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Flying Pride Flag all year long
Business FeatureThough Gay Pride month—commonly celebrated in June—is over, some businesses continue to fly their pride flag. They include Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate in Empire, who posted on social media on June 30, “We choose to fly the progress pride flag every day of the year” despite some angry backlash from customers who oppose the rainbow flag.” Response to Grocer’s Daughter’s statement on social media (Facebook and Instagram) has been overwhelmingly (almost exclusively) supportive.
Fighting Climate Change, one solar array at a time
Investigative Article, NewsMichigan Attorney General Dana Nessel met with local business owners and nonprofit leaders at the solar array on the corner of M-72 and Bugai Rd in southeastern Leelanau County on Friday, July 7. Nessel said that renewable energy generators such as this solar array are an important tool to combat man-made climate change, which has affected Michigan in recent years in the form of rainstorms and flooding, heat waves, toxic algal blooms, rapidly fluctuating Lake Michigan water levels and beach erosion, and more ticks and tick-borne diseases. Warmer and shorter winters have also put northern Michigan’s cherished cherry crop at risk, and smoke from Canadian wildfires has polluted the air across the Midwest this spring and summer. “Climate change is real,” said Nessel. “And if you didn’t believe it before, you ought to start believing it now.” Under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and a Democratic-led state legislature, Michigan’s climate plan to wean utilities and industry off fossil fuels and coal- and gas-fired power plants is among the most ambitious nationwide.
Anchor Day returns to Empire
Upcoming EventEmpire celebrates Anchor Day each year on the third Saturday in July—this year on July 15—with a parade down Front Street, a pop-up book sale at the library, a chicken dinner at the town hall, and an evening street dance with live music. The party is now sponsored by The Empire Area Community Center. This unique, small-town celebration commemorates the raising of an anchor from the depths of Lake Michigan in July 1977.
Yoga on the beach
Upcoming EventAmy Hubbell leads Yoga on the Beach sessions every Friday morning at 10 a.m. throughout the summer at the Sleeping Bear Point Coast Guard Station Maritime Museum near Glen Haven. To join, all you need is a beach towel, water, and some sunscreen to enjoy this gentle all-level class. This is a donation-based class that provides funds to projects within the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The suggested donation is $10 per class.
Inland Seas newest schooner, Alliance, arrives in Suttons Bay
Upcoming EventThe Inland Seas Education Association (ISEA) will welcome the schooner Alliance when she arrives in West Grand Traverse Bay following a month-long, 3,000-mile voyage from Georgetown, Maryland. Alliance’s arrival in Suttons Bay is scheduled for Friday, July 14, around 4 pm. The public is invited to witness the arrival and welcome her to her new port. The acquisition of Alliance, a 105-foot, three-masted schooner was in response to the growing demand for ISEA’s programming across the Great Lakes. “The addition of the Schooner Alliance to the ISEA Schoolship fleet marks a pivotal moment in the history of our organization and the future stewardship of the Great Lakes,” said ISEA executive director Fred Sitkins.
Dana Boomer, HANDDS to the rescue
Business Feature, Local PersonalityDana Boomer is a pure Leelanau “local.” Born and raised along M-72 in the little valley between Fritz and Gilbert Roads on her family’s fruit farm, Boomer went to Glen Lake School part-time and was homeschooled part-time. “Six years ago, I started fostering dogs for ‘HANDDS to the Rescue.’ It is a network of dog-fosterers run by a diverse board in people’s own homes, there’s no central kennel. All of the dogs go to foster homes so that we can see their personalities in order to find the right family to adopt them,” said Boomer, who is also the Kasson Township Clerk.
Left-handed gigging throughout Leelanau
Local PersonalityLeelanau County has a vivacious music scene all summer, that continues into the spring and fall months. Whether they are buskers in Glen Arbor, performers at restaurants in Northport, or concerts at The Old Art Building in Leland, the county is filled with talented musicians who love to share their art with the public. Blake Elliott is a local musician who plays a variety of music spanning from jazz and blues to old fashioned country and folk in Leelanau County. She makes her living by playing gigs all around northern Michigan, and entertains audiences nearly every single day in the summer. In the winter, Elliott is an instructor in the songwriting department at Interlochen Arts Academy, and continues to play music professionally full time.
Popps among backbone of Leelanau farmers
Historical FeaturePart four of Rebecca Carlson’s Leelanau Farming Family Series features the Popp family. In the early 1980s, Richard Popp and family enter our Orchard Log Books. Like clockwork, late July or early August, the Popp family would appear at our orchard to harvest our tart cherries. The Popp family members would arrive early in the morning driving trucks, tractors, and the shaker to the orchard. My dad and aunt would get excited with all the activity beginning the tart cherry harvest.
Essential workers, earthquakes, and a chef’s support
Business Feature, Dispatch from Afar, Local PersonalityRandy Chamberlain is well-known as an innovative chef. His experience at multiple restaurants around the region led to his establishing the fine dining experience, Blu, on the water in Glen Arbor. Running a successful restaurant requires a dedicated staff. Like virtually every other restaurant, the Chamberlains have scrambled to find enough workers. They eventually opted to hire foreign workers to make up for the shortfall, much like others before them in the hospitality industry. One of those workers, Süleyman Kanal, returned to his home in Turkey after working at both Boonedocks and Blu last summer, with plans to come back to work here this summer. But the massive earthquake that struck his home country in February changed everything. “His father is a furniture maker, and his shop was gone. Their home was gone. They had to dig through the rubble for mementos.” said Chamberlain, who began a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the Kanal family. Click here to read the story and for a link to the campaign.
Harry Goldson Memorial JazzFest honors late jazz extraordinaire
Local Personality, Upcoming EventTo know Harry Goldson was to know a man who truly “marched to his own tune” both professionally and in his personal life. On Saturday, July 8, from 1-9 pm, the Suttons Bay JazzFest will honor the memory of Harry under the Big Tent at Marina Park in Suttons Bay. The Harry Goldson Memorial JazzFest will celebrate the legacy Harry brought to American Classic Jazz with talented musicians who played with him. These include internationally acclaimed jazz pianist, composer, and producer Bob James, who headlines the event, along with Steve Sandner & Friends, the Jeff Haas Trio, David Chown Combo. The Interlochen Student Jazz Band will lead off the event.