May 11 Saturday
Old Town Playhouse is headed back to the '80s when hair was big, greed was good, collars were up and a wedding singer was the coolest guy in the room! It’s 1985, and rock star wannabe Robbie Hart is New Jersey's favorite wedding singer. He's the life of the party until his own fiancée leaves him at the altar. Shot through the heart, Robbie makes every wedding as disastrous as his own. Enter Julia, a winsome waitress who wins his affection. As luck would have it, Julia is about to be married to a Wall Street shark, and, unless Robbie can pull off the performance of a decade, the girl of his dreams will be gone forever.
May 12 Sunday
The Grand Traverse Audubon Club is offering bird walks on Sundays, April 7th through June 30th. Locations and meeting times will vary each week. Visit grandtraverseaudubon.org to find the times, locations, and map links. No experience necessary!
Enjoy Local Restaurant Special Pricing And Menu
Celebrate Mother's Day with a family-friendly art project by making your own paper flowers. Join the fun for free with the price of admission!
The Old Art Building came into being in 1922 as the result of planning and fundraising done by the Walter T. Best Women’s Club, led by Allie Mae Maro. In 1923 Allie Mae opened her own business, The Blue Lantern Tea Room which offered lunch as well as afternoon tea. Those who knew Allie Mae knew her to be a generous hostess and a great supporter of arts and culture in the region.
Drawing from all of this rich history, The Old Art Building is pleased to introduce the Blue Lantern Tea Room program monthly through the winter. We offer the intimate salon-style interaction with artists along with refreshments and tea to be enjoyed in the sunlit ambiance of this historical space.
Sunday, January 14"Art As Renewal" — Anne-Marie Ooman and Robert VivianWriters who have worked independently and in collaboration describe how the act of creating art can contribute to a sense of renewal both for the artist/writer and the reader.
Sunday, February 11"Classical Guitar" — Matthew Cochran and students from Interlochen Arts AcademyRenowned solo guitar composer/performer Matthew Cochran brings students from his studio to “air out” new compositions and talk about the inspiration and discipline it takes to bring a new composition to life.
Sunday, March 10"Bon Appetit" — An Operatic Biography of Julia ChildIndulge in what is arguably the world's most famous chocolate cake while getting the story straight from the baker’s mouth. An actual transcript of Julia baking her cake is masterfully set to music and sung by nationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Lindsey Anderson.
Sunday, April 14"She Does Shakespeare" — Women actors shake up ShakespeareArea actresses take their stab at famous scenes and monologues intended exclusively for men. We will be joined by actor/writer Shelby Lewis who has a wealth of experience in adapting The Bard for modern audiences. She and the actors will address the challenges and delights of reimagining these familiar words for women.
Sunday, May 12"Spring Madrigals" — A selection of seasonal vocal music from Leland Public School Honors ChoirIt’s May! Time for flower crowns, strawberries and cream, and a flourish of spring madrigals, performed by the youthful voices of the Leland Honors Choir.
Experiment with textures and ink with monoprinting at the Boardman River Nature Center! Whether you're a seasoned printmaker or a curious beginner, you’ll create something completely unique.
Participants will have the opportunity to create and take home three 9x12 prints and 5 charming greeting cards.
This workshop is recommended for ages 10+.
Registration: $35/person. Registration is limited and required at www.natureiscalling.org/events
May 13 Monday
Leelanau County artist Margo Burian’s collages have been chosen for display in the Glen Arbor Arts Center’s 2024-25 Outdoor Gallery exhibition, an annual, invitational exhibit. Burian’s collages are rooted in the idea of Ordinary Magic, or delight. They were reproduced on five, 5-foot-square, weather-resistant aluminum panels created by Image 360 of Traverse City, Michigan. The panels are installed on the GAAC’s south and west exteriors walls.Burian is a well-known painter of atmospheric land- and waterscapes, and historic farmsteads. The desire to communicate ideas in other media and materials isn’t new to her. “I’m drawn to collage because of its versatility and within that versatility; the opportunity to explore ideas and materiality,” Burian said. “More than 400 sheets of paper were used to create specific palettes for each image.” The GAAC’s Outdoor Gallery competition began in 2020. The gallery is a venue for the exhibition of visual art, and features the original work of a single artist. More information about the Margo Burian installation can be found at GlenArborArt.org/EXHBITS.
Bring a threads project and work among friends.
Join the Grand Traverse Humanists as we welcome David Milarch, founder of the Champion Tree Project and the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive. David and his two sons, Jared and Jake, have been working for years to preserve the genetics of old-growth forests for future generations. Together, they’ve traveled the globe to collect cuttings from ancient trees and cloned them to save their genetics, eventually planting them back in the wild.
David has received numerous awards for his efforts, including the Detroit News Michiganian of the Year and the Garden Clubs of America Distinguished Service Award, and his work is the subject of a book by New York Times science writer Jim Robbins (The Man Who Planted Trees: A Story of Lost Groves, the Science of Trees, and a Plan to Save the Planet.) David was also the most recent keynote speaker of the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council’s Environmentalist of the Year Celebration and previously won their highest honor, the Clarence Kroupa Award, for those who have shown a lifetime of achievement and commitment to the cause of environmental protection in northern Michigan.