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"Food was important to have on hand. When I was in the Guard, there was one keeper who knew we were coming and threw all his food out for the gulls. The wind shifted and blew like hell for four or five days--he had to go out to the beach and get what he could from the gulls. As a Group Commander, one of my rulings was to leave canned food in all the lights over the winter. People who got stuck in the ice could often make it to a lighthouse or crib and that food could save their lives."
~former GT Lighthouse resident Doug McCormick (from NMJ)

The Grand Traverse Lighthouse is located nine miles north of Northport, Michigan at the very tip of the Leelanau Peninsula. While the post of keeper was an arduous one in wintertime in the 1930s, it's an easier post now. The lighthouse is accepting applications to live in the historic lighthouse and be a winter or summer keeper for the 2012 season through their Keeper Program.

Keepers live in the fully furnished northern apartment of the lighthouse and have full access to the lighthouse tower which boasts amazing views of the Manitou Passage and Grand Traverse Bay. There are two bedrooms with twin beds, a full and half bath, a well appointed kitchen and large living room, all with views of the lake.

The regular program runs from May through November, and keepers are responsible for greeting visitors at the admissions desk and providing them with historical information. They also run the gift shop, and work on building and grounds maintenance, cleaning and other related lighthouse projects. They must be energetic, comfortable speaking with the public, in good health, able to climb stairs and be on duty 8 to 9 hours per day with breaks. There is a program fee of $195.00 per person per week.

The Winter Keeper Program runs from December through April. For $100.00 per night up to four people can stay at the lighthouse. There is a minimum two night stay. Children are welcome and families encouraged to visit. Although the museum and gift shop are closed to the public the grounds are open for cross country skiing, hiking, snowshoeing, bird watching and other wintery activities. Lighthouse work projects will be expected from all keepers.

Get all the details at the link above or contact Lisa Drummond at the GTLM office at (231) 386-7195/progcoor@triton.net.

Photo Credit: Grand Traverse Light, Leelanau St Pk, MI by arrdubyazee

Christian took this shot of Sleeping Bear Bay at the end of August from atop Alligator Hill. You can see it bigger or in his Sleeping Bear Dunes slideshow.

Below are your 2011 Labor Day Weekend happenings - if you know of more, add them into the comments!

Summer is almost over - fortunately we get to say farewell over a three-day weekend. Here are some ideas for Leelanau Labor Day fun!

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Start the weekend off Friday night in Northport, at the last Music in the Park for the season with Music in the Park featuring the Leo Creek Band.

The annual Alice Busby Walk - Miles for Mammograms kicks off Saturday at 9 AM in downtown Northport. Monies raised in this walk, which honors Alice Busby who died in 1994 at age 43 of breast cancer, go to pay for mammograms for women who otherwise could not afford them. The walk is sponsored by the Zonta Club of Leelanau County.

As long as you've got your running shoes on, how about the Port Oneida 5k Barn to Barn Run & Walk? It takes place Saturday  in the Port Oneida Rural Historic District in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. 9 age categories, awards, food and great give-aways!  1/4 Kids Schoolhouse dash also. A fundraiser for Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear - an official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service since 1998.

On Saturday night, Suttons Bay will hold their annual Labor Day Fireworks at dusk.

Sunday from 1-9 PM the village of Lake Leelanau hosts the Lake Leelanau Barbecue & Blues Festival! Artists include the Sub Prime Blues Band, Broken Arrow Blues Band, Laith Al-Saadi , Pete Fetters and others and there's great food & fun to be had.

On Monday, Leland hosts their annual Labor Day Bridge Walk beginning promptly at Noon on the M-22 Bridge. Certificates, lemonade and cookies will be available for all on the lawn of the Old Art Building following the walk.

You'll have to make a choice because the Labor Day BridgeWalk/Party happens at noon on the Narrows Bridge between Big & Little Glen Lake!

Labor Day Weekend is also a great time to explore all the great beaches in the area.  Many people have heard that the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is the most beautiful place in (Good Morning) America. For one look at why, check out North Bar Lake with everything from lounging in the sun to swimming in toasty warm North Bar, playing in the waves on a pristine stretch of Lake Michigan shore and even enjoying Leelanau's best skim boarding on the tiny channel that connects the two lakes!  For more, visit our Sleeping Bear Dunes page.

Looking for more things to do, check out the Leelanau Calendar. Please feel free to leave your Labor Day suggestions as comments! We look forward to hear what everyone has planned!

Of course just kicking back with a fishing pole or a barbecue with some friends may be all you need for the perfect holiday weekend, which we at Leelanau.com heartily wish for you!

Photo:  These are days to remember... by John Levanen

I finally realized that I should post the great photos we have each week in our Almanac with a little more of an eye for posterity!

This week's photo is a panorama of the Grand Traverse Lighthouse by Ken Scott. Ken says that Sunday was an 'awesome cloud day'.

Check it out bigger or in his fantastic light'house's slideshow.

The Lake Leelanau Community Association will host the Lake Leelanau Barbecue & Blues Festival this Sunday (September 4th) from 1 PM - 9 PM. It takes place in the Township Parking Lot on 204 across from NJ's Grocery. 2011 Artists include the Sub Prime Blues Band, Broken Arrow Blues Band, Laith Al-Saadi , Pete Fetters and others.

Click the poster and visit lakeleelanaumi.com for all the details. Here's a video from Pete Fetters to take it home...

2010 Winner Topher Fast

On Saturday, September 3rd, at 9 am, Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear (PHSB) will host the second annual Port Oneida Barn to Barn Run/Walk – a 5K on the Bayview Trail in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The Sleeping Bear Dunes were recently voted as the most beautiful place in America by Good Morning America. "What ABC didn't mention in their wonderful coverage, is that in addition to its magnificent natural beauty, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore also boasts ‘one of the most prized historic landscapes in the nation' – an honor, and a treasure that contributes to this most beautiful place", said Susan Pocklington, Director of the nonprofit park partner.

The race starts and finishes at the Charles Olsen Farm located right off the trail in the Port Oneida Rural Historic District, 3 miles north of Glen Arbor on M-22. The course meanders through the Port Oneida Rural Historic District, passing old farmsteads and panoramic views of Lake Michigan. Kids can join in the fun too with a 1/4 mile Kids Dash to the Schoolhouse.

Pre-registration is $20 through August 27th and $30 after that. The event will be limited to 300 participants this year. For registration and details, visit www.phsb.org, or contact 231-334-6103.

"It looks like nothing else in America."
~Josh Elliot of Good Morning America

Good Morning America has named the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as their Most Beautiful Place in America!

Tens of thousands of viewers voted online for this Michigan park, which is one of the nation's best-kept secrets. The hidden gem boasts 64 miles of beaches along Lake Michigan, two islands, 26 inland lakes, more than 50,000 acres of land, and the monumental sand dunes from which it gets its name.

..."GMA" viewer Jim Madole of Grand Rapids, Mich., nominated Sleeping Bear for its natural beauty.

"It is peaceful and serene, a place for gazing out into the world, night or day, and realizing that the universe is truly a magical, majestic mystery, and humans are just a very small part of it all," he wrote in his submission. "Here at Sleeping Bear, I sit in awe and wonder at the perfection of Mother Nature."

Click through to see what Mario Batali has to say about the Sleeping Bear Dunes and explore it in depth at the official Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore website and in our clairvoyantly titled section,  America's Lakeshore: The Sleeping Bear Dunes! Get some amazing photos in the Sleeping Bear Dunes slideshow from the Leelanau.com group on Flickr!

Photo Credit: Visions in the Manitou Passage by Happyhiker4

"We are very excited to have awarded the state championship road race to the Cherry-Roubaix event.The Cherry-Roubaix has continued to grow into a popular event in Traverse City and the surrounding area, and now, to have the Michigan State Road Race Championships as part of this event, brings it to another level."
~ Joe Lekovish, Director of the Michigan Bicycle Racing Association

Leelanau County and the Third Coast Bicycle Fest have scored a major event on the Michigan cycling scene, and also rounded out what was already one of the Midwest's best cycling weekends, the Cherry Roubaix.

It all starts tonight with the Downtown Drag Race sprints at Friday Night Live in Traverse City as bikers race head to head down the middle of Front street for prizes and bragging rights. There's also a kids bike rodeo and high-flying action on a BMX freestyle ramp.

Then on Saturday morning, the Charity Ride on Old Mission Peninsula to benefit the Munson Women’s Cancer Fund. That's followed by one of the highlights of the weekend, the fast-paced and exciting Old Town Criterium where riders fly around a closed course that twists & turns through the city streets and neighborhoods of Old Town. It's definitely not to be missed.

On Sunday morning the Cherry Roubaix Road Race returns cycle racing to Leelanau County. The Michigan State Road Race starts and ends in downtown Cedar and takes racers through a gear-shifting, lung-splitting, quad burning, 15.5-mile loop course.

There's lots more events this weekend and next week and weekend - head over to tcbikefest.org for all the details!

Photo Credits: 2010 cherry roubaix criterium mens pro 17 by northernlightphotograph and Charity Ride courtesy Cherry Roubaix.

Every year on the second Friday & Saturday of August (Aug 12 & 13), the Port Oneida Rural Historic District comes alive with activity for the annual Port Oneida Fair (also see the NPS page on the fair). Visitors have the chance to step back in time to experience life as it was in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Visitors can take the trolley, drive, hike, or bike to the six unique historic sites where a variety of traditional rural crafts and activities take place. Timber framers, antique boat builders and quilt makers will be demonstrating their craft. Potters and blacksmiths will be hard at work. Children can try their hand at crosscut sawing and other farm implements. Oxen can be seen cutting hay in the fields while artists in the fields create paintings inspired by the cultural landscape. Take in a display of antique bicycles, cameras and phonographs. Learn about basket weaving, soapmaking, buttermaking, candle dipping, spinning, and fur trapping. Satisfy your curiosity and walk through many of the historic farmhouses and barns that will be open for tours.

The event is hosted by Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and co-sponsored by Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes and Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear. For more information, call the Park at 326-5135.

New this year is a Friday evening Chicken Dinner with music from 5-7 PM to benefit Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear. Tickets are $12 online in advance!

Speaking of Port Oneida, the Park Service is seeking comment on the Port Oneida Rural Historic District Landscape Management Plan / Environmental Assessment. The National Lakeshore would like your opinion on the best way to manage the historic landscape at Port Oneida and are seeking your comments on the EA until the public comment period closes on September 12, 2011. A public open house on the project is scheduled for Tuesday, August 23, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center auditorium in Empire. A 30-minute presentation on the EA will be held at 5:30 p.m., with a question and answer period following.

Click to review the plan at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore website.

The 2011 Traverse City Wine & Art Festival takes place Saturday, August 20th from 3-10 PM on the beautiful front lawn at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons, rain or shine. It's Michigan’s premier celebration of wine, art, food and music, offering an incredible opportunity to taste wines from 24 wineries as you dance, dine, and see extraordinary performers, art and artists.

The wines & wineries are the heart of the festival and the large wine tent is dedicated to featuring well over 100 wines from the Leelanau Peninsula, Old Mission Peninsula and - for the first time - Benzie County. Attendees can choose a tasting or full-glass pour and have a chance to talk with the winemakers and winery reps to learn more about the wines. The 2010 vintage is spectacular, and this is a fantastic opportunity to try the riesling, pinot gris, chardonnay, pinot blanc, cabernet franc and a host of other varieties that are making a lot of noise at wine competitions around the country!

The festival also features a great lineup with some of Michigan's finest musicians. Michigan jazz/folk great Claudia Schmidt kicks things off  and then joins Rachel Davis and Shout Sister Shout. It will be the first time Claudia and Shout Sister Shout have taken the stage together, an event that promises to be one of those "better not miss it" nights. Steppin' In It goes electric and will keep you dancing into the evening. There's also a wide range of performances including dancers, performance artists and the Sweet Adelines.

In addition to a wide selection of art for show & sale and gourmet food from many of the region's finest restaurants for purchase, there's even a chance for YOU to get into the act with "Fashion Is Art". This new feature that invites you to don your most innovative attire for a chance to win the Grand Prize, a spa weekend for two at Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa. Get tickets & lodging package information at traversecitywinefestival.com and check their Facebook for a ticket deal that ends TODAY.

Photo: Traverse City Wine & Art Festival, 2010 by KatSwinehart