Suttons Bay merchants have signed up some of Leelanau County’s most-sought artists, combined them with locally produced wine, and picked one of the longest days of the year to establish a new event.

The inaugural Summer Solstice Art Walk will be held next Friday, June 22, from 5-8 p.m.

“The idea is to encapsule what the Leelanau Peninsula is all about, and give emphasis to the artists and the wineries,” said Amy Peterson, co-owner of the Front Porch store in downtown Suttons Bay.

She credits Sue Ann Round, owner of the Michigan Artists Gallery, for helping to create and launch the event. Round has signed up 18 merchants to participate, each of which will host one artist and his or her work.

Michigan Artists Gallery is going all-out, hosting an artist’s reception called “Strange but True, Carnival Sideshow.” Work by contemporary folk artist Jil Johnson will include “Fish Row” with 35 individually named, three-dimensional fish. “Darin” has wooly mammoth hair. Also on display: a piano-plying chicken, a live bearded lady and 66 babies made in the images of the Three Stooges, Elvis and Marilyn Monroe, among others.

The Front Porch is sponsoring landscape artist Brenda J. Clark, who has a gallery in Leland and is known for a distinctive, powerful style. The stroll will feature a variety of artists, however, including those skilled working in jewelry, sculpture and glass.

Peninsula wineries will also be featured. The Front Porch has lined up Gills Pier Winery for taste-testing.

Food will also be an important part of the evening, and provided free by most merchants. The Petersons have signed on for different tasks in creating their own hors d’oeuvres from gourmet ingredients offered at their store. Peterson will be the chef, while “Brad Peterson is the tester,” Amy said. “He’ll make sure they are OK.”
Strollers can also sign up for prizes, including a $250 shopping spree in downtown Suttons Bay.

But why call it a Solstice walk when summer officially begins on Thursday, June 21, the day before the event. Actually, the name has more to do with a changing of seasons because Suttons Bay merchants are planning a similar event later this year.

“Our intention is to hold another one in the fall,” said Peterson. That date is set for Friday, Oct. 26.