On June 7, actor Ramón Rodríguez was Leelanau School’s youngest ever commencement speaker—by far—and perhaps the one most likely to connect with the senior class, many of whom already knew him on television and on social media. In May, the New York Times wrote of Rodríguez’s “rakish good looks”; a couple days before returning to Glen Arbor he appeared on Conan, and agreed to send more ladies Conan’s way if the late-night talk show host would help the actor get more followers on Twitter.
Northport resident Michael Huey has written a new book, Straight as the Pine, Sturdy as the Oak, a history of Camp Leelanau for Boys, the Leelanau School, and the Homestead resort, from their inception in 1921 until 1963. These institutions shaped Glen Arbor during the 20th century, and continue today. The publisher is Vienna, Austria-based Schlebrügge. The 500-page hardcover book, which includes 300 vintage images, will soon be available for purchase at the Cottage Bookshop in Glen Arbor.
On Aug. 9, the Beach Bards bonfire rounds out its 25th season of by-heart storytelling, poetry and music. The festival is held every Friday night from mid-June until early August at The Leelanau School beach one mile north of Glen Arbor. Children’s hour begins at 8 p.m. with slapstick, sing-along performer James “ Fuzz” Foster and the occasional appearance by Cherry Republic president Bob Sutherland.
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”.
The People and the Olive, a feature-length documentary about the daily joys and struggles of Palestinian olive farmers living under the occupation, and last year’s Run Across Palestine (an initiative of the Traverse City-based nonprofit On the Ground, which supports fair-trade farmers around the world), will show at The Leelanau School north of Glen Arbor on Tuesday, May 7, from 2-4 p.m. The event is free, and the public are invited to attend. The film was created by Traverse City filmmaker Aaron Dennis and journalist Jacob Wheeler (founding editor of the Glen Arbor Sun). Wheeler will attend and take part in a question-and-answer session following the screening.
When the US Army Corps of Engineers measured Lake Michigan and Lake Huron water levels at the end of December, they discovered that the depth had receded to 576.15 feet above sea level — breaking the record for the previous all-time-low of 576.2 feet set in 1964. That’s not a record to celebrate. Numbers are complex and difficult to comprehend. But beaches along Sleeping Bear Bay offered more clarity, and sobering clarity at that. The shoreline has receded substantially from previous years, leaving behind a hard, rocky surface in places, and prompting widespread alarm.
The Michigan Writers, started in 2001 by a group of area scribes (including Norm Wheeler, Joe VanderMeulen, Bronwyn Jones, and others), initially focused on collaborating to help each other improve their work and get published. But the roots of what would become a thriving regional writing network can be found in a small yet vibrant publication, founded around 1996 by Empire poet, essayist, playwright and teacher Anne-Marie Oomen.
Ayaka Ogawa has no idea why she went to her grandmother’s house that day. Her mother was there, maybe that’s why. Usually after school she went home to the house where she lived with her parents, her older sister, and her other grandparents. This was in the small town of Hakozaki-cho, a village of 300 with bus service only three times a day. It is near Kamaiishi City, in the Iwate Prefecture, in the state of Tohoku, Japan.
“What’s the most amazing thing you’ve ever seen with this telescope?” asks a visitor to the Leelanau School’s Lanphier Observatory. My stock answer is another question: “You mean in the sky, or on the beach?”
Glen Arbor and Empire farmers’ markets offer much more than you might imagine. For starters, each sells the best berry ever to top a shortcake. And that’s just on opening day. Glowing beneath market canopies during my visit in mid-June are plump, sweet strawberries. Quarts and quarts of them in their cute, cardboard suits.