Posts

Moar Than Us on the Water

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Julie Bennett, who has Glen Arbor roots, plans to row 2,800 miles across Pacific Ocean. “We know it takes a whole community of people to get us on the water,” said Bennett, as she prepares to take on the World’s Toughest Row next summer—a 2,800 mile trek over 50 days across the mid-Pacific Ocean from Monterey, Calif., to Kauai, Hawaii. Bennett will become the first woman in Michigan to make this Pacific Ocean journey where she will bring along her crewmates. She is proud to represent Leelanau County, her Christian school in Grand Rapids, and the greater rowing community.

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Glen Arbor Arts Center launches creative wellness month in September

The Glen Arbor Arts Center is proud to introduce Creative Wellness Month, a new, expanded initiative launching this September. A month-long series of art, movement, mindfulness, and community programs designed to support well-being and inspire reflection, renewal, and creative exploration. Building on their former Creative Wellness Retreat, this reimagined, month-long series invites participants to slow down, reflect, and reconnect through visual arts, writing, movement, meditation, and nature-based practices. Program offerings will take place at both the Glen Arbor Arts Center and the GAAC Ceramics Studio at historic Thoreson Farm, part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

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Take the challenge. Run faster than the bear

Join the Glen Arbor Women’s Club for a fun-filled day at the “Running Bear 5K Run/Walk & ½ Mile Kids Run” on Tuesday, July 22. Come out and take the challenge as the run continues for its 18th year. The chip-timed race is a favorite with the community and visitors.

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Glen Arbor Arts Center celebrates Youth Plein Air Month

The Glen Arbor Arts Center is celebrating Youth Plein Air Month this July with a month-long initiative to inspire young artists and honor Glen Arbor’s rich history of plein air painting. Free Youth Plein Air Art Kits are available all month long at the Glen Arbor Arts Center. Each kit includes everything a young artist needs to head outside and start painting. Over 30 kits have already been checked out by young artists eager to explore plein air painting. Kits are free and available all month at the Glen Arbor Arts Center. Learn more at GlenArborArt.org or 231-334-6112.

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When ‘Anything Goes’ dries up

“Over the past 62 years, Glen Arbor’s Fourth of July parade has become well-known for its ‘anything goes’ spirit. This approach is a point of local pride for many, encouraging the patriotic participation that has transformed a small-town procession into a northern Michigan tradition unlike any other,” writes Trace St. Julian in this op-ed for the Sun. “However, in 2023, the Glen Arbor Township Board broke away from the ‘anything goes’ tradition, announcing a ‘no water’ rule that bans long-time parade hallmarks of ‘water guns, blasters, balloons, bottles, or other water items.’ Fast forward to 2025—the water ban is still in effect, and the Township Board appears more determined than ever to enforce it.”

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Keeping tradition: Ricker’s black Cadillac leads Glen Arbor Fourth of July Parade

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Ed Ricker has driven the grand marshal in Glen Arbor’s Fourth of July parade in his iconic 1976 black Cadillac for decades. This year, Glen Arbor Township has bestowed the honor of grand marshal on Ricker, himself. The owner of Glen Lodge, pride of Miami University (Ohio) and longtime fixture at Art’s Tavern, passed away under tragic circumstances last November. Ricker was 95. Former Art’s owner Tim Barr will drive the Cadillac; Ricker’s daughter, Glen Lake Chamber president Darci will ride next to him.

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Glen Arbor Arts Center presents Youth Plein Air month in July

Throughout July, the Glen Arbor Arts Center’s new Youth Plein Air Month will invite children ages 6–12 to step outside, paint in the open air, and capture the signature landscapes and buildings of Leelanau County. “Youth Plein Air Month is intended to nurture confidence and creativity by taking art making outside the classroom,” said Scott Bouma, executive director of GAAC.

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Cottage Book Shop celebrates 40 years with author signing

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The Cottage Book Shop in Glen Arbor, which Jenny Puvogel acquired last year, will celebrate its 40th birthday with an author signing on Saturday, June 28, from 5-7 pm. “We will have several local authors signing books under the tent outside—some new books, some older books­—and some light refreshments,” said Puvogel. The author lineup includes: Sue Boucher (Sleeping Bear Dunes Day), M Christine Byron (Perfect Omena Day), Bryan Gruley (Bitter Frost), Mark Lindsay (The Soul of Sleeping Bear), Tim Mulherin (This Magnetic North), Steve Reddicliffe (The New York Times Essential Book of Cocktails), Kit Robey (The Sleeping Bear Wakes Up), Barbara Siepker (Historic Cottages of Glen Lake) and more.

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Glen Arbor Arts Center hosts Late Night Fridays

The Glen Arbor Arts Center is keeping the lights on a little longer on Friday nights. Late Night Fridays and Manitou Music bring the B-Side Growlers back to the GAAC Front Porch on June 27, 5-7 pm. This “tradition-inspired, toe-tapping fired” acoustic trio from Grand Rapids plays a plein air concert of blues, jazz and country. Bring a chair and refreshments.

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Remembering Suzanne Wilson’s creative mission: Friday night summer art openings resume at Lake Street Studios

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To know the history of the arts in Glen Arbor is to know Suzanne Wilson. A venerated artist and pillar of the community, Suzanne had the singular ability to translate Leelanau’s land, light, and water into work that felt both intimate and expansive. But perhaps more significantly, Suzanne did not simply depict Leelanau’s landscape—she transformed its cultural fabric. In the early 1990s, Suzanne began organizing Friday night art openings at Lake Street Studio’s Center Gallery, the public-facing component of her studio. The summer 2025 season of Center Gallery opens on June 27 with Joan Richmond, a Traverse City-based artist best known for her luminous landscapes.

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