I wish I could bottle up the feeling of the past couple of weeks.
Summer, sunshine, good times, and better people.
Last week, I got the chance to go out to The Crib or the North Manitou Shoal Lighthouse, which is something everybody has to see up close.
The North Manitou Light Keepers (NMLK) have spent a decade now renovating the abandoned shoal lighthouse.
Families and friends celebrated with cake, champagne, and a few tears reflecting on the journey.
NMLK is on the road to having people able to stay out there, with the interior nearly finished.
The North Manitou Light Keepers is a nonprofit organization founded in 2016. Its mission is to restore the North Manitou Shoal Light Station, make it and its history available to the public for education and appreciation, and cultivate an active community of stewardship for this piece of Michigan maritime history that stands amidst one of America’s most beautiful locations.
Thank you for letting me tag along, and thank you to Manitou Island Transit LLC for the ride.
After heading back to shore, I began to gear up for the Northport Dog Parade, which brings out a special joy in itself.
The parade had record entries, despite outtatowners starting school early.
Those dogs are great for pictures. Check out the full gallery here: https://www.leelanaunews. com/article/8463,photos-pawty-like-arockstar- northport-dog-parade-2026.
Following the dog parade, we packed up and headed down to the Port Oneida Fair for what was the last of its kind due to declining numbers.
The fair brings the Port Oneida Rural Historic District alive with activities true to the bygone period when it was a community of robust settlers.
I think it’s an absolute shame to miss this truly educational, fun, family-friendly fair. You have kids of all ages living the lives of those in the 1800s for a few hours. You can’t beat it. I would put that up against any county fair in terms of pure joy one person can have.
We hope the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will consider hosting a Port Oneida Fair in the future and contributing resources to make sure the fair stays growing.
After paying our respects to the past, we took a load off at the beach.
The water is perfect right now. I could swim all day. Enjoy it while it lasts.
One thing I want to do at the end of summer is host a beach cleanup at Good Harbor. It’s to the point where it’s dangerous walking high on the beach at Good Harbor with the amount of coal.
We love to have bonfires, and I believe it’s important for families to be able to do that. Heck, as a family, we’ve shared amazing moments and loved life over a bonfire on that beach, and wouldn’t change it for the world.
But at some point that has to be addressed. I would guess maybe three out of 10 people bring a shovel and bucket to clean up the coals and get them off the beach. I think more signage and education is necessary to keep one of Leelanau’s best beaches in pristine condition.
I’m going to see if we can get a couple of trucks for a cleanup at the end of September. Please email me [email protected] if you are interested.
Also, shout out to the Glen Lake Fire Department last week for helping prevent what could have been a tragic event of multiple members of a family getting swept out into Sleeping Bear Bay.
