On the Summer Solstice, Friday, June 21 at 7 p.m., the Cuban salsa band Grupo Aye will perform on the banks of the Crystal River at the Leelanau School, north of Glen Arbor. After entertaining an enthusiastic crowd of all ages there last June, Grupo Aye will return this year to “Rock the River”.
Local restaurateurs and northern Michigan breweries will show off their best as Glen Arbor kicks off the summer season with the annual BBQ & Brew Festival on Saturday, June 15 from 2 until 8 p.m.
The Summer Singers, sponsored by the Glen Arbor Art Association, are looking for new singers to join the group. The choir of 60 plus singers under the direction of Northport resident, Patrick Kuhl, rehearses every Tuesday beginning June 18 from 7-9 p.m. at the Glen Lake Reformed Church in Burdickville. A concert, part of the Manitou Music Festival, will be held Tuesday, August 13. There are no auditions. All are welcome. For more information, call Karen at (231) 334-3730.
It goes without saying that Glen Arbor and Empire have no shortage of gift shops. So when Carolyn Brown opened Imagine That Eclectic Art and Gifts in April of 2003, she wanted to ensure her store was different.
Award-wining Michigan brothers, Jack and Dave Dempsey, have teamed up to write Ink Trails, a literary trip around the state of well-known and sometimes obscure authors introducing the breath of their works accomplishments. Sharing their discoveries and how the Michigan landscape helped shape their writing leads to a greater appreciation. Benzie authors Bruce Catton and Gwen Frostic and Glenn Ruggles of Antrim County are included along with Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg, Arthur Miller, Robert Traver, James Oliver Curwood and Jane Kenyon. The Dempseys will visit the Cottage Book Shop in Glen Arbor on Saturday, June 15 at 2 p.m. to share their journey and findings. Other books by Dave include William. G. Millikan, Waters of Michigan, Great Lakes for Sale and by Jack, Michigan and the Civil War.
“This year, I focused on being faster on the bike, and it paid off,” said Jeff Smoke, who won this year’s M-22 Challenge after relinquishing the gold medal last year to Denny Paull. Smoke, 35 of Buchanan, Mich., who kayaked on the 2004 U.S. Olympic team, won the popular Leelanau County triathlon in 2011. On June 8, Smoke regained his victor’s stride, and broke the course record with a time of 1:11:23.
The annual M-22 Challenge will lurch out of the starting gates at the Little Glen Lake Picnic Area on M-109 for the fifth time on Saturday, June 8, at 9 a.m. This unique and popular “up north” triathlon will feature a record 900 athletes this year — running 2.5 miles including a sprint up the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb, biking 17 miles around the Glen Lakes, and paddling 2.5 miles in Little Glen Lake. Athletes will include Keri Pawielski, who will compete for her fifth consecutive M-22 Challenge trophy, and Denny Paull, who has twice won the overall mens division once again.
The Glen Arbor Art Association (GAAA) has announced this year’s Manitou Music Festival lineup of musicians. The highlight will be this year’s Dune CLimb concert, on Sunday, July 14, featuring the Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra.
Photographer Jim Jacoby of Livonia, begins his artist-in-residency with the Glen Arbor Art Association June 2. Jacoby will focus on the region’s special natural features — from the dunes in pre-dawn and dusk hours to other ecosystems off the beaten path.
What services are imperative for a small town like Glen Arbor? How about a grocery store, a hardware store, a gas station and an active Chamber of Commerce. Check three of four for Jeff and Georgia Gietzen, the Grand Rapids transplants who acquired Northwoods Hardware three years ago (and became sole owners in 2011), who have also become Chamber leaders, and this spring bought the gas station just north of town. Northwoods Filling Station now boasts vintage 1950s signage, sells gasoline and quick bites, and most importantly stays open 7 days a week, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. That’s a big improvement over having to drive to Empire or Maple City for petrol.