Historic LEGS INN, recently named by Thrillist.com as one of "21 DEFINITIVE AMERICAN FOOD, DRINK & TRAVEL DESTINATIONS," officially opens for the 2015 season on Friday May 15th. LEGS INN opens daily at 12:00 p.m. specializing in homemade authentic Polish (and American) cuisine. Guests can dine in one of the unusual dining rooms or among the beautiful outdoor gardens, with panoramic views and spectacular sunsets over Lake Michigan. The legendary JELLY ROLL BLUES BAND kicks off the live music season on Sunday May 24th. 2015 marks the 29th season for both George and Kathy Smolak, who along with sons Mark and Chris, operate this 90+ year old Northern Michigan family-owned business. Visit www.legsinn.com, "Like" us on Facebook or "Follow" us on Twitter or call 231.526.2281.
 

Birding with Knee High Naturalists will take place on Saturday, May 16th from 10:00-11:00 a.m. ast Spring Lake Park, between Petoskey and Harbor Springs. For 3-5 year olds (Siblings welcome to tag along.) Spring is an exciting time for youngsters to explore outdoors as nature awakens after the winter season. This program will begin with the story When Will It Be Spring? about a curious little cub anticipating spring while he's supposed to be asleep during the winter. Discussion about black bears, some "bearry" fun activities and a nature walk to look for signs of spring will be included. There is no charge for this event, but pre-registration is required online at www.landtrust.org or by calling 231.347.0991

Third Annual Getting Kids Outdoors Spring Kickoff at Pond Hill Farm is on May 17th from 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Activities will be available for toddlers to teens. Music will be offered by Blissfest. This event will be held rain or shine! Come the whole time or for just an hour. Nature-based vendors and businesses will be on-hand. Pack a lunch or purchase select items from The Garden Cafe. The event is free! GKO bags will be on sale and some will have prizes hidden. A raffle featuring a Youth Backpack from Bearcub Outfitters will be featured. Special thanks to all our event sponsors including our GKO partners and Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation. For more information, visit www.gettingkidsoutdoors.org.

Are you Ready for August 1st? Learn about the new CFPB regulations and how they will affect you May 19th 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at the Emmet County Community Center on 1129 Charlevoix Ave., (US 31 S) Petoskey. Lunch Provided By Julienne Tomatoes Deli & Bakery. The TILA/RESPA Integrated Disclosure Rule will require significant changes to the way financial institutions conduct their business effective August 1st. Real Estate Agents will need to understand the changes affecting mortgage qualifications, the new timeline for closing documentation, and the urgency applied to delivery of the closing disclosure. 1 Day=2 Available LEGAL Credit Hours. Presented by Devon Title Agency. Split Seminar with Jon Lyons & Bryan Leavitt with The Bank of Northern Michigan. Register online today, Registration Cost: $10.00.

Join us Thursday, May 21st from 5:30 - 8:30 pm for our 2nd Uncorked & Fired! Event at Petoskey Farms Vineyard & Winery.  We will feature Wood Fired Up pizzas for $10, wine by the glass for $5-7 and live music by Jeff Pagel. No reservations required. 

Tap, Yap, & Tails will be Thursday, May 21st from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Petoskey Brewing. This friendraising event is hosted by Diane Hansell and Marcie Wolf and will benefit Little Traverse Bay Humane Society. The fee of $50 includes one year of membership to LTBHS and great food and beverage pairings. Please RSVP if you would like to attend: http://www.abuzzcreative.com/friendraiser/index.html

Cork & Canvas - A Creative Evening, Thursday, May 21st, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Bring your friends for an evening of art and wine at Stafford's Gallery! $50, includes step-by-step instructions to create a one of a kind masterpiece on canvas. No painting talent required! We will up fast, call to reserve your spot, 231-347-0142.

Join the Village at Bay Harbor as we kick off summer in style during our annual Memorial Weekend Sidewalk Sales.  Come down and browse for great fashions, children's toys and accessories, boating supplies, women's accessories and more!  A long-standing tradition in the Village at Bay Harbor.  Friday, May 22nd - 10am - 6pm, 
Saturday, May 23rd - 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 24th - 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Upcoming Events at McLean & Eakin Booksellers. Saturday, May 23rd & Tuesday, May 26th. Popular Rep Night with Kate McCune of HarperCollins Publishers and Melissa Weisberg of Macmillan Publishers on Tuesday, May 26th from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. featuring their Top Fifteen books for good summer reading - books for all ages. Free wine and cheese event. Reservations are required. Children's author Jennifer Powell on Saturday, May 23rd from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. introducing her latest book, The Colors of Mackinac Island. Suitable for ages four and up as well as those with an interest in art or collage. After her program, Jennifer will be signing her books. Reservations requested. For more information contact McLean & Eakin Booksellers at 231.347.1180 or send an email to www.mcleanandeakin.com.

Headlands International Dark Sky Park hosts 'Saturn Rising' event Saturday, May 23rd. Gather at 9 p.m. Saturday to prepare for sunset, which is 9:12 p.m. The planet Saturn will be rising in the East just as the sun is setting in the West. Location: HERITAGE VILLAGE, MACKINAW CITY, which is an historic park located across the street from the Headlands International Dark Sky Park at 15675 Headlands Road, Mackinaw City. Details: Free; no reservations required! Important note: Please note this is a change in programming from what was printed for this date in the 2015 Program Brochure for the Headlands, both in time and in content. For more details, call (231) 348-1713 or email darksky@emmetcounty.org. Reminder: Meet at Heritage Village for this event.

Local Appreciation Day at Castle Farms! Explore the Castle for free! Castle Farms celebrates Memorial Day on Monday, May 25th, with free tours for local residents from 10:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. Bring your I.D. from Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego or Antrim County and visit the Castle for a FREE tour. Snowbirds, bring 3 pieces of mail addressed to you in one of these counties. All others enjoy discounted tour rates of $5 per person. See Norm, the Castle's dragon. Climb the railroad towers for a bird's eye view of the largest Outdoor Railroad in Michigan. Tour the great stone buildings, stroll the Castle gardens, visit the museum, view the collections, plus feed the fish in the Reflection Pond. Castle Farms, 5052 M-66, Charlevoix. (231) 237-0884.

Now open weekends - Lavender Hill Farms in Boyne City! Come experiece a Northern Michigan highlight and get ready for another fantastic season that includes lunch in lavender and more. Don't miss their Annual Plant Sale May 29th - 30th! Call for more pre-season information and weekend hours 231.582.3784 or visit www.lavenderhillmichigan.com

Help Make a Dog Park in Petoskey a Reality! Be a part of the Petoskey Lions Club Furry Scurry, Annual 5k Dog Walk on May 30th! Partnering with Ruff Life Outfitters, this event is a family and dog friendly, fun dog walk for the community to help raise funds and awareness. Registration fee is $20 for 1 dog and $5 for each additional dog.
Registration is at 9:00 a.m. and the walk is from 9:30 a.m. to Noon and takes place st Bay Front Park on teh Little Traverse Wheelway near the waterfall. All donations go to the "Petoskey Dog Park Fund".For more information visit call the Furry Scurry Infoline at 231-303-3017 or visit www.facebook.com/lionsfurryscurry.

Northwest Michigan Habitat for Humanity is seeking 30 volunteers to help with landscaping our most recent Habitat Home in Alanson. Volunteers are needed on Saturday May 30th from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. to help with yard clean up, seeding and spreading straw, planting plants and much more. Volunteers are asked to bring gloves and landscaping rakes and tools. Volunteers need to register by calling/emailing Mandy at 231-348-6926 or mandy@northwestmihabitat.org. By swinging a hammer, providing a meal, or lending a helping hand and positive voice on the jobsite, you can help make the dream of home ownership come true for local families. Call TODAY to make this dream come true! You'll never feel more appreciated (and you can learn new skills, too!).

Crooked Tree Arts Center's Annual Paint Out is on Saturday June 6th and Plein air painters encouraged to attend. This is an inspirational day where artists are challenged by whatever nature throws at them to create an expression of what the day unfolds. This event carries the excitement of immediacy with it and is an anticipated draw for all. Cash awards will be presented. Please mark your calendar and hopefully you will be able to participate. This event is free and open to all artists 18 and above. The Crooked Tree Arts Center Petoskey is located downtown Petoskey at 461 E. Mitchell Street. For more information please call the Arts Center at 231-347-4337 or visit www.crookedtree.org.

Tickets are now on sale for the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra's June concert entitles Americana. Performances are Sunday, June 7th, at 7:00 p.m. at John M. Hall Auditorium in Bay View. An ice cream social organized by the Northern Michigan Cultural Alliance will be held at Evelyn Hall adjacent to John M. Hall in Bay view at 5:00 p.m. There will also be a pre-concert talk at 6:15 p.m. with conductor Libor Ondras and a post-performance reception with refreshments with both events in Evelyn Hall. Ticket prices are $20 for general admission, and $35 and $50 for your choice of reserved seating.  Call 231-487-0010 or visit www.glcorchestra.org. General admission tickets are available at Chambers of Commerce: Boyne City, East Jordan, Harbor Springs and Petoskey.

Charlevoix Area Community Pool's 3rd annual "iTri Kids" is Saturday, June 13th, 2015! This triathlon for kids' grades K-12 offers 3 different swim-bike-run course designs to match ALL skill levels. Children as young as 5 have successfully completed this FUN event! Training camps are available every Wednesday and Friday from 3:30-5:00 pm, May 6th - June 10th.  Athletes will get acclimated to their course and practice/condition for the main event! Our training regimen was designed by an international triathlete, specifically for this event. Camp cost is $5 for a drop-in or $50 for all 11 sessions. Call the Pool for more information at 231.547.0982 or email info@charlevoixpool.org. Visit our website at www.charlevoixpool.org.

ANYTIME FITNESS is offering Free Outdoor workouts every Saturday in May. Members and non-members are welcome. Workouts will take place in the Anytime Fitness parking lot at 2170 Anderson Road in Petoskey at 10:00 am.  Get to a Healthier Place for summer!  For more details call us at 231-348-2500

Crooked Lake Sailors is having a special opportunity for adults to learn to sail in a 15-17ft dinghy starting on June 9th through July 9th, on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 - 8:00 p.m. Single cost is $280, bring a friend and save money with only $350 each. For more information or to reserve your spot call 231.838.7775 or visit www.crookedlakesailors.org 

Chestnut Valley Golf Course invites you to golf and dine with us. On Fridays we feature our all-you-can-eat lake perch dinner for $18.99 beginning at 4:00 p.m. On Saturdays we feature a 16 oz. cut of prime rib with salad, vegetable and choice of starch for $18.99 beginning at 5:00 p.m. To see our full menu, please visit www.chestnutvalleygolf.com.

We are beginning to utilize our Facebook page more to keep you up to date on what is happening at Greenwood Cemetery.  We have been posting photos lately to show the beauty of Greenwood. We have also posted some historical photos of Petoskey. We will post announcements of when the water will be turned on (and off) and when the gates will be closed. We are beginning to post stories of some of the Civil War Veterans interred in Greenwood. If you enjoy local history you will enjoy their stories. You can "like" us at our website at www.gwood.us The "Like" button is on the right side of the home page.

Furniture & Equipment Exchange - On Char-Em United Way's Volunteer Connections Website. Created to help satisfy business & non-profit 'need' as relates to the donation of used furniture and office equipment. Sometimes businesses 'need' to give it away items due to remodeling etc., and would like to donate. Non-profits often 'need' to receive these items rather than spend precious resources which could be used in programming. Any offer of service or a donation will be shared with those registered. If you'd like to receive an automatic email each time something is offered, become a FAN. www.charemunitedway.org/volunteer For more information contact us at 231-487-1006 or info@charemunitedway.org

Opening For The Season - Emmet County Sportsmen Club. The club will be opening for the season this Thursday for regular shooting on our Thursday, Saturday and Sunday schedule. Sporting Clays is being set up this week, and we will be ready for Clays this Saturday. Tyler has been up and has gone through all the equipment and assures us it is working well. More info at emmetcountysportsmensclub.com  

Join Esperance for dinner and shop in the re-imagined space our market has been in for over a decade.  For dinner reservations and more information call 231.237.9300.  Click to see the current menu. Our bar is ready to take care of you during all business hours. Come in anytime the market is open or during dining hours and try our new and comfortable bar stools and let us mix you a drink or pour you a glass of wine or one of our delicious beers on tap. Esperance is the only place in Charlevoix with two Sommeliers on staff to take care of all your beverage needs. Travis Tache has come on board recently. For more information, call 231.237.9300 or visit www.esperancewine.com

Congratulations to the April's MacGregor Cares winner, Boyne Falls Logger Enrichment Organization! MacGregor Cares - Monthly Community Giving Program May's MacGregor Cares participants are: Pellston Kindergarten, Boyne Area Free Clinic and Camp Quality Michigan. One of these fine groups will win $500 from MacGregor Plumbing & Heating. Click the link below to vote! Do you know of a group, organization or fundraiser that needs help in the community? We're here to help them reach their goals. Nominate by clicking the following link! http://www.macgregorplumbing.com/macgregor-cares