Saturdays at the Lakeshore in May
Every Saturday in May the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will hold a ranger-led, educational walk in the Lakeshore with topics including frogs, beaver lodges, wild flowers and migratory birds!
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The Leelanau School in Glen Arbor is hosting a Mother's Day Brunch this Sunday (May 11) from 10 AM to 2 PM to benefit Leelanau County Habitat for Humanity. This is a terrific brunch for the whole family and funds raised will help pay for a habitat house that is currently under construction in Maple City.
Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with people in need to build and renovate decent, affordable housing. The houses then are sold to those in need at no profit and with no interest charged. Volunteers provide most of the labor, and individual and corporate donors provide money and materials to build Habitat houses.
Partner families themselves invest hundreds of hours of labor—sweat equity—into building their homes and the homes of others. Their mortgage payments go into a revolving Fund for Humanity that is used to build more houses.
The Record-Eagle (and today's Enterprise) report that Brad Lutz, who signed a purchase agreement for the resort in February, announced Tuesday he won't close because he hasn't finished his review of the deal.
"We're still very interested in Sugar Loaf. We've done a lot of work out there and we still have a good plan for the property," Lutz said. "But we couldn't accomplish in 90 days what others haven't been able to accomplish in eight years."
...Lutz declined to discuss his plans in detail, but said he wanted to make the resort more of a four-season attraction in Leelanau County. He said he also needed more time to work on details like county and township approvals for renovating the property, tying down building demolition costs and reaching and resolving sewer issues as the resort's sewer system is not part of Wickstrom's holdings.
April is a month that folks seem to think about more wisely using resources. This week's Enterprise has a nice feature on community power consultant and Leelanau resident Steve Smiley.
Smiley’s home serves as a case study for the Michigan Energy Office, Department of Labor & Economic Growth and is an example of energy (and fuel) savings.
...Smiley said he hopes his home’s carbon-neutral energy consumption will become more the rule than the exception. His vision for Leelanau County includes the creation of shared utilities (heat, water, electricity) which are powered by natural fuel from the sun and wind and renewable sources such as trees, which absorb carbon.
The photo is Windmill by j lakechick and seeing it made me think about how once necessity forced folks to take advantage of the energies inherent in nature as a matter of course. Funny how we appear to be returning to that point.
Sugar Loaf area resident Bryan Poirier - who was up late practicing for the upcoming New Third Coast tour opening for Neil Young - was startled Sunday night to see "a bunch of lights zooming up and down the face of the mountain, but I just figured it was Jim Rennie 'sleep-grooming' again."
Rennie, another area resident, admitted that he had sought treatment for the rare sleep disorder. He said that he had been headed over to the Loaf to set a few gates "just for practice" when he too saw the strange lights. Upon arrival, he realized that the lights were a remarkable array of unidentified flying objects. By morning, county law enforcement officials and a growing crowd of curious onlookers were on the scene.
Calls to Sugar Loaf's owner, attorney and realtor went unanswered, setting people's minds somewhat at ease that it was still business as usual at the long-shuttered resort. Shortly after noon excitement was rekindled when, at a hastily called press conference, it was announced that Sugar Loaf Mountain had been sold ... to aliens!
The purchasing party is a consortium of several alien species who are calling themselves INVADER (Intergalactic Negotiators for Very Amicable Development of Extra-species Relationships). INVADER spokesman Klaatu announced the sale of Sugar Loaf for an undisclosed sum and pledged a massive investment in anti-gravity chair lifts and advanced alien snowmaking technology that would render the hills skiable 10 months out of the year.
When pressed about the selling price, Klaatu said "Long ago, we abandoned the concept of money ... along with war, starvation and reality television but I can tell you that all parties are happy with the outcome."
Alien attorney Zoth the Destroyer dismissed as "outrageous" speculation that the resort would be used as the beachhead for an alien invasion and regrettably ate our photographer, cutting the interview short. We did receive a lovely fruit basket by way of apology, however.
The Leelanau MSU Extension will host an organic vegetable farming and gardening event on Friday, April 18 at the NW Michigan Horticultural Research Station.
This session will be of use to organic producers, backyard vegetable growers, those considering organic certification, and anyone else interested in growing vegetables. The program will cover soil management, how organic soils work, cover crops for vegetable production, composting, organic pest management, emerging crops for organic production, the pros and cons of organic certification, the use of hoophouses for season extension. There will also be an experienced farmer panel representing four farms across Michigan to explain their operations and answer first-hand any questions participants may have. A catered lunch will be provided. The cost to attend is $25 per person.
If you're interested, you meed to RSVP to the Leelanau MSU Extension office by Monday, April 10th! Call 231-256-9888.
The Leelanau Enterprise reports that Leelanau County is the first non-urban municipality in Michigan to take advantage of new brownfield redevelopment rules that provide funding to clean up obsolete, blighted or contaminated properties.
The property in question is the former county courthouse campus in Leland, which is slated to be sold by next month to a local development company, Varley-Kelly Properties L.L.C., for redevelopment into a 2.4-acre residential neighborhood in the heart of downtown Leland.
A decision made Tuesday afternoon in Lansing by the Michigan Economic Growth Authority (MEGA) board will allow the developer to tap into some $350,750 in "tax increment financing" to clean up the site before it is developed.
The Brunson Barn is on Thoreson Road about one mile west of M-22 where Thorson Road turns south. This structure is all that remains of the Joseph and Margaret Brunson farm. Mrs. Brunson was the daughter of Thomas Kelderhouse. The gambrel roofed barn is sited in a small field with a gentle wooded slope that rises to the north.
The Enterprise reports that the Leelanau Conservation District's annual seedling and plant sale is now underway. The sale is a fundraiser where:
Selections are available in quantities ranging from five conifers or deciduous transplants, to thousands of seedlings. Also available are wildlife shrubs, groundcovers, native grasses, ferns and wildflowers.
"With the variety of species available, there are plants to suit every site condition imaginable," said Buzz Long, new executive director of the district. "Whether you desire to plant trees for future timber production or for a windbreak to reduce wind erosion or to provide a snow screen, we offer species that will fit the bill."
The Leelanau Enterprise talked to Brad Lutz regarding the listing of Sugar Loaf:
Lutz told the Enterprise on Wednesday morning that his “option to purchase” Sugar Loaf Resort from Wickstrom remains in force, and that he was still in the “due diligence” phase of his efforts to acquire the resort. Even though Wickstrom decided to list the property for sale after Lutz signed an agreement with her, he said "nothing has changed from my perspective."
The Leelanau School in Glen Arbor is hosting a Mother's Day Brunch this Sunday (May 11) from 10 AM to 2 PM to benefit Leelanau County Habitat for Humanity. This is a terrific brunch for the whole family and funds raised will help pay for a habitat house that is currently under construction in Maple City.
The purchasing party is a consortium of several alien species who are calling themselves INVADER (Intergalactic Negotiators for Very Amicable Development of Extra-species Relationships). INVADER spokesman Klaatu announced the sale of Sugar Loaf for an undisclosed sum and pledged a massive investment in anti-gravity chair lifts and advanced alien snowmaking technology that would render the hills skiable 10 months out of the year.
The Leelanau Enterprise talked to Brad Lutz regarding the listing of Sugar Loaf: