Jolynn Paige

Features Jolynn Paige After 20 years of marriage, Ian and Nancy Ashken are still deeply in love - with life, with each other, with their family… and with the Leelanau Peninsula. Ian and Nancy are also dedicated environmentalists, in love with the idea of planting trees, and with the idea of what is known as the Marriage Tree Project.

Art Jolynn Paige Many would say that the village of Northport at the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula has been in a bit of a slump over the past several years. Businesses have closed, including the town’s major employer, Leelanau Memorial Hospital. Families have been forced to move away due to lack of work, and the town’s school has seen a drop in enrollment.
But a renaissance is on the horizon, in the form of a declaration by the prolific and populous art community of Northport shouting out, “We are here. We love this place and we’re not going anywhere. Come join us!”
Woody Palmer, for example, is undaunted by stories of doom and gloom.