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

This photo shows Bill Carlson tending the smoker in Fishtown, sometime in the 1970s. It was taken by Paul Serratoni, and the funny thing is that it's not all that different today.

One of the reasons for that is the work of the Fishtown Preservation Society. You can help support their work through the Benefit Brunch at the Bluebird next Sunday (October 23) from 10 AM - 2 PM.

For $30/person, you can enjoy a buffet brunch with your choice of mimosa / bloody mary / wine, plus door prizes, music and fun – and all while supporting Fishtown preservation efforts! Click the link above for more information and ticket locations or to purchase your tickets online.

Here's something that I stumbled upon on my way to find something else. This fascinating video produced for the Fishtown Preservation Society takes you on a 3D through, around and uder the shanties in Fishtown and is pretty darned cool! It was produced by Midwestern Consulting using a high-definition laser scanner and you can read all about the process in Scanning a Fishy Business.

via lpwines.com!

How Mario Batali Gets His Drink On In and Around Traverse City, Michigan from nation food magazine Bon Appetit features 5 of Mario's favorite Leelanau wines & ciders. There's Black Star Farms Arcturos Cabernet Franc which Batali names "the best Michigan wine ever", Gill's Pier Semi-Dry Riesling (recommended with pork with roast grapes), 45 North Winery Icebox Gewurztraminer (a succulent dessert wine with classic notes of apricot, honey, and ginger spice), Tandem Ciders Smackintosh "It's become my new drink, I drink cider as an aperitivo now. Even back in New York. Where they're all from France and they're not as awesome." and L. Mawby Cremant Classic NV, named "arguably the Leelanau Peninsula's signature wine".

There's also a more narrative & lengthy feature about how the rock-star chef spends his summers in Leelanau. Mario says:

The food scene has really exploded in the region. There are farmers' markets and hip-looking people farming and butchering. It's very cool. Even in Northport, our town of less than 1,000 people, there's a great weekly farmers' market in the summer. The chefs involved in the scene celebrate what's here; they're not trying to be anything they're not. Now people are coming for gastronomic tourism.

There's a whole lot more to read and he highlights Leelanau standards like Fishtown, the deck at the Cove, Boones in Suttons Bay and Pleva's Meats. These are really great features that tout what many folks have known for years - the wine and the food of the Leelanau Peninsula and the surrounding area have arrived.

The table is set, come on up and check it out!

Photo credits: Apples & a Growler by Trish P. - K1000 Gal

The 2011 Poster is titled "Fishtown from the Bridge" and was painted by Phil Fisher (click for website - new window). You can purchase the poster online along with posters from years past from the Leland Chamber's online store!

Mark your calendar for the annual Leland Wine & Food Festival. The festival is a northern Michigan tradition held on the second Saturday in June (June 11, 2011) from noon til 6pm.

Come enjoy a day near the Leland Harbor and Leland's historic Fishtown tasting wines from local wineries and tasting the specialties from local restaurants and vendors. There's also live music in the park all day and of course plenty of beautiful views of Lake Michigan and the Manitou Islands.

Admission is $12 and includes an etched wine glass and two tickets for wine tasting. Additional wine tasting tickets are available. Food vendors accept cash only and here's a list of last year's participating Wineries and Food Vendors (we will update when we get info!):

Wineries
Bel Lago
Black Star Farms
Chateau Fontaine
Ciccone Vineyards
45 North
Gill's Pier Winery
Good Harbor Vineyards
Raftshol
Silver Leaf
Willow
Bowers Harbor
Chateau Chantal
Chateau Grand Traverse
Peninsula Winery
Circa
Chateau de Leelanau

Local Beer: Shorts Brewing

Food Vendors
Bluebird Restaurant
Leland Lodge
Corky’s (Vineyard Inn)
Plevas
Village Inn
Drive Thru BBQ
The Cove
Martha’s Leelanau Table
Leelanau Cheese
Village Cheese Shanty
Stone House Bread

View Photos from the Leland Wine & Food Festival

For more information on Leelanau County's wineries, visit the Leelanau Peninsula Vintner's Association site at LPWines.com

Photo credit: On the Lawn by farlane

Robert Earl asked: "Where would be the best sites to see in your area if we only had a weekend to visit?"

I replied:

Hello Robert. Not sure what season you are coming, but the #1 thing is the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Info is on the Park website and our Sleeping Bear Dunes pages. Particularly cool hikes with killer views are Pyramid Point, Empire Bluffs and the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive.

Some other favorites of mine are Inspiration Point on Glen Lake, Fishtown and the beach in Leland, Leelanau State Park and the Grand Traverse Light in Northport.

Then it struck me that some other folks might have suggestions! Post them below!

photo credit: vast sandy wilds by gsgeorge

The Inland Seas Education Association will present a seminar that focuses on the Great Lakes fishery at 7 PM next Tuesday, January 11th at the Inland Seas Education Center in Suttons Bay. The seminar is free and open to the public and will be presented by Amanda Holmes, Executive Director of the Fishtown Preservation Society.

The shores of the Great Lakes and their islands were once fringed with commercial fisheries like Leland's Fishtown, where fish were processed for the burgeoning Midwest. As it has been for over a century, Fishtown is still a commercial fishery, although on a smaller scale. Holmes will share her explorations of some of the few remaining fishing operations throughout the Great Lakes, why they have survived, and what they have taught her about the rarity of Fishtown.

Amandais the Executive Director of the Fishtown Preservation Society and holds a Ph.D. in Folklore and Folklife and a Certificate in Historic Preservation. She has written numerous architectural, landscape, and engineering studies for the National Park Service, as well as published an award-winning history of Omena, Michigan. Her background in Folklore has led her to gather as many stories as possible about Fishtown, and to broaden her scope to capturing the stories of commercial fishing and fishermen from all over the Great Lakes.

The photo is Leland early Fishing Fleet in old Channel by UpNorth Memories - Donald (Don) Harrison and you can see more in his Fishtown slideshow!

Over on Absolute Michigan we've posted Michigan Invasive Species: Asian Carp that takes a look at what is likely the greatest threat to fishing in Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes that we've seen. Imported by Mississippi catfish farmers in the 70s, Asian carp escaped during flooding in the 1990s and have marched up the river to the point where their knocking at the door in Chicago (they may have even passed through). Asian Carp and the Great Lakes from the Great Lakes EPA says:

Asian Carp are a significant threat to the Great Lakes because they are large, extremely prolific, and consume vast amounts of food. They can weigh up to 100 pounds, and can grow to a length of more than four feet. They are well-suited to the climate of the Great Lakes region, which is similar to their native Asian habitats.

Researchers expect that Asian carp would disrupt the food chain that supports the native fish of the Great Lakes. Due to their large size, ravenous appetites, and rapid rate of reproduction, these fish could pose a significant risk to the Great Lakes Ecosystem.

Fishing is big business in Leelanau and Michigan and an even bigger part of what makes us a premier tourist destination. I'll leave you with a request to talk with your elected representatives about doing everything they can to stop this invader. Here's a frightening video of Asian carp in action.

Photo Credit: Fish... ! by John Levanen

The Traverse City Record-Eagle reports on a $50,000 grant to help document the history of Fishtown. The Fishtown Preservation Society will use the money to :

...document "the evolution of fishing and Fishtown," said Kathryn Eckert, chairman of the nonprofit group. Newspapers, legal documents, maps and personal stories will be used in a Historic Structures Report, essential to keeping the integrity of the century-old fishing village on the Leland River.

The report is mainly for architectural purposes, but preservation involves more than just blueprints, Eckert said.

"We want to know how the structures were built and used," she said.

The grant, from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Jeffris Heartland Fund, requires $50,000 in matching funds, which Eckert is confident the group can raise. She said they're "well on the way" with donations from locals, summer residents and even visitors who see the restoration that's already been done.

Click to donate to the Fishtown Preservation Society. Learn more about Fishtown (located in the village of Leland) right here.

Photo Credit: Early Fishtown Channel Card by UpNorth Memories - Donald (Don) Harrison

Check out Don's slideshow of old Fishtown photos, and for some modern-day shots of this iconic Leelanau tourist attraction, check out the Fishtown slideshow from the Leelanau photo group on Flickr!

Memorial Weekend marks the unofficial first day of summer in northern Michigan. The next few months will be a whirlwind of festivals, barbecues, beaches, boating, or whatever your favorite summer activity may be. Start the summer off right, by attending one of the Memorial Day celebrations.

Monday at 9:30am, Leelanau County's official Memorial Day observance will be held at the site of the county's new Veteran's Memorial plaza on the Grovernment Center Drive. County Commissioner Richard A. Schmuckal, a former sergeant in the U.S. Army, will be emcee and former Army captain and Vietnam combat veteran Dave Alguire of Leelanau County, a member of the Eagletown American Legion Post No. 120 of Peshawbestown, will be the keynote speaker. The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 7731 of Lake Leelanau and Eagletown post members will provide a color guard and honor guard for the ceremony.

Also Monday, at 10:30am Northport will hold their annual Memorial Day observance at the Leelanau Township Cemetery on Kitchen Road. George Anderson, will once again be the master of ceremonies for the Leelanau Township observance, which will focus on the War of 1812. The keynote speaker is Jerry Dennis. The ceremony will include patriotic music by the Village Voices and Northport Community Band. The Northport Girl Scout and Brownie troops, as well as the Suttons Bay Boy Scout troop, will also participate in the ceremony. Veterans whose lives were or are a part of the township will be recognized in the Armed Forces salute.

A few years ago, Absolute Michigan, featured the Michigan's First Memorial Day. Read about many of our Michigan communities celebrated, after Major General John A. Logan, head of the postwar Union veterans' group called the Grand Army of the Republic, declared that on May 30, "the choicest flowers of springtime" should be placed on the graves of Union soldiers and sailors who had saved the Union and ended slavery.

Other events happening this weekend include the Northport Car's in the Park and the annual Memorial Weekend Plant Sales in Cedar and Leland.

The weather forecast shows a beautiful sunny weekend, with temps in the 70s. So even if you are just picnicking in the park or chilling at the beach, we wish you a fun,happy, and safe Memorial Weekend. Enjoy!

As, I was looking for a picture for this post, I found this one of the Cove in Leland. I was reminded of another annual Memorial Day event in Leelanau, The Here Come's the Sun Party at the Cove. Don't miss the excitement at this day full of fun, sun, and music!

Photo: Take a Seat...outside The Cove... by KT of Lake Orion

We look for certain signs of spring in Leelanau. But one of the biggest signs that Spring is here, is the opening of the Cheese Shanty in Fishtown. So Friday, head over and grab your first North Shore of the season!

Photo credit: Opening Day at The Cheese Shanty. Hooray! by Trish Petrat