‭North Manitou Light Keepers host annual rally and Crib cruise‬‬

The North Manitou Light Keepers (NMLK) will host their annual Lightkeeper Rally and Crib Cruise in Leland on July 18. These unique, elegant, and fun events invite people to connect and rally around ongoing efforts to restore and appreciate the North Manitou Shoal Light (the offshore lighthouse known as the “Crib”). “These events are a fun highlight we look forward to each year,” said NMLK President Daniel Oginsky.

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Sleeping Bear Inn awakens

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As we peer out the original windows of the restored Sleeping Bear Inn and into Lake Michigan’s rolling blue waves, we imagine a Michigan Transit Co. steamship arriving at the 650-foot dock in Glen Haven, just as it would have in the 1920s, carrying lumbermen, tourists, and fortune seekers who had departed Chicago the previous evening. The visitors disembark, plant their feet on land and gaze with wonder at the shoreline and the Manitou Islands floating in the distance. The Sleeping Bear Inn, the crowned jewel of Glen Haven, reopens to guests later this summer, more than 50 years after it closed when this National Lakeshore was created in 1972. The Inn, which was built in 1866 and served guests through the Michigan lumber boom, the roaring ’20s, and the era of dune buggies, is the oldest hotel in the National Park Service

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Yacht Club hosts Butterfly Nationals

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The Glen Lake Yacht Club hosts the Butterfly Class National Sailing Regatta July 16-18 on Glen Lake. According to Holly Reay, the Yacht Club is expecting a showing from seven other clubs around Michi- gan including Leland, Torch Lake, Spring Lake, White, Crystal Lakes, Muskegon and Grand Rapids. Any individual who owns a Butterly boat who is interested in doing the regatta is able to join. There is a Juniors (may not turn 17 on or before July 18) and an Opens category. No affiliation with a club is necessary. The Yacht Club will offer meals, door prizes, and more. Register at GlenLakeYachtClub.com.

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A to Z Music, Accidentals play LivelyLands

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LivelyLands, the farm and music venue on M-72 west of Empire, features a night of powerful young women who will take over the world someday. A to Z Music join The Accidentals tonight, July 14, for LivelyLands Summer Sun Sets. It’s their first appearance on the LivelyLands stage, but won’t be their last. A to Z Music are Zinnia Dungjen and Audrey Mason, multi-faceted instrumentalists and vocalists. They are currently attending Interlochen Arts Academy and majoring in Singer-Songwriting. Dungjen and Mason both live in Leelanau County and perform music all throughout the County.

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Glen Arbor Art Fair returns July 17

The Glen Lake Woman’s Club holds their 52nd annual Art Fair on Wednesday, July 17, from 10 am-4 pm. The Art Fair features artists carefully selected to represent a wide variety of one-of-a-kind art pieces for sale at the Glen Arbor Township Hall. The Art Fair highlights artists in many mediums including pottery, painting, textiles, woodworking, and jewelry. Each year, thousands of people shop for that unique piece of art, either for themselves or for a special gift.

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Lively family’s NeighborFood Market opens to public

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Food, folks, farm and fun—plus a festival or two. Those are all part of the plan at the Lively Farm, a.k.a. Backyard Burdickville, f.k.a. the Eagles property on M-72 just east of Empire. Lively NeighborFood Market is set to debut Memorial Day weekend, pending any surprises with the buildout or weather. The brainchild of Jim and Kelly Lively is the latest addition to the property, which has also served as home to the LivelyLands music festival and the Lively Farm, a CSA farm.

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Photographing the Glen Arbor Fourth of July parade

St. Louis, Missouri, resident Jacob Kurtz shared his photographs taken in Glen Haven, where the 2024 Fourth of July parade lined up before departing for Glen Arbor.

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Swimming all five Great Lakes in one day

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The Niagara Escarpment rises from the Earth east of Rochester, New York. It extends over 650 miles across the top of the Great Lakes basin to Lake Michigan’s western limits on Wisconsin’s shore. The escarpment’s defining feature is its dolomite limestone, dating back to the Silurian age of the Paleozoic era. It has aged well. That’s where we, four northern Michigan men, enter the story, searching for adventure to help us age just as gracefully. Steve Nance, Evan Smith, Timothy Young, and I set off to follow the Niagara and challenge ourselves to swim in each of the five great lakes on the longest day of the year, June 20, the summer solstice.

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Paddling for Beryl

Sleeping Bear Surf family and friends celebrated the inaugural Beryl Days on June 28 with a paddleout from the Empire lighthouse. Some carried flowers in their teeth and in their hair. The event honored Beryl Skrocki, who passed in October 2022. Photo by Beth Price

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Mulebone returns to northern Michigan

Rootsy blues duo Mulebone—guitarist/vocalist Hugh Pool and flutist John Ragusa—knows the area well. “Glen Arbor is beautiful and holds a special place for Hugh and I,” says John Ragusa, citing the band’s many shows at the Manitou Music Festival. This year the duo’s annual mini-tour includes shows in Leland, Traverse City, Elberta and an appearance at Music in the Park in Northport. Mulebone’s music is an amalgam of country, blues and everything in-between. While it’s mostly originals, they may sneak in a piece by Reverend Gary Davis or Doc Watson. “We cover songs that are traditional blues, folk and country. Hugh writes virtually all the original material,” Ragusa says.

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