Share this:
- Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Share on X (Opens in new window) X
- Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
- Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
- Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Print (Opens in new window) Print
- Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
How to enjoy a family day with kids in Empire
NewsHow is Empire still Empire? It’s one of the main hubs for the Sleeping Bear Dunes, it has epic beaches, and it’s right along one of the most beautiful stretches of road in the entire region. Yet, the town of Empire remains solidly quaint, comfortable, and relaxed. Sure, the crowds come through, and the beaches get busy, but the town simply swells with the ebb and flow, and returns to its steadfast self. There have been small additions with big, positive impacts over the years, but it’s truly remarkable how Empire has stayed a classic northern Michigan beach town. And for families with kids, it’s a place where they can be active, get dirty, and start fostering those uniquely vibrant lakeside memories.
Grace Dickinson follows in her family’s footsteps near Sleeping Bear Dunes
Historical Feature, Local PersonalityDickinson Gallery of Empire, a working studio/gallery, is, simply put, magnificent. The gallery is owned by Grace Dickinson Johnson, who has taken over the helm from her father. Once you step inside, the very essence of Sleeping Bear Country jumps right out at you. Scores of breathtaking photographs are displayed there, proof of Fred and Grace’s years of photographic excellence capturing Leelanau’s beauty for all who venture inside. Dickinson Gallery is situated in a lovely wooded glen right across the road from her great-grandparents’ home, writes Sandy Bradshaw in our August 11 edition of the Glen Arbor Sun.
Traverse City native aims to swim Manitou Passage
Sports/Adventure, Upcoming EventLate this month, Traverse City native Jake Bright will attempt a nearly 7-mile solo swim from Sleeping Bear Point to the South Manitou Island Lighthouse. If all goes well, his will be the first swim across the Manitou Passage that follows USA Swimming’s open-water rules. The date of his feat will depend on weather conditions, but he hopes to make the journey between Aug. 22 and Sept. 3.
LivelyLands Festival returns August 19-21
Upcoming EventLivelyLands is a family-friendly boutique music festival featuring three days of carefully curated live music from favorite national and regional artists, camping, local food, beer, wine, late-night song circles, and community campfires. The three-day festival returns August 19-21 to “Backyard Burdickville” on M-72, east of Empire.
Leland Public School embraces North Manitou school project
Historical Feature, Local PersonalityHere’s the story of Leland Public School reclaiming and reviving its school on North Manitou Island, which Abby Chatfield wrote in our August 11 edition of the Glen Arbor Sun. The first school on North Manitou was made of logs in 1895 and held 36 students. A new school was built in 1907 with a wood frame and front porch but was shut down in the 1940s as the island’s permanent population dwindled. Decades later, when Leland Public School discovered they owned this one-acre property, considered the home of Leland School District’s first school, all that still existed was the decaying framework of a one-room schoolhouse. Fast forward more than 25 years. Nick Seguin, a first and second grade teacher for Leland since 2009 who graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Natural Resources, spends his summers working as a guide for Manitou Island Transit. While hiking on North Manitou Island, Seguin came across the old school site, recognizing it by a crumbling foundation. Intrigued, he began to study plat maps and rediscovered the property deed, realizing that the land still belonged to the Leland School District.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland visits Sleeping Bear Dunes
NewsUnited States Interior Secretary Deb Haaland visited Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Thursday, Aug. 11, before she traveled north to Pellston to meet with survivors of Federal Indian Boarding Schools. At Sleeping Bear, she toured Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, visited the Dune Climb, and sites at Glen Haven including the Sleeping Bear Inn, the cannery and Lake Michigan. Haaland’s visit to Sleeping Bear Dunes was the second by a U.S. Secretary of the Interior. In June 1998, Secretary Stewart Udall spoke at an emotional standing-room-only public gathering at the Sleeping Bear Dunes—the Park he helped establish.
Glen Arbor galleries hold Art After Hours
Business Feature, Upcoming EventNine Glen Arbor galleries and artists studios are keeping the night light burning this summer as part of Art After Hours. Art After Hours takes place one last time on August 17, from 5-7 pm. It offers visitors a chance to take a self-guided walking tour of galleries located in Glen Arbor’s art district – a five-block area from Lake Street to M-22 to M-109 West.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to discuss clean water during Aug. 17 event at Cherry Republic
Upcoming EventMichigan Attorney General Dana Nessel will lead a conversation on clean water at Cherry Republic’s Glen Arbor campus on Wednesday, Aug. 17, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Michigan League of Conservation Voters.
Remembering John Peppler, storied Glen Arbor realtor, Sugar Loaf skier, Vietnam veteran
Local PersonalityJohn Peppler, a fixture in Glen Arbor for decades and an affable realtor with Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realtors, passed away on August 9 at age 75. He had spent months at Munson Hospital in Traverse City after contracting a tick-borne disease.
Investing in clean energy, from Washington, D.C., to Leelanau
Business Feature, Investigative ArticleThe U.S. Senate has passed its historic climate change legislation, and the House of Representatives is expected to soon follow suit and send to President Biden to sign the bill. The political victory comes not a moment too soon, with a rapidly warming planet striking communities with one climate-related disaster after another. Leelanau County, too, is enjoying the momentum of the clean energy movement. Earlier this summer, Leelanau Energy launched its “Energize Leelanau Challenge” initiative to locate clean energy or energy efficiency projects in the county that are shovel-ready and that benefit communities, and help fund them with seed money totaling between $250 and $15,000 per project.