It’s been 17 years since I lived on Lake Street in Glen Arbor and cross-country skied to work at The Homestead. Since then, my career path has meandered almost as much as the Crystal River. And, though I moved just 25 driving minutes southeast of the resort, seven years have passed since I’ve visited The Homestead’s property to listen to musician friends perform at the former Whiskers pub (now Beppi’s).

So, you could say I was unprepared for what greeted me when I recently returned to tour the resort grounds. More than 70 upgrades have enhanced the property and doubled the staff size since I skated across a Village pond on my lunch hour in the early ‘90s.

Photo by Courtney Gonzalez/Priceless Photography

Bay Mountain/Mountain Flowers Lodge … and Neptune Quartet

Arguably the most scenic of the three is atop Bay Mountain. Terraced seating for up to 200 amid lush lawn and attractive brick anchors the sweeping Lake Michigan lookout. Tall pines frame a ceremony site backlit by vast skies and overlooking blue waves and golden sand dunes. A nearby cocktail terrace offers panoramas of Glen Lake’s sparkling waters and green forests.

Perennial bachelors and the already-married can also experience these outstanding hilltop features on Sunday, July 20, when the Manitou Music Festival invites the Neptune Quartet to perform at Bay Mountain at the top of the ski hill, beginning at 7 p.m. Take the chairlift or ride in a passenger cart to the top of the mountain to enjoy magnificent scenery and original jazz compositions, plus favorites by Django Reinhardt, Frank Zappa and Hank Williams. Since 2001, the collaborative genius of cellist Crispin Campbell, mandolinist Don Julin, guitarist Angelo Meli and bassist Glen Wolff has delighted audiences. Tickets are $13 in advance and $16 at the door for Glen Arbor Art Association members and $15 and $18 for all others. To order tickets, visit www.glenarborart.org or call (231) 334-6112.

In case of rain, the concert will be held inside Mountain Flowers Lodge at the base of Bay Mountain in The Village. The banquet/meeting hall is the largest of the three reception sites with banquet seating for 180. Outdoor patios beckon guests waiting for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. A masterpiece of rustic elegance, the spacious interior glows with a rich pallet of color, massive pine beams, vaulted ceilings, candle flame-like lighting and prominent indoor and outdoor fireplaces embellished with hand-forged black iron. Window walls surround guests with forest, garden and waterfall views. A bride’s changing room is a standout among the many lodge amenities for weddings.

Camp Firefly

Located next to the resort’s Dave Pelz Scoring Game School for golfers, Camp Firefly provides an enchanting outdoor ceremony setting in spring, fall and winter. Sunny golf greens encircled by shady woods offer privacy. Garden pathways lead to the Adirondack-style Great Hall with banquet seating for 50. The interior radiates turn-of-the-century charm with wood walls and cathedral ceilings, exposed trusses, casement windows with views of lawn, trees and sky; stone fireplaces, leather furniture and antiques. An outdoor patio overlooks a delightful pond. The cozy camp offers cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and dinner service, inside and out.

Café Manitou

With its New England-style gray siding, white trim and candy-striped, lighthouse-like tower, Café Manitou at the Beach Club is The Homestead’s nautical landmark. Lovers who love surf, sand and sky can revel in the intimate, postcard-perfect wedding site between the tennis courts and the beach. Separate brick terraces accommodate the ceremony and celebratory cocktails following. A shore-side patio and deck accommodate 50 diners, and the café holds 50 for indoor receptions overlooking the lake.

Spa Amira

Wedding guests are apparently flocking to the former Hawk’s Nest pool and bathhouse, reincarnated as Spa Amira. They’re enjoying a sublime place to relax and primp that offers massage, manicures and pedicures for men, women and couples. Earth-friendly building materials, calm colors, dramatic lighting, local artwork and soothing music greet guests who step over the threshold. Outdoor features include a couple’s meditative garden with waterfall, labyrinth and two-sided fireplace; a grassy exercise area; hydro-pool and pool overlooking Lake Michigan and ringed by chaise lounge chairs for sunbathing; and elegant outdoor showers with luxurious towels.

Bachelor Parties for the New Millennium

The resort’s new “Lifetime Skills” programs offer fly-fishing lessons by Orvis (casting, fly-tying and selecting flies, learning catch-and-release techniques, using gear, learning stream entomology, etc.) and golf clinics using the Pelz method (two-day putting and wedge lessons or one-day sessions to learn the basics). “We’re finding that many are going away from the traditional drunken evening of strippers to a getaway weekend of golf or fly fishing,” said Jamie Jewell, Senior Manager of The Homestead. “With the Pelz and Orvis schools, that makes us a perfect option.”

Intrepid Guests Try Area’s Best

Though the resort offers an all-inclusive experience for guests, area attractions such as quaint villages, giant sand dunes, picturesque Glen Lakes, wonderful wineries and colorful taverns draw visitors off property to explore the county’s nooks and crannies. The Homestead’s Group Sales department refers guests to local places and vendors, not only for wedding planning, (florists, limo rentals, tux shops, musicians, photographers, candy makers, wineries, jewelers, etc.), but for family outings and corporate event planning, too.

“In addition to numerous wedding parties and large family reunions — some with nearly three hundred guests coming from all over the country — the Michigan State Bar Association … the National Trucking Equipment Association and other large, high-profile groups have already reserved space to host their annual events,” Jewell wrote in the resort’s winter newsletter.

This means that neighboring villages should expect a wave of new business this summer. An out-of-state customer in a local jewelry store recently said that she and her husband returned to the area for their summer vacation after attending a relative’s wedding at The Homestead in 2007. If her story is typical, the ripple effect has begun.

On Tuesday, July 29, the Glen Arbor Women’s Club will host the second annual “Running Bear 5K Run/Walk and Kid’s Run”. The Club hopes to improve upon a very successful inaugural race last year. As in 2007, the 5K event is open to everyone, young and old, running or walking. The 5K Run/Walk will begin at 9 a.m. and leave from the corner of Lake and State Street near Cherry Republic. Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m. in front of Cherry Republic.

Because we haven’t forgotten the younger children, we will also host a half-mile “Kid’s Run,” beginning at 9:05 a.m. from the same location. The tykes can run or walk this brief race and find a surprise along the route. Each child will receive a ribbon, ice cream from Riverfront Pizza and a miniature golf pass from The River at Crystal Bend. So bring the whole family and join the fun.

Special thanks goes out to Leelanau Vacation Rentals for supplying the Children’s Run ribbons and special coupons. Our club is also very grateful to Cherry Republic for all its support. The event will conclude back at Cherry Republic for an after-race celebration, including the announcement of the winners.

A male and female race winner will be crowned, as well as first- and second-place titles in eight age categories and a winner for “The Most Entertaining Running Attire.” Lots of great food will be available, not to mention a drawing open to everyone entered in the race. You must be present to win. The prizes include get-away weekends, dinners from local restaurants and prizes from many area merchants.

Money generated by the Running Bear Run/Walk will fund local scholarships and community improvement. Over the last 40 years the Women’s Club has financed scholarships every year plus helped students attend Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Interlochen Arts Academy and other educational events, workshops and camps. The club also raises funds to support community improvements, donating to Glen Arbor’s new Fire House, the Community Park Playground and the Town Hall.

The race costs $12 for the 5K Walk/Run for checks postmarked by July 25 and $15 thereafter. The Kid’s Race costs $5. Registration forms are available at Cherry Republic, the Glen Arbor Athletic Club, the Glen Lake Chamber of Commerce (located inside Dune Wear in the Village Sampler Plaza) and Leelanau Vacation Rentals in Glen Arbor and Running Fit and Cherry Republic in Traverse City. Forms and money can be mailed to the Glen Arbor Athletic Club. For more information, call (231) 334-7363 or e-mail runningbearrun@live.com.

Don’t miss our new Running Bear t-shirts this year. The Women’s Club held a contest at Glen Lake High School, and Ben Manners designed the winning shirt, which will be on sale at the Run for $12 for adults and $10 for children. We’d like to thank The Homestead for underwriting the cost of the shirts.

Once again, Harry Fried is shaking up the local art scene and challenging the parameters of how we define art. The Manitou Music Festival will hold its third annual Art’s Collage on the stage behind the Lake Street Studios on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 29 and 30, with both shows beginning at 8 p.m.

“The basic premise of the Arts Collage is that we’ve become too complacent in our notion of what performance is,” attests Fried. “If you look at contemporary society, we’ve limited ‘performance’ to getting drunk and listening to a band or to going out to the movies and eating popcorn, which leaves precious room for anything else.

On day two, titled “Statement, Form & Movement,” Peter Sparling, a former principal with the Martha Braham Dance Company and Chairman of the University of Michigan Dance Department, will team up with Janet Lilly, formerly of Bill T. Jone/Arnie Zane Dance Company, to offer a program of Contemporary dance and video pieces. Thereafter, local poet and occasional Glen Arbor Sun writer Holly Wren Spaulding will read from her latest work. To wrap up the 2008 Art’s Collage, Frank Pahl will perform with his unique musical ensemble, “Little Bang Theory”.

“My goal in starting up the Lake Street Studio stage (two years ago) after its hiatus of many years was ultimately to present my take on what performance should look like. A performance venue should be supported by an audience that comes and watches. Although most venues can’t afford to take the risk that we’re taking here, I see the Arts Collage as a necessity.

“Spoken word, prose and poetry, I think, has suffered the most in our dereliction of duty as artistic patrons. Some people identify reading with books, but books aren’t the only vehicle for the literary word. An author or writer should have a meaningful venue to present to an audience.”

Past Arts Collages have featured the Beach Bards poets, Jazz North, The Uborigines, Alexandance, the Turtlenecks, performance philosopher Paul Spence and authors Jerry Dennis and Keith Taylor.

Visit our website, www.glenarborsun.com, and search our archives to read Andrea Maio’s essay, “The dogs of New Orleans,” written shortly after Hurricane Katrina, as well as dozens of contributions by Holly Wren Spaulding, including essays, travelogues and political activism reports from locations ranging from Seattle to Chiapas to Ireland.

Leelanau County activist Sally Neal’s paintings are full of strikingly vibrant colors and candid messages. They emit a raw, emotional feeling that speaks of traditional Mexican art, Willem DeKooning’s Woman paintings, and the later works of Pablo Picasso. Her acrylic canvasses are not classically beautiful in the sense that the works of Rembrandt or Michelangelo are beautiful, but, like Sally herself, they have a certain strength about them that is irresistible.

Sally grew up in what she calls “an artsy family” but did not begin painting until later in life. Instead, she incorporated creativity into her life through her business, “Irreverence,” a mainstay in downtown Traverse City for many years. A few years ago a neighbor introduced her to the Tuesday Morning painting group, a gathering of local residents who meet and paint together at the Old Art Building in Leland. She began coming to the group and has since created a series of remarkable paintings without formal training.

“There are lots of very fine artists there at the Tuesday Morning painting group. I could never be a fine painter, nor do I ever want to work that hard, nor do I care,” said Sally. “I like to just play in paint and express myself however I feel with the paint.”

She never paints “landscapes, lakescapes, barns or fishtowns.” Sally would rather concern herself with subject matter that lies closer to her heart, such as politics, social injustice, and creating social awareness, because “activism is always on the surface” of her mind.

Sally has been an involved member of every community she has lived in, always willing to fight for justice. “I don’t know why I feel so strongly,” she told me, “ever since I was a little kid I was aware of injustice — racism in my neighborhood, sexism as I got older — this awareness set into feeling that there is a lot of injustice in this world.” And Sally certainly does fight to heal this injustice for the next generation that will occupy this world.

Her involvement in social activism started while she was living in downstate Flint. A member of the community there asked her to talk to local officials about sign pollution, which is “funny because now I contribute quite a bit to sign pollution,” she remembers with a chuckle. In Flint, Sally became acquainted with fellow activist Michael Moore. “I took my kid out of school and we marched on Consumer’s Power — I think it was against nukes,” she recalled. Sally has never looked back, though she does think she gets “a lot more credit than I deserve,” because she is so visible in our community.

Louise Bourgeois is an artist whose drive and strength is a huge inspiration to Sally. Bourgeois, still creating art today at 96, is known for her organic, sexually and politically charged sculptural work. She is also known for her refusal to let her gender get in the way of what she wants to create. This is remarkable because even today, the art world is a place where women are seldom considered capable of producing thoughtful or shocking art. “I love her! What a role model!” says Sally. “She’s not afraid to [speak out and] do what she wants!”

Quite a bit of Sally’s art has been concerned with the military occupation of Iraq, a situation that she believes is an outrage. “It isn’t just me,” she said, “it’s probably 80 percent of the American population that thinks and knows we are going in the wrong direction … As a mother, I could not bear it if any of my children were over there. If they came back maimed — spiritually, emotionally, or physically — it would be horrible.” She hopes that when people see her art they will be inspired to do something to help heal this terrible situation.

Warmonster: Who Would Jesus Bomb? can be seen at the InsideOut Gallery in Traverse City. Sally also has one work in the juried exhibition currently on display at Samuel’s restaurant in Sutton’s Bay. Her work will also be featured in a fundraiser for the Old Art Building in Leland on July 25 from 5-8 p.m.

Invasive sea lampreys are in the Crystal River. More than 50 were seen entering the river from Lake Michigan in late May and early June. Spawning pairs were found in the river on June 3 and June 25.

Sea lampreys are aggressive, attach to their prey with a suction-cup-like mouth, use several rows of rasp-like teeth to open a wound, and feed on the victim’s body fluids. Lamprey saliva contains an anti-coagulant that keeps the wound open for several hours.

Photo by Jeff Rabidoux

First observed in Lake Erie in 1921, lampreys quickly spread to all of the upper Great Lakes. Preying on other species of fish, including lake trout, whitefish, walleye and salmon, lampreys were responsible for the near collapse of the Great Lakes fishery. Their attacks on these native, large predators allowed the population of alewives, another invasive species, to explode. Control efforts during the ‘40s and ‘50s seemed to bring lamprey populations under control, but resurgence to pre-1950 levels has been reported for the northern portions of Lakes Michigan and Huron.

Like salmon, lampreys move into streams and rivers to spawn. Spawning begins when water temperature reaches about 50 degrees Fahrenheit and usually ends when water temperature reaches 68-70 degrees. A clean, gravelly bottom in rapid water is required for spawning and a single female may drop 60 to 70 thousand eggs. Larvae remain in the stream for several years, buried in mud or under rocks, and filter-feed until reaching a length of four to eight inches. While there, they release a pheromone that attracts adults to streams where spawning has been successful, then metamorphose into the predacious form and migrate to open water, usually in November and December. After a year or two of voracious attacks on other fish, they develop into the adult form and return to streams and rivers to spawn, after which they usually die.

Lampreys are not eels, but are classified as vertebrates even though they have no bones but a soft, cartilaginous structure. Larvae are white beneath and lead-colored to silvery above. The spawning pairs observed in the Crystal River were of two forms: an olive-green color, 24 to 28 inches long; and a darker, brownish-black color, 16 to 20 inches long. Both had seven open gills on each side, well-developed dorsal and ventral fin-folds, but no paired fins. Their mouths had 10 to 12 circular rows of hooked teeth. These three spawning pairs were observed on the gravel bar just south of County Road 675, approximately 75 yards east of the junction of M-22 and CR-675 — at the downstream end of the culverts at the last canoe-portage before the river reaches Glen Arbor.

Presence of these spawning lampreys was reported to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ludington Biological Station, the center for lamprey control in Lake Michigan. In response to some questions asked, the fishery biologists responded as follows: “Lampreys only feed on cold-blooded prey, but they have been known to attach to humans, ships, etc. The chances of wading in a stream and having a lamprey attach to your leg are probably small, but anything is possible.” They also indicated that a survey of the Crystal River will be conducted in the fall to determine if the lamprey larval population is large enough to merit treatment. Sometimes eggs do not hatch, or larval survival is so low that control measures are not warranted. The population in the Leland River, for example, was found to be great enough that it was treated this year.

On June 2, the Empire Area Museum’s newest permanent exhibit came to rest on the front lawn after two years of planning and hours of restoration work by Empire museum members and other supporters.

“Most of the work was completed in the last month,” says Dave Taghon, the museum’s president. “We finished the final coat of paint on Thursday (May 29).”

The wheels’ arresting red color and proximity to the fire station might mislead casual observers, believing they were used to fight fires around the turn of the century. In fact, the big wheels (9’ to 10’ in diameter), invented by Silas Overpack in 1875 and manufactured by his wagon and sleigh company in Manistee, were integral to the log-hauling efforts of lumbermen in the northern states and Canada.

Multiple timbers of up to 100 feet were suspended on a chain from the wheel axle. Horses, oxen and, later, tractors pulled the big wheels during spring, summer and fall when sleds couldn’t run.

“It was a dangerous operation,” Taghon says. “A few guys were killed.”

Empire’s set of logging wheels (also called a katydid) was obtained from Traverse City’s former Clinch Park Zoo. Taghon says he heard the wheels were donated to the zoo in the 1940s by the Glen Lake Country Club. If true, the museum’s latest acquisition may have been used by the Empire Lumber Company owned by Wilce, a club member. In that case, the wheels could be said to have traveled full circle.

Strength of giants

Big wheels were made of the strongest materials available at the time. Wood wheels were ringed in iron to shield them from rocks, downed trees and stumps. Spokes were reinforced on the inside with iron rings. Hardwoods such as maple and ironwood were used for axles and tow bars. The elements still took their toll.

According to Taghon, even in storage the wood of the Big Wheel has a shelf life of approximately 20 years. Clinch Park Zoo restored the “Empire” wheels in 1965. In the mid-‘80s, they needed another round of repairs. Bill Steffler, a retired engineer from Interlochen, approached the Con Foster Museum to volunteer his services. At the time, Con Foster couldn’t accept volunteers, so Steffler formed the nonprofit Friends of Con Foster Museum and went to work.

Moving Portrait of a Man and a Machine

While Steffler was rebuilding the Big Wheel from 1987-1989, local filmmaker Rich Brauer (“Mr. Art Critic,” “Barn Red,” “The Lost Treasure of Sawtooth Island”) was documenting the high points of what he called an “… amazing and creative venture.” Brauer, who has a keen interest in Great Lakes regional history, recently edited the 20-year-old footage of Steffler and the Big Wheel, producing a 55-minute film he said is “… a professionally-told story (that) illustrates the passion and skill of this unique man.”

The film first introduces the Big Wheel and explains its significance to the lumber industry and the emerging nation. Steffler then offers his heart-warming voiceover explanation of the plans, tools and hard work that were part of his careful and loving restoration.

Donations are needed to make DVD copies of the film which Taghon hopes other historical societies, museums (such as Hartwick Pines and Manistee Waterworks Building), libraries and interested individuals will purchase. Preserving footage of the restoration process is a top priority.

Significant contributions have been made by a handful of donors thus far, including the Empire Area Museum, Dr. Joe Gadbaw (friend of Bill Steffler), Rich Brauer, the Grand Traverse Heritage Center and the Taghon Family (Roy Taghon Memorial Fund).

Brauer said the group hopes to find an underwriter for the $2,000 still needed to fund the DVD portion of the project.

The Big Wheel is located at the Empire Area Museum, at the corner of M-22 and Lacore St. For more information, call (231) 326-5568.

On the evening of Sunday, July 27, owners Nick and Livia Vandenbelt and Chef Greg Murphy of the North Centennial Inn will host a special dinner featuring Vietnamese cuisine. Last fall long-time friend Tim Leahy proposed preparing a Vietnamese dinner at North this summer. Tim is currently finishing a Master’s degree in Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Michigan and has lived and traveled in Vietnam and Southeast Asia over the past several years.

The purpose of the evening is to celebrate America’s richly diverse culinary culture by showcasing authentic Vietnamese food. Each dish aims to reflect Vietnam’s dynamic regional cuisines and abundance of foreign culinary influences while maintaining the integrity of traditional Vietnamese cookery — that is light, fresh and crisp flavors. Great for the summer season in northern Michigan.

Vietnam’s long history of foreign occupation by the French and Chinese, together with centuries of exposure to outside cultural influences has had a profound impact on Vietnam’s regional cuisines.

Despite these influences, the Vietnamese have long maintained a distinct culinary heritage through carefully incorporating foreign ingredients and culinary techniques in accordance with Vietnam’s culinary and gastronomic traditions. For example, while French baguettes and pates are commonplace in Vietnam, butter and cream are virtually absent in Vietnam’s culinary repertoire. Diners will surely savor Vietnam’s vibrant culinary influence on the country’s cuisine.

Greg, Nick and Tim have carefully chosen a tasting menu that includes Vietnamese duck pate, fresh spring rolls in the Saigon style, scallops wrapped in a rice paper purse with fragrant herbs, Hanoi style “phở” beef noodle soup, green papaya salad with prawns, Hawaiian Mang Chung filets stuffed with prawns with ginger, marinated beef tenderloin skewered on lemongrass and a mango sorbet with seasonal fruit for desert. Each diner will be given the opportunity to sample Vietnamese coffee and tea that Tim recently brought back from Vietnam. Each diner will also receive a small information packet that will include the menu, background information on Vietnamese cuisine and recipes of the evening’s dishes.

The dinner will begin at 8 p.m. Please call North at (231) 228-5060 for more information or to make a reservation. North is open daily at 5:30 p.m. and will feature a $23, three-course meal on Sundays and Mondays throughout the summer months.

Pssst … how’d you like to pick up a perfectly good, slightly used 40-gallon water heater, on the cheap? Or maybe a gas furnace for your drafty old pole barn? Ever dream of having a vintage cast iron claw foot bathtub but couldn’t afford to buy one? What about old windows for craft projects, how are you fixed for those? If you were a member of Freecycle.org you could have picked up any of these items and more, for free. Yes, for free.

Now that Glen Arbor's public restrooms are on the way, this kind of gift may end up on Freecycle.org!

Photo by Amy Peterson

The Freecycle Network is a grassroots, Internet-based idea committed to keeping as much good, usable stuff out of our nations’ landfills as possible. Our members do this by giving away items, large and small, that they no longer want or need. There are few restrictions on what kinds of items can be offered. As long as they are legal, safe and free, you could find a new home for them through Freecycle.

You might be thinking, “Well, I usually drop stuff off at the thrift store when I go to Traverse City so why ‘Freecycle’?” While it’s easy to drop off a bag of clothes or a small box of household items, what about some of that other stuff that’s gathering dust in your attic, basement or pole barn? You know, the big, bulky, heavy and, quite possibly, dirty stuff? Stuff you haven’t even looked at for years.

Wouldn’t it be great if someone would come and haul that away?
Turns out, there are plenty of people who are more than willing to do just that. It comes as no surprise that our current economic plight has created much need throughout our communities. While that old refrigerator or water heater might not be worth much to you, what about the young family whose own just went out? You never know what someone else might need in a big way. So here’s a sampling of what you can give away through Freecycle: appliances, furniture, building supplies, compost materials (yes, even manure), lawn & garden equipment, plants, all types of non-hazardous chemicals (including paint; we’ve given away lots of paint), electronics, sporting goods, cars, gas and charcoal grills, soft goods (clothing, linens, craft supplies, toys, baby items), even food … the list is practically endless. And the beauty of Freecycle is that the people who want your “stuff” have to come and get it. You, with a generous heart, get rid of unwanted items, help a member of your community, preserve the beauty of our land and free up some space in your home. That’s what you call a win-win situation, and they don’t come along that often.

I initially joined the Traverse City Freecycle group and found it to be a good resource for getting rid of many things we removed from the Bed & Breakfast this spring: the claw foot tub, the water heater, a mattress and box springs, pillows, carpet and padding, and about 20 bags of lawn and yard clippings. (We got lucky and found a young woman in the process of transforming her back yard into a vegetable garden.)

I found, however, that with gas prices climbing faster than service station attendants could change their signs, many people were reluctant to make the drive out to Leelanau County, even for something free. Last month, I started a Freecycle group that serves our county with the hope that it will allow even more “good stuff” to be given away here and with less gas used in the process.

Leelanau County has a long history of supporting its local residents through thick and thin, sickness and health, fire, flood and all manner of natural disasters. And we are passionately committed to preserving our pristine countryside. Freecycle is a wonderful and easy way of achieving these goals with a stated mission of “changing the world one gift at a time.”

Jody Arendale is moderator of the Leelanau county Freecycle group and innkeeper, with husband Brian, at the Glen Arbor Bed & Breakfast. She welcomes your membership, questions or comments at www.leelanaufreecycle.org.

Explore 10 different galleries and professional artist studios during the “Empire Art Encounter,” Thursday evening July 17, from 5-9 p.m.

Wander through the quaint village of Empire and see a wide variety of fine art, including painting, various works on paper, photography, furniture-making, weaving and jewelry.

Some studios and galleries will be offering demonstrations and light refreshments, and most are within an easy stroll of one another.

Maps are available at Secret Garden, Ripple Effect Studio and Gallery, and Imagine That. Call (231) 326-2047 or (231) 326-5428 for more information.

Photo by Jeff Ripple

Join the nonprofit organization, Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear, in a volunteer project to preserve some of the historic buildings in the Port Oneida Rural Historic District. The group is hosting a preservation project on two buildings at the Ole Oleson farm. The event will take place from Friday, July 18-Sunday, July 20 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

“With over 350 historic buildings and landscapes in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, there is much work to be done. Every year we tackle a handful of volunteer projects in the Park, and fund the preservation of others,” says Susan Pocklington, Director of Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear. “We’re focusing quite a bit on the Ole Oleson farm this year which has a nice collection of outbuildings. In June we conducted a field clearing project on the farm to remove invasive species, funded with a grant we received from Cherry Republic.”

Both skilled and general laborers are needed. Hard-soled shoes are required. Bring a lunch. For more information or to register, please call (231) 334-6103, or register online at www.phsb.org. To get to the project site, take Basch Rd. off of M-22, and right on Kelderhouse Rd. (ends at the Oleson Farm.)

10:30 a.m. Bike Decorating, Glen Arbor Art Association

11 a.m. Parade line up in Glen Haven, departs at noon

12:30-ish. Parade arrives in Downtown Glen Arbor. Kazoo Korps, line up at Christian Science Church parking lot around noon.

4 p.m. Glen Lake Boat Parade: lineup at Glen Lake Yacht Club at 3:30. Best views from the Narrows Bridge.

Photo by Joanne Rettke

Sun contributor

News that Moomers of Traverse City won “America’s Best Scoops” in a national ice cream poll conducted in May by ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America” caused great celebration among the ice cream shop’s many fans, who cast thousands of votes for the local company online. Indeed, Moomers’ sweet and creamy homemade confection softly kisses parted lips and melts on lapping tongues more like a soft serve than a hard-packed frozen scoop.

Yet, ice cream lovers are a finicky bunch. Some prefer flavor over texture, aroma to color, quantity to butterfat content, melting characteristics and ingredients over price — and vice versa — or any combination of these over another. The number of words used to describe ice cream is surpassed only by the hundreds of flavors and brands they describe: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, smooth, grainy, gummy, globby, whipped, fluffy, icy, creamy, shocking, subtle, strong, firm, flabby, soft, plastic, elastic, chemical, organic, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, locally-made, expensive or affordable.

Photo by Peter Richards

A Social Dessert

The experience of eating ice cream “out” is so much more than savoring a scoop or crunching on a cone. Where an ice cream serving is enjoyed may be just as important as the dessert itself. The choice of a favorite ice cream may be influenced by a childhood memory of visiting a small stand next to a beloved lake or campground, or a tradition of returning again and again to a familiar place, or proximity of a parlor to home or work, or even how one traveled there — walking, riding bicycles, boating or driving.

Eating ice cream is a recreational pastime. Ice cream or strawberry socials have historically brought community members together each summer, just as the annual Empire United Methodist Church Strawberry-and-Ice-Cream Socials do each June.

With these points in mind, two local tasters embarked on a tough, three-and-a-half-hour tour of eight ice cream counters in southern Leelanau County, (and one outside the area that was heartily recommended and too enticing to miss). One of the tasters, an ice cream extremist whose first “real” job included serving scoops at Sanders, considers ice cream a food group. The other is a go-along-for-the-ride, good sport who prefers soft serve to hand-dipped varieties.

Please note we missed the Leelanau Coffee Roasting Company and Riverfront Deli — both in Glen Arbor and both which serve ice cream — on this particular Sunday afternoon. From east to west, here is the taste-testers completely unscientific and totally biased scoop on the lucky Leelanau eight, (and one interloper). Enjoy the tour!

Blue Moon Ice Cream Shop, 9032 SE Kasson St., Cedar. At the flashing light, corner of CR 616 & 651. Summer hours: 11-8, Monday-Thursday; 11-9, Friday and Saturday. Outdoor adult & children’s benches and picnic tables. Offers soft serve, frozen yogurt and two brands of hand-dipped ice cream: Ashby’s Sterling (some flavors are recent award winners) of Shelby Twp., Mich., and Country Dairy of New Era, Mich. Blue Moon is known for its flurries, shakes, sundaes, homemade Ace Caramels (Danish butter creams), Grasshoppers (premium vanilla soft serve with crème de menthe sauce, Oreo cookies and a cherry) and hot dogs. Flavors tasted: Country Dairy’s Butter Churn Butter Pecan and Moot Mint. The butter pecan had an incredibly rich, buttery flavor and wonderfully smooth texture. $2.50 for “medium” cone. (one and a half scoops). Moo Mint had a soft, creamy feel and fresh minty flavor. Flavors are 16 percent butterfat. Dark chocolate pieces and huge chocolate chips are delicious, easy to bite — not frozen solid. $1.75 for “kiddie” cone. (one scoop) Country Dairy’s ice cream is produced without the use of bovine growth hormones. The company currently owns 3,500 cows on 3,500 acres in New Era.
Cedar’s corner ice cream stand, with its blue metal roof, is an “institution,” particularly among ballplayers that walk from the field after a game.

Laker Shakes, 8995 S. Dunn’s Farm Rd., (Co Rd 675), Burdickville. At northeast corner of 616 (Burdickville Rd.) Hours: 12-8 daily; Closed Mondays. Outdoor bench. Serves Hudsonville ice cream. Most requested flavors among teens and tweens: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Mint Chocolate Chip. Overall most requested: Chocolate Peanut Butter. Flavor tasted: Mint Chocolate Chip. Nice flavor & creamy feel, with a slightly elastic texture. Broken chunks of delicious, semi-sweet chocolate earn four stars. Single scoop (beware: it’s large!): $1. Shakes: $1.50. Hudsonville is named for the town in Michigan and has been producing ice cream since 1895.
Laker Shakes is a long-time favorite among Glen Lake residents and vacationers for its location next to Old Settlers Park & Picnic Grounds on Glen Lake. The little store also offers conveniences and DVD rentals.

Cherry Republic Café & Bakery, 6026 S. Lake Street, Glen Arbor. South of M-22. Summer hours: 9-7, Sun.-Thu.; 9-9, Fri. & Sat. Indoor/outdoor tables. Sixteen flavors of homemade ice cream, all but two including cherries or cherry flavor, according to relishmag.com. Flavor tasted: Chocolate-in-the-dark. Chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate-covered cherries, cake and brownie pieces. We’re sad to report this flavor was icy and lacked robust chocolate flavor, an exception among Cherry Republic flavors that have delighted us in the past. Rotate those cartons, servers! Single scoop: $3.16, including tax. (A five-oz. serving size…it’s huge!) They offer kiddie-sized scoops, but you have to ask for them. Lines at Cherry Republic’s ice cream counter form quickly but plenty of seats await, either in the comfortable wood décor of the dining room or next to the outdoor gardens. Five ice cream toppings are available in the retail shop.

Sleeping Bear Sweets, on the deck at Boone Dock’s, 5858 S. Manitou Blvd, Glen Arbor. southwest corner of M-109 & M-22. Summer hours: 11-9, Mon.-Sat. at height of season; 12-3, Sun. Outdoor seating with tables. Serves House of Flavors ice cream and frozen yogurt. Flavors tasted: Muddy Sneakers ice cream and Blueberry Vanilla frozen yogurt. Muddy Sneakers is a white chocolate ice cream with peanut candies, chocolate flakes and caramel ribbons. The white chocolate flavor is subtle but, being patient, we savored smaller bites, allowing them to melt in our mouths to release the chocolate flavor. In a blind tasting, we might have mistaken the white chocolate for vanilla with a caramel swirl. It is smooth — but is not as creamy as the Blueberry Vanilla yogurt. The real berry flavor in this one could rouse the sleeping bear in any blueberry lover. Single scoop: $1.75. House of Flavors ice cream is family owned and manufactured in Ludington, Mich.

Pine Cone, 6588 Western Ave., Glen Arbor. Just west of M-22 on north side of M-109. Summer hours: Noon-10, every day. Outdoor bench seating with tables on covered deck, smaller tables and chairs in sunshine. Two service windows: ordering and pick up. This stand packs them in, but dual windows whittle the wait. Serves 24 flavors of Ashby’s Sterling ice cream (some are award winners) of Shelby Twp., plus premium McDonald’s soft serve. Makes flurries, sundaes, parfaits, etc., and hot dogs. Flavors tested: Key Lime Pie and Mocha Almond Fudge. The Key Lime Pie disappointed at first, with a subtler flavor, an unexciting cream color and weird crunchiness. A few savory licks later, we tasted its full bouquet. The sweet and tart lime flavors are perfectly balanced. The graham cracker pieces lend a coconut texture to the otherwise velvety mix of whipped cream and lime mousse — odd, but delicious. Key Lime Pie was a gold ribbon winner in the L.A. (Los Angeles) County Fair in 2005. The Mocha Almond Fudge is everything you would expect from this flavor — milk chocolate color, medium coffee flavor, fudgy ribbons and crunchy, chocolate-covered almonds. Not as in-your-face as other brands of the same flavor combo, but still mighty satisfying for coffee lovers. Ashby’s flavors are 14 percent butterfat. Two scoops: $3.25. Pine Cone has been a Glen Arbor landmark as long as anyone can remember. Popular with locals and tourists, the stand’s timeless up north “flavor” has remained through a change of ownership and a remodel.

K.T.’s Glen Lake Bistro, 6999 W. MacFarlane Rd., Glen Arbor. At the southeast corner of CR 675 and CR 616. Summer hours: 11-10, Mon.-Sat.; 12:30-10 p.m., Sun. Indoor booth seating and outdoor tables. Serves 16 flavors of Ashby’s Sterling Ice Cream (some are recent award winners) of Shelby Twp., Mich. Flavor tested: Bear Claws. The dark chocolate color and listed ingredients … mini chocolate-covered cashews and caramel … were irresistible! Lots of chocolate flavor with pockets of caramel and plenty of cashews. Creamy, too. Single scoop: $2.92, including tax. K.T.’s also serves soups, sandwiches and cookies and a Bistro Backpack-to-go meal complete with plates, utensils, glasses or cups in a handy picnic pack. The new owners are enthusiastic supporters of their ice cream brand.

Gemma’s, on west side of M-22, north of M-72 in Empire, across the street from the Village Inn. Summer hours: 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Comfortable indoor seating with chairs and couches. Outdoor seating under an overhang. Serves House of Flavors ice cream, (Ludington, Mich.). Flavor tasted: Mint Chip. Good flavor, smooth, though not as creamy as some. Chocolate chunks harder than others but last longer. Kiddie scoop: $2.12, including tax. Gemma’s is an inviting, spacious coffee shop offering WIFI service and local products.

Tiffany’s Ice Cream & Cookies, 10213 W. Front St., Empire. On south side, east of Deering’s Market & Garden Center. Summer hours: 1-8, Mon.-Sat.; 1-7, Sun. “Later hours during busy times.” Ice cream parlor seating inside, small table outside. Serves Moomers ice cream. Flavor tasted: Grasshopper. Nice minty flavor, not overpowering; dark chocolate cookie pieces; light, creamy texture. For those preferring crunchy cookie to frozen chocolate pieces. Kiddie scoop: $1.86, including tax. Tiffany’s also serves coffee and fancy coffees.

Hilltop Soda Shoppe, 7117 South St., Benzonia. From US-31, take South Street east, just past First Baptist Church, up hill to white plaza (“Victoria’s Landing”) behind Movie Gallery. Summer hours: 11-10, Mon.-Sat.; 12-9, Sun. Worth the drive. Handmade ice cream by owners Victoria and Chris Mekas, graduates of Carpigiani Frozen Dessert University of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (There’s an ice cream university? YES!) Spacious, clean soda shop with indoor, air-conditioned seating and outdoor wooden seats. Offers all-homemade flavors using Michigan ingredients. Gluten-free flavors offered. Fruit flavors are made using local fruit. Uses Country Dairy ice cream mix from New Era, (see Blue Moon). No hormones, no additives. Sweetened with sugarbeets, not corn syrup. Butterfat content (16 percent) gives this an incredibly creamy, soft texture. More weight by volume than most, according to the owners. All non-cream ingredients are hand chopped on the premises. Nuts are sautéed or roasted before being added to flavors. Ooo-la-la! Mint Chocolate Chip had chocolate pieces carved right from a giant bar of chocolate, and the ice cream had a delicate mint flavor and color — not overpowering. Chocolate ice cream was creamy, light and one of the most chocolatey flavors we’ve ever tasted — even teeny chocolate shavings could be seen in the frozen cream. Ask for a custom flavor, and they will try to make it! Single (large serving) scoop: $2.75 plus tax. Hand-packed pints available for sale with freezer packs to keep them cold on the drive home. Sanders ice cream toppings are also available for sale.

Off the beaten path and just four years young, these guys weren’t nominated for a national competition. We’re certain, if put to the test, Hilltop’s ice cream would give the TV show finalists a good run back to the barn. Don’t wait ‘til the cows come home to try them.

Sun contributor

Even before formally meeting Sonny and Bernie Czerniak, I couldn’t imagine a couple more steeped in the polka. At the annual Cedar Polka Festival (held this year over Fourth of July weekend) it’s impossible not to notice the Czerniaks. At first they appear as a red and white blur on the dance floor, but after the eyes adjust to the light under the big tents, a pattern emerges from that flash of color. Ask any local who that couple is, the ones who seem to never stop for breath, but keep on whirling around the floor, song after song after song, and they’ll tell you, “Oh, that’s Sonny and Bernie Czerniak.”

Photo by Judith Novak

Of course, it’s easy to have fun while you polka. You don’t need to have a multitude of steps or handmade coordinating outfits. It’s not necessary to know, and be able to name the difference between the several styles of polka music that most polka bands play. It’s not necessary, but then again, not every couple is as deeply rooted in polka as the Czerniaks.

Sonny and Bernie met at a polish wedding in Leelanau County in the early 1970s that offered a live polka band at the reception. Watching them today, it is easy to imagine the chain of events that led them to this year’s 27th annual Cedar Polka Festival. An introduction, a dance, and as naturally as night follows day, a life spent in each others’ arms to the three-quarter beat of a polka band, any polka band, anywhere. These are Polka People, as Sonny describes the devotees of the polka scene. Not limited to a yearly weekend in Cedar, but spread nationwide, as evidenced by the copy of the Polka Times (America’s Polka Newspaper) on the Czerniak’s kitchen counter.

SonBern, as they were tagged by a polka band of their acquaintance, have traveled all over the country to dance the polka, for fun and in competitions. They are past polka champions in the Frankenmuth competition (Masters division, of course); they have been celebrated by a front page photo-spread in the Green Bay Gazette for their participation in the Polaski Days festival in Wisconsin; they have been to Florida to polka, and have run into admirers who recognized their delightful style from events across the country. If you are remembered from state to state by those who travel from polka event to polka event, you are doing something right. In Wisconsin, after missing, “maybe four songs” out of a day-long polka event, a spectator followed them to the parking lot saying, “At first I thought you were just show-offs, but after 12 hours, you either love it, or you’re just nuts!”

The day in late June when we talked, I was driving past their house outside of Maple City, admiring the lawn mowed precisely enough to grace any PGA golf event, and saw Sonny standing in the driveway. I pulled in and introduced myself, asking if I could take a little of their time. He simply invited me in and introduced me to Bernie and their daughter, Kristin. It was during the story of Kristin’s birth that I realized I was dealing with a family that takes the polka seriously. After boasting of Kristin’s first place finish in the 2007 Frankenmuth Open Division polka competition, SonBern mentioned that her 20th birthday will be this Fourth of July.

Kristin was born after four days of vigorous dancing at the 1988 Cedar Polka Festival. They had danced all weekend long despite Bernie’s advanced pregnancy and had just arrived at her sister’s Cedar home when Bernie’s water broke. By this, their fifth child, Sonny had enough experience to know that they had very little time to reach the former Osteopathic hospital on the opposite side of Traverse City, which was jammed with people. Timed perfectly with the finale of the Blue Angels’ airshow, Sonny and Bernie made a well above speed limit dash for it, arriving just in time for Kristin to make her entrance into the world in the emergency room.

The entire family is deeply rooted in the Polka Festival. Bernie’s late father, Larry Novak, was involved in the beginnings of the festival, when the event was held in the streets of Cedar, polka bands played the parade in the back of dump trucks, a solid mass of people overran the village and were, as Bernie describes it, “uncontrollable.” Novak involved his children in the festival and Sonny and Bernie have carried on that tradition.

Their house, on the day that I visited, was overtaken with red and white rosettes to decorate the tent, buntings for the bandstands draped over the banisters, and boxes of décor to make the event more than just a band in a tent. In fact, Bernie handles the décor for the Polka Mass each year, she hand carved a Polish eagle from foam board for the twenty-fifth anniversary festival and has reworked it for this years event, she creates the color coordinated outfits that they wear for dancing, and has provided handmade centerpieces for the festival tables such as the “Miss Cedar” Barbie doll with an intricate red and white ball gown, sash and jeweled crown.

“You name it, she can probably make it,” says Kristin of her mother’s prodigious skill. In an old newspaper clipping displayed in their home, a young SonBern are pictured at their wedding, and the caption reads, “Service brings couple together.” It wasn’t until I left the house that I realized that the service being discussed was the wedding ceremony and not the larger concept of community service that they embody.

The walls of their immaculate Maple City home are filled with polka festival memorabilia including a giant banner picturing the Budweiser Clydesdale team and beer wagon with the legend, “Sonny and Bernie danced the weekend away,” a gift from the local Budweiser distributor. Yet to be framed is a similar banner picturing Bernie’s father atop the legendary beer wagon as the Grand Marshal for the 1999 Polka Festival parade.

Some folks come to the Cedar Polka Festival just to watch SonBern in action and on many occasions they will have cheering sections seated around the dance floor that wait for them to make their way around again and again. It’s not unusual for them to notice that they are being followed around the floor by curious couples who are studying the technique and they will never turn away a request for tips on a better polka, usually giving them by taking a spin with their erstwhile students who, if they get it or not, all “have a blast.”

Sonny described his daughter’s championship partner in Frankenmuth as having “spaghetti-legs,” this smacks of praise from Caesar as it is an apt description of his own technique. While they attest that they’ve slowed down since the days when they used to polka the entire length of the Cherry Festival Parade route with the Pleva’s Meats float, they still illustrate their experience at the Polka Festival by saying, “We probably have the most fun.”

Sun contributor

It’s official. Lake Street will get a lovely garden and public restrooms on the land formerly occupied by the fire hall, between Art’s Tavern and the Cottage Book Shop. The Glen Arbor Township Board approved the garden/restroom project at a public meeting on Monday, June 23, by a vote of 3-2 in front of a near capacity crowd gathered at the Township Hall. The crowd applauded the project’s approval.

Photo by Ted and Amy Peterson

Details for the combined site are in place. Township Supervisor John Soderholm explained project details at the June 23 meeting, and a PowerPoint presentation offered model drawings of the landscape, as well as a painting by committee member Ted Peterson. A committee, including Soderholm, Bill Thompson, David Marshall, Sara Litch, and Peterson as an ad hoc member, researched all aspects of the forthcoming project during the past year.

The physical structure housing restrooms will include women’s and men’s restrooms and family areas, including handicapped access. According to Soderholm, the facility will likely have an asphalt roof with a big overhang and supported by large pine-tree logs to give it “an up north feel.” High windows on two sides will provide fresh air and light for aesthetics. The Township Board will underwrite costs associated with utility services, the restroom and the connection to an existing well at the nearby artists’ colony. Of the approximately $4,000 needed to maintain the grounds for the six months a year the restrooms are open, the Glen Lake Chamber of Commerce has pledged $1,800.

The total ground area of the restroom building will be 20 feet x 24 feet. Including the overhang, the building’s total footprint will be 29 feet x 29 feet. A similarly designed, 6 x 6-foot kiosk with eaves nearby will have two doors that open up like wings and offer literature from the Chamber. Here visitors can leave messages, like “meet you at Art’s at noon.”

Consultants were Russ Clark of Clark & Associates and Jim Klein, a professional engineer with Lapham & Associates. Clark spoke about landscape plans.

The gardens will feature flowering shrubs and other plants. Sugar maples and champion yellow birch will occupy the park’s perimeter. The Glen Lake Garden Club, as well as Peterson’s wife Amy and other interested volunteers, will be involved with landscaping the park.

Donations received by the Glen Lake Garden Club in memory of Suzanne Matschke will be used to purchase a special bench in her honor. Other seating, including low stonewalls, and picnic tables will also be available. Soderholm says that one idea for raising funds includes etching the names of donors in the bricks, or also planting “championship trees”.

Linda Young chairs the Landscape fund-raising committee, which plans to augment the Township’s costs with donations from Glen Arbor citizens. Carol and Don Worsley are honorary chairpersons of this group. Also on the landscape committee are Fred Missad, Terry Gretzema (Township Board liaison), Jack Putnam, Jim Becker, Mike Buhler and Ann Davy (full disclosure, Buhler is co-editor of the Glen Arbor Sun).

A website will soon be available with information regarding the planned landscaping for the park, including diagrams and necessary information to answer inquiries. The landscape committee plans an informative mailing to be sent to all Glen Arbor area residents.

The goal for private donations is to raise $75,000, more than $24,000 of which has already been pledged. Donations will underwrite the cost of the gardens. Soderholm attests that one individual has already pledged $1,000, and others have floated the amount of $2,000.

Cost to the township coffers will be approximately $196,000.

Founding editor Jacob Wheeler contributed to this report.

Sun contributor

At first glance, the snowy white bird roosting in the eaves at the Manitou Medical Center in Empire resembles the average seagull. That’s what Dr. Douglas Coles, the clinic’s MD, thought nearly two years ago when he first spied the clinic’s unofficial mascot. But “Ouija” (Wee-jee) is not your average bird. He’s a homing pigeon. Homing pigeons are bred and trained to always fly back to a specific place, or “home”. Some are used for racing, while others are used in pigeon releases at weddings or other special events. Usually, homing pigeons don’t stray, but somehow Ouija flew off course to make a new home in the hearts of those who need him most.

Photo by Marcie Ferris

It didn’t take Ouija long to settle into life at the medical center. It seems he’s quite adept at making friends. Marcie Ferris, an employee at the clinic who holds a special fondness for the pigeon, smiled as she said, “he’s a very social bird. The patients really look forward to seeing him.” However, his affections aren’t solely for people — he’s not shy around other birds, either. Ferris added that he really wants to make friends with the Mourning Doves — occasionally following them around — and has even befriended a crow.

One of Coles’ favorite Ouija stories concerns a duck. “One day we saw him sitting on the roof, looking at something,” he said, “it ended up he was peering down the street at a male mallard duck sitting in the road.” After surveying the situation from afar, he flew down for a visit. “He just walked around and around by the road, just looking at that duck,” Coles laughed.

Yet, Ouija’s amiable manner isn’t his only unusual yet charming quality. “He does happy feet when he coos. He kind of dances back and forth,” said Ferris, and sometimes he’ll come down to perch on the bird house when someone is in the garden.

“He’s really very tame,” added Coles, “especially around Marcie.” That’s understandable since she has taken it upon herself to provide the best pigeon pampering available. Ouija’s heated birdbath speaks for itself, as well as the dove food with added grit — as prescribed by the veterinarians she talked to about his dietary needs.

The love is reciprocal. Though the veterinarians cautioned the very first year that Ouija might not survive until spring, and that even then he would most likely fly away, because nature would exert a stronger pull on him than his connection to the medical center would, he’s still here. “He’s made it through two winters without a house. We’re actually looking for someone to build him one,” said Ferris. She also mentioned that he hasn’t been away from the clinic for more than six days without coming back. “He’s a homing pigeon. He knows this is home.”

The Manitou Medical Center is a home where he is both welcome and needed. Perhaps his most essential characteristic is the ability to comfort those who need joy in their lives. At a medical center, that skill is in high demand. In fact, not long before Ouija arrived, Coles’ father passed away due to complications from a stroke. When the pigeon arrived, someone at the clinic suggested that the bird might be his father’s spirit, returning to watch over them. Hence, he was named Ouija for William James — Coles’ father. Both Coles and Ferris agree that his feathers are good luck. “Whenever I find one outside, I’ll bring it in and give it to a patient,” said Ferris. She has also given or sent them to friends who are sick. “I gave one to a friend before she had brain surgery. She took it into the hospital with her.” With the feather’s luck, she is alive and well.

Coles has also witnessed the soothing property of the feathers. Two Christmases ago he was informed that an elderly lady he knew was dying from a terminal disease. “She was a very independent woman, and her wish was to die in her home. But near the end, we had to move her into the hospital to take care of her,” he said. It was late in the evening when he went to visit her, and he thought he would take one of Ouija’s feathers with him. “I placed the feather in her hand, which she clutched,” he said, “and not too long after that she passed away, seemingly at peace.”

Ouija’s presence and impact aren’t always easy to pinpoint. “He just brings peace and joy,” said Ferris. “He’s responsible for a lot of good feelings around here.”

Coles echoes that it’s “a connection you don’t always have with a bird,” but then again, after talking to those who know and love him, it’s hard to believe he’s just a bird. He seems to have both human traits and some that are a little otherworldly. And though he is not a bluebird, Ouija certainly brings happiness to all those who see him.