Leelanau.com Blog
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We try to post positive stories on Leelanau.com, and there's no question that photos like this strike a chord for many as they think fondle of their childhood fishing memories or teaching their grandchildren how to fish.

I think it's important that everyone spend a little time learning about the major threats facing the Great Lakes from Invasive species. Read on for a great feature from IPR's Peter Payette and a little of Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs exploring a new threat from an invasive species we have been able to control until recently, the sea lamprey.
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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

The annual Spring Sip & Savor wine tour happens this weekend (April 30 & May 1) at the wineries of the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association. It's a chance to enjoy special wine and food pairings at each of the wineries on the wine trail, and to help you take home some of the flavor, your ticket includes a $10 gift certificate that you can redeem at any LPVA winery.

For added fun, event participants are encouraged to keep their pajamas on when they set out in the morning and try to win one of the prizes that many of the wineries will be offering. In addition to the pajama contest, 'fancy hats' are part of the judging as well!

The Grand Prize package features 2 nights lodging at The Homestead in Glen Arbor during any season of the year, dinner for two at La Becasse in Maple City, Sunday brunch for two at the Bluebird in Leland, a wood fired pizza from Hearth & Vine Cafe and a pair of tickets to any LPVA Weekend tour or the Traverse City Wine & Art Festival. LPVA wineries are each offering prizes and there's also a chance to win 2 tix to S&S 2012 with 2 nights at Cambria Suites with the new Founder's Choice award!

Click here for pairings & all the prizes!

Photo credit: Chateau de Leelanau by zakzorah and May, 2010 Sip & Savor- Leelanau Peninsula by catrina90

National Geographic has a new book out entitled The 10 Best of Everything National Parks, and the Detroit Free Press reports that:

Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore has one of the top views of any national park.

Listed first for "Hike-to Views" was the park's Sleeping Bear Point Trail with its "beautiful overlooks of Lake Michigan and the surrounding landscape."

Check out the Sleeping Bear Point trail and see other trails in Leelanau.com's Sleeping Bear Dunes guide!

Photo credit: Sleeping Bear Point by Happyhiker4

Here's a slideshow from Joey Randall that takes you to some of the great views around the park!

News, weather events & photos from the week - add your thoughts below and sign up at the top right of this page!
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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

The Glen Arbor page on Facebook shot a beautiful video yesterday of a serene canoe ride down the decidedly un-springlike snow on the Crystal River.  Check out the video in high quality on Facebook (normal quality).

Trish posted a cool little flip-book of last Friday's Super Moon rising over Suttons Bay. You can see more shots from around the state in the Super Moon slideshow from the Absolute Michigan photo group!

The third video we'd like to share comes via the Glen Arbor Sun and it's packed with springtime fun!

Forest Rebecca Olson enjoyed an early spring day the right way in northern Michigan — by tapping a maple tree and enjoying the sap from which we make maple syrup. In succession, the flowers bloomed, the snow began to melt, the chickens came out to play, and her daughter Roen greeted the farm animals.

The Leelanau Enterprise reports that partisan politics in Washington are being blamed for a failure by the Senate and House of Representatives to agree on operational funding for the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and other entities in the National Park System. The Lakeshore is Leelanau's #1 tourist attraction and expects about the same usage as 2010.

Park officials in Empire say they are focused on keeping the Leelanau County’s No. 1 tourist destination open while Congress and the Administration work to head off a potential government shutdown...

Last Thursday, U.S. Rep. Dave Camp (R-Midland), who represents Michigan’s Fourth Congressional District including Leelanau County, blames Democrats who controlled both houses of Congress and the Whitehouse until Jan. 1. The present federal fiscal year began Oct. 1.

“Unfortunately, the reality is the Democratic lawmakers who controlled Congress last year did not live up to their Constitutional responsibilities, by failing to pass any of the 12 annual appropriations bills. With that, Sleeping Bear Dunes management, along with other federal agencies, now faces an uncertain financial future this year because they have no guaranteed funding,” Camp said in a statement.

While the budget proposed by President Obama would increase the National Park Service budget by almost $138 million, he bill in the US House of Representatives would House bill would cut the 2011 NPS budget by roughly 8% ($218 million).

Photo Credit: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - gateway by BruceandLetty

Thanks to the Wikipedia entry for Leelanau County, Michigan, I learned something cool this morning:

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,532 square miles (6,557.8 km²), of which 348 square miles (901.3 km²) is land and 2,184 square miles (5,656.5 km²) (86.24%) is water. The county has the second-highest proportion of water area of any county in the United States, behind only Keweenaw County, Michigan. Lake Leelanau is the county's largest body of inland water...

Seems like something we should be spreading around!

To see some of this water, check out the Water slideshow from the Leelanau (dot com) group on Flickr.

Photo Credit: i'll be on the water by todd richter

by Robert Lovik via Absolute Michigan...

The 2nd annual Traverse City Comedy Arts Festival is bringing some of America's top comedic talent to Northern Michigan February 10-13, and tickets are now on sale to what are sure to be sold out performances.

Bob Saget, this year's opening night performer, will kick things off on Thursday, February 10 at the City Opera House in front of an already almost sold-out crowd. Best known for his role on the sitcom "Full House" and as the long- running host of "America's Funniest Home Videos", Saget has developed a reputation in recent years as one of comedy's edgiest performers which will fit right in with the festival theme – Comedy is Dangerous.

Friday and Saturday night will feature performances by some of comedy's most respected and well-known faces in classic Traverse City venues like the State Theater and the Old Town Playhouse. This year's comedians include stars of stage and screen, Patton Oswalt, Jeffrey Ross, Caroline Rhea and Aubrey Plaza.

And this year, both of the festival hosts, Jeff Garlin and Michael Moore, will be performing. Jeff Garlin is best known for his role as Larry David's agent on the award-winning HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm. Jeff will be hosting a Hootenanny with Parks and Recreation's Aubrey Plaza and Brett Gelman while Michael will be playing the role of stand-up comic this year as he debuts brand new comedy material. Ted Alexandro and Joe DeRosa will share an hour time slot on Friday and Saturday night.

In addition to stand-up, there will also be family-friendly performances by Comedy 4 Kidz and ComedySportz, free late-night events, surprise guest performers and some of the funniest movies ever made showing in the historic State Theatre.

For more information and to buy tickets for all of this year's performances visitcomedyfesttc.org!

Photo credit: TCCF by Dan Sultana