On Saturday, Sept. 3, at 9 a.m., Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear hosts their second annual Port Oneida Barn to Barn Run/Walk – a 5K on the Bayview Trail in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

As a horticulturist, my attention instantly focuses on the land around Empire’s vacant buildings, particularly the spacious lot where the schoolhouse sits. My thought is, it needs plants! (Plants other than turf, that is.)

The Leelanau Scenic Heritage Route Committee, Michigan Department of Transportation, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (National Lakeshore), Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trails, Inc., and Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes are proud to announce that the Federal Highway Administration has awarded two grants towards construction of 3.7 miles of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail (SBHT).

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s website, a day honoring the American worker can be traced to Sept. 5, 1882, likely the result of a suggestion by one Michael Maguire, a machinist and union secretary of New York City’s Central Labor Union. In 1884, the “workingmen’s holiday” was adjusted to the first Monday in September, and became a national holiday through an Act of Congress in 1894 with public parades, speeches by community leaders and picnics.

Back in Empire for a recap of another successful mission, Endeavour shuttle pilot Greg Johnson oooed and awed his audience at the township hall on Aug. 19 with new photos and a video from his STS-134 mission in May to the International Space Station (ISS).

We’ve now owned Northwoods Hardware for 13 months, and in that time we’ve come to realize just how significant our moose is to our customers. Dee and I originally thought after closing on the purchase last July that we’d remove him, as neither of our families are hunters and we felt “bad” about the moose. But we soon realized in casual discussion that we would have many unhappy customers, and that kids “like” our moose.

“Chaotic Harmony,” an original theatrical dance production, celebrates the legacy of Gwen Frostic, regional artist and cultural icon. “Chaotic Harmony,” named after one of her 18 books, renders a fresh dance-based interpretation of Frostic’s work by choreographer and director, Gretchen Eichberger (Elberta, Mich.) and writer Anne-Marie Oomen (Empire). The production will premier as a gift to the community on Aug. 27 at 7:30 p.m. and on Aug. 28 at 3 at the Meeting Hall of the Congregational Summer Assembly in Frankfort.

Traverse City artist Joan Richmond returns to Glen Arbor’s Center Gallery with “Colors of the North,” a series of new paintings of Northern Michigan beginning Aug. 26.

On Friday, Aug. 19, friends and family of Phyllis Davis will celebrate her memory by playing her favorite sport … golf. All are welcome at the Dunes Golf Course on M-72 east of Empire for a check-in at noon and a shotgun start at 1 p.m.

The Empire Sleeping Bear Eagles #4404 has signed a contract with the Kelly Miller Circus for a brand new show this month. The circus will roll into town on Tuesday, Aug. 23. Everyone is invited to come out and watch the animals being unloaded and fed, and the elephants raising the big top. Activities will begin at 7:30 a.m., and the tent will be raised at 9 a.m. Guides will be furnished for school groups and anyone attending.