Leelanau.com Blog
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In Sugar Loaf deal reached in the Leelanau Enterprise, Eric Carlson reports that Omena resident Brad Lutz has signed an option to purchase Sugar Loaf Resort from Kate Wickstrom.

The resort has been closed for skiing since March 2000. Lutz offered no timetable for reopening the resort, but made it clear that he expects the return of skiing at Sugar Loaf to be "a central focus" of his efforts. The condition of ski lifts and other facilities at Sugar Loaf Resort is such that no skiing will be possible there this ski season.

"Of course, we want skiing to return," Lutz said. "Sugar Loaf has some of the best runs anywhere in the Midwest."

But, Lutz added, he is "going into this deal with some fear and trepidation" and is well aware that he may be facing many obstacles.

"I've heard people in Leelanau County say they'll believe it when they see it when it comes to Sugar Loaf," Lutz said. "Actually, that's just about the right attitude to have in this case. I'm enthusiastic, I'm local, and I believe in Leelanau County – but I have no illusions. This will not be simple or easy."

I have no illusions either, but I am excited to see some new life in a place that was once the winter heartbeat of Leelanau - here's hoping that we'll all be Sugar Loafers once again!

St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church by Bean in Sylvan Lake

News from the Week

Stories from the week included features on a new bridal show at the Homestead, Empire's Winterfest and the Taste the Passion wine trail event along with a feature on mentoring programs in Leelanau County and the animated video of the Leelanau Song.

The Week's Weather

The weather went from single digits to record highs with January Thaw II: Jason Returns and back to single digits. At the end of it all, we've got a little less snow but still enough for winter fun.

January 24, 2008: Snow & low teens (16/5)
January 25, 2008: Flurries and upper teens (25/9)
January 26, 2008: Light snow and 20s (25/18)
January 27, 2008: Cloudy & upper 20s (30/19)
January 28, 2008: Early sun, afternoon clouds, light rain & upper 40s (48/23) Record high!
January 29, 2008: Heavy rain & 40s with overnight blizzard (45/24)
January 30, 2008: Snow, very windy and single digits (-22 wind chill!) (21/0)

Click for the Leelanau news archive from January 2007.

An animated version of the Leelanau Song. Written by Art and Hazel Oberhelman, sung by Amy Hubbell of the Leelanau Enterprise. Animated by students at a TAP workshop ... www.theartplace.org

The Tree of Life

Starts Friday, Sept 9
Rated PG-13
Starring: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain

The Tree of Life is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950's. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father (Brad Pitt).

Visit the official movie web site

Buck

Starts Friday, Sept 16
Rated PG
Starring: Buck Brannaman, and interviews with Robert Redford

"Your horse is a mirror to your soul, and sometimes you may not like what you see. Sometimes, you will." So says Buck Brannaman, a true American cowboy and sage on horseback who travels the country for nine grueling months a year helping horses with people problems. BUCK, a richly textured and visually stunning film, follows Brannaman from his abusive childhood to his phenomenally successful approach to horses.

Visit the official movie web site

Rated NR
Starring: Sandrine Bonnaire, Kevin Kline, Francis Renaud

Oscar winner Kevin Kline and the luminous Sandrine Bonnaire square off in this stylish and sophisticated dramedy of newfound passions and mid-life triumphs, set on the postcard-perfect isle of Corsica. Lovely, repressed and quietly intelligent, French chambermaid Hélène (Bonnaire) discovers her love for chess when, one day, she comes upon a couple engaged in an intense match.

Visit the official movie web site

* Schedule subject to change.

The Help

Rated PG-13
146 min
Starring: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard
Based on The Sensational Bestselling Novel

Now through Sept 8
Thurs, Sept 1 - 4:00 & 7:30
Fri, Sept 2 - 1:00, 4:30, 8:00
Sat, Sept 3 - 1:00, 4:30, 8:00
Sun, Sept 4 - 1:00, 4:30, 8:00
Mon, Sept 5 - 4:00 & 7:30
Tue, Sept 6 - 7:00
Wed, Sept 7 - 7:00
Thurs, Sept 8 - 7:00

Three very different, extraordinary women in Mississippi during the 1960s, who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk.

Visit the official movie web site

We're pleased to announce the line-up of films for our new season of The Bay Film Series. Once again this series will run September thru April featuring one very fine film per month. We offer this series to you at the same great price: 8 films for $44 - that's only $5.50 each! Brochures with compete movie and subscription information will be in the mail soon. If you'd like to receive one and you don't believe you are on the mailing list (postal), please send us your postal address at: thebay@chartermi.net. In the meantime, here's the schedule:

Sept 18-20: Queen To Play (France)
October 16-18: In A Better World (Denmark)
November 13-15: The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls (New Zealand)
December 11-13: Life Above All (South Africa)
January 15-17: Nostalgia For The Light (Chile)
February 12-14: 3 (Drei) (Germany)
March and April to be announced.

Click here to read more about The Bay Film Series

Everyone enjoys a night at the movies so remember The Bay for someone on your list. It's all wrapped up into one easy price: $12 Gift Certificates include 1 movie admission, 1 medium popcorn, and 1 beverage.

For more info and greater quantities, click here to find out more.

The Leelanau Enterprise has a comprehensive feature titled 'A sense of giving back'  on the wide range of mentoring programs on the Leelanau peninsula. According to the article, benefits of mentoring include a decreased incidence of drug and alcohol use and violence, improved grades and more positive relationships with friends and parents.

Programs in the area include Voices & Choices, Kids Hope USA, Big Brother/Big Sisters of Northwest Michigan, Leelanau Christian Neighbors, Project HERO, Leelanau Mentoring and you can find out more about mentoring in Leelanau County (including how to volunteer) through Leelanau County's mentoring page.

Photo credit: skipping stones by Andy McFarlane

The Homestead Resort is holding a bridal show at their new Mountain Flowers Lodge next Sunday (Feb 3) from noon to 5 PM. The event features a fashion show, tours and vendors of wedding services showcasing their services and answering your wedding questions.

You can register to win any of dozens of prizes and there will be food, wine and music. For more information, call 334-5100 or visit www.thehomesteadresort.com.

Cedar Hilltoppers by Andy McFarlane

News from the Week

Stories from the week included a neat article (with photo) about History of Whalebacks and Pigboats on the Great Lakes from the Leelanau Enterprise, a look at the impact of Impact of the State Theatre on Traverse City and the surrounding area (and of the impact of movie theaters like The Bay) from the Glen Arbor Sun, a cool old photo of the fish tug Helen S in Fishtown and a look at free-falling lake levels on Lake Michigan and inland lakes.

The Week's Weather

We spent most of the week in the teens with wind chills below zero and plenty of snow to remind us that we do live in Michigan after all.

January 17, 2008: Cloudy, light snow and 30s (35/21)
January 18, 2008: Early sun, afternoon clouds, evening snow and low 20s (25/16)
January 19, 2008: Cloudy, windy, snow and subzero wind chills (15/5)
January 20, 2008: Cloudy, windy & single digits (9/5)
January 21, 2008: Cloudy, snow and low teens (15/8)
January 22, 2008: Cloudy, light snow & teens (19/12)
January 23, 2008: Cloudy, light snow & low teens (15/10)

Click for the Leelanau news archive from January 2007.

The staff of the Leelanau Enterprise identified three significant trends that emerged during 2007 in Leelanau County. The slumping housing market's effect on Leelanau developments and how township emergency services are changing were two, with low water levels in Lake Michigan and Leelanau’s inland lakes.

Recent U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports indicate that a new record low for Lake Michigan is a likely prospect and the Enterprise talked with a couple folks including Inland Seas Captain Tom Kelly about it:

Unlike 22 years ago when news stories simply attributed high water levels to their most visible culprit — lots of rain — the low levels of today have been blamed on a number of factors. Three have stood out: effects from global warming, a massive dredging effort by the Army Corps in the 1960s to improve shipping lanes in Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River, and a simple explanation that the latest fluctuation is part of the natural rise and fall of the Great Lakes.

Kelly, a scientist with a master’s degree from the University of Michigan, has the personal history to believe the simple explanation and the scientific background to give credence to a global climate change theory. But he doesn’t believe the dredging project more than 40 years ago is the reason as a recent underground mapping showed no signs of an eroding lake bottom, and the lakes reached all-time highs after the project.

Read Steady decline in lake levels: Sad fact of life in the Enterprise.

Photo: Do Not Tie Lines by Andy McFarlane

Don Harrison of Up North Memories (eBay store) has piles and piles of cool old postcards from Leelanau, Benzie and Northern Michigan.

I don't know when this photo of the fish tug Helen S in Fishtown was taken, but I do know that it was before the current version of the breakwall. As a bonus, lots of Don's photos (including this one) are wallpaper sized!