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"Showcase Leelanau" will be presented at 6:30 PM on Saturday, February 20 at the Old Art Building Leland. Admission is free.

The event is designed to highlight the fine arts programs in the county schools, and will feature musical performances and student art work from students at Glen Lake, Leland, Northport, St. Mary's and Suttons Bay. The “unveiling” of the collaborative piece of art, which was done for the new Governmental Center will also take place. Check out how talented our county students are!

The Winter Wine and Vine Experience takes place next Saturday, January 30, 2010 at the Old Art Building in Leland from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.

A Winter Wine & Vine Experience will be speaking of the unique characters of a selection of local wines and how they are judged for personal taste and for serving at your table. With each of the local wines, a complementary appetizer suggested by each wine maker will be served. The setting will be an exciting scene with an art exhibit and many unusual table decorations. Tickets are $35 and are available at the Old Art Building – 231-256-2131. All proceeds benefit the Leelanau Community Cultural Center programs.

Rebecca Reynolds, Hollywood recognized actress, writer, and producer who has continually
possessed creativity, resilience and flexibility throughout her 30 year career in show business will be at the Leland Public School Performing Arts Center on the night of Wednesday, January 20th at 7:00 pm to present “My Hyphenated Life: Or What I Really Want to be When I Grow Up” hosted by the Leland Educational Foundation. Join Rebecca Reynolds as she shares her journey from stage, screen and television performances to Executive Producer for the newly created 8180 Films based in Leland, Michigan. Gain insight into how she reinvented herself through the often challenging and exciting realm of show business “from summer stock as a dead Cherokee Indian in silhouette to Executive Producer and Writer/Producer today, from a go?go dancer in Puerto Rico to appearing on Broadway with Kevin Kline and Patty LuPone in John Housman’s Acting Company, from stand?up comedy at Catch a Rising Star in New York City to cowriting psychological thriller films, from the mundane overly?dramatic world of soap operas to the exciting, no?holds?barred comedy world of HBO. Rebecca’s verve has lead to a diverse career which will intrigue and inspire any audience”.

The Insight and Inspiration Speaker Series will be held throughout the 2009/2010 school year to illuminate, entertain, and inspire the community by providing an interaction with Leelanau’s many, often nationally recognized, local experts in their respective fields. These individuals will bring the world to Leelanau while sharing how Leelanau has influence their lives.

The series is open to individuals 12 years and older and will begin with a 6:30 pm reception and followed by a short Q & A. Individual tickets are available for $10.00 at the door or in advance from the Leland Public School office. Free admission is provided for students 12 years and up with on?site childcare for children 11 years and under. All proceeds will benefit the Leland Educational Foundation which funds enrichment programs for Leland Public School students and classrooms.

A membership in the Insight and Inspiration Speaker Series is also available through a Subscriber or Patron Membership. A Subscriber Membership of $75.00 provides 10 tickets which are good for any of the lectures held throughout the 2009/2010 school year. A Patron Membership provides 10 tickets and recognition on display at the Performing Arts Center lobby as a special supporter of the speaker series for a contribution of $150.00. You may claim $50.00 of a Patron’s contribution as a charitable tax deduction.

The Leland Educational Foundation mission is to complement and enhance the world?class educational
experience for students (K?12) attending Leland Public Schools through private donations received from
local businesses, community organizations, parents and other area residents. For more information about the Leland Educational Foundation or the Insight and Inspiration Speaker Series go to
www.lelandeducationalfoundation.org.

From the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association:

Love is in the air as you celebrate the upcoming Valentine's Day at the "Taste the Passion" weekend February 6 & 7, 2010. This special weekend celebrates wine, chocolate and love in anticipation of Valentine's Day! The combination of winter's beauty in Leelanau with the special pleasures of life always makes for wonderful weekend.

The weekend starts on Saturday as participants head to their first winery stop to collect a souvenir glass. Then the fun begins with special pours and tasty chocolate treats offered at wineries between the hours of 11am and 5pm on Saturday, and Noon and 5pm on Sunday. However, because one cannot survive on chocolate alone (tempting as it may sound), savory dishes will be served at a number of tasting rooms.

Tickets

Tickets for "Taste the Passion" are just $30 each and available online. As with all LPVA events, attendance is limited to give participants an opportunity to become better acquainted with our wine and wineries.

In addition to regular ticket sales, participating lodging partners offered a limited number of special accommodation packages that included a ticket to the trail event.

Special Weekend Events

To add to the weekend's festivities, several of the wineries will hold special events and activities exclusively for "Taste the Passion" ticket holders to celebrate the beauty and fun to be had in this winter wonderland.

Join us at the Homestead – Friday February 5th

On Friday night (Feb 5) at Mountain Flowers Lodge from 6-8pm, the Homestead Resort and Glen Arbor Artists will be hosting "Art from Michigan's Wine Coast." Art will be on display and for sale from local artists.

The price is $20 at the door, which includes 2 glasses of wine and small plates (additional wine available for $4/glass or 3 for $10). $5 from every ticket will be donated to the Glen Arbor Artists scholarship and free after-school art program for students.

Here's a guest post from the Beechnut Review, the online literary magazine of Leland School.  Beechnut has been online since 1995, and in  December 2009 it switched formats to become an ongoing blog, with new stories on a regular basis.

The bees buzz quietly by the stairs, attracted to the scent of lady slippers. Sand is lightly dusted across each worn wooden step, making my running shoes slide as I jog. The leaves of the birch trees rustle in the slight afternoon breeze and a morning dove’s call fills the air. The trail is covered with twigs and fallen leaves, and the path descends sharply downhill. I run at an even pace, taking care not to trip on any hidden roots. The sun rays are filtering through the boughs of the trees, warming my shoulders.

It is the perfect summer day, and I am in the perfect place: Houdek Dunes hiking trail. The path opens up into a heavenly meadow. Knee-high ferns stretch into the distance for an acre, and the path is nearly invisible, almost completely covered by foliage. As I wind through the field, the tips of the ferns lightly graze my legs. After a steep incline, I have reached the sandy part of the trail. The temperature is noticeably higher here because of the lack of tree cover, and if I squint just right, I can pretend that I am in the middle of the Sahara. I sink into the dune, my pace becoming slow and laborious, and my shoes filling with sand. I crave a cool drink, but no such thing is available out here.

The looping trail leads me back to the shade of the forest, and I am grateful for the break from the hot sun. After rounding a sharp corner, I reach a tree that is easily as tall as a two-story building, and over one-hundred years old. Beneath its ancient limbs rests a smooth wooden bench, donated by some charitable soul. But there is no time to rest today: I bypass the welcoming bench, and continue on home.

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dancingfrogz captured this Leland Sunset on the day after the Winter Solstice. Be sure to check out the rest of her photostream.

Kevin Pang of the Chicago Tribune writes:

We pulled into the gravel driveway of the Whaleback Inn, rang a bell and walked into a gorgeous lakeside cabin that encapsulates, in so many words, Northern Michigan: woodsy, serene, friendly. We were greeted by Scott Koehler, ever warm and helpful, who runs the inn with wife Tammie. We asked what there was to do around town, and he enthusiastically handed over enough maps, brochures and pamphlets for a startup tourism board.

Read more of Kevin's article at the Chicago Tribune. Also visit the Whaleback Inn's website for reservations and more information.

Want a reason to visit the Whaleback this winter? The Whaleback Inn is offering a special package for the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association event, Taste the Passion. Visit the LPVA website for more information.

Photo: Kevin Pang, Chicago Tribune

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas on M-22…aka Main Sreet by John Levanen. Obviously the snow is a little deeper in Leland today! Be sure to check out more of John's winter scenes on this flickr photostream.

The Best for Kids Committee in Northport is hosting a Holiday Bake Sale and Bazaar This Saturday, Dec 5, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Willowbrook Mill, 201 Mill St., in downtown Northport.

All proceeds will benefit the two locations of the Leelanau Children's Center.

There will be cookies, pies, cakes, coffeecakes, candy, bark and snack mixes (just to name a few), all individually wrapped and priced. There will also be vendors selling local jams, jellies, relishes and maple products, along with floral arrangements, wreaths and books. A "grandmother's table" will feature handmade hats, gloves, mittens and more and there will be handmade child-size aprons and nightgowns.

Hugh Willey will be playing the piano during the bazaar, including many Christmas favorites. For more information, call Sue O'Connor, 386-7992.

Photo credit: Festive snowman. by John Levanen

A Christmas arts & crafts show will be held on Saturday, December 5, 2009 from 10 am to 4 pm at the Old Art Building in Leland.

This year’s show features 22 local artisans with fresh and dried holiday wreaths, herbal soaps and lotions, jewelry, specialty foods, pottery, woven wheat, cards, pillows, kids’ and American girl doll clothes, and many hand knit items.

Local artisans include Shirley Andrews, Linda Broughton, Bernadette Denoyer, Victoria Gallup, Dee Glass, Mike Hulbert, Kit Knowles, Darcy Krause, Roxanne Langner, Angela Macke, Annie Mcfarlane, Pat McKean, Kathy Powell, Shari Prevost, Lisa Psenka, Julie Sanco, Sharecare, Penny Spencer, Cheri Spaulding, Laura Sprout, Toni Turczyn, Cheryl VanZee. . .and more.

Join us for complimentary cookies and coffee and a delightful holiday market! This event is sponsored by the Leelanau Community Cultural Center. For more information please call 256-2131.