Friends of Sleeping Bear report “fantastic” Heritage Trail conditions

The Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes, which maintains the popular Heritage Trail and grooms it for cross-country skiing during the winter months, reported “fantastic” conditions in an mail update on Friday. Here are current ski conditions, as of Friday.

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Vendor applications accepted for Glen Lake Woman’s Club Art Fair

The Glen Lake Woman’s Club is accepting vendor applications until March 20 for the Woman’s Club’s 53rd annual Art Fair, which will be held on July 16 at the Glen Arbor Township Hall. This annual, juried Art Fair features artists carefully selected to represent one-of-a kind art pieces for sale at the Township Hall. The Art Fair features artisans in many mediums including pottery, painting, textiles, woodworking, and jewelry.

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Northern Michigan chaos theory

“Why do some relocators and seasonal property owners insist on bringing trappings from whence they came to Leelanau County? Whatever happened to appreciative adaptation rather than recreating an incongruous image from elsewhere?” asks writer Tim Mulherin. “Recently, our ever-welcoming Cedar neighbors who lived across the street moved away. Well, the new residents are clearly not from around these parts. Their front yard features a prominently displayed burglars-beware alarm system sign. At night, the property is lit up like a military installation, with floodlighting penetrating surrounding yards—including ours. Perhaps, like my daughter-in-law from Indy, they’re scared of the non-light-polluted dark nights we enjoy here. Maybe the family fears a potential home invasion. Yet the only mammalian predators typically in the vicinity are coyotes, foxes, bobcats, and the occasional black bear—and none of them are looking for trouble with humans.”

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“Lake Leelanau Spirit of the Lake” screens in Traverse City

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The Leelanau Historical Society proudly presents “Lake Leelanau, Spirit of the Lake,” a captivating documentary that dives into the history and nostalgia of Lake Leelanau—a cherished body of water in Leelanau County. The film will screen on Jan. 28 at 7 pm at The Alluvion, located on the second floor of the Commongrounds Building in Traverse City. Pre-sale tickets cost $12, or $15 at the door. Produced by the Leelanau Historical Society and directed by Keith Patterson of Manitou Films, this film is a heartfelt tribute to the lake’s enduring legacy. The film is a recipient of a 2024 State History Award from the Historical Society of Michigan.

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Bringing joy with the gift of reading

Last year marked the 26th year that the Friends of the Glen Lake Library has collected and distributed donations of new children’s books to young readers in Leelanau County. 380 books were distributed to 11 classes at the Glen Lake Elementary School, Parenting Communities, the Leelanau Children’s Center, the Benodjenh Children’s Center, Family Daycare Homes and preschoolers attending the weekly Story Hour at the Glen Lake Library.

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Leelanau wineries offer special wintertime events

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’Tis the season for—wine? According to the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association, a.k.a. the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail, yes, it is. As a matter of fact, it’s pretty much always the season for wine. While the tasting rooms are most crowded in the summer and fall is harvest season in the vineyards, there are still plenty of reasons to visit wineries in the winter. Starting with the wines themselves, of course, but beyond that, there are a number of special events in the wintertime. “Our wine trail events are all about bringing people together to celebrate the exceptional wines that make our region so special,” said Andie Hobbins, managing director for the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail. “Northern Michigan is producing wines of outstanding quality, and we love sharing that with visitors from near and far.”

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Front Porch hosts fourth annual Leelanau Suds-Raiser

The Front Porch, a beloved retail lifestyle store in Suttons Bay specializing in kitchen, home, gift, and gourmet products, is thrilled to announce its fourth annual Leelanau Suds-Raiser, a special event that blends community spirit with a great cause. This tradition was created as a tribute to the original owner of The Front Porch, Bobbi Eggert, whose passion for helping others inspired the founding of the Leelanau Laundry Project. The fourth annual Leelanau Suds-Raiser will be held Jan. 23-26 at 207 St. Joseph Street in Suttons Bay.

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Leo Creek Preserve gifted to Inland Seas Education Association

Inland Seas Education Association recently announced that Leo Creek Preserve has been gifted to them to serve as an outdoor learning laboratory for educational programming. This donation will allow ISEA to provide shoreside watershed-focused educational experiences while continuing to keep the property open to the public for all to enjoy. Leo Creek Preserve is a nine-acre outdoor learning laboratory, nature preserve, and botanical garden located south of Suttons Bay along the Leelanau Trail. It features more than 1,000 feet of waterfront along Leo Creek, a groundwater stream that feeds into Grand Traverse Bay.

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Lissa Edwards: Falling in love with her stories for nearly four decades

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Can a brilliant career be born from a moment of angst while hunched over a bathtub? If you’re Lissa Edwards, that’s a yes. “From the time I was cognizant of anything, I loved Glen Arbor. And I always knew I wanted to be a writer,” she says. Laughing, the proprietor of Glen Arbor Wines professes, “I often say I can write and I can pour wine; those are my only two skills. I have no others!” Nine months ago, Edwards retired from what is now called Traverse, Northern Michigan, where her career as a writer and editor spanned almost four decades. Throughout, Edwards mastered the ability of sussing out compelling stories where no one else was looking. Her ideas were virtually inexhaustible and her process uniquely her own—so much so that her colleagues coined the affectionate term “Lissariffic.”

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Glen Arbor Art Center’s Sky exhibit more than just cosmic wallpaper

“Blue skies smilin’ at me. Nothin’ but blue skies do I see. Bluebirds singin’ a song. Nothin’ but blue skies from now on.” Willie Nelson’s words and voice carry a certain kind of optimism that feels infinite, much like the sky itself. The Glen Arbor Arts Center is honoring the sky with its first exhibition for the 2025 calendar year: The Sky Is Always There. The show explores that vast atmospheric expanse through a variety of creative offerings. Sarah Bearup-Neal, gallery manager of the GAAC, is the visionary behind this exhibition. It fosters a reconnection with the sky’s dynamic grandeur and gentle profundity. “In the purest and most constant way, the sky is always with us. During the early phase of developing this show, I began wondering if the sky—this enormous thing—was so familiar, so very much with us, that it becomes just more psychic wallpaper. Just another screen saver in people’s busy lives. There was a time when the sky was a place of awe for people who weren’t bombarded and numbed by an infinite number of images, input, and ‘information.’ People used to look at the sky for answers to the great questions that plague humans, like: why are the gods laughing at us? The sky had the power to humble mere mortals,” Bearup-Neal said.

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