Community Calendar

Come have fun with us at French Valley! Enjoy live music, locally crafted drinks, kid-friendly options, and tasty snacks for the whole family.

Free, peer-led mental health support groups:

*NAMI Family Support (Mondays at 6pm. Online and in-person at HBA, 3040 Sunset Ln. See website for zoom link.)

*NAMI Connection Group (Mondays at 6pm. Online, see website for zoom link)

Date: Tuesday, May 19, and Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Time: 10 am–3 pm
Registration Deadline: Thursday, May 14, 2026
Skill: Advanced Beginner to Intermediate

This workshop is designed to harness the power of soft pastel while interpreting and painting from your own favorite landscape photos. There will be a comprehensive review of this marvelous medium and its related materials, tips, and techniques. Through lecture, demonstration, and handouts, Barbara will help students create studio landscapes that are dynamic, filled with light, and full of personal expression. She will share tips from her many years of plein air painting, as well as review the fundamentals. This is a fun and relaxed workshop with lots of personal attention and encouragement along the way. Students should bring to class several landscape photos that they have taken themselves, along with the Supply List items. This Workshop is for Soft Pastel, not Oil Pastel. Prior art experience is helpful.

Objective: Skill Development

Outcome: Improved Technique

Join the Manistee Audubon chapter for a walk along the universally accessible boardwalk at the Arcadia Marsh Nature Preserve! Volunteer leader Brian Allen will highlight the many bird species–including songbirds, shorebirds, wading birds, and raptors–that can be viewed from the boardwalk at this time of the year.

Before the hike, feel free to check out our Arcadia Marsh Bird and Botanical Guide for a preview of the species we’ll be on the lookout for.

What should I bring?

Consider bringing your camera and/or binoculars—birds and wildflowers will be abundant!

Dress for the weather! Always check the forecast in advance.

Sunscreen and bug spray for your safety and comfort.

Because of sensitive wildlife, dogs are not allowed at this preserve.

Directions

We will meet at the M22 parking lot.

Registration is required, click here. Cancellations due to weather or any other reason will be communicated with registered participants via email.

Thank you for your interest in joining us! If you have any questions, please contact us at (231) 929-7911 or info@gtrlc.org.

Date: Tuesday, May 19, and Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Time: 10 am–3 pm
Registration Deadline: Thursday, May 14, 2026
Skill: Advanced Beginner to Intermediate

This workshop is designed to harness the power of soft pastel while interpreting and painting from your own favorite landscape photos. There will be a comprehensive review of this marvelous medium and its related materials, tips, and techniques. Through lecture, demonstration, and handouts, Barbara will help students create studio landscapes that are dynamic, filled with light, and full of personal expression. She will share tips from her many years of plein air painting, as well as review the fundamentals. This is a fun and relaxed workshop with lots of personal attention and encouragement along the way. Students should bring to class several landscape photos that they have taken themselves, along with the Supply List items. This Workshop is for Soft Pastel, not Oil Pastel. Prior art experience is helpful.

Objective: Skill Development

Outcome: Improved Technique

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)

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.

At Norte Youth Cycling, we believe that riding bikes is for everyone, regardless of gender. However, we also know that many girls prefer to ride with other girls, so we launched our More Girls on Bikes initiative. This opportunity is designed to empower girls (4th grade and up), young women, and women of all ages.

Sign up here.

Join Quinn Sommer, seasonal technician and avid birder, for a walk through a beloved LTC birding preserve, Waldron Fen Nature Preserve.

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

Creative Wellness Monthly Gathering
Facilitators: Carol Hohle & Meridith Mulcahy

Time: 1:30 pm–3 pm

Registration Deadline: N/A

Location: Meet at the GAAC front desk, then follow the fun—we may head to locations like Pine Street Studio or Thoreson Farm Studio during the summer. (Reserve Pinestreet Classroom as permanent option)
Skill: All Skill Levels
Cost: $10 member/ $12 nonmember
Min/Max: N/A
Time to Set Up: 15 minutes
Time to Clean Up: 15 minutes

This group will gather once a month to share and learn more about the value of creativity in our daily lives. Over a warm mug of brewed tea/coffee (or ice tea/lemonade in the summer!), come connect with others, share ideas, find inspiration, and practical tips to lead a more creative and whole-hearted approach to life. Each month, in addition to checking in with one another, we will explore different practices (journaling, stitching, collaging, photography) that may pique your creative curiosity.

Each week the group will meet at the front desk of the Glen Arbor Art Center and will move to locations such as Pine Street Studio, the GAAC Classroom, the GAAC grove or Thoreson Farm.