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Glen Lake Community Library hosts presentations on birds, dunes

The Glen Lake Library in Empire will host a presentation by photographer and birding expert Wayne Pope on Thursday, Oct. 5. He’ll share his new book Birds of Michigan: Notable Species Volume 1, a collection of photographs, natural history notes, personal observations and even poems. The Glen Lake Library will host photographer Rich Ackerman on Tuesday, Oct. 7. His new book The Dunes of Lake Michigan’s Eastern Shore is the result of a lifetime of photographing towering perch dunes, marshes and fens, forests, plants and wildlife.

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Glen Lake Library hosts “By the Sea”

The Glen Lake Library will host art lecturer Linda Young on Tuesday, Sept. 12, for an illustrated talk entitled “By the Sea,” highlighting works by 19th and 20th century artists. Her “arm chair traveler” program will cover paintings from around the globe including the Arctic “Sea of Ice.” Denmark coast, the Mediterranean, the eastern seaboard of the US, and the Caribbean.

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Glen Arbor cemetery holds memorial ceremony, library presentation

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The fourth annual Glen Arbor Cemetery Memorial Ceremony, commemorating the nearly lost site, will be held at 10 am on Friday, May 26. John Sawyer of Traverse City will deliver a eulogy detailing the life of one of the four Civil War veterans buried at the cemetery, James Lawrence Green. And on Wednesday, May 24, the Glen Lake Community Library in Empire will host a presentation about the history of the Glen Arbor Township Cemetery, which served the Glen Lake area from 1880-1927, and the renewed effort to reclaim this long-neglected resting place. Last week, ground penetrating radar revealed an additional mass grave of more than 50 bodies buried at the cemetery sometime between the late 1800s and early 1900s. This cemetery in the woods off Forest Haven Road, west of downtown Glen Arbor, was nearly lost to history before Glen Arbor Township regained control over it from the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore after the big storm of August 2015. Click on the story to watch a narrated video tour of the cemetery.

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African harp “kora” returns to Empire

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It’s a long way from Empire to Africa. Metaphorically speaking, it’s also a long way from clarinet to the 21-string African harp called the kora. Sean Gaskell has taken both journeys, and he will return to the Glen Lake Community Library on Monday, May 15, where he’ll play the kora, sing and tell stories in the tradition of the griots (kora masters).

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Glen Lake Library hosts Inland Seas

Visit the Glen Lake Community Library in Empire on Feb. 23 at 7 pm to learn about the environmental health of our Great Lakes in a presentation by the Inland Seas Education Association. ISEA staff will describe the various monitoring activities they perform during their excursions on Grand Traverse Bay, and demonstrate some of the specialized equipment they use in this work. You can also learn about the various volunteer opportunities available with this dynamic local organization.

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Cherry Republic giving campaign highlights climate change, local housing

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Cherry Republic’s 31 Days of Giving annual campaign, which runs through December. Throughout the past decade, the Glen Arbor-based company has provided grants to dozens of well-deserving organizations—“from loyal stewards of our climate to big-hearted groups that care for our neighbors who need a bit of a hand up during difficult times,” the company wrote in a news release. We caught up with Sara Harding, Cherry Republic’s vice president of climate and community impact, to learn more about the giving campaign.

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Cottage Book Shop: a perfect gig for this English major

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In early October last year, I stopped by the iconic Cottage Book Shop in Glen Arbor to introduce myself—a local author whose book is carried there—and to sign copies. Entering the historic log cabin is literally a mood-altering experience. The open door beckons bookworms young and old. Inside, it’s chockful of books and sundry novelties, its walls notably displaying color-popping Greg Sobran prints of area landmarks. Indeed, Cottage Book Shop is the epitome of cozy.

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How to enjoy a family day with kids in Empire

How is Empire still Empire? It’s one of the main hubs for the Sleeping Bear Dunes, it has epic beaches, and it’s right along one of the most beautiful stretches of road in the entire region. Yet, the town of Empire remains solidly quaint, comfortable, and relaxed. Sure, the crowds come through, and the beaches get busy, but the town simply swells with the ebb and flow, and returns to its steadfast self. There have been small additions with big, positive impacts over the years, but it’s truly remarkable how Empire has stayed a classic northern Michigan beach town. And for families with kids, it’s a place where they can be active, get dirty, and start fostering those uniquely vibrant lakeside memories.

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Friends of Glen Lake Library hold Home Tour

On July 28, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., the Friends of the Glen Lake Community Library hold their biennial Home Tour featuring six beautiful area homes. The cost is $25 per person. Proceeds will support the purchase of general and special collections, fund programs for children, teens, and adults, fund special purchases at the request of the Library Director and Library Board, and sponsor the sale of used books inside the Library and outdoors at “pop-up” sales. Here are descriptions of those six homes featured on this year’s Home Tour.

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Glen Lake Library opens community exhibit with “On the Precipice”

The light and inviting new Glen Lake Community Library, which opened in Empire in September 2020 during the height of the COVID pandemic, will host its first public exhibit and opening reception on Tuesday, June 29, from 6-7 p.m. for a show called “On the Precipice” which pairs 10 pastel paintings and 10 poems written in response to those paintings. The painter is Glen Arbor resident Linda Alice Dewey, and the poet is Empire resident Anne-Marie Oomen.

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