6th Annual Lakeshore Harvest Ride / Saturday September 9th

The 6th Annual Lakeshore Harvest Ride will be on Saturday, September 9. It is a unique bike tour (not a race!) over the rolling countryside near the shores of Lake Michigan. Unlike many bike tours, the Ride’s cyclists don’t just pass by scenic farms, art galleries, wineries, and vineyards, they can stop at them to sample their harvest. 

All of the net proceeds go to support the work of the "Friends of the Blue Star Trail" (not for profit) in the construction of an off-road, recreational 20 mile pathway connecting South Haven and Saugatuck along the scenic shore of Lake Michigan.

The event also includes a freshly made lunch from the Glenn Store, and each stop offers water for the bikers – and most offer snacks, too.  Save $15.00 and register for as little as $35.00 if you do so before August 15th, 2017.  Also, check out our website for discounts on area accommodations.  Go to www.LHRide.com to register and for more information.

Start your Ride in Douglas or South Haven, MI and choose from 4 routes between 15 to 62 miles in length.  Visit family farms, orchards, wineries and art studios   Depending on the route you choose, your tour will include many of the stops listed below.  Relax and take your time enjoying the stops.  The best part:  The Lakeshore Harvest Ride team offers “concierge” service to all bikers – we pick up any purchases you make and deliver them back to you at the starting line.  Just put them in your car and drive away!

An additional 5% of sales from participating venues will be donated to "Friends of the Blue Star Trail". The organization coordinates the Lakeshore Harvest Ride, in co-operation with the Saugatuck-Douglas Visitors Bureau, the South Haven Visitor Bureau, the Lakeshore Harvest Country and Blue Coast Artists groups. For more information visit their website http://www.fotbst.org and FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/MyBlueStarTrail/

Tour Stops:

·     Bumbleberry Acres, farm stop.

·     Cogdal Vineyards; winery.

·     Dee’s Lakeshore Farm; farm stop.

·     Fenn Valley Vineyards, winery.

·     The Blue Coast Artists at the Glenn Community Center; lunch & SAG. 

·     Khnemu Studio; artist’s studio.

·     McIntosh Apple Orchards & Winery; cider and wine stop.

·     Overhiser Orchards; farm stop.

·     Ridley Family Sugar Farm; farm stop.

·     Riverbend Berries; farm stop.

·     Virtue Cider; cider and wine stop.

Saugatuck Women's Club Presentation June 9th, 2017

A history of the Renovation and Re-use of The Peachbelt Schoolhouse June 9th 2017 @2pm.

Oxbow "Art on the Meadow" Workshop June 19th-23, 2017

"Drawing from Nature"

In this multi-level workshop we will explore the rich botanical world of Oxbow’s 115 acre campus. Together we will practice the mediums of charcoal, conte crayons, and ink on paper as vehicles for what inspiration and sense of connectedness we may find. 

Special emphasis will be given to the relationship between figure and ground, where and how drawing intersects painting with color, where observation intersects interpretation, and the individual and expressive personality of line-making.

Prior experience helpful, but not necessary.

Register here beginning May, 8th 2017 or call 269-857-5811

tuesday talks 2015

When the bell rings at 11am Tuesday August 4th, I shared the story of the Peachbelt Schoolhouse (ca 1867) rehabs and its various incarnations. The Tuesday Talks series at the Saugatuck-Douglas History Center's Old Schoolhouse on Center St. in Douglas is free and open to the public.  The Society's current 2016 exhibit "Water" is on view at the Pump House Museum. The Society has the largest membership of any Historical Society in Michigan! 

MORSA presentation 2014

This spring I was asked to be a presenter at the MORSA’s annual conference.  Yes, there really is a Michigan One Room Schoolhouse Association! The theme was Adaptive Uses of One-Room Schoolhouses.This was the first time I sat down with my photo archive and pulled together a slide presentation of the entire history of the schoolhouse from my earliest 1880’s photo through to the present. I learned at the conference that there are 19 schoolhouses in Michigan still in operation.