The nonprofit Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes works with the management and staff of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to plan and implement projects that the National Park Service is unable to do because of limited budget or staff. This year has been a banner year in terms of volunteer hours and funds provided to the Park, reports Friends of the Sleeping Bear.
Spend your Thanksgiving weekend in Glen Arbor, where the town is busy preparing for a family-friendly weekend with numerous activities. Beat that turkey-induced urge to sleep, and rise early on Friday, Nov. 23, for the annual Pajama Party from 5-7 a.m. Many merchants open their doors and offer discounts on clothing, gourmet food, household decor, children’s items, art and jewelry. Patrons are encouraged to wear their pajamas while shopping around Glen Arbor for holiday gifts.
After a successful inaugural year, the Glen Arbor Art Association will begin its second season of Readers Theater with “The 39 Steps”, a fast-paced thriller about spies, secrets, murder and mayhem directed by Teddy House and featuring an all local cast. The adaption of the Alfred Hitchcock story is slated for Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. with a Sunday matinee, Dec. 2 at 3 p.m.
Local diver, filmmaker and author Ross Richardson has solved one local mystery — the location of the steamship Rescue, which owner Ralph Dorsey intentionally sank in Big Glen Lake 98 years ago. But the reason why Dorsey destroyed his boat is known only by the lake, and Dorsey’s ghost, leaving folklore to play a guessing game.
Leelanau County property owners looking to rent their homes each summer have a new alternative, thanks to Northland Vacation Rentals, a new Glen Arbor-based business.
Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation Trails, Inc. is pleased to announce that the Traverse City Track Club issued a $25,000 challenge match for the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. The trail campaign has a goal to raise $200,000 to begin constructing the next four-mile segment from the Dune Climb to Empire in 2013. There will be a bonus of $5,000 if the goal is met before December 31.
Check out this great video from Detroit Public Television’s traveling “Under the Radar” series. You can stream the owners of Cherry Republic and Art’s Tavern, the Deputy Superintendent of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and Glen Arbor artists Becky Thatcher and Beth Bricker into your homes, thus satisfying your wanderlust.
Detroit-based photographer, Susan Tusa, will be the upcoming Artist-in-Residence at the Glen Arbor Art Association (GAAA). She has been documenting “everything imaginable in and around Detroit” for 30 years. Tusa was a staff photographer for the Detroit Free Press for 22 years. Her wide array of subjects include, fashion in Italy, food, prostitutes, Cuban car culture, wedding celebrations, Detroit cityscapes, snowscapes, flowers and more. Tusa looks forward to “turning her camera to the natural world and more personal art photography” while she is in Glen Arbor.
Glen Arbor’s tennis courts are getting a facelift. Molly Connolly took this photo on Monday, Oct. 8, and reports that, despite the rain, the crew was out working again the following day.
Most painters stick with the tried and true: the pigments that are affordable and familiar. But to break into new expressive territory an artist needs to experiment with the unfamiliar. By providing the colors most of us do not even think to use, the workshop allows painters to explore colors in a playful two-day workshop focused on exploring the possibilities in the unfamiliar. Four unique palettes will be provided, allowing you to explore interesting possibilities inherent in pigments such as quinacradone rose, indanthrene blue, bismuth vanadate yellow, and ultramarine violet, as well as others. In addition to color theory, we will play with brushwork and composition in order to let the hues sing. The class is ideal for experienced painters who want to push into new territory. Bring brushes, palette, and water bucket. Fee includes paint. Registrations must be received by Oct. 5.