This Week in Leelanau: May 13, 2011

News, weather, events and TONS of photos from the week!!

Blossom Watch: It’s been cool but we’re starting to see some blossoms and should see some GREAT conditions next week and weekend. Stay tuned to the Leelanau Almanac for updates!. Stay tuned to the Leelanau Almanac for updates and also check out the webcam at the NW Michigan Hort Station!

Spring = Farms in Leelanau!

This week on Leelanau.com we had a bunch of features on agricultural topics. We took a look at cherry blossoms in Leelanau and the explosion of hop planting in the county.

Probably the coolest development was the news that the Sonny Swanson Farm once again has a farmer. The iconic M-22 roadside stand has been empty since Sonny passed away in 2008. The Leelanau Conservancy reviewed a number of applications from farmers and selected Ben Brown who will use the farm to raise hormone-free, antibiotic-free chickens and turkeys. Ben will also have a few varieties of vegetables this summer and is allowed to also bring in 50% of what he sells from other local farms too.

Click to learn more!

It doesn’t matter how you get to Leelanau Coffee Roasting in Glen Arbor!

On Absolute Michigan Bob Lovik wrote a pair of features, one on the new Electric Forest Festival that takes place over 4th of July Weekend and another on the EcoTrek Fitness program that takes you out of the gym and into beautiful settings like the Sleeping Bear Dunes!

Over on Michigan in Pictures we featured a Sandhill Crane photo from Sleeping Bear and the Antrim County Petoskey Stone Festival (May 28th).

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

The photo this week is Neighbors by lomeranger. Jason writes that this shot was a mixture of luck and a quick trigger finger as this family wandered past his house. Check it out bigger and see another shot in his Animals 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
Empire Asparagus Festival – May 20-22
The 8th Annual Empire Asparagus Festival will be held May 20-22, 2011 and features a slew of asparagus-themed events including a fun run (or walk), Asparagus Eats/Wine and Beer Tasting, Asparagus recipe contest, the Asparagus Parade, chalk art, music & dance and kids games.

You can get all the details on the tasty eats and drinks from Leelanau.com!

Leland Drama presents Thoroughly Modern Millie
This weekend and next (May 6-8 and May 12-14), the Leland Public School drama program presents the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie, a high-spirited musical romp tells the story of small-town girl, Millie Dillmount, who comes to New York City to marry for money instead of love. Millie takes delight in the intrigue and flapper lifestyle of New York and audiences of all ages will delight in the jubilant jazz music, bright dance and escapades of Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Click here for more information and showtimes.

Saturdays at the Lakeshore in May
Every Saturday afternoon 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

May 13 – Comedy: The Cemetery Club (Old Town Playhouse)
May 13 – “Spring in Bloom” Wine Tasting Weekend (The Homestead)
May 14 – Comedy: The Cemetery Club – this weekend and next (Old Town Playhouse)
May 14 – Household Hazardous Waste Collection (Leelanau County Solid Waste Council)
May 15 – Comedy: The Cemetery Club (Old Town Playhouse)
May 16 – ‘Medical Marijuana’ Legal Issues (Leelanau County Planning Commission)
May 18 – Author presentation: Thomas Lynch (Glen Lake Community Library)
May 21 – Native Plant Sale (GTCD)
May 21 – Smart Folk : Nervous but Excited w/ Lake Folk (InsideOut Gallery)
May 26 – Taimur Cleary (Glen Arbor Art Association)
May 27 – “Sweet Summer”: Paintings of baked goods (Lake Street Studios)
May 28 – Cedar Plant Sale (Cedar Area Community Foundation)
May 28 – Cars in The Park (Northport/Omena Firefighters Association)

Advertise on Leelanau.com – call us at 421-1172!

Support these and other sponsors of Leelanau.com!

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

Ethnic Nights at the Bluebird in Leland happen every week through the winter & spring on Wednesday & Thursday nights. The last 2 weeks of the season are “Greatest Hits” – get out and check it out!

Now Playing at the Bay Theater in Suttons Bay: Jane Eyre (PG-13) and starting May 20 is Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides! 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

Trish writes that you just never know what you might see driving the back roads of Leelanau County. Come on up and look for yourself!

It’s 50 degrees under cloudy skies with fog at 10:00 AM at Leelanau Coffee Roasting in Glen Arbor. The record high for a May 13th was 87 degrees in 1961 with the low of 25 set in 1965. The forecast for today calls for cloudy skies with a slight chance of early rain. Highs will be in the 50s with north winds picking up to 15+. The weekend outlook calls for mostly cloudy skies with a chance of showers and highs in the upper 50s on Saturday and sunny skies Sunday with temps in the mid 50s.

Click for the news & weather from last year!