What happened while you were away?

The river, the arcade, the chocolate and the other new faces in town
By Jacob Wheeler
Sun editor
You know that anticipation of spring — that pining for the day the snow melts and leaves behind a few surprises? Who dropped their mittens on the ground last fall, only to be buried under the drifts? In what shape will you find the garden when vibrant greens reclaims the landscape? Will you still be able to see the bay through the forest when the leaves return?
Well, downtown Glen Arbor has been giddy with anticipation too. Every Memorial Day weekend, it seems, new businesses are opening their doors and new management is lining up to serve the first guests as they leave their cars after a long drive up US-31 or M-22. And every year around this time the locals emerge from hibernation, dine out, jump on the bicycle or even wade into Lake Michigan’s still frigid waters for the first time since last fall.

It’s a time of new beginnings, sounds the cliché. But it’s true. Trilliums and morel mushrooms dominate the forest; t-shirts and bathing trunks replace sweats and thick winter jackets on the clothesline; young romance rises with the temperature; the Detroit Tigers are still in contention for the postseason; the Glen Arbor Sun has given birth to a sister paper in nearby Frankfort; and the beach, oh the beach, is as good a spot as any to have lunch.
With all that in mind, here are a few other changes to report this spring:
Leelanau Conservancy, National Park acquire Crystal River tract, ending years of struggle
After more than two decades of controversy over the Crystal River, a doomed golf course, a failed land swap and plenty of hurt feelings, The Homestead Resort, the National Park Service and the Leelanau Conservancy finally shook hands over the winter and reached a win-win solution for all. The large resort north of Glen Arbor agreed to sell 104 acres and 6,300 feet of river frontage once slated for a golf course to the National Park Service for $8.5 million. But funds weren’t available to do the whole thing at once. So the Leelanau Conservancy brokered a deal that would ultimately get all 104 acres into the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the regional chapter of the Park, one section at a time.
In November of last year, the National Park Service bought the first 22 acres, including one of the most scenic stretches of the Crystal River, for $1.8 million. A month later Washington appropriated $2 million for another 23-acre parcel. The Conservancy, in turn, purchased 59 acres for $4.85 million just before Christmas and is holding the land until funding becomes available to sell it to the federal government.
The Crystal River is considered by many locals to be the “signature landscape” of the Glen Arbor area. The effort to protect the last undeveloped stretch of river has been unprecedented in terms of the cooperation between Park officials and local organizations like the Friends of the Crystal River and the Leelanau Conservancy.
“Sometimes the right thing prevails after a long struggle,” says Brian Price, executive director of the Conservancy. “There were many streams that converged for the Crystal to be saved in this manner.” He alluded to the commitment of the National Park, which has become more aware in recent years of the importance of the Crystal River, scenically and recreationally; near unanimous political support, both locally and from Michigan’s congressional delegates; and the Conservancy’s good relationship with The Homestead’s point-man Bob Kuras.
“Canoeing down the Crystal River, you feel like you’re in a primeval world,” says Park assistant superintendent Tom Ulrich. “It’s wonderful that this amazing piece of property will be available to the entire American public for years to come instead of a much small number had it been developed.
“For the community, the fact that it will be permanently protected is a testament to 20 years of hard work.”
Tim installs arcade next to the bar
While Dad sips a cold Bell’s Oberon at Art’s, and Mom nibbles on fine Ecuadorian chocolate at Thyme Out, their children can pump quarters into the pinball machine at The Station, Tim Barr’s new arcade in the old gas station-body shop next to Glen Arbor’s famed Art’s Tavern. Right between Dad’s sports craving and Mom’s sweet tooth, the kids are in good hands — and best of all, entertained.
As of press time, The Station boasted a pinball machine and an air hockey table. Games are still rolling in, says Tim, who is also presiding over the establishment of outdoor seating on the lakeside of Art’s this summer, separated from M-22 by a white picket fence. He’ll have someone manning the arcade at all times, and best of all, in tiny Glen Arbor, Mom or Dad are always nearby with a pocket full of change.
Grocer’s Daughter invites you to take a Thyme Out and taste its chocolate
In the last couple decades Glen Arbor has been transformed from a remote outpost longing for the bygone logging days into a tourist Mecca. Now exquisite food, good wine, strong cheese, classy cigars and tasty desserts lurk around every corner. Some now call our home the Cape Cod of the Midwest — they have their Kennedys, and we have our Sutherlands!
Now you can add to that list rich, fair-trade chocolate, cultivated by the hands of Ecuadorian workers who make a decent wage and tempered by a European who knows the art of French truffles and uses her Scandinavian upbringing as inspiration. (Mimi Wheeler is the Grocer’s Daughter, and mother of the editor of the Glen Arbor Sun. Do you follow?) She and business partner Carlene Peregrine will hold a chocolate tasting on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend from 10-3 in front of Thyme Out in the heart of Glen Arbor.
New faces in town
At the Western Avenue Grill, the name is the same; the logo hasn’t changed; the fresh fish are still the best in downtown Glen Arbor; only the ownership and personnel have changed hands. Mark and Matt Davies of JBM Partners now run the show. General manager and director of operations Tim Weiss keeps everything on an even keel. And Keith Karp of the Florida Culinary Institute is the chef whose hand you’ll want to shake after you weep over how good the Chipotle Honey Shrimp tastes when it reaches your tongue.
Meanwhile, Randy Chamberlain and Phil Murray can lay claim to the best view in town. These veterans of the famed Window’s restaurant just outside Traverse City on West Grand Traverse Bay are co-owners of Le Bear Restaurant, located inside the dazzling new resort by the boat ramp at the end of Lake Street. This is Le Bear Resort’s first summer in existence, and the high-class restaurant, modeled after Window’s, will be open for business soon.