Leelanau.com Blog
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It's 35 degrees under sunny skies at 3:30 PM at Leelanau Coffee Roasting in Glen Arbor. The record high for a February 8th was 52 degrees in 1925 with the low of -18 set in 1904. The forecast for today calls for sunny skies with highs in the 30s. For Thursday, expect sunny skies and upper 30s. Expect snow and windy conditions on Friday with temps in the 20s. The early weekend outlook is for snow and teens Saturday and light snow and 20s on Sunday.

This week's photo is A Little Sunrise Ice Magic by Ken Scott. See it bigger and check out Ken's snow slideshow!

Coming Events

Empire Winterfest (Feb 11), Traverse City Winter Microbrew Festival (Feb 11), Glen Arbor Winterfest (Feb 18),   Sleeping Bear Snowshoe Hikes (Every Saturday). Check the Leelanau Calendar. Check the Leelanau Calendar!  You can click that link to add your Leelanau & Traverse City events to the calendar for FREE! Not only will they be distributed with our weekly newsletter, but they may be a featured story on Leelanau.com!

Week's Weather & Weather Resources

Click for the Leelanau News Archive from February 2011 and also the School Closings & Delays from 9&10 News.

Please also check the less pessimistic Weather.com forecast)

Weather Underground is just about as old as the internet (the first net weather service) and is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Sometimes the above banner will show personal weather system data from Leelanau Coffee in Glen Arbor, sometimes from Leland and sometimes it comes from a vineyard on Old Mission (it tells you which in the top left of the page it links to).

Buoy 45002 in Lake Michigan is located halfway between North Manitou Island and Washington Island in Lake Michigan. It provides wind and wave data. Also check out Michigan Sea Grant Coastwatch for water temps (the "early evening" images in their archive will give you a better idea of actual temps during peaks swimming hours ... in seasons where you might actually want to swim!).

February is the time to celebrate winter in Northern Michigan and Leelanau County has three great festivals that do exactly that!

Just in: the Empire Winterfest takes place THIS Saturday (Feb 11) with activities including a Lion's Club Pancake Breakfast and the amazing Polar Bear Dip at 2 PM SHARP! It's sponsored by the Empire Chamber. Here's a slideshow of Empire Polar Bear dip photos from the Leelanau (dot com) pool!

Glen Arbor’s  annual ode to winter will take place again this year with the Glen Arbor Winterfest, on Saturday, February 18th!

The Glen Arbor Winterfest is sponsored by the Glen Lake/Sleeping Bear Chamber and takes place Saturday February 18. Highlights include a perch fishing contest, a chance to "fish" for deals at Glen Arbor stores and the Chili Cookoff at Boonedocks along with live music and plenty of warmth from the cozy wood-burning fire pits on the deck. Don't miss the video of the Cookoff courtesy Michael Buhler and the Glen Arbor Sun below!

The Northport-Omena Chamber of Commerce Winter Carnival takes place on Saturday, February 25th at Bramen Hill Recreational Area. They haven't updated it for 2012 yet but their Winter Carnival page has some pics!

If that's not enough, there's also the Cherry Capital Winter WOW Fest in Downtown Traverse City!

Hey everyone, we're super sorry that we've been away so much. To try and make it up to you, we're going to give someone on our email list* a pair of tickets to the Traverse City Winter Microbrew and Music Festival tomorrow morning!! This year is the 3rd annual, and it takes place this Saturday February 11th at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons.

The annual festival is produced by Porterhouse Productions and features over 40 breweries, wineries, cideries, and meaderies - most from Michigan - along with local food vendors and beer & food pairings. A highlight of the festival is a wide range of entertainment featuring Funktion, Heatbox, The Crane Wives, Whitney Morgan and the 78s, Dragon Wagon and Rootstand. There's also fire dancers, live polka music and a silent disco. Click the poster to the right for all the details, and as it's an outdoor festival (with tents) you know that fashion = warm! (ie: Carhart over Calvin Klein!)

*If you're not on our list sign up at the top right. If you don't want to get our weekly email, just post a comment on the Leelanau.com Facebook or send an email to andy@leelanau.com saying you want to win and we'll add you to the list we draw from!

Speaking of polka, here's one of the polka bands that will be at the Microbrew festival, Squeezebox. There's a little dancing, but nothing like what you'll probably see closer to the polka capital of the USA, Cedar Michigan.

You're invited to share the love of Leelanau and Leelanau wine at the Taste the Passion wine tour, held February 4 & 5, 2012. This special weekend celebrates wine, chocolate and love at the wineries of the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail.

Your ticket allows you to chart your own course, enjoying food and wine pairings at 17 wineries along with a optional winter and Valentine-themed activities at many of the wineries.

"Taste the Passion is definitely our most intimate event," says winemaker Larry Mawby. "Our tasting rooms are cozy places in wintertime, and with less people on the trail, it's a great opportunity to talk directly with winemakers and vineyard owners. To top it all off, Leelanau County is a winter paradise, offering everything from cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, to enjoying great meals at our restaurants, and evenings by the fireplace. This is a perfect chance to score a Valentine's Day touchdown!"

Tickets are just $30, and quantities are limited. Secure yours as soon as possible, as most of LPVA trail events do sell out. There are also lodging packages that include tickets! Get all the details right here.

If you want to add a little more fun to your weekend, on Friday night (Feb 3) at Mountain Flowers Lodge from 6-8pm, the The Homestead and Glen Arbor Artists will be hosting “Art from Michigan’s Wine Country.” Art will be on display and for sale from local artists. To purchase tickets in advance call The Homestead 231-334-5100.

Photo credit: 2010 Taste the Passion by KatSwinehart

A pair of fun winter events are on tap for next Sunday...

The annual Cedar Winterfest happens from 1-3 PM at the Snowmobile Club 2 miles north of Cedar on Schomberg Rd.

You're invited to bring your winter sleds, tobaggans, saucers, cross country skis and snowshoes for a Sunday afternoon of fun. They'll have a bonfire to warm you on the outside and hot chocolate and snacks to warm your tummy. Free and open to the public!

The fifth annual Roy Taghon Memorial Snowmobile Ride begins at 1 p.m., Sun., Jan. 22, at the Empire Airport and continues to the Maple City Fitness Center, behind Kerby’s Bar and Grill, 172 W. Burdickville Road, Maple City. Whether riding on a sled or driving, all are welcome to participate in the fun-filled afternoon. Hot dogs and chili will be served at 2:30. Suggested donation is $7 per adult, $4 per child.

All proceeds benefit the Roy Taghon Music Scholarship Fund which provides an annual music scholarship for Glen Lake High School students. Roy lived in Empire and was an avid snowmobiler and church organist for more than 30 years. For information, call (231) 326-5519.

You can check out all kinds park & trail information on our Sleeping Bear Dunes Homepage and get snow & trail condition updates at Ski Leelanau!

There is no better way to get outside and burn off some of those extra holiday calories than by joining a Park Ranger at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on a guided snowshoe hike every Saturday. Meet at 1 p.m. at the Visitor Center in Empire for these popular weekend afternoon adventures. They take place every Saturday, starting on January 7, 2012 and going through the month of February. Dress in layers, wear waterproof boots, and don’t forget to take your camera along to capture the wonders of winter.

Park Rangers meet interested snowshoers inside the Visitor Center to first provide basic snowshoeing instructions, and then directions to a trailhead or off-trail area pre-selected by the Park Ranger. If you do not have your own snowshoes, the National Park Service will loan you a pair free of charge (they are limited to 30 participants so email or call them to pre-register). While exploring outside, the Park Ranger will encourage participants to inquire and learn about winter’s effect on the park’s unique features. Be prepared to be outside until about 3 p.m.

Not only is snowshoeing easy, fun and good exercise, it is also an activity that can be enjoyed by all ages. The Park Ranger-led hikes are mildly strenuous, yet they proceed at a leisurely pace for no more than one and a half miles. This allows visitors an opportunity for discovery, adventure, and to look for signs of wildlife or evidence of ancient glaciers. Some snowshoers simply want to experience and enjoy a winter wonderland, which is what you will find at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

There is no charge for the programs, however, participants need to display the park entrance pass or have an annual pass to join in the fun. Reservations are not required, but are suggested, especially if you wish to borrow snowshoes or are with a group. Please call (231) 326-5134, ext. 328, for details and to make reservations. For more in-depth information about Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, visit www.nps.gov/slbe.

Ken took this photo of the annual holiday display at Art's in Glen Arbor last year. Ken has a nice little Christmas lights slideshow that you can check out. In case you're wondering, the unfamiliar white stuff is I'm told called "snow", and it used to (get this) fall from the sky and cover the ground.

All kidding aside, reports today say that at 3.5" of snow, this is the lowest recorded total by this time EVER.

The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore invites you to join them at the Visitor Center Auditorium in Empire this Saturday, December 17 at 1 PM for a shipwreck program presented by diver/historian Ross Richardson.

The shipwrecks of the Manitou Passage have attracted underwater explorers for decades. Today, the underwater photography of these explorers allows landsmen to visit the shipwrecks from the comfort of a warm, dry chair. Ross Richardson has spent the last decade searching for and documenting shipwrecks off the coast of west Michigan. He is credited with discovering the location of the legendary steamer Westmoreland, which sank south of Sleeping Bear Point in 1854.

Offshore of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore lies the Manitou Passage. Although this 36-mile long waterway offers some protection from the open waters of Lake Michigan, even the waters of the passage can be treacherous. Many ships seeking shelter sank in this passage, hitting shoals and sandbars and running aground before being destroyed by the waves of Lake Michigan. There are 16 known shipwrecks in the passage and around the Manitou Islands, but there may be as many as 45 wrecks still undiscovered on the bottom. Many wrecks are well-preserved and offer clues on how they surrendered to the strength of the big lake in the days before advanced navigation when ships relied on basic tools like a compass, clock, and chart.

For more information, please call the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore at 231-326-5134 or visit their website at www.nps.gov/slbe. Also, check out their Facebook page!

The Leland Michigan Chamber of Commerce invites you to do some of your holiday shopping in the village of Leland the next two Thursdays, December 15 & 22. Many Leland shops & stores will be open until at least 8:00.

Refreshments will be available at some locations. Come join the Leland merchants, decorated for the season!

Also, if you're in town, the Bluebird starts their 2011-2012 Ethnic Night season this Wednesday & Thursday. This week it's French featuring Classic French Cuisine and incredible French wine. Next week (Dec. 21-22) is Santa Fe featuring their take on Southwestern Cooking and December 28-29 is New England with fresh Atlantic seafood and northwoods specialties!

Photo credit: KAScott_20090326_0646-56b by Ken Scott

This Sunday (December 11) at 3 PM the Northport Community Arts Center presents their annual Christmas Concert. The Northport Community Band and the Village Voices will combine their talents to bring you a seasonal "Holiday Highlights". Voices, keyboards, and instruments will join in bringing back special musical memories for all of us, plus a surprise or two.

Bring the kids, and plan to sing along on some of your favorites. This is definitely a relaxed and fun-filled evening for the whole family! To order tickets for this concert as well as season tickets and flex passbooks call their office at 231.386.5001, Monday through Friday, 10 am to 2 pm.