This past weekend was a glorious one in Northport on all counts — the weather, the events, and the community spirit. Leelanau UnCaged on Saturday and the Northport Tea Dance on Sunday were huge successes, providing fun and entertainment for local residents and drawing many visitors into Northport. It is estimated that over 9,000 people came to UnCaged this year. The two events showcased Leelanau Township’s commitment to the arts, diversity, inclusion, volunteerism, and community.
This was the 10th Annual Leelanau UnCaged. UnCaged is a Music, Dance, Art and Food Street Festival in downtown Northport, always held on the last Saturday in September. Thanks to the many volunteers who work almost year-round to make this event possible and to keep making it better and better for everyone. This year, with thanks to Northport Pub and Grill (NPG), they were able to add handicap accessible parking.
Another great addition was thanks to Ty Wessell and Jim Dyer, who worked with Spectrum to install temporary Wi-Fi for the festival. Vendors had a secure line and festival goers had separate access. In the past, festival goers and vendors were pulling from local businesses, which slowed down their transactions. Having this special Wi-Fi exclusively for the festival was a big deal for the event, and, according to a Spectrum rep, it was a first in Michigan. Janet Hethorn, the UnCaged Art coordinator said, “The addition of secure internet access made a huge impact on the success of our Art vendor sales at UnCaged. The vendors were enthusiastically appreciative. Many of our 46 vendors said it made a huge difference in their ability to conduct business and their interest in participating again in our festival.”
