“You may now sniff the bride”

,

What started out as farcical matchmaking between two girlfriends, Michele Aucello and Katie Dunn, steadily gained momentum, evolving into Up North nuptials to rival all others. The occasion was made all the more unique in that the betrothed, Lili and Boomer, are actually of the canine persuasion. Insouciant spitballing became semi-sacred reality on Aug. 11, a picture-postcard Sunday afternoon of cornflower blue skies suspended over the turquoise waters of Big Glen Lake. Dunn’s 1927 log cabin “Tonawatha” served as the wedding venue with the diminutive bride and her bipedal mother memorably making their arrival by pontoon. The processional required a protracted journey from the end of Towanatha’s dock up the steep steps to the deck where the ceremony took place.

Read more
/by

Old Art Building kicks off capital campaign with recent riverfront property purchase

,

The Old Art Building (OAB) just scored a major win for the Leelanau community with purchase of a 1.14-acre property parcel on the Leland River, kitty-corner from the cultural center’s established location in Leland. The purchase, finalized on July 31, secured 280 feet of additional Leland riverfront property for the community and almost tripled the nonprofit’s footprint. Campaign chair, Cindy Meeker, said, “The purchase of the property at 204 Cedar Street allows the Old Art Building to enhance its programming to meet the demands of this community for today and for many future generations to come. Additionally, it allows us to preserve this treasured property in the heart of Leland as we honor our past and build our future.” With just 2 ½ months to raise the money, a grant from Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Foundation and generous donations from community members secured the $3.2 million needed to finalize the purchase, while also quietly kicking off a three-year capital campaign aimed at raising enough funds to achieve community-voiced goals on both the new and existing properties.

Read more
/by

Iconic Bicentennial Barn property for sale again

,

Leelanau’s iconic Bicentennial Barn is for sale once again. The 1890s farmhouse and barn on a 4-acre property on the corner of M-22 and Bohemian Rd was purchased in February 2021 by Greg and Heather (Nachazel) Ford, who over the last three and a half years “have been pouring their love into the farmhouse and have dealt with the structure, roof, and windows—all the unromantic things,” said Ranae Ihme of Leelanau Vacation Realty, which lists the property for $665,000. The Fords are moving out of state and “passing the baton to someone who can complete the process and put the ‘frosting’ on it.”

Read more
/by

Missing Wisconsin man found, arrested at Sleeping Bear Dunes

A man reported missing from Milwaukee was located by officials at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Tuesday afternoon, August 20. Steven Lisowski, 28, of Wisconsin, was taken into custody about 2:30 p.m. ET after an altercation between Lisowski and police officers. Lisowski had been reported critically missing by the Milwaukee Police Department on Sunday, August 18. A critical missing alert is used by the police department when an individual may be particularly vulnerable. On Tuesday, as officers attempted to detain Lisowski, an altercation ensued before he was eventually restrained with the assistance of the Benzie County Sheriff’s Office police K-9. Lisowski and the two officers were transported to Munson Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries sustained during the altercation. Charges against Lisowski are pending.

Read more
/by

Voters oust Commissioner Lautner after nearly three decades, approve millages

Melinda Lautner, a fixture on the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners for nearly three decades, resoundingly lost yesterday’s primary election to fellow Republican Steve Yoder, by a count of 401 votes to 241 votes, according to preliminary results that were not yet certified. Lautner’s Aug. 6 loss to the 32-year-old Yoder, currently a Solon Township trustee, came in her first ever primary election challenge since she joined the Board in 1995. Meanwhile, with most precincts reporting, it appears that Leelanau County voters have approved all county-wide millages.

Read more
/by

Leelanau Energy task force boasts big goals: Commissioner Lautner pushes back

,

The Leelanau County Energy Futures Task Force, which was created by the County Commission last fall “to identify opportunities and facilitate implementation of energy efficiency and renewable energy in Leelanau County,” has big, green goals for this peninsula. The Commission earlier this year voted to apply for a $1.5 million grant to erect two solar arrays at the County Governmental Center campus. If awarded and approved by the Commission, the solar arrays could provide about 30 percent of the campus’ energy requirements, while saving the County $35,000 per year and more than $1.5 million in energy bills over the next 30 years. But the advisory group’s honeymoon ended soon after it was created. Commissioner Melinda Lautner, a Republican who has represented Solon and Kasson Townships for nearly three decades, has led the opposition to the solar array grant, even after voting to create the task force. “She inserted herself as the very last new member of the task force, then she missed all but one meeting to date,” said task force chairperson Joe DeFors. “She’s been an opponent of virtually every initiative we’ve put forward.” Lautner, who has been a Commissioner since 1995, faces her first-ever primary challenge from a fellow Republican on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

Read more
/by

Five out of five kids recommend golf at Glen Arbor’s new River Club

, ,

Glen Arbor’s newest attraction is not your average putting course experience. Many of you have been to the River Club already, but for those of you who haven’t, here is a review, courtesy of 11-year-old Martin Ludden and four other kids between ages 8 and 11. During our two visits to River Club so far, there have been families on most of the course’s 18 holes, but they move quick. It’s a fun vibe, and with people talking and laughing it feels almost like a community treasure hunt. Plus, you can finish and start a new game. With your day-pass wrist band the place offers unlimited minigolf while your parents eat and drink, relax by the river or listen to live music!

Read more
/by

Empire holds Anchor Day events, July 19-20

Empire will hold its annual Empire Day celebration on Friday-Saturday, July 19-20. Click here for a schedule of events.

Read more
/by

Sleeping Bear Inn awakens

, ,

As we peer out the original windows of the restored Sleeping Bear Inn and into Lake Michigan’s rolling blue waves, we imagine a Michigan Transit Co. steamship arriving at the 650-foot dock in Glen Haven, just as it would have in the 1920s, carrying lumbermen, tourists, and fortune seekers who had departed Chicago the previous evening. The visitors disembark, plant their feet on land and gaze with wonder at the shoreline and the Manitou Islands floating in the distance. The Sleeping Bear Inn, the crowned jewel of Glen Haven, reopens to guests later this summer, more than 50 years after it closed when this National Lakeshore was created in 1972. The Inn, which was built in 1866 and served guests through the Michigan lumber boom, the roaring ’20s, and the era of dune buggies, is the oldest hotel in the National Park Service

Read more
/by

Leelanau School opens Charles E. Scripps Creativity Center

The Leelanau School recently dedicated the newly constructed Charles E. Scripps Jr. Creativity Center on its Glen Arbor campus. The Center will house the school’s ceramics studio, newly donated woodworking shop, and new Laser Engraving program. The project was inspired and funded through the generosity of Charles E. Scripps Jr. of Montana, a Leelanau parent and grandparent. Mr. Scripps shares Leelanau’s passion for hands-on and entrepreneurial learning experiences. Applied arts allow students to learn elements of creativity and design while acquiring the discipline required to turn ideas into reality.

Read more
/by