This Friday marks the first day of summer, and this past weekend saw Leelanau County’s first batch of major summer events for the year, from the Leland Wine & Food Festival to the M22 Challenge in Empire. To celebrate the new season, the Leelanau Ticker has your guide to the rest of summertime throughout the county.

June 20: This Friday is summer kickoff time in Suttons Bay, where the annual Artisan + Wine Walk will take place from 5-8pm. “This beloved evening event is the perfect way to welcome the season,” reads the event description on the Suttons Bay Chamber of Commerce website. “Stroll through town, explore unique local shops, meet talented artists, and sip on delicious wines, ciders, and brews from right here in Leelanau County. Enjoy the live music throughout town and participate in a variety of activities, including a community art project.”

June 20-22: Introduced last year as a 20-year anniversary party for Sleeping Bear Surf & Kayak in Empire, Beryl Days is back this year with three days of family-friendly events – including a community paddle, a stone skipping contest, a “Rip Roarin’ Rambunctious Relay Race,” and an evening full of live music on Saturday.

June 20-22: Join the Leelanau Historical Society (LHS) for a weekend restoration workshop at Maple Grove Cemetery in Bingham Township. According to LHS, Maple Grove is “the final resting place of many early settlers and their families” – and, as such, “an essential part of Leelanau County’s heritage.” Participants will help preserve the cemetery by cleaning headstones, pruning vegetation, and learning about the history of the place. Those interested in lending a hand can register here.

June 20 - August 22: Looking for ways to keep the kids entertained this summer? (Who isn’t?) The Leland Township Public Library kicked off its annual Children’s Summer Program last Friday, and will keep things rolling every Friday through August 22 (save the Fourth of July) with 10:30am programming at the library. Highlights include kid-friendly songs with local songwriter Mary Sue Wilkinson (this Friday), a puppet show (June 27), improv for kids (July 11), and an “interactive drum and rhythm experience (July 18). A full schedule of events is available here.

June 26-August 28: The Old Art Building in Leland has two months of concerts planned this summer as part of its annual "Music in the Air" summer concert series. Attendees are invited to bring their blankets, lawn chairs, and picnic snacks to the lawn of the OAB for free live music most Thursdays from 7-8:30pm. (The exception is the last week of July, when the concert will be held Sunday instead of Thursday.) This year’s series kicks off on June 26 with A to Z, a band made up of recent Interlochen Center for the Arts graduates Audrey Mason and Zinnia Dungjen. A full concert list can be found on the OAB website.

June 27: Northport’s most beloved summertime tradition, Music in the Park, gets its start for the 2025 season with a concert from soul band 1000 Watt Prophets. Music in the Park concerts run from 7-9pm every Friday through August 29, save July 4, with the full slate of bands available here.

June 28: Northport's Village Voices choral ensemble will hold its summer kickoff concert at Northport Performing Arts Center, with tickets now on sale.

June 28-July 5: Northern Michigan’s busiest week falls a bit earlier on the calendar than usual this year, with the National Cherry Festival kicking off on June 28. Highlights at this year’s festival include an air show featuring “the world-renowned F-22 Raptor Demo Team and the F35B Lightening II” (on June 28 and 29); and a concert series that includes the likes of Tyler Hubbard (of Florida Georgia Line fame), Cheap Trick, Collective Soul, Trace Adkins, Weird Al Yankovic, T.I., Pop Evil, Buckcherry, Hinder, Hoobastank, Bowling for Soup, Plain White T’s, Grand Funk Railroad, and 38 Special.

June 29: Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear will celebrate Michigan Log Cabin Day with an 11am-1pm event at Boekeloo Cabin, one of six log cabins in the mainland portion of the National Lakeshore. Stuart Boekeloo, a descendent of the original owners, will be on hand to share historic details about the cabin, and Preserve Sleeping Bear will have representatives there to discuss their restoration work on the structure.

July 1-31: The Glen Arbor Arts Center has declared July “Youth Plein Air Month.” For the entirety of July, families can borrow “fully stocked art kits” from GAAC at no cost. Those kits include everything young artists need to embrace plein air painting, or painting outdoors. The month also features specific events, including “Meet a Plein Artist Day” (July 12), a Youth Plain Air Exhibit for kids who wish to display their work publicly (July 28-31), and a gathering and awards ceremony (July 31).

July 4: As usual, Independence Day will be busy in Leelanau County. Highlights include the annual Fourth of July parades in Glen Arbor and Leland (scheduled for noon and 3pm, respectively), the Run for Cancer Funds in Northport, and celebratory evening fireworks in Northport or in Traverse City.

July 6-September 21: Beyond the M22 Challenge and the Run for Cancer Funds in Northport, Leelanau County has a busy racing season this summer for the runners, cyclists, and swimmers among us. Options include Friends of Fishtown (July 19), the Running Bear Run in Glen Arbor (July 22), the Port Oneida Run (August 2), the Swim for GT Bay (August 9), the Shady Lane Wine Run 5K (August 10), the Cedar Polka Fest’s Run 4 the Kielbasa (August 23), Northport’s “Bay to Braman Bolt” race (August 30), the Munga Grit USA TC (September 6-7), and the 45 North Wine Run 5K (September 21), as well as the IRONMAN 70.3 Michigan on September 14. More details about these races and others in the region can be found here, courtesy of our sister publication Northern Express.

July 12: The Old Art Building in Leland will hold its 27th annual art fair, featuring over 70 booths of original paintings, photography, ceramics, jewelry, and other works from artists and makers hailing from all around the Midwest. The market will also feature kid’s booths, an opportunity for young artists to be a part of the fair. The event runs from 10am-4pm.

July 26-August 3: As the Leelanau Ticker reported last month, the Northport Performing Arts Center is bringing back summer musical theater this year with a community production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Performances are scheduled for July 26, 27, 29, 31 and August 2 and 3.

July 31: Already feeling the yearning for fall? Leelanau Pines Campground in Cedar is throwing a “Halloween in July” celebration on the last day of July, including a campsite decorating contest, trick-or-treating, a costume contest, a Halloween movie, and a haunted maze.

August 2-3: A first-weekend-of-August tradition, the Suttons Bay Art Festival will take over Marina Park once again this summer, bringing 100 artists and their wares with it. Beyond the artist booths, the festival includes a community library book sale, food vendors, a children’s play area, and more.

August 7: It’s the annual Lightkeeper Rally and Crib Cruise, where attendees can learn more about restoration work at the Crib and enjoy a sunset boat cruise around the remote lighthouse. More information – including RSVP and registration details – is available on the North Manitou Light Keepers website.

August 7-8: A two-day Thursday/Friday event, the Leland Sidewalk Sales will feature deals and discounts at participating stores in downtown Leland.

August 8-9: Speaking of sidewalk sales, the Suttons Bay incarnation – which always occurs the week after the Suttons Bay Art Festival – will overlap with Leland’s sales. As in past years, the sidewalk sales will see participating downtown Suttons Bay retailers rolling out their end-of-season sales and discounts.

August 8-9: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, in partnership with Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear, invites you to “step back in time” at the annual Port Oneida Fair. Taking place across five historic farmsteads, the fair features artists, crafts, food, and activities, including around period-specific skills like basket-weaving, soap making, candle dipping, and fur trapping.

August 9: The second Saturday of August brings the 28th annual Northport Dog Parade. That yearly tradition invites dog owners to dress up their pooches in accordance with a specific theme and then show them off with a walk through the streets of Northport. This year’s theme has a culinary spin: “Bone Appetit.”

August 20-24: Traverse City Tourism has programmed a brand-new northern Michigan festival this year: Traverse City Food & Wine, a multi-day event intended to “showcase the bounty of the Traverse City region’s amazing agriculture, craft, and creativity.” While the event will center around Traverse City – the Open Space is the site of “The Grand Tasting,” the festival’s big centerpiece celebration on August 23 – the festivities will spill over into Leelanau County. Highlights for Leelanau locals include a regenerative farming vineyard tour at Dune Bird Winery, a cooking class at Black Star Farms, a garden party at Farm Club, and a wine-and-raclette “experience” at French Valley Vineyard. A full list of events, plus ticketing information, can be found on the official Traverse City Food & Wine website.

August 21-24: The 43rd annual Cedar Polka Festival will feature the usual mix of Polish-inspired music, food, activities, and events. Beyond the long-time staples, like the pancake breakfast and the car show, look for the return of “the Dog Days of Summer.” New as of last year, Dog Days welcomes dogs to the party for the “Ultimate Air Dogs” dock jumping contest, among other canine-friendly programming.

September 27: As usual, Leelanau County will celebrate the summer-to-fall page turn with Leelanau UnCaged in Northport. The music, dance, and art festival marks its 11th year in 2025.