The week started on a high note with a record high on November 6 of 72 degrees. Things proceeded south (or is that north?) from there and we saw some snow over the weekend and haven't seen much of the sun, who apparently needs some time apart from us.
November 6, 2008: Light rain & 70 (72/51) Record High!
November 7, 2008: Partly sunny & 60 (61/39)
November 8, 2008: Rain & 40s (45/35)
November 9, 2008: Light snow & 30s (37/29)
November 10, 2008: Cloudy, flurries & 30s (37/30)
November 11, 2008: Flurries/sprinkles & 30s (39/31)
November 12, 208: Cloudy, light rain & 40s (44/34)
Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation (MCWC) is holding a fund-raiser and reception this Sunday (Nov 16) in Traverse City to launch a campaign to protect the public trust in the waters of the Great Lakes Basin. MCWC will be showing the film FLOW: For Love of Water (trailer below), an award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - The World Water Crisis. On hand will be filmmaker Irena Salina along with former Governor Milliken, Terry Swier, Jim Olson and Dave Dempsey.
FLOW will be shown on November 16, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. at the State Theater in Traverse City with a reception immediately following at the Opera House. At the reception, there will be a panel for Q&A’s, music provided by Chris Campbell and Jimmy Olson, drinks, and hors d'oeuvres.
Tickets to the event are $15 for single and $25 for couple. Purchase of reception ticket includes reserved ticket to the film. Tickets are available at www.cityoperahouse.org or 231.941.8082.
Federal officials want to add some trails and campgrounds to the park to improve recreational opportunities, as well as set aside 45 percent of the lakeshore as wilderness zones where no county roads exist. The new management plan is expected to be adopted by year's end.
One planned trail is called the Bay-to-Bay Trail and would stretch along 35 miles of shoreline from Platte Bay to Good Harbor Bay, although no specific path is yet determined. It would include a simple hiking path with intermittent campgrounds so hikers could complete multi-day trips, said Tom Ulrich, deputy park superintendent.
The article also touches on a possible non-motorized bike trail would run parallel to M-22 and M-109 through the length of the lakeshore, near the highways but not along the shoulder. The trail would be made of crushed limestone and likely would be built in phases. Most of the concerns they quote in the article have to to with rights of existng property owners - I'm curious as to what your concerns and hopes are.
Veteran's Day is tomorrow (Tuesday, November 11) and there are a few events to honor veterans taking place in Leelanau County. The Leelanau Enterprise reports that the official Leelanau Veterans Day Observance will take place at 11 AM at the Government Center and also that:
The Leelanau Community Cultural Center will host an event Tuesday starting at 9:30 a.m. in the Old Art Building in Leland that will focus on the Vietnam War. Center director Judy Livingston said she is looking for Vietnam veterans who would be willing to talk about their experiences in the war. “This will be a respectful presentation with people being invited to talk about their experiences in somewhat broad, general terms,” Livingston said.
Tim Keenan, president of Vets for Peace in Traverse City, is the program moderator. The discussion will have three general themes:
Eighteen-year-old men either volunteered or were drafted to serve in Vietnam. What did you do at that time, and would you do the same if you were 18 years old these days?
What experiences in the military service altered your views on people of other races and nationalities?
How many years did you serve in the military and how would you describe your time in the service?
Finally, Leonard Overmeyer of Overmyer Historicals and author of Forest Haven Soldiers has some great Civil War history and photos including information about the "Lakeshore Tigers" at his web site.
Here's a summery photo for you all on maybe the last summery day of the year. It's from Greg Jollife, owner of the Jolli Lodge. Click it for a bigger view!
He has a great photo site that you should be visiting regularly.
The Northport Community Art Center will be presenting $croogical, a new musical by the well-known composer and musician, Kirby Shaw. $croogical is based on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol - the story about Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Marley, and all the others.
Kirby Shaw’s music and his wife Markita’s libretto bring this engaging story up-to-date and you are in for a special treat of theatrical magic that is fun for all ages. This musical is bound to end up on Broadway in the future so come and see and hear it first at the NCAC - way off Broadway.
Fall Color Report (Nov 5): We will STILL have very nice color this weekend. I can't think of the last time we had November color like this.
We had a great week of weather, especially the last three days which were beyond amazing with sun and record high temps on Tuesday and Wednesday.
October 30, 2008: Sunny & upper 50s (58/26)
October 31, 2008: Sunny & 60s! (63/43)
November 1, 2008: Sunny & upper 40s (48/31)
November 2, 2008: Mostly sunny with late afternoon clouds & rain & 50s (53/32)
November 3, 2008: Mostly sunny and low 60s (62/47)
November 4, 2008: Sunny and 70s! (74/55) Record High!
November 5, 2008: Sunny and 70! (71/50) Another Record High!
Filed under: Leelanau — Andrew McFarlane @ 8:52 am
Results for county and township offices have yet to be certified but it appears that the County Board will add three new faces Republicans James Schaub Sr. and Dick Schmuckal and Democrat David Marshall.
On the wider stage, Leelanau native Dan Scripps (D) is headed to the State House of Representatives with a 10,000 vote victory over Ray Franz (R) in the race for the 101st District. Incumbent US Senator Carl Levin and US Representative Dave Camp kept their seats as well.
Fitch Affirms Leelanau County, Michigan's LTGOs at 'AA-' from MarketWatch is kind of a dry topic, but it does say something about our region's economic outlook. It discusses the $6.3 million Law Enforcement Center Bonds which are secured by the county's general obligation pledge:
The 'AA-' rating reflects the county's stable financial results, strong general fund balances, and low debt levels, balanced with the tourism-dominated economy and likelihood of slower taxable value growth in the near term. Although taxable value gains has averaged 8.8% in each of the past five years, the Leelanau County housing market has been impacted by the slowing Michigan economy, which will reduce taxable value growth. The county's second largest taxpayer, LeBear Resorts, which makes up a small 0.3% of taxable value, is in foreclosure, although to date all tax payments are current.
The county's economy is dominated by tourism, recreation, and second-homes.
What do you think about Leelanau's economic outlook? Post in the comments.
The 
Fall Color Report (Nov 5): We will STILL have very nice color this weekend. I can't think of the last time we had November color like this.
Results for county and township offices have yet to be certified but it appears that the County Board will add three new faces Republicans James Schaub Sr. and Dick Schmuckal and Democrat David Marshall.
