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Mark your calendars. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is thrilled to announce the return of the popular Star Party and Solar Viewing events. Join park rangers and astronomers from the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at the Dune Climb parking lot Saturday, July 13, from 9-11 pm. Rangers will provide information on preserving dark skies, and GTAS will have telescopes set up for visitors to enjoy.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is the “star” of another autumn night sky event; October 21 marks the 49th anniversary of the establishment of the National Lakeshore.

Bumpus and their powerful brand of soul music will rock the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb at the next Manitou Music series concert on Sunday, July 14, at 7 pm.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore announced on Saturday, Jan. 12, that areas of the park will once again be accessible to visitors in the coming days, despite the continued federal government shutdown. The Park will use revenues generated by recreation fees. However, the Empire visitor center, ranger talks and programs will remain unavailable until the government re-opens.

Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trails, Inc. is a proud partner of the seventh annual Dune Dash, a 4-mile run/walk along the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail on Saturday, Aug. 18, at 9 a.m. at the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb. Registration is open at DuneDash.com. Registration ranges from $20-$30 per person based on age and prices go up $5 after Aug. 16.

More than 900 athletes came out to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore early Saturday morning to participate in the ninth annual M22 Challenge. Nicholas Amato, 20, of Suttons Bay, was the first in the men’s group to cross the finish line at a time of 1:15:06, with Jamie Endicott, 24, of Oak Park, securing the top honor among the women with a time of 1:26:46.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 12-13, from 10 p.m.-5 a.m., Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is offering a special Star Party at the Dune Climb. A special all-nighter is planned as our planet passes through the heart of the Perseids. The sliver of a moon provides the perfect opportunity to find deep sky objects in a very dark sky. The meteor shower peaks around 2 a.m. Don’t forget to bring a blanket to make your sky viewing more comfortable. Please park in the row furthest from the dunes with headlights facing M-109.

The Sleeping Bear Dunes are alive in many ways — in folklore and legend, in plant and animal life, and, beginning in the late 1990s, with music. The first of many mid-July concerts staged at the Dune Climb took place on July 19, 1998. The idea was spawned by Crispin Campbell, cellist and Interlochen Arts Academy instructor since 1980.

The 17th annual Dune Climb concert will take place Sunday, July 12 at 7 p.m. Imagine a beautiful summer’s evening at the foot of the Dune Climb in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, hundreds of families enjoying their pre-concert picnics and then a musical program provided by artists of national stature: this is the magical mixture which has filled audiences with warm memories every year since the first Dune Climb concert in 1998. The setting is magnificent and the music is even better. The concert at the Dune Climb is presented annually by the Glen Arbor Art Association and is free to the public. Because of the unique venue and incomparable music it routinely draws a large audience.

The sky is the limit at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Join Park Rangers and astronomers from the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS) on Saturday, May 23 at the Dune Climb. On this day, two events offer opportunities to view the sky.