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Carrying her own backpack: daughter of global activist, Stella Young joins On the Ground
Dispatch from Afar, Local PersonalityThe message from Timothy Young to his six-year-old daughter Stella was clear: you’ll carry your own backpack, throughout the trip. About that he was adamant. The trip was to Chiapas, Mexico, in 2007 to meet rural coffee-growing communities which Higher Grounds Trading Co. supported through the Chiapas Water Project. That journey has now come full circle. A year after she graduated from Kalamazoo College, the 2018 Glen Lake School graduate recently became director of development for On the Ground, the international nonprofit co-founded in 2010 by her father and Higher Grounds owner Chris Treter. The organization has supported coffee farmers in Chiapas, Ethiopia and the Congo, and olive farmers in the Palestinian West Bank. On the Ground will host a party and fundraiser on Thursday, Oct. 12, at The Alluvion at Commongrounds in Traverse City.
Rex Dobson Ruby Ellen Farm connects community with history
Business FeatureThe first time I noticed the Ruby Ellen Farm on South Center Highway in Bingham Township seemed like I had discovered a treasure but also a scenario that caused me suspicion, writes Abby Chatfield. Would a landowner really invite the public to hike on their private land by posting a hand painted sign at the intersection of their farmhouse’s driveway and the highway, advertising Hiking Trail Entrance? It took me a while to find the courage to stop there, because for some reason the movie Bates Motel kept coming to mind.
Sheldon plans 18-hole putting course for Glen Arbor next spring
Business Feature, NewsMike Sheldon, the longtime CEO of Deutsch advertising agency in Los Angeles and a Lake Leelanau resident since 2017, has broken ground on an 18-hole putting and dining destination at the former River at Crystal Bend in Glen Arbor—where the Crystal River turns and heads northeast toward The Homestead and Sleeping Bear Bay. He received a conditional Land Use Permit last night from the Glen Arbor Township Planning Commission and hopes to open the venue to the public next spring. The destination will bring even more action to the east side of town, where Crystal River Outfitters, the Cyclery, the M22 Store and Coastal already draw crowds. Less than a mile away, the renovated Mill has generated buzz since it opened this spring.
Glen Lake Community Library hosts presentations on birds, dunes
Upcoming EventThe Glen Lake Library in Empire will host a presentation by photographer and birding expert Wayne Pope on Thursday, Oct. 5. He’ll share his new book Birds of Michigan: Notable Species Volume 1, a collection of photographs, natural history notes, personal observations and even poems. The Glen Lake Library will host photographer Rich Ackerman on Tuesday, Oct. 7. His new book The Dunes of Lake Michigan’s Eastern Shore is the result of a lifetime of photographing towering perch dunes, marshes and fens, forests, plants and wildlife.
Gilchrist Farm winery tasting room opens in Suttons Bay
Business FeatureA long-awaited wine tasting room, which also features small plates and seasonal dinners in downtown Suttons Bay, opened Sept. 1. Gilchrist’s tasting room will offer a selection of whites, reds, and frozen beverages. In addition to their wine menu, Gilchrist’s culinary team has developed a seasonal menu of 7-9 small plates that will rotate with the seasons and highlight local produce with a balance of creativity and simplicity.
Shady Lane Cellars holds Celebrate Harvest Pig Roast
Business Feature, Upcoming EventShady Lane Cellars plans to celebrate the harvest season in Suttons Bay style. This year, the estate winery will welcome crowds to a Celebrate Harvest Pig Roast on Sunday, Oct. 1, from 2-6 pm. Chef Larry Burdek of Traverse City’s Chef’s Pride Catering will prepare a succulent roasted pig and serve a full menu made to pair with Shady Lane Cellars wines. The estate winery’s 150 acres of rolling hills will serve as a backdrop to live music and the high-octane rockabilly sounds of Delilah DeWylde.
The Mill launches Supper Club this Fall
Business Feature, Food/Organic Living, NewsThe Mill in Glen Arbor will launch its long anticipated restaurant this fall in the historic Braemmer flour mill on the Crystal River. The Mill announced its Supper Club on Instagram today with 12 dates between mid-October and mid-December. According to Kelsey Duda, owner of Fernhaus Studios, which manages The Mill, supper club tickets will start at $75 per person.
John Houdek’s legacy in Leelanau County
Historical FeatureJohn Houdek arrived in the Leelanau area in the 1860s with wife Barbara and brother Wenzel, all from Bohemia, writes Rebecca Carlson in the latest installment in her series about the legacy of Leelanau farming families. The brothers settled and homesteaded in the area north of Leland and south of the Gills Pier Saw Mill, owning around 400 acres of land, according to the 1880 plat map. The farms and acreage of these two brothers got passed down through the next three generations. John and his wife Barbara were parents to nine children who became integral parts to the family farm and Gills Pier community.
“Fragile, bold, resilient”—Poppy Things celebrates four years in Suttons Bay
Business Feature, Local PersonalityPoppy flowers look so fragile, with flame-colored, papery petals held high on wiry stems. Yet these bold beauties are surprisingly resilient as well, returning each spring to delight the eye in garden and field. Just so with Poppy Things, the brand and eponymous boutique, which will be celebrating four years in Suttons Bay this autumn. Chelsey Sawallich Skowronski, creator of Poppy Things, knew she wanted to be an artist from a young age. She describes her delighted discovery at age 12 of an abandoned farmhouse near her family’s Centerville Township farm: “I had never seen poppies before; they were glowing against the weathered siding. From [then on], I knew. It’s something I’ve always loved.”
Row-by-Row fundraiser supports local food security
Upcoming EventA fundraising event is planned for long-time local non-profit Row-by-Row (formerly Buckets of Rain) at Broomstack Kitchen & Taphouse in Maple City on Sunday, Sept. 24. Festivities run from 3 to 6 pm and include food, a silent auction, live music by the Dune Brothers and a tribute to the music of Gordon Lightfoot by Paul Koss, Patrick Niemisto and Chris Skellenger. Row-by-Row has been involved in food security in northern Michigan, Detroit, Guatemala, and several parts of Africa since 2007. The majority of their efforts in recent years focus on providing fresh, locally grown vegetables to area pantries and shelters via Northern Michigan Food Rescue.