Grupo Ayé is the perfect choice to headline “Rock the River”, The Leelanau School’s annual benefit concert on Saturday, June 21, at 7 p.m., at the boarding school one mile north of Glen Arbor. Much more than a Cuban salsa band, the group has crafted its own cultural identity by incorporating various genres including Latin jazz, merengue and mambo, among others. The band also takes pride in their showmanship; making shows a complete experience for their audiences.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will host its annual barn restoration workshop June 19-21 at the Schmidt Farm located on Norconk Road, three miles south of Empire, and one mile west of M-22. This year marks the 18th anniversary of a partnership between the Michigan Barn Preservation Network and the National Lakeshore in developing this series of “hands-on” workshops. The park and the Michigan Barn Preservation Network are providing the skilled labor to put on this workshop.
Genuine Leelanau, a nonprofit charitable organization serving children and families of Leelanau County for over 30 years, hosts their annual “Laundry Party” gala on Wednesday, June 18, at the Empire home of Bill and Cherrie Stege. The recipient of this annual fundraiser, The Laundry Project, provides funds and laundry supplies for families in need. As a result of this fundraising party, financially stressed local families may use the facilities at the Suttons Bay Laundromat at Hansen’s Plaza for free.
The Glen Lake Library will host a presentation by Sleeping Bear Dunes park ranger Jim Del Sasso, a 40-year veteran of the Park Service, on Thursday, June 19 at 7 p.m. “Ranger Jim” has worked in parks ranging from Denali to the Everglades, spending the last 20 years patrolling our local lakeshore. He will share stories, insights and pictures from his long career just weeks before his scheduled retirement in July. The presentation will take place at the Empire Township Hall.
The biological control of the widespread zebra and quagga mussel infestation in inland lakes will be the focus of a four-part seminar, “Water Issues For All of Us” to be held on Thursday, June 19, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Leelanau County Government Center, 8527 E. Government Center Drive, in Suttons Bay.
The Glen Arbor Art Association announced the cast for its June 17-19 Readers’ Theater production of the movie/radio play Casablanca. All the performers and staging assistants are locals from Leelanau County.
Local restaurateurs and Northern Michigan breweries will show off their best as Glen Arbor kicks off the summer season with the annual BBQ & Brew summer celebration on Saturday, June 21, from 2 until 8 p.m. BBQ & Brew is a fundraiser for the Glen Lake Chamber of Commerce. This year’s celebration will be held under the tent at the northwest corner of Western Avenue and Lake Street, and feature an adjacent dining tent to sit, relax and enjoy great music.
You are invited to join in a simple ceremony of thanksgiving and acknowledgement for the lake, to be held on Saturday, June 21, at 11 a.m. People who wish to say words for the lake will meet at beach in front of the cul de sac—where the black locust grows next to the boulder. We will form a circle that will revolve in and out of the shallows as we join in a litany of gratitude for the water and lake that nurtures us aesthetically, culturally, personally. All are welcome.
A drought-stricken New Mexico town is the setting for writer Edward Helfers’ novel-in-progress. Helfers, the Glen Arbor Art Association’s (GAAA) Artist in Residence from June 1-14, will discuss his work done on his tale of tourists, pilgrims and an image of Jesus Christ that appears at the base of a local church, on Thursday, June 12, at 7:30 p.m. at the Art Association, 6031 S. Lake St., Glen Arbor.
The Port Oneida Community Alliance was formed with the purpose to adaptively reuse the Port Oneida School and Kelderhouse Homestead as a community center and a teaching farm. The vision is to provide hands on opportunities for education, recreation and celebration of historical knowledge, environmental stewardship and sustainable agriculture in order to honor and perpetuate the legacy and community spirit of the resilient and loyal subsistence farmers who called Port Oneida their home.