The Beach Bards Bonfire — the storytelling and poetry festival on Friday nights at The Leelanau School beach north of Glen Arbor — begins its 23rd season tonight. Children’s hour starts at 8 p.m., and the adult portion begins at 9 p.m. Bards Norm Wheeler, Anne-Marie Oomen, Bronwyn Jones and Joe VanderMeulen typically lead the performance (stories and poems are recited by-heart, and not read, according to the oral tradition). And musicians usually make an appearance around the fire.
All summer long, Absolute Michigan is giving away free tickets to 23+ Michigan festivals and events. With passes to everything from big festivals including Electric Forest, Common Ground and Maker Faire Detroit to more intimate events like Hiawatha and Dunegrass, Festival Summer is a showcase of the incredible diversity and range of events that Michigan offers.
The Village of Empire will go wireless later this week. The town’s new WiFi infrastructure will be featured at a kick-off celebration this Thursday at 1 p.m. at the downtown open space next to the Post Office.
Traverse City artist Glenn Wolff gives the highways and byways of Leelanau County his mixed media treatment in an upcoming exhibition at the Center Gallery in Glen Arbor.
The Glen Arbor Art Association kicks off this season’s exciting array of classes for children and young adults. Special family fun classes include “Family Plein Air Painting at Thoreson Farm” – a two-hour workshop to create an acrylic painting with your family, and a “Mother and Daughter in the Garden” class, for a unique plein air experience.
The Michigan Land Use Institute has announced that tickets to the annual Taste the Local Difference Summer Celebration are now on sale. The Celebration, in its third year, is one of the region’s premier local food and farm events.
Cindy Rosiek will return Mondays and Wednesdays at 11 am to the Pine Patch at The Cottage Book Shop in Glen Arbor for a summer of fun activities. Each day has a theme and Ciindy is transformed into a character while leading a project and reading related books.
Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear (PHSB), a partner of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, is announcing its first “We Love Our Park!” photography contest. This year, the subject is historic and cultural resources in the Park. The deadline for digital submissions is July 16. Participants can enter up to two photos of historic buildings located in the park, for $20, or three photos for $25. PHSB invites people to get out and visit the historic buildings in the Park and experience first-hand the magnitude and value of this heritage.
Misers’ Hoard will hold a grand re-opening celebration on Friday, June 24. After many years of dealing antiques, the Empire store recently expanded its business to include new items. Paul and Heidi Skinner’s expansion included giving up almost their entire first floor of living space — what dedication!
The Glen Lake Community Library in Empire will host a series of children’s programs beginning June 23. No advance registration is needed. All programs will take place on Thursdays at 11 a.m. unless otherwise noted.