I’ve fielded the “Whaddaya do up there all winter?” question. A lot. I’m a seasonal employee at a retail establishment in Glen Arbor. My place of employment is visited during the summer and fall months by out-of-towners, many of whom express a reasonable curiosity about life UpNorth after summer’s omnipresent sunny-ness fades. One such inquisitor was completely sold on Glen Arbor in the summer. But the winter? Not so much, she said.
The Glen Arbor Art Association announced the cast for its December Readers’ Theater production of the play “A Christmas Carol”. All of the performers and staging assistants are locals to Leelanau County. Several of the cast members will play multiple roles, including four students from Glen Lake School.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is requesting public comment as the Park considers an increase to entrance and camping fees beginning in January 2016. The current entrance fees and first come-first served camping fees have been in place since 2004 with only a slight increase in fees for reservable campsites which occurred in 2006. The National Lakeshore is one of only 131 of the 401 National Park Service (NPS) sites that charge entrance fees and were recently authorized by NPS Director Jon Jarvis to consider fee increases based upon a new fee structure.
It’s here again. A Glen Arbor original, “better than a bustling city’s Black Friday,” our version of the day-after-Thanksgiving shopping, is the annual PJ party, on Friday morning, Nov. 28, from 5-8 a.m.
Join the staff of Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate to celebrate the company’s 10th birthday in Empire, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Founder Mimi Wheeler will make a special appearance from 10 a.m. until noon to serve complimentary chocolate birthday cake while it lasts. Grocer’s Daughter will launch a brand new chocolate bar and will preview a soon-to-be-released Michigan-made wholesale packaging.
The Glen Lake Library in Empire will host a presentation for senior citizens on basic iPad and iPhone operation on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. Andrew Clements, a local website designer, will demonstrate key functions of these popular mobile devices, and address questions from users. There is no charge for this program, which be held in the library meeting room. Attendees should bring their fully charged iPad and iPhones. For more questions, contact the library at 326-5361, or visit Glenlakelibrary.net.
The League of Women Voters Leelanau County will host a presentation on Public Education: The Future on Wednesday Nov. 5 at noon in the lower level public meeting room of the Leelanau County Government Center. The November meeting is the second session of a two-part discussion on public education. The presenters will be Jim Rowlett of the Poverty Reduction Initiative, Mary Marois, former Director of the Leelanau/Grand Traverse Counties’ Department of Human Services and Chris Parker, Superintendent of the Northport Public Schools. The panelists will address the issue of poverty as it relates to schooling and achievement gaps and the impact of teachers and principals on student achievement.
Megan Schous, whose family owns Tiffany’s cafe and the Empire Lakeshore Inn, reports that Tiffany’s will offer free ice cream today, Oct. 13, from noon until 2 p.m. and at random hours throughout the week.
It is apple season and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will host an Antique Apples Special Program on October 18 from noon to 3 p.m. in the Port Oneida Rural Historic District. Park Rangers and volunteer experts will be on hand for this apple bonanza. Apples played a big role in Port Oneida during its peak and the apple pickers of today still realize their value. Some of the topics that will be presented at this program include: 1) identifying varieties of apples in the park, 2) understanding why early Port Oneida settlers planted them and how they were used, and 3) discussing and demonstrating grafting techniques being used in the park to ensure rare and antique apple varieties remain in the park for years to come.
The Glen Arbor Art Association’s Readers’ Theater announces its fall play selection is My Man Godfrey—a light-hearted, Depression-era comedy in which a zany heiress tries to help a homeless man by making him the family’s butler. Performances will be held Friday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 19 at 3 p.m. at the Glen Arbor Art Association building, 6031 S. Lake St. in Glen Arbor. Cast and crew include Peter Van Nort, Trish Vanderploeg, Karen Van Nort, Teddy House, Rob McWatt, Ron Smith, John Rentenbach, Karen Ford, Ken Shultz and Bob House. The play is being directed by Celeste Crouch, Assistant Director Josephine Zara with additional help from Mike Duwe and Harriet Mittelberger. Admission is free but to reserve seats visit www.glenarborart.org or call 231-334-6112.