Up Nort h Events SWEET SUMMER

by ALLISON JARRELL

Dive into June events across the North.

THURS 6/1

Les Cheneaux welcomes you to explore the legacy of Aldo Leopold, one of America’s most influential naturalists, during the annual Aldo Leopold Festival. Enjoy paddling excursions, orchid and wildflower tours, birding trips, forest bathing and other nature-based activities. May 31–June 4. aldoleopoldfestival.com

SAT 6/3

Celebrate the North’s most beloved veggie stalks at the annual Empire Asparagus Festival. There will be plenty of local asparagus eats, music and activities like the Kick-Yer Assparagus 5K Fun Run/Walk. empirechamber.com

FRI 6/9

Festivities for the 75th annual Mackinac Island Lilac Festival include the coronation of the Lilac Festival Queen and court, Lilac Festival Run/Walk, Mackin-Paws Dog Celebration, the Lilac Festival Grand Stationary Parade and much more. June 9–18. mackinacisland.org

SAT 6/10

The Leland Wine and Food Festival returns to The Leland Lodge with live music, wines from 13 local wineries and bites from Leland’s culinary scene. Come & Go wristbands allow you to explore Leland’s beaches and shops, and then return for more festival fun. $30 general admission. MyNorthTickets.com

SAT 6/10

The third annual Highlander Festival takes place in St. Ignace, featuring traditional Scottish Highland games, including caber toss, hammer, sheaf and stone games, as well as live music, a beer tent and food trucks. $5 entry for adults, kids under 10 are free. stignace.com

SAT 6/17

Accelerate the Cure hosts their 5th annual drive, where car enthusiasts raise awareness for Alzheimer’s and money to aid caregivers in our community. The drive begins at Grand Traverse Pavilions and finishes at PepeNero, both at Grand Traverse Commons. Check out the event info online for more stops and route details. MyNorthTickets.com

FRI 6/23

The Ragnar Trail Relay at Hanson Hills Recreation Area in Grayling spans two days and one night, with a team running relay-style on three smooth, single-track trails. Fun for all experience levels. hansonhills.org

Summer Sounds

by ROSS BOISSONEAU

A live-music primer on the season’s biggest events.

Come summer, live music wafts across the region, from restaurant patios and wineries to downtown parks and festival grounds. The region is dotted with musical happenings from Northport to Ludington and everywhere between— all of them destinations worthy of a road trip or a weekend away. Here’s what we’ve got on our calendar.

MICHIGAN LEGACY ART PARK SUMMER SOUNDS

Part hike, part art installation and always fun, the 30-acre preserve on the grounds of Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville hosts several shows each summer at its amphitheater in the woods. Take time to view the park’s collection of 50-plus works and 30 poetry stones. >

Interlochen Arts Festival

If you’re the type of person who lives for a chocolate sampler or beer tasting flight, Interlochen delivers the same feels for the eclectic music lover. This year’s headliners include ’80s throwback Styx, Motown royalty the Four Tops and Temptations, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and alt/pop touring phenom Train (whose devoted followers call themselves Trainiacs). Plus, performances by the hundreds of campers who study music, film, theater, visual arts, creative writing and dance at Interlochen Center for the Arts.

Great Lakes Center For The Arts

The concert hall in Bay Harbor celebrates its fifth year of bringing world-class performers to Northern Michigan. Progressive bluegrass mandolinist Sam Bush, multi-Grammy winners Arturo Sandoval and the Manhattan Transfer, and the original “rock band with horns” Chicago are among those on tap at the tiny waterfront community.

Bay View

This summer community near Petoskey began as part of a cultural, religious and political education movement called Chautauqua. Each year it hosts operas, musicals, chamber music, vespers performances and pops concerts. On the pops end, this summer brings Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox and Blood, Sweat & Tears.

Manitou Music

Talk about venues. The Glen Arbor Arts Center welcomes regional and national artists to perform at the center, as well as at scenic beaches and historical barns. This year’s artists in residence, PULSE Saxophone Quartet, will be performing at various spots from June 12–25.

National Cherry Festival

Traverse City’s Cherry Fest is more than just pie (though we’d never scoff at pie). Chicago is popping up here for a show, as is Theory of a Deadman, Jordan Davis and more. The bayside outdoor setting at the Open Space says summer like nothing else.

Baroque On Beaver

For 10 days, Beaver Island hosts singers and instrumentalists drawn from across the state and beyond who perform at churches, galleries, schools, even outside the lighthouse. And, despite the name, it’s not just Baroque music or even strictly classical.

Music In The Parks

Blues, rock, funk and R&B artists from Detroit, Grand Rapids and elsewhere perform in Cadillac, Manistee, Ludington, Pentwater, Reed City and Elberta on a different night each week.

The Pavilions

The lawn fills up with chairs, blankets, people, even the occasional four-legged visitor for these neighborhood concerts with a laid-back vibe. The Thursday night shows feature some of the area’s best talent (Miriam Pico, the Bay Area Little Big Band), bringing together Traverse City community members, visitors and Grand Traverse Pavilions residents.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT …

… the region’s many folk-inspired festivals, some of which offer camping: Spirit of the Woods (Brethren), Blissfest (Harbor Springs), Hoxeyville (Wellston), LivelyLands (Empire), Wheatland (Remus), Farm Fest (Johannesburg), Dunesville (Lake Ann). The Big Ticket Festival in Gaylord features Christian artists. Then there’s The Series at Lavender Hill Farm in Boyne City, Cedar Polkafest, the Northern Lights Music Fest in Escanaba (headlined this year by Keith Urban)—so much music, so little time.

Ross Boissoneau is based in Empire and writes about culture and business for a number of print and online publications. rossboissoneau@gmail.com