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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

via absolutemichigan.com

click for a Dunegrass slideshow!

Dunegrass 2010 by Sarah Moore Kuschell

Held every year the the beginning of August in Northern Michigan, the Dunegrass Music Festival features the best local, regional and national touring acts.

2011 headliners include Donna The Buffalo, Ella Riot (formerly My Dear Disco), The Ragbirds, Seth Bernard & May Erlewine, Ralston Bowles, Grasshoppah, Rootstand, The Journeyman, Delilah Dewylde & the Lost Boys, Luke Winslow-King, Detour Bluegrass and many others. Click here for the complete schedule and definitely go to their website to listen to all the great bands. Most are from right here in Michigan and the musical range the festival offers means there's something for everyone!

Dunegrass has a new location this year on 100 acres near Lake Ann that offers wooded camping, something that's great after a late night jam session around the bonfire after the shows! One nice twist is free admission for 12 & under (accompanied by an adult) and the fact that tickets for kids 13-17 are just $30. There's also a beer garden, fine food, arts & crafts, kids area, free shuttle to beaches, music/arts workshops and much more.

It's hard to choose between all the great acts that are there, but here's Donna the Buffalo!

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

Art is where it's at over the next couple of weeks in Leelanau!

Empire's galleries and artist studios kick things off next Thursday evening (July 28) from 5-9 PM with the “Empire Art Encounter” where you can wander the village of Empire and for a wide variety of fine art, including painting, various works on paper, photography, furniture-making, weaving, and jewelry. You can also enjoy the the Empire Summer Music Series that night with the folk duo Emma and Will. They play on The Green next to the post office and you can get maps to galleries are available at Ripple Effect Studio & Gallery and Miser’s Hoard Antiques and Art. Call 231-326-6081 for more information!

Next up is an evening of art & music the Leland Art Walk held on Friday, August 5th from 5-9 PM. Participating stores & galleries will be serving hors d' oeuvres and refreshments. Contact Roxane Langner at 994-2707 for more information.

Then on Saturday & Sunday (August 6 & 7) it's the annual Suttons Bay Art Festival. Held every year on the first weekend of August at beautiful Suttons Bay Marina Park, the festival draws one hundred artists along with community groups and food vendors for an art-filled weekend at the beach. There's also a children's area where young artists can sell their work and a Sunday morning pancake breakfast in the park!

The Record-Eagle has a report on our silly heat. Check it out and also see Five Things You Need to Know Heatwave Edition: Beat the Heat in Michigan on Absolute Michigan.

Joel Dinda took this shot up near Northport.

The TC Ticker reports that at long last, the rest of the Leelanau Trail will be paved! It begins:

If you’ve ridden the Leelanau Trail from Traverse City to Suttons Bay, you know what happens at Lakeview Hills Road – the pavement ends. For the next 6.5 miles, it’s a dirt two-track.

A year from now, that two-track will likely be a memory for trail users who have been pining for pavement for years. Why?

The Ticker has just learned that the public phase of a fundraising campaign to lay that final stretch of asphalt kicks off this Friday, July 22 – appropriately, in tandem with the 11th annual Tour de Tart bicycle ride from Traverse City to Suttons Bay.

Read on for details and definitely check out the Tour de Tart. This evening ride to Suttons Bay is now in its 11th year,. It's a one-way bike ride on the TART and Leelanau trails from Traverse City to Suttons Bay that happens this Friday, July 22nd.

Starting anytime between 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., riders will enjoy snacks along the 19-mile ride and a bayside meal at the Suttons Bay Marina, and then can relax on a bus ride back home. Bus service begins at 7:00 p.m. and the last bus departs at 9:30 p.m.

Pre-registration is encouraged and can be done online or pick up a registration form at the TART office (415 S. Union St. in downtown Traverse City) or at local bike shops. Day of ride registration is also available from 4:00 - 6:30 p.m.

THE COURSE:
The start will be located under the awning at EuroStop Cafe' located at 8th Street/Woodmere Ave. in Traverse City, cyclists will ride on the TART and Leelanau trails to the Suttons Bay Marina. Twelve miles are paved and seven miles unpaved (hard-packed, two-track). The flat course is suitable for cyclists of all abilities and ages.

A road ride option is available for riders who prefer pavement. Again this year, we will be offering special transportation for Suttons Bay area participants. A bus (and truck for bikes) will leave the Suttons Bay Marina promptly at 4:00 p.m. and drop riders at event check-in in Traverse City.

The 2011 Inland Seas Summer Festival takes place this Saturday, July 16th on the waterfront at the Inland Seas Education Center in Suttons Bay.

The event kicks off with the 5K Road Race/Walk at 9 AM along scenic Lake Michigan and it's only $25 to participate! The music follows from 10 AM - 5 PM. There are also tours of the schooner Inland Seas, short sails aboard ISEA's Friendship Sloop Liberty,  hands-on activities from numerous Great Lakes organizations, food, art & other vendors, and the announcement of the winners of a hand-made Abenaki canoe built in the ISEA Boat Shop by volunteers, a Boardwalk D7 folding bicycle from Brick Wheels, dinner for four at Trattoria Stella, and a sail for 6 aboard ISEA's Friendship sloop Liberty!

Tickets for the music are $10 per person, with kids 15 and under free - click the link above to register for the race or music and much more information.

Music Lineup

The Inland Seas Summer Festival will provide live music from several musicians throughout the day. The Sour Belly Trio made of members from Sour Mash - a local Roots Bluegrass and Alternative Folk group; 3-Hour Tour - a Power-Folk group playing Leelanau County Style songs you know by heart; and Don Julin - master of jazz. The headline act will feature Don Middlebrook & Living Soul, a Buffet cover band - think trop rock, Jimmy Buffet meets Kenny Chesney.

11:00am - 3-Hour Tour
12:00pm - Don Julin
1:00pm - Sour Belly Trio
2:15pm - Don Middlebrook & Living Soul (Jimmy Buffest covers)
3:45pm - Don Middlebrook & Living Soul

The annual Manitou Music Festival Dune Concert takes place this Sunday (July 10, 2011) at 7 PM at the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb (rain location is the Glen Arbor Town Hall).

This year features the 15 member Paul Keller Orchestra, one of Michigan's finest, oldest, most-respected & well-traveled jazz big bands. They will also have a vocalist to bring an exciting performance to this year’s Dune Climb Concert in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Since its inception in 1989 by string bassist, composer & arranger Paul Keller, the PKO has maintained the highest standards of musical excellence & has enjoyed providing top-quality jazz & entertainment to their loyal fan base. Bring picnics, chairs, blankets & everyone you know!

Pack a picnic and be sure to attend this concert in one of the world's most beautiful concert settings. Visit the Manitou Music Festival web site and/or check out photos on Flickr from the Manitou Music Festival.

You can get a nice photo of the "nosebleed seats" at the dunes right here and there's also a photo gallery from 2005 on the Song of the Lakes web site.

The The 2012 Cedar Polka Fest will be held July 5th, 6th, 7th & 8th, 2012. Highlights include a parade on Saturday at noon, softball tournament, a polka mass and (of course) polka under the big, big tent with the big names of polka. More details as we have them!

Thursday, July 5, 2012
The annual Cedar Polka Festival begins with the flag raising ceremony at 5:00 p.m. Music and dancing begins immediately after the ceremony. Music TBA.

Friday, July 6, 2012
Sidewalk Chalk Art at 10 am, meet at the Town Hall. Music and dancing beings at 2 pm.

Saturday, July 7, 2012
Polka Fest Parade beings at noon at the Solon Twp. Hall. All participants should be at the Solon Twp. Hall by 11:30 am sharp.

Music and dancing begins at 2 pm and runs until 1 am.

Sunday, July 8, 2012
Polka Mass celebrated with Bishop Cooney begins at 11 am under the tent. Music and dancing resumes at 1 pm.

Admissions-per person

• Thursday & Sunday $5.00
• Fri & Sat $10.00
• 3 Day Pass $20.00
• (Ages 13 thru 20) 1/2 price when accompanied by parent
• (Ages 12 & Under) Free when accompanied by parent

For Info Phone: (231) 228-3378 or email cedarchamber@gmail.com.

The photo is Polka Dancing in Krakow by beastiekeith. Check out the Library of Congress Local Legacies and the Leelanau.com/map Cedar Polka Fest location

The Inland Seas Education Association has 2 Astronomy Under Sail trips this summer. The dates are June 30th and August 13th from 9-1:15 PM. Cost is $45/person and the event is limited to 25 participants.

The schooner sets sail on Suttons Bay before sunset and heads out beyond the shore lights where you a clear view of the night sky. Your guide is astronomer Dick Cookman (owner of Enerdyne) and Dick will help you identify constellations and explain the legends behind their names. In addition to the star gazing, you will become the unofficial "crew" of Inland Seas, learning to work the halyards and sheets!