Port Oneida Fair marries old with new

Everything old is new again. That’s not simply a cute quote or the title of a song—it’s what happens every year at the Port Oneida Fair. Haying the fields with horses. Making soap, churning butter, spinning fibers. Wood cutting with huge cross-cut saws (try it yourself). People dressed in turn-of-the-century garb (19th to 20th century, that is). Each August, amid the pastoral setting of meadows, maples, barns, farmhouses, and corncribs, the Port Oneida Rural Historic District awakens from its peaceful slumber. The district comes alive with activity true to the period when it was a community of robust farms.

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Lively NeighborFood Market hosts grand opening weekend

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Leelanau’s newest market will host its grand opening celebration this weekend on Friday, Aug. 9, and Saturday, Aug. 10. The Lively NeighborFood Market is co-located with  Backyard Burdickville Campground, formerly the Empire Eagle’s Campground, and features local produce, meat, dairy, prepared food, flowers and gifts. The market opened in July, and this weekend they invite the public to stop in for shopping, special events, and opportunities to connect.

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The Playboys zydeco, from the Bayou to Benzie

Kirk Jones and Mark Stoltz shared a similar upbringing, growing up just a few miles apart in Louisiana. But it wasn’t until both had migrated to Benzie County that they met, eventually teaming up to give voice to the music they grew up with. Today, K Jones and the Benzie Playboys is one of the state’s top Cajun/zydeco bands, playing the unique blend of blues, R&B, rock and folk music of the Louisiana Bayou country. Of French and African origin, it’s heavy on rhythm, and typically features instruments such as button accordion, fiddle and washboard (“frottoir” in French) alongside the likes of electric guitar, bass and drums. The Benzie Playboys have upcoming shows scheduled at Northport Music in the Park on Aug. 9, Leland on Sept. 1, and Leelanau Uncaged in Northport on Sept. 28.

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Exciting changes coming to the Port Oneida Fair

Mark your calendar for the 2024 Port Oneida Fair at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Friday and Saturday, August 9-10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Each August, amid the pastoral setting of meadows, maples, barns, farmhouses, and corncribs, the Port Oneida Rural Historic District awakens from its peaceful slumber. The district comes alive with activity true to the period when it was a community of robust farms. Visitors are invited to step back in time to experience life as it was in the late 1800s and early 1900s. 

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Schlatter’s Plein (Air) Truth

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Leelanau County offers an idyllic setting that continues the venerated tradition of plein air painting. With its stunning vistas of rolling hills, cerulean waters, and dense woodlands, the area provides endless inspiration for artists. The Glen Arbor Arts Center annually hosts the Plein Air Weekend where myriad artists converge on the town to participate in a two-day painting event. It serves as a platform for creative practitioners to showcase their mastery of light, shadow, and perspective. This event is a summer pinnacle and, essentially, the foremost artistic gathering in Glen Arbor. Then there is Crystal Rivers Outfitters (CRO)—a seemingly unlikely venue for plein air art. Situated in the heart of Glen Arbor, it is most often associated with outdoor sports and recreational activities: kayaking on the Crystal River, biking on the Heritage Trail, and snowshoeing out in the Port Oneida Historic District. To further enhance CRO’s repertoire, owners Katy and Matt Wiesen, enlisted plein air artist Stephanie Schlatter for an annual summer art pop-up on its grounds. This one-day event was established in 2019. “I thought it would be fun to spend a week painting their many properties or areas [that] their businesses serve, like the Sleeping Bear Dunes, the Crystal River, the Heritage Trail, and such. And then showcase the art in a wet paint sale—in the spirit of artist residences,” Schlatter explained. Schlatter will arrive at the patio of M22 Wine Bar on Aug. 8 from 3:30–5 p.m. where she will share her wondrous work and her ethereal, creative energy.

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Bay Theatre screens new Leelanau County Poor Farm documentary

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The Bay Theatre in Suttons Bay will show Saving the Barn, a locally produced short film on the history, preservation, and future of the Leelanau County Poor Farm/County Infirmary. The screening is free and open to the public on Sunday, August 4 at 1 pm. The documentary is a multi-year project of the Leelanau County Historic Preservation Society (LCHPS) and was broadcast by WCMU Public Television in March. Following the 26-minute film, Norm Wheeler musician/storyteller and (narrator of the documentary) will moderate a panel discussion.

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Port Oneida Run supports Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear

The 12th annual Port Oneida Run—an event of the National Park’s nonprofit partner Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear—will take place on Saturday, August 3. The run starts and ends at the big red barn and lawn area at the Olsen Farm/Port Oneida Farms Heritage Center, just four miles north of Glen Arbor. It is the only race that winds through the beautiful scenery of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s Port Oneida Rural Historic District. With its historic farms and barns, Port Oneida is hailed as one of the most prized historic landscapes in the country and should be on every runner’s bucket list.

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Glen Arbor Arts Center hosts 15th annual Plein Air weekend

More than 75 talented artists from across Michigan and throughout the Midwest will converge on Glen Arbor on August 2-3 for the annual Plein Air Weekend hosted by The Glen Arbor Arts Center. The event includes two outdoor painting competitions and exhibitions of original work at the Glen Arbor Town Hall on Friday and Saturday evenings. The weekend begins with the popular Quick Draw on August 2. This year’s theme is “Country Roads, Take Me Home” and artists will have a 3-hour window of time to paint in the Glen Arbor area.

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Empire seeks input for Master Plan

The Village of Empire is updating their Master Plan, a long-term policy document that sets goals for how the Village of Empire will develop in the next 5-10 years. It is used by elected officials, staff, residents, and others to guide decision-making about how land is used, where new development occurs, where and when new infrastructure is provided in the Village, how streets are designed for different types of transportation, and more. The Village is releasing a community questionnaire to gauge what the community thinks about the Village currently and in the future. The questionnaire is available online or in print and will be open through August 11.

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Moran mends at Center Gallery

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For many years now, to accompany the excitement of the Glen Arbor Art Center’s annual Plein Air paint out weekend, Center Gallery Lake Street Studios has featured an artist who works in a medium other than paint. This year we are featuring fiber artist Susan Moran, and hosting a stitching event called a “Mend In.” Moran, who hails from Ann Arbor, uses the processes of silkscreen, dyeing and resist dyeing, drawing, collage and embroidery to create her works of art. Moran’s art will be shown Aug. 2-8 and we will hold a reception for her on Friday evening, Aug. 2 from 6-8 p.m. She will also be one of the menders at our “Mend In.”

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