages into waves of visitors, family gatherings, beach outings and more. Some folks still recall the holiday’s original purpose, begun after the Civil War. Veterans offer paper poppies, civic groups lower the flag, and communities […]

Read more
/by

Joe VanderMeulen: Information master

By Nadine Gilmer Sun contributor You may have met local resident Joe VanderMeulen, out enjoying the beauty of the region with his wife Bronwyn Jones, or perhaps, in one of your activist endeavors you have indirectly come into contact with an organization or idea that he began. Or maybe you live in an area that […]

Read more
/by

Olympics at Art’s, through the eyes of a native son

By Jacob Wheeler Sun editor For most of us, the Beijing Olympics earlier this month represented a spectacle happening a world away. Lost somewhere over 12 time zones was any sense of familiarity (and a television delay meant that anyone with Internet access already knew which record American übermensch swimmer Michael Phelps was about to […]

Read more
/by

Enabling women as business entrepreneurs

By Pat Stinson Sun contributor What brings an international women’s business research consultant and former leader of a national group advising Congress and the President on issues affecting women’s businesses to Empire, a close-knit community on the edge of obscurity? Julie Weeks, owner of Womenable, said it was “D.C. traffic” and “political pretentiousness” that motivated […]

Read more
/by

Emma Cook and Will Hendricks share keys to music making

By F. Josephine Arrowood Sun contributor Interviewing musicians Emma Cook and Will Hendricks is akin to a front row seat at one of the duo’s intimate stage performances. The vibrant alto and pianist pairs with her mindful yet laid-back guitarist and singer to create intelligent, warm, memorable vignettes in song or conversation. Like all good […]

Read more
/by

Tom Krueger: Leelanau County’s Cosmic Drumming Potter

By Corin Blust Sun contributor Tom Krueger has been working with clay for 38 years, but pottery is just one facet of the creative and happy lifestyle that he has lived since his return from Vietnam 40 years ago. “When I got back, I only lasted about four months at a real job,” he said. […]

Read more
/by

Hitchin’ a ride on the Arlo Guthrie train

Online exclusive: Interview with Arlo Guthrie By Jacob Wheeler Sun editor Some legends never fade away, but just keeping on rolling down the track. Arlo Guthrie, the great folk guitarist and political protest singer who has carried the legacy of his father, Woody Guthrie (“This Land is Your Land”), to American musical fame and is […]

Read more
/by

Sally Neal: Rage Against the Machine

By Corin Blust Sun contributor Leelanau County activist Sally Neal’s paintings are full of strikingly vibrant colors and candid messages. They emit a raw, emotional feeling that speaks of traditional Mexican art, Willem DeKooning’s Woman paintings, and the later works of Pablo Picasso. Her acrylic canvasses are not classically beautiful in the sense that the […]

Read more
/by

For “SonBern,” Polka is Life

By Bill Dungjen Sun contributor Even before formally meeting Sonny and Bernie Czerniak, I couldn’t imagine a couple more steeped in the polka. At the annual Cedar Polka Festival (held this year over Fourth of July weekend) it’s impossible not to notice the Czerniaks. At first they appear as a red and white blur on […]

Read more
/by

World Citizen Alights in Empire: An Interview with Marian Gyr

By F. Josephine Arrowood Sun contributor Fans of the 1971 cult classic Harold and Maude may be thrilled to discover that a vigorous, free-thinking, octogenarian social activist has recently made her home in Empire. Yet Marian Gyr is much more interesting and engaged than a hippie-era movie character. The lively educator, environmentalist and matriarch says, […]

Read more
/by