The Homestead resort is welcoming painters from across the region to its first plein air event this coming Sunday, Oct. 18. The Sleeping Bear Coast Paint Out, held in conjunction with Oliver Art Center of Frankfort, will take place at various locations across the 500-acre resort, enabling participants to showcase their eye for color and nature while completing a finished painting entirely outdoors.
Monday, Oct. 12, marks Indigenous Peoples’ Day—previously observed as Columbus Day—now a national holiday recognizing the histories, cultures, contributions, and resilience of Indigenous peoples. In Leland, community partners invite the public to gather for a free, family-friendly day celebrating and learning about Anishinaabek history and culture. The day will culminate at 6 pm at the Old Art Building with featured speaker James Vukelich Kaagegaabaw, a descendant of Turtle Mountain, international speaker, author, educator, and creator of Ojibwe Word of the Day. Vukelich is the author of The Seven Generations and the Seven Grandfather Teachings and is known for sharing connections between Anishinaabemowin (the Ojibwe language), culture, and traditional teachings.
The Empire Area Museum celebrates Heritage Day this year on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 1-4 pm with old-time music, old-fashioned arts, crafts and treats. Treats include Moomers ice cream, free popcorn and samples of homemade maple sugar candy, sauerkraut cake, apple cider and butter made on site. Exhibits include demonstrations of barn quilting, rug hooking, tatting, knitting, fiber arts, corn shelling, washboard laundering, sauerkraut making, log cutting and antique bicycles.
The Glen Arbor Town Hall hosted the 2026 Cherry Pie Debates on Oct. 5, featuring four candidates vying for seats in the Michigan legislature: incumbent state Rep. Betsy Coffia (D), challenger Edwin Dean (R); incumbent state Sen. John Damoose (R) and challenger Kate Gallup (D). The national midterm election is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Topics discussed included: affordability and housing, balancing state and local power, climate change adaptation, Line 5, data centers and AI, the statute of limitations, immigration enforcement, and rural health care. Visit Interlochen Public Radio to listen to recordings of the debate—broken down by subject matter.
Leelanau County’s public libraries are joining forces once again for the Banned Books edition of Leelanau Reads, a collaborative community read initiative that invites the whole county to read together. This year’s selection is J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, chosen in honor of the novel’s 75th anniversary. First published in 1951, the coming-of-age classic has been challenged in American libraries and schools throughout the years, making it a fitting choice for Banned Books Week, October 4-10.
On Friday, October 9, Sugar Loaf mountain will reopen to the public, this time under the stewardship of the Leelanau Conservancy. Once a popular ski resort until it fell on hard times and closed 26 years ago, Sugar Loaf sat idle while rumors swirled about who owned this crowned jewel of Michigan’s pinky finger—and whether sporting enthusiasts might ever frolic here again. Hope for Sugar Loaf’s future finally arrived in July 2025 when the Conservancy publicly announced that it was on the verge of raising $8 million to acquire the 285-acre property in the heart of Leelanau County. The Glen Arbor Sun enjoyed a sneak peek visit on a beautiful, blue-sky Sept. 10.
LIFT Teen Center (LIFT) is excited to announce an upcoming, one-night-only narrative portrait exhibit of local teens, titled “Growing up Leelanau.” Through 12 life-size portraits and first-person narratives, local teens will share the people, places, and experiences that have shaped who they are and what it means to grow up here. On Thursday, Oct. 8, community members are invited to the Old Art Building in Leland for a fundraiser and an elevated art-show experience featuring the portraits and stories, along with drinks, appetizers, and an opportunity to connect with their community from 6-8 pm. Click here for tickets, which are still available.
The sound of music will once again fill the air throughout Northport on Sept. 26, just as it has every fourth Saturday since 2013. That first Leelanau UnCaged was such a success that every year since, with the exception of the pandemic years, it has been a way for throngs of locals and visitors to join in and celebrate the end of summer and coming of fall. With 32 different performing groups at various stages in four different locations throughout town, plus 50 artists displaying their wares and various food trucks joining Northport’s bars and restaurants, shops and sights, Leelanau UnCaged truly has something for everyone. So, once again expect the streets to be filled with as many as 8,000 people.
Kalamazoo poet Steve Brown talks about Fellowship, a new book of poems that explore sobriety, and questions of spirituality and faith, in the Glen Arbor Arts Center’s next Coffee With The Authors event on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 11 am.
Local nonprofit Leelanau Energy will host its second annual SunDay on Sunday, September 20, with an additional family event on Tuesday, September 22. These free community events will highlight solar power, renewable energy, and explore how individuals and communities can help move away from fossil fuels toward clean energy. SunDay will feature an engaging presentation on Michigan’s changing climate and clean-energy solutions, a walking tour of local solar installations, hands-on activities for children and families, and renewable energy book displays at four area libraries.