Indoor music will be allowed at the newest market hub in southwest Leelanau County.
The Lively NeighborFood Market had a public hearing in Kasson Township at the end of March to allow for indoor music on the property since prohibition has taken place since 2024.
Owner Jim Lively bought the property five years ago with a special use permit for three musical events a year that is called LivelyLands.
“But when we got it and applied to expand campsites from 15 to 40 they put a prohibition on music every other day of the year indoors and outdoors and I couldn’t afford to appeal (in 2022),” he said.
Lively thought of the idea when staying in Ann Arbor called the “everyday farmers” market that happens year round and thought this would be a good idea for the area. The family lives about two miles away from the 20-acre commercial property they bought on M-72 in Kasson Township.
Over the past year, Lively has come back and challenged with permitted uses, one for a restaurant that was approved along with indoor music. Now Lively, which had his restaurant approved for indoor music, is preparing for another public hearing next month for more outdoor music more than three days a year.
“Coming back one more time,” Lively said.
With the announcement of a new restaurant, Lively says they are taking it slow and that it won’t be a full service restaurant. But they will offer plenty of good eats.
There has been a Kasson Township ban on outdoor music for every day besides three since 2022.
The market opened on August 9, 2024 where farmers and families can mingle amidst the shelves of delicious, plentiful, locally grown food, according to this website.
The Lively family is not sure that a music festival called LivelyLands will happen this year.
Another big change to the Lively family property is that electricity will be available for campsites which will allow for RVs to use the property.
Rooted in community, cultivating, and connections, the Lively NeighborFood wants to highlight a connection between the customer and the farmer to improve access to locally grown produce.
The business partners with local farms and vendors to sell products.
The Lively NeighborFood Market is actively seeking to grow with vendors from Leelanau and Grand Traverse counties.
Jim worked at Groundwork Center for 22 years in building resilient communities with local food and farming. One of the ideas at Groundwork was the concept of the everyday farmers market that was modeled in Ann Arbor by a market called Argus Farm. Jim credits Argus for sharing their ways of how to run a market.
