Three diverse musical acts are among those on the horizon across the county in the coming weeks: upbeat reggae and country from the Sun Dogs, Cajun and zydeco from K Jones and the Benzie Playboys, and bracing brass traversing the musical spectrum, courtesy Bourbon & Brass Company.
The Glen Lake Library will host lecturer Dr. Robert Van Dellen on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 7 pm. Van Dellen will explore how Ernest Hemingway’s tempestuous personal life, especially his experiences in Key West and Cuba, helped shaped The Old Man and the Sea, considered to be one of his greatest novels.
Join Leelanau Clean Water (LCW) and Here:Say Storytelling on Monday, Aug. 4, at 7:30 pm at the Lively NeighborFood Market on M-72 for an evening of live storytelling featuring true, first-person stories that celebrate water, in all its forms, anywhere in the world. This free show features an engaging collection of stories from LCW storytelling shows staged in 2022 and 2024. Leelanau Clean Water is a nonprofit whose mission is to restore, protect and sustain water resources, promote public awareness of issues with environmental and economic importance, and provide accurate information to assist public participation in water resource decisions.
Due to the defunding of the Youth LGBTQ+ Suicide Prevention Hotline, the Folded Leaf bookstore in Cedar will host a benefit concert and silent auction on Saturday, Aug. 2, from 2-6 pm to support suicide prevention efforts in northern Michigan and across the nation. Please join the Folded Leaf for an afternoon of music, conversation, and conscious community involvement to support LGBTQ+ youth.
The legacy of plein air painting continues each summer in Leelanau County with the Glen Arbor Arts Center’s annual Plein Air Weekend. Scores of artists set up easels across orchards, along shorelines, and on the lively streets of downtown Glen Arbor—racing to capture the shifting light and spirit of this magical corner of northern Michigan. “It brings me immense joy to see so many artists setting up their easels all over town,” said Glen Arborite Kate McCarty. “You’ll see someone painting in the middle of a field, along the Crystal River, or right across from Art’s Tavern, capturing the energy of that busy little corner. I really admire their passion and curiosity. It’s inspiring to watch them interpret this landscape in real time.” Though best known as a premier destination for outdoor recreation, Glen Arbor has long been a haven for the arts. With its galleries, working artists, and deeply engaged community, Glen Arbor offers far more than bike trails and kayaking adventures. It is the very kind of place where a flourishing arts culture makes something like a recurring plein air event not just possible, but inevitable.
The 13th annual Port Oneida Run—an event of the National Park’s nonprofit partner Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear—will take place on Saturday, August 2. The run starts and ends at the big red barn and lawn area at the Olsen Farm/Port Oneida Farms Heritage Center, 3164 W. Harbor Hwy, (M-22) Maple City, MI, just four miles north of Glen Arbor.
Remembering and preserving the past can mean many things. In the case of the Leelanau County Poor Farm Barn, it means… listening to music? That’s right. A series of three summer concerts will take place at the historic site across from Myles Kimmerly Park outside Maple City, beginning July 30 with Rita Hosking and Sean Feder with Andre Villoch. The shows are part of an effort by the Leelanau County Historic Preservation Society, the Leelanau Historical Society and the gardening non-profit Row-by-Row (formerly Buckets of Rain) to generate interest, and eventually funds, for restoring and revitalizing the barn.
The Glen Lake Community Library in Empire will host a presentation about a proposed redevelopment of the historic Empire Hardware property on Thursday, July 24, at 7 pm. Dylan Tull of Biom Design will be share his team’s vision for the property, and gather vital community input. Their proposed mixed-use development is intended to revitalize the long-vacant property, providing a variety of services and attractions.
As principal cellist of the Traverse City Philharmonic, Crispin Campbell plays to audiences ready for music by Brahms, Bach and Beethoven. That’s not what the audience will hear at the July 24 concert at The Homestead. Campbell and his cohorts, pianist Steve Stargardt and dobro player Joe Wilson, will be playing music familiar to fans of BB King, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Keith Jarrett, or down-home country music. Most of all with the improvisational flair and approach of jazz. Campbell says he started exploring improvisation around the year 2000. “I began creating my own music and teaching improvisation for string players,” he explains. “I’m really driven to not play the same way twice. That’s intriguing.”
Join the Glen Arbor Women’s Club for a fun-filled day at the “Running Bear 5K Run/Walk & ½ Mile Kids Run” on Tuesday, July 22. Come out and take the challenge as the run continues for its 18th year. The chip-timed race is a favorite with the community and visitors.