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.
The Empire Village Council will hold a special meeting on July 17 to consider a moratorium on processing any zoning permit. Midwest V, which frequently leases its buildings to Dollar General, approached an Empire landowner with a purchase offer to acquire six acres in a mixed use, commercial-residential district of Empire.
Here are winners of this year’s 2019 Empire Asparagus Festival poetry contest.
Here are winners of this year’s 2019 Empire Asparagus Festival recipe contest
When I ask Skip Harriger of Empire what driveway on his route is the most difficult to plow, he doesn’t hesitate. “YOURS!”
The idea of opening a small market in Empire dawned on Mae Stier last spring after Deering’s Market closed. Shuttered was a lifeblood business in this close-knit town. For decades, community members had come to Deering’s to buy food and daily provisions, to cross paths and interact.
Steve and Jennifer Nowicki opened Shipwreck Cafe in June of 2017. They wanted to bring a new, alternative dining choice to Empire, the Gateway to the Sleeping Bear Dunes. Together with their daughters, Hannah (18) and Rebecca (15), they are proud of the reputation they are building of delicious food, in a friendly family atmosphere.
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.
Visit the Empire Airport on Saturday, Jan. 12, for the fourth Annual Empire Snowmobile Drag Race / Roy Taghon Memorial. The airport is located at 13264 S Benzonia Trail (CR-677), several miles east of Empire. The day-long even features a beer tent, live music, and fast sleds.