The Leland Chamber of Commerce proudly announces the return of the 2025 Leland Wine & Food Festival—a celebration of wine, flavor, and community on the shores of Lake Michigan—set against the spectacular backdrop of Leland Harbor on Saturday, June 14. Last year’s event was canceled. This highly anticipated summer tradition brings together the best of Northern Michigan’s wines, craft beers, and gourmet cuisine in one unforgettable lakeside experience.
Jane Rapin, a community nutrition instructor with Michigan State University Extension, offered a food demonstration that featured fresh asparagus and quinoa salad earlier this spring at Leelanau Christian Neighbors’ food pantry in Lake Leelanau. May and early June are asparagus season in northwest Michigan, and LCN received a donation of locally grown stalks. “It was very well received. People were inspired by it,” said Rapin. “We did a short presentation about why this is nutritious and how cook with it. It’s important that we reach people who may not be familiar with asparagus.” Rapin’s work at the food pantry and other Leelanau locations including Northport high school and the Benodjenh tribal Head Start preschool in Peshawbestown is funded by the Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program, or commonly known as SNAP-Ed. The national nutrition education program is slated for elimination under the budget bill passed on May 22 by a single vote by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. The Senate will pass its own bill in the coming weeks.
Everyone has an “origin story” for how their family arrived, found, or landed in this area, writes Rebecca G Carlson in this first installment in our series on the history of Leelanau County resorts and getaways. Which category does your family fall into: Campers? Resorters? Hotel guests? Fishing trips? Connections to the area? In the following editions of the Sun, Carlson will highlight local resorts such as Fountain Point, The Jolli Lodge, The Leelanau Country Inn (now the Little Traverse Inn), Perrins Landing, Sunset Lodge, and other vacation destinations that attracted many voyagers to the area.
When Tim Barr walked out of Art’s Tavern late on Saturday night, it represented the final time he closed Glen Arbor’s iconic establishment as its owner. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Barb and Paul Olson will officially become Art’s fourth owners since Prohibition. The storied venue will reopen on Wednesday. “The first question people have asked me is ‘Will you take credit cards?’ Nope. ‘Will you change anything?’ Nope,” Paul Olson told the Sun. Everything will remain: the pennants on the walls and ceiling, the Christmas decorations, the retractable pool table, the shot ski. All of it. It’s been so much fun to tell people who get Art’s that we’re buying it. The people who get the history, the special place it is. Art’s is an iconic restaurant. I just want to be its steward.” Read more about Art’s history and previous owners Tim Barr and Bonnie Nescot’s legacy in Glen Arbor.
Get ready to indulge during the 11th annual Glen Lake Restaurant Week. From casual bites to gourmet dining, participating locations will feature specials or a prix-fixe menu that highlight the best of the local culinary scene. Whether you’re craving comfort food, fresh ingredients, exquisite drinks, or an elevated dining experience, there’s something for every palate. Some may also offer breakfast, lunch and dinner specials in accordance with their own hours and offerings. For special menus and the full lineup of participating businesses, click here.
Our story series celebrating songs inspired by Leelanau County and the Sleeping Bear Dunes continues with Seth Bernard’s “Manitou,” an instrumental that he wrote in June 2019 during a residency sponsored by the Old Art Building in Leland. “I wrote this simple piece on acoustic guitar looking out over the islands near Van’s Beach around sundown,” said Bernard. “It’s a little magic carpet ride to that peaceful, serene, early summer Leelanau sunset vibe. Bernard returns to the Old Art Building on April 24 at 7 pm for an Earth Week-themed concert.
As many as 4,000 demonstrators rallied at the Traverse City Governmental Center on Saturday, April 5, as part of nationwide “Hands Off” protests to oppose the Trump administration’s aggressive policies on trade tariffs, cuts to social services, health programs and National Parks, and threats against immigrants and free speech. Hundreds more protested along state highways in towns including Benzonia and Suttons Bay. Huge crowds at the “Hands Off” rallies suggested that the resistance to Trump’s policies has awoken.
How can Leelanau County ensure that its places, spaces, and services are designed for people of all abilities, including those born with a disability and those facing physical challenges over time? That question will be front and center at a public forum titled “Universally Accessible Leelanau?” which the League of Women Voters of Leelanau County will hold on Wednesday, April 2, at noon at the Leelanau County Government Center on M-204 between Lake Leelanau and Suttons Bay.
Our coverage in 2024 featured crimes, celebrities, cool new businesses, and an homage to the now removed Crystal River culverts. Our top 10 most-read stories included: a manhunt in the National Lakeshore; the search for a black bear that broke into Grocers Daughter Chocolate and devoured a 50-pound bag of sugar; Jerry Seinfeld’s movie “Unfrosted” about Pop-Tart man Bill Post, and the Twin Flames Universe cult’s secretive wedding in Traverse City. Thanks for your readership. We look forward to sharing more stories of Leelanau County events, characters, businesses, and the arts in 2025. Here’s the list of our Top 10 stories by online views in 2024.
Click here to read digital versions of our 2025 editions of the Glen Arbor Sun. We’ll publish monthly during the shoulders seasons and every other week between May and Labor Day.