By Kate McCarty Sun contributor When you think of a typical doctor, local chiropractor Jessica Carden might not come to mind. Carden, who set up shop in Glen Arbor in 2008, offers a unique perspective on healing, health and wellness that can at times be more holistic and sustainable than our western society’s medicine-first approach. […]

By Jacob Wheeler Sun editor “This would be a great place for a party,” Bob Byerly once wrote to University of Michigan fraternity brother Harold Jackson about Newfoundland while on a trans-Atlantic journey. “It’s strictly off-campus … and there’s plenty of ice!” Later on that trip he followed up with a postcard from Paris. “You […]

By Lindsay Simmons Sun contributor Labor Day weekend is upon us, which means it’s back-to-school time for students at The Leelanau School, the private boarding school just north of Glen Arbor, Michigan. Whether they’re returning from vacation or brand new to the campus, students and faculty are guaranteed to see fresh faces. One addition to […]

By Jenny Robertson Sun contributor Glen Arbor, Michigan lost a bit of its warmth and sweetness this year with the closing of Barb’s Country Oven. After a great run of 20 years on the corner of Lake Street and M-22, proprietor Barbara Richardson pulled up her sign, turned off her oven, and moved her wooden […]

By F. Josephine Arrowood Sun contributor Chances are you’ve seen Andy McFarlane hard at work, although you may never have met the 44-year-old web designer and indefatigable entrepreneur. His comprehensive website Absolute Michigan hosts, promotes, and provokes lively interchange, showcasing a multitude of Michiganders, Michigania, Michitwitters, and much more. The “All Michigan, All the Time” […]

By F. Josephine Arrowood Sun contributor As you drive or hike the verdant landscapes of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (the local branch of the National Park Service), you spy a rustic log cabin tucked away in a deep glade, and wonder who lived there in the “olden days.” Later, you pass a one-room […]

By Pat Stinson Sun contributor A creative person, Cindy Kochis (pronounced Kō-shĭs) finds many outlets for the artistic energy that flows through her. She is close to finishing her first novel. She freelance writes and helps businesses and organizations promote themselves through her company, Creative Counsel, Inc. She sells journals and notepads decorated with photographs […]

By Jacob Wheeler Sun editor You’d have a hard time imagining it once you see how great this year’s Dunegrass Festival (July 31-Aug. 2) turns out, but Ryan Lake and Win Win Productions didn’t come aboard to help revive Empire’s cherished music festival until two months ago. Seemingly dead in the water after last year’s […]

By F. Josephine Arrowood Sun contributor With its bright red carriage doors beckoning a warm welcome, Lake Street Studios in Glen Arbor — a former three-stall mechanics’ garage — houses several stellar art galleries, each with its distinctive focus on beautifully crafted and aesthetically pleasing goods. Step through the left-hand doors into North Gallery, and […]

By Nadine Gilmer Sun contributor Just west of the Good Harbor Grill and Boone Docks, on the Lake Michigan side of M-109 in Glen Arbor, are several art galleries run by four women who have developed an interesting camaraderie over the years. They’ve even gone so far as to call themselves sisters. They are Ruth […]