Posts

Manitou Music Festival’s Dune Climb concert returns July 12

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.

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Find Your Park After Dark: experience the night sky at Sleeping Bear

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.

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Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail enjoys best snow conditions of season

Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes’ Kerry Kelly reports that the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail enjoys its best ski conditions of the 2014-15 season, following a grooming on Feb. 4. About three inches of new snow had fallen over the last couple of days and the groomer crew was out on the trail with the roller to build more base.

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U.S. Olympian Jeff Smoke retains M-22 Challenge title

Jeff Smoke, 35 of Buchanan, Mich., is not a newcomer to the M-22 Challenge, the podium or paddle triathlons. Smoke kayaked on the 2004 U.S. Olympic team and took first place at the 2011 and 2013 M-22 Challenge. In past years Smoke has dominated the paddle portion of the race and this is where he would win the event. However, in 2014 he picked up his cycling pace, which proved to make the ultimate difference for him, as Denny Paull was only one second off Smoke’s paddle time. Paull, the 2010 and 2012 winner, came into the transition area from the run well ahead of Smoke, but lost valuable time to Smoke on the bike portion of the race. Paull finished second overall.

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Riding the new Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail

Glen Arbor Sun editor Jacob Wheeler took a spin Thursday evening on the newly completed Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail section between the Dune Climb and Empire. It’s a beautiful, hilly ride! Along the way, he interviewed Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Deputy Superintendent Tom Ulrich and Duneswood Resort owner Debbie Rettke, about how this leg of the trail differs from the Dune Climb-to-Glen Arbor leg, what the expanded trail means for the National Park, and for local biking in general, and how folks have reacted to it so far. Check out this video.

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Experience the night sky at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

As darkness falls on Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the glorious night sky becomes visible. You can enjoy special night sky experiences at the National Lakeshore this year through a series of monthly astronomy programs from now through October. Join Park Rangers and the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS) for guided explorations of the night sky and even a few daytime events as well. The next Star Party is Friday, May 9, 9-11 p.m., at Platte River Point.

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National Lakeshore to expand multi-use trails

Heritage Trail grows; Kettles, Bay-to-Bay, mountain biking trails on tap? By Jacob Wheeler Sun editor Over the next couple years, the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore could vastly expand its network, and range, of trails. By July, the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail will expand south, from the Dune Climb to Empire, allowing bicyclists, rollerbladers, wheelchair-bound […]

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Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail Ready for Cross-Country Skiing

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Kerry Kelly, chairman of the board at Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes, reports on December 22 that new overnight snow has enabled the nonprofit to groom the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail for both classic and cross-country skate skiing.

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Sleeping Bear awakens as U.S. government re-opens

What effect did closing of Park have on local economy? By Jacob Wheeler Sun editor Connie Bohlinger of Macomb County, Mich., and Linda Jones of Fort Myers, Fla., laughed as they descended the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb Thursday afternoon, kicking one foot in front of the other to avoid tumbling forward into its sugary sands. […]

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Sleeping Bear slumbers under federal government shutdown

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The federal government shutdown early this morning — forced by the Republican-led House of Representatives who oppose the Affordable Care Act — prompted the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and National Parks across the nation, to lock their gates. The timing here in Glen Arbor is highly unfortunate, as it threatens to stunt our growing shoulder tourism season.

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