Leland Wine & Food Fest merch for sale
Leland Wine & Food Festival exclusive pre-sale merchandise is now available, featuring men and women quilted pullovers, a hat, and a 2025 wine fest poster. Orders for the limited edition collection will be accepted until Sunday, May 4.
All proceeds from the pre-sale support the Leland Chamber of Commerce to help celebrate the festival’s long awaited return to Leland Harbor. The festival is set for Saturday, June 14 from 12-6 p.m. with tickets for sale online at mynorthtickets.com/events/lelandwine- food-festival-194523.
“We’re still trying to get the word out, we have such a limited window. The items are very exclusive and they’re not going to be sold at the wine fest,” said Leland Chamber of Commerce President Mark Morton. “They’re more expensive than normal because of the fundraising aspect and the exclusivity of it.”
With limited funds to work with this year, the presale fundraiser will go towards the festival to pay for things like deposits, supplies, merchandise, tents, and other necessities for the big day.
All funds raised from the festival itself goes towards supporting community events and things like the annual Leland July fireworks, holiday lights, and village beautification projects.
The festival was canceled in 2024 after the Leland Chamber of Commerce announced it could not find a solid location. The event has typically been hosted in the parking lot of the Leland Harbor, but the venue was changed in 2022 and 2023 to the Leland Lodge due to construction in Fishtown. In 2024, the Leland Harbor Commission turned down the chamber’s request to return to the harbor, citing restrictions in place by the Department of Environmental Quality and Waterways Commission for use. As a harbor of refuge, the boat launch also needed to be open for public use.
This year’s hybrid festival will close down Lake Street from River to Pearl Street to have the wine portion of the event set up, with a pathway down to use half of the parking lot at the harbor for music and food. By utilizing a set up where just half of the harbor parking lot is occupied, access to the boat launch can be maintained throughout the event.
“Everything is going really well and it’s all coming together. We’ve been getting all the approvals from the township and the harbor and working with the fire department for event planning,” Morton said. “We’re trying not to get too carried away because the layout is all new, so we want to make sure it’s all going to work before we start doing special things.”
Morton said they plan to have several food vendors and over a dozen wineries present at the festival, including Leelanau businesses like Good Harbor Winery, Aurora Cellars, Bel Lago, French Valley Vineyards, Dune Bird Winery, Shady Lane and Laurentide, among others. Frankfort’s Stormcloud Brewing Company will also be onsite with beer options.
The festival’s planning committee and the people that work on the day of the event are made up entirely of volunteers, something Morton said plays a big role in the success of the event every year it’s held.
“We’ve got a lot of very busy people working very hard to make this happen, all volunteer, so it’s really important to recognize them and all the work they’ve been putting in,” he said. “And of course, we need a lot of extra volunteers the day-of, and we have a volunteer coordinator for that.”
The pre-sale merchandise can be purchased online at www.lelandmi.org/lelandwine- fest-presale, with shipping and local pick-up at the Harbor House available. Items will arrive by June 9.
