The Port Oneida Fair, a two day living history event at five historic farms, will be held this Friday and Saturday August 8 and 9.  Over 90 folks will be demonstrating traditional rural skills and crafts.  Draft animals will be mowing hay and free horse and wagon rides are just some of the many activities. Step back in time as you travel between the historic farms by shuttle bus, horse and wagon, bike or walking the paths through the fields.  Each farm along the way has different activities to experience.

So try your hand at shelling corn, cross cut sawing, washing clothes with a hand ringer, or pitching hay. Or you might pet some lambs, feed some chickens or brush an ox.  Several of the farm houses, barns and school house will be open for tours.

The Port Oneida Rural Historic District is located four miles north of Glen Arbor on M-22.  It is part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Need a break from a busy shopping day in Glen Arbor?  Then stop by the charming green cottage restaurant-Thyme Out-for a reprieve.  Thyme Out features focaccia sandwiches, tempting pastries, specialty coffees and teas, and fresh-fruit smoothies.  Most items are made with either local ingredients from the Glen Arbor Farmers’ Market across the street or straight from the garden in back.

Owner Carol Worsley, a cooking instructor and caterer with French training, is well-known in the community. She also owns the Thyme Inn, a Bed and Breakfast across Western Avenue.  The Inn features sweetly-appointed rooms, including a Beatrix Potter children’s room. 

Like her Finnish grandmothers, Worsley believes in using only the best ingredients in her cooking.  As a little girl growing up in the Upper Peninsula, she helped pick seasonal berries and learned how to make pastries without ever consulting a cookbook.  Local pastry chef Susan McConnell shares the same vision and uses an abundance of fresh ingredients for the best results.

McConnell’s creations, displayed under a glass canopy, feature all sorts of delights: berry crumb cakes, fine pastries, fruit muffins, scones, cookies, and chocolate truffles.  You can balance them with a low-calorie smoothie or a hearty sandwich and head to one of the tables inside or out to the English garden oasis in the back.  A grand willow arbor covered with greenery anchors the garden and offers cushioned seating and a view of strolling shoppers through a fence of lavender.

Thyme Out also offers a variety of options for the picnic-bound.  Stash a few sandwiches and other fare in your basket and take it all to go.  However, you just might want to bring an extra basket for all the other great finds in the store.  Kitchen ware, gourmet jams and spreads, soaps, and unusual gift items-it’s all here.

Thyme Out is located at 6453 Western Avenue in downtown Glen Arbor. 231-334-8179

Open Tuesdays- Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Closed Sundays and Mondays.

The Manitou Music Festival is this Sunday-July 20, 7:00 p.m.

Ride the chair lift, take a golf cart, or walk to the top of the ski hill at The Homestead for a magnificent view of Lake Michigan and music by the Neptune Quartet.  Formed in 2001, the quartet is a collaboration of cellist Crispin Campbell, Don Julin on mandolin, guitarist Angelo Meli, and bassist Glenn Wolff. The group plays original compositions as well as music by the likes of Django Reinhardt, Frank Zappa and Hank Williams.

Tickets $15 advance/$18 door.  Tickets are also available at Glen Arbor Arts Association office (231.334.6112) until 3:00 P.M. on Friday and at Lake Street Studios (231.334.3179 ) over the week-end 11:00-5:00.

Chair lift and golf carts will start running at 6:00p.m.  Chairs will be set up, but concert goers are welcome to bring blankets for grass seating.  Rain location on site in the beautiful Mountain Flower Meeting Center.

The Homestead asks that concert goers not bring food or drink to this event.  Restaurants on the grounds will be open and a cash beverage bar will be set up at the venue: beer/$5.00 bottle or can, red and white wine/$7.00 per cup, soda/$3.00 per can, water/$4.00 per bottle, fruit juice/$4.00 per bottle.

GAAA would also like to thank this year’s Manitou Music Festival Sponsors: The Homestead Resort, Cherry Republic, Anderson’s Market, Art’s Tavern, and the Glen Lake Chamber of Commerce.

Ever dream of owning your own art gallery?  Read on…

Synchronicity owners, Marion and Dick DeVinney, stepped into the gallery business one “synchronicity” at a time. As a retired couple, they never planned to spend their next step with their own business to run. However, from the day they bought the cozy little house in downtown Glen Arbor - with enough space among the trees to build a contemporary gallery - “the way was clear and the universe was helpful.”  The business took off and each of the 13 years that have passed has shown an increase in both sales and interest among artists.

The gallery was designed to make use of natural light filtered green through the surrounding trees. It features high cathedral ceilings and stacks of windows. This bright and pleasant background makes a perfect landing for the incredible displays of contemporary art. Over 100 award-winning Michigan artists provide the wide variety of media from paintings, sculptures, jewelry, pottery, and hanging mobiles.

The DiVinneys are looking to retire from their retirement jobs and hope to see the gallery continue to prosper under new owners.  Asking price: $550,000.    

 Open daily from May through October.

10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sundays.

Synchronicity Gallery
6671 Western Ave., PO Box 338
Glen Arbor, MI 49636
Phone: 231-334-4732

This Sunday, climb the dunes and listen to some tunes. Once again the Glen Arbor Art Association and the Manitou Music Festival have teamed up with the National Sleeping Bear Lakeshore to bring a free open-air concert.

To celebrate 10 years of magnificent Dune Climb concerts, Crispin Campbell, former MMF Artistic Director, Eugene Friesen, cellist with the Paul Winter Consort, plus a six-piece string and percussion ensemble will perform Campbell’s blues and original improvisations and Friesen’s South American arrangements.

The Dune Climb is located between Empire & Glen Arbor on M-109 and features a park store and information center, modern restrooms, and a large picnic area. If you get there early, you can embark on the full adventurous hike — a 3.5 mile round trip sandy voyage up the dunes and back to Lake Michigan. However, for the concert you only need to climb a few steps to have the best seat in the house.

The Dune Climb FREE concert is from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 13^th.

A park pass is required to enter the Dune Climb parking lot.  Call the Park for further information: 231-326-5134.

 If rain, relocated to Empire Town Hall.

Pack your bathing suit, some towels, and get ready to enjoy some of what Leelanau County has to offer. 

For starters, wake in one of the many elegant rooms available at The Homestead and grab a leisurely breakfast at Nonna’s Ristorante.  You’ll need the energy as you head to the “Big Lake” for sun, swimming–maybe a little lounging on a floatie–while the kids create a sandcastle.

A local favorite beach spot is south of Empire at Esch Road beach where Otter Creek meanders from woods to the lake, making a winding path of shallow water right through the beach.  It’s great for entertaining small ones as well as older “engineers” who can create dams with the abundant rocks or manipulate the creek flow by digging new paths in the sand.

If you can break away from the water, head back north on M-22 for a lazy afternoon in Glen Arbor. Enjoy a break for lunch at Art’s Tavern - burgers, salads, and a great selection of local and imported beer. 

Afterward, plan to go a few miles south to historic Glen Haven, a restored hamlet with interactive exhibits of the area’s industry.  The program “Heroes of the Storm” starts at 3:00 at the Maritime Museum and reenacts a shipwreck rescue with help from the audience.

Have another go at the beach in Glen Haven, where you can swim out a bit to see the old docks.  The beach is covered with white sand, driftwood, and colorful stones.  You can also explore the other buildings around Glen Haven, including a General Store, Blacksmith Shop, and the Cannery Boathouse.

After a long day, have a relaxing casual dinner at Beppi’s back at The Homestead.  From the beach below, watch the sunset through pink and orange clouds, or, if you still have any energy left, take a slow stroll along the beach.  Either way, know you’ve had a day of enjoying some of the best spots the area has to offer.

Art’s Tavern has been located at the corner of Lake Street and M-22 in some form or another since before prohibition.  Originally called the Blue Goose Saloon when run by Frank Sheridan, it was renamed by Frank’s son Art when he took over after his father’s accidental electrocution in 1934.  Art saw the tavern through many good times until 1950 when an electrical fire burned the tavern down. 

In the spring of 1951, the present structure rose from the ashes.  After Art died in 1970, his wife Mary took charge until 1986 when she sold Art’s to the Wiesen’s. 

Long-time Wiesen employee Tim Barr was shipped over to Glen Arbor from Empire to manage the installation of the grill and heating and cooling system and monitor the changes these updates would bring.

In July 2000, Tim bought the operation and wisely retained the name Art’s.

Tim’s love of the brew has created an extensive beer selection from the finest breweries around the world.  A variety of draft beer is available by the glass, pint or pitcher.  Try an Art’s Black and Tan–Bass Draft and Guinness Stout Draft mixed by the pint or pitcher.  Or try an Art’s Eclipse–Oberon Draft and Guinness Stout Draft, mixed by the pint or pitcher.  Wines, including local favorites, are also served along with a fully stocked bar.

Art’s Tavern proudly remains a “quaint piece of schlock” in an increasingly generic world.

Art’s is open seven days a week, 360 days a year, serving up good times and great food.  Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served daily.  Moderate prices from a $6.00 breakfast combo to $17.95 N.Y. Strip dinner.  Their famous burgers, including Art’s weekly specialty burger, range from $6.00 to $8.00.  End your meal with a chocolate sundae with locally made Moomers vanilla ice cream.

Art’s Tavern is located at 6487 Western Ave in Glen Arbor.  (231) 334-3754.

Superintendent Dusty Shultz welcomes Ryan Locke to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as a Transportation Interpreter, a position sponsored by the National Park Foundation (NPF) and through the generous support of Ford Motor Company, Proud Partner of America’s National Parks.

Locke, from Spring Lake, Michigan, will spend the summer creating and offering bicycle tours to the public and promoting the use of alternative transportation in the National Lakeshore.

Locke is one of 18 students working in 15 national parks across the country providing visitors with information about the many alternative modes of transportation available to them.

“While we will still be offering daily ranger-led walks, historical demonstrations, and evening campground programs, thanks to NPF and Ford, park visitors and locals may choose another way to see and learn about the National Lakeshore with a knowledgeable guide,” said Shultz. “Ryan worked with us as an intern in maintenance and cultural resources last year, so he is quite familiar with the park and is very excited about pioneering these bike programs.”

Locke will pedal on two different routes, Wednesdays through Saturdays, beginning on June 25. The easy to moderate rides will cover between seven and ten miles and last approximately two hours.

Topics are:

• Backroads, Farms, and Forests: South of Empire, through an agricultural landscape, ghost town, and former logging area. Thursdays at 11:00 a.m., Fridays at 5:00 p.m., Saturdays at 11:00 a.m.
• Discovering Cultural Landscapes: North of Glen Arbor, through the Port Oneida Rural Historic District. Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m., Fridays at 11:00 a.m., Saturdays at 5:00 p.m.

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).

When planning to attend a program, be prepared for all kinds of weather, dress appropriately, and wear a bike helmet.

For more information about the schedule, meeting locations, or other Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore activities, call the Visitor Center at 231-326-5134, ext. 328 or go to www.nps.gov/slbe.

A chilly June means looking for great beach alternatives. Look no further than the Blacksmith Shop and other exhibits in the historic hamlet of Glen Haven just south of Glen Arbor off M-109.

The red building, built in the 1860s, is the original Blacksmith Shop. There’s not much use for a blacksmith these days, but before 1920, if something made of metal broke, the only way to get it fixed was to take it to the blacksmith. These fellows made horseshoes, fixed chains, anchors, and just about anything made of metal. Today, you can still hear the ping of the blacksmith’s hammer on a summer day, no matter the temperature outside.

The Blacksmith Shop is operational most days in the summer, staffed by volunteers. You can watch the blacksmith take a piece of iron, heat it in the forge and pound out useful shapes and parts. The exhibit is very interactive, so feel free to ask questions. You can see some of the parts they have made in the shop and ask the blacksmith questions about his trade or the history of the local area. While you are watching, you will learn about D. H. Day and his role in developing the Glen Haven area.

Hours: June to early October, daily depending on available staff, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The second-annual Girls’ Night Out will be on Thursday, June 19th from 5:30-8:00 p.m. in the Town Hall on M-22 in Glen Arbor. Women are invited to enjoy the provided music, chocolate, wine, and food, as well as shop for shoes, scarves, beauty products, lavender soap, jewelry, and clothing.  Local services such as insurance, dental, spa, and photography will also be available.

Get a massage, talk to an investment or insurance counselor, find out about local women’s groups-all under one roof. 

Free admission.

Contact the Glen Lake Chamber of Commerce: (231) 334-3238