Community Calendar

Learn about native spring wildflowers in this presentation by Empire resident and amateur naturalist Martina Dorn. She'll highlight species common to Northern Michigan providing insights into their unique characteristics and preferred habitats.

Come visit Alden District Library and see Barb VanPelt’s collection of bunny rabbit figures & figurines.

The display can be viewed during normal library hours. Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri 9:30a-5p, Tue 9:30a-6p, Sat 9:30a-2p.

The library is located at 8751 Helena Rd, Alden, 231-331-4318. Free Event.

Free, peer-led mental health support groups: NAMI Family Support and NAMI Connection Group.

Both held Wednesdays, 12pm at Christ Church, 430 Fair St. (See website for zoom link)

The League of Women Voters of Leelanau County is presenting an April 8th Forum on early childhood services in Leelanau County, titled “Supporting Leelanau’s Youngest Residents: What’s Available, on the Way and Envisioned” at noon in the lower-level Community Room of the Leelanau County Government Center.

The forum will focus on what is available for young children and their parents in Leelanau County, as well as what is envisioned. It will feature a meeting facilitator and three presenters. The meeting facilitator and one of the presenters are both members of the League of Women Voters of Leelanau County.

Presenters include:
-Hannah Grinage, Personal Health Supervisor at the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department
-Michelle Klein, Director of Personal Health at the BLDHD -John Damoose, State Senator for the 37th District, and Betsy Coffia, State Representative for the 103rd District, presenting on RxKids

Click here for information about the programs being presented.

The forum is free and open to the public. You may bring your lunch.

The League of Women Voters is a national, political organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in their government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. The League is non-partisan and, as an organization, does not endorse or oppose candidates or political parties.

The Tallest Dwarf follows filmmaker Julie Wyman as she searches for her place in the little people community and unpacks dwarfism’s impact on her own family. Through intimate stories, creative collaborations, and archival history, the film delves into identity and medicine, asking whether society should change people or the structures that limit them.

Free, peer-led mental health support: NAMI Connection Group. Held Wednesdays, 5pm Online (see website for zoom link) and at Child & Family Services, 3785 Veterans Dr.

Author and bioregionalist Stephanie Mills will present her 2025 Freshwater Summit keynote speech “Starting from and Staying with the Nature of Place” on Wednesday, April 8th, 2026 at The Grand Traverse Circuit. Sponsored by Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation, donations support local non-profit Title Track, founded by activist & musician Seth Bernard. Title Track engages creative practices to build resilient social-ecological systems to support clean water, racial equity, and youth empowerment.

Join LTC at the Charlevoix Library to learn all about Vernal Pools. Every spring in the forests of northern Michigan, nature’s secret nursery quietly but vitally blooms with life. Small seasonal ponds, called vernal pools, often go overlooked, but their role in our ecosystems is dramatic. This month, we will explore these vernal pools and what they provide to our ecosystems for a short period each spring.

For more information about upcoming Little Traverse Conservancy events, click here.

Join Brad Von Blon in experiencing the unique “sky dance” mating ritual performed by woodcock each spring. Please meet at the Sally and Art Hailand, Jr. Nature Preserve parking area.

For more information about upcoming Little Traverse Conservancy events, click here.

Fundraising veteran Beth Stoner Wiegand will facilitate a detailed, hands-on workshop regarding the art of writing donor appeal letters.

What are the ingredients for a compelling Appeal Letter?

Fundraising veteran Beth Stoner Wiegand will facilitate a detailed, hands-on workshop regarding the art of writing donor appeal letters. In this three-hour session, we’ll look closely at what makes a letter purposeful, compelling, and how thoughtful practices, like audience segmentation and handwritten touches, can deepen prospect connections resulting in favorable results. Participants will have time to work on their own letters and leave with a solid draft or an improved version ready for use.

Facilitator: Beth Stoner-Weigand
A graduate of Indiana University with a BS in Music Performance, Beth’s first job was working for a US Senator before moving to a federal agency, the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington, D.C., followed by 22 years serving in a variety of roles in the Advancement Department at Interlochen Center for the Arts. When she isn’t golfing, sailing, gardening or on a travel adventure, she will be consulting, coaching or conducting annual teaching seminars in fundraising for Extended Education Services at Northwestern Michigan College, underwritten in part by Rotary Charities of Traverse City. She lives on Old Mission Peninsula with husband Bruce.

Audience: Who is this for?
This session is designed for: Organizations