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Five years after lockdown, remembering Michigan’s COVID experience
Historical FeatureToday marks the fifth anniversary of the date the COVID-19 Coronavirus global pandemic officially arrived in Michigan, prompting a business and social shutdown, political upheaval, and many months of confusion, anxiety and pain. On March 10, 2020, the state’s first two COVID cases were confirmed in metro Detroit, prompting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to declare a state of emergency in Michigan. Our COVID coverage in the Glen Arbor Sun between March 2020 and Spring-2021 included stories about: essential workers who kept us safe; victims (and survivors) of COVID; businesses and the National Park closing facilities; how public health workers, schools and emergency medical personnel adjusted; our collective reconnection with nature during the lockdown; artistic reactions to the pandemic; how musicians adapted; the pandemic exacerbating educational divides, and frequent updates on vaccination and infection statistics in Leelanau County. Click here to read those stories.
Demonstrators at Sleeping Bear Dunes and nationwide stand up for National Park Service workers
NewsBitter cold winds and temperatures in the teens didn’t stop them. Neither did the catatonic state of the federal government as the Trump administration and oligarch-in-chief Elon Musk take a wrecking ball to the national workforce. Yesterday, March 1, more than 60 local demonstrators gathered at noon at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore headquarters in Empire to rally on behalf of their fired National Park workers and to protest the federal spending freeze that will delay the hiring of more than 100 seasonal employees who are integral to opening our National Lakeshore to 1.6 million visitors this summer. They marched through snow and wind from the Visitor’s Center to the Empire public beach and back.
Local playwright channels Edward Hopper
Upcoming EventWhat stimulates creative inspiration? For Playwright Rebecca Reynolds, one answer is Edward Hopper, a leading 20th-century realist painter whose work ignites the curiosity of many. On March 9, the Old Art Building (OAB) in Leland will present three short plays, written and directed by Reynolds, that are based upon three Hopper paintings. A sold-out evening performance motivated the OAB to schedule a matinee the same day. The event, coined as Drinks, Drama & Dessert, will include social time and dessert alongside the plays performed by a selection of talented locals.
National Lakeshore reschedules Maple Sugaring Days for March 22 due to weather conditions
Upcoming EventSleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore announced in a media release that it has rescheduled the candlelight hikes and Maple Sugaring Days program originally set for Feb. 28 and March 1 to Saturday, March 22, at the Dechow and Olsen farms, due to a rapid drop in temperatures and dangerous winter conditions at the park.
Reich’s Sleeping Bear Dune Overlook named Manitou Music poster
Local Personality, NewsThe Glen Arbor Arts Center has awarded Barbara Reich’s pastel, “Sleeping Bear Dune Overlook #10,” the honor of being the official Manitou Music poster in 2025. It is an acknowledgment of Reich’s exceptional ability to transform a familiar subject into something entirely unique, and a testament to her extraordinary talent, writes Katie Dunn. Every year for the past two-plus decades, the GAAC has chosen a distinguished piece of art representative of the area, reproducing the image as a poster and offering it at an affordable price.
Meet Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes’ new director Laura Ann Johnson
Upcoming EventThe Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes — a nonprofit partner organization to the National Lakeshore, which helps maintain the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail — invites the public to meet and welcome the organization’s new executive director, Laura Ann Johnson, at an event on Thursday, Feb. 20, from 4-6 pm at the Cherry Republic Public House. Help celebrate new horizons for Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes and enjoy some fellowship in the middle of this great winter. Light food and beverages will be provided by Cherry Republic.
Resisting retirement: Hugh Willey’s love for jazz
Local PersonalityLouis Armstong said, “Musicians don’t retire; they stop when there’s no more music in them.” By that measure, Hugh Willey has certainly not retired because he still lives and breathes music. At age 94, he still plays at his home and at Trinity Church in Northport, and if you walk with him, he will likely treat you to a vocal version of a favorite jazz tune. Hugh has been a cheerleader for young musicians. He brought them to perform at schools and clubs including the Sugar Loaf Resort and the Park Place Hotel. Another favorite event was the Northport Wine Festival at the Northport Marina.
Winterfest, polar plunge, returns to Empire
Upcoming EventAs Leelanau County embraces a snowy winter, the Empire Area Community Center (EACC) plans to revive a favorite winter tradition — the Empire Winterfest. Events will be hosted throughout the village on Saturday, Feb. 22. Winterfest was last held in Empire in 2018, but had been celebrated for decades before. The most well-known event — a polar plunge in South Bar Lake — will return this year, along with a number of other activities including public saunas, a neighbor coffee hour, potluck, and live music.
Reclaiming the remarkable stories of Black pioneers on Little Glen
Historical Feature, Local Personality, Upcoming EventIn September 2022, two Black women from Philadelphia opened a life-changing Facebook message from a White man in Grand Rapids. Kevin Brooks reached out to cousins Carmen Hopson and Coleen Burton with his discovery that their families were inextricably linked more than 100 years ago in Empire Township. The relationship was not born of freed slaves still economically dependent on their former owners, nor were they hired live-in employees. Rather, the respective families of Joseph Payment and Anna and Levi Johnson were neighboring farm owners and pioneering homesteaders along Little Glen Lake who forged a friendship born of necessity and steeped in mutual respect. What transpired from that visit and a subsequent one evolved into the documentary The Search for Anna and Levi. Subtitled “A Lost History of Black Homesteaders in Leelanau County” it was written and directed by Joe VanderMeulen, a local science journalist and documentary filmmaker. In honor of Black History Month, a special preview screening of the film The Search for Anna and Levi will take place on Sunday, Feb. 23, at 2 pm at The Bay Theatre in Suttons Bay.
Long shuttered Empire school ready for rebirth
Historical FeatureThe Empire schoolhouse may have a second life if owner Joe Van Esley has his way — and gets enough others to buy into his vision. Van Esley and consultant Bruce Johnston hosted a presentation on their plans for the landmark building at a community meeting on Feb. 4, followed by a shorter presentation that evening to the Empire Planning Commission. They mapped out an ambitious plan to restore the long-empty schoolhouse to provide opportunities for various retail, office, restaurant and/or community space. “We’re looking for input,” said Johnston. His firm, Revitalize Inc., is working on the ambitious plans with Van Esley to modernize the building without changing its basic configuration in what they call a historic revitalization project.