Leelanau.com Blog
leelanau county news • traverse city news • michigan news

In celebration of Grand Traverse Bay freezing over, there will be a screening of the freezing winter comedy feature FROZEN STUPID from Traverse City's own Brauer Productions. The screening takes place next Monday night (Mar 9) at 6 PM at the State Theater in Traverse City. Click here for the details from The State Theatre.

As the Record-Eagle reports (as this photo shows):

The bay last froze in 2003 and the time before that was in 1996, records show.

Ice must form from the southern shoreline of the bay in Traverse City about six miles out to Power Island to officially be considered frozen. Monday's ice eclipsed that standard.

NWS satellite images also show ice formed in the big lake from west of Leelanau County northward along Michigan's western shoreline, Brian Adam, NWS meteorologist said.

"There are some open spots, but there's pretty good ice from the Manitou Islands all the way to the Straits of Mackinac," he said.

Grand Traverse Bay came close to completely freezing about four weeks ago, but a couple days of windy, spring-like temperatures near 60 degrees broke up the ice sheet.

Photo: Frozen Bay, Pruning Vines by Andy McFarlane

Sleeping Bear Dunesmobile by Seeking Michigan

News from the Week

This week saw the return of Sugar Loaf to the news with a report that Leelanau County is seeking stuimulus money to facilitate the resort's redevelopment (Jason has nothing on the Loaf!). Other stories from the week included Gen Netxt, a new group for young professionals in Leelanau County (is it 4 U?), unfavorable reactions at plans to combine MSU Extension & Hort Research Station budgets and then slash them (agriculture is a bright spot, so the state of Michigan will try and kill innovation), a photo of the Glen Haven Canning Co., and the 2009 Boys & Girls Basketball District Tournaments (boys start next week).

The Week's Weather

The week's weather featured more sun than most weeks in July ... though the subzero temps meant nobody was fooled!

February 26, 2009: Sunny & 30s with evening rain & snow (36/28)
February 27, 2009: Mostly cloudy, windy, light snow & low 20s (26/4)
February 28, 2009: Sunny & teens (18/-7)
March 1, 2009: Sunny & teens (16/1)
March 2, 2009: Sunny & low teens (13/-9)
March 3, 2009: Sunny & low 20s - a beautiful day that looked like this (26/-7)
March 4, 2009: Mostly sunny & 30s (39/3)

<Leelanau Almanac for the Week of March 5-11, 2009

Leelanau Almanac for the Week of February 19-25, 2009>

Click for the Leelanau News Archives from February 2008 and March 2008.

Copycat & Meltdown, photos by farlane

This isn't really an official "Photo Friday" - I just had to show you all what a difference two days can make!

Frozen to South Manitou by farlane

News from the Week

Stories this week included a national radio feature on Leelanau Hoop Houses and CSA Farms, the winners of our Grocer's Daughter Chocolates Valentine's Giveaway and a look at the odd phenomenon known as "guerrilla knitting" that has arrived in Suttons Bay.

The Week's Weather

The week's weather was great ... for April. For February, I found it to be scary and upsetting as it whacked our beautiful snow cover.

February 5, 2009: Light snow and teens (26/5)
February 6, 2009: Sun & 30s (36/4)
February 7, 2009: Sunny & 50! (50/30) TIED the record from 1925!
February 8, 2009: Sunny & 30s (37/25)
February 9, 2009: Partly sunny & 40 (41/23)
February 10, 2009: Sunny, windy & upper 50s (57/37) Record High!
February 11, 2009: Rain & 40s (46/36)

<Leelanau Almanac for the Week of February 12-18, 2009

Leelanau Almanac for the Week of January 29 - February 4, 2009>

you can see whaleback by {D}

News from the Week

In addition to a Valentines concert with Breathe Owl Breathe, the Cherry Capital Winter Wonderfest and the new Empire Museum History Nights, we had a cool photo of Fishtown "Through the Viewfinder" and a report that the 2009 Tour de Leelanau bike race has been canceled. Bummer.

The Week's Weather

The week's weather was warmer on average than recent weeks. Of course the surface of Neptune is warmer as well. Except for yesterday, when it was about the same.

January 29, 2009: Heavy snow (over 6") and upper teens (21/16)
January 30, 2009: Light snow, windy & teens (19/11)
January 31, 2009: Light snow and 30s (35/9)
February 1, 2009: Sunny, breezy & 30s (38/20)
February 2, 2009: Cloudy, light snow and upper 20s (29/8)
February 3, 2009: Clouds, light snow and upper teens (19/3)
February 4, 2009: Morning snow, afternoon sun and 10 (12/-2)

<Leelanau Almanac for the Week of February 5 - February 11, 2009

Leelanau Almanac for the Week of January 22-28, 2009>

Click for the Leelanau News Archives from January 2008 and February 2008.

North Beach 1/5/09 by Halley

News from the Week

This week we had a feature from the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore about their Saturday snowshoeing in the park. There was also a nice Points North interview with 3 Sutherland brothers from IPR, a look at this weekend's Winter Wine & Vine Experience at the Old Art Building in Leland and the upcoming  Glen Arbor Winterfest, and a photo of a winding road in the lakeshore in autumn.

The Week's Weather

The weather was cold. No, that's not fair. The weather was FREEZING.

January 22, 2009: Partly sunny, flurries & low 20s (26/23)
January 23, 2009: Cloudy, freezing drizzle early w/ diving temps late (30/14)
January 24, 2009: Partly sunny, flurries and low teens (15/9)
January 25, 2009: Partly sunny w/ wind and light snow (13/6)
January 26, 2009: Mostly sunny & teens (16/-8)
January 27, 2009: Partly sunny & teens (20/-9) Record low!
January 28, 2009: Mostly sunny & mid teens (20/7)

<Leelanau Almanac for the Week of January 29 - February 4, 2009

Leelanau Almanac for the Week of January 15-21, 2009>

Click for the Leelanau News Archive from January 2008.

This photo is part of creed 400's excellent Sleeping Bear Dunes set (slideshow). You might also enjoy their M-22 set.

Leelanau.com doesn't have an Unofficial Guest Photographer position, but if we ever do, Jim Sorbie will certainly be on the short list to fill that post!

He took this photo of a sleigh ride on New Year's Eve at the Black Horse Farm in Empire, and it's one of many fine ones in his Christmas 2008 set (slideshow).

He has so many great sets of photos that are a result of his penchant for volunteering (and also just getting out an enjoying what Leelanau has to offer in every season) that it's hard to know what to highlight. A few of my favorites are Empire Winterfest, Traverse Area Community Sailing, Winter in Leelanau and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (slideshow).

As an added bonus, Jim uploads all his photos "background big" so you can outfit your desktop with gorgeous images from Leelanau!

I took this photo late yesterday afternoon north of Leland.

You can get it larger right here,  see some more photos from the day in this set and watch a little video below.

(note - it starts kind of loud)

In Offers to buy 'Loaf' revealed, Eric Carlson of the Leelanau Enterprise brings us up to date on the state of Sugar Loaf in a well-researched article. He says that numerous offers to buy Sugar Loaf Resort from the "unnamed guarantors" of the mortgage have been made ... and rejected.

Real estate agent Allen Reed is quoted as saying that Kate Wickstrom appears to be out of the picture and also that the buildings are now viewed as more of a liability than an asset. Real estate agent and County Commissioner David "Chauncey" Shiflett of Leland agrees with Reed's assessment.  Shiflett helped establish the county's new Brownfield Redevelopment Authority and new Land Bank Fast Track Authority.

Clearly a "blighted or obsolete" property, Sugar Loaf Resort may present an opportunity for a developer interested in benefiting from special tax incentives as well as government loans and grants available for cleanup and redevelopment through the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority.

In addition, the county's newly-formed Land Bank Fast Track Authority has the legal ability to "quiet title" on certain properties where ownership is contested, unclear or potentially subject to forfeiture due to unpaid property taxes - circumstances which might describe Sugar LoafResort. Action by the two county authorities could attract a private developer willing to take on project to redevelop Sugar Loaf Resort.

"I have no idea whether the newly seated Leelanau County Board of Commissioners will support the idea of doing something to improve the situation there," Shiflett said. "But I know that trying to do so is something that I will be focusing on. I know that many of our constituents support the idea of the county taking some action to help revive Sugar Loaf."

Chauncey is quoted at the end of the article saying that:

"In some economies, it might not make sense for a county government to get too deeply involved in something like this, but we're not in a normal economy right now – and now may be the right time for the county to help spearhead an effort to revive Sugar Loaf."

Over the holidays, I looked around at the downtowns, and while I saw some activity, to me it looked like every winter weekend back in the day when Sugar Loaf was a going concern. I'm wondering what you think about whether or not the county government should get involved.