Join Endurance Evolution on Sunday, Oct. 6, for a scenic marathon and half marathon in the heart of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Both races start and finish in Empire. The out-and-back marathon course will take runners by the Dune Climb, past Little Glen Lake, and through Glen Arbor, north to Dunn’s Farm Road, with breathtaking views of the Manitou Islands along the way. At the peak of fall color season, this tree-lined course will awe both runners and spectators.
Before the end of this year, Congress may approve “wilderness” legislation for the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore that — despite the implication of the word — would forever guarantee public access to the Park’s pristine beaches along county roads, to historic manmade structures, and continue to allow hunting and fishing within the Lakeshore.
Kathleen Stocking will give a 30-minute lecture about African-American pioneers on Glen Lake at the Empire Museum at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2. Please spread the word among friends, neighbors, and while waiting in the grocery line.
The 15th annual Dune Climb concert will take place Sunday, July 14 at 7 p.m. Imagine a beautiful summer’s evening at the foot of the Dune Climb in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, hundreds of families enjoying their pre-concert picnics and then a musical program provided by artists of national stature: this is the magical mixture which has filled audiences with warm memories every year since the first Dune Climb concert in 1998.
Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear (PHSB) preserves historic buildings and landscapes in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, but also provides ways for people to learn from and understand the history of these symbols of our past. This summer a number of interpretive programs are being offered that get people out on the landscape and inside some of the historic farmsteads of the Port Oneida Rural Historic District.
Naturally shy about promoting her own work, acrylic artist Michelle Hart Jahraus eventually came to the realization that if you want to make waves other than in a painting, you must put your art “out there.” The Maple City resident, and owner of Duck to Swan Gallery in Cedar, entered her 22” x 22” original canvas, “Cherry Orchard Reflections,” in the Adult Fine Art division of the 2013 National Cherry Festival poster competition and won, from a field of more than 100 entries.
Leelanau writer Kathleen Stocking reflects on her father, Pierce Stocking, who passed away the day after selling his vast tracts of land near Glen Arbor to the federal government. That land is now part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
WaveJet Propulsion, a revolution in water sports, will take Empire by storm on June 21 as part of its 2013 WaveJet Experience Summer Tour. Sleeping Bear Surf & Kayak shop invites people to come and watch WaveJet in action. Numerous boards will be available for demos at the Empire public beach from noon-6 p.m.
The annual M-22 Challenge will lurch out of the starting gates at the Little Glen Lake Picnic Area on M-109 for the fifth time on Saturday, June 8, at 9 a.m. This unique and popular “up north” triathlon will feature a record 900 athletes this year — running 2.5 miles including a sprint up the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb, biking 17 miles around the Glen Lakes, and paddling 2.5 miles in Little Glen Lake. Athletes will include Keri Pawielski, who will compete for her fifth consecutive M-22 Challenge trophy, and Denny Paull, who has twice won the overall mens division once again.
You can celebrate National Trails Day, June 1, on the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail (SBHT) at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. National Trails Day encourages all Americans to get outside to celebrate the importance of natural places where you can recreate, breathe some fresh air, and experience what nature can offer, including inspiration, education, solitude, amazing scenery, and peace of mind. There will be information, activities, and a refreshment stop hosted by the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes (FSBD) and Park Rangers along the first segment of the SBHT, which runs from the Dune Climb to Glen Arbor. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parking is available at the Dune Climb, the historic village of Glen Haven, or in Glen Arbor at the lower Alligator Hill trailhead.