Almanac

4th Annual Cheese Festival- Celebrates ALL of the wonderful Michigan-made cheeses and dairy products. Cheese Fest will highlight many of these exceptional cheeses made with Michigan milk, offering them for sale and tasting. The festival will also feature hands-on cheesemaking workshops, cheese pairings, a farmers and artisan market, cheese-related games and activities for all ages, Daisy the giant MMPA cow, and food trucks.

Classes and workshop tickets can be purchased on our website.

Take a thought-provoking journey through the pages of Wanderlust: A History of Walking by Rebecca Solnit, an acclaimed writer, historian, and activist. As part of the Glen Arbor Arts Center’s Walking exhibition (April 1 – May 29, 2025), this facilitated discussion will invite you to explore Solnit’s fascinating perspectives that connect the act of walking to a wide range of social, cultural, and physical touch points.

Join GAAC’s Gallery Manager Sarah Bearup-Neal for four lively conversations that delve into the history and meaning of walking. Wanderlust focuses on the walkers whose everyday and extreme acts have shaped our culture, from philosophers to poets to mountaineers. The author of more than 20 books, Solnit is a regular contributor to The Guardian and one of today’s most thought-provoking voices.
Discussion Schedule

April 6: The Pace of Thoughts (Pages 3–78)
April 20: From the Gardens to the Wild (Pages 79–168)
May 4: Lives of the Streets (Pages 169–246)
May 25: Past the End of the Road (Pages 247–291)

How to Participate

Register by April 2. This event is free, but space is limited!
Participants are responsible for securing their own copy of Wanderlust. Cottage Book Shop in Glen Arbor offers discussion group members a 15% discount. Pre-order required. Call 231-334-4223 to order your copy.
Read ahead to prepare for each session and get ready to share your thoughts.

Skill Level

All
Objective

To explore the theme of the GAAC’s Walking exhibit from other creative disciplines and avenues.
Outcome

An opportunity to sharpen critical thinking skills, and expand one’s thinking about the act of walking.

Image: Wanderlust front cover

Join us for a comprehensive workshop led by Dr. Erica O'Neal, a certified pelvic floor physical therapist, focusing on bowel dysfunction—a common yet often overlooked issue affecting many individuals.

National Alliance on Mental Illness offers support groups for families and individuals living with a mental health challenge. Groups are confidential, free and no registration is required.

Email info@namigt.org or call 231-944-8448 for more information.

Program at Mills Community House at 891 Michigan Avenue (US 31), Benzonia
Or email plantitwild2day@gmail.com to register for a Zoom invitation.

Journey from Invasive Ornamentals to Native Plants in a Shady and Difficult Yard

After learning how important native plants are to the ecosystem, presenter Andrea Walworth converted her shady yard from a blend of invasive and non- native plants to primarily natives. She will share what she’s accomplished in the last 3 years and what she learned along the way

9:30am social time & 10am meeting.

Meeting is being held at Helena Township Community Center, 8751. 12p luncheon held at the Dockside, 6340 Old Torch Lake Dr, Bellaire.

Anyone interested in supporting the library is always welcome. Contact the library at 231-331-4318 to RSVP by June 17th.

Book Club meets on the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm

PALETTE KNIFE PAINTING:
Lily Pond

JUNE 21, 2025
SATURDAY
10am - 3pm

REGISTER BY: June 17

CLASS FEE: $125, or $112.50 for members​

FORMAT: in-person

Expressing nature through palette knife painting can be an exhilarating experience. In this
workshop, you will gain knowledge of the palette knife techniques using heavy-bodied acrylics. We
will start by creating a deep, smooth, and moody underpainting on an 18" x 24" canvas using a
large brush and feathering method. This will serve as an ideal contrast to the bold lily pads and
surface waters that we will paint using the palette knife. Finally, we will add the finishing touches of
thick impasto flowers. As your painting will still be wet, bringing a box for safe transportation is
recommended.

​

SUPPLY LIST

A variety of Acrylic Paints - I use Golden acrylics: White, Payne’s Grey, Cad Yellow, Med, Cerulean Blue, Magenta, Ultramarine Blue, Black, Quinacridone Gold, light purple.
Various Acrylic Brushes; be sure to have a 1” flat.
18”x 24” Canvas
Palette paper
Spray bottle

They were women before their time, taking on the romantic, yet dangerous and physically demanding job of tending to the beacons that protected the shoreline…

Dianna Stampfler, author of Michigan’s Haunted Lighthouses and Death & Lighthouses of the Great Lakes: A History of Misfortune & Murder, will share the history of women who worked as lighthouse keepers along the Great Lakes from the 1840s through present day.

This presentation will be held in the library’s upstairs Reading Nook. No pre-registration required.

Take a thought-provoking journey through the pages of Wanderlust: A History of Walking by Rebecca Solnit, an acclaimed writer, historian, and activist. As part of the Glen Arbor Arts Center’s Walking exhibition (April 1 – May 29, 2025), this facilitated discussion will invite you to explore Solnit’s fascinating perspectives that connect the act of walking to a wide range of social, cultural, and physical touch points.

Join GAAC’s Gallery Manager Sarah Bearup-Neal for four lively conversations that delve into the history and meaning of walking. Wanderlust focuses on the walkers whose everyday and extreme acts have shaped our culture, from philosophers to poets to mountaineers. The author of more than 20 books, Solnit is a regular contributor to The Guardian and one of today’s most thought-provoking voices.
Discussion Schedule

April 6: The Pace of Thoughts (Pages 3–78)
April 20: From the Gardens to the Wild (Pages 79–168)
May 4: Lives of the Streets (Pages 169–246)
May 25: Past the End of the Road (Pages 247–291)

How to Participate

Register by April 2. This event is free, but space is limited!
Participants are responsible for securing their own copy of Wanderlust. Cottage Book Shop in Glen Arbor offers discussion group members a 15% discount. Pre-order required. Call 231-334-4223 to order your copy.
Read ahead to prepare for each session and get ready to share your thoughts.

Skill Level

All
Objective

To explore the theme of the GAAC’s Walking exhibit from other creative disciplines and avenues.
Outcome

An opportunity to sharpen critical thinking skills, and expand one’s thinking about the act of walking.

Image: Wanderlust front cover