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

For the rest of the summer Leelanau.com will go to a summer schedule. That means that some days we'll update the site and this blog and other days we won't.

We will of course continue to post our weekly email newsletter (sign up on our home page) and you can check events in the Leelanau Calendar and follow comments on our July 2008 page.

Sorry if this puts you out, but we want to enjoy summer too!

(click to get the above photo at "background size")

The first annual North Bar Lake Skimboard Competition takes place this Saturday (July 19) at North Bar Lake just north of Empire.

Registration is from 10 to noon and the competition starts at 1 PM. For details, please call Sleeping Bear Surf & Kayak at 231.326.WAVE (9283).

photo: Goofyfooted by Andy McFarlane

Photographer Ken Scott has put together a great photo show from the Leland Fireworks, complete with a classic track Pearl of America from Song of the Lakes. It's just great, so check it out!

Watch Leland Fireworks ... 2008 on YouTube.

Ken notes that this is a community sponsored event that needs your support, especially if you enjoyed the show and to send any donation(s) to:

Leland Community Improvement Association
PO Box 483
Leland, MI 49654

The Leelanau Enterprise reports that this Sunday (Jun 29) from 11 AM - 3 PM is the fourth annual Kids Fishing Day at the former Veronica Valley Golf Course (map). They say that while the state has been slow in forwarding funds for the sale to the county as a park, owners Bill and Diane Grant are holding the free event. Because bluegills are so aggressive, kids are pretty much guaranteed to catch some:

Many of the bluegills planted in past years have held over. They are found in such abundance that growth is starting to stunt.

DNR fish biologist Todd Kalish said 1,310 bluegills were planted this year in the ponds on the Grant property, most going 6-7 inches. A few were larger...

In addition, 25 rainbows that went up to 14 inches and weighed up to 2 pounds were planted, and should be available.

...More than 30 volunteers will be on hand to help in any way they can, from tying on hooks to taking off fish. Everything is free, including hot dogs, pop and potato chips

Photo: Nice...Boy with Giant Salmon Card by UpNorth Memories - Don Harrison

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 River at Crystal Bend in Glen Arbor features Miniature Golf, Carriage Rides, Free Wireless, Birthday Parties, Rustic Trading Post & More!

Latest Giveaway!

The last question was apparently too easy, so here's a tougher one:

Who was the first European explorer to record a sighting of the Sleeping Bear, when did they sight it and what did they call it in their native tongue?

Be the first person to post a comment below with the answer below and you'll receive SIX FREE ROUNDS OF GOLF AT THE RIVER!

Past Giveaways

• The first question was the year that John LaRue moved from South Manitou Island to set up a trading post at Sleeping Bear Bay and Mark Haveman had the correct answer of 1848

The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore's "Saturdays at the Lakeshore" continues through the month of June. You meet at 1 PM at the Visitor Center in Empire on M-72. Then it's a short drive to the program/hike location (ends at about 3 PM). Each week, a different topic and location in the National Lakeshore will be featured. The Park Rangers have planned activities that take advantage of the season:

June 7 - Piping Plovers: The Little Birds that Could! Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore has the largest population of nesting plovers in the Great Lakes region. See this rare bird and observe its nesting activities. Discover why the Piping Plover is threatened with extinction, and what staff and volunteers are doing to prevent it. This is the best time of the year to see several plovers in action. A short walk is all that is required. Some spotting scopes and binoculars will be provided, but bring your own if you have them.

June 14 - Mission Possible: Natives versus Non-Natives - With no enemies to keep them in check, an invasion of non-native plants and animals are crowding out our native species. Learn what is being done here at Sleeping Bear Dunes and why we should care about the survival of our native species.

June 21 - Flowers in the Sand - Dunes are not always just barren places with scruffy grass. They can also have some of the region's most elaborate displays of showy wildflowers, if you know when and where to look. Join Ranger Joanne, our wildflower expert, for an easy hike on the dunes to view and identify wildflowers that call Michigan's sand dunes home.

June 28 - Beneficial Bugs: Sure they bite and sting and get inside your shirt, but bugs do lots of good things, too. Explore the world of bugs and learn how they help the wildflowers, our food crops, and our forest.

"Saturdays at the Lakeshore" are free and are suitable for all ages. No reservations are needed, and participants need only purchase the park entrance pass to join in the fun ($10/vehicle valid for seven days or $20/vehicle for an entire year). For more information about the schedule or other Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore activities, please call the Visitor Center at 231-326-5134.

Photo credit: Fuzz by ojoyous1 (she says it's not a dandelion and wonders if anyone knows what it is - maybe the June 21st hike??)

Jim captured this awesome photo in yesterday's fog on Suttons Bay. It's part of his Boats set - be sure to check it out bigger.

Have a great weekend!