Touring unique homes of Leelanau

On Friday Aug. 19, ShareCare is sponsoring a Tour of 6 Unique Homes of Leelanau. Six sites are being opened to public viewing from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person and are available at stores throughout the area. These include Pedaling Beans in Lake Leelanau, the Business Helper in Suttons Bay, the Cottage Book Store in Glen Arbor, Pennington Collection in Northport, Wool & Honey in Cedar, Tamarack Gallery in Omena, Leelanau Books in Leland, and Brilliant Books, Darling Botanical and Silver Swan Homemade Foods in Traverse City. Tickets will also be for sale at the homes on the day of the tour.

Read more
/by

National Park Service Centennial Band visits Northern Michigan

In celebration of the National Park Service’s (NPS) 100th anniversary, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is proud to announce the NPS Centennial Band will perform six shows here in Northern Michigan on their “Find Your Park” tour. On August 18, 19, and 20, the band will play two shows per day, at a variety of venues. The Centennial Band is made up of rangers from New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, and children’s musician, park ranger Jeff Wolin. The NPS has been called America’s Greatest Idea, and to help celebrate 100 years of providing art-inspiring places all over America, the Centennial Band will bring a little bit of the Big Easy here to the Great Lakes State. National Lakeshore superintendent Scott Tucker is enthusiastic about attending the shows himself, saying “My family and I are very excited for the chance to see these outstanding musicians play the music of America!”

Read more
/by

Fifth annual Dune Dash takes place Saturday

Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation Trails (TART), Inc. is a proud partner of the fifth annual Dune Dash, a 4-mile run/walk along the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail (SBHT), to be held at 9 a.m. this Saturday, August 20, at the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb. The course showcases the trail within the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Read more
/by

Find your American Roots with Mark Lavengood at free #findyourpark concert

On Aug. 17, visitors to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore can listen to eclectic bluegrass artist Mark Lavengood from 8 to 9 p.m. at the D. H. Day Campground amphitheater. The concert is part of the free Find Your Park Concert Series in celebration of the National Park Service (NPS) Centennial. Members of the Quest music program, led by Earthwork Music founder Seth Bernard, will be opening the show. Because of limited parking at D. H. Day Campground, visitors who are not camping will be asked to park in Glen Haven and hike or bike to the D. H. Day Campground amphitheater via the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail.

Read more
/by

Japanese woodblock prints at Lake Street Studios

Linda Beeman, an Owosso, Mich., resident specializing in Japanese woodblock printing, exhibits prints of Northern Michigan’s landscape and lakeshores, Aug. 19-Sept. 1 at Center Gallery, 6023 S. Lake St., Glen Arbor. The show opens Aug. 19, 6 p.m. with a reception for the artist.

Read more
/by

Condon returns to Lake Street Studios

Grand Rapids artist Jeff Condon opens up his mental file of images — collected over a lifetime living in the city and country — and returns to Center Gallery with an exhibition of contemporary landscapes. This show opens Aug. 12 with a 6 p.m. reception, and runs through Aug. 18. Center Gallery is located at 6023 S. Lake St., Glen Arbor.

Read more
/by

Summer Singers hold Aug. 16 concert

The Manitou Music Festival’s annual choral event highlights the Summer Singers, an all-volunteer group of 50 singers from around Leelanau County. The concert, directed by Empire resident Dana Allen, will perform traditional classics like “Bound for the Promised Land” with four-hand piano and Mark Hayes’ arrangement of “Dry Bones”.

Read more
/by

Celebrate National Park Centennial at revived Port Oneida Fair

,

The Port Oneida Fair returns to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 12-13, following a hiatus in 2015 caused by the Aug. 2 storm that pummeled the Glen Arbor region and forced the National Lakeshore to divert all personnel to the cleanup effort for weeks after the wind maelstrom. Last year marked the first time that the fair was canceled since its launch in 2002.

Read more
/by

Volunteer scientists at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Citizen Scientists in national parks get out in the field, gain deeper knowledge about the resources in the parks, and contribute valuable information to assist the National Park Service (NPS) manage the resources we all love. Many participants report a greater awareness of local issues, increased appreciation of the value of protected lands, and a stronger sense of stewardship. For the NPS, citizen science provides a wealth of much-needed data about key resources that can be used in planning management actions. Citizen Scientists at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore are involved in establishing baseline data on native frogs, conducting breeding bird surveys, monitoring piping plover nesting territories, managing avian botulism outbreaks, and contributing to our understanding of how invasive aquatic species contribute to avian botulism in the nearshore environment of Lake Michigan.

Read more
/by

Experience Port Oneida Fair, Aug. 12-13

,

Step back in time to 1916 during this year’s Port Oneida Fair to help celebrate the 100th birthday of the National Park Service. History comes alive at six historic sites during the annual Fair at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Friday and Saturday, Aug. 12-13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition to the many popular demonstrations, animals, and exhibits, the Fair will feature a chicken dinner on Friday, Aug. 12, and end with solar viewing and an astronomy party on Saturday night, Aug. 13. This two-day special event is free. Discover the new presentations and activities for 2016 throughout the Fair. Participants need only purchase the Park Entrance Pass or have an Annual Pass displayed in their vehicle to join in the fun.

Read more
/by