Beach “hardening” has begun, and a ramp has been formed to build a beach wall and rock riprap along a private Lake Michigan property on Storm Hill, south of Empire public beach and north of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s Empire Bluff.
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Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 10, and this year is going to look different from years past. Families won’t be visiting from downstate, favorite restaurants will be closed for Mother’s Day brunch. While it is easy to focus on the disappointments of the current situation, Mel & Fell catering and meal delivery service in Empire hopes to offer some joy in the midst of it, the new venture stated in a media release.
Empire resident Mae Stier has released a collection of writing and photography highlighting the region in her self-published book Lake Letters.
The first weekend of October marks the sixth annual Hops & Harvest Festival in Empire. Each fall the Empire Chamber of Commerce hosts the festival to celebrate the harvest season with local food, beer, and music on Front Street. Tickets to the event are $25 for adults, which includes a commemorative Hops & Harvest Festival glass and drink ticket. Children 16 and under are free.
At the Empire Hill Climb on Saturday, Sept. 14, look for cars sporting the blue Thompson Racing Fabrication (TRF) logo as they zoom up Wilco Road. This is the sixth annual race in downtown Empire (it took place from 1964 until 1980 before taking a 34-year hiatus). Runs begin at 10 a.m. and conclude at 5:30 p.m.
Back in the late 1950’s the Empire Volunteer Fire Department was called to fight a fire at the township hall on Front Street. The fire station at that time was located kitty-corner across the street. A siren mounted at the fire station blared loudly. A loosely defined group of volunteer firefighters assembled quickly. Two ancient (circa 1917-1919) Seagrave fire trucks were driven out into the street. The old trucks had wooden wheels with rubber tires that were chain-driven. The trucks had been purchased from Saginaw Township, complete with old, worn-out cotton fire hoses.
Among the biggest stories of 2019 has been attempts by dollar stores to gain a foothold in Leelanau County. Zoning regulations and citizen opposition in Kasson Township stopped a bid in Maple City this spring; then Empire instituted a 6-month moratorium on new commercial development on July 17 to prevent a contractor that works with Dollar General from purchasing land in the village.
If you have been to the Empire Village Inn in the last two years, you have likely noticed some changes. The menu has been revamped, the beer menu has expanded, and the bar has been rebuilt, all thanks to the newest general manager, Riley Scott, who was hired by owner Frank Lerchen in the fall of 2017. Scott had been working in the restaurant industry in Grand Rapids, and moved north when offered a management position to help make some changes to the establishment.
The topic of housing in Leelanau County––and the lack of affordable housing––is one that seems to come up often for those who live here. Among my peers––entrepreneurs and workers in their late-20s to early-30s––housing discussions are often filled with a bit of discouragement.
Empire will host its annual Anchor Day celebration on Saturday, July 20. It is a day of fun for the whole family, put on by the Empire Area Community Center. The event commemorates the raising of the now-famous anchor from Lake Michigan in July 1977.