Amanda Popa walked 2,652 miles last summer, the entire length of the Pacific Crest Trail. “It took me 5 months and 5 days,” she remembers, “from April 21 to September 26, 2018.” Starting in Campo, a small town on the United States-Mexico border, the trail goes through California, Oregon, and Washington before reaching its northern terminus at the United States-Canada border in Manning Park, British Columbia.
The inspiration to make smoky cocktails was irresistible. Leland’s cherished Riverside Inn finally reopened on Aug. 20 to cheers, hugs and words of “welcome back” from faithful local customers. Ten months and one day after smoke from a fire destroyed much of the Inn, and after months of negotiating with insurance companies, bartenders gleefully poured drinks named “Ignition”, “Combustion”, “Inferno”, “Rescue”, “Fixer”, and best of “The Adjuster”. Welcome back, Riverside!
Alissa Thomson’s company IndieGrow Flowers has bloomed like a field of wildflowers this summer, just three years after she and her husband Jackson left the stifling corporate culture of Washington, D.C., and returned to their native northern Michigan with their daughter Arianna. (She and Jackson met at the former Woody’s Bar in Northport, where she worked summers.
Labor Day bridge walks will be held Monday, Sept. 2, both in Leland and in Glen Arbor at high noon.
On Monday, Aug. 19, the National Park Service (NPS) welcomed the 50 millionth visitor to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Deputy Superintendent Tom Ulrich greeted Meghan Boertman and her family of Norton Shores, Mich., with enthusiasm and gifts, at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire. Ulrich announced the occasion to a full visitor center, and park rangers and the rest of the visitors applauded as Meghan and her family walked through the door.
Artist Hank Feeley, who splits his time between Glen Arbor and New York, calls this late summer painting “Best Seat in the House”.
Take advantage of the very young moon to relax under the stars, view distant celestial objects, observe Jupiter, Saturn and the summer Milky Way at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Join park rangers and astronomers from the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS) on Saturday, Aug. 31 (Labor Day weekend), at the Dune Climb.
Enjoy a pre-Labor Day hike with docent Dave Amos on August 31 at 10 am over fields, forest, and hills on the DeYoung farm’s uplands trail. We will look for migratory birds on the property plus wild fruit and vegetation at its most lush. Please park in the lot on Strang Road, which is about a quarter mile north of the barn. Hike will be easy to moderate and last 1.5-2 hours.
FoodCorps recognizes that healthy eating is important for students, not only for their physical health, but also for their educational success. However, simply telling students that they should eat well does not result in healthier students. Students in low-income areas often face food insecurity. They don’t know where their next meal may come from, let alone if it will be a healthy option. Fifty-seven percent of students enrolled in Suttons Bay Elementary School last year were considered economically disadvantaged and qualified for free and reduced-price meals. In Michigan a family of four that makes less than $32,630 per year qualifies for the program.
Don’t miss the Old Art Building’s eighth annual Labor Day weekend FREE “Concert on the Lawn” in Leland. K. Jones and the Benzie Playboys bring the roots of southwest Louisiana’s Creole, Cajun, and Zydeco music to the Old Art Building on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 7 pm. Bring chairs, blankets and your dancing shoes—Beer, wine, and cider will be available for purchase. No coolers please.