Find Leelanau’s heart in Maple City

By F. Josephine Arrowood
Sun contributor
Like many a hardworking resident of Maple City, located in the heart of Leelanau, those wishing to sample the charms of the county’s tiniest hamlet should, as Lewis Carroll said, “Begin at the beginning, and go on from there.”
Start with an invigorating 6 a.m. workout at the Maple City Health and Fitness Center, located at the big red schoolhouse just west of town on Burdickville Road (County Road 616). Drop-in visitors are welcome, and monthly, annual, student and senior citizen memberships are available. Manager Char Blonshine will help set you up with Trotter Weight equipment, treadmills, stair climbers, bikes and Precor Transports. Take in an aerobics session with fitness trainer Camille DePalma Frixen, or WalkNTone in the full court gym, where drop-in volleyball and basketball can also be played. After a guts-to-glory workout, soothe tired muscles on the innovative new Migun Massage Bed, then clean up in the locker room showers before heading to downtown Maple City in search of breakfast. Before leaving, however, check out the Glen Lake Library’s annex in the Fitness Center, when patrons are on the honor system to borrow and return a selection of books that is updated periodically by library volunteers.

Just south of the intersection of Maple City Road (County Road 667) and Bellinger Road (County Road 616), Pegtown Station restaurant — named after the historic role the town once played in manufacturing lumber products — embraces the old-time atmosphere of the former “Cash Variety Store” with red plaster walls, wainscoting, and well-patinated hardwood flooring. Feast on a farmer’s omelet, complete with sourdough or whole wheat toast made from scratch, while enjoying the Foothills blend of the Leelanau Coffee Roasting Company, and watch the train whiz by overhead on tracks that circle the dining room’s perimeter. Pegtown’s lunch and dinner menus are worth a return visit, with a wide variety of hot and cold sub sandwiches on homemade buns, dinner baskets, and specialty pizzas, including such exotica as the “Philly Cheese Steak” pizza with roast beef, mozzarella, onions, and peppers, or “The Greek,” laden with garlic-infused oil, onions, feta, fresh spinach leaves, tomatoes, black olives, mozzarella and artichoke hearts on handmade dough. Pegtown Station is open year-round with extensive hours, and closed on Mondays.
For a larger lunch or dinner venue, seek out the Maple Leaf Restaurant, back “uptown” at the historic red schoolhouse that matriculated generations of Leelanau children (writer Kathleen Stocking is one distinguished alumna). The Maple Leaf plays to its strengths with organic and local foods in season in a casual yet elegant setting, classic homemade pizzas, and beers, spirits and fine local wines. Weekly specials include Friday night perch and prime rib on Saturdays, while Sunday brunch features a comprehensive feast at a reasonable price. Open from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily, and closed on Wednesdays.
Gabe’s Market anchors one corner of Maple City’s main intersection at Bellinger and Maple City Roads, across from the post office. Owners Mike and Kathy Gabourie offer a full grocery store, as well as their own smoked meats — sausages, hotdogs, and to-die-for brats — and a dazzling array of homemade beef, turkey and chicken jerkies, including extra-hot, teriyaki and Cajun flavors, perfect for day hikers, campers and casual snackers. Local produce can often be found at Gabe’s; currently, Tom Shimek’s bi-colored corn is winging its way out the door.
Do-gooders and feel-gooders meet at the Cedar-Maple City Lions Club (just east of Gabe’s on Bellinger Road), next to the enclosed playground that club members created several years ago for public enjoyment. Weekly bingo on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. complements frequent weekend pancake breakfasts, dinners and dances that raise funds for the community, including visual aids for the sight-impaired, and academic and music camp scholarships for Glen Lake School students. The Lions will next host a grilled steak and chicken dinner on August 19, from 4-8 p.m.
Fill up the gas tank at MC Shortstop gas station and convenience store before setting off west on Burdickville Road in search of the great outdoors. The cultivated landscape benefits from the attentions of the Westover Market plant nursery, where Bruce and Gail Westover have nurtured their labor of love for over a dozen years on five acres. Choose from shrubs, trees and a stunning selection of perennials, including “Doubledecker” purple coneflower, peonies, hostas and more, as well as berries in season, fertilizer and garden accessories. As summer swings into August, Westover’s offers many specials and inventory reductions, perfect for filling the late-season garden’s gaps.
The final stop of the Maple City Tour takes place one mile west of town, in the emerald gem of the county’s Parks and Recreation system. Myles Kimmerley Park boasts a driving range, disk golf course, and the one-mile long, wooded Pat Hobbins Hiking Trail, as well as activities for families that range from softball, soccer and tennis, to grilling and picnicking under the pavilion near the kids’ playground. Community volunteers as well as county employees help to maintain the park, with recent plantings of flowering trees and perennial beds. Artists and photographers seeking coveted long views of land and skyscapes can also find scope for their work here, amid the rolling green beauty of Leelanau’s heart.