This Week in Leelanau: June 2, 2011

News, weather & events forthe week – sign up for our newsletter at the top right!

Black Bear sightings on the rise at Sleeping Bear Dunes

Last weekend there was a little excitement in Traverse City as a 300-400 pound black bear was sighted roaming around and ultimately corralled by law enforcement. Click to the Record-Eagle for a great photo gallery.

We received an extra-appropriate notice from the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore that bear sightings have increased in recent years, particularly near the Platte River Campground. They have some great tips on what to do when you encouter a bear that will help keep you and the animal safe & happy! Check it out!

National Fish Habitat Conservation Award for Glen LakeThe Glen Lake Association (GLA) is one of four recipients of a 2011 National Fish Habitat Action Plan Award, given for extraordinary achievement in Fish Habitat Conservation. Get the photo wallpaper-sized and read all about it.

Kudos to Rob Karner and the GLA for going the extra mile for one of the Michigan’s most beautiful lakes!

Join 7 Leelanau wineries on June 18th for LPVA Small Plates.

On Absolute Michigan we have one of the coolest things we’ve ever seen online, the Grand Rapids Lip Dub Video. With over 1.6 million views already, it’s an internet phenomenon that involved 5,000 people and filled Grand Rapids with marching bands, parades, weddings, motorcades, bridges on fire, and helicopter take offs. We also kicked off our Festival Summer promotion and already have 10+ giveaways scheduled with more rolling in every day.

The photo above is a cool Yesterday & Today at Agate Falls. Other pics included a bit about Fresnel lenses and a shot of an Eastern Hog-nose Snake captured in the Sleeping Bear Lakeshore.

If you have a Michigan business, you can add your link for free to Michigan’s largest site for Michigan news & links, absolutemichigan.com!

Cherry blossoms are pretty much gone, but we still have the pictures! The photo this week is CherryOrchard-10327 by jakphoto. Check it out bigger and in his slideshow.

Want a chance to have YOUR photos featured here? Click the Flickr button above to join our photo group!

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The Leelanau Calendar

If you’ve got a Leelanau event, you can add your information (for free) to the Leelanau Calendar. Not only will it be listed in this newsletter every week, but we may do a feature story on your event on Leelanau.com!

FEATURED EVENT
Leland Wine & Food Festival (June 11, 2011)
The annual Leland Wine & Food Festival is a northern Michigan tradition held on the second Saturday in June (June 11, 2011) from noon til 6pm.

Come enjoy a day near the Leland Harbor and Leland’s historic Fishtown tasting wines from local wineries and tasting the specialties from local restaurants and vendors. There’s also live music in the park all day and of course plenty of beautiful views of Lake Michigan and the Manitou Islands.
Click for all the details!

Leelanau Peninsula BirdFest
The Leelanau Peninsula Chamber of Commerce presents the First Annual Leelanau Peninsula BirdFest, through Sunday, June 5. This unique festival offers a wide variety of distinctly different f
ield trips, including a Sunday morning sail aboard Inland Seas’ schooner to see nesting gulls, cormorants and Caspian terns on Gull Island. Also slated are a bus trip to the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy’s prairie installation near Arcadia Dunes to see nesting upland birds such as northern harrier, and several pontoon boat trips down the Leelanau Conservancy’s Cedar River Preserve.

Saturdays at the Lakeshore
Every Saturday afternoon through the summer you can enjoy the “Saturdays at the Lakeshore” programs at 1:00 p.m. The programs are free, last 1 to 1 1/2 hours and are no longer than 1.5 miles.
Get all the details from Leelanau.com!

Leelanau Farmer’s Markets
Leelanau Farmer’s Markets are getting underway. Head over to their website for a complete schedule!

MORE EVENTS FROM THE LEELANAU CALENDAR

Jun 9 – Michael Letts-Artist In Residence (Glen Arbor Art Association)
Jun 9 – Rachel Meginnes-Talk About Art (Glen Arbor Art Association)
Jun 9 – Stemmler Wine Maker Dinner (The Homestead)
Jun 14 – Distiller Dinner (Uncorked)
Jun 18 – Impact Music Festival Golf Scramble (Impact Music Festival)
Jun 25 – Here Comes Summer:Three Men & a Tenor (Glen Arbor Art Association)
Jun 26 – Free Polka Lessons (Cedar Area Community Foundation)
Jul 1 – Cedar Sidewalk Chalk Art (Cedar Area Community Foundation)
Jul 2 – Northport Community Band-Patriotic Music (Glen Arbor Art Association)
Jul 2 – Cedar Polka Fest Parade (Cedar Area Community Foundation)
Jul 2 – Face Painting (Cedar Area Community Foundation)
Jul 7 – 1000-Mile Walk on the Beach author signing (The Cottage Book Shop)
Jul 9 – Impact Music Festival 2011 (Impact Music Festival)
Jul 10 – Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen, Children’s book illustrator (The Cottage Book Shop)
Jul 10 – Dune Climb Concert-Manitou Music Festival (Glen Arbor Art Association)

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Did we mention you could add your events forfree? Get busy folks!

Now Playing at the Bay Theater in Suttons Bay: Pirates of the Caribbean): On Stranger Tides (PG-13). Mid-Week Specials are available!! Tuesdays – Free Popcorn (one medium corn with ticket purchase), Wednesdays – $5.50 for all seats (Specials are not valid for special events or film series). Bay Theatre Gift Certificates: ‘Say it with a Movie’ gift certificates provide a memorable and enjoyable experience all year ’round. Check the web site for details!

The Weather

John shot this in Fishtown over Memorial Weekend. More in his slideshow.

It’s 65 degrees under sunny skies at 3:30 PM at Leelanau Coffee Roasting in Glen Arbor. The record high for a June 2nd was 99 degrees in 1934 with the low of 31 set in 1964. Expect sunny skies for the rest of the day with highs in the low 60s. There’s a chance of rain overnight and on Friday with partly sunny skies and mid 70s in the forecast. The weekend outlook is for a BEAUTIFUL day Saturday – sunny skies, light west winds and highs in the upper 70s with more sun and upper 60s on Sunday.

Click for the news & weather from last year!