Twelve-year-old Tanner Brown can tell you all about the Fourth of July fireworks in Northport, where he lives. In fact, Brown’s narrated video story, “The flare behind Northport’s Fourth of July fireworks display,” premiers our Meeting Young Journalists Where They Are video storytelling series, which the Sun is publishing online and on social media together with our Benzie County-based sister publication, The Betsie Current.
Several Glen Arbor residents who frequently run or paint in the Port Oneida Rural Historic District expressed chagrin at the National Park’s decision in late July to mow down wildflower fields at the Olsen and Dechow farmsteads. The concerned locals claimed the fields were mowed at the height of pollinator season, with monarch butterfly migration—and the Port Oneida Fair—just weeks away. Read here for the Park’s response.
Legal supporters of Youth for Christ in Leland and Bear man Jim VanSteenhouse announced in a press release today that they filed suit against Leland Township yesterday afternoon in the federal district court for the Western District of Michigan as part of their bid for a youth ministry in a building VanSteenhouse owns in the heart of Leland’s business district. The Leland Planning Commission this spring rejected Apollos Properties’ bid for a special use permit following months of deliberation, legal analysis, and passionate public debate.
In the primary election on Tuesday, Aug. 4, the 46 percent of eligible Leelanau County voters who cast ballots sided with the winners of those races. Leelanau voters also approved all the township millages put before them. Leelanau voted for the following primary winners: Abdul El-Sayed for Senate, Jack Bergman and Callie Barr for the Congressional race, and Jocelyn Benson and John James for the governor’s race.
In the upcoming Aug. 4 election, voters in Empire, Glen Arbor and Kasson Townships will consider a funding proposal to support the ongoing operations of the Glen Lake Community Library. The Library is seeking a renewal of the current millage of 0.2861 mills, to be assessed for six years beginning in December of this year. Income from the millage comprises almost 90% of the library’s operating income, and a renewal would generate approximately $380,000 in the first year. Property taxes, collected via a dedicated millage, are a common funding mechanism for public libraries. In Michigan alone, over 390 libraries benefit from such local funding, with a state-wide average assessment of 0.9287 mills.
The Leelanau Children’s Center raised $127,185 at its annual Leelanau Grown: Feast & Fundraiser, held July 21 at Aurora Cellars Estate venue. More than 150 friends and supporters attended the evening, which benefits LCC’s Financial Aid Program and marks the opening of the organization’s 50th year of service. LCC’s Financial Aid Program funds the gap between what families pay in tuition and the actual cost of care. LCC serves three- and four-year-olds, funded by tuition or, for children turning four by December 1, by the state’s free Great Start Readiness Program.
When Leelanau County voters cast their ballots in the primary election on Tuesday, Aug. 4, the outcome of their decisions may resonate far beyond these sunny summer days. Who wins the closely watched intraparty contests for Michigan Governor, U.S. Senator, and Congress could set the paths forward for the Democratic and Republican parties at a time of political upheaval in this country. This story breaks down the Democratic primary race between Callie Barr and Kyle Blomquist, who are bidding to take on incumbent Republican Jack Bergman in the November race for Congress—and why Barr and Blomquist, and fellow Republicans challenging Bergman in the Aug. 4 primary, believe the incumbent is vulnerable in 2026.
The Leelanau Conservancy today announced the public phase of its most ambitious campaign in the organization’s history—a $75 million effort to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife that define life in Leelanau County. With $9 million left to raise, the Conservancy invites the broader community to help complete this transformative initiative. The campaign—titled Leelanau, Protected: A Campaign for Today and Tomorrow—focuses on three top priorities: protecting natural lands and working farmland; restoring ecological health and resilience across conserved habitats; and expanding meaningful access to nature for all people.
For more than two decades, the Port Oneida Fair during the first weekend in August has stood out as a memorable part of the Leelanau summer experience. However, the Sun reported in late June that this year’s event, Aug. 7-8, will be the final Port Oneida Fair. Public attendance at the Port Oneida Fair peaked at 4,392 visitors in 2012, according to the National Lakeshore’s count. Only once since then has the number topped 4,000 (4,140 showed in 2017). In fact, the tally dipped below 3,000 after 2019 and never rebounded. According to Park metrics, only 2,000 attended last year’s fair—less than half of the 2012 peak.
As the month of June came to a close, four new family bunkhouses were added to Indigo Bluffs RV Park & Resort in Empire. With a queen bed and four bunks, the new 320 square foot accommodations sleep six, a number that campground owner Gary Becker described as “magic” in hospitality. “The three generation vacation,” he said. “Grandparents, parents, children. Figure two plus two plus two.” Beyond providing an enjoyable place to stay, the campground is concerned with “preserving and defending the opportunity for families to come here,” said Becker. Which is precisely why, at the height of the tourist season in July, the bunkhouses are under $130 a night.