Sometime this month, the 1,364,835th visitor to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in 2012 will arrive at the Dune Climb, hike to Pyramid Point, or perhaps bike the Heritage Trail and enjoy its stunning autumnal beauty. In doing so, that visitor will officially make this the busiest year ever for the Glen Arbor region, the most profitable for local businesses, and perhaps the most hectic one too.
“Saturdays at the Lakeshore” programs take place every Saturday from Sept. 15 through Oct. 27. Meet at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire on M-72 at 1 p.m. to meet the Park Ranger who will lead the hike. Then, car caravan a short distance to where the walk will begin. Each week, a different topic and location in the park will be featured. All are welcome. Each program will be no more than a mile and a half round trip and will conclude by 3 p.m.
The Leelanau Press, a nonprofit publishing company, is undertaking a major effort to recognize the work of artists who have painted in this unique northern Michigan gem. A future publication, Art of the Sleeping Bear Dunes, and a major exhibition at the Dennos Museum Center at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City will celebrate what has recently been media-designated as America’s Most Beautiful Place.
Artists have long known what others were to learn when the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Park was designated by viewers of Good Morning America as “the most beautiful place in America”.
Who would have thought that Istanbul would remind me so much of where I grew up above Sleeping Bear Bay? Everywhere you turn there’s a vista of turquoise water; and a pinkish tinge to the light, that I’ve never seen anywhere except on the Leelanau. If I don’t stop and think for a minute, the Bosporus and the Golden Horn, could almost be the Manitou Passage and Pyramid Point.
Does Glen Arbor truly embrace bikers? These citizens on two wheels represent a growing share of our tourism pie, as northern Michigan appeals to both recreational and athletic bikers. They represent an active lifestyle that fits our outdoor attractions like a glove; they don’t clog roads or parking lots; they don’t consume fossil fuels and pollute our air, and their leisurely pace makes them ideal targets to visit and financially support our shops, galleries and eateries.
Michigan Secretary of State representatives will offer new citizens the opportunity to register to vote after a naturalization ceremony overlooking Lake Michigan in Glen Arbor on Friday, Aug. 24, Secretary of State Ruth Johnson announced yesterday.
Be one of the first to participate in a new five-mile run on Aug. 18, showcasing the new Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. Starting and finishing at the Dune Climb, runners will race through miles of rolling sand dunes, Michigan lakeshore and historic Glen Haven, experiencing the beautiful scenic runs.
The Leelanau Press is searching for artists who painted the Sleeping Bear Dunes and surrounding landscapes before 1970 for possible inclusion in the historical preface for its 2013 publication, The Art of the Sleeping Bear Dunes. Several artists known to have painted in the area include Frank Dillon, Fred Dickinson, Mathias Alten, Charles Vickery, Charles Hetherington, Mary Moore, Kit Miller Knowles, Harry Weese, Sue Frank, Clarence Brower and Kay Smith.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Superintendent Dusty Shultz is pleased to announce that the 11th annual Port Oneida Rural Arts and Culture Fair will be held on Aug. 10-11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition to the many popular demonstrations, animals and exhibits, the fair will be a zero-waste event, will feature a chicken dinner on Friday, and will end with an astronomy party on Saturday night.