Sleeping Bear Dunes

Posts

Larry’s Dunes & Dogs fundraiser held in memory of Lawrence Boyd

Family and friends of Lawrence Boyd IV will hold a memorial fundraiser in Glen Arbor on Thursday, July 2, in honor of the Traverse City parking services employee who last November was shot and killed on the job. The day of remembrance, community, and giving back will take place at the Glen Arbor Township Park with a memorial bike ride at 11 am and a dog walk at 1 pm along the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail, a kayak trip on the Crystal River, and a silent auction and dog costume contest from 10 am until 4 pm.

Read more
/by

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore announces final Port Oneida Fair

,

The annual Port Oneida Fair will be held for the last time on August 7-8 in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s Port Oneida Rural Historic District. For more than two decades, the Fair has been celebrating the rich cultural heritage and traditions of the late 1800s and early 1900s of the area. This summer, as the nation commemorates its 250th anniversary, the fair will be “Celebrating the Threads of a Nation” in a theme that will give visitors the opportunity to reflect on the places and people of our shared history.

Read more
/by

“Angel bike” helps athlete finish M22 Challenge

,

Ryan DeCook owns the M22 Challenge. The 45-year-old won the Leelanau County running, biking and paddling triathlon for the sixth time overall. But that wasn’t the headline of the 18th annual M22 Challenge. Races like this one are competitive, but they also inspire acts of kindness. Brook Tyrrell, a 26-year-old Traverse City resident, discovered her bike had a flat tire within the first mile. She pulled off M-109 and looked for help. “Hi, I have a flat. Do you have a pump?” she asked spectator, Katie Butera, who was standing next to her own bike. Thanks to Butera’s “angel bike,” Tyrrell placed third in her age group.

Read more
/by

Athletes take on M22 Challenge, June 13

,

The 18th annual M22 Challenge, which takes place on Saturday morning, June 13, 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 sold out long ago.

Read more
/by

Sleeping Bear Dunes announces barn workshop

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will conduct its annual barn restoration workshop from June 8-12, commencing daily at 9 a.m. The workshop will be held at the Lyle and Sarah Schmidt farm, located three miles south of Empire, off M-22 on Norconk Road, with signage provided along M-22 for guidance. The primary focus of the workshop will be the repair of the horse barn at the Schmidt farm. This event offers opportunities for both families and individuals ranging from novice to experienced carpenters, with activities designed to engage all skill levels. There is no participation fee.

Read more
/by

Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes expands bear tracks accessibility program

The Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes is expanding its renowned Bear Tracks accessibility program with the help of Elk Rapids-based Great Lakes RV Solar Solutions. New solar panels from Great Lakes are now attached to the Friends’ track chair trailer, allowing access to additional trails through the use of solar power. By cutting the cord, the track chairs can now be used on the Park’s popular Alligator Hill trail, expanding access for all to the beauty of the Lakeshore. “Accessibility is an important part of the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes mission,” said Laura Ann Johnson, executive director of the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Read more
/by

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore announces antique apple & pear tree pruning workshop

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore hosts its popular pruning workshop in the Port Oneida Rural Historic District on Friday, May 1, starting at 10 am. The event will take place at the William and Charlotte Kelderhouse and Peter and Jennie Burfiend farms, which are located five miles north of Glen Arbor along M-22. Signage along the M-22 route to the sites.

Read more
/by

Bay Theatre continues Made in Michigan Film Series

The Bay’s popular Made in Michigan series highlights great films made in the state and provides unique opportunities for audiences to connect directly with the filmmakers and/or special guests through post-screening Q&As. Made in Michigan continues on Sunday, March 29 at 4 pm with All Too Clear. This festival award winner and groundbreaking documentary explores the most significant ecological shift in the Great Lakes since the last ice age. Utilizing cutting-edge, custom-built underwater drones, filmmakers Zach Melnick and Yvonne Drebert—who will attend the screening—spent over 150 days capturing footage of a world that is becoming “all too clear” due to an army of quadrillions of invasive quagga mussels. This event is presented in partnership with Inland Seas Education Association.

Read more
/by

Nightmare on Ice, Miracle on Ice

,

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.

Read more
/by

Cross-country moonlight Sonata … at midnight

,

This reflection on a nocturnal Alligator Hill ski was first published in our Winter 2000 edition. The alligator’s new look, following the Aug. 2, 2015, storm, prompted us to revisit these words.

Read more
/by