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

This week's photo is Fall Folly by StacyN - MichiganMoments. She took it near Maple City and we featured it this week over on Michigan in Pictures. Check it out bigger and in her Generic Fall Images slideshow.

We've had an absolutely SPECTACULAR week of weather - sunny and 60s, into the 70s today with more 70s and sun through the weekend!! As if that wasn't enough, fall color is popping right now! We will likely hit peak this weekend or the middle of next week. The good news is that there is a wide range of color with some areas at full color right now but many others showing significant green. That means we will continue to have color the weekend of the 15th and very likely the following weekend as well.

April 1, 2011, Maple City, MI - Today financial magnate, reality TV star and Presidential aspirant Donald Trump unveiled "Trump Leelanau", a combined hotel, office park and high-end pet spa in Maple City. At 1723 feet, the soaring structure easily surpasses the Willis Tower in Chicago as the tallest building in the United States.

"Those who know me know that I like to dream big, and go big," The Donald explained. "Michigan has really been hurting and I wanted to make a statement that it's time for Michigan to go big or go home. I chose Maple City because everyone knows that you can't beat the jerky at Gabe's and also because I found out that Maple City residents spend an average of $67 per year more on pet recreation than the national average."

Long-time Maple City resident Lois Flaska expressed a common sentiment, telling us "Well like everyone else, it's taking some getting used to for me when I take Mr. Fluffles for a walk and all of the sudden bam! there's this giant building up there and I think I'm in New York or something.

It's really nice that Mr. Trump is offering a 50% discount to all Maple City residents on pet grooming - Mr. Fluffles really loves his new 'do!"

If you enjoyed this...

Tim Allen declares for Governor!

Foretold Pole Switch a Boon for Leelanau - a rare bonus for those "left behind" on Spring Break

Great Lakes Submarine Photo Validated - what lurks under Lake Michigan?

Sheriff's Department Announces New "Sky Eye" Program - via the Leland Report.

Stunning Cherry Discovery - Researchers find startling new health benefit for cherries.

Sleeping Bear Awakes tells the story of what happened when the legendary Mishe-Mokwa, the sleeping bear of Sleeping Bear Dunes, woke up.

Fishtown Theme Park - Michigan's newest theme park opens in Leland!

Pyramids Unearthed tells of a dramatic discovery made by a kindergarten class at Pyramid Point.

Strange Tourist is a dramatic account of a "tourist" who came from a looong way!

Leelanau County isn't the only part of Michigan to experience odd events. Click for Jeff Daniels to star in Chrysler Emigrated from Escanaba commercials, Bank bailout "tweak" to spur auto industry and Canadian Freeze Ray Wreaks Havok on Michigan!

February is National Cherry Month and Leelanau County is Cherry Ground Zero! Before we get to this great video of cherry harvesting at Shimeks' Maple Ridge Orchard in Maple City, here are a ton of cherry features on Leelanau.com including:

• Leelanau Cherries are Ready to Pick (includes some great cherry facts & recipes)
• A write-up on the history & present day of the annual National Cherry Festival (July 2-9, 2011)
• An article about the History of Empire (includes a great old fruit stand photo!)
• A lyrical ode to cherry blossoms by Cherie Spaulding
• A little about the history of cherry blossoms in Leelanau County (hint for folks wondering "When will the cherries blossom?": it's usually 10-14 days in early to mid May and we never know when until we're getting close!)
• ...and don't miss the cherry slideshow in the Leelanau.com group on Flickr

Check out all the cherry goodness on Absolute Michigan and click that cherry to the left to Choose Cherries on Facebook!

Over at the Traverse City Convention & Visitor's Bureau, Mike Norton has an interesting feature titled Bohemian Rhapsody: A Fall Trip to Gill’s Pier that begins:

High on a lofty ridge, about a half-hour’s drive from Traverse City, the cemetery of St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church may have one of the best views in Michigan - a wide vista of Lake Michigan and the distant Manitou Islands framed by lush orchards and vineyards.

But it's a modest cemetery, and equally modest is the headstone beside the plain steps that lead up from the parking lot. Only the inscription is startling — at least to anyone even remotely familiar with world history:

Stefan Habsburg-Lothringen
Aug 15, 1932 - Nov 12, 1998
B. Archduke of Austria, Vienna Austria U.S. Citizen 1961

Technically, the full title should be "His Imperial and Royal Highness Archduke and Prince Stefan of Austria; Prince Stefan of Hungary, Bohemia, and Tuscany." Scion of an ancient and powerful family whose empire included more than half of Europe — and for a brief time even Mexico - until it was dissolved in 1918. A man who lived almost his entire life in exile (including five years in Transylvania as a resident of Castle Bran, the one built by Count Dracula) and finally found rest here on Michigan's scenic Leelanau Peninsula, beside a church dedicated to a saint who was himself a Duke of Bohemia.

Prince Stefan's fate is only the most dramatic chapter in a little-known saga: the story of Traverse City's Bohemians. Beginning in the middle of the 19th century, these industrious Central European immigrants (not the garret-dwelling artists celebrated in Puccini's La Boheme, but inhabitants of what's now the Czech Republic) helped turn this region from a raw lumber settlement into the thriving resort area it is today...

Read the rest of the article for more about Leelanau & Traverse City's Bohemian heritage and learn more about at Archduke Stefan of Austria on Wikipedia (including the fact that he established a division for advanced research at General Motors in Detroit).

The Traverse City Record-Eagle reports that Leelanau County set a December record for snowfall and (if the snow machine stays on) we could have a shot at the all time winter record. The Enterprise notes that that Leelanau's record seasonal snowfall is 231 inches for 1995-96.

"When I was a kid, this is what the winters were like," said Harold Feigel, of Maple City, a volunteer NWS weather spotter.

Feigel's measurements added up to 84.8 inches of snow accumulation last month, the most recorded for a Leelanau County locale in December since records began to be kept there in 1959. It beat out the previous record year of 1989.

Be sure to click through for some cool shots from the Record-Eagle's photographers!

Photo: Winter's day by Bean in Sylvan Lake

Tonight from 4-8 PM, shops, stores & galleries in the village of Leland will host their annual Men's Shopping Night to help all you Last Minute Larrys find that perfect gift.

If you are in last second mode, definitely consider doing your shopping in Leland, Lake Leelanau, Suttons Bay & Peshawbestown, Northport & Omena, Glen Arbor & Empire, Cedar or Maple City - you won't have to fight the crowds and you will get friendly and personal service and help your neighbors!

Photo: Aurora Borealis Designs by farlane

Church Steeple in Maple City by Jim Sorbie

News from the Week

In addition to the results from the 2008 Election, we checked out Leelanau County's economic rating (good), November fall color (still amazingly good), the Leland Regional Mock Election (simply amazing) and the Ghost at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse.

The Week's Weather

Fall Color Report (Nov 5): We will STILL have very nice color this weekend. I can't think of the last time we had November color like this.

We had a great week of weather, especially the last three days which were beyond amazing with sun and record high temps on Tuesday and Wednesday.

October 30, 2008: Sunny & upper 50s (58/26)
October 31, 2008: Sunny & 60s! (63/43)
November 1, 2008: Sunny & upper 40s (48/31)
November 2, 2008: Mostly sunny with late afternoon clouds & rain & 50s (53/32)
November 3, 2008: Mostly sunny and low 60s (62/47)
November 4, 2008: Sunny and 70s! (74/55) Record High!
November 5, 2008: Sunny and 70! (71/50) Another Record High!

Click for the Leelanau news archive from October 2007 and November 2007.

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.

Grand Traverse Habitat for Humanity says:

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.

Photo credit: Habitat for Humanity - 6 by tukanuk

The Leelanau Enterprise reports that snowmobilers from all over the state are expected to participate Saturday (Feb 2) in the "Roy Taghon Memorial Ride" from the Empire Airport (meet at noon) and ride to Maple City for a 2 PM buffet at Benchwarmer’s Sports Bar and Grille and a dedication ceremony.

There will be a $10 charge per person for lunch that will go toward a music scholarship fund being established in his name. Roy passed on January 20, 2008 and you can read Roy's obituary in the Leelanau Enterprise and also read and share your memories in an online guestbook.

The Leelanau Enterprise reports that the snowmobile trail from Empire Airport to Maple City - Leelanau County's only official trail - is in good shape this year and drawing praise from riders. Florian Czerniak of the Cedar Hilltoppers Snowmobile Club (the group that established the trail in 2000) explained that the trail fits into Michigan's snowmobile trail network:

Czerniak said having the Maple City-Empire trail as part of a network of trails overseen by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is a nice feature for snowmobilers. “If you want you can ride from Maple City all the way to Manistee. If you follow the right trails you can make it all the way to Kalkaska and Grayling, if you have a mind to,” he said.

Read A great day to be out in the Enterprise.

Photo: Winter in the Leelanau Peninsula by John Levanen