Community Calendar

Join Cook It Forward at Oryana for hands-on knife skills workshops designed specifically for teens. Participants will learn the fundamentals of safe and effective knife handling, including proper grip, cutting techniques, and kitchen safety practices.

Through guided instruction and practical experience, teens will prepare a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables while creating different styles of salsa. Each session offers the opportunity to build confidence, develop culinary skills, and explore healthy, seasonal ingredients.

Parents are welcome to attend alongside their teens, or a Cook It Forward mentor can work one-on-one with participants to ensure a supportive and engaging experience.

This workshop will be led by Adam Worden, butcher at Trattoria Stella, who brings over twenty years of restaurant experience and a passion for teaching practical, respectful approaches to working with food.

Cook It Forward is a Traverse City based, mentorship-driven nonprofit that connects people through food. The program offers free and low-cost cooking classes aimed at empowering participants to cook with confidence, reduce food waste, and foster stronger community connections through shared culinary experiences.

Round up the family and head out to Coy Mountain, located at 9011 Valley St. in Alden, to enjoy a romp in the woods and reading a good book along the way.

The storybook is “Acorn Was A Little Wild” by Jen Arena, and covers about a 1/2-mile portion of the trail.

This story is up 7 days a week thru October and is a Free Event.

Sponsored by Alden District Library and Friends, 8751 Helena Rd, Alden, 231-331-4318.

HIStory / HERstory: Whose Story?

Monday thru Friday: 9am – 3pm
Saturday: 12pm – 4pm
Sunday: 12pm – 4pm

The Glen Arbor Arts Center takes on the question of history and voice in its next exhibition. HIStory/HERstory: Whose Story? is an exhibition that explores the idea that the victors have written history. This version of history has often been told from one perspective -- while other histories have been ignored, deleted, denied, left out of the official record.

The exhibition opens August 15, 5 pm with a reception in the GAAC Main Gallery.

Whether it’s visual art, literature, film, sports, science, politics, education, animal, mineral, real or imagined history, this exhibition asks:

• Who’s telling what stories?
• Who’s included in the official record?
• Who’s excluded? Omitted? Erased?

Twenty-four exhibitors take on these questions, and answer them with work about what’s included in the art historical canon; a fractured telling of Native American history; the voices inside a mom’s head; and other topics. Read more about the exhibit, and exhibition companion programs. View it online at GlenArborArt.org / EXHIBITS. HIStory / HERstory runs through October 30.

Come visit Alden District Library and see Carolyn Buxenstein’s collection of Whimsical Halloween Witch Figurines. The display can be viewed during normal library hours. Mon, Wed, Th, F 9:30a-5p, Tu 9:30a-6p, Sat 9:30a-2p.

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

Free Event.

At a later date, a video of the display can be viewed on the library's website, aldenlib.info and look for "On Display" link at left. Sponsored by Alden District Library, 8751 Helena Rd, Alden.

The Guided Walking History Tours of Traverse City will begin its tenth season on July 9th, following the National Cherry Festival.

The informative tour is about two and a half hours covering a two-mile route. The tours begin at the Perry Hannah Plaza, located at the corner 6th and Union St. near downtown.

There is no charge for the tours, but gratuities for the guides are appreciated. Groups of six or more can schedule tours at other times.

For 2025 our 10:00 AM walking tours begin on Wednesday July 9th and continue daily through October 8th. No reservations are needed, simply arrive by 10:00 AM please.

The Conservancy is in the midst of updating the buildings at Upper Manistee Headwaters: The Milock Family Preserve, and we need your help! At the time GTRLC acquired this former boy scout camp property, there were several old cabins still standing which are now used as seasonal housing for employees and visiting researchers. These structures are finally getting some much needed renovations, and new furniture is included. If you’re someone who enjoys assembling furniture, this one is for you!

GTRLC will supply all materials necessary for the workday. This is a moderately light activity that will take place inside a heated building. There are bathrooms and drinking water available on site at this property.

Directions map is located on our website.

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.

Help the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy collect native seeds at Mitchell Creek Meadows: The Don and Jerry Olson Nature Preserve! During this activity, volunteers will learn about and take an active part in the Conservancy’s habitat restoration projects.

GTRLC will supply all materials necessary for the workday. We will teach you everything you need to know to properly identify, collect and clean seeds from native pollinator species. No prior experience is necessary! This is a moderately light, family-friendly activity, though volunteers will be traversing uneven terrain. There are restrooms and water available on site.

Volunteers will be:

Learning and identifying native plants
Collecting seeds following established sustainability guidelines
Cleaning seeds to assist with proper storage and weighing

Dress for the weather! Always check the forecast in advance
Sturdy, closed-toe shoes that can handle some mud and wet ground
Bring a reusable water bottle and some snacks
Sunscreen and bug spray for your safety and comfort

Meet at Mitchell Creek Meadows Nature Preserve by the greenhouse/workshop area.

Discover the techniques and tools needed to keep your garden or farm productive through the cold months at the Great Lakes Incubator Farm’s Season Extension & Winter Production Workshop! This workshop will explore strategies for extending the harvest season and producing crops throughout winter, utilizing season-extension tools like row covers and hoop houses, and planning your planting schedule for year-round harvests.

Learn about using high tunnels, low tunnels, cold frames, crop selection and timing for extended winter harvests, and tips for hoop house fertility and temperature management in the cold.

Each month Women in Tech gathers to build community and support amongst women working in, or interested in, the tech industry and tech-related roles or as an entrepreneur in the field. This meetup is casual, fun, and easy to drop into. We talk about what we’re currently working on, share our stories, and pool our collected expertise to support each other.

Build local connections to help you reach your goals. Gatherings are often made up of half-returning and half-new attendees, creating a welcoming and approachable energy.

This event is free and open to all, including students! Light snacks will be provided.

Registration is requested to ensure ample seating, but walk-ins are always welcome. Look for the Women in Tech/20Fathoms signage.

We can’t wait to see you!