The 28th Street Metro Cruise takes place Aug. 27 and 28 in Wyoming and Kentwood. But Cascade will host a “Warm-Up” — with lots of fun and cars — on Thursday, Aug. 26. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)
After being canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cascade Metro Cruise Warm-Up returns to Cascade Township where it will welcome classic car lovers and community members of all ages.
This year’s event will take place from 4:30-8:30 p.m., on Thursday, Aug. 26, in the parking lot at Fowling Warehouse Grand Rapids, 6797 Cascade Road SE. The free-to-attend event will feature activities for car enthusiasts, music lovers, families and children, including classic show cars, music by The Soul Syndicate, and face painting and balloon sculpting for the little ones.
There will also be variety of dinner and dessert options available from local food trucks, including Patty Matters, The Grilled Greek, O’Hana Ice and Mexcellente.
“The Cascade Metro Cruise Warm-Up is a wonderful way for residents of all ages to get outdoors, have fun and connect with neighbors,” Sandra Korhorn, Cascade Township economic development director, said in supplied material. “We are beyond excited to return this year and gather with the community to listen to great music, grab a bite to eat and, of course, admire dozens of classic cars.”
The Cascade Metro Cruise Warm-Up leads into the 28th Street Metro Cruise, West Michigan’s premiere auto cruise and car show set for Friday, Aug. 27 through Saturday, Aug. 28, at Wyoming’s Rogers Plaza and Kentwood’s Woodland Mall.
Cascade’s Metro Cruise Warm-Up will also feature a silent auction that will benefit the Kent County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit. The Kent County Sheriff’s Office will auction off two ride-alongs with the K-9 Unit. Each ride-along will consist of a six-hour patrol shift that will “give participants the opportunity to see the role of law enforcement from a unique perspective,” according to supplied material. Participants must be 18 years or older and pass a criminal background check. The K-9 Unit will also perform a live demonstration at 7 p.m.
For more information on the Cascade Metro Cruise Warm-Up visit the Township’s website or the event’s Facebook page.
The three-night WinterFest Jazz Festival will feature Christian McBride and plenty of his “friends”, including on Feb. 25 special guest jazz singer Cyrille Aimée will be featured. (Supplied)
“RoundAgain” is the title of a 2020 studio album by a quartet consisting of modern jazz powerhouses Joshua Redman on saxophone, Brad Mehldau on piano, Christian McBride on bass, and Brian Blade on drums.
The album was released without the usual touring support July 2020 after being recorded in New York City, in September 2019 — just before the music world’s abrupt touring shutdown as the COVID-19 pandemic hit us all.
St. Cecilia Music Center, as part of its 2021-22 concert season filled with “hope of bringing audiences back to Royce Auditorium” after its own shutdown, has its own plans to bring touring jazz “round again” — with Redman and McBride leading the effort as both are scheduled to make appearances in 2022, including McBride hosting the delayed WinterFest Music Festival in February.
“We are thrilled and thankful to begin again in 2021–22 with live concerts featuring most of the artists who were scheduled to appear this past season and had to be sidelined due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Cathy Holbrook, St. Cecilia executive and artistic director said in supplied material at the time of the season announcement. “These great artists are looking forward to getting back out on tour to perform in front of live audiences and to bring music back to concert stages in the U.S. and worldwide.”
And local jazz fans can’t wait for their return as well.
Joshua Redman Quartet (Supplied)
St. Cecilia’s jazz offerings will include WinterFest, an event featuring 7-time Grammy-winning jazz bassist McBride “with some of his most talented musical collaborators” for a three-evening festival Feb. 24 -26.
The St. Cecilia Spectacular Jazz Series itself will include saxophonist Redman on Jan. 20, Grammy and Tony award-winning jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater together with pianist Bill Charlap on March 10, and acclaimed trombonist, composer and producer Delfeayo Marsalis with his Uptown Jazz Orchestra on April 14.
“It was important to us to bring the artists we had booked this past season for the upcoming 2021-22 season … Recreating that amazing line-up gives us hope for the future.” Holbrook said. “We are also thrilled to announce that our new WinterFest Jazz Festival was able to be rescheduled for the same week” just one year later.
Jazz season opens in January, but tickets available now
Joshua Redman on Jan. 20. Redman, a ceaselessly innovative saxophonist, and his band “evoke a sound that is both challenging and provocative to hard-swinging, melodic, and soulful – music with a joyous and celebratory spirit,” according to supplied material. Redmond’s latest album is “Come What May” was released in Spring 2019 — at which tome JazzTimes said of Redman, he is “unparalleled among horn players today.”
Dee Dee Bridgewater (Supplied)
Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap on March 10. Two Grammy winners will share the stage as Grammy and Tony Award-winning jazz vocalist Bridgewater and world- renowned pianist Bill Charlap pay a visit. Bridgewater, over the course of a multifaceted career spanning four decades, “has ascended to the upper echelon of vocalists, putting her unique spin on standards, as well as taking intrepid leaps of faith in re-envisioning jazz classics,” according to supplied material. Charlap has performed and recorded with many leading artists of our time, ranging from jazz masters Phil Woods and Wynton Marsalis to singers Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand. Since 1997, he has led the Bill Charlap Trio, now recognized as one of the leading groups in jazz.
Delfeayo Marsalis on April 14. Marsalis — of the deep and deeply-talented Marsalis musical family — will lead his Uptown Jazz Orchestra in a performance of big band favorites. Over the course of his music career, acclaimed trombonist, composer and producer Marsalis has been praised for his “technical excellence, inventive mind and frequent touches of humor.” He has also been called one of “the best, most imaginative and musical of the trombonists of his generation.” Marsalis, an NEA Jazz Master, has shared the bandstand with jazz legends Art Blakey, Max Roach and Elvin Jones, as well as pop icons Fats Domino, Ray Charles and George Clinton.
St. Cecilia WinterFest Jazz Festival 2022
Acclaimed Grammy–winning jazz bassist McBride will bring plenty of his “friends” to town for a three-day festival: Feb. 24 will feature McBride and Edgar Meyer for a double “double bass” extravaganza; Feb. 25 will be a traditional jazz show showcasing McBride’s celebrated jazz career with his trio and special guest jazz singer Cyrille Aimée; Feb. 26 will be an evening with Christian McBride’s quintet, Inside Straight, for “an unforgettable night of energetic and inspiring jazz.”
Christian McBride, no stranger to St. Cecilia Music Center, will return in a big way in 2021 (Supplied)
McBride, deservedly, has been called a “force of nature, fusing the fire and fury of a virtuoso with the depth and grounding of a seasoned journeyman.” With a career now into its third decade, the Philadelphia native has become one of the most requested, most recorded, and most respected figures in the music world today.
His range and recording span the spectrum of music: from jazz (McCoy Tyner, Roy Haynes, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny) to R&B (Isaac Hayes, Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, and the one and only Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown) to pop/rock (Sting, Paul McCartney, Carly Simon) to hip-hop/neo-soul (The Roots, Queen Latifah) to classical (Kathleen Battle, Edgar Meyer, Shanghai Quartet).
Meyer is in demand as both a performer and a composer. The New Yorker called him “…the most remarkable virtuoso in the relatively un-chronicled history of his instrument”, Meyer’s unparalleled technique and musicianship in combination with his gift for composition have brought him to the forefront, where he is appreciated by a vast, varied audience.
Grammy-nominated vocalist Aimée ventured from singing on street corners in Europe to dazzling audiences at the world’s most prestigious jazz festivals; from sneaking out to sing in gypsy encampments in her native France to acting on Broadway; from braving the notoriously tough audiences at New York’s Apollo Theatre to being called a “rising star in the galaxy of jazz singers” by The New York Times.
Inside Straight is Christian McBride’s quintet formed in 2009. “Kind of Brown,” the quintet’s debut studio album, was released in 2009 when Will Lyman of PopMatters wrote “This music is unselfconsciously traditional: it’s fun; it swings…it’s not experimental, but it gives superb voice to several brilliant players and one new discovery. In 2013, the quintet released “People Music”, which one reviewer said “The new album finds the quintet in hard-swing mode, delivering what they call “more road-tested, ‘lived-in’ Inside Straight” in an accessible way, and one that makes the audience part of the experience.”
Tickets and COVID pandemic details
Season subscription and single concert tickets to the 2022 SCMC WinterFest Jazz Festival and Spectacular Jazz Series are available online at scmc-online.org or by calling 616-459-2224.
At this date, St. Cecilia states on its website that it “will require proof of fully-vaccinated status, or a negative COVID test taken within 48 hours, to attend a concert at our venue…. SCMC is also highly recommending that all attendees wear a mask while in the building. Attendees will need to bring ID and proof of vaccination the night of a concert. We will continue to monitor the COVID environment and may change policies at any time if necessary. … All ticket holders will be notified if mandatory mask requirements are in effect for a particular show by an artist.”
If SCMC is able to offer post-concert CD-signing receptions, all ticket-holders may be able to meet some of the artists and obtain signed CDs of their releases. Further information will be announced closer to the start of the season on whether COVID restrictions will allow SCMC to hold receptions.
SCMC WinterFest Jazz Festival individual concerts include Christian McBride and Edgar Meyer on Thursday, Feb. 24, with single tickets at $50 and $55; Christian McBride Trio and Cyrille Aimee on Friday, Feb. 25, with single tickets at $40 and $45; and Christian McBride & Inside Straight on Saturday, Feb. 26, with single tickets at $40 and $45.
Bob O’Callaghan, President/CEO of the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce, talks about the chamber’s Metro Cruise expanding out to a second location in 2021, at the Woodland Mall.
People who have a history of cruising with the 28th Street Metro Cruise know it once extended from Cascade to Wyoming, with Woodland Mall a good middle point turnaround for some.
Bob O’Callaghan, President/CEO of the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce, the hosting organization of the Metro Cruise, would like to see those days return.
But this year, just having the event extend its footprint and have a presence at Woodland Mall is a big step in the right direction.
“Woodland (Mall) has been an endpoint for a lot of folks going east,” O’Callaghan said to WKTV. “We are trying to get more people in Cascade, or whatever, doing events that go all the way, the full 13 miles. But at this point Woodland has been a great way to do that.”
The 28th Street Metro Cruise officially kicks-off Friday, Aug. 27, at 4 p.m., at its usual and main location at Rogers Plaza in Wyoming, and will continue Saturday, Aug. 28.
Rogers Plaza mall parking lot in Wyoming is always a focal point for the 28th Street Metro Cruise. (WKACC)
As in past years, the Rogers Plaza mall parking lot will feature food trucks and concessionaires, hundreds of collector cars, a kid’s entertainment area, a community awards ceremony, the crowd-favorite Miss Metro Cruise competition finals, live music on the Metro-Main Stage, and the popular Dynamometer car testing area where attendees can see cars rev up to 160 mph. (For more information and schedule of events visit 28thstreetmetrocruise.com.)
But at the second Main Event site, located on the off 28th Street at Woodland Mall, on Saturday, Aug. 28, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., will feature a wide array of collector, sports, and antique cars. It will also feature multiple food vendors including local food trucks, and official Metro Cruise merchandise.
“The good thing about this event here at Woodland Mall is that it is an opportunity for some of the folks in Cascade, Ada, who usually drive down to Rogers Plaza but don’t want to, have a closer venue,” O’Callaghan said. “We’ll have a lot of folks come into see the cars, and we’ll have a lot of folks just want see what it is. … It is a great opportunity for people to come in, park, look at the cars, and have a good time.”
O’Callaghan also expressed gratitude to the management of Woodland Mall for working with the Metro Cruise — “We are glad to have them be part of this for this year and hope it grows.”
And Woodland Mall is happy to be part of the festivities.
“We are looking forward again to welcoming the 28th Street Metro Cruise to Woodland Mall,” Mikia Ross, interim senior marketing director for Woodland Mall, said to WKTV. “In addition to providing shoppers and guests with an excellent selection of shopping, dining and entertainment offerings, we also host many free events and programs for the community to enjoy year-round. … Metro Cruise is one of many events we’ve been grateful to be a part of again this year to bring the West Michigan community together.”
“As children, we all live in a world of imagination, of fantasy, and for some of us that world of make-believe continues into adulthood.”
Puppeteer and Muppets creator Jim Henson
You’ve Got a Friend
George Keen, left, and Ralph Baker on The Racing Show, taped by WKTV in January, 2020. (WKTV)
George Keen was a friend and mentor for many at WKTV. Known as the face of the popular “The Racing Show,” George would lend his natural broadcast talents to a number of WKTV projects such as DreamWheels at Metro Cruise and the sports show. General Manager Tom Norton writes “Something tells me that if Heaven has racing and they want the new guy to ‘call the race,’ everyone back here who knew George would recommend him highly.” WKTV thanks George’s family for sharing this man of many talents with us.
Revving up for Metro Cruise
It’s hard to believe that Metro Cruise is only a week away, but it is! The largest car show in West Michigan has a ton of events including a Wyoming versus Kentwood chicken wings challenge. Of courses, the cars will be the cente point with them lined up along 28th Street. Bonus: this year there will be two main locations, Rogers Plaza and Woodland Mall. For more on this year’s event, click here. For a look at past events, click here. The Metro Cruise schedule is available at wktvjournal.org and 28thstreetmetrocruise.com.
Forward Thinking
Scenes form “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition”, coming to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum this fall. (SEE Attractions)
ArtPrize is on the horizon for Sept. 16 – Oct. 3 but there are several other cool events coming into Grand Rapids this fall as well. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum will be hosting “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition.” The immersive visual experience is set to open Oct. 22. The Grand Rapids Art Museum will be featuring the work of Kelly Church and Cherish Parrish, members of the Gun Lake Tribe, Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band. The two are renowned for their artistry in black ash basketry. And the John Ball Zoo recently announced it will bring back IllumiZoo Wild Hues this fall. Guests will be able to stroll through an illuminated landscape of nature drenched with lighting and sounds. IllumiZoo will run Sept. 3 to Nov. 14.
La Marquise, the oldest running car in the world. (Public Domain)
Fun Fact: 137 years old and still running
Currently holding the title of the oldest running car is the La Marquise from France. The vehicle was manufactured in 1884 by De Dion, Bouton, and Trepardoux. The car was built as a prototype named after De Dion’s mother, and it was based on a quadricycle design. In 1987, an Englishman bought the car from a French auction and brought it home. After working on the car, he was able to get it running and it was the oldest car in the 1996 London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. The car was given the number “0” for the race. In a 2011 auction, the car sold for more than four and half million dollars. It is in a private collection.
Five contestants, including at least two from Kentwood, pulled out their cutlery and their eye for beauty recently as the the Kentwood Farmers Market held its first-ever Charcuterie Challenge, which had the entries given 30 minutes to first buy items from the market and then prepare a charcuterie plater for pubic vote.
The Aug. 12 challenge, eventually won by Lisa Hopkins, included contestants Amy Richey, Marne Becker-Baratta, Trang Wilbur and Joshua Knepper.
The competition took place during the Kentwood Farmers Market, located weekly behind Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE, with the finished boards on display and market-goers able to watch the competitors build their boards and then vote for their favorite. The winner received a gift courtesy of the Kentwood Farmers Market.
In the French tradition, charcuterie (pronounced “shahr-ku-tuh-ree”) is the art of preparing and assembling cured meats and meat products. The idea of charcuterie has evolved over the years to include an assortment of meats, cheeses, veggies and other items.
The market randomly selected five challengers out of a group of applicants to each receive $25 and 30 minutes to shop the market and assemble a one-of-a-kind charcuterie board using only those purchased ingredients.
“Charcuterie has become such a fun, popular way to display and enjoy a variety of food,” market manager Kristina Colby said prior to the event. “We are looking forward to seeing all the creative ways challengers showcase local foods found at the Kentwood Farmers Market and use the beautiful, handmade charcuterie boards Handcrafted by Fellow is suppling for the competition.”
The Kentwood Farmers Market’s first-ever Charcuterie Challenge Aug. 12. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
At the Kentwood Farmers Market’s first-ever Charcuterie Challenge Aug. 12, farmers market manager Kristina Colby, center, prepares the chefs for the challenge. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
At the Kentwood Farmers Market’s first-ever Charcuterie Challenge Aug. 12, contestant Joshua Knepper is out shopping at the market. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
At the Kentwood Farmers Market’s first-ever Charcuterie Challenge Aug. 12, contestant Amy Richey (of Kentwood) is out shopping at the market. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
At the Kentwood Farmers Market’s first-ever Charcuterie Challenge Aug. 12, the contestants start their work. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
At the Kentwood Farmers Market’s first-ever Charcuterie Challenge Aug. 12, contestant Lisa Hopkins — and eventual winner — prepares her plate. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
At the Kentwood Farmers Market’s first-ever Charcuterie Challenge Aug. 12, contestant Joshua Knepper prepares his plate. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
At the Kentwood Farmers Market’s first-ever Charcuterie Challenge Aug. 12, contestant Marne Becker-Baratta (of Kentwood) prepares her plate. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
At the Kentwood Farmers Market’s first-ever Charcuterie Challenge Aug. 12, contestant Trang Wilbur prepares her plate. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Now in it’s 53rd year, the annual Fallasburg Arts Festival is presented by LowellArts and will be held on Sept. 18 and 19. The 2-day, outdoor festival includes 100 fine art and fine crafts booths, live music on a central stage, food booths supporting local non-profit organizations, a children’s craft area, and traditional craft demonstrations in the pavilion. Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 10am-5pm. Admission is free. Parking is $5 per car. Location: Fallasburg Park, 1124 Fallasburg Park Drive, Lowell, MI, 49331. For more information, visit lowellartsmi.org/fallasburg-arts-festival.
Artist booths are juried and a broad range of different mediums are represented including: jewelry, sculpture, ceramics, glass, fiber, mixed media, wood, painting, drawing, photography, floral, basketry, and more. Demonstrators of traditional crafts are located in the pavilion. Visitors of all ages are invited to watch the artisans at work. Demonstrations include: mosaic, fly tying, quilting, weaving, embroidery, needlefelting, and more.
Musical entertainment is held on an outdoor stage both days of the event, featuring a variety of music styles. Saturday music line-up: 10:15 Eli Roe Music, 11:30 Hawks and Owls, 1:00 The Weatherheads, 2:30 Paddy’s Cure, 4:00 Bruce Matthews Band. Sunday music line-up: 10:15 Easy idle String Band, 11:30 Blue Water Ramblers, 1:00 B-Side Growlers, 2:30 The Adams Family, 4:00 The Wild Honey Collective.
An enclosed Children’s Area provides children the opportunity to decorate and take home a pumpkin. Food booths offer an array of fall-inspired and festival foods, offered by local community organizations. Visitors are invited to purchase raffle tickets to win one of over 75 artist-made items donated by festival artists, or the grand prize quilt, created by Mary Kidwell Tobin for the event. Annual attendance estimates are 25,000. Event sponsors are Fifth Third Bank, Meijer, and All-Weather Seal.
Fallasburg Park is located off Lincoln Lake Road north of downtown Lowell at 1124 Fallasburg Park Drive, Lowell, MI. Lowell is located 14 miles east of Grand Rapids and 1-hour from Lake Michigan and Lansing. For more information, contact LowellArts at (616) 897-8545, e-mail info@lowellartsmi.org.
The centuries old tradition of black ash basketry will be the focus of the Grand Rapids Art Museum’s next installment of its Michigan Artist Series.
Set to open Aug. 28, “The Black Ash Basketry of Kelly Church and Cherish Parrish,” features the work of the mother-and-daughter team who are members of the Gun Lake Tribe, Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band.
“The black ash tree is an integral part of who we are, from creation stories to blood memories, to the baskets that we make today,” Artist Kelly Church said. “We start with the black ash tree, and we do all of the processing—we harvest it, we process it, we cut it, and then we make a basket that tells a story of our life today. We’re combining the traditions of our past that have been carried on for thousands of years.”
The artists and their family come from an unbroken line of black ash basket makers. The Anishinabe originally made baskets purely for utility, weaving them in various sizes for carrying, collecting, and storing. As a broader appreciation for Native baskets developed, their ancestors began creating decorative baskets to sell and bolster the tribal economy. Church and Parrish draw on these traditions to create more topical and experimental works. An Interwoven Legacy powerfully demonstrates both their astonishing artistry and their urgent advocacy on behalf of Native traditions.
The exhibition emphasizes two of the artists’ primary motivations: the importance of maintaining the basketmaking tradition within their culture, and their advocacy for the black ash tree’s survival, which is being decimated by an invasive insect, the emerald ash borer. These issues are critically important for people whose cultural survival depends on passing traditions on to the next generations, whether through language, ceremonies, or practices like basketry.
Church added, “Cherish and I take our old traditional teachings and we combine it with the contemporary stories of who we are as Natives in 2021. We are the largest basket weaving family in Michigan, and the fact that we can carry it on this long, to me shows strength and resilience of who we are.”
On exhibit through February 26, the artists will debut more than 20 new works in An Interwoven Legacy that focus on the centuries-old tradition of black ash basketry. The exhibit will be a mix of traditional baskets and the contemporary ones that draw on Native history and storytelling.
“The Grand Rapids Art Museum’s exhibition presents the work of two Michigan basket makers who are nationally-recognized for their remarkable level of skill and craft,” said GRAM Chief Curator Ron Platt. “In Kelly Church and Cherish Parrish’s family, basket weaving has been handed down from one generation to the next, extending back centuries. Their work is especially powerful for the way it balances tradition with their concerns about the environment, both here in West Michigan, and nationally.”
Kelly Church demonstrates her work. (Courtesy)
Accompanying the exhibition will be documentary elements illustrating the strenuous process of harvesting black ash trees and preparing the splints for basketmaking, as well as stories and background information from Church and Parrish about the works on view.
Complementing the exhibition will be several related programming and events, including Drop-in Tours, virtual basketmaking workshops led by Kelly Church, and Drop-in Studio. Guests are encouraged to view the Museum’s updated visitor guidelines in advance of their visit, which includes face mask requirements for all visitors while indoors.
For those who prefer to experience the exhibition virtually, there will be digital resources on GRAM’s website including installation images, a video interview with the artists, archival photographs, and texts.
George Keen, left, and Ralph Baker on The Racing Show, taped by WKTV in January, 2020. (WKTV)
By Tom Norton, WKTV general manager
Whenever we receive news of the sudden passing of a colleague, friend or family member, it’s always a shock. All of us WKTV Community Media family were shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of George Keen Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021.
George began his decades of volunteering and creating television at WKTV in 1992. I remember first meeting George and knew instantly that he was a natural for broadcast work. His easy-going, affable and conversational manner made him the perfect television host. We used to joke here that George was so good, he could give a play-by-play of paint drying. The ease from which George could take a guest’s answer and play it into the next question made his television appearances, not so much television, but more a conversation which is where television really shines. It seemed like it was an old acquaintance or friends talking and it was always a pleasure to watch.
And watch they did. In 1992 George and his team created “The Racing Show” to in George’s words, ‘give the racing fans something to talk about over the winter when they were at the races.” I asked him what they were going to talk about and he said, “racing, of course.” Within several months of its launch, “The Racing Show”, every Wednesday at 7 p.m., became appointment television for many in West Michigan. There was no internet or social media to push the audience (or divide it up), but the audience grew quickly.
The show sponsored sold out wintertime racing banquets at the K of C Hall and during a WKTV Buy a Brick telethon in 2002, we gave George and the racing community an entire night of the telethon. All night long the phones jangled with the sound of the racing community buying bricks to support WKTV. We knew, however, that they were really heeding George’s call and it showed that the racing community is a tight knit family.
George stayed with us through the early years of The 28th Street Metro Cruise, again providing that effortless style of good conversation when talking to any classic car owner. Gradually, though his talent led him to work more in radio and at Berlin Raceway and when “The Racing Show” went off the air in 2005 we were sad. For us it seemed an era had passed.
George returned occasionally to host a number of different shows including many years doing play-by-play for Golden Gloves Boxing. In February of 2020 George returned again to WKTV to tape the first installment of the new “The Racing Show” which would’ve also featured a podcast. He just couldn’t stay away from making television and it was a comeback we were glad to have. When the pandemic shuttered productions, things never did come back together, but we have the one episode that will stay in our archive forever.
I never saw the man use notes. He ability to wing it effortlessly always impressed me and we’re sure much more will be said of George who had so many friends and colleagues across so many facets of life. Something tells me that if Heaven has racing and they want the new guy to “call the race,” everyone back here who knew George would recommend him highly.
God speed George Keen. Thank you for 29 years at WKTV.
Anybody who has stood inside the Sistine Chapel in Rome and witnessed the power and the glory of Michelangelo’s masterpiece, you know the feeling of heavenly art if not an actual connection with God.
For those of us who haven’t, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum will bring to Grand Rapids the feeling of being in the chapel when it hosts “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition” this fall. (The museum is currently open but with limited capacity.)
The immersive visual experience that is “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel”, presented by Los Angeles-based SEE Attractions, “recreates one of the world’s greatest artistic achievements through photographic reproduction displayed in its original size,” according to an exhibition announcement.
The exhibition opens on Oct. 22 and runs through Feb. 20, 2022.
“Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition” will be the museum’s feature exhibit in 2021, and Brooke Clement, acting director of the Ford Museum, said in supplied material that the support from the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation was pivotal in the exhibit’s scheduling.
“This is an epic exhibit, and we are proud to partner with our friends at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum to bring Michelangelo’s iconic images to West Michigan,” Gleaves Whitney, executive director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, said in supplied material. “There is something in these timeless paintings to delight and teach every visitor — from students who are learning about how art tells our most important stories to seasoned travelers who have toured the Sistine Chapel in person and seek to deepen their knowledge.”
Local ties by exhibit producer
The path for a Los Angeles-born entertainment exhibit, by a German-born producer, to make its way to Grand Rapids, is really a story of local ties.
“I first came to Grand Rapids as an exchange student from Germany in 1975 and graduated from Forest Hills Northern High School,” Martin Biallas, CEO of SEE Attractions, said in supplied material. “That experience inspired me to stay in the US and start my entertainment business, so it’s a special honor for me to be able to bring one of my productions to Grand Rapids.”
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum entrance. (Supplied)
“Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition”, in addition images of timeless masterpieces including the “Creation of Adam” and “The Last Judgment”, includes the ceiling paintings from the Sistine Chapel, all of which have been reproduced in a truly unique way using licensed high-definition photos.
“Brought to life using a special printing technique that emulates the look and feel of the original paintings, visitors are given a chance to engage with the artwork in ways that were never before possible: seeing every detail, every brushstroke, and every color of the artist’s 34 frescoes,” according to supplied material.
Each image is accompanied by informative signage, and audio guides are available to rent for an even more in-depth experience.
For more information about “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition”, visit chapelsistine.com/
The Ford Museum is currently open on Wednesday-Friday, 2-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m,. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, non to 5 p.m. Tickets are limited to a 50-person capacity and available for purchase online at buy.acmeticketing.com/events/277/list.
Since 2005, the 28th Street Metro Cruise has been an annual event put on by the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce, but “cruising 28th Street” has been a “thing” long before then — people have grown up cruising up and down 28th Street, maybe first with their father and now with their children.
Cruisers have long considered 28th Street a memorable place for car lovers, particularly around the Rogers Plaza area in Wyoming, and “Bringing car lovers together to celebrate this long-standing tradition was the foundation for the current event,” the chamber states on their website.
And WKTV Community Media has been covering the 28th Street Metro Cruise since its inception.
“WKTV Community Media has for nearly half a century been part of the Wyoming and Kentwood community and, with Metro Cruise being one of largest gatherings of our community, we have a long history with the event,” Tom Norton, general manger of WKTV Community Media, said. “We have covered it in many ways over the years. Rain or shine. Big and smaller. The cars change but our commitment to coverage has not.”
For just a sampling of WKTV’s coverage, and some recent YouTube highlights, see the following links:
The History of Metro Cruise
Even in the COVID-19 year of 2020, WKTV got creative and still offered up a show.
In 2017, a car show met Hollywood premiere as WKTV brought classic vehicles to the red carpet.
In 2018, WKTV looked at what “classic sports and performance cars” might look like in the future.
Calling all local musicians! Kent District Library is now accepting submissions to KDL Vibes, our upcoming streaming platform that features music from West Michigan musicians.
Vibes will offer an online collection that showcases and shares current local music for free. Musicians who would like to have their music selected to be featured in the collection are invited to submit a sample track from their album using the online form. After submitting the form, a jury consisting of members of West Michigan’s local music community and library staff with music backgrounds will review and select 40-50 albums per submission round. These musicians will be paid an honorarium for their contribution which is a way for the library to support our vibrant arts community.
“The Vibes platform is a great way to celebrate our local music scene,” said Stacy Schuster, Collection Development Librarian for KDL. “Musicians will have the opportunity to share their songs and music lovers will have access to the amazing talents of musicians in the West Michigan area.”
KDL Vibes streaming platform is set to launch to the public later this year for patrons to listen to music from their favorite West Michigan musicians.
Musicians looking for more information or who have any questions can visit vibes.kdl.org/faq or email the team at vibes@kdl.org.
The Grand Rapids Civic Theatre will again collaborate with LMCU Ballpark to host live theater at the ballpark in August. Broadway at the Ballpark is scheduled for Aug. 27 and 28 with shows at 7 p.m. each night.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre back to the ballpark this year,” said Dan Morrison, VP of Sales for the West Michigan Whitecaps. “This event will once again provide an opportunity for guests to get an up-close look at our field and will offer amazing entertainment for baseball and theatre fans alike.”
The 2021 event will feature world-class entertainment and bigger and better entertainment experiences for all ages. The concert will feature Broadway favorites performed by Civic Theatre actors. This year, the event will also include more musical numbers, greater seating capacity, and an expanded selection of food and beverage, including beer and wine.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for youth aged 3-15. Children 3 and under are free. Guests will bring their own chairs be seated in the outfield of LMCU Ballpark. Gates will open at 5:30 pm, and a special performance from the cast of Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s production of the musical Once will take place from 6:00 – 7:00 pm. Tickets go on sale July 7th and will be available online and at the LMCU Ballpark box office.
Civic Theatre is returning to regular live performance after the pandemic closed their doors for nearly 18 months. As the company prepares for its 2020-2021 season in September, Civic Theatre returns to the ballpark for another outdoor show.
“After what’s been a very challenging year, we are so excited to return to LMCU Ballpark again in 2021,” said Ben Greene, Director of Marketing and Engagement for Grand Rapids Civic Theatre. “With fewer pandemic restrictions in place, we are planning to make this experience even more enjoyable for our guests this year.”
“Broadway at the Ballpark”was born after both Civic Theatre and the West Michigan Whitecaps were forced to cancel regular programming in 2020 due to the pandemic. The inaugural event was a hit among guests, and both parties agreed to host the event again in 2021.
VIP packages will be available for purchase for the event for $150. The packages include a table for up to four guests, early entry, VIP parking, and an all-you-can-eat meal plan in the General RV Campground.
“We are always looking for ways to strengthen our community partnerships and offer unique and fun experiences in West Michigan,” Morrison added. “We hope that even more families choose to make ‘Broadway at the Ballpark’ a part of their summer plans this year.”
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park announced today, Aug. 11, that the Friday, Aug. 13, concert with Mat Kearney has been postponed until Sept. 8 due to a positive test for COVID-19 by the singer.
And while Kearney is full vaccinated, and is in good health, he is exercising caution.
Mat Kearney. (Supplied)
“Despite my best efforts, I have tested positive for COVID-19. I’m thankfully vaccinated, and just feeling a bit under the weather,” Kearney said in supplied material. “For the health and safety of the band, crew and fans, we will be rescheduling Friday’s show … I’m so bummed. I’ve only missed one show in my life, and can’t wait to see you all again.”
(He also asked for “Your binge-worthy tv recommendations,” and we respectively suggest “Queen’s Gambit”, if not already on his board.)
Tickets purchased for the Aug.13 concert will be honored on Sept. 8, according to the Meijer Gardens statement. But for those who cannot attend the Sept. 8, refunds will be available through Etix through Aug. 20. Please note, according to the statement, ticket fees are non-refundable. To request a refund, please click visit bit.ly/KearneyRefundRequest.
Any returned tickets for the sold-out show will be available for purchase beginning on Aug. 21 via Etix.com.
More than 20 regional businesses will showcase their goods and services during the return of the Black-Owned Business Showcase at Woodland Mall on Saturday, Aug. 14 — and there are still booths available.
The event enjoyed a strong response from the local community at its debut in 2020, according to an announcement from the mall, and will again feature booths with Black-owned businesses offering fashion apparel, food, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics, kitchen items, gifts, stationery and cards, financial planning, health and wellness items, photography, home services and goods, and more.
Shoppers will be able to browse, sample, buy and connect during the day-long showcase from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“In response to strong consumer demand, we are so pleased to offer this showcase for a second consecutive year,” Mikia Ross, interim senior marketing director for Woodland Mall, said in supplied material. “We appreciate the opportunity to open the mall’s doors to support Black-owned businesses serving our community. There will truly be something for everyone at this event, and we look forward to welcoming these entrepreneurs and their companies.”
Woodland Mall is owned by PREIT, which launched its Support Black-Owned Business and Brands 365 in February as part of an ongoing effort to spotlight Black-owned entrepreneurs and brands within its portfolio of top-tier and region-leading properties in eight states.
Woodland is one of 10 PREIT properties to offer a Black-Owned Business Showcase in August. PREIT properties have hosted activities throughout the year, including art exhibits, documentary screenings and food festivals, as a way to highlight the importance of Black-owned businesses and brands.
The Grand Rapids Ballet, after a year of beautiful but somewhat distant virtual performances last season, returned to rehearsals this week as the company prepared for a 2021-22 season of live audience performances.
But before GR Ballet artistic director James Sofranko’s troupe hits the Peter Martin Wege Theatre stage with a live audience in October, when the ballet will present the appropriately title Off the Canvas program to being its 2021-22 season, the dancers will perform twice this month out-of-doors.
The Studio Park “Listening Lawn”. (Supplied)
In what the ballet is calling its “Summer Series”, it will perform “under the evening skies” at two outdoor venues, the Listening Lawn at Studio Park in downtown Grand Rapids on Aug. 14, and at the amphitheater at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park on Aug. 31.
“We are filled with gratitude that Grand Rapids Ballet is returning to live performances after more than a year away from the stage,” Sofranko said to WKTV this week, “To have the full company back in rehearsals in the studio is such a welcome sight, and our first performance back will no doubt be an emotional one.”
That first performance, at Studio Park, is expected to include on its program “Sweet By and By” and “Calling Forth”, both choreographed by Sofranko, with the latter featuring violinist Gene Hahn. Other works include “Brothers”, choreographed by Jennifer Archibald; “The Old Child” by Danielle Rowe; “Give Me” by Penny Saunders; and a preview of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Christopher Stowell (and set for full performance in April 2022).
Company dancer Gretchen Steimle, after a rehearsal this week, probably spoke for her fellow dancers as she echoed Sofranko about the “emotional” return to live audiences.
Grand Rapids Ballet company in rehearsal on Aug. 3. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
“We are so excited to get back to live performances, this year has been so difficult for artists who typically perform live,” Steimle said to WKTV. “We’ve had to pivot to do these virtual (performances) … but there is nothing that can replace that shared moment of art … live with an audience. And I know that the dancers have been waiting all year to be able to share what we love to do with our audiences again.”
At both Studio Park and Meijer Gardens, there will some artistic adapting to performing outside, with or without a true stage, in often uncontrollable circumstances. But at least in one aspect, in Steimle’s opinion, there is a joyful advantage to being outside — seeing the audience. (See the video above for her discussion of performing outside.)
As far as the planning for the Summer Series, and using the outside venues, Sofranko said it is all about adapting to audiences and challenging the artistic expression that is dance.
James Sofranko, Grand Rapids Ballet artistic director. (GR Ballet)
“I am always looking for new ways to present the art of ballet to our community and the outdoor venues at Studio Park and FMG offer a unique opportunity to experience the depth and artistry of the Grand Rapids Ballet dancers,” Sofranko said.
The programs also will feature guest artists, including Hahn, associate concertmaster at the West Michigan Symphony Orchestra, at Studio Park; and Chisako Oga — an acclaimed soloist at Boston Ballet — at the Meijer Gardens performance.
The Meijer Gardens program is expected to include Archibald’s “Brothers”, “The Old Child” by Danielle Rowe, “Cold Virtues” by Adam Hougland, “Romeo and Juliet Fantasy”, and “Don Quixote” Pas De Deux with guest Oga. “Cold Virtues” will also feature the mesmerizing music of Philip Glass.
The Studio Park program on Aug. 14 will begin at 7 p.m., with general admission tickets available for $25 through Studio Park. The second program features a return to Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, on Aug. 31, also at 7 p.m., as part of the Garden’s Tuesday Evening Music Club series, free for Meijer Gardens members and included in general admission for other guests.
The 2021-22 Season will feature classical ballet favorites, including The Nutcracker,Cinderella, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and explores new favorites with contemporary works such as Off the Canvas and Jumpstart 2022.
And having learned from its season of virtual performances, and community feedback, the Grand Rapids Ballet is also is set to begin offering a “virtual season” subscription for those who wish to see the GR Ballet dancers “differently” or are unable to join in person. Additional program details and performance dates and times can be found at grballet.com/2122season. Season subscriptions are now available for the 2021-22 season starting at $139. Individual tickets will go on sale this fall.
It is just too easy to think of the UK band Squeeze and follow your mind’s 1980’s classic earworm memory lane to a song like “Tempted” — oh, you know it alright: “Tempted by the fruit of another. Tempted but the truth is discovered. …”
Still Squeeze founding members Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook’s songbook — and catchy, moody hipster tunes — went deeper that that back then and goes much deeper today, as the audience at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park will find out when the band stops by on Aug. 22.
If you remember the 1980s, then you remember other “can’t get our of your mind” tunes such as “Cool for Cats”, “Pulling Mussels From A Shell”, and the ultimate kick-back date song for those special “Friends” nights: “Black Coffee in Bed”. If you weren’t there, time to catch up on the caffeine kick.
(Two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foo Fighters founder Dave Grohl even joined the band at the Bourbon & Beyond Festival in Louisville in September 2019 to perform percussion on “Black Coffee in Bed”.)
Tickets for the Meijer Gardens show are still available. For more information visit meijergardens.org.
Founding members, and hipster heart-n-soul, of Squeeze, Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook. (Supplied)
Squeeze was set to begin the U.S. leg of their 24-date Nomadband tour in early August with a headlining tour interspersed with 18 support dates for Daryl Hall & John Oates and will continue throughout the summer into early fall 2021.
And after more than a year of social isolation due to the COVID pandemic, and all those years playing the hits, more modern tunes, and whatever else strikes their Brit fancy, Difford and Tilbrook say they will be inspired and emotional.
“I’m so excited to be back on stage and in the thick of our wonderful set list of songs,” Difford said in supplied material. “Seeing an audience again will be inspiring and emotional, it’s been too long.”
And this Nomadland tour will feature a little something new in addition to its historic attractions.
“I think this is my most anticipated U.S. tour since our first in 1978,” Tilbrook said in supplied material. “Our great band is just getting greater and we are also welcoming Owen Biddle, who joins us from Nashville.”
History and musical journeys
Squeeze’s debut self-titled album was released in 1978 and at the height of the punk revolution, but its pop songwriting hooks and melodies were often compared to the 1960s British Invasion. The band continued, off and on stage and vinyl releases, through 1999, when the original Squeeze disbanded before reuniting in 2007 and releasing three new albums since then — 2010’s “Spot the Difference”, 2015’s “Cradle to the Grave” and 2017’s “The Knowledge” — as well as various solo projects.
The critically acclaimed ‘Cradle to the Grave’ was written as a soundtrack to Danny Baker’s BBC TV sitcom ‘Cradle To Grave’. One reviewer said “This album marked the complete and triumphant reintegration of the masterful songwriting axis of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, in a beautifully-observed series of fond vignettes about childhood, growing up and the absurdities of the ride through life we’re all on.”
The band has always been known for its live performances as well, and in 2016 they triumphed on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, with The Guardian saying they “[went] down a storm… Squeeze’s success is a pretty infectious thing.”
Aside from Difford and Tilbrook, Squeeze now features keyboardist Stephen Lange and drummer Simon Hanson (since 2007,) percussionist/back-up singer Steve Smith (vocalist for house music group Dirty Vegas) along with pedal/lap steel guitarist Melvin Duffy (who joined them for the 2019 tour) and Owen Biddle, former bassist for The Roots.
Tulip Time Festival is pleased to announce the 2022 First Bloem Festival Artwork Competition through which a work of art is selected for the official Tulip Time poster. Each year, the Festival invites a juror to select the Top 20 pieces for First Bloem. Mary Sundstrom, Visual artist and Exhibitions Director of the Holland Area Arts Council, will be the 2022 juror.
Through 2010, posters were commissioned work from selected artists. Beginning in 2011, the Festival Artwork Competition began. Nine local artists have been awarded this honor:
2011 Beth Charles – “Drama Queens”
2012 Brittany Strabbing – “Beautiful Dream”
2013 Maggie Schultz – “Clothed in Splendor”
2014 Karin Nelson – “Resilience”
2015 Carolyn Stich – “Joy of Spring”
2016 Alla Dickson – “Spectacle”
2017 Michele Gort – “Playful Time”
2018 Cindy Awrey – “Together”
2019 Carolyn Stich – “Enduring Delft”
2020 Aron Lowe – “Dutch Dance”
In 2020, due to the pandemic restrictions, a competition was not possible. The Festival commissioned a piece from Aron Lowe, the 2020 winning artist, and Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Spring is Here became the 2021 Festival Artwork. Now, for 2022, we are pleased to be able to reintroduce the competition to all local West Michigan artists.
Artists in Ottawa, Allegan, Kent, Muskegon and Kalamazoo counties are invited to submit artwork. Submissions for the 2022 Festival Artwork Competition will be accepted Sept. 27 – 30. The artwork theme should represent Tulip Time’s mission to celebrate Holland’s tulips, Dutch heritage and community. The winner of the 2022 competition will be announced at the First Bloem Reveal, a special unveiling reception held in February.
Come catch a wave next Saturday, Aug. 14, at the Great Lakes Surf Festival, taking place on Pere Marquette Beach in Muskegon.
The event weather forecast is sunny and warm and Tommy’s Boats of Grand Rapids will be making artificial waves ensuring that surfers and paddle boarders will have plenty of waves to enjoy.
Fourteen surfboards and paddleboards will be given away to event goers, including a surf trip to Cost Rica. Enjoy yoga, music, food, and the best of the Great Lakes surf culture has to offer.
“We encourage anyone interested in a fun and family friendly beach day to come out and join us. Imagine a late summer day on an amazing beach, doing what you love and surrounded by so many people from all over the Great Lakes, who share the same passion. That is our goal,” said Event Co-Founder Tammy Bidawid.
This Saturday, Wyoming residents have the opportunity to participate in the citywide Community Clean Up Day. Residents, with proof of residency, may bring items, free of charge for most items, to Grand Rapids First, 2100 44th St. SW. Hazardous waste will not be accepted this year. The site will be open from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and participants must be in line by 1:30 p.m to drop off items. For more information, visit wyomingmi.gov/cleanup.
Photo taken by Tom Schillaci of Muskegon (WMTA)
Make Your Vote Count
Voting is now open for the West Michigan Photo Contest hosted by the West Michigan Tourist Association. More than 1,800 photos were submitted to the competition with WMTA narrowing down the photos to the top 50. Now Michigan residents have the chance to vote on who will be the winners. The top 50 photo entries are posted in a photo album on the West Michigan Facebook page, also available at https://bit.ly/WestMIPhotoContest2021. Visitors to the photo album may cast votes for any photos by “liking” or “reacting” to each photo. Votes may be cast for multiple photos. The winners will be announced on August 16.
Gary E. Mitchell as John Adams and Mary Beth Quillin as Abigail Adams in “My Dearest Friend.” (Photo by Scott Baisden)
The Original Adams Family
“My Dearest Friend,” the story of John and Abigail Adams, will run this weekend and next at the LowellArts, 223 W. Main St., Lowell. “My Dearest Friend,” written by local playwright Mary G. Kron, is based on the letters between John and Abigail Adams, played by Gary E. Mitchell and Mary Beth Quillin from GEM Theatrics. Prolific letter writers, the couple’s story is told through flashback as they witness the American Revolution and the birth of a nation. For tickets, call 616-897-8545.
Fun Fact: The Butterfly Files
Every year, the Monarch butterfly makes the 1,900-mile trip from Northern America to Mexico. One of its stop off points is Peninsula Point in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Many of the insects make a pit stop there before taking the long journey across Lake Michigan to Wisconsin. The best time to see this “monarch madness”? Early September.
The City of Kentwood Farmers Market is seeking five competitors for its first-ever Charcuterie Challenge, described in a city statement as “a food assembly showdown using only farmers market ingredients” and slated for Thursday, Aug. 12.
Individuals who are interested in the competition must submit an online application by Monday, Aug. 9. The market will select up to five challengers out of the group of applicants to each receive $25 and 30 minutes to shop the market and assemble a one-of-a-kind charcuterie board using only those purchased ingredients.
The beauty of food will be on display and the Kentwood Farmers Market’s “Charcuterie Challenge”. (WKTV)
“Charcuterie has become such a fun, popular way to display and enjoy a variety of food,” farmers market manager Kristina Colby said in supplied material. “We are looking forward to seeing all the creative ways challengers showcase local foods found at the Kentwood Farmers Market and use the beautiful, handmade charcuterie boards Handcrafted by Fellow is suppling for the competition.”
In the French tradition, charcuterie (pronounced “shahr-ku-tuh-ree”) is the art of preparing and assembling cured meats and meat products. The idea of charcuterie has evolved over the years to include an assortment of meats, cheeses, veggies and other items.
The “friendly” competition will take place during the Farmers Market, from 5-5:30 p.m., behind Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE, and the boards will remain on display until 7:30 p.m. Marketgoers can watch the competitors build their boards and then vote for their favorite. The winner will receive a gift courtesy of the Kentwood Farmers Market.
Handcrafted by Fellows, a husband-and-wife duo, will be on-site selling their charcuterie boards and other handmade wood decor items. An additional 20 vendors will be at the market, from 4:30-7:30 p.m., selling staples such as fresh produce, cheese, honey, jam, bread and more. Food trucks El Jalapeño and Ohana Hawaiian Ice will also be on-site. Live music entertainment by Just Jill will be available 6-7 p.m.
In its seventh season, the Kentwood Farmers Market provides the community weekly opportunities each summer to buy a variety of goods from local vendors. This year’s market is offered every Thursday, 4:30-7:30 p.m., behind Kentwood City Hall. In addition to exploring an array of items for purchase, marketgoers can enjoy free classes and special events tied into the market’s schedule.
Other special events planned in August include: On Aug. 19, Makers and Crafters Day featuring more than 40 vendors, with a free concert at 7 p.m. featuring The Soul Syndicate; and on Aug. 26, free yoga at 6 p.m.
Police and the community mixed at Ada Bible Church on East Paris Avenue as part of the City of Kentwood’s National Night Out celebration. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Police and the community mixed at Ada Bible Church on East Paris Avenue as part of the City of Kentwood’s National Night Out celebration. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Police and the community mixed at Ada Bible Church on East Paris Avenue as part of the City of Kentwood’s National Night Out celebration. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Police and the community mixed at Ada Bible Church on East Paris Avenue as part of the City of Kentwood’s National Night Out celebration. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Police and the community mixed at Ada Bible Church on East Paris Avenue as part of the City of Kentwood’s National Night Out celebration. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Police and the community mixed at Ada Bible Church on East Paris Avenue as part of the City of Kentwood’s National Night Out celebration. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Police and the community mixed at Ada Bible Church on East Paris Avenue as part of the City of Kentwood’s National Night Out celebration. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
The City of Kentwood’s National Night Out community celebration this week had police and other city personal at more than 15 locations throughout the city, but events at three local churches clearly showed a shared desire to engage the community after a long period of pandemic distancing.
On the evening of Aug. 3, at Ada Bible Church on East Paris Avenue — which along with Faith Baptist Church and Pentecostals Church on 44th Street hosted special large scale events — Kentwood Police Chief Richard Roberts and Ada Bible pastor Jason Ross talked to WKTV about their shared focus on the community.
Kentwood police Chief Richard Roberts and Ada Bible Church Pastor Jason Ross, at the church’s National Night Out event. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
“What we share, is we desire to connect with the community in a positive way,” pastor Ross said. “We can do that as a church. We can also do that with the people, within Ada Bible Church, as well as in the community. … We want you to feel like you are welcome here.”
Chief Roberts also talked about the shared focus and the great opportunity of interacting with the community at local churches.
“We are privileged to be invited to Ada Bible Church … This just gives us a great opportunity, especially given this past year, for us to all come out and celebrate in a special way on National Night Out,” Chief Roberts said.
McGruff and a future Detroit Lions fan had a moment at Woodland Mall. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
The City of Kentwood was truly bustling with block parties, neighborhood events and other activities — including a special presence at Woodland Mall — on National Night Out, a nationwide annual event that “promotes community-police partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make communities safer.”
Kentwood police officers, firefighters and city leaders joined residents, who had the opportunity to explore police cruisers, fire engines and other emergency response vehicles at events, as well as learn about a variety of safety topics.
“Positive interactions with residents are invaluable for fostering strong community relationships and safer neighborhoods,” Chief Roberts previously said in supplied material. “National Night Out creates a wonderful opportunity to bring officers and community members together in a fun and relaxing setting. Members of our department always look forward to getting to know residents better and encourage more open lines of communication.”
National Night Out was created in the 1980s through an established network of law enforcement agencies, neighborhood watch groups, crime prevention associations and volunteers across the nation. It began with a goal to promote safer, better neighborhoods by uniting community members and police against neighborhood crimes.
Audie Blaylock & Redline perform at the Sounds of Summer
Audie Blaylock
Audie Blaylock on guitar and Reed Jones on bass
Evan Ward, from California, on banjo
Mason Wright on fiddle
Reed Jones on bass
Plenty of dancing at the last concert
They were even dancing on the playground.
By Patty Williams P. Williams Productions
It was a bluegrass ending to the Sounds of Summer as headliner Audie Blaylock & Redline closed out the music series on July 29.
Cutler Park was filled with bluegrass fans ad local musicians from all over Michigan and the surrounding states. They were not disappointed as the consensus of the audience was that the last concert was a tremendous show.
The Redline musicians traveled from California, West Virginia, and Indiana to perform at the Cutlerville Sounds of Summer. The band features Reed Jones on bass, Evan Ward on banjo, Mason Wright on fiddle and Audie Blaylock on guitar. Audie opened with “Hello Michigan good to be back.”
This past year halted many touring musicians/bands including Redline. So, the group had a blast playing music to the packed park and live audience.
Audie opened with “Hello Michigan good to be back.” (Photos by Patty Williams
From start to finish, Audie performed bluegrass music from its roots. Mason Wright kicked off a hot fiddle tune and the audience knew this was going to be some “good ole” toe tapping bluegrass and the excitement resonated all evening.
The group played and sang many Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley songs and featured several requests including Audie Blaylock’s No. 1 song recorded on The 615 Hideaway Records, “Love’s Fleeting Fire.”
The music was exceptional and the bands tight harmonies were flawless. The concert ended with an encore standing ovation.
All the Sounds of Summer concerts are recorded and can be watched on WKTV Channel 25. Check listings for times. The concerts are produced by P. Williams Productions and sponsored by Byron Township. To follow the Sounds of Summer, visit the Facebook page. Note that the series will be back in 2022 with the same schedule, every Thursday in July at 7 p.m. at Cutler Park.
The Accidentals, talking to WKTV early this year, said they could not wait to leave their pandemic quiet places in their hometown of Traverse City and get back on the road — but they were productive in their time off.
“We found things that work for us and found things that didn’t work for us,” Savannah “Sav” Buist — who along with Katie Larson and Michael Dause make up The Accidentals — said to WKTV in May. “But I think it was just nice to have the time … We toured so consistently that when we come home Katie and I just tend to spit out songs within a week and then not really look back. It was nice to look back … I learned to take my time, to come back to a song.”
Back on the road with their usual hectic pace of concerts across Michigan and the region, the band will be making a stop Thursday, Aug. 5, at the outdoor Kentwood Summer Concerts free series hitting the stage at 7 p.m.
And songs familiar and new will be on the set list.
The Accidentals (Supplied/Courtesy Aryn Madigan)
“Might As Well Be Gold” is one of the new songs, included on the “TIME OUT (Session 1), which was released May 7. The EP is a collection of songs which includes the single “Wildfire”, co-written by Kim Richey — who has worked with the likes ofTrisha Yearwood, Radney Foster, Brooks & Dunn — and which is getting The Accidentals a fair amount of national notice and airplay.
The Kentwood Summer Concert Series has one more Thursday night date, a rescheduled night with The Soul Syndicate on Aug. 19.
While most of the series of concerts have been livestreamed by WKTV, contractual restrictions by the band’s record label will prevent The Accidentals from being shown live or on-demand.
All concerts will begin at 7 p.m., and conclude around 8:30 p.m., on the lawn behind Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring a blanket or chair. Each concert will feature food trucks, which will have food and beverages available for purchase. Guests may also bring their own food and beer or wine.
All are also invited to visit the Kentwood Farmers Market, which overlaps with the concert schedule as the market will take place 4:30-7:30 p.m. each Thursday in front of the Kent District Library – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE.
“Democracy is about voting and it’s about a majority vote. And it’s time that we started exercising the Democratic process.”
Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow
Voters at the voting booth. (Photo by Jeff Miller/UW-Madison)
Voting in Kentwood and Wyoming
There will be contested primary elections happening in both Kentwood and Wyoming, with a Kentwood City Commission race possibly settled, and local Democrats and Republicans set to decide who from their part will be on the ballot for a State Senate seat up for final vote in the fall. Go here for the story.
National Night Out is all about getting people out and mixing with local public service employees including police and firefighters. (NATA.org)
Night out in Kentwood
The City of Kentwood will be bustling with block parties, neighborhood events and other activities as part of the city-and-community celebration of National Night Out, a nationwide annual event that “promotes community-police partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make communities safer.” Go here for the story.
Night out in Wyoming
A change for this year’s Wyoming National Night Out event will be that the city will host two main sites — Grand Rapids First, 2100 44th St. SW, and Grace Christian University, 1011 Alden St. SW. Both locations will be open from 5 to 7 p.m. Go here for the story.
Fun fact:
71
Number of cities in Michigan which have registered to be involved in National Night Out. Source.
In the 1990s, country music was changing to a more modern sound with such songs as “Achy Breaky Heart” leading the way. Coupled with the start of country station B-93 in Grand Rapids and local venues started looking for bands who could perform the new country style.
Already on the scene was Grand Rapids Mustang Band, which had been performing country classics since 1994.
“It was not difficult to change gears and move toward the modern sound,” said band founder Eric Vander Stel. From there, the Mustang Band carved out a niche in offering country music from the classics of Johnny Cash to the current artists such as Jason Alden.
“We play some rock ‘n’ roll,” Vander Stel said, “but mostly it is country, just about anything from now to the past.”
It will be mostly country music Tuesday, Aug. 3, as the Mustang Band wraps up the Wyoming Concerts in the Park series. The performance is at 7 p.m. at Lamar Park, 2561 Porter St. SW.
Like many local bands, Mustang Band has been performing regulary since the start of summer when many of the COVID restrictions were relaxed.
“We are very responsive to our audience and people have just been very happy to have music,” Vander Stel said.
The band members, which are Wendy Allen on lead vocals, Steve Bouchard on bass, Stacy Hill on drums and Vander Stel on vocals and guitar, work hard to incorporate the audience in the show. Vander Stel mentioned at a recent show they had an audience member playing spoons with the group.
“With everything that has happened over the last summer, I think people are just making up and enjoying this summer,” Vander Stel said, adding the Mustang Band is happy to be part of the fun.
All of the Wyoming Concerts in Park are recorded by WKTV and rebroadcasted on Comcast Channel 25 at 5 p.m. Wednesday and 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. Saturday.
West Michigan residents can travel the world without even packing a suitcase at the International Festival of Holland on Saturday, Aug. 21, 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., at the Holland Civic Center Place. This free, family-friendly community event includes award-winning performers, hands-on children’s activities, a marketplace of global goods and food trucks offering international cuisine.
The International Festival of Holland is hosted by the City of Holland’s International Relations Commission (IRC) and the International Festival Advisory Board.
“Our vision for the 2021 International Festival of Holland is to celebrate the variety of cultures living, working, and playing in our community and to create awareness of others,” said IRC Chair Alissa Wilson. “We feel the best way to do this is through everyone’s favorite things: food and music.”
The IRC is releasing a 20 Day Countdown to the International Festival, which offers activities individuals and families can do to learn about our global community, help promote the festival, and build momentum for the big day. Follow the 20 Day Countdown on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by searching for International Festival of Holland.
It is fitting, for many reasons, that Ani Di Franco’s just released album is titled “Revolutionary Love” — one reason being the fact that the musician and social activist has a long history of writing songs as reflections of not only her personal life but also society at large.
It is also fitting, as the audience will see Aug. 23 when Di Franco hits the stage at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, that the new release is on her Righteous Babe Records label.
Ani Di Franco. (Daymon Gardner)
With the current divisions and strife in our world, Di Franco states that “Revolutionary Love” is necessary now, for her and for the message she wants to bring.
“It’s about carrying the energy of love and compassion into the center of our social movements and making it the driving force,” Di Franco said in supplied material. “It’s about finding it within ourselves to stay curious about our opponents instead of shutting down.”
Tickets for the Meijer Gardens show are still available. Visit more information visit meijergardens.org.
Di Franco wrote many of the new tracks on the road prior to returning home to New Orleans in February 2020 — just days before the touring music businesses shut down.
While the country soon encountered COVID and solitary lives, Di Franco felt the urgent need to collaborate creatively and record the new music. After being off the road due to the pandemic, Di Franco is back on tour beginning Aug. 19, and her stop at the Fifth Third Banks Summer Concerts series will be one of her first shows. Elizabeth Moen is expected to open.
“My songs have always reflected an acute connection between my personal life and the life of my society,” Di Franco said in supplied material. “As I started to come out of dealing with years of personal hardship, I saw that my entire country was struggling with the same problems: the same themes of how much damage we do to each other and how much pain we’re carrying, and the same question of how to keep going when we’re so broken.”
Inspiration for new music came from another activist
With its exploration of so many complex emotional states — forgiveness, shame, empathy, resilience — “Revolutionary Love” opens on its title track, a “profoundly resolute” piece inspired by Sikh-American activist/filmmaker/lawyer/author Valarie Kaur.
Album cover of Ani DiFranco’s “Revolutionary Love”. (Supplied)
“A lot of the language in that song comes from Kaur’s book ‘See No Stranger’,” saidDiFranco, who connected with Kaur after watching a talk she’d given in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election.
Throughout “Revolutionary Love — the song and the collection — DiFranco hits a potent balance of determination and dreamy reflection, a dynamic that echoes one of the central lessons of Kaur’s teachings: “If we don’t push, we will die. If we don’t breathe, we will die.”
“I wanted to have these moments where, after you acknowledge all the insanity and the strife, we step back and shake off that anxiety and fear,” DiFranco said. “We all need that quiet space to reconnect with ourselves and our hope.”
A little history, a little video
While sometimes considered a feminist icon, Grammy winner Ani Di Franco is the mother of the DIY recording movement, being one of the first artists to create her own record label in 1990. While she has been known as the “Little Folksinger,” her music has embraced punk, funk, hip hop, jazz, soul, electronica and even more distant sounds.
Her collaborators have included everyone from Utah Phillips to legendary R&B saxophonist Maceo Parker to Prince. She has shared stages with Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Seeger, Kris Kristofferson, Greg Brown, Billy Bragg, Michael Franti, Chuck D. and many more.
Di Franco also recently released “Revolutionary Love: Live at Big Blue”, a 95-minute concert documentary film from herself, Terence Higgins and special guest Ivan Neville, and is available for download and on CD via the Righteous Babe store and Bandcamp.
But, heck, see the Righteous Babe live if you can.
At a special announcement at Woodland Mall this week, new mall movie-theater tenant Phoenix Theaters’ management team made clear that “big company” high-tech visuals, solid sound and premium seats will be the standard when the mall’s theater building reopens as early as this fall.
But Phoenix Theatres CEO Cory Jacobson also made clear to the small crowd at the mall Tuesday, July 27, that, in his “small” movie-theater company, families come first at Phoenix and in its theaters, and COO John Scanlan, talking to WKTV, made clear that Phoenix’s nimble “small” company structure is one of the reasons they were able to take advantage of the Woodland Mall opportunity.
Phoenix Theatres CEO Cory Jacobson. (WKTV)
The company is a 21-year-old independently owned movie theatre company that plans to invest $4 million to refurbish the 14-screen theatre, according to supplied material, a project which will expand a company which operates several theaters in Southeast Michigan as well as one each in Iowa and Massachusetts.
It is also a company which prides itself on having employees who have worked their way up from taking tickets and popping popcorn, to top-level management.
“All these people have something in common. They have all worked for our company for many, many years,” Jacobson said as he introduced his management team to the crowd at Woodland Mall. “All of the senior staff started out popping popcorn, ripping tickets, selling concession items.”
After Jacobson and others of the management team talked to the Woodland Mall crowd about his company’s “family” outlook, and his theaters’ amenities including plush twin seats that can be opened up for customer “families,” Scanlan also talked to WKTV about how being a now-not-so-small family-owned company allowed it to move quickly when the Woodland Mall opportunity presented itself. (See complete discussion in video below.)
“We are still nimble enough to pivot, and move, and we all work so closely together that we are able to make these decision fairly quickly,” Scanlon said. “We have one owner (Cory Jacobson), we do not have to worry about having a group thought. … Cory can make decisions on the fly and that allows us to make decisions on the fly as well.”
Phoenix Theatres at Woodland Mall is the first major post-pandemic theatre investment in West Michigan, “signaling renewed confidence in the strength of this property and the regional economy,” according to PREIT, the mall’s parent company.
For Phoenix Theatres CEO Jacobson, the Woodland Mall expansion just felt right from the moment he first visited.
“Phoenix Theatres has always been a neighborhood theatre company, and that’s something we’re very proud of,” Jacobson said in supplied material. “After spending several weeks exploring the city, we felt very much at home in the culture of the community. Movie theatres are places where people come together to enjoy themselves. Creating an environment that celebrates community has always been our highest goal.”
After the renovations at the Woodland Mall location, the theater will be a 14-screen theatre within the 47,000-square-foot building, and will feature all-new premium reclining heated seating, 4K digital projection, Dolby Atmos, first-run movies and “family-friendly pricing.”
Mary Beth Quillin echoed what many performers and actors are saying right now: “We’re excited to be back.”
Quillin and partner, both on and off the staff, Gary E. Mitchell, make up the company GEM Theatrics. The two will be returning to the performance stage next week, presenting one of their popular shows, “My Dearest Friend,” the story of founding father John Adams and his wife Abigail. The show will run Aug. 6-8 and 13 and 14 at the Lowell Arts Gallery, 223 W. Main St., Lowell.
“Originally we were invited to perform because for the LowellArts getting performers and crew in the summer can be difficult due to vacations and summer activities,” Quillin said of last year’s scheduled performance. She said LowellArts decided to bring in GEM Theatrics because the duo brought their own sets, costumes and actors requiring LowellArts to cover lighting and crew.
Also, Quillin said, the GEM Theatrics’ set fits nicely into the LowellArts Gallery, which is currently featuring the summer exhibit SOLO Together. The exhibit features the work of eight Michigan artists and represents a number of different media styles including painting, photography, mixed media sculpture, metal sculpture, mixed media drawing, tissue paper collage, and woodblock prints.
“Basically, people could still walk around the gallery and be able to look at the art,” Quillin said.
GEM Theatrics is a local theater company that has performed around West Michigan. In fact, Quillin’s and Mitchell’s name might be familiar to some as Quillin recently directed two Jewish theater productions including the December taped production “Kunstler,” which featured Mitchell in the title role.
Gary E. Mitchell as John Adams and Mary Beth Quillin as Abigail Adams in “My Dearest Friend.” (Photo by Scott Baisden)
“So we have been doing things,” Quillin said, adding that it is nice to be able to get back into a theater space and present a show.
“My Dearest Friend,” written by local playwright Mary G. Kron, is based on the letters between John and Abigail Adams. Prolific letter writers, the couple’s story is told through flashback as they witness the American Revolution and the birth of a nation. “My Dearest Friend” is a featured performance in the Michigan Arts and Humanities Touring Directory.
The production will be at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday with playwright Kron attending for an audience talk back about the play. Advanced tickets are $18/general admission and $16/LowellArts members. At the door, tickets are $2 more. For tickets, call 616-897-8545.
If you were thinking about getting tickets to see St. Cecilia Music Center’s first live folk concert in more than 18 months, Grammy award winning singer/songwriter Marc Cohn’s twice rescheduled visit on Aug. 21, the venue has a deal for you.
To mark the first live show since March 2020, St. Cecilia announced this week that tickets to Cohn’s performance were available with a “buy one, get one free” offer. The deal is only good through Friday, July 30, however.
Marc Cohn concert tickets are $40 and $45 and can be purchased by calling St. Cecilia Music Center at 616-459-2224 or visiting the box office at 24 Ransom Ave. NE. Tickets can also be purchased online at scmc-online.org.
Since Cohn was last at St. Cecilia, in Spring 2017, he has spent time on the road with legendary Michael McDonald, worked closely with David Crosby and other American music greats including soul survivor William Bell, who won his first Grammy at age 78 with Marc’s help in creating Bell’s celebrated album, “This is Where I Live”.
In August 2019, just months before the pandemic shutdown and his originally scheduled visit to St. Cecilia, Cohn released a soul/gospel/pop album “Work to Do”, along with Grammy Award winners Blind Boys of Alabama. The album’s collection “combined Cohn’s unique vocal and songwriting talents with the sanctified genius of these veteran gospel stars,” according to supplied material.
Cohn originally rose to musical fame when he won the Grammy for his soulful ballad “Walking in Memphis,” and since that time he has solidified his place as one of this generation’s “most compelling singer-songwriters, combining the precision of a brilliant tunesmith with the passion of a great soul man,” according to supplied material.
No less of a singer/songwriter than Bonnie Raitt reportedly said, “Marc is one of the most soulful, talented artists I know. I love his songs, he’s an incredible singer, and I marvel at his ability to mesmerize every audience he plays for.”
It is no coincidence that guitarist and vocalist David Gerald likes to call his tight, taught guitar-bass-drum group a “Power Trio” — seeing him on video, hearing him on vinyl, tells you he knows that his hometown Detroit blues, R&B and rock sound is all about bringing the power to the stage.
Which, we can assume, he and his trio will do, Thursday, July 29, as they visit the outdoor Kentwood Summer Concert free series for a 7 p.m. gig.
Gerald also knows all about the blues, coming from a family that lived it, and grabbing the power, from a father who grabbed it.
Gerald is the son of rural Mississippi born and raised parents, and while he was born in Detroit, the youngest of 11 children, six of his siblings were born and partly raised in Mississippi.
David Gerald. (Courtesy of David Gerald)
“Because segregation and racial discrimination were so bad in Mississippi at the time, my dad moved the family north to Detroit when he was 33, so we’d have a better chance at the American dream,” Gerald said in supplied material.
And Gerald’s version of the American Dream is playing his beloved Detroit-sound music — what he calls “blues-infused rock and soul hybrid” — with his lead guitar a central figure since he first pickup one up at age 14.
“I was lucky enough to have a neighbor who was a guitarist and gave me scrap guitars. I would piece them together and build ‘Frankenstein’ guitars,” Gerald said. “They were horrible to play and sounded bad, but I had to play music. It was and is my destiny. I finally scraped up enough money to buy an old amp and I was happy.”
After cutting his teeth and honing his guitar skills in the 1980s, he says he began to explore the music of blues guitar heavyweights like Albert King, ZZ Hill, B.B. King, and Stevie Ray Vaughan — and his sound “evolved and expanded to where it is today.”
His 2009 debut CD, “Hell And Back,” reached #1 on Roots Music Report’s Blues Chart for Michigan based artists and remained in the top 20 for many weeks in a row. His newest album, “N2U”, was released in April 2018.
“N2U” had “been a long time coming,” he said. “I put together these songs for myself, my friends and supporters. It’s all about new thoughts, new experiences and deeply felt emotions. I hope everyone who listens can find something that touches them. Something they can relate to.”
For more information on the David Gerald Band, visit davidgerald.com.
The Kentwood Summer Concert Series has two more Thursday night dates: The Accidentals on Aug. 5 and a rescheduled night with The Soul Syndicate on Aug. 19.
Concerts will be livestreamed by WKTV for those who would prefer to enjoy the performances from home.
Before the music starts, get a little treat at Kentwood Farmers Market. (WKTV/K/D. Norris)
All concerts will begin at 7 p.m., and conclude around 8:30 p.m., on the lawn behind Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring a blanket or chair. Each concert will feature food trucks, which will have food and beverages available for purchase. Guests may also bring their own food and beer or wine.
All are also invited to visit the Kentwood Farmers Market, which overlaps with the concert schedule as the market will take place 4:30-7:30 p.m. each Thursday in front of the Kent District Library – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE.
Hip-hop, rap, reggae, contemporary R&B, teen pop, and dance-pop — there is no denying that the music of the nineties was eclectic.
And while categorizing the era may be nearly impossible, it’s cross-pollination of sounds left a boundary-break legacy that remains today. One of which was grunge music, an alternative forum of rock music that bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains were most known for.
It was, according to West Michigan band PROJECT 90, “the last golden decade of guitar-driven rock” which is the reason the five residents came together in 2016 to form the West Michigan-based group.
The nineties rock tribute band performs at Lamar Park Tuesday, July 27, as part of the Wyoming Concerts in the Park series. The concert is at 7 p.m.
PROJECT 90 comes to Lamar Park on Tuesday, July 27. (PROJECT 90)
“I thought it was an amazing crowd for the first night out there and in fact, I think it is the biggest opening crowd that I have seen,” said Mayor Jack Poll as he commented to the council at its Monday night council meeting about the Wyoming Concerts in the Park series. “It seemed to kick off really well.
“They are only doing four or five of them this summer…I always wander before time and talk to a lot of the folks that were there and there was just real enthusiasm to have it back and some of it may be due to COVID, but everyone wants to be outside and communicating with other people. So I thought the attitude and the response there for (the first week) was wonderful.”
Part of the goal of the Wyomig Community Enrichment Committee, which hosts the concerts for the city, is to offer a variety of music, according to LeighAnn TeBos, chair of the Wyoming Community Enrichment Commission. The second week featured the Yellow Brick Road Dueling Pianos with members performing an array of cover songs from such performers as Journey, Queen, Lady Gaga, and Elton John. This week is nineties music and the last concert, Aug. 3, will be country as local group Mustang Band performs.
In its five years, PROJECT 90s has racked up a number of awards including being named as best cover band in 2018 by “Revue” magazine. The group’s catalog includes an array of music from some of the leading nineties performers such as blink-182, Green Day, Bon Jovi, Radiohead, Smash Mouth, Cracker, Alice in Chains and 3 Doors Down. The five-piece rock band features lead vocals and corny jokes by Mark Gardner, guitars by Nolan Romzek and Brian Zeemering, bass and vocals by Matt Vail, and Stephen Legg on drums.
Lamar Park is located at 2561 Porter ST. SW. The concerts are recorded by WKTV and rebroadcasted on Comcast Channel 25 at 5 p.m. Wednesday and 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. Saturday.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) is excited to announce the implementation of Aira, an app-based service that connects people who are blind or have low vision to highly trained, remotely-located agents in real time to guide them through exploration of the Museum at no cost to the visitor.
Through the app on the user’s smartphone, Aira delivers instant access to visual information at the touch of a button, enhancing everyday efficiency, engagement and independence. Visitors to the GRPM can download the app and begin using the service during their visit for free. Through visual interpretation, this guided service provides access for visitors who are blind or low vision to engage with exhibits, label text, interactives and more while they explore the Museum on their terms.
“The Grand Rapids Public Museum is proud to continue to expand access to the Museum for members of the community who are blind or low vision, unlocking an independent experience,” said Dale Robertson, President & CEO of the GRPM. “By partnering with Aira to offer this free access to anyone visiting the GRPM, we are continuing to ensure the Museum is as accessible and inclusive to the broadest population.”
Once connected to an Aira agent, the visitor, referred to Aira as an Explorer, will decide where and when they would like additional access to information. They can choose to be navigated through the Museum, making their way to exhibits, the Curiosity Shop, Cafe or anywhere else they would like to go. The Aira agent will customize the experience to what the visitor or Explorer is interested in seeing and learning, reading labels and explaining the details of the artifacts and information around them.
Aira came recommended to the GRPM by the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ABVI) through the Museum’s exhibit design process. As the Museum works towards a new, internally-designed exhibit, Fashion and Nature, it connects with local groups and experts within the community for feedback on design, accessibility and inclusivity. As the Museum looks to not only ensure that Fashion and Nature is being designed and built for broad audiences, but that the entire Museum experience is accessible, members of ABVI shared their experience using the Aira service and how empowering it has been in their everyday lives. ABVI is one of many groups the Museum works with for this feedback, including GVSU occupational therapists, Anishinaabe Circle, Disability Advocates of Kent County and more.
For more information or to begin your visit to the GRPM, visit grpm.org.
Grand Rapids author Christopher Cosmos is just one of the authors who will be at the KDL’s Literary Libations event on Sept. 16.
The Kent District Library has partnered with the Meijer Frederik Gardens & Sculpture to host the Literary Libations Gala on Sept. 16.
The event includes cocktails, dinner, and personal reflections for four best selling authors.
Rebecca Deng, author of the memoir “What They Meant for Evil: How a Lost Girl of Sudan Found Healing, Peace, and Purpose in the Midst of Suffering.”
Peter Heller, the best-selling author of “The River” whose most recent book is “The Guide.”
Catherine Coulter, an author best known for her romantic suspense thrillers and historical romances. Her next book “Vortex: An FBI Thriller” is expected in August.
Christopher Cosmos, a Grand Rapids author who graduated from the University of Michigan. His debut novel is “Once We Were Here,” a story about the Greek Resistance in World War II.
Literary Libations is from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, 1000 E. Beltline NE. This year’s program’s fundraising goal is to support the KDL youth poetry programs.
Kent County Veterans Services recently, and quite literally, opened its office doors to all county veterans and families in need of support and services. And the office is making sure the “all” in “all county veterans” includes female veterans.
To that end, the office is hosting the first of what it plans to be annual Female Veterans Banquet, July 31, at the American Legion Boat and Canoe Club in Grand Rapids. RSVPs are requested by Friday, July 23.
The banquet, a semi-formal affair with the fun of dinner and dancing, and the distinguished speaking of the honorable Rosemary Aqualina, JD, and United States Air Force veteran; and Deborah Brown, DMD and MHS, and U.SA. Army Veteran. It will run 6-11 p.m.
It will also be a night to celebrate female veterans, an often under-celebrated group of veterans.
“The idea for the banquet came from former (Veterans Services Advisory Committee) chair Mel Bauman, and the committee … decided to go ahead with it as part of KCVS overall initiative to engage more female vets in activities and services that are available to them,” Martha Burkett, manager of Kent County Veterans Services, said to WKTV.
“This banquet is an opportunity to celebrate female veterans, to thank them for their service and to acknowledge them for the amazing people that they are and the sacrifices they have made.”
And while all veterans should be thanked for their service, and the sacrifices they have made, female veterans are often left out of the celebrations and recognitions. And the reasons are manyfold.
Female (and male) veterans at an art workshop. (KC Veterans Services)
“Women are less likely to publicly identify as veterans than their male counterparts, and the public does not make a great effort to engage them,” Burkett said. “Often in situations when veterans are being recognized, men will be noticed and commended — even in couples where the man and woman are both vets, the public assumes that he is a vet and she is not. If a woman is unaccompanied in such a situation, unless she is wearing clothing or patches /pins that identify her as a veteran, she is likely to be overlooked entirely.”
Another reason, just beginning to be recognized and addressed, is women in the military sometimes experience military sexual trauma, bullying, and marginalization, Burkett said.
“This is not to say that males to not have these experiences, but it happens less frequently and/or they are less likely to report. Women are also reluctant to report, fearing retaliation and invalidation by their superiors and peers. Often male colleagues will cover for each other, or the military will move the woman to another military base rather than sanctioning the man.
“They make the same sacrifices as men and often experience hostile work and or living environments. Some women have a wonderful experience in the military and are impacted very little by the concerns that I mentioned. Others are greatly impacted and often harbor un earned feelings of shame and guilt or failure about their ability or inability to cope in the environment.”
Female veterans attend an online workshop. (KC Veterans Services)
The bottom line is the a veteran is a veteran, regardless of gender, and the Female Veterans Banquet is addressing that fact.
“Women in the military are as essential and effective in their roles as men,” Burkett said. “Women in the military are smart, strong, capable, and courageous and should be recognized for their efforts accordingly.”
Kent County Veterans Services is located at 836 Fuller NE, Grand Rapids. For more information visit kentcountyveteransservices.com or call 616-632-5722.
