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When I was a young girl, my father and I would get breakfast some mornings at The Foothills Cafe, writes Abigail Webster. It was a special thing we would do. My father and I have polar opposite interests so he made it important we find things to do just the two of us. I always remember those trips fondly. And that includes the good food. We hadn’t been in some years, so I wanted to go and see how the place was doing. I looked around the cafe. The place I knew when I was a child. It was mostly the same: the light green walls with white trim, and the red door frame. One new thing was some photos on the wall. There was one of a man sitting in a chair. And another looking the same. The two men used to be regulars at Foothills Cafe. They have now passed away. Shari, the owner who took over full control of the Foothills early this year, knew them. She even told me what their orders were.

Leelanau’s newest market will host its grand opening celebration this weekend on Friday, Aug. 9, and Saturday, Aug. 10. The Lively NeighborFood Market is co-located with  Backyard Burdickville Campground, formerly the Empire Eagle’s Campground, and features local produce, meat, dairy, prepared food, flowers and gifts. The market opened in July, and this weekend they invite the public to stop in for shopping, special events, and opportunities to connect.

Trattoria Funistrada was started in 2000 by owners Tom & Holly Reay, after they located the perfect property for an Italian Restaurant in Burdickville. The building Funistrada resides in has an almost 100 year history of food service.

La Becasse serves authentic French country fare in Burdickville in Leelanau County. The restaurant is a mere 30-minute scenic drive west of Traverse City, situated between Glen Arbor, Empire and Maple City.

When Kasson township was organized in 1865, it was named in honor of Pam Peplinski’s great-great grandfather, and its eldest resident, Kasson Freeman, Jr., who was then 46. Many years later, the annual “Old Settlers Picnic,” held at the beginning of each August in Burdickville at Old Settlers Park, originally commemorated Kasson Freeman’s Aug. 3 birthday, which was coincidentally also the date our first white settlers, Mr. and Mrs. John E. Fisher, landed on Leelanau’s coast in 1854. They decided to celebrate with a picnic, then made it an annual affair.

The 126th Old Settlers Picnic, marking its 125th anniversary (never count the day you were born) will be held Aug. 5 at 10 a.m. Lunch will be served by the Masonic Lodge includes baked beans, corn on the cob, dessert, bun with beef and coffee or lemonade for $10 per person. Service in the chapel will be at 10:30.

By Jacob Wheeler Sun editor When Gary Cozette and Joe Lada climb the ladder to the roof of their “Tower House” in Burdickville, they behold a breathtaking view of the Glen Lakes, with the Sleeping Bear Dunes and Lake Michigan in the distance. In their immediate foreground is an array of recently installed, cutting-edge solar […]

Retirement is an interpretive experience. For one guy it might mean a pastured life. For another, there’s the Tom Van Zoeren School of Retirement: Not! A former ranger with the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (SBDNL), Van Zoeren’s post-professional life is a blueprint of engaged, purposeful work.

In advance of Glen Lake Restaurant Week, May 1-9, we reached out to Trattoria Funistrada to ask our local chefs what excites them about this culinary opportunity before the local tourism season kicks into gear.

The Foothills Café in Burdickville began a “Pay It Forward” Initiative this past summer, collecting over $2,200 in donations. This money has been designated to help stock the shelves of a couple local food banks and to promote a Karma Kitchen. Come to the Foothills on Saturday, Feb. 21, between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. for breakfast, free of charge. Visitors will have the option to “Pay It Forward” for 2015.