Iconic Bluebird continues family tradition, now as riverfront restaurant

By Sandra Serra Bradshaw

Sun contributor

The highly esteemed Bluebird in Leland reopened quietly this past fall by owners Skip and Lynn Telgard along with their family and loyal staff. The original Bluebird was the family home as well as the local café. The restaurant is a family tradition, with four generations of Telgards who have brought the business from a two-room little shack to a thriving corner business known far and wide.

An iconic and nostalgic place since it was established in 1927, the Bluebird, affectionately nicknamed the “Bird,” takes full advantage of its location on the historic Leland River. Indoors, it gives diners delightful up-close and year-round views of the river through its new wide glass windows.

The Telgards cleverly had a pass-through window built at the bar and, with good weather, is highly appreciated by both staff and diners. Patrons can dine on the new deck and conveniently get their food and beverages passed through it from the bar.

“Over the last two years, we’ve undergone a comprehensive transformation, reconstructing our establishment to feature a beautiful, outdoor-oriented design that brings you closer to the picturesque Leland River,” said Skip. “The river is a significant part of our heritage.”

The restaurant’s loyal patrons waited patiently for two years while this iconic landmark was rebuilt.

The river itself is a short one, barely 4,000 feet in length, and connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Leelanau. River otters often can be seen playing in its waters, and in the autumn, many come to watch the salmon as they try to leap the waterfall. The fish are thwarted from swimming upstream to spawn by the waterfall over the historic dam. Early settlers knew the river by the name “Carp River.” Generations of fishermen called it “fish creek.”

The plentiful fish was the reason early bands of the Ottawa established a town at its mouth as there was once was a natural fish ladder on these traditional Native American fishing grounds. Fishtown is one of only a few commercial fishing villages still operating today in Michigan. The Native Americans called this spot Mishi-me-go-bing, or alternatively Che-ma-go-bing or Chi-mak-a-ping, meaning “the place where canoes run up into the river to land, because they have no harbor.”

The water power led to Leland’s founding by French Canadian millwright Antoine Manseau, in 1853. The river sheltered fish boats, pleasure craft, and the Manitou mail boat and ferry, many decades before Leland became a Harbor of Refuge. Today the Bluebird revels in its new location, just a stone’s throw away from its original one. The large deck welcomes up to 100 guests. Diners can delight in fresh breezes while watching life and boats along the river.

“While the place was under construction, inquisitive deer often came to check the site out,” said Skip. “We often see other wildlife and enjoy watching jumping fish too. We also enjoy the many boats that come by. Some of them are wooden antique boats, there seems to be quite a few of them.”

Skip’s grandfather, Martin Telgard, a boat builder, and his grandmother (Martin’s wife) Leone, opened the original Bluebird as a small sandwich and soda shop. With Martin’s talents as a craftsman and Leone’s dedication to creating excellence in her kitchen, the business slowly grew to become a full-fledged restaurant and Leland’s gathering place.

“My Grandparents first lived out on North Manitou Island,” Skip said. “In 1906 they walked all the way across the ice to the mainland.”

In addition to offering cooked meals, they sold candy, cigars, cigarettes, and “Indian baskets” made by local Native Americans. The business, even while surviving lean moments at times, grew to be a full-fledged restaurant.

“Sadly, Grandpa Martin passed away in 1961. My Grandma Leone continued cooking every meal until her retirement in the mid-’70s,” Skip said.

This past winter, the Telgards made the decision to close the restaurant for the months of February through April to hone the operation of the new restaurant. The Bluebird reopened in early May. They have labored hard and carefully with every decision made regarding the look and feel of the new ‘Bird’.

“It’s going to remain being a great place to sit and discuss world politics and religion,” said Skip.

Skip’s son-in-law, Michael Leaveck, an architect, designed the new restaurant. The Telgards’ daughter Caroline, along with her husband Michael, both help run the business. Their son, Derek, who ran a successful restaurant in Knoxville, Tennessee, has also returned to Leland to help as a cook.

The family holds many memories of the original Bluebird structure. It was not easy for them to watch the building that their grandparents founded in 1927 demolished before their eyes. But this business has endured hardships unimaginable to most people.

“When WWII came Grandpa Martin built landing crafts for the war, and he and my Grandma Leone lived in a small 14-foot trailer and they had to sell the land, parcel by parcel, to survive the war,” said Skip. “Then he would come back to the Bluebird to build the business. “Grandma Leone did it all. From cooking all the meals for their customers to doing dishes and everything in between.”

All the while, Leland slowly evolved from a sleepy fishing village into the summer booming tourist town of today.

Today, under the care of a third generation of Telgards, the Bluebird proudly still serves its award-winning whitefish the same way Leone and Martin first did in the early days.

In keeping with their grandparents’ original fish menu, they offer appetizers that include the popular smoked whitefish dip, which is freshly made inhouse.

“The only Great Lakes whitefish we serve is directly fresh from the water,” Skip said. No frozen fillets here. Besides whitefish, you may savor the kitchen’s crispy fish and chips, and other items that include Lake Trout, European Perch, fried Smelt, and Canadian Walleye. “We have built up reliable sources for our fish through the years,” said Skip.

Besides fish, the Bird offers freshly made pizza such as their Bird Pie, which consists of pepperoni, spinach, bacon, garlic and tomato; or the Caprese which includes fresh basil, spinach, tomato, fresh mozzarella and garlic. “We had two pizza ovens at the old restaurant, now we have three ovens,” said Forrest Bradshaw, long-time bartender at the Bluebird.

The Bird features many other delicious items on the menu, too, including items such as fresh fried chicken (quarters), hamburgers, a delicious cherry chicken salad, smoked in-house beef brisket, tater tots, onion petals, chicken fingers, coleslaw, and freshly made soup of the day…as well as a wide variety of other sandwiches, salads, sides and beverages for you to savor.

To satisfy a thirst for a beverage, there is a wide variety of beers, wines, spirits and seltzers.

“Back in the old days, I recall our grandparents putting my brother Cris and I to work downstairs with the beer cartons,” Skip said. “Those were the days when beer was packed in hard cartons with lift up tops – Schlitz, Stroh’s, Pabst, Miller…”

Many in Leland fondly remember, and miss, Nancy Telgard, Skip’s mother. She had the warmest and most welcoming smile as she greeted each customer near the front door.

“One of the favorite things that my mother Nancy would do (she was both host and owner of the Bluebird) was to reminisce about famous people who visited the restaurant. We found a “Who’s who at the Bluebird” list a while back,” said Skip.

In the sports world, her list included Walter Hagen, Jim Northrup, Norm Cash, Wes Unseld, Johnny Bench, Dan Majerle, Bobby Hull, Jackie Smith (Hall of Fame Tight End), Jan Stephenson (golfer), and Bill Laskey.

“It’s a great place to enjoy a drink and a meal as you watch the wooden boats drift by. There is nothing quite like the throaty rumble of a vintage Chris-Craft, and the Leland River is home to many!” said Skip.

Follow the Bluebird on Facebook and Instagram. Visit BlueBirdLeland.com/blue-bird-merch to order from their extensive line of merchandise including t-shirts, hats, boating flags and stickers. Hours are Wednesday-Saturday, 11:30 am-11 pm and Sunday-Tuesday, 11:30 am-10 pm. Call 231-256-9081 for information. No reservations are accepted.

The printed version of this story which published on June 4 incorrectly reported that the Bluebird sources its whitefish dip from Carlson’s. In fact, the Bluebird makes it themselves. We regret the error.