fishtown preservation society

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Meet the Fishtown Family

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When most people think of Fishtown, they probably picture the busy thrill of excited summer crowds enjoying Cheese Shop sandwiches, submersed in the authentic atmosphere of a historic commercial fishing village. But Abby Chatfield thinks of a sweet moment there last December, with businesses closed for the season and only a handful of locals gathered around under the falling snow, watching her children and those of other Fishtown retailers circle around a giant red button as they anticipated the honor of pushing it to light up the shanty rooftops, together, in a legendary holiday light display. Each child was honored with a key to Fishtown, inviting them to become the future caretakers of this place that many consider to be the heart of Leland. Fishtown faces numerous challenges today, including threats to its tax-exempt status from powerbrokers new to the community, and the lack of regular commercial ferry service this year to the Manitou Islands. As such, Leland residents are reflecting on what makes Fishtown special and important to their town.

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Leland Planning Commission rejects Youth for Christ’s application for Lighthouse ministry in Fishtown

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Following months of deliberation and impassioned public hearings, the Leland Planning Commission tonight rejected Apollos Properties’ special use permit application for a Youth for Christ “Lighthouse” ministry in Fishtown. In so doing, the Commission sided with findings-of-fact from outside attorney Tom Grier that found grounds to deny the special use permit. Conversely, Grier—an attorney with Running Wise & Ford—also prepared a separate document that offered the Commission a path to approve the ministry. The apparently dueling reports seemed to give the Commission defensible legal ground in the event that  Apollos’ owner Jim VanSteenhouse, known as the “Bear Man,” appeals the decision or sues the Township. Much of the debate centered around whether a Youth for Christ ministry could qualify as a “club” allowed in Leland’s C-1 business district. Grier’s analysis that opposed a special use permit concluded that “private clubs, meeting halls, churches and religious institutions are not allowed as permitted or special land uses in the C-1 district.”

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Bear Man’s lawyer questions Fishtown’s tax-exempt status, escalating Youth for Christ battle in Leland

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Business owners, local parents, and the Fishtown Preservation Society oppose Apollos Properties’ and Youth for Christ’s contentious bid for a special land use permit to create a youth ministry in a building they own in the heart of Leland’s business district. Now Youth for Christ is striking back and elevating the legal stakes of this battle playing out in a small Leelanau County town but with potential implications far beyond Northern Michigan. On March 10, Timothy White, an attorney with the Parker Harvey law firm, sent a letter on behalf of their client, Apollos owner Jim VanSteenhouse, to the Leland Township assessor and board of review. That letter questioned the charitable tax-exempt status of the Fishtown Preservation Society in the town’s historic district of fish shanties. The district includes VanSteenhouse’s property at at 110 North Lake St. where Youth for Christ wants a ministry.

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Fishtown Preservation presents “Fishtown in Lights”

This holiday season Fishtown Preservation Society is lighting the rooftops of Leland’s Historic Fishtown with strings of white lights. FPS has scheduled a lighting event on Friday, December 12, starting at 5 p.m. in Fishtown, Leland, with the rooftop lights being turned on for the first time that night at 5:30. The light display will continue nightly from Dec. 12 through Jan. 5, 5-10 p.m. The lights will also be on every morning from 5-8 a.m. for those who enjoy an early morning winter stroll.

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Fishtown Preservation lands headquarters in Leland’s Van Raalte House

The Fishtown Preservation Society has announced the successful purchase of the John and Janice Van Raalte House and surrounding property at 101 South Lake Street, adjacent to Historic Fishtown in Leland. This landmark addition preserves a vital piece of the Leland riverfront and provides FPS with its long-sought permanent home to sustain and grow its preservation mission. Fishtown Preservation invites everyone who treasures Fishtown to join in support of this project and to share in this encompassing vision for Fishtown’s future. The goal is to complete fundraising by the end of October and begin renovation work before the end of this year, and for FPS to move into its new home by late in 2026.

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Leland Fishtown’s past, present, and the woman guiding its future

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Leland’s Fishtown is riding high these days, turning the corner on three years of shanty lifts and other reconstruction efforts imperative to preserving the future of this historic landmark as lake levels rise. This year has brought recognition on multiple levels, earning Fishtown a spot on the National Register of Historic Places and the Michigan Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation.

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Rising water sets off alarm, forces cancellation of Shanty Aid benefit event

Safety issues due to rising waters has forced Leland’s Fishtown Preservation Society (FPS) to cancel its June 21 “Shanty Aid” kickoff fundraiser. Ironically, the event was to be a benefit to save Fishtown from rising water. Meanwhile, the water continues to rise, threatening shanties and docks.

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Fishtown Preservation meets financial milestone, adds a rooftop heart

The Fishtown Preservation Society (FPS) in Leland is honoring a milestone in early 2019, when, after 12 years, the nonprofit organization becomes debt-free. FPS has scheduled a celebration on Thursday, Feb. 14, from 5:45-6 p.m. in Fishtown, the same day that the organization makes the final payment for its Fishtown property with a $789,600 balloon payment.

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Friends of Fishtown hold Fishtown 5K

The Friends of Fishtown celebrate the 10th year of the annual Fishtown 5K on Saturday, July 21, at 9 a.m. In honor of this they’ve declared 2018 “The Year of the Tug.” In addition to the usual medals given at the 5K, specific medals will be given for best fish tug costumes as well as the first three tugs to cross the finish line.

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