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Scratching the right itch
Investigative Article, Local PersonalityRon Reimink knew how uncomfortable and annoying swimmer’s itch could be. He spent much of his adult life trying to eradicate it in lakes across northern Michigan. Then one day, he realized he was completely wrong, writes Dan Wanschura in this story adapted from an Interlochen Public Radio podcast. Glen Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in the world—clear turquoise-colored water, with Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore off in the distance. It was an ideal setting for Reimink’s summer job. One particularly beautiful day, Reimink, who’s a biologist, was walking around the lake, through the water, up and over docks, doing research on ducks. Then, a couple hours after he’d wrapped up for the day, he started to get this sensation in his legs. He looked down, and there were all these red spots popping up. Each one was around the size of a nickel. They started to itch like crazy. “And I literally scratched many of them until they bled,” Reimink said. “It was so intense.”
Keep it Blue: Glen Lake Association’s boat tours inspire water stewardship
Investigative Article, Local PersonalityEach Friday in July the Glen Lake Association’s 23-foot Bennington pontoon boat called the Discovery Boat offers a couple two-hour tours that depart from Glen Craft Marina on Big Glen Lake and visit Fisher Lake, which connects the Glen Lakes with the Crystal River. The intent is to offer waterfront landowners and environmental stewards a narrated, hands-on educational tour of the health of these lakes.
Arbor Gallery celebrates grand re-opening
Business FeatureArbor Gallery, located on M-109 in Glen Arbor, is thrilled to announce its grand re-opening celebration on Thursday, July 10, from 5-7 pm to honor its newest owner, Stephanie Schlatter. Following a period of transformation and growth, Arbor Gallery is excited to welcome community members to join in the festivities.
River Club celebrates one year in Glen Arbor
Business FeatureSince opening a year ago on June 24, and pumping even more excitement into an already thriving downtown, the River Club Glen Arbor minigolf course and outdoor lounge has hosted wedding receptions, corporate events, family reunions, many kid playdates, a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta, the M22 Challenge afterparty, and at least one marriage proposal on the venue’s sky deck. Sheldon and his team built the venue on the banks of the Crystal River large enough to be able to accommodate both special events and everyday customers. “What’s unique about this place relative to the alternatives is that we can handle a massive amount of people and not have it overwhelm the system,” said Sheldon. “You couldn’t go to average bar or small winery [elsewhere in Leelanau County] and do that. Plus, we have live music, and the river, and food. People are discovering that it’s an ideal location if you have a group.”
From Black Eden to Migrant Prison: ICE’s second largest detention center nationwide opens 80 minutes from Leelanau County
Historical Feature, Investigative ArticleCitizens from across Michigan’s lower peninsula have traveled to Baldwin this spring, packed village council meetings, held demonstrations and called for officials to stand against the reopening of a nearby immigrant detention center. The 1,800-bed, maximum-security North Lake Correctional Facility, owned by the for-profit prison corporation Geo Group, is the largest such facility in the Midwest and second-largest in the nation. It reopened on June 16. The fact that the prison will most likely hold non-white immigrants stands out in this part of Michigan. Baldwin, a rural town of 900 with a large historically Black minority, is five minutes from the unincorporated community of Idlewild, which once thrived as a vacation refuge known as “Black Eden.”
Leland library holds Summinars speaker series
Upcoming EventThe Leland Township Public Library will once again hold its Summinars speaker series that brings together leading thinkers, authors, and educators for a season of free, thought-provoking lectures on history, policy, culture, science, and more. Held in the Munnecke Room at the Leland Township Library, the Leelanau Summinars are now in their 14th year of engaging the community through intellectually stimulating programming. Next up, on Tuesday, July 8, at 4 pm, Molly Michelmore will speak on the evolution of the income tax and democracy.
Mulvahill’s “The Lost Woman”
Local Personality, Upcoming EventKaren Mulvahill has always been a reader. After her sister taught her to read at age four, she regularly checked out the maximum number of books allowed by her local library. With the publication of her novel, “The Lost Woman,” she has transitioned from spiral notebooks to a computer keyboard. The Friends of the Leelanau Township Library in Northport will hold a celebration of the book launch at the Willowbrook Mill on July 8. Leelanau County has been and remains an environment where writers and artists can thrive.
Music on the Mountain returns to The Homestead
Business Feature, Upcoming EventThis summer, the sounds of blues, bluegrass, pop, reggae, rock and jazz will once again fill the air at The Homestead. The popular Music on the Mountain series is returning for the first time since before the pandemic. The shows will take place at 7 p.m. on alternate Thursdays, beginning July 10 with the Luke Winslow-King duo. They will take place at the top of Bay Mountain, the resort’s ski hill. Patrons can ride the ski lift to the top. The backdrop, with the sun setting behind the sparkling waters of Sleeping Bear Bay, is like no other in the area.
Inland Seas expands, announces fundraising campaign
NewsWhen Tom Kelly, John Elder and Peter Doren founded the Inland Seas Education Association in 1989, they were no doubt pleased it served over 1,100 students on the chartered schooner Malabar that first year. In the three decades since, the organization’s popularity has soared. According to the history timeline on its website, the ISEA has impacted 150,000 individuals since its founding. “It’s the story of our growth, the result of 36 years of doing the work,” says ISEA Executive Director Fred Sitkins. Today, the demand for its programs has outpaced its capacity. Rather than scaling back its mission, the ISEA is pushing forward with the Campaign for the Future of Great Lakes Education, an $11 million initiative to expand its campus, capacity and capabilities to meet the needs of tens of thousands of underserved urban and rural youths around the Great Lakes states.
When ‘Anything Goes’ dries up
Letter to editor/Opinion“Over the past 62 years, Glen Arbor’s Fourth of July parade has become well-known for its ‘anything goes’ spirit. This approach is a point of local pride for many, encouraging the patriotic participation that has transformed a small-town procession into a northern Michigan tradition unlike any other,” writes Trace St. Julian in this op-ed for the Sun. “However, in 2023, the Glen Arbor Township Board broke away from the ‘anything goes’ tradition, announcing a ‘no water’ rule that bans long-time parade hallmarks of ‘water guns, blasters, balloons, bottles, or other water items.’ Fast forward to 2025—the water ban is still in effect, and the Township Board appears more determined than ever to enforce it.”