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Halloween dates back to ancient Celtic times, and although modern celebrations may not resemble the ancient ones, they're still a favorite of kids and adults alike! Here's our list of weekend activities in Leelanau and the surrounding area. Did we miss something? Undoubtably - add it as a comment below!

The Grand Traverse Lighthouse invites you out this Friday or Saturday night and next for a ghost walk where you can learn the stories of those who once dwelt there. Click through to get details from them. Also next Saturday Oct 29 in Northport is a free Halloween Concert at the Northport CAC featuring the Northport Community Band, The Village Voices and others - wear a costume!

Glen Arbor Trick or Treating for Children happens on Sunday, October 30 from 1-4 pm. The Empire Chamber invites you to the Town Hall on Front Street Halloween night (Oct 31) from 6pm to 8 pm for a spooktacular time filled with games & treats.

From 5-9 PM Cedar's Haunted House will again be scaring people October 31 starting at 5:00 pm. Come see what everyone is talking about!

The Haunted Hayrides at Black Star Farms will scare even the bravest of goblins, and are offered October 21, 22, 28, and 29, from 7-10 pm. $10 per person. Please call 231.944.1251 to confirm if the weather is iffy!

The Riverside Inn in Leland has reported ghostly activities in year's past, and while we have no official word, you should probably check it out. You might also enjoy Jacob's Corn Maze on M-72.

Looking for something unusual to do on Halloween? Check out the Zombie Run, sponsored by TART, a 5K Run/Walk starting at 9am on Saturday, October 29 at Right Brain Brewery. You are invited to register as "Infected" or "Survivor." "Survivors" will be given a one-minute head start at the beginning of the race and will want to be prepared to RUN FOR THEIR LIVES before the infected pursue their morning snack.

If you're wanting a little Halloween spirit in your cup, how about Vicious, an American wheat IPA from North Peak that pays tribute to Michigan's legendary Dogman? Read about the Dogman from Weird Michigan & Absolute Michigan. If beer's not your thing, Michiganvine.com suggests Leelanau Wine Cellars Witches Brew as the perfect treat. The secret recipe is made with cinnamon, cloves and other natural spices and is best served by warming it gently in the microwave by the glass or by simmering it in a crock pot with a cinnamon stick for a true “witches brew.”

Photo: Noche de luna llena - Full moon night by Flowery *L*u*z*a*

Here's a great video by Andrea Maio with naturalist Susan Fawcett about the work of SEEDS Youth Conservation Corps this summer on South Manitou Island. The Youth Conservation Corps is modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s New Deal and works to help them build "green collar" job skills.

You an also see a video of their work on barn preservation on the Island.

SEEDS Youth Corps/South Manitou Island from andrea claire maio on Vimeo.

Last Thursday the Inland Seas Education Association, a non-profit organization based in Suttons Bay that is dedicated to science education on the Great Lakes, welcomed its 90,000th student aboard the 77' schooner Inland Seas. The 90,000th student was from St. Francis Assisi in Ann Arbor. Executive Director and Captain Tom Kelly, said:

"This is a really exciting day for Inland Seas and the students of St. Francis. We had a great sailing day on Suttons Bay with our young scientists. After 23 years it is good to see that our mission of Great Lakes education continues to be relevant and vital to the entire Great Lakes region."

For further information about their shipboard and shore-side education programs that are designed to inspire young people's interest in science and to provide for the long-term stewardship of the Great Lakes, contact ISEA at (231) 271-3077.

This weekend and next (May 6-8 and May 12-14), the Leland Public School drama program presents the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie.

This high-spirited musical romp tells the story of small-town girl, Millie Dillmount, who comes to New York City to marry for money instead of love – a thoroughly modern aim when women were just entering the workforce and the rules of love and social behavior were changing forever. Millie takes delight in the intrigue and flapper lifestyle of New York and audiences of all ages will delight in the jubilant jazz music, bright dance and escapades of Thoroughly Modern Millie. The performance is directed by Jeremy John Evans, and supported by the Verdier Circle of Friends.

Connect with Leland Drama on Facebook!

Speaking of Leland School, the Booster Club Chicken Dinner is tonight @ the Bluebird from 5-8 pm. Tickets are available in the office or you can call the office and we will hold them at the door for you. Prices are: $12 adult / $10 students. If you are doing take out the cost is $15 per person, so dine in and enjoy the beautiful Bluebird dining room!

The Grand Traverse Insider reports that the 23rd annual edition of Exposures, the Leelanau student journal of visual arts and creative writing will be unveiled on Friday. The opening reception takes place this Friday (April 29) from 4:30-7:30 at the Old Art Building in Leland. It continues from 10-4 on Saturday, April 30. The opening is free and the public is invited to meet student writers and artists from Leelanau County schools while you enjoy original visual art, poetry and essay readings, along with live music and refreshments.

The first issue of “Exposures” came out in 1988, the brainchild of the late David Viskochil, Lita Coleman, and Laura Quackenbush, all Leelanau County residents.

“It’s since become one of the most long-standing examples of success in the collaboration between school and community in Leelanau County history,” said Freed.

“David wanted to give writing and the arts the recognition that strong academic and sports performance have always enjoyed. He wanted the final product to have a professional look and feel, and to be a journal that would encourage student writers and artists to take their work seriously.

“Ultimately, he wanted writers and artists to enjoy the respect of their peers, school officials, and the community,” Freed said. “I remember him saying that he wanted the final product to look great and be cool enough that it would be like a varsity letter – something the kids could really be proud of.”

Ryan Burgard, Dana Wessels, Julia Paige, and Frank Perkins are a few of the students whose work was accepted for publication. And while they say it isn’t always easy for them to make time for their creative work, each finds that doing so is well worth the effort.

“I believe that everybody spends too much time worrying about being busy and being stressed – they don’t do creative things because they feel they would take up time and leave them feeling even more stressed,” said Burgard.

“What I’ve found is that art helps me escape the stress, and if I can find an empty moment, I usually grab a notebook or sketch pad and start writing or drawing. It helps me clear my mind and get my emotions out on paper. I often do my best poems or drawings when I’m trying to clear my mind for the night and go to sleep after a long, stressful day.”

Read the rest of this excellent article. I have to say that as a parent and longtime school board member, I feel that Exposures is one of the most worthwhile projects I've seen in Leelanau. Do yourself a favor and check out the exhibit - you might well find your faith in the next generation bolstered!

This spring the Suttons Bay Chamber of Commerce and Suttons Bay Schools are combining forces to create a new event, Suttons Bay Saturday. On April 30th fifteen area businesses will donate 10% of their proceeds back to the department of your choice at Suttons Bay schools. This is a great opportunity for local residents to get out and see the new spring merchandise that fills the stores, enjoy a nice meal at a local establishment… while supporting your local businesses and local schools at the same time. In this era of budget cuts the schools need us more than ever, and a strong school is vital to the long term health of our community.

Shopping local is fun, but there is more to it than that. There is a tremendous multiplier effect in choosing to shop local. Each dollar spent with a local business returns 3x more money to our local economy than that spent at a chain store. Spending your hard-earned money locally means area businesses can employ your family and friends. Shopping local allows these businesses to employ supporting services from area trades, accountants, insurance providers, and so on. Not to mention, shopping local allows these businesses to give back to local causes.

Participating businesses include: 45th Parallel Cafe, Bahles, Business Helper, Candy World, Deb’s Dish, Enerdyne, Forget-Me-Not Florist, Front Porch, Hansens, Happy Woman, Haystacks, Ice Cream Factory, Lima Bean, Martha’s Leelanau Table, Suttons Bay Trading Company and The Village Inn. The booster club will be selling Spirit Wear at both Northwestern Bank and Fifth Third until noon. Look for the special Norseman symbol in the windows of participating businesses. Some restrictions may apply.

Photo credits: Open for Business by joeldinda and Happy Woman by Bean in Sylvan Lake.

The annual Leelanau Children's Center Carnival kicks off at NOON this Saturday (Feb 12) with a concert by Twang, Bang, Fiddle in the Leland Performing Arts Center. The Carnival begins at 12:30 in the gymnasium at Leland Public School and lunch will be served in the cafeteria. It features great family fun for all ages with games, raffle (including an iPad!), prizes, music, cake walk, fun and food!

This event benefits programs at the Leelanau Children's Center and is always a great time!

Click the flyer to the right for all the details!

A number of runners & support team members from our area have touched down in Ethiopia and on Saturday, January 8th, they join more runners and team members from around to country for the Run Across Ethiopia, a 400km ultramarathon to raise funds and awareness for Ethiopian education. DONATE HERE!

Starting on January 8, 2011 and spanning 12 days, a small group of runners will run 400 kilometers across Southern Ethiopia as part of a campaign to generate awareness and funding for education. The Run Across Ethiopia aims to raise $100,000 for Ethiopian education projects, including the construction of schools in other coffee-growing communities. You can tune in to Glen Arbor Sun Editor Jacob Wheeler who is in Ethiopia, the Run Across Ethiopia Facebook and RAE Live for daily updates including photos & video all during the run or check in at Higher Grounds or Pangea Pizza in Traverse City.

More than 600 years ago, merchants trekked through the mountains and valleys of Ethiopia to export the world’s first cultivated coffee beans, but in modern-day Ethiopia many coffee farmers and their families live in dire poverty. Education, health care, and access to water are all very limited. In the Yirgacheffe region, where some of the world’s most unique and sought-after coffees originate, little more than half the region’s children complete primary school. The adult literacy rate is 36 percent. Life expectancy is 53 years.

Here's a great video by James & Jamaica Weston that explains the who, why and how of this effort!

Photo used by permission of Timothy Fitzgerald Young and are (c) copyright 2010 On The Ground, Inc. All rights reserved.

Loving fresh food at Glen Lake and Leelanau School from the Glen Arbor Sun looks at how 2 Leelanau County schools are putting "fresh" on the menu.

Gene Peyerk, food service director at Glen Lake, explains that lunches “home” made in the school’s kitchen contain lower amounts of fat, cholesterol and sodium and higher grams of fiber. Even the kitchen’s corn dog, served with sweet potato fries, is healthier — with a turkey dog on the inside and whole grain outside.

Glen Lake Schools replaced processed heat-and-eat meals, warmed in microwave ovens or dunked in fryers, with lunches made mostly from scratch...

The transition brought with it a bit of a learning curve.

For three months, two serving lines were offered: one for the old food and one for fresher, homemade fare. “When all the old stuff was gone, for the first couple of weeks there was a revolt, (he chuckles at the memory), then it started picking up.”

He says many more students per day are buying lunch than they were before fresh foods were served, and they’re getting a taste for “watermelon, pineapples and all that stuff now. For so long, everything’s been processed.”

Some stealth cooking also is involved. Peyerk admits he “sneaks” 20 pounds of squash into the homemade macaroni-and-cheese sauce, “to yellow it up,” an idea he got while watching the Food Network on TV. (Students eat it and comment that “it’s a little sweet,” he relates with a grin.) The kitchen is serving more root vegetables too, such as beets, and he claims “the kids really like it.”

Read on for more and - because it's awesome - here's what Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution has to say about school food. Jamie visited "the fattest city in America" and it was a compelling exploration of how we learn to eat and how we can learn to do it better. If you really want to see something shocking, check out Jamie's chicken nugget experiment.

Suttons Bay went down to its first defeat of the season in the regional title game on Friday night as Iron Mountain cruised to a 41-17 victory. You can read about it in the Traverse City Record-Eagle, and congratulations on another great season by the Norsemen!

Although Iron Mountain wasn't good news for Suttons Bay football, Iron Mountain native Tom Izzo had great things to say about Suttons Bay basketball star Dwaun Anderson, who formally committed to Michigan State University last Thursday:

"This was Dwaun's dream coming true," Suttons Bay basketball coach Todd Hursey said. "It's special for a small town player to get a Big Ten scholarship, but Michigan State is one of the premier programs in the country. They're ranked No. 2. They're in the Final Four all the time."

Anderson, who worked on his strength and jump shot during the off-season, led Suttons Bay to a Class C state final appearance last season. He is part of a nationally-ranked class that includes 6-6 forward Brandon Dawson of Indiana, 6-6 forward Brandon Kearney of Detroit and 6-foot guard Travis Trice of Ohio.

"If you look at the four guys we got, they're all winners," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said at a news conference. "They've all either been state champs or been to state semifinals. And they've all been pretty well coached. That was a big thing to me. And the real big thing, they all wanted to be here."

Anderson, who likes to attack the basket, averaged 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists last season.

"A phenomenal athlete," Izzo said. "Not under the radar, because he was recruited by a lot of schools. But under the radar because he's from Suttons Bay, where you're just a stone's throw from Iron Mountain (Izzo's former high school).

Here's a YouTube highlight reel for Dewan from last year: