This Week in Leelanau: September 2, 2010

The Glen Arbor Sun has a great feature on Gladys Muñoz, a hero to local farmworkers. It begins:
At 3 in the morning through an August downpour, Gladys Muñoz is on her way to the Munson maternity ward. She is not about to deliver a baby but her presence there is desperately needed. A frightened young farmworker woman who speaks no English is in labor. Gladys will remain with this woman through labor and delivery, interpreting for her all that the doctor or midwife and nurses are saying and encouraging her to ask questions and make decisions…

OUR FEATURED SPONSOR…

The Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association’s annual Harvest Stompede Vineyard Run & Walk and Wine Tour takes place takes place Saturday September 18 & Sunday September 19. Details are below and his year Taste the Local Difference, Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa and the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association are teaming up to celebrate local food, wine and arts with the Get Local Giveaway. The Grand Prize is 2 tickets to any LPVA wine event and two nights’ lodging for 2 in hotel accommodations at Crystal Mountain Resort!!! The grand prize will be given out in the LPVA September email next Wednesday (September – visit the Get Local Giveaway page for details.

Over on Absolute Michigan, we rolled out our September Michigan Event Calendar with some great events from across the state including In September, the Michigan Renaissance Festival, Marquette & Old Town blues festivals, the Grand Haven Salmon Festival, Kalamazoo Irish Festival and the phenomenal Grand Rapids ArtPrize!

Tom took this shot of Victoria Creek Park above in Cedar last month. See it bigger and see more in his Up North Michigan slideshow. I have to say that if you’re looking for a nice canoe or kayak trip, Victoria Creek is an excellent choice! Read about the Cedar River Preserve from the Leelanau Conservancy!

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

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
Lake Leelanau Barbecue & Blues Festival ~ Sunday, September 5
The Lake Leelanau Community Association will host the Lake Leelanau Barbecue & Blues Festival this Sunday (September 5th) from 1 PM – 9 PM). It takes place in Front of LeNaro’s Pub in Downtown Lake Leelanau and will be the finals of the Mid North Michigan Blues Society’s Blues Challenge, featuring artists Pete “bigdog” Fetters, James Glass, Big Daddy Fox, Doc Woodward and others. Visit lakeleelanaumi.com for all the details!

Port Oneida Run/Walk ~ Saturday, September 4th
This Saturday (September 4th) at 9 AM there will be a Port Oneida Run/Walk along a 5K barn to barn trail run. Runners are offered a unique tour of the Port Oneida Rural Historic District, through the pastoral landscape of farmsteads from the late 1800s and along the shores of Lake Michigan. The run benefits Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear, a nonprofit partner of the Park dedicated to saving the historic structures and landscapes in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. More details from Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear and register online at signmeup.com.

Harvest Stompede Wine Trail Weekend ~ September 18 & 19
The Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association’s annual Harvest Stompede Vineyard Run & Walk and Wine Tour takes place takes place Saturday September 18 & Sunday September 19. Race registration is now closed, 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. 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! They’ll be rolling these out on the LPVA Facebook Page.

2010 Leelanau Farmer’s Markets are still going strong in Glen Arbor, Lake Leelanau, Leland, Northport and Suttons Bay. They offer you a chance to get out and connect with farmers and other folks who produce food in Leelanau County. You can also connect with Leelanau Farmer’s Markets on Facebook!

Also consider Sleeping Bear Dunes guided bike tours.

Sep 2 – Mary Beth Day:Painter Sep 3 – Lake Michigan Close-up: Paintings by Connie Cronenwett Sep 3 – SwingShift and The Stars Dance-Off for Charity Sep 3 – Leo Creek Band at Music in the Park Sep 4 – Port Oneida Run/Walk Sep 5 – Lake Leelanau Barbeque & Blues Festival Sep 9 – Portrait Painting – Neil Walling Sep 16 – Gail Martin:Poet Sep 18 – Harvest Stompede Wine Trail Tour Sep 29 – Amy Falstrom:Painter Oct 1 – SwingShift and The Stars Dance-Off for Charity Oct 4 – Fall Watercolor Painting Workshop with Edee Joppich 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!

Now Playing at the Bay Theater in Suttons Bay: ‘The American’ (R) is now showing thru 9/9. Coming soon: ‘Girl Who Played With Fire’,’The Kids Are All Right’ and ‘The Social Network’. The Bay Film Series 2010/2011: Another year of great world cinema available right here in SuttonsBay, MI! The schedule for the film series has now been posted on the website. 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

Jim took this photo of a young couple watching the the sunset at Empire Beach – this summer has been a great one for sunsets!

It’s 75 degrees under cloudy skies at 7:45 PM at Leelanau Coffee Roasting in Glen Arbor. The record high for a September 2nd was 96 in 1953 with the record low of 33 set in 1976. Rain is possible overnight. We’ll see sun tomorrow but rain is likely later in the day with some pretty fierce southwest winds (25-35 and gusting to 50!) and highs around 70. The Labor Day Weekend forecast calls for continued strong winds at 15-25+ with a chance of rain and highs in the upper 60s on Saturday. The rest of the weekend looks solid with sun and upper 60s on Sunday and sun and upper 70s on Sunday!

Click for the news & weather from last year!