Community Calendar

Date: 4 Thursdays—September 10, 17, 24, October 1, 2026
Time: 2 pm–5 pm
Registration Deadline: Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Location: Thoreson Farm
Skill: Beginner to Intermediate

Learn and practice wedging, centering, throwing, and trimming basic forms. Enjoy one-on-one interaction as you learn the skills needed to become comfortable working on the potter’s wheel. In addition, the class will include the basics of decorating, glazing, and firing finished work. The Open Studio option includes eight days of access plus one 25-lb bag of clay. More Information about Pottery Open can be found here: https://glenarborart.org/product/pottery-open-studio

NOTE: Finished pieces are normally ready for pick up within 2-4 weeks

Objective: Skill Development, Creativity Enhancement

Outcome: Improved Technique, Creation of Artwork

Join East Bay Corners Farmers Market on Thursdays from 2:00–6:00 PM at the East Bay Township Offices (1965 N. 3 Mile Road, Traverse City).

Shop fresh local produce, baked goods, handmade items, and more while connecting with neighbors and supporting regional farmers and small businesses.

The market proudly accepts SNAP/EBT benefits and participates in the Grand Traverse County Senior Produce Program to help make fresh, local food accessible to all.

Be sure to visit our calendar for special events happening each week at the market!

Join us for BOOKENDs, Suttons Bay Bingham District Library’s book discussion group.

The group meets at 2pm on the second Thursday of each month (except July, August & December) in the library’s lower level Community Meeting Room.
Books for the upcoming month will be available at the library’s front desk, or use the Libby app to borrow the title from the library’s digital collection.

September’s selection is Travels with George by Nathaniel Philbrick.

Come hang out with us for live music. We'll be serving wine, seasonal cocktails, cider, coffee, and tapas-style small plates to share. Bring your crew or show up solo — Dune Bird is that kind of place.

This is a free event — no reservation required. Seating is first come, first served.

Please check our social media for the most up-to-date event information.

Enjoy the company of fellow book lovers while making the reading selections for the next 11 months.

Free Event.

Sponsored by Alden District Library and held at Helena Township Community Center, 8751 Helena Rd, Alden, 231-331-4318.

Join The Kingsley Folk School at Kingsley Branch Library for a relaxed, no-prep storytelling community circle. Inspired by NPR’s The Moth, the Everyone Has a Story series invites you to simply show up and share—no scripts, no pressure. Just real moments from your life, told in the moment.

Together, we’ll listen, laugh, reflect, and connect with neighbors through the power of spontaneous storytelling.

Participants are welcome to speak for up to 5 minutes, or simply come to enjoy the stories and the sense of community.

This gathering happens on the second Thursday of every month from 5:30–7:00 p.m. at the Kingsley Branch Library.

Event is free and open to all, with no registration required.

For more information or to request reasonable accommodations, please call the Library at 231-263-5484 or follow us on Facebook.

Join people from all walks of life for this informal story sharing circle. The format is simple: Participants sit in chairs in a circle and are asked to submit a one-two word prompt (ie “picnics” or “winter driving”) to the hat.

A topic is then pulled and each participant takes a turn sharing a brief (5+/- min) story from their life relating to the topic. We pick prompts until the event concludes. Participants are able to “pass” at any time if a story doesn’t come to them. The only rules: be kind, come with an open mind, and listen without comment or interruption when someone is sharing. This is a powerful experience and you’ll be surprised what you can learn about people’s lives.

Free to all

Known internationally as the “Musical Wakonyosai” — the Bicultural Music Samurai — Kurosawa has developed a singular approach to the guitar that defies easy categorization. His “Lovetap” technique fuses percussive fingerpicking, flamenco, and electric guitar effects into a live experience that draws from world music, jazz, folk, rock, and classical traditions simultaneously. Audiences and critics alike have struggled to contain him in a single genre.

Advance tickets for the concert are $20, with a $5 discount for students and seniors and $10 for children under 12. Tickets may be purchased online or at the box office. Tickets will be $5 more at the door on the evening of the performance.

The performance is presented as part of The Platform, a live performance series curated by the nonprofit Chalfonte Foundation, which brings nationally and internationally recognized artists to Elk Rapids in an intimate setting.

When you eat beef, pork, or poultry, you can thank the Holden Family of Almira Township, Benzie County. Perry, the son of Dennison and Helen Wilson Holden, conducted research on corn at Michigan Agricultural College (MAC), earning a Bachelor's and then a Master of Science (M.S.) there. He went on to earn an M.S. in Pedagogy from Michigan State Normal College (now Eastern Michigan University). He taught at MAC, taught science at Benzonia College, and became Superintendent of Benzie County schools. He took a position as Professor of Soil Physics and then Agronomy at the University of Illinois. He famously taught farmers throughout the Midwest, promoting hybrid seed corn for increased yield and vigor. Abundant corn made for greater livestock production.

Presenter: Dr. Roberta Dow

Dr. Roberta Dow was raised in the Holden Family home in Almira Township. She returned to the family farm after a varied career, which included research at the United States Department of Agriculture, serving as the Plant Pathologist of Bermuda, and then Assistant Director of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Parks of Bermuda. She taught at Cameron State University (OK), Christopher Newport College (VA), and Michigan State University. She was the Northern District Agent for the Michigan Groundwater Stewardship Program at MSU Extension.
She loves living in Benzie Co. and being able to xc ski, downhill ski, kayak, play tennis, swim, fish, and hike regularly. She’s not so sure about her farming.

This presentation is part of the Benzie Area Historical Society’s Benzonia Academy Lecture Series, held on the second Thursday of each month. Admission is by donation, with a recommended $5 donation.

To learn more about the September 10th lecture, visit the Benzie Area Historical Society’s website, benziemuseum.org, Instagram, or Facebook page; call the Museum at (231) 882-5539; or email info@benziemuseum.org.

The nonprofit Bay Community Theatre is launching two new programs in August, including a series of late-night horror films called Late Night Frights and a monthly author talk series called Words & Writers at The Bay.

Late Night Frights will bring some of the most popular horror and suspense films back to the big screen to scare and delight audiences. The series will kick off August 13 and
continue weekly through September 10, with screenings held every Thursday at 10:30pm. Tickets are just $7 per screening or $25 for a series package (a savings of $10). The theme for the first block of Late Night Frights films is “Social Nightmares” and includes a lineup of acclaimed thrillers with underlying themes of social or political satire. The roster includes:

Thursday, August 20 at 10:30pm: “Bodies Bodies Bodies” directed by Halina Reijn

Thursday, August 27 at 10:30pm: “Us” directed by Jordan Peele

Thursday, September 3 at 10:30pm: “Midsommar” directed by Ari Aster

Thursday, September 10 at 10:30pm: “Parasite” directed by Bong Joon Ho