Leelanau.com Blog
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Along with many sites on the Web, Leelanau.com went dark on January 18th to protest a pair of truly awful bills that are on a fast-track for passage, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House and the Senate's Protect IP Act (PIPA).

Neither of these new laws would stop piracy, which we at Leelanau.com are opposed to. Both, however, would put control of online content in the hands of large entertainment corporations and the government, placing a giant burden on web media outlets like Wikipedia, WordPress, YouTube ... and even little old Leelanau.com.

With our Leelanau.com, Absolute Michigan and Michigan in Pictures websites all down yesterday, there was some time to think about the issue, and we'd like to share one thought: We live in a world very different from the early 1700s when Parliament enacted the Statute of Anne to address the concerns of English booksellers and printers (you can look it up ... for now, on Wikipedia).

We are encouraged at every turn and by every consumer device to sing along to commercials, dance to the latest music and in general, swim in a sea of ever-present media. You can debate the pros and cons of doing that but it seems that expecting our candid videos, blogged observations or Facebooked^TM thoughts won't incorporate background music or samples, brand names is flat-out silly. We need intelligent and well thought out laws that recognize the modern world, and SOPA and PIPA definitely aren't either of those things.

Click here to watch a short video or read more about this issue and please take a moment to contact your elected officials through the links we provide!

Thanksgiving is just a week away and here's a few ideas to help make your holiday a little more local ... and a lot tastier!

It all starts with the turkey. I'm not sure if the folks at Hubbell's Farm or Haymaker Poultry Co. have any left, but I do know that one great place to get a tasty turkey is Biehl's Circle B Turkey Ranch. You can order them at the Merc in Leland and Oryana in Traverse City (and probably elsewhere as well). Don't forget to check the local produce and products at your favorite store - the Merc, Anderson's in Glen Arbor, Cedar City Market, Hanson's in Suttons Bay and Oryana and Burritt's Market in Traverse City all feature a lot of great food that hasn't traveled too far. There's a indoor farmers market at the Grand Traverse Commons every Saturday from 10 AM - 2 PM. If last week is any guide, there will be PLENTY of potatoes, squash and also lots of greens! If anyone has other ideas to localize your table, post them in the comments!

Once you have your bird and some ingredients, you need to think about how you're going to put it all together. Elizabeth Edwards at MyNorth/Traverse Magazine put together a collection of some of their best Thanksgiving recipes. We asked Lee Lutes, winemaker at Black Star Farms to share some of his thoughts on wine pairings- enjoy!

Two tasty appetizers are a Wild Game Sausage on Apple Slices with Cranberry Butter, with which Lee recommends a lighter red like Pinot Noir or Gamay Noir, and with the Wedge of Raclette Served With Spiced Walnuts and Pear Chips, he calls for something delicate maybe a bubbly (may we recommend Black Star Farms' really excellent Bubbly Nouveau when it's bottled) or a Pinot Grigio or a Pinot Blanc. Two tasty side dishes that really in season are Honey Roasted Root Vegetables and Buttermilk Biscuits with Pumpkin Butter. You'll be in great shape with Pinot Gris, Riesling, Pinot Blanc or Auxerrois. For dessert, how about a Plum Almond Tart, with which Lee would pair any of their Sirius dessert wines and also Ice wines.

See more thoughts on how make it a Michigan Thanksgiving on Absolute Michigan.

photo credit: Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash by carianoff

The annual Toast the Season Wine Tour returns to the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail for two weekends - November 5 & 6 or November 12 & 13. The self-guided tour features a special wine & food pairing (yum) at each of the 19 Leelanau Peninsula member wineries.

At your starting winery you will be given a commemorative glass, an LPVA holiday ornament, a souvenir wine key and a holiday gift bag featuring local food including fair trade coffee from Higher Grounds Trading Company of Traverse City, cocoa-coated chocolate covered almonds from Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate in Empire, and (of course) Michigan cherries from Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor!
Tickets are available online along with Toast the Season packages from a number of local lodging partners.

Ken shot this last night in Fishtown - see it bigger along with a couple more in his slideshow.

The display of the aurora borealis was one of the finest in a decade and was part of an EXPLOSION of Northern Lights that was seen all over Michigan!

Leelanau.com invites you to help in the battle against hunger in our region with the Father Fred Food Drive. Father Fred operates a pantry in Traverse City and also helps out with food pantries in Leelanau & Benzie counties.

The drive starts tomorrow (Saturday, Sep 24) and runs through October 1st. This year the pantry has seen 1,450 more families than last year, and Father Fred is working to secure food and cash donations sufficient to meet family needs through February, 2012.

The Oleson Foundation will match the value of food and cash donations up to $20,000.  Food and cash are both important, and as Father Fred would say, “No amount is too small to give.  Every donation is important.”

To get started, just click the can!

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!

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

via Absolute Michigan
Some of the Leelanau.com/Absolute Michigan team spent the weekend developing online media for 2nd annual Traverse City Comedy Arts Festival. The festival was a big success and once again festival co-founders Jeff Garlin & Michael Moore packed the house for comedians including Bob Saget, Patton Oswalt, Jeffrey Ross, Caroline Rhae, Ted Alexandro, Joe DeRosa, Flip Schultz, Sarah Tiana and Kyle Kinane.

Settle back with these videos below to get up close to some of comedy's hottest names, check out the Comedy Fest slideshow on Flickr and don't miss the Comedy Fest blog for features on Comedy Central Roastmaster Jeffrey Ross, comedian Patton Oswalt and Michael Moore's Dancing with the Stars. (and tune into Absolute Michigan next week for a feature on the big comedy event coming to Grand Rapids in March!)

Photo: Crowd for Jeffrey Ross by tcfilmfes

Just some of the most popular Leelanau photos in my Flickr photostream!

Share your love of Leelanau in the comments or right here on Facebook!

via Absolute Michigan

Had enough wine?? by pipefiddle

Next Tuesday (April 13, 2010) at 8 PM EST you can join Michigan by the Bottle for their Tweet & Taste with Shady Lane winemaker Adam Satchwell, a master sommelier and several Michigan wine bloggers to explore a select group of wines from Shady Lane Cellars and share tasting notes and impressions on Twitter. To participate, all you need to do is pick up the three wines (Shady Lane Cellars 2008 Dry Riesling, 2008 Blue Franc, 2007 Pinot Noir) at your local wine shop or online at Shady Lane Cellars (1 cent shipping through April 13) and then log on to Twitter Tuesday night and share your impressions using the #ttmi hash tag.

If you're in the Leelanau area, you can also join Leelanau.com beginning at 7 PM on Tuesday at our new offices at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons for our "tweet-in" with winemaker Adam Satchwell! We're located right next to Salon de Capelli in Building 50 (we promise Google will have us mapped soon) and you can call us at 231-421-1172 if you get lost!

If you're in Traverse City tomorrow night (Friday, Apr 9) from 6-9, Michigan by the Bottle will be doing a podcast taping and interview (see Facebook for the details) with owner/wine-maker Bryan Ulbrich. There will be some tasty food for snacking along with $3 pints of Cinnamon Girl Hard Cider and $3 glasses of new release Riesling MD from the big tank in their tasting room. The Wurlitzer will be on free play all night and who knows - you might become a star in the Michigan by the Bottle taping!