Here is list of events we know you will enjoy.
2011 Festivals in Northern Michigan
•January 16 Traverse City Downtown Chili Cook-off
Park Place Dome
•January 15-17 Sno-Blast Winter Festival
East Jordan near Charlevoix
•January 15th - 17th Kalkaska Winterfest
Kalkaska County Fairgrounds
•February 6th - 7th Taste The Passion
Wineries of Leelanau Peninsula
•February 2nd weekend Empire Winterfest
231-326-5249
•February 7-14 Winter Blues Fest
Petoskey 231-347-4150
•February 18th - 21st Cherry Capitol Winter Wonder Fest
•February 19 Glen Arbor Winterfest 231-334-3238
•February 9 Pentwater Winterfest
•May 14-15 Old Mission Peninsula Blossom Days
•May 15 Pentwater Wine And Art 231-869-8301
•May 28 Petoskey Stone Festival
•June Premium Pour-Leelanau Peninsula
June 11 Leland Wine and Food Festival 231-256-0079
More Leland festivals
•June Pellston Summerfest
•June 18 Charlevoix - A Taste of Charlevoix
•July 2-9 Traverse City Cherry Festival
•July Empire Anchor Day 231-326-5287
•July 16-23 Charlevoix Venetian Festival 800-870-9786
•call Suttons Bay Jazzfest 231-271-5077
•August Northport-Leelanau Peninsula Wine And Food Festival
231-271-9895
•August 19-20 Petoskey Festival On The Bay
•August Pentwater Homecoming Celebration 231-869-8301
•August 20 Traverse City Wine and Art Festival
•September Silver lake Apple and BQ Festival 800-870-9786 Think Dunes
•September 17 Leland Heritage Celebration
•September 10-11 Harvest Stompede-Annual Vineyard Run & Walk
•September Charlevoix Oktoberfest 800-951-2101
•October 14 Charlevoix Apple Festival
•October 22 Leland Fall Frenzy
•November 5-6 12-13 Toast The Season-Gifts Wine And Food
•November 26 The Great Macaroni & Cheese Bake-offOld Mission Peninsula Wineries
Friday, August 5, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Peak oil is 'getting closer' but the world is not ready
Tom Levitt
28th June, 2011
The end of cheap oil has got governments panicking to control prices rather than planning for a post-oil era. Tom Levitt reports
Was it a sign of desperation or show of strength?
In a surprising move, the major oil consuming countries, principally Europe and the US, agreed last week to release some of their emergency reserves of oil in an attempt to try and cut the high market price of oil.
It was only the third time in history such collective action had been taken, the previous being during the Gulf War in 1991 and in 2005, after Hurricane Katrina damaged offshore oil rigs, pipelines and refineries in the Gulf of Mexico.
Officially, it was to offset the loss of oil from Libya as a result of the ongoing conflict in the country. But there are suggestions the US and others had lost faith in the World's biggest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, being able to increase oil production enough to keep prices from rising.
This comes after a leaked memo from a senior Saudi oil executive in February alleged the country's oil reserves were being overstated.
New era of oil
Regardless of the motives, the decision is being seen as the start of a new era of government intervention in the oil market.
'We have learnt a big lesson. This is a dry run for how governments will respond in a few years time when we get a permanent oil price rise,' says John Miles, chairman of the UK Industry Taskforce on Peak Oil and Energy Security.
Some observers go further in saying the move is evidence that we may already be entering a 'peak oil' period.
They say rising market prices reflect a falling confidence in the ability of key oil producing countries to increase production to meet the rising demand for oil from emerging nations like China (already the world's second largest oil consumer after the US) and India.
David Strahan, author of The Last Oil Shock, says while not definitive proof of peak oil, 'it shows doubts amongst countries about oil supplies and suggests we may be very close to peak oil'.
Tar sands no answer
This new period, the 'approach to peak oil' as Dr Richard Miller from the Oil Depletion Analysis Centre (ODAC) refers to it, has eroded spare capacity and reduced the amount of new oil coming on stream to replace declines from existing fields around the world.
Without cheap alternatives, the oil industry is being forced to look at more unconventional sources of oil, such as tar sands.
The ODAC say these are not sufficient to be able to fill the future gap between supply and demand. What's more they come at a high cost. Both in economic terms and in the, as yet unaccounted for, environmental costs.
It's production process is three times more carbon-intensive than conventional oil sources - with extraction requiring the creation of vast open mines to get to the mixture of oil, clay and sand. In Canada, which holds the largest known deposits, extraction has also been linked to rising incidence of cancer and the pollution of major rivers with arsenic, lead and mercury.
None of this has stopped BP, Shell, Total and others from looking to invest.
Our economy is locked into oil
While the approach of the oil industry is not surprising, the recent government intervention is more unexpected.
It shows the real worry governments have about high oil prices 'putting the brakes' on economic growth. It also shows how dependant and reliant industrialised countries like the UK, have become on oil.
David Korowicz, from the environmental analysts Feasta, explains: 'Firstly, rising prices squeeze out less essential consumption leading to business closures and unemployment. Secondly, higher oil prices mean more money flows out of oil consuming countries into oil producers. Less money flowing around the economy means less money for businesses, and less money for people to service their debts. Growing defaults further destabilise banks and government debt loads. The Eurozone, the US, and the UK are all suffering under massive debts, rising oil (and food) prices could effectively push them over the edge.'
The UK and world economies are effectively 'locked into' an unsustainable position. But rather than tackle the enormity of the crisis peak oil presents, the UK and others have decided to use any means possible to 'wriggle out of a high oil price'.
John Miles, from the Industry Tasforce, says the government's reaction shows it continues to be 'behind the curve' on peak oil. 'They should be getting ready for how to deal with it, but my fear is they will wait and try to respond to it in a few years time.'
Willy De Backer, head of the influential 'Greening Europe Forum', believes it will take a major shock before countries look to a post-oil future. He fears we are already entering a period of unpredictable developments or 'black swan events', which could stifle economic recovery and lead to civil unrest.
He says the problem is compounded by the lack of transparency amongst oil producing countries and the difficulty in knowing how much oil is really out there. This has left politicans scared about speaking out on the issue for fear of being too alarmist and frightening people, says De Backer.
Oil era will end in riots
In summary, the future of oil, say peak oil observers, is caught between society's long term need for a divorce, its current addiction, and the short term priorities of politicians and investors.
As a report by Deutsche Bank, 'The Peak Oil Market: Price Dynamics at the End of the Oil Age', pointed out, with so many parts of our economy, especially food prices, closely linked to oil prices, our eventual divorce from oil is likely to be messy.
The findings are similar to a recently revealed report that UK ministers commissioned but then refused to publish, which warned of civil unrest from 'peak oil' energy shortages.
Despite all the warnings about supply and volatile prices, the Deutsche Bank report still did not expect governments to prepare for the post-oil era.
'I think some governments are already spooked by high oil prices,' says Mike Childs, head of climate change at Friends of the Earth. 'Trying to keep oil prices down is a failure to recognise that oil prices are only going one way and that is up. Increasing demand and dwindling supplies paint an ugly picture.'
The UK department for energy and climate change insist last week's intervention was a 'short-term measure' which, 'does not alter out position or commitment to move to a low carbon economy'.
Others disagree. Shaun Chamberlin, author of 'The Transition Timeline' and a DECC advisor, says the department is caught between two conflicting aims: keeping energy available and at a low cost while trying to reduce emissions, primarily through a high carbon price.
'The two aims are pulling against each other,' he says. The question for him is whether the UK will take on ideas like the transition town movement and adapt to a post-oil era or wait for the crisis?
28th June, 2011
The end of cheap oil has got governments panicking to control prices rather than planning for a post-oil era. Tom Levitt reports
Was it a sign of desperation or show of strength?
In a surprising move, the major oil consuming countries, principally Europe and the US, agreed last week to release some of their emergency reserves of oil in an attempt to try and cut the high market price of oil.
It was only the third time in history such collective action had been taken, the previous being during the Gulf War in 1991 and in 2005, after Hurricane Katrina damaged offshore oil rigs, pipelines and refineries in the Gulf of Mexico.
Officially, it was to offset the loss of oil from Libya as a result of the ongoing conflict in the country. But there are suggestions the US and others had lost faith in the World's biggest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, being able to increase oil production enough to keep prices from rising.
This comes after a leaked memo from a senior Saudi oil executive in February alleged the country's oil reserves were being overstated.
New era of oil
Regardless of the motives, the decision is being seen as the start of a new era of government intervention in the oil market.
'We have learnt a big lesson. This is a dry run for how governments will respond in a few years time when we get a permanent oil price rise,' says John Miles, chairman of the UK Industry Taskforce on Peak Oil and Energy Security.
Some observers go further in saying the move is evidence that we may already be entering a 'peak oil' period.
They say rising market prices reflect a falling confidence in the ability of key oil producing countries to increase production to meet the rising demand for oil from emerging nations like China (already the world's second largest oil consumer after the US) and India.
David Strahan, author of The Last Oil Shock, says while not definitive proof of peak oil, 'it shows doubts amongst countries about oil supplies and suggests we may be very close to peak oil'.
Tar sands no answer
This new period, the 'approach to peak oil' as Dr Richard Miller from the Oil Depletion Analysis Centre (ODAC) refers to it, has eroded spare capacity and reduced the amount of new oil coming on stream to replace declines from existing fields around the world.
Without cheap alternatives, the oil industry is being forced to look at more unconventional sources of oil, such as tar sands.
The ODAC say these are not sufficient to be able to fill the future gap between supply and demand. What's more they come at a high cost. Both in economic terms and in the, as yet unaccounted for, environmental costs.
It's production process is three times more carbon-intensive than conventional oil sources - with extraction requiring the creation of vast open mines to get to the mixture of oil, clay and sand. In Canada, which holds the largest known deposits, extraction has also been linked to rising incidence of cancer and the pollution of major rivers with arsenic, lead and mercury.
None of this has stopped BP, Shell, Total and others from looking to invest.
Our economy is locked into oil
While the approach of the oil industry is not surprising, the recent government intervention is more unexpected.
It shows the real worry governments have about high oil prices 'putting the brakes' on economic growth. It also shows how dependant and reliant industrialised countries like the UK, have become on oil.
David Korowicz, from the environmental analysts Feasta, explains: 'Firstly, rising prices squeeze out less essential consumption leading to business closures and unemployment. Secondly, higher oil prices mean more money flows out of oil consuming countries into oil producers. Less money flowing around the economy means less money for businesses, and less money for people to service their debts. Growing defaults further destabilise banks and government debt loads. The Eurozone, the US, and the UK are all suffering under massive debts, rising oil (and food) prices could effectively push them over the edge.'
The UK and world economies are effectively 'locked into' an unsustainable position. But rather than tackle the enormity of the crisis peak oil presents, the UK and others have decided to use any means possible to 'wriggle out of a high oil price'.
John Miles, from the Industry Tasforce, says the government's reaction shows it continues to be 'behind the curve' on peak oil. 'They should be getting ready for how to deal with it, but my fear is they will wait and try to respond to it in a few years time.'
Willy De Backer, head of the influential 'Greening Europe Forum', believes it will take a major shock before countries look to a post-oil future. He fears we are already entering a period of unpredictable developments or 'black swan events', which could stifle economic recovery and lead to civil unrest.
He says the problem is compounded by the lack of transparency amongst oil producing countries and the difficulty in knowing how much oil is really out there. This has left politicans scared about speaking out on the issue for fear of being too alarmist and frightening people, says De Backer.
Oil era will end in riots
In summary, the future of oil, say peak oil observers, is caught between society's long term need for a divorce, its current addiction, and the short term priorities of politicians and investors.
As a report by Deutsche Bank, 'The Peak Oil Market: Price Dynamics at the End of the Oil Age', pointed out, with so many parts of our economy, especially food prices, closely linked to oil prices, our eventual divorce from oil is likely to be messy.
The findings are similar to a recently revealed report that UK ministers commissioned but then refused to publish, which warned of civil unrest from 'peak oil' energy shortages.
Despite all the warnings about supply and volatile prices, the Deutsche Bank report still did not expect governments to prepare for the post-oil era.
'I think some governments are already spooked by high oil prices,' says Mike Childs, head of climate change at Friends of the Earth. 'Trying to keep oil prices down is a failure to recognise that oil prices are only going one way and that is up. Increasing demand and dwindling supplies paint an ugly picture.'
The UK department for energy and climate change insist last week's intervention was a 'short-term measure' which, 'does not alter out position or commitment to move to a low carbon economy'.
Others disagree. Shaun Chamberlin, author of 'The Transition Timeline' and a DECC advisor, says the department is caught between two conflicting aims: keeping energy available and at a low cost while trying to reduce emissions, primarily through a high carbon price.
'The two aims are pulling against each other,' he says. The question for him is whether the UK will take on ideas like the transition town movement and adapt to a post-oil era or wait for the crisis?
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Fishing North and South Lake Leelanau
By Whit
South Lake Leelanau
Channel catfish well over 10 lbs are caught every summer. Bluegills and rock bass that are boated in this lake are found on Michigan’s Master Angler Awards list on a regular basis. Over 11 million walleyes have been stocked during the past five years. Have I grabbed your attention for a bit? All of this and more can be found in South Lake Leelanau.
I haven’t mentioned brown trout and some excellent perch fishing. The brownies cruise the deep hole in the lake which is found SW of the east shore public launch site. With depths down to over 60 feet, this hole is rather confined on this 5,300 acre lake and is easily fished by drifting slowly with a SW breeze in the evening. A tactic relatively little used elsewhere is to hang a minnow off a three way swivel while drifting across deep water, bottom bouncing as you go.
Smallmouth bass are plentiful and hang on the 20 foot drop all along the east shore of this long, narrow lake. Typical live bait presentations produce some of the finest bass fishing in Northern Michigan. Gold bladed spinners are also effective. Having a hard bottom of sand and gravel near shore makes evening and early morning wading available. Although most anglers ply their boats, a select few don waders and slip quietly along casting bait and lures of choice.
Huge, slab sided bluegills fill the bill for ardent panfishing buffs in the shoal waters of the south end, and in the northern 1/3 of the lake, which narrows considerably as it flows towards North Lake Leelanau’s much deeper waters. Weed growth is sparse, but what is available seems to be a magnet to large gills of over 8 inches. A chartreuse icefishing teardrop from which is dangled a worm, or better yet, some form of terrestrial grub, and fished on a slip bobber is a surefire tactic on these fish. Some anglers have been known to secretly use perch minnows in the early morning and late evening for ‘gills.
Few fishermen target rock bass. These hard striking, dogged fighters do themselves proud with their strong brutish runs on light tackle. On the table they fair as well as any bass, especially the filleting sized hard bodies found in this lake.
In the opening paragraph of this piece, you may have thought you read something about 11 million walleyes having been planted. Well, you did. In the past five years a massive stocking effort is beginning to bring spectacular results. Crank baits and spinner baits are used to bring in numbers of walleyes and some are beginning to push the magic 10 lb. mark. Aligned with the prevailing summer winds makes this lake a perfect fit for drift fishing. Begin the float at the south end where Cedar Creek and Weisler Creek empty into the lake. Leeches dragged and twitched behind a walking sinker rig are deadly, with crawlers on a single hook harness coming in a close second. Little known, except by a few, is a fine after dark fishery in the shoals at the south end of the lake. Again typical walleye tactics work well, but also include still fishing using a three way swivel and the above mentioned baits as well as emerald shiners.
Ice fishing tactics for all of the above species are deadly in South Lake Leelanau. While it’s perch fishing is only mediocre as a rule, now and then the perch population decides to cooperate and limit catches of tasty 7-9 inch fish are taken.
North Lake Leelanau
Back in the late 1950's there was one Michigan inland lake that offered trophy brown trout fishing, with specimens upwards of 20 lbs. there for the taking. While it’s southern neighbor held browns, it was to North Lake Leelanau that fishermen flocked in search of these brutes.
Covering almost 3,000 acres with depths of over 120 feet, this member of the Deep Six sits near the top of what might be called Michigan’s "pinkie", in Leelanau County. The bottom consists of sand, gravel and assorted rubble in the shoal areas while deep water sits over sand, clay, and marl. A thermocline forms every summer at about 35 feet and can be a key to locating fish from trout to perch.
Fish plantings over the past several years have counted 112,000 brown trout, 94,000 rainbows and over 27,000 whitefish. Walleyes were put into the lake by the 1000's during the early 1990's as well. South Lake Leelanau, which is connected by a natural channel has been stocked with 11.5 million walleyes in the past five years. Yes, that is Million. These fish move back and forth between the two lakes on a yearly basis.
Two basins form this lake, the southern section being shallower, with a gently sloping bottom of sand and gravel. This is a prime area for walleyes and smallmouths. Drift fishing, using both crank baits and live bait, is a popular method. Night trolling along the 5 foot contour lines brings in fish that cruise out of the deeper water up to the shoal areas, in search of forage fish. In this same section find gravel and you will find smallmouth bass. Most fish are under 15 inches, but 4 lb. bruisers cruise these waters.
The north basin harbors trout, as well as smaller numbers of walleyes. Summer trolling along the ledges where the thermocline and bottom meet, (again key on that 35 foot depth) using a variety of lures, with silver/black Rapalas being a favorite, boats mainly rainbows. The browns tend to be deeper. Lake trout, from earlier plantings, still can be found in even deeper holes.
Four points, Brady Point and Cemetery Point on the west shore of this deep section, and Warden’s Point and Porter Point on the east shore, offer a steep pitch from shore into deep water. Smallmouths take up residence in the 25-35 foot depths and rise up to the shallows off the points in the evening to gorge themselves during post sunset hours on an abundance of minnows. The action begins about an hour before sunset with smaller bass and lasts for an hour or more after full dark. The pre and post dawn hours, until the sun hits the water, are also excellent. Besides the usual hardware and live bait, leeches are bringing in more, and many times, larger fish.
South Lake Leelanau
Channel catfish well over 10 lbs are caught every summer. Bluegills and rock bass that are boated in this lake are found on Michigan’s Master Angler Awards list on a regular basis. Over 11 million walleyes have been stocked during the past five years. Have I grabbed your attention for a bit? All of this and more can be found in South Lake Leelanau.
I haven’t mentioned brown trout and some excellent perch fishing. The brownies cruise the deep hole in the lake which is found SW of the east shore public launch site. With depths down to over 60 feet, this hole is rather confined on this 5,300 acre lake and is easily fished by drifting slowly with a SW breeze in the evening. A tactic relatively little used elsewhere is to hang a minnow off a three way swivel while drifting across deep water, bottom bouncing as you go.
Smallmouth bass are plentiful and hang on the 20 foot drop all along the east shore of this long, narrow lake. Typical live bait presentations produce some of the finest bass fishing in Northern Michigan. Gold bladed spinners are also effective. Having a hard bottom of sand and gravel near shore makes evening and early morning wading available. Although most anglers ply their boats, a select few don waders and slip quietly along casting bait and lures of choice.
Huge, slab sided bluegills fill the bill for ardent panfishing buffs in the shoal waters of the south end, and in the northern 1/3 of the lake, which narrows considerably as it flows towards North Lake Leelanau’s much deeper waters. Weed growth is sparse, but what is available seems to be a magnet to large gills of over 8 inches. A chartreuse icefishing teardrop from which is dangled a worm, or better yet, some form of terrestrial grub, and fished on a slip bobber is a surefire tactic on these fish. Some anglers have been known to secretly use perch minnows in the early morning and late evening for ‘gills.
Few fishermen target rock bass. These hard striking, dogged fighters do themselves proud with their strong brutish runs on light tackle. On the table they fair as well as any bass, especially the filleting sized hard bodies found in this lake.
In the opening paragraph of this piece, you may have thought you read something about 11 million walleyes having been planted. Well, you did. In the past five years a massive stocking effort is beginning to bring spectacular results. Crank baits and spinner baits are used to bring in numbers of walleyes and some are beginning to push the magic 10 lb. mark. Aligned with the prevailing summer winds makes this lake a perfect fit for drift fishing. Begin the float at the south end where Cedar Creek and Weisler Creek empty into the lake. Leeches dragged and twitched behind a walking sinker rig are deadly, with crawlers on a single hook harness coming in a close second. Little known, except by a few, is a fine after dark fishery in the shoals at the south end of the lake. Again typical walleye tactics work well, but also include still fishing using a three way swivel and the above mentioned baits as well as emerald shiners.
Ice fishing tactics for all of the above species are deadly in South Lake Leelanau. While it’s perch fishing is only mediocre as a rule, now and then the perch population decides to cooperate and limit catches of tasty 7-9 inch fish are taken.
North Lake Leelanau
Back in the late 1950's there was one Michigan inland lake that offered trophy brown trout fishing, with specimens upwards of 20 lbs. there for the taking. While it’s southern neighbor held browns, it was to North Lake Leelanau that fishermen flocked in search of these brutes.
Covering almost 3,000 acres with depths of over 120 feet, this member of the Deep Six sits near the top of what might be called Michigan’s "pinkie", in Leelanau County. The bottom consists of sand, gravel and assorted rubble in the shoal areas while deep water sits over sand, clay, and marl. A thermocline forms every summer at about 35 feet and can be a key to locating fish from trout to perch.
Fish plantings over the past several years have counted 112,000 brown trout, 94,000 rainbows and over 27,000 whitefish. Walleyes were put into the lake by the 1000's during the early 1990's as well. South Lake Leelanau, which is connected by a natural channel has been stocked with 11.5 million walleyes in the past five years. Yes, that is Million. These fish move back and forth between the two lakes on a yearly basis.
Two basins form this lake, the southern section being shallower, with a gently sloping bottom of sand and gravel. This is a prime area for walleyes and smallmouths. Drift fishing, using both crank baits and live bait, is a popular method. Night trolling along the 5 foot contour lines brings in fish that cruise out of the deeper water up to the shoal areas, in search of forage fish. In this same section find gravel and you will find smallmouth bass. Most fish are under 15 inches, but 4 lb. bruisers cruise these waters.
The north basin harbors trout, as well as smaller numbers of walleyes. Summer trolling along the ledges where the thermocline and bottom meet, (again key on that 35 foot depth) using a variety of lures, with silver/black Rapalas being a favorite, boats mainly rainbows. The browns tend to be deeper. Lake trout, from earlier plantings, still can be found in even deeper holes.
Four points, Brady Point and Cemetery Point on the west shore of this deep section, and Warden’s Point and Porter Point on the east shore, offer a steep pitch from shore into deep water. Smallmouths take up residence in the 25-35 foot depths and rise up to the shallows off the points in the evening to gorge themselves during post sunset hours on an abundance of minnows. The action begins about an hour before sunset with smaller bass and lasts for an hour or more after full dark. The pre and post dawn hours, until the sun hits the water, are also excellent. Besides the usual hardware and live bait, leeches are bringing in more, and many times, larger fish.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
The Homestead named top wedding destination nationwide
From staff reports
The national wedding magazine, The Knot, has named The Homestead resort north of Glen Arbor as the 2011 Best of Weddings pick among wedding venues nationwide.
The Homestead, as well as other northwest-lower Michigan wedding destinations including the Inn at Bay Harbor in Petoskey, Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville and Mission Point Resort and the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island were featured in a story today in the Grand Rapids Press. Here are excerpts from the story:
Northern Michigan is fast becoming a top site for destination weddings that bring wedding parties and guests together for weekend or weeklong festivities in one beautiful locale.
And the happy couples are adding their own unique elements to these special occasions. In one, the bride and groom took turns sawing a huge log by hand, symbolizing their first bit of teamwork as a married couple. At another wedding, an artist painted the beachside ceremony while it was taking place, a gift from the groom to his new wife. One couple lit a bonfire on the shore and hosted a s’mores party.
The Homestead offers several sites for picturesque wedding ceremonies and receptions for up to about 200 guests. The Leelanau County resort has seen huge growth in weddings along its private Lake Michigan beachfront since adding the mountaintop Bay Mountain — with views of Pyramid Point, Sleeping Bear Bay and the Manitou Islands — to its list of venues, as well as building Mountain Flowers Lodge and Camp Firefly, two event facilities. More than 60 weddings already are booked for May through October, said Barb Ellis, one of two wedding planners at the Homestead. Couples and guests come from all over the country, she said. More than 120 weddings are slated this summer at Mission Point, which can accommodate receptions for as few as two people to as many as 1,000 guests, said ZoAnn Andress, wedding sales manager.
“Our outdoor views of Lake Michigan are incredible,” said Homestead owner Robert Kuras, “but when someone’s big day arrives and the forecast isn’t cooperating, I’ve seen (our wedding planners and staff) move everything inside totally seamlessly and then move it back outside again when the sun starts to shine.”
The Glen Arbor Sun also published this story on July 17, 2008, about the three different settings The Homestead offers for destination weddings: Bay Mountain/Mountain Flowers Lodge, Camp Firefly and Café Manitou
The national wedding magazine, The Knot, has named The Homestead resort north of Glen Arbor as the 2011 Best of Weddings pick among wedding venues nationwide.
The Homestead, as well as other northwest-lower Michigan wedding destinations including the Inn at Bay Harbor in Petoskey, Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville and Mission Point Resort and the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island were featured in a story today in the Grand Rapids Press. Here are excerpts from the story:
Northern Michigan is fast becoming a top site for destination weddings that bring wedding parties and guests together for weekend or weeklong festivities in one beautiful locale.
And the happy couples are adding their own unique elements to these special occasions. In one, the bride and groom took turns sawing a huge log by hand, symbolizing their first bit of teamwork as a married couple. At another wedding, an artist painted the beachside ceremony while it was taking place, a gift from the groom to his new wife. One couple lit a bonfire on the shore and hosted a s’mores party.
The Homestead offers several sites for picturesque wedding ceremonies and receptions for up to about 200 guests. The Leelanau County resort has seen huge growth in weddings along its private Lake Michigan beachfront since adding the mountaintop Bay Mountain — with views of Pyramid Point, Sleeping Bear Bay and the Manitou Islands — to its list of venues, as well as building Mountain Flowers Lodge and Camp Firefly, two event facilities. More than 60 weddings already are booked for May through October, said Barb Ellis, one of two wedding planners at the Homestead. Couples and guests come from all over the country, she said. More than 120 weddings are slated this summer at Mission Point, which can accommodate receptions for as few as two people to as many as 1,000 guests, said ZoAnn Andress, wedding sales manager.
“Our outdoor views of Lake Michigan are incredible,” said Homestead owner Robert Kuras, “but when someone’s big day arrives and the forecast isn’t cooperating, I’ve seen (our wedding planners and staff) move everything inside totally seamlessly and then move it back outside again when the sun starts to shine.”
The Glen Arbor Sun also published this story on July 17, 2008, about the three different settings The Homestead offers for destination weddings: Bay Mountain/Mountain Flowers Lodge, Camp Firefly and Café Manitou
Monday, August 1, 2011
Beach Bards
Glen Arbor - Leelanau School
Beach Bards Bonfire – By heart poetry, storytelling, & music on the Leelanau School Beach from June 24 – Aug. 12, (sorry, no fire July 29). Starts with Children’s Hour @ 7:30. One dollar per being. 334-5890.
Beach Bards Bonfire – By heart poetry, storytelling, & music on the Leelanau School Beach from June 24 – Aug. 12, (sorry, no fire July 29). Starts with Children’s Hour @ 7:30. One dollar per being. 334-5890.
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