During one extraordinary week in August 2015, the sounds that dominated our town were the whirr of winds and the ugly crack of trees, followed by the buzz of chainsaws, the hum of generators, and the cheering and car honking as Consumers Power trucks and linemen rolled into town like a liberating army.
Cherry Republic employee Andrew Moore found more than radiant fall colors and beachgrass on a walk in the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes earlier this fall. He came across shards of clay that appear to be specimens of Native American pottery from long before the white man landed in the Americas.
A “Bay to Bay” hiking, paddling and camping trail proposed for the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore has generated excitement among local business owners and recreation enthusiasts but also attracted significant opposition from private property landowners who live near the trail’s potential route. Staff at the National Lakeshore have subsequently slowed planning for the Bay to Bay Trail initiative. They extended the public comment period by an extra month this fall, and have drawn out the project’s scoping phase until next summer.
Bob Sutherland has had quite the year. On March 6, the Cherry Republic CEO hiked from Pyramid Point across frozen Lake Michigan to North Manitou Island (16 miles round trip). This month, Sutherland’s company Cherry Republic—Glen Arbor’s largest employer and a poster child of the Northern Michigan tourism industry—celebrates its 25th anniversary with a party in Glen Arbor on July 25-26.
The scenic putt-putt golf course and play area on Oak Street in Glen Arbor is open once again. Gone is The River at Crystal Bend, and taking its place after a quiet 2013 is Dale’s Glen Arbor. The venue is named after the late Dale Sutherland, a principle at Glen Lake School, pillar of the community, husband of Mary, and father of Bob (Cherry Republic), Matt (Foreword Reviews magazine, The Box in Traverse City), Tim (local tennis guru), Mike (now The River Traverse City) and Paul (Financial & Investment Management Group). Dale’s, which is now owned by Paul, will specialize in putt-putt golf, Crystal River tube rentals and Moomers ice cream.
Check out this great video from Detroit Public Television’s traveling “Under the Radar” series. You can stream the owners of Cherry Republic and Art’s Tavern, the Deputy Superintendent of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and Glen Arbor artists Becky Thatcher and Beth Bricker into your homes, thus satisfying your wanderlust.
Does Glen Arbor truly embrace bikers? These citizens on two wheels represent a growing share of our tourism pie, as northern Michigan appeals to both recreational and athletic bikers. They represent an active lifestyle that fits our outdoor attractions like a glove; they don’t clog roads or parking lots; they don’t consume fossil fuels and pollute our air, and their leisurely pace makes them ideal targets to visit and financially support our shops, galleries and eateries.
Phase One of the Heritage Trail, a paved, 10-foot-wide multi-use trail, which runs from the Dune Climb to Glen Arbor, is the first leg of what supporters envision will one day be a 27-mile trail from the Leelanau-Benzie County Line running north to Good Harbor Bay. Though it has been operational for over a month, the Heritage Trail’s official grand opening is scheduled for June 20 at 1:30 p.m. at the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb.
This winter will feature open skating on a new rink in Glen Arbor. Located in the Lake Street Woods (behind Leelanau Coffee Roasting and the Cottage Book Shop), the 40′ x 60′ sheet of ice will be open to skaters of all age.
Ever since Wednesday, August 17, Northern Michiganders have both embraced and grappled with the news that the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and surrounding region are considered the “most beautiful place in America” — at least according to 22 percent of 100,000 voters who participated in the ABC show Good Morning America’s online competition the second week of August.