Twelve-year-old Tanner Brown can tell you all about the Fourth of July fireworks in Northport, where he lives. In fact, Brown’s narrated video story, “The flare behind Northport’s Fourth of July fireworks display,” premiers our Meeting Young Journalists Where They Are video storytelling series, which the Sun is publishing online and on social media together with our Benzie County-based sister publication, The Betsie Current.
Northport Arts Association is thrilled to invite five exceptional Northwest Michigan artists, whose talents reflect the vibrant and diverse spirit of the arts, to participate in their 2026 invitational art exhibition. The exhibit opens Saturday, Aug. 15, from 5-7 pm and continues until Sept. 12. The Northport Arts Association is located at 301 Mill St.
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. So said Juliet in the Bard’s most famous work. But would Leelanau really be such a land of delight if that’s not what its name really meant? Spoiler alert: The name Leelanau doesn’t come from any Native American source. That’s despite the stories that have sprung up around it, some of which were spread by the person who came up with the name. Many of the county’s locations have stories surrounding their names. Start with Sleeping Bear Dunes, the story of which is well-known. Mama bear and her cubs swam across Lake Michigan to escape a forest fire. When Mama reached shore, she looked back, waiting for her cubs. She eventually became the sand dunes, while the cubs became the Manitou Islands.
Friends of Leelanau Township Library in Northport announce their final evening in the Writers’ Series Tuesday, July 28, at 7 pm. Just in time for the cherry harvest, Lansing author Robert ‘Carlos’ Fuentes will discuss his recent book, The Vacation: A Teenage Migrant Farmworker’s Experience Picking Cherries in Michigan.
The Northport Arts Association is excited to announce the opening of its Members Art Exhibit on Saturday, June 20, showcasing a remarkable display of artwork created by our talented members. This exhibit has been a cherished tradition since October 2016, when the Village Arts Building was completed and generously made available to the organization by Bill and Nina Collins. This beautiful space supports our mission to “Educate, Collaborate, and Celebrate Art” within the community.
On Thursday June 4, from 4-8 pm Dune Bird Winery, set along Michigan’s scenic M-22 in the heart of Leelanau County, celebrates the launch of a new varietal red wine, Woolsey Red, a partnership with the Save Woolsey Airport Terminal project, a group of dedicated community volunteers and partners working with Leelanau Township to Save Woolsey Airport Terminal, an 1870s-era, hand-laid stone building that once served as a farm creamery.
The Northport Arts Association is proud to present the 2026 Northport Photo Exhibit, launching Memorial Day weekend with a FREE Opening Reception on Saturday, May 23 from 5–7pm at the Northport Arts Association, 301 N. Mill St., Northport, MI. This popular annual exhibit, now in its nineth year, continues to grow in both artistic reach and visual diversity. The Opening Reception is FREE and open to the public, featuring complimentary appetizers and a cash bar. The exhibit will run from May 24 through June 14, with gallery hours Tuesday through Sunday, 12–4 PM.
It’s a community party. It’s a mystery. And it’s a delicious farce. Welcome to the next Cocktails, Canapés, and Comedy theater production, courtesy of the Northport Performing Arts Center. The two-act play Unnecessary Farce involves two cops, three crooks, eight doors and plenty of laughter. The plot revolves around a corrupt mayor who is meeting with his female accountant in a motel, while in the room next door, two undercover cops wait to catch the meeting on video. There’s some confusion as to who’s in which room, who’s being videotaped, who has the money, who hired a hitman and why. Plus, why does the accountant keep taking off her clothes?
As we travel across this country, we pass giant mounds of landfill—unpleasant evidence of how much we throw away. A group of dedicated neighbors in Northport have been trying for approximately 50 years to reverse that trend by recycling unwanted clothing into rugs. On Tuesday mornings, the members of Rag Bee gather around a table at Trinity Church to accomplish their mission. The next opportunity to purchase rugs is during the Women’s Club bake sale at Trinity Church on Dec. 6.
The Northport Arts Association invites artists and designers to submit original mural concepts for five tile installations, each to be prominently displayed in public buildings throughout the Village of Northport. Submissions must be received by October 30. Click here for more information.