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Health Department holds pop-up COVID vaccine clinics in Benzonia, Cedar, Frankfort, Lake Leelanau
NewsThe Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department is offering multiple opportunities for walk-in vaccinations on Friday, May 21, as well as easy appointment scheduling that can be found at www.bldhd.org.
Masks in the time of Coronavirus: Leland’s Old Art Building co-hosts community art show
NewsOver the last year more than 930 people nationwide decorated paper mache masks to explore their experiences related to the pandemic, and they are sharing them with the public at various virtual and in-person shows around northwest Michigan.
Cherry Country Quilters for sale; honoring Linda Mead with COVID quilt
NewsVickie Hurst lost her 75-year-old mother Linda Mead to COVID-19 two days before the end of 2020. Linda was the owner and inspiration behind Cherry Country Quilters, which opened in downtown Suttons Bay in 2014. Vickie, along with Renee Wegman, who now runs the quilt shop, want to honor Linda and at least all 16 of the Coronavirus casualties of Leelanau County with a Commemorative Covid Quilt. Vickie hopes to sell the business, so her mother’s legacy and love for quilting live on. She is in the process of listing the business for sale through Nicole Anderson from Coldwell Banker Realty.
Leelanau County Poor Farm Barn named a Michigan Barn of the Year
NewsThe Michigan Barn Preservation Network (MBPN) has designated the Leelanau County Poor Farm Barn as a Barn of the Year. A dedication event will be held outside the barn on Thursday, May 20, at 4 pm. A plaque and sign will be presented to Leelanau County Historic Preservation Society president Steve Stier. The public is invited to attend.
Cottonseed Apparel changes ownership on 30th anniversary in Glen Arbor
NewsThirty years after Marc and Diana Oberschulte opened Cottonseed Apparel in 1991 on the site of Glen Arbor’s original Post Office on the corner of M-22 and Lake Street, Laurenn Rudd and Elizabeth Morgan Gray have acquired the clothing store.
Nobody hurt in LeBear Resort fire; restaurant Blu closed indefinitely
NewsA fire broke out early Saturday morning in a unit on the east side of LeBear Resort. Nobody was hurt, but the resort located at the north end of Lake Street in Glen Arbor suffered substantial damage. Blu, the restaurant attached to LeBear, was not affected by fire or water damage, but co-owner and chef Randy Chamberlain announced on Facebook yesterday that he will be closed indefinitely until utilities are restored.
Empire gets facelift along M-22
NewsM-22 north out of Empire is beginning to look quite a bit different than this time last year. New businesses and homes are popping up in the corridor that guides travelers out of the village, bringing new life to the quiet town after this pandemic year. Perhaps most startling to returning residents and visitors will be the empty lot just north of Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate. Excavation began last week on the lot, which was previously the site of the Anchor Hardware Store. Jody and DC Hayden, owners of Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate next door, purchased the building in 2019, and last fall, the building was removed to make way for a public garden and picnic area, which will sit atop a much-needed drainage field.
Through first four months, Sleeping Bear Dunes on pace for another record
NewsSleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore attracted a whopping 126,797 visitors during the first four months of 2021, which have typically been a quiet time for tourists in Leelanau and Benzie counties. By comparison, the Park received 93,729 visitors between January-April of 2020. That early number suggests another record-breaking year for visitation to the National Lakeshore. Sleeping Bear drew more than 1.7 million visitors for the first time in 2020, as Americans flocked to rural national parks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Percentage of Leelanau County residents receiving first vaccine dose passes 70%—leading the state
NewsYesterday, Leelanau County passed the 70% mark for all eligible residents age 16 and over who have received their initial dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. “This is a major accomplishment for our county to be the first in the state to reach that level of protection,” said Lisa Peacock, health officer with the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department.
Empire Emergency Fund receives generous donations, despite pandemic
NewsThe Empire Emergency Fund, an initiative of the Empire Area Community Center (EACC) which raises money to pay the bills for locals who have fallen financially on hard times, received donations of more than $20,000 in 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Emergency Fund concerts are tentatively scheduled to resume in September.