Last weekend, Leelanau resident Leda Olmsted came across a rare phenomenon on the Lake Michigan shore at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. From a feature in the Grand Rapids Press:
Sleeping Bear Park Ranger Amie Lipscomb said no weird weather is required to create the ice boulders. The rounded ice forms the same way the rounded and smooth stones that wash up on the beach form. Chunks of ice break off from the large sheets that form over Lake Michigan. Waves tumble and pummel the ice, rounding and smoothing edges, Lipscomb said. The waves then wash the boulders up on shore.
Recent high winds have whipped up strong waves along Lake Michigan.
"Along the shoreline, lots of different ice formations form because of the waves crashing along the beach," Lipscomb said.
The festivities start bright and early at 7am with the Perch Fishing Contest with prizes for 1st through 4th place catches. All participants will bring their biggest catches from Big and Little Glen to the Sportsman Shop at 1pm, and winners will be crowned. Entry fee for this event is $20, and all ages are welcome to participate.
Next door on the deck at Boonedocks, things heat up with the Chili Cookoff, on the corner of M-22 and Ray Street in Glen Arbor. Local businesses and proud individuals will compete to earn chili bragging rights and 1st or 2nd place awards in both traditional and non-traditional chili categories. Last year Boonedocks and Anderson’s IGA took top honors in their categories; all event-goers choose the winners, so taste carefully! Admission is $10 per person, which includes unlimited chili samples. All proceeds from this event go directly to the Glen Lake Chamber of Commerce's Glen Lake Scholarship Fund. This is a family friendly event, and although there’s plenty of hot chili and crackling fire pits, just be sure to dress warmly! If you'd like to participate, the entry fee is $25 per chili. Winners will be crowned as the event wraps up around 3pm.
To register for the Perch Fishing Contest, visit the Sportsman Shop. You can also download fishing & chili cookoff entry forms from the Glen Arbor Winterfestwebsite. Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter (@VisitGlenArbor) for info, photos and updates leading up to and on the day of the event. Contact GL Chamber Marketing Director Molly Connolly at info@visitglenarbor.com or by calling 231-680-0623. Here's a video from a couple of years ago to enjoy as well!
Click the poster for details and don't miss Traverse City Beer Week with specials, tap takeovers and more at Traverse City brewpubs all week and a Blues at the Crossroads: Muddy & the Wolf on Friday. It's a tribute by the Fabulous Thunderbirds featuring Kim Wilson with Tinsley Ellis, James Cotton, Jody Williams and Bob Margolin at the City Opera House.
There's a 5K Race and 1 Mile Snowflake Race for kids 12 and under, food & entertainment at the Lodge and proceeds go to Tuition Assistance for schools to attend the LOC, a great resource for outdoor education for area schools.
Early registration is $15 and includes lunch, Day of race registration is available at $20. Snowshoe rental is available as well: $12 for adults, $8 for kids.
The first-ever YetiFest takes place on Saturday, February 16, 2013 in Suttons Bay. The festival and fundraiser benefits Suttons Bay Schools, Suttons Bay Chamber of Commerce, and TART. Here's the schedule:
Yeti-Look Alike Contest ~ 9:00 am Registration starts at the school and continues until 1:00pm, Awards at 2:00 pm
4-4 Hockey Tournament ~ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm @ Corner of Lincoln and Broadway
YetiFest™ Bicycle Hill Climb ~ 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at Bahle Park, Awards at Water Wheel Park 2:00 pm
Abominable Snowman Contest ~ 11:00 am – 1:30 pm @ Water Wheel Park, judging at 2:00 pm
Chili Tasting ~ 11:30 am – 2:00 pm @ Water Wheel Park
Yeti Story Time ~ 12:00 am @ the Suttons Bay Bingham District Library
Kid’s Parade ~ 1:30 pm – 2:00 pm Starting @ the Library, ending in Water Wheel Park
Micro-Brew Tent ~ 11:30 am – 5:00 pm @ Water Wheel Park
Wondering about Leelanau's Yeti connection? Their Sightings pageexplains that:
Some evidence suggests that the Yeti so favored the cherry, or more precisely the Prunus cerasoides commonly known as The Wild Himalayan cherry. This species is a deciduous cherry tree found in East Asia and is a member of the family Rosaceae and the genus Prunus. Its range extends in the Himalayas from Himachal Pradesh in north-central India, to Southwest China and Burma. It grows in the temperate forests from 1,200–2,400 meters (3,900–7,900 ft.) in elevation.
This range interestingly coincides with the 45th parallel in the eastern hemisphere and it here that the hypothesis begins that the Yeti, in search of a vanishing favored food source began increasing their range to find a larger and more sustainable supply.
Leelanau celebrates wine, art & love the first weekend of February with the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association's Taste the Passion weekend.
The weekend starts with a special winter benefit for the Glen Arbor Art Association called Art From Michigan's Wine Country. on Friday evening (Feb 1) from 6-8 PM. The event takes place at The Homestead and features an invitational art exhibit, wine from the Leelanau Wine Trail and delectable small plates by Chef Jon Piombo. Proceeds from the evening will benefit three GAAA programs for area children: art scholarships, after school art classes, and the summer migrant children's art program. Participating artists include: Beth Bricker, Wendy Cheney, Celeste Crouch, Don Drabik, Harvey Gordon, Alex Helfers, Angela Saxon, and Rodger Skinner.
Your $20/advance reservation ($25 at the door) ticket includes: one glass of wine, small plates menu and coffee. Call The Homestead at 334-5100, to pre-purchase by January 30 and get more info at www.glenarborart.org or call 231-334-6112
Then enjoy Taste the Passion, a weekend wine tour (February 2 & 3) at 20 tasting rooms on the Leelanau Wine Trail. This annual event is a celebration of wine, chocolate and love. Tickets are just $30, and your ticket allows you to chart your own course, enjoying food and wine pairings at the wineries along the trail. Tickets are limited - click the link to order them today!
It's another year, and another winter that Sugar Loaf is no closer to re-opening.
Will this Leelanau icon ever return and offer scenes like this one from the 1970s on Waffle? Stay up-to-date at the Friends of Sugar Loaf group on Facebook.