Don’t miss the Glen Lake Women’s Club’s 41st annual Glen Arbor Art Fair on Wednesday, July 18, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. All proceeds fund scholarships for Glen Lake High School students to attend Northwestern Michigan College and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. The fair will feature over 90 exhibitors, a snack bar featuring the “Walking Taco & Vegetarian Walking Taco” and other goodies. Raffle items are donated by various artisans.
What’s the best-selling hardcover book in northern Michigan this year? Is it John Grisham’s Calico Kid or Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins? Surprise. It’s Chickadees At Night, a picture book for all ages by Empire author Bill O. Smith. According to Horizon Books in Traverse City, hundreds of these Chickadees have been flying off the shelves since the book’s release in late April. “People see it as an heirloom book,” says Jill Beauchamp of Horizon. “They are delighted by it and want to pass it along to their families.” Smith is quick to add that “it doesn’t hurt at all” that the illustrator is the gifted Traverse City watercolorist Charles R. Murphy.
Among the many Fourth of July celebrations in Leelanau County, one of the longest running may be the Flag Raising Ceremony held at the century-plus Old Settlers Picnic Grounds in Burdickville. Sponsored by the Glen Lake Women’s Club, chairwoman Josephine Zara promises “an old-fashioned, country flag-raising,” beginning at 10 o’clock with services by local Cub Scout Pack #111. Retired United States Navy officer Peter Van Nort of Glen Arbor, who served with Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, will give the address, “We Are the People.” Soprano Susan Pocklington of Empire will perform “The Star-Spangled Banner,” accompanied by Maple City’s Patrick Niemisto on keyboard, Amy Peterson on flute, and David Watt on drum, both of Glen Arbor. A community sing-along, free flags for the children, cookies and lemonade will conclude the event.
Glen Arbor is a small world with serendipitous encounters happening all the time. Last summer yielded one such instance, and the result is that the only known 1948 Ford from the Dunesmobile fleet will lead this year’s Fourth of July Parade.
This summer-long series of concerts will be held at the top of Bay Mountain at The Homestead resort north of Glen Arbor. Mingle with old friends and new during the Happy Hour. Purchase one or more tickets in the 50/50 raffle. You could win half the money and you will help our lakeshore, as the other half will be donated to Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear.
Mario Batali loves Leelanau County and is again offering a great opportunity to raise funds for farmland preservation this year. On tap, a one-of-a-kind raffle for a culinary weekend of a lifetime in New York City. The winner of the 100-ticket raffle — and five of his or her friends—will enjoy a prize that includes salumi and wine tasting and dinner at Otto; a six-course tasting menu at Mario’s flagship, Babbo, cooked and served by the chef himself. The prize also takes in a behind-the-scenes tour at Eataly along with an olive oil class and lunch at Pizza/Pasta at Eataly. To defray travel expenses, the winner will also receive $6,000 in cash.
Paintings by Susanne Sandmeyer of Chapel Hill, North Carolina are currently on display at the Glen Arbor Art Association. Susanne grew up in Leelanau County and she studied art at the University of North Carolina. She has been painting and showing her large-scale abstract oils in Michigan, Minnesota, and North Carolina for over 20 years. Her show may be viewed Monday-Friday, June 18-29, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. There will be a Meet & Greet for Susanne this coming Friday, June 22, 6-8 p.m.
On Friday, June 22, approximately 80 vintage automobiles will take part in “The Trophy Run” portion of the 2012 Great Race. These autos, the oldest being a 1907 Renault and the youngest a 1967 jaguar E Type will stop for a lunch break on Front Street in downtown Empire.
Phase One of the Heritage Trail, a paved, 10-foot-wide multi-use trail, which runs from the Dune Climb to Glen Arbor, is the first leg of what supporters envision will one day be a 27-mile trail from the Leelanau-Benzie County Line running north to Good Harbor Bay. Though it has been operational for over a month, the Heritage Trail’s official grand opening is scheduled for June 20 at 1:30 p.m. at the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb.
Our town hosts the inaugural Glen Arbor Solstice 5K and Half Marathon on the morning of June 16. The event, organized by local athlete Joel Gaff, will take runners on a 13.1-mile run around picturesque Big Glen Lake, followed by a 3.1-mile run just south of Glen Arbor. We asked Gaff to tell us about his project, Endurance Evolution, and why it’s coming to Glen Arbor (as well as Empire for another marathon in October):