The Leelanau News Blog
leelanau county news • traverse city news • michigan news

Shalda Creek by jsorbieus

News from the Week

The most emailed to me story for quite sometime was news that the Grand Traverse Lighthouse is in the running for free new windows. Click over and vote! The rest was all events and me being too busy to post news!

The Week's Weather

There was a little bit of rain and temps are still a bit on the cool side but all in all, a great early summer week of weather!

Jun 26, 2008: Partly sunny & upper 70s (79/62)
Jun 27, 2008: Partly sunny with brief storms & 80s (86/62)
Jun 28, 2008: Mostly sunny & 70s with brief evening rain (77/56)
Jun 29, 2008: Mostly sunny & low 70s with evening rain (74/54)
Jun 30, 2008: Mostly sunny & low 70s with evening rain (74/54)
Jul 1, 2008: Sunny & 80s (84/48)
Jul 2, 2008: Partly sunny with evening thunderstorms (some hail!) and 70 (72/56)

Click for the Leelanau news archive from June 2007 and July 2007 and our June 2008 page.

Weather Resources

Bouy 45002 in Lake Michigan is located halfway between North Manitou Island and Washington Island in Lake Michigan. It provides wind and wave data. Also check out Michigan Sea Grant Coastwatch for water temps (the "early evening" images in their archive will give you a better idea of actual temps during peaks swimming hours).

Weather Underground is just about as old as the internet (the first net weather service) and is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Sometimes the above banner will show personal weather system data from Leland and sometimes it comes from a vineyard on Old Mission (it tells you which in the top left of the page it links to).

Each month we make a post where you can let people know what you're thinking about stories in the news items, tell about some fun things you did (or want to do) and share your observations of what's happening in the great outdoors.

July in Leelanau is a time for picnics and parties, fireworks and family fun and (of course) lots of time on beaches & boats. Apparently it's also a time that lends itself well to alliteration ... and cherries of course!

This June we're going to join with Absolute Michigan and Taste the Local Difference to promote local food and also to take our coverage of Leelanau County and northern Michigan to a new level!

Photo credit: Ya big lug by Andy McFarlane

Head back to June 2008.

JELD-WEN Windows & Doors is holding the JELD-WEN Lighthouse Restoration Initiative. People from all over can vote for their favorite lighthouse and the winning lighthouse will receive all-new windows and doors. The only Michigan lighthouse is located right here in Leelanau County - the Grand Traverse Lighthouse!

Clear here to cast your vote, send to your friends and a big thanks to all the folks who sent this over!

photo credit: Grand Traverse Lighthouse by Pentax K1000 Gal

I'm always happy when it's a slow news day and I can wander through Don Harrison's incredible collection of Northern Michigan postcards. He has hundreds of cool Leelanau ones and I always learn something new as a result.

Today I learned that Suttons Bay hasn't had that great marina (modern aerial photo) for as long as I thought. It was apparently built in 1962! (link)  Be sure to check it out larger and you can also order postcards and other items from Don's Up North Memories collection!

You can click the pics above for a slideshow of photos of the new third order Fresnel lens being built for the South Manitou Island Lighthouse Project by Artworks Florida.

The Relight the Light project seeks to fabricate and install replica third order Fresnel Lens in the lantern room of the South Manitou Island Lighthouse and Illuminate the lens using a solar powered L.E.D. light. You can learn much more about the project and donate online at www.leelanau.com/lighthouse. They still have a lot of money to raise, so please donate if you can!

Artworks Florida is dedicated to the history and preservation of historic Fresnel lenses used to illuminate lighthouses. The first restoration was completed in 1993 in St. Augustine, Florida, where glass prisms were machined and polished to Fresnel's original formulas developed in 1819.

They have some really cool information about the process right here and be sure that Leelanau.com will bring you more about this story as we have it!

Tales of The Crib by jimflix

News from the Week

Agriculture was the featured topic this week, with stories including a feature on the weekly Leelanau farmers markets and the 2008 regional farm & farm market guide from Taste the Local Difference and news that Bingham Township planners have recommended adoption of agritourism language into township zoning. We also noted the start of another season of Friday night with the Beach Bards in Glen Arbor.

The Week's Weather

The weather was great ... if you're in March. For June (after a brief foray into the 80s) Mother Nature put on her June 1979 throwback jersey. On the plus side, sweatshirt and fleece sales are brisk.

June 12, 2008: Mostly cloudy, rain & upper 70s (80/60)
June 13, 2008: Mostly cloudy, thunderstorms and 80s (87/59)
June 14, 2008: Mostly sunny & low 80s (82/59)
June 15, 2008: Mostly sunny w/ brief showers and 70s (76/53)
June 16, 2008: Mostly cloudy, scattered showers and low 60s (62/53)
June 17, 2008: Cloudy, light rain & 50s (57/50)
June 18, 2008: Partly sunny & 50s (58/49)

Photo credit:

Click for the Leelanau news archive from June 2007 and also our June 2008 page!

The Leelanau Farmers Markets are now in their 8th season and feature fresh, Leelanau County produce and farm products. Here are the locations and times:

Glen Arbor(downtown, behind the Township Hall) 9am-1pm
Tuesdays, June 17 – September 2, 2008

Leland (parking lot across from The Bluebird Restaurant) 9am – Noon
Thursdays, June 19 - September 4, 2008

Northport (The Depot next to the marina) 9am - 1pm
Fridays, June 27 - September 5, 2008

Suttons Bay (corner of Lincoln & Broadway, at skating rink) 9am - 1pm
Saturdays, May 17 - October 18, 2008

Empire (downtown near the Post Office) 9am - 1pm
Saturdays, June 14 - September 27, 2008

Speaking of farms and markets, the Taste The Local Difference guide to local farm markets and farm products is now available at visitor centers and retail locations from Manistee to Mackinac (and all through Leelanau). Now in its fifth year, the free and popular guide lists 229 farms, 26 wineries, 21 farmers markets and nearly 100 restaurants, caterers, grocers and other businesses that offer locally grown food products in the 10-county northwest lower Michigan region.

Visit Taste the Local Difference is also online at www.LocalDifference.org for an online guide, recipes and other information about fresh, seasonal foods.

You'll also want to check out our online listing of Leelanau farm markets on the Leelanau.com map! (look for the yellow milk jug and apple on the map!)

Photo: Just Peachy by Andy McFarlane

In Planners back adoption of 'agritourism' language the Leelanau Enterprise reports that Bingham Towship's Planning Commission has recommended an amendment to township zoning:

The proposed new zoning ordinance provisions may make it easier for the owners of farms and other agriculturally zoned properties to engage in businesses related to farming that will bring more tourists to the township. Examples already occurring in Bingham Township include special events held at local wineries, bed-and-breakfast operations at local farms, and on-site sales of locally produced food and beverages.

Planning Commission chairman Mike Park said the draft zoning ordinance amendment has been forwarded to the Leelanau County Planning Commission for review and will also be examined by township attorneys before being considered for adoption by the Bingham Township Board, tentatively next month. Park credited Don Coe, a co-owner of Black Star Farms in Bingham, for suggesting that the commission consider drafting the amendment. Black Star Farm includes a winery, a tasting room, a cheese-making and retail sales operation, horse boarding stables, a petting zoo, and a bed-and-breakfast inn.

Read the rest at the link above and check out Black Star Farms right here and also the Michigan Farm Marketing and Agritourism Association.

The photo is Shady Lane Cellars by photoshoparama. It's one of many in his Leelanau Vintners set - check them out!

Peterson Park by Pentax K1000 Gal (part of her Leelanau set)

News from the Week

It must be summer because stories from the week were pretty much events (Saturdays at the Lakeshore, Suttons Bay Art Walk, a concert and workshop from Joel Mabus) and then a photo of a Gills Pier Sunset and a sailboat in the fog on Suttons Bay.

The Week's Weather

The week's weather featured a lot of rain and our first taste of the high 80s.

June 5, 2008: Heavy rain, thunderstorms and 70s (78/59)
June 6, 2008: Strong thunderstorms and upper 80s (87/59)
June 7, 2008: Mostly sunny and low 80s with evening rain (84/63)
June 8, 2008: Thunderstorms - nearly 1" of rain and 70 (71/59)
June 9, 2008: Mostly cloudy, light rain and low 70s (75/65)
June 10, 2008: Cloudy, rain (and thunderstorms) and 70s (75/55)
June 11, 2008: Partly sunny, some rain and 60s (68/50)

Click for the Leelanau news archive from June 2007 and also the June 2008 page!

The photo is Gills Pier Sunset by newsgirl23, one of many cool photos added recently to the Leelanau.com group on the photo-sharing site Flickr.

It's where we get many of the photos featured on Leelanau.com and we'd love to share yours with our readers as well!