An idea born in Suttons Bay has spread across the state. In just 10 years, Kara Gregory’s PoWeR! Book Bags program has grown from concept to some 130 sites in more than one third of Michigan’s counties. It has distributed more than 750,000 books and 120,000 PoWeR! Literacy Bags.
Glen Arbor earned the designation of Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation in late February. A small, but persistent, group of local business owners and residents decided that it was time to ensure Glen Arbor’s recognition of trees as being crucial to the natural beauty of the small town’s scenic corridor/backdrop and the globally rare ecology of the surrounding Glen Lake and Crystal River watersheds. They worked for over a year to gain community support and build a coalition, the Glen Arbor Beautification committee (GAB), and meet the standards of the Arbor Day Foundation.
Leelanau Christian Neighbors announced today the expansion of its retail operations with a second Samaritans’ Closet thrift store, located in Empire. This new location aims to better serve the residents and visitors of the west side of Leelanau County, providing easier access to affordable goods and a convenient local donation center. LCN has officially signed the lease and is currently in the process of renovating the facility to create a welcoming shopping and donation experience. The organization expects to begin accepting community donations in mid-May. If renovations stay on track, LCN aims to host a grand opening and be fully operational by Memorial Day weekend, providing a fresh shopping destination just in time for the start of the summer season.
Remembering a near-death experience on frozen Lake Michigan. It was Super Bowl Sunday of 1984, and the carefree 15-year-old girls wanted to find ice caves. Karen Gros and Bobbi Boos, students at the Leelanau School north of Glen Arbor, walked onto frozen Sleeping Bear Bay in search of tunnels and mammoth formations they expected to find on Lake Michigan. The girls suddenly found themselves on a chunk of ice that broke off from the pack and began floating away from the shore. Suddenly, the ice on which they stood began to disintegrate into smaller chunks.
Locals know a secret about Leelanau County winters. The season lends reprieve from chaos, re-rooting and grounding us after the busy, crowded summer season. Having this sacred place to ourselves for a fleeting moment allows for deeper camaraderie and connection to place. Tandem Ciders co-owners Dan Young and Nikki Rothwell have hosted a wassail celebration at their tasting room on Setterbo Road north of Suttons Bay since 2009, offering an opportunity for locals to connect with each other under the constellations in the depths of Leelanau’s winter. At Tandem Cider’s 16th annual wassail celebration, buoyant echoes of raucous partiers standing around a bonfire are somehow harmonious with the silence that vibrates from the black, night sky of deep winter. A collection of familiar faces represents a community slow to change, slow to grow, until the Covid migration occurred. These are faces that connect our past to this place we call home.
Our story series celebrating songs inspired by Leelanau County and the Sleeping Bear Dunes continues with The Accidentals’ ballad “Michigan and Again”—a love song for the band’s home state. The song’s music video features footage of the Sleeping Bear Dunes along Lake Michigan. “I started writing ‘Michigan and Again’ in the backseat of the van when I was probably 19 or 20 years old,” band member Sav Madigan told the Sun. “I remember thinking to myself, ‘Great state, what state am I in?’ and writing that down in a little notebook I always kept in my jacket. A few minutes later I thought, ‘Michigan and again and again and again and again …’ and realized that the two lines kind of rhymed.
In an effort to restore dignity and fight the growing crisis of food insecurity, a local nonprofit is employing a radical yet compassionate approach: No Questions Asked. At the heart of their mission is the simple, irrefutable idea that everyone deserves to eat, without judgment or bureaucracy. By easing those barriers and societal stigma, 5Loaves2Fish hopes to not only nourish bodies but also challenge long-held perceptions of the homeless and food insecure populations, reminding the community that humanity begins with empathy. Founders Michelle and Bill White meet people in need where they are, both literally and figuratively, through 5Loaves2Fish’s uniquely mobile food outreach organization. On Aug. 12, the nonprofit is hosting its fourth annual Big Change Equals Big Change Fundraiser, an evening promising inspiration and impact. Set at the bucolic Dune Bird Winery in Northport, this event draws community members together in support of an objective that goes beyond food: a reminder that no one is invisible.
When a family member or neighbor shares the news of a cancer diagnosis, we try to be helpful in any way we can. Medical personnel help with treatment plans and insurance can help with the cost of care, but what about other costs that don’t go away during recovery? The nonprofit Leelanau County Cancer Foundation recognizes that challenge and is ready to offer help when it’s needed. About 15 years ago, a group of community members began addressing the financial needs of patients with cancer, and in 2016, the Leelanau County Cancer Foundation was formed as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The all-volunteer board of directors consists of committed people who bring their personal and professional skills to their Leelanau neighbors.
The last jar of last June’s strawberry jam rests empty on my kitchen counter, clotted and sticky. David looks sad. The dog hangs his head as though scolded though he had nothing to do with the quandary we face, writes Anne-Marie Oomen. It was purely luck that last summer’s strawberry jam made it from last solstice to this one. That jam is holy, that jam is winter survival, that jam is antidote to cloud laden days when sunlight is veiled in some stratospheric turbulence the size of Jupiter. That rosy jam spread thick on brown bread reminds us that light does exist. I lick the rim of the jar. Clearly, the succulence that saves us must be replenished.
The M22 Challenge, which takes place June 14, has been voted as one of the best endurance events in northern Michigan. The run, bike, paddle event takes place in the heart of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, making for a beautiful backdrop while racing. The 900-participant race is sold out.