The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department issued a public health advisory on Wednesday, Aug. 13, following an equipment failure during routine maintenance that resulted in the release of raw sewage into Lake Leelanau at the Lake Leelanau DNR Boat Ramp East on East Bingham Road.
“To come once is to linger, and the next year to come again,” said Albert Meafoy, Fountain Point’s second owner. As someone who used to beg my parents to go to the Alpine Slide on a daily basis to feed my inner-speed demon, writes Rebecca Carlson, part-owner and co-general manager of Fountain Point Resort, Theo Early, mentioned having a water slide at the resort on the same idea as the toboggan run at The Alpine Slide. The Fountain Point Resort water slide operated from the 1930s until the 1990s. Built on the shores of Lake Leelanau, it was a combination toboggan run that slides into the water—genius! I would have asked my parents to move in permanently to Fountain Point Resort. As Theo and I walked the property, he pointed to where the water slide was located. Sadly, insurance liability issues ended those days of reckless fun. Insurance companies are party poopers. I vote to re-instate the “Water-Chute” of Fountain Point.
Customer service is important to Tony West. So too is history, making sure that the area’s residents and accomplishments are recognized. And food: don’t forget good food. Put that all together with a career spent in hospitality and you get West’s new restaurant, Locals Lake Leelanau, which is already generating buzz.
The Leelanau Historical Society proudly presents “Lake Leelanau, Spirit of the Lake,” a captivating documentary that dives into the history and nostalgia of Lake Leelanau—a cherished body of water in Leelanau County. The film will screen on Jan. 28 at 7 pm at The Alluvion, located on the second floor of the Commongrounds Building in Traverse City. Pre-sale tickets cost $12, or $15 at the door. Produced by the Leelanau Historical Society and directed by Keith Patterson of Manitou Films, this film is a heartfelt tribute to the lake’s enduring legacy. The film is a recipient of a 2024 State History Award from the Historical Society of Michigan.
Hayward Draper, the author of The Colony: The history, families, society, architecture, and economics of a 1908 traditional American Cottage Row will give a presentation at Fountain Point Resort on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 4 pm. This presentation is hosted by the Leelanau Historical Society in collaboration with Fountain Point Resort. Copies of Draper’s book will be available at the event.
Numerous retail changes are taking shape in Leland and Lake Leelanau, but a handful of new businesses are creating quite a buzz this summer. Leland welcomes two new lifestyle boutiques, a locally designed clothing line, and a yoga/Pilates studio, while Lake Leelanau is home to a new consignment store. Click here to read about River Studio, Leelanau Goods, Goodness on Main, and Evergreen Consignment.
The Lake Leelanau Community Association (LLCA) announced the 11th annual Lake Leelanau Holiday Arts and Crafts Show to be held at St. Mary’s School in Lake Leelanau on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 10 am to 3 pm. St. Mary’s school is located at 303 St. Mary Street, just off M204 (Duck Lake Road) in the heart of Lake Leelanau with plenty of parking adjacent to the building.
Thanksgiving is rapidly, and happily, descending upon Leelanau County. While it is, indeed, a most joyous season, it also has its challenges. Among them: travel logistics, family dynamics, and, most notably, victuals. To assuage those seemingly epic holiday anxieties is Kate Vilter Stassen’s Peninsula Provisions, a wine and gourmet shop which opened earlier this year in the village of Lake Leelanau. For Thanksgiving, as well as Christmas, Stassen and head chef Brad Roth will offer all the ancillary—yet essential—components of a holiday meal.
Peninsula Housing, the Leelanau County-based community land trust, has announced the acquisition of a duplex rental property on St. Joseph St. in Lake Leelanau, purchased with the help of a loan from Housing North as part of a pilot rental preservation program. The tenants will be able to remain at their present below market rates, even though Peninsula Housing paid market price for the property.
The Schaub name, now ubiquitous on the peninsula, begins to appear on plat maps for Leelanau County in 1881, writes Rebecca Carlson in this second installment in a series about the legacy and impact of Leelanau County farming families. According to relatives of Marv and Edie, the Schaubs arrived from Germany landing at either the Fox or Manitou Islands before moving to the Leelanau Peninsula. These immigrants worked the lumber camps on these islands, made money and then proceeded on to the peninsula. The Homestead Act of 1862 opened the opportunity for these immigrants to own land, prosper, and raise their families. A family member stated the early Schaub settlers brought grapevines with them to plant for their first crops; later, potatoes and cherry trees were added to the farm produce.