At this week in Leelanau County's history

5 YEARS AGO

JULY 4 2002

Maple City resident Bobby Atkinson will be inducted into the Michigan State Music Hall of Fame’s Polka Category this Friday at 4 p.m. The 56-year-old Traverse City native became interested in the accordion at age 7.
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While the National Park Service once looked into closing down the Dune Climb near Glen Lake to protect sensitive areas, the service now calls for improved public access on the popular climbing hill.
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A 7.22-acre tract with more than 1,000 feet of frontage along the Crystal River has been purchased by the Leelanau Conservancy.

10 YEARS AGO

JULY 3, 1997

Work to secure easements for realigning an S-curve on Cherry Bend Rd. in Elmwood Township hit a snag at the County Road Commission’s meeting Tuesday.
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Despite a cool spring and dry June, good harvests are expected for county farm and orchard crops.
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Most Leelanau residents are well aware that the county’s land values have been surging ahead in recent years, averaging double-digit percent increases.

30 YEARS AGO

JULY 7,1977

Orchardists and farm officials were trying yesterday to assess the amount of damage to Leelanau County cherry crops as a result of high whipping winds late last week.
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Leelanau County came through the long Fourth of July weekend in good shape this year, with no major accidents recorded on either land or water despite a big influx of visitors and temperatures up in the 90’s.
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A Leelanau County tax protest organization put new “teeth” into its resistance to increasing property valuations and taxes late Tuesday when it obtained a court order to prevent the Michigan Tax Commission from continuing a reappraisal of property in the county.

55 YEARS AGO

JULY 3, 1952

Miss Ruth Belanger, 18, of Lake Leelanau, as national cherry queen, will rule over the National Cherry Festival July 9-11. Members of her court include Patricia Ann Miller of Suttons Bay and Carol Jean Hubele of Northport.
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A large crowd of cherry growers, many of the them from this county, voted Monday in a meeting at Traverse City not to accept less than seven cents a pound for this year’s red tart cherry crop.

110 YEARS AGO

JULY 1, 1897

Philip Portner has purchased a fine 80-acre tract of land from Antoine Ance.
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The Ide E. brought in two large scow loads of wood for L.J. Grobben this forenoon.
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The steamer Tiger will sell tickets on July 3rd, 4th and 5th for half fare for the round trip.
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The North Manitou resort is filling up with resorters.
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Remember that Leland will celebrate the 4th on Saturday.