The Bland cemetery sits in a quiet, lightly travelled, sandy two-track on the east side of Empire township. The rusted old fence that surrounds it stands upright along the front but is down and buried by fallen trees and leaves everywhere else. I leave my car in front of the small gate. There is no sound of nearby cars, only the distant sound of vehicles traveling the Benzie Trail.
After living in Glen Arbor full-time for 15 years, Jim and Barb Fowler are moving to North Carolina, and the township is throwing a party to acknowledge all they’ve contributed to this community during that time. The party to honor Jim and Barbara Fowler will be held Sunday, October 13, at the Glen Arbor Park from 3-5:30 p.m. In case of rain, the celebration will move to the Leelanau School cafeteria.
The Glen Arbor Arts Center is accepting submissions of original paintings for its 2020 Manitou Music poster competition. The deadline for online submissions is October 16. This call-for-submissions is open to all current GAAC members. There is no application fee.
The Leelanau Community Cultural Center sponsors its 19th annual Fiber Festival on Friday, Oct. 11, from 5:30-7:30 pm and Saturday, Oct. 12 and Sunday, Oct. 13 from 10 am-4 pm at the Old Art Building in Leland. Artists with original fiber art will exhibit and sell their work in mediums of wearable art, textiles, weaving, art quilts, fiber sculpture, knits and yarns.
Join local foresters, certified arborists, and resource professionals for a day of planting at Ruby Ellen Farm, 5946 S. Center Highway, Traverse City, on Saturday, Oct. 12, from 9 am-12:30 pm.
Do you like to hike the trails and play in the snow? Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is recruiting up to three fall and winter interns to assist with snowshoe field trips, weekend hikes, and planning for the National Lakeshore’s 50thanniversary. The internship time periods are mid-October to mid-December and early January to mid-March with the opportunity for extension based on student academic requirement needs.
The Glen Lake Community Library will host a presentation by Deb Lake of American Waste on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 7 pm, in the Empire Township Hall. Lake will discuss the company’s regional recycling program, it’s impact on waste reduction in Northern Michigan, and the various issues and trends in the recycling world. For more information, contact the library at 231-326-5361, or visit their website at GlenLakeLibrary.net.
The Glen Arbor Arts Center takes a short look back, and a long look forward, at contemporary fiber and textile arts on Sunday, October 6, at 2 pm. This visual survey is part of the GAAC’s exhibition Fiber Without Borders, and is presented without charge. Sarah Bearup-Neal, GAAC gallery manager and studio fiber artist, will facilitate the program.
Following news that the popular Cheese Shanty lunch joint in Leland’s historic Fishtown is closing early this year due to high water levels, Fishtown Preservation executive director Amanda Holmes issued wanted the public to know that Fishtown remains open. She wrote the following letter on Wednesday, Oct. 2:
The first weekend of October marks the sixth annual Hops & Harvest Festival in Empire. Each fall the Empire Chamber of Commerce hosts the festival to celebrate the harvest season with local food, beer, and music on Front Street. Tickets to the event are $25 for adults, which includes a commemorative Hops & Harvest Festival glass and drink ticket. Children 16 and under are free.