JANET OSTROWSKI lives in the Village
of Suttons Bay and is president of the
Friends of Fine Arts group.

Name: Janet Ostrowski.

Town or township of residence: Village of Suttons Bay.

Resident of county since: “I lived here from 1960 until 1972, and then from 1995 on.”

Birth date and place: She’s 53 and was born in Kalamazoo.

Occupation: “I teach violin and play with the Traverse Symphony Orchestra, I’m president of the Friends of Fine Arts (FOFA) group at Suttons Bay Public School, and I’m a flunkie at the Suttons Bay-Bingham District Library.”

Marital status: Married to Pete Ostrowski since 1977. “We have two kids living on the other side of the planet. Jill, 23, lives in Melbourne, Australia; and Robin, 18, is an exchange student in New Zealand.”

You live in Leelanau County because: “It is my home. That’s all there is to it.”

Last good movie you saw: “King Corn at the State Theater. It’s a documentary about how we’re all made of corn.”

Last good book you read: “It’s actually a series of books by Scott Westerfeld titled Uglies, Pretties and Specials. I’d describe it as science fiction for teenagers.”

If you could trade places with one person for a day, who would that be: “Alan Campbell. I’d love to run the Leelanau Enterprise for a week.”

Things important to you that you have accomplished so far: “The FOFA thing has been huge for me. Giving more kids more opportunities in the arts than they would otherwise have is definitely important to me. Also, I learned to play the viola at age 40; and now I’m almost a professional.”

What you hope to be doing in 10 years: “More of the same.”

Things you lose sleep over: “Land use stupidity.”

If you could change one thing in Leelanau County, it would be: “I would like to see more people give up the notion that we must protect private property rights at all costs. More people should be looking out for the common good.”

Favorite dessert: “Chocolate cheesecake.”

Are you a coffee drinker: “What kind of stupid question is that? Sometimes I drink a little coffee with my milk.”

Favorite place in Leelanau County: “Sometimes I like to row my boat out to the middle of Suttons Bay and sit there. It’s especially nice in the early morning.”

If you had more time, you would: “I’d try pushing the envelope on that viola stuff.”

The words that best describe you are: “I’m not afraid to go out in my bathing suit. I’m not afraid to speak my mind. And I’m an eternal optimist.”