Ohio artist Joe Stewart’s love of Leelanau goes public in an exhibition of new work, “Painting the Leelanau Peninsula.” This show opens with a reception on July 26 at 6 p.m. at Center Gallery, 6023 S. Lake St. in Glen Arbor. Maple City artist Carol Spaulding’s “Garden Palette” will color Center Gallery at Lake Street Studios next. The exhibition of floral still lifes opens Aug. 2 with a 6 p.m. reception.
The Glen Arbor Art Association will exhibit wooded landscapes by Lynn Uhlmann of Shippensburg, Penn., and part-time resident of Leelanau County. The show is July 26-28 at the Art Association, 6031 S. Lake St., Glen Arbor, with an opening reception on Friday from 6-8 p.m.
The Congregational Summer Assembly (CSA) will host its 35th annual Arts and Crafts Fair on Wednesday, July 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Assembly ball field on Crystal Lake. The fair will feature more than 100 artists from all over Michigan and beyond. Fair goers will find: jewelry of all kinds, from adornment made with old silverware to those made with semi-precious stones; decorative art, from pottery wall hangings to oil paintings, watercolors and fine photography of local landscapes; wooden objects of art – vases, bowls, birdhouses; children’s delights — American Girl doll clothes, books and handmade toddler outfits; handcrafted herbal soaps, paper goods, baskets and furniture; wearable art and more.
Thirty-six years ago this month, Doug Manning and Michelle Stryker discovered an anchor in 18 feet of water while canoeing off the coast of Empire. Ever since then, the village has celebrated Anchor Days on the third Saturday of July. The quirky impetus for the party fits this unique town. After all, Empire is best known for dressing up and honoring the asparagus stalk in May.
On Tuesday, July 23, the Glen Arbor Women’s Club (GAWC) hosts the seventh annual “Running Bear 5K Run/Walk and ½ Mile Kids’ Run. This event has become popular with locals and tourists alike. Last year, 700 adults and children took part. The 5K event is open to everyone. You can run or walk, so young people as well as seniors can participate in the 5K. The younger children are not forgotten and can participate in a ½ Mile “Kids’ Run”. They run/walk the half mile and each child will receive a ribbon and an ice cream cone from Riverfront Pizza & Specialties. Bring the whole family and join the fun this year.
On Sunday, July 21 at 8 p.m. the blues duo Mulebone will perform outdoors at Studio Stage, located at Lake Street Studios in Glen Arbor, as part of the Glen Arbor Art Association’s Manitou Music Festival. The rain location is the Glen Arbor Town Hall. The festival is celebrating its 23rd season of jazz, classical, blues, folk, country, celtic, bluegrass and world music on the Leelanau Peninsula.
On Tuesday, July 16, at 7:30 p.m. the Beach Bards will present a House Concert performed by Claudia Schmidt and Dean Magraw at the Happy Place Lodge (Gerry and Charol Shiffman’s home) at 10120 W Phillips St in the Village of Empire.
The 15th annual Dune Climb concert will take place Sunday, July 14 at 7 p.m. Imagine a beautiful summer’s evening at the foot of the Dune Climb in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, hundreds of families enjoying their pre-concert picnics and then a musical program provided by artists of national stature: this is the magical mixture which has filled audiences with warm memories every year since the first Dune Climb concert in 1998.
The Friends of the Glen Lake Community Library host their biannual Home Tour on Thursday, July 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. As one of the Friends’ primary fundraisers, the event showcases five distinctive Glen Lake area homes.
The Glen Arbor Art Association (GAAA) will exhibit paintings by Peggy Driehorst of Carmel, Indiana, July 12-14 at the Art Association, 6031 S. Lake St., Glen Arbor. Driehorst earned a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art with training as an enamalist. She began painting murals and furniture professionally, and then decided to get back into fine arts. Driehorst is enamored with color and texture and paints abstract and traditional landscapes. Her show will include recent paintings of Leelanau County. Check out her work during these hours: Friday 6-9 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.-3 p.m.