The first weekend of May (May 4 & 5) the Leelanau Vintners will hold their annual Women's Wine Weekend. This is a new event featuring art, fashion, food, jewelry, vineyard tours, cooking classes, wine 101, painting on wine glasses, chocolate and wine, a special coffee cupping and organic food session, an organic tea cupping session and a ladies only wine dinner. The package also includes a Friday Night Art Walk & Reception in Traverse City.
They also have some things planned for the guys like a golf event, fly-fishing and a wine dinner for couples and you can get all the details and purchase tickets at lpwines.com.
Photo credit: Wine glass by Daveybot.
The Leelanau Enterprise reports that the Glen Lake Parent-Teacher Organization will hold its annual spring carnival this Friday (Apr 27) from 5 to 8 PM. The games and activities for children as well as a drawing for class theme baskets. The evening also features the Glen Lake football team's annual spaghetti dinner fundraiser.
Read Glen Lake PTO plans spring carnival Friday in the Enterprise and get more information on the school from the Glen Lake Community Schools.
Photo credit: Morning Drive III by Andy McFarlane.
News from the Week
A side effect of the weather may have been a corresponding lack of news. As far as I can tell, the top story of the week was news that the Cheese Shanty opened for the season. In my defense, I have to say that several people emailed me to say that they thought it newsworthy. Actually, there was a story that the lack of dredging at Leland Harbor may render it inaccessible. We also posted a picture of daffodils to help bring spring to your monitor.
The Week's Weather
The week's weather was, in a word, great. In two words: really great. In three- well, you get the idea. Sun and 60s, then 70s and even 80s and a bit of rain. A welcome change indeed!
April 19, 2007: Sunny & low 60s (63Ëš/30Ëš)
April 20, 2007: Sunny & low 60s (64Ëš/30Ëš)
April 21, 2007: Sunny & low 70s (73Ëš/34Ëš)
April 22, 2007: Sunny & low 80s!! (84Ëš/42Ëš) Best. Earth Day. Ever.
April 23, 2007: Rain with later clearing & upper 60s (71Ëš/41Ëš)
April 24, 2007: Mostly sunny & upper 50s (59Ëš/34Ëš)
April 25, 2007: Mostly sunny & upper 50s (57Ëš/37Ëš)
If you want to put your desktop in sync with what we're seeing in Leelanau, try these daffodils! (click the photo to get to the large view!)
The annual From Women's Hands will be held this Friday, Saturday & Sunday (April 27-29) at The Hagerty Center. This all-female exhibition features female visual artists, authors, musicians and film makers will show and sell their works to benefit the Women's Cancer Fund and to celebrate the wonderful work of women artists in our area.
The weekend begins with a food & wine reception on Friday evening and features poet & author readings, original film showings, a silent auction & raffle and a chance to meet the artists.
Visit the From Women's Hands web site for details on all the artists and authors whose work will be featured and to learn much more about the event.
This week's Enterprise reports that a lack of federal funding for dredging the harbor entrance may result in larger boats not being able to access Leland.
Michael Grosvenor has watched the entrance to the Leland Harbor fill with sand, and his fears are being shared by others who worry that boats' access to the marina may be severely limited...
"One good storm, or a good blow from the southwest, and no one will be able to get in or out of the harbor," Grosvenor said.
Harbormaster Russell Dzuba said Tuesday the harbor entrance is usually dredged to a uniform depth of about 10 feet. "The harbor entrance is usually 140 feet wide. After the big three-day storm we had a couple weeks ago, it's down to about 30 feet wide," he said. The depth through the 30-foot wide channel is six to seven feet.
Read No federal dredging aid for Leland: Harbor use threatened in the Leelanau Enterprise.
There are probably a lot of newsy sort of things I could or should post today, but with lunchtime approaching, nothing strikes me as exciting as the news that the Village Cheese Shanty in Fishtown opens tomorrow. About that, there are just two things to say: "pretzel bread" and "yay". Also I guess that if you've never had a sandwich from Dave and the crew, you better get one.
The photo is by Adam Theriault and you can see more of his excellent work (including lots of Leelanau & Traverse City area photos) at awayfromkeyboard.com and also on Flickr.
j jumps (off Pyramid Point) by Andy McFarlane.
News from the Week
The week's top story was a Michigan Odyssey of the Mind State Championship by a Leland School team. The team will move on to the world championships in May - congratulations! There was news that funding for Empire's planned beach improvements will still be provided, although funding for other projects including the Leelanau Conservancy acquisition of a conservation easement on 51 acres with public access to Leelanau State Park are still in limbo. We also found a new blog with a great spring recipe paired with wine from Leelanau's Willow Vineyard.
The Week's Weather
What a difference a week makes! Although we still had some frosty nights and mornings, temps were mostly in the 40s with lots of sun and even a hint of 50s. As the snow melted, it revealed daffodil and other flower shoots which we should be seeing any day now.
April 12, 2007: Cloudy, flurries and low 30s (34Ëš/32Ëš)
April 13, 2007: Cloudy, flurries, rain and upper 30s (42Ëš/27Ëš)
April 14, 2007: Sunny & upper 40s - a beautiful day (48Ëš/21Ëš)
April 15, 2007: Sunny & upper 40s - see above (48Ëš/25Ëš)
April 16, 2007: Sunny & 50 - see above, again (52Ëš/28Ëš)
April 17, 2007: Mostly sunny & low 50s w/ evening rain (53Ëš/27Ëš)
April 18, 2007: Rain & 40s (44Ëš/27Ëš)
Click for the Leelanau news archive from April 2006!
The other day I discovered this blog by Joey Randall through Absolute Michigan. I thought that Leelanau folks would be interested in the latest entry, a recipe for Veal Oscar with rice pilaf and a salad from the Leelanau Country in Cookbook, all set off with a bottle of wine from the Willow Vineyard.
Joey wrote that with April being Michigan wine month, she felt it appropriate to feature food & wine from the Leelanau Peninsula.
Check out Food & Fine from the Leelanau Peninsula at The Village Voice.
Also see the Willow Vineyard web page and Sission's Main Street.
Leland School had a team win first place in the Michigan Odyssey of the Mind competition this weekend. The team of Austin Fellows, Autumn Decker, Liam Stevenson, Anna Bahle, Gunnar Carlson, & Christian Doran (coached by Jenny Henderson) will advance to the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals. They also won the prestigious OMER award, given to individuals or teams who exemplify the spirit and philosophy of Odyssey of the Mind.
This year the Worlds will be in Michigan - at Michigan State University in East Lansing from May 23-26, 2007. Get much more information at miodyssey.com and also read an article about the competition in the TC Record Eagle.
Wreck of the Jennie and Annie washes up on Sleeping Bear Point
