The Glen Arbor Art Association (GAAA) “Talk About Art” series opens its 2015 season with Traverse City author Doug Stanton on Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m. at the GAAA, 6031 S. Lake St., Glen Arbor.
The Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail has announced the launch of Sips & Soups. Proceeds from this SOUPer wine and soup tasting event will be donated to Leelanau Christian Neighbors to help restock the local food pantries after its holiday needs are met.
Readers’ Theater is casting “Motherhood Out Loud” on Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. at the Glen Arbor Art Association, at 6031 S. Lake Street in Glen Arbor. The cast consists of one to two men and four to 12 women, directed by Harriett Mittelberger. This off-Broadway play will have three performances Feb. 27, 28 and March 1. It is a valentine to all women and the men who love and respect them encompassing a series of monologues and scenes that demonstrate the hilarity and pain of motherhood. As a readers’ theater format, actors will read from the script so there is nothing to memorize. For further information call 231-334-6112.
The Fine folks at Leelanau Coffee Roasters are “Giving Back” to the community this Friday, Dec. 19, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., with a Customer Appreciation Day combined with a fundraising effort for the Empire Area Community Emergency Fund and the Empire Food Bank.
From staff reports Ring in the New Year at the Empire Town Hall with a party that begins, Dec. 31, at 8:30 p.m. Get on your dancing shoes. Chris Skellenger, Doug Zernow and friends will perform live music. Bring an appetizer to share and Bring Your Own Beverage.
Come explore Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on snowshoes this winter. Join park rangers for a guided snowshoe hike this holiday season and every Saturday throughout the winter. The first hike of the season will be on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2014 at 1 p.m. The snowshoe hikes will continue to be offered every Saturday at 1 p.m. through March 7, 2015. Meet at the National Lakeshore’s Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire. If you don’t have your own snowshoes, a pair will be loaned at no charge. Participants need only purchase the park entrance pass or have an annual pass to join in the fun.
The Glen Lake Library will host a presentation by Susanne Simpson, a senior series producer of PBS Masterpiece programs, on Tuesday, Dec. 23 at 4 p.m., at the Glen Arbor Township Hall. Susanne will provide behind-the-scenes insights about critically acclaimed programs such as Downton Abbey, Sherlock and Mr. Selfridge. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Susanne was a producer for NOVA for 20 years. She has twice been nominated for Academy Awards, and has received two Emmy Awards. Her presentation is made possible by the Friends of the Glen Lake Library.
The next Empire Area Community Emergency Fund Concert will be held on Sunday, Dec. 21 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Empire Town Hall. We are in for another treat with a special musical performance by E Minor and Libby Liberty. Mr. Empire Dave Taghon will also conduct a live auction and sell many unique and unusual items.
Wings of Wonder invites the public to its next raptor release scheduled for Sunday. Dec. 14 3 p.m. at the Grand Traverse Area Veterans Memorial Park. The Empire-based organization will release a beautiful young female Bald Eagle in honor of our area veterans of war. Several area nonprofit organizations have been invited to attend including A Matter of Honor, Veterans for Peace and Military Working Dog Team Support Association. The public is welcome to attend. Dress warmly, leave your dog at home and please don’t be late. For more information please contact Wings of Wonder at 231-326-4663.
A special holiday tradition continues, Nov. 12 until Dec. 14, as the Friends of the Glen Lake Community Library kick off their annual call for children’s books. The Friends of the Library, in cooperation with Glen Lake School’s “Parenting Communities and Early Head Start Program”, are once again collecting donations of new children’s books for children whose families are in need of assistance this holiday season.