You wouldn’t know it by the number of strollers on Saturday headed up and down Meinrad and Main streets, but a couple months ago the future of the Lake Leelanau Street Fair was in jeopardy.
The street fair represents the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Lake Leelanau Community Association. The $2,000 to $3,000 raised is poured into a number of community enhancing projects including hanging lighted angels on utility poles at Christmas and decorating and lighting the Narrows Bridge.
The fair’s perilous livelihood nearly fell victim to a common malady of community events, that of volunteer burnout. The gas tank of the fair committee was running near empty, partly because it was being held on the Saturday after Labor Day. That meant the brunt of preparation work had to be done in August. Anyone who owns a business or entertains guests in the county has experienced fatigue at the end of the summer season.
