DeCook wins his sixth M22 Challenge

The weather gods smiled on Glen Arbor with calm winds, cool temps, and no rain as the 17th annual M22 Challenge unfolded on June 14 at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, delivering an unforgettable morning. Nine hundred athletes competed in the iconic run–bike–paddle race that winds through the dunes, roads, and waters of one of the most scenic venues in the country. Ryan DeCook of Washington, Mich., claimed his sixth M22 Challenge title, cementing his place as a race legend, finishing with a time of 1:22:12. Amy Coneset delivered a standout performance to take the top spot in the female division with a time of 1:40:55.

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American flags, strawberry rhubarb crisp, but No Kings

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On Friday, June 13—the day before thousands of “No Kings” rallies attracted millions of demonstrators in cities and towns across the United States to oppose the Trump administration—a downstate woman sent a flurry of emails to the Leelanau County Sheriff’s Department as well as federal authorities including the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to alert them about alleged “domestic terrorism” in Leelanau County and a host of outlandish claims. Out of concern about “some bad actors and their weird crazy rhetoric about me,” Nancy Janulis, a Glen Arbor summer resident who organized a No Kings rally at the Glen Lake Narrows, contacted the Leelanau Sheriffs Department to provide event details. The mood that morning was upbeat, patriotic, and collaborative. As bikers raced along the south shores of the Glen Lakes toward the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb to complete the M22 Challenge, approximately 200 citizens stood on the sides of M-22 at the bridge holding flags and banners. Organizers Janulis and Linda Dewey had asked participants to “please stand in solidarity and join us on this nationwide day of peaceful affirmation of our right to due process, free speech and equal protection.” Leelanau Sheriff Mike Borkovich “had friendly conversations with the protesters, and he was upbeat and friendly with me,” said Janulis. “We visited about fishing and the cold lake temperatures this year. I’m happy he attended. We had no incidents at the rally.”

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Glen Lake Woman’s Club awards $21K in college scholarships

The Glen Lake Woman’s Club awarded seven college scholarships to graduating Glen Lake seniors at Awards Night on May 22. Five of these students will attend Northwestern Michigan College (NMC), one will attend Alpena Community College, and one will attend Muskegon Community College. Awards will also be given to six second-year students and one adult Glen Lake graduate beginning at NMC. “We are honored to award these scholarships to help such promising graduates on their future career paths,” said Virginia Woessner, chair of the Glen Lake Woman’s Club Scholarship Committee.

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Ice Storm Farm Relief Fund launched for northern Michigan Farmers

A dozen counties in northern Lower Michigan experienced a disastrous ice storm that lasted from March 28-30. The storm is long gone but the damage remains, and farmers need help. Reports from local farms have been staggering: entire plantings and livestock lost, miles of fencing down, greenhouses collapsed, maple forests for syruping destroyed, debris hindering future farming efforts. With farmer livelihoods under threat, Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities, Crosshatch Center for Art and Ecology, and the Local Food Alliance have partnered to launch the Ice Storm Farm Relief Fund to help the region’s farmers recover. Click here to read more and access the GoFundMe Ice Storm Farm Relief Fund.

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National nutrition education program with local impact slated for elimination by Congress

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Jane Rapin, a community nutrition instructor with Michigan State University Extension, offered a food demonstration that featured fresh asparagus and quinoa salad earlier this spring at Leelanau Christian Neighbors’ food pantry in Lake Leelanau. May and early June are asparagus season in northwest Michigan, and LCN received a donation of locally grown stalks. “It was very well received. People were inspired by it,” said Rapin. “We did a short presentation about why this is nutritious and how cook with it. It’s important that we reach people who may not be familiar with asparagus.” Rapin’s work at the food pantry and other Leelanau locations including Northport high school and the Benodjenh tribal Head Start preschool in Peshawbestown is funded by the Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program, or commonly known as SNAP-Ed. The national nutrition education program is slated for elimination under the budget bill passed on May 22 by a single vote by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. The Senate will pass its own bill in the coming weeks.

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High Five, River Club

The River Club in Glen Arbor received two prestigious awards last month from the Traverse City Tourism High Five Awards, which honor top professionals in the region’s hospitality industry. Award recipients (l-r) include River Club general manager Stephen Brotschul (Front of the House Award) and owners Gina and Mike Sheldon (Cheer & Leadership Award).

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Iconic Art’s Tavern sells to Barb and Paul Olson

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When Tim Barr walked out of Art’s Tavern late on Saturday night, it represented the final time he closed Glen Arbor’s iconic establishment as its owner. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Barb and Paul Olson will officially become Art’s fourth owners since Prohibition. The storied venue will reopen on Wednesday. “The first question people have asked me is ‘Will you take credit cards?’ Nope. ‘Will you change anything?’ Nope,” Paul Olson told the Sun. Everything will remain: the pennants on the walls and ceiling, the Christmas decorations, the retractable pool table, the shot ski. All of it. It’s been so much fun to tell people who get Art’s that we’re buying it. The people who get the history, the special place it is. Art’s is an iconic restaurant. I just want to be its steward.” Read more about Art’s history and previous owners Tim Barr and Bonnie Nescot’s legacy in Glen Arbor.

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Northern Michigan national parks prepare for summer visitors amid staffing, morale concerns

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With a new tourism season upon northern Michigan, uncertainty remains about how national parks will handle millions of visitors amid lingering staffing questions because of back-and-forth federal workforce policies. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore has approximately two-thirds of the seasonal staff it typically needs to welcome more than 1.5 million visitors over the next three busy months. “They’re still trying to get anybody else to accept a job, but it looks like there won’t be many more coming,” said former Sleeping Bear deputy superintendent Tom Ulrich. He added that the true impacts aren’t being felt yet because the park isn’t yet getting 400,000 visitors per month as they do in peak-season.

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Marking Anishinaabe trails

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The Leelanau County and Grand Traverse communities, led by members of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, gathered on May 15 at Clinch Park in Traverse City to celebrate the Anishinaabe Cultural Marker Project. Seven markers celebrating spots along “Old Indian Trails” have already been installed in Suttons Bay near the library, in Leland near the museum, at Northport’s Peterson Park, at Omena beach park, at Hannah Park and Clinch Park in Traverse City, and at the Brown Bridge canoe launch in Grand Traverse County. Two more, in Northport’s marina park and West End Beach in Traverse City, will soon receive their installations, bringing the total to nine.

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Health Department warns of tick bites and Lyme disease

May is National Lyme Disease Awareness Month, a time to focus on protecting your health and staying informed about tick-borne illnesses. The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department reminds residents that Lyme disease, caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, is the most common tick-borne illness in Michigan. Ticks are most active in spring and summer, and wooded, grassy, or brushy areas increase your risk of exposure. Early detection and prevention are key to avoiding Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections.

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