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Honoring migrant farmworker graduates and their families

High school graduations typically celebrate the students. But a special ceremony held by Northwest Education Services (NES) at Creekside School in the Grand Traverse Commons on June 21 honored not just local migrant farmworker graduates but also their hardworking families. A page on the foldout printed program declared ¡Sí se pudo! “Yes they could” with a silhouette of graduates in caps and gowns tossing their tassels overlaying a scene of an apple orchard. Ellos creyeron que podían, así que lo hicieron. “They believed they could, and they did it.” “The motivation for holding a separate celebration was to celebrate the parents as well,” said NES bilingual parent liaison Beatriz Moreno. “Parents go through great struggles and sacrifices to help lead their children to graduation. Many of our parents did not get an education or had limited schooling. This is a thank you to our parents for helping get to graduation.” This was the first year the migrant graduation ceremony was held since 1997, when Moreno, herself, graduated from Leland.

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The Telgards and tales of a Leland legacy

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Change is difficult for many people, but it is also challenging to lead change. This is what the Telgards have been doing for five generations in Leland and how they became a local legacy family influential in protecting the town’s heritage and character, writes Abby Chatfield. The Telgards own the iconic Bluebird Restaurant and Tavern, which was recently demolished and is being rebuilt. Common threads throughout the family’s history are forward thought towards its future generations’ ability to thrive and the important role they play in providing a social hub for the community. Their reputation is based on a foundation of consideration for their community’s needs—not an easy role to maintain for well over a century.

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5 Loaves 2 Fish hosts fundraiser

Mark your calendars. 5 Loaves 2 Fish will host its second annual “Big Change Equals Big Change” fundraiser on Tuesday, Aug. 22. The fun starts at 6 p.m. at Main Street Gallery’s magical spot along the Leland River, and attendees will be treated to music by Geno and the Big Change Band; hotdogs and brats (featuring authentic Detroit Coney Sauce) courtesy of Franklin’s Wiener Wagon; fresh and inventive salads; Janiecake’s cupcakes; complimentary beer and wine; and our signature Big Change cocktail for $5. 

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Leland, Glen Arbor hold Labor Day Bridge Walks

Labor Day bridge walks will be held Monday, Sept. 2, both in Leland and in Glen Arbor at high noon.

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Leelanau farmers markets yield fall bounty

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One of the highlights of living or vacationing in Leelanau County during the summer is the proliferation of fresh fruits and vegetables and locally produced meats, cheeses, honey, maple syrup, jams and jellies, flowers and baked goods found at roadside stands and farmers markets. For many, a weekly, or twice weekly, visit to one of the county’s five farmers markets is a tradition, not only for purchasing local products but for chatting with vendors, socializing with other customers (and dogs!) and taking photos.

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Orchards and Orphans — a Love Story

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They met in the summer of 2012. Still in college, she had come north from a suburb of Detroit to take a job as a waitress at the Cove in Leland. He was managing The Cyclery in Glen Arbor and beginning to think about ways to create a high-density apple orchard in the hills above Lake Michigan, land his family has farmed since they came from Bohemia in the 1870s. They had friends in common. Her best friend, Bradi Pasch, from college, was the sister of one of his best friends, Dave Pasch, a young man who was his partner in the orchard enterprise. He is Brad Houdek. She is Gina Wymore.

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Leelanau ice caves unsafe to visit

Tom Skowronski from Leelanau County’s Office of Emergency Management sent an email this morning to Northern Michigan media, warning that ice caves on Gill’s Pier Road between Leland and Northport are no longer safe to visit.

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Native son Neal Kokowicz opens Market 22

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By Jacob Wheeler Sun editor Next time you have the munchies while driving between Glen Arbor and Leland, or find yourself in need of provisions for the cottage on Little Traverse or Lime Lake, there’s no need to scavenge for mushrooms in the woods. In early October, Neal Kokowicz plans to open Market 22, in […]

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Baabaazuzu reaps benefits of economic investment

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When Sue Burns’ husband Kevin accidentally shrank her wool sweaters in the wash 20 years ago, she had no idea that their laundry mishap would be the catalyst for growing a creatively satisfying, financially robust business in Leelanau County. Unable to throw away her favorite garments, she cut and resewed the fabrics into colorful hats, jackets and sweaters for her two young daughters. When friends, acquaintances and even strangers asked where she’d gotten them, she realized she had the beginnings of a promising niche in the fiber arts market. Thus Baabaazuzu — the name combines the sound of a sheep with Sue’s nickname “Zuzu” — was born.

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What hath the wind brought?

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The windstorm that hit Leelanau County this week was the strongest storm ever to hit the continental United States, rivaling the pressure of tropical storms and surpassing the winds that doomed the famed Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975 in Lake Superior.

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