The 11th annual Harvest Stompede Vineyard Run & Walk and Wine Tour is a great way to experience the beauty of the Leelanau Wine Trail at harvest time, with local food pairings and wine from the exceptional 2011 vintage. The event takes place this weekend - September 8 & 9th, 2012 - and is considered one of the most scenic running & wine touring events in the Midwest.
“Harvest on the Leelanau Peninsula is an exciting time,” says Matt Gregory, of Chateau de Leelanau. “As vintners, we have literally waited all year for this moment. We have watched our grapes go from tiny green marbles to the perfectly ripe fruit that makes our region's wine stand out from the rest. We want to share this excitement with you at this years Harvest Stompede. Stop by any one of our 20 Leelanau Peninsula wineries and see how the harvest is going - I'm sure you won't be disappointed!"
The weekend's festivities kick off at 9:00am on Saturday morning at Ciccone Vineyard with the Harvest Stompede race. Race registration is now closed but it's a great event for spectators.
The Harvest Stompede Wine Tour starts at 11:00am following the race and continues on Sunday. It features a special wine pour and food pairing at each of 19 Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association member wineries. To highlight our region’s culinary excellence, each winery will be partnering with farmers and restaurants to feature local ingredients in their food pairings.
The event routinely sells out and advance tickets are highly recommended. Tickets are $40 and include commemorative glass and a special food and wine pairing at each tasting room. Food pairings, lodging packages and tickets are available right here.
The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail officially opens with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Dune Climb on Wednesday, June 20, 2012 at 1:30 p.m. The ribbon cutting celebrates the completion of nearly five miles of trail between Glen Arbor and the Dune Climb. When fully completed, the 27-mile trail will run from the southern edge of Leelanau County through the National Lakeshore, Empire, and Glen Arbor, to Good Harbor Bay. They selected this segment as the first to connect the Dune Climb and dunes trails, historic attractions in Glen Haven, the group & D. H. Day campgrounds and the village of Glen Arbor. Construction of the remaining segments will continue as funds are raised.
Julie Clark is the Executive Director of Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trails, Inc. and says, “This spring we surpassed a million dollars in private funding, much of that generated by the local community. We’ve got some big milestones ahead of us this summer to keep trail construction rolling next year, but I think we can now see and experience the trail and benefits it can bring, and they’ll want to help keep the project going.”
The trail was included in the National Lakeshore's most recent General Management Plan and then was analyzed and approved more specifically in an Environmental Assessment. National Lakeshore Superintendent Dusty Schultz says, “The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail is the single most exciting project to come out of our recently completed General Management Plan. The trail will provide a wonderful way to explore and learn about the park, as well as become a meaningful alternative for visitors to travel between park sites and local businesses - without having to use their cars!”
Funding for trail construction is secured from the Dune Climb to Empire and Glen Arbor to Port Oneida. To move forward with construction, nearly $500,000 in matching funds are needed. To learn more about the project and how you can be a part of the effort, visit www.sleepingbeartrail.org or call Pam Darling, Development Director, TART Trails, 231-941-4300.
Jacob Wheeler of the Glen Arbor Sun writes that to the most beautiful place in America, second healthiest place nationwide, Leelanau County is on the verge of becoming a prime bicycle destination too! He took a ride down the nearly-completed first phase from the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb to downtown Glen Arbor on the brand new Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. The trail officially opens on June 20, 2012 and could one day stretch 27 miles, from the Leelanau-Benzie County line to Good Harbor.
Jacob writes that with all these bikers coming to town, they’ll need a place to rent bikes & fix the inevitable flat tires wheels and fix the inevitable flat tires and rusty chains. Read more about the new businesses in Glen Arbor here, and check out this narrated video of a bike ride Saturday along the trail.
Also, the photo to the right is by Tom D'Ambrosio - see his great photos from the trail right here!!
Glen Arbor residents Bill and Vicki Anderson, who were among the first supporters of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail (SBHT), have issued a challenge pledge with a 2:1 match for all donations to the new trail through the end of March. The campaign still needs to raise $30,000 in order to secure the full Anderson Challenge match of $50,000. Bill Anderson shared with Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trails his family’s motivation for posing the challenge match.
“This summer, 10 years of planning and effort will become a reality for the first five-mile link of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail,” he said. “To help sustain the momentum and encourage additional financial support we are offering a match of $50,000 if the $100,000 goal is reached by March 31st.”
The first section of trail connecting Glen Arbor to the Dune Climb will be completed this July. The trail will provide easy, car-free access to amenities and attractions including the DH Day Campground, Glen Haven, Glen Arbor and the Dune Climb.
Read on at the Sun and learn more about the trail and make donations at sleepingbeartrail.org or by calling Pam Darling (231) 941-4300.
In February 2012, a group of inspired people will be running 129 miles in five days across Palestine to raise funds to plant olive trees and also to raise awareness about the challenges of fair trade olive farmers of Palestine in the latest project from On the Ground.
This Friday (December 9th), Michigan's own Breathe Owl Breathe will play a very special benefit concert for the Run Across Palestine at Higher Grounds Roastery at the Village at Grand Traverse Commons in Traverse City. They are joined by Little Wings and it's also the release tour for their new project The Listeners.
Tickets are $12 advance / $15 door and available at Higher Grounds and Oryana. Doors open at 7 PM and the show starts at 8. For advance tickets, project information or to simply make a donation please call 877 825 2262. On the Ground supports sustainable community development in farming regions across the world.
This Saturday (October 8th) from 5-8:30 PM the Run for Palestine takes place at the Food For Thought Farm. It's a special event featuring a 5k run followed by a post-race pasta dinner and movie under the stars.
The course is mostly road, with the 10K entering parts of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Following the races, participants and their families can hang out on the Food For Thought farm and enjoy dinner and a movie.
Bring your running shoes, blanket and loved ones. Funds raised will go to Run Across Palestine, a running expedition to raise money to assist Palestinian olive oil farmers by providing trees and scholarships to olive oil farming families.
The price for adults is $30 in advance or $35 day-of with kids 12 and under $15 in advance ($20 at the door). You can also sign up for dinner and movie only (kids 12 and under eat free) for $15. Here's the link to register online.
Contact Norm Plumstead by email with any questions.
The Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association's annual Harvest Stompede Vineyard Run & Walk and Wine Tour takes place Saturday September 10 & Sunday September 11. It's considered one of the most scenic running & wine touring events in the Midwest and is returning to the Leelanau Peninsula for the tenth year.
The race itself happens Saturday morning at 9 AM at Ciccone Vineyard. Race registration is is down to less than 100 slots, but it's a great event for spectators as well with a ONE OF A KIND course that winds through vineyard rows.
The Harvest Stompede Wine Tour follows the race and offers a special pour and food pairing featuring local food at each of the 18 Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association member wineries. Recognizing that nothing goes better with local wine than local food, the 18 wineries of the Leelanau Wine Trail will each be featuring local items in their food pairings!
On Saturday, September 3rd, at 9 am, Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear (PHSB) will host the second annual Port Oneida Barn to Barn Run/Walk – a 5K on the Bayview Trail in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The Sleeping Bear Dunes were recently voted as the most beautiful place in America by Good Morning America. "What ABC didn't mention in their wonderful coverage, is that in addition to its magnificent natural beauty, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore also boasts ‘one of the most prized historic landscapes in the nation' – an honor, and a treasure that contributes to this most beautiful place", said Susan Pocklington, Director of the nonprofit park partner.
The race starts and finishes at the Charles Olsen Farm located right off the trail in the Port Oneida Rural Historic District, 3 miles north of Glen Arbor on M-22. The course meanders through the Port Oneida Rural Historic District, passing old farmsteads and panoramic views of Lake Michigan. Kids can join in the fun too with a 1/4 mile Kids Dash to the Schoolhouse.
Pre-registration is $20 through August 27th and $30 after that. The event will be limited to 300 participants this year. For registration and details, visit www.phsb.org, or contact 231-334-6103.
On the Ground invites everyone (young and old) to the Run Across Ethiopia Celebration next Thursday evening (February 24) at the Park Place Dome in Traverse City.
The Run Across Ethiopia finished its final steps in the village of Afursa Waru on January 20th, and now it's time to celebrate the successful completion of this monumental project! Join us first in Minerva's Restaurant for happy hour (5 - 6 pm), then follow us into the Park Place Dome for a big celebration. Click here for the Facebook event - share with your friends!
The event is free and features a chance to talk with the runners and the rest of the team (there were several children who went as well, so please bring your own). Enjoy cash bar, appetizers, music by Seth Bernard and May Erlewine and a sneak preview of the RAE Documentary film. There will also be some cool new RAE T-Shirts for sale!
You can learn about Run Across Ethiopia and On the Ground in this video by Westonfilm.
A number of runners & support team members from our area have touched down in Ethiopia and on Saturday, January 8th, they join more runners and team members from around to country for the Run Across Ethiopia, a 400km ultramarathon to raise funds and awareness for Ethiopian education. DONATE HERE!
Starting on January 8, 2011 and spanning 12 days, a small group of runners will run 400 kilometers across Southern Ethiopia as part of a campaign to generate awareness and funding for education. The Run Across Ethiopia aims to raise $100,000 for Ethiopian education projects, including the construction of schools in other coffee-growing communities. You can tune in to Glen Arbor Sun Editor Jacob Wheeler who is in Ethiopia, the Run Across Ethiopia Facebook and RAE Live for daily updates including photos & video all during the run or check in at Higher Grounds or Pangea Pizza in Traverse City.
More than 600 years ago, merchants trekked through the mountains and valleys of Ethiopia to export the world’s first cultivated coffee beans, but in modern-day Ethiopia many coffee farmers and their families live in dire poverty. Education, health care, and access to water are all very limited. In the Yirgacheffe region, where some of the world’s most unique and sought-after coffees originate, little more than half the region’s children complete primary school. The adult literacy rate is 36 percent. Life expectancy is 53 years.
Here's a great video by James & Jamaica Weston that explains the who, why and how of this effort!
Photo used by permission of Timothy Fitzgerald Young and are (c) copyright 2010 On The Ground, Inc. All rights reserved.
The 11th annual Harvest Stompede Vineyard Run & Walk and Wine Tour is a great way to experience the beauty of the Leelanau Wine Trail at harvest time, with local food pairings and wine from the exceptional 2011 vintage. The event takes place this weekend - September 8 & 9th, 2012 - and is considered one of the most scenic running & wine touring events in the Midwest.
