For Melanie and Tim Griffith, the past few years have seen growth in their catering and meal prep/delivery service Mel and Fell. The COVID-19 pandemic helped spur the food delivery side even as it devastated their event catering business. But just as they were hitting their stride, Tim suffered an injury, which they are now recovering from. “I banged my head and got a brain bleed,” he says. As a result, they cut back on some of their larger events to concentrate on their meal preparation business. And as their business continues to grow, they are working with a renewed appreciation for what they have and what they can bring to the table. “We’re doing good,” says Mel.

Detroit native Pam Baad—pictured here jogging up the Lake Michigan Overlook at Pierce Stocking Drive—was named women’s “champignon” of the 2021 Bordulac Attack. The informal race is organized by the Bordulac family, includes six segments in and around Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and must be completed between June 15 and Halloween. Anyone can form a team or compete solo on any given day by using the Strava mobile app.

Nedra Glover Tawwab wants people to know that positive changes in relationships are possible, even if those around you don’t want to revise their behavior. That’s what her new book, Drama Free: A Guide to Managing Unhealthy Family Relationships is about. The National Writers Series will host her at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 21 the City Opera House and via livestream. Her first book, Set Boundaries, Find Peace became an instant New York Times bestseller.

The Congregational Summer Assembly (CSA) will host its annual Arts and Crafts Fair on Wednesday, July 26, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine, on the Assembly Ball Field, M-22 at Crystal Lake.

The Northport Arts Association (NAA) will continue its annual Plein Air event originated by Gene Rantz in 2013. Rantz gathered artists to Northport each year through 2021. What started out small has grown each year and now includes 49 artists coming to paint. With permission of Rantz’s family, the event is named “Gene Rantz Memorial Plein Air Paint Out”. Join the NAA on the weekend of July 22 and help honor Rantz’s legacy.

The Glen Lake Community Library in Empire will host Michael Brennan, author of the limited edition chapbook River Sacred: Uncovering the Crystal on Thursday, July 20 at 7 pm. His book is the result of a decades-long connection with the Crystal River, and explores the delicate natural balance and beauty of this unique ecosystem. Then on Wednesday, July 26, at 6 pm the library will host Katherine Reay, author of the newly published A Shadow in Moscow.

“My first foray onto the shoreline of South Manitou Island as a volunteer lighthouse keeper for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore became one of my gladdest moments in life,” writes volunteer lighthouse keeper Jonathan Schechter in this essay featured in our July 13 edition of the Sun. “It remains so today, and now, after six tours of duty at that historic 1871 lighthouse overlooking the often-stormy Manitou Passage of Lake Michigan, I reflect on how it all came to be and already look forward to next year. And I will share three confessions.” Read the story for Schechter’s confessions.

Soon after Jason and Jennifer Mott Paupore, their children and dog embarked in their 2006 Galaxie Deck boat on Saturday, July 15 for an early evening of tubing, they accelerated and heard a sudden bang and a pop from the boat’s engine. Jason saw smoke and flames coming out of the engine. He used the fire extinguisher to attempt to put out the fire, but it didn’t help. “We couldn’t stop the fire, so we hopped in the lake and let the boat burn,” said Jason. Conor McCahill, owner of On the Narrows Marina, pulled up to the burning vessel, hopped on board and took Pepper onto his own boat, “like a hero running into a burning building,” said Jason. “A huge ‘thank you’ to the Glen Lake Fire Department, the sheriff’s office, the McCahills both for their work on the water and their hospitality when they got us back to shore, and to everybody on Glen Lake who came by and offered to help!”

The Friends of the Leelanau Township Library Summer Writers’ Series this year examines the theme, “Social Justice: Past, Present, and Future.” All events are held at 7 pm at the beautiful Willowbrook Mill in Northport. The series’ second event on July 18 will feature Glen Arbor Sun editor and author Jacob Wheeler whose book, “Angel of the Garbage Dump: How Hanley Denning Changed the World, One Child at a Time,” is required reading for anyone who feels the call to serve humanity through social justice.

This year marks the 51st annual Glen Lake Woman’s Club Art Fair, a juried Art Fair with 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—to be held at the Glen Arbor Township Hall on Wednesday, July 19, from 10 am to 4 pm—features artisans 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.