Little Traverse Historical Museum opened for the summer today, May 22nd. Hours will be Monday-Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Admission $3.00 and Members are always free. The Little Traverse Historical Museum is located at 100 Depot Court, Petoskey. For more information call 231-347-2620 or visit http://www.petoskeymuseum.org/

Another summer season is upon Northern Michigan and it's the time of year that Emmet County reopens the McGulpin Point Lighthouse and Historic Site in Mackinaw City. The lighthouse will open on Friday, May 22, 2015; new extended hours this season are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. There is no admission charge for the lighthouse or to climb the tower, though donations are appreciated. To read more about McGulpin Point's history as one of Emmet County's oldest properties, visit www.emmetcounty.org/mcgulpin/. The lighthouse is located at 500 Headlands Road, Mackinaw City. Phone is (231) 436-5860 in season. For more information, email beckerle@emmetcounty.org or call (231) 348-1704.

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.

Walstrom Marine, Harbor Springs Showroom Opening Day Picnic is set for this coming Saturday, May 23rd from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Walstrom Marine Showroom in Harbor Springs.  Come and see your boating friends and help us launch the 2015 summer boating season!  The main attractions continue to be boats from Tiara, Pursuit, and Chris-Craft.  We look forward to seeing you on Saturday!

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.

Upcoming Event at McLean & Eakin Booksellers. 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. For more information contact McLean & Eakin Booksellers at 231.347.1180 or send an email to www.mcleanandeakin.com.

Learn about planning the perfect summer garden this May at the Petoskey District Library. Join Master Gardener Doreen Jagodnik as she shares her expertise with the public as part of Hobbies in the Lobby at 1:00 p.m. Friday, May 29th.  Doreen will discuss how to plan and assess a suitable location for your garden, how to choose and pick the best plants from a nursery and will share other tips and answer questions about annual and perennial gardens.  Hobbies in the Lobby is open to the public.  To reserve a seat call 231-758-3100.

Reserve Now! Pond Hill Farm's Farm to Table Dinner is May 30th - Five course gourmet meal created using their farm raised meats, produce, and herbs. Cost is $60/person. Call 231-526-3276 for reservations. 

Building Homes, Community and Hope is not possible without our dedicated volunteers! We are currently seeking volunteers to help with Landscaping in Alanson on Saturday May 30th from 9:00 - 3:00, for more information please email mandy@northwestmihabitat.org or visit www.northwestmihabitat.org/volunteer.

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 the 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.

Home Builders Association of Northern Michigan announces their Pre Builders License 60 Hour Class. Monday thru Friday, June 1st thru June 5th. Cost is $1200.00 General Public (includes 1 year HBA membership, a total $1475 value. $1000.00 - General Public - $850.00 current Builder, Associate, or Affiliate Members. For more information and to download a registration form visit www.hbanorthernmichigan.org

The 6th Annual Smart Commute Week is June 1st through 5th. Smart Commute Week is an event that encourages people to walk, bike and carpool to work and raises awareness of the health, environmental and community impacts of commuting choices. 

Last year, as a community, we burned 131,500 calories, saved 325 gallons of gas, and reduced our CO2 emissions by 6,488 pounds. Our goal is to keep growing this community-wide event and get more people smart commuting year round. We have great sponsorship opportunities available.Please contact Karen McCue kmccue70@gmail.com or the Trails Council if you have additional questions.

Golfers are invited to participate in the North Central Michigan College Foundation's 19th annual Scramble for Scholarships golf outing, Thursday, June 11th, at the Little Traverse Bay Golf Club. Fifth Third Bank is the event sponsor for this year's outing, and all proceeds from the event go to the Foundation Scholarship Fund to benefit students. Registered teams of four players will enjoy a day of golf, lunch and dinner. Each golfer will receive a great door prize sponsored by Tim Bondy Physical Therapy, Aquatic Therapy and Wellness Centers.  Other sponsors include Ferris State University, Colorphonic, Inc. and Harbor/Brenn Agencies. There are openings for teams as well as hole sponsorships and prize donations.  For more information, contact the Foundation at 231-439-6218 or e-mail sdulaney@ncmich.edu. 

Charlevoix Area Community Pool's 3rd annual "iTri Kids" is June 13th! This triathlon for kids' grades K-12 offers 3 different swim-bike-run course designs to match all abilities (swimming aids allowed). $25 if registered by June 1st; $30 after June 1st. Each participant will receive an official "iTri" 2015 T-shirt, swim cap, and medal of accomplishment. Training camps Wednesdays & Fridays through June 10th. Call the Pool for more information at 231.547.0982 or email info@charlevoixpool.org. Download a registration sheet on our website - 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

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  

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