On Aug. 9, the Beach Bards bonfire rounds out its 25th season of by-heart storytelling, poetry and music. The festival is held every Friday night from mid-June until early August at The Leelanau School beach one mile north of Glen Arbor. Children’s hour begins at 8 p.m. with slapstick, sing-along performer James “ Fuzz” Foster and the occasional appearance by Cherry Republic president Bob Sutherland.
The next Empire Area Community Emergency Fund Concert will be held on Sunday, July 28 from 4-6 p.m. at the Empire Township Hall. This event will pay tribute to the “Wanderer” the late hobo poet Clive W. Haswell, and will feature a performance by the Beach Bards with musical guests Norm Wheeler, Chris Skellenger, Patrick Niemisto and friends.
On Tuesday, July 16, at 7:30 p.m. the Beach Bards will present a House Concert performed by Claudia Schmidt and Dean Magraw at the Happy Place Lodge (Gerry and Charol Shiffman’s home) at 10120 W Phillips St in the Village of Empire.
Don’t miss the next Empire Area Community Center benefit concert on Sunday, April 28 from 4-6 p.m. at Art’s Tavern in Glen Arbor. Local folk musician Jim Crockett will perform in tandem with The Beach Bards poetry troupe. Click here to learn more about the Empire Area Community Center’s philanthropy toward locals in need.
The Michigan Writers, started in 2001 by a group of area scribes (including Norm Wheeler, Joe VanderMeulen, Bronwyn Jones, and others), initially focused on collaborating to help each other improve their work and get published. But the roots of what would become a thriving regional writing network can be found in a small yet vibrant publication, founded around 1996 by Empire poet, essayist, playwright and teacher Anne-Marie Oomen.
Don’t miss this special evening, as the Beach Bards welcome longtime Michigan musician Claudia Schmidt and her Minneapolis friend Dean Magraw for a house concert at “The Happy Place Lodge” — aka. Gerry Shiffman’s house in Empire (10120 W. Phillips St.) — at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 7.