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The Leelanau Farmers Markets Association will hold their Annual Kick-Off Meeting and Potluck next Wednesday, May 11 from 6-8 pm at the Leelanau County Government Center, 8527 E Government Center Drive, Suttons Bay. Join Board members, market vendors and community supporters for information, networking and camaraderie. Guests are asked to bring a dish to pass and their own table service; beverages are provided.

There will be a presentation by Local Orbit to learn about buying and selling local products for delivery at the new local “hub” - the Suttons Bay Market on Saturday mornings. Also on the agenda will be information on the acceptance of EBT Bridge Cards at the Suttons Bay Market, and a Q & A Session to answer any questions about any of the six Leelanau Farmers Markets.

The 2011 season begins at the Suttons Bay Market on May 14. Check out www.eatleelanau.org for dates and times of all the Leelanau Farmers Markets in Empire, Glen Arbor, Lake Leelanau, Leland, Northport and Suttons Bay. For more information contact Debby Disch, LFMA Board Chair, at 231-386-5686 or Leelanau MSU Extension at 231-256-9888.

More photos and information on the Leelanau Farmers Markets Facebook!

The Downtown Traverse City Association will host the spring Downtown Art Walk this Friday (April 29). Enjoy an evening of art, refreshments, food and music with 16 art exhibits along Front, State and Union St.

As part of the festivities of Art Walk, the Traverse City Wine & Art Festival will be offering wines from Leelanau & Old Mission for tasting from 6-9 PM at the grand opening of the Good Work Collective at 417 South Union in Traverse City. In addition to art for display and sale from many area artists including Glenn Wolf, Eric Daigh and Kaye Krahpol, the evening will feature an Indian theme with appetizers from the Cook’s House and live Classical Indian Raga music with Sitar and Tabla as well as a remarkable 12 string jazz and world guitarist from Detroit. Enjoy regional wines along with IPAs from regional breweries and stay around for the afterglow to Art Walk with more fun on tap!

Speaking of artists and the Wine & Art Festival, there is still time for artists to apply for the 2011 Festival - all the details and application can be found right here!

This spring the Suttons Bay Chamber of Commerce and Suttons Bay Schools are combining forces to create a new event, Suttons Bay Saturday. On April 30th fifteen area businesses will donate 10% of their proceeds back to the department of your choice at Suttons Bay schools. This is a great opportunity for local residents to get out and see the new spring merchandise that fills the stores, enjoy a nice meal at a local establishment… while supporting your local businesses and local schools at the same time. In this era of budget cuts the schools need us more than ever, and a strong school is vital to the long term health of our community.

Shopping local is fun, but there is more to it than that. There is a tremendous multiplier effect in choosing to shop local. Each dollar spent with a local business returns 3x more money to our local economy than that spent at a chain store. Spending your hard-earned money locally means area businesses can employ your family and friends. Shopping local allows these businesses to employ supporting services from area trades, accountants, insurance providers, and so on. Not to mention, shopping local allows these businesses to give back to local causes.

Participating businesses include: 45th Parallel Cafe, Bahles, Business Helper, Candy World, Deb’s Dish, Enerdyne, Forget-Me-Not Florist, Front Porch, Hansens, Happy Woman, Haystacks, Ice Cream Factory, Lima Bean, Martha’s Leelanau Table, Suttons Bay Trading Company and The Village Inn. The booster club will be selling Spirit Wear at both Northwestern Bank and Fifth Third until noon. Look for the special Norseman symbol in the windows of participating businesses. Some restrictions may apply.

Photo credits: Open for Business by joeldinda and Happy Woman by Bean in Sylvan Lake.

Next Friday (March 11, 2011) at 7 PM at Brilliant Books in Suttons Bay, Loreen Niewenhuis will release her book, A 1,000-Mile Walk on the Beach. The book chronicles her walk around the shoreline of Lake Michigan and her observations along the way. Absolute Michigan caught up with Loreen and asked her a couple of questions.

ABSOLUTE MICHIGAN: What prompted you to do this?

LOREEN NIEWENHUIS: I've always felt connected to Lake Michigan.  It has always been the place where I relax, walk, and recenter myself.  When I turned 45, I wanted to take on something large, something that would challenge me on many levels.  So, I pulled out my maps of Lake Michigan and plotted a 1000-mile route around it.

ABSOLUTE MICHIGAN: What was your favorite stretch of Michigan beach?

LOREEN NIEWENHUIS: I fell in love with the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Leelanau Peninsula all over again.  The natural beauty is amazing, the towns are very connected to the lake along this stretch, and there are several excellent independent bookstores along the way.

Visit Loreen's blog for photos from her trip through the Sleeping Bear, read an excerpt from the book over at Absolute Michigan and meet her next Friday at Brilliant Books!

The other day we posted the Legend of the Sleeping Bear. After thinking about it, I wondered if folks knew that "the Bear" was also an actual formation atop a dune about a mile north of the Pierce Stocking Overlook. The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore says that the formation pictured above known as "the Bear"...

...hardly looks like a bear now, for it has been changing rapidly in recent years. At the turn of the century, it was a round knob completely covered with trees and shrubs. You can still see some of the thick vegetation that gave it a dark shaggy appearance.

...For a long time, the sleeping Bear Dune stood at about 234 feet high with a dense plant cover. However, trough most of the twentieth century, erosion has prevailed. By 1961, the dune was only 132 feet high, and by 1980, it was down to 103 feet. The process is a continuing one. The major cause of the dune’s erosion was wave action wearing away the base of the plateau on which the dune rests. As the west side of the dune loses its support, it cascades down the hill. The wind, too, is a major agent of erosion, removing sand and destroying the dune’s plant cover.

The photo above was taken by Leelanau photographer Fred Dickinson. You can see a closer view right here and definitely check out the Dickinson Photo Gallery to view & purchase great photography of the dunes and other Leelanau spots by Fred and his daughter Grace. Over on Michigan in Pictures there's a photo of Fishtown in 1940 that explains Dickinson's hand coloration technique. You can see a couple more photos of the Bear from MSU.

Up North Live has a feature on the Valentine Tree Farm near Cedar. They write:

The downturn in the economy is not stopping people from one of the most sentimental holiday traditions which is cutting down the family Christmas tree.

This year many folks head out to Valentine Tree Farm in Cedar to pick the perfect one. For the past two weeks the parking lot has been packed at Valentine Tree Farm.

Business is off to a great start not only because of the unique experience Valentine's offers but because a lot of their competitors have gone out of business.

Owner of Valentine Tree Farm Nello Valentine, "For Christmas trees it looks like it's staying a the same pace as last year which was very good the last couple three years have been real good."

Click through for video and visit the Valentine Tree Farm on Facebook!

Photo credit: Valentine U-Cut Tree Farm by Ken Scott

Pathfinder Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair on Saturday December 11 ~ Join the students and staff of Pathfinder school Saturday from 9-4 at the Pathfinder School Gymnasium for a day of fun! Refreshments provided at this Arts and Crafts Fair. The students have created a wonderful array of holiday items!

Holiday Hootenanny at Higher Grounds on Saturday, December 11 ~ The day runs from 10 AM - 11 PM. It is a benefit for the Run Across Ethiopia and features a Trunk Show, Silent Auction capped by a concert by Seth Bernard and May Erlewine. Get the details on Facebook.

Merry Marketplace on Saturday December 4 ~ The annual Christmas arts & crafts show will be held at the Old Art Building in Leland from 10 AM - 4 PM. This year's Merry Marketplace features 20 local artisans with fresh and dried holiday wreaths, herbal soaps and lotions, jewelry, specialty foods, pottery, woven wheat, cards, pillows, kids' and American girl doll clothes, and many hand knit items. There's also complimentary cookies and coffee!

Holidays in the Village on Saturday December 4 ~ Downtown shopping with special sales and giveaway of a $150 shopping spree in Suttons Bay - all day! Highlights are the live Antlers & Elves at Enerdyne and the lighting of the Christmas Tree by Santa & carols around the tree accompanied by the Suttons Bay School choir. Follow Santa to Silvertree to share your wish list and enjoy hot cocoa and refreshments.

Holiday Bake Sale & Bazaar on Saturday December 4 ~ Join the Northport Chamber of Commerce for an event that is sure to please children of all ages!

Cedar's Make and Take Christmas Party on Sunday December 5 ~ All the free supplies to make your own wreaths and decorations, jewelry and crafts. Join your neighbors at the Solon Twp Hall in Cedar from 1-4 pm for crafts, cookies, and holiday fun.

Right Brain Holiday Art Sale on Sunday December 5 ~ Show your love for the holidays by coming on down and getting some of your holiday shopping done at Right Brain Brewery. They are featuring original artwork that is under $200 from several local artists on Sunday, Dec. 5th from 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. in the pub. Think about supporting our local artists and getting some of your holiday shopping done with a RBB brew in hand!

Also check out Leelanau Holiday Concerts!

Photo Credit: Laden by Trish P. - K1000 Gal

The annual Glen Arbor Pajama Party is held the morning after Thanksgiving (Friday, Nov 26) from 5-7 AM and features shoppers in their PJs and bargains galore! Glen Arbor also holds their annual Tree Lighting and Carols followed by a preview of the Saturday's Holiday Market Place at the town hall. More information on the weekend's events and area shops & stores from the Glen Arbor Area Chamber.

Leland's PJ Party will be held Friday as well with stores open 8-10 AM with special sales, clever display of PJ's and pre-holiday discounts. More about Leland from the Leland Chamber of Commerce.

The Northport-Omena Chamber of Commerce will host a tree lighting ceremony at the big tree next to the Hardware Store on Saturday (Nov 27). There will be a warm fire, carols lead by the Village Voices and music from the Northport Community Band from 5:30 to 6 pm. The open house portion will be ongoing throughout the day. There will be a story hour at Dog Ears Books from 2:30 to 3:30 pm and a puppet workshop at Dolls & More (cost $10) from 3:30 to 4:30 pm. Eateries will offer holiday specials.

Elsewhere...

Crystal Mountain & Leelanau-based Wings of Wonder invite you to clear some room for your holiday feast with the annual Turkey Vulture Trot on Thursday morning. The 5k winds around the mountain and starts at 9 AM with a 1 mile fun run at 10. Proceeds benefit Wings of Wonder - details at crystalmountain.com!

Our friends over at Michigan By the Bottle will be holding a Twitter Tasting next Tuesday, November 16 at 7:30 pm. In anticipation of the holidays, the tasting will feature two new sparkling wines from Black Star Farms: 2009 Be Dazzled and 2010 Bubbly Nouveau. Both wines are in their third vintage and the Be Dazzled incorporates both Brut and Demi-Sec styles, while the Bubbly Nouveau is an appetizer style sparkling wine that is fun & fruity.

The event will feature winemaker Lee Lutes and the winery's social media director Coryn Briggs and will last approximately 1 hour with a half hour to discuss each wine via twitter. Both wines will be for sale for $12.50 at all three Black Star Farms' locations and when both wines are purchased for the tasting a 20% discount will be applied. Wines can also be shipped around the state of Michigan as well as to various other states from their online store.

For more information contact, Coryn at 231.944.1311 or cbriggs@blackstarfarms.com.

We're going to try and feature some of the regional & national media coverage Leelanau is getting on this blog - if you have links, share them with us here or on the Leelanau.com Facebook!

The wine industry is definitely a hot topic! A few weeks ago, USA Today tapped Leelanau & Old Mission as one of their 10 great places for local wines. In Hour Detroit, Lorri Hathaway and Sharon Kegerreis urge you to escape to the Leelanau Peninsula for Wine & Holiday Shopping:

Find that warm, tingly sensation of good tidings early with an escape to Leelanau Peninsula for Toast the Season — a spectacular northern Michigan wine celebration that kicks off the holidays. Upon arrival at the first winery, you’ll feel the festive spirit when greeted with a gift bag and a special wine pour deliciously paired with gourmet fare. Then, enjoy a leisurely trek along the renowned M-22 lakeshore drive with stops at any of the 18 wineries for more handpicked wine and food pairings. (Be sure to use a designated driver - it’s surprising how quickly the wine tastes add up!)

In a shameless bit of self-promotion, here's me (Andy McFarlane of Leelanau.com) on FOX-32 talking about the wonders of M-22 in part 1 of Alex Jocich's feature "You Haven't Traveled Across Northern Michigan Until.... I had fun being part of the feature, and I really do believe that M-22 is a road as mythic and cool in its own way as Route 66.

In case you missed it, Livability.com rated Traverse City as #1 on their list of surprising Foodie Cities this spring. They wrote:

Known as the Cherry Capital of the World, the Lake Michigan resort town of Traverse City does a pretty good job with other foods, too. With plenty of award-winning restaurants, wineries, farmers markets and dairies, Traverse City has been called “a new foodie haven” by The Huffington Post, and Midwest Living magazine recently named it second on its list of the region's “best food towns.” At the heart of the accolades is an emphasis on the farm-to-table philosophy. At Trattoria Stella, where chef Myles Anton was nominated for a 2010 James Beard Foundation award, the menu of Italian fare takes care to note ingredients from local farms and dairies. For wine lovers, the city's Leelanau Peninsula and Old Mission Peninsula wine regions lie along the 45th parallel— the same latitude that gives the Bordeaux region of France its famous reputation.

Two thoughts on that:

1. Not one but TWO Leelanau chefs were nominated as well: Randy Chamberlain at Blu in Glen Arbor and Guillaume Hazaël-Massieux of La Bécasse near Maple City!
2. While the national media often says "Traverse City," the imagery and features they identify are 100% Leelanau.

Photo Credit: colour around the bend (1) by Pettman's Photographic Memories