Sleeping Bear Dunes and Manitou Islands Memorial Society Partner on Exhibit at Glen Lake Community Library

Date: March 20, 2014

The Glen Lake Community Library, 10115 Front Street, in Empire, Michigan, will host a special exhibit “Footprints in the Sand - Tracing the Path that Led to the Birth of the Village of South Manitou Island” from April 4 through May 17, 2014. The exhibit tells the story of the Village using historical photographs, maps, drawings and narrative. The display opens with a reception on Friday, April 4, 2014 from 6:00 t0 8:00 p.m. Refreshments will also be served. It then can be viewed during regular library hours 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday.

This will be the mainland showing of the exhibit before it moves to the newly restored Haas Cottage in the Village on South Manitou Island. The exhibit is a project of the Manitou Islands Memorial Society (MIMS) and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (National Lakeshore). For further information, call the Library at 231-326-5361 or Curator Laura Quackenbush at the National Lakeshore at 231-326-4734.

The “Footprints in the Sand” exhibit is the culmination of a 2007 grant awarded to MIMS by the Americana Foundation. The grant funded the rehabilitation of the historic Haas Cottage in the Village of South Manitou. With effective management by MIMS leaders and hundreds of volunteer hours, the project was completed under budget. The Americana Foundation then approved use of the remaining funds for interpretive exhibits on island history to be displayed in the restored cottage.  

The Haas Cottage is one of many projects that fulfill the MIMS’s goal to help “preserve the history and cultural resources of Michigan’s Manitou Islands by serving as volunteers and partnering with the National Lakeshore in delivery of rich visitor experiences.” Work on the cottage was conducted during the summers of 2008, 2009 and 2010 by MIMS volunteers and materials were organized by Gwen Glatz and  Rhonda Kruch. The exhibit was created by researcher Linda Henry and photographer David Fox, with additional support from National Lakeshore staff.  The original grant was secured from the Americana Foundation by Joe and Rhonda Kruch. The Michigan-based Americana Foundation supports programs that address the protection and preservation of expressions of America’s heritage.