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The Leelanau Farmers Markets are celebrating 10 years with an anniversary celebration at the Suttons Bay Farmers Market on Saturday, August 28 beginning at 10:30. The celebration includes music, children's activities, prizes and refreshments.

As always, the market will feature local produce and products, all grown or produced within 60 miles of the markets. Customers can expect to find for purchase fresh local fruits and vegetables, cut flowers, pastured pork, eggs, honey, dried fruits, maple syrup, lavender, baking mixes, soups, granola, art, soaps, jewelry, knitted items, baked goods and more.

The Leelanau Farmers Markets began in the summer season of 2001 with help from the Leelanau Agricultural Alliance and MSU Extension with the goal of improving the marketing of local farm products and preserving county farmland. There are now 6 markets in beautiful Leelanau County. The markets are an important part of local agriculture and bringing business to the towns in which they reside.

Photo "Bare Knuckle Farm – Jess Piskor" by Leelanau Farmers Markets – see more on Facebook!

Food For Thought's annual Green Cuisine is a celebration that seeks to bring more awareness to local food and sustainable business practices. Green Cuisine is held annually the third Wednesday in July (next Wed – July 14) from 5-8 PM at the Food For Thought Farm, 10704 Oviatt Rd. Honor, MI 49640. Visitors will be able to sample some of the best products of local food and beverage artisans, tour Food For Thought’s organic farm and green buildings as they socialize, learn and have fun in a beautiful setting.

Green Cuisine is free BUT YOU MUST PRE-REGISTER – Register online here.  Children are welcome! For more information, please call 231-326-5444 or visit the Food for Thought web site.

FOOD/BEVERAGE VENDORS La Becasse Oryana Higher Grounds Trading Co. Chateau Chantal Black Star Farms Cherry Republic Ciccone Vineyard and Winery Shady Lane Vineyards Trattoria Stella Short's Brewery Light of Day Organics L. Mawby Vineyard Shetler Dairy Pleasanton Brick Oven Bakery Honor Family Market Good Neighbor Organic Winery and Vineyard Stone House Bread Naturally Nutty Nut Butters Cook's House Bel Lago Vineyard Right Brain Brewery Siren Hall Lori's Salsa and Hummus Del Sol Land of Goshen 45 North Winery

GREEN LIFESTYLE / AWARENESS Green Island / Eco Lunch Gear Wings of Wonder Salon Verve Deep Wood Press Indira Skin Products Run Across Ethiopia Recycle Chicken Bay Area Recycling 9 Bean Rows CSA Providence Farms CSA Ware Farm CSA

2010 Leelanau Farmer's Markets are underway in Glen Arbor, Lake Leelanau, Leland, Northport and Suttons Bay. They offer you a chance to get out and connect with farmers and other folks who produce food in Leelanau County. You can also connect with Leelanau Farmer's Markets on Facebook!

Tuesdays in Glen Arbor
9 am—1 pm
June 15—Aug 31
Location: Downtown, behind the Glen Arbor Township Hall

Thursdays in Leland
9 am—Noon
June 17– Sept 2
Location: Parking lot,across from the Bluebird Restaurant

Fridays in Northport
9 am—1 pm
June 18—Sept 17
Location: The Depot, next to the marina

Saturdays in Suttons Bay
9 am—1 pm
May 15—Oct 16
Location: Ice skating rink, corner of Lincoln & Broadway Streets

Saturdays in Empire
9 am—1 pm
June 12—Sept 25
Location: Downtown, next to the Post Office

Sundays in Lake Leelanau
10 am—2 pm
June 13—Sept 5
Location: Parking lot, next to Kejara’s Bridge Restaurant

Taste the Local Difference is a comprehensive guide that includes farm, farm market, CSA, winery  and other listings with addresses, phone numbers and an index to seasonal food availability.

Photo: Thursday morning at the market by *ojoyous1*

The annual Cedar Polka Festival runs Thursday through Sunday (July 1-4). Highlights include a parade on Saturday at noon, softball tournament, a polka mass and (of course) polka under the big, big tent with the big names of polka.

Thursday, July 1, 2010
The 28th annual Cedar Polka Festival begins with the flag raising ceremony at 5:00 p.m. Music and dancing begins immediately after the ceremony. Musicians, Gary's Ridgeland Ducthmen, (Ontario, WI) and Frank Moravceik Band, (Cleveland, OH) playing until 1 am.

Friday, July 2, 2010
Sidewalk Chalk Art at 10 am, meet at the Town Hall. Music and dancing beings at 2 pm with Gary's Ridgeland Ducthmen
playing until 5:30. The Honky Express, (Parma, OH) and Frank Moravceik Band,
(Cleveland, OH) will play alternately until 1 am.

Saturday, July 3, 2010
Face painting at 10:30am, at the Town Hall. Polka Fest Parade beings at noon at the Solon Twp. Hall. All participants should be at the Solon Twp. Hall by 11:30 am sharp.

Music and dancing begins at 2 pm The Honky Express, (Parma, OH) playing until 5:30 pm. New Brass Express, (Bad Axe, MI) and Watkoski Family Band, (Grand Rapids, MI) alternately until 1 am.

Sunday, July 4, 2010
Polka Mass celebrated with Bishop Cooney begins at 11 am under the tent. Music and dancing resumes at 1 pm with New Brass Express, (Bad Axe, MI) and Pan Franek & Zosia,(Muskegon, MI) until 8 pm.

Admissions (per person)
Thursday – $5.00
Fri. & Sat. – $10.00
Sunday – $5.00
3 Day Pass – $20.00
Ages 13-20 – 1/2 price when accompanied by parent
Ages 12 & Under – Free when accompanied by parent

Bands subject to change. Space available for rent on the tennis court.

For Info Phone: (231) 228-3378 or (231) 228-5562

The photo is Polka Dancing in Krakow by beastiekeith.

Check out the Library of Congress Local Legacies

and the Leelanau.com/map Cedar Polka Fest location

Once again the Grand Traverse Lighthouse and the Northport-Omena Chamber of Commerce are joining together for the Northport Lighthouse and Maritime Festival on Saturday, June 19 in Northport. The festival celebrates the lighthouse and Northport's maritime history and will be held at Haserot and Marina Parks from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. A few of the highlights of the festival include Nautical Silent Auction & Flea Market, maritime historical displays, a nautical arts and craft show, Model Sailboat Making & Pond Races, Historic Boats on Display, Northport Weather Tower Interpretation, and more. A memorial bench dedication will take place at 12 noon in honor of Northport Boat Builders, including Bill Livingston, Ted Craker, and Chris Telgard.

Also back for the festival is the annual Fish Boil dinner. Fresh whitefish, from Carlson's of Fishtown, is simmered with redskin potatoes and onions. Also available is slaw, corn on the cob, rolls, pie, and beverages. Dinner will be available from noon to 6:00pm for $15/person. New this year – you can buy a glass of wine or beer for $5 from the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum volunteers to enjoy with your meal.

Inland Seas Education Association will be offering 2 hour schooner cruises focusing on maritime history of Northport guided by the ship's crew and a guest faculty of local historians. The cost is $30 per person the day of the cruise or buy one get one at 50% off pre-paid by June 18th.

Photo: We'll keep a light on for you ~ by KT of Lake Orion

On May 21 and May 22, enjoy a Fishing Contest, Parade, Music, Old Cars and Finger Food, downtown in the village of Lake Leelanau. For more information, visit lakeleelanaumi.com

Lake Leelanau has not hosted a Walleye Festival since 2006. Read how "the" bartender, Tony, from Dick's Pour House revived the fishing tournament and festival in the Leelanau Enterprise.

The 7th Annual Empire Asparagus Festival will be held May 14-16, 2009 and features a slew of asparagus-themed events including a fun run (or walk), Asparagus recipe contest, the Asparagus Parade, chalk art, music & dance and kids games. And, again this year, the popular Asparagus Eats/Wine and Beer Tasting! Check out the list of food and beverage vendors below.

For a full list of events, visit the Empire Chamber of Commerce website.

The Empire Asparagus is one of the world's weirdest festivals, check out the video:

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This Saturday, April 24, the opening day of trout season, the Northport Sportsmen Club sponsors a fishing derby at the Old Mill Pond in Northport. Fishing is reserved for children, with parents helping them. The club will have two tents overlooking the millpond – one with hot dogs and the other with prizes such as fishing poles and games. Trophies will be awarded to kids catching the largest trout.

Next Saturday, May 1, is their annual Smelt Supper at the Northport Fire Hall. The Northport Sportsmen's Club has been hosting this event for years and they know how to cook smelt and all the trimmings. The dinner and bucket raffle help raise funds for a variety of community projects sponsored by the club. Dinner starts at 4 p.m. and runs until 8 p.m. Adults are $10, children 5-12 are $5 and preschoolers are free.

Photo used by permission from Cheryl Parker Photography.

The Women’s Resource Center (WRC) is proud to announce its biggest fundraiser of the year; Taste of Grand Traverse! Taste of Grand Traverse is a food and beverage tasting event, much like Taste of Chicago or Taste of Cincinnati, only on a much smaller scale. Approximately 19 restaurants and 5 beverage companies will be offering small samples or “tastes” of their finest food and drink. The Taste of Grand Traverse will be held Sunday, April 18th 2010 at the Great Wolf Lodge. There will be two tasting sessions to choose from, 500 admissions per session: 11 am -1:00 pm or 2pm – 4:00 pm. Adult admission is $15 at the door donation to the WRC. Admission includes 3 food tickets. Additional tickets are available for $1. Samples will be between 1 and 3 tickets and adult admission fee includes 3 free sampling tickets) Children 5 – 12 are just $1 and children under 5 are admitted free.

Photo: Truffles (from Grocer's Daughter) by farlane

Food and Beverage Participants include:
Betsie Bay Inn
Cook’s House
Corky’s
Epicure Catering
The Fusion
Fustini’s
Great Wolf Lodge
Great Northern Roasting Company
Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate
House of Doggs – TC’s place for Coneys!
Lil Bo Pub & Grille
Lulu’s Bistro
Morsels – Bite-sized bakery and gourmet coffee.
Munson Medical Center / Sodexo Foods
Northwoods Soda
TC Red’s BBQ
Siren Hall
Sparky’s Diner
Turtle Creek
Zakey Middle Eastern Cuisine

Livability, which touts America's most livable cities and explore the best places to live, work and play picked their list of 10 Surprising Food Cities. At the top of the list was a photo of a Leelanau winery and…

1. Traverse City, MI

Known as the Cherry Capital of the World, the Lake Michigan resort town of Traverse City does a pretty good job with other foods, too. With plenty of award-winning restaurants, wineries, farmers markets and dairies, Traverse City has been called “a new foodie haven” by The Huffington Post, and Midwest Living magazine recently named it second on its list of the region's “best food towns.” At the heart of the accolades is an emphasis on the farm-to-table philosophy. At Trattoria Stella, where chef Myles Anton was nominated for a 2010 James Beard Foundation award, the menu of Italian fare takes care to note ingredients from local farms and dairies. For wine lovers, the city's Leelanau Peninsula and Old Mission Peninsula wine regions lie along the 45th parallel— the same latitude that gives the Bordeaux region of France its famous reputation. Get started with a self-guided foodie tour.

We offer congratulations to Myles but feel compelled to point out the two more Beard Award nominees from the Leelanau Peninsula: Randy Chamberlain at Blu in Glen Arbor and Guillaume Hazaël-Massieux of La Bécasse near Maple City!!